TOUR NEWS: MarthaGunn (March 2020)

Last week I shared the new (but also kind of old) MarthaGunn track to the blog. As I'd scheduled the post a few days before I was already slightly behind as they shared the music video just before my post went live. As well as that, having just wrapped up some touring across Europe supporting Palace, they've announced a tour of their own for next Spring. Check out the video for Heaven below...

The tour dates are below and tickets are available here.

22nd March: Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds
24th: Broadcast, Glasgow
25th: Think Tank, Newcastle
27th: The Castle, Manchester
28th: Dead Wax, Birmingham
30th: Heartbreakers, Southampton
31st: Louisiana, Bristol
1st April: Hope & Ruin, Brighton
2nd: Courtyard Theatre, London

Follow MarthaGunn - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

LISTEN: Spector - 'Simplicity'

I really really love Spector. I think I see them as some sort of modern day indie heroes - a very deserved title. Debut album Enjoy It While It Lasts is somehow seven years old this year, featuring such absolute tunes as Chevy Thunder, Celestine and Friday Night, Don't Ever Let It End. OK, let's be honest: the entire album is brilliant. They followed it up with the equally superb Moth Boys in 2015 and last year's Ex-Directory EP. A recent bout of single releases comes ahead of an upcoming EP, with Simplicity the latest track from the band, released just ahead of their current UK tour.

Enigmatic frontman Fred Macpherson explains that the new track is "about getting the opportunity to leave it all behind [...] to walk away from the things that make you unhappy, to care less, make better decisions, treat yourself and others more sensitively, to not engage in petty hierarchies, not look at your life in terms of achievements (or lack of them), to spend more time with your family and people you actually like, be less selfish, less bitter, to give something back. It's about recognising the opportunity to do all those things and not taking it." 

Spector are currently in the midst of a UK tour - taking in shows across October and November, finishing up with shows at Oxford's Bullingdon on 12th Nov and London's Oval Space on 13th. Full dates and remaining tickets here.

Follow Spector online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

TOUR NEWS: Fickle Friends (December 2019)

It feels as if time has completely flown by since Fickle Friends released their debut album You Are Someone Else. It was somehow all the way back in March 2018 and after a period of touring they've been hidden away making new music and... they're back! Amateurs is their first release of the year and the first taste of music from their second album and it was worth the wait! In short it is a bit of a bop.

They're heading out on the road this December for a run of intimate shows which finishes up in one of my favourite venues, London's Omeara. Dates and tickets here.

2nd December: Castle & Falcon, Birmingham
3rd: Leadmill, Sheffield
4th: Mash House, Edinburgh
5th: Phase One, Liverpool
7th: Moles Club, Bath
8th: Joiners, Southampton
9th: Omeara, London

Follow Fickle Friends - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

LISTEN: Low Island - 'In Person'

Very excited about this one! For me, Low Island are one of the most exciting bands on the scene - as well as being some of the nicest guys I've had the pleasure of meeting. They've been figuring out their sound as a band over the past couple of years, releasing singles, EPs and most recently Low Island & Friends 17-18, a collection of their tracks from the past couple of years showcasing just how much brilliant music they've been putting out. I'm constantly eagerly anticipating what they're about to do next and love this new track!

With a run of shows coming up in March, the band just shared their first new music of the year in the shape of single In Person. Instant tune. The track was recorded back in October with Miles James, when the band headed to Echozoostudios in Eastbourne for a couple of days "recording stuff onto tape, using a load of 70s analogue gear, synths, sequencers and generally messing around and having fun."

As a recent (ish) graduate, I find myself losing touch with both secondary school and university friends as life seems to get in the way, and the track is therefore pretty relatable with lyrics like "recently we just love to cancel, put it off and watch seasons change" and the refrain "I want to see you, see you in person." In the band's own words, "it's a tune about losing touch with people as you get older, even though it's so easy not to nowadays." 

