Slow Club new single out 17th May + Koko headline show 1st June

Slow Club have announced details of a new single plus a headline show at Koko on the 1st June.

A rattling hip-shaking volley of beat pop, ‘Giving Up On Love’ will be released on Moshi Moshi on 17th May. The headline show at Koko is their biggest show yet. Tickets are now on-sale HERE

A re-recorded version of the opening track from their critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Giving Up On Love’ has all the bittersweet lyrics and crowd-pleasing hooks of a 60s Beat group smash, skilfully re-imagined for a new audience by Sheffield dynamic pop duo Charles Watson and Rebecca Taylor.

Just before Christmas, Slow Club played a sell out show at the Union Chapel capping off a spectacular year for the duo.  Their debut album ‘Yeah So’ - recorded almost entirely within the bosom of their hometown Sheffield - garnered outstanding reviews on its release last summer, becoming one of Moshi Moshi’s most successful releases to date.

The album is released in the US in March, through Moshi Moshi’s new American distribution deal with !K7.  As well as a US Tour, the band will return to the UK for a run of shows in June alongside summer Festival appearances.

Love Is All announce new album UK release date + free download ‘Repetition’

Beloved indie pop Swedes Love Is All have announced the UK release date for their fourth album, as well as giving away a free download.

‘Two Thousand And Ten Injuries’ is set for release on the 5th April through Polyvinyl Records, you can hear a taster free track 'Repetition' here.

 

Recorded in their native Gothenberg in their home-built studio last year, ‘Two Thousand And Ten Injuries’ is the follow-up to the wildy-popular 2008 album ‘A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night’. The new album is an eclectic collection of pop melodies, anchored by New Wave and punk rock rhythms, that are as refined as they are unpredictable. Highlights of the 12 track set include the art punk urgency of "Bigger, Bolder," the lilting pop of "Never Now," the Slits-like reggae of "False Pretense" and the classic punk rallying cry found in "Dust." All told, ‘Two Thousand…’ successfully manages to be Love Is All's most adventurous, and dare we say, accessible, album yet.

More details are to follow about the album, plus news of a European tour in summer.

Introducing Signals: ex-Mae Shi announce debut UK single, free mp3 + SXSW shows

Hailing from LA, Signals are a brand new band comprised of three beautiful boys: Jon Gray, Bill Gray, and Jacob Cooper. The three have played together since 2005, but are better known for being formerly active members of much-loved The Mae Shi.

Signals will release their debut single, ‘Silverfish/What Dreams’ in the UK on the 29th March through Moshi Moshi Records as part of their Singles Club.   Do have a listen to the band’s first fruits here, courtesy of their cover of Sparks ‘Angst In My Pants’:

The band will head out on their first tour as Signals in the States, starting 2nd March in LA all the way through to SXSW in Austin, TX.

The American dates and SXSW show details are below, dates are to follow on a UK tour:

March
2nd LOS ANGELES, CA @ The Smell w/ Juiceboxxx
3rd TUCSON, AZ @ Club Congress w/ Lesley and the Lys
6th LUBBOCK, TX @ Bash Riprocks
7th OKLAHOMA CITY, OK @ Conservatory w/ The Show Is The Rainbow
8th LAWRENCE, KS @ Replay Lounge w/ The Show Is The Rainbow
9th COLUMBIA, MISSOURI @ Mojo's w/ The Show Is The Rainbow
11th KNOXVILLE, TN @ The Pilot Light w/ The Show Is The Rainbow
12th ATHENS, GA @ Farm255 w/ The Show Is The Rainbow
13th ST. AUGUSTINE, FL @ Harvest of Hope Festival
14th NEW ORLEANS, LA @ Blue Nile (Live NOLA Showcase) w/ The Show Is The Rainbow
15th BATON ROUGE, LA @ Spanish Moon w/ The Show Is The Rainbow
16th AUSTIN, TX @ Scoot Inn (Panache SXSW Pre Party) w/ Oh Sees, Golden Triangle
18th AUSTIN, TX @ Domy Books (The Smell Party)
18th AUSTIN, TX @ TBA (Moshi Moshi Party)
19th AUSTIN, TX @ TBA (SXSMess Party)
19th AUSTIN, TX @ Beauty Bar (Panache SXSW Official Showcase)
20th AUSTIN, TX @ Spiderhouse
21st AUSTIN, TX @ Beerland (Panache Hangover Party)
20th EL PASO, TX @ Black Market w/ Dozal Brothers
23rd PHOENIX, AZ @ Manor House w/ Get Down! To Brass Tracks, Gun Outfit, Naïve

Tributes to Bowery in Suburbia: Hidden Cameras guide to ‘Underage’ video

As their UK tour fast approaches, The Hidden Cameras have launched a vibrant and entertaining video into the blogosphere for new single ‘Underage’ / ’Origin:Orphan’. This single will be released on the 22nd March following on from a re-release of their latest album ‘Origin:Orphan’ on the 15th March through Arts and Crafts. Revised UK tour dates from the original announcement are listed in full below.

Watch the ‘Underage’ video

Now it’s over to Scott Cudmore, the director of ‘Underage’, for an insight into the ideas and inspirations behind Hidden Camera’s latest cinematic vignette:

“The 'Underage' video was shot in the spooky little hamlet of Etobicoke, Ontario - so much information on Etobicoke can be found here, in it's Wikipedia entry - but none of that is really at all relevant to our video. And none of it is really all that spooky.

