IDLES - Brutalism

IDLES debut album “Brutalism” is out today and it is outstanding. It would be easy to compare them to the likes of Slaves, Sleaford Mods & Bad Breeding but they have a fresh raw edge all of their own. 

Opening track 'Heel' kicks off at the outset with socially charged lyrics, "I want to move into a Bovis home, and make a list of everything I own" putting consumerism squarely in it's place, "ride into the ever setting sun ... marching to the beat of someone's drum". 

'Well Done' continues in the same vein "Why don't you get a job, even Tarquin has a job ... I'd rather cut my nose off to spite my face" the socially charged lyrics are delivered with piercingly fierce vocals.

Check out the angrily spitting track 'Mother' here, again they bombard us with politically charged lyrical gems like "the best way to scare a Tory is to read and get rich", just magnificent:

IDLES have so many intelligently constructed songs like 'Stendhal Syndrome' which references the 19th-century French author's disorder, Stendhal described being "absorbed in the contemplation of sublime beauty ... reached the point where one encounters celestial sensations ... everything spoke so vividly to my soul". In this track and accompanying video they perfectly portray how they are as entitled as any to be in that environment goofing around and take in great works of art ... an anti-establishment sentiment highlighting the "hot air" of the art world "did you see that painting what Rothko did? Looks like it was painted by a two year old kid."

The video is a must-watch, check it out here ... IDLES concisely and violently convey how punk is the art that speaks to our souls.

There are so many great tracks on this album. 'White Privilege' again has a cutting sense of humour to it "how many optimists does it take to change a light-bulb? ... None, the butler does it" and it pulls in refreshingly poignant sarcastic pop culture references "I couldn't dance with another ... cause she passed out on the stairs" as they "compensate with humour". Swing badabadabada swing!

'Slow Savage' radically changes the tone as a slow heartbeat backs cinematic piano, overlaid with tales of broken relationships and being the "worst lover you'll ever have" wearing that label like a badge of honour. This is storytelling with a passion, gravelly vocals and a beautifully fragile sentimental tone - all bound up in a still furious atmospheric punk track.

This is a great all round album, fresh, infectious confrontational songs laced with slicing social comment with cultural references twisted and made relevant with humour. The energy of the disaffected rises again and we are left wondering if this is the level of excitement that underground punks in the 70's felt.

Even listening to them recorded brings a frantic assault on the senses, we can't wait to witness them in a live environment (tour dates below) in what we can only imagine would be an epic adrenaline fueled and highly entertaining experience.

Bad Breeding - 'Divide'

Bad Breeding have announced 'Divide', their second LP in less than a year due for release 7th April. In that time the world has become a melting pot of hate, absurdity and on the brink of destruction and Bad Breeding have made a record that sums up these dark, dense and claustrophobic times. 

New song 'The More The Merrier' was released today along with an accompanying essay "An End To Silence" written by collaborator and friend Jake Farrell which can be read in full here: 

The band say of the record, "Divide was put together a couple of months after the EU referendum and particular parts of the record sought to make sense of the confusion and misdirection that was so prevalent last summer. In some ways it’s an attempt to resist the impulse to collapse under the weight of perpetual distortion packaged by certain sections of the British media, but at times we simply found ourselves instinctively lashing out in bewilderment at what was unravelling around us: the division and derision of certain sections of society, the enablement of xenophobia and the continued manipulation of working-class identity by politicians and press organisations alike."

"There are obviously some overtly political points being discussed on the record, although last year presented moments of pretty difficult personal trauma for us too and there are a few songs on the record that try to deal with those things."

The band will also host a two-night residency at London's Sebright Arms on 14th and 15th April, guests will be announced next week.

Coathangers - Tour - Parasite EP

Atlanta garage punk girl gang The Coathangers new EP 'Parasite' is due out on June 30th via Suicide Squeeze. They also announced an extensive UK tour in May and shared the track 'Captain’s Dead' from the EP With its sultry verses, triumphant chorus, and a bombastic freak-out of noisy guitar. 

Guitarist/vocalist Julia Kugel explained the track, saying: "Easy come, easy go; what you reap is what you sow. Sometimes people that you trust fail you miserably by falling victim to their own ego. They start believing their own hype, fancy themselves a leader, but they lead nothing. It's based on a personal experience, but this track has taken on a larger meaning given our current political weather. It's feeling stormy - the ships made out of shit will sink themselves."

The Coathangers "Parasite" 12"/DIG Pre-Order: 12"/DIG - http://store.suicidesqueeze.net Release Date: June 30, 2017 Label: Suicide Squeeze Records www.facebook.com/TheCoathangersATL Artist Twitter / Instagram: @thecoathangers www.thecoathangers.com www.facebook.com/suicidesqueezerecords Label Twitter / Instagram: @suicidesqueeze www.suicidesqueeze.net

Parasite kicks off with the title track, a rowdy throwback to a younger, angrier incarnation of the band. Crafted in the wake of the election and during a tumultuous period in the band members’ private lives, 'Parasite' is pure catharsis. “During the making of our last album, I didn’t want to scream anymore, I just wanted to sing and focus on melody. When we came to this recording, I just wanted to scream and curse.” If the EP is meant as a journey through the various stages of the band’s career, it certainly storms out of the gate with the same kind of piss-and- vinegar of their eponymous debut. And while 'Wipe Out' is another rowdy venture, with bassist Meredith Franco taking over the lead vocal duties over a steady barrage of pointed power-chords, it also showcases the rousing choruses that elevated the trio from underground heroines to an internationally renowned garage act. The journey through The Coathangers’ musical evolution leads to a revamped version of 'Down Down' from 2016’s 'Nosebleed Weekend' and the smoky twang of 'Drifter', in which drummer/vocalist Stephanie Luke demonstrates her knack for solid Dusty Springfield-style ballads.

