Bad Veins - Dancing On TV

Supporting We Are Scientists on tour feels like a fair fit for Cincinnati-based indie-poppers Bad Veins, as they take to the live circuit across the UK this July. There’s that same quirkiness underlying the guitar lines and cutesy hooks, a collegiate chic that runs through a gamut of tuneful American predecessors from the The Strokes to the Dandy Warhols. There’s knowing nods to the past in their video for single Dancing on TV too; a nostalgic penchant for outmoded games consoles and brash decor that suits the track well. UK radio may have moved on from the days when bands like Ban Veins were ten a penny, but it’s reassuring to know they still exist out there somewhere, still turning out unsuspecting gems like this.

The band play the following live dates through July and August:

JULY

23rd BRISTOL - Thekla

25th LONDON - The Garage

26th PORTSMOUTH - The Wedgewood Rooms

30th NORWICH - Arts Centre

31st MANCHESTER - Deaf Institute

AUGUST

1st GLASGOW - King Tuts

Parade announced as support for The Wanted arena tour!

So, you know we love pop music, especially girl bands. So imagine our excitement when we heard Parade are going to be jumping in the 'ol tour van with The Wanted and heading out on their upcoming series of arena dates. That's right! Parade + The Wanted, playing arenas!

Sounds like a pretty amazing pop show right? And remember, the Fanfair girls will be supporting too, so that's three great pop acts for the price of one ticket - pop deal of the year so far, I reckon!

The tour kicks off on February 15th in Nottingham and finishes on the 9th March in Dublin - don't miss it!

Lawson to support The Wanted on upcoming arena tour

They're the boyband with a difference. Looking to follow in the footsteps of teen-girl-ecstasy-inducing groups like The Wanted and One Direction, newcomers Lawson bring a more mature, soulful brand of pop to the table. They not only play their own instruments, but going by tender acoustic number Standing In The Dark, they're a dab hand at emotional tissues-at-the-ready balladry too.

But why have one boyband when you can have two? The Lawson lads will be taking to the road with The Wanted for a tour of such unparallelled boybandery that it might through the Earth out of alignment. Or something like that.

Running through February and March, the arena tour will no doubt be setting teenage hearts a fluttering everywhere - and in the meantime, there's always a free download of Lawson's rather lovely track Red Sky to enjoy.

Catch both sets of boys on the following tour dates!

FEBRUARY
15 - Nottingham - The Capital FM Arena
17 - Manchester - Arena
18 - Sheffield - Motorpoint Arena
20 - Brighton - Centre
23 - Cardiff - Motorpoint Arena
24 - Liverpool - Echo Arena
25 - Newcastle - Metro Radio Arena
27 - Glasgow - The SECC
28 - Aberdeen - AECC


MARCH
01 - Birmingham - LG Arena
02 - Bournemouth - International Centre (BIC)
03 - London - The O2 Arena
05 - Brighton - Centre
06 - Bournemouth - International Centre (BIC)
08 - Belfast - Odyssey Arena
09 - Dublin - The O2

Bowerbirds - The Clearing / Tuck The Darkness In

Eerie minimalism, folky strummed sojourns into reflection - Bowerbirds' Tuck The Darkness In lies in some shadowy middle-realm between the solidarity of Fleet Foxes and a more outre experimentalism. And at its core, an earnest, everyman vocal.

Music of the people, and music that gives back the love and affection clearly invested in its creation. As the track builds it becomes increasingly ethereal, haunting slashes of discordant string section piercing in - quasi percussive in its iciness.

But for all the track incorporates a manifold of bleak elements, it remains resolutely positive. like a sun-ay break through on a stormy day, the lasting impression of Bowerbirds is one of staunch resolve in the face of any odds. it's bracing stuff, and makes for an enticing introduction to the album.

Tuck The Darkness In is the opening track from the band's much anticipated third album The Clearing, which is set for a March release.

The band are also playing the following tour dates:

Thursday 3 May – LEEDS – Brudenell Social Club
Friday 4 May – MANCHESTER – Deaf Institute
Saturday 5 May – BRIGHTON – The Haunt
Monday 7 May – LONDON – Cargo

AWOLNATION announce HMV Next Big Thing gig

If we could award a prize for sheer genre-splicing brilliance, it'd be to AWOLNATION. The group went Top 5 in the US alternative radio charts last year while simultaneously hitting the airwaves over here with their irresistible single Sail.

