Eliza Doolittle

UK charity Bottletop is proud to announce the release of the new single from their star-studded musical collective The Bottletop Band.

‘One In a Million’ featuring Eliza Doolittle (released on June 27) is the second track to be released from their upcoming debut album Dream Service (to be released on August 8 2011).

The release follows 2010’s hugely successful free download ‘Fall of Rome’, featuring the talents of Carl Barat, Drew McConnell and Andy Nicholson.

‘One in a Million’ is every inch the eclectic fusion you’d expect of an international collaboration recorded across studio sessions in London, Brazil and America. Eliza Doolittle’s mellow vocals slide across an elastic bassline, and neo-Tropicalia organ fills permeate a groove as taunt as it is hazy.

As with the entirety of Dream Service, the single is mixed by Mario Caldato Junior- the man known as the fourth Beastie Boy, having produced most of the group’s back catalogue- who has spearheaded the Bottletop Band project.

The Bottletop Band is a cross-pollination of the sounds and stars of Brazilian music with a host of like-minded British musicians. As such, artists involved in the record include the likes of Carl Barât, Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals), Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys), Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Money Mark, VV Brown, Babyshambles, Sam Sparro, Fink, Reverend and The Makers, Eliza Doolittle and Tim Burgess. All have worked with a range of Brazil’s finest musicians and producers over a two year period between London, Rio and LA.

The Bottletop charity supports grass roots education projects, empowering young people to take control of their lives. It supports initiatives in Brazil, Malawi, Rwanda, Mozambique and the UK, addressing key issues such as sexual and reproductive health, substance abuse and gender equality. Bottletop also designs and produces ethically sourced and environmentally friendly fashion products, generating employment in Salvador, Brazil, where they produce products which are retailed across Europe. Well-known fans of Bottletop accessories include Kate Moss, Paris Hilton, Annie Lennox and Rachel Weisz.

The album will launch with the exclusive Bottletop Festival at Selfridges Oxford Street store on June 30th, set to include live in-store performances from the collaborating artists. This event will be followed by two afternoons of live music programmed specially by Bottletop on the subsequent Saturdays of 9th & 16th July.

With a limited edition Bottletop Band guitar strap and t-shirt set to accompany the album, the band themselves are planning to take the album into the live arena.

The Good Natured - Gothic Electro Pop Music

The Good Natured, recently signed to Regal / Parlophone Records, offer a catchy Gothic twist on Electro Pop music with their new EP entitled ‘Skeleton‘.

The Good Natured consists of Sarah McIntosh; the songwriter and front-woman; George McIntosh on drums and her brother Hamish McIntosh on bass.

In the songs featured on the Skeleton EP Sarah displays her compellingly mature command of the nuances of serious pop music, combined with the darker, and often more sensual, emotional and lyrical content of the Gothic.  Both ‘Skeleton‘ and ‘Wolves‘ are produced by Patrik Berger, known for his work with Robyn.

The title track ‘Skeleton’ has an energetic blend of raw passion, synth-pop and a murky, driving rhythm section. The track describes being stripped of emotional and physical coverings, leaving you with nothing to hide; metaphorically stripped down to two skeletons standing alone.

‘Wolves’ is a fast-paced, intimate dance track where we find Sarah in the deep dark wood, “dancing ’round fires, lost in desire” and ready to surrender to the howling of the wolves. The clarity of the interplay between the instruments is a stark contrast to the cheerfully morbid metaphor for escapism – feral and sensual.

The band have already been making a name for themselves with their previous EPs ; ‘Be My Animal‘, ‘Your Body Is A Machine‘ and their cover of Sufjan Stevens ‘For The Widows In Paradise; For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti‘.

The band have received strong support from Nick Grimshaw, Huw Stephens and Jo Whiley on Radio One amongst others.

The Good Natured release Skeleton EP on Regal / Parlophone Records on 20th June 2011.

The young singer has the ability to write simple yet infectious pop songs tinged with a pinch of irony, plenty of hooks and choruses to die for as she proves once again with the latest release Your Smile.

Hints of early Kirsty McColl and Ellie Goulding make Leigh Mary Stokes stand out from the crowd creating an exciting indie pop sound infused with every day lyrics and subject matter.

Your Smile is the  follow up to fan favourite Perfect, and is more true to the live sound than any of her previously released tracks, absorbing the energy of the performance and daring you to sing along.