You can (and 100% should) catch Low Island (in person) on the In Person tour this March & April across the UK, full dates: Boileroom, Guildford (12th March); Joiners, Southampton (13th); Cookie, Leicester (14th); Phase One, Liverpool (15th); Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds (16th); Sunflower Lounge, Birmingham (20th); Green Door Store, Brighton (21st); Thekla, Bristol (26th); Soup Kitchen, Manchester (27th); Bodega, Nottingham (28th); South Street Art Centre, Reading (29th); Broadcast, Glasgow (3rd April); Think Tank, Newcastle (4th). Tickets available here.

Follow Low Island - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

LISTEN: Fil Bo Riva - 'Go Rilla'

A couple of weeks ago, I went along to Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen to catch the only UK show on Fil Bo Riva's current tour. The show was a complete triumph, the venue was packed out with adoring fans, and songs new and old went down a treat. It was a really wonderful evening and great to hear a few unreleased tracks... Fast forward a couple of weeks, and FBR has (finally!!) announced his debut album Beautiful Sadness which is set for release on 22nd March next year. Still a little while to go, but from what he's released so far, I am certain it will be worth the wait! That includes brand new single Go Rilla, a tune which I simply can't get enough of at the moment.

FBR details that the track is "about unbridled passion and the rapturous idea of escaping the real world" which came about "in Manchester in 2016 while supporting Joan as Police Woman through Europe that winter. It was raining outside and I was in the bathroom just before soundcheck... somehow I started staring at this poster of the club we were playing called Gorilla Club. I don't know why but I just got a flash inspiration, took my phone out and immediately started singing the chorus melody and words. Everything else developed some time after when I found other lyrics I had written down after a dream." 

The new track and album announcement come alongside a tour announcement too - he'll be taking Beautiful Sadness on tour across April and May next year, taking in a show at London's Oslo Hackney on the 1st of May. Full dates and tickets are available here.

Follow Fil Bo Riva - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.

TOUR NEWS: Blaenavon announce UK tour (Nov 2017)

The ever charming Blaenavon chaps have announced a UK tour for November including their biggest headline show yet at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire! They're busy supporting Circa Waves in America at the moment, all to promote their debut record That's Your Lot which they put out through Transgressive back in April - one of the best records I've heard this year, featuring the track Orthodox Man which they performed stripped back for NME.  

Blaenavon tour the UK in November with The Night Café in support, check out the dates below -

Mon 20th: Sheffield, Leadmill
Tues 21st: Leeds, Wardrobe
Weds 22nd: Manchester, Gorilla
Fri 24th: London, O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Sun 26th: Newcastle, Academy 2
Mon 27th: Glasgow, St Luke's
Tues 28th: Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
Weds 29th: Liverpool, Arts Club
Thurs 30th: Birmingham, Mama Roux
Fri 1st Dec: Bristol, Thekla

Tickets for all the dates available here on Wednesday and you can stream the record over on Spotify here.

LISTEN: Harry Pane releases 'The Wild Winds' EP

It's been out for just under a week and I'm loving the newest EP from Harry Pane - The Wild Winds is the follow up to his Changing EP which was one of my favourite releases of 2016! The new EP is opened up by the lead track Fletcher Bay which has been making waves on playlists and radio shows alike over the last few weeks, it's an emotive and soothing tribute to Harry's father. The title track is another slow one, while the middle track Real Souls is sandwiched with two much louder, punchier tracks - my favourite of the lot is probably Old Friend! As a whole, the EP shows off the intricacies of Harry's guitar style, his songwriting and it's a beautiful set of tracks, well worth checking out! Take a listen to his recent performance of Fletcher Bay on London Live below...

Harry is currently touring to promote the EP with a bunch of shows organised through Tigmus and I'm really looking forward  to running the door for his Oxford show at the end of the month. I'm also hoping to catch his set at the next Communion Music club night at Notting Hill Arts Club, it's great to see him on the line-up, alongside the wonderful Marthagunn and a load more upcoming artists!



