Prinzhorn Dance School announce new album and UK tour

Prinzhorn Dance School announce new album and UK tour 

Brighton art-rock duo PRINZHORN DANCE SCHOOL are set to release their highly anticipated third album 'Home Economics' on June 8th 2015 via DFA Recordings.

With the album only weeks away, the band have lined up a series of UK live dates in support of the release, kicking off with a home town show at Green Door Store to launch the brand-new LP. 

"When our first album came out," Tobin Prinz (guitar, voice) remembers, "we were awkward, miserable..." "Nervous, uncooperative" chips in Suzi Horn (bass, voice, drums), pausing just long enough for Tobin to supply the punchline - "and now look at us!" Prinzhorn Dance School are still recognisably the same spiky Brighton-based duo whose ultra-rigorous debut cut through the excess of 2008 like a scimitar through bacon fat. But with their trademark stripped-down intensity now winningly off-set by moments of unabashed tenderness, their third album Home Economics continues and even accelerates the move away from austerity and into human warmth begun by its acclaimed 2011 predecessor Clay Class. 

"We've really enjoyed letting a bit more colour into the music," Tobin enthuses, "We're not even 100% dressed in black any more; I've got some chocolate-brown shoes on..." "and I'm dressed all in white" Suzi adds.  

The starting point for the new record was the band’s “amazing” first US shows - two of their own and a triumphant showing at DFA’s 12th anniversary - in May 2013. Crossing the Atlantic to be welcomed by euphoric responses from sell-out crowds gave Prinzhorn Dance School the momentum to find a new way of making music. The rigour which so marks this band out from less committed peers has always come at a price, and by this time the claustrophobic fervour of their working methods was really starting to take its toll.

Clay Class had been recorded inside ‘The Red Shed’ - which, as its name suggests, was a small wooden structure just about big enough to store a couple of lawnmowers in, painstakingly reassembled inside the band’s Portsmouth studio. Sometimes when Tobin and Suzi disappeared into this garden-furnishing-inspired 3D manifestation of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound for weeks on end, friends and family doubted if they would ever come out. 

“We always had this feeling that unless we worked in complete isolation we couldn’t make something that was 100% true” Tobin explains. “I would clean my brain by not listening to music for months before making a record”, Suzi adds. “The idea of shutting ourselves up in the shed was that if you trap yourself inside those four walls, the confined space would contain the narrative”. As logical as this plan might look on paper the end result was, Tobin grimaces, “cabin fever in the extreme - you turn into some kind of weird, fucked-up cult”.

Inspired by their American adventure, Prinzhorn Dance School brought the recording process in from the cold of the red shed to the heart of their everyday lives. Played and recorded on the move between different flats in Brighton and Hove, then wheeled around town on a hard-drive wrapped in a sleeping bag in a specially-adapted suitcase, Home Economics gave them an escape route from “that frustration you feel when you spend days trying to recapture the intimacy of a particular moment”, Tobin remembers. “This time we could just use the original take, so sometimes these songs are almost like field recordings”. 

All the best 6-track albums - The Fall’s Slates, Orange Juice’s Texas Fever - know exactly what they want to say and how they intend to say it.

Home Economics shares that infectious sense of urgency. There’s not an inch of spare meat on it - from Reign’s snatched moment of optimism, through Battlefield’s restorative meeting of minds with an urban fox on a drunken walk home in the early hours, to Let Me Go’s concluding tribute to “a love that won’t rewind and will not be deleted”. Spindly yet sensuous, together and alone, exquisitely sad but somehow full of hope, Prinzhorn Dance School knit together disparate and even opposite fragments into an utterly satisfying whole. 

As to where the band might be heading next, the blasted beauty of Clean seems to provide the clearest pointer. “Put your head out the door and smell the rain / Put your head out into the storm and start again”.

UK TOUR

8th June 2015

The Green Door Store, Brighton (UK)

12th June 2015

St Pancras Old Church, London (UK)

13th June 2015

The Tin at the Coal Vaults, Coventry (UK)

23rd June 2015

Rough Trade, Nottingham (UK)

24th June 2015

Rough Trade Records, London (UK)

25th June 2015

Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth (UK)

26th June 2015

Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff (UK)

More Information: 

W/ http://www.prinzhorn-dance-school.com/prinzhorn/

F/ https://www.facebook.com/PrinzhornDanceSchool

T/ https://twitter.com/thehornthehorn

The Slow Show Announce new single 'Augustine' and June UK dates

The Slow Show Announce new single 'Augustine' and June UK dates

Manchester five-piece THE SLOW SHOW will release their new single Augustine on June 29th on Haldern Pop Recordings.