The Coathangers will be hitting UK shores in May, playing the following dates:
 
May  12 UK Manchester Night & Day
May  13  UK Brighton The Joker
May  15 UK Bristol The Exchange
May  16 UK Oxford The Bullingdon
May  17 UK London Oslo
May  18 UK Hastings The Printworks
May  19 UK Leicester The Cookie
May  20 UK Leeds Gold Sounds @ Brudenell Social
May  21 UK Sheffield The Harley
May  23 UK Ramsgate Music Hall
 

Gnarwolves - New Album 'Outsiders' / Tour

Gnarwolves have announced new album 'Outsiders' due out 5th May and a UK / EU spring tour.

'Outsiders' is their second full-length record and new music can be expected soon, with their sound refined and lyrics reflecting on world weary introspection. As the title of the album suggests, Gnarwolves continue to do things their own way. Check out 'Wires' here for a little taster:

Tour Dates:
Apr 28th | Sputnikhalle, Munster, DE
Apr 29th | Winston, Amsterdam, NL
Apr 30th | Underground, Cologne, DE
May 2nd | Musik & Frieden, Berlin, DE
May 3rd | Hafenklang, Hamburg, DE
May 4th | Kavka, Antwerp, BE
May 8th | Mama Roux's, Birmingham, UK
May 9th | Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK
May 10th | Riverside, Newcastle, UK
May 11th | Stereo, Glasgow, UK
May 12th | Sound Control, Manchester, UK
May 14th | Bodega, Nottingham, UK
May 15th | Fighting Cocks, Kingston, UK
May 16th | Exchange, Bristol, UK
May 17th | Clwb ifor Bach, Cardiff, UK
May 19th | Joiners, Southampton, UK
May 20th | Borderline, London, UK

Great Escape 2017 - More Acts Announced

Just announced for The Great Escape 2017 are Tottenham MC Abra Cadabra, whose sound is a versatile arrangement of laidback tracks and fiery freestyles, Londoner Raye, who mixes glitchy electro and bouncy R&B rhythms with profound lyrics, and the vibrant collision of soul, electro and West-African funk known as Ibibio Sound Machine.

Raye said “The Great Escape is such an important festival supporting new music. I’m so grateful that they give unknown artists a platform to play music to people with open ears. I played a couple of years ago and now I’m back – what an honour that is.”

Also announced are Overcoat, who are finding inventive new ways to combine folk, indie and electro-pop, multi- instrumentalist and producer Melina Duterte AKA Jay Som - who recently supported Japanese Breakfast and Mitski on tour and whose ethereal indie blends earthy vocal melodies and dreamy pop guitars with outbursts of buzzy, distorted mayhem, and LA’s Mystic Braves – a fusion of modern rock music with a classically psychedelic edge.

Elsewhere, Douglas Dare’s distinctive bittersweet vocals exude raw honesty, and a distinct electro-acoustic edge, while young London troubadour Isaac Gracie’s gravelly, beautifully wrought singing style should ensure that her second appearance at the festival is a spine-tingling experience.

The Great Escape’s 2017 international contingent continues to blossom, with new acts announced today including Indian brothers Parekh & Singh from Kolkata, who produce cosmic pop infused with a whimsical beauty that is as dream-like as it is infectious and charming.
Smerz are an addictive alternative-electro duo from Copenhagen who are on the tip of everyone’s tongues with their minimal, effortlessly cool techno sounds. Helping them fly the Danish flag will be RnB electro-pop trio CHINAH whose upbeat tempo and melancholic lyrics create classic pop gems.  Likened to Bon Iver and James Blake, Ásgeir has already broken records having released Iceland’s fastest selling debut album by a domestic artist. His folktronica music is also a family affair, using his 72 year-old father’s poetry for lyrical inspiration.

Philly four piece The Districts will bring a surge of emotions and energy to their ever-evolving indie rock sound, Flyte are a whirl of snappy new wave-indie hooks, and Reading rockers The Amazons’ are a blaze of massive riffs, explosive sound and scorching energy.

Event Manager Kevin Moore said; “With just 10 weeks to go it’s brilliant to be announcing yet another round of artists who will be joining us in Brighton this year. Our 2017 line-up is shaping up to be our best and most diverse yet and there’s still so much more to come. Can it be May yet?”
 
