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FESTIVAL NEWS: Long Division announces more artists & arts programme for 2018 festival

1 Mar 2018

TheSurfingMagazines_555 — The Surfing Magazines

THE MEMBRANES, EVIL BLIZZARD, THE SURFING MAGAZINES & FIZZY BLOOD AMONG NEW NAMES

Wakefield’s Long Division festival has announced a brace of new artists for its 2018 event alongside the first taste of it’s arts and culture programme. Leading this announcement are post-punk legends The Membranes who will be bringing their immense live show and a full choir to Wakefield Cathedral as part of the festival. Speaking about performing at Long Division The Membranes’ John Robb said: “Membranes are looking forward to returning to Long Division this time with their choir to play songs from their upcoming autumn released album that turns its attention to the beauty and violence and voluptuous essence of nature.

Joining them at the recently-revived West Yorkshire festival will be garage rock super-group The Surfing Magazines, featuring members of Slow Club and The Wave Pictures and the rubber masked, quad-bass player toting noise rock enigma of Evil Blizzard. Also announced today is Ghanaian pop singer Wiyaala, Leeds up and comers Fizzy Blood, the politically charged and critically acclaimed Life from Hull and rising post-punkers ZoZo among many others.

Having recently announced its return after a fallow year and some soul searching, Long Division has made a pledge that 90% of its programming will be free as part of a commitment to making the arts accessible to all in West Yorkshire. Today they’ve shared the first of a number of commissions, projects and shows that will take place in Wakefield during the course of the festival including Write Place Write Time, a panel on the creative and writing process featuring special guests Billy Bragg and acclaimed journalist and deputy music editor at The Guardian Laura Snapes taking place at Wakefield Town Hall on Friday 2nd of June. Also announced is Visible Words From Invisible People, where people from Wakefield’s homeless community worked with artist Richard Wheater on a project that aimed to develop their visual language through light, to communicate their stories to the wider public which resulted in a series of extraordinary neon signs which will be displayed at the festival as part of ‘A Manifesto For A New Wakefield’ supported by Arts Council England and The Magic Of The Beatles, who will be performing a free show on Wakefield Precinct on Sunday 3rd of June.

This year Long Division is presented and supported by Wakefield Business Improvement District and Arts Council England.

Tickets for Long Division are on sale now from here
Music applications are now open here
Artist seed fund applications are open here

http://longdivisionfestival.co.uk
https://www.wakefieldbid.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/longdivision/

Full list of announced music artists:

Billy Bragg, King Creosote, Charlotte Hatherley, Cud, The Lovely Eggs, Marnie (Ladytron), The Surfing Magazines, The Membranes, Evil Blizzard

The Magic Of The Beatles, Mush, Cattle & Cane, Fizzy Blood, Galaxians, Wiyaala, Drahla, Dylan Cartlidge, Shatner’s Bassoon, Glass Mountain, Mi Mye, ZoZo, Life, Team Picture, Adore // Repel, Cape Cub, Thomas Ragsdale, I Set The Sea On Fire, Peaness, The Fire Harvest, Toria Garbutt, Laminate Pet Animal, Simon Widdop, Colour Of Spring, Engine, The Boxing, Loux, Genevieve, Walsh, Mugen, Bearfoot Beware, Radidas, The Golden Age Of TV,

Prince Omari, The Harriets, Hot Soles, Napoleon IIIrd, One Day, After School, Dark Dark Horse, Kermes, Crake, Broads, YOI, Silver Wilson, Sarena, Lee Satti, Beth Holland, Jamie Thrasivoulou, Floodhounds, Kieren King, Thomas & The Empty Orchestra, Laura Taylor, The Bleeding Obvious, Sux Blood, Rose Condo, Mamilah, Fig By Four, Emily Jane, Loz Campbell, Louie James, No Fixed Identity, Gemma Baker, Bedford Falls, Maya Kally, Miggie Angel, Richard Daniels, Charlie Padfield, The Tidy Wives

FESTIVAL NEWS: Beat-Herder announces first acts for 2018

LSF Staff Writers

1 Mar 2018

Beat-Herder takes place in the Ribble Valley 13th/15th July. Acts announced are:

