Despite spending so much time on the road The Xcerts will release their second album this Autumn, the much anticipated follow up to 2009’s In The Wind We Smile will be called Scatterbrain and promises a darker, dirty and earthier sound from the band.

Work started on Scatterbrain at the start of the year with US producer Mike Sapone in his home studio in New York, the first single Slackerpop was released back in June, watch it here performed live at the Borderline from their performance in May.

The Xcerts – Slackerpop

The Xcerts UK dates:

JULY
24th Rhythms of the World Festival, Hitchin
27th Harley’s, Bathgate
28th King Tut’s, Glasgow
29th Da Vinci’s, Livingston
30th The Doghouse, Dundee

AUGUST
1st Sonisphere Festival, Knebworth
10th Deaf Institute, Manchester *
11th Borderline, London * 12th Rock City Basement *
13th Electric Circus (The Edge Festival) *

SEPTEMBER
18th Southsea festival, Portsmouth
26th Underground Festival, Gloucester
* with Get Cape.Wear Cape. Fly.

For further information visit The Xcerts MySpace page.

Kicking things off on July 30th when they appear at the infamous Slam Dunk Club Night at Camden’s Purple Turtle, the Southampton quintet will perform at venues from Scotland to their home town on the south coast during the  first weeks of August.

Guitarist Jack Fairbrother said;
“We’re excited for the August tour because these will be our first headline shows in some time. We can’t wait to get out and play a new set in both familiar cities and new places – to some old and new faces. Fans can expect the best Not Advised show they’ve ever seen. We’re putting everything we can into these dates to make sure we play the best set – and more importantly make sure that everyone walks away after the best gig of their lives. That’s the aim!”

With a new single to be released between the end of this tour and the announcement of more UK dates in October, these are busy times for Not Advised, who will also confirm dates for their upcoming December European tour soon.

This is the current single from Not Advised – The World’s Not Ready

Not Advised UK Tour Dates:

30 July – LONDON, Slam Dunk @ Purple Turtle
1 August  – MILTON KEYNES, Crauford Arms
2 August – BRISTOL, Academy 2
3 August – BIRMINGHAM, Academy 3
4 August – NEWCASTLE, Academy 2
5 August, GLASGOW, Academy 2
7 August – ABERDEEN, Warehouse
8 August – DUNDEE, Dexters
10 August – MANCHESTER, Roadhouse
11 August – LIVERPOOL, Academy 2
12 August – LONDON, Islington Academy 2
13 August – SOUTHAMPTON, Joiners
15 August – SHEFFIELD, Academy
17 August – LEEDS, Cockpit

For further information visit the Not Advised MySpace page.

In case you have not heard Reef reformed recently and as a consequence of their reformation a new band is also born, as Reef members Gary Stringer and Jack Bessant release their first album as a duo, Yard which was released this week.

Both Reef and StringerBessant, as the duo are known, will be hitting the road to promote their respective new material over the coming months, the duo are in Newquay tomorrow.

Justice Force Five are a group of Superhero rockers who have just released a video single or vingle if you will called Fight the Fight. The video can be seen below and the band will be performing live in London and Bath this month if that takes your fancy.

In addition there are live dates announced for Frank Turner and Fighting Fiction as well as two of my current favourite bands Straight Lines and The Xcerts.

Full details of upcoming XtraMile artists live dates in the UK:

STRINGERBESSANT
16 July KOOLA BAR, NEWQUAY
17 July MISS PEAPODS, FALMOUTH
21 July THUNDERBOLT, BRISTOL
23 July THE VIC, SWINDON

JUSTICE FORCE 5
20 July – 93 Feet East, London
23 July – Belushi’s, Bath

FIGHTING FICTION
25 Sep Frog Fest @ Frog and Fiddle, Cheltnham
13 Nov The Royal Oak, Ipswich