Fancy seeing them live? They're hitting the road round the UK in February, taking in the following dates (including HMV's Next Big Thing gig):

Feb 7th MANCHESTER Night & Day                                                                       
Feb 8th GLASGOW Arches
Feb 9th BIRMINGHAM HMV Institute
Feb 10th LONDON HMV NBT/ The Garage
The video for their new single Not Your Fault is a suitably surreal as their music, a Tim Burton styled affair of colourful puppets and buoyant synth-pop riffs. There's even a video game to go with the single release - now that's what we call a real multi-media approach.

Not Your Fault is released on the 20th February.

Sinead O'Connor unveils new album 'How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?'

Her track Nothing Compares 2 U remains one of the most enduring songs of the 90s, but beyond that, Sinead O'Connor's affair with the UK charts has been rather hit and miss. Indeed, she hasn't had an album breach the top 20 since 1994.

But going by the quality of her new LP How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? all that could be set to change. Standout track 4th And Vine is an out of nowhere jaw-dropping pop moment, of the kind you'd have not thought possible from the outre, introspective Irish singer. It's bold, confident, and riding on a southern-tinged bluesy guitar hook, it's a joyous celebration of her 25 years in the music business.

And for all 4th And Vine's sun-spilled happiness, Take Off Your Shoes is bleakly dark, but in the most gloriously beautiful way. Those that loved O'Connor's brilliant Ian Brown collab Illegal Attacks will adore the teeth-clenched stab to the heart bitterness of her vocals here - it's music to soundtrack the most evil of nights, a furious storm of unleashed emotions and black-wrought power.

The album How About I Be Me (And You Be You)? is released on the 20th February.

You can catch Sinead live at the following dates:

9th March  Brighton   St Georges Church

10th March  London      Queen Elizabeth Hall

12th March  Bristol      St.Georges Hall

14th March  Glasgow       Oran Mor

15th March  Manchester    Manchester Cathedral

2 new songs by sineadoconnor

Fanfair to support The Wanted on 2012 arena tour!

Now how's this for an ace pop line-up? Not only do you get everyone's fave boy-band The Wanted in an epic arena setting, but supporting them will be one of the hottest up and coming girl groups, Fanfair! We've covered them a lot on the blog in the past and are overjoyed to hear they'll be teaming up with the boys to bring you guys an awesome show.

The tour kicks off in February next year, so there's plenty of time to book tickets if you haven't already done so. This follows a number of summer dates the girls supported The Wanted, but this tour sees them really stepping up to the big time with an assortment of great pop tunes to match the boys' own.

For a full list of dates, check out the diary section of Fanfair's website: http://www.fanfairmusic.com/diary/

[Official Video] Gabrielle Aplin - Home

Last week we featured young new singer-songwriter Gabrielle Aplin on the blog - we loved her tender, ethereal vocals - very much the makings of the next Ellie Goulding, if ever there was one.

There's now a video for Home, one of the standout numbers from her upcoming EP and its blurry shots of windswept beaches - waves crashing against the pastel shades of sandy shores - is the perfect fit for the delicate artistic beauty of her music.

Understated but never dull, Home is the sound of rural beauty - England's green and pleasant land brought to life in song form.

The Home EP is released on the 9th January.

You can catch Gabrille Aplin on tour at the following dates:

February 2012
Wed  29th                CARDIFF, Clwb Ifor Bach

March 2012
Thu    1st                   PORTSMOUTH, Cellars
Sat     3rd                  LIVERPOOL, Ink
Mon   5th                  GLASGOW, King Tuts
Tue     6th                  NEWCASTLE - Cluny 2
Wed   7th                  MANCHESTER, Sound Control
Thu     8th                  BIRMINGHAM, The Rainbow
Sat     10th                 LEEDS, Cockpit 3
Sun     11th                BRIGHTON, Komedia
Mon   12th                 BRISTOL, Thekla Top Bar
Tue     13th                LONDON, Bush Hall

Charlie Simpson announces 2012 headline tour!

Charlie Simpson's Young Pilgrim album was one of our favourites of 2011, summed up beautifully in his ace performance at London's St Pancras station.

