Port Isla cover "Sweet Nothing" by Gabrielle Aplin in the garden

In this highly cute video Port Isla cover Gabrielle Aplin's "Sweet Nothing", oddly enough released on the same day Gabrielle records a cover in BBC Radio 1's live lounge. But the video of the band was done in one take, on a oddly sunny day in their garden.

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Watch Port Isla perform "A.L.I.V.E" at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend

The band that formed at UEA headlined the BBC's Introducing Stage at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend the other day at Norwich, so the homecoming of the counties' hottest new acts was a highly anticipated event.

You can watch them perform their latest single "A.L.I.V.E" just below.

 
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Track of the week... Port Isla - A.L.I.V.E.

Port Isla have been on the up for a while now, and in the past year they've been growing in every respect very quickly. This year sees their new track "A.L.I.V.E." see them go more Electronic but without keeping their Folk edge and what makes them unique. From the off the piano keys draw you in, and then the guitars come right at you. The track already sounds like a summer smash hit and based on this track alone Port Isla are aiming high!

And why not, they're certainly a band we've been championing for a long time, and now people are also seeing what we saw in them. Since signing to Parlophone they've been on tour with Rae Morris, George Ezra and currently with James Bay, and it looks like they'll be in the charts in no time too! "A.L.I.V.E." is years of hard work paying off, the track is solid, festival ready and has hooks all over it!

Read our interview with Port Isla here and find out what they think of the festival season, who their perfect support act would be and many more!

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Interview with... Port Isla

We've been a fan of Port Isla for a while now, and when the opportunity came up to interview them we couldn't resist, we chat to their drummer (Henry) about their début album, touring and festivals. See Port Isla at Barn on the Farm Festival, Gloucestershire, 3rd - 5th July. For more information please visit www.barnonthefarm.co.uk/

Hello, if you had to introduce yourselves to a new listener what would you describe Port Isla as?

It's difficult, but I'd say we are 4 misfits who collectively aspire to make catchy, melodic, guitar orientated pop/rock songs.

When I first heard you guys it was the very early days, how important was it to you to release free music back then?

It was, and still is really important. When we first started out, we wanted to show that we could write well, but also prolifically. We also wanted people to hear the range that the band had in terms of writing and influences. We would put out a new demo on soundcloud every other week as a free download and people really liked it. Giving away something for free is a great way of making new fans. We still give out a free CD at gigs, so people can take a few, give them to friends/ family and help spread the word!

Since your humble beginnings in Norfolk, when you first started out, would you ever think of supporting such well known acts?

We always hoped we would have the opportunity to support some great artists and we've been incredibly lucky so far. The tour with Kodaline was amazing, we got to see a really big band in action every night and learned a lot about their whole operation. It was also great to get experience of playing to such a massive crowd.

The best thing about touring with George Ezra and James Bay is that we've known them for a long time now. They're both so enthusiastic and genuinely still amazed at how many people are coming to see them.We know how hard they've worked to get to where they are and it gives us a great incentive to work just as hard.

All this as well as playing some of the most prestigious venues in this country is a pretty amazing combination.

If you could choose your perfect tour supports who would it be?

Tough question! We've been listening to Will Smith every night before we go on stage recently, he'd definitely get the crowd going!

What does it mean to you to be playing such festivals like Glastonbury and Barn On The Farm?

We love festivals, they're such an important part of peoples summers so getting asked to play them is a pleasure for us, especially when they're some of the best around. Glastonbury is extra special as it carries such history. I'll never forget the first day we got there, the vastness of the site blew our minds. It was also the first time any of our songs got played on Radio 1, so all in all it was a pretty memorable weekend!

When you signed to Parlophone how did you feel?

Finally signing on the dotted line was genuinely one of the best days of my life. Again like playing at Glastonbury, it felt like we were a part of a significant piece of English music history. All of us are massive Beatles fans, so we’ve known about the Parlophone logo for a long long time. The people there have been great to us so far, that feeling has never gone away!

Every year you release a Christmas track, have you already started thinking of one yet? I know it's April but still!

We'll definitely release another one, but we've not started writing it just yet! The beauty of it is that you never know when you could write a christmas song. It could be the middle of summer, but if it sounds like Christmas, it just does!

