Club Academy Manchester

Elliot Minor
Dressed To KIll
Above The Underground

Elliot Minor are giving local bands the chance to open for them on their September tour. Bands who would like to be the opening act on the 3 band bill, with a 30 minute set need to register by emailing mail and further details will be sent by return email.

Bands can choose what show they want to play at and their fans can vote for them to win. The only way to get to play is if you win the vote that will be up at link when the list of bands wanting to play is finalized. The page will have links, pics and voting, it will be a great way to also find some exciting new bands.

The dates are:

September
Wed 8th – Norwich, Waterfront
Thr 9th – Nottingham, Rock City Basement
Fri 10th – York, Fibbers
Sat 11th – Manchester, Club Academy
Wed 15th – Huddersfield, Tokyo
Thr 16th – Newcastle, Academy
Fri 17th – Edinburgh, Cabaret Voltaire
Sat 18th – Aberdeen, Tunnels
Thr 23rd – London, Islington Academy
Fri 24th – Birmingham, Academy
Sat 25th – Dublin, Academy
Sun 26th – Belfast, Limelight

Glasswerk.co.uk presents…

Ricky Warwick
Tuesday 28th September – Manchester Ruby Lounge

Newly appointed Lead Singer of Thin Lizzy, Singer Songwriter Ricky Warwick today announced that he would tour The United Kingdom immediately before embarking upon a new chapter in his life.

With his relentless enthusiasm passion and optimism for the future, Warwick talked of his recent joy in joining one of his all time boyhood favourite bands Thin Lizzy – and of his need to get out and play some more UK solo shows ( which may be his last for this year)

“I will remember 2010 as a year of amazing opportunities and Good Karma. Thin Lizzy is just unbelievable. When I was asked by Scott and the guys in Thin Lizzy to come down for a jam, I had my reservations. Do you know what you're asking me to do and what these songs mean? Was it an honor to even be considered? Absolutely. Was the concept surreal and the reality even scarier? Hell yes. And while mulling it over and over, recently I somehow found the courage to walk into a Thin Lizzy rehearsal. I am going to share a little secret with everyone. When I was really intimidated and having my moments of self doubt, I drew strength from a Lizzy song. “You can do anything you want to do. It's not wrong what I sing it's true. You can do anything you want to do.”

Warwick recently made a little piece of history in his beloved Belfast by filming a video for his new single The Whiskey Song – which features Nathan Connolly from Snow Patrol on Guitar -on top of the city’s Goliath Harland and Wolff crane earlier this month.

This is the first time that a music video has been shot on top of the world famous Harland and Wolff Cranes.

Like Rock Legends The Beatles and U2 have done before him, Ricky also recorded a section for his video on the roof of a City Centre Building – The Europa Hotel in Belfast – with Ricky performing precariously in front of the roof-top Europa sign at night.

Ricky, who flew back from his home in Los Angeles for the historic video shoot, said of the experience: “The Whiskey Song is a tribute to the honest, hard working people of Belfast, so we thought where better to shoot the video than on top of two of the cities best known landmarks.”

He continued “Belfast has changed so much over the years and the people have come through so much, and these landmarks have stood the test of time, watching over this remarkable transformation. I just think that they are an enduring symbol of the city, its people and their resilience”

Being a Vertigo sufferer, when Ricky got the clearance and support of the Harland and Wolff team, he did his best to put his condition to the back of his mind and relished the experience of being the first person to film a rock video on The Cranes.

“I knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity so I just got on with it – the view is unbelievable, something I will never forget”

Ricky’s double A side single The Whiskey Song (Feckin Whiskey) which features Nathan Connolly from Snow Patrol on lead guitar was engineered and produced by Chris McCormack, guitar player with 3 Colours Red and Gary Numan at Chris's “House Of Noise” studio in London and was mixed by Legendary Rock Producer Chris Sheldon. The second track on the Double A Side – The Star of The County Down – features acclaimed Israeli singer songwriter rand producer Izhar Ashdot on guitar and vocals

The Whiskey Song / Star of The County Down will be available to purchase from September 24 and the video will be available on You Tube and link from Monday 6 September 2010.

Glasswerk.co.uk presents…

Kof Fire It Up Single Launch
Saturday 28th August
O2 Academy 2 Liverpool

KOF
Janiece Myers
Future
Chelcee Grimes
RIO
ATM
Alliee Broad
Joey Seary
Beauty
Nempire

Doors 7pm, £6 adv

After a stellar 2009 campaign, which included radio support from the likes of Huw Stephens, Zane Lowe, Ras Kwame and Annie Mac, sets at Glastonbury and Maida Vale, tour support for top UK and U.S acts as well as his own national tour, KOF releases his first single, 'Fire It Up', taken from his forthcoming debut album.

FIRE IT UP
ft Wiley and Chelcee Grimes
Prod: Chartstalker (Co-prod. Rob Hinds)

KOF links with UK Urban Music Legend, Wiley and Liverpool female vocalist, Chelcee Grimes, to deliver an Urban Pop smash. 'Fire It Up' is an energetic fusion of a number of dance genres, which wonderfully encapsulates the Weekend World of club and bar hopping.

Remixes by Niteryders, Funkystepz and more.

Fire It Up will be released on 23.08.2010

Acad Fest @ the O2 Academy Liverpool returns once again in the summer of 2010. Featuring the cream of local Liverpool talent in the spacious main room at the O2 Academy Liverpool, this is a day out of music one should not miss.

Saturday 14th August
O2 Academy Liverpool
Doors 2pm, £6adv

Lineup
Matchstick Men
Kill Joys
Pteropilot
The Gekko
The Temps
The If Thief
Tolver
The Talkabouts
Hells Aces
The Know
Shotgun Romance
F.T.I

Glasswerk.co.uk presents…

Elliot Minor

Manchester Club Academy
Saturday 11th September

Elliot Minor are giving local bands the chance to open for them on their September tour. Bands who would like to be the opening act on the 3 band bill, with a 30 minute set need to register by emailing mail and further details will be sent by return email.

Bands can get their fans can vote for them to win. The only way to get to play is if you win the vote when the list of bands wanting to play is finalized. The page will have links, pics and voting, it will be a great way to also find some exciting new bands.

Glasswerk.co.uk Presents…

The Plight

16th July @ Roadhouse
Doors 7.30pm, £5adv

Support
The Distrakted
Blast Tyrant
Rebel Conspiracy

The Plight hail from the rock capita of Yorkshire, Leeds. They formed back in the winter of 2005 and have since released a demo, two E.P.'s and an album, 'Winds Of Osiris', to both fan and critical acclaim.

The Plight have toured the UK and Europe extensively with bands such as Gallows and Converge gaining fans wherever they play.

After releasing their demo, they signed to Thirty Days Of Night Records, with whom they released a self titled, seven track E.P. and in March 2007 the band were signed by Visible Noise Records. Their debut Visible Noise release Black Summer, was released on October 8, 2007 and was well received by the press, earning a 'KKKK' from Kerrang magazine.

The band appeared on a UK tour with Poison The Well in April 2008, followed by a European tour with Converge in July. In May 2009 they were part of the Vans 'Off The Wall' Uk Tour alongside SSS and Cancer Bats.

Thu, 15th July 2010
Barfly

eaststrikewest
Tiger Please
Secret Cinema
Towers Open Fire

7.00pm – £6 adv

Glasswerk is extremely excited to be promoting eaststrikewest at one of London's most famous venues. Hotly tipped for 2010, the reviews below onlt tell half the story. Get on board and get a ticket while you still can.

“It's rare that a band releases a debut full-length of such majesty it almost leaves you breathless. Stunning.” [8/10]
– Rocksound Magazine (Album Review)

“The sextet has organically developed into an outstanding and exciting Brit-rock band.”
– Rocksound Magazine (Feature)

“It's an astonishing debut from this Essex based six-piece.” [????]
– Big Cheese Magazine (Album Review)

“Eaststrikewest could well be one of the best bands in Britain you've never heard of.”
– Big Cheese Magazine (Feature)

“The most exciting, breathtaking and fully magnificent album of 2009.” [5/5]
– Black Velvet Magazine (Album Review)

Support comes from Tiger Please, Secret Cinema and Towers Open Fire

www.myspace.com/tigerplease
www.myspace.com/secretcinemaband
www.myspace.com/wearetowersopenfire

Tiger Please

Kerrang! Magazine KKKK :-

Occasionally a record comes along that simply knocks you for six. They Don't Change Under Moonlight contains not a single weak moment.A mighty, vibrant blend of muscularity and delicacy, mixing cinematic, Gaslight Anthem-like storytelling with the gruff, homebrewed rock vintage of Pearl Jam

The Music Fix 9/10 :-

An absolutely storming, ambitious, passionate debut album; knocks established rivals like Pearl Jam out of the park. If there’s any justice or sanity on this planet then his band is going to be huge

Punktastic.com 4/5 :-

There have been so many talented Welsh bands in the last few years and Tiger Please are among the best.

