62 – ‘Lorena B’ and ‘New Manhattan’
Lorena B:
“Lorena B, a post-dubstep group based in London, UK, already caught the attention of Jarvis Cocker, and respectful bloggers like Cruel Rhythm have favorably compared them to the young electronic producers freshening up the UK scene.
Following the release of their self-produced debut album, they went on a short tour in the UK, and since had their songs played on BBC radio, XFM radio, the BBC Music Video Festival and popular blogs.
They have played the main support for Blonde Redhead and for the Junior Boys, collaborated with international producer BORGORE and other local artists and have been invited to play in showcases in the CMJ Music Marathon in New York and in the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg.
Their passion for UK’s alternative and electronic music, which they frequently play on DJ sets and their radio show, is also apparent in their upcoming EP, with strong influences from leading producers like James Blake, Hudson Mohawke and SBTRKT.”
(Info obtained from the band’s facebook page here)
New Manhattan:
54 – ‘MoCara’, ‘Criminal Brainstorm’ and ‘Derider’
MoCara:
“MoCara are a four-piece alternative/punk/ska band from Leatherhead in Surrey. MoCara’s sound is thick with loud melodic guitars, thundering funk-driven bass lines, intense pummelling drums, ska grooves, big choruses, passionate lyrics and loads more; all of which come together with a shared obsession with creating our own vibe: A vibe that we want to spread as far as possible.
That MoCara sound has taken the band to some of the best venues in London and South East England as well as a minor headline slot at Guilfest. It has also taken the band far in many competitions; most notably to the final of Jar Music Live’s Maldives Breakout Festival at the O2 Academy Islington.
The bands first EP, ‘The Shallow South’, was released in June 2011.”
(Info obtained from the band’s facebook page here)
Criminal Brainstorm:
Derider:
“Bursting through the seams of Brighton, this explosive quintet have been relentlessly hitch-hiking across stages, brushing arms with the likes of Cerebral Ballzy and Abdoujaparov and earning a slot on Ipswich Music Day’s main stage. The band, consisting of fireball figurehead Whitnee Springfield, guitarists Sin and Rayna Vandèl, bass player Chuck Tango and sticksman Nate Marcus are now in the process of writing the material that will become their debut album.”
(Info obtained from the band’s facebook page here)
38 – ‘The Damn Fine Coats’, ‘Random Perception’ and ‘Siriustar’
The Damn Fine Coats:
www.myspace.com/thedamnfinecoats
“The year 2005 saw the formation of The Damn Fine Coats, a band consisting of singer/guitaristOlly Cole, drummer/poet Tom Brooks and bassist/handsome man Jim Butler. Each band member contributes lyrics with Olly having penned songs such as ‘2 Headed Monster’, ‘Black Belt In Karaoke’ and ‘Nice Try, Icarus’. Tom has provided‘Roses’, ‘Comply Or Die!’ and ‘Dawn’ among others while Jimbles has recently dabbled in lyrics with success in the shape of ‘Be Lucky’. The band are also fairly equal in terms of their musical contributions with Olly writing the guitar parts, Jim contributing the bass lines and Tom providing the drums. This collaborative song-writing style has led to some of the band’s most inventive, unique creations such as the mind bending prog-math-rock instrumental ‘Let’s Put The Fun In Funeral’.
Having spent a substantial amount of time after their formation writing, rehearsing, changing, re-rehearsing and then scrapping vast amounts of music, TDFC finally settled on a five song track list for their first demo. This led to the band being booked for their first gigs at the back end of 2007 and have been playing regularly both locally and around London ever since. A second demo followed in 2008, and a third more recently in 2010.
The latest demo showcases the band’s eclectic tastes with each member bringing their own personal influences to the songs. From the screeching power of ‘Comply Or Die!’ to the melodic chords of ‘Black Belt In Karaoke’ to the juxtaposition of poetry and punk that is ‘Roses’, the band cater to all palettes. TDFC continue to gig around London having played venues such as Water Rats, The Bull & Gate, and Tommy Flynns Camden.
The band are continuing to write new material and book gigs with the aim of improving their music and gathering a fan base while striving to remain their own favourite band. Two recent tracks in particular are worth keeping an eye out for and will be debuted at upcoming gigs, while the most recent demo is available in mp3 format on request.”
(Quote obtained from the band’s myspace page)
Random Perception:
www.myspace.com/randomperceptionband
“Random Perception are a four piece alternative indie band from Fishguard, West Wales who formed at the start of 2009. Having already released an E.P titled State of Mind, fans can expect a full album in early 2012. Citing their main influences as Radiohead and Muse, the band put in a tight live performance and prove very popular with crowds. The band have appeared all over west Wales including some big name local festivals and are slowly branching out further to south wales and beyond.”
(Quote obtained from the band’s facebook page)
Siriustar:
(No biography info available on the band’s website)
35 – ‘The Kabeedies’, ‘Town’ and ‘Fractures’
The Kabeedies:
(No biography info available on the artists’ website)
Town:
“Formed on a love of iconic British bands like the The Clash, The Undertones and The Jam (to name a few), a working class work ethic and no-nonsense approach; South Wales quartet TOWN’s debut offering, the ‘Original Design’ EP, documents the knocks and scrapes of being a youth in modern day Britain.
