Glasswerk is proud to present Mega Ran AKA RANDOM. You can catch him live at Surya on the 10th September
RANDOM (a): Unpredictable, Following no particular pattern, deterministic…a system whose evolution cannot be predicted exactly. Random, aka Random Beats, aka Big Ran personifies what Hip-Hop should be: Spontaneous, fun, and true. Every album conveys a different theme, a different vibe and a different emotion. Welcome to The Random Experience, where You Are the Music.
Born Raheem Jarbo in Philadelphia to a southern mother and African father, Random’s songs are filled with all of the heartache, pain, triumph, tragedy and fun that come with everyday living. A Philadelphia native and Phoenix transplant, graduate of Penn State University and middle school instructor, Random speaks to the everyman, transcending race or class barriers.”I never want anyone to predict my next move,” he says.
You can, however, expect the unexpected from Random, hence the name. After teaching himself to make beats on the MTV Music Generator software for PlayStation, Random landed a job at a Philadelphia studio as a producer and engineer. During downtime, he would create his first demo tape. This led to Random signing with indie label RAHM Nation Recordings and releasing his debut album, The Call in 2006. Random made waves by going way left of his backpack roots when he released “Mega Ran” in 2007. It was an album completely comprised of sampled 8-bit beats from the hit video game series “Mega Man.”
This led to an unprecedented barrage of work from Ran. The album (and its follow up, Mega Ran 9) virtually exploded after video game corporation CAPCOM offered Random a special licensing agreement, and calling on Ran to perform at Comic-Con and other special events. In 2009, Random signed a deal with Japanese record label River City Records and released RANDOMONIUM, a collection of previously released material. In 2010, Random collaborated with critically acclaimed producer K-Murdock to release FOREVER FAMICOM, a conceptual album paying homage to the 8-Bit NES and 16-Bit Super NES video game consoles.
In 2011, less than a year after the success of FOREVER FAMICOM, Random teamed with AZ producer LOST PERCEPTION to create “Black Materia,” an immense album experience that chronicled the events and story of the classic video game Final Fantasy VII. This album went on to rank in the top 10 of its categories on Amazon and iTunes, beating out mainstream stars such as Kanye West and Lil Wayne. in November, he released the final piece of the Mega Ran trilogy, Mega Ran 10, with CDs and even a special blue vinyl. A month later, Ran released “The Memorandum,” a throwback hip-hop experience with AZ hip-hop artist Mr. Miranda.
A remixed and remastered version of the Black Materia album released Jan 31, 2012.
Today, Random is no longer a teacher by title, but still travels the world to entertain and educate through the gift of music. From the clubs and lounges to the packed comic and gaming conventions all over, Random’s music has managed game and movie soundtrack placements and press coverage in Playstation Magazine, Wired Magazine, The Phoenix New Times, URB Magazine, Game Developer, Nintendo Power, and more. Something old..something new…something Random.
Its 15 years since the release Of “The Beginning Stages Of…” and to celebrate this, Polyphonic Spree are performing it in its entirety on their Autumn UK Tour. See below for dates and ticket links on the left.
Glasswerk are proud to present the return of The Polyphonic Spree this autumn, as they play their generation defining debut album “The Beginning Stages Of…” in celebration of its release 15 years ago.
Complete with their full complement of band members, we are looking forward to seeing them squeeze all 22 members onto stages this September as they roll back the years with massive hit “Light And Day / Reach For The Sun” and other stunners off their debut release.
Yes, it’s true. The Polyphonic Spree began July 15, 2000 as one man’s desire to hear a sound he dreamt about; before most bands over the last decade, that are often compared in sound and vision to the Spree, were formed.
Yes, it’s true. The Polyphonic Spree have traversed the globe several times over, much to the dismay of those that thought the band would never leave its hometown of Dallas, TX. They have appeared at every major music festival and on every late night television program.
Yes, it’s true. The Polyphonic Spree has ranged in size from 13 to 27 members. It has never been about the size but about the sound. The band currently has 22 active members.
Yes, it’s true. The Polyphonic Spree have released four full length studio albums up to this point: ‘The Beginning Stages of…,’ ‘Together We’re Heavy,’ ‘The Fragile Army,’ and ‘Holidaydream.’
Yes, it’s true. Tim DeLaughter has scored the motion pictures “Thumbsucker” and “Visioneers.” He also wrote and performed the Emmy nominated theme song for the Showtime series “The United States of Tara.”
Yes, it’s true. The Polyphonic Spree took somewhat of a hiatus while Tim demoed new material and recorded Preteen Zenith’s “Rubble Guts & BB Eye.” Preteen Zenith is Tim along with Philip E. Karnats formerly of Tripping Daisy and Secret Machines. Tim also revamped his label Good Records Recording, which released new music from The Polyphonic Spree as well as other artists.
Yes, it’s true. The Polyphonic Spree had a VERY busy year in 2012. They recorded their Holiday album ‘Holidaydream: Sounds of the Holidays Vol One’ as well as ‘Yes, It’s True.’ They toured the USA by breaking it up into three phases of their “You+Me” tour which culminated with the audio and video recording of their New York City Webster Hall show which will be released this year. They played the historic opening of Klyde Warren Park in Dallas. They performed for the first time their rendition of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” in London on Halloween night; it was a resounding success. The band will perform it at select festivals in 2013. The band concluded the year by taking the 10th anniversary of their legendary xmas show on tour. The Polyphonic Spree Holiday Extravaganza played to ecstatic audiences in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, and Dallas. They will do the same in 2013 in between the 2 year touring cycle for ‘Yes, It’s True.’
The album ‘Yes, It’s True’ was produced by The Speekers (Tim DeLaughter and Julie Doyle), Eric Drew Feldman (PJ Harvey, Captain Beefheart), With additional production by Tim Palmer (Pearl Jam, U2), who also served as the mix engineer. Tim and Julie had previously worked with Eric Drew on Tripping Daisy’s ‘Jesus Hits Like The Atom Bomb’ and The Polyphonic Spree’s ‘Together We’re Heavy.’
Yes, it’s true. The Polyphonic Spree is releasing their brand new album August 6, 2013. It contains 11 songs ranging in scope from the upbeat album opener “You Don’t Know Me” to the powerful closer “Battlefield.” Musically and lyrically, ‘Yes, It’s True’ is Tim’s strongest work yet. Lyrical themes range from the heartfelt “You’re Golden”, the mantra refrain of “Raise Your Head”, the playful improvised “Heart Talk,” and the tent-pole of the album “Blurry Up The Lines,” which deals with breaking away from the norms and our inner most comfort zones.
Yes, it’s true. There is somewhat of a new and different sound on the album than in the past: embracing drum machine, and orchestral instruments breaking out more on their own rather than heavy winded sectionals so to speak; while all of the Spree’s instrumentation is present. The feel is different. “I always enjoy a date with my Linn drum machine. Once I set the mood and tone I go from there in terms of songwriting,” says DeLaughter. “It’s really not a coincidence since drums were my first instrument as a kid. My first set was made out of Baskin Robbins empty containers. Later on I was in a rock band in 9th grade and they kicked me off the drums; I was replaced by someone much better at drums. I was bummed but they said I could sing. That’s how it started.”
Glasswerk is proud to present hardcore 90’s pop punkers! Teenage Bottlerocket! Signed to Fat Wreck Records TNB have made quiet a splash in the 90’s punk scene over recent years presenting themselves as a fresh talented face to a sound almost 25 years old and still rocking! You can catch Teenage Bottlerocket on the 11th August at Ruby Lounge Manchester
You probably know this much already: Teenage Bottlerocket (or simply “TBR” to their fans) is currently one of the hottest bands in punk rock and their new record, They Came From The Shadows, is highly-anticipated. But before we go any further you should probably know that they’re from Wyoming.
Crazy, huh? Although more famous for its frontier forts and characters like Butch Cassidy, the “Front Range” (as it’s known to the locals) may very well be the unlikely home to the next great punk rock band. At least that’s what the kids are sayin’. But don’t take our word for it, even Alternative Press featured them as a “Band You Need To Know in 2009”… and they don’t even have those Jennifer Aniston haircuts!
Their beginnings are as humble as they come. Three friends (two of them being identical twin brothers) wanted to start a fresh, no-bullshit punk band that defied—if not openly mocked—the corny emo groups that were pervading malls, mainstream, and MySpace.
They took the spirit of Midwest bands like Alkaline Trio and Dillinger Four and added the earnest sensibilities of the Ramones. It made for such an undeniably likable combination that other bands were asking themselves, “Why didn’t we think of that?” Not long after their forming, they doubled their number of vocalists and were joined by Kody, a fellow Wyoman and frontman of the beloved Lillingtons. With a solidified four-piece lineup they did a bunch of touring and two studio full lengths with Chicago label, Red Scare Industries. At this point things were happening fast for the young punks from the Cowboy State, and after playing shows with bands like the Queers, NOFX, The Falcon, and Dead To Me, they were snatched up by Fat Wreck Chords. And that’s where Teenage Bottlerocket is today.
Oh, if you must know the truth, the band takes it’s name from an old spray-painted jalopy that used to cruise the streets of their hometown. Much of the time spent in those early days revolved around goofing off and carefree skateboarding, and that fun spirit is still reflected in their music today. It’s only fitting then that the first song on their breakout record would be the hilarious and punchy “Skate or Die”; a snappy tune that gleefully references the Bones Brigade and JFA. This and the other songs that make up
They Came From The Shadows are classic Bottlerocket, with an emphasis on fun times and hooky melodies. To further insure the album’s potential, this sucker was produced at Blasting Room Studios (Rise Against, Descendents, Lemonheads, etc), so you know it sounds huge and rockin’.
What will surely follow the release of their Fat Wreck debut is a bevy of touring. They’ve been to Europe multiple times, so you know they’ll be back in short order; and already booked is their first tour of Japan. Also lined up is a 2-month tour of North America this Fall with Reno’s Cobra Skulls playing support. That massive odyssey will take them all over the land and have them playing shows with The Lawrence Arms and Dead Milkmen. When Teenage Bottlerocket mobilizes their band, they go all out and truly bring it. Such is their approach to songwriting, live shows, recording, and even partying on tour.
