[LISTEN] Barns Courtney - Hands

Bars Courtney has revealed his brand new track, "Hands", as well as details of his debut EP of the same title. On the EP is "Hands", "Goodbye John Smith", a remix of "Glitter & Gold" by ZIBRA and finishes off with a Jefferson Airplane cover, "Somebody To Love", the EP is due to be released on the 27th of May via Virgin EMI.

You can listen to "Hands" blow and also check out his UK dates too. It's music like this that keeps me motivated when times are dark, such a great track, and be sure to keep an eye on him in the coming months!

Barns Courtney Live UK Dates
April
29th - London – KOKO, BBC Introducing / Club NME
30th - Leeds, Live at Leeds
May
1st - Glasgow, Stag & Dagger Festival
3rd - Newcastle, Head of Steam
5th - Cambridge, Portland Arms
20th - Brighton, The Great Escape. Venue: Patterns (Upstairs)
21st - Brighton Alternative Escape, Black Lion, (Various Artists and Sesac Showcase)
27th - Manchester Dot to Dot Festival
28th - Exeter – Radio 1’s Big Weekend
28th - Bristol Dot to Dot Festival
29th - Nottingham, Dot to Dot Festival
June
18th - 110Above Festival. Gopsall Hall Farm, Leicester
July
1st July - Barn on the Farm Gloucestershire

[LISTEN] Hardactors - It's My Life

Hardactors is the moniker of Joe Bailey, a up and coming singer-songwriter from Suffolk, and his latest track is "It's My Life" (not the Bon Jovi track by the way) and it's a very relaxing affair with some airy vocals, a twist of Americana and some folk twangs too.

The single "It's My Life" is backed up with two new songs "Dum Dum Girl" and "Such a Shame", the single is out NOW in all good digital retailers.

[LISTEN] The Last Shadow Puppets - Miracle Aligner

The Last Shadow Puppets are really gearing up for their new album - "Everything You've Come To Expect" - with another teaser of the LP in the form of "Miracle Alinger" after it was performed live at their first show back in 8 years the other day, in Cambridge's Corn Exchange venue.

The Last Shadow Puppets unveil video for "Aviation"

The Last Shadow Puppets have today unveiled the third video, this time for "Aviation", which is lifted off their second album. The LP itself is out April 1st via Domino and the latest cut sees Miles back on vocals, in a video that seems like it's a prequal to "Everything You've Come To Expect" - it's if to say, you know what, we rented the beach for two days so might as well use it!

You can watch the sandy video below.

The Last Shadow Puppets' UK Dates
MARCH
24 Cambridge, Corn Exchange
25 Middlesbrough, Town Hall
26 Edinburgh, Usher Hall

29 Paris, Olympia
30 Brighton, The Dome
APRIL

01 London, Hackney Empire

02 Liverpool, Olympia

03 Sheffield, City Hall
JUNE
24 Bristol, Lloyd’s Amphitheatre
JULY

10 Manchester, Castlefield Bowl

12 Bridlington, The Spa

13 Bournemouth, BIC

15-16 London, Alexandra Palace

Tim Gallagher covers "Love On Top" by Beyonce for Ont' Sofa

Everyone assumes that covers only exist in the BBC's Live Lounge, but YouTube is a place to find some truly stunning covers, such as this one of Beyonces "Love On Top" by singer-songwriter Tim Gallagher - I'm guessing no relation to those brothers in Oasis.

The cover has a distinctive bluesy feel to it, with some finger picking and some strong vocals that'll have you grooving by the end, head on down to watch Tim do his thing.

Max Jury shares video for new cut "Numb"

If you're a YouTuber you might know of Max and his covers, but don't worry, we're going to get you right up to speed with his new track, and the video for it too. "Numb" is a heartfelt track with hints of gospel coming from the backing vocals, a dash of Americana and what sounds like a influence from the likes of Hozier.