God is in the TV 4/5 :-

A sparkling début from the young Tiger Please, brilliantly melodic and upbeat

Roomthirteen.com 11/13 :-

An impressively mature and innovative debut; If we don’t see bigger things for Tiger Please in 2010, I’ll eat my own Trilby

Secret Cinema

This vibrant four piece have wowed audiences since their inception in late 2008, playing festivals and venues around the UK. They are one of the winners of the Q Magazine Glastonbury Emerging Talent and as a result will be performing at Glastonbury 2010. With varied backgrounds, their music is both moving and hard to define.

The band collectively writes its music and use unusual instruments, commonly replacing a Bass with Fx'd electric violin and using old electronic toys. This unusual approach has led to comparisons with bands as varied as Pink Floyd, Radiohead, TV On The Radio and Mars Volta.

They use experimental film footage giving audiences a unique experience. Secret Cinema have recorded at EMI Studios and worked with producer Daniel Knowles from the Post-Rock band, “Amusement Parks On Fire” to record the first three tracks of their forthcoming album “Through a Cathode Darkly”. The rest of the tracks have now been recorded for this exciting project and the band are looking forward to releasing it.

Towers Open Fire

towers open fire is an antenna. our aim is to gather all the confusing, alarming and uplifting messages that are fired at us every day and retransmit them as something different.

we have no guiding principles other than a fascination with the way the world works.

Glasswerk.co.uk presents
Roachford unplugged: August 6, Bush Hall

After this spring's sell-out shows, Andrew Roachford returns to London for another 'Unplugged' acoustic performance, this time at Bush Hall.

Andrew Roachford first made his mark on the UK scene with his band Roachford in the late 1980s, winning hearts with hits that include “Cuddly Toy (Feel For Me” and “Family Man.”

Since the noughties he has been busy developing his solo career and has to date released two albums: Heart of the Matter in 2003 and Word of Mouth in 2005. He is currently working on a third, slated for release later this year.

Roachford was brought up in London where, by touring with his successful saxophonist uncle Bill Roachford, he was exposed to life on the jazz circuits when still in his teens. In his own words; “I got lucky enough to start gigging when I was about 14. I was in the middle of that whole jazz scene which was an interesting education. It taught me musically, how to listen and how to entertain. My uncle always told me that you had to give people a show.”

Taking the things he learnt along with a number of other 70's and 80's influences, Roachford soon eastablished himself as a solid songwriter. Testament to his success is his crown as Columbia's best-selling UK artist for 10 years and approaches from stars such as Michael Jackson and Chaka Khan for songwriting collaborations.

As such a fundamental piece of the UK music fabric, Roachford is an act not to be missed.

Support for the Bush Hall show comes from two brightly shining rising stars on the English singer-songwriter scene, Scarlette Fever and Mike Dignam.

—

TICKETS available from: link

Glasswerk.co.uk presents

Kate McGill
25th June upstairs @ Garage, London
6th July @ Moho Live, Manchester

Kate still thinks that she is your average 20 year old girl from Plymouth. She was until she started her craze with YouTube in November 2007, then 17 year old Kate didn’t really know the scale of youtube and just posted videos for a bit of fun. Every so often she would choose her favourite song, sit in front of her video camera in her bathroom and sing.

Kate’s infectious personality grew on the online community she says “the more compliments I was getting, the more confident I was, the more videos I uploaded, the more I realised this is what I want to do”.

Her confidence is rather like her fanbase, ever growing. In the past year it has grown from 1000 subscribers to 10,000 and onto above 60,000 making Kate the 10th most subscribed musician on Youtube in the UK.

She remembers “it took me months and months to get up to 100 subscribers, and I was full on excited when I did”.

2010 is Kate’s year, she is currently writing for her first album in London and LA. She took the decision to involve her fans the whole way through the creative process of writing an album she says “I think it’s such a good way of broadcasting myself, people can see my strengths and my flaws, it’s just really real and I can be myself”.

Glasswerk.co.uk presents…

Graffiti6

7th July – The Old Queens Head, London
14th July – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
15th July – The Roadhouse, Manchester

Often, the best ideas come when you rip up the rulebook and follow what feels good. Just ask Graffiti6. The unlikely pairing of producer TommyD and singer/songwriter Jamie Scott began 18 months ago as an experiment neither thought would work and has grown in a pop project so refreshingly rule-free a sense of adventure seeps from every song.
Try to categorise Graffiti6 and you’re in trouble. You’ll certainly spot vintage soul influences, the pair’s shared love of Hendrix, folk and funk. You’ll hear house and hip hop beats destined to fill dancefloors. At the heart of the songs are pop melodies you could sit down with a guitar and strum. But Graffiti6 don’t make music to be analysed. From the moment they named their band by flicking through pages of their favourite books and calling out the first words their eyes fell on – Lionel Stingray and Suitcase Unannounced were close contenders – the pair’s main aim has been to have fun.
“What we love about this band is that we’ve never had a plan,” says Tommy, an established writer, producer, dj and arranger, who has worked with everyone from Jay-Z and Kanye West to Kylie and Janet Jackson. (He also produced Right Said Fred’s I’m Too Sexy, a bona fide pop classic that topped the charts in 20 countries.) “When we start a song, we’ve no idea where it’s going to end up. As long as it makes us feel good, we go with it.”
“The fundamental part of this project is that we enjoy ourselves,” adds Jamie, whose two solo albums to date (as Jamie Scott & The Town) have won him an army of fans across Europe and Asia and seen him tour with Alicia Keys. “We go in to the studio and indulge ourselves by making music we find exciting”.
Their first session spawned a groovy slab of psychedelic pop with dance beats and distorted vocals, Stare In To The Sun had the feel-good factor that has become the band’s trademark. Last summer, it also was chosen to soundtrack a TV ad campaign for The Sun. At the time, the pair weren’t looking to release a record as the project was only in its infancy. Tommy’s publisher, Sony ATV, however, had put the song forward for the advert and James Murdoch himself had insisted on using it, the first time the paper had ever worked with an unsigned act.
The exposure encouraged the pair to knuckle down in the studio and get to work on new songs. In the final six months of last year, they wrote and recorded a further 14 songs, from the shimmering soul-pop of Annie and spine-tingling, surefire future hit Free to the throbbing, hypnotic Stone In My Heart, now the lead track on the band’s new EP.
When Graffiti6 say they don’t stick to a formula, they’re not kidding. Some songs begin with a guitar riff, others a melody played on piano, a few on computer or drum machine. Stone In My Heart was a song that didn’t sound quite right until, one day, just for fun, Jamie decided to see what would happen if he put 16 layers of vocals on it.
“We never force a song in to a certain style or sound,” adds Tommy. “We might speed them up or slow them down or try them with a 1000 different drum beats. Some just come from jamming. We both play guitar, bass, keyboards and drums – whichever of us is nearest an instrument picks it up. All the songs you could strip down and play acoustically.
When record companies came knocking, Graffiti6 initially assumed they would sign a deal. But as they sat in their umpteenth meeting with label bosses, being told what they should do with their songs, it dawned on both that they would be happier releasing the music themselves. An initial wave of funding came from a friend in the City, who had long been looking to back Jamie. Within weeks, he was oversubscribed with enough investment for the pair to launch their own label.
“We can set our own budgets and find our own people to work with. It’s much better to live – and die, though we hope not – by your own sword.”
Hence the plan is probably to release an album later this year, but to test out their songs on the public first with a couple of EPs. The first, released in March, led by Stone In My Heart, also includes Stop Mary, Starlight and Foxes.
The first EP is simply an introduction to the sound and look of Graffiti6. It’s four tracks that will give people an idea of what we’re about.”
As anyone who has seen the superb, cartoon video for Stare In To The Sun will know, the look of Grafitti6 is as inspired as the songs. For their striking, colourful artwork and playful visuals at their live shows, the band rely on official third member, pop artist Jimi Crayon.
“We discovered Jimi just after we formed the band,” says Jamie. “Someone suggested we check him out and soon as we saw his work, we knew he was perfect for us. We tracked him down, played him what songs we had and asked if he’d come on board. Luckily, he loved our sound and instantly understood we were aiming to do.
“I’ve fronted bands for eight years and I wanted this to be different – very visual and a little leftfield. The music sounds like nothing I’ve done before. It had to be the same with the shows.”
Graffiti6 have only recently started gigging, but have already set up their own, monthly club night at the Vibe Bar in East London. The plan is to put on an electric line-up of performers – Live, Graffiti6 expand to a six-piece, though they didn’t know that when they picked the name.
“Everything about this band is a happy accident,” says Tommy. “Even now, we’re trying to plan as little as we can. It has to stay fresh
“To me, Graffiti6 is party music. We make songs for people to play when they’re dolling themselves up for a night out, to get down on dancefloors to and to rave around their front room to when they roll back drunk. It’s music we genuinely believe will make people feel good about themselves. That has to start from us having fun. When we’re not, we’ll stop.”