Few things are more exciting than a young band with a great new record on a new label. Their booming, seemingly-sudden popularity is reminiscent of bands like Against Me! and Gaslight Anthem, so who knows what to expect next from these upstarts. If their unhinged live show is any indication, it won’t be for lack of trying. So stay tuned and expect nothing but continued success from these punk rock bandits. They’re certain to make Wyoming proud.
Glasswerk is proud to present pop rockers Hollywood Ending in Manchester this August, with the extra date added due to incredible popular demand. After an impressive career with sold-out shows across the US and Canada as well as being involved in season 4’s “Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing Competition” The boys are headed out across the UK on their farewell tour.
See them in Manchester on the 12th August at Ruby Lounge
Tickets (including VIP tickets) available above.
Hollywood Ending is a four-piece band formed in summer 2011. The band consists of Tyler Wilson (vocals), Cameron Byrd (guitar & vocals), Dan Geraghty (guitar), and Chris Bourne (bass). Hailing from Maryland, New York, and the UK, these boys came together with a shared dream of becoming big in the music industry. They got their start on season 4 of Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing competition making it in 3rd place.
Since then, they have released two singles “You Got Me” and “I’m So Over You” which have been a success with fans and can be heard on Radio Disney. They have appeared on three tours since the formation of the band, opening for artists like Action Item, Honor Society, and Allstar Weekend, playing many sold-out shows across the entire United States and Canada.
Glasswerk are proud to present two dates with BGT stars Bars And Melody this summer in Leeds and Liverpool. Leeds is all ages and Liverpool over 14s only. Click on the left for ticket options or go to the bands website here for VIP tickets.
Dates are: Tuesday 28 July – Leeds Wardrobe Wednesday 29 July – Liverpool Arts Club
Bars and Melody, Leondre Devries (14) and Charlie Lenehan (16), are 2 musicians from the UK that infuse hip hop , RnB and pop. The band shot to fame in 2014 when they appeared on TV show ‘Britains Got Talent’ and Simon Cowell pressed his golden buzzer for them. That video on Youtube has now had over 64 Million views
As soon as the TV show finished Bars and Melody signed a 1 single deal with SYCO records and released track ‘Hopeful’ which entered the Official UK charts at number 5. This video now has over 25 million views on Youtube. See latest single ‘Keep Smiling’ below
Since the release of Hopeful Charlie and Leondre haven’t had time to stop for a moment. They have played numerous sold out gigs in the UK, flown to America to appear on the ‘Ellen show’ and even spent two weeks in Australia as ambassadors for the Princess Diana anti bullying trust.
Since the start of 2015 the guys have been busy putting the finishing touches to their debut album which they will release later in 2015 worldwide. March and April saw the band perform on a SOLD OUT headline tour in the UK. They are also played at the We Day event in Wembley and Seattle in the US. This summer sees BAM preparing for the release of their debut album, whilst playing a handful of intimate shows around the UK
For Bars and Melody this is just the beginning and who knows where it can end…
Glasswerk is proud to present two of the best guitarists to ever grace the strings of an instrument. Jon Gomm & Antoine Dufour will be sharing the same stage in September, set to engage in one of the most impressive stringed spectacles a technical-guitar enthusiast will ever see. You can see this dexterous performance on:
(Click on date for tickets – both shows are very nearly sold out)
Jon Gomm, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in the UK, is an acoustic singer-songwriter with a revolutionary virtuoso guitar style, where he uses one acoustic guitar to create drum sounds, basslines and twisting melodies all at the same time. The emphasis is still on the soulful vocals and songwriting, and his original material is influenced by everything from Robert Johnson to Radiohead.
His live shows combine deeply personal performances and a natural wit, with a once seen, never forgotten two-handed guitar style, both physical and complex, producing sounds people can barely believe are coming from a humble acoustic guitar.
Jon first laid his hands on a guitar at the age of two (actually it was a ukulele – his parents couldn’t find a guitar small enough). He wrote his first song at the age of six, and was soon accompanying his father, a music critic, to gigs in his hometown of Blackpool. Touring musicians would often stay at the Gomm household on the understanding Jon would get a guitar lesson, meaning he had one-to-one instruction from such blues legends as BB King and Jack Bruce of Cream.
Thirty-four year old Montreal, Canada based guitarist Antoine Dufour is known colloquially among the best guitar players in the world as a musician’s musician. To fans of popular music, he deftly combines jaw-dropping guitar playing skills and an artistic soul in crafting instrumental compositions that reflect ambient and progressive music that transcends global cultures and languages. That he does this in an incredibly visual and entertaining style has endeared him to a broad spectrum of fans of popular music.
Via his six albums of original material released to critical acclaim, two live performance DVDs, six years of global touring and more than 50 million cumulative views on YouTube, Antoine Dufour has emerged as a young star of fingerstyle acoustic guitar, building a worldwide reputation for innovation and creativity. 2014 will showcase his abilities as he tours global markets including Canada, Germany, USA, China, UK, France Netherlands, and many others. He has recorded a new album of material that is slated for a fall 2014 release.
Antoine’s records of accomplishment include winning First place at the Canadian Fingerstyle Guitar Championships, Third place at the ultra-prestigious international guitar championships at Winfield, recording for the leading Instrumental music record label Candyrat, plus touring and playing with luminary guitar players such as Andy McKee and Don Ross.
Legendary punk upstarts Strung Out are playing a handful of headline dates in the UK this summer, and Manchester is one of the lucky places they are passing through. 20 years and 7 albums later, the band are still living the dream.
Strung Out / Versus The World / Fair Do’s Tuesday 7th July at Ruby Lounge Manchester
Strung Out’s latest album, Agents Of The Underground, is not only their 7th full length, but it also marks the band’s 20th anniversary and is a true testament to their relevance and longevity. Think about it: two decades. Two decades in the underground with thousands of live shows, tours on five (5!) different continents, over a million records sold… and they’ve managed to do it all while on an independent record label. More striking than their massive sales, which is a notable for any artist in this day and age, but the fact that the band that has never had help from “the industry”. They may not have household name status, but they do have a colossal worldwide following and a loyal fan base that has been with them since the very start. Such is Strung Out’s true legacy: devotion to the music, devotion to the band, and devotion to the fans.
Internationally renowned superstar poet and author, all the way from Canada, we are very proud to present Mr Shane Koyczan on the 23rd June at Jazz Cafe Camden, London. Last few remaining tickets are disappearing fast, so get a wriggle on and get yours before you miss out. Its a guaranteed sellout.
Shane Koyzcan June 23rd at Jazz Cafe London
You may recall he wrote this amazing video against bullying..
“It’s sad to think that we live in a world where so many are careless with their words, or still do not realize that the things they say have weight. Hiding behind invented identities doesn’t free anyone to behave inhumanly… any more than wearing a mask grants someone the right to impose physical abuse on another. I’ve received thousands of letters asking me to address this issue, and have been very reluctant to speak up because I didn’t want to draw the attention to myself. I then remembered being in school, and the pattern of silence that gave others quiet permission to continue torturing myself and others. We live in a society that asks us to keep quiet… to allow the world to spin unimpeded. Our silence is a commercial for a peace that will never be achieved unless we do speak up… unless we stand in the way of fear and hate showing others that there is a path that leads away from tyranny. We choose who we allow into our lives… we can choose who to evict.”
“An adventurer in sound” **** Mojo “Spellbinding Irish singer runs her own race on dreamy fifth” Q “That an artist such as this still only has an underground following is utterly astonishing” Record Collector
Following the release of her acclaimed new album Bones + Longing, Irish singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes has confirmed a UK & Ireland tour. Gemma’s new single Palomino will be released on 20th April, with a special limited edition 7 inch released for Record Store Day on 18th April. Gemma also contributes vocals to the upcoming single from Above & Beyond, Counting Down The Days.
So far in 2015 Gemma has been busy in Europe, where Bones + Longing has just been released, including TV and radio sessions in Paris and Berlin. This video clip of her and Joe Chester performing a version of Chris Izaak’s Wicked Game, previously a radio hit for Gemma in France, was filmed in the Chapel at the Centre Culture Irlandais especially the French fashion website MadMoizelle.com – http://www.madmoizelle.com/gemma-hayes-wicked-game-acoustique-329677
Bones + Longing is out now “An album that’s bound to form an intimate bond with its audience” 4/5 The Arts Desk “An album of depth and texture, it repays time and attention; many will want to inhabit its hushed privacy” 8/10 Drowned In Sound
Gemma Hayes, UK & Eire Headline Tour: May 14 The Globe, Cardiff May 16 Leaf Café, Liverpool May 17 Gorilla, Manchester May 19 The Louisiana, Bristol June 12 Electric Circus, Edinburgh June 13 Óran Mór, Glasgow June 27 Whelans, Dublin June 28 Killarney Festival July 10 Pound Arts Centre, Corsham.
Glasswerk presents Keston cobblers Club on the 14th October at Leaf Liverpool.
On June 15th one of the UK’s best kept secrets, the brilliant pop-folk 5-piece Keston Cobblers Club release their anticipated new album – ‘Wildfire’, out on Tricolour Records /Absolute via Universal and they’ll be hitting the road shortly after with a date in Liverpool at Leaf on Bold Street.
Triggered by teenage obsessions with British power pop and Glaswegian indie dreamers, the stunning 12-track collection is a sonic journey of sounds, building on the band’s bedrock of urgent anthems, thumped drums, sweet strums and tuba, as seen on 2012’s debut album ‘One, For Words.’ Developing their sound, the band have fused their folk based roots with 90s synth hooks, huge orchestral waves and choral arrangements which they describe as “a blanket of voices.”
“We wouldn’t call it a huge change in direction,” says lead female Julia. “More an evolution. There’s a signature Cobbler’s recipe that we’ll always follow. That’s strong vocal harmonies, powerful drums, and hooky melodies and these are all still here. But the instrumentation has grown, that’s the biggest difference. Anyone that already knows our music will still be able to hear that Cobblers sound.”
Over the last few years, Keston Cobblers Club have been steadily building a name for themselves and winning over an army of loyal fans. Since forming in 2009, they’ve played some of the UK’s biggest festivals, sold out their own headline tours, and been invited to perform live on BBC Radio by the likes of Dermot O’Leary, Steve Lamacq and Bob Harris. They’ve provided the music for advertising campaigns for Burberry and Mornflake, created all the music for stand-up Ross Noble’s ‘Sit Down Tour’ film, and can often be heard on TV shows from ‘Hairy Bikers’ to ‘Countryfile’. Comedian and Radio 4 presenter Arthur Smith even incorporated a Cobblers’ song into his Edinburgh Fringe show.
