The Peter Whittingham Award is open to UK-based solo artists and bands in the first two years of their professional career or who are studying on a higher education jazz course. The panel will be looking for outstanding talent, innovation and creativity and the winner will receive a grant of £5,000 to develop their career through funding a creative project.

Panellist from last year’s auditions, Julian Joseph said, “I certainly left the auditions feeling optimistic about the future of British music and am proud that this level of creativity is pouring out of our jazz scene with our winners demonstrating just how relevant and vibrant British Jazz is.”

In 2015, awards were made to two outstanding bands, London based Patchwork Jazz Orchestra and Glasgow quartet Square One. The charity also made two Help Musicians UK Development Awards to jazz drummer JJ Wheeler, and Big Bad Wolf.

Claire Gevaux, Creative Director at Help Musicians UK said, “The continued support of the Whittingham Family through this unique award allows us to invest in the next generation of jazz musicians, helping the most talented artists through these formative and crucial stages of their career. We can’t wait to see the incredible standard of applications and know that our esteemed panel of experts will have an enjoyable challenge in finding the winner.”

The deadline for applications is Friday 11 November at 5.00pm. Auditions will take place at The Premises Studios, Hackney, on Friday 9 December 2016, with a panel of eminent jazz musicians and experts.

To find out more about making an application please visit the dedicated Peter Whittingham Jazz Award page helpmusicians.org.uk/peterwhittinghamjazz

After a triumphant run of dates across Europe in March and April the newly revitalised trio-format band head back to Europe in October, following a 27-date run of secret shows in the US.

The band have always been exploring, growing and 2016 sees them continuing in that vein. None of US shows were in conventional music venues, with the location only revealed to ticket holders not more than 24 hours in advance of each show. The band are now touring as a trio, with no bass player, and ‘Solid States’ collaborator Frankie Siragusa on drums. New album, ‘Solid States’, was not recorded in the usual band-in-a-room manner. Stringfellow and Auer sent song ideas back and forth online, writing and largely recording the album separately – but collaboratively – in their home studios.

Following the death of former Posies Darius Minwalla and Joe Skyward, the ideas coming from Jon and Ken were understandably fragile and the moods contemplative. Death, divorce, loss. Even the joys of life are fleeting enough as to be treated with care and respect. However the songs retain their legendary melodic abilities, their trademark vocal harmonies and their lyrical agility.

‘Solid States’ is out now on British indie label Lojinx, on CD, digital and heavyweight vinyl LP. The autumn tour starts in Manchester on 27th October, ending on 9th November in Diksmuide, Belgium.

“classy and understandably sober… their status as much cherished melody makers seems perfectly secure” – MOJO

“sweetly melancholic… awash with harmony, heart and melody” – UNCUT

“it’s a cold-hearted guitar-pop fan who’d deny just how strong a collection of songs it is” – IRISH TIMES

“a welcome return to form… some of The Posies hookiest tunes in years” – SHINDIG!

Dates

27th October – Night and Day, Manchester
28th October – The Hug and Pint, Glasgow
29th October – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
30th October – Louisiana, Bristol

theposies.com | fb.com/theposies | twitter.com/theposies | instagram.com/theposies | lojinx.com/the-posies

A Compilation CD/Digital release has been confirmed for the 3rd of October 2016 in aid of MacMillan, showcasing some of Yorkshire’s finest artist alongside the up & coming talent from the region.

High profile artists such as Shed Seven, Reverend & The Makers, Embrace, Pulled Apart by Horse & the Wedding Present have given tracks to support the release, and are complimented by new bands such as Carvella, Neon Dolls, The Brazen, The Rook, Marsicans & the Dangerhounds.

Artists/Tracks

The Brazen – Laser Lips
Shed Seven – Chasing Rainbows
Neon Dolls – Gimme All Your Love
Pulled Apart By Horses – WAAH!
Sunspots – I Know What You Don’t
The Rook – (Do You) Love To Feel
Marsicans – Far Away (Saudade)
The Dangerhounds – Santiago
The Wedding Present – Rachel
Carvella – Born And Raised
Reverend And The Makers – Makin Babies (Acoustic)
Embrace – Ashes

A Concert in Leeds at The Belgrave Music Hall on 13th January 2017 is confirmed, With Rick Witter performing as DJ alongside live acts.

