Scanners
+ Los / Mercers
Wednesday 2nd December
93 Feet East
150 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL
Tickets £6 available from link

After storming South By South a couple of years back Scanners released their full debut ‘Violence Is Golden’ to widespread critical acclaim – it’s melodic with bittersweet lyrics filling the void between the mainstream grandiose pop of The Killers and the raw credibility of Sonic Youth.

“I'm bloody obsessed with snarling London rawk types Scanners whose singer Sarah is a shining bright star in its ascendancy. They're like all the songs Kim Gordon sings in Sonic Youth, but played by Motorhead at their early-'80s peak.” – NME

“Scanners might well be providing us with Yeah Yeah Yeahs style thrashy kicks in the new year…dripping with highs and lows…alluring throughout” – Artrocker

Their infectious tunes are both beautiful and dark as well as upbeat crystalline harmonies… brooding Mazzy Star-like epics… deathlessly sexy electronic pop…” – Drowned In Sound

Scanners Myspace: link
Los Myspace: link
Mercers Myspace: link

17th Nov @ Bumper, Liverpool
18th Nov @ Dry Bar, Manchester

Chris Helme armed with his guitar and stunning voice has been taking the UK by storm and the last year saw Chris playing over 130 shows from the North of Scotland down to the South coast of England. All receiving rave reviews from fans and Critics alike; The Fly magazine exalting Chris as: ‘one of the most eloquent and raucously British voices in the last 2 decades’. With this work ethic Chris has not only reacquainted himself with the legion of fans of his previous work but has also gained a whole new generation of admirers.

Chris was front man of John Squire’s post Stone Roses project ‘The Seahorses’ back in the late 1990’s and Chris’s vocals became one of the defining sounds of the Britpop era. After a string of hit singles, 2 world tours, a top ten album and sharing stages with the likes of Oasis, the Verve and the Rolling Stones, a couple of years down the line the band went their separate ways and Chris returned home to work on his own music.

Five piece band ‘The Yards’ was formed with fellow York musicians and their eponymous first album was released in 2005. Described by Uncut Magazine as a ‘rocking debut’ it saw Chris and the band indulging in their love of classic 60’s and 70’s song writing and production and earning them critical acclaim across the board. Following tours with Arthur Lee and Love the band escaped to an isolated cottage in the Lake District to record their follow up record, and whilst the band took time out to mix and master the album, Helme found some free time to concentrate on his solo material, something he had dabbled in for years, but now had the opportunity to pursue more fully.

Chris’ debut solo album; ‘Ashes’ was recorded live over a couple of days and released in the summer of 2008. described as an ‘emotional, stripped down set of late night love songs’ (IsThisMusic.com), the record is a fragile and simple affair recalling the early acoustic work of Neil Young and Tim Buckley. Many of the songs feature only lightly finger picked guitar lines and Helme’s emotive vocals, the minimal instrumentation allowing the album to be the perfect showcase for his song writing and singing.

Chris’ set consists of Seahorses classics and his own current material.

www.chrishelmemusic.co.uk

Wednesday 11th November @ Dry Bar, Manchester
Dawn Landes
Kristyna Myles
Rene
Times New Roman
Doors 7.30pm

DAWN LANDES “SWEET HEART RODEO”

Titling her third album ‘Sweet Heart Rodeo’ might appear a calculated risk but singer-songwriter Dawn Landes, Kentucky-born and Brooklyn-based, swears she didn’t have the Byrds’ pioneering 1968 country-rock classic “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” in mind. Instead she was thinking of her great-grandmother’s beau, a young man who ran away to join the rodeo during the Great Depression and decades later inspired Landes to write the title song. A rodeo theme runs throughout the record, as Landes compares the ups and downs of romance to the rigours of bull riding.

“I guess you could say each song is like its own bull,” the twenty-eight-year-old deadpans, “each ride its own love-story…you know, trying to hang on to a wild thing isn’t always graceful.” Her feminist approach proved problematic when it came to turning up images of feisty cowgirls for the artwork. “There aren’t many female bull riders,” she admits. And with good reason. “I went to a few rodeos as research. They don’t stay on those things very long.”

Though she grew up in Louisville her perfect variations on country and folk music have all been recorded in her adopted hometown of Brooklyn. The culture clash of urban and rural traditions is an intriguing base for Landes’ material and audience. She spent most of 2008 touring with a variety of country/folk and indie-rock stalwarts like The Tindersticks, Midlake, Josh Ritter, Jason Isbell (of the Drive by Truckers), Alexi Murdoch and the Swell Season, to name a few. And though she might recognise kindred spirits in contemporaries like Conor Oberst and Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Landes is blessed with a voice as pure and ringing as any folk or country diva.

The voice has always been there, but it’s taken a while to be heard. Her first self-released records, simply called “Dawn’s Music” and the EP “two three four” effectively proved her talent, but it was 2008’s acclaimed “Fireproof” that revealed it to the world. Around that time her splendid bluegrass cover of Peter Bjorn and John’s instant classic “Young Folks,” performed with an elderly group of Texans called The WST Band (“It stands for ‘we sorta tried’ ”), became a YouTube favourite. “Straight Lines,” one of her best-known songs, soundtracked in adverts on both sides of the Atlantic. Here it accompanied a cute campaign to encourage urban cycling. There it promoted Axe, the local equivalent of Lynx and the preferred perfume of adolescent males. Its writer was bemused. “The same song was used to promote bicycling in a childlike way and men’s deodorant in a sexual way. What does that mean?” she once pondered. For a while she lived in France, learning to love Gainsbourg, Brassens and Francoise Hardy, and spent her time in Paris at the most unlikely joints. “I found myself in a lot of situations I wouldn’t have been invited to otherwise,” she says, “I played a lot of parties, fashion parties, one in a hotel where there was a bubble bath filled with champagne!” As you can imagine this is a world she doesn’t usually inhabit.

Since her last release, Landes (her surname has two syllables) has finished fitting out her own studio, Saltlands in Brooklyn. “I actually built it! Some friends and I put up the walls and floated the floors,” she declares proudly, christening it with the recording of “Sweet Heart Rodeo.” Again working with regular collaborator, drummer and all-rounder Ray Rizzo, her recording outfit was completed by guitarist Josh Kaufman and bassist Annie Nero, a couple (of musicians) that she met on the road. A cover of Kaufman’s composition, the charming, gentle ‘Dance Area’ fits perfectly alongside Landes’ own material.