FRANK TURNER
16 Jul 2000 Trees Festival, Cheltenham
17 Jul Latitude Festival, Southwold
19 Jul iTunes Festival, London
1 Dec Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
2 Dec ABC, Glasgow
3 Dec 53 Degrees, Preston
4 Dec The Plug, Sheffield
5 Dec The Regal, Oxford
6 Dec Corn Exchange, Cambridge
7 Dec The Guildhall, Southampton
8 Dec Lemon Grove, Exeter
10 Dec The Academy, Leicester
11 Dec The Academy, Liverpool
12 Dec O2 Academy Brixton, London

REEF
4 Sep Bingley Music Live, Yorkshire
18 Sep Racecourse, Devon
26 Nov Hall For, Cornwall
27 Nov Portsmouth Pyramids, Portsmouth
2 Dec Kentish Town Forum, London
3 Dec Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton
4 Dec Rock City, Nottingham

STRAIGHT LINES
22 Jul Buffalo Bar, Cardiff
30 Jul The Empire, Abertillery
1 Aug Sonisphere Festival (Bowtime Bar Stage @ 2pm), Knebworth
30 Sep Camden Barfly, London
13 Oct Arts Centre, Norwich, UNITED KINGDOM
14 Oct Rock City Basement, Nottingham, UNITED KINGDOM
15 Oct Sugarmill, Stoke, UNITED KINGDOM
16 Oct Sound Control, Manchester, UNITED KINGDOM
17 Oct Cockpit 2, Leeds, UNITED KINGDOM
19 Oct IronWorks, Inverness, UNITED KINGDOM
20 Oct King Tuts, Glasgow, UNITED KINGDOM
21 Oct Newcastle 02 Academy, Newcastle, UNITED KINGDOM
22 Oct Masque, Liverpool
23 Oct Leicester Academy 2, Leicester
23 Oct Leicester Academy 2, Leicester

THE XCERTS
16 July 2000 Trees Festival, Cheltenham
17 Jul Guilfest (Rocksound Cave stage), Surrey
18 Jul Wimbledon Calling, London
20 Jul Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
21 Jul Le Pub, Newport
24 Jul Rythms of the world festival, Hitchin
27 Jul Harley’s, Bathgate
28 Jul King Tut’s, Glasgow
29 Jul Da Vinci’s, Livingston, Scotland
30 Jul The Doghouse, Dundee
1 Aug Sonisphere Festival, Knebworth
10 Aug Deaf Institute, Manchester w/Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly
11 Aug Borderline, London w/Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly
12 Aug Rock City Basement, Nottingham w/Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly
13 Aug Inn On The Square, Barnstable w/Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly
13 Aug Electric Circus, Edinburgh w/Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly
18 Sep Southsea festival, Portsmouth
26 Sep Underground Festival, Gloucester

Latitude Festival - The Horrors, The National, The XX, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Mumford & Sons, Frank Turner, Temper Trap & more

Latitude Festival returns for an incredible 5th Edition on 15-18th July 2010 set in the beautiful countryside of Henham Park Estate on Suffolk’s Sunrise Coast.

Latitude is dedicated to giving you only the best and most eclectic ensemble of music, theatre, comedy, literature, film, poetry, dance, art, fashion and cabaret for three spectacular days and as ever, this focus has delivered a line-up like no one else.

As with all good festivals Latitude has a great and diverse range of music across several stages.  What I like best about Latitude is that it isn’t too large, like Glastonbury, but big enough to attract a great line-up.

So if you’re lucky enough to have tickets you might be thinking of which performances you want to see over the weekend.

The three headline acts on the main Obelisk Arena will be Florence & the Machine, Belle & Sebastian and Vampire Weekend.  None of those really take my fancy.  But when I look at other acts performing on the main stage there are a few I’m already looking forward to, including Mumford & Sons, Frank Turner, Temper Trap and the wonderful Rodrigo y Gabriela.

Furthermore, there is plenty of music on the other music stages.  Highlights for me are The Horrors, The National, The XX, The Big Pink, Wild Beasts and Grizzly Bear all appearing at The Word Arena.  On the Sunshine Arena I hope to see the wonderful Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Girls, Tokyo Police Club and a late night performance by the Gentleman’s Dub Club; while Beth Jeans Houghton will be performing on The Lake Stage.

In all there is no fewer than 17 stages offering music, dance, film, art, poetry, theatre and comedy.