Buy the CD/Digital release: https://yorkshirevscancer.bandcamp.com/releases
Concert Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1110998465686243/

The multi-platinum New York group celebrated the 20th anniversary of their debut album Come Find Yourself in 2016, and true to their hashtag #LoveYaBack, the Crims are feeling the love from the fans, so are doing it all again in February 2017 after a massive anniversary year, amplified by a summer full of headline festivals across Europe in celebration of a landmark album that inhabited the UK Album Charts for an amazing 100 weeks.

Fun Lovin’ Criminals burst onto the music scene in 1996, gate crashing the euphoric Brit-pop party with unforgettable finesse. Heralded for their generation defining blend of styles and effortless New York cool, FLC’s refreshing cocktail of rock n’ roll, funk, blues, soul, hip hop, jazz and latin, gave the Crims a unique timelessness that is still apparent three decades on.

Frontman turned Sony Award winning BBC radio broadcaster Huey Morgan explains; “FLC always bring a mucho grande style. In my half Irish, half Puerto Rican vernacular, this means we goin’ BIG. Of course we want everybody to come along for the ride, we wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for the fans. Bigger the party the better, so come join us!”

The Lower East side trio, consisting of founding partner Brian ‘Fast’ Leiser on bass, trumpet and samples and the groups longest-standing drummer Frank ‘The Rhythm Master’ Benbini, will be hitting the UK for a 12 date UK/IRE tour for, as the FLC song of the same name states; a Big Night Out.

Testament to the Crims critical and cultural importance, 2016 also marked the year that the worlds most esteemed lexicographers officially added the term ‘Scooby Snacks’ to the Oxford English Dictionary, citing the famous lyrics to the global FLC hit single of the same name in the new edition. So there you have it, smart people dig FLC, so y’all should too.

Tour dates

1st Feb DUBLIN Vicar Street
3rd Feb ABERDEEN The Garage
4th Feb EDINBURGH Queens Hall
9th Feb SHEFFIELD The Plug
10th Feb BRISTOL 02 Academy
11th Feb SOUTHAMPTON Engine Rooms
16th Feb LINCOLN Engine Shed
17th Feb CAMBRIDGE The Junction
18th Feb LEAMINGTON SPA Assembly
2nd Mar LONDON Electric Brixton
3rd Mar NOTTINGHAM Rock City
4th Mar MANCHESTER Albert Hall

A production company founded in 1980 and masterminded by Martyn Ware (founding member of both The Human League and Heaven 17), over the last four decades B.E.F. have gained a reputation for their innovative studio collaborations with some of pop music’s brightest stars.

And now, in what will be their first ever UK tour, B.E.F. will be enlisting the talents of a star studded cast including Mari Wilson, Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols), Peter Hooton (The Farm), and of course Glenn Gregory (Heaven 17). The show will see B.E.F. perform a special set featuring brand new arrangements of songs familiar and unexpected from the back catalogue, plus a few surprises to be exclusively unveiled at the shows.

And before B.E.F. take to the stage, the evening will be kicked-off in style with a set from synth-pop legends Heaven 17. The band who are celebrating their recent crowning as Sheffield’s Greatest Band of All Time will be out to provide a just reminder of their glittering achievements as they revisit their magnum opus: ‘Penthouse & Pavement’ at the shows.

Thirty-five years since the release of their landmark debut album, Messrs Glenn Gregory and Martyn Ware will be commemorating the record that launched their sensational career by performing a brand new electronic version of ‘Penthouse And Pavement’ live and in full.

Taking place throughout October, the tour will see Heaven 17 and B.E.F. take to the stage to deliver consecutive sets at a run of dates that begin at Liverpool’s O2 Academy (20th) and conclude up at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire (30th).

Expressing his delight at being a part of the B.E.F. shows for the first time, Heaven 17’s – Glenn Gregory said:

“Having worked with Martyn for so many wonderful years as Heaven 17, performing with BEF is like finally getting the golden key to the executive toilet.”

Outlining his expectations and anticipations of the forthcoming tour, B.E.F founder Martyn Ware said:

“What an honour it is to have such talented and iconic artists performing on our first-ever live BEF tour. Over the last 35 years, BEF has worked with some of the most famous singers on earth, and for our fantastic shows this October, Glen Matlock, Peter Hooton and Mari Wilson will each be performing one of their most famous songs, together with surprising cover versions done in the unique BEF electronic style. Add to that the inimitable Glenn Gregory (I’m sure I’ve heard that name somewhere), and the 35th anniversary performance of new electronic arrangements of ‘Penthouse And Pavement’ and you have our greatest live show ever’”.