The follow up to recent single Bloodline, which received spins on BBC 6Music and Radio 2 – where the band recorded a session for Dermot O’Leary – Augustine is taken from the band’s acclaimed debut album White Water, which is out now.

The Slow Show recently unveiled a brilliant stop-motion video for album track Testing, directed by the animator Paul 'Gripper' Flannery, best known for his work for kids TV show Postman Pat. 

White Water was the first UK release on German label Haldern Pop Recordings, the label run by the team behind Haldern Pop Festival. The Slow Show will return to play the main stage Haldern Pop Festival this summer during a busy live schedule, which includes an upcoming headline European tour, including six UK shows. The band will round off their summer with an appearance at Rob De Bank’s much-loved Bestival on the Isle of Wight in September.

The Slow Show live:

JUNE 3           GLASGOW BROADCAST

JUNE 4        LEEDS BRUDENELL GAMES ROOM

JUNE 5           NOTTINGHAM BODEGA

JUNE 6           LONDON, BUSH HALL

JUNE 7           BRISTOL LOUISIANA

JUNE 8           MANCHESTER GORILLA

SEPT 13         BESTIVAL (UK)

Tickets from http://po.st/creqAH except Glasgow http://po.st/Beg1Ti

http://www.theslowshow.co.uk   https://www.facebook.com/theslowshow              https://twitter.com/theslowshow

Ozric Tentacles announce May UK Tour 2015

Ozric Tentacles announce May UK Tour 2015

It’s with great pleasure that we announce the release of OZRIC TENTACLES new album, ‘Technicians of The Sacred’, to be released on the Madfish label on Monday 11th May in UK, plus, in support of this epic 90+ minute offering, the band will hit UK stages for a live tour this month, including an album release show at London’s O2 Academy Islington.

For over thirty years, Ozric Tentacles have pursued their defiantly independent, free-thinking and fundamentally groovy path through contemporary music. They were the rock band that joyously united the free festival crowd and the rave scene back in the late eighties and early nineties, and through successive passing trends and the abatement of the mainstream music business have fearlessly let their freak flag fly, shrugged off the urge to compromise and stuck to their core values. Consequently, the result is pure music, made for love and joy, and the ecstatic reward that comes from habitually pushing their boundaries to create beauty to the limit of their current human capabilities.

‘Technicians of The Sacred’ is a superb sojourn to the world of Ozrics. Richly layered, evocatively ambient, and ethereal musical landscapes, seamlessly morphing through beatific freeform dub trips, incredible rave grooves, and psychedelic progressive rock, create a heady, kaleidoscopic mixture of tones and textures. The aim is not just to make truly unique and culturally diverse music, but also to harmoniously unite all in attendance, and create portals for astral travel. Many fans and listeners report feelings of euphoria, an immediate connection to nature as well as others around them, and intense feelings that they have journeyed to other dimensions or met with other-worldly beings. It's an open exploration of music and the soul.

‘Technicians of The Sacred’ will be their first double since the classic ‘Erpland’ over 20 years ago. The aesthetics of the album is heavily themed in Mayan Astrology. Technicians of the Sacred is a characteristic trait of the “tone” in each member’s “dreamspell” (Mayan astrological symbol). “Many years ago in a tent just prior to performing at Glastonbury Festival, we were given our Mayan Astrology reading”, says the Ozrics Ed Wynne, smiling as usual. “The man doing the readings was getting more and more excited the further he went, he said he was going to tell us something that would change our lives forever. He proceeded to reveal that we are actually Galactic Activation Portals sent to channel messages of love to the world. Upon hearing this statement we questioned, “Now that we know this, should we be doing something different with our lives?” He paused for a moment, then laughed, and as the crowd roared said, “Hurry up then, the audience is waiting to hear you!”

