This February sees the launch of a new monthly 7” vinyl singles club by Rochester based independent label The Preservation Society Presents. Each month two artists will showcase exclusive recordings on a soon to be very collectable split 7” vinyl, limited to just 250 copies. Possibly uniquely for any record label in the UK, each vinyl is cut in real time on the record companies premises and then hand stamped by the bands.

To kick off this exciting series of releases are two very different artists, psyche-pop four piece Theatre Royal (‘head for the melodic jugular’- Artrocker) and lyrical hip hop quartet Kids Unique. Separated at birth by genre, both artists are brought together on this exclusive vinyl only release by a shared world-view, one that places an emphasis on hooks and melody, no matter what form the back beat takes.

‘Katherine’s Sleeping’ is the first new material in 2012 from Medway’s Theatre Royal. This cold slab of alternative, guitar-driven pop will be an exclusive vinyl only pre-cursor to a slew of brand new singles and a 2nd album to be released later this year.

The other half of this idiosyncratic split 7” release is ‘Seymour Evil’ the debut single from hotly tipped hip-hop outfit Kids Unique, taken from their debut album ‘Assortments’.

Whilst ‘Seymour Evil’ is casually confrontational and charmingly cock-sure, ‘Katherine’s Sleeping’ is alienation and confusion rising to a quietly anthemic chorus. The release will be supported by both acts playing a string of co-headlining dates across London & Kent.

Theatre Royal / Kids Unique UK Dates:
February 23rd – Margate, The Bracket
February 24th – Rochester, The Nags Head (Theatre Royal only)
February 25th – Folkestone, The Bar Below
February 28th – London, The Buffalo Bar

The limited edition AA-side 7” Vinyl single (250 copies only) of Theatre Royal – ‘Katherine’s Sleeping’ / Kids Unique – ‘Seymour Evil’ is released on February 27th 2012 on the Medway-based The Preservation Society label.

For more information visit www.thepreservationsocietypresents.com.

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.

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

Frank Turner

Rounding off an exceptional year that has included headlining festivals, Main Stage sets at Reading and Leeds and a chart bothering album, Frank Turner will release his new single ‘Wessex Boy’ on 28th November through Xtra Mile Recordings. Frank Turner has also confirmed his biggest headline show to date at London’s Wembley Arena for April 2012.

The third single to be lifted from the Top 12 album ‘England Keep My Bones’ it encapsulates the album’s feeling of nostalgia, reminiscing about home towns and re-visiting cosy childhood memories after a long time away. And in some uncanny cosmic timing it provides the perfect soundtrack as the winter nights draw in and attention is turned to going home for Christmas.

It also echoes Frank Turner’s return to these shores after months of touring North America and Europe. He’s back for his huge UK headline tour with his band The Sleeping Souls. Three of the six dates are now completely sold out with the others selling fast.

Frank Turner UK Live dates:

November
22 Bournemouth O2 Academy
23 Newport, Newport Centre
24 Birmingham O2 Academy SOLD OUT
25 Glasgow Barrowlands
26 Manchester O2 Apollo SOLD OUT
27 London HMV Hammersmith Apollo SOLD OUT

As the last remaining tickets get snapped up plans are already underway for a humdinger of a one-off event for April 2012. Frank Turner’s Friday the 13th at Wembley Arena will be an extra special one-day festival-like extravaganza offering fans an incredible line-up of musical gems.

Frank Turner Tickets are on sale from 14th October.

Back to this year though and November will also see the release of Frank’s ‘Second Three Years’ – a collection of live tracks, sessions, cover versions, b-sides and lost songs from the past three years. Out on 21st November it features live recordings of the traditional folk song ‘Barbara Allen’ from Shepherd’s Bush and the show-stopping ‘Father’s Day’ from Union Chapel both in 2009; covers versions of Springsteen, Nirvana, NOFX and Flanders & Swann to name a few as well as session tracks from Radio 1 and the bonus tracks featured on the limited deluxe edition of ‘England Keep My Bones’.

And finally on 10th November Frank Turner will be performing at the inaugural AIM Music Awards in London where he is nominated for Hardest Working Act and Best Live Act.