ORBITAL
SOULWAX
DJANGO DJANGO
HIGH CONTRAST LIVE
DAVID RODIGAN
CONGO NATTY AND THE REZISTANCE LIVE
PATRICK TOPPING
DENIS SULTA
ARTWORK
BEN SIMS
CAMELPHAT
EROL ALKAN
REDLIGHT
SAM DIVINE

DREADZONE / ELDERBROOK / IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE / HOLLIE COOK / HOOKWORMS / PINS / S CLUB / DEEKLINE / FISHER / FOALS DJ SET / GREG WILSON / JAMES RUSKIN / JAMZ SUPERNOVA / LATE NITE TUFF GUY / MELLA DEE / MONKI / MR SCRUFF / UTAH SAINTS

LONDON ASTROBEAT ORCHESTRA PERFORM TALKING HEADS / THE LANCASHIRE HOTPOTS / DJ FORMAT / ED SOLO / FREESTYLERS & NAVIGATOR / HAMMER / HERVÉ / ICARUS / LAUREN LO SUNG / MARTEN HØRGER / OC & VERDE / PHIBES / PIRATE COPY / RAY KEITH / THE RAGGA TWINS / TUFF LONDON / HONEYFEET / PARK HOTEL / MELLAH / LOYAL / GYPSIES OF BOHEMIA / HENGE / GOOD FOXY / DRUM MACHINE / DEATBEATS / ALEX VIROG / BOE & LX / BOMBSTRIKES SOUNDSYSTEM / CAMPO / FISH & SHERRY’S / GRACE SAVAGE / LOMAX & ANDERTON / MOOQEE / NEON STEVE / SACHA SCHWARZ / SUGARBEAT RESIDENTS / TOM PAGE

Beat-Herder will once again transform Lancashire’s Ribble Valley into a technicolour party and escapist’s utopia, with an array of 20+ whimsical stages, world-class DJs and surprises aplenty.

Originating from free party roots, over its twelve-year history, Beat-Herder has become known for uniting the disparate subcultures of dance music, and this year’s line-up proves no exception. Headlining the main stage this year are dance legends Orbital, whose dazzling lightshow and leftfield anthems such as ‘Chime’ are perfect summer crowd-pleasers. They’ll be joined by the likes of dance-rock crossover pioneers Soulwax; the consistently unpredictable sonic adventurers Django Django; and national treasure and firm festival favourite David Rodigan. One of the original pioneers of jungle, Rebel MC aka Congo Natty will play with The Rezistance live alongside Hollie Cook, former member of all-female punk/reggae band The Slits, and electronic afro-funk stalwarts, Ibibio Sound Machine.

Confirmed for the Toil Trees stage – a majestic woodland setting and the beating heart of Beat-Herder – Patrick Topping will be bringing a mix of killer originals and alongside Glaswegian upstart Denis Sulta. Joining them are BBC Radio 1 dance music authority, Monki; perennial party-starter Artwork; First Lady of Defected Sam Divine, and Feel My Bicep cohort Hammer. OC & Verde – one of Pete Tong’s New Names for 2018 – are one of a host of fast-rising talents to grace the stage.

The aptly named Fortress, a monstrous construction of corrugated iron, is the refuge of Beat-Herder’s most hardcore revellers. Featuring fire-spewing turrets, the Fortress will host tough funk and hard grooves from the three-turntable techno wizard Ben Sims; unifying and unpredictable sounds from Trash mastermind and electroclash pioneer Erol Alkan; trailblazing techno from seminal Blueprint label founder James Ruskin; uplifting and soulful stompers from South Yorkshire local talent Mella Dee; breakstep from Deekline and forward-facing drum & bass from Ed Solo amongst others.

If something more spiritual is your vibe, head over to The Ring. Reflecting the Ribble Valley’s mystic heritage, The Ring pays homage to John Pratt – a mysterious local enigma who was said to possess the strength of ten men. 100 foot in diameter and accessed via a huge Stonehenge-style entrance, The Ring is the perfect venue to capture the original stadium house innovators Utah Saints, whose sampling of everything from Eurythmics to Slayer made them one of the genre’s earliest crossover sensations. Phibes take a similar approach by fusing all manner of electronic genres into a celebratory party mix.