“Sweet Heart Rodeo” is packed with fine tunes, again beautifully sung. The opener “Young Girl” ponders gender stereotyping – competitive boys, jealous girls – over a reductive and distorted keyboard riff. The deceptively cutting “Romeo” berates a certain someone who ruined one of Landes’ birthdays by standing her up. No wonder she borrows a hook from “16 Tons,” Tennessee Ernie Ford’s fifties nugget of resignation. The haunting ‘Money In The Bank’ marries down-home hippie wisdom (‘the night before you die, what are you gonna buy?’) to a glorious chorus bolstered by a wistful French horn. Dawn even drums on an unlikely cover of Margo Guryan’s already unlikely ‘Love’, a 1968 collision of cool jazz and nascent psychedelia. “She’s amazing, one of these unsung geniuses like Vashti Bunyan was, who made one fabulous record then disappeared,” she says of the woman behind the lost classic “Take A Picture.”

Rizzo’s idiosyncratic harmonica style (“kinda cloudy- the opposite of ethereal”) boosts the quirky ‘Wandering Eye’, a rare song that combines sex and travel without causing offence, while ‘Little Miss Holiday’ imagines a conversation between Jodie Foster and the teenage hooker that inspired her character in Scorsese’s unhinged “Taxi Driver.” It’s tender rather than bleak. ‘Brighton’ is a tribute to a magical day in that great Southern (English) town, yet it could hardly sound more American, Appalachian even. “I hope I captured it in the song,” she says. Her Brighton though is more romantic than the resort us Britons know, already a fond memory. By the album’s conclusion, the wobbly wedding march of ‘All Dressed In White’, you’ll probably be thinking of giving love a try. Even if it does hurt when you fall off.

Post-punk legends The Fall play The Masque, Liverpool, on the 22nd November.

There aren’t very many bands that have been together longer than The Fall and, with a few exceptions, it’s difficult to think of any who, like The Fall, have released brand new material every year. Formed at the height of the punk rock movement in Manchester in 1976, The Fall has released around 50 singles, 25 studio albums and perhaps 50 live and compilation albums.

Famously the band has gone through numerous personnel changes over the years (there have been over 30 different line-ups so far) but always present is the enigmatic Mark E. Smith – musical genius, obnoxious drunk, Salford’s finest poet, journalist’s worst nightmare, working class hero. Dubbed ‘The Grumpiest Man in Pop’, by the NME, Mark E. Smith has been carving his jaundiced signature on the music scene for the past twenty plus years. Rarely tempted to celebrate the lighter side of life, Smith uses humour and horror to illuminate vile hypocrisies and injustices.

“The Fall’s latest album “Imperial Wax Solvent” received widespread critical acclaim:

“Throw in an evocative, anthemically chanted lyrical snapshot, some cryptic tales and a blues rock cover and almost every successful Fall trick familiar from the last two decades is also deployed. All of which amounts to a vital late period masterpiece.” – The Wire

“Imperial Wax Solvent is another remarkable batch of brilliantly deranged tales no whiskey-breathed war veteran across the bar could trump.” – Drowned In Sound

“Some 50-odd musicians and several hundred songs down the line, the Fall's (we think) 27th album is one of their most adventurous and finest.” – The Guardian

“A superb new Fall album.” – Uncut

Tickets available from link

28th Oct @ Korova, Liverpool
29th Oct @ Dry Bar, Manchester
2nd Nov @ Borderline, London

Formed in 2008, in Faversham, Kent, Onlookers are a young four piece made up of brothers, Dale (Vocals/Guitar) and Callum (Drums/Backing Vocals) Norton, and close friends Jamie Darby (Lead Guitar) and Thomas Ford (Bass).

The band are an average of just 18 and have already established themselves as a fierce live prospect. Having picked themselves up high profile management and live representation they have been developing over the last year and are now set to showcase their honed live show.

‘Canterbury Tales’ , released on October 12th , is their debut single and has already picked up support from XFM (John Kennedy’s ‘Hot One’) , BBC 6 , NME Radio, Radio 1 and Radio 2.

Having previously toured with One Night Only, Onlookers are set to embark on a UK tour with Northern Irish outfit General Fiasco in September / October as well as their own debut 15 date tour. They play Liverpool on the 28th October, then Liverpool on the 29th October and their debut headline London show is at The Borderline on November 2nd.

Please see link for further dates and information.

Tickets available here: link

The Wailers
26th Nov @ The Ritz, Manchester
Support – China White and Extra Love
plus DJs

Legendary band The Wailers return to the UK for a short tour and vist Manchester on the 26th November to play at The Ritz.

The Wailers are the most legendary reggae group of all time. Together with former lead singer Bob Marley, the Wailers have sold in excess of 250 million albums worldwide. In England alone, they’ve notched up over twenty chart hits, including seven Top 10 entries. Outside of their groundbreaking work with Marley, the Wailers have also played or performed with international acts like Sting, Kenny Chesney, the Fugees, Stevie Wonder, Carlos Santana, and Alpha Blondy, as well as reggae legends such as Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and Burning Spear. As the greatest living exponents of Jamaica’s reggae tradition – still led by original bassist and musical director Aston “Family Man” Barrett to this day – the Wailers have completed innumerable tours, playing to an estimated 24 million people across the globe. They have also been the first reggae band to tour new territories on many occasions, including Africa and the Far East.

Their nucleus formed in 1969, when Bob Marley, Bunny “Wailer” Livingston, and Peter Tosh recruited the Barrett brothers – bassist Aston “Family Man” and drummer Carly – from producer Lee Perry’s in-house band, the Upsetters, to play on hits such as “Lively Up Yourself,” “Trenchtown Rock,” and many more. The Wailers, backed by the Upsetters, also recorded two groundbreaking albums for Perry – Soul Rebels and Soul Revolution – for the Trojan label. Of all Jamaican rhythm sections, it was the Barrett brothers who had infiltrated Jamaican music into worldwide pop charts with their work on so many of the records that defined reggae music. So the new Wailers were born, with the marriage between the island’s toughest singer/songwriter and the already internationally successful Barrett brothers’ rhythm section. Inspired by the Rastafarian religion and driven by their ambitions of reaching an international audience, the line-up pioneered roots rock reggae, and signed to Island Records in 1972.

Livingston and Tosh departed the group in 1974. At this point Bob Marley reached out to the Barrett brothers to lead the group into their next phase. In a musical culture in which it was the norm for vocalists working with various rhythm secions, Marley was very protective of his band and discouraged them from playing with other artists. Thus the brothers assumed musical leadership of the Wailers, backing Marley on the group’s international breakthrough album, Natty Dread. Under Family Man’s guidance, they then partnered with Bob Marley on the succession of hit singles and albums that made him a global icon, including Exodus, named “Album of the Century” by TIME Magazine in 1999, which contained “One Love,” deemed “Song of the Millennium” by the BBC.