For more information visit www.frank-turner.com.

Herman Dune announce the second single from their critically acclaimed new album ‘Strange Moosic‘. The French duo of David-Ivar Herman Dune and Cosmic Néman follow the roaring success of the first single “Tell Me Something I don’t Know” (notable for its fantastic road movie video featuring Jon Hamm from Mad Men and a strange little blue yeti) with “Be A Doll and Take My Heart”, an upbeat pop ditty fuelled by acoustic guitars, David-Ivar’s distinctive vocals and fun-filled “oohs”.

Here’s a link to the video for the song, directed again by Toben Seymour and features Herman Dune’s signature baby-blue Yeti hanging out with the kids and skateboarding!

David-Ivar wrote this as a love song, despite the fact that he started writing it after reading Deuteronomy 33:6, in which Moses blesses Reuben and says “May You Live And Not Die“. In context this might have been some kind of admonition but David-Ivar saw it otherwise and thought it was a wonderful thing to say to a loved one. Using the line as a starting point for the song, David added his favourite things to tell a woman you love, including the expression “Be A Doll”, which ended up being the title and the chorus of the song. As he explains: “Giving your heart to someone is a big deal and I felt that asking a girl nicely to “Be a doll and take my heart” balances out the wish that she would live and not die and the possessiveness of “May you never love another guy”

Recorded in Portland, Oregon at Type Foundry Studios (The Decemberists, Dirty Projectors, M Ward), the song’s structure was based on four chords being played sitting down, reminiscent of Kurt Cobain’s guitar-based songs like “Polly” or “On A Plane“, and was embellished with sweet backing vocals by local Portland artists Sean Flinn and Rachel Blumberg.

Herman Dune October UK Tour:

Wednesday, 12 October
London, UK, Union Chapel

Thursday, 13 October
Southampton, UK, Joiners Arms

Friday, 14 October
Nottingham, UK, Rescue Rooms

Saturday, 15 October
Manchester, UK, Islington Mill

Sunday, 16 October
Glasgow, Scotland, King Tuts

Monday, 17 October
Leeds, UK, The Brudenell Social Club

Tuesday, 18 October
York, UK, The Duchess

Wednesday, 19 October
Sheffield, UK, The Hawley

Thursday, 20 October
Cardiff, Wales, SWN Festival

Friday, 21 October
Birmingham, UK, Academy

Saturday 22 October
Rough Trade Instore – Saturday 22 October – 12 noon

Herman Dune release “Be A Doll and Take My Heart” on Fotuna POP! on Monday 10 October.

Crazy Arm new album, Union City Breath

Crazy Arm new single, ‘Tribes‘, is to be released on Monday 15th August followed by a new album, ‘Union City Breath‘ due for release on 10th October 2011. Both are to be released on vinyl, CD & digital download via Xtra Mile Recordings (UK & rest of the world) & Gunner Records (mainland Europe).

Devon folk roots-punks, Crazy Arm new single is the first release ahead of their imminent new album, ‘Union City Breath‘.  A highlight of this live favourite, it is a song of two distinct parts, combining the band’s love of Springsteen, gospel and honest punk rock.  The lyrics are an indictment of man-made structures of violence and a call for a return to simpler, more ethically-centred ways of interacting. Also on the record: the voice of Victoria Butterfield (who sang on the band’s last single ‘Sweet Storm‘) and keys courtesy Patrick James Pearson.  The single will coincide with the band’s debut acoustic tour in August with Cory Branan and Sam Russo in August.

The follow-up to 2009’s dramatic debut, ‘Born To Ruin‘, ‘Union City Breath‘ was produced/engineered once again by Peter Miles (King Blues, The Computers, Sonic Boom Six) at his new studio in the South Devon countryside.  Taking its cue from the spurious idea of the Big Society, ‘Union City Breath‘ is a reminder that all societies are made by people and can be changed or at least challenged by people whenever they see fit. The band will be touring the album throughout the UK in September, and are the main support to Against Me! on their European/UK tour in November.