O2 Academy Islington – Tuesday 12th May – Album release show*

Talking Heads, Southampton – Wednesday 13th May

Bierkeller, Bristol- Friday 15th May

The Waterfront, Norwich – Saturday 16th May

O2 ABC2 Glasgow – Sunday 17th May*

O2 Academy2 Newcastle – Monday 18th May*

O2 Academy2 Liverpool – Tuesday 19th May*

O2 Academy3 Birmingham – Wednesday 20th May*

Manchester Club Academy – Friday 22nd May

O2 Academy2 Oxford – Sunday 24th May* 

*Tickets on sale now – Ticketweb.co.uk / 0844 477 2000

Steve’N’Seagulls Thunderstruck passes 12 million Youtube views

Steve’N’Seagulls Thunderstruck passes 12 million Youtube views 

Steve’N’Seagulls bring their unique style to the UK for a run of shows including two performances at the Great Escape Festival in Brighton on Friday 15th and Saturday 16th to celebrate the release of their debut album Farm Machine 

What became a genuine international phenomenon actually started out on a farm in central Finland; in a barn, to be precise…

There, in said barn, a bunch of like-minded countrymen—with the emphasis on "country"—played a customized version of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck," wearing the daftest outfits they could find. They filmed the event, posted the results on YouTube, and within a couple of weeks, the clip had accumulated over five million views. It's now topped out at 12 million. Pretty impressive, right?

For Steve 'N' Seagulls, this was a bolt from the blue, but then, as history shows us, the greatest stories ever told tend to start in a stable… Yes, a stable.

Now, the band is gearing up to release Farm Machine on Spinefarm on May 11. "Finally it's complete!" exclaim the band. "And the fruits of our labour please us. We are now preparing to take on the world!"

If you need a refresher on who, exactly, Steven'N'Seagulls are, then settle in and get schooled.

Sporting possibly the greatest band name in history, S'N'S, comprised of an acoustic guitarist/vocalist; a banjo player; a double-bassist; a big dude wearing overalls a beaver hat playing mandolin/keyboards/accordion/whatever-he-gets-his-hands-on; and a cajon-straddlin' percussionist, have delivered a 13-track album featuring rural riffs and villager vocals, filled to the brim with "hillbillified" versions of immortal heavy metal standards—the track listing is below. 

It's a body of work best enjoyed with a bathtub of moonshine close at hand, but really, as foot-stompingly enjoyable as S'N'S are on record, you ain't seen nothin' 'til you've experienced The 'Gulls live. 

The redneck show tours nonstop, rocking the honky-tonks overseas… for now.  

Steve'N'Seagulls will skedaddle off to Swedish and Norwegian soil, before raisin' hell at European festivals. In September,  they are planning to head over to the U.S. and Canada before returning to Europe for further merriment and mayhem.

Let the hillbillification commence…

UK tour dates

Steve ‘N’Seagulls UK tour May 2015

15 – Brighton, The Great Escape - Viber Stage ay 9.00pm

16 – Brighton, The Great Escape  - Shoosh Stage at 7.30pm

17 – Rushden,  Club

18 – London, Borderline

19 – Southampton, Talking Heads

20 – Nuneaton, Queens Hall

21 – Harwich, The Red Lion Manningtree

To purchase tickets go to www.kililive.com

Album pre-order:

iTunes: http://apple.co/1Fq6Pjh

http://stevenseagulls.com

FB: http://fb.com/Stevenseagulls

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeagullsBand

Major Lazer announces UK tour dates for 2015

Major Lazer announces UK tour dates for 2015

Kicking off the warmer months, Major Lazer unleashed Top 10 single "Lean On", a collaboration with "Turn Down For What" superstar producer DJ Snake and Danish it-girl MØ, and amassed a monstrous 21M plays on Soundcloud, over 65M streams on Spotify and over 20M views for the music video, making it Major Lazer's most streamed song to date!

And now the trio have announced an equally huge UK headline tour to match! With dates across the country culminating in an epic London show at Alexandra Palace this October, Major Lazer are looking set to continue the momentum throughout the year.

Fans who've learned to associate Major Lazer with some of the biggest names in dancehall alongside up-and-comers and mainstream mainstays can expect even more exciting names on this go. PITM features guest contributions from Ellie Goulding, Elliphant, Wild Belle, MØ, Pusha T, 2 Chainz, Travi$ Scott, Jovi Rockwell, DJ Snake, Tarrus Riley, Mad Cobra, Nyla, Chronixx and a re-work of the Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Pt 1. motion picture soundtrack song "All My Love" featuring Ariana Grande from Trinidadian star Michel Montano.