The full list of artists announced today is as follows:   
 
ABRA CADABRA / AGAR AGAR / ALEX CAMERON / ALTAMEDA / ALYSS / AMY BECKER / ARISTOPHANES貍貓 / ÁSGEIR / BABEHEAVEN / BAD POP / BAD SOUNDS/ BANG BANG ROMEO / BANTAM LYONS / BELIEFS / BIURET 뷰렛 / BLACKWATERS / BRENT COBB / BRUCE O YATES / CAMO CLAVE / CHILDHOOD / CHINAH / CODE WALK / COLTER WALL / CONFIDENCE MAN / CRIMSONS / DAKOTA / DAT BRASS / DEBRAH SCARLET / DGS SAMURAI CHAMPS / DOUGLAS DARE / EKALI / ESTRONS / ESTRONS / FAITH I BRANKO / FIFI RONG / FISH / FLYTE / FOLLY RAE / FOREST OF FOOLS / FRANK GAMBLE / FUCK ART,LET'S DANCE! / GALLOPS / GARDNA / GIRLI / H HAWKLINE / HARRISON BROME / HAUX / HAZEL ENGLISH / HEARTS HEARTS / HELLO MOTH / HIPSTERS DON’T DANCE / HONEY LUNG / HONEY LUNG / IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE / IMMIGRANT SWING / INTO THE ARK / ISAAC GRACIE / JACK LADDER / JACKDAT / JANE WEAVER / JARAMI / JAY SOM / JERRY WILLIAMS / JOE FOX / JOSSY MITSU / JUDAH AND THE LION / JULIE BERGAN / JULIE BYRNE / KILLASON / KING HENRY / KNUCKS / KOVACS / LA JUNGLE / LAS AVES / LEO STANNARD / LIFE / LITTLE HOURS / LUXURY DEATH / LYRA / MARC O’REILLY / MARIA KELLY / MATT MALTESE / MO KENNEY / MONICO BLONDE / MYSTIC BRAVES / MUNGO / NOT3S / NOVA TWINS / OSCAR JEROME / OTZEKI / OUTLYA / OVERCOATS / PAIGEY CAKEY / PAREKH & SINGH / PARIS YOUTH FOUNDATION / PAVO PAVO / PERTURBATOR / POOR NAMELESS BOY / PORT CITIES / PRINCE VASELINE / RAHH / RAYE / ROYAL TUSK / SAILOR AND I / SARA SARA / SHE-DEVILS / SHY LUV / SMERZ / SÔNGE / SONS / SUPERFOOD / TAMIR GRINBERG / TASH LC / TEN TONNES  / TENNYSON / THE AMAZONS / THE AVULSIONS / THE BLINDERS / THE BRASS FUNKEYS / THE DISTRICTS / THE LAFONTAINES / THE MONOTONES / THE VAN T'S / THOMAS AZIER / VICTORIA / WALLFLOWER / WALLWORK B2B TSVI / WILD FRONT / WILL HEARD  / WILLIAM PRINCE / XAMVOLO / YXNG BANE / ZACH SAID / ZAK ABEL

Noga Erez - New Single 'Toy'

NOGA EREZ - new single 'Toy' is out now and as well as playing SXSW, Convergence & The Great Escape, her debut album 'Off The Radar' is due for release 2nd June on City Slang.

NOGA EREZ is back with this gutsy statement track following the direct ‘Dance While You Shoot’ and the fearlessly controversial, ‘Pity’. “I am the son of your leader/Give me your love, and I’ll spare you” sings a hooded Erez on a Tel Aviv rooftop, delving further into her compelling world of poised & innovative political pop.
 
“Toy" is sung from the point of view of someone who has inherited leadership, regardless of their talent or experience” she explains. “The lyrics, while short, are meant to show the contrast between someone who disowns his “crown” vs. someone who embraces the privilege, entitlement and influence and uses it for their own personal needs. They become self-absorbed and destructive. Showing how quickly and easily power can corrupt a person."
 
For Noga Erez, there was never any doubt that, whatever music she chose to make, and whatever she felt about her homeland, she could never ignore her surroundings. After all, even escapism acknowledges there’s something to escape from, and at times – like many who’ve grown up in Tel Aviv – Erez has wanted to shut herself off from a world rendered beyond comprehension by forces beyond her control. But if there’s one thing Erez isn’t – and sometimes it’s easier to say what artists as complex and fresh as her aren’t than are – it’s naïve. And what this means is simple: her work reflects the manner in which she’s learned to live. As she puts it, “I have this idea of giving people moments of thought and inspiration, and at the same time offering escapism and fun." 
 
It’s not the easiest of goals, but few succeed as well as Erez. While the music she makes in collaboration with her partner and co-writer, composer and producer Ori Rousso, exploits many of the more physical, dynamic elements of electronic music, it also embraces a cerebral sensitivity that’s made her one of her home city’s most exciting, idiosyncratic artists, as inspired by Björk, M.I.A. and fka Twigs as by Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean. 
 
She admits that, for a while, she retreated from the highly politicised climate in which she was raised. “As I became more aware of everything going on – the complexity of the situation, and how it affects lives on both sides – my reaction was to separate myself from it. I got rid of my TV and stopped consuming news completely.” 
 
She found sanctuary in music, but withdrawal is rarely permanent, and if there’s tension in Erez’ work –then it’s an acknowledgement of this simple truth. “Most of the time it's easy just to ignore what’s happening, but every now and then reality makes that impossible.” Erez is, however, thoroughly self-aware, and acknowledges how “we are very lucky not to live near the borders, not to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and to have shelters and technology protecting us. But with this sense of luck comes a sense of guilt for being able to do something like make music while lives are being taken.” 
 
