FESTIVAL NEWS: Tramlines Festival adds over 15 acts to 2019 line up

14 Mar 2019

New additions include: Johnny Marr, Annie Mac, Tom Grennan, Drenge, The Futureheads, Jade Bird, Becky Hill, The Japanese House, Good Cop Bad Cop and more.

Sheffield’s biggest ever party, Tramlines Festival, has announced a second wave of acts to appear at the 2019 event from Friday 19th – Sunday 21st July at Hillsborough Park. The latest additions include Johnny Marr, Annie Mac, Tom Grennan, Drenge, The Futureheads, Jade Bird, Becky Hill, The Japanese House, Good Cop Bad Cop, She Drew The Gun, JAWS, Marsicans, Blackwaters, October Drift, Balcony, Man & The Echo, and a handful of breaking bands curated by This Feeling for the emerging talent ‘Library Stage’. Crowds of 30,000 are expected to turn out for the 11th edition of Tramlines which boasts four stages of music, an outdoor cinema, comedy line up and much more besides. With a genre spanning line up of the internationally acclaimed to the hottest new acts, Tramlines is one of the UK’s most popular and longest running city-based festivals. Weekend tickets are seriously good value priced from £69.50 plus booking fee, and available from www.tramlines.org.uk.

Already announced for 2019 are headliners Two Door Cinema Club, Courteeners, Niles Rodgers & Chic, plus Manic Street Preachers, Rag’n’Bone Man, Doves, Happy Mondays, Reverend and The Makers, Miles Kane, Circa Waves, Lewis Capaldi, Shame and lots more. Its credibility as a must-visit music festival continues to rise and the latest wave is another statement of intent.

Leading the phase two announcement are Johnny Marr, best known as the guitarist and – with Morrissey – co-songwriter of the Smiths, and queen of the beats on Radio1, Annie Mac. From jangly guitars to phat basslines, these are not-to-missed performances.

Other just-added booking highlights include, Tom Grennan who roadblocked the Leadmill tent at Tramlines last year with tracks from his hit ‘Lighting Matches’ album; Sheffield brother-duo Drenge who’ve just dropped new album ‘Strange Creatures’; and the newly reformed The Futureheads who’ll be pleasing post punk fans everywhere.

Tramlines is also excited to bring Jade Bird to the line up. Her track ‘Cathedral’ rightfully won her a place on the 2018 BBC Sound Of list, as did ‘Face For Thunder’ in 2017 by The Japanese House who’ll also appear at Tramlines fronted by the much-buzzed-about, Amber Bain. Singer / songwriter Becky Hill also joins the bill, best known for her string of chart-topping hits including those with Rudimental, MK, and Little Simz; as do Sheffield super-group Good Cop Bad Cop – the new project from Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders and pal Joe Carnall of Milburn.

Year on year, Tramlines continues to showcase the best acts from the UK’s emerging talent scene. This year the new talent bill spans sounds from indie punk to psych pop and everything in between, featuring She Drew The Gun, JAWS, Marsicans, BlackWaters, October Drift, Balcony, and Man & The Echo.

More breaking talent has been lined up by ‘This Feeling’ – the club for future rock and roll stars. They have curated the Friday line up for the ‘Library Stage’ where their handpicked selections of the most exciting acts from this scene will play, including Rum Club, Himalayas, Planet, The Estevans and The Rosadocs.

Whilst the Tramlines line up gets bigger each year, it remains seriously good value for money. Tickets are now on fourth tier and priced from £69.50 plus booking fee for all three days. VIP upgrade tickets are available for an additional £50 granting access to the private VIP area situated right next to the main stage with private bars, food stalls and toilets. Under 12s go for free. For full ticketing info, visit www.tramlines.org.uk.

TRAMLINES FESTIVAL 2019 PHASE 2 LINE UP – NEW ADDITIONS

Two Door Cinema Club / Courteeners / Niles Rodgers & Chic

Manic Street Preachers / Johnny Marr / Rag N Bone Man / Annie Mac / Doves

Happy Mondays / Reverend and The Makers / Miles Kane / Tom Grennan / Circa Waves / Lewis Capaldi / Drenge / Shame / Peter Hook & The Light / The Rifles / The Futureheads / Sleeper

Jade Bird / Becky Hill / The Japanese House / Good Cop Bad Cop / Sea Girls / Clean Cut Kid

She Drew The Gun / Jaws / Sports Team / Easy Life / Whenyoung / Another Sky / Anteros / Casey Lowry / Marsicans / Blackwaters / October Drift / Bloxx / Hey Charlie / Balcony / Man & The Echo / Everly Pregnant Brothers

This Feeling

Red Rum Club / Himalayas / Planet / The Estevans / The Rosadocs

Oddity Road / The Reytons / The Wired / The Seamonsters / Cora Pearl / Bedroom High Club / Children of the State

VIDEO & TOUR NEWS: Mini Mansions release video for ‘GummyBear’, dates May 2019

LSF Staff Writers

14 Mar 2019

The band release their new album ‘Guy Walks Into A Bar…’ on 26th Julyon Fiction Records.

Mini Mansions, the beloved Los Angeles band comprising members of Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets, recently announced their forthcoming album Guy Walks Into A Bar… which will be released July 26, 2019 on Fiction Records. The band shared the single for “GummyBear” last month and today Blackbook has premiered the video for the track saying ““GummyBear” is a groovily perky track that documents a stage in singer/guitarist Michael Shuman’s recent ill-fated whirlwind relationship – and if the music makes you want to get up and dance, the neon lights, glitterball, and 70’s vibe of the Liam Lynch directed video only serves to further emphasize the song’s dancey DNA.”