With the record's rich acoustic melodies ringing out through the baroque setting of the Eurostar terminal, an impressive crowd gathered round to listen - testament to Charlie's skill as both showman and songwriter.

2012 sees him taking to the road to give the album a proper live airing across twelve dates around the country.

The full list of dates is as follows:

MARCH 2012
21 - Corn Exchange - Ipswich
22 - KOKO - London
24 - Academy 2 - Birmingham
25 - Academy - Liverpool
27 - Academy 2 - Sheffield
28 - University - Newcastle
30 - Liquid Rooms - Edinburgh
31 - Fat Sams - Dundee


APRIL 2012
2 - Pyramids Centre - Portmouth
3 - Solus - Cardiff
5 - Princess Pavillion - Falmouth
6 - The Phoenix - Exeter

Benjamin Francis Leftwich - Pictures

When it comes to tuneful acoustic dities, Benhamin Francis Leftwich is your go-to dude. New single Pictures is every bit as suffused with hazy, folk-tinged melodies as the rest of his album - in releasing it, Leftwich returns to his beginnings.

Originally released as part of a four track EP back in March this year, Pictures - a firm fan favourite - is here given a new lease of life, another opportunity to share its beautiful merits with the public at large. In its haunting etherealness, Leftwich presents a moving retrospective of life.

Pictures is released on the 20th February.

You can also catch Benjamin at the following tour dates next year:

20 - The Globe - Cardiff
21 - Komedia - Bath
22 - Shepherd’s Bush Empire - London
23 - Academy 2 - Manchester
24 - ABC2 - Glasgow

The Staves - Mexico

The Staves claim their music is bred of shared car journeys listening to the likes of Feist, Fleet Foxes, Simon & Garfunkel, and there's more than a definite hint of the swirling, natural acoustic bliss of all those artists in the title track of their new EP; Mexico.

It is in Feist they find their closest compatriot - Mexico revolves in the same quaint, cute melodies, but with the more outre elements of Feist's musical methodology stripped away. Indeed, as the gentle, strummed chords progress, the song becomes not so much a piece of music, but more of a presence - a disembodied thing of ethereal power. It's beautifully moving stuff.

The tuneful threesome are set to head out on tour in February with the brilliant Michael Kiwanuka on the following dates:

11th February - Dublin,Sugar Club
12th February - Cork, Cyprus Avenue
14th February - Birmingham,Glee Club
15th February - Brighton, Komedia
16th February - London,Islington Assembly Hall
18th February - Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
19th February - Liverpool, Masque
20th February - Manchester,Ruby Lounge
23rd February - Newcastle, The Cluny
24th February - Glasgow, King Tuts
25th February - Edinburgh,Electric Circus

The Mexico EP is released on the 12th December.

The Twilight Sad - Another Bed

The bleak, steely sounds of The Twilight Sad make for a formiddable edifice. New single Another Bed, propelled on a raft of vintage analogue synths, sounds like a dizzying concoction of Kraftwerk and David Bowie's Berlin trilogy.

The percussion is harsh, brutal; the vocals windblasted and fatigued - The Twilight Sad make music of the elements, profoundly untamed and bewitching in its dark power.

The band have just announced a series of UK tour dates:

 9 Thu UKGLASGOW Grand Ole Opry 
 10 Fri UK MANCHESTER Ruby Lounge 
 11 Sat UK SHEFFIELD Queens Social Club 
 12 Sun UK BIRMINGHAM Hare and Hounds 
 13 Mon UK BRISTOL Fleece 
 14 Tue UK LONDON Cargo 
 15 Wed UK NOTTINGHAM Stealth 
 16 Thu UK LEEDS Brudenell Social Club

Another Bed is released on the 20th February. The album No One Can Ever Know is released on the 6th February.

Brave Yesterday - For The Sake Of Symmetry

Icy angular rock with the sharpest of guitar hooks - this is the rollicking state we find Channel Islands group Brave Yesterday operating within on the title track of their upcoming album For The Sake Of Symmetry.

The keen-edged, glacial riffs will please fans of Kids in Glass Houses while the hearty vocals admirably keep pace, fuelled with enough fist-fighting guts to plough their mark amongst their contemporaries.

