Probably one of my most highly anticipated releases of 2019, I'm eagerly awaiting the debut Fil Bo Riva record Beautiful Sadness, which is due in Spring. Following up recent single Go Rilla, we've been treated to another taster of the album in the form of slow burning L'over. The quiet opening provides the perfect backdrop to highlight singer Filippo Bonamici's trademark vocals and shows us that the band are capable of scoring something beautiful with more than just punchy indie pop - though when they do that, they do it very well! Take Head Sonata (Love Control)as a perfect example.
The new track, Fil explains, is a "song [that] is trying to celebrate this weird twist of feelings - it's pretty much an homage to the little ups and downs that come with every liaison, a song inspired by that incredible strange feeling that we call jealousy."
I've been tidying up my submissions inbox over the last couple of days and was reminded of this track which I couldn't let slip through the net - it's been on repeat a lot since I first heard it a month or so ago! Following the success of his debut album in 2015, Nottingham singer-songwriter Saint Raymond has recently signed a deal with Cooking Vinyl for his second record. Echo is his first release with the label, a track "about how opposites in a relationship are sometimes what makes it work." Talking of his new deal he explains that "I cannot wait to work with them on my second album, which feels like it has been a long time coming. The chance to go ahead and fulfil that is amazing. I'm so happy with the songs I've been writing and very excited about what is to come." Listen to Echo below...
I saw my favourite guys Mumford & Sons play live last week, performing on the tour for their latest studio album Delta. They were brilliant (of which there was no doubt) but I was almost equally excited for the support set from American singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers, who I've been hearing a lot of positive things about for a couple of years now. She took complete control of the arena crowd, delivering a set full of tracks from her upcoming debut album Heard It In A Past Life, due 18th Jan. I'll take a punt - it'll probably be an early entry for one of the best albums of the year (you heard it here...) Pre-order the record here.
Light On is Maggie's most recent single, which, at the show, she described as being all about the last two years of her life and career, which have been a bit of a whirlwind. In a press release for the track, she details that "this song is a letter to my fans about the last two years of my life. There was so much change that happened so fast, I wasn't always sure how to make all this stuff feel like me. I was really overwhelmed for a while, and scared too - my life became so public so fast and there were times I wasn't sure that this was all for me. But I never had doubts about the music. And every night I got on stage and was reminded why I love doing this. This is the most vulnerable I've felt in a song and it's me saying thank you for all the light my fans brought me when I couldn't find it for myself. I love music more than anything else in the whole world and I always have. This song is me actively choosing this life - in my way and in my time."
If you take a quick glance through the posts I've shared this year it's probably not much of a surprise that Cosmo Sheldrake is likely to feature in my albums of the year post (coming soon... when I get time to write it!) I was therefore VERY excited to catch the London date of his The Much Much How How & I tour last week, as I've been eagerly awaiting a full live set since catching him supporting Johnny Flynn at The Roundhouse last October. Describe the show in a short sentence...? Complete and utter genius.
The gig took place in newly launched venue EartH in Hackney, which has instantly become one of my new favourite London venues. Formerly known as Hackney Arts Centre, the venue (full title Evolutionary Arts Hackney) is a "progressive and essential multi-arts space for the 21st century". They aim to be inclusive to all and to provide a broad spectrum of arts to live audiences. The space itself is the site of the Savoy Cinema, which opened back in the 1930s. After the show I took myself to Google and did a little research, finding this article from the Hackney Citizen about 'long lost cinemas' in Hackney which explains that there have been over 60 cinemas in the area, with around 30 operating simultaneously between 1920 and 1950. While the majority of the sites have been redeveloped into flats, supermarkets and buildings of similar purpose, it is particularly heartwarming to see the Savoy being used as a cultural hub once more. It's a unique space and I hope that it thrives!
Gigging alone and having travelled down to London straight from a shift at work, I took myself down to the front of the venue, settled down with a book, and waited for the first set. Finnegan Tui took to the stage with his guitar, but any expectations I had for just-another-solo-male-artist-with-an-acoustic-guitar were quickly torn away. At just 18, his talent is pretty mind-blowing and his style incredibly difficult to pigeonhole. He very quickly informed us that Cosmo was one of his favourite musicians and an inspiration for him and it was easy to hear this in elements of his performance, but he was particularly individual, at one point using a drum pad to play a solo with samples of an oboe. I'll certainly be keeping an ear out for Finn in the future!
Next up, tour support I See Rivers took to the stage. Often at gigs it can feel as if you're willing time to pass quickly for the support sets so that you can watch the artist you came along to see, but during their set I was very quickly struck with the thought that I'd happily have gone along to see both supports playing their own show (a similar thought occurred to me when I first saw Cosmo play, in fact!) They're a Norwegian trio playing folk music with an infectiously positive stage presence and beautiful harmonies, and they warmed the crowd up wonderfully.
With a lot of anticipation in the air, Cosmo finally took to the stage, and opened his set with my favourite track The Moss. Things could only get better from here... right?! Right. We were treated to the likes of Hocking and Pliocene from his record, but highlights of the set came in the form of improvisations, which cemented my pre-existing view that Cosmo is an absolute genius. It was a treat, and almost intimidating to witness him creating quality music on the spot, in front of a sold out crowd. Two examples of creative craziness came in the shape of gargling some water and looping it, and looping the noise of a desk-fan brushing against the microphone.