What's more, the face of the project, renegade commando cartoon character Major Lazer, has just received a life of his very own as FX Networks debuted the Major Lazer cartoon this April 16th as part of Animation Domination programming on FXX (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, The Simpsons, etc) With guest appearances from Aziz Ansari, Andy Samberg, Tiësto, RiFF RAFF, Charli XCX, Ezra Koenig, Trinidad James and more, Major Lazer confirms that this will be one of the silliest and best sound-tracked years yet. After airing weekly on FXX, each episode will go up the next day for stream on Hulu and purchase on iTunes. Check www.fxnetworks.com for more info.

2015 Major Lazer Tour Dates

UK HEADLINE DATES - OCTOBER 2015

14 Birmingham O2 Academy

15 Glasgow O2 Academy

16 Manchester Academy

17 London Alexandra Palace

Tickets go onsale Friday 1st May at 9AM - WWW.GIGSANDTOURS.COM | WWW.TICKETMASTER.CO.UK

PRESALE AVAILABLE WEDNESDAY, 29TH APRIL AT 9AM http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/promo/7lo3vw?brand=uk_majorlazer

WATCH "LEAN ON" http://smarturl.it/LeanOnYouTube

STREAM "LEAN ON" smarturl.it/LeanOnStream

PRE-ORDER PEACE IS THE MISSION (OUT JUNE 1 - BECAUSE/MAD DECENT)

iTunes smarturl.it/PITMiTunes

The Polyphonic Spree announce 15th Anniversary UK Tour

The Polyphonic Spree announce 15th Anniversary UK Tour 

The world’s foremost exponents of ‘choral symphonic rock’, The Polyphonic Spree, will return to the UK this September to celebrate their 15th anniversary by performing debut album “The Beginning Stages Of…” in it’s entirety.

The Polyphonic Spree first appeared in 2000, a collective of musicians drawn from across the Dallas, Texas area, The Spree's two dozen members took the stage in flowing robes of snowy white, an appropriate backdrop for their happy and uplifting blend of pop, orchestral rock, and touches of gospel soul. The group were founded by vocalist Tim DeLaughter, who fronted the band Tripping Daisy until 1999, when a drug overdose killed his bandmate Wes Berggren. Tripping Daisy subsequently folded, and DeLaughter pulled together surviving members of the group for the Polyphonic Spree, a massive collective that admitted more than 20 new members into its fold. The group put together a demo entitled ‘The Beginning Stages of the Polyphonic Spree’ and sold it at gigs until a Dallas-based indie label, Good Records, picked it up and gave it an official release. Boasting a ten-member choir, two keyboardists, percussion, bass guitar, flute, trumpets, trombone, violin, French horn, theremin, pedal steel, and an electronic effects wizard, the band had little trouble carving out its own unique niche.

The line-up and costumes have varied over the years, largely because of the flexibility necessary in travelling with such a large band, however Tim DeLaughter is still at the helm, with their most recent studio album ‘Yes, It’s True’ confirming that The Spree are a band who continue to carve their own vibrant colourful niche in the music world.

15 years since their inception, this tour is a chance to hear “The Beginning Stages Of…” from front to back, with a few of their greatest hits thrown in at the end.

Tickets on sale from 9am Friday 17 April 2015

http://www.agmp.co.uk/

Dates as below:

Thursday 03 September - LONDON, ELECTRIC BALLROOM

£20 adv / £25 door

Friday 04 September - BRIGHTON, CONCORDE 2

£17.50 adv / £20 door

Saturday 05 September - OXFORD, O2 ACADEMY

£17.50 adv / £20 door

Monday 07 September - BRISTOL, MOTION

£17.50 adv / £20 door

Wednesday 09 September - MANCHESTER, CLUB ACADEMY

£17.50 adv / £20 door

Thursday 10 September - EDINBURGH, LIQUID ROOM

£17.50 adv / £20 door

Friday 11 September - GLASGOW, ORAN MOR

£17.50 adv / £20 door

Wednesday 16 September - SHEFFIELD, O2 ACADEMY 2

£17.50 adv / £20 door

Zenith Nadir announces UK tour dates Summer 2015

Zenith Nadir announces UK tour dates Summer 2015

Zenith Nadir is an eclectic mix of electronic fusion music with Latin and European rhythms, a combination of electric violin, keyboards, bass guitar, lead singer and programming, Zenith Nadir will have you dancing on your feet.

The Band: Widely considered as one of the most creative, futuristic and innovative bands in the independent scene in Mexico, the band combines Latin rhythms and electronic music - a fusion of different styles and genres to create a genuinely unique sound and experience!!  We have toured and sold our music in countries right across South America, Europe and beyond and released 3 very successful albums independently with sales well into the tens of thousands!