Formed in 1980 as Martyn Ware departed Sheffield synth icons The Human League only to find a kindred musical mind in Glenn Gregory, together as Heaven 17 the pair set about writing and recording the songs that would become their debut album ‘Penthouse and Pavement’ released only a year later. In letting the BBC-banned debut single “(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang” lead their anti-establishment charge, the band made clear their intentions to break away from their synth-pop contemporaries on their first outing. Follow-up singles “I’m Your Money”, “Play To Win”, “Penthouse and Pavement” and “The Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)” would propel the long-player to No. 14 in the UK charts and a Gold Disc Certification after a 77-week residency inside the Top 100. Now recognised universally as one of the most vital albums to emerge from the New Wave movement in British electronica, ‘Penthouse and Pavement’ has since been included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

In 1982, Martyn Ware released the first studio album under the B.E.F. moniker: ‘Music of Quality and Distinction Volume 1’. an album of covers that he and partner Ian Craig Marsh had grown up listening to, the album featured an all-star cast of guest appearances including Paula Yates, Billy MacKenzie, Glenn Gregory, Sandie Shaw and most notably Top 10 Hit “Ball of Confusion” a cover of the infamous track by The Temptations, as sung with powerhouse vocals from Tina Turner.

Dates

Thursday 20th October – Liverpool O2 Academy
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/BEH2010X?

Friday 21st October – Birmingham Town Hall
http://www.thsh.co.uk/event/heaven-17-and-special-guests-british-electric-foundation/

Sunday 23rd October – Glasgow O2 ABC
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/heaven-17-british-electric-foundation-tickets/227435

Monday 24th October – Gateshead Sage
http://www.sagegateshead.com/event/heaven-1739978/

Tuesday 25th October – Sheffield City Hall
http://www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk/events/Heaven-17-British-Electric-Foundation

Wednesday 26th October – Manchester O2 Ritz
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/bse2610z

Friday 28th October – Bury St Edmunds Apex
https://www.theapex.co.uk/whats-on/event/3008/heaven-17–british-electric-foundation

Saturday 29th October – Basingstoke Anvil
http://www.anvilarts.org.uk/whats-on/heaven-17-and-special-guests-british-electric-foundation

Sunday 30th October – London Shepherd’s Bush Empire
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/IEH3010Z?brand=o2sbe&camefrom=AMG_SBE

[* NB also available are special VIP packages limited to 30 per venue including best seats, meet and greet with photo opportunity and a signed poster.]

Website – http://www.heaven17.com/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/heaven17bef
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/heaven17bef

The Sad Song Co. release their third album ‘in amber’ on November 18th 2016. The album was recorded in five days during 2015 with Graeme Stewart (Radiohead, Jonny Greenwood) and George Shilling (Stornoway, My Bloody Valentine). In order to try and re-engage the fans after a long absence caused by main protagonist Nigel Powell’s work with Frank Turner, the first step was a successful pre- order and special edition campaign orchestrated with PledgeMusic.com.

The album exists in the space between alternative guitar rock, singer/songwriter and progressive/art pop, and is a loose concept album based around stories of people in and around an old people’s home, accompanied by prose that shapes and enriches the songs. It is Nigel’s most powerful piece of work since Unbelievable Truth’s debut Almost Here in 1998 (which he also co-wrote and produced), with echoes of Elbow, Peter Gabriel and Alt-J.

What people are saying

Mischa Perlman (NME / Noisey / AP): “Incredible”

Mark Kelly (Marillion): “Excellent song writing… on rotation”

Chris T-T (UK singer songwriter): “Extraordinary: a seriously brilliant record”

About The Sad Song Co.

The Sad Song Co. is the solo project of Nigel Powell, previously founder member, producer and writer for Unbelievable Truth, currently drummer for Frank Turner And The Sleeping Souls and Dive Dive. ‘in amber’ is the follow up to 2003’s miseryguts and 2007’s Poignant Device.

Tour Dates

Mon 17th Oct – Firebug, Leicester
Tue 18th Oct – The Maypole, Derby
Wed 19th Oct – The Monarch, London
Thu 20th Oct – The Old Road Tavern, Chippenham (free show)
Sat 22nd Oct – The Star And Garter, Manchester
Sun 23rd Oct – The Stag And Hounds, Bristol

Also on the bill is Non-Canon, new guise of Bristol artist Oxygen Thief. In Derby both are on the bill with Chris T-T, respected veteran Brighton singer-songwriter. The Sad Song Co. will be a duo of Nigel Powell and Jason Moulster for all of the shows.