Crazy Arm set up camp in mid-2006. Not easy to categorise, and all the better for it, their sound is an accumulation of decades of influence and inspiration: rooted in hardcore/punk, 1960’s protest folk/country and classic rock’n'roll, combined with a grass-roots political overview that embraces anti-war, anti-fascist and pro-community activism.

They have toured extensively throughout the UK and Europe many times, sharing stages with the likes of Frank Turner, Chuck Ragan, The Xcerts, Bangers, Apologies I Have None, The Cut Ups, Two Cow Garage and Sonic Boom Six; and have made appearances at festivals including 2000 Trees, NASS, Leopallooza, Boardmasters, Reading and Leeds.

Crazy Arm ‘Union City Breath‘ tracklist:

1.    Of The Tarantulas
2.    Bandalito
3.    Tribes
4.    The Right Wing Never Sleeps
5.    The Endless Carriage
6.    Little Boats
7.    Song Of Choice
8.    200 Pints Of Blood
9.    Meet The Marines
10.    Southway Drive
11.    City & Western
12.    Charnel House Blues
13.    White Canyon

Crazy Arm are currently on tour and will be touring throughout the Autumn – firstly a UK Album tour (23rd September – 10th October 2011) followed by a UK & European tour with Against Me! (2nd November – 28th November).

AUGUST
14th – Tiger Lounge, Manchester (with Apologies + Cory Branan + Russo)
15th – Duke Of Wellington, Lincoln (with Cory Branan + Sam Russo)
16th – Royal Park Cellars, Leeds (with Cory Branan + Sam Russo)
17th – The Maze, Nottingham (with Cory Branan + Sam Russo)
18th – Edge Of The Wedge, Portsmouth (with Cory Branan + Sam Russo)
19th – Windmill, London (with Cory Branan + Sam Russo)
20th – Prince Albert, Brighton (with Cory Branan + Sam Russo)

SEPTEMBER
9th – Ivylive Festival, Ivybridge
11th – Plymouth Punks Picnic, Nowhere Inn
23rd – White Rabbit, Plymouth (with Damerels + more)
27th – Corporation, Sheffield
28th – Karma Café, Norwich (tbc)
29th – Barfly, London (with Apologies I Have None + Great Cynics)
30th – Unit, Southampton (tbc)

OCTOBER
1st  – Cambridge
2nd – Duke Of Wellington, Lincoln (with Above Them)
3rd – The Cluny, Newcastle (with Above Them)
4th – Stereo, Glasgow
5th – Central Station, Wrexham
6th – Fibbers, York
7th – West End Centre, Aldershot
10th – Croft, Bristol (with RVIVR)
22nd – White Rabbit, Plymouth (with Capdown)

NOVEMBER
2nd – Prince Albert, Brighton

(the following dates are with Against Me!)

3rd – La Maroquinerie, Paris, France
4th – Ex-Haus, Trier, Germany
5th – JC De Klinker, Aarschot, Belgium
6th – Dusseldorf, Germany
7th – Abart, Zurich, Switzerland
9th – Wuk, Vienna, Austria
10th – Rock House, Salzburg, Austria
12th – Den Haag, Netherlands (headline show)
13th – O13, Tilburg, Netherlands
14th – Faust, Hannover, Germany
15th – Knust, Hamburg, Germany
16th – Skaters Palace, Munster, Germany
17th – De Onderbroek, Nijmegen, Netherlands (headline show)
18th – Cockpit, Leeds
19th – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
20th – Talking Heads, Southampton
21st – Arts Centre, Norwich
24th – Cavern, Exeter (with Living Daylights)
28th – Peel, Kingston

For more information visit www.facebook.com/thecrazyarm.

Devon folk-punk rockers - Crazy Arm

Devon folk punks, Crazy Arm, release their new single, ‘Tribes‘, on 1st August, the first release ahead of their imminent new album, ‘Union City Breath‘.

Already a live favourite, ‘Tribes/Animals‘, is a song of two distinct parts, combining the band’s love of Springsteen, gospel and honest punk rock.  The lyrics are an indictment of man-made structures of violence and a call for a return to simpler, more ethically-centred ways of interacting.

Also on the record, the voice of Victoria Butterfield (who sang on the band’s last single ‘Sweet Storm‘) and keyboards courtesy of Patrick James Pearson.