The UK connection: Violinist Selina Marshall is from the UK, and while on a year abroad in Mexico City met Alex while he was promoting music. After working together for a few years promoting bands and organising events, Alex asked Selina if she wanted to start the band Zenith Nadir. They invited Emmanuel to join them, making this dynamic futuristic musical trio which is Zenith Nadir. Alex writes the lyrics to their songs and brings his ideas about the music and style ...and then each song comes alive!

THE TOUR:

Zenith Nadir have performances planned from Whitby to Winchester and Basingstoke to Blackpool. As follows:

SAT 27 JUN // BASINGSTOKE CHEESE AND CHILLI FESTIVAL

SAT 11 JUL // CHRISTCHURCH CHEESE AND CHILLI FESTIVAL

SUN 12 JUL // WHITBY TORTUGA FESTIVAL

SUN 19 JUL // HULL Y.P.I. CHANTERLANDS AVE (SUPPORTING THE SPECIAL STARS FOUNDATION)

SAT 25 JUL // LEVEN – THE HARE AND HOUNDS (TAPAS EVENING)

SAT 01 AUG // WITHERNSEA INTERNATIONAL PIRATE FESTIVAL

SAT 08 AUG // WINCHESTER CHEESE AND CHILLI FESTIVAL

SAT 15 AUG // LANCASTER - STONEWELL TAVERN

SUN 16 AUG // BLACKPOOL – STANLEY PARK BANDSTAND

FRI 21 AUG // BEVERLEY – ARMSTRONG’S SOCIAL CLUB (IN AID OF THE BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION)

SUN 23 AUG // RIPON SPA GARDENS

SAT 29 AUG // BRIDLINGTON – THE QUEEN’S HOTEL

SUN 30 AUG // PATELEY BRIDGE REC GROUND

Happy Mondays 'Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches' 25th anniversary tour

Happy Mondays 'Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches' 25th anniversary tour

Manchester’s legendary Happy Mondays have confirmed a eighteen-date tour for November and December 2015 to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the band’s classic album ‘Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches’ - with the band set to perform the album in its entirety, in addition to other hits.

Looking ahead to the tour Happy Mondays’ frontman Shaun Ryder said, “Great to be doing twenty-five years of ‘Pills ‘n’ Thrills…’. Here’s to another twenty-five years. I'm going to remember it this time.”

Ryder added, “There’s some really great work on ‘Pills ‘n’ Thrills…’. It was the album that put us on Top of The Pops.”

Released on 27th November 1990, ‘Pills 'n' Thrills…’ spent thirty-one weeks on the UK albums chart, peaking at #4, and was preceded by the release of Happy Mondays’ biggest hit singles, ‘Step On’ and ‘Kinky Afro’, which both reached #5 in the UK singles chart.

The tour will kick-off on Thursday, 5th November at O2 Guildhall, Southampton and will end on Wednesday, 10th December at Dublin’s Vicar St. 

The full tour dates are as follows:

November

Thu 5th - Southampton, O2 Guildhall 

Fri 6th - Birmingham, O2 Academy* 

Thu 12th - Sheffield, O2 Academy* 

Fri 13th - Liverpool, O2 Academy*

Sat 14th - Newcastle, O2 Academy* 

Sun 15th - Glasgow, O2 Academy* 

Fri 20th - Manchester, Academy 

Sat 21st - Leeds, O2 Academy* 

Thu 26th - Nottingham, Rock City 

Fri 27th - Norwich, UEA 

Sat 28th - Bristol, O2 Academy* 

Sun 29th - Cardiff, Cardiff Uni The Great Hall 

December

Thu 3rd - London, O2 Academy Brixton*

Fri 4th – Lincoln, Engine Shed 

Sat 5th - Cambridge, Corn Exchange 

Sun 6th - Oxford, O2 Academy* 

Wed 9th - Llandudno, Venue Cymru 

Thu 10th December, Dublin, Vicar St 

Ticket pre-sale is from 9.00am on 15th April via See Tickets (http://happymondays.seetickets.com/go/happymondayspresale), before going on general sale at 9.00am on 17th April

*Tickets from Ticketweb.co.uk / 0844 477 2000

Coasts announce summer 'Coastal' headline tour

Coasts announce summer 'Coastal' headline tour

After earning a HypeM #1 for their debut track ‘Oceans’ as well as extensive Radio 1 support for the follow-up ‘A Rush of Blood’, COASTS’ new single ‘Modern Love’ impacts on April 27th, released by Warner / Tidal / Good Soldier Songs. The single was one of Zane Lowe’s final Hottest Record selections shortly before he left Radio 1.