Drummer Carlton “Carly” Barrett was murdered in 1987, leaving his brother as the main beneficiary of the Wailers' mantle. Subsequent line-ups have revolved around Family Man, who is widely regarded as one of the world’s all-time greatest bass players, confirmed by a recent cover feature in Bass Player magazine. Modest and unassuming, his heartbeat bass was the foundation for all of those unforgettable performances by Bob Marley & The Wailers from the seventies. As Marley’s former right-hand man and the musical director of the group, he is widely acknowledged as the sole living musician who is credible as the Wailers' bandleader. With Fams at the helm, they’re one of the last great reggae institutions,. Year after year, they continue to thrill audiences worldwide, breathing new life into their universally loved music. The current lineup includes keyboardist Keith Sterling, guitarist Chizzy, drummer Anthony Watson, trumpeter Chico Chin, trombonist Everald Gayle and lead singer Elan Atias forming the core axis of the band.

The Wailers recently reaffirmed their continuing relevance and versatility in modern music with a guest spot on country superstar Kenny Chesney’s hit single “Everyone Wants to Go to Heaven,” also appearing in the video for the song, shot in Jamaica. The band is currently working on an album of all-new original material, due for release sometime later this year.

In the meantime, the Wailers continue to perform to packed audiences around the world, including their international “Exodus” tour, which saw the band playing the full album of the same name onstage, selling out crowds around the world. They haven’t foregone their social consciousness, either: they’ve spearheaded the new charity I Went Hungry, designed to use funds designated for touring bands’ lavish “riders” to benefit the World Food Program (WFP) in conjunction with the United Nations – feeding thousands of starving children around the globe.

Legends in their own time, the Wailers continue to be an active force in today’s music scene, not just with the undeniable influence upon multiple generations of musicians in all genres, but the ongoing spread of their message of peace, love and defiance that began almost forty years ago. Their journey is far from over, and the world is still waiting to catch the Wailers’ next move.

Mike Dignam and Gabrielle Aplin are sickeningly good teenagers. With maturity in their voices that belay their years, and song writing that plunges new depth of emotion every new song, they are pop starlets elect. Solo performers normally they have made a duet video, scratched together in about 20 minutes while recording their split EP in the studio.

The EP is due for release on Mediawerk (record label branch of this ‘ere website) in November, along with a duel headline tour (also provided by this ‘ere website). The dates are below and the split EP will be available from shows, download and from here via mail order.

November 2nd – London, Barfly

November 3rd – Birmingham, The Flapper

November 4th – Manchester, Dry Bar

www.myspace.com/mikedignamuk

www.myspace.com/gabrielleaplin

Monday 19th October @ Night & Day
Support from Suicide Party, To The Bones
Doors 7.30pm, £9adv

As part of the annual In The City convention the re-invigorated 80's Matchbox appear in Manchester as part of a tour in October, in anticipation of their brand new album planned for release in early 2010:

It seems no matter how hard you try, you just cannot destroy the Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. Pummelled relentlessly by the wheels of catastrophe and forced off road by the signs of confusion it is back, hurtling towards rock and roll like a crazed madman, foaming at the mouth, ready to strike down his Nemesis, as if that was his only reason to live.

Times have been rocky for the Eighties Matchbox, with Rich Fownes , the golden guitar hero leaving, and being replaced by Tristan Mclenahan, the goliath, the cogs grind. But now back again with all its pistons they have written the 3rd album, recorded in France ready to be released upon a world plagued by mediocrity like a cure for all its ills. With a plan to release early in the new year, ask not what the Eighties Matchbox can do for music, but what music can do for the Eighties Matchbox… Behold.

All Forgotten hit the road on a headline tour along with support Not Advised.

25th October @ Moho Live, Manchester
1st Nov @ Islington Academy2 London

All Forgotten are a five piece alternative rock band, based in Surrey, UK and having been around for just over four years, the band is really making a stir in the music scene.

Recording was the turning point for All Forgotten and when the band released their two songs ‘At a Guess I’m Second Best’ and ‘I’m Not Bitter, This Shows I Care’ (recorded at Stake Out) they soon became a hit on MySpace generating over 450,000 plays in 2008. They then embarked on their first ever UK tour in February with pop punk heavyweights You Me At Six.

In 2008 they started their adventures with a bang – opening the famous Slam Dunk Festival in Leeds. From then on they have been touring on various headline/co-headline/support tours and selling out many venues including the Camden Barfly in London, The Boileroom in Guildford, and a few local venues where they live. In June, they returned to the studio to record their next single, ‘Fatigue’ which racked up over a thousand plays a day on MySpace and now has over 150,000 plays alone.

July 2008, the band set off on another UK tour with screamo band ‘We Are The Ocean’ playing mostly sold out academy 2 venues and the famous sold out Islington Academy. With lots of industry hype around them, All Forgotten continued to tour as much as possible. In September of ‘08 they joined forces with ‘Forever The Sickest Kids’ on their first ever tour in England.
The band have since continued to progress on to bigger and better things; winning the Ernie Ball Battle of the bands to play the London Astoria on the Taste of Chaos ‘08 tour with Story of the Year, As I Lay Dying and Atreyu, and were also picked to support You Me At Six at a sold out Leeds University show in front of almost 2,000 punters.

2009 has vowed to be even more exciting and is already turning out to be one hell of a year for All Forgotten. In January the band went on tour with American metal-heads ‘Escape the Fate’ playing to sold out venues and received a very positive response every night. The band is now stronger than ever with a tight and energetic live set, catchy, heavy songs to back it up and a dedicated fan base. Since the tour, All Forgotten stepped foot inside Outhouse Studios (Reading) to record with producer/ engineer Matt O’Grady.
The band put up a song from that EP onto their MySpace page entitled ‘Love From A Mother.’ For the first few days the boys were getting over 6,000 plays a day and have had over 100,000 on that song racking up almost 900,000 plays overall.

Since then, the band have toured the UK again twice with good friends Deaf Havana and Canterbury and have just release the new EP ‘Transitions’ which came out at the end of July.

'Transitions' is the perfect release for a band of this caliber, as it defines who they are and definitely shows the potential they have. All Forgotten are able to grab you hard and won't let go until you realise how amazing these songs are. Thankfully they are, as they hit you suddenly and don't let give you time to rest to the very end.