The follow-up to 2009’s dramatic debut, ‘Born To Ruin’, ‘Union City Breath‘ is currently in the finishing stages and is being produced/engineered, once again, by Peter Miles (King Blues, The Computers, Sonic Boom Six, Dry The River) at his new studio deep in the South Devon countryside.

Taking its cue from the spurious idea of the Big Society, ‘Union City Breath‘ is a reminder that all societies are made by people and can be changed or at least challenged by people whenever they see fit.

The most authoritarian of institutions and the largest of multinational corporations are still only the product of human endeavour, propped up by other people with the same global interests – they can be, will be and are dismantled if and when they continue to pose a threat and cause violence upon ordinary people.

The band are due to play Shepherds Bush Empire with Social Distortion on 7th July amongst other shows and festival appearances including 2000 Trees and Boardmasters. The album will coincide with a comprehensive tour of the UK and mainland Europe, while the single will coincide with the band’s debut acoustic tour in August with Cory Branan and Sam Russo.

Crazy Arm UK Tour Dates:

Thurs 7th July
London, Shepherds Bush Empire (w/Social Distortion) SOLD OUT

Fri 8th July
London, The Bowery (with The Dissociates)

Sat 9th July
Voodoo Lounge, LMHR benefit

Thurs14th July
2000 Trees Festival, Cheltenham, rock set

Fri 15th July
2000 Trees Festival, Cheltenham, acoustic set

Sat 23rd July
Livestock Festival, near Sidmouth

Sat 6th Aug
Plymouth, Jack Chams (acoustic show)

Fri 12th Aug
Boardmasters Festival, Vans Stage

Sun 14th Aug
Manchester, Tiger Lounge (acoustic w/Cory Branan + Apologies, I Have None + Sam Russo)

Mon 15th Aug
Lincoln, venue tbc (acoustic w/Cory Branan + Sam
Russo)

Tues 16th Aug
Leeds, Santiagos (acoustic w/Cory Branan + Sam Russo)

Weds 17th Aug
Nottingham, The Maze (acoustic w/Cory Branan + Sam Russo)

Thurs 18th Aug
Southsea, Edge Of The Wedge (acoustic w/Cory Branan + Sam
Russo)

Fri 19th Aug
London, The Windmill (acoustic w/Cory Branan + Sam Russo)

Sat 20th Aug
Brighton, The Prince Albert (acoustic w/Cory Branan + Sam
Russo)

Mon 29th Aug
Dbs festival, Bristol

Fri 9th Sept
Ivylive Festival, Ivybridge (with The King Blues + lots more)

Sun 11th Sept – Plymouth Punks Picnic

Here’s the promotional video for Broken By The Wheel

Crazy Arm release their new single ‘Tribes‘ on 1st August 2011 on Xtra Mile Recordings (UK) & Gunner Records (mainland Europe) as a 7″ vinyl and digital download.

Funeral Suits new single, 'Colour Fade'

Funeral Suits line-up a few UK dates to promote their new single, ‘Colour Fade‘ on the Friends vs Records label.

Funeral Suits are a three-piece from Ireland consisting of Brian James, Mik McKeogh and Greg McCarthy. The music they make is expansive without being overblown, heavy without being menacing and all the more thrilling for its restraint.  Their first single release is ‘Colour Fade’  its a song thats reflective of the trio’s hedonistic adolescence and burning passion to escape Dublin whilst hinting at big things to come from their full length.

Funeral Suits UK Dates:

June 15 – Leeds, Nation Of Shopkeepers
June 16 – London , Old Blue Last
June 18 – Oxford, Jericho Tavern
July 3 – London, Wireless
Aug 13 – Standon Calling

Funeral Suits have recorded and finished their debut album with acclaimed producer Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths) which is due to be released in 2011.