Brave Yesterday ride high on the confidence of a John Peel stage Glasto slot already under their belts and next year sees them touring the UK in support of the upcoming album:

24 Feb – The Cooler, Bristol
25 Feb – Dublin Castle, London
26 Feb – TBC
27 Feb – 93 Feet East, London
01 Mar – Fox and Firkin, London
02 Mar – Spice of Life, London
03 Mar – Grinning Rat, Ipswich
04 Mar – The Horn, St. Albans

For The Sake Of Symmetry is released on the 9th January.

Twin Atlantic - Free

With a hefty amount of Radio 1 airplay under their belts already, Twin Atlantic are fast becoming one of the UK's most exciting new rock acts. And Free sees them at their best yet.

Free builds again on the more streamlined sound of the band's awesome Make A Beast Of Myself, continuing to push their Biffy Clyro meets Lostprophets blend of massive choruses and tower-block sized guitar riffs.

If ever a song was made to be played as loud as humanly possible, it was this one. Free positively blasts itself outwards, an unstoppable force of brawling energy. Not only is it the band's most radio-friendly track to date but it also feels perfect for the band's upcoming run of tour dates throughout November and December.

Already being hailed as The Next Big Thing, Free justifies every bit of the hype these guys have already amassed for themselves, and then goes that little bit further.

Free is available to download on iTunes now.

Lawson to head out on tour with Will Young

They've already racked up impressive support slots with the Wanted and Avril Lavigne and November will see new Polydor-signed group Lawson touring with Will Young.

From across the UK, the assorted twenty-somethings - Andy, Joel, Adam and Ryan - make for an impressive combo; their YouTube page is packed with tender acoustic material. The band's songs tremble with a delicate intensity underscored by soulful, radio-friendly vocals sure to set the hearts of girls across the country alight.

A free download of the band's track Red Sky is available to download from their Facebook page.

The full list of tour dates is as follows:

 14-Nov-11 Manchester Apollo     
 15-Nov-11 Llandudno Cymru Theatre      
 17-Nov-11 Brighton Centre 
 18-Nov-11 Cambridge Corn Exchange 
 20-Nov-11 Birmingham Academy 
 21-Nov-11 London Shepherds Bush Empire   
 22-Nov-11 London Shepherds Bush Empire 
 24-Nov-11 Southend Cliffs Pavilion 
 25-Nov-11 Plymouth Pavilion 
 26-Nov-11 Cardiff St Davids Hall

Caro Emerald - Stuck

Stuck. You can get stuck in a variety of manners and situations - but in this instance, I'm stuck with Caro Emerald's track on repeat quite simply because it's one of those songs that manages to worm its way into the soles of your feet. A true toe-tapper in all senses of the word.

As gloriously fun as her previous single haves been, it seems the perfect track to launch the Platinum edition of her album which is released on the 21st November. Caro's vocals are pure sensuality, a throwback to classy 30s jazz joints, all whiskey and red satin.

Radio 2 have made Caro something of their playlist darling over the past year - all five of her singles have found themselves plastered to their A list, and for good reason: Stuck, and the rest of her tracks are the very epitome of radio-friendly. Indeed, they positively burst with the pleasure of true easy-listening.

Stuck is that irresistible feeling of the night out that never ends, that track that keeps spinning on the turntable inside your head long after you've collapsed exhausted into bed. Retro pop at its very best.

Stuck is released on the 5th December.

You can also catch Caro Emerald on tour at the following dates:

March 15th       Birmingham, Symphony Hall     
March 16th       London, Roundhouse         
March 18th       Glasgow, O2 ABC            
March 19th       Manchester, Bridgewater Hall 

(Video) The Kixx - Breathless

'On June 2nd 2009, Cyrus Thatcher was killed whilst on active duty in Helmand Province, Afghanistan... Aged 19' - So begins the video for Breathless, the third single from Reading lads The Kixx. With this sombre dedication in mind, this big, anthemic ballad is even more the tear-jerker.

Attired all in black and with instruments in hand, the Kixx remain defiantly apart from their contemporaries: They are the boy band with intent. Their previous singles saw them delving into fiery uptempo electro-pop, but going by Breathless and a number of new tracks I saw showcased at a recent gig of theirs, the band's new direction is far more down the road of rousing guitar-driven numbers.