Check out all of Harry's upcoming shows here and grab a copy of the EP on CD/vinyl through his site here. 

TOUR NEWS: Harry Pane (March-May 2017)

I first heard of Harry Pane through Tigmus last Summer, when he played a couple of hugely successful shows for us - I caught him play a set on his Coffee House Tour and was suitably impressed, so I'm excited that he's heading out on tour in a couple of months to support the release of his new EP. To get a taster of his last EP, here's a video from Sofar Sounds London of Cold Light Of Day - the whole Changing EP is pretty sublime though so do take a listen if you've got a little time to spare!

Harry plays the likes of London, Oxford, Winchester, Coventry, Cardiff, Birmingham and Brighton on his upcoming Wild Winds EP Tour - check out all the dates and grab tickets here!

TOUR NEWS: Dawes (2nd - 4th Nov)

I've already rambled on about Dawes touring the UK before (post from September) however if you missed it.... they're coming over here to play in Glasgow, Manchester and London this week on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively, and I wholeheartedly recommend you get along to one of the shows! Since seeing them support Mumford & Sons back in 2012 I was really struck by their music, and I'd probably go so far as to say they're my favourite American band. I was totally amazed to see them headline London (in amazing style) last August and I've been waiting for a follow up to that show for a long time and finally it's almost arrived! Their 2015 record All Your Favourite Bands is one of my favourites of all time, and this mini-tour is in support of its successor, We're All Gonna Die. From that record, Roll With The Punches is certainly one of my favourite tracks - watch the guys performing it live for Charlie Rose below! With five brilliant records worth of tunes to choose from, it's hard to guess what the set will look like, aside from plenty of new tracks, but live highlights definitely include From A Window Seat, When My Time Comes and the beautiful All Your Favourite Bands, and I'm pretty excited to hear more new tracks, including One Of Us. 

Honestly: take a listen, fall in love and come and join me at their Islington Assembly Hall show on Friday. You'll find me down the front yelling out the songs and having a jolly good time! Tickets and all the details for the three shows are on the Dawes site here.

TOUR NEWS: Little Brother Eli (June 2016)

With the release of their album coming up next month, looks like Oxford's Little Brother Eli are going to be pretty busy with this list of gigs coming up in June, with a lot of festivals in Oxfordshire (including Common People Festival in Oxford this weekend!) Anyone that's seen them live will know I'm not lying when I say their shows are pretty infectious, with lead singer Alex Grew's energy bursting from the stage. The upcoming debut record Cold Tales is released 24th June and features many of the tracks that have stuck in my head following the three shows I've seen them play, including Who Do You, Dreams, and Gold, and you can pre-order it on iTunes here. I'll hopefully get something written up about the album a little closer to the time! 

Probably the show most worth mentioning among these is the band's album launch show at the Bullingdon in Oxford on 25th June, where Neverlnd are supporting if I'm not mistaken! Info on all the upcoming shows on the band's site here.

WATCH: King Charles plays 'Gamble For A Rose' for Rockstone Sessions

I recently realised I ramble about King Charles a fair bit on here, but it's been almost a month since the last post about him - a suitable gap?! Absolutely love this session he played for Rockstone Sessions back in January on the day of his album release (his album Gamble For A Rose if you're not already aware, which happens to be a beautiful record and comes highly recommended by me....)

If you want to see Charles live, he's playing a UK tour which kicks off in a couple of days in Manchester, and finishes up at London's Oval Space on the 18th, taking in Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds and more in between. The full band set up live never ceases to amaze me, I saw the guys play six times last year and could probably never get bored of seeing them! Support for the tour comes from Ryan O'Reilly, check out the video for his track Northern Lights.

Tickets and the rest of the dates are here.