Glasswerk presents:
CATTLE DECAPITATION

TUESDAY 27TH JULY AT MOHO LIVE, MANCHESTER.
WEDNESDAY 28TH JULY AT THE GAFF, HOLLOWAY.

Well over a decade since its inception, CATTLE DECAPITATION has forged its not-so-humble beginnings in veggie gore-grind into one of extreme metal's most relentless forces, encompassing a sound as schizophrenic as their record collections but with a determined lyrical stance resolutely damning the ills of humanity.

With 5 full-lengths and countless tours under their belt as well as having influenced the majority of today’s rapidly-growing-in-popularity death/grind hopefuls, CATTLE DECAPITATION continue their own brand of spastic gore-drenched grinding death with their 4th Metal Blade release, “The Harvest Floor” for release on January 20th, 2009. This marks the first release featuring the latest addition to the fold, drummer David McGraw, formerly of Sleep Terror. Fusing 2006’s “Karma.Bloody.Karma” writing style with a much anticipated update in technicality, production and brutality, “The Harvest Floor” will undoubtedly be a milestone in the ever-diversifying metal scene that is now dominating the globe. The enhanced portion of the CD version sports an I-pod ready documentary titled “Pandemic: The Damnation Epic – The Making of “The Harvest Floor” and the layout reveals the true carnage that the cover art by Wes Benscoter, in it’s over the top yet highly conceptual glory, only hints at. “The Harvest Floor” is simply put, an apocalyptic multimedia epic!

No strangers to guest appearances, CATTLE DECAPITATION have enlisted some old friends for guest vocals including Ross Sewage (Impaled/Ludicra) and Dino Sommese (Dystopia/Asunder). The band is also very pleased to announce there is a special appearance by Jarboe (Swans), lending her beautifully haunting voice to the epic death dirge “The Harvest Floor”. Jackie Perez Gratz (Grayceon/Amber Asylum) graces a couple tracks with her electric cello and Los Angeles noisician John Wiese also lends his electronic/atmospheric expertise to the album further separating the band from the typical “cookie-cutter” approach applied all too often by today’s extreme acts.

The Harvest Floor shows a return to the engineering and production skills of Billy Anderson (Mr. Bungle, Melvins, Swans) with a combination of drum recording by Zach Ohren (All Shall Perish, Decrepit Birth) to create a modern but unique sound that is disturbingly pummeling. Holed up in Sharkbite studios in Oakland, CA for nearly a month away from the punishing light of day, CATTLE DECAPITATION hid in the depths and have sprouted new hell with the masterpiece that is… The Harvest Floor.

Glasswerk Presents…

Wallis Bird
Wednesday 9th June
Jabez Clegg, Manchester

Irish artist Wallis Bird is more than your average singer-songwriter. An impassioned performer, her energy on stage has earned her comparisons with Janis Joplin and Ani diFranco, as well as landing her support tours with artists as diverse as the legendary Billy Bragg, Ivor Novello winner Gabrielle and the worldwide phenomenon duo Rodrigo y Gabriela.

Perhaps best known for her storming cover of ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ which was used on one of the biggest prime-time TV ad campaigns of late 2008, on stage Wallis is a 5 ft 2 bundle of white heat. Throwing herself around the stage with willful abandon, she breaks strings, shreds her fingers from the sheer force of playing, urges the crowd into collective sing-a-longs and throws her entire soul into each performance with often breath-taking results.

Both her live shows and album releases have garnered her rave reviews from all quarters, with 4* reviews being given by national publications including The Guardian, Daily Express and the Sun, who called her ‘a stunning female singer-songwriter to take note of…a future star’.

Glasswerk presents..
KOF
29th May @ Club Academy, Manchester
Support from
R.I.O
Wrigley
Janiece Myers
A ME B
Coldside Generals

KOF hits Manchester to play at the Club Academy on the 29th May, bringing with him some friends such as Janiece Myers (A-list crew), Manchester’s own R.I.O, Wrigley (A-list) and A ME B plus friends to be announced.

KOF’s next single is out in July – FIRE YOU UP (feat Wiley) and he has some tasty support slots coming up on the way to the long awaited debut album (due winter 2010)

Other shows:
8th May – City Showcase : O2 Arena, London
21st May – supp Tinchy Stryder : O2 Academy Liverpool
14th August – supp Wiley : O2 Academy Liverpool

Check out link for more info and free downloads of music.

“The Future of UK music” (Ace N Invisible, Radio 1/BBC 1XTRA)

In a scene renowned for aggressive lyrics and negative press, KOF is a diamond in the dirt. His music is a fusion of inner city music genres, new school flair and old school flavour, mixed with conscious lyrics and big beats that he describes as ‘MESH’ music. KOF’s talents lay not only in his unique and undeniable realism, but also in his soulful voice and melodic flow. Add that to his open and unrestricted approach to music and you can understand why he is considered a ‘breath of fresh air’ in the UK Music Scene. “I like to mesh a lot of different types of different types of music together. I listen to all sorts and I think my music reflects that”.
KOF’s music is a hybrid of Urban and Dance genres that has led to a strong fan base, that cuts across racial and regional boundaries. “I think that has been my strength so far; the ability to engage different types of people through my music. I believe that is a good thing; to bring people together and just have good time”. KOF has taken that approach and ran with it.

Despite being classed by some as a ‘new artist’ KOF has already achieved consistent air play on stations such as BBC 1Xtra, Galaxy and Radio 1, and has opened up for international touring artists, in the process gaining a dedicated following; not only in the shape of his ever expanding fan base, but in respected music industry officials alike.

KOF’s developing buzz across the nation has led to kudos and support from the likes of Ras Kwame, Mistajam, Huw Stephens, Ace N Vis and many more and collaborations with Wiley, Sway, Wretch 32, Skinnyman, Rodney P, Curtis Lynch Jnr, Jaguar Skills and numerous top producers. During the Summer of 2009 KOF raised his career further with consistent radio play on Radio One and co-signs by some of their top Djs (Zane Lowe, Huw Stephens, Annie Mac and Ras Kwame).

Further the summer has seen KOF perform across the UK and Europe at some of the top festivals and events, including Glastonbury, EU Music Days, Malmo Festival and HUB.

KOF is currently prepping the release of singles from his debut album.

Glasswerk are pleased to present the latest addition to the Sound City line up British rapper and grime superstar Tinchy Stryder is playing Liverpool’s O2 Academy on Friday 21st May.

Crowned the “Prince of Grime” by Rewind Magazine, 2009 proved to be the big year for the 22 year old, Ghanaian born Kwasi Danquah who now calls East London his home. After being tipped as a rising star by the likes of Radio One, Wiley, and (bizarrely) MP Norman Lamb, this Star In The Hood has scored two consecutive top 3 hits, (including the no. 1 single for three weeks ‘Number 1’), he supported Akon and N-Dubz on sell out arena tours, launched a flourishing merchandise line with the kind of kudos and turnover that would impress Phillip Green, and completed a degree in Digital Arts and Moving Imagery at University of East London.

Tinchy Stryder also unleashed another hit ‘Never Leave You’ which featured Sugababe Amelle it was the fourth cut to be taken from the album Catch 22 (released August 2009), Tinchy went on to perform at many of the top UK’s top summer festivals, before embarking on his first headline nationwide tour playing to a sell-out Liverpool crowd at O2 Academy earlier this year.

