MusicMafiaUK

Thot - Eurotour + Brand New Single for Free

2012-01-27T15:46:00.000Z

Thot Eurotour and Brand New Single for Free

After almost one year to spread its vegetal noise music all around western Europe, Thot will hit the east on february 2012 with some gigs in Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to defend its album on stage. "Obscured by the wind", by Thot is still available on White Leaves Music in limited edition.

These 10 tracks of heavy Vegetal Noise Music are available in digital for free or pay what you want download on Bandcamp. A few copies of the 11 tracks limited hand numbered digisleeve CD edition are also available now on Thot's store.

By the way, the band has also just released a brand new single entitled "I buy the rain" available for free right NOW.

You can find all the eurotour dates below... and a little video teaser here.

11.02.12 - KZ Orfeum, Kadan (Cz)
12.02.12 - Klub Fabrika, Poznan (Pl)

13.02.12 - Klub Muzyczny Liverpool, Wroclaw (Pl)

14.02.12 - Rock Café, Prague (Cz)
15.02.12 - TBA, Bratislava (Sk)
16.02.12 - Szabad az Á, Budapest (Hu)
17.02.12 - Modrý Trpaslík, Ceská Trebová (Cz)
18.02.12 - M-Klub, Valašské Mezirící (Cz)

Bandcamp / Facebook / Website / Twitter

Camp Bestival 2012 line-up announced

2012-01-27T15:35:00.000Z

Camp Bestival 2012 line-up announced

Camp Bestival, 26th to 29th July 2012 - Lulworth Castle, Dorset

JOIN IN THE OLYMPIAN FEATS OF MAGIC AT
CAMP BESTIVAL 2012

Friday Night Headliners:
Hot Chip

Camp Bestival's Saturday Night Fever with:
Kool & The Gang / Chic featuring Nile Rodgers /
Earth Wind & Fire Experience featuring Al McKay

Festival Exclusives:
Mr Tumble / Silly Olympics with Lost & Found / Shrek the Musical / Fantastic Mr Fox /
The Bopps / English National Ballet / Kid Carpet and the Noisy Animals /
Camp Bestival Panto / Roundhouse Street Variety Show / Truth About Youth

Food Glorious Food:
Young British Foodies / Underground Restaurant & Many More Fine Food Emporiums

Even More Amazing Live Performances:
Jimmy Cliff / Rizzle Kicks / Adam Ant & The Good The Mad and The Lovely Posse / Little Dragon / The Gruffalo / Bellowhead / Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs /
The Cuban Brothers / Breakfast With Henry (Henry Rollins Spoken Word) Deliliah / Spector / Lianne La Havas / Stooshe / P Money / Youngman / Jaipur Kawa Brass Band / Dub Pistols /
DJ Yoda & The Transiberian Marching Band / Jaipur Kawa Circus /
Clement Marfo & The Frontline / Scroobius Pip / Random Impulse / Frankie Rose / Liz Green /
3 Bonzos and a Piano / Prince Fatty / We Were Evergreen / 2:54 / Gabrielle Aplin /
Pearl And The Beard / Blues Brothers UK / Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo /
The Moonflowers / Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer / Duke special / This Is The Kit /
Folk Idol presents The Folk Olympics

Showtime!
Gruffalo / Wall of Death / Stefan Gates The Gastronaut / Wookey Hole Circus /
Square Peg Circus / Howard Marks Kids Stories / Being 747 / Morris Dancing

DJ Sets From:
David Rodigan MBE presents RAM JAM / Jaguar Skills & His Amazing Friends / Warm & Electric Minds / The Japanese Popstars / Camo & Krooked / Greg Wilson / Zed Bias / Shellac Collective / Mosca / Ben UFO / Stopmakingme / Balearic Brothers

Plus:
Soul Bird Gardens Healing Area / Rob da Bank Youth Club / Big Love Inflatable Church / The Secret Emporium

Festi-holiday frolics ahoy, the time has come to unveil the first of the myriad magical treats we have in store for July 26-29 at Camp Bestival 2012! Of course, we’ve got a seriously hip-shaking musical line-up at the best family festival holiday around but that’s not the only thing that will be keeping you on your toes as our Bang on theme, we'll hosting our own Olympic shin-dig with a screening the opening ceremony live in the Big Top on Friday night complete with a Camp B torch! And our favourite wallies Lost & Found will also be back as the loveable Camp Bestival Blue Coats to host our 2012 Silly Olympics. From pea shot-put to their signature binocular football, you’ll be going Olympics-crazy for their games! And, as ever, Lulworth Castle will be brimming with incredible spectacles, moments of pure joy, amazing food, luxury camping and tons of fun for all the family with over 100 free things for kids to do and lots and lots of brand new attractions at our landmark fifth Camp Bestival!

Rob da Bank says: ‘'I can’t believe it’s still only January yet my heads firmly entrenched in a field in Dorset in July thinking about all the mighty musical offerings and other fun and games we have lined up for Camp Bestival. From Chic to Hot Chip, Jimmy Cliff to Little Dragon and Mr Tumble to Rizzle Kicks it's another very diverse line up reflecting all the different ages and tribes that descend on Lulworth Castle each year! I hope to see you there."

As firm favourites of our entire crew, we are extremely pleased to announce that Hot Chip will be making their debut headline appearance at Camp Bestival. And things are set to get funky fresh on Saturday night with Camp Bestival’s Saturday Night Fever! So get your glad rags on for a disco spectacular the likes of which has never been seen on Dorset’s Jurassic coastline with Kool & The Gang dropping the Jungle Boogie, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers taking us on an epic journey through one of the most booty-shaking back catalogues known to man – watch Mr Nile Rodgers himself talking about coming back to Camp Bestival here: http://youtu.be/fO5cxfcpvIA - and there will be dazzling glitter ball behaviour from the Earth Wind & Fire Experience featuring Al McKay .

It’s not all about our astounding music line-up though because we have more festival exclusives than you can shake a stick at for Camp Bestival 2012, including the one and only Mr Tumble! We can almost hear the rumble of anticipation from our youngest audience members already!

Those exclusives just keep on coming as we are jumping for joy to be welcoming Fantastic Mr Fox! Shrek and Princess Fiona from Shrek The Musical are making a spectacular return exclusively at Camp Bestival! Better yet, this time they will be bringing their wise-cracking sidekick Donkey with them for an exclusive Camp Bestival sing-a-long!

In yet another festival exclusive, the lovely people at English National Ballet have chosen Camp Bestival as their FAVOURITE festival and we are delighted that they are coming back for the 4th year to host brilliant ballet classes and much more!

Food is bigger and better than ever at Camp Bestival 2012 with lashings of lovely grub on offer, our tummies are already rumbling in anticipation. We are beside ourselves with excitement to announce that we’ve got the country’s finest young chefs, street food vendors, bakers and mixologists all under one roof in the Young British Foodies Tent! Winners of the nationwide search for the most talented Young British Foodies will be joined by the YBF all-star foodie judges to create a never-been-done-before, spectacular eating experience.

We are also extremely honoured that the author of 'Supper Club', food blogger and chef, MsMarmitelover will once again host The Underground Restaurant, an extraordinary theatrical dining experience at Camp Bestival. The theme and decor will be shipboard, pirate, South Seas with a creative adult and children’s menu. Better yet, you will able to gather up a delectable selection of edible goodies for making your camp meal at the new Underground Farmers Market! From cheeses, chutneys, sausages and fresh bread, this gypsy style encampment will be your ultimate onsite grocery stop!

With a jam-packed weekend on the cards there be live performance aplenty with a staggering line-up that includes reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, Brightonian hip-hop wunderkinds Rizzle Kicks and Adam Ant & The Good The Mad and The Lovely Posse plus Little Dragon, Bellowhead, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, The Cuban Brothers, Breakfast With Henry (Henry Rollins Spoken Word), Deliliah, Spector, Lianne La Havas Stooshe, P Money, Youngman, Jaipur Kawa Brass Band, Dub Pistols, DJ Yoda & The Transiberian Marching Band, Jaipur Kawa Circus, Clement Marfo & The Frontline, Scroobius Pip, Random Impulse, Frankie Rose, Liz Green, 3 Bonzos and a Piano, Prince Fatty, We Were Evergreen, Gabrielle Aplin, 2:54, Pearl And The Beard, Blues Brothers UK, Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo, The Moonflowers, Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer, Duke special, This Is The Kit and Folk Idol presents The Folk Olympics.

And there will be plenty of action on the ones and twos with Warm & Electric Minds teaming up to present sets from Horse Meat Disco, The Revenge, Mark E. Tim Goldsworthy, Auntie Flo and Warm & Electric Minds residents. We’re also incredibly excited to announce David Rodigan MBE Presents Ram Jam! We can’t wait to give him some signal! Plus there will be lots of hands in the air escapades from The Japanese Popstars, Jaguar Skills and his Amazing Friends, Camo & Krooked, Greg Wilson, Zed Bias, Shellac Collective, Mosca, Ben UFO, Stopmakingme and the Balearic Brothers to keep the party rolling.

The Gruffalo show is also back by unprecedented demand, with a magical theatrical adventure on Sunday morning on the Castle Stage. And there’s even more! Being 747 will be performing their new scientific rock opera ‘The Clockwork Universe’ and we’ve also got masters of slapstick comedy The Bopps!, featuring Housemartins founder Stan Cullimore.

Hold onto your hats for the amazing new Wall of Death! Our daredevil ‘Hell Riders’ will astonish you with their terrifying motorbike tricks, zooming in circles around their vertical Wall of Death whilst barely holding on! Jaw-droppingly amazing!

Stefan Gates The Gastronaut is another new recruit who will be demonstrating his fantastic gastronomical experiments in the Little Big Top. And we’ve got circus treats galore! Wookey Hole Circus are all under the age of 18 and are an unbelievably gifted bunch making their Camp Bestival debut in 2012! Plus Square Peg Circus will be gracing us with their new spectacular outdoor show, ‘Rime’.

