Latest News
The Deportees announce new single ‘I Lost Her To The Sea’!
"...with a strong helping of Diarmaid O’Gallagher’s rich baritone, The Deportees’ music is rich and evocative."
- For Folk's Sake
Over three years in the making, the debut album from Aberdeen five piece The Deportees is now ready for release. The Birth of Industry is out on 3rd November 2017.
The band's second single to be released from the album will be I Lost Her To The Sea, which premiered on For Folk's Sake and
is now available to stream on the band's Soundcloud page. It is out this Friday, 20th October 2017.
Their first single, A Single Truth, is also available to stream on the band's Soundcloud page.
Intended to channel a sense of place, The Birth of Industry is heavily influenced by the unique terrain of the North East of Scotland. Conjuring images of pastoral beauty, in juxtaposition with stark industrial landscapes, it is an ambivalent love affair between five people and the place they call home. From the dark, melodic folk of ‘A Single Truth’ to the lilting instrumentation and soaring harmonies of ‘I Lost Her to the Sea’ and ‘The Woods’, the album is an eclectic collection of cinematic soundscapes, each fuelled by the sweeping baritone of frontman Diarmaid O’Gallagher.
Having formed in rural Aberdeenshire at the turn of the decade after all separately playing in other bands, The Deportees came together to pay homage to the timeless music that had influenced them as youngsters. With an emphasis on natural instrumentation as a platform for strong melodies and their signature four-part vocal harmonies, the band take influence from their Celtic roots, as much as Americana and the genre-defining folk-rock of the 1980s. Now, The Deportees are ready to unveil their unique blend of rich sounds to the world in the form of this impressive debut.
Catch The Deportees live at their album launch party on 4th November 2017 at Dunbar Street Hall, Aberdeen.
You can now buy and stream A Single Truth, the band's first single from their debut album, on iTunes and Spotify. The Birth of Industry, the debut album from The Deportees, is out on 3rd November 2017.
Victoria Celestine announces new single ‘Can You Hear The Echo?’!
"...feel good melodies with an
empowering feel..."
- Clash
"...eagerly anticipated..."
- Celeb Mix
"...light and forward-thinking, pairing warm,
bright, 80s-style synths with Celestine’s
fairy-like vocals."
- The Line of Best Fit
Following the critical acclaim of her previous single Carrying On, the bilingual, multi-instrumentalist Victoria Celestine is set to release her next sparkling, electro-pop single, Can You Hear The Echo?, on 20th October 2017 via Yellow Brick Records.
The single premiered on Celeb Mix and is also available to stream via Victoria's Soundcloud page now.
The single explores the themes of love and empowerment, the cause and effect of damaging relationships and learning to have the strength to move on. However, the echo of your past will always remain. Combined with Celestine’s signature ability to create uplifting, synth-pop alongside her breathy, ethereal vocals, Can You Hear the Echo? feels majestic and vibrant from the outset and throughout.
Victoria is fluent in both French and English, having been brought up in France and Texas where she was immersed in music from a very young age. As a teenager she was discovered by producer Gordon Raphael (The Strokes, Regina Spektor) and has been releasing music from the tender age of just 13 years old; a list of releases that includes a debut album, an EP, a plethora of singles and videos.
Now just 21, Victoria currently maintains her own recording studio where she regularly produces music for a number of other artists. Victoria has also worked alongside a range of producers including James Sanger (Dido, Keane, Phil Collins). Since the release of her UK debut single, Carrying On, Victoria has received glowing praise from a range of well-regarded publications including The Line of Best Fit, Clash Magazine and Songwriting Magazine to name but a few.
Now, Victoria is aiming to continue to develop her already impressive musical resume, building upon the radiant electro-pop sound that has become her trademark.
Can You Hear The Echo? is out on 20th October 2017 via Yellow Brick Music.
Introducing… The Magic Lantern!
“...gorgeous...” - M Magazine
“Excellent, intriguing and compelling, a man to watch.”
- The Guardian
The Magic Lantern, the musical moniker of Jamie Doe, is set to release his latest single Holding Hands on 30th October 2017 via Hectic Eclectic Records.
Holding Hands premiered on M Magazine and is now available to stream on The Magic Lantern's Soundcloud page.
The single opens with a defiant cry of hope, the lyrics “I’m searching…”, ringing out alone before two saxophones enter, freely weaving around the vocal, at once harmonising and echoing it. This texture builds as a third saxophone joins creating a rich brass warmth through which Doe’s voice glides, effortlessly leaping between the declamatory and the intimate. The band enter with an infectious groove, and we are introduced to the songs’ key metaphor of a flood and the need for creative destruction - “One day, when all this is washed away, some will remain, full of hope in the pouring rain”. The track resolves with the triumph of hope over doubt.
