The Suffolk-raised 20-year-old released his acclaimed debut album ‘+’ in September 2011 and he hasn’t looked back since. The album, which is now triple platinum with over 900,000 sales, debuted at #1 in the official UK charts upon release and reclaimed the #1 title at the turn of the year.

Furthermore, Ed Sheeran has received the most amount of BRIT Awards nominations this year, for ’Best Male’, ‘Best Breakthrough’, ‘Best Single’, and ‘Best Album’ , with the ceremony taking place at London’s O2 Arena on February 21st. In addition to this, Ed received nods from iTunes (‘Best Newcomer 2011’), BT Digital Music Awards (‘Breakthrough Artist of the Year’), BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards (‘Best British Single’) and Q Awards (‘Breakthrough Artist’).

Last year saw the release of the massive UK top 5 singles, ‘The A Team’, ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’ and ‘Lego House’. No doubt the “flame-haired guitar genius” will continue this trend when he releases his new single ‘Drunk’ on February 27th.

Ed Sheeran UK Tour Dates 2012

October

Mon 15
London Hammersmith Apollo
Sat 20
Newport Newport Centre
Sun 21
Bournemouth Windsor HALL
Mon 22
Plymouth Pavilion
Sun 28
Birmingham Ballroom
Wed 31
Nottingham Nottingham Arena

November

Thu 1
Manchester Apollo
Mon 5
Doncaster Doncaster Dome
Wed 7
Hull Hull Arena
Thu 8
Blackpool Empress Ballroom
Sat 10
Newcastle City Hall
Mon 12
Edinburgh Usher Hall
Wed 14
Glasgow Barrowlands

Tickets go on sale Wednesday 25th Jan at 9am.

But can they play. Third album Helping Hands exceeds even the expectations raised by critical acclaim for their first two albums and they effortlessly, beautifully evoke it, without fanfare. Cello, as a lead instrument is a rarity in indie circles but it just seems right and is beautifully underscored by Viola. A shifting backdrop of understated guitars, bass and keyboards creates mood and variety, whilst the beautiful voice of John Blain Hunt picks out the lyrics.

A more self effacing frontman I struggle to bring to mind. Shyness, painfully observed, for songs which cry out to be played live; on listening to the album again, it does not quite capture the beauty evoked by live performance, carefully orchestrated changes of tempo communicated by soundless counting in or a quiet nod, it all seems meticulously rehearsed. I was captivated but this is plainly not everybody’s cup of tea.

Highlights of the set included “The day our voices broke“- available as a free download at present, and, “I am the butcher”, a skiffle tinged country number , a lush sound created by six string instruments knitted together by deliberate drumming.

An hour or so and it was all over. This was powerful, yet subtle stuff. The sheer craft on display is awe inspiring, wonderful music in an idiosyncratic setting made for a very different live music experience.

Earlier, support was provided by Darren Hayman, playing songs from The Ship’s Piano on a baby grand, accompanied by only spare and plaintive trumpet. Perhaps hampered by my lack of  familiarity with the material this was interesting rather than compelling stuff. but delivered with commitment and wit. A fitting support to what was to come later.

All in all, an evening of intelligent, moving pop.

Ed Sheeran new single will be ‘Drunk’

Ed Sheeran has announced that his next single will be ‘Drunk’, released on February 27th via Asylum/Atlantic Records. He posted the video up online today – watch it here. It’s the 4th single to be taken from his triple platinum album ‘+’ which shot back to the top of the charts  at the beginning of this year 4 months after its initial release.

2011 was a phenomenal year for Ed Sheeran. With over 2 million records and 100,000 live tickets sold he was named as 2011’s Breakthrough Artist by Q, MSN, iTunes and the Digital Music Awards. Last week Ed received four  BRIT awards, shortlisted in the categories for British Solo Male, British Breakthrough Act, British Single for ‘The A Team’ & British Album of the Year for ‘+’.

Ed said at the time;

‘Exactly a year ago to the day I signed my record deal with Asylum/Atlantic Records. Today I have an album that’s gone triple platinum, 3 sold out tours and now four BRIT Award nominations. I’m over the moon! I really couldn’t have hoped for a better start to 2012.’’. He plays the first of two sold out Brixton Academy shows tonight in London, on the final leg of his UK tour.