More brand new stuff comes courtesy of Kid Carpet and the Noisy Animals, plus we are mega excited to announce our very first Summer Panto: Beauti and the Beast of Lulworth Castle! Another Camp Bestival premiere is the brand new Roundhouse Street Variety Show a specially devised show featuring 20 young performers (all aged 12 - 16 years) who have created a variety show like no other!

Camp Bestival wouldn’t be the same without bedtime stories from the wonderful Howard Marks, so be sure to rally the kids into sleepy-mode with the help of his dulcet Welsh tones. What’s more, the Ovalhouse’s Truth About Youth London will performing a unique theatre show called ‘Bussin It’ on a real double decker!

Are you a rock star in the making? Well you can now head to Rob da Bank’s Music Club to find out! This project, set up on the Isle of Wight in partnership with the Youth Trust, is coming to Lulworth to offer up a brilliant selection music and arts workshops

Plus you can now get (nearly ;-) hitched at Camp Bestival in our Big Love Inflatable Church! And we’ve also got dancing with bells on! Hot stepping around Lulworth Castle, catch our troops of Morris Dancers jingling and stick bashing in trad English stylee.

And when all that fun gets too much and you’re in need of a glorious oasis of calm, look no further than our newly expanded healing area, Soul Bird Gardens. With massages, wood fired hot tubs, relaxation and mediation with the David Lynch Foundation, this is our favourite place to shake off the world and unwind.

Or shop till you drop in the new Secret Emporium for some seriously classy retail therapy! With the hottest milliners, jewelers, fashion designers and artists this side of Jupiter, you can hand pick some goodies from some of the best British designers.

And don’t forget, there are plenty of camping options too from Camping Plus to Tipis, Yurts, Podpads and beyond there’s something for everyone. Check here for the down low: http://www.campbestival.net/#/camping

With some much amazing stuff going on and lots more to announce you’ll have to hurry to make sure you grab your tickets for this year’s Camp Bestival and amazingly everyone who buys their Early Bird tickets before February the 8th will be entered into our spectacular Camp Bestival Tombola with 100 festi-tastic prizes to be won from a Luxury Furnished Tipi in our Boutique Campsite to lots of Sunday Best goodie bags – click here for more information:

www.campbestival.net/#/news/early-bird-tickets-the-camp-bestival-tombola-100-festi-tastic-prizes-to-be-won

And don’t forget to check www.campbestival.net for all the up to the minute news about our fifth Camp Bestival!

Ticket Info:
Ticketline: www.ticketline.co.uk/camp-bestival // 0844 888 4410
Adult Weekend Ticket (inc. camping from Thursday) - £180
Adult Weekend Ticket (inc. camping from Friday) - £170
Adult Tickets are for anyone aged 18 or over on 26/07/2012

Age 15 to 17 Weekend Ticket (inc. camping from Thursday) - £105
Age 15 to 17 Weekend Ticket (inc. camping from Friday) - £100
Age 15 to 17 Weekend Tickets are for anyone aged 15 to 17 on 26/07/2012. These ticket holders must be accompanied by a Ticket holding parent or guardian over the age of 30 *

Age 11 to 14 Weekend Ticket (inc. camping from Thursday) - £90
Age 11 to 14 Weekend Ticket (inc. camping from Friday) - £85
Age 11 to 14 Weekend Tickets are for anyone aged 11 to 14 on 26/07/2012. These ticket holders must be accompanied by a Ticket holding parent or guardian over the age of 30 *

*NB : All teens (aged 11 to 17) MUST camp in the same area as their families with a maximum of 2 teens per adult (over the age of 30)

Age 10 and Under Weekend Ticket (inc. camping) – FREE (but ticket still required)
Age 10 and Under Weekend Tickets are for anyone aged 10 and under on 26/07/2012. These ticket holders must be accompanied by a Ticket holding parent or guardian over the age of 21
Advance Car Parking - £10 per car (or £15 cash on arrival)
Campervan Ticket - £80 per vehicle

Rory Gallagher's first six solo albums reissued for 40th anniversary

2012-01-27T15:27:00.000Z

Rory Gallagher's first six solo albums reissued for 40th anniversary

Sony Music in association with Capo Records and Legacy are proud to re-issue the first six original Rory Gallagher albums in chronological release date order – “Rory Gallagher” (1971), “Deuce” (1971), “Live! In Europe” (1972), “Blueprint” (1973), “Tattoo” (1973) and “Irish Tour ’74” (1974). These six seminal re-issued albums celebrate 40 years since the birth of Rory’s solo career.

Rory Gallagher was a musician like no other. He was, and still is, one of the world’s greatest guitarists, singer/songwriters and live showmen. His guitar playing is an inspiration to some of today’s hottest guitarists including Slash, Joe Bonamassa, Brian May, Johnny Marr, and The Edge.

“The man who changed my musical life was Rory Gallagher, I picked up a guitar because of him.” – Johnny Marr

Each of the six milestone albums were released during Rory's most prolific years (1971-74), when he recorded and produced them in the short space of three years. The albums are re-released in digipack form, with newly restored original cover art. The audio has been re-mastered from the original ¼” inch tapes, true to how Rory intended it to sound. Each album includes exclusive sleeve notes personally written by Rory’s brother and former tour manager “Donal Gallagher”, journalist “Roy Hollingworth”, and legendary rock photographer “Mick Rock”.

http://www.rorygallagher.com/

Introducing...Sam Sallon

2012-01-27T15:26:00.000Z

Introducing...Sam Sallon

Sam is the real deal, a truly excellent singer songwriter and a great guitar player. He has toured with Rodrigo y Gabriela, Pete Doherty, Nouvelle Vague, Dot Allison and Lyle Lovett. Last year he played The Secret Garden Party, Cheltenham Folk, Big Chill, Wilderness and Beacon Festivals, amongst others. Sam is a class live act, and most of his bookings come through word of mouth alone.

His album One For The Road was produced by David Watson, who has worked with Eric Clapton and the late great Bert Jansch. The album features some renowned British musicians including guitarist Paul Wassif, Neil Cowley on piano and singer Kami Thompson.

Sam will be releasing an EP through AWAL Records and playing up and down the UK in Spring. With the build-up to his album release later this year, there are several give-aways in the pipeline, and some top notch videos emerging from February onwards. In the meantime, here's a link to the fantastic 360 Interactive video for "Keep Moving" (click and drag the movie around for stunning 360 effect).

http://samsallon.com/keep-moving-interactive-video/

Sam's Facebook is the most popular place for his music and videos: http://listn.to/SamSallon

A video for "Just The Same", one of the songs from the new album.

http://youtu.be/Ubpqz4W2iDA

Soundcloud

http://soundcloud.com/samsallon/sets/three-tracks/

Threshold Festival Liverpool 2012

2012-01-27T15:25:00.000Z

Threshold Festival Liverpool February 2012

Friday 10 – Sunday 12 February 2012 (Previews Thursday 9 February)

Grass Roots Manoeuvres

Threshold Festival returns to the Liverpool Baltic Triangle in the New Year. Following the success of its maiden voyage in February 2011, the underdog aficionados behind Under the Influence are set on two things – Bigger and Better. Starting life as a collaboration between CUC Liverpool and Under the Influence, the CUC’s huge labyrinthine warehouse enabled the inaugural multi art-form, multi venueThreshold to become a sprawling indoor festival. Music, theatre, visual art and live art performances flowed from one room to the next.

So where to next for Europe’s Largest Festival Under One Roof? The sad and rather sudden closureof the CUC building could have easily meant nowhere… But the team wasn’t prepared to let this bean end to it. They just had to think outside the box, and find themselves a different box in time for February. The big news is that Threshold Festival 2012 will no longer be under one roof. It will beunder several roofs. With the incredible support of a community of creatives willing it to happen,practically the entire Liverpool Baltic Triangle has come to the rescue and got behind Threshold. Thefestival will be putting on a long weekend of events in Elevator Café, Camp and Furnace (formerly AFoundation), the New Picket and the Scandinavian Church, with more venues to be announced.

Right from the start, the first Threshold festival endeavoured to engage with arts, music and

performance promoters, providing them with a platform to create and explore. This time that same ethos applies more than ever, with over 20 promoters already on board from Liverpool such as Mellowtone, Rebel Soul, Newpath, Headspace, Antipop, Kin2Kin, CALM, and further afield including Glastonbury favourites Chai Wallah, Scottish blues label Guardian Angels Records,Salford-based innovators Un-convention, Manchester contemporary art and creative writing champions Blank Media Collective and alt-folk wunderkinds Imploding Inevitable Festival.

Stealing Sheep have already herded into their line-up, and other confirmed performances includeThe Thespians and Man Get Out. A great programme of events that began life at CUC Liverpool will also be spilling out into the new venues, such as geek heaven Super Effective Sunday, RonanBoyle & Lucy Styles, Before Dark Acoustic Sessions and the ever popular Prime Cuts openscreen for short film makers. Under The Influence will take all of these events and more, and reach awhole new Threshold encompassing the Liverpool Baltic Triangle.

Here’s what they said about Threshold 2011:

Apart from the fact that it's a mighty fine and incredibly audacious and ambitious event that's worthy of our support and which we'd be plugging anyway, there's also a heap load of acoustic music taking place. We'd expect nothing less from the Under the Influence. - Liverpool Acoustic

Kudos all round to the excellent team behind last weekend’s riotous Threshold Festival. The city categorically set out its manifesto for our creative, inventive and collaborative future. And being at the CUC this weekend felt like you were in the eye of the storm.

In years to come, those who attended can look back, misty eyed, and say, yeah, I was there at the very first one. It was that kind of event; the buzz was tangible. It would be unfair to single out any specific bands, performance companies or other creatives. But let’s just say there were a few SevenStreets spied who we’re very keen to bring to your

attention over the coming weeks.
Watch this space.

