At the start of 2018, Mildlife were set to release their debut album via Australian imprint Research Records. Few first releases can garner praise from Mojo, The Guardian, BBC 6 Music, The Express, and Shindig, and then pick up equally high praise from the likes of DJ Mag, Resident Advisor, Worldwide FM, Dummy, and Indie Shuffle. Yet it is in the fusion of these various genres, tastes, and influences, that Mildlife originally bonded and look to reflect in their sound.
Mildlife are adamantly not a studio band. Between 2014 and 2015 they took a year off playing shows to figure out how they could produce as much of their music live as they possibly could without losing its complexity. “It makes the performance, the composition, more malleable,” says guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Adam Halliwell. Bassist Tom Shanahan adds “It feels more authentic. The energy can be in the song rather than sitting on top of it. We wanted to leave a lot of room for improvisation.”
SEPTEMBER UK TOUR DATES:
Mon 10th – Manchester, The Castle Hotel
Tue 11th – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club – supporting Wooden Shjips
Wed 12th – Birmingham, Hare & Hounds 2
Fri 14th – Liverpool, Invisible Wind Factory – supporting Wooden Shjips
Sat 15th – Ramsgate, Ramsgate Music Hall
Wed 19th – London, Ghost Notes – co-headlining with Expansions
Fri 21st – Brighton, Rialto Theatre
‘Lampshade’ is one of those ‘so first listen, not sure about this, does some rather strange things at times, second listen, hey this is so so catchy, like the strange things if I’m honest, third listen, can’t stop my feet and fingers tapping, perhaps just one more listen, and then again perhaps a couple more’ things. It is in short, a grower.
It’s kinda mostly indie, it has one bit which almost sounds strangely like one of those AOR riffs, it has this dropout to a slow bit which I have grown way attached to.
It starts with this weird sort of ‘let’s just record the drummer doing their hi-hat thing for a bit’ before launching into this indie riff which just drives along. There are vocals, but under those vocals there is just the most un-indie like drumming. And then there is the slow bit, followed by the almost AOR riff bit. Look this thing is going to sound like a mess if I go on, so I’m not going to.
The thing is I love the fact that it has these sections – for want of a better word – that sorta shouldn’t work together but do. It works because it is tight but way loose or even loose but way tight. It works because actually these guys can play, I mean really play. So the riffy bits are really really tight, they are just so locked. But the slow bit is just this ‘what the fuck’ moment, what is it doing there, but it just works OK. And the vocals are fantastic, Callum has this wonderfully laid back thing going on with his vocals in the first half, and then in the second half of the sound he gets all sort of urgent and snappy.
The thing is that I love the fact that it sounds like they are doing it because they love making music, that joy just shines through. I love that fact that it’s a little rough round the edges, that it starts with this strange drum thing and ends with this random guitar thing. I love that it took me a while to get it, and then I did and then I just couldn’t help but smile like crazy because this thing is just so good.
The fact that for the life of me I can’t work out why it’s called ‘Lampshade’ doesn’t really matter, even if I did spend quite some time trying to do that, and then gave up because it really isn’t important.
What is important is that ‘Lampshade’ is just a blast of energy and music played extremely well by people are obviously so enjoying playing it. This song is just so cool.
Melancholy Ray is a four piece musical project developed by Callum Fewell which includes elements of indie/alternative rock, taking inspiration from the likes of The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand and singer songwriters such as Elliott Smith the band strive to create catchy songs which harness emotions, experiences and thoughts of the every day human.
Members include:
Callum Fewell – Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
Jona Tromp – Drums
Jack Guard – Bass
Aaron Bentley – Lead Guitar
Glasgow based DopeSickFly are an alternative Funk, Rock Hybrid band with a hip-pop twist who will be playing a free entry show at the Lantern in Halifax.
The single – ‘Can You Feel It?’ – is taken from their upcoming EP ‘Dreamers Never Sleep’
After releasing her latest album ‘Nightstand’ to critical acclaim on June 1st of this year via Hand In Hive/Polyvinyl, Tancred (aka Jess Abbott) has announced a tour of the UK this November. Co-headlining with Philly band Kississippi, the dates begin at the Waterfront Studio in Norwich, travel across England and venture up to Glasgow, ending back in the south at a Rough Trade show in Bristol and a final performance on November 23rd at London’s Moth Club.