Uncompromising and unpredictable, sophisticated and bold, Noga Erez is clear about her ambitions. “Our way of trying to keep in contact with our feelings and fears, and of avoiding emotional detachment about everything, is music. Human beings can come from completely different places but share a fundamental basis of emotions. In my opinion, music is the form of art or communication that expresses that most accurately.” 

Live UK dates:
April Tues 21 - London, UK @ Village Underground - Convergence Festival
May Thurs 18 – Sat 20 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape Festival

PHOTO: Tonje Thilesen

Victorious Announce Second Wave of Acts

Olly Murs, Rita Ora & The Charlatans have just been announced for Victorious - the second wave of artists
to join an impressive bill that already features Stereophonics, Madness, Elbow and many more.

Olly Murs hardly needs an introduction, having been propelled to pop stardom with a string of hit singles and a double platinum selling debut album, he is renowned for a dynamic live show. 

leo stannard

Joining Olly at the top of the bill is MOBO winning R&B singer Rita Ora who has coached on The Voice UK, been a judge on The X Factor and had a number one album.

On the all-new Friday night Opening Party Madness are joined by legendary Mancunian powerhouse The Charlatans who have enjoyed almost 30 years at the forefront of indie rock with 12 studio albums. 

Also announced is Punk-folk troubadour Frank Turner, alt-rock stalwarts British Sea Power, Britpop favourites Echobelly, BBC Music Sound Of…. Finalist Raye, Zimbabwe-born synthpop artist Rationale, Brighton indie rockers Toy, grunge folksters Banfi, feted chanteuse Lily Rendle-Moore and up-coming British singer/songwriter Leo Stannard.

Festival director Andy Marsh said, “This year’s line up just goes from strength to strength. Our mission has always been to provide the biggest and best party possible and with the addition of a bit of pop royalty with Olly and Rita we really do have something for everyone. It’s going to be the best Victorious yet.” 

Friday 25th August- Friday night opening party- 6-11pm*
Saturday 26th August- 10am-11pm
Sunday 27th August - 10am-11pm
With Friday tickets currently set at the unbeatable Early Bird price of £25 and Saturday and Sunday at £32 a day Victorious Festival continues to be one of the best value festivals in the UK.

IDestroy

Bristol’s grrrl rockers IDestroy have revealed a double A-side featuring the brand new singles ‘Annie’ and ‘98%’ fuelled with rock'n'roll swagger and riotous attitude, the gutsy trio are mixing powerful riffs with catchy pop melodies to create an infectious party-punk sound. ‘Annie’ is a short, sharp, feisty number, packed with driving rhythms and rebellious charm, while ‘98%’ ramps up the gears with its energetic guitars and pounding basslines.

This is the first taste of new music from the band since bursting onto the scene in 2016 with their EP Vanity Loves Me, a raw and gritty debut that was a perfect introduction to their edgy-punk style. Check out ‘Vanity Loves Me’ below ... fearless and more determined than ever, IDestroy are ready to unleash the new material to fans and have announced a UK tour which kicks off this weekend with a show at London’s Hope & Anchor on Saturday 4th March and sees them travel around the country before heading off to Germany to continue their run throughout May. 

TOUR DATES UK

March 4th - Hope & Anchor, London

March 5th - Level III, Swindon

March 6th - O2 Academy, Bristol

March 25th - The Rock Den, Hatfield

March 30th - Hare and Hounds, Birmingham

April 13th - Fulford Arms, York

April 14th - Percy's, Whitchurch

April 15th - Wheatsheaf, Oxford

April 27th - The Winch, Taunton

April 30th - Star and Garter, Manchester

Meat Wave - New Album 'The Incessant'

Meat Wave's new album 'The Incessant' is out now and it is glorious. Recorded with legendary Chicago engineer Steve Albini, The Incessant is a bracing, emotional garage punk record that confronts taking responsibility for your actions with dark humour and self-deprecation.

The track 'Bad Man' finds vocalist / guitarist Chris Sutter in a moment of self-reflection after the tumultuous demise of an 11-year relationship. About two years ago, 24-year-old Sutter found himself facing the end of the relationship he had been in since he was 12 years old. Undoubtedly that experience led to the theme of escapism that appears throughout the record, and may be at it’s most apparent on new single 'Run You Out'. Sutter says the track is specifically about exiting a situation in the worst, most destructive way possible.

'At The Lake' is an outstanding track, bouncy as hell and 'Birdland's disturbly slow and menacing pace leads into the album's closing track 'Killing the Incessant' ... very fine noise punk.

Check out the video for title track 'The Incessant' here ... actually make sure you check out the whole album, there are so many gems on there including a track called 'Leopard Print Jet Ski' - how can you not be curious about that!

Formed in 2011 out of the ashes of various Chicago bands, Sutter (guitar, vocals), Joe Gac (bass) and Ryan Wizniak (drums) were no strangers to the thriving underground scene of the city.

Just a year later, the trio released their first collection of songs and that’s all it would take to start garnering attention.