And if you missed it all, like, where were you? - Seven Streets

Bringing together some of the North West’s hardest working and innovative artists and promoters.- Object of dreams

Last year’s festival highlights:

Notable & memorable Threshold 2011 features included, Field of Dreams the ambitious and beautiful installation by artist Robyn Woolston, Living With Macbeth written directed and performed by Storm Theatre, Reflections of Projections by award

winning company 2Toned Theatre, the Twinned exhibition by Headspace, music by Delta Maid, Punning Clan, MinionTv, The Elementals, Kof, Lovecraft, Fonetics, Dave O’Grady, Loose Moose String Band to name but a handful of amazing talent, plus film screenings by Serious Feather and Vincent Moon, and dance performances by MDI.

Even though there is talk of juicy headliners this year, the focus will again be stoically grass roots. Last year’s event prided itself on being the platform for those without one, and this is as important as ever. Thanks must also go to local and regional education institutions for their involvement and support.

A few words from the Threshold Festival Directors:

We were under no illusions about Threshold Festival 2011, it was new territory & it was a

monumental (with the emphasis on the latter two syllables of that word) undertaking. We did it and people loved it, from punters to artists, to volunteers to CUC staff, and now we’re back to do it all again in 2012. Get ready for some amazing antics. - Chris Carney, Festival Director

We've been astonished by the reaction and support for the festival after the news of CUC Liverpool closing. Now more than ever it feels like an event truly rooted in the multi-arts community.

- Kaya Herstad Carney, Festival Director

Tickets:

Friday £8 / Saturday £10 / Sunday £10 / Weekend £20

All tickets are available from Skiddle.com

http://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Liverpool/Liverpool-Baltic-Triangle/Threshold-Festival-2012/11566376/

Or you can go through the Threshold Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/undertheinfluencenight

Nathaniel releases BORN

2012-01-26T21:24:00.002Z

Nathaniel releases BORN

Presenting 'BORN' - the hugely anticipated debut mixtape from Brooklyn singer / songwriter Nathaniel. Following on from the highly successful single releases 'King Of The Streets' (feat DJ Kay Slay, DJ Doo Wop, DJ Khaled & DJ Drama) and 'Left For Dead' (feat Disturbing tha Peace rapper I-20), Nathaniel's debut long player features 15 outstanding, never-before-heard cuts. Influenced by a variety of sounds and genres, 'BORN' showcases Nathaniel's incredible vocal talent and songwriting ability, proving that this fast rising RnB sensation is ready to justify his incredible online hype..

1.Born
2.Body
3.Put Yo Ass to Sleep
4.For My City
5.We Got Eachother
6.Poke It Out
7.Night And Day
8.Telekenesis
9.Right Now
10.Whatever
11.Space Swag
12.L.O.V.E
13.The Apple
14.Left for Dead feat I-20

CLICK HERE TO STREAM / DOWNLOAD

www.flynate.com
www.facebook.com/FLYNATE
twitter.com/flynate

Juan Zelada announces UK tour 2012

2012-01-26T20:27:00.001Z

Juan Zelada announces UK tour 2012

New and hotly tipped Universal signing Juan Zelada announces UK tour dates ahead of album release ‘High Ceilings & Collarbones’

2011 saw Juan Zelada quickly become one of the most talked about names on the music scene. His first two singles released last year, ‘Breakfast in Spitalfields’ and ‘The Blues Remain’, both received Record of the Week and A-playlist status on Radio 2 alongside rave reviews in the music and lifestyle press. Follow up single ‘What Do I Know’ (released Feb 13^th on Decca Records) has already bagged Record of the Week to give Juan an exceptional Radio 2 hat trick!

Now, with his timelessly crafted sound and classic good looks, the multi-talented, pianist, guitarist and singer/songwriter is ready to charm 2012. Catch Juan and his show-stopping band at the following live dates.

Tickets will be available to buy from Friday 27^th January 2012 via www.juanzelada.com/shows

MARCH 2012

Wednesday 28 March - Juan Zelada at The Roadmender, Northampton

Thursday 29 March - Juan Zelada at The Craufurd Arms, Wolverton, Milton Keynes

Friday 30 March - Juan Zelada at Bush Hall, Shepherd’s Bush, London

Saturday 31 March - Juan Zelada at The Cornerhouse, Cambridge

APRIL 2012

Monday 02 April - Juan Zelada at Soyo , Sheffield

Tuesday 03 April - Juan Zelada at The Bodega Social Club, Nottingham

Wednesday 04 April - Juan Zelada at The Musician, Leicester

Thursday 05 April - Juan Zelada at The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Friday 06 April - Juan Zelada at Fibbers, York

Saturday 07 April - Juan Zelada at The Cluny, Newcastle upon Tyne

Sunday 08 April - Juan Zelada at TheTunnels, Aberdeen

Monday 09 April - Juan Zelada at The Berkeley Suite, Glasgow

Friday 13 April - Juan Zelada at Night & Day, Manchester

Saturday 14 April - Juan Zelada at Leaf on Bold Street, Liverpool

Sunday 15 April - Juan Zelada at The Yardbird Jazz Club, Birmingham

Tuesday 17 April - Juan Zelada at South Street Arts Centre, Reading

Wednesday 18 April - Juan Zelada at Buffalo Bar, Cardiff

Thursday 19 April - Juan Zelada at The Jericho, Oxford

Friday 20 April - Juan Zelada at The Louisiana, Bristol

Saturday 21 April - Juan Zelada at Guildhall, Gloucester

Tuesday 24 April - Juan Zelada at The Winchester, Bournemouth

Wednesday 25 April - Juan Zelada at The George Venue, Andover, Hampshire

Friday 27 April - Juan Zelada at The Cellars, Portsmouth

Saturday 28 April - Juan Zelada at The Forum, Tunbridge Wells

Sunday 29 April – Juan Zelada at Komedia, Brighton

John Hectic ft Marqus - Got Me Singing

2012-01-26T20:18:00.000Z

John Hectic ft Marqus - Got Me Singing

Rapper / producer John Hectic releases the first single from his forthcoming mixtape #DEALWIVIT - a bouncy club anthem featuring Marqus titled 'Got Me Singing'.

Formally one half of London hip hop duo Double H (Hard Hitters), John Hectic has spent a majority of 2011 locked away in the studio, with two brand new solo projects lined up for digital release in 2012. Hectic is also busy running his own t-shirt line - '9JABOI Clothing' - and is currently the main face of AYO Clothing's 9JA Fitted Hats, an entrepreneurial streak which has since seamlessly transcended into his musical endeavours. Renowned for his witty, thought provoking wordplay and hard hitting production, this Cuban born, London raised, Nigerian artist / businessman is certainly a force to be reckoned with in 2012.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

For more information on John Hectic please visit:
http://www.Johnhectic.com
http://www.twitter.com/johnhectic

RockNess 2012 line-up revealed

2012-01-26T16:27:00.000Z

RockNess 2012 line-up revealed

8th, 9th and 10th JUNE, 2012
LOCH NESS, SCOTLAND

ROCKNESS 2012 LAUNCHES TO THE SOUND OF

MUMFORD & SONS * BIFFY CLYRO * DEADMAU5

ED SHEERAN * JUSTICE

PLUS ALSO CONFIRMED IN FIRST LINE UP ANNOUNCEMENT
METRONOMY * NOAH AND THE WHALE * WRETCH 32 * FRESH / LIVE * AZEALIA BANKS * BEARDYMAN * DEATH IN VEGAS * CHIC featuring NILE RODGERS * ETIENNE DE CRECY * TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS * BUSY P * GESAFFELSTEIN * RITON * THE CUBAN BROTHERS * FILTH djs * POLYMATH * COUNT CLOCKWORK

AND
THE INAUGURAL ROCKNESS EXPRESS...
ALL ABOARD…SCOTLAND HERE WE COME!

RockNess 2012 launches today (Thursday 27th January) with a gargantuan roar as the first acts of the multi award winning Scottish festival are announced.

Topping off an incredible twelve months for the NME Awards 2011 ‘Best Small Festival’ Winner, the three day knees up beside world famous Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands brings together the hottest names in rock, electro and indie, and 2012 is set to be the most awesome yet.

The achievements of MUMFORD & SONS since the release of debut album ‘Sigh No More’ has been a success story rarely matched in recent times. A story, written and mapped out on the road. From a live adventure across India, to sold-out arenas in America and Australia, and from the festival fields of Europe, to impromptu parks on the Railroad Revival Tour in America, each and every town and city that has welcomed the band has been treated to a jubilant performance, regardless of the size of venue. With countless acknowledgements across the Grammy’s, Brits and Mercury Prize, the music of these multi instrumentalist marvels is real, authentic and simply stunning .

Now this band of brothers is preparing to unveil album number two and hit their spiritual homes on the road once again. A little wiser, a lot more experienced, but ready to take their electrifying live show to the masses. RockNess is thoroughly delighted to announce MUMFORD & SONS as the first of this year’s headliners.

Intense and inspiring, to witness a DEADMAU5 live show is to experience shock and awe. A dazzling spectacular of technical wizardry and kaleidoscopic visuals that has seen the Toronto-born behemoth (aka Joel Thomas Zimmerman) garner acclaim from both critics and fans alike, and continue his ascent as one of the very biggest names in electronic music. Famed for his brand of progressive dance that has been shaking enormodomes across the planet, the Grammy-nominated, Billboard-topping superstar DJ and producer is seriously hot property and his RockNess headline assault will be a major festival highlight of 2012.

As one of the very best live bands around, BIFFY CLYRO are at the top of their game. A decade long assault on the globe’s live music circuit and a five album-strong catalogue heavy on blistering, fist pumping anthems has seen to that. The trio’s unique sound, brought to glorious fruition on platinum selling albums ‘Puzzle’ and ‘Only Revolutions’ is well honed – a mix of off-kilter tempos, thumping guitar riffage and soaring vocals – and has steered the Ayrshire trio’s well earned rise to rock glory.