With the huge anthems in your back catalouge, will you be treating your fans to new music when your album comes out or will it be re-recorded versions?

We're yet to finalise any kind of track-listing for the album, but it all depends on whether the older songs fit into the album we're trying to make. Obviously we still love songs like Sinking Ship and Steamroller, but we also never know what material we could write in the coming months. Bands like Foals only put new songs on their début and it didn't seem to harm their progress, but we'll have to wait and see!

Before getting signed to Parlophone, how much did it mean to be played on Radio 1?

It's always been a massive deal, even after we were signed! You can't take away the excitement of hearing someone like a Greg James or Zane Lowe introducing your song, knowing that thousands of people are listening to your music.

What are you listening to right now?

The new Staves record is unbelievable, as is the acoustic version of Alex Vargas's song 'Solid Ground'. Its been out for a while but I keep on listening to it at the moment. Muse's new song just came out too, I've been a massive fan for ages and have seen them live a number of times, so I can't wait for their new album. In the dressing room we've been doing karaoke to S Club 7 and Five for some reason!

Everyone has a tour story to tell, care to share any interesting stories with us?

We were playing at a pub in London once and put all our gear into the basement area. After a while the basement started to flood! We got there just in time to move the gear out of the way before it got too damaged. We were stood on beer crates passing stuff from one side of the room to the other like on some kind of game show! We even went back to save the beer on our rider.

Have you got any tips for any aspiring musicians?

Just be confident in what you're doing, and play the music that really moves you. Also take your music to your local BBC station, they've been so helpful to us over the years, getting us radio play and slots at Glastonbury and Latitude. They can do the same for you too.

And finally... do you have any EPs or even an album coming out this year?

Our next E.P 'A.L.I.V.E' is coming out in May and we can't wait for it. We might have another E.P out before the end of the year, with an album to follow in 2016

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Sounds of 2015 - #5 - Port Isla

Where do we start with this band? Well we've been eagerly following the band from their early days  when a new song came out every month or so, but recently they've had an uprising of songs come out. Mainly due to their massive deal they signed with Parlophone earlier on in 2014. The band are no strangers to high pressure situations, with playing Glastonbury two years on the roll, getting to the final of the Glastonbury Emerging Talents competition in 2013 and playing their home festival Latitude multiple times too.

Through this they've got a small but hard-core fanbase behind them, and especially considering that their sound at first was quite niche, they've found their sound and they're sticking with it. With the release of their EPs - "Steamroller" and "In The Long Run" - it's given their fans an insight of what they might expect on their highly anticipated début album. Now this is what happens when you try hard at what you do, this IS proof that it can be done, just simply flick through the site and see that we've been telling you to listen to them for years.

With their deal at Parlophone and some great support tours finished last year, 2015 is literally in their hands, and I for one will be pleased to see them rule the airwaves in the coming months!

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Port Isla stream "In The Long Run" EP

The boys from Norwich have today posted their entire new EP - "In The Long Run" - on their souncloud account, and you can stream it just below. The EP boasts three new tracks alongside the title track, "Runaway", "Volcano" and "Crusoe". 2015 is looking bright for them off the back of this release.

Keep an eye on them!

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Daily Download... Will Bloomfield - Peggle

"When my family moved from a townhouse to a farm way back in 2000, we got a beautiful, scruffy border terrier puppy and named her Winnie Peggle. For years, she would lie quietly by the window whilst I worked on songs and ideas on the piano. If she didn't like what I was working on, she'd let out a yawn, stretch her legs, and waddle off back to her bed. She was the sweetest music critic I've ever encountered.

Last week, after numerous health problems, she passed away peacefully at the grand old age of 13 and has left a huge hole in our family home. I started working on this piece a couple of weeks ago and finished it on the night she died so it seemed only appropriate to dedicate it to our much missed tiny bear.

Hope y'all like it x"

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Port Isla stream "In The Long Run"

Port Isla have been a band we've loved here at It's All Indie for a long time now, and today the band have unveiled their brand new track "In The Long Run", taken from an EP of the same name. It was premièred by Zane Lowe earlier on today, but you can re-live the song in full thanks to the soundcloud stream!

Our first listen to the can be seen below (via Twitter).