FULL NOVEMBER 2018 DATES:
14th Norwich @ Waterfront Studio
15th Southampton @ Joiners
16th Birmingham @ The Sunflower Lounge
18th Nottingham @ Bodega
19th Manchester @ Gullivers
20th Glasgow @ Hug & Pint
21st Leeds @ Brudenell Social Club
22nd Bristol @ Rough Trade
23rd London @ Moth Club
TICKETS ON SALE WEDNESDAY 1ST AUGUST 10AM BST FROM TANCREDMUSIC.COM
MORE ON ‘NIGHTSTAND’
‘Nightstand’ is an album born out of an unexpected revelation Abbott experienced following her transformation into a more confident person, one full-throatedly declared on 2016’s plucky ‘Out of the Garden’. “After I became comfortable in this new skin, in truly being myself, I was immediately hit with loneliness,” she reveals. “I realized that human connection is really important to me.” And so Abbott began a new journey of personal exploration, one that involved connecting with other people just as much as connecting with herself. “I was reading a lot of books, learning a lot of new hobbies, meeting so many new people — just taking in as much information as possible to try and figure out what it really meant to me to be alive,” she recalls.
As with her previous work, the writing process for what would become ‘Nightstand’ consisted of Abbott alone in her room with just a guitar, strumming chords and singing words until gradually songs began to coalesce — though this time around she made it a point to devote three days a week for an entire year to only playing music.
As a result, when the recording process began with Lewis Pesacov (Best Coast, Generationals) at his home studio in LA, the focus was less on finishing songs and more on perfecting them. Working with Pesacov offered new approaches – and gear – previously undiscovered by Abbott, affording her avenues of exploration that dialled in the production and tone on each and every song. “My favorite part of each day was sitting down to decide which guitar we needed to use for the song we were recording,” recalls Abbott. “It sounds so simple and I know most records are made this way, but it was my first time actually being able to do that and I loved it.”
The positive effects of this nourishing environment are evident throughout ‘Nightstand’, as on propulsive first single ‘Reviews,’ showcasing Abbott’s strong melodic sensibilities balanced with purposeful, well-placed instrumentation. Or ‘Queen of New York,’ which captures the feelings of fleeting lust set against a metropolitan backdrop, all within an effervescent three-minute bop.
Of course, it wouldn’t truly be a Tancred album if the upbeat melodies didn’t also serve to sugar-coat Abbott’s often sombre lyrics about the experience of being a woman and being queer in today’s society. But even she is quick to emphasize that there is still comfort to be found during times of isolation or alienation: “Ultimately, we are all feeling these things together, and that can be enough to feel less alone. There’s a hopefulness in the loneliness.”
When Irish Mythen performs live at Pocklington Arts Centre on Thursday 13 September it will be one of only a handful of UK 2018 dates for the Irish-born contemporary Canadian singer-songwriter.
Irish’s forthcoming performance at PAC will come just weeks after a main stage performance for the globetrotting troubadour at the Cambridge Folk Festival.
The ECMA 2015 Roots Album of the Year perfectly couples the two poles of her sonic sphere: a universally engaging and accessible brand on contemporary folk with a tinge of more traditional Celtic influence that stems from her proud heritage.
Irish draws her inspiration from all over. “It’s the people I’ve met, the colour and shape of the land, the fact that you spend much of this life alone on the road,” she said.
“All these things have crept into my songs. I want them to feel like it was not just about the music, but an overall experience.”
“I love feeding off of the crowd and interacting with them. That’s why I rarely have set lists; I like to see and feel the audience and give them what they want.”
On Thursday 13 September, at 8pm, Irish Mythen will perform at PAC. Tickets cost £10 and are available from the Box Office on 01759 301547 or online at www.pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk
It’s HIM. Kim Kix! The Toréador of Trash. It’s PowerSOLO. Ahead of the release of new album “BO-PEEP”, PowerSOLO have announced a run of UK tour dates for September.
BO-PEEP was conceived, written and partially recorded during an extended weekend of solitary recluse at the Waikiki of Denmark. One man. One guitar. One kick drum. One microphone. Two bottles of absinthe. Once back in the big, bad, Jutlandian metropolis of Aarhus, Kix added more guitars, drums, organs and his old secret weapon: The triple bass. He even met up with his Railthin Brother Bo, who laid down a few dope beats on a couple of songs for Christ… and old times’ sake. Mixing was achieved through the divine intervention of Mr. Nik Heyman, and a final layer of dirt was shovelled into the woodchipper by Emil Thomsen at ET Mastering. 17 songs in total. The ones too strong for unlimited release were chosen to comprise the 7-inch 45rpm wonder that is PEEK-A-BO. Released in 500 copies on Record Store Day 2018.