Now with studio album six well under way, BIFFY CLYRO are heading to Dores to unleash their seriously big sound in the band’s first ever Scottish festival headline slot. Unmissable!

Speaking about the announcement, Simon Neil, Ben Johnston and James Johnston of BIFFY CLYRO said ''We are thrilled to be returning to RockNess in June, and this time we'll be headlining. The location is amazing and the enthusiastic crowd made for a memorable experience in 2009, so we're counting down the days until our return in 2012.''

As one of the UK’s most critically lauded new artists not to mention biggest domestic successes, ED SHEERAN’s rise to the top has been stratospheric. A triple platinum album, three sold out tours and a clutch of award wins and nominations – including four that sees him leading the way at this year’s Brit Awards, SHEERAN is hot. This one man, DIY phenomenon blurs timeless song writing with bang current hip hop, and he counts various collaborations including those with grime rapsters Wiley and Wretch 32 to his credit. ED SHEERAN’s RockNess appearance follows hot on the heels of a much anticipated and soon-to-begin three month US tour.

Annually topping the wish list of fans as their must-see live act at RockNess, it is with huge excitement that Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay, aka JUSTICE, will be bringing pummelling levels of intensity to the festival. The prospect of the French house duo - whose electrifying live shows have all who witness reaching for the superlatives - hitting up Dores is sure to generate elation.

The now seminal debut album ‘Cross’ saw JUSTICE widely revered as chief dance floor crusaders. Now with the release of long awaited second album ‘Audio, Video, Disco’ - an inspired push-pull friction of lush prog rock decadence underpinned with brutally executed beats – the dance floor is theirs for the taking once again.

In what will surely be the most fun journey of the summer, THE ROCKNESS EXPRESS makes its exciting debut this June and marks the Year of Creative Scotland. This specially chartered train will depart from London Euston, picking up festival goers at Birmingham, Derby, York and Newcastle, before delivering the up-for-it party people to their final destination of Inverness.

Expect a full scale shindig on board THE ROCKNESS EXPRESS with top music, surprise guests, the best of Scottish food, cocktails, games and goody bags. What’s more, RockNess Expressers will get priority access on site before anyone else arrives AND a private party! If that isn’t enough, the unbeatable price of £225 is sure to impress. For this, revellers will get a VIP weekend ticket with camping PLUS travel from any of these UK destinations (only £16 more than a VIP ticket on its own), and be boosting their green credentials while having heaps of fun at the same time. All aboard!

Packing a punch of originality, METRONOMY have creative vision and style in spades. Originally championed by Erol Alkan, this Devonshire electro pop four piece founded by Joseph Mount deliver a proper live electro proposition that’s as authentic and compelling as any rock band. Latest album ‘The English Riviera’ was one of 2011’s defining albums and Mount is also the prestigious remixer-of-choice for acts including Gorillaz and Franz Ferdinand, while collaborations with Florence & The Machine and Roots Manuva reinforce his musical crossover credentials.

With their shiny, radio ready melodies, NOAH & THE WHALE have moved into mass appeal territory with very good reason. Riding on a wave of euphoria generated by three consecutively impressive albums, including most recently ‘Last Night on Earth’, expect a brilliantly breezy set from these nu-folk popsters led by charismatic frontman Charlie Fink.

WRETCH 32 is one of the UK’s most talked about new hip hop artists. Smash debut album ‘Black and White’ incorporates diverse aspects of the hip hop genre from old school American funk through to contemporary grime and dub step, and guests include Example, Ed Sheeran and Chipmunk. WRETCH 32’s phenomenal success of 2011, which spawned consecutive top five hits including ‘Don’t Go’, ‘Traktor’ and ‘Unorthodox’ looks set to propel further with album number two due for a 2012 release. And he can cut it live too, vocally, instrumentally and visually...as the RockNess audience will bear witness to this June!

FRESH / LIVE aka DJ FRESH is one of the most influential figures of the UK’s drum ‘n’ bass movement. Having cut his teeth on the illegal rave and pirate radio station scenes of the 90’s, he went on to found the label BC Recordings and the genre’s most popular website Dogs on Acid as part of the drum ‘n’ bass collective Bad Company. Fast forward to a prolific solo career punctuated along the way with remixes for Pet Shop Boys, DJ Shadow, Pendulum, Grooverider and Apollo 440, plus the co-founding of the seminal Breakbeat Kaos label, and the output of FRESH / LIVE is as impressive as it has ever been.

Topping the NME Cool List for 2011, accorded third place in the BBC Sound of 2012 and championed by the industry’s mightiest star makers, twenty year old Harlem rapper AZEALIA BANKS, is without question, the hottest new name in music. Thrust into the spotlight with ‘212’ – her brilliant, bouncing, dripping-with-attitude debut, BANKS exudes wit and energy while her music walks a tightrope between fruity humour and outright controversy. Early stage position advised!

Following his barnstorming beat boxing onslaught last year, RockNess is over the moon to welcome back the stupendously talented BEARDYMAN! As one of the planet’s foremost exponents of all things outrageously insane yet brilliant, Dores will need the next five months to prepare.

DEATH IN VEGAS are back. Richard Fearless is back. And sounding like a man with purpose. New album ‘Trans Love Energies’, recorded in Andrew Weatherall’s Shoreditch studio is a house inspired electronic rhythmical treat. Weird and wonderful lyrical medleys, supremely well crafted psychedelia and sometimes plain spooky vibes, expect bodies to move en masse come June.

Next up…cue disco-tastic fanfare…it is with monumentally huge excitement for RockNess to proudly announce that CHIC featuring NILE RODGERS, the funkiest band on the planet, are heading to Dores!

Founded by the legendary NILE RODGERS, these peerless purveyors of booty shaking beats, whose roll call of all time dance classics include ‘Good Times’, ‘I Want Your Love’, ‘Le Freak’, ‘Dance, Dance’ Dance’ and ‘My Forbidden Lover’…to name just a few…promise to deliver what will surely be one of the summer’s defining feel good sing-along, disco dancing moments.

Staying on a disco vibe, albeit the underground deep house version, ETIENNE DE CRECY (aka Motorbass, Super Discount and La Chatte Rougee) is the epitomy of the original ‘French sound’ and one of the best house music makers ever. A key figure behind the French capital's rise as a leading dance music hub during the 1990s, the quality of DE CRECY’s output remains fierce and well deserving of the respect he continues to generate.

Having recently put out only his third EP, albeit one on Joe Goddard from Hot Chip's Greco-Roman label, and continuing to rack up countless fans including RockNess favourite Annie Mac, Orlando Higginbottom aka TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS's star is rising. Bouncing in true one-man-band style between laptop, keyboards, drum machine and live vocals, don’t be surprised if the speakers literally and metaphorically get so hot they catch fire (again) by the boundary breaking brilliance of this new talent.

Last time he descended on Dores the party-o-meter went off the scale, so RockNess is extremely pleased to announce the return of the brilliant BUSY P for more outrageously good music and vibes. As owner of the sublime Ed Banger Records, home to Justice, Feadz, Uffie, Sebastian and Mr Oizo to name a few, BUSY P’s parties are legendary as RockNess will once again witness!

A string of releases played out by the likes of 2 Many DJs, Boys Noize and Erol Alkan has brought the work of French maestro GESAFFELSTEIN recognition and acclaim as one of electronica’s undisputed hottest forces. Now aligned to Brodinski’s Bromance label, GESAFFELSTEIN makes perfect art soundscapes for purveyors who like their beats on the deeper, darker side but still with enough danceable allure. Also joining the bill is Newcastle born DJ, musician and Ed Banger friend RITON. With a new album due for release in 2012 with Surkin and AlunaGeorge, following hot on the heels of his recent output at the end of 2011 on his label Riton Time, expect an artist on suitably impressive fine form.

And RockNess just wouldn’t be complete without the irrepressibly entertaining and absolutely magnificent THE CUBAN BROTHERS, heading back to Dores for a weekend long mix of madness and mayhem.

Last but certainly by no means least, RockNess is thrilled to reveal the homegrown electronic heroes from The Scottish Highlands who complete this first announcement for 2012. Operators of the biggest club night in Inverness and winners of ‘Club Night of the Year’ at Scotland’s ICA Awards, FILTH djs Ross Lyle and Andrew McGibbon are on fire . They are joined by POLYMATH aka Martin Gowans. This talented rising star whose own tech house productions have featured on the playlists of Radio 1’s Kissy Sell Out, Tiga and Wolfgang Gartner will be right at home at RockNess. Completing the trio of talent is COUNT CLOCKWORK, Khalid Hussain & Louis Buick. This duo are the freshest, young talent to come out of Inverness in recent times with support slots to Dem Slackers and Dillon Francis under their belts plus a forthcoming Fake Blood gig. Having reached the shortlist stage of MTV’s Brand New for 2012 and with a track featured on NME.com, the future is bright.

Speaking about RockNess 2012, Festival Director JIM KING commented, “I'm so happy with the list of acts we're announcing today that I now just can’t wait for the first tent peg in the ground and for the party to start.

It was only a matter of time before we got lucky and were able to welcome Biffy Clyro back to Loch Ness. Since their debut they've gone on to become one of the biggest rock bands in the UK and on home turf you know they're going to produce something extra-spectacular.

Mumford and Sons. Wow. I am over the moon they agreed to play our show. They could have played anywhere but they chose The Highlands. It’s going to be special.

The Mau5 needs no intro. He was close to appearing last year but the good news for us is that the live show has just got bigger and better and he follows in some hallowed steps at RockNess as a true electronic headliner, something you can't experience anywhere else in Scotland. His show is just so good and he’s already got plans to make this one of the best shows we’ve ever seen. I promise you will not have seen a main stage production like this. It’s massive!

Justice is the act everyone has been asking us to book since we started the festival. French house music holds a special place at RockNess and these guys are simply the best.