Michael Shuman of Mini Mansions remarked on the track saying, “We made a video for new single GummyBear with our friend and comedic legend, Liam Lynch. Inspired by Saturday Night Fever and the classic videos of the early 2000’s, we created some
serious visual eye candy for a song that sonically tastes the same. Pun intended.”

Liam Lynch noted “I’ve known Mike Shuman for over ten years, through my work with Queens of the Stone Age. When he asked me if I’d do a video for Mini Mansions, I was happy to do so. To me, this song really straddles being sort of 70’s and 80’s at the same time. I kept coming back to this BeeGee’s feeling but it was more like a realm in between. This got me thinking about the gateway door on the album cover and maybe that was a doorway to this in-between realm. So this video is a collage and mish-mash of elements but they sort of come together in their bar, disco, neon, and city lights to support the vibe.”

Mini Mansions are the type of gang whose charm lies in their individual idiosyncrasies. A trio of partners-in-crime, best friends and brothers in all but blood, Michael Shuman, Zach Dawes and Tyler Parkford’s unique personalities are reflected in their third forthcoming album Guy Walks Into A Bar… The album was recorded at Barefoot Studios in Los Angeles in 2018. While all three bandmates are occupied with other gigs (notably Dawes plays in The Last Shadow Puppets, Parkford in Arctic Monkeys and Shuman plays bass in Queens Of The Stone Age), Mini Mansions is their priority. And, for this album, Shuman relinquished his role as drummer for the first time. Drumming come courtesy of his QotSA bandmate Jon Theodore.

Guy Walks Into A Bar… is a record that examines the kind of hip-swaying rock’n’roll you’d find on a dive bar jukebox, it sounds happily disaffected by trend, time or place, like the titular joke itself. There are a hundred different kickers to that joke, but this time around the joke’s on them. A guy walks into a bar only to face reality. The album has been a labour of love individually and collectively. In terms of the former, the lyrics on the record penned by singer/guitarist Shuman are the most hard-hitting, self-reflective he’s ever shared, and all informed by a whirlwind relationship that’s since dissipated. His ex-fiancee came into his life after one such night out, and he wrote most of the songs here contained in real time while on the road. As they reveal each stage from beginning to end, the songs change in mood and even specific setting as the relationship itself deteriorated.

Co-produced by Shuman and long time collaborator/mixer Cian Riordan, there are some additional familiar voices dotted in with a duet with The Kills’ front woman Alison Mosshart on “Hey Lover” and backing vocals from Z Berg (former singer in The Like) on “Forgot Your Name” and the disco banger, “Living In The Future”, which sounds like Devo by way of ELO.

The album’s narrative progresses from reckless antics to the serious trappings of starting to care for a person you’ve connected with, falling in love, then swiftly and dramatically falling out of it. There’s a push-pull between the nocturnal whimsy of being freewheelin’ dudes, and a fear of adulthood as the threesome become fully grown men. And, because Mini Mansions are always a good time, the result is both their most heartfelt and their sleekest, most direct and downright poppiest effort to date.

UK Tour Dates

04.05.19 – Live at Leeds – Leeds
05.05.19 – Hit The North – Newcastle
06.05.19 – King Tuts – Glasgow
08.05.19 – Whelans – Dublin, Ireland
09.05.19 – Hare & Hounds – Birmingham
11.05.19 – The Great Escape – Brighton
12.05.19 – The Joiners – Southampton
13.05.19 – The Cavern – Exeter
14.05.19 – Clwb Ifor Bach – Cardiff
16.05.19 – Esquires – Bedford
17.05.19 – The Portland Arms – Cambridge
18.05.19 – The Waterfront Studio – Norwich
20.05.19 – Picturehouse Social – Sheffield
21.05.19 – The Forum – Tunbridge Wells
22.05.19 – Islington Assembly Hall – London

TOUR NEWS: Americana legend Jason Ringenberg announces March 2019 UK tour

LSF Staff Writers

13 Mar 2019

Pioneering Americana legend Jason Ringenberg announces March UK tour, including The Greystones, Sheffield on Tuesday March 26, in support of acclaimed new album Stand Tall, the long-awaited follow up to Empire Builders in 2004 and his first collection of new songs, outside of his Farmer Jason project, since Jason & The Scorchers’ Halcyon Times in 2010.

What do you get when you place Americana music legend Jason Ringenberg in a grove of Giant Sequoias? You end up with an inspiring new record called Stand Tall, the long-awaited follow up to Empire Builders (2004) and his first collection of new songs, outside of his Farmer Jason project, since The Scorchers’ Halcyon Times in 2010. But Ringenberg is no stranger to making inspired records. As far back as 1984 Rolling Stone said that his Fervor record (with Jason and the Scorchers) “singlehandedly rewrote the history of rock ‘n’ roll in the South.”

Stand Tall was conceived and penned in June 2017 while Ringenberg was commissioned as the artist in residence at Sequoia National Park in northern California. The National Park Service put him up in a remote mountain cabin for a month to write songs and perform concerts there. “I found that spending so much time alone in that primal wilderness did wonders for my songwriting,” said Ringenberg.

The result is a record filled with characters on a mission; from John the Baptist (‘John the Baptist was a Real Humdinger’) to John Muir (‘John Muir Stood Here’) to a disillusioned Confederate conscript (‘I’m Walking Home’). There is even a song about Jason’s experiences opening for the Ramones through Texas in 1982 called ‘God Bless the Ramones’. It speaks volumes that Jason would write a song about the Ramones while standing in the shadow of the Charles Young sequoia, named after the first African-American national park head ranger and US Army Colonel.