The brand new video for ‘Drunk’ includes highlights from Sheeran’s last year out on the road as he toured up and down the country relentlessly. Watch it below and see if you recognise yourself… and some of Ed’s singer (and ginger) chums.

Ed Sheeran new single ‘Drunk’ is due for release on 27th February 2012.

Sweet Baboo is Stephen Black and his guitar

Sweet Baboo, comprised of Stephen Black and his guitar, is back with his latest EP ‘Girl Under A Tree’. Telling tales of love, life and relationships, Stephen’s raspy vocals and sweet lyrics create a stunning contrast.

The opening title track Girl Under A Tree is a wonderfully tender elegy to an endless love. His melancholic lyrics include lines such as “ten of me could never amount to one of you, but I’d like to”.

The Day I Lost My Voice picks up the pace with a marching beat, and the cleverly interwoven guitar strains give the track an edgier feel to the previous ones. The two instrumentals, MB following after Girl Under A Tree and LB after Great Year, set the tone for what’s to come without jarring the listener out of the relaxed mood he’s created.

The final track, Bounce, is a catchy, hopeful track about being ready to look for love once again – without losing sight of the past. With lines such as “how can I forget you, when all my thoughts are of you” sung in such an upbeat way, it’s easy to find yourself humming the tune long after it’s over.

Overall, the EP has a warm, optimistic atmosphere surrounding it. Released via Shape Records on the 19th September, the only downside to the EP is that it’s over too quickly.

Sweet Baboo – Girl Under A Tree EP Tracklist:

1.    Girl Under A Tree
2.    MB
3.    The Day I Lost My Voice
4.    Great Year
5.    LB
6.    Bounce

J Mascis

Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis, one of the pioneers of grunge rock music is about to introduce another side to his unlimited talents when he releases his first ever solo album Several Shades of Why on March 14th. The album is preceded by the release of the single Not Enough on February 28th.

The album marks a departure from the fuzzy electric guitars that have been Mascis trademark since those early days with Dinosaur Jr. and is instead an acoustic collection of some incredible beauty.

Recorded at Amherst Massachusetts’ Bisquiteen Studios, the album was created with the help of a few friends. Notable amongst them are Kurt Vile, Sophie Trudeau (A Silver Mount Zion), Kurt Fedora (long-time collaborator), Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Ben Bridwell (Band of Horses), Pall Jenkins (Black Heart Procession), Matt Valentine (The Golden Road), and Suzanne Thorpe (Wounded Knees).

Together in small mutable groupings, they conjure up classic sounds ranging from English-tinged folk to drifty, West Coast-style singer/songwriterism. But every track, every note even, bears that distinct Mascis watermark.

Mascics comments;

“Megan from Sub Pop has wanted me to do this record for a long time, she was very into it when I was playing solo a lot in the early 2000s, around the time of the Fog album [2002’s Free So Free].  She always wanted to know when I’d do a solo record. Several Shades of Why came out of that. There are a couple of songs that are older, but the rest is new this year. And it’s basically all acoustic. There’s some fuzz, but it’s acoustic through fuzz. There’re no drums on it, either. Just one tambourine song, that’s it. It was a specific decision to not have drums. Usually I like to have them, but going drum-less pushes everything in a new direction, and makes it easier to keep things sounding different.”

In celebration of the release, a free download of  wonderful album track ‘Is It Done’ has been made available, downloadable direct from Sub Pop.

In this amusing video interview Mascis gives an insight into the new album as well as a quick look around his studio.

Playing European shows in support of his forthcoming album Several Shades of Why, Mascis will arrive in London on April 14^th for an intimate performance at London’s Cargo. The full European dates are:

13^th – Dublin, Whelans

14^th – London, Cargo

16^th – Paris, Point Ephemere

17^th – Milan, Bloom

18^th – Rome, Circolo degli Artisti

20^th – Antwerp, Trix

21^st – Amsterdam, Sugar Factory

22^nd – Madrid, Moby Dick

23^rd – Barcelona, La (2)

The Boy Who Trapped The Sun

As a teenager the boy Colin MacLeod made a name for himself in his hometown on the Isle of Lewis, a windswept outcrop of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, fronting the trash-y agit-punk band Sign Red.