His latest album ‘Catch 22’ is yet another milestone in Tinchy Stryder’s ascending career. Moving on from the sound of his first album, ‘Star in the Hood’, it seen Tinchy working with a diverse range of producers (from Fraser T Smith to Frank Musik) and guest vocalists (from Taio Cruz to Amelle) to create a signature sound that is not only fresh and current, but is also uniquely his own. Lyrically the album focuses on Tinchy’s day-to-day tales from his hood in Bow, and his ever changing life as a rising star in the music industry. Spanning the shiny and radio friendly ‘Number 1’ and ‘Never Leave You’ through to the gritty and bassline heavy, ‘Stryderman’ and ‘Spotlight’.

Individual tickets are now on sale but the Liverpool Sound City festival wristband will also get you into this amazing event as well as the chance to see over 450 other bands at Sound City including The Maccabees, Blackout, Delphic, Paloma Faith and Wild Beasts. The current price is £45 so it represents the best value to really take in the whole Sound City experience. Please note walk up prices during the festival will be higher.

Also announced this week is the Wall of Sound party with Reverend Soundsystem on Friday 21st May at the Haigh Building, as curated by Mark Jones the head of the label, Mark also joins the Sound City Music conference line-up at the Hilton Hotel during the festival. Wall of Sound party impressive line-up also includes Ocelot DJ’s, Kids on Bridges, Grace Jones and Gold Panda to name but a few.

Vains Of Jenna
Falling Red
The Crave
Wednesday 5th May 2010
The Roadhouse

It was just a few weeks ago that VAINS OF JENNA announced the departure of
their long time friend, Swedish comrade and vocalist Lizzy DeVine.
However, it’s a new day, change is now and we are proud to introduce to
you Jesse Forte the new lead singer and front man for VAINS OF JENNA.

Jesse Forte was raised in Orange County California and comes from a
musical back ground. He attended music school at MI, played in a slew of
bands since a teenager and even admits he pan-handled on the corner
playing guitar for money. Jesse says: “I am a performer first. Whether it
be 5 people, or 5,000 – I am embrace that opportunity to sing and play
music.” The bands newest member was born in Arkansas but moved to the West
Coast at a very young age. Eventually Hollywood’s music scene came calling
and Jesse started killing and thrilling crowds on the Sunset Strip.

“We first saw Jesse in 2009 when his band opened for us at the ‘Cat Club’.
And he blew us away.” Says VAINS OF JENNA co-founder and bassist JP White.
Jesse is unique for sure. Imagine Steven Tyler’s charisma, Chris
Cornell’s powerful voice, a charming smile; then mix it all in a blender
with a pair of nunchakus – and you get Jesse Forte.

The Swedish rockers have had lots of success during their young career in
the states. So, this was no doubt a big blow – but this band refused to
lay down and die. “It’s not in my blood to stop doing what I started. I
love music, I live music, and this is what I do.” Says Nicki Kin the bands
key song writer and multi instrumentalist. Kin plays lead guitar, piano
and has in the last year; even shared some lead vocal duty in VAINS OF
JENNA. The band has lived the American dream by touring on the biggest of
stages, appearing on the hippest TV shows, and gracing the pages of
countless magazines. But that was yesterday, and today is a new day. “We
embrace this change, and we welcome Jesse into our family.” Says the band.

VAINS OF JENNA first burst into the music world when Kin & drummer Jacki
Stone were still in High School. Gigs on the weekends, rehearsals at night
and school all day. Jacki says: “Thank God that is behind us, I never
liked school much and had no interest to be a factory worker. I pursued
music very early and have no plans to quit.” The youngest and self taught
drummer has been playing in bands with Kin since they were in the 4th
grade. Stone’s brother White has this outlook: “We’re not a Hollywood band
or a Swedish band either. We’re just a rock band. We want to see the
world. And I speak for all of us when I say – we cannot wait for the world
to see us.”

VAINS OF JENNA play “WHISKY-A-GO-GO” Saturday April 10th 2010 in
Hollywood, California. A European Tour follows with dates in Norway,
Sweden, England, Wales, Italy & more.

Tuesday 13th July (SOLD OUT) and Wednesday 14th July at The Lexington.

Black Mountain have added a second London date on Wednesday 14th July at The Lexington, after Tuesday 13th July sold out.

Favorite psych-and-prog-spiritual pioneers Black Mountain’s “In The Future”, was their second full-length album and it resonated with the same epic ring, beloved deep rock touchstones and genuine folk fragility that made their self-titled debut full-length an instant classic. The album possesses immense breadth, seamlessly showcasing short and classic folk-pop gems along with driving modern rock masterpieces, peaking with “Bright Lights”, a seventeen-minute multi-dimensional opus that gives Pink Floyd's “Echoes” a run for its money.

“In The Future” also demonstrates a compelling evolution. Black Mountain's first self-titled album was like being in sixth grade, when there's a few new kids in class who you know you're supposed to hang with. You're out of the gates, but you still stumble and shake when the teachers yell at you. “In The Future”, ninth grade and summer vacation are over. You're heading back to high school to hang in the hallways with those same kids who now have wispy and dirty moustaches, long hair and breasts. The teachers don't scare you. The jocks are boring, and your record collection is more important than the prettiest girl at school. It's the first real taste of independence in the quest for absolute freedom.

Black Mountain is Matt Camirand, Stephen McBean, Jeremy Schmidt, Amber Webber and Joshua Wells. The band hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, and have been making music together since 2004. Their debut album garnered an impressive amount of critical acclaim, including Pitchfork's prestigious “Best New Music” tag, as well as being deemed by Uncut magazine as the 4th best album of 2005. The band has toured the world, playing the smallest of rock clubs and the largest of outdoor amphitheaters. And the broad appeal of their musical work is unique, in that even though they are championed by the more underground-minded record-collector type of music fan as well as by high-profile musicians such as Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, Black Mountain's live performances and recordings also retain a very universal appeal, sticking readily to the ribs of most any garden-variety music fan. Perhaps Black Mountain strive to make music that is uncompromising but inclusive.

2009 saw the band nominated for Canada’s prestigious Juno awards in the “Best Alternative Album” category. 2010 will see the band return with what promises to be their most powerful and fully realised album yet.

“It’s captivating, cosmic stuff” 4/5 Uncut

“This album eclipses their previous output and hits a consistent note of righteous force” Wire

“Heady, heavy and brilliantly executed: stoner rock for the masses” Word

“Stephen McBean’s classic rock crew summon up any number of sonic ghosts from Deep Purple to Funkadelic… yet never stoop to mere pastiche” 5/5 The Times

“Black Mountain’s meaty melange of Sabbath-sized riffs, hairy Hammond and Velvets drone is all muscle and no flab” 4/5 The Independent

“Confident but not copyist, in the future few records will sound this dominant” 8/10 NME

“This is nothing short of ready-made classics for the Guitar Hero
generation” Independent On Sunday

Support for both shows comes from Dark Horses link

Tickets available from:
Ticketwerk link
ArtistTicket link

Glasswerk.co.uk presents…
An intimate evening with Roachford
Wednesday 28th April
Brudenell Social Club
33 Queen's Road, Leeds, LS6 1NY
Tickets £13.50 from link

Ever since bulldozing his way onto the scene with unforgettable tracks like 'Cuddly Toy' and 'Family Man' in the late 80s, Andrew Roachford's maverick take on music has spread far and wide. As the first artist to sign a staggering seven-album deal with Columbia Records, it heralded the beginning of something big. “Getting signed and being a black British artist gave me a sense of pride” enthuses Andrew.

Like any artist worth their salt, Andrew Roachford's music is the result of many things. Raised in south London to West Indian parents, as a child of the 70s and 80s, it's no wonder that his music sounds the way it does. Influenced by everyone from Curtis Mayfield and Al Green to The Roots, D'Angelo and Jill Scott, Andrew's formative years were also spent listening to Radio One, reggae and jazz. Pinpointing the beginning of his musical career as a child he vividly remembers being mysteriously drawn from his bed to play the piano in his living room. “There was always a piano in the house and I just got up and started playing even though I'd never played before. There was something quite surreal and magical about it.” Looking at Andrew Roachford's family history, though, it shouldn't come as any surprise.