“The most difficult process of this video was probably finding the right street and house - we needed something suburban, but also quaint and cottagey and more visually distinct from the generic sorts of suburbs that you commonly find around the Greater Toronto Area. I think we found this spot just a few days before the shoot. With every video it always seems that there is one thing that becomes the 'desperate element' and in this case it was securing the right location. We had another perfect area before we found this, a bunch of military houses in Scarborough, but that fell through in the end, leaving us with nothing. I was very happy with this spot though - it's kind of the perfectly bizarre little home for these colourful people to have all assembled inside together. 



“The idea behind this video was basically a "cult" or a collective of people gathered together in this house, preparing for a magical event - the golden shower at the end of the video (perhaps a not-so-subtle nod to another Hidden Cameras song...). Perhaps it is the recording of Joel's performance that brings about this event. In the end though, it's mostly just an abstract collection of images held together by this very tangential narrative. I hope people find it fun and enjoy it. 

“Joel's face paint is a reference/homage to Leigh Bowery.”



The Hidden Cameras UK Dates:
 
Wed 17th March Brighton Audio
Thu 18th March London St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch SOLD OUT
Fri 19th March Nottingham Bodega
Sat 20th March Glasgow Stereo
Sun 21st March Manchester Deaf Institute www.thedeafinstitute.co.uk
Mon 22nd March Cardiff The Gate
Tue 23rd March Leeds Brudenell Club
Wed 24th March London Hoxton Bar and Kitchen www.hoxtonsquarebar.com/
 

Tunng announce new single ‘Hustle’ released 22nd Feb, free mp3 + album pre-order

Ahead of Tunng’s exceptional new album, ‘And Then We Saw Land’, London’s twisted pop wonders are set to release opening track ‘Hustle’ as a 7” single on the 22nd February. ‘And Then We Saw Land’ will be released on the 1st March via Full Time Hobby and is now available to pre-order in a range of exclusive bundles including a Tunng with Tinariwen dvd, Tunng t-shirts and tote bags http://fulltimehobby.sandbag.uk.com

To further herald the release of ‘And Then We Saw Land’ Tunng are giving away album track ‘Don’t Look Down Or Back’ HERE

And you there’s an album mix of all 11 tracks to watch compiled by frontman Mike Lindsay:

Representative of the ultra-poppy sounds of the new album as a whole, ‘Hustle’ is as bright and breezy as a summer’s afternoon in the park, but beneath it lies a dark heart.

“It’s actually quite a sad song – a straight up relationship-journey/ anti-commitment/ love song – but by far the most happy sounding ditty we've ever done,” says Mike. “Almost too much! But that’s why we like it...”

Download full PR

Download full album PR for 'And Then We Saw Land'

The Miserable Rich announce single ‘Somerhill’ out 8th March + live show details

The Miserable Rich make their first foray into 2010 by announcing details of a new single and several live shows.

Brighton’s finest chamber pop quintet are releasing single ‘Somerhill’ on the 8th March on limited edition 7” and download, as well playing several shows including HMV’s Next Big Thing, Black Cab Sessions and Willkommen Orchestra events in February.  Full details of all these and a full March tour are below.

‘Somerhill’ is the first single to be taken from the forthcoming second album ‘Of Flight And Fury’. After the success of their debut outing, ‘Twelve Ways To Count’, and the little bit of fun they had last year with their ‘Covers EP’, the band return with a new album of wholly original material.

Live dates

10 Feb - The Borderline, London (HMV Next Big Thing festival with The Wave Pictures)
16 Feb - Black Cab Sessions @ Slaughtered Lamb, London
19 Feb - Brighton (as part of The Willkommen Orchestra)
25 Feb - The Cellar, Oxford
26 Feb - Folk House, Bristol
27 Feb - King's Place, London (as part of The Willkommen Orchestra with members of The Leisure Society)

2 Mar - The Cluny, Newcastle
3 Mar - Yorkshire House, Lancaster
4 Mar - Glee Club, Birmingham
5 Mar - The Black-E, Liverpool
6 Mar - Red Rooms, Glossop
7 Mar - Deaf Institute, Manchester

Download full PR

of Montreal NYC live spectacular: Susan Sarandon spanks pig + Solange duets

of Montreal’s US Winter tour is well underway with their New York show featuring appearances from none other than Susan Sarandon and Solange. The technicolour psychedelic pop five piece headlined at New York’s Highline Ballroom on Tuesday night (26th Jan), where as well as duetting with Beyonce’s little sister Solange on a cover of Jackson 5’s ‘I Want You Back’, Susan Sarandon also made a very surreal guest appearance.

Sarandon took part in one of the band’s performance art pieces, which culminated in throwing one of the pig men over her knee and spanking him on the bottom with a ruler! The Hollywood actress then continued to throw streamers into the audience later in the concert and dance around the stage.

Watch Sarandon’s pig spanking here

Watch Solange and of Montreal singing ‘I Want You Back’

Also in other news previously reported by Pitchfork, of Montreal debuted a new song off of forthcoming new album ‘False Priest’ (working title, to be confirmed).