A relatively new addition to the site, The Factory is a split-level arena in which you can clock in, but never clock out. Looking a little like Studio 54 transported 40 years into the future and 3500 miles east, it hosts Hookworms, the Leeds band whose current album ‘Microshift’ is one of the most critically acclaimed sets of the year. Foals will be swapping guitars for turntables with a special DJ set, while Manchester favourites PINS play live. Also confirmed is Elderbrook, whose ‘Cola’ collab with CamelPhat was nominated for Best Dance Recording at the Grammy Awards.

Music is just part of the experience at Beat-Herder. Entirely handmade from scratch, the stages stand out as something truly different in the increasingly identikit festival landscape. That attention to detail creates an immersive world full of beguiling and intriguing creative concepts. Which other festivals give you the opportunity to explore underground tunnels, dance to drum and bass in a chapel or get inked in the functioning tattoo parlour? And if the hedonism gets a little too much, guests can slow the pace by lounging in the heated hidden swimming pool or enjoy some retro entertainment at the site’s very own working men’s club.

Beat-Herder continues to exist as it did back when it started as a free DIY party in 1998: uncompromising, unwavering and distinguished by an overwhelming sense of community. Its reputation as one of the friendliest festivals around can be attributed to its loyal followers – friends, couples and families who create new memories to cherish in a bold and barmy atmosphere each summer.

Tier 1 and 2 tickets have sold out. Tier 3 tickets are now available for £137.50 plus booking fee from https://tickets.beatherder.co.uk/. Tickets can also be purchased via monthly or 15-week payment plans. Glamping options are also available. The Beat-Herder Bombassador programme is also open, allowing loyal fans the chance to get free tickets and money-can’t-buy experiences.

TOUR NEWS: Witch Fever dates March-April 2018

LSF Staff Writers

28 Feb 2018

Manchester based all girl punk/grunge band WITCH FEVER are angry and honest, bringing punchy riffs, a heavy beat and an eclectic mix of clean and shrieking vocals. The five-piece consists of Alisha Yarwood (lead guitar), Alex Thompson (bass), Amy Walpole (vocals), Annabelle Joyce (drums) & Emilia Catle (guitar).

“They are raw, in your face and making a glorious and beautiful racket, are full of explosive and kinetic energy and collapsing new riffs and are going to make a noise musically and culturally…” – John Robb / Louder Than War

“Imagine the Slits meet Black Sabbath partying with Pussy Riot in Kim Gordon’s angry neighbour’s basement. Drunk. Witch Fever are wonderful.” – Dave Haslam / The Guardian & Hacienda DJ

With influences ranging from The Cramps, to Sonic Youth & Nirvana, Witch Fever certainly have a great range of inspirations to help hone and progress their inherent talent. The band stated that what they do musically is driven by “A love for writing and performing.” They continue, “We’re all passionate about music, and through playing together we continue to encourage and empower eachother. We are also driven by the importance in disproving all the stigma and stereotypes attached to female musicians.”

So far, Witch Fever have already secured a support slot for The Moonlandingz, were featured in the first wave of announced artists for Neighbourhood Festival and have been signed to Black Bleach Records. They are pleased to confirm a string of live dates, including festival appearances for Spring 2018.

Debut Single Available:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/witch-fever/id1216861773

LIVE DATES

MARCH

27th – Manchester, Soup Kitchen w/ Pip Boom & Sports Team
30th – Manchester, Aatma w/ Empty Page (Annabelles Coven Events)
31st – Bristol, Imagine That All Dayer

APRIL

5th – Chester, Mammothfest
20th – Manchester Punk Festival, Zombie Shack

MAY

5th – Leeds, Wharf Chambers
12th – Northampton, Metal2Masses/Bloodstock
19th – Manchester, The Ritz w/Cabbage

TOUR NEWS: Port Cities announce March 2018 dates

LSF Staff Writers

26 Feb 2018

Canadian band PORT CITIES are still bathing in the afterglow of November’s Nova Scotia Music Week, where they scooped no less than five awards, including album of the year, digital artist of the year and entertainer of the year.

In light of such accolades then, its only right that the band launch themselves back into the game with their trademark single ‘Back To The Bottom,’ a heart-racing stomper of a track that only partially disguises much deeper emotional undercurrents. As vocalist Breagh MacKinnon explains, “The song tells the story of a toxic relationship. It’s about being stuck in the cycle of coming back to something or someone that isn’t good for either person; yet you still can’t get out.”