Born into a musical dynasty, his uncle Bill Roachford was a virtuoso saxophonist whose claims to fame includes teaching Ronnie Scott how to play Sax. The musical ball really started to roll however, when Andrew hit the road with his uncle. Playing gigs on the jazz circuit in those days, gave him a good grounding for things to come. “I got lucky enough to start gigging when I was about 14. I was in the middle of that whole jazz scene which was an interesting education. It taught me musically, how to listen and how to entertain. My uncle always told me that you had to give people a show.”

Andrew was Columbia's biggest selling domestic act for over ten years. As if any more proof were needed, the fact that Andrew Roachford has been approached by such luminaries as Michael Jackson and Chaka Khan to write songs, speaks volumes.

Glasswerk.co.uk presents…
Hip Parade
18th May – 93 Feet East, London
19th May – Ruby Lounge, Manchester

Hip Parade are to release their single Catastrophe through Blameless Records on 17th May 2010.

The single follows their recent UK tour with Stereophonics in March, on which they received a great response from the arena crowds.

The single was recorded at Monnow Valley Studios in Wales with Stereophonics’ guitarist Adam Zindani on producing duties, with special guest Dean Deavall from Feeder on keyboards, and is backed by b-sides Girl On The Radio and a live track from the recent Wembley Arena show.

Rob Shah, lead vocals:
“Touring with the Stereophonics was amazing. It was such an honour to be invited along for the ride. Adam and the guys were really good to us and gave us lots of advice. We’re looking forward to getting back on the road with all the experience we have gained from the arena tour. We’re also really looking forward to letting our fans hear the new single 'Catastrophe' which Adam produced for us, we’re really happy with how it has turned out.”

Adam Zindani, Stereophonics:
“This band could go all the way! Night after night they had the crowd and the room in their hands and that ain't easy when they haven't come to see you. Their work ethic is second to none as is their lust for music – as passionate as any band I have come across. To have everyone in the O2 arena singing “your f*cking dynamite” is rockin!”

Hip Parade will be touring the UK in May to back the single release:
May 2010:
16th – Birmingham, Sound Bar
17th – Nottingham, Rescue Room
18th – London, 93 Feet East
19th – Manchester, Ruby Lounge
20th – Liverpool, Sound City
21st – Leeds, The Elbow Rooms
23rd – Glasgow, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
25th – Aberdeen, Warehouse
26th – Dundee, Doghouse
27th – Inverness, Mad Hatters
28th – Stornoway, Era
29th – Thurso, Skinandi’s
30th – Edinburgh, Electric Circus

Glasswerk.co.uk presents TICK TICK BOOM!
Saturday 17th April
The Purple Turtle, 65 Crowndale Rd, London, NW1 1TN
7.30pm – 3am
£5adv from link (18+)

LIVE: THIS CITY / GLORIA CYCLES / KARAOKE FOR BEGINNERS / THE BASKERVILLES / THE MEAT AND ONION GANG

Glasswerk launch brand new clubnight TICK TICK BOOM! On Saturday 17th April at the famous Purple Turtle, bringing together some of London’s most forward thing bands and DJs to give you the soundtrack to a raucous night in the darkest depths of Camden Town.

THIS CITY have been already been described in review as “like The Travelling Wilburys if it was made of members of Bloc Party and At The Drive In”. Maybe if you throw in the eyeball-popping nuances of Blood Brothers, the same turn-on-a-sixpence disco-jerk rhythms of the more danceable end of punk (think Les Savy Fav or !Forward Russia!), the impassioned cacophony of mid 80s Dischord Records-led emotional hardcore, the pop sensibility of tykes such as The Automatic and subtract the reference to Tom Petty and co, we might just be inclined to agree…

The brilliant four piece GLORIA CYCLES, from sunny Brighton, are one of 2010’s most exciting and intriguing bands. They play glorious slices of upbeat indie set to a backdrop of dark tales of torment.

London favourites KARAOKE FOR BEGINNERS, indie-ska-upstarts THE BASKERVILLES; and Them Nudes and the Litt’lans love child THE MEAT AND ONIONS GANG open the night.

DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL, the much loved and influential underground UK 6 piece are finally readying themselves for the release of their 2nd album, having completed work on it this week.

Produced by the band and mixed by Steve Evetts (Dillinger Escape Plan, Glassjaw, The Cure, Sepultura), the as yet untitled album will see a summer release, and to celebrate, the band will play a handful of small and intimate UK headline shows in May and June.

This will be the first chance to hear some of the new material, and will be their only headline UK dates until October 2010. An advanced free download of a brand new, unreleased album track will be made available around the dates, more info soon.

Album title, UK and European tour plans, a special one off London fan show, festivals from May onwards and a release date all to be announced in the coming weeks.

LIVE DATES:
1st June Manchester – Moho

Where, you may well, indeed should, ask yourself, have THE EIGHTIES MATCHBOX B-LINE DISASTER been?

Well, armed with a new album, ‘Blood and Fire’ – brought to you via Russia, rehab, personnel upheaval, scraps and the searing heat of unquenchable souls on fire – they return with a vengeance this May.

Showing themselves to be true rock survivors the band have joined the Black Records family, home to Clint Mansell, Russian Circles and The Bookhouse Boys.

The band will be playing a much anticipated London headline show at the Relentless Garage on June 3rd.

The album, to be released May 17th, and a limited vinyl & download single, ‘Love Turns To Hate’, May 10th is proof, if proof indeed were needed, that THE EIGHTIES MATCHBOX B-LINE DISASTER are just too special to die.

Catch them live:
Krazy House, Liverpool – 19th May
The Garage, London – 3rd June

Mamas Gun with support from Rene and Switchboard Spectacular playing and Ruby Lounge in Manchester on 28th March *Venue has been upgraded*.

MAMA’S GUN…

“Already banking radio play with this delicious modern take on sumery ‘70-tingled soul…(Mamas Gun) openly filters the multi-layered spirit of Stevie and Marvin through latter-day smooth sensualist such as D’Angelo or Maxwell… Think Mark Ronson without the smarm” Uncut Magazine

“Mamas Gun are to be commdended: it’s pretty hard to reinvent the sweet, warm, groove filled – r’n'b of the 1970’s with credibilty . Their trick is to sound like they’ve cherry picked the finest deatils of an eclectic record collection…This, together with frontman Andy Platts’s winsome vocals and the outfits experimental instruments, means they’ve nailed some seriously crowd pleasing tunes” The Metro

“One of the best things you can do on radio is play a good record, today someone bought this little gem into our studio, I played it and I thought well, it really doesn’t get any better than this…(plays Pots Of Gold)…Can you believe that we get songs like this delivered into us?. How good is that song?….unbelievable!…contemporary, its just smacks of quality” Chris Evans

“Mamas Gun – a great new artist” Trevor Nelson

“Mamas Gun, led by über cool vocalist Andy Platts sound fabulous on record and go down a hoot live too!” Steve Lamaq

“One listen and you’ll feel like real soul music and music with real soul has finally found its way home.” Blues & Soul Magazine

RENE…

Quite literally carving their own groove, René stand out and proud against the sea of swirling distorted guitar with which the original live music scene is awash. For years these five musicians have polished their stagecraft, always querying why the tunes that invoke passion in themselves and their audience just don’t seem to get written anymore. Now they’ve elected to take matters into their own hands and are hitting the stage with a vibrant sound inspired by the best of the Britfunk era and funk/soul legends of decades past. To see them live is to be part of a performance buzzing with energy, and the passion they have for their music really shines through…

SWITCHBOARD SPECTACULAR…

SWITCHBOARD SPECTACULAR is born out of a love of body shaking, fire starting tunes; the ones that build fortified stations in your brain as you go innocently about your day, the ones who inseparably attach to memories of your past (and dreams of your future), the friends that will still be with you years after the boys and girls you know have long deserted. Maybe it’s the sugary Blackpool rock in the bloodstream, or the carnival atmosphere of the Promenade, but something set lights in these guys’ minds blinking bright party neon.Switchboard channelled the bands that sound-tracked their lives – Kings of Leon, Foo Fighters, Oasis, The Beatles, and The La’s – and started writing their own score. And maybe a few others would pick up the tune as they led.

That’s not to say it’s all happy-clappy “Top o’ the morning” stuff though; Switchboard infuse their poppier sounds with shards of new-wave guitar, grand trumpet refrains, spacey laser riffs and plain unrelenting groove, leading to one number described as ‘something like a mixture of Pearl Jam and Keane.’ As endorsements go perhaps you’re a little sceptical; but picture the little Keane cherub howling his way through ‘Alive’ and try and tell me that’s not something you want to see.