To record the album, Ringenberg returned to his old haunts in the backwoods of Southern Illinois. He and the core rhythm section from his first rock band, Shakespeare’s Riot, hunkered down in a studio with a tin roof and a rural soul. That down-home environment gave Ringenberg the freedom to dig deep into his musical heritage. Fleshing out the sound, Ringenberg enlisted the help of some of Nashville’s finest Americana musicians, such as Richard Bennett (producer of Steve Earle’s Guitar Town), Fats Kaplin (Jack White, John Prine), Steve Fishell (Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band), and Robert Bowlin (fiddle player for Bill Monroe.)

The chemistry of those artists, combined with songs written in a place of profound natural beauty, yields one of the most authentic records of Ringenberg’s career. “Writing songs while standing under 2000-year-old sequoias does tend to give you a leg up,” said Jason.

Jason Ringenberg · March 2019 UK Tour

Thu 21 Leicester The Donkey
Sat 23 High Wycombe Kingsmead House Concert
Sun 24 Birmingham Kitchen Garden Café
Tue 26 Sheffield The Greystones
Wed 27 London What’s Cookin’ @ Leytonstone Ex-Servicemens Club
Thu 28 Glasgow The CCA, Club Room
Fri 29 Newcastle-upon-Tyne The Cluny 2

The info

Jason Ringenberg was born and raised on an Illinois hog farm that bordered the Rock Island Line Railroad. He left for Nashville July 4 1981 to pursue his dream of “making a band that could kick American roots music into the modern age!” Little did he know just how far the kick would go. He immediately formed Jason and the Scorchers and never looked back. Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s they tore up venues across the planet and became known as one of the most exciting live bands in music. On classic LPs like Fervor and Lost and Found they “singlehandedly rewrote the history of rock ‘n roll in the South.” (Rolling Stone) Their instinctive ability to combine traditional country music with high-energy punk rock has not been surpassed to this day. In 2008 they were awarded the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance.

Never one to rest on his laurels, in 1999 the “Godfather of Americana” (Mojo) decided to go solo. He has released five Jason Ringenberg records, with everyone from the BBC to USA Today lauding his songwriting. His high octane one man show prompted The Times to call him “one of the most exciting performers of his generation.” In 2002 he created a children’s music character called Farmer Jason, winning numerous awards including an Emmy for his PBS video program. Often this relentless barnstormer will do a Farmer Jason kids show in the daytime and a Jason Ringenberg concert at night in the same city.

This man never rests. His new record Stand Tall was written while doing the Artist in Residence program for the National Park Service at Sequoia National Park. It is not hard to imagine him writing songs while climbing a 10000 foot Sierra Nevada mountain! That restless spirit will not be stilled.

FESTIVAL NEWS: Long Division 2019 announce more artists and events

LSF Staff Writers

13 Mar 2019

We Are Scientists confirmed for Long Division. Peter Hook & The Light, Asian Dub Foundation & more. 29th May – 2nd JUNE 2019, VENUES ACROSS WAKEFIELD

Wakefield’s Long Division Festival have announced more than 60 artists as well as more events, stage partners and commissions for their 2019 edition, five days of music, art and culture in the West Yorkshire city from the 29th May – 2nd June 2019.

Leading this new announcement are more artists for Long Division’s main event, it’s Saturday music line up. Amongst those coming to Wakefield on Saturday 1st June is New Order / Joy Division legend Peter Hook and the Light, American Indie icons We Are Scientists pioneering dub collective Asian Dub Foundation and Avant-pop experimenters Penguin Cafe, all joining the previously announced Bill Ryder-Jones, Avi Buffalo & Art Brut.

Also joining the bill are Leeds duo Menace Beach who released their acclaimed second record ‘Black Rainbow Sound’ last year, Bella Union artist and Duke Spirit singer Liela Moss, Sheffield trio International Teachers of Pop, the longest standing and last incarnation of The Fall, Imperial Wax and folk-pop troupe Keston Cobblers Club among many others.

2019 will see a number of free entry stages across the Saturday music event with dedicated spoken word, jazz, BBC Introducing West Yorkshire & Yorkshire Music Forum stages popping up all across the city.

Though Saturday’s huge music line up is the jewel in Long Division’s crown, there are four other days of celebration of culture in Wakefield and today more of this has been shared: Wakefield Art Walk will be hosting Wednesday’s opening, Thursday see’s new promoter Body’s take over The Establishment with performances from Glasgow’s Meursault and Wakefield’s own Mi Mye, elsewhere in town local musician and composer Ric Neale will be hosting a LD special of ‘Monochrome’ a monthly piano night at The Jolly Tap.

Friday will see a huge festival quiz in the Long Division festival marquee with live music, special guests and huge prizes, all for charity with money raised going to Andy’s Man Club, a Halifax based charity that supports Men’s mental health. The final day of Long Division, alongside Richard Herring recording his Leicester Square Theatre Podcast at Theatre Royal, will see a city centre record fair, family focussed live music from YouthAnthems at the festival marquee alongside a zine workshop and instrument workshop and an all ages free show from Mercury, a Queen tribute band on Wakefield precinct presented by Wakefield BID.

Long Division are also happy to announce they have received support from Arts Council England. Part of this support has allowed for local artists to pitch for commissions as part of ‘On To The Streets’, a collection of pieces displayed throughout Wakefield during Long Division. The first of these ready to be announced is from Wakefield born poet Matt Abbott who will be writing 10 poems for past music venues in Wakefield, displayed in shop windows in the city. More art installations including the Cardboard Arcade will be confirmed soon.