Port Cities’ music is a perfect balance of Nashville (where much of it was recorded) and Nova Scotia (where the band reside); of the rustic and atmospheric, of indie intimacy and the sort of arena-pop anthems that betray Port Cities’ globe-trotting ambitions; 2018 sees the band embark upon their second cross European tour, including a timely stint here in the UK, where their following is building up nicely off the back of 2017’s visit, and the hugely successful #PostcardsFromPortCities series of videos.

A port city is a place where cultures and histories collide, where goods and ideas are imported and absorbed into the local bloodstream. Not entirely un-coincidentally, Port Cities the band is the musical equivalent; a melting pot of three of Canada’s most creative individual talents, drawn together to make an entity even more outstanding as a group than as its constituent parts.

As with any form of musical collaboration, the magic occurs in the blending of one element with another, but unlike most groups, Port Cities never started out to be a band. Comprised of trio of celebrated Nova Scotian musicians Carleton Stone, Dylan Guthro and Breagh MacKinnon, Port Cities were drawn together through songwriting as independent artists, with every intention of crafting new material, and then going their separate ways. Yet that is not quite how it panned out.

The first thing anyone observes when hearing Port Cities is that this band is tight. Seriously tight. Yet it begs the question; How to go about fusing divergent styles and experiences into such a singular rootsy Americana sound? From MacKinnon’s silky jazz-schooled timbre, allied to Guthro’s R&B influenced natural tendencies and Stone’s acoustic troubadour, the space in between the three is delightfully warm and resonant, yet entirely coherent across the course of their self-titled debut album, due for imminent release in 2018

UK tour dates:

24th March: Newcastle Cluny
25th: Manchester Castle
26th: Glasgow King Tuts
27th: London Slaughtered lamb
29th: Bath Chapel Arts Centre
30th: Hull Kardomah 94
31st: York The Basement

Web links:

Back To The Bottom stream: https://hearthis.at/jonesco/01-back-to-the-bottom-uaa/uAa/ http://www.portcities.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/portcities/
https://twitter.com/port_cities
https://www.instagram.com/port_cities/
https://www.youtube.com/c/PortCities902_

LIVE REVIEW: Fizzy Blood supported by Forever Cult & Rival Bones, Soup Kitchen Manchester, 22nd February 2018

Frank

25 Feb 2018

It was a privilege to see the first night of Fizzy Blood’s first headline tour, and the venue was just the right place. The Soup Kitchen is intimate enough so you really get to see the bands playing properly and the sound is great and you really get to feel the music. Fizzy Blood were on great form and played a blinder. More on them later but first the support acts – Rival Bones and Forever Cult.

Rival Bones are one of those guitar/drums bands. I get to see a lot of those. So many that in fact they have all began to blur into each other if I’m honest. However Rival Bones bring something of their own to the party. What they bring is blues rock, to the point where I found myself thinking of Led Zeppelin or even rather bizarrely of Whitesnake at one point. And James Whitehouse (vocals/guitar) has a really nice line in an almost blues vocal style at times. OK so sure they do merge that with a more modern rock style but it makes for something rather special. And while they are loud, and boy are they loud, there are tunes and light and shade, it isn’t just noise.

And, and this is a big thing, I didn’t actually feel what I quite often feel about guitar/drums bands, namely well this is OK but it could do with say a bass player or a second guitar player. Rival Bones music is dense enough (when it needs to be) that you just don’t notice that. Rival Bones impressed me hugely and I’ve made a mental note to see them again. The band have a new single out in April and if the live performance is anything to go on, this is going to be well worth checking out – blues rocking shading into alt-rock and back again to blues rock, really nice stuff.

So what can you say about Forever Cult? They make a wonderfully joyous sound without seemingly even trying that hard. It’s all very relaxed. There is banter, there is even a point when we are all asked to boo the band.

I had caught them playing the Clue Records Xmas Party in Leeds back in December and what a performance. So I was really looking forward to seeing them play again. The good thing about seeing a band for the second time is that you can really start to focus down on the details. So what suddenly snapped into focus this time was that actually quite a lot of how they sound is punk. So while James deploys way up to date alt-rock guitar, it’s Kieran’s voice that injects the punk. He growls, he screams, he almost casually drops the lyrics – obviously not all the same time of course.

