50 – ‘Hot Panda’, ‘Rotifer’ and ‘Auction For The Promise Club’
Hot Panda:
“Hot Panda are just two boys and two girls from Edmonton trying to do the same thing they’ve always tried to do: play some kind of rock and roll that’ll make people dance and feel happy…Simple stuff!
These kids -Maghan Campbell (drums), Chris Connelly (vocals, guitar), Catherine Hiltz (bass), and Heath Parsons (keys, accordion) – have toured so much in the past few years that their shabby van, $30 motel rooms, and stranger’s floors feel more like home these days than their own beds. Since the release of their first EP (2008’s Whale Headed Girl) and their subsequent signing to Vancouver’s Mint Records, the band has zigged and zagged their raucous live show across North America (ok, minus Mexico, but still…) and Europe on planes, trains, and automobiles until they thought they might die!
They’ve snapped pictures of themselves under the Eiffel Tower, played on a stage once graced by the Beatles in Hamburg, and visited royal palaces in Vienna, all when they went on tour opening for the Von Bondies across Europe in April, 2009! They’ve also had wonderful times playing at festivals like SXSW in Austin, Texas, CMJ Music Marathon in New York, and North of the border at Pop Montreal, Halifax Pop Explosion, Sled Island in Calgary, and NXNE in Toronto. Along the way, they’ve played with lots of other bands they love, like Art Brut, The Raveonettes, Tokyo Police Club, Chad Van Gaalen, Electric 6, Crystal Antlers, and lots more. So, in short, it’s been some kind of adventure!
Yet, as great adventures often go, this one suffered some moments of ugly struggle. November 2009 marked the departure of one of their founding members, shortly before the band was supposed to record their sophomore release. However, despite this sad and unsettling blow, the band kept their heads held high long enough to snag Catherine Hiltz as their new bass player/multi-instrumentalist. Hiltz’s arrival, however, has majorly revitalized the band- it’s a long story, but in short, Hot Panda is having fun again, and they’re damn happy about it!
How Come I’m Dead? (Out on Mint Records October 12, 2010), a follow up to 2009’s acclaimed Volcano…Bloody Volcano!, was written with Hiltz and recorded at Vancouver’s JC/DC studios during the chaos of the 2010 Winter Olympics. It has a playful sense of humour to it, revealing the band’s sense of relief and the return of ridiculous good times since Hiltz’s arrival. Like Volcano, How Come I’m Dead draws inspiration from music’s most random corners- the album has moments of dreamy noise, circus freak dance, heartbreaking country ballads with screeching metal guitar solos, lovely harmonies, psychadelic drones, and straight up pop/rock numbers. There’s even a hip-hop track, which includes a bass scratch solo and enough f-bombs to earn them an adult content warning sticker- which tumbles directly into a grinding techno song!
Watch for Hot Panda in a town near you this fall- joyfully dispensing their new rock and roll tunes as they tour North America starting in September!”
(Quote obtained from the band’s official website)
Rotifer:
Auction For The Promise Club:
www.auctionforthepromiseclub.co.uk
“Recently listed in the Marie Claire UK Playlist alongside Florence and the Machine and I Blame Coco, 2011 is year proving to be a for the unsigned band,Auction for the Promise Club.
Introduced on BBC 6 Music by Tom Robinson and on XFM by John Kennedy as well as regional BBC Radio Show’s across the country, the female-fronted rock band have garnered critical acclaim for their unique sound, which channels shoegaze through giant hooks and huge choruses.
2010 saw Auction for the Promise Club support Paolo Nutini and Martha Wainright at the Eden Sessions and also Reverend and The Makers. The band has racked up performances at some of the country’s most renowned venues, including Liverpool’s Cavern Club, Birmingham’s Gatecrasher and the ICA in London, as well as headlining a closing show at London Fashion Week, Jalouse, Mayfair. ”
(Quote obtained from the band’s official website)
48 – ‘Krossbreed’, ‘Bletchley Park’ and ‘The Insight’
Krossbreed:
“KROSSBREED stands for non-compromising metal. It’s a mixture of 4 different minds and 4 different ideas about metal formed into one hard and heavy unit, in other words a crossbreed of their own creativity.
KROSSBREED was formed in 2003 in Antwerp, Belgium. KROSSBREED has no real boundaries, what leads to a style of metal that is hard to name. But one thing we can agree on is that it’s a band that will take you to every corner of the metal world. Going from fast ripping riffs to catchy mind breaking tempos, KROSSBREED has it all.”
(Biography info obtained from the band’s facebook page)
“
Check out Krossbreed‘s Music video for “Ashes of Tomorrow” – a song from their album “3 Cheers for the Misery”:
Bletchley Park:
www.myspace.com/bletchleyparkband
“Bletchley Park is growing to become a high-aspiring band in the indie scene. Highly influenced by bands Editors, Interpol and Bloc Party amongst others, the female-fronted quintet has produced a distinctive sound that continues to catch the interest of many.”