Their last album, 2015’s Delusion Moon, was a blistering master class in abrasive post-punk, simultaneously referencing Hot Snakes, the disgruntled lyricism of Shellac and a little bit of The Jesus Lizard’s fire-spitting sneer just for good measure.

They are off on tour in April and May ... check out the dates below:

UK/EU Tour Dates

Photo: Andrew Morrison

Apr 21st | Brighton, UK - The Joker
Apr 22nd | Nottingham, UK - Stuck On A Name
Apr 24th | Cardiff, UK - Club Ifor Bach
Apr 25th | Birmingham, UK - The Flapper
Apr 26th | Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club (Games Room)
Apr 27th | Glasgow, UK - Hug & Pint
Apr 28th | Newcastle, UK - Hit The North
Apr 29th | Liverpool, UK - Studio 2
Apr 30th | Leicester, UK - Handmade Festival
May 1st | Guildford, UK - Boileroom
May 2nd | London, UK - Birthdays
May 3rd | Paris, FR - La Mecanique Ondulatoire
May 4th | Cologne, DE - Tsunami
May 5th | Berlin, DE - Musik & Frieden
May 6th | Hamburg, DE - Headcrash
May 8th | Groningen, NL - Vera
May 10th | Utrecht, NL - ACU

Goldie - New Album 'The Journey Man'

Goldie is set to release new album 'The Journey Man' on 16th June, the double album features 16 new tracksincluding lead single 'I Adore You' have a listen here:

“This new music reflects the most honest, and bold, insight into who I really am and where my heart wants to be.” - GOLDIE 

MOBO Award-winning songwriter, DJ, producer, visual artist and actor Goldie (MBE) will release a new double album ‘The Journey Man’ on June 16th comprising two parts, 16 brand new tracks in total, all written and produced by Goldie. It also features a host of collaborators handpicked by Goldie to help realise his vision for the album. ‘The Journey Man’ will be released through Cooking Vinyl and Goldie’s own record label, Metalheadz.

“In my music,” says Goldie “is everything I’ve learned, everyone I’ve met, everything I’ve experienced.” And it’s been an incredible trip. The maverick innovator - who rewrote the future of the jungle scene with landmark releases - has a unique story to tell. From children’s homes in the West Midlands through stints in New York and Miami as one of the UK’s most celebrated exponents of graffiti art to rubbing shoulders with an exceptional list of musical collaborators including David Bowie, Noel Gallagher and KRS One, Goldie has always been one of a kind.

Goldie says: “I often look at music not so much as a producer but like a director. You’re drawing together engineers, performers and arrangers to create something special, something magical. It’s like alchemy. The notes, the music, the lyrics, they’re all in my head and each element has to be communicated and brought to life to create the finished track. I’m always inspired by great movie directors – people like Stanley Kubrick and PT Anderson – and, if you think about it, it’s quite a similar approach. They start off with a vision and then they use that vision to deploy the actors and the cameramen and the editors in order to create the finished film.”

Goldie is a pioneering DJ, songwriter, producer, and visual artist, as well as an actor and orchestral composer and conductor: a modern-day renaissance man. In 2012, he was selected as one of the BBC’s “New Elizabethans”: a selection of 60 people - including David Hockney, Roald Dahl, David Bowie and Tim Berners-Lee - who have helped shape British culture during the reign of Elizabeth II. Four years later, he was awarded the MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours.

22 years ago saw the release of Goldie’s debut album ‘Timeless’ which truly changed the face of electronic dance music specifically drum’n’bass, hardcore and jungle. The seminal record featured the iconic track ‘Inner City Life’ - the vocals for which were performed by the late Diane Charlemagne. “I always felt that Timeless was a wonderful blueprint…the challenge, for me was creating something worthy of that.”

Photo credit: Chelone Wolf 

AMBER ARCADES

Amber Arcades, the moniker of Dutch-born musician Annelotte De Graaf, has shared new track ‘It Changes’. Annelotte said “Everything changes, all the time. You think that when starting something new you can kinda tell which way it will go, but you never do. I always try to aim for constancy and stability but things always get messier than I foresaw. And hey maybe that's actually what makes it worthwhile.”

Amber Arcades return to the UK and Europe as a special guest of Grandaddy this March and April:

March 8 ILMC, London, UK

March 22 The Basement, York, UK

March 23 Potterow w/ Grandaddy, Edinburgh, UK

March 24 The Glad Cafe, Glasgow, UK

March 26 Hoults Yard w/ Grandaddy, Newcastle, UK

March 27 Irish Centre w/ Grandaddy, Leeds, UK

March 28 Albert Hall w/ Grandaddy, Manchester, UK

March 29 Rock City w/ Grandaddy, Nottingham, UK

March 30 Clbw Ifor Bach, Cardiff, UK

March 31 Colston Hall w/ Grandaddy, Bristol, UK

April 1 Concorde w/ Grandaddy, Brighton, UK

April 3 Roundhouse w/ Grandaddy, London, UK

April 30 FestEVOL, Liverpool, UK

April 30 Sounds From The Other City, Manchester, UK

Amber Arcades’ critically acclaimed debut album Fading Lines is available now on Heavenly Recordings and De Graaf is currently working on new music for release in the Spring. Check out ‘It Changes’ here:

Pissed Jeans - Album 'Why Love Now' Out Now

Pissed Jeans have released a video for their snarling track 'The Bar Is Low', singer Matt Korvette describes that it's about "how every guy seems to be revealing themselves as a shithead". The bass tone is awesome as ever, winding and swaggering around the gravelly vocal and general scuzzy-ass punk vibes. Somehow cleaner and refined it still retains that edge we love them for. Honestly, their bar is high.