Long Division Director Dean Freeman:

“After our biggest ever year in 2018, our feeling for 2019 very much centred around this phrase of “More Than A Festival”. We’ve always been challenged by the physical spaces and the infrastructure in Wakefield; we’re not a city setup to host something like Long Division. But we’ve always turned that into a positive, making the festival an unusual but joyfully surprising experience. We continue to do that, beyond the music we put on – though I do feel that this is our strongest line-up yet from the headliners right down to those emerging artists.. It’s about using the festival idea and turning it into something more; let’s raise money for a mental health charity, let’s run an education programme to find the next generation of DIY promoters, let’s offer £500 to local artists to create something new and show it off to these audiences, as they travel between Peter Hook and Asian Dub Foundation. We don’t do things the easy way, but it is fun, rewarding and makes an impact. Even after all these years, the idea of coming to Wakefield for many people feels like a leap of faith. Just do it. We’ve proven time and time again it is worth it. Whether you are a hardcore 6Music listener, have a young family, are mad on spoken word, love comedy, or just want to explore and see unusual things, Wakefield is the place to be.”

TICKETS ON SALE NOW HERE: https://www.facebook.com/longdivision/

Full list of announced artists:

MUSIC:

Peter Hook & The Light, We Are Scientists, Asian Dub Foundation, Penguin Café, Art Brut, Bill Ryder-Jones, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Aidan Moffat & RM Hubbert, Keston Cobblers Club, bis, Avi Buffalo, Menace Beach, Too Many T’s,Liela Moss, Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip, Meursault, Imperial Wax, International Teachers Of Pop, Ancient Infinity, False Advertising, Manchester Jazz Collective, Mansion Of Snakes, Vibe-ology, Broken Chanter, Graft, Cowtown, Youth Anthems, Alessi’s Ark, Mi Mye, Cruel World, Hello Cosmos, Knitting Grooves, Living Body, The Golden Age Of TV, Knuckle, Brooders, Cowgirl, Dead Naked Hippies, Cloth, One Day, After School, Sister John, Fran Bundey, Heir, Manuka, Shake Your Halo Down, Oliver Asadi, Mayshe Mayshe, Seckar, The New Nostalgia, Sandra’s Wedding, Joe Russell Brown, Let Man Loose, Homesteads, Weekend Recovery, Two Weeks In Nashville, Sly Antics, Skinny Living, Sex Cells, Tiger By The Tail, jellyskin, ALLORA, Brosnan, Ceiling Demons, The Passing Fancy, My Fake Empire, Disguises, Guy North, IAMOMEGA, Dan Greaves, Scott Wainwright, Alice Simmonds, Fossway, Chloe Juliette Beswick, The Hyde, Macroscope

COMEDY & CULTURE:

Richard Herring: RHLSTP, Cardboard Arcade, Matt Abbott, Jayde Adams, Chris Betts vs The Audience, Tanyalee Davis, Seymour Mace, Joey Page, Vicki Stone, Njambi McGrath, Joe Hakim, Helen Rhodes, Jimmy Andrex, Rose Drew, Joe Williams, Nick Conroy, Steve Williams, Lulia Togara, Alex Asher, Victoria Jagger, Gill Lambert, Napoleon IIIrd Light Sculpture Commission, 121 Development Trust VR Commision, Neon Workshops, Shot By Stan People Of Wakefield & more TBA.

FESTIVAL NEWS: EU funded “avant-garde Eurovision” event EuroNoize announced for May 2019

LSF Staff Writers

13 Mar 2019

Featuring performances from artists such as Winnie Puhh, Asian Women on the Telephone, Mauraudeur, Felix Cubin, Sissy + more – 23rd May 2019 – London Scala

On May 23rd, an “avant-garde Eurovision” called EuroNoize will be taking place at London’s Scala. A celebration of the obscure, the niche and the uncategorizable, music that runs deeper than national borders, EuroNoize was born from Pil and Galia Kollectiv’s grotesque fascination with the Eurovision Song Contest to represent the secret international fellowship of “punx and weirdos” stretching everywhere from Russia to Ireland… The event will feature 11 bands from around the world, who will perform one new song in front of a live audience. The event will also be streamed live online so people can cast their vote from afar for their favourite performance of the evening.

The event will bring an array of artists from across Europe such as Estonia’s cult internet sensation Winny Puhh, Russia’s Asian Women On The Telephone and Ireland’s hard-hitting feminists Sissy to represent their countries. Also, contentiously, despite being set in London and as a testament to the great talent pervading throughout the world and proudly representing a unity currently not felt throughout the country, the UK will not be represented at the event following Brexit. The event will also be hosted by Ruby Waters, drag alter-ego of Andrew Milk from the band Shopping and Kay Isgay of the band Homosexual Death Drive.

The promoters, Galia and Pil Kollectiv, who have previously curated events for Thurston Moore, Simon Reynolds and more have now been settled in London for several years but are originally from Israel – co-incidentally also the host nation of this year’s Eurovision. Please see a full quote from the organisers as well as full line-up details below.