It's powerful, moving stuff and while Breathless might be overshadowed by the theme of death, it also stands as a true uplifting moment - a call to making the most of life.

Breathless is released on the 7th November.

You can also catch the band on tour at the following venues:

25/10 - ABC, Glasgow
26/10 - Academy, Liverpool
28/10 - Academy, Oxford
01/11 - Academy, Birmingham

Charlie Simpson to release Cemetery as new single

70,000 downloads in one week - an impressive figure for Charlie Simpson's Cemetery when it received the honour of being chosen as iTunes' single of the week.

As one of the standout tracks from his debut solo album Young Pilgrim, the singer is now giving the track a full release; accompanied by a selection of new material.
The full tracklisting is as follows:

1. Cemetery (Radio Edit)

2. Cemetery (Acoustic)

3. Re-Stacks (Bon Iver cover)

4. When We Were Lions (Acoustic Re-mix)

5. (I Just) Died In Your Arms Tonight (Radio 2 Session)

Two brilliant choices of cover song and an acoustic version, something the rustic, farm-boy feel of Cemetery lends itself to very well.


Next week marks a number of exciting chances to catch Charlie live: ITV2 will be broadcasting footage of his performance at the Digital Music Awards at 10pm on the 3rd October. And if you fancy getting up close and personal, he's playing St Pancras Station at 6.30pm on the 6th.

Charlie hits the road soon too with his UK tour:

September 28th London - Oxjam 2011 

October 19th  Bristol - Ansom Rooms 

October 20th Wolverhampton - Slade Rooms 

October 21st Norwich - Waterfront 

October 23rd   Glasgow - Garage 

October 24th Leeds - Cockpit 

October 26th Manchester - Academy 2 

October 27th London - Islington Academy 

October 28th Brighton - Concorde 2

Cemetery is released on the 31st October.

The Amity Affliction to tour this Autumn

When someone says to you 'Australia' and 'rock band', you'd be inclined to think first of those legends, AC/DC. But there's a bunch of new kids making waves on the scene, and they go by the name of The Amity Affliction.


Signed to Roadrunner Records, their album Youngbloods has already gone Top 10 in their home country of Australia. It's released over here in the UK on the 24th October.


Speaking about their new deal, frontman Joel Birch said: "Signing to Roadrunner worldwide is almost beyond a dream come true, because there's no way any of us would have ever dreamed of being able to achieve something this monumental."


You can catch the band on tour supporting Funeral For A Friend on these dates:

22-Oct              London @ Facedown
23-Oct              Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall
24-Oct              Glasgow QMU
25-Oct              Newcastle Academy  
27-Oct              Nottingham Rock City
28-Oct              Manchester Academy
29-Oct              Bristol Academy
30-Oct              London Roundhouse

All The Young - Welcome Home

Coming on like a tough, gritty blend of Hard-Fi and Oasis, the new single from All The Young is an invigorating exercise in recapturing the beating heart of 90s Brit-Pop. Big, expansive choruses and angular guitar surge up sweep by in a blur - Welcome Home is a resounding anthem for a band that have every intention to make themselves known.

Speaking of the track, band frontman Ryan Dooley says 'It means business that one. There's no way you can play it without your heart and soul fully in it.' And that 'business' is there for all to see - first and foremost in its professionalism, but also in just how persuasive a calling card for the band it is. You hear this, and you want more. You want 'in', to join the club.

All The Young have also been invited personal by Morrissey to support him at Hanley's Victoria Hall - and when it comes to rock accolades, well, you don't get much better than that.

Welcome Home is available to download from iTunes now.

Next month also sees the band setting out on tour, with the dates as follows:

July
2nd – Delamere Forest (as support to The Courteeners)
5th – Hanley, Victoria Hall (as support to Morrissey)
6th – Wrexham, Central Station
8th – Winchester, Railway
9th – Wakestock Festival (opening main stage)
10th – Brighton, Jam
12th – Southampton, Joiners
14th – London, Water Rats
15th – Leigh, Bar Bliss
16th – Middlesborough, Empire
19th – Laugh Inn, Chester
20th – York, Duchess
21st – Hull, Fruit
23rd – Leeds, Cockpit 3

August
5th – Derbyshire, Y NOT Festival