The Bar is Low’ is the lead single from Why Love Now, the fifth album from Pissed Jeans, the video follows the band on a trip to the gym - except they don't know how to properly use the equipment and an absurd competition ensues ...

Why Love Now was co-produced by Lydia Lunch, Arthur Rizk and Pissed Jeans, is available on CD / LP / CASS / DL on Sub Pop. The album features the aforementioned ‘The Bar is Low’, with additional standouts, ’Ignorecam,’ ‘Love Without Emotion’, and ‘I’m A Man’ (featuring lyrics and vocal from Ugly Girls author Lindsay Hunter).

July Talk - 'Picturing Love' New Single

July Talk will be returning to the UK in March 2017 for a second UK headline tour in just six months. This follows the recent sold-out success of their European headline tour, including three UK dates, and their support slot with Catfish And The Bottlemen on their UK arena tour, including a date at London’s SSE Wembley Arena in November.

The Toronto five-piece recently released the striking video for their new single ‘Picturing Love’, directed by Jared Raab, the video confronts the effects of mainstream porn on sex and relationships and explores our insatiable reliance on screens.

The single is taken from their critically acclaimed second album Touch which has been released in the UK via Caroline Records / Universal.  Also featured on the album is the previous single ‘Beck + Call’ featuring Inuit throat singer Tanya Tagaq and lead track ‘Push + Pull’, which showcases the perfectly contrasting voices of co-vocalists Peter Dreimanis and Leah Fay. Headlining bigger venues across the UK when they return in March, the new tour includes a London date at the Dome in Tufnell Park after their astounding performance at its smaller sister venue The Boston Music Rooms in September sold-out way in advance.

MARCH 2017 – HEADLINE TOUR

Valentines Day Massacre - Portsmouth Charity Show - 2017

Now in its fifth year the Annual St Valentines Day Massage gig is coming up this weekend. A staple of Southsea gig-goers calendars along with the Christmas covers show, this is one not to be missed and all in the name of charity. Like the Christmas Covers Party that inspired it, the bands cover three songs each - WHATEVER they want (so long as the songs deal in love, lust or heartbreak) making for an amusing night out. 

We had a chat to organiser Matthew Tiller ahead of the event: "I’ve been a part of the ‘scene’ for the last six or seven years now and I think its great. It definitely goes through periods of being really vibrant and really dead but there are a lot of good bands doing very different things. Gigs like Christmas Covers and the Massacre really rely on there being a community which thankfully there is even if its not easily put into one box."

"The cover parties are a great way of bringing some bands together who might not usually play the same sort of shows. They are a great way of introducing people to new bands and challenging any assumptions. Just because a band plays metal doesn’t mean they don’t love some Timberlake. Some of these songs really demonstrate the bands versatility whether its through showing a more light-hearted side or some serious chops you never know existed."

As with the previous four years all proceeds go to the National Foundation of Youth Music giving musical education and equipment to children who wouldn't receive it otherwise. "The idea of music being life-changing might seem like an overstatement but it’s genuinely the truth. Youth Music is about realizing the transformative effect of music and making sure its available to everyone regardless of their living situation. It doesn’t have to be a career to have significant worth to the person playing. With the way things are going I think its fair to assume the arts will suffer so Youth Music and places like MusicFusion are essential to making sure young people have access to musical equipment and education."

"We’ve tried to reflect some of that inclusivity in our lineups over the years. You don’t have to be in a band to play, you can put one together for the event. The Pussycats (staff of the music room) and the Pie and Vinyl Funktion Band are two great examples of this. Some of them have been playing on and off for years while others have very little experience outside of their bedrooms. Our friend Rad played with the Pie & Vinyl band for us a few years back and I believe that was his first time on stage. Since then he has gone on to form The Cosmic Forces who played quite a bit locally last year including Southsea Fest. I remember seeing them at a gig where he ended the set by telling the audience to make a band with their mates, which is a great sentiment.  I fully encourage anyone to play in a band even if it’s just for one night singing Celine Dion covers (badly)"

Past years have seen power ballads, slow jams, hip hop and punk classics  - love transcends all genres apparently. The window to impress is small so the bands have to make every guitar solo, falsetto and key change count in the hope of taking your breath away.  This years culprits are: Horseflies, The Stayawakes, Hooch, Fainites, Plainfield & Battery Hens as well as one off collaborations by The Pussycats (The Music Room staff), Two Cool Lads (Aaron Udy vs Steve Hanby), Damp (Featuring members of Aeroplane Attack, Watashi Calcutecs and more) and Southsea's Pie and Vinyl's Funktion Band.