Full line-up:

Asian Women on the Telephone (Russia)
https://asianwomenonthetelephone.bandcamp.com/

Sissy (Ireland)
https://sissydublin.bandcamp.com/

Hassan k (France)
https://hassank.bandcamp.com/

Golden Core (Norway)
https://goldencore.bandcamp.com/

The Callas (Greece)
http://thecallas.com/

Winny Puhh (Estonia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winny_Puhh

Tab Ularasa (Italy)
https://tab-ularasa.bandcamp.com/

Felix Kubin (Germany)
http://www.felixkubin.com/

E.P.P.! (Serbia)
https://eppepp.bandcamp.com/

Mauraudeur (Switzerland)
https://maraudeur.bandcamp.com/

Johnny the Horse (Czech Republic) – tbc
https://johnnythehorse.bandcamp.com/

Tickets: https://scala.co.uk/events/euronoize/

“The concept for EuroNoize was born of a grotesque fascination. Growing up in Israel, watching the Eurovision Song Contest was an exciting family event. Through a strange set of circumstances, Israel was included in Europe for one night, and a parade of bizarre performances in foreign languages invaded all living rooms around us. The music has always been mostly appalling, but occasionally, a subversive spectacle would penetrate the predictable blandness: a Finnish monster metal band, an Armenian serenading a giant apricot seed or a bunch of out of tune Israeli artists waving a Syrian flag. More than anything, these displays sat uncomfortably with the requirements on the one hand to represent an increasingly meaningless idea of national identity and on the other hand some kind of recognisably Anglo-American popular music. There was also something utterly fascinating about the spectacle of European bureaucracy that occupied almost half the night. Telephone lines, broadcasting authority committees and a complex system of awarded points demonstrated what the enlightened administration of international cooperation is all about. For us, amidst the sectarian violence and chaos of our home town of Jerusalem, it was as exotic as full orchestral arrangements and sequin dresses.

It might have been this early interest in music as a visual spectacle that drove our interest in the idea of the art band. Coming from a background in music journalism, we have always worked with musicians and incorporated music in our artwork. But in 2010, these fields began to merge in our band WE. Initially a performance piece, this project involved four masked musicians intoning the lyrics to famous songs in the plural, retaining little from the originals but the lyrics. It was through curating a series of art and music events spinning off of the band that we began considering the possibility of pursuing our interest in Eurovision further. As fans of the obscure, we had a good collection of barely popular music in diverse languages. What sort of Eurovision could accommodate the type of our weird music we were listening to and making? What would it mean to ask of this kind of group to represent its country of origin? It was also somehow obvious to us, without any real proof, that a network of likeminded individuals existed across the world, that a small group of aficionados in places as far away as Russia, Iceland or Malta might also share our unconventional taste. We became interested in understanding how this global subculture revolving mostly around Anglo-American music intersected with local identities on the periphery of the culture industry.

We set about planning an event where a selection of bands from the continent would be asked to perform one original song in front of a live and broadcasting audience who could vote for the winner. When the opportunity arose to apply for EU funding for the project, the Brexit referendum had yet to take place. However, by the time the project was confirmed, with a book, record, exhibition and conference to accompany a night of live performances, it had gained a new relevance. One decision that followed was to exclude Britain from the competition. It was also important, since we couldn’t afford to include every country in Europe, to try and represent its different regions. Working in partnership with The University of Reading, Kunsthall Oslo and ARE Prague, we set about selecting a line-up of exciting noise and outlandish presentations from a host of loud and unlikely nominees.

Our line-up reflects an attempt to present a broad, although by no means comprehensive European spectrum representing the east, west, north and south of the continent. One of the first bands we approached was Estonian cult outfit Winny Puhh. In 2013 Winny Puhh became an internet sensation for their performance at the Estonian pre-Eurovision televised competition. They performed a weirdo-punk number wearing wrestling gear and Chewbacca masks, singing in a crockery breaking falsetto and playing an electric banjo. Oh, and they had two drummers suspended from the ceiling upside down. Because Winny Puhh never made it to the Eurovision final, we felt we needed to correct a historical mistake by including them in EuroNoize. Also playing are experimental Russian trio Asian Women on the Telephone, who cross dada cult costumes with philosophical musings laid over heavily distorted beat. Our final representatives from the eastern European block are E.P.P.! from Serbia whose songs form short advertising jingles for non-existing products.

Although Germany’s Felix Kubin recorded his first master piece at the age of 12, he has continually challenged musical norms for nearly forty years with his high concept digital hardcore, retaining an uncompromising DiY aesthetic. By contrast, doom-noise metal outfit Golden Core from Norway was only formed in 2014, when its two members were 9 and 11. Representing France is Hassan K, who mixes Persian music and surf guitar. Italian garage-punk veteran Tab Ularasa is an illustrious shapeshifter who probably has more aliases and former bands than all the participants of EuroNoize put together. Hailing from the French side of Switzerland, Mauraudeur’s post-punk is the anti-thesis of the actual Eurovision sound, with its cool, detached vocals and spikey guitars. Ireland’s Sissy are possibly the most melodic entrants, but the hard-hitting feminist politics of songs like their pro-choice nod to Enya, “Sail and Rail”, belie tuneful appeal of their lo-fi power-pop. Finally, completing the line-up are Greek brothers Lakis & Aris Ionas who form the core of art-rockers and Lee Ranaldo collaborators The Callas.

Britain, following Brexit, is not participating.

EuroNoize will be hosted by Ruby Waters, drag alter-ego of Andrew Milk from the band Shopping and Kay Isgay of the band Homosexual Death Drive.”

ALBUM & TOUR NEWS: LaFountaines ‘Junior’ out 14th June, upcoming dates – March 2019 support slot and headlining tour June 2019

LSF Staff Writers

12 Mar 2019

Fresh from supporting Mike Shinoda at The Roundhouse this weekend, The LaFontaines have announced the release of their new album, Junior, which will be out on June 14th via So Recordings. The band have also released the brand new single ‘All In’, accompanied by a new video, which is the first taste of what’s to come.