It’s this mix of styles that makes them sound so good, so good that I actually stopped making notes. And they are a band that you need to watch, note taking is merely a distraction. Look away for one moment and you’ll have missed James throwing the most wonderful shapes as he wrings sounds out of his guitar, you’ll have missed Aaron’s frankly great facial expressions as he pounds at his drum kit. Get distracted by trying to describe – in a frankly inadequate way – quite what XX song sounded like, and you’ll miss say the mesmerising jerkiness of the new single.

So I can do no better than to say you have to see this band, see them if you like grungey, punky rock, see them if you like bands who put on a performance.

And now to our headliners, say that again, our headliners on their first headlining tour – Fizzy Blood. I was a fan of their last EP so I had some idea of what I was going to see and hear. But that idea was nothing compared to what I witnessed.

This is a band who know they are on to something, a band who can put on a fantastic performance. A band that frankly took me out of my ‘reviewer’ role and into being a huge fan in the space of their first two songs. That doesn’t happen that often, being in that ‘reviewing mode’ is a weird thing, you are looking out for things ‘not to like’ as well as things ‘to be liked’. A band that can rip that out of your mindset is rare indeed.

Fizzy Blood are a big band, the stage at The Soup Kitchen isn’t that small but their bass player – Ciaran (of whom more later) – and – I guess we’d call him – their second guitarist are crammed into one end of it bumping into each other.

The thing about Fizzy Blood is that they are so fucking funky, under that raucous rock there is the most groovey swing. A lot of this is down to Ciaran who throws down a wonderously funky bass – as well as throwing himself around the stage. I found myself glancing across to see what what he was doing rather more frequently than I should have.

And the music is raucous, it’s breakneck. Their set speeds past. And there is no encore. “No encore”, I hear you say, well why should there be when what they played was brilliant, it said what needed to be said, an encore would have mere rock traditional.

So what do the band sound like? I found their live performance to be different in some ways from their recorded music. This is perhaps more psychy than what I heard them playing live. Live it’s still psychy but less so, and more rock and just a bit punky. And I swear – and it may just be me – that I heard something rather Disco at one point. Look I may just have been tripping out by that point, I did become rather giddy.

Benji – the singer – is great. The banter is fab. And that voice just grabs you. Tim on – I’d guess we’d say – lead guitar just produces the most wonderful noise.

Look people, I can do no better than to say what I said in my EP review “Go get some Fizzy Blood in your life” you won’t regret it. Go see this band before they get huge, so you can say you were onto them early.

All photos in this review © Frank Roper Photography – more photos from the gig are available here

SINGLE REVIEW: VALA – ‘Mirror’

Frank

25 Feb 2018

So I’m gonna start this review by saying that VALA’s new single ‘Mirror’ isn’t, on the face of it, my sort of thing at all. My friend remarked, as I was saying quite how good it was, “but Frank this sort of indie-ish/poppy rock isn’t usually the sort of thing you usually like” and he’s right it isn’t. But I do like this, I like it a lot.

The main reason I like it is that after an indie-rock intro it throws us into classic pop territory – there is a tune (and I like a song with a tune) that just worms its way into your head, there are hooks galore, and there are these wonderfully gloriously soaring vocals. And those hooks made me smile, they made me smile hugely. And there is this bit where the vocals get all megaphone-ish and it’s slowed way down, and then it winds itself into a glorious wonderful anthem like epic ending.

And it does that thing I really like – you can sit and listen to it, you should you know there is some lovely stuff going on or you can dance to it, it’s bouncy. OK so you might have a bit of problem with the slow bit but it’s possible, I know I managed to.

And it does this classic pop thing while maintaining a rock feel, that’s clever. There are loud guitars, there is at times a riff but never does this song lose its classic pop sensibility. It’s in those vocals, it’s in the tune. It’s actually in the extremely well played music, and the band certainly know how to play.

So I like it, but will you? Well if you like indie-rock, you will. If you like a classic pop song, you will. And if you love well constructed music, played extremely well, you will. It’s lovely stuff.

‘Mirror’ is available on all major platforms.

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1LJgKLnrSI9PyDBvnDfzmi?si=cdopvepmT2SpurwLVJi8IQ

The info

VALA hail from Manchester although they are frequent visitors to Yorkshire and their drummer is from Leeds.

