NEWSFLASH: Imperial Leisure Tour Dates + Free Download

Imperial Leisure are touring the UK this month showcasing new tracks from their forthcoming new album which will be released in the summer.

Their new streamlined features IL original members Denis Smith on vocals, AJ White on guitar, Dan Dobson on bass, Scott Vining on drums, Stu Maxwell on keyboards and new boy Jerome Harper guesting on brass. The sound is leaner and meaner, whilst retaining its truly distinctive British flavour that includes fan favourites and stand out tracks such ‘In A Letter’, ‘Jenny’ and the skantastic ‘Man On The Street’. Other highlights include ‘The Beast’ and ‘The Landlord’s Daughter’ all delivered with the new line-up so expect a few extra twists as well as a cheeky peppering of new album tracks.  
Imperial Leisure spent the last two years laying markers across the UK with memorable live performances that have created a fervent live fan base.  Selling out shows and playing at festivals across the UK including Glastonbury, Bestival, Reading, Lovebox, and Fruitstock to name but a few. Imperial Leisure are happy headlining, supporting or springing spontaneous gigs on unsuspecting but hugely appreciative crowds in shopping centres, parks, and on beaches around the UK; oh yeah and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
 
Tour Details
 
Thu 11th Mar – The Flapper, Birmingham
Fri 12th  Mar – The Roadhouse, Manchester
Sat 13th Mar – Thekla,  Bristol
Thu 18th Mar – Ride Café, Plymouth
Fri 19th Mar – The Koola, Newquay
Sat 20th Mar – Mr Kyps, Poole
Fri 26th Mar – Engine Rooms
Sat 27th Mar – Garage, London

Free download and order tickets: www.musicglue.com/imperialleisure
Order Tickets Here:  http://www.artistticket.com/link/?s=imperial+leisure

NEWSFLASH: Strange Death Of Liberal England Announce Editors Support Slots + Download Single

The Strange Death Of Liberal England return after an 18 month hiatus punctuated by a sole theatre show in their native Portsmouth. Their debut mini album, ‘Forward March’ and live shows saw the band heralded by NME ‘for the chiming elegance of their kaleidoscopic post-rock’, whilst The Guardian praised ‘music that roars and sighs, swoops and swoons.’ During that time away from the public gaze, the band have been hard at work with producer Dave Allen (The Cure, Depeche Mode), orchestras and all manner of other experiments to create a quite astounding debut album proper, a new single from which, ‘Flagships’, will be a download only release via Republic Of Music on 8th March and is available here
The Strange Death Of Liberal England accompany Editors on their UK tour before playing their own London headline show. The band will be at the following venues in MARCH.

Sunday 7th – Preston, Guildhall
Monday 8th – Bradford, St. George’s Hall
Wednesday 10th – Glasgow, Academy
Thu 11th – Dundee, Fat Sams
Friday 12th – Inverness, Ironworks
Saturday 13th – Aberdeen, Music Hall
Monday 15th – Newcastle, Academy
Tuesday 16th – Manchester, Apollo
Wednesday 17th – Cambridge, Corn Exchange
Friday 19th – Bournemouth, Academy
Saturday 20th – Brighton, Dome
Sunday 21st – Cardiff, University
Tuesday 23rd – Folkestone, Leas Cliff Hall
Wednesday 24th – London, Brixton Academy
Thursday 25th – London, Lexington Arms (HEADLINE SHOW)
Sunday 28th – Portsmouth, Guildhall
Monday 29th – Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall
Tuesday 30th – Birmingham, Academy

www.tsdole.com

We The Kings’ New Album Available To Stream + Tour Dates

www.myspace.com/wethekings  |  www.wethekingsmusic.com  |  www.twitter.com/wethekings
 
STREAM THE ALBUM HERE
 
Florida’s We The Kings have secured themselves as one of the most original & exciting bands in the pop-rock circuit, with a heavily dedicated fan base, having toured the US with bands such as Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Cobra Starship and, most recently, headlining the 2009 Vans Warped Tour. 
 
Sophomore album, ‘Smile Kid’, will be released on March 8th and infectious first single, ‘Heaven Can Wait’, is already climbing the charts in the US, becoming the band’s fastest rising single to date & reaching the Top 10 on the Alternative Singles Chart.  It’s the band’s third Top 40 charting single in the US. 
 
Produced by S*A*M and SLUGGO (Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship) ‘Smile Kid’ follows their self titled smash debut which hit # 1 on Billboard’s New Alternative Album sales chart. 
 