Spread throughout the site, just waiting to be discovered, expect the highest calibre of art.  Building on its reputation as one of the most respected and highly anticipated events of the season, 2010 promises to be an inspirational and entertaining, sophisticated and scintillating weekend; another spectacular slice of unadulterated cultural fun and adventure.

Celebrating its fifth year, Latitude continues to lead the way as a bold and pioneering festival cherry-picking the very best from the worlds of music, theatre, comedy, literature, film, poetry, dance, art, fashion and cabaret and bringing them together for one glorious weekend. It is a place like no other; an intimate world away from reality that encourages you to be all that you’ve ever wanted to be whilst indulging in the spirit of exploration and discovery.

Latitude Festival is on Thursday 15- Sunday 18th July 2010.  Tickets are sold out.

The Federals - Ain't Got Nothing To Lose

Noisy, catchy and easily the best British band for years is how the Daily Express describe The Federals and on the evidence of their latest single Ain’t Got Nothing To Lose, it is difficult to put up an argument.

Ain’t Got Nothing To Lose complete with b side Cut Loose, is scheduled for release on June 24 through Mud Hut Digital and is set to receive plenty of support from BBC deejays who have been championing the band in recent times.

Fearne Cotton is often spotted sporting The Federals t-shirts who appears to be an avid fan, while Steve Lamacq has shown his support through his record of the week slot.

The band recently performed on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury, presented to the audience by none other than Tom Robinson, the festival appearance following support spots for Hurts and Everything Everything on the talent exposing NME Radar Tour.

Citing The Stooges, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Jack White as influences the York based garage-rock quartet comprise scuzzy, fuzzed up guitars, sweeping art-rock drones and an underlying punk ethos that greets listeners with snarling, yet alluringly melodic blues vocals.

Visit The Federals MySpace page for more inf0rmation and to hear the brilliant new single Ain’t Got Nothing To Lose.

Paramore add UK tour dates

Due to popular demand Paramore have added two brand new dates to their November UK tour schedule, treating the good people of Nottingham and Manchester to their very own Arena shows.

Nottingham becomes the new start date for the much anticipated UK tour, kicking off on November 8th at the Trent FM Arena and Manchester will become the penultimate night in the UK for Paramore, on November 19th they will perform at the MEN Arena.

Tickets for the two new shows will go on sale this Friday (July 9th) at 9am through www.gigsandtours.com or from the 24hour credit card hotline at 0871 2200 260.

Paramore release the fourth single from their number one album Brand New Eyes on July 12th, it will be one of singer Hayley Williams live favourites, Careful.

Hayley says of the song: ‘So psyched to release Careful as a single. It’s one of my favourite songs to play at shows… Heavy, fast, and just a really intense song. Hope people get into it!’

Paramore – Careful

Paramore will be in the UK to headline at the Reading/Leeds festivals in August before they return for the Arena tour in November.

Paramore UK Dates November 2010

Mon 8           Nottingham      Trent FM Arena         NEW DATE

Wed 10          Liverpool       Echo Arena              0844 8000 400

Thu 11          Sheffield       Arena                   0114 265 5656

Sat 13          London          O2 Arena                0844 856 0202  SOLD OUT

Mon 15          London          O2 Arena                0844 856 0202

Tue 16          Birmingham     LG Arena                 0844 338 8000

Thu 18          Newcastle      Metro Radio Arena        0844 493 6666

Fri 19          Manchester     MEN Arena                NEW DATE

Sat 20          Aberdeen       AECC                     0844 4999 990 SOLD OUT

The Playground presents a night of electro, alternative and indie music

The Playground presents a night of electronic, alternative and indie music @ 93 Feet East, east London on Saturday 31st July 2010.

Room 1:
La Shark
Fiction
Pope Joan
Lighthouses
Twelve Clay Feet

Room 2:
DJ Mason
Les Gillettes (Kitsune)

DJ Mason
DJ Mason is the stage name for Dutch music producer duo Iason Chronis and Coen Berrier.  After their track, Exceeder topping at number one on the UK Dance Chart in 2007 they have been touring the world and ripping-up the music scene with their Breakbeat-Electro stylings.

