Roxanne de Bastion grew up in Berlin where she began her love affair with music and performance at the tender age of ten. She moved over to the UK in 2007, equipped only with a guitar and a one-way ticket, and she’s never looked back. Her previous single One Morning was accompanied by an enchanting video, shot in her hometown of Berlin, and was extremely well received by BBC 6 Music.

This self-titled EP is characterised by its laid back, minimalist guitar and intelligent lyrics shaped by Roxanne de Bastion’s enchanting voice, creating a whimsical landscape littered with video game references, introspection and an underlying current of innocence that allows her to deliver some incredible lyrical barbs. This is an impressive collection of vocally driven compositions and, much like her stylistic influences (Bob Dylan and Regina Spektor), they demand the listener’s undivided attention for Roxanne’s masterful song writing skills to take full effect.

This is what Kate Walsh has to say about video…

“Was really lovely recording the video for ‘The Baker’ with Jo on Friday. We were blessed with the sunshine, only thing was our chairs kept falling through the holes between the stones on the beach so there were a few giggles, as always.”

Kate Walsh’s new album ‘The Real Thing‘ isn’t released until November, but every 21st of the month until then Kate is releasing a new video.

‘The Baker‘ is the second in the series of nine videos, the first release was ‘The Real Thing‘, the title track from her forthcoming album.

Having established themselves on the smaller festival’s circuit during 2010, appreciation of the album, Another Good Reason has gradually become more widespread.

The single Rain is a wonderful jazzy, Latin influenced track, funky and uplifting the track features the laid back vocals that have drawn comparisons in the past to Jack Johnson.

Robin Groucutt and Dan Haynes have developed a brilliantly tight sound on this track,  flashes of Steely Dan at their smoothest, springing to mind it really is a brilliant single.

A real track for the summer, Rain is released on March 14th.

Here is video clip of Groucutt & Haynes performing a quite different unplugged version of the track Rain, recorded during rehearsals.

For further information visit the Groucutt & Haynes MySpace.

The York born and bred singer has led a somewhat nomadic life thus far, with parents descending from Australia and South Africa Leftwich considers himself at home in Sydney as much as he does London, while his previous EP was written in the secluded countryside of Southern France.

The latest EP, Pictures is produced by Ian Grimble as was his debut EP, and once again showcases the young singers’ flair for delicate and beautiful songwriting.

From the deft finger picking on the lead track Pictures, through the refined elegance of Sophie and delicate melodies of  See You Soon and finally The Boat, Lefwitch spell binds the listener with his soft heartfelt delivery.

The lead track has recently been chosen as the Hottest Record in the World on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show, you can watch the video to accompany that track here:

Benjamin Francis Leftwich – Pictures

nathan watson

The hotly tipped new soul sensation Nathan Watson follows the huge success of his recent live shows with an appearance at The Scala at 275 Pentonville Road, King´s Cross, London N1 9NL on December 6th, where he will be performing with his full band.

They will be on stage at 7.30pm as special guest of American artist Melanie Fiona. Tickets are £18.50 plus booking fee, but fanclub members will be offered a small discount.

The following night Nathan will be ditching the band for an unplugged performance- just voice and guitar-at Monzo Water Rats, where he will open for David Jordan.

Monzo Water rats can be found at Water Rats Theatre, 328 Grays Inn Road, WC1. Tickets are £6 in advance or £8 on the door.

And there will be a fantastic opportunity to catch Nathan performing at this Saturday’s pedestrian-only Christmas bonanza in Oxford Street. He plays an unplugged set at 2.30pm on November 27th at the junction of Regent St and Conduit St.

Lets hope it warms up a bit for that!

For further information visit the Nathan Watson website.

Big Deal

On the strength of this track this is a band that are definitely on the cusp of something big, KC and Alice make up the band and together they are known as Big Deal.

Already raising praiseworthy comments from publications as diverse as The Guardian and NME, Big Deal are one of our tips for 2011 and you will find it difficult to put up an argument otherwise once you have heard the stunning single Homework.