LISTEN: Roo Panes - 'Stay With Me'

If you're partial, as I am, to acoustic, wholesome music then you should take a listen to the new track from Roo Panes, Stay With Me. Having recently supported George Ezra at a small Oxford warm up show that I was gutted to miss, moving home for summer just days before, and soon to be supporting Rae Morris on tour alongside Dan Owen, his career seems to be heading in a great direction. I haven't listened to much of his music before but remember seeing and loving his various sessions for Burberry Acoustic (particularly this), a tool through which I have discovered a few great artists. This new track is from Roo's upcoming album Paperweights, details of which are yet to be announced!

Dates for the Rae Morris UK tour and ticket links are here, with a big show at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on 8th October!

LISTEN: Adam Barnes releases 'One Day We'll Be Fine' EP

I'm feeling really lucky to have heard this EP before it's release, the stunning One Day We'll Be Fine by Oxfordshire based artist Adam Barnes. Having first discovered his track Apples through an acoustic session on Youtube a few years ago, I was surprised to see that he was headlining a venue at Oxford's Oxjam Festival that I was volunteering at last October. I checked his set out and soon discovered he was actually from Oxford, and then saw him play a full band show a couple of month's later and a wonderful intimate house concert in February. 

Source: Harry Lawlor (http://harrylawlor.tumblr.com/)

Following the release of his debut record The Land, The Sea & Everything Lost Beneath last year and a bunch of shows around the UK and further beyond, Adam releases his new EP through Wild Native Records on 27th September, and tours the UK in October with Chris Ayer and local supports - Amber Run's Joe Keogh is joining Adam at the London date.

Alongside the recently released single I Can't Love You Anymore, the EP has another four tracks, a couple of which (Darling and Nebraska) I've heard and loved at his shows and have been intrigued to hear studio versions of - and I haven't been disappointed. With his carefully crafted lyrics being a large part of his music, the EP, produced by Sam Winfield (who has worked previously with Amber Run and Pixel Fix), allows Adam's vocals to take the forefront. Add to these fantastic vocals the support of Adam's guitar amongst other accompanying instruments and you've got a great EP that is stripped back and emotional whilst still feeling powerfully intense - in short it gave me shivers the first time I listened! At the moment I'm loving the whole EP but a particular favourite has to be Darling, which builds up beautifully to harness some of that intensity that is a definite highlight of the EP and of Adam's music generally!

Artwork for One Day We'll Be Fine EP
Source: https://www.facebook.com/AdamBarnesMusic

UK tour dates and tickets are here, be quick as some dates are already sold out or close to selling out! Adam plays - 

October 1st: The Old Fire Station, Oxford (sold out)

October 2nd: The Birdcage, Norwich

October 3rd: Big Comfy Bookshop, Coventry (sold out)

October 4th: Cafe Kino, Bristol

October 6th: Otherplace at The Basement, Brighton

October 7th: The Social, London

October 9th: Three Minute Theatre, Manchester

October 10th: York House Concerts, York (sold out)

October 11th: The Workmans Club, Dublin

Pre-order the EP through iTunes here and get the first single, I Can't Love You Anymore instantly. 

LISTEN: Adam Barnes - 'I Can't Love You Anymore'

Take a listen to the new track from Oxford acoustic artist Adam Barnes, entitled I Can't Love You Anymore, and taken from his upcoming EP, One Day We'll Be Fine. First discovering Adam's music through an acoustic session a few years ago, I saw him play a house gig earlier in the year, and loved the passion and simplicity behind the performance - something that always comes across in his recorded music. The lyrics and prominence of the vocals in the track loads it with emotion, giving it a raw feeling whilst the layered vocals of the chorus give the effect of a big song that the crowds on Adam's upcoming UK tour will happily sing along to. 

You can pre-order the five track EP which is released on 29th September from iTunes here, and you'll be able to download this track straightaway. I'm currently taking a listen of the EP which I've been sent to review and loving it - I'll write a post about it closer to the release date.

Also, Adam Barnes tours intimate venues across the UK with Chris Ayer in October, dates and tickets are here.