Les Gillettes
With a ‘raving’ alter-ego in place, the Swedish-born, London-based techno DJ Les Gillettes has come from the Indie Clubs of Helsinki all over the ‘Hip n Hot’ cities of Europe ready to grace the stage behind her decks with more of her Beastly beats and ‘Devil-dancing’ style that we know and love.

La Shark
Hailing from New Cross, South London the band-of-five consider their sound to be influenced from the music of the Bee Bop era, sort of ‘Plastic Pop’ with a bit of ‘..early 20th century pornography thrown in to add that spark..’ Whatever it is that appeals to you, you won’t be left disappointed.

“La Shark offer great beats, quirky lyrics, pretty harmonies, pandemonic circus-clown percussion and overall weirdness… makes for addictive listening.”  Time Out

Fiction
Having only been together a year the New Wave/ Post Punk sound of this London-based foursome have already graced the stages of the Offset Festival and the Huw Stephens-curate Swn Festival, as well as recording live sessions for BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and Radio Diesel.  “..Fiction hit the rhythmic, Post Punk nail on the head on so many levels.  Fact!”  Loud & Quiet

Pope Joan
Pope Joan have clearly established themselves as part of the new wave of exciting and experimental British art-pop, with a sound that has been described a being somewhere within the realms of Les Savy Fav and early-era XTC along with the sonic spectrum of TV on the Radio, which has already played along-side the likes of New Young Pony Club, Shy Child and Danananankroyd to name but a few. “A colourful explosion of post punk adorned, effects laden guitar lines, quirky synth noises, elasticated bass lines and creative drum patterns topped off with an undeniable pop sheen.” Artrocker

“Brighton boys Pope Joan are a fantastic and quirky proposition indeed.” 
NME

Lighthouses
Delpic vs. Death From Above or Hot Chip vs. Daft Punk?!  East London’s Joe Boyle and Richard Williams make-up this Electro-Indie two piece, having formed from a curiosity and interest in fusing Dance with Rock music and have created such clash of sounds that the only way to describe their music is by cross-comparison.

Twelve Clay Feet
The Cambridge-based foursome have already showcased their Indie-Rock stylings along-side the likes of the Editors, Hard Fi and The Little Flames, and after having toured the country on the Radio 1 backed Transit Tour and making it to the Final of The Music League 2010 competition, the stage is set in anticipation for their urgent, beautiful and soulful musings.

The Playground presents
93 Feet East
150 Brick Lane London E1 6QL
Saturday 31st July 2010

Time: 7pm – 1am
£5 advance £7 door
tickets from www.ticketground.co.uk

Shit Browne photo: Yann Stofer

Shit Browne are not only the coolest thing to come out of France since Daft Punk, have the coolest name since Throbbing Gristle, and are the best thing I’ve heard for some time.

After two French single releases DMD (2008) & Sweetback (2009) they are to release the very wonderful Every Single Penny Will Be Reinvested in the Party.

Shit Browne are a Parisian based quintet with a real indie Madchester cool.  Every Single Penny Will Be Reinvested in the Party starts with a swagger. Artifice sets the scene with its lazy beat and arrogant vocal delivery. The guitar intro on Sunflowers sounds familiar.  Too similar to The Stone Roses Waterfall? Maybe.

The awesome Electronics pays even more homage to The Stones Roses, as does Chairman. While Don’t Ask errs more towards the Primal Scream and Happy Mondays club / indie pop crossover. New Colours & Browne & Proud have the energy & contemporary yet retro feel of the Inspiral Carpets; and with an err towards 1980’s indie pop, Betty’s Cake has all the innocence and purity of The Pastels.

I’m not sure if this is a piss take but its very good.  The lyrics of Browne and Proud may offer a clue:

“Learning from the Mondays, wanking on the Roses.Copying the Chosen, smoing the Carpets.”

But in amongst the indie pop cool they show their strength and versatilty by breaking up the album with the dance-based mellow instrumental Eternal Love & Winter’s Hill.