Time in the studio gelled the band’s already energetic and tight sound. Instantly addictive tracks such as ‘Heaven Can Wait’, ‘She Takes Me High’ & ‘We’ll Be A Dream’ (featuring Disney’s Demi Lovato) brim with youthful vibrancy and enthusiasm, clocking in at short and sweet three-minute bursts.
 
The world of We The Kings is a never-ending buzz of activity, where fans and band are equal participants.  They are constantly tweeting, updating blogs & websites and documenting life on the road in their online mini sitcom, “The Kings Carriage”.
 
Infectious high spirits and camaraderie energize their live performances.  The boys hit our shores March 2010 supporting You Me At Six on a Nationwide tour.
 
March 9                Birmingham O2 Academy
March 10             Kingsway Newport Centre
March 11             Sheffield O2 Academy
March 12             Manchester Apollo
March 13             Newcastle O2 Academy 2
March 14             Glasgow O2 Academy
March 16             Leeds O2 Academy
March 17             Nottingham Rock City
March 18             Southampton Guildhall
March 19             Norwich UEA
March 20             London Brixton Academy

Florida’s We The Kings have secured themselves as one of the most original & exciting bands in the pop-rock circuit, with a heavily dedicated fan base, having toured the US with bands such as Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, Cobra Starship and, most recently, headlining the 2009 Vans Warped Tour. Sophomore album, ‘Smile Kid’, will be released on March 8th and infectious first single, ‘Heaven Can Wait’, is already climbing the charts in the US, becoming the band’s fastest rising single to date & reaching the Top 10 on the Alternative Singles Chart. It’s the band’s third Top 40 charting single in the US. Produced by S*A*M and SLUGGO (Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship) ‘Smile Kid’ follows their self titled smash debut which hit # 1 on Billboard’s New Alternative Album sales chart. Time in the studio gelled the band’s already energetic and tight sound. Instantly addictive tracks such as ‘Heaven Can Wait’, ‘She Takes Me High’ & ‘We’ll Be A Dream’ (featuring Disney’s Demi Lovato) brim with youthful vibrancy and enthusiasm, clocking in at short and sweet three-minute bursts. The world of We The Kings is a never-ending buzz of activity, where fans and band are equal participants. They are constantly tweeting, updating blogs & websites and documenting life on the road in their online mini sitcom, “The Kings Carriage”. Infectious high spirits and camaraderie energize their live performances. The boys hit our shores March 2010 supporting You Me At Six on a Nationwide tour. March 9 Birmingham O2 Academy March 10 Kingsway Newport Centre March 11 Sheffield O2 Academy March 12 Manchester Apollo March 13 Newcastle O2 Academy 2 March 14 Glasgow O2 Academy March 16 Leeds O2 Academy March 17 Nottingham Rock City March 18 Southampton Guildhall March 19 Norwich UEA March 20 London Brixton Academy

SINGES CORNER! 03/03/2010

So, here we are, back again with part two of this week’s singles roundup. Looking at the tracks below (and our ever growing pile of singles to review), it’s nice to see that not only is the quantity of tracks available to us increasing, but the quality too!

TWIN ATLANTIC – Lightspeed
Red Bull Records

For those of you who haven’t heard Twin Atlantic yet (and why not, we’ve written about them a few times not?), this is the perfect introduction to the Scots rockers, encapsulating their pacy guitars and highlighting Sam McTrusty’s vocal – lovely stuff!

WITH THAT KNIFE – This Place, A Thousand Times
Withthatknife.com

This, the debut single from a bunch of lads who met at Manchester University mixes punkish vitality with the sort of modern Britsh alt-rock sound that is growing ever more prevalent – good stuff!

DAN LE SAC VS SCROOBIUS PIP – Get Better
Sunday Best

Casiotone electronics create a contrasted backing to Pip’s spoken word musing on why society seems to be going down hill. It’s not deep reaching social commentary, but it rings true, and as well as being thought provoking, it’s very catchy. What more could you ask for, really?

THOMAS WHITE – The Last Blast
Cooking Vinyl

The Electric Soft Parade/Brakes man’s solo work is every bit as interesting as the songs he performs with his bands. This one, a driving beat, fuelled by staccato drums is strangely engaging, all the more so because of the laconic vocals.

ANGUS AND JULIA STONE – And The Boys
Flock Music

I saw this pair a couple of years ago and really wasn’t impressed, but this track is a world away from that bland live show, endearing quirky folk fronted by a sweet and off kilter vocal, this bodes well for their forthcoming album.

SINGLES CORNER! 02/03/2010

Well, here we are, into March already, and there are so many singles on the desk this week that we’ve had to do two roundups. So, without any delay, let’s get cracking on the first…

WILL AND THE PEOPLE – Addicted
Myspace.com/willandthepeople

We saw these guys support Paulo Nutini late last year and were swept away by the sense of fun in their set and this song captures it perfectly. A tasty slice of pop that you’ll be whistling without even realising it, we like this… we like it a lot!

