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Guest Blog: Fat Goth

Dundee's Fat Goth touched base with us here at ABoF HQ last year wanting us to get involved with a PR campaign for their second album 'Stud'. To say we were blown away by their music would be an understatement, these guys were unbelievably good. Since their album release last week (28th January), they've made a huge impression for an underground band with gleaming reviews from Kerrang!, Rock Sound, The Skinny, The List, Q Magazine, BBC and many more. Fat Goth's teeth gnarling drummer, Mark Keiller, tells us how he feels now the album's out and what his "first time" with ABoF has been like...

I first found out about A Badge Of Friendship through Halina at Glasgow Podcart / Olive Grove Records. My old band Pensioner put out our album Yearlings with Halina and Lloyd and I knew ABoF had been doing PR for the label for a while before us. It was immediately apparent that ABoF were totally on the ball.

When we finished 'Stud' I got in touch and asked if they would be into doing press for it. Luckily enough ABoF were really into our noise and we managed to work out a way of doing a proper full campaign.

I suppose in some ways I do a lot of the things a band manager would do and I'll happily admit I'm a complete control freak. This makes it all the more of a compliment to ABoF - working with them has been incredible. When we spoke on the phone it was like we'd spoken a hundred times before, they never give you the impression that they're too busy with all of the other clients they have to help you out with anything.

I would find it very difficult to think about working with anyone else having had the experience we continue to have with ABoF. They are passionate, insanely hard working and we all feel really lucky to have had them be part of inflicting 'Stud' upon infinitely more people than we ever could have on our own.

Results wise, things have been building up really steadily ever since the campaign started. We've had so much press we even have to check our page on the ABoF site to remind us of every mention we've had! Getting great reviews nationwide in magazines like Rock Sound, Q, Kerrang! and Artrocker just to name a few has been brilliant and we've just noticed many more people paying attention in general. We've also had big articles in The Herald and The Skinny so far this year, which I think has turned loads more people onto us.

We are massive fans of Torche as well and since the campaign started we started speaking to their guitarist Andrew who also sings and plays in Tilts. 'This Is A Call: The Life And Times of Dave Grohl' author and ex-Kerrang! editor Paul Brannigan has also been really complimentary, which means a lot. These are just a few examples but it meant a great deal to us and it's thanks to ABoF.

Fat Goth's second album 'Stud' is available to buy now via the band's Bandcamp page for £5. You can also grab a copy via iTunes, Amazon and Play.com.

New Releases This Week

It's been busy times here at ABoF HQ with a flurry of releases this week. Enjoy our little round-up of the week - stream, listen, download and enjoy!

Artifacts

This week saw the release of the long awaited single from Artifacts. The London Based five-piece has drawn a great deal of praise already from Echoes with Artrocker being a known supporter previously describing the band as having "…soundscapes of pure ecstasy".

Echoes is available to stream now from Artifacts Soundcloud page.

Fat Goth

Fat Goth set course into wind this week with the release of their eagerly anticipated second album Stud. The high flyers sought much admiration from magazines such as Kerrang!, Q, The List and The Skinny Magazine with the BBC going to great lengths saying “Fat Goth, we salute you”. After Rock Sound's stellar 8/10 review, they even made Band of the Week on the RS website. With a tour planned around the next single Surf's Down and festival dates planned throughout summer 2013 it’s vital you keep checking their Facebook for all the latest news.

Stud is available to buy now on the band's Bandcamp, iTunes, Play.com, Amazon and streaming now on Spotify.

Homework

Homework are new to our roster and this week sees them stream a preview from the forthcoming debut 13Towers. "The Edge of Control Was Black" is a six minute high energy battering of the senses that happens to be both clinical and warming at the same time. With two critically acclaimed EPs already under their belt their debut album has to be their most ambitious work to date.

"The Edge of Control Was Black" is available to stream via Homework's official website.

The Maginot Band

To end a week of epic releases The Maginot Band are kickstarting 2013 in style with the release of single Sombre Fayre via When You Awake Records. Harking from classic genres of yesteryear the band echo the earthy feel to their music with the supporting video taking them out amongst Britain’s green and pleasant land. With a live set at Madhatters, Inverness planned for February 9th and further live dates on the way 2013 looks to be an exciting year for the band.