VALA are:

Joe Knowles – Lead Vocals, Guitar
Jebose Radcliffe – Bass, Backing Vocals
Jesus – Guitar, Synthesiser
Matt Hill – Drums, Backing Vocals

http://www.valaband.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/ValaManchester/
https://www.instagram.com/valamanchester/?hl=en

SINGLE & TOUR NEWS: Forever Cult new Single ‘Usurper’, tour With Fizzy Blood

LSF Staff Writers

22 Feb 2018

FOREVER CULT kickstart their UK run with Fizzy Blood by releasing new track ‘Usurper’. Abrasive, fuzzy and oscillating, the track is a sonic depiction of a night out escalating.

“Usurper is a cold observation of a night out. The lyrics are about my surroundings and the different feelings and thoughts i had as the night progressed. Slowly deteriorating until the final guitars swell into chaos just like my brain. It’s the first song we wrote when Wilko joined the band. Also I think Usurper is a great word” – KK (Vocals)

Produced By Matt Peel (Eagulls, Bad Breeding) at Leeds studio The Nave, USURPER follows 2017’s EP Homewrecker on Clue Records, which streamed with DIY pre-release. The track is telling of things to come from FOREVER CULT later this year.

“We’ve been quiet for a little while but it’s taken time to develop our sound again. New songs are coming thick and fast in a totally different way to usual. We’re writing all together in a practise room jamming out ideas more than before. It’s really exciting all over again and has really given us a new lease of life” – Alex (Bass)

Comprising of up of Kieran Clarke (vocals, guitar), Alex Greaves (bass, vocals), James Douglas Wilkinson (guitar, vocals)and Aaron Snowdon (drums), FOREVER CULT are a formidable force on the live circuit, highlights including support to Pulled Apart By Horses, and Francobollo, alongside Leeds Festival.

Catch FOREVER CULT on the road with Fizzy Blood:
22nd Feb – Manchester, Soup Kitchen
23rd Feb – Glasgow, Old Hairdressers
24th Feb – Leeds, Headrow House **SOLD OUT**
27th Feb – Birmingham, Sunflower Lounge
28th Feb – London, Camden Assembly

TOUR NEWS: Babybird May 2018 dates

LSF Staff Writers

22 Feb 2018

It’s now half a year since Stephen Jones had that stupid irritating heart attack. He’s been to the gym for the first time. Lost a stone and a half. And is now fully hiked up on blood thinners and other drugs. He and the band gave birth to new gigs last December, and made it safely through, at a very lovely old church in St Pancras, London, which even proved to be, as Stephen put it “very f@*king fun indeed”. In fact the Friday night gig was “absolutely bloody astonishing”.

So it was a simple decision to do it again and add more, spread out across the country, have a road trip, and play some new songs. Even have the odd shandy.

Babybird is an odd one, deceptively sweet and cute in name, but happily for Stephen Jones, hides something darker growing inside the fluffy yellow. Imagine the David Lynch Blue Velvet mechanical bird.

Musical life started with the lo-fi years, consisting of five Stephen Jones solo albums released in a nine month period. This, already without even being signed to a record company, was never going to be something that was part of 1990s indie britpop world. Then an album and single went gold, Stephen was hounded and heckled out of Manchester for being that ‘bleeding gorgeous bloke’, to settle in London.

Then with the recent help of Johnny Depp he recorded two albums in LA and the video “Unloveable” (see it on youtube). In the last five years he has released over one hundred albums on the phenomenal site that is Bandcamp, giving him complete freedom outside of the music business, to persist and meddle. It cannot be stressed enough how extremely unusual this is. Enjoy this off kilter marvel at :

11th May BRISTOL The Fleece
12th May LONDON Omeara
17th May MANCHESTER Deaf Institute
18th May GLASGOW Hug and Pint
19th May SHEFFIELD – Plug

TOUR & ALBUM NEWS: Lord Huron October 2018 dates, ‘Vide Noir’ out 20th April

LSF Staff Writers

20 Feb 2018

‘Wait by the River’, the new track from Lord Huron’s highly anticipated album ‘Vide Noir’, debuts today The band’s forthcoming album is out April 20th on Whispering Pines/Republic Records.

To promote the upcoming release, Lord Huron will make their way to the UK in October, playing five shows across the country including a night at London’s Roundhouse.