Listen to an excerpt of ‘Enemy Gene’ here

of Montreal are renowned for having an incredible live show and also being able to pull a weird and wonderful spectacle out of the bag. Perhaps the celebrity porcine punishing trounces the sight of frontman Kevin Barnes singing atop of a white horse last year in New York, or appearing dressed as a satyr in LA. Not to mention the joyous moment when they opened their 2008 London Koko show to a dance routine flanked by golden Buddhas

Sparrow and The Workshop Announce New Single, Debut Album + Idlewild Tour

‘Sparrow And The Workshop might do for folk what The Strokes did for rock ‘n’ roll at the start of the decade’ Drowned in Sound

Glaswegian dark folk trio Sparrow and The Workshop have announced details about a new single, their debut album and a support tour with Idlewild. ‘I Will Break You’ will be the lead single taken from their debut album ‘Crystal Falls’; the single will be released 5th April with the album following on the 12th April, both through Distiller Records. Details of live dates with British Sea Power at an NME Awards Show and the Idlewild tour dates are below.

‘Crystal Falls’ will include tracks from their previous EPs plus two brand new songs. All tracks have been reworked and remixed by Chemikal Underground producer Paul Savage, except ‘Medal Around Your Neck’, which was produced by Tim Rowkins. The album will be released on CD, gatefold vinyl and download. 

Live dates:

February
8th Aldershot- West End Centre w/ British Sea Power
9th London- The Scala w/ British Sea Power - NME Awards show

March
3rd Bristol- The Thelka       w/ Idlewild
4th Gloucester- Guildhall   w/ Idlewild
5th London- Watershed     w/ Idlewild
6th Plymouth- Hippo          w/ Idlewild
8th Reading- Sub 89          w/ Idlewild
9th Brighton- Concorde 2  w/ Idlewild
11th Liverpool- Masque     w/ Idlewild
12th Preston- 53 Degrees w/ Idlewild

Download full PR

Still Flyin’ announce Feb UK tour, new single ‘Runaway Train II’ out 8th Feb

“Giddy Californian sunshine indie-pop…Lovely” – NME

“Brian Wilson-fronted Specials.. it’s party time in America”– The Fly

After releasing their debut ‘Never Gonna Touch The Ground’ last year, San Franciscan eight-piece, Still Flyin’ will be returning for a UK tour in February to supply some much needed West Coast sunshine and good times. Their new single, 'Runaway Train II', will be released on 8th February through Moshi Moshi to coincide with the UK tour.

Listen to ‘Runaway Train II’ 

 

Still Flyin’ will also be showcasing new material on the tour with another new EP, scheduled for release later this year in May. The live show is not to be missed, a memorable energetic spectacle that lead both NME and Village Voice to hail Still Flyin as one of their top 5 bands to watch at last years SXSW.  In addition, Okkervil River's Will Sheff recently proclaimed on Pitchfork that Still Flyin' was his new favourite band after watching their live show. "The most fun I've had at a show in quite a while,” he says “It's just about the least pretentious music you could ever imagine...very fun to watch”.

Upcoming UK dates:

3rd February – Canterbury Farmhouse, Canterbury
4th February – Smash & Grab @ Proud Galleries, London
5th February – Cockpit, Leeds
6th February – Captain’s Rest, Glasgow
7th February – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh
8th February – Adelphi, Hull
9th February – Mad Ferret, Preston
10th February – Hamptons, Southampton

Still Flyin’s debut album ‘Never Gonna Touch The Ground’ is out now on Moshi Moshi. The album was mixed in Melbourne by Haima Marriott, with help from Gus Franklin (Architecture in Helsinki) and Isobel Knowles (ex-Architecture in Helsinki).

Download latest photo of Still Flyin'

The Hidden Cameras confirm March UK tour, new single ‘Underage / Origin: Orphan’

“The Cameras’ fifth is their crowning moment… Virtually every tune bursts with exuberance, invention and inspiration” 5/5 The Guardian

“Buoyed by pop nous and joyfulness… Truly there’s no one else like them” 4/5 Q

“The Hidden Cameras are potentially a global pop phenomenon” GT Magazine

The Hidden Cameras bring their revered live show over from Toronto for a full UK headline tour in March, playing a very special show at St Leonard’s Church in Shoreditch on the 18th of March. To accompany the tour, new single ‘Underage / Origin: Orphan’ will be released on the 22nd March following on from a re-release of their latest album ‘Origin: Orphan’ on the 15th March through Arts and Crafts. Full tour dates are below.

The Hidden Cameras fourth album proper was somewhat of a sleeper hit at the end of 2009, slowly but surely gaining critical acclaim around its original release in November, with The Guardian even giving it a perfect score of 5/5. ‘Origin: Orphan’ is the sound of a band coming of age, displaying sophisticated and intelligent pop songwriting paired with their trademark playfulness and risqué lyrical content. A band who revel in their wonderful contradictions, the new single reflects this unique trait with a double A side single ‘Underage / Origin: Orphan’; two tracks that couldn’t be more different.

‘Underage’ is a joyful synth pop romp that teeters on the controversial with lyrics like “Lets do it like we’re underage… you’ll pretend you’re seven I’ll pretend I’m eight”. In fact, it’s about the rediscovery of innocence, unlike it’s disturbing title suggests. On the flip side, title track ‘Origin: Orphan’ is perhaps the climax of the album, a very dramatic and introspective number backed by grand orchestration and epic chamber pop. Next to ‘Underage’, its magnitude is even more awesome and provides a glimpse into the inner workings of Joel Gibb’s mind.