The band have chased the great chorus in the sky since early 2007. After local Battle of the Bands success the they offered up the ‘Dan’s Face’ E.P (one of a series of works on the theme of one’s face), and headed out for the revelry of the Manchester scene, playing legendary venues like the Night and Day Café and the Manchester Academy, with some BBC Radio Manchester appearances to boot. One Manchester journalist remarked; ‘Without wanting to make any dramatic predictions, I can imagine these guys being very appealing to a lot of people.’ Switchboard Spectacular are happy to make dramatic predictions. They love you, and they think you might love them too.

“This Blackpool 4 piece end 2009 having been voted Rock Quest winners by their local newspaper, followed closely by the release of their latest single, Like I Need You. It bodes well for them in 2010 as their infectious sound is commercial enough to see them picked up for radioplay while still maintaining a huge likeability factor that should see them playing sell out gigs as word gets out about them. They seem to have conquered Blackpool in 2009, the next 12 months should see them taking over the rest of Lancashire.” Guest List Music

“The five piece band had little difficulty winning the panel of six judges over with their fresh sounding commercial material. Elswick-based frontman Dan Clayton has a classic rock charisma but the whole band has a tight delivery – from Beth Pawson’s crisply economic but forceful drumming through to Mike Stevens reliable guitar work, Jack Halpin’s dependable bass and Andy Palfreyman adding occassional trumpet to his already competent keyboard work” Blackpool Gazette

“The Blackpool five-piece won the judges over with their energetic and spiky brand of rock.” Blackpool Gazette

“Switchboard Spectacular have landed. They arrive with the foot tapping, upbeat and energetic sound of their brilliant signature track, “Twists And Turns”. As well as being tight and to the point their new single is also a lyrical masterpiece of social context”. Jump Radio

“Upbeat indie pop with a serious party twist, these guys have a lot to offer. If their live show is anywhere near as infectious as this track, they are bound to be going far.” Dave Chislett / Matchbox Recordings

The Paddingtons at Manchester Roadhouse on 8th April.

The Paddingtons formed in Hull in 2002 and smashed their way on to the music scene with their infectious blend of anthemic punk/pop, taking no prisoners as they fast established themselves as the darlings of the London 'Indie' scene exploding at that time.

Fast forward seven years and 4 top 40 singles, a critically acclaimed album ‘First Comes First’, sold out tours all over the world, and an army of devoted fans later, one of which being Babyshambles front man Pete Doherty, the band were in love with being a band but were left disillusioned with the industry itself. In 2007 they decided to take their music into their own hands and created an independent record label, 'Mama-Bear Records' from which they released their long awaited second album, 'No Mundane Options'.

The band is readying for the release of their new E.P 'The Lady Boy Tapes', set for release in April. The E.P was produced by 'Dirty Pretty Things' guitarist Anthony Rossomando and band mate Didz Hamond and mixed by 'Super furry Animals' and 'Belle and Sebastian' producer Tony Doogan. 'The Lady Boy Tapes' EP will feature 5 new tracks including a duet with Adam Green, called 'Lady Boy'. The band will be touring April and May in UK and Europe in support of the EP release.
Tickets are available from:

www.glasswerk.co.uk
www.ticketwerk.co.uk

Seth Lakeman at Contemporary Urban Centre, Liverpool on 7th April.

Mercury Music Prize nominated Seth Lakeman released his first live DVD ‘Live at the Minack’ in December last year. The film captures Seth and his incredible live band performing to a rapturous crowd at the spectacular, open-air Minack Theatre in Penzance, Cornwall. The set features songs from his three hit albums Kitty Jay, Freedom Fields and Poor Man's Heaven.

Seth's live show, as with everything else he does, takes the established folk orthodoxy and turns it on its head. The spirit of the rock band meets the timeless and heartfelt subject matter of the folk tale in a blur of fiddle, acoustic guitar and foot-stomping rhythms, with Seth's unmistakable vocals riding the wave.

Seth Lakeman is one of the fastest-rising stars on the folk roots scene. His 2006 album ‘Freedom Fields’ has sold over 100,000 copies in the UK alone and helped Seth build on his traditional cult following, finding a whole new audience for his rhythmic, captivating brand of indie-folk song writing. Seth was named Folk Singer of the Year and ‘Freedom Fields’ awarded Album Of The Year at the prestigious Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2007. And with many festival appearances under his belt, including SXSW, Glastonbury and V Festival along with many others his live shows are not to be missed.

His 2008 album ‘Poor Man’s Heaven’ charted at number 8 in the UK on its release. The album represented a progression for Seth’s sound – while remaining firmly rooted in folk, it moved from a more acoustic-based feel to a fuller, rockier sound, underpinned as ever by emotive lyrics and storytelling. It is also the closest representation on record of Seth’s live show yet, capturing the rhythmic, raw energy seldom seen in any other acoustic band.

Tickets are available from:
www.glasswerk.co.uk
www.ticketwerk.co.uk

Glasswerk.co.uk presents…
Straight Lines

23rd Feb – The Enterprise, London
27th Feb – Night And Day, Manchester

Tickets available from link

Straight Lines was initially conceived by lead vocalist and guitarist Tom Jenkins and drummer Dane Campbell after the demise of their previous band. The Welsh duo set about collating ideas and writing new material that would later form the basis for the band's debut album.
With no money to go to any other studio or producer to record the album they turned to Dane's brother (and guitarist with local heroes Dopamine) Todd Campbell to play bass and help them produce and record their debut album in his studio situated in the garage of his house.

With the help of their friends in other bands they managed to gather enough equipment together to start work on recording. Two weeks into recording the band would then be completed by Tom's old college friend James Pugh on guitar.

Fast forward a few months and Straight Lines are ready to release the first fruits of their labour; “Versus The Allegiance”. The hard-hitting single is the first to be lifted from the band's flawless debut album “Persistence In This Game” which will be released through Xtra Mile Recordings (Frank Turner, The Xcerts, Reuben) in early 2010. 'Versus The Allegiance' is now available from released iTunes.

Glasswerk.co.uk are excited to announce The Crave will be playing a headline show in Korova, Liverpool for us on Thursday 4th March.

Back in a simpler time there was no indie, no emo, no nu-rave. No post-this, post-that, post-whatever the hell else. There was just riff-laden, ballsy rock ‘n’ roll; huge songs, life-changing gigs and a whole world of noisy, gutsy fun that took people out of their dreary everyday lives and made them feel truly special.

It’s from this effervescent historical well that the UK’s most charismatic young band draw their inspirations. But this is no retro pastiche, these boys are young, hungry and bringing classic rock songwriting flailing and wailing into the 21st century. It’s the Foo Fighters and AC/DC in a booze-fuelled riff showdown.

After more than a year touring with such artists as Shinedown, Hot Leg, Buckcherry, Hinder, Theory of a Deadman & Deep Purple, plus slots at Download & Sonisphere festivals, as well as performing their own headline shows, The Crave have become a powerful and well-oiled machine.

Their debut album ‘Breaking The Silence’ is set for release in April and you can catch them on tour with Heaven’s Basement & Dear Superstar from 24 Feb-13 March with 3 of their own headline * dates among them:

24 Feb. Peterborough Club Revolution
25 Feb. Wakefield The Hop
26 Feb. Bolton Kico Club
27 Feb. Newcastle Legends *
28 Feb. Glasgow The Captain’s Rest *
2 March Bristol O2 Academy 2
4 March Liverpool Korova *
5 March Nottingham Rock City basement
6 March Cheltenham The Night Owl
7 March Wolverhampton Little Civic
9 March Leicester The Musician
10 March Birmingham O2 Academy 3
11 March Brighton The Engine Room
12 March Hatfield The Attic @ The University
13 March Oxford Academy 2

Think About Life
plus Clement Marfo & The Frontline / Evryone
Wednesday 17th February
93 Feet East, London
Tickets available here link

Think About Life is a gargantuan 4-headed party machine. Martin Cesar, occupies the role of the band’s primary vocalist, with a raw and honest delivery and a uncanny natural ability to get the crowd going. Graham Van Pelt, also known for his work as the multi-instrumental genius behind the project Miracle Fortress, works the sampler, guitar and keyboards. Caila Thompson-Hannant, also of Shapes & Sizes, brings her unbelievable vocal talents to the forefront with her soulful backing vocals while simultaneously holding down the band’s low end on bass guitar. Drummer Greg Napier has recently joined the ranks of Think About Life to replace the departed and beloved Matt Shane.