Fresh from performing at this years In The City, supporting Frankie & The Heartstrings and Summer Camp, Big Deal will release their debut single in limited 7″ vinyl and as a digital download on Records Records Records Records, this week.

They have also released a beautiful first music video to accompany the record, watch it here;

Big Deal – Homework

nathan watson

Soul singer Nathan Watson will be showcasing his extraordinary vocal prowess and song writing skills in a stripped down acoustic performance at The Garage, Highbury in London on Thursday, November 16th.

This unplugged show follows a hugely successful single launch for “Reach Out (You’ve Got A Friend)” at a sold out Jazz Cafe in October where he performed with his full band, The Sound.

Doors open on November 16th at 7pm and Nathan Watson takes to the stage at 8:15pm. The popular Belgium band  Absynthe Minded are also on the bill.  Guests must be 14+ to gain admission.

As an added bonus fans can get cheap entry to the garage show and pick up a free download of a Nathan song, “Loveline”,  by joining Nathan’s mailing list at www.nathanwatsonmusic.com

A new EP from Nathan featuring various mixes of “Reach Out (You’ve Got A Friend)” plus new songs will be released next month.

Watson certainly has a story to tell, from falling from three stories as a child, to being hit round the head with a lump of wood, to being involved in a 70mph car crash, he’s lucky to still be around.

It was music that eventually came to the rescue for the singer as he grew older and started hanging with the wrong crowd. His Saturday job working in a studio with producer Steve Salvari was his salvation and he progressed from rap to soul before starting to write his own material and life on the straight and narrow followed on.

Nathan Watson is a good guy. He’s young, good-looking and he turned the corner just at the right time.

Nathan Watson – Reach Out (You’ve Got A Friend)

live lounge vol 5

The fifth volume of the exceptional Radio 1 Live Lounge is released today, October 25th promising more of the same from  DJs Fearne Cotton and Jo Wiley’s radio shows.

The exclusive tracks on Live Lounge have been chosen from live guest spots on Fearne Cotton’s Lunchtime show and Jo Wiley’s weekend show where bands perform a live stripped back version of one of their own songs and also a cover version.

As with the other Live Lounge albums in the series, this is a combination of alternative versions of band classics, plus unique cover versions recorded live at BBC Maida Vale studios.

With the charts dominated by pop & urban artists the sound of the album reflects this more than any of the previous volumes. These are the tracks that all fans of the show will want. It’s a unique snapshot of the hottest bands and artists of 2010, and the brand has established itself now as a ‘must-have’ purchase for music lovers.

Radio 1 Live Lounge Volume 5 Tracklisting:

CD1

1. Plan B – Pass Out (ORIGINALLY BY TINIE TEMPAH)

2. Kylie Minogue – Wonderful Life (ORIGINALLY BY HURTS)

3. Tinie Tempah – Frisky

4. Example – Teenage Dream (ORIGINALLY BY KATY PERRY)

5. Mumford & Sons – The Cave

6. N-Dubz – The Man Who Can’t Be Moved / Breakeven (ORIGINALLY BY THE SCRIPT)

7. The Saturdays – Ego

8. Pixie Lott – When Love Takes Over (ORIGINALLY BY DAVID GUETTA)

9. Professor Green – Billionaire (ORIGINALLY BY TRAVIE MCCOY)

10. Scissor Sisters – All The Lovers (ORIGINALLY BY KYLIE MINOGUE)

11. Kelis – Acapella

12. The Big Pink – Sweet Dreams (ORIGINALLY BY BEYONCE)

13. Paloma Faith – New York

14. Marina & The Diamonds – Starstrukk (ORIGINALLY BY 3OH!3)

15. Kids In Glass Houses – Hollywood (ORIGINALLY BY MARINA & THE DIAMONDS)

16. The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition

17. Miike Snow – In For The Kill (ORIGINALLY BY LA ROUX)

18. You Me At Six – Starry Eyed (ORIGINALLY BY ELLIE GOULDING)

19. McFly – Dynamite (ORIGINALLY BY TAIO CRUZ

CD2
1. Dave Grohl – My Hero

2. Taio Cruz – Little Lion Man (ORIGINALLY BY MUMFORD & SONS)

3. Jason Derulo – She Said (ORIGINALLY BY PLAN B)

4. Travie McCoy – Billionaire

5. Biffy Clyro – Many Of Horrors

6. Mark Ronson – Bang Bang Bang

7. Roll Deep – Telephone (ORIGINALLY BY LADY GAGA)

8. 3Oh!3 – Guns And Horses (ORIGINALLY BY ELLIE GOULDING)