Beyond this they’re already booked to play numerous major summer festivals, there’s two more singles already chosen, and then they’re off on their full UK headline tour for the Autumn.
So make you you catch them!
14th October at Leaf Liverpool Doors 7.30pm, £10adv
Hardcore band Polar are heading to the Arts Club Liverpool on the 27th April as part of their UK tour.
After forming in 2009 this heavy band have been making a name for themselves not just in the UK but out of it as well. Having recently supported Silverstein and Bury Tomorrow this Surrey band are now heading out on their own UK tour.
This band promises to bring a show that will have the entire audience head banging and moshing to their pumped up performance so make sure you don’t miss out.
Monday 27th of April 2015 Arts Club, Liverpool
With support from: Blood Youth Hold My Desire The Day Will Come
Chastity Brown will be bringing a taste of American Soul to London on the 13th July at 100 Club.
Having made four albums between 2009 and 2012, Chastity Brown is currently working on her fifth album that will be released this year and will be touring around the UK in July.
Hailing all the way from Tennessee she has been praised on a number of occasions with No Depression describing her sound as “Classy Country-Soul with a hefty dash of the Blues to send a shiver down your spine.”
If this sounds like your kinda of scene, you will not want to miss out!
Glasswerk is proud to present ex Blutones frontman Mark Morriss as he performs solo hits with his full band! You can catch him with band on the 17th April at Arts Club Liverpool and solo on 24th April at Surya.
“You are the scream of a jet/ You are a whispered amen/It’s not a question of if anymore/It’s a question of when…” ‘It’s Hard To Be Good All the Time”
Can it really be twenty years since Mark Morriss first shimmied into our lives as singer with The Bluetones?
Apparently so. But thirteen hit singles, three Top Ten albums and a collaboration with a national treasure later -more of which shortly- – his ability to sieve poetry from the colander of every day life remains unique. “I always try to add little things that most songs wouldn’t use,” he says of the lyrics on his remarkable first solo album ‘proper’, A Flash Of Darkness. “If I can squeeze a mention of Bergerac into a song (as he does in surefire smash ‘Consuela’) then I’m happy.”
While it might not take Jersey’s finest to track down a copy, it’s fair to say that the release of Mark’s folk-infused solo debut, Memory Muscle, in 2008 was low key, despite string arrangements from the legendary composer David Arnold. However, it wasn’t until The Bluetones split up in October 2011 that he thought seriously about his next move. “To be honest I didn’t know what I was going to do,” he says with typical candour. “So I threw a lot of irons into the fire.”
While one of these resulted in him writing the music for David Walliams’ audio books (“great fun”), he was still writing songs. Only this time, with a view to other people singing them. “It really freed me up. But the songs I came up with were so personal I realized they might be difficult for anyone else to sing them.”
Rather than let the songs, as he puts it, ‘end up on the shelf’, Mark headed to ‘a shed in Surrey’ with long term Bluetones collaborator Gordon Mills. As the sessions progressed, so the pent-up frustrations of the past few years poured out. “Personally I went through quite a difficult time, and is often the way, that was translated into the songs.”
If there’s a confessional, cathartic edge to A Flash Of Darkness, it also comes with tunes of tungsten-strength. ‘Guilty Again’ is a conscious nod to ‘70’s soft-rock icon Andrew Gold, while ‘This Is The Lie’ splices a jaunty sea shanty against some brutal self-analysis.
Throw in a pair choice covers – a dreamy take on The Shins’ Pink Bullets’, an acoustic overhaul for Kavinsky’s electro noir ‘Nightcall’, best known from the ‘Drive’ soundtrack- and you’ve got an album which proves that a dark night of the soul often brings artistic illumination. “The album title refers to that moment when you’ve just turned off the light and everything remains semi-lit for a split second,” says Mark, referring back to his lowest point. “It’s a revelation of a bad thing, rather than a good thing.” Whisper it, but Mark Morriss’ light bulb moment might just have resulted in his best album yet.
Glasswerk are proud to present Arcane Roots. They are returning for a mammoth, month long UK headline tour in April/May 2015, and are including Liverpool on the run, playing the Arts Club on 5th May. Get tickets below.
– Live at Leeds, 2000 Trees and Takedown Festivals confirmed/announced, more live festival announcements soon
– European headline dates and festivals with MUSE through June (full list of dates to come soon), straight after UK shows
– Band have just returned from a European tour with Enter Shikari
– Supports for the UK tour will be split up between Black Peaks, Solum Sun and Gallery Circus
Arcane Roots can now announce a month long UK headline tour between April 24th and May 23rd. Including Liverpool Art’s Club on the 5th May. Tickets will be available from the 20th February
A bit about Arcane Roots: The band have spent the last 2 years touring their hugely acclaimed debut album ‘Blood & Chemistry‘, playing festivals like Reading/Leeds, Download, Sonisphere, Pukkelpop, BBK, Hit The Deck, Hevy, The Great Escape, and tours with Biffy Clyro, MUSE, Coheed and Cambria, Awol Nation, Bad Religion, on top of sell out UK and European headline tours. The band are currently on tour across Europe with Enter Shikari (as main support), and will be next playing Takedown Festival in the UK on March 7th and then after these dates, at 2000 Trees on July 9th. Look out for more Arcane Roots festival announcements in the coming weeks.
Glasswerk are proud to present the eccentric ska band Jaya The Cat. The Amsterdam based band enthralled the audience of Manchester with Mad Caddies on the 24th November 2013 and are back for more. You can catch them on the 19th May at Ruby Lounge, Manchester
Jaya The Cat spent the better part of 2011/2012 writing and recording in hotel rooms and backstages across Europe, to release a record that’s quite arguably their best effort to date. Staying true to their sound, Jaya The Cat play an original blend of reggae, ska and punk rock –dosed with dub and dance hall beats, all blending into a musical soundtrack to support tales filled with drunken sunrises, narrow escapes, dysfunctional love affairs, political disillusionment and optimisticallyraised glasses, through seedy bars, carnival parades and late night dives.
With instant classics like “Here Come The Drums”, “Unconditional Love” and “Fake Carreras” giving hardcore Jaya The Cat fans the energy and catchy hooks they’ve come to expect, tracks like “Bos en Lommerweg” and “Thank You” show a more mature and almost pop approach. For “Put A Boombox On My Grave”, Jaya The Cat enlisted the talents of Jonny “Itch”Fox from the now disbanded UK band The King Blues to lay down guest vocals.
The calypso-reggae influenced track “Late Night Sonic Insurrection” features upcoming Ska-Reggae Soul talent Adam Parsons of Captain Accident and The Disasters. Horn sections were performed by members of Dutch Jazz band The New Cool Collective.
Originating from Boston and currently based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Jaya The Cat not only continue to grow sonically but have also been hard at work building their reputation as one of the premiere bands on the European live circuit, playing hundreds of concerts to an ever expanding audience and turning every one into an unforgettable onstage party with the crowd singing, dancing and drinking right along with the band. Although they prefer to play their own headlining shows, Jaya The Cat have shared stages with a number of their peers such as Sublime, Beatsteaks and Less Than Jake – and have also had the pleasure of appearing at numerous festivals such as The VANS Warped Tour, Lowlands, Rebellion, Pukkelpop, Ruhrpott Rodeo and the Spirit Festival.
Jaya The Cat ?s new album THE NEW INTERNATIONAL SOUND OF HEDONISM continues where their previous album MORE LATE NIGHT TRANSMISSIONS left off – giving old and new fans alike a new chapter to listen to, dance to and to fall in love with.
Glasswerk is proud to present Stephen Langstaff. If you were hoping to catch the incredible Liverpool born singer-songwriter on the 28th March, you may be out of luck! the combined effort with peers Luke Cusato and Robbie Cavanagh may leave little breathing space in Leaf Cafe next Saturday!
Liverpool born singer-songwriter Stephen Langstaff has a truly unique voice. Soulful and raw, he delivers music that is somehow intimate and full of undeniable hooks. He has travelled the UK honing his craft, building his fan base and enjoyed support from BBC Introducing and Radio 2. He’s recently recorded with Nashville legend Blue Miller (India.Arie/Bob Seger).
Glasswerk is proud to present Cast’s very own John Power as he embarks on a rarely seen acoustic tour. John will be taking a break from Cast and the LA’s to acoustically perform tracks from his solo career and if we are lucky maybe a few classics! You can catch John on the 24th July at Ruby Lounge Manchester, tickets are available in the link above!
Following Cast front-man John Power’s critically acclaimed stage debut in ‘Lennon’ the story of John Lennon’s life during Summer 2013, Power will be taking to the road again in July with just his acoustic to play a series of intimate venue’s in parts of the country that Cast rarely reach.
Glasswerk is proud to present the beautiful singer-song writer Kristyna Myles. Born and discovered in Manchester, Kristyna has went on to sign and then part with a major record label as motivation to release her own crowed funded album ‘Paint A Brighter Day‘ to which she will be touring to support it’s launch in March!
You can catch Krystina live as part of the album launch on the 26th March at Surya, London
“In short, she is a must see talent” METRO “Soulful and distinctive” M.E.N Newspaper MOBO award nominee Kristyna Myles is no stranger to the big stage and a songstress whose currency is rapidly increasing, thanks to the success of her debut album release ‘Pinch Me Quick’ (2014), recorded with Grammy award winning producer Ken Nelson (Coldplay, Paolo Nutini).
Discovered playing the streets of Manchester, Kristyna went on to win BBC Radio 5 Live’s Busker of the Year competition which opened exciting doors into the music industry. Myles’ self-penned song ‘My Lord’ was featured on Universal compilation album ‘Songbird 2008’ alongside artists such as Amy Winehouse and Eva Cassidy, was nominated for a MOBO award as part of Gospel Group ‘DTWG’ (2009), recorded duet ‘Raging Storm’ with Chris De Burgh, toured across Europe and performed in the States at SXSW. Artists she has opened for include Will Young, Lisa Stansfield, The Wanted, Mick Hucknall and Nile Rogers and Chic.
Kristyna Myles is a supporter of charity Tearfund who are passionate about putting an end to poverty and wrote the ‘IFsong’ as part of the ‘Enough Food If’ Campaign encouraging people to come together for this cause. The Manchester based singer/songwriter is keen to raise awareness of incredible charities through her music and embarked on a busking tour around the UK for the homeless charity Centrepoint who she is an ambassador for.