4.5/5 -Alter The Press

'Transitions' is one of the best UK band's EPs released in quite some time. It does everything you'd expect from bands of this type and then some more on top of it. It outperforms most of their US peers too. Exciting stuff and I think, no, I know, we will be hearing much, much more from this band.

4/5 – Punktastic

KOF – 2nd October, O2 Academy Liverpool

The most exciting urban artist in the North West of England right now. KOF exploded onto the scene this week with debut single Famous.

A launch party featuring a line up of Liverpool's up and coming urban talent sees the scene unite for a night of showcase rap, urban, R&B, dance and DJj'ing.

KOF

w/ support from

Janiece Myers
Chelcee Grimes
Ruth Cullen
Pyro
Future
DJ Olabean
+ more

Live from the O2 Academy,
11-13 Hotham Street
Liverpool

Afterparty from Noir, Victoria Street.

see link for more details

Cabin Fever
26th Sept @ The Cabin, Fleet St, Liverpool

Featuring Live
The Paddingtons
Little Miss Strange
Crafty Freddie
The 10p Mixes

Featuring DJ
DJ Cowgirl (mixed bag)
Cazmatic

Doors 8.30pm – 3am
£4adv/NUS/B4 10pm

The Cabin. A legendary venue that has been opening its secret door for over 40 years; now its time for a new era. Boasting 5 rooms, 2 floors, cosy booths, dance floors and secret passageways – it’s a club venue of the old school variety.

Bringing the best bands for some rock n roll action and DJs to liven and enthral .The music is indie – pop – electro – dance.

There are £1.50 bottled lager, £1 shots, £3 doubles and a free drink upon entry to make the weekend a large one.

Goldie Lookin Chain have confirmed that they will be playing a 16 date tour in December.

The tour will allow fans to hear some great new material as well as some old classics.

Even if you have not got a job, for one night only, you can pretend you do. As Eggsy says,

“Christmas is coming early this year with our Office Party tour. You will be able to recreate the thrill of working in a corporate environment and going out for the annual Christmas do. Why not bring your own photocopier, loosen your ties, take off your high heels to dance around your handbag, and prepare to drink mammoth amounts of booze. All in the name of a bloody good knees up.”

The tour takes off 6th December and ends in London 21 December.

Tickets are available from Glasswerk.co.uk.

The Office Party Tour

December 2009
Sun 6 – Bristol (Thekla Bar)
Mon 7 – Sheffield (O2 Academy)
Tue 8 – Birmingham (O2 Academy)
Wed 9 – Liverpool (O2 Academy)
Thu 10 – Preston (53 Degrees)
Fri 11 – Glasgow, (King Tuts)
Sat 12 – Aberdeen (Moshulu)
Sun 13 – Carlisle (Brickyard)
Mon 14 – Manchester (O2 Academy)
Tue 15 – Newcastle (O2 Academy)
Wed 16 – Crewe (M Club)
Thu 17 – Oxford (O2 Academy)
Sat 19 – Nottingham, (Rescue Rooms)
Sun 20 – Norwich (Waterfront)
Mon 21 – London (Islington Academy)

Deaf Havana
The Casino Brawl
Young Guns
+ special guests

Sunday 13th sept @ Moho Live, Manchester
Monday 28th Sept @ The Picket, Liverpool

Deaf Havana are Ryan Mellor (Vocals) James Veck-Gilodi (Guitar & Vocals), Tom Ogden (Drums & Vocals), Lee Wilson (Bass), Chris Pennells (Guitar). The Southern Rock/Post-Hardcore band from Norfolk, England originally started out with a more ‘Rock’ sound. They soon gained a large fanbase across the East of England, for providing an intense live show, yet lighter than most bands on the bill. Following the self release of their first EP ‘Evangeline’ and their 100th show, they changed their line up (Rinn from Guitars to Vocals, swapping with James) and subsequently their sound altered. They are signed to A Wolf At Your Door Records. In October 2008 the band released this recording through their label, the E.P. titled It's Called the Easy Life received strong reviews from various musical publications. On the back of this success the band begin to receive some recognition. January 2009 saw the band complete a UK wide tour with We Are The Ocean – The Urgency and around the same time release their first music video
“Deaf Havana have released one of the most gripping UK debuts in years”. -Metal Hammer

THE CASINO BRAWL can back it all up with the perfect tirade of soaring melodies and city leveling – bruising breakdowns. From the North-East of the England; The Casino Brawl were formed in 2006 with Jonny Ferguson (Synth, vocals, samples), Adam Ridley (guitar), Marc Henessey (guitar), Jamie Common (bass) and James Summersby (drums). They have played successful and packed out dates across Europe with their relentless and unpredictably explosive live shows enforcing and furthering a furiously expanding international fan-base and are Selling out UK venues. The summer of ‘08’ and the highly respected and successful UK label ‘In at the Deep End’ (Gallows, Architects, Shaped By Fate) snatches up the band for their debut album The summer of ‘08’ and the highly respected and successful UK label ‘In at the Deep End’ (Gallows, Architects, Shaped By Fate) snatches up the band for their debut album. 2009 will definitely be a year that will belong to this band.

The home-grown production line has been in overdrive of late in the rock world High Wycombe-based quintet, Young Guns, are proof that it’s showing no signs of fatigue. Their four track debut EP, ‘Mirrors’, has been produced by former SikTh members Dan Weller and Justin Hill (Enter Shikari, Haunts, Gallows), and covers a host of subjects, from party-induced-excess and temptation, to adolescent aspirations and dependency, and all this in little more than 16 minutes. However, it’s a brief blast of promise that should more than whet the appetite for what’s to come from the five-piece and serves as a ringing statement of intent.

With former Johnny Truant drummer Paul Jackson (Alexisonfire, Cancer Bats, The Ghost Of A Thousand) handling artwork duties, and a forthcoming remix of ‘The Weight Of The World’ by Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins’ L’Amour La Morgue project, there’s a distinct British flavour to ‘Mirrors’.

“British music is so healthy right now, the scene here has been building for a long time,” explains singer Gustav Wood, “and to have people from some of the best bands, past and present, helping us out and digging our band is incredible.”

Having clocked up shows alongside the likes of Funeral For A Friend, The Answer and We Are The Ocean already, and with a relentless touring schedule ahead of them, it’s going to be near impossible to avoid Young Guns in 2009, and on the proof of ‘Mirrors’, we wouldn’t advise even trying.

Glasswerk are proud to announce the inaugural ‘Acad Fest’ at O2 Academy, Liverpool on the 15th August.