He's been touring all over the USA with Lana Del Rey and Rufus Wainright so might not come to a surprise after listening to this that his debut album is slated in for a 3rd of June release via Marathon Records. 

Anyway, head on down below to check it out.

[LISTEN] Father John Misty - Maybe, Sweet One, You Won't Have Nightmares Tonight

Father John Misty has uploaded a new track over the weekend, he says - "I was asked to write a lullaby for Stephen Colbert as part of a skit for the show. Unfortunately the bit was cut for time/content."

Shame it was never used on the show, but you can listen to it just below, enjoy!

[GIG REVIEW] Lord Huron @ The O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire

The beautiful Shepherds Bush Empire is the ideal venue for Lord Huron to play in. Their songs suit the theatre space perfectly, but not in the overblown and hammy ‘performing-arts’ way that the word theatre often connotes. Rather it is indicative of the expressive depth and resonance that the best performances provide. Having never seen Lord Huron live before the emotion that is sustained across the hour and a half set is what strikes me most. From this point of view the live reference points I’m reminded most of are sets from Sufjan Stevens, The National and Arcade Fire, which is obviously a pretty good group to be a part of. In terms of the music, the last two are similarly good comparisons, albeit with more of an Americana/ Country inflection.

Without wishing to labour the analogy too much, the set construction, both in terms of track order and set design, are reminiscent of a play- the backdrop made up of pale, bare leafless trees accompanied by the cold sound effects between songs set the tone (an apt tone too as our days are much more quickly turning to nights in the UK…). Throughout this cohesive whole that is created, there are however highlights punctuating the linear story. The first of which comes with the one-two of ‘Dead Man’s Hand’ and ‘Lonesome Dreams’, the latter particularly showing Lord Huron’s ability to combine touching sentiment with classic songwriting.

‘The Ghost on the Shore’ is another nice moment- the dual harmonica parts blending into a sound that no longer sounds like the instrument at all, but something more eerie and piercing. Following on with this theme of atypical instrumentation is the haunting theremin line of the impressive ‘Way Out There’.  Sandwiched between these two is ‘The Birds Are Singing at Night’- the bird call sound effects surrounding this song are perhaps the only moment where the ‘show’ rather than ‘concert’ aspect tends towards jumping the shark somewhat, but this is only a very minor gripe.

The upbeat ‘Meet Me in the Woods’ is a welcome increase in tempo, continued with the most stand-alone song of the night in the bluesy ‘The World Ender’, complete with passionate red-lighting and the second biggest dance along of the night. The occurrence of the biggest is not far away however as the imperious ‘Fool For Love’ keeps people dancing and singing along to their hearts content. With their vocal chords warmed up, the crowd warmly sings main set closer, and perhaps Lord Huron’s most famous tune, ‘To The Ends of the Earth’ back to the 5 dark-suited men on stage. The communal feeling fostered by the shared questioning of “to the ends of the earth would you follow me?” is one of the warmest moments of the night.

The band don’t leave the stage for long before coming out to perform my personal highlight, the beautifully sad ‘The Night We Met’, the real hairs-on-the-back of your neck moment of the show in which frontman Ben Schneider does his best Matt Berninger impression. All that’s left then is the light-hearted pogoing and sing-a-long of ‘Time to Run’, which culminates with the group coalescing around the drum kit for the final extended flourish, the classic indicator of a gig’s ending. The audience can walk out into the cool London air satisfied that Lord Huron have delivered a fine set heavy on honest emotion, genuine heart-racing moments and foot shuffling indie-folk. 

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[LISTEN] New Desert Blues - Summer Skin

The South-Coast band are back with a brand new track, "Summer Skin", and yet again it's a track that strikes a chord with us from the off, the wallowing guitar in the breakdowns, the nod towards Americana and sounds a lot like Bands of Horses in parts. This band have been teetering on the edge of breaking out for a good year now, and I can see them pushing out very soon.

"Summer Skin" is a great track to binge to on a lovely rainy day in the UK. Their début album is due to be officially announced very soon.