“’All In’ goes directly at the eternal conflict of the unsettled mind. Everything’s a contradiction. ‘Either coming up or going under/ I’ve wasted days wishing I was younger’,” frontman Kerr Okan says.

“All In’ is brooding, a darker tone reflects the contemporary anxieties of connecting in an age of digital facades and false truths. The sound is a progression of the band’s voice that is a sign of things to come on their upcoming record.”

As well as opening for the aforementioned Mike Shinoda last weekend, The LaFontaines will this week be heading out on a full UK tour supporting Deaf Havana. The band then have a UK headline tour in June to support the release of the new album. Tickets for the headline tour will go on sale this Friday 15th at 10am and will be available via The LaFontaine’s website http://www.thelafontaines.co.uk/.

Proving themselves one of the most exciting bands to emerge from Scotland in recent years, The LaFontaines deliver a unique sound that fuses the guitar swagger of Kasabian, the edgy hip-hop delivery of The Streets and the electronic-pop undertones of Twenty One Pilots to create a style that pushes the boundaries of rock.

Junior is the band’s third album and follows 2017’s Common Problem and their 2015 debut Class, which saw them hit #1 in the Indie Breakers Chart and make the Top 10 in the Scottish chart.

Renowned for their electrifying live shows, the band have previously been on tour with Anderson Paak, Twin Atlantic and All Time Low and last year were main support to Don Broco across the UK and Europe.

Also with a number of major festivals under their belt including Reading & Leeds, Download, The Great Escape, 2000 Trees, T in the Park, Belladrum, NH7, Secret Garden Party, TRNSMT & Reeperbahn, 2019 is set to be another great year for the band with more exciting announcements to come.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES

Supporting Deaf Havana
Fri 15th March – University Great Hall, Cardiff
Sat 16th March – Pyramids, Portsmouth
Sun 17th March – O2 Academy, Bristol
Tue 19th March – Rock City, Nottingham
Wed 20th March – The Welly, Hull
Thurs 21st March – SWG3, Glasgow
Fri 22nd March – Unit 51, Aberdeen
Sun 24th March – Empire, Middlesbrough
Mon 25th March – Albert Hall, Manchester
Wed 27th March – Leadmill, Sheffield
Thurs 28th March – O2 Academy, Birmingham
Sat 30th March – Limelight 2, Belfast
Sun 31st March – Green Room, Dublin

UK HEADLINE TOUR
Thurs 13th June – St Lukes Church, Glasgow
Sat 15th June – Fat Sams, Dundee
Sun 16th June – Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
Mon 17th June – Caves, Edinburgh
Tue 18th June – O2 Institute, Birmingham
Wed 19th June – Camden Assembly, London
Thurs 20th June – Night and Day, Manchester

ALBUM & TOUR NEWS: Drahla announce debut album ‘Useless Coordinates’, announce UK Tour this May 2019

LSF Staff Writers

12 Mar 2019

Today, the Leeds-formed three-piece Drahla have announced their highly-anticipated debut album ‘Useless Coordinates’ will be released via Captured Tracks on May 3rd 2019.

The band have premiered the arresting first single ‘Stimulus for Living’ as a taster of the album along with a video for it via The FADER where it was described as “tightly bound and inventive…a frantic and densely packed song full of ideas and angst.”

‘Stimulus For Living’ is the second track taken from ‘Useless Coordinates’ following the release of ‘Twelves Divisions Of The Day’ last summer. The album was recorded in Yorkshire in the second half of 2018, and sees the band’s sound continue to evolve with the addition of saxophonist Chris Duffin across the record. Since finishing ‘Useless Coordinates’ the band have spent their time touring the US and Europe, including stops at Eurosonic and La Route Du Rock this winter.

Blending wiry, dark post-punk with unpredictable art-rock, Drahla have established themselves as a formidable and distinctive band across their three sold out 7” singles and 2017’s Third Article EP. Formed in late 2015, Drahla quickly found their identity in Yorkshire’s fertile music scene with their minimal yet robust bass-heavy sound. Their reputation as a fervent live act is ever-growing, with the band being asked to share stages with the likes of Parquet Courts, METZ, Ought, Buzzcocks, The Cribs and multiple festival appearances – including Meltdown at the request of The Cure’s Robert Smith.

Drahla will accompany the release with a run of tour dates. Tickets can be found at: www.drahla.com/live

Pre-order ‘Useless Coordinates’: https://drahla.lnk.to/uselesscoordinates

TOUR DATES 2019

May 2nd – Broadcast, Glasgow
May 3rd – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
May 7th – Yes, Manchester (w/ Sleep Eaters)
May 8th – Phase One, Liverpool (w/ Sleep Eaters)
May 9th – Hare And Hounds, Birmingham (w/ Sleep Eaters)
May 10th – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff (w/ Sleep Eaters)
May 13th – The Cookie, Leicester (w/ Sleep Eaters)
May 15th – Studio 9294, London
May 16th – Green Door Store, Brighton (w/ Sleep Eaters)
May 17th – The Bullingdon, Oxford (w/ Sleep Eaters)
May 18th – The Boileroom, Guildford (w/ Sleep Eaters)

“Go inwards and be bold.” This was Harmony Korine’s advice to aspiring creatives, during a Q&A at the British Film Institute back in early 2016. For the recently-formed Drahla, his words served as something of a directive, encouraging the trio to trust their own instincts, however far removed they might be from those of their peers. Three years on, the Leeds-formed band have defined their own vital subset of art-rock with Useless Coordinates, a debut album that’s as fearless as it is enthralling.