The festival is spread over the immaculate O2 Academy using rooms 1 and 2 plus introducing a room3 for chill out, refreshment and general meandering, the best Liverpool bands will be performing from 3pm -11pm.

On a rare free weekend from any other major festivals, there is no excuse for having a day of music in Liverpool.

Headlining the main room at Acad Fest are the much talked about (and for good reason) Sound Of Guns. Having played several times at Glastonbury with memorable aplomb, SOG headlines their biggest stage yet. Main room at the O2 academy, headlining the first Acad Fest.

Headlining the second room are a band we at Glasswerk think are destined for great thing – Dire Wolf, bringing you chaotic rhythms and pop sensibilities.

Full Lineup

Room 1
Sound Of Guns
Fly With Vampires
Mission Babies
Kill Joys
Crafty Freddie
Taken By Storm
Crazed Eternal
The Peaks
Slide
IV Reich

Room 2
Dire Wolf
Bo Weevils
Lee Broderick
Watkins
Kevin Critchley Outfit
The LP
Branco Heist
Bad Precedent
Anodes
Lost City Radio

Doors 3pm, £6adv

Dire Wolf
Born in Liverpool in late 2008 when Daniel Croll, Tarek Musa, Joe Wills and John
Stark came together with the same intentions and ideas.
As their name suggests, they like to deviate from pack…

Wild dissonant guitar playing, snaking bass lines, thundering
rhythms and mesmerizing vocal hooks align together in a
symbiosis certain to thrive off the competition from rivals.

The result is some of the loudest yet smoothest, most melodic
Moments from the band.

“Dire wolfe are my new addiction; I absoloutely love them!
They’re songs are catchy as fuck; Imaginative, creative and well
put together.”
thefastset.com

Anodes
Throughout the course of 2008, Mike Rogers, Dennis Outten and Christopher Carr got together and eventually formed Anodes. Their mutual passion for art and music brought them closer together, making them ever more serious about the band and their evolving artistic expression. The start of 2009 was also the start of significant changes within Anodes, as Krystian Hudson became the fourth member of the group, bringing his own style to the fold, in turn changing the band and its sound once again. Finally, Tim Hawkins brought to the group a more melodic, yet driving energy, with his expressive playing.

As gig opportunities arose, Anodes performed numerous times in venues such as The Barfly in Liverpool. They have recieved a positive reception from all crowds, gaining a strong reputation, and a healthy influx of bookings for performances.
Anodes are a passionate and energetic alternative rock outfit, fusing grooves with melody driven progressive styles.

Branco Heist
The Branco Heist are on a mission to make sound affect – a three-piece who have rapidly made an impression on the live circuits of London and Liverpool with their distinctive heavy soul sound and a reputation for high octane live performances. After only a handful of gigs they had been nominated for an Indy Award (Best Indie Act), featured on a MusicWeek covermount of Liverpool's hottest new talent, and signed a development deal with Close Call Music, an independent music publisher.
2008 proved to be a year spent writing new material and crafting a live act worthy of any stage and this approach to live shows has developed a loyal following, and their recent shows (including the IndigO2 Arena and Kentish Town Forum in London, and Zanzibar and Bumper in Liverpool) have been packed and sweaty affairs, with the beginnings of A&R interest.
Currently based in London, throughout 2009 The Branco Heist have been building their solid fanbases on the Thames and the Mersey and expanding their profile nationally through touring, airplay, and press activity, having just finished a UK tour and performing at The Longest Day festival in Brighton.

Kevin Critchley Outfit
KCO's blend of vocal and lyrical talent, fiery strings and expansive band set up give them a uniquely vibrant sound. Combining multi-talented musicians with a passion for making fresh new music, the Outfit have come a long way since singer-songwriter Kevin Critchley and cellist/composer Luke Moore met at a party in 2006.

After almost a year performing as a duo, violinist Josie Pearce joined and in 2008, they recorded their debut studio album, 'Scars' at Sandhills Studios in Liverpool. After it's release in Spring 2009, their self-financed, professionally produced and mastered album has been well received by critcis and fans alike. KCO's full line up now includes brothers Alex (drums, percussion ) and Mike Williams (bass) and a horn section for bigger live shows.

With a growing fan base, international radio play, bigger shows and other exciting things in the pipeline, KCO's commitment to making fresh music is as strong as ever.

Lost City Radio
Formed in 2007, Lost City Radio are a Liverpool-based 3 piece bringing together their love of rocking guitars and big choruses with electronic beats, bleeps & synths to create an anthemic unique sound. Recent gigs have gone from strength to strength and the band are currently in the studio working on their first EP.

The LP
the LP like so many bands, began in a garage, but even from this well trodden beginning, the LP possessed a different chemistry. Matt Adams and his younger brother Calum sparked together to form lo-fi compositions with maverick punk inspired bassist Boyd, Guitarist Paul Mckay and Keys / Synth player Clare Elizabeth. Capturing the attention of their home town through energetic live shows with energetic guitar riffs and counterpoint keyboard melodies.

But the path was not easy. the LP was plunged into a period of darkness. But from desire, late nights and care free poverty, sharing countless squalid bed-sits, found solace in their ever complex and personal writing process.

The band under guidance from mentor Martin Ellis have recorded their debut album entitled 'We Are, But Now'. Igniting media enthusiasm and gaining support from local, national and international parties. We are the LP. We Are, But Now.

Bad Precedent
Bad Precedent are a classic rock quartet from Liverpool in the mould of Foo Fighters, Black Stone Cherry and Led Zeppelin who boast hair raising riffs and powerful harmonies that will make you take notice. Comprised of Front Man and Guitarist James Suffield, Bassist Lee Jones, Lead Guitarist Ian Johnson and Drummer Dale Ellis, Bad Precedent have found acclaim as far reaching as Hollywood with recognition in SugarBuzz magazine amongst other publications. With the successful Launch of their EP 'Hold Out' firmly under their belts an exciting year awaits the band.

29th September – Plug n Play Studios, Reading
30th September – Boileroom, Guilford
1st October – Scala, London
5th October – Ruby Lounge, Manchester

The Parlotones kicked of their professional career in 2003 rising to the forefront of South African music by 2006 when they signed a European license deal on the back of their debut single beautiful being used in a Fujifilm commercial.

Since then The Parlotones have become the biggest selling band in South Africa and have delivered over 200 shows in 2008 across SA, UK and Europe with key performances including Live Earth, Coke Fest and V Fest.

