[LISTEN] Anteros - BLUE

Anteros don't hold back do they, not long after they dropped "Breakfast" they're back with another infectious indie-pop gem in the shape of "BLUE". It hold more atmosphere than it's predecessor, enough to fill the empty void in London that's known as The Emirates Stadium.

This track sounds like it was written to be performed at the darkest hours at night surrounded by a rolling mist. Head on down to check it out. "Breakfast"/"BLUE" was released April 1st via Kissability.

Beach Baby unveil video for "Lost Soul"

Beach Baby have unveiled their video for their latest single, "Lost Soul", which has come out at the end of a 15 long tour around the UK.  About the track the band say - " ... you feel like a spectator in your own life, and are struggling to find a purpose. We also tried to infuse ‘Lost Soul’ with some of the sex and bravado of Motown, which is a new thing for us."

You can head on down below and check it out!

Free Money reveal début track "Headful"

With a new day comes a new band, and this new band goes by the name of Free Money, which is a good trick to get people to come and see you with the expectation of song free moolah. They hit the scene running with the pulsating "Headful", which sounds like early Kasabian mixed with some Surf for good measure, one thing is for certain, it's come just in time for summer!

Their debut headline show is on Friday 20th May at London's The Shacklewell Arms.

[LISTEN] Nimmo - Kamikaze (MØ Cover)

Nimmo have revealed their very own version of MØ's "Kamikaze", the band said - "After coming home from such an amazing tour with with Years and Years and MØ we cured our post- tour blues by getting nostalgic and covering MØ’s track ‘Kamikaze’."

You can listen to their tropically tinged cover below.

[GIG REVIEW] Fickle Friends with KYKO @ 100 Club, London, 27th April 2016

The 100 Club, one of London’s premier and historical venues sits obliviously amongst the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street. Positioned awkwardly next to an Anne Summers, the downstairs establishment is only noticeable due to the growing queue outside. This week on the 27^thApril, it was home to lively Brighton five-piece Fickle Friends and the talented KYKO as support.

KYKO, aka Scott Verrill, is a South London raised musician far beyond his years. Fusing funky rhythms and relatively soulful lyrics, the youngster revels in the experience and can only come across as casually confident. Backed by a full band, the multi-instrumental Verrill explores African drum beats, summery melodies whilst maintaining a minimalist, lo-fi indie core. The result is something that has gained traction on BBC Introducing lately, and would not be out of place on a Made In Chelsea soundtrack (you know, that sort of thing). Running through tunes such as ‘Mexico’ and ‘Native’, the set is fun and bouncy, with the only pause being for some punter to fall off his mate’s shoulders.

The night does however belong to Fickle Friends. Only just returning to the UK, the band are backed with pink and blue and a new lighting rig evoking an 80s brand to match the evolving indie-pop. Taking to the stage, the band launch straight into usual set-opener and fan favourite ‘Say No More’ – the first song of an hour long set, which craftily and refreshingly balances up-tempo peaks and slower moments. Lead singer Natassja Shiner dominates the stage, baggy t-shirt and all. After a weak and unobtrusive start to her vocals, she eases into it quickly and soon finds top form, working through ‘Could Be Wrong’. The audience mixes in with the laid back atmosphere, contributing to a lot of fun and also a few awkward moments in-between songs – there were people on shoulders thrusting umbrellas in the air, there were irritating mosh pits (I mean, seriously), there were also balloons and glitter thrown on stage.

Written on the road, new tune ‘Cry Baby’ goes down a treat; a modern take on groove and pop. The band continue to thrive, pushing back any doubts of excessive travel – “I think we may have jet lag, but fuck it”. The sound is well balanced and impossible not to dance to, and dance the audience did. With their lustre and resourcefulness in electronic exploration and synth-pop sensibilities, the band maintain strong bass grooves and compact pop melodies. ‘Play’and ‘Freak’ are perfect examples of the 80s inspired new era – flirting with the old school but remaining contemporary throughout. Fickle Friends’ sound is even bigger live, with percussion and bass leading from the front. Looking around the venue, I could not see one person with arms folded – that’s the effect, infectious dance and an uncompromising desire to sing along.