There’s so much quality across the rest of the bill from Ed Sheeran who’s arguably the biggest rising star of the last twelve months with Wretch 32 on to absolute legend Nile Rodgers who brings his seminal band Chic to the main stage in what will be for me a highlight of the festival. The only question remains is can he out funk and out dance the Cuban Brothers.

This announcement is just the start. We have heaps of great bands and DJs still to be revealed and the comedy headliner this year is an absolute corker!

So, I’ll call it first then.... Mon the Biffy! Mon the ‘Ness!"

NOTES:

RockNess 2012 takes place 8-10 June, 2012 in the village of Dores, close to Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.

The festival won the NME AWARDS 2011 ‘BEST SMALL FESTIVAL’ and ‘LINE UP OF THE YEAR’ at the UK FESTIVAL AWARDS 2010.

The RockNess Express is supported by The Scottish Government and EventScotland as part of the Year of Creative Scotland. Aged 18 and over.

TICKETS GO ON SALE 9AM THURSDAY 26TH JANUARY. FOR DETAILS ON TICKET AGENTS GO TO WWW.ROCKNESS.CO.UK
3 day weekend camping - £159
3 day weekend non camping - £149
3 day weekend camping / non camping student ticket - £145
3 day VIP weekend camping ticket - £209
3 day VIP weekend non camping ticket - £199
3 day Disabled weekend camping - £79.50 – please email access@aeglive.co.uk
3 day Disabled weekend non camping - £74.50 - please email access@aeglive.co.uk
The RockNess Express - £225
Additional travel packages available.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE, FACEBOOK AND TWITTER:
WWW.ROCKNESS.CO.UK
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/OfficialRockNess
@RockNessFest

James Lavelle at O2 Academy Liverpool

2012-01-26T16:20:00.000Z

James Lavelle at O2 Academy Liverpool

Northern Empire presents...

JAMES LAVELLE + Dash + No Fakin'

Plus Northern Empire residents - Ste-J & Craig Callaghan. Visuals by Fonetics

Doors 10pm-3am. Tickets: £12 advance from O₂ Academy box office, 3B Records and online from ticketweb.co.uk

Described once as the Hunter S. Thompson of DJs, James Lavelle’s career has spanned the last 18 years, and at 32 he remains as individual a figure in contemporary music as he was as a teenager, when he first gate-crashed his way in with the genre-shattering MoWax records.

Back then he was obsessed with early street culture, DJing with Gilles Peterson at That’s How It Is (the legendary club which lasted over 10 years), working with the visionary designer Nigo on Bathing Ape, and launching a label in MoWax.

Now he divides time between his internationally-renowned DJ career, his UNKLE act with singer/producer Richard File, and a brand new independent set-up: Surrender-All, which combines music, fashion and art.

James Lavelle has collaborated and remixed with the likes of Ian Brown, Richard Ashcroft, Doves, Noel Gallagher, Jarvis Cocker, Badly Drawn Boy, Thom Yorke and Massive Attack amongst others.

Northern Empire is excited to bring to Liverpool the man behind the MoWax label that spawned the likes of DJ Shadow, Carl Craig and of course, his own supergroup UNKLE.

Support could not be more stellar, in the shape of Liverpool stalwart Dash, hip hop turntablists No Fakin' and Northern Empire residents Ste-J & Craig Callaghan.

With live visuals on the night from local innovators Fonetics, the stage is set for a hedonistic club night celebration of mind bending music, delivered by those who know it best.

Surrender...

Introducing....Fast Years– Young Heart

2012-01-26T16:15:00.000Z

Fast Years– Young Heart

Brooklyn four-piece Fast Years formed in the Spring of 2011. The band plays a mix of 80's Punk, Surf Pop, and Indie Garage, with influences ranging from The Sonics to The Exploding Hearts.

They’ve had an online presence for all of 3 weeks now, including a free Bandcamp giveaway of lead track ‘Young Heart’, but their impact has been immediate. The band played their first ever live show on Friday to a full house alongside the white-hot Howler and St. Lucia in Brooklyn, crept in to the Hype Machine’s top 15 list, featured on last week's New to Q, as well as having picked up the following praise:

“The track goes near polar-throwback in it’s tendencies towards nostalgic Garage and Pop. Especially for those letting a renaissance of bands like The Vaccines still sink in” – blahblahblahscience
“sufficient bark to their garage stomp to merit a listen” – NME Radar Tip Of The Day
“Young Heart is a mile-a-minute, hook-a-plenty, good time jam that’s got us hot under the collar just now.” – Laissez Faire Club
"along the lines of Japandroids meets The Stroked meets The Vaccines – which we might broadly describe as a brilliant lo-fi sound...No doubt they will be here, there and everything sooner rather than later, but with tunes like these we’re sure as shit not complaining about it." - Killing Moon

Their debut EP is due out this spring, and until then you can hear and see more at:

Bandcamp or Facebook

Twenty Twenty present The Twenty Twelve Tour

2012-01-26T16:13:00.000Z

Twenty Twenty present The Twenty Twelve Tour at Liverpool O2 Academy

After a whirlwind of a year for the Twenty Twenty boys they are now about to embark on an 11 date Headline UK tour setting off on May 2^nd 2012.

2011 brought big things for brothers Jack and Sam along with bandmate Sonny as they recorded the soundtrack to a major motion picture; supported some of the biggest pop artists in the world including Selena Gomez and Avril Lavigne as well as achieving unprecedented success with their first album, Small Talk reaching number 26 the UK Top 40.

The Twenty Twelve Tour will visit the best venues around the UK including the London Relentless Garage, Birmingham HMV Institute, Manchester Academy and Liverpool’s O2 Academy and the boys promise to meet as many of their dedicated fans as possible.

Fans have a lot to look forward to on the Twenty Twelve tour. A new album is in the pipeline for the Cambridge pop trio as the boys have been hard at work in the studio and although no official date has been set, the pop-rocking trio hope for a pre-summer release.

When asked what Twenty Twenty’s New Year Resolution would be; Jack, Sam and Sonny replied “We would love to start spreading the word of Twenty Twenty outside the UK’.

It seems the boys have their sights set high and an exciting year ahead of them!

Twenty Twenty will be joined on the tour by Room 94 and Futureproof.

2012 Tour Dates

2nd May London Relentless Garage

3rd May Birmingham HMV Institute

4th May Nottingham Rock City

5th May Manchester Academy

7th May Newcastle O2 Academy

8th May Glasgow King Tut’s

10th May Sheffield O2 Academy

11th May Liverpool O2 Academy

16th May Plymouth, White Rabbit

17th May Bristol, The Fleece

18th May Brighton, The Haunt

Tickets for the performance are available at each venue box office or alternatively you can visit www.glasswerk.co.uk/tickets

Web: www.facebook.com/twentytwentyband

The Libertines - There Are No Innocent Bystanders Film Screenings at O2 Academy venues

2012-01-26T16:11:00.000Z

The Libertines - There Are No Innocent Bystanders Film Screenings at O2 Academy venues

PULSE FILMS

is proud to present

THE LIBERTINES - THERE ARE NO INNOCENT BYSTANDERS

UK RELEASE MARCH/APRIL 2012

A Roger Sargent Film

Produced by David Standen, Jamie Clark and Thomas Benski

THE LIBERTINES: THERE ARE NO INNOCENT BYSTANDERS is an engaging and honest music documentary by legendary photographer turned filmmaker, Roger Sargent. The film offers an intimate look at the band’s 2010 reunion with unrivalled access, starting at Sargent’s NME cover shoot announcing the big festival appearance at Reading and Leeds, through the rehearsals and celebrated warm up shows, to being on stage on the big night.

Sargent’s relationship with the band has enabled him to create the definitive film about arguably one of the most influential groups of its generation, exploring the passion, drive, love and laughter of The Libertines’ story. He successfully unlocks the personalities and relationships of the band and navigates the viewer through the tensions behind this most celebrated and hotly debated of reunions.

Narrated by the band in their own words, the film spans the period of time from the announcement of the reunion to the weekend of the Reading and Leeds festivals – their first ‘on the road’ experience together for six years. With this as a backdrop, Sargent explores the history of the band, allowing them to intimately discuss how they became what they are and revealing untold stories along the way.

The release of the DVD has been designed to cater specifically for the needs of the fans. Roger and the band have taken time to create a unique and highly collectable set of DVD and artwork products that will be sold direct to consumers via www.pledgemusic.com. These will be available to pre buy now.

PledgeMusic (www.pledgemusic.com), the leading international direct-to-fan music company, allows fans to purchase albums or DVDs as a pre-sale along with a choice of other premium and exclusive items.

Ahead of its theatrical release in April, THE LIBERTINES: THERE ARE NO INNOCENT BYSTANDERS will premiere with a multi-city event in March. Using a unique and innovative release strategy, the film will tour the UK’s O₂ Academy venues to give the fans an opportunity to see the film in a music venue and participate in Q&As with Roger Sargent and band members. The film screening and Q&A will be complemented by a special DJ from one member of the band.

Film Tour Dates

March 2012

O₂ Academy Bristol – 19 March

O₂ Academy2 Birmingham – 20 March

O₂ Academy Islington –21 March

O₂ Academy Liverpool – 22 March

O₂ Academy Newcastle – 23 March

O₂ ABC Glasgow – 24 March

Tickets go on sale on Friday 27 January at 9am and can be bought from:

www.ticketweb.co.uk and www.gigsandtours.com

Certificate TBC / Running time 86 mins

Pulse Films is excited to be taking advantage of new opportunities offered by emerging digital platforms to self-release their fourth feature-length documentary, THE LIBERTINES: THERE ARE NO INNOCENT BYSTANDERS in the UK market. The documentary opened London’s East End Film Festival in April 2011 and has been on a highly successful tour of the international film festival circuit picking up international sales representation along the way.

www.thelibertinesfilm.com / thelibertinesfilm

Introducing BOY (feat. Phoenix) - free download

2012-01-26T16:09:00.000Z

Introducing BOY (feat. Phoenix) - free download

BOY, (girl + girl = er, well... BOY) who will be making their UK debut later this year with their first LP release.