The Bristol-based indie-pop quintet will follow the release of the single with a unique ‘Coastal’ tour of seaside towns and river cities. Currently embarking upon a month-long North American headline tour, the band will follow the ‘Coastal’ tour – scheduled as below – with their biggest London headline show so far at London’s Koko on June 20th as well as major festival dates at Isle of Wight, T in the Park, Lollapalooza, Reading and Leeds:

JUNE – ‘COASTAL’ TOUR

2nd – Sunderland, Independent

3rd – Hull, Fruit

4th – Liverpool, O2 Academy2*

6th – Aberystwyth, University

7th – Cardiff, Clwb Ifor Bach

9th – Ramsgate, Music Hall

19th – Southend, Chinnerys

Tickets go on general sale from 10am on Friday April 10th, priced at £9 for Hull and £10 for all other dates. They’ll be available from www.coastsband.com and http://coasts.seetickets.com.

*Tickets from Ticketweb.co.uk / 0844 477 2000

Produced by Mike Spencer (Rudimental), ‘Modern Love’ is available as a single-track download as well as an EP which features remixes by RAC, Friction and Lost Kings. It’s available from http://smarturl.it/ModernLoveMusic.

Influenced by artists such as Foals and The Cure, COASTS have earned comparisons with the likes of The 1975, Bastille and Two Door Cinema Club.

Last year saw COASTS sell over 10,000 tickets in the UK, receive over 4 million plays on Spotify and sell over 100,000 tracks on iTunes before any mainstream exposure. Already, the band have 41,000 likes at Facebook and 44,000 followers at Twitter.

2014 also saw ‘A Rush of Blood’ voted into the top 100 XFM and Zane Lowe tracks of the year as well as the top 10 listeners’ choice on Sirius XM Alt Nation. COASTS have also hit festivals including Radio 1’s Big Weekend and Future Festival, as well as The Great Escape.

COASTS are currently working on their debut album which will be released later this year.

Official site                  Facebook                     Twitter

Ben Montague to release second album Back Into Paradise

Ben Montague to release second album Back Into Paradise

Ben Montague: impassioned songwriter, crowd-pleasing touring artist, eternal optimist and acclaimed custom guitar business co-owner, has penned his most lyrically raw and moving, anthemic and beautifully produced second album ‘Back Into Paradise’, released on his own label MWM Ltd on 15th June, through Absolute via Universal.

Sat in The North American Guitar Studio, Montague is as passionate about his playing as he is about the album’s lyrics. He’s no Metallica-style shredder, but the spare quality of his playing emphasises the luscious vocals throughout “Back Into Paradise”, which leads the singles off the album.  “This was the track that defined the direction I wanted to take with the album. It is a ‘wedge’ of a song, and builds and builds, until it is a mountain of sound by the end. But it’s got a weird construction in terms of song-writing. It was a natural choice to open the album because it’s so exciting. And it’s a good name for the album because it says that, yes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

The album was the result of a process of self-belief and affirmation. Writing what should have been a song for another artist with writing partners Jez Ashurst (Gabrille Aplin, Will Young) and Charlie Grant (Simply Red, Melanie C), Montague found the lyrics for the first of the 10 songs, the searing, emotional “We Start Over” flooding out.  Montague’s partner in crime on “Back Into Paradise” is producer Peter-John Vettese, the singer’s ‘secret hero’ for his programming and arrangement work with Paul McCartney, Pet Shop Boys, Dido and Annie Lennox as well as co-writing with Sia, Tom Odell and James Bay.

The overall narrative of the album is about finding a reason to start again and the redemptive power music can offer.  In the track “Gonna Love Again”, it initially seems a beautiful melody about recovering from heartbreak. But, as Montague smilingly puts it: “It’s about me putting my arm around my only-slightly-younger self and saying it’s all going to work out fine. It’s me falling in love with making music again.”

The album also has a defiance to it, summed up in “The Meaning”, a blistering rock track that would surely have Dave Grohl pumping his fist in encouragement that was written with Rihanna songwriter Tony Bruno. Grohl is an appropriate name to mention in Back To Paradise’s context, as it features a stunning cover of “Best Of You”, which reworks the original hard rock monster into a wracked ballad. “I am a big big fan of The Foo’s and Dave Grohl. He is a phenomenal song writer and his lyrics are just beautiful”.