Despite being signed to a major record company in 2010 and having completed the first of a five album deal, just one single release in three years saw exhilaration turn to exasperation, providing the motivation for Kristyna to take back control of her career and copyrights, parting company with management and label. It was a brave move that has since been vindicated by sales and praise for ‘The Paris Match’, co-produced by legendary Style Council drummer Steve White and Mercury Prize nominated producer Andy Ross and described by modfather Paul Weller as “absolutely stunning”. The single outsold its predecessor on the mighty Decca, emerging as one of the highest independent entries of 2013 and introducing Kristyna to new audiences and supporters.
As an independent artist and young business woman, Myles joined forces with her supporters and PledgeMusic to fund her new album, the campaign launched in September 2014 and was a great success. ‘Paint A Brighter Day’ is the title of Myles’ new album featuring self penned songs about life-lessons with the aim of inspiring and painting the listeners day brighter. The soulful singer/songwriter has appeared on BBC 1 Songs Of Praise performing ‘Heaven Knows’ written together with Jess Cook which will be featured on her forthcoming album. BBC Radio 2 The Sunday Hour gave ‘Heaven Knows’ it’s first play and most recently Kristyna Myles has been honoured with a MOBO Award Nomination for Best Gospel Act 2014.
Endorsed by Yamaha Music (UK) “Kristyna (Myles) isn’t interested in being seen as the next ‘cool’ thing, instead, she’s intent on producing soulful, thoughtful and powerful music that simply satisfies” Chris Long, BBC.
Glasswerk is proud to take you on a journey following the life and legend of Arthur Brown as through his words he’ll be narrating and documenting his extraordinary life on stage to seated live audiences around the Uk
An Evening With Arthur Brown The Original Originator Orates His Fascinating Life Story
Taking a break from live shows with ‘The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’,the amazingly operatic progressive artiste extraordinaire Arthur Brown will be touring ‘An Evening With’ style show to seated audiences telling his life story in March 2015. The God Of Hellfire will tell such stories as how his band torched the French Mafia’s club in Spain, and what happened when Hendrix’s girlfriend came home after a night with the God of Hellfire – among a plethora of other amazing tales, from a career spanning 45 years,from his 1968 Number 1 hit single ‘Fire’ and headlining the first Glastonbury in 1971;through being covered the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, The Who and The Prodigy and cited as a major influence on Peter Gabriel, Bruce Dickenson and Alice Cooper; to being awarded ‘Showman of the Year’ by Classic Rock magazine and his latest album release ‘Zim Zam Zim’.
This is a piece of performance theatre- a form of which Arthur Brown was one of the pioneers. This is the first part of the multimedia presentation of his life, times and travels. The show includes solo acoustic material dance, shadow puppetry, projection and animation. On stage will be just his co –traveller Angel Fallon who is well known to the fans as his extravagant dancer and Arthur himself. She dances, wears costumes, sings and helps narrate the whole story–a story based on a hitch hiking journey undertaken by Arthur Brown at the beginning of his 17th year. In it he encounters, demons, the Goddess, shaven headed soldiers, military police, beatnicks, Boozing Bishops, and great musicians. It is a true story where events from the past and future are interwoven populated with figures from different realms.
Glasswerk is proud to present, astounding guitarist and vocalist Jon Gomm, as he embarks on a staggering twenty five date tour across the uk, you can catch him at the following the dates below:
Jon Gomm, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in the UK, is an acoustic singer-songwriter with a revolutionary virtuoso guitar style, where he uses one acoustic guitar to create drum sounds, basslines and twisting melodies all at the same time. The emphasis is still on the soulful vocals and songwriting, and his original material is influenced by everything from Robert Johnson to Radiohead.
His live shows combine deeply personal performances and a natural wit, with a once seen, never forgotten two-handed guitar style, both physical and complex, producing sounds people can barely believe are coming from a humble acoustic guitar.
Jon first laid his hands on a guitar at the age of two (actually it was a ukulele – his parents couldn’t find a guitar small enough). He wrote his first song at the age of six, and was soon accompanying his father, a music critic, to gigs in his hometown of Blackpool. Touring musicians would often stay at the Gomm household on the understanding Jon would get a guitar lesson, meaning he had one-to-one instruction from such blues legends as BB King and Jack Bruce of Cream.
Nowadays, Jon tours worldwide. In January 2012 his song Passionflower went viral online, with the video passing 6 million hits, resulting in national TV appearances in the UK, Portugal, Holland, Brazil and Turkey, and plaudits from new celebrity fans, such as:
“Wonderful to watch. Genius.” – Stephen Fry “I love your work and style so much. You are very special” – Jon Anderson (Yes) “Wonderful playing and singing” – David Crosby (Crosby, Stills and Nash) “Hands down the most amazing guitarist I have ever seen!” – Tommy Lee (Motley Crue) “There are very few musicians on the planet who can actually strike me speechless with the beauty and skill of their playing. Jon Gomm is one of those musicians.” – Randy Blythe, Lamb Of God “Making music can be a battle between trying to be a technical guitarist and trying to convey emotion. Unless you’re Jon Gomm. Then you can write the most complicated passages and have a heart-breaking melody as well.” – Andy McKee
Suddenly being catapulted from cult obscurity to mainstream acceptance has been a strange experience for someone so devoted to his craft, and Jon is an unlikely star and remains very much true to his roots in the acoustic circuit of the North of England.
Jon is a truly and fiercely independent artist, with his own label and no mainstream industry support, but using mostly online social networks for promotion, he has defied the odds with a huge, truly supportive fanbase resulting in headline tours on all 5 continents, from Australia, Canada and Europe to China and South Africa and South America. His debut CD Hypertension has sold over 50,000 copies at the time of writing, and his second CD Don’t Panic sold out within 3 days of appearing on Amazon. His videos are watched tens of thousands of times within minutes of appearing on Youtube.
Glasswerk is proud to present singer songwriter Judith Owen, Owen, famed for writing songs unflinchingly reflecting and recollecting events in her life will be touring the UK in March! Be sure to catch her on these dates:
That Judith Owen’s new album Ebb & Flow evokes the spirit of the halcyon days of the great 1970s troubadours is neither surprising nor is it accidental.
In a set of potent songs about love and loss, pain and joy, dreams and despair, the Welsh singer-songwriter fearlessly explores the duality of the human condition – and to do justice to the songs she turned to the legendary musicians who created the seventies troubadour sound.
Between them her core band of drummer Russ Kunkel, bassist Lee Sklar and guitarist Waddy Wachtel played on many of the landmark albums from the era, including Carole King’s Tapestry, James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James, Joni Mitchell’s Blue, Jackson Browne’s Running On Empty and countless others, and were recently featured in an article in Rolling Stone magazine celebrating their unsung contribution to musical history.
“The kind of music I write is so influenced by that sound and period that I wanted to go direct to the source,” Owen explains. “When I plucked up the courage to ask them to play on the record, I was amazed they said ‘yes’. But working with them was hand in glove because when I write songs, I’m hearing a sound in my head – and they knew the sound because they originated and defined it. In some ways, the record is almost a love letter to those guys and the classic sound they invented.“
The songs on Ebb & Flow touch on the deepest emotions of Owen’s own storied life with an unswerving honesty. But although her songs are highly personal, the emotions are universal. They can be dark; and yet they are also full of wonder, a celebration of the resourcefulness of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
“Singing about the human condition, living under the shadow of loss and frustration and sadness and loneliness and not being gratuitously sentimental about it, instead making something beautiful out of it – that’s the songwriter’s job,” Owen says.” People say I write sad songs and they’re definitely emotional revealing. But they’re also uplifting songs because out of human struggle comes catharsis. Sad music can be elevating, because it’s a direct route into your heart.“
What she describes as the “bookends” of the album are two particularly heart-rending songs, “You’re Not Here Any More“, about her mother (whose suicide when she was 15, was the catalyst for her foray into serious song-writing and “I Would Give Anything“, about the recent loss of the greatest musical influence, her Opera singer father. Both songs are poignant expressions of the bittersweet duality that is perhaps the album’s strongest theme and which is reflected in the title Ebb & Flow. “Yes, they’re incredibly sad,” admits Owen. “But they’re also cathartic because they’re the most loving songs I could write and are totally honest about the reality of loss.”
The theme of how to make it through the darkest night inform several other compositions on the album, including “Under Your Door“, “You Are Not My Friend” and “Train Out Of Hollywood“, intimate songs inspired by a compassionate recognition of other lost souls struggling with emotional insecurities and vulnerabilities, but always shot through with glimpses of hope and salvation.
There is a seductive wit and playfulness alongside the introspection, too. A trademark of Owen’s career has been her irreverent ability to subvert well-known songs with unexpected and improbable covers. Over the years she has turned-inside-out songs by the likes of Deep Purple and The Police to render them almost unrecognisable from the originals. Here it’s Mungo Jerry’s 1970 smash hit “In The Summertime” that gets the unique Owen makeover treatment, rendered as it might have sounded if the song had appeared on Joni Mitchell’s Ladies of The Canyon. “Great songs are like great bones. You can hang whatever you want on them,” she says. ” “In The Summertime” is a ridiculously silly song, and so I asked ‘What Would Joni Do?’ It’s warm, with a glint in the eye and a sense of fun.“
Given the history of the musicians who play on the album backing Carole King and James Taylor, it would have been remiss not to acknowledge the roots of Ebb & Flow. A lovely cover of King’s “It Might As Well Rain Until September” is complemented by a stunning version of Taylor’s “Hey Mister, That’s Me Up On The Jukebox“. The suggestion that Owen should record the latter came from Russ Kunkel, who played on the original on Taylor’s Mud Slide Slim and The Blue Horizon album more than 40 years ago.
“It’s a song that showed James’s inner darkness at the time and how lonely he was,” says Owen. “I changed the lyrics slightly to suit a female voice and made it a lonely piano player rather than a guitar picker. But I recognised the feeling of being isolated within yourself which he’s singing about and I love the emotional juxtaposition of an easy listening sound with a deeper and darker emotional truth behind it.“
But although Ebb & Flow is a highly personal, solo singer-songwriter album, in a real sense it’s a ‘band’ record, too. “One of the great things is that Judith makes space for what we add,” Kunkel notes. “She turned it into a real ensemble thing,” Wachtel adds.