LATE OF THE PIER – Blueberry/Best In The Class
Phantasy

The more astute of you may already be aware that  Blueberry was released for download last year, but now it’s available on the vinyl too. To be honest though, the track lacks a punch and feels like three minutes of build up without the payoff, and it’s flip side (or the second mp3) isn’t too much better, a pity because there are some great ideas here that just need a little push to turn into flly fledged songs.

MUMFORD & SONS – The Cave
Island

We like Mumford and his progeny, and this track is a great example of why. Building slowly and, despite it’s simple and folksy sound, it swells into something gorgeous!

EXPATRIATE – Blackbird
Expatriate Music

A pinch of Killers, a hint of Elbow, all blended with plenty of Editors… this is a recipe for commercial rock. That said, it’s by no means bad and if it turned up on the radio, I’d be more inclined to raise the volume than change the station.

THE MISERABLE RICH – Somerhill
Humble Soul

I’ll be honest, prior to hearing this, I’d heard of these guys, but never actually listened to them. What an intro though, quirky music, charismatic vocals, this is stirring stuff indeed and I can’t recommend it highly enough!

Check Out A Charity Single You’ll Want To Keep On Your iPod!

SHANE MACGOWAN & Friends present ‘I PUT A SPELL ON YOU’
A single in aid of Concern Worldwide’s work in Haiti

Featuring NICK CAVE, BOBBY GILLESPIE, JOHNNY DEPP, CHRISSIE HYNDE, MICK JONES, CAIT O’RIORDON, GLEN MATLOCK, PALOMA FAITH & ELIZA DOOLITTLE

Release date March 8th 2010 via download only

Video link – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf69vIQL_u8

A mere two and half weeks after the calamitous events in Haiti, Shane MacGowan alongside a hitherto unseen musical line-up of like minded souls, friends and musicians entered a London studio.

So moved by the plight of the people of Haiti, Shane and his long term girlfriend, writer Victoria Clarke made calls to friends and associates from which began the process of recording a track from which all proceeds go to Concern, a charity who have provided assistance to some of the poorest countries in the world including Haiti, even before the earthquake struck.

The track, a cover of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 1956 hit ‘I Put A Spell On You’ couples Shane’s life long admiration for an artist who died ten years ago to the day that the earthquake hit Haiti and a fascination with a country, its people and in particular attracted by the nations “deep spirituality”. Hence the choice of song which he has always felt was a modern day “hymn for hope and love”.

‘I Put A Spell On You’ will be available from IRL Records on download only via pre-ordering the single by clicking here – http://bit.ly/bj2ieH . Or text SPELL (all in capitals) to 78789 (the text cost £1.50).

The full team sheet is:
Vocals: Shane MacGowan / Nick Cave / Bobby Gillespie / Glen Matlock / Chrissie Hynde / Paloma Faith / Eliza Doolittle
Guitar: James Walbourne / Mick Jones / Johnny Depp
Bass: Cait O’Riordan
Hammond organ/piano: Carwyn Ellis
Drums: Rob Walbourne
Fire Hydrant: Mick Jones

NEWSFLASH: Exclusive Track for Ash A-Z Subscribers!

Subscribe to the groundbreaking A-Z Series before midnight Thursday 25th February 2010 and receive an exclusive bonus track, ‘Night Terrors’. Night Terrors is the 3rd free and exclusive bonus track to be given away to Ash’s A-Z series subscribers.
NIght Terrors is for anyone with a loved one who has been royally fucked over, and wishes the guilty party could suffer eternally in the grip of their own diabolical insanity. Thiis dark and menacing memorial merges spiky new-wave punk guitars with uptempo disco beats, overdriven synthesizers and a chorus hook that would kick Dr. Who into a parallel universe.

Night Terrors will NOT be available anywhere else, the ONLY way to get this track is to subscribe to the A-Z Series now in the Ash store. The free bonus track will be sent to both new and current subscribers the w/c 1st March.

ASH VIDEO COMPETITION

To celebrate Ash Wednesday we’re offering our A-Z Series Subscribers the unique chance to make an official Ash music video!
So far we’ve given our subscribers two bonus tracks, Lay Down Your Arms and Gallows Hill now these tracks need videos!
Your video can be for either track and feature any footage… live performance, a white rabbit as he terrorises down town New York, a monster destroying London or a space kidnappings…. anything goes, as long as you don’t break any copyright laws!