Vide Noir was written and recorded over the past two years at Lord Huron’s Los Angeles studio and informal clubhouse, Whispering Pines, and was mixed by Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips/MGMT). In conjunction with the album announcement, the band released “Ancient Names (Part I)” and “Ancient Names (Part II),” which received critical praise from NPR Music and SPIN who called them, “An eery, unresolved tale of a crystal ball vision that amplifies the band’s characteristic thematic darkness into distorted garage rock.”

Singer, songwriter and producer Ben Schneider found inspiration wandering restlessly through his adopted home of LA at night: “My nighttime drives ranged all over the city—across the twinkling grid of the valley, into the creeping shadows of the foothills, through downtown’s neon canyons and way out to the darksome ocean. I started imagining Vide Noir as an epic odyssey through the city, across dimensions, and out into the cosmos. A journey along the spectrum of human experience. A search for meaning amidst the cold indifference of The Universe,” he says.

As a true multi-media artist, Schneider has once again created an adorned world to inhabit within Vide Noir: the album will be accompanied by a wealth of imagery, films and immersive experiences crafted to expand upon its narratives and themes. This builds on Schneider’s past work, which used videos, a comic book, a choose-your- own-adventure hotline and assorted Easter eggs as means of deepening the listener experience. Watch the trailer for Vide Noir at http://bit.ly/2FjvWsi

Originally a musical and visual solo project by Michigan-native-turned-Angeleno Schneider, Lord Huron now includes members Mark Barry (percussion), Miguel Briseño (bass) and Tom Renaud (guitar). After a pair of independent EPs, Lord Huron released two full-length albums Lonesome Dreams (2012) and Strange Trails (2015) on IAMSOUND Records, followed by extensive touring and prestigious festival appearances both stateside and abroad. After appearing in the hit Netflix show “13 Reasons Why” the band’s song “The Night We Met” (from Strange Trails) was officially certified Platinum in January 2018.

VIDE NOIR TRACKLIST

Lost in Time and Space
Never Ever
Ancient Names (Part I)
Ancient Names (Part II)
Wait by the River
Secret of Life
Back from the Edge
The Balancer’s Eye
When the Night is Over
Moonbeam
Vide Noir
Emerald Star

UK TOUR DATES

Tickets will go on sale this Friday, 23rd February.

Oct 25th – Cambridge, The Junction
Oct 26th – London, Roundhouse
Oct 27th – Sheffield, Plug
Oct 28th – Gateshead, Sage Gateshead
Oct 29th – Liverpool, Invisible Wind Factory

GIG NEWS: GIG CANCELED DUE TO HEALTH PROBLEMS Paloma Faith plays Haydock Park Racecourse 10th August 2018

LSF Staff Writers

19 Feb 2018

Due to ill-health Paloma Faith has been forced to cancel the headline show at Haydock Park Racecourse Fri 10th Aug

PALOMA FAITH is the latest artist announced for the 2018 summer season at Haydock Park Racecourse, joining previously announced Plan B who will headline on Saturday, 21st July. With her acclaimed Number 1 album ‘The Architect’ riding high in the charts and a BRIT nomination for Best British Female, Paloma Faith will be bringing hits old and new to the course for a stunning headline performance.

Paloma Faith returned to the charts in 2017 with ‘The Architect’ following the huge success of her 2014 album, ‘A Perfect Contradiction’, which spent 29 weeks in the Top 10 Albums Chart, 66 weeks in the Top 40, and 100 weeks in the Top 200. The new album is currently on course to become her fourth double platinum album in a row – which would make her the first British woman in chart history to achieve this incredible feat!

Equally at home both onstage and in the studio, this show will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the summer season.

Paloma Faith said ‘I can’t wait to perform at Haydock Park Racecourse this summer for the first time. I love summertime and I love outdoor shows so to be able to perform on a – hopefully – sunny evening at the course is something I’m very much looking forward to”.

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.

Tickets will be on sale at 8am on Friday 23rd February via thejockeyclublive.co.uk, with a presale available to customers at 8am on Wednesday 21st February. Tickets are priced starting at £37.50. There will be limited child tickets available starting from £18.75, with all T&C’s available on haydock.thejockeyclub.co.uk. There will be hospitality packages available to suit all budgets.

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