The video for Sombre Fayre is available to watch via the band's YouTube channel.

Hello from our new intern… Matthew French!

It's a brand new year and we have a brand new intern - Matthew French. He's been brightening up things around here with his very fashionable jumper / shirt / socks pattern-clashing combos and generally being an all round intern wonder. Here are some words from Matt on his first few weeks with us here at ABoF...

Interning is always a tricky world. Being flung into a new, often changing world that requires you be almost as hands on as a full time member of the team while using your brain like a sponge to soak up new skills is scary and enthralling all at once. All it takes to keep you sane is some drive, determination, a little common sense and some great supportive people to work with. The guys at A Badge Of Friendship have certainly been that. In the brief time I have been interning they have thrown all manner of task’s at me but have ensured my head doesn’t go under the water for too long.

They have an outstanding roster and one that has exposed me to new sounds. Research tasks provide a welcome break from the more creative aspects that often send the brain into overdrive such as writing press releases and helping with the creative planning aspect of some of their ongoing campaigns.

Just as one task is complete or one artist is shipped off to do business with the world another reappears in the inbox with a completely unique sound or a totally different requirement. It’s impossible for two days to be the same and with the start of each day you are left at the top of one learning curve and at the bottom of another. It’s fair to say it’s not an easy job, but if your doing something you love with some great, fun loving mentors then by the time you’re at the top of that tricky world you can just push off and skate down the other side.

Follow Matt on Twitter

A Badge of Friendship Christmas Compilation

We're getting into the Christmas spirit here and we've been listening to this all week - our bands covering some of their favourite Christmas tunes.

Check it out on Soundcloud!



Merry Christmas everyone!

ABoF x

Ed Says. . . Goodbye!

Well, the day has finally arrived - I am packing my bags and heading off into the wild and woolly world that exists outside of PR. That's right - I'm dipping my toe back into corporate copywriting, and general e-marketing goodness - as well as a spot of freelance journalism.

My writing career started 4 years ago with retail and marketing copy, but I needed to spread my wings to find out if I was any good at writing other stuff. No one wants to find out that they're only good at writing straplines for remote control helicopters, and it was a decision well made.

After mooching around the freelance wilderness picking up odd jobs here and there for travel websites and a couple of now defunct music blogs, I bumped into Claire and Paul at an Ex Libras gig. After chatting nonsense about Dexter, True Blood and Battlestar Galactica (among other things), I found out they were after an intern, and the rest is history.

There aren't many close knit companies out there who'll take on a stranger after a pub chat and a brief interview in Starbucks, but luckily for me, Claire and Paul welcomed me in with open arms. They showed me the ropes, let me take over their news feed and got me to write so many press releases that I can now bash out 400 words in less than 10 minutes. Not all of those words will make sense, but what can you do?

Well, after loading up my computer with enough music to necessitate a hard drive upgrade, and introducing me to some of the most talented, and friendliest, people in the music biz, I realised something fundamental about my career with ABoF: I am absolutely rubbish at talking to journalists. Let me rephrase that - I'm fine chatting to them outside of work, but when it comes to phoning them at their desk, and trying to sell them a band I turn into a blithering idiot. At least, that's what I think I'm like on the phone to journos. I still managed to land stories and reviews, so I can't have made too much of a bad impression, but I could never got over the mental hurdle that makes me want to curl up and die every time I think I'm bothering somebody at work.

So, I thought I'd return to doing what I do best, which is hiding behind a computer, writing my little heart out and ignoring my phone.

The best thing I've gotten out of my time with ABoF is my friendship with Claire and Paul - they're great people, and I don't think I'll need much of an excuse to see the two of them in the future. I still have their Arrested Development box set, and I'm pretty sure Claire will want to keep on stealing my copies of The Walking Dead after I'm done reading them. Plus, they live really near the best cocktail bar in London.

It's been great working with all of you, and don't be a stranger - you'll no doubt see my name popping up on reviews from time to time, so feel free to harass me on twitter: @man_drowning