Audiences watching The Parlotones are swept up in a whirlwind of energy and rock orchestrated by front man Kahn Morbee. Not adverse to experimentation, the band merges innovative and authentic ideas into a comprehensive sound, which lends itself to mammoth live performances, the likes of which audiences have rarely seen.

“The Parlotones are a supremely good band” – Tourdates.co.uk

“The Parlotones are the worlds new anthemic indie group sweeping audiences away every where they play” – NME

Mark Morriss plays Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen on Monday 31st August

Mark Morris found fame as frontman of Britpop pioneers The Bluetones, whose debut Album ‘Expecting To Fly’, released on the 12th February 1996, knocked Oasis’ (What’s The Story) Morning Glory off the number 1 spot in the UK album charts.
Taking a brief sabbatical from his day job as lead singer with The Bluetones, Mark Morriss spent the best part of 2008 recording and touring material for his debut solo effort 'Memory Muscle'.

Despite being a relatively low-key release the album received gushing praise from all sections of the music media, and an appearances on Jonathan Ross's Radio 2 Show.

“Strummed guitars, West Coast melodies featuring James Bond composer David Arnold on strings . . . astute covers and the brassy bounce of I'm Sick, a standout on an album that emanates good-natured charm”
Q MAGAZINE

“Britpop survivor and Bluetones front man goes it alone with 11 gorgeous pop gems … like lounging outside on a summer's day”
NME

“Mark Morriss removes his gloves for his solo debut … ‘Hopes down the drain /everyone's to blame but me', he laments on Lay Low, wry to the last”
UNCUT

Support comes from Rifles side-project Regency, The Merry Go Round and Model Society.

Tickets £10 from link

22 July 2009
Upstairs at the Garage
Nearest Tube: Highbury & Islington

Barefoot Confessor: link
West London based four piece band who provide the listener with catchy hooks, cleverly written lyrics and brilliant melodies to create a different slant on the classic indie rock model. This band have been gradually gathereing momentum and building up a strong fan base and playing high profile shows.

Klaus says buy the record: link
Klaus Says Buy The Record were a hotly tipped finalist in the 2008 Orange Unsigned Act on Channel 4 and they won the 2008 Red Stripe Music Awards, beating over 1,000 other acts.

Klaus perform live regularly and they have played alongside acts including Dirty Pretty Things, Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong, Wild Beasts, Los Campesinos, Youth Movies, Sam Isaac, Rolo Tomassi etc. They played at the 2008 Great Escape Festival and the Lovebox Weekender. They are touring the UK throughout early 2009.

Lady and The Lost Boys link
In MySpace's desperate attempt to pigeon-hole musicians into categories the description of them is often melted down, squished up and mashed into the simplest form of wrong – three words Just/Like/This. In a rare moment of hitting the nail smack on the head, Lady and the Lost Boys have described themselves to be Childrens/Shoegaze/Idol. Annabel has the sparkly ability to sing wizened thoughts as though she's still learning them; thoughts that often swerve into self-confessed teenage logic.

Neon Choir: link
Female fronted four piece from London, mixing it up with influences of folk, rock, indie, country and punk providing the catchiest of today's indie.

Battle Of The North II

The Battle of the North tour returns with Crafty Freddie, Vagner Love and Mercia Drift. Dates are:

23rd July @ Dry Bar, Manchester
24th July @ Elbow Room, Leeds
25th July @ Bumper, Liverpool

Door times and ticket prices vary – see here link

Vagner Love

“Another band who've come on in leaps and bounds – admittedly this is only the second time I've seen them – are Vagner Love, who do instantly likeable indie-pop with a flavour of early 90s American alt-rock, even down to singer Hasan Naeem's plaid shirt. You can't afford a weak link when there's only three of you and they haven't got one; Ben Taylor's exceptional drumming driving the whole thing while Hasan and bassist Moses Naeem weave melodies reminiscent of The Lemonheads in their prime. “This Is Not A War” is a particular favourite – another local band to definitely keep an eye on for 2009.”
Review by Cath Aubergine (manchestermusic.co.uk)

Crafty Freddie
A four piece female fronted band who play original, energetic, lyrical and infectious music. Crafty freddie first formed together in November 07 as a three piece acoustic band. Since then they have had a of couple changes in the line up. They have been performing as the four piece they are now since September 08 where they have proceeded to make there own music and play shows in great venues, they have also been aired on local and national radio stations such as Radio 1.
They all love what they do, and are so thankful to everyone who makes it out to see them play live!

Mercia Drift
“An absolute gem… Glorious synths and vocals full of melancholic optimism” – Sandman Magazine

“A convincing mix of stadium sized sounds, smart keyboards and jangling, strutting guitars” – Manchester Music

“A sonic cathedral of sound” – Vibrations Magazine

“Launching straight into a deafening attack of anthemic rock, with a mix of Killers synths, distorted vocals and Lee Knowles’ merciless shredding of his guitar it soon became clear why the venue was so uncharacteristically full so early on” – Sandman Magazine

Peter And The Wolf do a hometown summer show @ Korova on the 29th July.

Some words to describe PATW….

Whimsical folk twee popness with sweet and sour burnt sugar flavours.

“It’s the way they blend the fragility of folk with hearty pop riffs that so characterises the infectiously whimsical nature of their music.”
The Independent

“Bounding bluesy guitars and raw rhythm, but with delicious harmonies and a jazzy bass, this Liverpudlian trio come over like The White Stripes enjoying cocktail hour.”
NME

“…Peter And The Wolf are a scouse trio whose debut mini album has the same oak smoked classic sound that earned Gomez a Mercury Prize in 1998.”
Q Magazine

Support is from CAVALIER. and The Big I Am.

Doors 7.30pm, £5adv

Vagabond
Tuesday 11th August @ Moho Live, Manchester
Doors 7.30pm, £6adv – Over 14s

Support from Army Of Stars

Vagabond are a band we at Glasswerk picked up onto very quickly. Indie soul pop is how one could easily describe them. A more in-depth description is below. You may have seen them supporting the likes of James Morrison and Mcfly recently and this is their first under 18 headline visit to Manchester. So, you should probably go.

Debut Album ‘You Don’t Know The Half Of It’ out Summer 2009. New Single ‘Sweat (Until The Morning)’ out June 8th
Special Guests On James Morrison’s UK Spring Tour

Vagabond’s debut album ‘You Don’t Know The Half Of It’, out Summer 2009, is to be the first release on the newly launched Geffen Records. First single ‘Sweat (Until The Morning)’ is due on June 8th and the band joining James Morrison on a spring and summer UK tour, with their own headline dates in between.