Raffle prizes this year are from Victorious Festival, Southsea Coffee,Greens Café, Southsea Gallery, Wild Thyme Wholefoods Portsmouth, Southsea's Pie and Vinyl, The Wedgewood Rooms, The Music Room, No.6 Cinema and more. Entry is £5 AND doors are EARLY AT 6:00pm with Hitfaced Djs taking over The Wedge for the afterparty.

Tickets are available at www.wedgewood-rooms.co.uk and at the Wedge box office - it sold out last year so buying in advance is advised!

BRETT ANDERSON TO RELEASE SOLO RECORDINGS BOX SET ON MARCH 17TH

Following the hugely successful Suede reformation and critical acclaim for ‘Bloodsports’ and ‘Night Thoughts’, Brett Anderson will release his ‘Collected Solo Work’ box set on March 17th. The recordings will be available on both CD and Vinyl.

The 5 CD’s worth of music contain 4 original studio albums (each featuring bonus tracks), a bonus live CD featuring hard to find recordings from 2010 and 2011 as well as two unreleased tracks. The box set will also contain a DVD featuring an interview with Brett Anderson.

Brett said of the release: “These are the four solo albums I made between 2007 and 2011. It was an exciting time for me as an artist; I had fallen out of love with being in bands and I wanted to try to explore things and test myself and grow beyond those parameters. I think you can see the development in the work; from the clumsy fumblings of the debut through to the self-conscious minimalism of Wilderness and finally to the apogee of Slow Attack and the growl and gnarl of Black Rainbows, there is hopefully a sense that I was learning through my mistakes and plotting points on a creative path. It was lonely and hard sometimes but I’m proud that I had the courage to wander somewhere different. The vital lessons I learnt, both in art and in life, fed directly into where I currently find myself and into my journey with Suede.”

GOLDFRAPP NEW ALBUM & VIDEO

Goldfrapp release their seventh studio album, the first for 4 years - ‘Silver Eye’ on March 31st through Mute. Watch new video for their latest single ‘Anymore’ here:

Alison led the creative for all of the visuals on the album and played a crucial role in the direction of the video; “The 'Anymore' video was shot on the strange & beautiful island of Fuerteventura. I love the volcanic rock and dunes which were also the setting for the still images I took.” Featuring strident strands of underground electronica, sensual melody and metal machine pop at its core, the new track is an assertive return from the uncompromising duo.

On the new album Alison and Will spent 10 days in Dallas with John Congleton, Grammy-winning producer of St. Vincent, John Grant and Wild Beasts while in London they teamed up with electronic composer Bobby Krlic, aka The Haxan Cloak and Brian Eno collaborator Leo Abrahams added abstract guitar textures. The album was mixed by David Wrench (The xx, fka Twigs, Caribou). 

On the making the album, Alison Goldfrapp said: “We’ve never liked repeating ourselves. Often we react to things we’ve just done. We like the spontaneity of not knowing. It’s only through the process that we start to figure out what it is. The fans who have stuck with us are the ones who embrace that idea and are excited by the thought that they don’t know quite what to expect next.”

Will Gregory added: “I think writing an album is like being lost in a wood. You’re trying to figure out an interesting path. You don’t know whether it’s going to be a dead end or somewhere interesting and you never know when to stop because around the corner some beautiful vista might open up.”

K.FLAY - Black Wave Single

K.Flay releases her second full-length album Every Where Is Some Where — on April 7th on Night Street / Interscope, watch new single, ‘Black Wave’ here:

‘Black Wave’ is “about facing something immense and menacing and choosing not to cower, but to rise up" K.Flay says in a statement that also sheds light on the album’s title. “In writing this album, I thought a lot about the places that shape us, and how, in turn, we shape those places in our minds as human beings living on earth right now. We find ourselves in a very particular situation where the planet is getting warmer, the internet is getting bigger, and the stakes are as grave as ever. The President of the United States Of America is a television celebrity who openly degrades those unlike him (non-white, non-male, non-straight, non-wealthy, non-citizen), and whose chief strategist has spent much of his career promoting white nationalism in a country meant to foster diversity and progress through tolerance ... A president who intends to limit our freedoms, foment hatred & silence dissent and yet every place, every where, is just some place, some where. It’s all arbitrary and fucked up and sometimes lucky. I think you can understand the fact of your own smallness in this world while still celebrating the very particular singularity of who you are and where you happen to stand”

BONOBO - FEBRUARY UK TOUR

Simon Green aka Bonobo returns with his sixth album “Migration” and a UK tour, the album's is lush, manic, beautiful, melancholy, joyful, packed with both emotion and technical skill, capturing the very textures of human existence in his work, as Green says of the broad dynamics on the album, "Life has highs, lows, loud and quiet moments, beautiful ones and ugly ones. Music is a reflection of life."

photo credit neil krug

“It’s interesting how one person will take an influence from one part of the world and move with that influence and effect another part of the world. Over time, the identities of places evolve.” It is a theme with a personal as well as a sociological aspect to it, a close family member passed away last year, “my family and I are all disbanded and spread to far corners of the earth,” explains Green, “In the end we did the funeral in Brighton. My own personal idea of identity, where I am from, and what home is, has played into this record and its migratory themes. Is home where you are or where you are from, when you move around?”