Other notable key figures in the making and writing of the album include Jake Gosling (Ed Sheeran, “Lego House”), Martin Brammer (James Morrison, Olly Murs) and Jim Duguid (Paolo Nutini, The Waterboys).

 “I’m trying not to have any expectations at all,” he insists. “But this album is so real and I’m not hiding behind anything, so I hope people respond to it.”

People will get a chance to respond when Montague tours in October. “I have a lot of fun onstage, I think it’s so easy to take yourself too seriously. People want to have a laugh at gigs and be entertained and maybe hear the stories of why you wrote these songs.”

Don’t necessarily take the man himself too earnestly. But do pay close attention to his music. It’s as real and as raw as it gets – haunting enough to take the listener into paradise along with the man who made it.

UK Tour Dates

1 October                   London St Pancras Old Church

2 October                   Poole, Mr Kyps

4 October                   Southampton, Brook

8 October                   Newcastle, Cluny

9 October                   Edinburgh, Sneaky Petes

10 October                 Glasgow, King Tuts

11 October                 Manchester, Ruby Lounge

17 October                 East Grinstead, Chequer Meads

22 October                 Swindon, The Vic

23 October                 Birmingham, Glee

24 October                 Bristol, Louisiana

25 October                 Leicester, Musician  

www.benmontague.co.uk

www.facebook.com/likebenmontague

www.twitter.com/ben_montague

Gemma Hayes confirms UK and Ireland tour

Gemma Hayes confirms UK and Ireland tour

Following the release of her acclaimed new album Bones + Longing, Irish singer-songwriter Gemma Hayes has confirmed a UK and Ireland tour. Gemma’s new single Palomino will be released on 20th April, with a special limited edition 7 inch released for Record Store Day on 18th April. Gemma also contributes vocals to the upcoming single from Above and Beyond, Counting Down The Days.

So far in 2015 Gemma has been busy in Europe, where Bones + Longing has just been released, including TV and radio sessions in Paris and Berlin. This video clip of her and Joe Chester performing a version of Chris Izaak’s Wicked Game, previously a radio hit for Gemma in France, was filmed in the Chapel at the Centre Culture Irlandais especially the French fashion website MadMoizelle.com - 

http://www.madmoizelle.com/gemma-hayes-wicked-game-acoustique-329677

Bones + Longing is out now

“An album that's bound to form an intimate bond with its audience” 4/5 The Arts Desk

“An album of depth and texture, it repays time and attention; many will want to inhabit its hushed privacy” 8/10 Drowned In Sound

Gemma Hayes, UK & Eire Headline Tour:

May 14            The Globe, Cardiff

May 16            Leaf Café, Liverpool

May 17            Gorilla, Manchester

May 19            The Louisiana, Bristol

June 12           Electric Circus, Edinburgh

June 13           Óran Mór, Glasgow

June 27           Whelans, Dublin

June 28           Killarney Festival

July 10                        Pound Arts Centre, Corsham

Tickets available from Ticketmaster or check the venue for further details.

http://www.gemmahayes.com/ http://twitter.com/gemma_hayes / http://www.facebook.com/gemmahayes

Ksyran on tour this April - Playing the Philharmonic Hall Liverpool

Ksyran on tour this April - Playing the Philharmonic Hall Liverpool

Following two Top 10 dance smashes, star of stage and screen, Ksyran, releases her most captivating track to date, ‘Intimacy’ on 9 March. With remixes by the globally renowned, North 2 South, plus an album and UK tour planned for later this year, Ksyran is rapidly making a name for herself as Norway’s siren of dance.

Norwegian born mum of 4, Ksyran, is a singer-songwriter who’s most well known for her acting achievements on stage and screen including ‘Voyage in the Dark’ a The Young Vic. However, her stunning soprano voice always led her to sing in each of her productions as her tender vocals always got her noticed. With her father being a professional drummer, Ksyran was deeply inspired by music from a very young age. Classical, pop, rock, jazz and techno influences all fuse together in a wonderous musical melting pot that creates her distinctly unique sound. Ksyran nurtured her voice as lead vocalist for a number of groups including, a Jazz-group based in Montreux, a hard Rock- group in Geneva and rock- group, Daje Zik. But it’s as a solo artist that she is enjoying the greatest success.