September Tour Dates
Tues 4th – Norwich – Norwich Arts Centre
Thurs 6th – Manchester – The Peer Hat
Fri 7th – Halifax – The Lantern
Sat 8th – Liverpool – Maguire’s Pizza Bar
Sun 9th – Edinburgh – Opium
Mon 10th – Newcastle – The Cluny
Wed 12th – London – Oslo
Thurs 13th – Brighton – The Prince Albert
To get you up to speed here – in case you’re not – Hypnosister is the moniker of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Damian Hughes. He launched this project following his departure from Allusondrugs. So we’re all on the same page here now.
So what does Hypnosister sound like, well Damian himself describes it as ‘space-pop’. Hmmm, is that helping? Ok so it’s all sorts of fuzzed out guitars in songs with huge great bloody tunes, tunes to die for, tunes that are frankly going to stay with you for ever.. However there is strangeness, there is the frankly weird. There is this thing that runs through the tracks, something that say ‘yep these come from the head of the same person’, although they all don’t sound the same. I like that, I like that a lot.
So let’s dive in people. It’s track one ‘Poorly Boy’. And immediately you’re going to say ‘what the fuck is going on here’, well I did as it opens with this huge great classical sounding swell. But then we’re into the meat of it, it’s this rushing rocking thing, with guitar that just throws everything at the song, there’s fuzz, there’s rock licks. There is the biggest chorus. But don’t get complacent, this thing throws all sorts of changes at you. It lets you settle in, thinking ‘yep so I know what’s this going to do’ and then it doesn’t, it does something completely different.
‘Bother’ reminded me slightly of Suede, only slightly mind, and only in places. It’s slower, more, how shall we put this, epic.
That epic thing continues with ‘Breath’. It’s slower again, there’s this steady guitar chord. If you listen to this several times in a row it all becomes hypnotic.. But there are these sections where suddenly it opens out into something that just has the sweetest tune. But then it does the strangest thing it becomes something else entirely, suddenly and not for long at all, it returns briefly to that crashing guitar chord and fades out on this oh-so-lovely keyboard.
‘Ghost’ is poppier, it has a tune you could go to your grave happy having heard it, it’s a tune that drives itself into your brain. But it’s pop with a rock edge, a fuzzed out rock edge. It also has some of the strangest keyboard/vocal things goings on I’ve heard in a say a while. It even has, at least to me, a sort of Cardiacs thing going on. Love this track to death.
I’ve spent ages trying to work out quite what ‘I’m Going To Die’ reminds me of. I’ve thought I had it several times, and then I change my mind. But the other day it suddenly came me to, it’s Crowded House. OK so only a bit, and it’s Crowded House type tunes with this huge rock-pop thing going on. Look you may think differently. But what you can’t deny is under the guitar there is a song with an absolutely huge tune. And the layered vocals on this are just fantastic.
And now onto the final track on the EP ‘Scribbles’. This my friends is a completely different kettle of fish. It starts with this sort of acid fairground organ thing. And then it just becomes this thing that is huge and strangely disturbing, it’s all off-kilter, it all has this weird cross rhythm thing going on. It goes all sort of discordant, all sort of Robyn Hitchcock. And fades on the weird acid fairground organ. What I still can’t decide is exactly how I feel about this track. I listen to it, and I think ‘not sure I like it all that much’. I listen to it again, and I love it. On balance the ‘love its’ out-weight the ‘not sure about this’. And somehow I know that at some stage in the future I’m going to be playing this to friends saying it’s brilliant and they have to love it. This is the problem with reviews, you don’t always get enough time for music to sink in, and make sense, for your head to really get it.
Hypnosister’s self titled debut EP, written, recorded and produced in it’s entirety by Damian Hughes, is made of a mixture of new material and songs originally intended for his old outfit, Allusondrugs.
Blue Öyster Cult have announced a UK tour for February 2019. Supporting will be acclaimed blues rockers The Temperance Movement. Since formation in 2011, the band have made a huge impact with three studio albums including their most recent A Deeper Cut, which includes the latest single ‘Caught In The Middle’. The band are also a notorious live entity having honed their craft opening up for the likes of Jamiroquai, Ray Davies, Feeder and The Rolling Stones.
Over their four-decade career, Blue Öyster Cult have established themselves as one of the most iconic bands of their time, with a repertoire including the hits ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper’, ‘Godzilla’ and ‘Burning For You’.
Following their highly-acclaimed performance at last year’s Stone Free Festival, which saw the band play their eponymous debut in full, Blue Öyster will play eight dates, starting in Norwich on February 21st and finishing in Manchester on the 1st March.
Full tour dates can be found below.