Title track ‘Migration’ sets the tone for the record with complex electronic programming (Green programmed a special algorhythm to create the drum sequencing) and live piano playing which shifts and gradually builds the sense of movement. ‘Outlier' channels a swinging take on 2-step back into luscious romanticism, before changing direction and finishing hard on the dancefloor (not for nothing has Bonobo talked about the central importance to the overall feel of the album of his all-night Output DJ residencies in NY where he road- tested tracks, his ‘Outlier’ club curation series, where he road-tested tracks). ‘Second Sun’ mixes guitar, feedback and strings in completely unfamiliar ways. ‘Kerala’ takes a RnB vocal sample from a classic Brandy track and uses it more as texture than as voice. This innovation is expanded upon and broadened on ‘Grains’, this time with the voice of folk godfather Pete Seeger.

Green continues his theme of migration, through his guests and also his choice of found sound, which both strengthen and deepen “the transitory nature of the record.” Michael Milosh, from the LA group Rhye, for instance, is originally from Canada and recorded his affecting vocal over the harp and beautiful horn work of ‘Break Apart' in a hotel room in Berlin. Green, meanwhile built the structure of the track during a transatlantic flight (another meaning of “Migration” rests in the fact of making large chunks of the record while out on the road). Nick Murphy (formerly known as Chet Faker), on the other hand, is from Australia, but a shared love of disco brought the pair together for the hugely emotive ‘No Reason’. Nicole Miglis of Hundred Waters, originally from Florida, delivers a superbly understated vocal for the glistening textures of ‘Surface’. Green has also used a sampler (“but not in a big boomer, wearing a cagoule kind of way.”) and woven found sounds such as an elevator in Hong Kong airport, rain in Seattle, a tumble dryer in Atlanta and a fan boat engine in New Orleans into his intricate sonics.

Check out 'Bambro Koyo Ganda' here for over 5 minutes of pure and intricate thumping rhythms, expertly overlaid with Moroccan band Innov Gnawa's vocals in a wandering housey tune just begging to be played loud:

Bonobo will be headlining the De La Warr Pavilionn in Bexhill-On-Sea on the 4th March as well as across the UK:

25-Feb-17 London O2 Brixton Academy

26-Feb-17 London O2 Brixton Academy

27-Feb-17 Dublin Vicar Street

01-Mar-17 Leeds O2 Academy

02-Mar-17 Manchester O2 Apollo

03-Mar-17 Gateshead Sage

04-Mar-17 Bexhill De La Warr

BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH

Ahead of an extensive UK tour, Benjamin Francis Leftwich has unveiled a cover of Placebo's 'Pure Morning'. Imparting his own unique style on the 1998 classic, Benjamin's version is a haunting take, one that shines a new light on the emotive lyrics with stunning vocals and delicate electronic undertones. It is a definitive sound that resonated across his recent second album After The Rain.

This month will see Benjamin tour Canada and North America, before returning to the UK for what promises to be incredible performances in intimate venues throughout March. This tour also includes a series of residency shows at new London venue Omeara. Each show will feature a line-up curated by Benjamin himself, joining Benjamin on the first Omeara show on 2nd March is Rosie Carney & George Cosby, with Laurel & Travis Is A Tourist as special guests on 9th March and Grace Lightman added to the third date on the 16th March.

MARCH 2017

2 - London, UK - Omeara (residency show w/ Rosie Carney & George Cosby) – SOLD OUT

3 – Galway, IR – Roisin Dubh

4 – Dublin, IR – Whelan’s

5 – Cork, IR – Cyprus Avenue

7 – Belfast, UK – Limelight

9 - London, UK - Omeara (residency show w/ Laurel & Travis Is A Tourist) – SOLD OUT

10 – Newcastle, UK – The Cluny

11 – Kendal, UK – Kendal Library

13 – Brighton, UK – The Old Market

14 – Cambridge, UK – Junction 2

15 – Portsmouth, UK – Wedgewood Rooms

16- London, UK - Omeara (residency show w/ Grace Lightman)

SKIP MARLEY RELEASES DEBUT SINGLE 'LIONS' AND SIGNS TO ISLAND RECORDS

Skip Marley, the grandson of Bob Marley and a reggae prodigy for a new generation debut single ‘Lions’ is an intense callto action that“shows people when we are strong and unified no evil can get us.” With lyrics that shine a light on the current political situation, ‘Lions’ is the first single from the 20-year-old Florida based singer and songwriter and weill be released on the legendary Island Records label.

Although reggae is at the root of Skip’s music, he says, “I’m coming from a new genera­tion, blending influences and letting it come out organically in the music.”  Referencing the Rolling Stones, soca, hip-hop and Dance Musicartists in one breath, Skip doesn’t like to limit himself, instead he “just let ideas drop down on me and go with the flow.” Skip confidently mixes genres, influences, and instruments while maintaining their important messaging, which aren’t wedded to a particular moment in history. They’re universal and important, bringing the love his grandfather, Bob Marley, preached to the next generation.

“I want to spread my music to the people and help them unify,” he says. “I want people to take away a message of love, of looking at the way you are living and thinking where we can work to be our best. Whatever they’re feeling, I want them to be able to turn up my music and think, relax, and get good vibes.”