Speaking from her current base in south-east London with bassist Rob Riggs, singer/guitarist Luciel Brown recounts the record’s somewhat chaotic gestation. “Most of last year was spent touring, so we were squeezing writing and recording in from the beginning of 2018 until end of August.” In-between a headline tour, support slots with Ought and METZ, and multiple festival appearances – including at Meltdown at the request of The Cure’s Robert Smith – Brown, Riggs and Wakefield-based drummer Mike Ainsley managed 10 days in the studio in total.

It was the unsettled nature of the period that part-inspired the album’s title. “[Useless Coordinates] summarised all of our situations,” Brown explains. “We had all these shows coming up and we knew we needed to leave our jobs and change our living situations to make all this stuff happen. So we had all these fixed points and timelines, but at the same time we felt quite lost within all of that.”

Though they felt adrift in their personal lives, artistically Drahla thrived amongst confusion. Experimentation was integral to the creative process, with Brown and Riggs continuing to swap instruments as per their live shows, while collectively they were open to relinquishing traditional song structures in favour of adopting a more instinctive approach. Another integral development proved to be the involvement Chris Duffin of XAM Duo, who played saxophone on large swathes of the record and whose esoteric musical tastes were influential.

Via Duffin, they discovered the work of Japanese synth pioneers Mariah and saxophonist Yasuaki Shimizu. These cult figures figure amongst an eclectic array of musical touch points, from Glenn Miller and Swell Maps, to L.A.-band Behavior. As per their earliest releases, No Wave and post-punk remain integral to Drahla’s musical universe, evident in Brown’s brilliantly deadpan drawl, in the Gang Of Four-esque guitars on Gilded Cloud, and in Duffin’s skronking saxophone on React/Revolt, which draws parallels with the work of James Chance and the Contortions.

The set’s sharp angles, stark tones and claustrophobic textures are reflected in the album’s artwork. Designed by Brown and Riggs – as per all previous record sleeves and promotional videos – the minimalist, mixed media creation takes inspiration from Talking Heads and Gang Of Four album art, the work of American artist Cy Twombly, and the economical, regimented aesthetic of the Bauhaus movement. “Drahla came about off the back of needing an outlet for creative expression,” Brown explains. “So the whole aesthetic is hugely important. As important as the music.”

Whatever the medium, Brown’s interests lie in looking beyond the immediate to the abstract and indefinable. Her lyrics are developed from observations, notes and poems, and the fragmented imagery is spliced together to disorientating effect. On Gilded Cloud elegant snapshots from the golden age of Hollywood are juxtaposed with abrasive guitar textures, Pyramid Estate draws parallels between Ancient Egypt and the present day, and Serenity evokes the violent energy of a Francis Bacon painting. Beneath the abstraction are a diverse array of themes, including gender fluidity (Invisible Sex), city living (Primitive Rhythm) and artistic expression (Unwound).

The result is an uncompromising but deeply rewarding debut where the internal and external, cerebral and visceral coalesce to quite startling effect.

‘Useless Coordinates’ Tracklisting:

1. Gilded Cloud
2. Serenity
3. Pyramid Estate
4. Stimulus for Living
5. React/Revolt
6. Primitive Rhythm
7. Serotonin Level
8. Twelve Divisions of the Day
9. Unwound
10. Invisible Sex

GIG NEWS: UB40 – Featuring Ali & Astro – play Aintree Racecourse 14th June 2019

Frank

11 Mar 2019

The Jockey Club Live and Aintree Racecourse are pleased to announce that UB40 Featuring Ali & Astro complete the line-up for Aintree’s summer season, headlining an open-air concert on Friday 14th June alongside previously announced Madness on Friday 17th May 2019.

You can expect to hear your favourite UB40 tracks including ‘Red Red Wine’, ‘(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You’ and ‘Kingston Town’ alongside hits from their fresh take on reggae classics from album ‘A Real Labour Of Love’, which entered the UK charts at No.2 when it was released this time last year.

As founding members of Britain’s biggest reggae band UB40, singer Ali Campbell and second vocalist Astro topped the UK singles chart on three occasions and sold 70 million records as they took their smooth, yet rootsy, musical blend to all corners of the globe. Since the band’s inception 40 years ago, they have been nominated for multiple awards including both a Grammy and BRIT, and are one of the most commercially successful reggae acts of all time.

With a firmly 80s influenced line up for 2019, UB40 and fellow headliner Madness jointly hold the record for most weeks spent by a group in the UK singles chart during the decade, with an astounding 214 each.

The Jockey Club Liveare leading promoters on the UK live scene, delivering spectacular line-ups of some of the hottest chart talent and legendary household names to some of the world’s most famous racecourses. The Jockey Club Liveconcerts at Aintree Racecourse are turning into a staple in the region’s social calendar and over the past few years have hosted thousands of fans of live music, with performances from artists including Craig David, Lightning Seeds, Jess Glynne and Kaiser Chiefs.

The events are renowned for combining a fun filled evening at the races with a spectacular evening concert in the informal and relaxed open-air setting of the hallowed turf.

The Jockey Club racecourses have world-class customer facilities, featuring an array of award-winning restaurants that cater for all tastes, be it Fine Dining through to delicious bistro food. The Jockey Club venues welcome over 2 million people a year for some of the UKs biggest racing events so you can be sure of a fantastic evening.