The Hidden Cameras UK Dates:

Wed 17th March Brighton Audio

Thu 18th March London St Leonard’s Church, Shoreditch £15 www.wegottickets.com

Fri 19th March Nottingham Bodega

Sat 20th March Glasgow Stereo

Sun 21st March Manchester Deaf Institute www.thedeafinstitute.co.uk

Mon 22nd March Cardiff The Gate

Tue 23rd March Leeds Brudenell Club

Thu 24th March London ICA www.ica.org.uk

Download full PR

Maps new single ‘Die Happy, Die Smiling’ out 25th January

“Full-on, altered state electronic stomper” – Guardian

“Bordering on genius” – Clash

“A palatial winter wonderland of a song” – The Word

“A delirious mind-melting musical journey” – Daily Mirror

“A record you want to keep coming back to” – Independent on Sunday

Maps have announced details of the release of a new single, ‘Die Happy, Die Smiling’, which will be released on 25th January 2010 on Mute.

The single, taken from his recently released second album, 'Turning The Mind', features mixes from A Place To Bury Strangers, Maxime Dangles and Subscape.

‘Die Happy, Die Smiling’ was recorded during the album sessions with Tim Holmes (Death in Vegas) at the Contino Rooms in London.

"I’m really happy with the remixes,” commented James Chapman, aka Maps.  “Maxime Dangles has done an amazing disco-killer of a mix, and also A Place To Bury Strangers have produced something truly special. Everything about the new record and Die Happy, Die Smiling is much harder, purely electronic, the way things should be.”

Maps, who was short-listed for the 2007 Barclaycard Mercury Prize for his debut album 'We Can Create', also have a remix on the current A Place To Bury Strangers single, ‘Keep Slipping Away’.

The Yummy Fur play reunion shows, release ‘Piggy Wings’ compilation + free mp3

“YF had trebly and angular guitar lines (more Spaghetti Western than post-punk), unabashed accents, pulp and pop references, perverted leanings and most definitely dance hooks…. don't miss the opportunity to see this band.” Carrie Brownstein for NPR

Seminal Glaswegian indie band The Yummy Fur have reunited for the first time in eleven years and are set to play a series of one-off shows in the UK and their first ever tour of the United States.  To further commemorate the anniversary of their demise, the band are releasing ‘Piggy Wings’, a collection of The Yummy Fur highlights assembled by leader John McKeown on What’s Your Rupture. This is the first time these songs have been available in over ten years and the first time ever in America. The UK shows also mark the fifteenth anniversary of their old label Guided Missile.

The compilation release date is still to be confirmed but you can hear a taster of it here in the form of free download ‘Policeman’ http://www.whatsyourrupture.com/audio/Policeman.mp3

The big influence The Yummy Fur would have on music history was unfathomable back in 1999. Little did they know that their skinny post punk hooks would provide the training ground for Franz Ferdinand and the 1990s as well as inspire the likes of The Gossip.

UK and US live dates in January
9th London, Buffalo Bar with support from Veronica Falls SOLD OUT
10th London, The Lexington with support from Shrag SOLD OUT
14th Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Neck Tie
15th Brooklyn, NY - Lombardy
17th Los Angeles, CA - The Echo (Part Time Punks)18th San Francisco, CA - Cafe du Nord
20th Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios plus Gossip DJ set

Click to download full PR including The Yummy Fur biog

Mirrors announce more details of Delphic tour plus remix EP

"if Depeche Mode ever had this many synths in their arsenal, they certainly did not manage, at least this early in their career, to sound as strikingly lush and dense" Pitchfork

"‘Look At Me’ is special in an unassuming, stealthy sort of way, beckoning you into Mirrors’ sun-bleached, but melody-rich world with a knowing nod, and I am glad to follow. Really, really good. "  Drowned in Sound

Mirrors have announced more details of a support slot on the Delphic tour in January and the release of a remix EP in March 2010. The tour starts tonight with an NME Radar show in London, full list of dates is below.

Having released two singles, ‘Look At Me’ through Pure Groove and ‘Into The Heart’ through Moshi Moshi in the second half of 2009, the Brighton based band subsequently signed to Skint Records.

Their first release for the label will be an EP featuring remixes of their tracks ‘Look At Me’, ‘Somewhere Strange’, ‘Into The Heart’ and ‘Lights and Offerings’. So far confirmed is up and coming Detroit prodigy Kyle Hall, often compared to the likes of Carl Craig and Moodyman, who will remix ‘Somewhere Strange’.

The band is also set to begin work on the debut album, which will be out via Skint later on in 2010.

The full list of live dates for the Delphic tour is as follows:

JANUARY
7th London NME Radar show @ Upstairs at The Garage (supporting Delphic) stage time 9pm
9th London Be @ Proud Galleries, Camden (headline show)
14th Norwich Arts Centre (supporting Delphic)
15th Oxford Zodiac
16th Sheffield Leadmill
17th Bristol Thekla
19th Brighton Audio
20th Wolverhampton Little Civic
21st Liverpool Kazimier
22nd Glasgow King Tuts
23rd Leeds Cockpit 2

Tickets for the shows are priced at £7 and available via www.seetickets.com.