Instagram - @richmaver

Over halfway and the show is taken down a notch with a striking rendition of ‘Paris’; performed under dimmed lights and intentionally much slower than on record. The song builds into a gratifying crescendo before finishing abruptly to move into oldie ‘For You’. This section of the set is dominated by the guitars with disco-tinged inflections. Following on from a technical halt, “Our keys have turned off… it’s a recurring theme at our gigs”, the band swiftly and almost perfectly deliver ‘Brooklyn’ and personal favourite ‘Velvet’. The latter leading to the whole place jumping up and down in tandem. ‘Velvet’is arguably the blueprint to any great pop tune, using simple catchy dance beats to work in tandem with harmonious lilts and a memorable chorus. Finishing in wild fashion, the set is closed by new single ‘Swim’. Before beginning, Natassja revises the lines to the song as a solo in order to envision a huge singalong. The result - half the audience belting the lyrics back at her, the other half throwing themselves around the room (some in time, others far too aggressively). A group of teens successfully storm the stage, and to the amusement of everyone else, are thrown directly back off.

It’s a strong and powerful set, full of energy. Fickle Friends win you over early doors and don’t let go. The sign of a great set.

Fickle Friends played:
Say No More
Could Be Wrong
Cry Baby
Play
Freak
Paris
For You
Brooklyn
Velvet
Swim

Written by – Richard Maver (@richmaver)

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[LISTEN] Club Kuru - Not For Me

Whilst in the process of building a studio in north east London with some close friends and fellow musicians, Club Kuru started off as one person. But after friends joined in and experimented with some new sounds while sharing a collective love of 60's and 70's American RnB, soul music melodies and 7" 45s breaks, the new post romantic incarnation of Club Kuru was born, and "Not For Me" is their new track!

Club Kuru is...
Laurie Erskine (lead vocals/synths)
Graham Godfrey (drums)
Ferg Ireland (bass)
Jess Berry (backing vocals/synths)
Laurence Hammerton (guitar)

[LISTEN] Spring King - The Summer

Spring King have revealed their brand new single "The Summer". They're huge fans of The Beach Boys and this song was written as an ode to them according to the band. The track was first played on Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show. More news from the band is that they're going to be finally releasing their debut album on the 10th of June! It's called "Tell Me If You Like To".

Listen to their new track "The Summer" below.

[LISTEN] Leif Erikson - Never Get You Out Of My Mind

London's Leif Erikson - named their band after the Icelandic explorer who beat Christopher Columbus to America (or the Interpol track in my mind) - have revealed their latest single "Never Get You Out Of My Mind". With only one single released so far in the form of "Looking For Signs", they're definitely living up to the hype that currently surrounds them.

Their second single, "Never Get You Out Of My Mind" is spine-tingling and so beautiful that you can easily get lost in it, listen to it in full below.

Catfish and the Bottlemen announce 2 London shows

Catfish and the Bottlemen have announced 2 London shows at the Electric Ballroom in Camden.

The two shows are set to happen on May 23rd and 25th, ahead of the release of their second album, The Ride, due out on May 27th. Tickets will cost £20 + booking fees and will be available for ballot winners only - meaning you can book a maximum of two tickets, if successful.

Their decision to run a ballot is due to the band's frustration of touts and their fans not being able to get tickets, which became immediately clear when announcing their returning shows earlier this year. Sign up for the ballot opens today (April 22nd) at 3pm and closes at 3pm on Monday, with winners soon being contacted by email. You can register here.

Those who are successful will have their names printed on the tickets and will be required to show ID on the doors at the gig.

Catfish and the Bottlemen recently revealed their second single from The Ride as 7, which they previewed on their last major tour in 2015. You can listen to that single on all major digital platforms, and here. 

[LISTEN] LOOP - Looking At You

LOOP is a singer-songwriter who's starting to make a name for herself, and her latest track "Looking At You" certainly has all of the hallmarks of a superstar! The track has such a drive to it, so punchy and so catchy. The distorted guitars down to the click track, it's all addictive, expect to see LOOP on the rise!