Having worked on the Island as an oil delivery driver and teaching fly fishing, MacLeod found on listening to Bob Dylan’s Masters Of War that music needn’t be loud to be powerful.

Intrigued, Macleod invented the persona, The Boy Who Trapped The Sun and headed to London with a fistful of country/folk songs with the intention of building a solo career.

Now 25 year old Colin MacLeod alias The Boy Who Trapped The Sun is set to unleash himself on an unsuspecting public with the wonderful single Katy, as an introduction to his album Fireplace.

Katy is probably the most upbeat song from the album, an incredibly catchy paean to avoiding commitment. It is pretty much impossible not to like the single which is released on July 5th.

Following a week later on July 12th, the album Fireplace will be released with MacLeod playing all the instruments bar the strings himself.

Hazy opener ‘Golden’ sets the scene, with MacLeod gently drawing the listener into his world. Title track ‘Fireplace’ was written when MacLeod was housebound for four days as a fierce storm battered Lewis, while the loose, bluesy ‘Home’ was written in London, about being displaced in the big city – “This city’s not a home, but it’s somewhere to get lost.”

‘Walking In The Dark’ is an achingly pretty piano-led track, while the waltz-y, wry ‘Dreaming Like A Fool’ is the tale of ex-girlfriend who tried to stab MacLeod. “Lately it feels like we’re drifting apart, It could be because you’re insane.”

Riding on a dream-like descending riff ‘Copper Down’ features exquisite harmonies and a deft, mid-song change of pace. The final track is the haunting, beautifully arranged ‘Antique Cobweb’. There follows the hidden spoken-word outro ‘Poem’, its second verse in Gaelic, wonderfully evocative of the Isle of Lewis and the sea that defines it. ‘Fireplace’ is a beautifully realised debut from an authentic new talent.

The Boy Who Trapped The Sun – Katy

MacLeod is a busy boy out on the road, catch at the following venues:

21 Jun 2010      20:00
Bodega with Alan Pownall and Lissie     Nottingham
22 Jun 2010     19:00
Glee Club with Alan Pownall & Lissie     Birmingham
23 Jun 2010     20:00
Bush Hall with Alan Pownall & Lissie     London
29 Jun 2010     18:00
Serpentine Sessions with Patti Smith     London
10 Jul 2010     20:00
T In The Park     Balado,
13 Jul 2010     20:00
The Borderline     London,
18 Jul 2010     18:00
Larmar Tree     nr Blandford, Southwest
19 Jul 2010     21:00
King Tuts Wah Wah Hut     Glasgow,
23 Jul 2010     20:00
The Living Room Tent @ The Secret Garden Party     Near Huntingdon
1 Aug 2010     18:00
Camp Bestival     Lulworth, Southwest
6 Aug 2010     18:00
Belladrum Festival     Nr Inverness,
7 Aug 2010     18:00
Newquay Boardmasters     Newquay, Southwest
28 Aug 2010     20:00
Supporting Pheonix @ The Picturehouse     Edinburgh, Scotland
11 Sep 2010     18:00
Bestival     nr Arreton, South
16 Sep 2010     8:00
Supporting Fyfe Dangerfield @ Sound Control     Manchester
17 Sep 2010     20:00
Supporting Fyfe Dangerfield @ Rescue Rooms     Nottingham
19 Sep 2010     20:00
Supporting Fyfe Dangerfield @ Thekla     Bristol
20 Sep 2010     20:00
Supporting Fyfe Dangerfield @ Pheonix     Exeter
21 Sep 2010     20:00
Supporting Fyfe Dangerfield @ O2 Shepherd Bush Empire     London
22 Sep 2010     20:00
Supporting Fyfe Dangerfield @ Komedia     Brighton
24 Sep 2010     20:00
Supporting Fyfe Dangerfield @ Academy 2     Oxford
25 Sep 2010     20:00
Supporting Fyfe Dangerfield @ HMV Institute     Birmingham
27 Sep 2010     20:00
Supporting Fyfe Dangerfield @ Brudenell     Leeds
28 Sep 2010     20:00
Supporting Fyfe Dangerfield @ The Sage     Gateshead
29 Sep 2010     20:00
Supporting Fyfe Dangerfield @ Bongo Club     Edingburgh
30 Sep 2010     20:00
Supporting Fyfe Dangerfield @ Oran Mor     Glasgow

Misery Guts

Misery Guts EP Launch Night with special guests Cherry Ghost & By The Sea is on Friday 7th May 2010 at The Kazimier, Liverpool.