The tale of love lost is not a new one, but Leigh tells it in her own unique way, and you just can’t help but be on her side. A great start to 2011 for Leigh and her band, who I am sure we will be hearing much more from over coming months.

There is no promo video for the new single so we have found this live version recorded last year at the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth.

Leigh Mary Stokes – Your Smile (Live)

Comprising Dan Steer, vocals, guitar and keyboard, guitarist Max Armstrong, bass player Sam Banks and drummer Chris Prentice, The Quails have been kicking up a storm on the live circuit with their taste for dynamic performances coupled with a tight and cohesive end product.

Having released their debut album in 2009, earning them a place as support of local boys Muse on their Resistance Tour, The Quails have put a shed load of live performances under their belts, with twenty festival appearances in 2010 alone.

In June 2010 they gave such an impressive performance at Gold Coast Ocean Fest that the organisers said they were the best band of the festival, while at Glastonbury last summer The Quails were booked for one gig, but ended up playing 4, including being asked to take to the stage at the last minute to a capacity crowd when a well known band failed to show.  They rocked and the band has already been booked again for this year!

2010 also saw the band earn themselves plenty of radio support from national and regional stations, including a live session on the Janice Long Radio 2 show and also BFBS Radio.

This year looks set to follow a similar pattern for The Quails, they have of course already been invited back to Glastonbury as well as the Exmouth, Bow and Corris festivals, with more yet to be confirmed. They will also undertake an extensive UK tour with details to be released soon.

Games with the Devil typifies The Quails punchy pop rock sound, melodic and catchy with a bit of an edge played with the confidence and fire of a band on the verge of going places.

It brings to mind the early music of Razorlight but also reminds me more than a little of Dirty Pretty Things, on steroids perhaps, it is that sort of catchy melodic pop.

There is no video available to accompany the single, but here is a live clip of The Quails performing Another World.

See The Quails at their best, live at

The Lemongrove, Exeter University with support from Girl Friday and Microlight

25^th February

Tickets £5 from www.exeterboxoffice.com and £6 on the door.

The Quails single Games with the Devil is released on March 7th.

Creating an exciting brand of danceable rhythms coupled with wry observational lyrics that poetically dissect contemporary subject matter, The Book Club have already pricked the ears of top radio DJs Steve Lamacq and Zane Lowe.

The Fantastical Misadventures of Mr K is the second and latest release from The Book Club: A four-track EP that shows both musical and social awareness belying of their years. Think Billy Bragg on steroids and you are somewhere near! Watch the latest video here:

The Book Club – Wheelbarrows for Wallets

Already supported by a growing army of fans, The Book Club are currently out on the road peddling their wares, you can catch them at the remaining shows on the tour:

16 Dec 2010    Hare and Hounds – Birmingham
17 Dec 2010    The Marquee – Norwich
23 Dec 2010    Baileys Bar -  Grimsby
31 Dec 2010    Dickens Live – Rotherham

the farm-charity single

It is the 20th anniversary of the release of the brilliant anthem Altogether Now recorded by The Farm at the height of the Madchester craze and the band will re-release the single on December 1st to commemorate the date, but moreover to send the proceeds from its sale to troops in Afghanistan.

For the month of December, the proceeds will go towards helping the Operation Shoebox appeal fulfill its role in making the lives of our overseas servicemen and women in Afghanistan a bit more tolerable this Christmas. The charity delivers shoeboxes filled with popular items like razors, magazines and toothpaste.

Ian Whiteway one of the organisers of the appeal which is endorsed by the Ministry of Defence said;

“I’m sure lots of people will be keen to help our troops and personnel at a time when they are far from home and engaged in difficult tasks abroad.  It is the little things that we all take for granted that makes life out there more tolerable, items like razors, underwear, toothpaste and magazines.  It would be nice if as many people as possible filled a shoe box to help bring a little cheer to our troops and importantly, let them know that back home in Britain we are thinking of them. A big thank you to all those who have helped with Operation Shoebox and especially The Farm who have agreed to let us use their song!”

Peter Hooton lead singer of The Farm commented “We had already arranged to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the song with a concert in Liverpool on Dec 4th but when the Shoebox Appeal asked us to consider re-releasing the track we thought it was the right thing to do. The song is about a ‘spirit stronger than war’ and the Shoebox Appeal fits into that sentiment. This appeal is about giving and that’s surely what Christmas is all about.”