Mirrors are: James (synthesizer / voices), Ally (synthesizer / voices), Tate (synthesizer) & Josef (electronic drums).

of Montreal collaborate with Solange, unveil new album details + audio teaser

of Montreal have unveiled details of their forthcoming album, including a collaboration with Solange Knowles.  Glamourous frontman Kevin Barnes revealed several details about the new record in a recent interview with Stereogum; the album will be potentially called either ‘False Priest’ or ‘The Controller Sphere’ and is set for release in late Summer/early Autumn.  R n b star Janelle Monae will also feature on the album, more details of other potential collaborations are yet to be confirmed, as is electronic wiz Jon Brion’s involvement on production duties pending an experimental recording session this Spring.

Read the full interview and hear an audio teaser from the new recording sessions here: http://stereogum.com/archives/progress_report/progress_report_of_montreal_107231.html

The Solange cameo comes as less of a surprise following on from last month's widely-reported news that big sister Beyoncé was keen on exploring a more alternative indie direction a la of Montreal after receiving a tip from Solange: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/nov/29/beyonce-artist-of-the-decade

Commenting on that episode, Barnes says:

"Maybe it will happen. I'd love to do it, it would be a fun experience. It's just something she dropped and hasn't really developed. I wonder about it, too, because I don't know how good I am at writing songs for other people. When I heard that she said that, I thought, 'Oh, I should try to get something going.' I started writing this song, and then next thing I know, it's so weird that she would never in a million years listen to it, let alone record it! It's a challenge for me."

The new record is set to develop on the funkier, George Clinton-inspired moments on 2008’s critically lauded album ‘Skeletal Lamping’. Barnes also expresses ambitions to expand on the current five-member set up of of Montreal to incorporate up to ten members in their live show. This is an attempt to create a fuller sound and not have to use pre-recorded backing tracks and also further boost the element of spectacle in their vibrant live shows. "We're going to try to do something closer to the kind of bands that Curtis Mayfield or Stevie Wonder had in the '70s," Barnes says.

Broadcast and The Focus Group release new video + a distinctly unseasonal story

“It really is quite fabulous… (Broadcast) crowned themselves dark monarchs of hauntology’s expanding kingdom”  ALBUM OF THE YEAR – Wire

"It’s difficult to shake the impression that you’ve been subjected to some brand of home magic...trust us, ‘…Witch Cults..’ is something special." - The Quietus (top 40 album of the year)

"Like a strange mirage glimpsed in the depths of the English countryside…" BBC Music

Broadcast have released a new video ‘Broadcast And the Focus Group #2: I See, So I See So' as well as a distinctly unseasonal story by Johnny Trunk as an accompaniment to their current release ‘Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of The Radio Age’.

This is the second spectral video in a series of collaborative works between Broadcast and Julian House (aka The Focus Group), soundtracked by ‘I See, So I See So’ from their critically-acclaimed mini album.

To take their multi-media collaborations one step further, Broadcast and The Focus Group also recently commissioned cult soundtrack impresario and Trunk Records founder, Johnny Trunk to write a literary companion to ‘… Witch Cults…’  Do prepare to temporarily abandon all festive thoughts in order to immerse yourself in the foreboding dalliances of…

‘Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of The Radio Age’

Click to download full PR including Johnny Trunk's story

Tunng Announce New Album 'And Then We Saw Land’ 1st March 2010, tour + free mp3

Twisted pop wonders Tunng have announced details of a new album, a tour and free download. The London-based band are set to release their fourth album 'And Then We Saw Land’ on the 1st of March 2010, and it promises to be their best yet.  Full dates for the accompanying tour in March 2010 are listed below.

A sneak peak of the album is available in the form of free download ‘Don’t Look Down Or Back’ HERE

Since last we saw them, the band have been on adventures both personal (Mike went to India, Ashley moved to Somerset) and shared – such as their ten-day voyage of discovery with Malian desert bluesmen Tinariwen, a unique collaboration that aimed to fuse the sounds of the two bands together. 

In the spirit of all that travel and experimentation, they’ve decided to call their new album 'And Then We Saw Land’ – and it is full of adventurous spirit. The first Tunng album to take more than a year to write and produce, it’s packed with big choruses and joyful tunes. “We wanted to make a record that would be a great live set,” says Mike. “My friend described it as ‘Epic Folk Disco Brass Magnificent,’ and I’m not sure you could call any other Tunng record that.”

23rd March, Manchester, Band On The Wall

25th March, London, Relentless Garage

26th March, Bristol, Arnolfini

28th March, Brighton, Concorde 2

Download full PR

School Of Seven Bells Alternate ‘Alpinisms’ out 23rd Nov + ICA show 4th Dec

School Of Seven Bells release an alternate version of the acclaimed album ‘Alpinisms’ on 23rd November and have announced a headline show at London’s ICA on the 4th December.

The reworked ‘Alpinisms’ is available on download only and comprised of early demos, live performances and alternative versions of eight album tracks. It’s an intriguing listen as the process of the band’s songwriting and production is unraveled. This edition also has a bonus track, the mysterious ‘Caldo’ sung in both English and Spanish (Claudia and Alejandra hail from both Central and South America). Previously a b-side to single ‘Half Asleep’, this song places more emphasis on the vocals than usual, revealing a cosmic medieval hymn backed by futuristic yet somehow ancient synths and harpsichord.

The band play a one off London show at the ICA on 4th December, where they will showcase new material from the forthcoming album (due in early Spring 2010) before heading off to appear at the My Bloody Valentine curated ATP.