Track of the week... Lewis Fieldhouse - Not Done Loving You

Last week we were treated to a brilliant new track from Lewis Fieldhouse, "Not Done Loving You". The track is a great new cut from the Londoner, blending in some Alt-Folk with his unique Americana. The track itself starts off as a low key affair with just Lewis' vocals and his guitar, but then it bursts into life.

With beautiful melodies, sweet guitar tones and excellent percussion the track just evolves minute by minute. With the next chorus getting bigger, the whole track becomes so much more, then the drop in the bridge comes. "Not Done Loving You" is a big statement from Lewis and shows us exactly why he's one of the most exciting singer-songwriters in London at the moment. The track ends with yet another burst of acoustic flair, Lewis Fieldhouse, we're in awe!

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Daily Download... Lewis Fieldhouse - Great White Hope

Lewis Fieldhouse is one of the best Americana singer-songwriters the world has not yet heard of, residing in the attractive capital city of England, he's a hard-working individual who love to perform anywhere! He actually makes a living off busking in the heart of the tourist district. His latest song is about coffe, the thing that makes us all tick.

Originally written for a charities fund-raiser, Lewis has now uploaded it to his soundcloud account - just listen to him swoon and caress his guitar, it's like making sweet sweet tender love.

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Tom Levin unveils new single "Everyday"

Tom Levin is back with a new single inspired by everyday life, crayon paintings, bumblebees and rivers. On his latest album, "Them Buffalo & Them Feet" he mixed blues, gospel and bluegrass with inspiration from indie and hip hop. The result was appreciated worldwide, including The Rock And Roll Report and Wildy's World calling it one of the best albums of 2014.

“I wrote the song when my then three year old son proudly showed how he had drawn with crayons on our wall. My spontaneous reaction was of course to tell him he is absolutely forbidden to do so but instead I said that it was a very nice river he had drawn. And then my anger disappeared completely when he said: "No, Daddy, that’s not a river, it's a bumblebee" he says.

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Lewis Fieldhouse shares new song "Great White Hope"

The singer-songwriter has this weekend shared a new track via his YouTube channel called "Great White Hope". The Americana singer has uploaded this one in an acoustic video shot from his studio, just showing off his strong vocal ability and guitar skills.

Scroll on down to check it out.

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Daily Download... The Outdoor Type - Are You Happy

Today we've got a great new track by The Outdoor Type, "Are You Happy" is a delictae Indie-Pop track with subtle Surf and Americana vibes, it's a really good track to chill out to after a long day's worth of work.

Scroll on down to download it today for FREE!

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Bonnie "Prince" Billy unveils poignant video for "New Black Rich (Tusks)"

Indie singer-songwriter Will Oldham is a man of many aliases. Aliasii? Alias's? Anyway... Oldham, currently recording as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, quietly released an 11-track album, Singer's Grave a Sea of Tongues on Sept 23, via Drag City & Domino Records.

As BPB, Oldham's music has a DIY-aesthetic, which draws from rock, folk, punk, bluegrass, Americana and traditional country (think Hank Williams Jr meets NOFX plus the entire soundtrack from O Brother, Where Art Thou?) not unlike the musical genius of the late, great Jason Molina.

The first music video from this most recent installment accompanies the song "New Black Rich (Tusks)" and much like the 2012 single, "I See a Darkness" it features a heavily-whiskered Oldham, dancing through town. Check it out here via YouTube.

Tracklist:
Night Noises
So Far And Here We Are
There Will Be Spring
Quail And Dumplings
We Are Unhappy
It's Time To Be Clear
Whipped
Old Match
Mindlessness
New Black Rich (Tusks)
Sailor's Grave A Sea Of Sheep

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Daily Download... New Desert Blues - Devil's Rope EP

That's right, today we have a whole EP for free, thanks to the lovely guys in New Desert Blues. It was originally released at the beginning of the year, but now with an album around the corner the south coast band are giving it away!

Enjoy!

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