I'd anticipated dancing, and a previously relaxed crowd couldn't hold it in once Cosmo played the utter tune Come Along. Fans flocked down to the front of the auditorium and didn't stop dancing for the rest of the show, which featured a collaboration with I See Rivers on Rich, a sunflower dance troupe (no, seriously) for Wriggle and a brass band for Hocking, which I would place as one of the best tracks I've heard this year. An explosion of sound, and what feels like an insight into the inner workings of Cosmo's mind, it is truly something to experience live. Here's a video from his last London show...
To sum up - from what I've seen of Cosmo on stage and online, he seems to completely adore what he does, giving it his all to create the best work he possibly can. He is an incredibly talented and intelligent human being (in the best way possible, a Cosmo Sheldrake gig feels like attending a science lesson) and he is creating music that sounds like nothing I have ever heard before. To watch his live show is genuinely a privilege. I implore you to listen to his record and catch him live if you get the chance!
Little Brother Eli have had a pretty busy year but they're not slowing down just yet... they've just shared their fifth single of the year - Oops. Following up Stop Pretending, Wait For You, Our Kind Of Love and Tooth the track is true to LBE form - it's full of catchy pop hooks, shows off lead singer Alex Grew's unique vocals and makes use of the band's incredibly tight harmonies, which have been sharpened over the past couple of years across tons of acoustic performances, including many Sofar Sounds shows! Following up a show at London's O2 Islington last week, they're launching the track with a hometown show at O2 Academy Oxford tonight - grab tickets for the show here.
Franc Moody are one of my favourite live discoveries of the year. They supported at, coincidentally, one of my favourite gigs of the year, when Friendly Fires returned to the live stage with a show at O2 Academy Brixton back in April. As Friendly Fires have been a huge favourite of mine for years I had very high expectations for the show, and really loved their support set and was particularly impressed with just how well they fit alongside Friendly Fires. Support act choosing done very well. I've since been enjoying their Dance Moves EP a lot, and they've just shared a live video for the track Dopamine, which features one of the funkiest bass lines I've heard all year. Check out the video below, and if you want to catch them live, they're headlining London's Heaven on 17th April, tickets here.
The ever talented chaps Low Island have announced what I am pretty sure is their biggest run of UK shows to date for March 2019! The shows come in support of a new single due early in the year, with the tour taking in the likes of Southampton, Liverpool, Brighton, Nottingham, Reading and lots more, as well as a Low Island & Friends show at the Hackney Show Rooms in London. Pre-sale for the shows starts today with tickets going on general sale on Friday, 30th November. To whet your appetites and show you just how brilliant a Low Island live show here, I'm sharing this video of the brilliant track Too Young once again. Adore this.
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); Hackney Show Rooms, London (22nd); 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 here!
It is testament to the weird and wonderful world of Cosmo Sheldrake's music that the idea of him performing a track live in a hot air balloon whilst it is in flight over Barcelona seems (almost) normal. Adding to this, apart from Cosmo's vocals, the track is made up almost exclusively of recordings of animals from ecosystems which are endangered. It is so typically Cosmo and I adore it. The track is Pliocene, one of my favourites from his record The Much Much How How & I and the video is more than worth a watch!
As Cosmo himself describes, "Pliocene is a song about deep time and extinction." "Many of the sounds that make up the tune are recordings of animals from endangered ecosystems. The beat is primary made using recordings of fish that the American military made during the cold war. The kick drum is an Oyster toad fish, and the snare a Buck toothed Parrot fish, both fish that are commonly found in coral reefs. And the main melodic sound is a recording of a raven recorded by the soundscape ecologist Bernie Krause in Algonquin national park. Bernie Krause has spent the last fifty years recording sounds from all over the world, many of the inhabitants of the ecosystems he has recorded are now extinct or endangered. The bass is made of a recording of a pig from a city farm in London."
Incredibly excited about this one! I've been a big fan of Jack Savoretti since hearing his third studio album Before The Storm back in 2012, and have loved watching his career blossom. In recent years, he's released two brilliant records, Written In Scars and Sleep No More, given several brilliant TV performances, supported the likes of James and John Legend on tour and played his own incredible live shows, touring the UK and further afield with his wonderful live band. His passion for music is infectious, and makes being a fan of his genuinely rewarding.
Exciting news - he's just announced that his sixth studio record Singing To Strangers is due for release on 22nd March. Talking about the title of the record, Jack explains "that's my job: I sing to strangers. That's what I've spent most of my life doing. Singing to friends and family and fans; they're already onside, so you can, to some extent sing anything. Strangers need convincing, touching, connection."
Produced by Cam Blackwood (George Ezra, London Grammar) and recorded in Ennio Morricone's studio in Rome this Summer, the record features Jack's live band, who he is taking on tour in April across Europe before heading back to the UK for a few shows. The tour culminates in a HUGE show at SSE Wembley Arena, which I absolutely can not wait for. I couldn't be prouder of the trajectory he's taking. Earlier this year, Jack featured on a duet alongside none other than pop legend Kylie Minogue. Music's Too Sad Without You is the closing track of her latest record - a live version from Venice features on Jack's upcoming record, check that out below! Grab tour tickets and pre-order Singing To Strangers in various formats, as well as signed copies, through Jack's website here.
Brilliant news! They're back with a new track and a new record is imminent. Spanish Moss is taken from Rivers That Flow In Circles, due for release in early 2019. To help with the final touches, the band have set up a Pledge Music campaign to take pre-orders for the record, offering the likes of tea towels, tote bags, house gigs and cover songs in return for pledges. Take a listen to the track below and show your support for the campaign here.