‘Alpinisms’ Special Edition Track List:

1. Wired For Light (Live Drum Version)                 

2. Half Asleep (Alternate Version)                        

3. White Elephant Coat (Early Demo Version)      

4. Caldo (Live on Stereogum’s Decomposed)

5. Sempiternal (Alternate Version)                       

6. Iamundernodisguise (Vocal Mix I)                    

7. My Cabal (Early Mix 07)                                 

8. Connjur (Alternate Version)                             

9. For Kalaja Mari (Drum Outtake Mix)

UK live dates

Friday 4th December The ICA headline show with support from Esben and The Witch
Tickets £11
www.ica.og.uk

Sunday 6th December MBV ATP Nightmare Before Christmas, Minehead
http://atpfestival.com

Download full PR

Slow Club Christmas single: ‘Christmas, Thanks For Nothing’ EP out 14th Dec

Slow Club have announced details of a Christmas single plus a new London headline date. Dropping down our musical chimneys on 14th December, ‘Christmas, Thanks For Nothing’ is released on Moshi Moshi Records.  A couple of days later, Slow Club will headline the Union Chapel on the 17th December.

Rebecca and Charles take turns recreating two Darlene Love Christmas classics.  Charles delivering a stripped down take on ‘All Alone On Christmas’ – the E Street Band assisted number from Home Alone 2 – while Rebecca unleashes a full throated rendition of the Phil Spector penned ‘Christmas (Please Come Home)’. 

Last year’s free download single ‘Christmas TV’ proved an unlikely live favourite this summer, and is included here as an added stocking filler, alongside brand new tunes ‘Christmas, Thanks For Nothing’ and ‘It’s Christmas and You Are Boring Me’.  All are quintessential Slow Club: bittersweet, humorous and intensely lovable.

Slow Club’s show at the Union Chapel on 17th December, will be the second time the duo have celebrated the festive season in such fashion - having sold out the venue in December last year.  They’ve just returned from a lengthy UK tour during which they packed out London’s Scala and thrilled fans by taking to the floor for un-plugged versions of their opening and closing numbers.   

Tickets for the Union Chapel are priced £11.50, on sale now and available from http://www.livenation.co.uk/event/8106/slow-club-tickets

Their debut album 'Yeah So' was recorded almost entirely within the bosom of their hometown Sheffield and garnered outstanding reviews on it’s release this summer – on its way to becoming one of Moshi Moshi’s most successful releases to date.

Download full PR

Download latest Slow Club photo

Broadcast Announce First UK Tour Since 2005

“The extra-dimensional electronic duo collaborate with Ghost Box spiritualists The Focus Group on a richly disturbing transmission from analogue Albion” Mojo

Following from the release of their new collaborative mini-album ‘Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age’, Broadcast have announced select live headline dates in December, on return from their one month US tour with co-headliner, Atlas Sound.

On this forthcoming UK tour Broadcast are to perform as a duo and the set will include the soundtrack to Ghost Box film Winer Sun Wavelengths, selections from 'Witch Cults...' plus new songs from their forthcoming album.

There will also be a new tour only EP 'Mother is the Milky Way' plus limited copies of ‘Microtronics vol 1& 2’

Live dates as follows:

Dec 5th / Warp20 London/ Coronet/ London
http://bleep.com/index.php?page=stock_details&releaseid=217

Dec 6th /The Cube / Bristol
http://microplex.cubecinema.com/cubewebsite/ Tickets: £9adv / £10 door

Dec 7th / Chapter Arts Centre / Cardiff
Tickets: £9 / £8 concessions / £6 Chapter members. http://www.wegottickets.com

Dec 8th / Deaf Institute / Manchester
http://www.ticketline.co.uk 0161 832 1111 / Tickets - £9

Dec 9th / Stereo / Glasgow
Tickets - £10 [subject to booking fee] http://www.synergyconcerts.com / 08444 771000
Tickets Scotland/ Monorail/ ABC Box office/ Edinburgh – Ripping Records/ Tickets Scotland

Broadcast And The Focus Group Present: ’Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age’ is now available on iTunes & bleep and will be available on CD and vinyl on Oct 26th (available for pre-order on bleep now).

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The Miserable Rich announce new ‘Covers’ EP out 16th November + October tour

" ...their lush orchestro-folk is so heartbreakingly beautiful, it reduces anyone who hears it to a weeping mess." NME

Brighton’s dashing electro-acoustic quintet The Miserable Rich have announced details of a new EP and some accompanying live dates.  The ‘Covers’ EP is set for release on Humble Soul on the 16th November.  To support the release, The Miserable Rich are heading out on a brief tour of the British Isles from the 15th October.  Full details are below.

Following on from 2008’s acclaimed debut album ’Twelve Ways To Count’, the ‘Covers’ EP includes reworkings of alternative classics such as ‘Gigantic’ by The Pixies and ‘Sweet Dreams’ by Eurythmics. There are four tracks in total, all given a lulling rerub replete with strings and frontman James de Malplaquet’s dulcet vocals.