Vagabond — Alex Vargas (vocals, guitar) Stephen Carter (guitar), Luke Fitton (guitar), Sam Odiwe (bass) and Karl Penney (drums) are young, top-down, sun-streaked, blue-eyed soul. In Alex Vargas they have a bold and ardent front-man, a cross between Michael Hutchence and Bryan Ferry, with a voice that holds a secret plan for world domination.

The 11 tracks off ‘You Don’t Know The Half Of It’ flit seamlessly between earthy, soulful pop and synth-tinged rock. The title, taken from a lyric in album track ‘Smile Of Mona Lisa’, is a reminder not to judge Vagabond too quickly. “You can’t listen to one or two tracks off our album and think you know what Vagabond is all about”, explains Alex Vargas. “You’ve got to hear the whole package”. Debut single ‘Sweat (Until the Morning)’ finds the quintet in laid-back, seductive mode while the band’s heavier, more explosive tendencies are revealed on tracks like ‘Ladelle’ and ‘I’ve Been Wanting You’. Vargas cites the gospel-tinged ‘Don’t Wanna Run No More’ as being particularly meaningful. “It’s about giving up the chase and realizing there was no point in trying anymore”, Vargas says. “Writing that track was quite therapeutic–to get it out was a huge weight off my shoulders”.

www.myspace.com/vagabond

“A rare-airwaves friendly sound, expect to hear more from these guys in 2009″
Joe Shooman – Daily Star

“Very brilliant indeed and could end up being the sound of independent radio until the end of time itself”.
Peter Robinson – Popjustice

“In Alex Vargas they've got a front-man who just happens to have one of the most impressive white soul voices since Mick Hucknall, Steve Winwood and Robert Palmer”.
Paul Lester – The Guardian Online

THE LAST CHANCE TO DANCE
Saturday 11th July, 7.30pm- 1am, £5adv
Address: 93 Feet East, 150 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL
Phone: 0207 247 3293
www.93feeteast.com

SATURDAY 11th JULY
Live: LAUREL COLLECTIVE, BRENT FLOOD (SINGLE LAUNCH), 4 OR 5 MAGICIANS, SWANTON BOMBS, GEOMETRICS & THE FINS
DJs: JOE LEAN AND THE JING JANG JONG, BLONDE AMBITION, SMALL COLUMN BIG BALLS, NIKOLAS ESSELE (MINISTRY OF SOUND), NOT ENUFF DJS, MASHED GETS SMASHED, DJ DU JOUR

www.ticketweb.co.uk/ 08700 600100

LAUREL COLLECTIVE
The Laurel Collective are a London based collision of sound and vocals who released their techni-colored debut e.p on Domino offshoot Double Six Records last year.
Feel good Hits of a Nuclear Winter was an 8 track mini-album of epic mutant-pop anthems that eschewed all of the genres clichés, being neither twee nor laden with jangly guitars, its rousing songs burst with passion and fizzing, frazzled synths.
Following last summers appearances at Glasto, V, Isle of White and a schlew of ’09 London dates, tour duties continue with Micachu and the Shapes this April. The Fax of Death e.p receives an extremely limited release on 8/6, seeing the band dive headlong into a mash up of different sounds, from the tropical melancholy of Fax of Death (John Kennedy “Hot One” & “Big One” on Xfm) to the robo-math rock jitter of No Pirates Left, held together by vocal duet Martin Sakutu and Bob Tollast.
The e.p has the same penchant for big tunes that won them the support of Huw Stephens and Steve Lamacq plus sees new fans Gideon Coe and Tom Robinson (6 Music) with a much more stripped down sound, produced and mixed by the band themselves in their East London warehouse/ studio space, The Briggs.
It is the work of a band coming into their stride and defining their own sound as electro, hip-hop and DFA style beats collide into exciting pop hooks whilst tracks switch tack with A.D.D abandon over four tracks.
The e.p will be available as a piece of customized artwork directed by the band themselves, and includes a ticket to their soon to be legendary D.I.Y secret forest festival In The Woods. The limited format will be painted by the band and nipple mounted on a piece of painted vinyl, so removing the c.d temporarily defaces the artwork, which is unified in the same picture. It’s an idea inspired by Acid Mothers Temples blurring of art/ release with their much sought after Magical Powers from Mars E.Ps and in this case the release is like a souvenir of the gig.

Set to be one of the hottest (pray for sun) parties of the year, In The Woods will have a pretty special line up and is currently being curated by the Laurels. Already confirmed are Jeffery Lewis, Micachu and The Shapes, Alessi plus advocate of the TLC, John Kennedy from Xfm will be the Master of Ceremonies.
Add to this Hindenburg Mile High Club, the Laurels monthly residency at the Wilmington Arms in Farringdon and you’ve got a summer of fun and frolics.
Following an airwave tearing spin by B.B.C 6..s Tom Robinson (we are glad to say said airwave has since been repaired by some very posh boffins from the b.b.c radiophonic workshop) Fax of Death from the fourthcoming e.p of the same name was dropped by Gideon Coe on his show next to Micachu and White Denim. Thanks guys!
Bad news for the boffins that have to fix that battered airwave, good news for Laurels.
This is all following on from great radio support for our D.I.Y effort from Jon Kennedy and Jon Hillcock at XFM, who have sent Fax over radio like a runaway train slamming right in your ears, or just a good song on the radio.
Look out for next months Laurels feature in Clash magazine where me (bob) and Al (bass/bass synth/some bass frequencies in his voice) lay into a whole bunch of singles and make a shit load of enemies in the singles review section.
www.myspace.com/thelaurelcollective

THE BRENT FLOOD
“When you hear an unsigned band and by the middle of the song forget they’re unsigned you know it’s good. London-based foursome The Brent Flood is that band. Lyrically intelligent and musically brilliant, every track on their third self-published offering, The Autumn 2007 EP could be in the charts today” – Music-News.com
Somewhere in deepest, darkest Tooting this Anglo-Irish quartet is gathering momentum, living under one roof and sharing musical ideas in the basement like germs… After reaching the finals of the Nationwide O2 battle of the bands in late 2006 The Brent Flood appeared on Playmusic Magazine's cover-mount CD of the best UK unsigned music, were listed in Music-news.com’s Top 10 Unsigned Bands of 2007 and were victorious at the 2008 Indy Awards in the category of Best Indie.
“A brilliant example of engaging British song writing…Bursting with delicious melodies to chew over” – Playmusic Magazine
“This is not retro, this is something new, and this band could only exist now. Or maybe in the future.” – Bandman.co.uk
www.thebrentflood.co.uk
www.myspace.com/thebrentflood