Hailing from Zurich & Munich, the 'girls of BOY' laid down their new material in their producer's childhood nursery-turned-studio (who knew..?) with drumming duties including their sticksman friend of French alt dudes Phoenix....there's shades of Feist here, (minus previous risque Peaches adventures) which actually stand up more than favourably to the comparison.

The Mp3 can be heard below

http://soundcloud.com/partisanpr/boy-this-is-the-beginning

Glasvegas annouce brand new UK dates inc. O2 Academy2 Liverpool

2012-01-25T15:39:00.000Z

Glasvegas annouce brand new UK dates inc. O2 Academy2 Liverpool

Glasvegas have announced their first UK Dates of 2012 with three shows scheduled for London, Liverpool and home town Glasgow for early April. The shows come almost exactly a year from the release of their second album ‘Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\’ and the band will be playing tracks from the release as well as their eponymous debut and forthcoming third record.

After touring the world in 2011 they (James Allan - vocals / Rab Allan - guitar / Paul Donoghue - bass and Jonna Lofgren - drums) started writing and demoing for the next album at the end of the year and are currently working on new songs. More dates will be announced soon.

Live:

3^rd April LONDON, Garage (Last FM presents Glasvegas)

4^th April LIVERPOOL, O₂ Academy2

5^th April GLASGOW, Classic Grand

Tickets on sale from Friday 27th January at 9am,

http://www.artistticket.com/link/?s=glasvegas

“ …Glasvegas are a band their audience can believe in, and that is exactly what rock music needs right now”

Daily Telegraph

YOG release new album Half the Sky

2012-01-25T15:24:00.000Z

YOG release new album Half the Sky

Beware : YOG's new album is out ! So if you are looking for the eradication of all living creatures before the end of this year, you have to drop yourself on"Half the sky". This "bullet in the head" by our beloved swiss grinder-math-metal terrorists is currently available through Division Records (ASIDEFROMADAY, Dirge, Unfold, Lost Sphere Project...).

Extreme virulence, sick blast beats, mentally ill math-grind, YOG is for the Swiss scene what the panzer was for battlefields : a pure war machine. After the release of their savage 1st album entitled "Years of nowhere" in 2007, these Swiss bastards have destroyed a lot of stages across Europe with bands like Today is the Day, Genghis Tron, Gojira, Knut, Burnt By the Sun‚...!

Keeping the will to dive beyond the fury and velocity limits, the band has given birth to a new monster, recorded by Jérôme Pellegrini at studio du Terrier and mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side studio YOG's new album is proudly going to make a lot of ears bleed to death.

Jake Morley @ Eric's Liverpool Sunday 18 March

2012-01-25T15:19:00.000Z

Jake Morley at Eric's Liverpool Sunday 18 March

Sunday 18 March £5

A sold-out album launch at London’s Bush Hall, stunning performances for City Showcase at the historic 100 Club and industry night Music Week Breakout, a storming live session for Janice Long’s Radio 2 show - things have moved very quickly for the remarkable Jake Morley last year. Jake’s phenomenal talent as a songwriter and performer have long been recognised by his early fans, but national recognition is building quickly and now record labels and publishers are rightly putting Jake Morley firmly on their buzz radar. National radio support has come from Dermot O’Leary, Janice Long and Jo Whiley at Radio 2, Chris Hawkins and Tom Robinson at 6 Music and more than 40 UK local radio stations .

Eric's, Mathew St, Liverpool

Ticketmaster or Box office 0151-236 9994/ www.ericslive.com

Kevin Montgomery Eric's Liverpool show on Monday 13 Feb

2012-01-25T15:16:00.000Z

Kevin Montgomery Eric's Liverpool show on Monday 13 Feb

8pm Kevin Montgomery

£10

Ticketmaster or Box office 0151-236 9994/ www.ericslive.com

Kevin Montgomery has an impeccable musical pedigree: his father played with Buddy Holly while his mother was a session singer with everyone from Presley to Dylan. In Kevin's own words...

What is a bio? Bio’s are largely flowery bullcrap, so i’m going to attempt to tell the story from the beginning. Here goes. Mom and Dad met in a Piggly Wiggly’s in Lubbock, Texas. She lived in Albuqurque, New Mexico and he lived in Lubbock, Texas. They had a long-distance, penpal type relationship for a few years, and then married when he was 20 and she was 17.

Dad was a boyhood friend of Buddy Holly’s. They learned to play guitars together, and had a due called “Buddy and Bob”……….Dad wrote songs like “Heartbeat”, “Wishing”, “Down the Line”, etc.

He later wrote songs like “Misty Blue” and “Back in Baby’s Arms” in our basement in Madison, TN.

One time my dad, Elvis, and Buddy Holly all went to see a movie in Lubbock, Texas on one of Elvis’ tours through there. Imagine if a bomb had gone off in that cinema? Rock and Roll would not have been the same, and I certainly wouldn’t have been here!

Mom sang on “Suspicious Minds”, “In the Ghetto”, and “Kentucky Rain” by Elvis. She also sang on “Everlasting Love”, and many others.

I cannot remember a time in my childhood when my father was not in the studio producing a record.

Almost every night as a child he would come home and play us what he’d recorded during the day. We were expected to sit and listen, and comment.

I spent alot of time asleep on the couch in front of the control board in Soundshop Studios when I was a kid-which he owned and produced alot of records in. I learned to sleep with music blaring on 10 above me. I studied my dad as a producer. I watched his every move, and tried to figure out what he was hearing.

When I was 19 I lived in New York City. I busked in the subways with songs by Springsteen and Steve Earle. I decided then that I wanted to be a singer-songwriter-the guy with a guitar singing songs that meant something to me. So, 2 years later I drove myself across the US to Los Angeles where I immediately hit the clubs, and bars……..playing every open mic night I could find. I found an attorney, John Frankenheimer, and almost exactly a year to the date I moved there I had my own show at Genghis Cohen. He brought Larry Hamby from A&M Records to the show. I got a record deal that night.

So, I was on the hottest label in town, had a publishing deal with Sony Music, William Morris was my agent. I made a record called, “Fear Nothing” with Ed Cherney (Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones, every surviving Beatle), and toured with Sheryl Crow, David Crosby, Peter Himmelman. I learned about performing from Peter Himmelman. I loved David Crosby for his kindness, and support.

The Crosby thing happened like this-I opened up one show for him at Liberty Lunch in Austin, and after I played I walked backstage, and Crosby said, “So, are you opening up the rest of my shows?”, and I said, “I don’t know anything about it”………he walked to the payphone, and dailed his manager and said, “knock off all the opening acts on the tour…..I want this kid to open my tour”……..so, off I went. I found him to be a perfect gentleman.

So, had some tours under my belt, and it was time to make a second record. A&M didn’t really know what to do with me. My music was not really rock, and not really country, and Polygram had purchased A&M, and the beast needed to be fed.

I had a publishing deal, record deal, the top agent in town, and NO money coming in. There were days when I went through the floorboard of my truck looking for spare change so I could have enough gas to put in my truck to go to work. By that time I’d gotten a job at Borders Books and Music on La Brea in LA. I was also going out on movie and TV auditions via William Morris.

I guess the strategy was to send me out as an actor, and see if I could land a movie or tv show…….thus saving my record deal.

I think that was the nail in the coffin for me and LA.

Basically, I couldn’t stand auditions, but was having some success with them. I read for a pilot, and the lady who was casting it said that she “wanted me for the part”, and would a read for the producers at Warner Brothers in two days. She even read with me the next afternoon.

So, I read for the producers, and blew it. I spent three days in the fetal position! I knew it was mine for the taking and my nerves had gotten the best of me, and there was $150,000 out the window.

I gave up acting AND Hollywood soon after. A&M suggested I move to Nashville and make a record for the Nashville division. I did, but asked out of all my deals soon after that. I’d had enough.

Spent the next few years working around Nashville. I worked at Sam’s pushing carts initially. Where I succeeded in pitching one of my songs to Paul Worley who was producing Martina McBride. She ended up cutting “I Won’t Close My Eyes” on her 3 million selling Evolution cd. That was cool.

From Sam’s Club I graduated to banquet serving at Opryland Hotel for two years, then valet parking (4 Years), and delivering papers for the Tennessean (2 years, 7 nights a week).

During this time I wrote more songs, and produced an artist on Universal named Anna Wilson. I also got an ex-girlfriend a record deal with BMG on the agreement that I would co-produce the record. She axed me as soon as she got the deal, only to have the deal fall through a few months later. I could have told her that would happen, but she thought she was clever.

Ok, i’m bored with this……..i’ll write the rest tomorrow (Sunday, June 6th, 2010)

Kevin Montgomery grew up on Nashville’s Music Row, as a child of parents whose careers crossed over from country music to the early, seminal days of American rock ‘n’ roll. While the contemporary yet timeless feel of Kevin’s own music is strongly influenced by the ‘California Country-Rock’ of artists like Gram Parsons, The Eagles, and Roger McGuinn, his deeply resonant songwriting recalls the Americana-flavored storytelling of Bruce Springsteen and Jackson Browne.

Having spent the last four years of a decade-long career touring relentlessly and building an almost cult-like following in England and Europe, Kevin Montgomery offers up thirteen engaging stories of life, love, laughter and loss on his third album, 2:30am.

Kevin’s father, Bob Montgomery was an early songwriting and collaborative partner of Buddy Holly. By the time Kevin was born, his dad was producing records by Bobby Goldsboro and writing songs like the often-covered ‘Misty Blue’ and ‘Back in Baby’s Arms’, made famous by Patsy Cline.

Meanwhile, Kevin’s mother, Carol had a thriving career as a Nashville session vocalist, singing back up on pop classics like Elvis Presley’s ‘Suspicious Minds’ and Robert Knight’s ‘Everlasting Love’. “Many evenings, my dad would come home with records he was in the midst of producing,” Kevin remembers. “He’d put our big stereo on full blast and we’d listen to what he’d done that day. From a very young age, I was picking records apart, trying to identify the different instruments. My parents never pushed me to become a musician, it just happened naturally”.