It’s certainly not all doom and gloom though, lead single ‘Eighteen’, as frontman, Alex Nash explains, “focuses on a prime time in our teenage years, where you’re expected to follow the system and fall into the generic nine-to-five lifestyle, having only 48 hours on the weekend to let off steam. You don’t have to take a journey on that conveyor belt, and can do whatever you want to do, be whoever you want to be.”
It’s attitude like that, that has seen the band begin to make waves up and down the UK with their relatable subject matter, no matter what bill they’re playing on, following shows alongside the likes of The Buzzcocks, The Bluetones, Kids In Glass Houses and One Night Only.
Produced by Romesh Dodangoda (Motorhead, Manic Street Preachers, Lostprophets) at Long Wave Studios and the legendary Rockfield Studios, ‘Original Design’ is both anthemic and ambitious, serving as a perfect introduction to TOWN and should whet the appetite for what will surely be an exciting future for the Newport outfit.”
(Quote obtained from the band’s facebook page)
Fractures:
www.soundcloud.com/wearefractures
(No biography info available on the artists’ website)
31 – ‘Some Velvet Morning’, ‘Electric Penguins’, ‘Rams Pocket Radio’ and ‘ Age of Giants’
Some Velvet Morning:
“Rock band start a revolution! Amazingly in only 6 weeks Some Velvet Morning raise a staggering £100K album launch budget with new model record label My Major Company UK.
Some Velvet Morning’s lead track on their forthcoming album “How To Start A Revolution” was on the international trailer for ‘Kickass’, the Matthew Vaughn Hollywood blockbuster. Their distorted basslines and pounding beats have woken up audiences around the world offering them a sound to believe in again – “You won’t fool the children of the Revolution.”
Some Velvet Morning like to do things differently. Recording live to tape, rather than computer in their large north London studio, the Fish Factory, the band have built momentum over the last three years with a series of radio friendly gems including BBC and XFM playlisted singles ‘Losing My Mind’ and ‘Propaganda’ from album “Silence Will Kill You.”
‘Losing My Mind’ took the band to the states to record a show (Fearless) for Fox TV, followed by a tour of the East Coast. It wasn’t long before the rest of the world caught on. Some Velvet Morning have taken their sound to the South of France, Russia and most recently Asia, where the band performed for 3000 fans as part of the Heineken Greenspace festival.
Some Velvet Morning’s roof top publicity stunt nearly got them arrested: With a nod to the Beatles, the band shunned council authorities by performing live on the roof of the PRS For Music in London, blasting their cries of the revolution across six blocks around Soho. Oxford Street also hosted another ‘heritage’ gig this year, when Some Velvet Morning supported the legendary Yardbirds at the 100 Club in February. Shows with The Levellers, Reef and at the British Moto Grand Prix at Silverstone followed.
Whilst learning from masters of the UK’s buoyant musical past, Some Velvet Morning continue to break new ground by veering away from the normal pop fodder of teenage crushes and heartbreak, preferring instead subjects such as religious tolerance, western political indoctrination and McCarthyism.”
(Quote obtained from the band’s facebook page)
Some Velvet Morning‘s “How To Start A Revolution” featured on the International movie trailer for Kickass:
Electric Penguins:
www.electricpenguins.get-ctrl.com
“Electric Penguins are back to tempt you with their self-recorded and produced long player entitled “II”. The 12 track feast of psychedelic cuts slides dreamily between electronic, folk and ambient soundscapes with acoustic and club elements dispersed throughout the record. Whirly and trippy audio effects, vocoders, moogs, mellotrons, organs, deeply layered strings and naked pianos mash and mix to maximise melody. Amongst the delights featured are the folksy love song to London, “Highgate Hill” and the kraut-club inspired combo-track“Airships/Soundproof 45”.
With live supports to Devo, Annuals, Sebestian Tellier and krautrock legends Roedelius prompting gushing reviews like this…“They led the audience through a delightful soundscape, lit up superbly by angelic vocals and magical lyrics. Splicing together bits of Kraftwerk, Laurie Anderson, Sigur Ros, The Postal Service, Pink Floyd, Alison Moyet and Brian Eno with old English folk ballads the band weave a remarkably rich audio tapestry”(Hot Press)…it’s little wonder the Penguins live rep as a “must see audio visual experience” is rock solid.
In addition to widespread domestic critical acclaim, Nic Harcourt has also supported Electric Penguins on his highly influential Morning Becomes Eclectic programme on L.A’s KCRW Radio and UK trade mag Music Week featured the Penguins as a high point of Irish music scene talent on their recent sampler. Mark Cummins has formerly collaborated with Pink Floyd’s orchestral arranger Edward Shearmur and contributed to endeavours with Massive Attack cohort Gavin Wright. Paul Murphy is a Dublin based producer of various rock bands and composer of multiple tv and film projects.”
(Quote obtained from the artists’ Official Website)
Rams Pocket Radio:
www.myspace.com/ramspocketradio
“RAMS’ POCKET RADIO is Peter McCauley, a drummer, pianist, jack-of-all and songwriter from Lisburn, Northern Ireland. Unfettered personal expression is the impetus of the project, and with the timeless works of the 1950’s product designer, Dieter Rams’, in mind; purity, simplicity and longevity are the first concerns.”
(Quote obtained from the artists’ facebook page)
Age of Giants:
(No biography info available on the artists’ website)
London Unsigned Music 