Misery Guts are from Liverpool & are one of the finest folk acoustic acts in the UK.  They remind me of Brighton’s Miserable Rich in many ways, and have been compared to acoustic legends Simon & Garfunkel.

Over the past couple of years or so they’ve worked solidly picking up some great support slots including local heroes John and Michael Head, Post Punk legends The Fall as well as Noah and the Whale.

After sitting on their latest recordings for the best part of the year so far, Liverpool outfit Misery Guts are finally ready to release the next piece of their puzzle – the follow up to their 2009 singles Trying To Be The Sun and Spiders – the five track EP More Human Than Human.

“Liverpool-based band Misery Guts are fantastic. With gorgeous melodies, psychedelic undertones and beautiful lyrics this folksy, sixties inspired track is the perfect debut and is bound to get them noticed.  Brilliant.” – music-news.com

The amazing collection of songs goes on release on Monday 17/05/10 but advance copies will be available on the launch night at Kazimer on Friday 07/05/10, which sees the band play with the fantastic Cherry Ghost, who will be showcasing tracks from their new album, with additional support from the up & coming Wirral based band By The Sea.

“While many people are stuck for ideas when it comes to doing something different with an acoustic guitar, Misery Guts have pursued their art and created unusually characterful songs.” – The Mag

Having grown in stature over the last couple of years, the ‘More Human Than Human’ release sees Misery Guts build on their already impressive achievements, including a string of high profile supports, an introduction from BBC 6music’s Tom Robinson and some glowing reviews from Liverpool’s music press and beyond.  Having now built a full band around the core of an intricate guitar / vocal duo, ‘More Human Than Human’ is the sound of Misery Guts developing as a band and truly hitting their stride.

“Misery Guts’ debut single ‘Trying To Be The Sun’ is an acoustic treat that harks back to the days of Simon and Garfunkel…it’s a strong debut that should make Liverpool proud.” – The Mag

Misery Guts UK Tour Dates:

03/05/10    Leeds – Oporto
05/05/10   Mojo – Liverpool
07/05/10     EP Launch –   KAZIMIER     with Cherry Ghost & By The Sea
08/05/10     Bumper – liverpool
20/05/10     The Loft @ The Masque, LIVERPOOL SOUNDCITY with Field Music
28/05/10     Trip Festival, Anglesey
29/05/10     Music With  A View festival, Lake District
31/05/10    Crosby Music Festival

For more information visit www.myspace.com/miserygutsmusic

Tunng...And Then We Saw Land

The fourth studio release from Tunng sees the band set sail again on acoustic-waved waters, where the currents run deep with electronic pulses and mermaid melodies are never far from the surface. However, the horizon has changed.

The comforting intimacy and production of previous albums has been augmented with a wider world view. Six strings are amplified and occasionally break for a solo run. The silver mist bass tones of singer Mike Lindsay are lifted by the ethereal vocal breeze of Becky Jacobs. And whereas on previous outings the band’s crafted arrangements would offer a you-and-me arm around the shoulder, on …And Then We Saw Land they pack a “land ahoy!” punch.

Lindsay has said that “We wanted to make a record that would be a great live set so I think we naturally started writing more powerful music” and the first few tracks are testament to this intent. Album opener Hustle is a chart-friendly pop song, reminiscent of M Ward at his jauntiest peak and Don’t Look Down or Back has a melancholic, serpentine bite The Decemberists would be proud of, before finishing on an ocean-chorus of open voices and breaking hearts; perfect for an elbows-aloft, deep-dusk sing-a-long.