A&M released Kevin’s debut, Fear Nothing, in 1994 to critical acclaim, and after a year and a half of touring with Peter Himmelman, Sheryl Crow and David Crosby, he ended up back in Nashville. Kevin stayed on the radar by working on the 1996 Buddy Holly tribute album, Not Fade Away: Remembering Buddy Holly. He recorded the song “Wishing” (written by his dad) as a duet with Mary Chapin Carpenter (Bob Montgomery also co-produced the track).

Kevin was increasing his profile as a songwriter, Martina McBride recorded, ‘I Won’t Close My Eyes’, (from Fear Nothing) for her 1997 double-platinum selling album, Evolution. Later, Juice Newton covered Kevin’s song ‘Red Blooded American Boy’ (changing the gender reference to ‘girl’) for her 1999 release, American Girl. Kevin also sang backing vocals on Lee Ann Womack’s ‘I Know Why The River Runs’ for her platinum selling album, I Hope You Dance.

When Kevin recorded 2:30am, co-produced with Robert Reynolds of The Mavericks, he knew the sound he was going for. “Over the past few years,” he explains, “we’ve developed The Road Trippers with hardcore touring. We know the reaction certain songs get from the audience. I wanted that live energy to come across in the recording, but I also wanted to capture the subtleties of the music.”

To get the balance right, top shelf studio musicians such as pianist Matt Rollings, bassist Glenn Worf and drummer Chad Cromwell joined Perkins and Britt to approach some of the more subtle songs, while Reynolds and Deakin joined their fellow Road Trippers to put their vibe on half a dozen songs. Adding to the staggering collection of guest talent on 2:30am, Trisha Yearwood contributes impeccable backing vocals to the album’s rousing lead track, ‘Tennessee Girl’, and Lee Ann Womack lends her voice to ‘I Can’t Drive You From My Mind’, a track co-produced by Kevin’s father.

To support 2:30am’s release, Kevin plans to continue his extensive touring schedule, both acoustically and with The Road Trippers. “We’ll be going all over the US and all over the world, really,” he says. Currently, the video for Another Long Story is in regular rotation at VH1 Country and the Great American Country video channel as well.

“This all happened because I have some wonderful friends that believe in the music, and i never stopped persevering,” says Kevin. “Even when I was delivering papers and pushing carts in the parking lot of Sam’s, my one goal was to release my own records, tour and make a living doing music. Now, that’s what I’m doing. I try to apply the life lessons i’ve learned to what I do now in music. I went from being the new kid in town to Sam’s, and that was a good lesson.”

When an artist’s music is honest, authentic and heart-felt, you don’t really need anyone else to tell you it’s the real thing, because you can feel it. Kevin Montgomery’s 2:30am is that kind of an album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wophjZPIXmQ

Sense of Sound get Liverpool singing with acappella festival

2012-01-25T15:13:00.000Z

Sense of Sound get Liverpool singing with a cappella festival

Sense of Sound is delighted to announce the Voices Festival, a three day celebration of a cappella singing, set to take place at Liverpool’s Bluecoat and Black-E arts centres from Friday 16 – Sunday 18 March.

Sense of Sound is one of the most unique and inspirational companies in the UK today. Led by four female directors; Jennifer John, Saphena Aziz, Juliet Russell and Perri Alleyne-Hughes, the organisation aims to create and produce amazing ways to celebrate singing and the Voices Festival is no exception.

From hip hop to barbershop and contemporary jazz to choral, the Voices Festival will showcase the full (vocal) range of a cappella singing styles, giving plenty of opportunity for everyone to interact, get involved and get singing!

On Friday 16 March, Sense of Sound will open the festival with a National Conference for Singing and Health.  Through a number of presentations from top vocal experts, the one day event will provide an opportunity to share best practice and discover the latest breakthroughs.  Perfect for health educators and researchers, speech therapists, vocal coaches, singers and anyone with an interest in singing or health, the conference will feature presentations from Nordoff Robbins Speech Therapist, Phoene Cave, Victoria Hume - Arts Manager at Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, Dane Chalfin - A Director of the British Voice Association and one of the UK's leading professional vocal coaches and voice rehabilitation experts and Trish Vella-Burrows , Assistant Director  of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Music, Arts & Health.

Saphena Aziz, Director at Sense of Sound said: ‘’I’m delighted to present this ground breaking conference as part of Liverpool’s decade of health and wellbeing. A great number of discoveries have occurred in the past few years, showing that singing has a fantastic, positive effect on health. This conference will allow practitioners to come together to share ideas, allowing us all to learn and keep this exciting field of health and wellbeing moving forward. ’

The renowned Sense of Sound Singers and special guest star Connie Lush will pay homage to Joni Mitchell with an a cappella concert at the Black-E on the evening of Friday 16 March, with support from acclaimed group Barbieshop.

Described as one of the most influential recording artists of the 20^th Century, Joni Mitchell’s music has touched millions of people the world over. This poignant concert performance will offer an opportunity to see why, as Mitchell’s unforgettable songs including ‘Big Yellow Taxi,’ ‘Both Sides Now’ and ‘A Case of You’ are performed in unique a cappella arrangements.

On Saturday 17 March, Choirs from around the region will have the chance to perform in the Bluecoat Hub. This free day of music offers an opportunity to enjoy the musical diversity of a cappella singing. Members of the public are able to come along, enjoy the music and take part. More details on how choirs can get involved in this will be announced shortly.

Shlomo, the most heard beatboxer in history and Southbank Centre Artist in Residence, is set to play The Black-E on the evening of the 17March.

Shlomo pushes the boundaries of beatboxing as an art form, using his incredible vocal skills to make music with people from all kinds of musical backgrounds, including Björk, Martha Wainwright, Damon Albarn and Jarvis Cocker. He comes to Liverpool to show off his huge range of original songs and well loved classics.

A FREE day of family fun will take place at the Bluecoat on Sunday 18 March. With interactive activities for all ages taking place throughout the day, this is any budding singer’s opportunity to take part in workshops covering many musical genres, with an a cappella twist.

The festival will end with a massive ‘Big Sing’, which will take place in the Bluecoat Hub on the afternoon of Sunday 18^th. Everyone is invited to come along and join in the fun!

The Voices Festival is produced by Sense of Sound and the Black-E, more information can be found at www.senseofsound.net.

FESTIVAL INFORMATION

Voices Festival

Friday 16 – Sunday 18 March

The Bluecoat & The Black-E

www.senseofsound.net

Singing and Health - A National Conference

The Bluecoat

Friday 16 March

10am – 5pm

Tickets: Individuals: £40 Organisations: £55

EARLY BIRD OFFER Book before 20^TH February to receive a discount on delegate price

Individuals: £30 Organisations: £45

How to Book: You can book in person at the Bluecoat Tickets and Information, School Lane, Liverpool. Alternatively, book by calling 0151 702 5324 or click www.senseofsound.net

The Sense of Sound Singers & Connie Lush perform the hits of Joni Mitchell

The Black-E

Friday 16 March, 8pm

Tickets: £12.50/ £10.00 concessions

How to Book: You can book in person at the Bluecoat Tickets and Information, School Lane, Liverpool. Alternatively, book by calling 0151 702 5324 or click www.senseofsound.net

Choirs at the Bluecoat

The Bluecoat

Saturday 17 March

10am-4pm

FREE

For more information click www.senseofsound.net

Shlomo in Concert

The Black-E

Saturday 17 March, 8pm

Tickets: TBC

How to Book: You can book in person at the Bluecoat Tickets and Information, School Lane, Liverpool. Alternatively, book by calling 0151 702 5324 or click www.senseofsound.net

Family Fun Day with the Sense of Sound Singers

FREE

The Bluecoat

Sunday 18March

For more information or to book a place click www.senseofsound.net.

Voices Festival Big Sing

The Bluecoat

Sunday 18 March

4-5pm

FREE

For more information click www.senseofsound.net

Noel Gallagher to receive NME godlike genius award 2012

2012-01-24T16:37:00.000Z

Noel Gallagher to receive NME godlike genius award 2012

www.nme.com

@nmemagazine / #nmeawards

www.facebook.com/nmemagazine

The NME Awards 2012 is proud to announce that Noel Gallagher, the man who defined the sound of a generation, is the winner of its prestigious NME Godlike Genius Award.

Noel has confirmed he will pick up the award at the iconic NME Awards 2012, which take place at London’s O₂Academy Brixton on Wednesday 29 February.

Noel Gallagher says: “I would like to thank NME for bestowing upon me such a great accolade. I have dreamt of this moment since I was 43 years old. I accept that I am now a genius, just like God.”

It’s been an incredible 12 months for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, topping the album charts, scoring a hit with “AKA What a Life” and selling out arenas across the country. Defining the sound of the past year is no mean feat, defining the sound of an entire generation is truly extraordinary. As the mastermind behind Oasis, Noel spearheaded the resurgence of 90’s guitar bands with the life-changing, era defining album Definitely Maybe. Oasis sound-tracked what it was like to grow up in Britain in the ‘90s and beyond, with Noel responsible for anthems including ‘Live Forever’, ‘Supersonic’, ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Don’t look back in Anger’, ‘Cigarettes And Alcohol’ and ‘Little by Little’. These aren’t mere greatest hits – they’re national anthems, as ingrained in Britain’s musical psyche as anything The Beatles, The Stones or The Pistols ever produced.

NME editor Krissi Murison says: “For the best part of two decades, the voice of one man has dominated the pages of NME more than any other. That man is Noel Gallagher. Opinionated, intelligent, passionate and always hilarious – Noel walks and talks it better than any other musician out there, and it's just one of the reasons why the British public loves him so dearly. The other reason, of course, is the anthems. No individual has written as many sing–out–loud classics as Noel. His songwriting has defined a generation, and for that reason I’m incredibly happy to declare Noel NME’s Godlike Genius. That he keeps pushing boundaries as a solo artist proves that there’s a long way to go in the story of one of the most talented musicians Britain has ever produced.”