An indie rock band with a particular sound in mind, one you are to discover.
Bletchley Park first took its novel tunes out of the garage during the Rookie’s Battle of the Bands of June 2009 which brought together (or against each other) twelve bands from contrasting genres. The band made its way through to the finals until it was announced winner of gigs in Copenhagen, Denmark and of a production project with renowned British producer Paul Powell.
The band started off its in-studio experience with David Vella, from Temple Studios Malta, who left a trail of his musicality in five original pieces: ‘Alien’, ‘Dust’, ‘Hold The Trap’, ‘The Last Star’ and ‘Fake Smiles’.
The first single released – ‘Alien’ – was in the Maltese charts for over 12 weeks and hit the number 1 spot on XFM’s Homegrown chart and Bay Radio’s Malta’s Top 10 chart. ‘Alien’ is currently being aired on UK Radio 10 – The Varmint show:www.varmintshow.net
In the mean time, the band was promoting its music through a number of public appearances on TV shows and radio interviews while having press releases published in the printed media.
Bletchley Park’s second single ‘Hold the Trap’ has also made it to the top place in the local charts – Bay Radio’s Malta’s Top 10 & also those of the Malta Music Charts(Smash).
Bletchley Park have been nominated for the Best New Artist Award of the Malta Music Awards 2009 honouring their achievements in just a few months.
The band has myriad plans for the coming years, the nearest being rocking Copenhagen and production of an album with Paul Powell during Summer 2010 in Ibiza.”
(Biography info obtained from the band’s facebook page)
The Insight:
“The insight est un groupe breton, de rennes plus exactement …le style musical est dans la lignée de The Cure, Joy Division, Interpol.
La nouvelle vague bretonne écume à nouveau les terres arides de nos platines. Et Rennes retrouve son statut de scène innovante quelque peu égarée depuis Marquis de Sade. L’intermède des Transmusicales ne faisant qu’importer une fois l’an un savoir faire trop bien caché. The Insight a en revanche choisi la langue de Shakespeare pour convoler en juste noce avec la créativité. Une différence de taille qui pénalise d’entrée toute diffusion radio, trop dépendante des quotas « chanson française ». Oui, côté musique, il ne suffit pas de naître en France pour être français. Et si The Insight chantait en Breton, ils seraient français ? Allez savoir… Côté influences, la bonne pioche serait les cartes Cure et Joe Division à n’en pas douter.”
(Biography info obtained from the band’s facebook page)
25 – ‘Club Smith’, ‘Dustland’, ‘Southern’, and ‘Gorgeous George’
Club Smith:
(No biography info available on the artist’s website)
Dustland:
(No biography info available on the artist’s website)
Southern:
www.myspace.com/thisissouthernmusic
“Hailing from Belfast, Southern are a musical trio consisting of siblings Thom and Lucy Southern and one of the best exports of the past 12 months. Lead vocalist and songwriter Thom Southern got his start busking around Belfast and Dublin for pocket money. At the tender age of 17 he won ‘Belfast Busker of the Year Award’ which gave him a coveted slot in the Belfast Nashville festival. Through the festival he won the ‘Katherine Brick Award’ for ‘Young Songwriter of the Year’. Soon afterwards Thom joined together with his sister Lucy and their childhood friend Jonny Lee.
It was not long afterwards that Southern began to make a big impact on the Belfast and Dublin music scene playing with well-known artists such as John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, Steve Harley, Nanci Griffith, John Hannen, Benitta Hill and Iain Archer.”
(Quote obtained from the band’s facebook page)
Gorgeous George:
www.gorgeousgeorgetheband.tumblr.com
“Gorgeous George play a mixture of balkan folk, eastern european jewish klezmer, and manouche jazz, with cockney voices and lyrics about overtime, saturday afternoon results and everyone wearing the same bloody aftershave. bonjour.
We like eastern europe and south west london and we’re here to unite the two.
We are currently working hard on our debut EP ‘Dangle The Carrot’ for a mid-may release and doing lots and lots of gigs.”
(Quote obtained from the band’s facebook page)
19 – ‘Arms of Atlas’, ‘LeCarla’ and ‘Eat Off Your Arms’
Arms of Atlas:
Arms of Atlas‘s ‘Hour of the Night’ Official Music Video:
LeCarla:
Check out LeCarla‘s Official Music Video for their debut track ‘DILLIGAF’ which was released in May of last year:
Eat Off Your Arms:
www.myspace.com/eatoffyourarms
Check out Eat Off Your Arm‘s video for their song ‘Sit and Grin’:
10 – ‘They Say Jump’, ‘Lonely Bird’, ‘The Hensons’ and ‘The Final Few’
They Say Jump:
Lonely Bird:
www.myspace.com/lonelybirdband
The Hensons:
www.myspace.com/thehensonsband
The Final Few:
London Unsigned Music 