However, although the horizon may have changed, this is still the good-ship Tunng we are sailing, with the same core crew that have delighted and enlightened on past voyages. The pitter patter of electronic tonic drops on Roadside build into a blissful, sea-slung carpet of laser guided melodies. While on October, the finger-picked ebb and flow is an undulating base for a melody line that drifts in the direction of Scarborough Fair.

On …And Then We Saw Land Tunng have focused their folk-flavoured beams and electronic washes to great effect. The separation and sharpness of the arrangements gives the album a panoramic scope, no doubt helped by the extra tools employed, including old mics, valves and a reverb plate once owned by Mike Oldfield.

Tunng’s haunting and hazy moonlight shadows are still present but in the foreground are new, dawn-lit breakers, sounding the way to a new horizon.

For more information on Tunng visit the band’s main website or their myspace site.

Watch the promo video for Tunng’s …And Then We Saw Land

Josiah Wolf - Jet Lag

Having been unacquainted with the Ohio group Why? up until the a few weeks ago, it is a fairly neutral starting point with which I perceived Josiah Wolf’s, the drummer for this band, debut album Jet Lag. All the same, ‘drummer’s solo effort’ tends to set alarm bells ringing.

It conjures up the image of the bitter rhythm-keeper stuck at the back of the stage, ignored in the rehearsal rooms, silently harbouring deluded visions of solo fame that grow wilder as the backstage jokes fly at him and the girls still won’t recognise him.

Generally the manifestations of such a traumatic experience are not acoustic ruminations on the subject of the break-up of an eleven year relationship and a move back to a childhood place. As such we learn, albeit in a roundabout manner, that Josiah Wolf must be considered as an artist in his own right.

With this lack of prejudice then, his solo album begins. Most striking are the vocals. Wolf’s voice is multi-faceted and as such, mainly intriguing. At times, such as on the ruminative ‘The One Sign’, he uses a detached delivery akin to Bill Callahan’s deep drawl, at times a more candid voice pierces the fourth wall (“And truly, truly / you move right through me” on ‘In The Seam’), and at other times he moves tentatively into the upper octaves, finding a faltering, susceptible aspect to his delivery.

Lyrics are, as should be the case more than normally on such personal albums, highly important. Reflective, reminiscent, and descriptive of personal and abstract as well as mundane moments, they focus less on explaining or trying to understand a course of events as describing them and expressing the lack of understanding that can be drawn from them. “California, what have you done to me?”, Wolf asks on ‘Master Cleanse (California)’ with candid perplexity.
The arrangements are less striking than you would hope for lyrics of his class, and as such their weight gets lost a little. Working a sort of chamber-pop cum Americana cum singer-songwriter style, in which Wolf plays all instruments himself, it is sad to see the described uniqueness of his experiences lost in what sounds like a band effort. Often with the music, you get the feeling that Wolf’s monism is lost by his attempt to split himself into so many different instrumentalists.

Jet Lag is what gets called an ‘accomplished’ or ‘assured’ solo debut, where accomplished and assured are the signs of a man marking his ground as a solo artist without entirely coming out from behind his drums and the back of the stage.

Jet Lag by Josiah Wolf is released on 29th March by Anticon. It was mixed by younger brother and Why? frontman Yoni Wolf.

Here’s a link to the MySpace page.

The deeply personal track The Only Exception is an acoustic ballad that gives the listener a glimpse into what was going on inside the head of singer Hayley Williams, over the last two years.

Hayley admits that it was a scary thought advertising such personal thoughts to the rest of the world as a 21 year old, but says;

“Now that it’s all said and on paper I’m not as insecure about [these lyrics] because I think these songs (on the album) form a full story that people are going to be able to connect with.”  The Only Exception touches on how her parents’ relationship has influenced the way she deals with, and thinks about, love.

The Only Exception video features Hayley’s father and is directed by long time Paramore collaborator Brandon Chesbro.

Paramore – The Only Exception

After a sell out UK tour which culminated at Wembley Arena on Dec 19th, the band are currently on a tour of Japan and Australia.  Paramore are reported to be coming back to Europe this summer for various festivals.  Exact dates to be announced.