Really loving this new @portisla track @BBCR1 @zanelowe - Been a fan of theirs for a long time and this is a great step forwards for them!
— It's All Indie (@Its_All_Indie) November 3, 2014

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Port Isla's Will Bloomfield shares new track "Peggle"

The very talented Will Bloomfield and his band Port Isla have a new track out on Zane Lowe's show tonight (3rd November), but what a lot of people may not know is that Will has a new solo track out on Soundcloud to listen, stream and download.

 "When my family moved from a townhouse to a farm way back in 2000, we got a beautiful, scruffy border terrier puppy and named her Winnie Peggle. For years, she would lie quietly by the window whilst I worked on songs and ideas on the piano. If she didn't like what I was working on, she'd let out a yawn, stretch her legs, and waddle off back to her bed. She was the sweetest music critic I've ever encountered.

Last week, after numerous health problems, she passed away peacefully at the grand old age of 13 and has left a huge hole in our family home. I started working on this piece a couple of weeks ago and finished it on the night she died so it seemed only appropriate to dedicate it to our much missed tiny bear.

Hope y'all like it x"

Next Hype ► Port Isla

Having posted about this band since the very early days, way before they got signed to Parlophone, we thought it best to formally introduce you to the finest Norfolk has to offer! Started by Will, he enlisted two of his friends and they started performing acoustic gigs in and around Norwich. They grew a big and loyal fanbase and soon they needed a drummer to perform bigger shows. In recent years they've played Latitude Festival and Glastonbury on multiple occasions.

Their blend of pop sensibilities and folk twang has them in a niche all of their own, with people always taalking about them George Erza invited them on tour in 2014 and after that they shared the stage with Rae Morris on a few of her tour dates. Just based on the bands they've supported alone, they have a great attitude towards them, the image to go with it and the songs to back it up. Like I've said, they've signed to Parlophone so do expect a big release next year!  You check them out below performing on the BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury 2014 and below that their highly acclaimed début EP, "Steamroller".

For fans of // George Ezra, (early) Mumford & Sons, (acoustic) Bombay Bicycle Club and Rae Morris.

Port Isla's front-man, Will Bloomfield shares "Foxglove"

It looks like Port Isla's Will Bloomfield has his creative juices flowing with this ambient piano-lead track. The song appeared on my soundcloud feed yesterday and it's a perfect and gentle piece of music that just shows off Will's talent. This could so easily be a part of a film montage at the end of a love film.

Port Isla recently signed to Parlophone, so expect something big in the way of an EP or a single to drop next year at some point!

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Port Isla sign with Parlophone Records!

Port Isla have announced that they've signed a deal with Parlophone Records, after the long run of self-released music this is such a big deal in  every respects for the band.

Read the statement they released below:

We're super excited to announce that we've signed to Parlophone Records! Thanks so much to everyone who's supported us this far. We couldn't have done it without you. Lots of love, Port Isla

18 Of The Best Tracks We Heard This Week (w/e 15th June)

So here we are, again. I made a vow, not to carry you home but to bring you the TEN best tracks we heard this week over at IAIHQ. It includes some bands you know, some you might not, amazing covers and slick new beats (yes slick).

Chloe Howl - Señorita

Check out Chlöe Howl cover Justin Timberlake's "Senorita", the cover was recorded at Dean Studios. A stripped back version of the song really does show off her vocal talents and clearly shows why so many people were tipping her in 2014. 




The Ramona Flowers - Vultures

The Ramona Flowers release the second single from their eagerly anticipated début album, "Dismantle and Rebuild".The album is released on July 14th through Distiller Records, "Vultures" is a heartfelt anthem, packed with the band’s powerfully delivered emotion. It marks the release of the album on the same day with a bold statement of what The Ramona Flowers do best!

 


The Wytches - The Holy Tightrope

The Wytches are backing up their new single - "Wire Frame Mattress" - with a b-side track, "The Holy Tightrope" which they recorded while on tour with Blood Red Shoes earlier on this year. The track which the band have labelled as 'Doom-Surf' is out on the 7" vinyl edition of the single on 7th of July. 





Tame Impala - Backwards (Demo)

Kevin Parker has uploaded a rare demo of Tame Impala's "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" - entitled as "Backwards first demo" it's an insight of how such a stripped back track can transform into something amazing.