The combination of intimate songs and intuitive ensemble playing has resulted felicitously in the most self-assured and confident album of Owen’s career to date. After emigrating to America in 1993, Ebb & Flow is Judith Owen’s eighth album since her 1996 debut Emotions On A Postcard. Married to the American actor and humorist Harry Shearer, in addition to her acclaimed solo work she has for many years been Richard Thompson’s female foil of choice. Both have appeared on each other’s albums and Owen played a leading collaborative part in Thompson’s projects 1000 Years Of Popular Music and Cabaret of Souls. She also co-created “Losing It” with Ruby Wax, a funny yet devastatingly honest two-woman show chronicling descent into mental illness that was a box-office hit in the West End in 2011.
But it is her role as an unflinching singer-songwriter baring her soul that remains at the core of Owen’s creativity and Ebb & Flow, she says, feels like a homecoming. “It’s the sound I heard as a kid and which made me light up. I’ve been on a journey to getting well with music as my best friend. There will still be struggles because that never stops. But I’ve ended up with the sound that first inspired me. I’ve brought it home and it feels nice to be here.“
Glasswerk are proud to present Californian modern Punk pioneers Lagwagon. Forming in the 80’s and firmly establishing themselves in the 90’s. Lagwagon are deemed by many critics as one of (or the) the most influential Punk bands of the 90’s! Still continuing their reign of Punk through to 2015, expect to see them on the 25th March at Manchester Club Academy as they return for another long awaited UK tour!
Goleta, California’s Lagwagon first burst on the scene way back in 1988 playing a unique brand of speedy, highly technical pop-punk that made them one of the most influential punk bands of the 90’s. The first band ever signed to Fat Wreck Chords and the definitive act on the label, Lagwagon were pioneers in creating the now-famous ‘Fat Wreck sound’ with their speedy drums, guitar virtuosity and undeniable melodies. They’ve influenced hundreds of thousands of kids, been around the world more times than Ferdinand Magellan and twisted and redefined themselves over the course of a career that spans almost twenty-five years. Now, Fat Wreck Chords has decided to take Lagwagon’s five classic full lengths from the 90’s, (92’s Duh, 94’s Trashed, 95’s Hoss, 97’s Double Plaidinum and 98’s Let’s Talk About Feelings) and give them the truly classy update they deserve. Get stoked because on November 22, Lagwagon is releasing five of the coolest gifts a band has ever given their fans. These 5 reissues are destined to redefine what constitutes a truly awesome redux.
Here’s how it came to be: When the time came for Fat Mike to honor the legacy of one of the most long running and influential bands on his label, Lagwagon frontman Joey Cape straight up rejected the idea of a greatest hits collection based on the very simple premise that there’s so much more to a band’s legacy than their hits. All a greatest hits collection does is make it the only place future generations will ever go to find out about a band. Joey and the boys instead decided to go the opposite route and really expose the evolution of Lagwagon by sprucing up and expanding their classic records, digging through their basements and old friends’ closets, and compiling all the unreleased songs, b-sides and demos and packaging them with each corresponding album. Over the course of the five records, we’re talking about 34 previously unreleased tracks, and these aren’t just crappy boombox demos, either. Many of these bonus tracks are among Lagwagon’s finest songs, awesome tunes from those original recording sessions that have been lost until now. We’re talking songs that aren’t only for diehard Lagwagon fans, but unearthed hits for anyone who likes good punk rock. However, not ones to shy away from everything that made Lagwagon the force to be reckoned with that they are today, the boys also included some of the more interesting/weird demos. According to Joey, “Some of it’s pretty embarrassing…we wanted to reveal the band’s evolution, our history. We chose to be completely transparent about it. We went for quantity. We decided we weren’t gonna trim any fat and just put everything a fan would want to hear on there.” The results are perhaps the most definitive collection of work from any band ever, a remastered and cohesive step-by-step look at the visionary band’s evolution.
However, the guys in Lagwagon didn’t stop at the remastering and the inclusion of over thirty unreleased songs, many of which were remixed to meet today’s sound standard. In the three years it took to unearth the ‘lost tapes’ that contain all those rarities, the Lagwagon guys were also able to find all the old photos from the original packaging of those first five albums as well as never before used photos and use high resolution scanners and good cardstock to make beautiful gatefold sleeves for all the high quality vinyl and CD re-releases. The vinyl, as well as the CD’s will still feature the classic packaging, just updated.
Glasswerk is proud to present former britpop Space frontman Tommy Scott as he takes a break from Space to do some solo shows. You can catch him on the dates below.
Tommy Scott, the lead singer and frontman for platinum selling indie-pop band Space will embark on his first ever solo tour this March.
Celebrating 25 years in the music business, Tommy will play all the hits and some brand new solo material at this special hometown show.
You can expect a battle ground of genres, from Ska to post punk to easy listening.
Space came to prominence in the mid 1990’s, with hit singles such as Female of the Species, Neighbourhood, Avenging Angels, Me and you Verses the World and The Ballad of Tom Jones. They also worked with Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews.
This year Space released their new album ‘Attack Of The 50ft Kebab‘ and celebrated their 20th anniversary tour.
Glasswerk is proud to present Ambient Electronic artist Teen Daze. Teen Daze is comprised of gentle synthesized beats and echoic vocals generating a vibrant “summer” sound. You can catch Teen Daze on 27 January at Cafe 1001, London
Autumnal days feel exceptionally short in Abbotsford, BC, Canada. The sun rises but hardly invites. The inevitability of night is impending.
As 2012 came to a close, Teen Daze entered a state of repose. He chose the company of insular, droning ambient music. He wrote new material, and for the first time he found the process not to be a means of escape or refuge. Rather than imagining an outward utopia, or seeking an inward sanctuary, he simply engaged his work with his reality, his physical world.
Like its namesake, Glacier is more than solidified water adrift in a sea of home-produced electronic music. It is a collection of moments, historical particles and physical experiences, gathered into a whole. A testament to self-editing and sequencing, the 40-minute album merges hours of abstract instrumental work with more structured compositions. Varied yet cohesive, Glacier finds Jamison confident both as a drifter and a romantic. Lyrics are used personally and sparingly, often drifting in and out on a single phrase. “No one sees you, the way I see you“, he repeats through opener “Alaska”. Album centerpiece “Ice On The Windowsill” celebrates the notion of remaining indoors with the one you love as the world frosts over. Connecting each epiphany are wordless ruminations—like the twisted pitch of “Tundra”, the cool warmth of “Forest At Dawn“—some of the most evocative sound design in Teen Daze’s career to date. “Walk” is the rightful closer, an affectingly repetitious four chord salute to a fallen day.
The album’s fixation on manifesting physicality translates to being a highly performative production. The role of live instruments, field recordings, and general human presence is evident in these songs, just as millennia-old organisms lay suspended in a frozen core. This was a deliberate choice; Teen Daze plans to tour in support of the release for the first time as a full band—essentially to actualize Glacier in the physical world.
Glasswerk is proud to present the eccentric indie rocker King Charles as he embarks on his 28 shows in 28 days tour, you can catch King Charles on the 16 February at Arts Club, Liverpool
King Charles, (born Charles Costa, 6 May 1985) is a singer-songwriter from West London.
Charles plays the guitar, piano, and cello. He is also a classically trained singer and performed in his school’s choir. He began writing songs when he was 17, and in 2009, he won the International Songwriting Competition by unanimous vote.
Charles studied at St Paul’s School, then going on to study sociology for two terms at Durham University, Charles returned to London in 2007, adopted the pseudonym King Charles, and formed a band, Adventure Playground, which toured with Laura Marling and Noah and the Whale before disbanding in 2008. He has also gone on tour around the UK and The United States alongside Mumford and Sons.
In 2009 he became the first ever Brit to win the International Songwriting Competition in Nashville for his song ‘Love Lust.‘. The competition was judged by Tom Waits, Jeff Beck, Loretta Lynn and Jerry Lee Lewis, and following this victory King Charles was signed by Universal Republic/Island.
After signing a global contract with Universal Republic through his UK independent label Mi7 Records, King Charles recorded his debut album, Loveblood, in Hollywood, CA. It was released on 8 May 2012.
Glasswerk is proud to present singer/songwriter Wallis Bird, you can catch Wallis live on tour at Wallis Bird are playing the following date1st December @ Leaf Liverpool
Wild and unpredictable, Wallis Bird cannot – and should not – be pigeonholed easily. Capable of the delicate, gossamer-thin ballads that her tiny 5ft2 frame would suggest, she can also summon up a whirlwind of passion and rage in the blink of an eye. Her performances can transition seamlessly from the defiant anthems that can motivate thousands of festival-goers into a rousing sing-a-long, to the most hushed and fragile ballads that can captivate an audience into a spellbound silence.
A two-time Irish Meteor Award winner, mostly recently for Best Female Artist, and a nominee in 2013 for Ireland’s prestigious Choice Music Prize, Bird has toured with Billy Bragg, The Gossip, Emiliana Torrini, ZAZ, The Feeling and Rodrigo y Gabriela among others, as well as playing sold-out headline shows and some of the biggest festivals around Europe. Her performance at Paris’ Rock en Seine Festival was so powerful that one of France’s biggest newspapers, Le Monde, singled her out alongside the Arcade Fire as the highlight of the festival. Wherever Wallis can be found, she stands out as a powerful, contradictory presence – one that can unite audiences anywhere she plays.
Her most recent album, ‘Architect’ reveals both old and new musical influences, including the electro-sounds and beats of Berlin – the vibrant, pulsating city she currently calls current home.
“It’s her humour and bold honesty that makes Bird so special ****” The Guardian
“The sheer visceral energy of Wallis Bird could kick-start an entire economy” The Irish Times
“Frank and endearingly tender, a tsunami of emotion….magnificent” **** MOJO
“Bird’s songs are both delicate and rabble-rousing, similar to Tori Amos’ or even Peter Gabriel’s eclecticism” The Indepdent
“”Incredible…that’s Wallis Bird: pop star, balladeer, world music poet. Pigeonhole at your peril ****” The Arts Desk
Glasswerk are proud to present Allusondrugs, a five piece indie rock fueled band notorious for delivering ecstatic and exciting live shows hailing from Leeds. Allusondrugs are currently embarking on a UK tour, you can catch Allusondrugs on:
“Allusondrugs are not merely another Yorkshire band: they are perhaps one of the most spectacular and urgent groups the country has to offer”
The 5 piece from Castleford, Leeds have been riding a constant tornado of success since forming back in July 2012. They have been delivering their mix of exciting guitar fueled rock music through relentless and explosive live shows all over the UK, all backed by consistent sold out single releases. The band’s debut EP is available now through Clue Records.
