Press
Press for the ‘Peter Gabriel’ album (2021)
Press for the ‘Entkommen’ single (2018)
“Polytechnic Youth has been on something of a release spree of late. This absorbing single from the previously low-key Adam Leonard is apparently one of three seven-inch singles the label is releasing simultaneously. Split into two equally otherworldly parts, “Entkommen” is a meditative Berlin-School composition built around spacey, elongated modular pulses, fuzzy 1970s synthesizer chords, sci-fi effects and languid, rippling organ melodies that slowly rise and fall throughout. It’s undeniably “kosmiche” in nature, recalling in parts very early Tangerine Dream, Dieter Moebius and Conrad Schnitzler. It’s drowsy, alien and hugely atmospheric, suggesting that Adam Leonard is not only a student of those landmark German artists, but also a very capable musician.” (JUNO)
Press for the ‘Invaderband’ album (2017)
- “If John Peel was still with us, this lot would be one of his favourite new bands” – The Daily Mirror
- “Invaderband have set the bar incredibly high … sounds like a lost classic” – The Irish News
- “A rare breed of a record. Impossibly earworming” – The Thin Air
- “Definitely one of the records of the year. Magnificent” – SWIT
- “Sly and cunning with a great hook. I really like this…” – Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 6Music
- “Really good … smashing record” – Gideon Coe, BBC Radio 6Music
- “Splendidly anarchic” – Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6Music
- “Fresh, invigorating & snappy” – Mickey Bradley, BBC Radio Ulster
- “Fantastic. A great debut record” – Across The Line, BBC Radio Ulster
- “Incredible. An absolute must-have. Get them into your life as fast as you can” – Stephen McCauley, Electric Mainline, BBC Radio Foyle
- “On an aural axis that freewheels between Roxy Music and Magazine. Slickly drilled post-punk … Steeped in wit, waywardness and white hot effervescence” – Mark Barton, The Sunday Experience
- “It will be looked back on as a cult classic” – Louder Than Words
Press for the ‘Octopus’ albums (2014-2015)
- “A treasure trove … Essential” – The Sunday Experience
- “A work of mad genius, frankly” – A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed.
- “It’s pretty easy to guess that Leonard is always working and is not interested in limiting himself to a singular stylistic niche. He’s a talented and creative musician” – Louder Than War
- “Fantastic” – Stephen McCauley (BBC Radio Foyle, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC Radio 6Music)
- “He’s unfairly adept at all of these styles and defies both logic and conventional form in his ability to construct a convincing, detailed tapestry from materials which should result in a patchwork outcome at best” – The Active Listener
Press for the ‘Nature Recordings’ album (2012)
- “An incredibly well-crafted, cohesive release which deftly displays Adam’s particular gift for blending traditional psychedelic-rock and psychedelic-folk elements whilst also maintaining a thoroughly ‘modern’ aesthetic to his work … very special” – Folk Radio UK
- “Carved, fired, smoked, distilled and then left to cure and mature in the finest traditions of English psych folk there’s a deeply resonating classicism oozing from the grooves of Adam Leonard’s quite exceptional ‘Nature Recordings’ full length” – Mark Barton, The Sunday Experience
- “Excellent … sublime … intriguing … ambitious … This is a curious little gem of an album and one that should delight the discerning listener, time and again.” – Terrascope Online
- “Leonard has developed a signature style and it’s working well … the whole thing has the ramshackle feel of a bumpy journey in the south of France.” – Shindig! Magazine.
- “If you don’t have this in your collection you are missing something that’s simultaneously exceptional, intriguing and ground breaking … a joy and a wonder” – Folk Words.
- “Nature Recordings manages to recall the glories of a British folk rock past whilst sounding wonderfully unique and fresh” – A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed
- “The image of the tower on the cover reminds me of the ruined and overgrown windmills visible when navigating the Norfolk Broads. It’s a resonant image that captures something about Adam Leonard’s haunted music. If you’re a fan of the work of Tyneham House or The Hardy Tree, then do give this a listen” – Hard Format
- “A sonic representation of a defiantly regional landscape” – FATEA
- “Arresting folk … I’ve missed Leonard’s earlier work and that’s something I’ll be rectifying pronto” – Americana UK
- “And amazing stuff this is too, where the experimentation keeps you on the edge of the seat and well away from any borders with boredom – beyond this eclecticism, are some astute songs and distinctly thoughtful melodies that still remain faithful to some quite folkish roots” – Manchester Music
On earlier releases
- “Charming, ramshackle album that whirls and fidgets round the muddy pastoral fields of middle England; here, a little Robyn Hitchcock, there some Syd Barrett whimsy and Swell Maps pout… even the odd sarcastic E. Smith colloquialism. Nice.” – Everett True, Plan B Magazine on the ‘Leonardism’ album.
- “Really special” – Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music
- “An almost Syd-era Floyd psych nugget” – Cargo
- “The Message Tapes are played out on an acoustic guitar, but with Leonard’s slightly distant vocal. Containing an off the wall sample and his dry, infectious picks, this is just totally compelling material. A very clever and intriguing collection” – Manchester Music
- “Excellent. A Barrett-esque piece of dark psych-pop” – Boa Melody Bar
- “Music For A Slow Motion Film sees Adam sitting on a rock on the sea shore playing a mandolin while the wind whips his gravelled voice into a swirling echo” – ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives’ Magazine
- “Single Of The Week” (‘It Happened On A Day’ 10″) – Norman Records
- “Syd Barrett meets The Fall … Ominous folk” – Piccadilly Records
- “Spooky and effect-laden, like George Harrison trying to write his own version of Space Oddity. A round of applause please for Mr. Adam Leonard” – PLAYLOUDER
The Message Tapes 