4 OR 5 MAGICIANS
4 or 5 Magicians are a four or five piece alternative rock outfit from Brighton, UK. They take most obvious influence from the golden era of American indie rock … Guided by Voices, REM, Nirvana, The Replacements, Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr, Pavement, The Pixies, Built to Spill, and early Weezer and Everclear, but could write a list as long as your arm of bands who have influenced them, and even then, you’d have to have a pretty long arm, and a pretty fine nib on your ballpoint.
The band have released two singles to date, 'Forever On The Edge' and double a-side 'Change The Record / Ideal Man', both have which were awarded single of the week status by Steve Lamacq, as well as picking up a stack of glowing reviews in all areas of the press, not least the NME who featured the band as one of their tips for 2009, and have since labelled the songwriting of frontman Dan Ormsby as “simply magnificent”.
Dan (Vocals, Guitar) is joined live by Sam Clarke (Guitar), Ivan Berry (Bass), and Alex Wilkinson (Drums). Following a run of select London shows and festival appearances during the summer, the band will take their blistering and unpredictable live show on a mammoth tour of the UK incorporating all four countries, in October, through November, into December.
Eagerly awaited debut LP 'Empty, Derivative Pop Songs' will be released October 12th on Smalltown America Records, preceded by a free download single 'Nice Little Earner' on October 5th.”
PRESS :
“Brighton five-piece 4 or 5 Magicians are more exciting than the prospect of Paul Daniels actually fulfilling his long-running promise to leave the country under a Labour regime. With lyrics so slick they make Alex Turner sound like a spluttering old colonel struggling with a cream bun and equal parts lo-fi bedroom fuzz and glorious art-pop melody (think Supergrass meets Shellac) we're struggling to think of one solitary loser who won't like this band. They're going to be the new Manic Street Preachers, but with less tights and guy-liner” NME – Tip For 2009, Jan 7th 2009.
“The songs mainman Dan Ormsby comes up with are quite simply magnificent … [Empty, Derivative Pop Songs] is massive!” – Jaimie Hodgson, NME New Music Editor.
“Such great song construction!” STEVE LAMACQ on 6music single of the week 'Change The Record'.
“I really like the juxtaposition of the sort of dismissiveness and confidence rubbing-up against each other…a clattering pop-noise that weaves the singer along” – STEVE LAMACQ, on Radio 1 single of the week 'Forever On The Edge'.
“the sort of lo-fi attack jam that Kurt Cobain would have creamed over” – ROCKSOUND live review.
“very nearly stirring enough to make you put some pants on and run down to Capital FM with a big gun. Marvellously cynical alt.rock grubbiness. More please!” – THE FLY on 'Change The Record'.
“A contender for the best lyric of the year … Lo-fi indie rock at its best” – 8/10 – DROWNEDINSOUND.COM on 'Forever On The Edge'.
“more than a bit special” – PLAYMUSIC Magazine – unsigned indie/rock band of the year, 2008.
“At last a believeable British retort to the drawling rambles of Stephen Malkmus. Think Hefner's Darren Hayman fronting Guided By Voices. Ace.” – MUSIC WEEK.
“Really, really exciting” + “SOOOO SOOOO GOOD!” + other such enthusings – HUW STEPHENS, Radio 1.
www.myspace.com/4or5magicians

GEOMETRICS
Formerly known as The Art Of Opposition, Geometrics have had a lot of Air play on shows such as Steve Lamacq & Huw Stephen's “BBC6” & “In New Music We Trust” Shows, John Kennedy's XFM show, & Virgin Radio France. Over the last few months the band have played a heap full of shows up and down the country with acts such as Kate Nash , Bombay Bicycle Club , The Paddingtons , The Metros , Pete & The Pirates , Little Man Tate
www.myspace.com/geometricsband

SWANTON BOMBS
Swanton Bombs are a two piece rock outfit from the East London/Essex borderline.
Brendan Heaney (drums) and Dominic McGuinness (guitar and vocals) have been playing together since meeting in their first year of secondary school in 2000 but only formed Swanton Bombs in early 2008.
For anyone who has witnessed one of the duo’s early live shows – all taut, thunderous drumming and jackhammer riffs – their debut, the ‘Mammoth Skull’ EP comes as something of an unexpected surprise as Swanton Bombs deliver the curve ball of four tracks of near pop perfection.
Throughout, the songs are brimming with ideas and unexpected twists and turns. Both Shock and Turnstile are heady rushes of literate piano and guitar driven punk and pop, steeped in wide eyed melodies. This contrasts with the woozy, surrealism of Moth and Moon Song and EP closer, Vanishing Point: a rousing mini-epic steeped in four in the morning, swaying romanticism.
What with your favourite London-by-way-of-Essex Britpop band reforming and playing not one but two dates in Hyde Park, it's perfect timing to discover some more quintessentially London love from a indie native outfit. Swanton Bombs could be just what you're looking for. and are doing a very nice job at ticking all your catchy boxes without crossing the line into twee. You can definitely hear a bit of conversational Albarn in there with a noughties twist, the Bombs sharing the young Brit sound of the Friendly Fires without the synths and dance sensibility.
From the Never Judge A Book By Its Cover Department, we present Swanton Bombs. Though named after one of wrestler Jeff Hardy's dangerous moves, this band couldn't really look or sound any less pugilistic. Skinny and befringed, and with brittle and wordy songs like Sorrysayer and Shock, the Londoners are making a role for themselves as something like a British Vampire Weekend. Formed around the core duo of Dominic McGuinness and Brendan Heaney, their early shows apparently showcased a rowdier and more abstract version of themselves, which should serve them well as they venture out with the heavier Threatmantics and Video Nasties. In their current incarnation, they already have an album-length release, Smoke Over Swanton, doing the rounds among the curious. The current Mammoth Skull EP, meanwhile, marks their official debut. THE GUARDIAN
Anyways, songs like ‘Leave The Boy’ and ‘Sorrysayer’ certainly have an air of the raw garage-blues ethic that The White Stripes popularised in the earlier years of this decade. ‘Turnstile’ is more reminiscent of the harmonies and melodies of the new age Mystery Jets. Put it this way, this isn’t indie by numbers. And if you’re going to pick two bands to emulate then those two aren’t half bad. I imagine you’ll be hearing more about them on this blog in the future. In fact, let’s be hyperbolic, THEY ARE THE FUTURE ARTROCKER
www.myspace.com/swantonbombs