Glasswerk are proud to present rising star Janet Devlin, Janet originally debuted on the popular series Xfactor, wowing audiences across the nation with her incredibly unique vocal style, Janet Devlin continues too bombard her way through the country selling out shows and adoring her continuously growing army of an audience. ‘My Delirium Tour’ dates are below: 01 Bristol Exchange 02 Birmingham Hare & Hounds 03 Manchester Ruby Lounge 04 Liverpool Arts Club 08 Newcastle Cluny2 09 Glasgow classic grand 10 Leeds Wardrobe 11 Norwich B2 15 Brighton The Haunt 16 London Surya
Flame haired Northern Irish singer-songwriter Janet Devlin is back, stronger than ever before with her debut album ‘Running With Scissors’, which was released on 9th June 2014. This 10-track,full of folk-driven pop songs and heart touching ballads, showcases Janet’s unique and enchanting vocals, which first caught the public’s attention on Series 8 of The X factor in 2011.
Mainly self-penned by Janet and recorded in a staggering 6-weeks, the album ‘Running With Scissors’ also features co-writes with Newton Faulkner (‘Creatures of The Night’ and ‘Hide And Seek’) and Jack Savoretti (‘Delicate’), alongside a surprising cover of The Cure’s ‘Friday I’m In Love’.
Influences ranging from Imogen Heap, Turin Brakes, Adele, Mumford & Sons, Avril Lavigne, Regina Spektor and Florence & The Machine can be heard within this well-produced album full of rolling percussion, lush harmonies, string sections and acoustic guitars. There’s even a hint of Jack Johnson thrown in there on the track ‘Lifeboat’ , which features jaunty offbeat guitars. It’s an album about growing up, becoming independent and dealing with a whole range of new emotions. For example, ‘Things We Lost In The Fire’ is hewn from the embers of the breakdown of her relationship with her first true love.
“He really brought me down so I had zero confidence. My friends say I haven’t changed but I was angered so much when I heard what he was saying about me”. Growing up on a diet of Kerrang! TV in County Tyrone, Janet’s love for music was initially fuelled by bands such as Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers , who inspired her to pick up an instrument and write her own songs. At 19 years old, Janet’s other interests include cartoons (she is obsessed with Adventure Time), gaming, poetry and horse riding. Her quirky and exposed yet shy nature has won her a huge online following of over 350,000 fans that call themselves The Devlinators.
Glasswerk presents Ruarri Joseph, Cornish folker and singer songwriter is embarking on a UK tour, be sure to catch him on the 13th November at Studio2 Liverpool!
Ruarri Joseph returns this Autumn with a new album ‘Brother’ (Pip Productions). The record, Ruarri’s fourth studio album to date, is a record inspired and propelled by ideas of friendship, relationships and family.
Originally born in Edinburgh, the nomadic Joseph found his songwriting roots in the southwestern Pacific. A move to New Zealand, and the young Ruarri found himself coming of age in Dannevirke (population 6,000), an isolated, rural farming community.
At 17 Joseph packed his suitcase and moved back to the UK and settled in London, where he released his debut album ‘Tales Of Grime and Grit’ through Atlantic Records. Shortly after he quit Atlantic in favour of independence and so in 2008, he formed his own label ‘Pip Productions’ through which all his subsequent LPs have been released.
Inspired by Bob Dylan, the singer song-writer’s work has also earned him favourable comparisons to the chart-topping pop savvy sounds of Damian Rice and David Gray, artists which through no coincidence Joseph now shares management with.
PRESS QUOTES: “One of our best songwriters and lyricists” – The Times “Dylan had he grown up in Cornwall” – NME “A breath of fresh air” – Observer “One of the UK’s top singer songwriters” – Seth Lakeman “An intimacy somewhere between Bon Iver and Cat stevens” –Uncut
Glasswerk is proud to present Tommy Scott of legendary britpop band Space. Tommy Scott will be performing his first ever solo tour across the UK! catch him on the 14th November at Leaf, Liverpool
Tommy Scott, the lead singer and frontman for platinum selling indie-pop band Space will embark on his first ever solo tour this November.
Celebrating 25 years in the music business, Tommy will play all the hits and some brand new solo material at this special hometown show.
You can expect a battle ground of genres, from Ska to post punk to easy listening.
Space came to prominence in the mid 1990’s, with hit singles such as Female of the Species, Neighbourhood, Avenging Angels, Me and you Verses the World and The Ballad of Tom Jones. They also worked with Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews.
This year Space released their new album ‘Attack Of The 50ft Kebab‘ and celebrated their 20th anniversary tour.
After spending the winter months of 2012 driving thru Europe, it was home for Christmas and locking themselves away to write for a new album.
HRH was a defining moment in Electric Mary’s ten year history. They had shared the stage with the who’s who of Classic rocks big guns.
Whitesnake took them on the road, Judas Priest asked them to support, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Motorhead, then France and Spain came calling.
2012 and Electric Mary crossed the waters to the home of classic rock for the very first time, and the punters came from everywhere for the short stay. The English, The Scottish, The Irish and the Welsh wanted The Australians to give them a rock show, and rock they did.
2013 and Electric Mary are coming back. 2014 and they have new shows announced: 9th November @ Ruby Lounge, Manchester W/ support from Gold Jacks & Blast Tyrant 15th November @ The Lomax, Liverpoo W/ support from Sugarking, Black Cat Bones, Furion & Savage Outlaw
Glasswerk are proud to present metal as steel rockers Savage Messiah. A heavy metal band who have been causing a stir playing prestigious events such as Bloodstock Open Air Festival and supporting massive metal acts such as Evile. You can catch Savage Messiah on the dates below in November.
In the 6 years since forming, the band has achieved respectable successes, having had two worldwide official releases and one independent ep, in that time working with Grammy nominated producer Chris Tsangarides and having sold in excess of 10,000 records to date. The band has also picked up notable touring credentials having supported Overkill on a full European tour in 2010, supporting Evile in the UK and picking up shows with Death Angel, Queensryche, Skeletonwitch, Sylosis and have appeared at UK festivals including Bloodstock Open Air, Hammerfest, Devilstone Open Air, Hellfire Festival while playing many headlining shows in the UK and Europe.
The band consists of Dave Silver on lead guitar and vocals, Joff Bailey on lead guitar, Stefano Selvatico on bass and Andrea Gorio on drums. The first recorded output from Savage Messiah was the independently produced and financed ep “Spitting Venom” in 2007. The e.p achieved moderate acclaim with Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic.com, summarizing, “it shouldn’t be long before Savage Messiah are signed to a more supportive label infrastructure“
Ultimately “Spitting Venom” scored the band a recording contract with independent metal specialists Candlelight Records, who released the bands first full length album “Insurrection Rising” in 2009. Produced by Chris Tsangarides and mixed and engineered by Scott Atkins, “Insurrection Rising” is a massive leap in terms of production and song writing and earned the band high praise from all corners of the metal world.
After touring had ceased in support of “Insurrection Rising” the band opted to move to Earache Records for the release of the 2012 album “Plague of Conscience”. Once again working with Scott Atkins, “Plague of Conscience” is a more polished affair with once again noticeable improvements being made in the song writing and performance departments. Metal Hammer in the UK awarded the album 8/10 and Burrrn Magazine in Japan gave the band an unprecedented 95/100 score. The band and label initially opted to give the album away as a free download, achieving over 42,000 downloads in the first week!
Glasswerk is proud to present musical genius Andy Burrows while he embarks on a tour in celebration of his new album ‘Fall Together Again’ scheduled to release on the 20th October. Catch him on this date;
Monday 27th October Ruby Lounge Manchester
Tuesday 28th October The Institute Birmingham
Andy Burrows will release his stunning new album, Fall Together Again on Play It Again Sam on 20th October. The album – incredibly Burrows’ tenth long player, between past solo albums and his recordings with Razorlight, We Are Scientists, Smith & Burrows, plus his BAFTA-nominated soundtrack for The Snowman and The Snowdog – will be preceded by the single As Good As Gone and accompanied by a quartet of UK dates including a show at London’s Dingwalls on 30th October.
Brilliantly, unashamedly melodic, Fall Together Again is the kind of record where the earworms patiently queue up to present themselves one after the other; where songs open out into soaring choruses that soon give way to brighter and ever bolder hooks. It’s a record imbued with the spirit of early McCartney solo albums and sunroof-down daydream soul. It’s shot through with the kind of sun-dappled soft rock that used to radiate from American FM radios in mid-’70s.
Following the success of his solo album, Company (2012), which spawned four Radio 2 A-listed singles, and the BAFTA nominated collaboration with composer Ilan Eshkeri that emerged later that year, Burrows booked himself into North Wales’ famously isolated residential studio Bryn Derwen at the end of 2013 to get to work on producing the follow up.
While a typically North Walian winter raged outside, in the studio Burrows and his band – a group he’s worked with since their days as Razorlight road crew – channelled warmer climes. From the chain gang chant of As Good As Gone to the Lindsey Buckingham-esque Who Are You Now? via the freewheelin’ City To Coast, Fall Together Again has all the bliss and brightness of an open coast road in summer. It’s the record that will put Andy Burrows’ past way behind him and should see him rightly recognised as one of our boldest and most consistent songwriters.
The full tracklisting for Fall Together Again is:
Derwen; As Good As Gone; City To Coast; All This I’ve Heard Before You Won’t Find Love; Who Are You Now?; See A Girl Watch Me Fall Again; Hearts And Minds When Your Ship Comes In; Don’t Be Gone Too Long
The single, As Good As Gone, is available to stream on Spotify, or to download when pre-ordering the album via iTunes.