The band’s second full-length album, Family, was released via Alien8 Recordings in Canada on May 26th 2009 to wide acclaim. On October 13th, 2009 the album then saw it’s release in the USA. Family is slated for an October 27th 2009 release in Japan on Escalator Records.

With their album gaining fans amongst their peers, they’ve been invited to tour with several great acts, including: Franz Ferdinand, Ratatat, Stars, Wolf Parade, Art Brut, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Ponytail and Land of Talk, amongst several others.

Looking forward, Think About Life are preparing to keep bringing their unstoppable live show to locales all across North America and Europe. Plans are in the works for a special appearance in early-2010 in London, followed by a full North American tour in March and April, including appearances at Austin’s SXSW and Toronto’s CMW festivals.

Glasswerk.co.uk presents…
An intimate acoustic evening with Roachford
Wednesday 31st March
Madame Jojo's
8-10 Brewer Street, London W1F 0SE
Tickets £17.50 from link

Ever since bulldozing his way onto the scene with unforgettable tracks like 'Cuddly Toy' and 'Family Man' in the late 80s, Andrew Roachford's maverick take on music has spread far and wide. As the first artist to sign a staggering seven-album deal with Columbia Records, it heralded the beginning of something big. “Getting signed and being a black British artist gave me a sense of pride” enthuses Andrew.

Like any artist worth their salt, Andrew Roachford's music is the result of many things. Raised in south London to West Indian parents, as a child of the 70s and 80s, it's no wonder that his music sounds the way it does. Influenced by everyone from Curtis Mayfield and Al Green to The Roots, D'Angelo and Jill Scott, Andrew's formative years were also spent listening to Radio One, reggae and jazz. Pinpointing the beginning of his musical career as a child he vividly remembers being mysteriously drawn from his bed to play the piano in his living room. “There was always a piano in the house and I just got up and started playing even though I'd never played before. There was something quite surreal and magical about it.” Looking at Andrew Roachford's family history, though, it shouldn't come as any surprise.

Born into a musical dynasty, his uncle Bill Roachford was a virtuoso saxophonist whose claims to fame includes teaching Ronnie Scott how to play Sax. The musical ball really started to roll however, when Andrew hit the road with his uncle. Playing gigs on the jazz circuit in those days, gave him a good grounding for things to come. “I got lucky enough to start gigging when I was about 14. I was in the middle of that whole jazz scene which was an interesting education. It taught me musically, how to listen and how to entertain. My uncle always told me that you had to give people a show.”

Andrew was Columbia's biggest selling domestic act for over ten years. As if any more proof were needed, the fact that Andrew Roachford has been approached by such luminaries as Michael Jackson and Chaka Khan to write songs, speaks volumes.

Eight Legs on Tour
24th Feb @ 93 Feet East, London
25th Feb @ The Rainbow, Birmingham
26th Feb @ Elbow Rooms, Leeds
27th Feb @ Roadhouse, Manchester
28th Feb @ Classic Grand, Glasgow

EIGHT LEGS – The Electric Kool-Aid Cuckoo Nest

Released: 22nd February 2010 on Boot Legs.

NME once described Eight Legs as “the Musical equivalent of Christiano Ronaldo, Eight Legs are young, sexy and you can’t help liking them”. A fast and furious quote for a band making the musical equivalent – danceable, energy fuelled blasts of fun. Let’s not get too distracted by great tunes and declarations of sexiness though. For beneath the totally cool and accessible exterior lies a bunch of sharp and savvy individuals. The rather tongue-tying album title you see above is an amalgamation of Tom Wolfe’s 1968 literary work ‘The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test’ and the classic 1962 novel ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’; the author of which – Ken Kessey – inspired the former piece of work with his wayward adventures and LSD experimentation. An interest in drugs and the human condition fills ‘The Electric Kool-Aid Cuckoo Nest’, alongside musings on love, life and the various frustrations of growing-up in a seemingly unexciting generation, with nothing to offer but the same-old Saturday night rough and tumble. It brims with social commentary that is poetically charming in its beating heart honesty and youthful naivety, while simultaneously throwing out stabbing shards of insightfulness and raw awareness. “I wish it was the 60’s, drugs were still interesting, sex was still liberating and the kids were still protesting” – ‘I Wish It Was The 60’s’ Musically it’s undoubtedly infectious, all twelve of its eclectic tunes linked in their Eight Legs signature of throbbing skyrocketing choruses and rip-roaring guitar, slightly raw and rough around the edges keeping it just the right side of pop-punk. First single ‘I Understand’ pulsates with early ‘90’s psychedelia and jangly guitar; ‘Stay Cool’ throbs with a Specials-esque. beat; ‘Just So You Know’ a pop-ballad which veers towards the uplifting beat of The Beatles circa 1963, (had they listened to the odd Ramones record); ‘Best of Me’ is dark, paranoid and driving with the chorus ‘first they got the best of me, then they came back and got the rest of me’ spat out with the passion of a band that mean every fucking word. And the album’s last, title track is its crowning glory. An epic rock opera of a tune with a drum intro to rival Keith Moons and a sublime spoken monologue that perfectly encapsulates the bitter-sweet moment when the furious, adrenaline fuelled night nears its end and you can’t help but think ‘is this it?’
“It is like the whole thing has snapped and the whole front section of the arena becomes a writhing, seething mass of little girls, shaking and moving and pushing and squirming their arms in the air like a thousand pink tentacles of one giant colonial animal, their teeny agony being ripped out of their hearts” – ‘The Electric Kool -Aid Acid Test’ …..p.t.o

Such an insightful band should have a past. Eight Legs certainly do. It’s one of success, followed by savvy moves ensuring a future of freedom from the usual industry constraints. Forming in 2006 the band had overnight success rare for such newcomers. Creative Director Heidi Slimane personally handpicked them to soundtrack Dior Homme’s Paris fashion show that year, following in the footsteps of the established and the great, Razorlight and Beck to name a few. The track used ‘These Grey Days’ (from the bands debut) was also picked up by ad men with a good ear and is presently blasting from your TV on the ‘Boys Night Out’ anti-binge drinking campaign. The track also scored fans in other high places – Radio 1’s new music champions Zane Lowe, Huw Stephens and Colin Murray happily span it, while XFM speedily added it to their playlist and offered Eight Legs a Music Response session. Following suit, the UK music press picked up their ears – and pens –promptly, from the music monthlies: “(Eight Legs) would have made Peel proud” – Uncut, to the dailies: “Eight Legs serve up rock ‘n’ roll as you like it – brimming with wired energy, hot riffs and saucy yet sophisticated lyrics” – The Mirror. While other bands might have rested on their laurels, Eight Legs busied themselves setting up their own label Boot Legs, proudly established by cash earned from the above accolades and their incredible European success. ‘The Electric Kool-Aid Cuckoo Nest’ will be released on Monday 22nd February 2010, preceded by the single ‘Best of Me’, out on Monday 15th February. Both on the bands own Boot Legs label.

Wednesday 20th Jan @ Dry Bar, Manchester
Bobbie Peru
Pearl Divers
LoveLust
Doors 8pm

The harshness of the east U.S coast meets the gritty north west of the UK ,
there's no mercy going on here. Bobbie Peru are a genuine strength to be reckoned with. There are only 3 of them, but the brute force and elegant melodics weigh heavily on the heart and soul. The songs are driving and urgent, the messages harsh and sometimes sarcastic, giving hints of a cruel sense of humour buried within the assault.

Their debut LP 'Social Suicide' was met with wide acclaim and has, at the time of writing, nearly sold out. Since its release the band have toured extensively to promote it, including support tours across Europe and the U.K with The Fall, Black Francis and Spear Of Destiny. As a result of all the gigs their sound has developed considerably over the last year and the newer material is much more raw and less fussy. It's almost punk, but too intelligent to be just painted as that. The live shows have gained them much respect, the band are engaging and attention demanding. Frontman and guitarist Bert is particularly menacing and unpredictable, whilst the rhythm section lay down aconcrete slab of sound.

Featuring Carly Bear, a prolific writer and guitar guru; former Fall drummer Mike Leigh, well known and popular Manchester keyboard player Tony Da Ghost and former Klunk bassist John “Monty” Montague. Pearl Divers perform an original repertoire that mixes different styles and tempos to give a unique blend of “Indie” type music.