The Miserable Rich seem to attract a wealth of fantastical experiences and the inspiration for the ‘Covers’ EP is no exception. James cites his dalliance with a pop career as the dark past lurking behind this collection of covers, which was the precursor to forming The Miserable Rich. It seems that James nearly got fully subsumed into the big star-making pop machine, even getting to the stage where videos were shot and celebrity names recorded solos… Until disaster struck – as James recounts:

“In the end, I was rescued from certain credibility death by a polyp on my vocal chords. Too much singing and smoking. Now I couldn’t sing (not that that stops many) and couldn’t work. An operation, two months silence, two months whispering and a year off singing – it was all over.

“I learnt a lot though. Oh, we argued – how could we not? – but the value of a classic pop song itself was never in dispute. Along the way, we butchered at least three of my favourite examples – one of which we have attempted a more sympathetic version of on this record.

“I think that’s why the band did these songs. As for me – I did it to put the record straight. Pun intended.”

The Miserable Rich are set to release a second album of brand new material in early 2010, more details of which are to follow shortly.

Live dates

Thursday 15th October @ The Glee Club, Birmingham with support from Babel and The Random Family
http://www.glee.co.uk/index.php?id_page=334&id_language=1&id_club=4&id_gig=6869

Friday 16th October 2009 @ The Library, Leeds with The Random Family and Ian Williams
http://www.jumborecords.co.uk/tickets.asp?sort=&event_id=8761  

Saturday 17th October @ St Brides Church, Liverpool with The Random Family http://www.wegottickets.com/event/59510

Sunday 18th October @ Sacred Trinity Church, Manchester with Table and The Random Family
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/54945

Friday 23rd October @ The Croft, Bristol with Babel and The Random Family
www.bristolticketshop.co.uk

Tuesday 3rd November Electroacoustic club @ The Slaughtered Lamb, London http://www.wegottickets.com/event/60391

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‘Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age'

-  A collaborative mini-album available digitally now (iTunes/Bleep)

-  Available on CD and vinyl on Oct 26th (Vinyl also available on US tour dates with Atlas Sound)

-  CD and LP available to pre-order from Bleep.

Broadcast are back with a new collaborative mini-album 'Broadcast & The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age' and a month long US tour with Atlas Sound... it is with great excitement that we announce this new release is...available now!

Watch a clip of ‘Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age’

Broadcast is made up of Trish Keenan and James Cargill. Originally from Birmingham, they have been active as Broadcast since 1995. Broadcast over the years have consisted of other members including drummers, keyboardists and guitarists (and at one point they were even a six-man outfit) but at the heart of the group Trish and James have always existed. Their aesthetic has remained a combination of their love for film, library music and electronics with psych-pop colour.

Broadcast have always had fans among other musicians, including Flying Lotus, Tim Gane from Stereolab, Grizzly Bear, Atlas Sound and Dangermouse, who used a Broadcast sample taken from "Poem of Dead Song" on the DM & Gemini album "Ghetto Pop Life". Broadcast's music is also a popular choice for film and TV, featuring on the soundtracks of “Ma Femme est une Actrice", "21" and "Morvern Callar", as well as TV shows such as "The L-Word", "Skins" and "CSI". It can be said with confidence that Broadcast's return is greeted with much anticipation.

The Focus Group is Julian House, long time friend of the band and renowned artwork designer. House is co-founder of the Ghost Box label, which in the last few years has birthed a cult of its own with releases reflecting its creators’ obsessions with library music, English folklore and the eerie feel of vintage programmes for schools and colleges. His music as the Focus Group offers some of the most enchanting distillations of all the above, instantly complementing Broadcast’s own long-standing aesthetic.

'Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age' is their first collaborative release, a mini-album available digitally now, and on CD and vinyl from Oct 26th. A limited quantity of vinyl albums will also be available on the band’s US tour dates with Atlas Sound (full details of dates are on the Broadcast Myspace).

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The Leisure Society: new UK dates, album ‘The Sleeper’ re-released 5th October

London symphonic pop band The Leisure Society have announced details of new UK live dates and are set to re-release their debut album ‘The Sleeper’ on the 5th October. The re-release on Full Time Hobby comes lovingly packaged with an 8-track bonus EP, ‘A Product Of The Ego Drain’, which features a number of b-sides, demos and an un-released cover of Gary Numan’s ‘Cars’.   Full details of all the UK dates are below, including an appearance at Huw Stephen’s SWN festival and a headline show at St Giles Church in London.

To further celebrate the re-release of ‘The Sleeper’, The Leisure Society are giving away a track from the album.  Please click the following link to download ‘We Were Wasted’
http://www.mediafilesccc.com/FullTimeHobby/WeWereWasted.mp3

‘The Sleeper’ was originally released by the Wilkommen Collective label in March this year to much critical applause and also features includes the Ivor Novello-nominated track ‘The Last Of The Melting Snow’.

New live dates:

5 Oct Resident Records In Store Acoustic Performance, Brighton
24 Oct SWN Festival, Wales
25 Oct Canterbury Festival @ Orange Street Music Club, Canterbury
22 Nov Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
23 Nov The Glee Club, Birmingham 
25 Nov St Giles In The Fields Church, London         

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The Wave Pictures announce new UK tour + single ‘Strawberry Cables’ out 26th Oct

After a summer spent criss-crossing the continent playing a host of festivals, The Wave Pictures get ready for a run of UK autumn dates and the release of a new single. ‘Strawberry Cables’ is out on the 26th October on 7” and download through Moshi Moshi. Full details of the headline UK tour, including a show at London’s The Garage, are below.