Glasswerk are proud to present ska-punk legends The Mad Caddies. Returning to Manchester after five entire years the band is ready to ‘Rock The Plank’ and attack your ska-rhythmic senses! Touring in release of the new album ‘Dirty Rice’ with help from NOFX front man and borderline modern pop punk founder Fat Mike! Mad Caddies are not to be missed! So grow your ‘Weird Beards’ and ‘Drink for 11’ on the
24th November at Manchester Club Academy Mad Caddies Plus Support from Jaya the Cat and Broken 3 Ways
Since their inception, during high school in California nearly two decades ago, the Mad Caddies have toured the world countless times delighting fans with their unique blend of reggae, punk, ska and pop, and with their newest album Dirty Rice the Mad Caddies have proven they’re just as impassioned and energetic as ever. In many ways the band’s first full-length in seven years sees them coming full circle, demonstrating while trends and times have changed, the Mad Caddies’ commitment to creating dynamic music has only grown stronger.
Yet the Mad Caddies are a difficult band to pin down. We’re not sure what’s more impressive, the fact that Mad Caddies have sold over 400,000 albums or they’ve managed to combine a wide range of influences – – dixieland, reggae, punk, ska – – into a collection of songs which are incredibly diverse yet still make for a cohesive listen from start to finish.
“We love the fact that we’re able to expand our sound with every album,”
Lazor explains, citing the fact that the band goes over just as well at family-friendly festivals as they do late-night rock shows alongside their punk peers.
“I don’t know many bands who are able to have such a wide range of songs and styles at their disposal.”
Dirty Rice is the culmination of the band’s already remarkable career, but like many works of art, creating Dirty Rice wasn’t an effortless process. In fact, the Mad Caddies originally started working on the album in 2009 but weren’t happy with the results and decided to go back to the drawing board. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because when they returned they had gained two more songwriters—original drummer Todd Rosenberg and new keyboardist Dustin Lanker (formerly of the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies)—who alongside vocalist Chuck Robertson, guitarist Sascha Lazor, trumpet player Keith Douglas, trombonist Ed Hernandez and bassist Graham Palmer make up the Mad Caddies.
“We’re excited with this lineup because the new additions bring so much to the table with their musical knowledge and songwriting skills,” Robertson explains, “That’s very evident listening to these songs.”
Produced by the Mad Caddies and Rosenberg at his own studio (which is incidentallly located in the same building where the band rehearsed in high school) Dirty Rice’s in-house nature allowed the band to explore creative ideas that wouldn’t have come to fruition in the traditional big-budget setting.
“Writing and recording this album in Todd’s studio really allowed us to experiment, not only with the actual composition but also with the layering and arrangements,” Robertson explains.
The result is an album that features everything from the reggae-influenced pop of “Shoot Out The Lights” to the hardcore punk introduction of “Love Myself” and all of the sonic territory in between.
The band also got integral assistance from NOFX frontman and Fat Wreck Chords founder Fat Mike who had a major role in shaping the direction of Dirty Rice and helping them pair down over 30 songs into the final twelve selections.
“Mike has worked with us since our first record and he came down and gave his honest and unbiased opinion on a lot of these songs and that outside perspective really helped make this album a lot better,”
Lazor explains, adding that Mike also helped write the New-Orleans-meets-reggae rocker “Shot In The Dark” with the band in just ten minutes,
“Mike was critical but at the same time he made the process fun and easy.”
Plenty of life experiences and milestones inevitably occurred between the making of Dirty Rice and their last full-length 2007’s Keep It Going but the Mad Caddies have never stopped pushing forward no matter what obstacles lie in their way. The band wanted to keep evolving musically and create new material for the enjoyment of their fans who have supported them in America as well as all the places around the globe where they’ve performed from South Africa to Japan.
When asked about one of the secrets to their success, Lazor explains,
“We don’t really have a lot of drama in the band…We know each member’s personality pretty well at this point and we get along pretty well, especially when we’re cramped in a bus or van.”
As we said at the beginning, there isn’t an easy way to explain the Mad Caddies because there’s nothing typical about them and that may be why they’ve lasted so long and their fan base keeps growing with them.
“The last 20 years have been great and over the course of the next 20 years I’d love to see us become one of those bands where you just have to check ’em out because you can’t explain their sound. I feel like we’ll be able to be around for a long time,” Robertson summarizes, citing the fact that the Mad Caddies now have second-generation fans, “Right now we feel more unstoppable than ever.”
Wednesday 22nd October Blackbird Blackbird (live) The Nest 26 Stoke Newington Rd, London N16 7XJ Doors 8.00pm Tickets £11 advance here
After selling out Hackney’s Oslo, Blackbird Blackbird returns to London on 22nd October to play The Nest in Dalston in support of his new LP Tangerine Dreams.
Blackbird Blackbird is the moniker of San Francisco-based wünderkind Mikey Maramag. His unique style of dreamy folktronica recalls influences from all ends of the musical spectrum; deeply textured, hypnotic songs pay homage to psychedelic pop the likes of Caribou and Washed Out, while the warmth of analogue instrumentation spliced with digital artefacts hints at contemporaries James Blake, Four Tet and Mount Kimbie.
“like an upbeat electronic fog, aurally all-encompassing in the very best way.” – The Onion A/V Club
“His style beautifully connects the dots between hypnotizing electronica, dreamy pop and profound complex melodies that will work both your mind and your dancing sneakers.” – Thump
“The calling card of San Francisco’s Blackbird Blackbird) is a song-smart approach to electronic music that takes pop songs and refracts them through the disti¬¬lled, treated lenses of electronic genres” – Orlando Weekly
Pop-rock band EofE are on their first nationwide headline tour after supporting acts such as McBusted (earlier this year) and The Vamps (this month) as well as interacting with immense influential characters such as Bruce Kulick (Kiss), Ozzy Osbourne and even Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.The band will be hitting 13 towns across the UK this November.
The dates are: November 1 – York, The Fibber –Tickets 2 – Runcorn, The Brindley – Tickets 3 – Bristol, Beirkeller – Tickets 6 – Eastney, The Cellars – Tickets 7 – Tunbridge Wells,The Forum – Tickets 14 – Cheltenham, Sound Music Venue – Tickets 15 – Birmingham, The Institute – Tickets 16 – Southampton, The Joiners – Tickets 17 – London, Borderline – Tickets 24 – Manchester, Sound Control – Tickets 25 – Glasgow, Broadcast – Tickets
The Midlands band were most recently seen impressing audiences supporting super group McBusted on their phenomenally successful arena tour, playing to over 380,000 fans across 32 UK dates.
‘The McBusted tour was a fantastic break for us – being able to play some of the UK’s biggest and most prestigious venues on our first tour was unreal. Their fans were really supportive and the band offered us some great advice.’ lead singer Tom Harris, 17, explained. ‘Their production was insane; it gave us a glimpse into the big league and where we want to be in the future. We’re looking forward to heading out on our own tour now! By November we’ll have loads of new material, plus all the songs we played on the McBusted tour, so will be putting on a much bigger show.’
In addition to the November tour, the band has announced an exclusive money-can’t-buy competition to run across the summer months. The ‘BBQ tour’ will see the band play private acoustic shows for dedicated fans across July and August, with all details available on their Facebook page and website.
EofE are Tom Harris, 17 (vocals), Dan Bremner, 19 (guitar / backing vocals), Luke Bradley, 18 (bass/ backing vocals) and Nicky Waters, 25 (drums). Born out of the Black Country in 2013, the band has been described as ‘perfect crossover rock’. Each track is delivered with soaring vocals and stunning riffs, backed up by thumping Bass lines and Drum beats.
Growing up in the same area of Birmingham, Luke met Dan at school and played in a couple of bands together before meeting vocalist Tom in 2012. Originally naming the band ‘Audio Disease’, they had their first gig at Dudley’s Kingswinford Rugby club. After deciding on a slightly different music direction for the band, a name change was in order – therefore EofE was born.
In their short time as a band they’ve had some incredible, unforgettable experiences; Dan has met Steven Tyler, twice, and played live at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles as apart of Bruce Kulick’s band (best known for being a long term member of Kiss). Discussing another occasion, Tom joked ‘Myself and Luke also one night even ended up discussing the merits of Dudley Zoo with Ozzy Osbourne… but I probably can’t say much more about that!’.
After supporting Lisa Stansfield and releasing new album ‘Cheap Hotel’ this month, you can catch Mamas Gun on their headline tour in October. Their single ‘Red Cassette’ is also currently radio 2 playlisted. Expect some smooth funky pop for you to wiggle to.
Dates are:
10 Oct – O2 Academy Birmingham 12 Oct – Ruby Lounge Manchester 17 Oct – Under The Bridge London
“Wonderful music that combines classic soul influences with a distinctly modern production approach…” The Sunday Times
“As heart-warmingly catchy as anything from Stevie Wonder’s purple patch” – Uncut
Mamas Gun are set to release their much-anticipated third studio album, ‘Cheap Hotel’ on the 15th September. The album is preceded by the irresistible hook-laden lead single ‘Red Cassette’, which is released on the 17th August.
‘Cheap Hotel’ sees the band back with the ‘dream team’ who produced their debut (Routes to Riches) – Julian Simmons (Ed Sheeran, Guillemots) and founder member Andy Platts. The album is a huge sonic step forward; at the same time arguably more experimental than previous work, yet full of timeless song writing, it is laced with a mixture of modern and retro sounds, pure pop sensibilities and the kind of musical clarity only heard in a band who have truly cemented their bonds.
The first single from the album will be ‘Red Cassette’ (out 18th August); a nostalgic summery tune, echoing the synth pop sounds of Prince and Daft Punk. “It’s a song about nostalgia, life choices and tracing the roots back to when I first started making music – when I was around 8 or 9 years old,” says lead singer Andy Platts, “staying up late and recording fake radio shows and making up songs which I recorded onto cassette…I also like the idea of uplifting songs which revolve around one simple chord sequence.”
‘Cheap Hotel’ contains a range of moods from the mellow Bob Marley influenced track ‘Midas Touch’ through to the lifting melodic sounds of ‘Hello Goodnight’, a nod to Electric Light Orchestra. “For me ELO combined fantastic Beatlesesque song writing with a bit of the flavour of American soul / R & B and the bombast of Queen,” says Andy, “three musical ingredients I personally really identify with.”