The NME Godlike Genius Award is an accolade that is only handed out to the true greats of the music world. The culmination of the evening, it recognises the best of the best. Previous winners include The Clash, Paul Weller, The Cure, Manic Street Preachers, New Order & Joy Division and, last year, Dave Grohl.

The NME Awards season gets underway with the NME Awards Tour. Headlined by Two Door Cinema Club with Metronomy, Tribes and Azealia Banks also on the bill it kicks off at O₂ Academy Glasgow on February 8.

The NME Awards Shows also take place throughout February. Justice will play a five date UK tour whilst Marina And The Diamonds, The Cribs, The Black Keys, The Drums, Kurt Vile, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Pure Love, Alabama Shakes, tUnE-yArDs, Charlie XCX, Band of Skulls, Oh Land, Little Dragon, Cloud Control, The Big Pink, The Jezabels, S.C.U.M, Zulu Winter and Slow Club are set to play NME Awards Shows in iconic venues throughout London.

For full tour dates and more details keep checking www.nme.com

Tag your tweets with #nmeawards

Harvest Sun Promotions presents...Josh Rouse at the Black-E

2012-01-24T14:25:00.000Z

Harvest Sun Promotions presents...Josh Rouse at the Black-E Liverpool

This Thursday a Harvest Sun All Timer to Liverpool for the first time since 2004, as JOSH ROUSE comes to the landmark Black-E buildling. The buidling built absolutely years ago (Wikipedia for all the juicy facts) houses one of the most wonderful venues we've seen in a very long time - think a mini version of the Paradiso in Amsterdam and you're almost there.

This is one of only 5 UK dates for Josh and the only one in the Northwest, all in support of his brilliant new album, Josh Rouse & The Long Vacations. We can't wait to be honest, it could be our finest hour yet. Check out the beautiful poster above listen to all his albums on Spotify then purchase your ticket.

Below are more of our upcoming shows including new ones with SLEEP PARTY PEOPLE, MOON DUO, The People's Balearic Disco with PSYCHEMAGIK, CHRISTIAAN WEBB of the spawns of Jimmy Webb, The Webb Brothers and WALLIS BIRD.

26/01 JOSH ROUSE @ The Black-E

30/01 FRANCOIS & THE ATLAS MOUNTAINS @ Leaf Bold Street

01/02 LINDI ORTEGA @ Leaf Bold Street

14/02 HIGH PLACES @ The Shipping Forecast

23/02 THE WAR ON DRUGS @ The Kazimier

24/02 COLD SPECKS @ Leaf Bold Street

25/02 FANFARLO @ The Static Gallery

07/03 CASS McCOMBS @ Leaf Bold Street

08/03 VERONICA FALLS @ Leaf Bold Street

16/03 DIAGRAMS @ The Static Gallery

24/03 PSYCHEMAGIK @ Leaf Bold Street

19/01 CHRISTIAAN WEBB (The Webb Brothers) @ The Static Gallery

20/04 SLEEP PARTY PEOPLE @ Mello Mello

09/05 WALLIS BIRD @ Leaf Bold Street

23/05 THE HANDSOME FAMILY @ Leaf Bold Street

07/06 MOON DUO @ The Static Gallery

Tickets for all shows available right here:

http://www.ticketline.co.uk/harvest-sun#bio

Miski - Stereo Children Acoustic Performance - New Video

2012-01-24T14:22:00.000Z

Young Astronaut Free album download Fawn - 12th March 2012

Recently Miski has grown on the live performance circuit by doing sessions for the likes of M2 Music and recently taking the roof off for Channel AKA’s Christmas Party at Indigo2. In her most intimate performance yet, Miski recruits the help of acoustic guitarist, Adam Wedd, to run through an exclusive track titled ‘Stereo Children’ to show off her capabilities as a live performer as well as a recording artist.

Her next single, entitled Gameface, will be released soon along with a video, shortly followed by her mixtape entitled On My Throne.

Young Astronaut Free album download Fawn, 12th March 2012

2012-01-24T14:18:00.000Z

Young Astronaut Free album download Fawn - 12th March 2012

Young Astronaut originated in the suburbs of the New Forest as brothers Chris and Pete Boakes in 2007. Whilst at different universities, they’d return home for the holidays and spend their time experimenting with their harmonious and considered blend of music that is the foundation of the bands delicate tonality.

In early 2011, the melodic explorations of the acoustic ideas and lyrics were refined and evolved until ten tracks were formed, creating the basis for Fawn. During that summer, drummer Niko Battistini joined the band adding a strong percussive shift to the band’s dynamic. This new sound was then complimented with a score of rough cellos and violins before being taken to The Ranch and produced by Geoff Swan; after which Paul Meeson joined them on bass guitar.

In support of upcoming tour dates in March and the summer festival season Young Astronaut are releasing the entire album as a free download from their website

www.youngastronaut.co.uk.

The ten track LP, mastered by Jon Astley (The Who, Bon Jovi & The Rolling Stones), demonstrates a fusion of acoustic, folk and indie with lyrical content ranging from eternal innocence to sofa surfing to a love* story between an artist and a villain.

* The word ‘love’ was not used once in the making of this record.

The resulting record is an emotionally charged debut from Young Astronaut, blending influences from English night folk to post-grunge with a maturity and finesse that falls somewhere between Ben Howard, Frank Turner and a young Radiohead.

www.youngastronaut.co.uk // www.facebook.com/youngastronautband // www.twitter.com/yastronaut

Jon Norris - Payback - E.P. Review

2012-01-23T16:06:00.000Z

Jon Norris - Payback - E.P. Review

From London and Paris' vibrant underground scenes, Jon Norris is undoubtedly one of the hottest unsigned talents right now.

Originally from Leicester, the ex-LIPA (Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts) graduate moved to France, and quickly made a name for himself in Paris with explosive live performances (L'Elysée Monmartre, Le Trabendo, Le Réservoir).

Having recently signed a contract with managers Carmen Bouchet and Mary de Vivo, Jon came back to the UK with the firm intention of establishing himself in London. Having just released the EP 'Payback' (Beatlesque pop melodies, bass-heavy hip-hop beats and super soulful vocals), his message comes through loud and clear.

The E.P. itself consists of four tracks. The first (which is the title track) Payback is a catchy tune. The music lulls you into a false sense of security though. The laid back melody hides the quite venomous tone of the lyrics. It works well though and is a great opening track.

Track 2 "Covergirl" includes some rapping at the beginning of the song. Not that there's anything wrong with that but it reminded me of a track from the 90s and for me was the weakest of the 4 tracks as it didn't quite fit in.

Track 3 "Sold my soul" gets us back on track though. With a more soul/RnB feel to it this in fact sounds like a completely different artist showing Jon's versatility off well and highlighting the fact that he likes to venture into different styles of music.

The final track "Excuse me miss" rounds of the E.P. quite nicely. A simple tune with calm,smooth lyrics told in a straight forward way.

The E.P. on the whole was a joy to listen to and apart from track 2 showcased Jon's talent. Do'nt get me wrong "Covergirl" isn't dreadful by any standard I just felt it wasn't part of the E.P. as a whole and, for me, stood out like a sore fun on an otherwise great E.P.

You can check the songs for yourself at

www.noomiz.com/jonnorris

Tragedy Return to Decimate the UK in May 2012

2012-01-23T13:14:00.000Z

Tragedy Return to Decimate the UK in May 2012

Tickets available from ticketweb.co.uk or 0844 477 2000

Monday 23^rd January 2012; Tragedy: All Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees (and Beyond!)* are back in the UK in support of their new album ‘Humbled By Our Greatness’. Playing O₂ Academy venues in Newcastle, Sheffield, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Oxford, London (Islington) and Scotland’s O₂ ABC Glasgow in May 2012, Tragedy’s explosive live show is world famous.

Hailing from New York City, Tragedy first came to decimate the people of the United Kingdom in 2008, as the support band for British cult rockers The Wildhearts. At the end of that tour, Tragedy supported Electric Six at O₂Shepherd's Bush Empire in London, during which 2,500 kids moshed to Stayin' Alive, and after which, Tragedy totally scored a whole new UK tour with Electric Six!

Since that time, Tragedy has kept on returning to the UK to force their magic upon the unsuspecting peoples of said country, including but not limited to opening for Motorhead at Guilfest, and two headline tours all across the UK, this May 2012 being their fourth tour (there was a third headlining tour somewhere in there too, but all records have been lost!)

Anyway, Tragedy is back in the UK with a new record called ‘Humbled by Our Greatness’. They have extended the Bee Gees catalogue to include other period pieces, such as Xanadu. It's really awesome, you should totally check them out!

Tickets are on sale now.

Thursday 24^th May O₂ ABC2 Glasgow £7.00 adv

Friday 25^th May O₂ Academy2 Newcastle £8.00 adv

Saturday 26^th May O₂ Academy2 Sheffield £7.00 adv

Tuesday 29^th May O₂ Academy3 Birmingham £8.00 adv

Wednesday 30^th May O₂ Academy2 Liverpool £7.00 adv

Thursday 31^st May O₂ Academy2 Bristol £7.00 adv

Friday 1^st June O₂ Academy2 Oxford £7.00 adv

Saturday 2^nd June O₂ Academy2 Islington £10.00 adv

*Tragedy are currently the # 1 heavy metal tribute to the Bee Gees in the following areas: London City, Carlisle City, Oxford City, Sheffield City, Guilford City, Liverpool City, Swansea City, Glasgow City, Newcastle upon Tyne City, Bristol City, Middlesborough City, Old York City, and basically every other city the band has ever played in the United Kingdom, with the exception of Cardiff City in Wales; that gig really sucked.