Gentleman’s Dub Club High Grade UK Tour Dates:

3 May
Komedia, Bath

4 May
The Boiler Room, Guildford

5 May
Concorde 2, Brighton

6 May
Forum, Tunbridge Wells

8 May
Sumo, Leicester

9 May
Club Academy, Manchester

10 May
Mojo, Liverpool

12 May
Academy, Newcastle

13 May
G2, Glasgow

14 May
Leeds University, Leeds

16 May
The Duchess, York

17 May
Sheffield University, Sheffield

18 May
Rescue room, Nottingham

20 May
King’s College, London

21 May
O2, Oxford

22 May
Junction 2, Cambridge

24 May
Arts Centre, Colchester

25 May
Koko Gorlaz, Cardiff

26 May
Hare & Hounds, Birmingham

27 May
Thekla, Bristol

30 May
The Joiners, Southampton

Here is the video to the 2010 single Emergency.

For more information visit The Gentleman’s Dub Club Facebook page.

lower than atlantis

Having released the second single Deadliest Catch from their upcoming second album this week, Lower Than Atlantis have announced that they will be streaming the new album World Record ahead of it’s release on April 25th.

You can hear the new album in its entirety on the Lower Than Atlantis My Space now, before its official release date on April 25th.

The bands intense bond with their fans is set to shine through with the music video for ‘Deadliest Catch’ for which they are accepting fan submissions to be included in the lyric-themed concept.

From the opening life-on-the-road anthem ‘(Motor) Way of Life’ right through to closer ‘R.O.I.,’ ‘World Record’ is an album bursting with exuberance and packed with massive rock hooks. Lower Than Atlantis prove that they’ve hit their stride, honing their songwriting skills to pure brilliance following the release of 2010’s critically acclaimed debut ‘Far Q.’

High octane tracks like first single ‘Beech Like The Tree’ and ‘Bug’ appear alongside more contemplative compositions like ‘High At Five’ – the sound of a band carving out their own identity in today’s music scene – and ‘Another Sad Song’ which is as melancholy as its title suggests. Despite the contrasting dynamics on the album, one thing that all the tracks have in common is a keen sense of melody and crafty riffery, backed up by a rhythm section that pulls no punches.

Mike Duce (vocals/guitar) says of the progression the band have made for the creation of this album:

“Writing was pretty natural because we’re with each other so much, we’ve all been listening to the same music and had the same influences. When it came to working on the songs, we all kind of knew where we were going. Recording was very efficient! We’d already demo’d the album live and then in a studio before recording the real thing so we knew exactly what we were playing and how we were playing it.

The tunings for most of the songs have dropped two whole steps to add a darker feel. The tempo of the songs has slowed down too to give a more powerful feel and to make sure the listener definitely has time to get the message. There’s less of a jokey undertone lyrically so I guess it’s more ‘grown up’.”

Lower Than Atlantis – Deadliest Catch

Lower Than Atlantis look set to ride high on the wave of new British rock talent with this collection of songs, having already picked up some serious airplay on the likes of Radio 1, Scuzz and Kerrang!

Touring is next on the agenda for the band who are currently on a mammoth tour of the USA supporting Asking Alexandria. When they return to the UK, LTA will head straight out with We Are The Ocean for a string of dates in their homeland to coincide with the release of ‘World Record.’

The band have also been announced to perform at several summer festival’s including slot on the Pepsi Max stage at Download on Sunday June 12th as well as dates with Futures and Set Your Goals.

UK TOUR DATES WITH WE ARE THE OCEAN

APRIL
27 – CARDIFF Millenium Music Hall
28 – LONDON Electric Ballroom
29 – MANCHESTER Academy 2
30 – GLASGOW Garage

MAY
01 – NEWCASTLE Academy 2

FURTHER LIVE DATES

MAY

14 – LINCOLN Crash Doubt Festival

15 – BRIGHTON Alt Great Escape         (with Set Your Goals)

21 – LIVERPOOL Sound City

JUNE

02 – OXFORD O2 Academy 2 (with Futures)

03 – CAMBRIDGE Haymarket (with Futures)

05 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy 3        (with Futures)

09 – LIVERPOOL Masque                        (with Futures)

11 – BOURNEMOUTH iBar                    (with Futures)

12 – DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL – Pepsi Max Stage

13 – PORTSMOUTH Wedgewood Rooms (with Futures)

14 – NOTTINGHAM Rock City 2             (with Futures)