The band will be supported on the tour by long time collaborator Stanley Brinks (aka Andre Herman Dune) plus Freschard.   Stanley’s horn playing also features ‘Strawberry Cables’ – a song which The Wave Pictures frontman David Tattersal describes “as very sad” and the horn sections of which were influenced by a Lou Reed’s ‘New York City Man’.

OCTOBER
16th NEWCASTLE, Star and Shadow Cinema
17th ABERDEEN, Café Drummond
18th EDINBURGH. Cabaret Voltaire
19th GLASGOW, Mono
20th CARDIFF, Clwb Ifor Bach
21st SOUTHAMPTON, The Joiners
22nd NOTTINGHAM, Bodega Social Club
23rd COVENTRY, Taylor John’s House
24th BRISTOL. Thekla
25th LIVERPOOL, Korova
26th LEEDS, Nation of Shopkeepers
27th HULL, Adelphi
29th BRIGHTON, The Freebutt
30th LONDON, Garage

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Maps Autumn UK tour announced + new album 'Turning The Mind' out 28th Sept

“Full-on, altered state electronic stomper” – Guardian

“Bordering on genius” – Clash

“…kaleidoscopic, vivid, sensual and spangled up to the eyeballs” – The Word

Following recent festival performances at Bestival and Latitude, Maps - aka James Chapman – has announced details of a UK tour, which begins at the end of October.

He releases his second album, ‘Turning The Mind’, through Mute on 28th September 2009. The album is preceded by a single, ‘I Dream Of Crystal’ on 14th September.

‘Turning The Mind’, recorded with Tim Holmes (Death in Vegas) at the Contino Rooms in London, is the follow-up to the Barclaycard Mercury Prize shortlisted debut 'We Can Create' (2007).

OCTOBER

17th – Oxford – Jericho Tavern, all day Shelter fundraiser
22nd – Edinburgh – Electric Circus – £8.00 -
23rd – Manchester – Eat Your Own Ears Warehouse Project
24th – Southampton – Joiners
25th – Birmingham - Hare & Hounds
26th – London – Cargo
28th – Bristol - Start The Bus
29th – Cambridge – Portland
30th – Brighton – Digital
31st – Nottingham - Bodega Social

NOVEMBER
1st – Norwich - Arts Centre
4th – Sheffield - Fusion at the University
5th – Newcastle - Other Rooms
6th – Glasgow - Nice & Sleazy’s
7th – Liverpool - Music Week at Masque (free show)

Maps will also be announcing details of a new single release shortly.

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Micah P. Hinson: new album out 21st Sept + new London date

Texan-born Anglophile Micah P Hinson is set to return with two albums of covers, ‘All Dressed Up And Smelling Of Strangers Vol 1 and 2’, which will be simultaneously released as separate discs on 21st September 2009. Micah is also set to play his first London headline show since 2008 at Cargo on the 15th September. Tickets are available from www.atpfestival.com

“I view the album as two independent projects,” says Hinson. “Volume one is the quieter, calmer songs, Volume two is much louder and loaded with many more instruments. They’re for different moods, different times; the ups and the downs.” ‘All Dressed Up’ follows on from 2008’s critically acclaimed album ‘…And The Red Empire Orchestra’.

The two volumes were recorded in Texas in bursts from November 2008 to March 2009 with regular collaborator T. Nicholas Phelps and cellist Kris Yoemans. Originally toying with numerous concepts and themes (songs from Texas, songs from the States and more), Hinson found that “the thing just wouldn’t fit into a confined space,” and so decided to keep the song choices simple. “The theme is that they all mean something to me; whether that be in the past or present. I feel very moved by songs and music of other men and women, it's gotten me through many a hard time, so it made sense to find those songs and attempt to pull them off. “

As such, there’s a mixture of familiar and unknown, old and new, happy and sad. The album features covers from artists as diverse as Roy Orbison and Leadbelly to Pedro The Lion and Emmy The Great. The treatment in each case is not reverential, but loving, and unique to Micah and his distinct Texan burr.

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Bibio creates virtual forest to celebrate Warp debut ‘Ambivalence Avenue'

“The music feels both spontaneous and precise, winding in complex syncopation around the one-beat, with subtle filter and tempo tweaks, and careful juxtapositions of texture (see the arid, throttled voices scraping against the sopping-wet chimes of "S'vive")…It's the kind of seamless variety, heady but visceral, that few electronic musicians who aren't Four Tet have achieved.” - Pitchfork, 8.3/10

Warp’s latest luminary Bibio has planted a virtual forest to celebrate the release of his first album for the label, ‘Ambivalence Avenue’.

Bibio aka Stephen Wilkinson uses a combination of analogue and electronic equipment to make his music, incorporating his fascination with nature into his work through the numerous countryside recordings he collects from his surroundings. Bibio’s virtual forest is the perfect way to further explore the marriage of technology and nature found in Bibio’s verdant sonic landscapes, please visit  the following link to design your own tree

http://warp.net/records/bibio/forest

Within the virtual forest, people can design, decorate their own trees and give them a unique soundtrack from Bibio's music and sound recordings, and even control the weather. Once created the trees are planted in the forest to be seen and enjoyed by everyone they can also be sent to friends via Facebook.

‘Ambivalence Avenue’ was released on the 22nd June to great critical acclaim and excerpts are also available to stream whilst you make your tree at Warp.net.

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