Shit Browne consists of “brothers” Sebi Browne (vocals) and Benjamin Browne (Bass), Denis Browne Jr, Hadrien Browne, and Tigrou Browne. They are, apparently, no relation to King Monkey himself.

Like some high-powered energy drink, you can hear a real flavour of independence in the melt of multiple sounds that forge Every Single Penny Will Be Reinvested In The Party.

Finding difficult to explain what this pop/club crossover is made of – but oozing confidence about exactly how to reach it – Shit Browne produced and mixed the album themselves.

It’s maybe this authenticity and simple truth that gives the album this manic, ecstatic feeling. From the hypnotic Electronics to the guitar led dance floor assault of Winter Collection Shit Browne jumps on its own inspiration and reboots itself at will as electric or electronic.

Last year’s single Sweetback is also included on this fantastic 12 track debut album that is a truly amazing album.  Best album of 2010? I think so.

If there’s one group I want to see at a music festival this summer, it’s Shit Browne.

Every Single Penny Will Be Reinvested in the Party by Shit Browne is out on 5th July on the Asphalt Dutchess label.

Redtrack new single, 'Perfectly Fine Intellectual'

Redtrack, made up of Billy Wright, Phil Blake, Andy Perry and Mitch Silvey, release Perfectly Fine Intellectual / Imogen on 21st June on Label Fandango.

This is the fourth release from Southend’s Redtrack and precedes the album Whole Town’s Heart, to be released on Fierce Panda subsidiary Label Fandango on August 9th. Whole Town’s Heart is the debut album by Redtrack.

It is chewy and tuneful and, with its smalltown panic attacks and punchy new wave melodic jabs, sees them nodding towards the classic Britpopesque heritage of Weller, Difford and Costello. Small wonder then that punkoid peer Pete Shelley from The Buzzcocks was so enamoured with the Redtrack tracks that he co-produced (alongside Dave M Allen) their last single, Poledancer, which appears on this here album.

That isn’t the only celebrity light shining on Whole Town’s Heart, as it features a guest appearance from Hollyoaks starlet Hollie Jay Bowes on Pretty Boy, a spin-off from the band’s recent performance on the show. Redtrack recently won the Hollyoaks Music Show competition and appeared on the Channel 4 soap in February this year.

Redtrack’s Whole Town’s Heart is the first album release on Label Fandango, the Pointy Recordings / Fierce Panda offshoot which has previously concentrated on singles by the likes of Broken Records, Fanfarlo, Air Traffic and more.

Fanfarlo - Photo Eva Vermandel

Fresh from sold out London shows at ULU, rapturously received performances at this years SxSW festival and a support slot on Mumford & Sons UK tour, Fanfarlo have announced the release of their top new single Fire Escape.

Taken from their debut album Reservoir and released through Atlantic Records on Monday July 12th 2010 – Fire Escape will feature some radical reworkings by Dave Sitek (TV On The Radio), Tom Furse (The Horrors), Toro Y Moi and The Time & Space Machine (Richard Norris), as well as a new single mix from Tom Elmhirst (Amy Winehouse, Jonsi).

The dramatic video for Fire Escape is directed by Jamie Thraves, who has previously worked with Radiohead and Coldplay.

Two different endings have been shot, one ‘happy’ the other ‘unhappy’, although, concerning suicide, cults and human vulnerability, both could be seen as thoughtful ruminations on staring into the abyss.

Here you can see the happy ending video version of Fire Escape by Fanfarlo.

The band are expected to confirm a very small London show to coincide with the single release, although no details are yet available. Fanfarlo will also announce the dates of an Autumn UK headline tour in the near future.

Meanwhile you can catch Fanfarlo live at the following venues:

JUNE25th                Pilton              Glastonbury Festival (Queen’s Head stage)

JULY1st                   London          Serpentine Sessions (w Laura Marling)

SEPT16                    London          Campfire Trails at Troxy (w. Wild Beasts)

Fanfarlo also have an exclusive brand new song, Atlas, featured on the Twilight:Eclipse OST which is out now.

Their track The Walls Are Coming Down is currently being used in a high-profile Canon Powershot camera ad. across the UK and Europe