Her new single, ‘Intimacy’ is the title track from her forthcoming album. Ksyran wrote ‘Intimacy’ after reading a book about a sensual and beautiful middle aged woman. The track is a celebration of womanhood, a call to every woman to celebrate herself, irrelevant of age or looks. ‘Intimacy’ follows in hot pursuit of her previous two singles, ‘You Don’t Love Me Anymore’ and ‘Heartless’ – both remixed by Mark Loverush and huge dance hits which stormed into Top10 of the UK dance charts during the first week of their release. So it’s no surprise that Ksyran will be a prominent feature on this year’s Ibiza circuit.

Running parallel to her catapulting music success, Ksyran is also making mammoth waves on the global arts scene. In mid-February, she’ll be taking her own play, ‘Breaking The Silence’ to New York. The play was nominated ‘Best Play’ at the London Summit organized by Angelina and William Hague. Added to this, you’ll also see Ksyran in the forthcoming feature film, ‘Effie’, as well as starring in a new UK comedy series, ‘Head’. Ksyran has also been cast in a big feature film as second lead with Tamsin Craig – so mighty things happening for the talented girl from Norway.

FULL UK TOUR DATES w/ BLUE

26-Mar     -     Civic Hall, Wolverhampton

27-Mar     -     BIC, Bournemouth

29-Mar     -     Roundhouse, London

30-Mar     -     Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow

31-Mar     -     Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle

02-Apr     -     Philharmonic, Liverpool

03-Apr     -     Apollo, Manchester

04-Apr     -     Royal Centre, Nottingham

05-Apr     -     Sheffield Hall, Sheffield

07-Apr     -     Oxford New Theatre, Oxford

08-Apr     -     Regent Theatre, Ipswich

09-Apr     -     De Montfort Hall, Leicester

The new single, ‘Intimacy’ is out Now -

For more info visit:

http://www.ksyran.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/ksyran-music

https://twitter.com/ksyran

Jake Quickenden announces debut UK tour in July

Jake Quickenden announces debut UK tour in July

The nation’s favourite X Factor star and I’m A Celebrity contestant, Jake Quickenden, is embarking on his debut tour ‘Laid Bare’ this July 2015. Jake’s UK tour will span eleven dates across the country, featuring a collection of original tracks as well as a handful of heart-melting covers.

It has been a rollercoaster two years for the 26-year-old heartthrob who won over the nation as a runner-up on the award winning series of I’m a Celeb and 2015 will see Jake returning to his first love – music. A fusion of Indie and Pop, the Scunthorpe born star will wow crowds with a collection of songs that he has written himself. The reality star will be bringing the wow-factor to stages across the UK in July as he embarks on this latest chapter.

Footballer turned singer and TV personality; Jake has never stopped pursuing a music career. Family heartache in 2000 saw Jake vow to make his dreams of singing stardom into reality. He finally got his big break in 2014, when he auditioned for The X Factor. Jake impressed the judges and his passion for music led him to the live stages with mentor Mel B.

Then followed a whirlwind two weeks which saw Jake enter ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here. With his natural charm and warm personality, he was crowned runner-up in the fourteenth series of the hit reality show. 

Since leaving the jungle he has never been far from the spotlight. His presenting dreams came true this year as he was offered a slot on This Morning. He has since fronted the Sainsbury’s Comic Relief campaign and will be touring with The Dreamboys in June. Jake will open the show with three songs to make sure the audience is warmed up and ready for The Dreamboys hot under the collar performance.

He is the one to watch in 2015.

Jake Quickenden says: “The tour will showcase who I am as an artist. There was a lot of speculation around what I was going to do after coming second to Carl Foggety on I’m a Celebrity, but I was never going to neglect my first love – music. I am so excited to reveal what I have worked so hard on over the past year and I cannot wait to share my next chapter with those who continue to stand by me.”

TOUR DATES:

13th July – Leeds, O2 Academy

14th July – Bournemouth, The Old Fire Station

15th July – London, O2 Academy2 Islington

16th July – Sheffield, O2 Academy2

17th July – Oxford, O2 Academy2

18th July – Birmingham, O2 Academy3

19th July – Bristol, O2 Academy

21st July – Leicester, The Scholar

22nd July – Glasgow, O2 ABC2

23rd July – Newcastle, O2 Academy2

24th July – Liverpool, O2 Academy2

Dates: 13th – 24th July

Ticket info: £15 General Admission, £25 VIP/Meet and Greet. All shows 14+.

ticketweb.co.uk or 0844 477 2000 or venue box office