Tickets will be on sale at 8am on Wednesday 13th March via thejockeyclublive.co.uk, with a presale available to customers at 8am on Tuesday 12th March. Tickets are priced starting at £35 for adults and £15 for under 18’s. All T&C’s are available on aintree.thejockeyclub.co.uk. There will be hospitality packages available to suit all budgets.

In addition to Aintree, The Jockey Club Livewill be hosting live concerts across Market Rasen, Newmarket, Sandown Park, Haydock Park and Carlisle racecourses this summer.

TOUR NEWS: Dido November/December 2019 dates

LSF Staff Writers

11 Mar 2019

Dates in Birmingham, Manchester, Brighton, Ipswich, Sheffield, London. Tickets go on sale Fri 08 March

Ahead of her first album in five years, ‘Still On My Mind’ – out now on BMG, Dido has announced her 2019 Nov/Dec tour commencing at the Birmingham Arena, Thu 28 Nov. The announcement marks Dido’s first return to touring in 15 years, and will see her performing material from the new album, as well as classic tracks such as Thank You, Here With Me, White Flag and Life For Rent.

November
Thu 28th Birmingham, Arena

December
Tue 3rd Manchester, Apollo
Wed 4th Brighton Centre
Thu 5th Ipswich, Regent Theatre
Sat 7th Sheffield, City Hall
Sun 8th London, Hammersmith Apollo

Still On My Mind encapsulates a variety of styles and genres, ranging from her love of hip hop to her folk roots, but ultimately the entire record carries a dance and electronic music sensibility, even on the tracks with no beats. At the core, it’s about the songs which capture the beautiful essence of Dido personally and emotionally.

“It was simple, I only wanted to make another album if it was with him’ says Dido. ‘It was made in such an easy way, all the vocals recorded on the sofa, a lot of it recorded at home”. The record follows the 2013 release of the acclaimed Girl Who Got Away, with lead single Hurricanes, released at the end of last year, already amassing almost 2 MILLION streams on Spotify.

Speaking of making the album, Dido recalls ““an absolutely magical experience”, expressing that “I wanted to capture the feeling I still get from listening to music, just that rush like you don’t need anything more than this”.

With album sales topping 40 MILLION worldwide, Dido is one of the UK’s best-selling artists; both her debut No Angel, and its follow-up the 7x platinum Life For Rent ranking as two of the best selling albums in UK Chart history.

CAMPAIGN NEWS: Fightback: Grassroots Promoter initiative

Frank

11 Mar 2019

A year after its launch, Music Venue Trust is making a call out for new partners and sponsors to take forward its successful Fightback: Grassroots Promoter initiative. The programme helps young women take their first steps into promoting live music, providing them with the financing, tools and support they need to bring together their first event.

In March 2018 MVT, in partnership with MusicPlanet Live, launched Fightback: Grassroots Promoter which offered a package of resources, mentoring and financial underwriting to encourage more women into a field in which they are under-represented. One year on, the scheme has been hugely positive, while also flagging up some ongoing challenges to the industry, not least how to continue the project and what follow-on might be developed for those promoters who completed the training and put on their first show.

In the past couple of years there has been a lot of discussion of the need to offer more opportunities for female artists. Alongside this, a change in the make-up of the bookers and promoters of live music events is needed to ensure that the full diversity of music in the UK is represented and shared with audiences. To encourage young women to give promoting a go FB:GP initially offered 100 under 25s the chance to sign up to the project, receive the training pack, be assigned a mentor and work towards promoting a gig to raise money for Music Venue Trust’s Emergency Response Service which offers free expert advice to venues in peril. The response to the call out was so huge that a 2nd call out swiftly followed, expanding the parameters to include older women and men who might want to give promoting a go.

From the 200 initial applicants, 55 of them progressed through the project to submit a show proposal and be paired with a mentor. The team of mentors came from across the live music industry and gave their time to work up the show proposals with their mentees, offering real life experience to bring the training pack to life and testing the feasibility of the show each fledgling promoter wanted to put on.

One of our mentors, Kelly Bennaton from DHP said, “This initiative is a really important step in tackling inequality in the live industry. The wealth of talent and innovation amongst the mentees demonstrates that given the right tools and opportunities young women can create great live experiences and be the promoters of the future.”

22 shows have taken place since May 2018 in venues in Manchester, London, Bristol, Belfast, Corby, Cambridge, Nottingham, Guildford, Brighton. As a result of the training and mentoring, a number of FB:GP participants decided not to progress with actually putting on a show in the short-term, mainly due to external pressures such as studies or other work. However, 25% of the shows that took place broke even or made a small profit (donated to MVT) – a statistic more or less in tune with experiences of promoting emerging talent in grassroots music venues across the UK.

One year on, with the partnership with MusicPlanet Live coming to an end, Music Venue Trust believes that the FB:GP pilot programme has demonstrated it has the tools and the connections to effectively train the promoters of the future but the challenges it must now face are:

How to fund or underwrite further first time promoters to put on their shows, particularly those who applied in the first call out but did not have time in their own schedules to follow through.
What to offer the 22 promoters who successfully delivered FB:GP Shows and now need to build on that to further their career development.

Music Venue Trust’s Strategic Director Beverley Whitrick stated: “There are passionate young people keen to work in the music industry who often lack the confidence to give it a go, or have no idea how to find a way in. We believe that schemes such as Fightback: Grassroots Promoter are vital in tackling diversity in our grassroots music venues and need to find partners to take this work forward. Please contact us if you could support further development of this essential work.”

Beverley will also be talking about the project and interviewing two of the participants on Wednesday 13 March at a Women in Music event in Nottingham. The event starts at 6pm, details can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/199609284327675/

Further information: http://musicvenuetrust.com

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