Sunburns - Venice

Sunburns are a new band to us, a new German band coming from Cologne with fresh licks of guitar, upbeat rhythms and most of all, catchy vocal hooks. You can stream their stunning new song called "Venice" below! Just think of early Bombay Bicycle Club mixed in with some horns and piano, and you've pretty much got "Venice", such a great track to listen to when the sun is out!




Glass Caves - Walking On The Moon

Glass Caves have been around for four years now and slowly but surely are building a great fanbase, and one of those reasons is the covers they record. Today we have a great video of them covering The Police's "Walking On The Moon" acoustically.




Dorine Levy - Lenyrose

We introduced you to her early in the week. "Lenyrose" is taken from the self-produced début album "Underwater", the track sounds like it's been lifted from an album that The National has done with Sigor Ros. For fans of Lana Del Rey, Röyksopp and Jonsi




This week we also released our NEW mixtape - #IAIELEVEN - The Seductive Issue - you can download 11 tracks of the freshest sounds below!

#IAIELEVEN - The Seductive Issue // FREE MIXTAPE

We welcome Summer back as an old friend that's been away for far too long. We've brough together Art-Rock, Acoustic, Shoegaze, Indie-Rock, Indie-Pop and everything in-between to make the most exciting and diverse mixtape ever! With sounds from all over the world, Sweden, America, Australia and Turkey, as well as brand new acts from all over the UK.

To find out who is in the mixtape, just flick the scroller on your mouse downwards!

 
#IAIELEVEN - The Seductive Issue

1. The Away Days - Your Colour
2. Moats - Snakepit
3. Bambi - Sheltered Eyes
4. Pixel Fix - Awake
5. Port Isla - Steamroller
6. Lyon Apprentice - Be Careful
7. Waste - Blow
8. Lovats - White Fire
9. Suvi - Find You
10. Iyes - Crazy In love
11. Bastille - Flaws (The Chainsmokers Remix)

[DOWNLOAD HERE]

Disclaimer:
All tracks have been given to us by the bands themselves via their management/themselves. 

10 Of The Best Tracks We Heard This Week (Up to May 3rd)

We're back with TEN of the best tracks we've heard this week, once again they're in no special order and features a wide mix of styles. Keep an eye out for the 'free download' icons as some may be available to download.

Enjoy.

Club Kuru - All The Day

Uploaded literally less than 3 hours ago when we published the initial feature, the track from newcomers Club Kuru is simply stunning! The track - "All The Day" really builds up from a simple guitar and drum beats in the first new seconds to something that blossoms into a euphoric electronic track is character. This certainly is a great find, you need to listen to this!




Seoul - White Morning

We've featured the Montreal based band on here before, and for good reasons too! They've not even been around for a full year, but already they're working their way into our hearts with ethereal vocals, smooth guitar lines and shimmering pop hooks.

Grab yourself a free download of the song below - just click on the download icon in the stream.




Lovelife - Angel

The band from London who're currently residing in LA have unveiled a brand new track called "Angel", with Leonard's vocals dominating the track, the light and ethereal synths combined with the acosutic guitar in the chorus gives this track something unique. Who would've thought acoustic guitars and loads of synths would work!




COMPNY - Begging Me To Come

"Begging Me To Come" is the début track from Brighton's COMPNY, it features really good summer vibes to it. A real drive is behind it with piano keys and even some horns can be heard! Not much is known about the band, but from what can hear it's a nice mixture of good old Bombay Bicycle Club and Mystery Jets.




We The Wild - Paper Plane

"Paper Plane" is the first track to be streamed from the duo's forthcoming EP "Vol. II", which is out sometime this Summer. Since we heard from the band last they've toured around the UK with Dan Croll and have got a whole lot more people listening to their music. Check out the laid back electronic track below.




IYES - Toys (Demo)

The hotly tipped Brighton duo have unveiled a brand new song, it's still in demo for but to be honest this can be released tomorrow and it would still sound just as fresh! The band are currently surfing the hype wave and will soon be crashing down into the charts with songs such like as their latest demo. Head over to their soundcloud to grab a FREE download of a Beyonce cover!




Port Isla - Next In Line

As we had their song "Steamroller" as 'Track of the week' we also checked out their EP, and this gem was 2nd track in. "Next In Line" isn't what I'd think of when I think of Port Isla, less folky than their other material yet still has such a summer drive behind it with the silky vocals, piano keys and fresh guitar tones.