To enter this competition simply upload your effort to a video streaming site (e.g. YouTube) and send the link to ashcomps@ash-official.com before midnight Tuesday 2nd March 2010. The band will then pick the winners!

NB: This competition is only open to A-Z Series subscribers.

www.ash-official.com

NEWSFLASH: Alan McGee Brings His Greasy Lips Night To The South

ALAN MCGEE is bringing his famous GREASY LIPS CLUB to SOUTHAMPTON and YOU will have the chance to be a part of it.

This new night will feature a host of the best unsigned bands handpicked to perform by none other than Alan McGee.

With the focus very much the untamed talent on show, Alan will offer his time, knowledge and advice to the bands and also push the acts and event through his blogs, making the opportunity to perform on the Greasy Lips Club stage a real sort after setting. The acts Alan McGee been involved with over 20 years read like a who’s who of modern British indie/rock (the guy has managed everyone from Mogwai to The Charlatans to The Libertines).

Not only did he fashion Britpop out of his Creation Records imprint and triumphantly return with the Poptone label. As you can imagine, this new concept club night not only offers a platform for those involved to push their sound, but a chance to really develop their own path for the future.

Alan McGee himself will be hosting the event and will be DJing through the evening with a few special guests lined up. The man responsible for launching the careers of Oasis and The Hives, plays a DJ set that will take the roof off any London venue! McGee’s sets are notoriously eclectic, spanning Punk, Indie, Rock and always a few surprises thrown in for good measure.

DJ set from Mr ALAN MCGEE himself and a VERY SPECIAL guest….(which will be announced as soon as this group grows to over 1,000)

http://www.myspace.com/greasylipsclubnight

NEWSFLASH: Chapel Club Announce UK Tour

Chapel Club are pleased to announce details of their biggest shows to date.

The band who have just completed their first live shows out of London with a whirlwind seven show blast around the UK spread their collective wings even further with a series of shows throughout April and May.

Having garnered plenty of play with the track ‘Surfacing’ and their first single ‘O Maybe I’ , Chapel Club certainly seem to be ruffling the right feathers with approving noises emanating from their early live performances.

Chapel Club play a venue near you…

April:
07th Portsmouth, Cellars @ Eastney
08th Guildford, Boileroom
09th Oxford, Jericho Tavern
10th Bath, Moles
12th Cardiff, Barfly
13th Wolverhampton, Slade Rooms
15th Sheffield, Bungalow & Bears
16th Liverpool, Korova
17th Leeds, A Nation Of Shopkeepers

May:
19th York, Stereo
20th Newcastle, The Other Room
21st Edinburgh, Cabaret Voltaire
22nd Glasgow, Stag & Dagger Festival @ Stereo
24th Southampton, Joiners
25th Cambridge, Haymakers
27th London, Village Underground

www.chapelclub.com

SINGLES CORNER! 16/02/2010

It’s time once again to check out some of the most exciting tracks set for release in the next week or two (and, first up, one that came out last week). We’ve had a lot of good singles pop through our letterbox in the last year, but judging by the ones we’ve been receiving lately, 2010 is going to be a very good year for music indeed. So, without further ado, let’s find out what is out and about.

JAPANESE VOYEURS – That Love Sound
Slimeball Records

Cute and quirky vocals buckled to some dirty grunge riffs are the order of the day here, it all starts out innocuously enough, lulling you with sweet and soft singing, then the guitars kick in and before you realise it you’ve been mugged by their punchy rock & roll!

GIRLS – Morning Light
Fantasytrashcan

This track is a strange one, sounding like it’s attacking you through a pair of 1980’s headphones before you realise it’s actually a production technique to add a hazy otherworldly tone. Still, although it sounds like something copied from a copy of a copy of a copy and played on a cheap knock off walkman it has it’s own certain charm.

HARDLY HEROES – Cardigan Party
Myspace.com/hardlyheroes06

Currently being given away at gigs, this track perhaps shows this young bands change of tack from their early days of pop punk into a more straight up rock sound. Driving guitars propel the song along while a catchy chorus hooks the listener. I can guarantee that once you’ve heard this it’ll be in your head for weeks.

MAVERICK SABRE – Sometimes
Impala Records

Not, as I suspected, a rock band, but actually a singer/songwriter with an urban approach, Maverick sabre is an interesting proposition. There’s a hint of Just Jack or Plan B here, but shackled to a much better singing voice. I’ll certainly be listening out for more from this intriguing artist!

CHAPEL CLUB – O Maybe I
East City

With a bass driven sound that hints at White Lies or perhaps Editors, and a vocalist who has clearly listened to a Smiths album or two, this is clearly not forward facing pop. It’s good though, catchy and interesting in equal measure. Well, worth checking out.