Mamas Gun are a five-piece band, fronted by the charismatic and striking singer/composer/producer Andy Platts, who blend Motown, soul, funk and rock influences to stunning effect. Having released two critically acclaimed albums, toured with the likes of De La Soul, Raphael Saadiq, and Beverley Knight and played to tens of thousands of fans worldwide, their third offering, ‘Cheap Hotel’ is a landmark release that will surely take Mamas Gun to a whole new level. As Andy puts it: “I think this is our coming of age record. There was a consensus this time round to take our time, to try to examine every riff, every melody scrap, every chord change and indeed every song that any member may have to put on the table. It was a very democratic process”
Mamas Gun’s debut album ‘Routes To Riches’ picked up support from the likes of Sunday Times Culture, The Guardian and Billboard as well as BBC Radio 2, amongst others. It was the band’s unexpected impact in Japan that really made the world sit up and take note: Mamas Gun were heralded as the most played international act in the country that year (beating Madonna to the No. 1 airplay slot), also achieving the No.3 sales slot on the Japanese Billboard charts
The second album ‘The Life & Soul’, produced by Grammy Award winning production team Martin Terefe and Andreas (noted for success with artists such as Jason Mraz, Train, James Morrison, Jamie Cullum, and KT Tunstall) categorically cemented the band’s reach and reputation both in the UK and internationally.
During the period between ‘The Life & Soul’ and the recording of the new album the guys concluded the long search for the bands new bass player, spent months as a group writing the new material, and toured the world including headline slots and sold out shows around the world from Java Jazz in Indonesia (alongside Stevie Wonder) to 14 date runs throughout Germany and Europe.
Most recently Mamas Gun have been approached by some major sync placement companies based in North America who have picked up on the bands’ music through the internet grapevine (having seen it used by several influential Vloggers) and will be working with them on placing their music to the wider Film/TV world from 2014.
Platts has also achieved international hits in Europe and the Far East for songs he has written for other artists, including a Number 1 hit with Korean artist John Parks, all of which has lead to separate publishing deals in different territories around the world to capitalise on this international success.
Tuesday 30th September at Surya, London Tickets Wednesday 01st October at The Flapper, Birmingham Tickets Thursday 02nd at The Eagle Inn, Manchester Tickets Friday 03rd October at The Old Bookshop, Bristol Tickets
Glasswerk is proud to present The Earth this autumn. Featuring members of Super Furry Animals and Catatonia, plus the beautiful and alluring voice of Dionne Bennett, their soulful psychedelic rock vibe can be heard on recent EP release Liberty Roads. They are touring this September and October to promote debut album Keltic Voodoo Boogaloo.
In 2008, drummer, producer and songwriter Dafydd Ieuan was busy taking a detour from the sonic experimentation of Super Furry Animals by collaborating with his old friend Rhys Ifans on the gonzo, rock ‘n’ roll hedonism of their then new band The Peth. A new track, Sunset Veranda, called for a female vocal to heighten its rambunctious energy. Up stepped friend-of-a-friend Dionne Bennett.
“Everyone kept telling me she had an amazing voice, but fucking hell, she was amazing! She outshone everyone,” says Ieuan as if again reliving the moment for the first time. “It was a mystery that she hadn’t been discovered before.”
Fast-forward to 2013 when Ieuan and Bennett were reunited by a chance meeting in a Cardiff pub. A week later, Ieuan ran into another old friend, Mark Roberts, at his sister’s birthday party. Way back when, Roberts and Ieuan had been in an early incarnation of Catatonia together: Ieuan left to form the critically adored Super Furrys while Roberts’ pop nous helped Catatonia go stratospheric.
The trio reconvened every Wednesday at Strangetown, the “guerrilla-style recording studio / middle-aged youth club” in Tiger Bay, Cardiff that Ieuan runs with his younger brother and SFA compatriot Cian Ciarán. What started out as a project to allow Bennett’s vocal gift to shine became a full-band project when Ieuan and Roberts craved their old fix of playing shows. Bassist Tristan Marley, a friend of Roberts’ and a “Beatles freak with perfect pitch” completed the line-up. A test-the-waters debut album, Off On One, was issued in September 2013.
Their Wednesday sessions continued regardless with a revolving cast of passing friends: if they could play an instrument and weren’t too wasted, laughs Ieuan, the chances are that he’d record them. Somehow this laidback approach began to pay dividends: the songs were stronger than ever and Bennett – already a secret weapon – particularly excelled.
Cardiff-born and raised in Deptford before she later returned to the Welsh capital, Bennett cuts an imposing 6’ 1” figure. Her voice amplifies the music’s themes of loss, longing and utter defiance with an innate instinct to convey emotions with a crescendo of power or cracked vulnerability.
The result is The Earth’s new album Keltic Voodoo Boogaloo. It’s Motown meets Northern Soul for a new age; it’s urban blues with an undercurrent of analog synth chaos; it’s rabble-rousing R&B with fiery attitude. It runs a gamut of styles, genres and emotions which are united by an almost old-fangled production which favours warmth over sheer compression. Guests include Ciarán noodling on the Pro One analog synth, backing vocals courtesy of Vanity Johnson from Strangetown label-mates Baby Queens, and the late Yusef Mohammed who engineered on the first day of the album’s recording. He died just two days later, but his memory has been preserved as some of his demo guitar parts are featured on the finished album.
It takes less than a minute to fall under the intoxicating spell of this wondrous, invigorating album when Bennett’s belting upper-punch of a vocal ignites the first hook of the debt-payin’ anthem and opening track Liberty Rd. It sets a standard that doesn’t drop throughout the remainder of the album with highlights including the first single Baby Bones, a hazy, slow-burning old school R&B vibe that laments a “cul-de-sac of pain”; the torch-song-turned-wall-of-sound that flows throughout I Don’t Fit In; and the swirling psyche rock of Rear View Mirror which surges with the exuberant abandon of punk.
They’re resolutely personal songs which revolve around lamentation and occasionally pulsate with anger. It’s a change of subject matter from Ieuan’s work with SFA which would often blend political undercurrents into its surreal lyrical imagery. He’s not party political, he affirms, “but I think growing up in Wales in the Eighties, it’s hard not to be political. I’m a Thatcher’s child; I was a teenager in the Eighties. If you haven’t got any money and you haven’t got a job, it affects your personal life as well.”
It’s a stance best encapsulated with the album’s closing track, The Earth Beats The Machine: a thematic juxtaposition of the organic and the industrial. “It’s definitely a defiant ‘we’ll show them!’ kind of song. It’s about not giving a shit what people say, and proving them wrong against all odds.” Ieuan and Roberts are firmly placed to shine once more, while the time has come for the world to finally discover the talents of Dionne Bennett.
Andy Cairns, lead singer of seminal rock band – Therapy? – is on a solo acoustic tour this autumn and passes through Manchester on the 24th September. This is one show for the die hard fans not to miss.
Wednesday 24th Sept – Night n Day Cafe Manchester
For the last 20 plus years, singer/guitarist Andy Cairns has helped redefine the global rock scene thanks to his work in Therapy? Opening their account in 1990 with the release of their incendiary first 7” single ‘Meat Abstract,’ the track saw Cairns and Co. lauded by the likes of the late great John Peel and by the time they released their first album [‘Babyteeth’] a year later, they were hailed as a more cerebral, much-welcome alternative to the then cock-rock cluttered musical climate and spear-headed a new wave of music whose impact is still felt to this very day.
Uniting punks, metalheads, indie kids and everyone in-between with their un-pigeonhole-able and unmistakable sound, the Ballyclare, Northern Ireland-born musician has happily straddled multiple genres over the course of 13 studio albums and counting. Inspired by the likes of Captain Beefheart, the Ramones, Husker Du and many more, Cairns’ songs have taken him to stages, stadiums and festivals across the world and Therapy? have shared bills with Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, the Rolling Stones and other household names along the way.
The last two decades have yielded plenty of career highlights for the tunesmith. For example, Therapy?’s fourth album, the Mercury Music Prize nominated, million-selling ‘Troublegum,’ was a huge commercial success that featured era-defining songs such as ‘Screamager,’ ‘Nowhere’ and ‘Die Laughing.’
1999’s ‘Suicide Pact-You First’ reaffirmed the band’s status as an ambitious, life-affirming act that evoked the spirits of Beefheart (‘He’s Not That Kind Of Girl’) and the Blair Witch (the acoustic ‘God Kicks’ was recorded in a wood at 2am) and 2012’s ‘A Brief Crack Of Light’ was a critically acclaimed tour de force which saw Therapy? at the peak of their creative powers.
This year, Andy looks set to enjoy yet another highlight in his ongoing musical journey and, with the blessing of his band-mates (bassist Michael McKeegan and drummer Neil Cooper), is about to embark on his first ever solo acoustic tour. Planning to scour every inch of his back catalogue in preparation for the jaunt, Andy also aims to debut some new Therapy? cuts too (we repeat, Therapy? aren’t splitting up).
“I fancied a challenge,” commented Cairns on the upcoming trek. “I’m hoping to take around two to four new songs with me on tour and I’m also going to go through all of the Therapy? albums and see what works in that format. I’m really looking forward to the shows.”
KESTON COBBLERS CLUB – “GUIDE TO ESCAPING” HEADLINE TOUR – SEPTEMBER
23rd September Manchester, Soup Kitchen 30th September Birmingham, Alfie Birds
“Every song is an absolute killer!” Dermot O’Leary, BBC Radio Two “One of the best new discoveries I’ve made” Steve Lamacq, BBC 6 Music “If summer should ever arrive, its soundtrack should be ‘Beam’” **** Financial Times
Following a summer packed with festivals including Glastonbury, Cambridge, Folk by the Oak and several international festivals, Keston Cobblers Club will return to the stage for their headline “Guide to Escaping” tour in September and October 2014.
Based on folklore but full of modern kick, the Keston Cobblers Club was formed in 2009 by siblings Matthew and Julia Lowe, who gathered school friends to revive the legacy of the old struggling Cobbler of Keston and his foot-stamping, shoe-scuffing music club. With beautiful harmonies, an oom-pah tuba line and a mish-mash of accordion, guitar, banjo, piano, harmonica and mandolin, the Cobblers make music that will make you dance “until your shoes wear out”.
Having played BBC Radio Two sessions for the likes of Dermot O’Leary and Steve Lamacq, the band have also been championed by the BBC’s Bob Harris and Simon Mayo, as well as the Financial Times among others. They’ve played festivals including Glastonbury, Secret Garden, Bestival, Green Man and Cambridge Folk Festival, and have been winning over audiences all over the country.
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![Mark Morriss [Ex Bluetones frontman] Still Rocking The Stage.](https://glasswerk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/DSC_2898-small_1427890972.jpg)