Listen to "Looking At You" below.

Anteros share video for latest single, "Breakfast"

Anteros have recently just come off a support tour with High Tyde, and they tore it up, and the corner-stone of their live show was this track, "Breakfast". When I saw them live I instantly thought of Blondie, not because of a blonde female fronting the band but they sound exactly like what Blondie would sound like if they started up in the 2010's.

With Annie Mac already going mad for them it's just going to be a short while until everyone notices them, the video for "Breakfast" is below.

[LISTEN] Passport To Stockholm - Better Days

Passport To Stockholm have unveiled their brand new track, "Better Days". The London quartet have returned with a track that has lots of gorgeous vocal melodies, strings and some glorious acoustic guitars. If you add in the foot tapping, hand-clapping, sing-a-long ready chorus then you could say they're onto a winner!

We like this a lot, so head on down and check it out - and if you're on a PC head up to check it out too as it's our featured track!

[LISTEN] Kyiki - We Are The Ocean

Kyiki might be someone who you're familiar with, she's Ellie Fletcher who performs live with Crystal Fighters, and here is her latest offering called "We Are The Ocean". It's not an ode to the rock band of the same name rather a dark-pop track with plentiful vocal hooks and laden with atmospheric noises capable of filling up any arena!

The single is out May 20th via iTunes.

KYKO unveils visuals for "Native"

London based singer-producer - KYKO - has got a lot of love recently from BBC Radio 1, Spotify and has supported X Ambassadors and Fickle Friends recently. His latest single, "Native", was playlisted by BBC Radio 1 and since then he's been getting noticed a lot more.

Here is his latest video for "Native", streaming below. With a simple staggering 1.3million views across all platforms you'll be sure to be seeing him about more often now!

[LISTEN] AUGUST - Sword

AUGUST (or ∆UGUST as they are stylised) have revealed their début single, "Sword". The dup are based in London and their first offering was produced by Charlie Hugall (Florence and the Machine, Halsey) and is due to be released this Friday (15th April).

"Sword" is a great way to hear AUGUST showcase their music, it's a very downtempo and chilled out track with soaring vocal melodies. You can listen to it below.

Bloc Party unveil video for "Virtue"

London based Bloc Party are somewhat of a veteran of the Dance-Rock genre now, and since the release of their fifth album "Hymns" they've gone onto prove that even after a line-up change that they're still a band to be reckoned with!

Below is the video for their latest single "Virtue", which is one of the more upbeat tracks on their latest LP. "Hymns" is out now.

[LISTEN] The Temper Trap - Fall Together

London based band The Temper Trap are back with a brand new track "Fall Together". Originally from Australia the band are now based in the UK's capital and have a new track and a brand new album too! Their third LP is called "Thick As Thieves" and will be released June the 10th via Infectious Music / Liberation Music / Glassnote Records (depending on what country you're in).

It's been a long time since they've played the UK, back in 2014 was their last British live appearance, and even longer since they broke out onto the scene with "Sweet Disposition" and "Science of Fear" - so head on down to check out their UK dates and the new cut!

The Temper Trap UK Dates
May
25 - Glasgow, Art School
27 - Manchester, Dot to Dot Festival
28 - Bristol, Dot to Dot Festival
29 - Nottingham, Dot to Dot Festival
31 - Oxford, O2 Academy
June
01 - London, Moth Club
12 - London, Field Day
July
24 - Huntingdon nr. Cambridge, Secret Garden Party

Mura Masa shares video for "What If I Go?"

Mura Masa - who is quite possibly the hottest and most exciting new producer currently in the UK - has revealed his video for "What If I Go?". The track features BONZAI and will be on his debut album, he was also #5 in the BBC's Sounds of 2016 list, and with all of his new music it seems that he's going out to prove them wrong.

Head on down to watch the video.

[LISTEN] Dead Ceremony - Magic

After the unveiling of "Tell Me Lies" the London outfit are back with another track, "Magic". This too is lifted from their début EP "Tell Me Lies" and showcases their lighter side, more of a slow jam with some electronic cues to it, could be quite the make-out track if you think about it!