Coasts - Golden City

"Golden" is a brand new track from Coasts and it's set to feature on their new EP - "Oceans". The track as a distinctive 90's beat to it, with trembling guitars and oh so danceable rhythms. Scroll on down to check it out.




Cloud Control - Dammit

Cloud Control popped into Triple J to perform a cover earlier on this week, and the band has taken Blink 182's "Dammit" from a utter rock song to an acoustic gem. Watch them perform it below.




The Horrors - Chasing Shadows

Possibly the ONLY way we could finish our TEN tracks of the week. The Horrors' new album was streamed and as soon as the opening track finished we knew we were in love. A FULL stream of the track is below, enjoy!

Port Isla reveal stream of "Steamroller EP"

We've currently got the band's track "Steamroller" as track of the week - in-fact it should be playing right now - you can now listen to their EP in full just below.

Enjoy!

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Track of the week... Port Isla - Steamroller

We've been waiting for an EP from the Norfolk based band for a while now, after releasing a string of amazing songs they're now putting out an EP on their own label - Harbour Masters. Which is actually released today (28th April). We're not going to hide the fact we've blogged about this band a lot, but considering the sheer consistency of the quality of the tracks the band have released, the EP and the title track "Steamroller" are up there with the best in the genre!

The track is a retro styled folk song draped with the contemporary indie-rock hooks, Will's vocals just power the track forwards and the accompanying vocal melodies throughout the track just give you that tingling feeling up until the track finishes. This is a real slice of summer, you just can't help get into the festival spirit with this utter anthem, come on summer we're waiting for you! The band are playing a whole host of shows in the coming two months with trips to Scotland, London and a homecoming in Norwich supporting Rae Morris, check out the full dates below.  Move over Mumford &  Sons, we have a new band to take forwards the genre!

Port Isla Live:
7th May The Open, Norwich (w/ Rae Morris)
8th May The Great Escape, Brighton
20th May ‘White Heat’ @ Madame JoJo’s, London
23rd May Dot to Dot festival, Manchester
24th May Dot to Dot festival , Nottingham
25th May Dot to Dot festival, Bristol
27th May Notting Hill Arts Club, London
12th June Academy 2, Manchester (w/ George Ezra)
13th June The Liquid Room, Edinburgh (w/ George Ezra)
14th June Leadmill, Sheffield (w/ George Ezra)
16th June Glee Club, Birmingham (w/ George Ezra)
17th June Concorde 2, Brighton (w/ George Ezra)
18th June Electric Ballroom, London (w/ George Ezra)

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Port Isla reveal new EP "Steamroller"

We've been waiting for an EP from the Norfolk based band for a while now, after releasing a string of amazing songs they're now putting out an EP on their own label - Harbour Masters. The track is a folk song draped with the indie-rock hooks, such as the vocal melodies and driving acoustic guitars. This is a real slice of summer, come on summer!

The EP is released on 28th April. 

Port Isla Live:
8th May The Great Escape, Brighton
20th May ‘White Heat’ @ Madame JoJo’s, London
23rd May Dot to Dot festival, Manchester
24th May Dot to Dot festival , Nottingham
25th May Dot to Dot festival, Bristol
27th May Notting Hill Arts Club, London
12th June Academy 2, Manchester (w/ George Ezra)
13th June The Liquid Room, Edinburgh (w/ George Ezra)
14th June Leadmill, Sheffield (w/ George Ezra)
16th June Glee Club, Birmingham (w/ George Ezra)
17th June Concorde 2, Brighton (w/ George Ezra)
18th June Electric Ballroom, London (w/ George Ezra)

Port Isla unveils "Snowfall" featuring Heart of a Dog

Port Isla have had a wonderful year, and it's that time of the year when they're winding down and planning for the year ahead. But before that they've decided to share a very special track ready for Christmas.

This is certainly going to be played at mine over Christmas dinner, how they are not massive yet is beyond me!

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Port Isla unveil new track "Moment Of Trouble"

"Moment Of Trouble" is the accompaniment to previous singles "Sinking Ship" and "Adventurers". This was recorded at one of the guys home, and the song is available exclusively via a limited-edition, hand-numbered pressing of vinyl.

You can check out the song being played directly off the vinyl just below!

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