BLUE ÖYSTER CULT TOUR DATES 2019
21st Feb – UEA, Norwich
22nd Feb – Eventim Apollo, London
23rd Feb – O2 Academy, Newcastle
24th Feb – O2 Academy, Glasgow
26th Feb – O2 Academy, Leeds
27th Feb – O2 Institute, Birmingham
28th Feb – St Philips Gate, Bristol
1st Mar – Academy, Manchester
Tickets go on sale at 10am Friday 27th July and will be available here.
The hotly-tipped Welsh alt-rock outfit Estrons last night announced their much-anticipated debut album “You Say I’m Too Much, I Say You’re Not Enough” (pre-order).
Coming October 5th, the record is the culmination of over two years hard touring and honing of a sound that has become theirs and theirs alone. First single ‘Lilac’ has already picked up considerable fan and media attention. The band have also released ‘Cameras’, on which Tali sings over jagged guitars a message to her son, meant to be read in the future, “I’ll always put a fight up for you, I’ll buy the day and night for you,” about, in her words, “that one love that can’t be broken, no matter how many times people try to break it down.”
“Cameras” is available now as an instant grat on pre-order of the record.
Estrons will be main support to Garbage in September and will be headlining throughout November and early December in support of the album.
Estrons You Say I’m Too Much, I Say You’re Not Enough Out October 5th on The Orchard / Gofod Record
Tracklisting:
1. Lilac
2. Killing Your Love
3. Make A Man
4. Strangers
5. Body
6. Jade
7. Cameras
8. Jesus…
9. Aliens
10. Drop
Dates
28 Jul: Derbyshire, UK – Y Not Fesitval Festival
29 Jul: Cornwall, UK – Leopalooza Festival
04 Aug: Kent, UK – Neverworld Festival
09 Sep: Manchester, UK – Academy*
11 Sep: Nottingham, UK – Rock City*
12 Sep: Newcastle, UK – Northumbria SU Institute*
01 Nov: Leeds, UK – Belgrave Music Hall
02 Nov: Glasgow, UK – King Tut’s
03 Nov: Newcastle, UK – Think Tank
07 Nov: Manchester, UK – Soup Kitchen
08 Nov: Bristol, UK – Louisiana
09 Nov: Nottingham, UK – Bodega
14 Nov: Exeter, UK – Cavern
15 Nov: Birmingham, UK – Castle & Falcon
16 Nov: Brighton, UK – Green Door Store
17 Nov: Caernarfon, UK – Galeri
23 Nov: Carmarthen, UK – The Parrot
06 Dec: Cardiff, UK – Globe
07 Feb: London, UK – Scala
Following the tragic passing of Festival Director, Sarah Nulty who died just weeks before the tenth edition of Tramlines, plans have now been confirmed for a permanent memorial to Sarah on Devonshire Green, the original main stage of the festival. A commemorative plaque will be embedded into the wall at the top of Devonshire Green, facing down towards the traditional site of the main stage. She will also be awarded with a Civic Award from the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Magid Magid.
Devonshire Green was the original Tramlines site back when it all first began in 2009. Festival organisers and council representatives have decided that this is the most fitting place for a memorial to Sarah.
In addition to the memorial plaque, The Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Magid Magid will be giving Sarah a posthumous Civic Award. Magid Magid said, ‘This is a very special honour. We use civic awards to recognise Sheffield heroes who do such valuable work in the city. Sarah was an incredible person who had a hugely positive impact on the city. She is the perfect candidate to receive this award.’
Timm Cleasby, a founder of the festival and the head of operations said, “It’s very important that there is a permanent tribute to Sarah in recognition of everything she put into the city. She was a massive fan and supporter of Sheffield’s creativity and independence. The positioning of the plaque at Devonshire Green is a poignant and fitting tribute. Sarah’s vibrancy and energy made her seem larger than life and it’s brilliant that she will be remembered for years to come. Hopefully her work will serve to inspire others in the future.”
Bands, organisers and attendees have been showing their support for Sarah by wearing ‘BeMoreNulty’ t-shirts. Acts including, Reverend and the Makers, Milburn, Universal Tree, Bang Bang Romeo, Everly Pregnant Brothers and many more all paid tribute to Sarah during their performances. There was also a memorial video presented by Timm Cleasby and shown on big screens from the main stage on Sunday evening with the audience of thousands joining in with a minute’s applause for Sarah.
The ‘BeMoreNulty’ t-shirts are on sale via the Drop Dead website with all profits (along with proceeds from ‘Nulty’s’ backstage bar) donated to Weston Park Cancer Charity and Cavendish Cancer Care. Charity donations from the guestlist will be split between Weston Park Cancer Charity, Cavendish Cancer Care and Crohn’s & Colitis UK.