Here is a version of the song which was released for the 2004 Euro Football Championships;

The legal stuff:

“The Operation Shoebox single will be available from 1st December until the 31st December 2010 and record company royalties will all go to the appeal from the digital sales of the EP and the individual tracks downloaded from the “Operation Shoebox EP”, UPC No. 5032698620944 (previously “The Farm – Alltogethernow Digital Single”) at iTunes over those dates. From 1st Jan 2011, the original Farm EP release will be reuploaded to iTunes and the cover art will revert and record company payments will cease to Operation Shoebox.”

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

Having picked up support from everyone that matters in the music industry following the release of the album Colour of Sound are tipped for a very bright future.

BBC6 Music’s Chris Hawkins described the debut album as ‘very classy’ while Rock n Reel said ‘This sounds like one of the best debut albums of the year.’

Recorded at The Dairy in Brixton, South London, WHEN is a ten track album which features songs written and sung by all four members of the band but predominantly by lead singer Rod da Rosa. It has been produced by Grammy Award winning producers Phill Brown and Calum MacColl who between them have worked with a stellar line up of musicians including Bob Marley, Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck, Kirsty MacColl and Bombay Bicycle Club. Together they steered a recording session that lasted a relatively short eight days with each of the tracks recorded live.

Colour of Sound – Can I Follow You?

For further information visit the Colour of Sound MySpace.

Singer Steve Sparrow reveals; “We have a rule. Whenever we write something, we ask ourselves, ‘Can you see 100,000 people singing this back to you?’ If not, we get rid of it. We want to be huge.”

Having harnessed their own sound with the release of online only tracks Marble Attic and Youth, Morning Parade have got people talking in the all the right places, Radio 1’s Zane Lowe is among those, claiming they are one to put on the list for 2011.

Like their recipe for success, Morning Parade are very clear on how they want their sound to develop, Steve Sparrow says; “We always wanted that anthemic rock sound because we grew up with Britpop. But we wanted an electronic edge, blending the euphoria and rhythmic elements of dance music, but still keeping the anthemic rock element. Organic, natural sounds, like guitars and pianos. Real instruments played live that made something that sounds dance-y. It’s different from most dance rock, because the emphasis is on rock music.”

You can judge for yourselves as here is the debut single from Morning Parade, Under the Stars.

Morning Parade will be playing at the following UK venues:

OCTOBER
27th Oct O2 Academy – w/Feeder Bristol SOLD OUT
28th Oct Shepherds Bush Empire – w/Feeder London SOLD OUT
29th Oct Freeze Festival – Battersea Power Station London

NOVEMBER
1st Nov Hoxton Bar & Kitchen London SOLD OUT
12th Nov Moles, (Clubnight) Bristol
16th Nov Barfly London SOLD OUT
17th Nov Barfly Birmingham SOLD OUT

DECEMBER
16th Dec The Square, Harlow Essex

A Band Called Quinn - The Beggars Opera

There is a good chance you may already  have heard A Band Called Quinn’s music, having been used in films by award winning directors David McKenzie and Penny Woolcock, they also have three tracks featured in the current steamy BBC3 series Lip Service.

There is also the chance that you might have seen the band in their tour project last year with the award winning theatre company Vanishing Point in a futuristic version of John Gay’s 18th century classic The Beggars Opera.

A Band Called Quinn have recorded the songs that were specially written for the show and will release them on the album The Beggars Opera on October 25th.

The show was a spectacle, pitched somewhere between a play and a gig. It created much controversy in the theatre world, completely dividing critics and reviewers opinions.

Crime writer Ian Rankin was among the fans of the prioject and he writes the sleevenotes on the album, Madonna, DJ Loco, Alex Kapranos and Gordy Goudie of The Pastels and Bunnymen are also fans of the band.

Far from sounding like a sondtrack from a musical, The Beggars Opera is anything but. Instead the listener is treated to a glorious album of accomplished indie pop infused with electro.

As well as proving herself as a credible song writer, Louise Quinn also displays her enormous vocal capabilities on a series of songs of such variety that they are a perfect showcase for her and the band.

Favourite tracks on The Beggars Opera are the Portishead influences on History, the anthemic chorus of We Are The Scum and the indie popiness of the ballad Closed My Eyes.

The more upbeat and hook ridden pop, resplendent with big choruses on Here’s To Us and Virgin, Mother, Psycho, Whore along with the electro pop of The Fuse and brass infused He’s A Dog are also among my favourites on this album that frankly does not contain a bad track.

Here is a video trailer that was made for the show A Beggars Opera featuring A Band Called Quinn