LoveLust: deep fluid Wooden Ships type drone psychedelia

'Pushing music forward’ Sorocco Drive boast raw passion and dreamy soundscapes to create a fresh and exciting sound.
Fused together by skilled musicianship and a real cutting edge the music and sound of the band comes close to genre-less.
The alt rock quartet are already making strong head waves in the Manchester scene and with their new ep ‘falling into..’ soon to be released the band look to be a hot prospect for the future.

Glasswerk.co.uk presents
DOLL & THE KICKS
UK TOUR ‘10

8th Feb – The Boileroom, Guildford
10th Feb – Ruby Lounge, Manchester
11th Feb – Hare and Hounds, Birmingham
12th Feb – Korova, Liverpool
13th Feb – Plug N Play Studios, Reading

Tickets available from link

“Very powerful, very unusual, very striking – every song is full of hooks…”
Morrissey on Janice Long BBC Radio 2 show- 20th October 2008

Having just completed a 4 month European/Russian tour with Morrissey which saw them play 3 nights at Brixton Academy, Manchester Apollo on Moz’ 50th birthday and Moscow’s B1 Maximum Club to name but a few, Doll & The Kicks now embark on a US tour with Morrissey which will take them from Seattle, down through California to Los Angeles.

Having formed in late 2005 in Brighton, Doll & The Kicks have built up a large and loyal following by the seaside and in London having recently packed out the Camden Barfly and Concorde 2. They have recently been described by Artrocker as:- “all attitude; radiating confidence, striking poses and delivering high quality, driven, eccentric pop”, and many have likened Doll's vocals and stage presence to that of Siouxsie Sioux and Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeah’s).

In 2007 they were singled out from the Brighton music scene when they were asked by BBC Southern Counties to perform at the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury 2007. Since Glastonbury, Doll and The Kicks have been busy playing live and recording tracks in the studio with producers Oscar The Punk, (who are known for their remixes for Gwen Stefani, Robyn, Moby and Roisin Murphy) and Grammy Award winning mixer and producer Simon Gogerly (Madonna, U2).

Media enthusiasm has grown with coverage from Sub TV, Channel M, BBC Radio 2, BBC Southern Counties, Kerrang Radio, Q Magazine, Independent on Sunday, The Brighton Guide, London Lite, Total Guitar, Artrocker, Ponytail Magazine and You Got Papped. They have also received airplay on BBC Radio 1 (Steve Lamacq), Radio 2 (Janice Long & Jonathan Ross) and did a live session for Janice Long back in January.

In late 2008 Doll & The Kicks were asked personally by Morrissey to support him on his upcoming world tour. By the end of 2009 they will have performed over 70 gigs with Morrissey in more than 20 countries over 3 continents and on the road have sold more than 5000 copies of their debut album. Having just been confirmed for SXSW DATK are in for another busy year.

Doll and The Kicks Myspace: link

Glasswerk.co.uk presents
Nick Harper

26th Feb – Plug N Play Studios, Reading
1st March – The Junction 2, Cambridge
2nd March – The Assembly Rooms, Derby
3rd March – The Classic Grand, Glasgow
4th March – Moho Live, Manchester
5th March – Brudenell Society Club, Leeds
6th March – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
26th March – Union Chapel, London
27th March – Joiners, Southampton

Acoustic folk/rock singer guitarist Nick Harper embarks on a UK tour on February 26 as a prelude to his forthcoming album release.

Kicking off performing at Reading's Play, the tour continues around the country, including the famous Union Chapel in London.

During the rest of 2009, he will also be performing at festivals in the UK, playing dates in Europe and the U.S. before undertaking another charity trek with the Love Hope Strength Foundation.

After fund-raising and concerts in Nepal in 2007 and Peru in 2008, ‘Kilimanjaro Rocks’, September 27 – October 9, will again bring together musicians, supporters and cancer survivors in a bid for the world’s highest concert at Uhuru, the 19,341ft peak of Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The trek and concerts will raise funds for bone marrow drives and the main cancer centre in Nairobi, Kenya.

Says Nick: “I can hang a song around my old guitar, but that’s about it really. In these days where everyone tries to do their bit to redistribute the wealth a little more fairly than politicians and business seem to want to do, in working with the Love Hope Strength Foundation I have found a place where I can use what I do to help others. The diversion from my normally self-centred ‘artistic’ view does me good too!”

Tickets available from:
Ticketwerk link
WeGotTickets link
Ticketweb link
And venue Box Offices

The extrovert Ocean Reid, perpetrator of vivid selfless camp emo-folk has announced a new headline tour for the UK!

This young rising melody writer has been non stop of late releasing ‘Talking Dead’ the debut single throughout Europe on his own record label ‘Surreal Records’. ….More from Surreal Records soon, expect a smorgasbord of new discoveries.

Ocean and his band of desperados have been hitting it hard Touring the UK, Germany, France & Luxembourg and next month are recording new tracks for the forthcoming album with producer Paul Tipler (Idlewild, Placebo, The Charlatans, Elastica, 80’s match box)

Recent sold out shows, rumours in the German press of staring in a US art porn flick, and very exciting collaborations with some flabagastingly hot talent (you wont be disappointed but you do have to wait just a little bit to find out who) are adding to the gale force buzz that is whirling around Ocean Reid.

2nd Dec 09 – Liverpool – Korova
3rd Dec 09 – Manchester – Dry Bar
4th Dec 09 – Leeds – Elbow Rooms
7th Dec 09 – Birmingham – Hare & Hounds
8th Dec 09 – London – Dublin Castle

www.myspace.com/oceanreid

Reading metal core scene-sters Exit Ten are on tour this month. Plans for album number two are underway so get to a show to hear some of the new material, as well as enjoying hits off the first long player, Remember The Day.

Dates are:

Nov
23 – The Flapper, Birmingham
24 – O2 Academy 2 Liverpool
25 – Moho Live, Manchester

Dec
3 – O2 Academy 2 Islington, London

Exit Ten are five-piece rock/metal band from Reading in the UK. Their Andy Sneap produced mini-album 'This World, They'll Drown' was released in 2006 and the follow-up, debut full-length album 'Remember The Day', was released in June 2008 to wide critical acclaim. The band are now concentrating on their third release and are deep into the writing process so be sure to check back regularly for all the latest news, blogs and video diaries!

9th December – Dry Bar, Manchester
28-30 Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JN

11th December – The Purple Turtle, London
65 Crowndale Rd, London NW1 1TN

All tickets available from link

After successful reunion dates and blistering festival appearances across the summer with his band Dodgy, Frontman Nigel Clark will be taking to the road playing tracks from his ever expanding solo work and his back catalogue of DODGY gems with added tales, banter and humour of life in general.

After a 10 year wait Nigel Clark got back on the road with his band Dodgy to critical and personal success. Nigel’s successes have included a critically acclaimed 1st album The Dodgy Album including the much touted single Lovebirds
and with the commercial success for the 2nd album Homegrown that included the radio friendly single Staying out for The Summer (used for TV advertising currently). There followed platinum album sales for the Dodgy 3rd album Free Peace Sweet (1996, A&M Records) with x4 top 20 singles Good Enough, In a Room, If You’re Thinking of Me and Found You
.
In 2006 Nigel released his debut solo album 21st Century Man a poignant and personal album reflecting on the times and changes since days with Dodgy. A consummate songwriter with a love of a beautiful melody, this album will remind you of folk-pop music from yesteryear. Nigel Clark has often referenced his music heroes (as a music fan first and foremost) and there is once again a gentle simplicity to these songs and tangible audible influences from Brian Wilson to John Lennon.

Now 21st Century Man is being re-released with bonus track We’ve come too far exclusively on digital label Music Glue and available on CD format at forthcoming Gigs, Plus album track Nothing’s Free is being exclusively given away as a FREE DOWNLOAD to promote these upcoming dates.

As for Dodgy, new music is out there with EP Down In The Flood/Forgive Me now available more plans for recording in 2010, with promoters up and down the country still keen to keep them on the road and with dates still outstanding, but for now Nigel is more than happy to go out on his own and play his songs in more intimate surroundings and find’s himself in a very good place so why don’t you come and join him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

www.chrishelmemusic.co.uk

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

DAWN LANDES “SWEET HEART RODEO”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“A superb new Fall album.” – Uncut

Tickets available from link