9. Ellie Goulding – Starry Eyed

10. Hurts – Better Than Love

11. Kelly Rowland – Underdog (ORIGINALLY BY KASABIAN)

12. Alesha Dixon – Drummer Boy

13. Jordin Sparks – Fallin’ (ORIGINALLY BY ALICIA KEYS)

14. Robyn – Dancing On My Own

15. Chipmunk – I’m Not Alone (ORIGINALLY BY CALVIN HARRIS)

16. Jay Sean – I Gotta Feeling (ORIGINALLY BY BLACK EYED PEAS)

17. Tinchy Stryder – Kickstarts (ORIGINALLY BY EXAMPLE)

18. All Time Low – Alejandro (ORIGINALLY BY LADY GAGA)

19. Scouting For Girls – Don’t Stop Believin’ (Glee Cast Version(ORIGINALLY BY JOURNEY)

Radio 1’s Live Lounge Volume 5 is available now on CD & Digital Download.

Rumer

As previously posted on this blog, the latest pop sensation Rumer will release her second single Aretha on October 25th, followed by the eagerly anticipated album Seasons Of My Soul on November 1st.

Rumer is among the first artists to be announced for the upcoming Mencap Little Noise Sessions, where she has been confirmed to perform alongside Atlantic Records label mate Paolo Nutini on Tuesday November 16th at the Union Chapel in London.

This one-off acoustic date will see Rumer’s acclaimed voice and luscious sounds stripped back to their bare beauty, in the perfect setting of the Union Chapel. It follows arresting live performances on the likes of ‘Later…With Jools Holland’, which caused such a commotion that John Prescott volunteered to blog about her for The Guardian!

Rumer has also announced details of an intimate in-store performance at Rough Trade East in London. The gig will take place on the day of the album’s release, November 1st; wristbands are available on the day, on a first-come first-served basis.

Full list of Rumer live dates:

October 28th / BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms (with Elton John, Leon Russell & Plan B) / Roundhouse, London
November 1st / Rough Trade In-Store / London
November 2nd / Tabernacle / London (SOLD OUT)
November 16th / Mencap Little Noise Sessions (with Paolo Nutini) / Union Chapel, London
December 13th / Glee Club / Birmingham
December 14th / Band On The Wall / Manchester
December 15th / Classic Grand / Glasgow
December 17th / Shepherd’s Bush Empire / London

A beguiling mix of acoustic innocence and pure voice, 22-year-old Natalie McCool is already tipped by many to break through nationally. Her debut EP, Shoot Shoot, promises to be one of the music highlights of the last quarter of this year.

Natalie also had the privilege of showcasing her songs while studying at LIPA to none other than Sir Paul McCartney, who incidentally, grabbed a guitar and played along to one of her songs, then found a silver sharpie and signed her guitar!

During her time at LIPA Natalie recruited her band and took to the road playing venues across the UK. Demonstrating a musical knowledge and guitar mastery and already hotly tipped as a ‘rising star’ by the BBC, “Natalie McCool is a must see for 2010. Go catch her before the rest of the world does”.

In this video Natalie McCool performs the lead track from her new EP Shoot Shoot live on the streets of London during the recent London Fashion Week.

Natalie McCool – Shoot Shoot

Natalie McCool will be performing at the following venues in October:

14th Oct – Bull & Gate, London
19th Oct – Night & Day, Manchester
29th Oct – Parr St Studio, Liverpool