The début EP from Dead Ceremony out April 14th on Fonthill Records.

[GIG REVIEW] Wet @ Scala, London, 23rd March 2016

Ever since the release of their eponymous 2013 EP, Wet have been key players in the new found lounge-friendly soft-pop movement, dominating the blog scene and flirting with the mainstream. Mixing 80s R&B and earlier soft rock influences, the band’s name has been bandied around with the likes of The XX, Jessie Ware and Rhye. The recent surge in popularity for Wet has only been aided by the release of blissful debut album ‘Don’t You’. Credit must go to the strength in intricacies, production and patience surrounding this album, since it has managed to overpower an arguably fading trend and come out triumphant. In lieu of this, it is no surprise their show at Scala was a sell-out.

With headphone-friendly fine points being very difficult to recreate in a live and large setting, Wet didn’t overcomplicate their set. Instead, the Brooklyn trio (backed on the night by a second percussionist to boost the steady beats) delivered a clear and powerful show. Opening with crowd pleasers ‘Deadwater’ and ‘You’re The Best’, the band overcame early tech jitters and overly loud crowd members. Vocals from Kelly Zutrau were clear, with an endearing quaver, maintaining her powerful, ringing notes of affection and pro-apathy. Backed by beaming blue lights, seemingly expert in hitting every audience member directly in the eye regardless of location and build, the band seemed to gain confidence hiding in the shadows.

Instagram: @richmaver

With her figure dissolved into darkness in front of the textured background, a shy Zutrau could still command attention when singing alone during ‘Small And Silver’. With no additional voices, nothing to hide behind, her drifting vocals rose above the increasingly irritating crowd; where the reintroduction of the quiet thundercrack drum, reverb, and pealing guitar completed the carefree dreamscape. Personal favourite ‘Move Me’ and ‘Body’ swiftly followed, with the latter being drawn out for a bigger and punchier finale. With one track weaving into another, only to be broken up by fluttering wildlife echoing in the monitors, the sound became more anthemic with a stronger low-end punch. The notably bolstered sound is helped by the addition of a live drummer; which shows the band have clearly thought of how to up their normally downtempo, flowing songs in an attempt to not be swallowed by the countless festival stages they’ll be playing over the next year.

Album closer and band favourite ‘These Days’ dismisses any concerns of Zutrau’s ability to control the crowd. On stage she’s at the core of every song, being significantly more connected to her songs than any audience member – which is not a bad thing. Although only rarely varying from her innocent and default position, she invites you to enter her world and get lost there. ‘Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl’ goes down a treat and holds the strongest sing-a-long of the evening – in fact, it went down so well that I swear I even saw some rave hands being periodically thrown up on the floor. Swiftly following the appreciative applause and some nervy murmurs of “this is so fun” and “this is the best London show we’ve ever done”, the band worked their way through ‘All In Vain’. Eyes fixated on the stage in hypnotic gaze, an intimacy developed, which was unexpected in a rather large venue. However, what was expected was Wet’s ability to thrive on this, with every note laced in precision.

‘No Lie’ and ‘Island’ finish the first part of the show, where Zutrau leaves the stage to allow the band to finish off in grandiose fashion. After a short break, Wet returned to the shadows to reveal ‘All The Ways’, a comparatively upbeat section of the evening. Through these lyrics, the present happiness can’t wipe away uncertainty and the expectation of future despair. In closer ‘Weak’, the drummers and shimmering guitars free the mist and consolidate the well-executed and consistent concert. There is something comforting in knowing that we have a band in Wet that go out and execute what they have set out to do; rather than attempt to dress themselves up and lose focus on their key template.

They may not create tracks you can head bang to or be accompanied by blinding strobe lights, but it’s a gig well worth the value and more.

Wet played:
Deadwater
You're The Best
Small and Silver
Move Me
Body
These Days
Don't Wanna Be Your Girl
All In Vain
No Lie
Island
--------
All The Ways
Weak

Written by – Richard Maver (@richmaver)

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