Holding Hands was written during a moment of desperation, Jamie having travelled half way across the world only to run out of road. Strung out and alone, he found himself writing this song for the true love he hoped to meet, as much an act of faith in their existence as a beacon to guide himself home. Originally written for voice and guitar, it was after hearing Bjork’s ‘Anchor Song’ late one night that Jamie decided to arrange the song for saxophone trio. The timbre of the brass, the groove of the band, The Bad Plus style piano solo – it is an arrangement that brings together some of Jamie’s key influences which he describes as “the lyrical directness of folk, the harmonic openness and improvisational freedom of jazz and the craft of great songwriting. It’s a good example of how much more confident I have become as an arranger”.
Born in Australia, before moving to the UK at 12, Jamie began performing as The Magic Lantern while studying philosophy in Bristol where he met and performed alongside friends This Is The Kit, Rozi Plain and Rachael Dadd. Moving to London in 2007, Jamie expanded The Magic Lantern into a quintet of friends and together they evolved a transporting sound, inspired by the immediacy of Jamie’s lyrics and lilting melodies and a shared love of improvised music. A debut album with the quintet was released in 2011 before Jamie returned to his solo roots with an intimate second album in 2014. The Magic Lantern has received praise from numerous publications including The Guardian, Acoustic Magazine and Folk Radio UK as well as BBC 6Music’s Lauren Laverne, Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 3’s Late Junction and BBC Radio 2’s Mark Radcliffe and Bob Harris among others. His third album, To The Islands from which Holding Hands is taken, sees The Magic Lantern return with a new ensemble drawn from London’s thriving jazz scene, exploring memory and hope in a world of near constant uncertainty.
With Holding Hands, The Magic Lantern is ready to introduce further listeners to his bittersweet, beautiful sound.
Holding Hands is out on 30th October 2017 via Hectic Eclectic Records.
Introducing… Dream Nails!
"…screeching ferocity and infectious
melodies…"
- NYLON
"'Tourist' is already a pivotal moment in their live set, a scorching evisceration of 'male saviour' bullshit." - Clash
"A political push that’ll send any audience
member reeling." - Dazed
London’s self-proclaimed ‘Feminist Punk Witches’ Dream Nails are ready follow the fury of last year’s Deep Heat with brand new single Tourist, out now and available on Spotify, Deezer and iTunes.
Tourist premiered on Clash and you can also listen to it now via the band's Soundcloud page.
Tourist is a powerful song about emotionally predatory men who are drawn to women when they’re vulnerable. Front woman Janey Starling explains “it’s about men who present themselves as a hero but all they really want to do is fetishise sad girls, make them emotionally attached and then abuse that power. We can smell those guys a mile away and they’re creepy.”
At times like this, it’s more important than ever to have politically-charged bands set on combining activism with fantastic music. Dream Nails succeed in doing just that. Racing with infectious riffs, jangly melodies and the seething passion of Janey’s distinctive vocals, Tourist oozes a sparkling punk-force and intense contagious energy akin to the likes of Riot Grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill.
Having already built a reputation in London and across Europe for their riotous live sets, Dream Nails have also drawn in crowds headlining the Sisterhood stage at Glastonbury, as well as supporting bands such as Cherry Glazerr, Bleached and Petrol Girls. Now, with support from well-regarded sites including Dazed, Nylon and Refinary29 to name a few, Dream Nails hope to continue to inspire and empower with their latest impassioned release.
Catch Dream Nails live at the following dates:
18th November - Cambridge Indiepop All-Dayer - The Blue Moon - Tickets
24th November - The Black Heart, London - Tickets
20th January - Amersham Arms, London - Tickets
Tourist is out now and available on Spotify, Deezer and iTunes.
Dream Nails’ debut EP Dare To Care is out on 27th October 2017.
Introducing… Lasse Matthiessen!
Having been writing songs since he was a child, Danish songwriter and musician Lasse Matthiessen will release his new EP When We Collided on 10th November 2017
via Zpektakel Records / The Orchard.
Title track and lead single, the captivating When We Collided, is out now. You can listen to it via Matthiessen's Soundcloud page and it is also available to stream via Spotify and iTunes.
A collection of elevated and bittersweet symphonies, the EP profoundly explores different themes through Matthiessen’s touching and sincere songwriting style. Filled with rich lyrical storytelling, each track oozes a deep sense of honest emotion and raw passion.
Inspired by the nocturnal pulse of Paris in the summer, title track and lead single When We Collided offers delicate folk-infused melodies alongside Matthiessen’s rich, deep vocals and the spellbinding harmonies of Sara Hartman. Oozing a cinematic, emotion-strewn splendour, it’s the perfect introduction to this reflective collection.
From the delicate, twinkling melodies of ‘Broken Choir’ and ‘Sycamore Trees’ to the sweeping majestic grandeur and dark, haunting power of ‘Sorte Søer’ and ‘Alchemist Fire’, each track offers its own unique, captivating beauty.
Born in Copenhagen, and now living part-time in Berlin, Matthiessen writes music to share stories. Having recorded the EP in an old bunker in the Kreuzberg area, he didn’t want to be limited by the technical restrictions of a ‘cool’ studio, and felt that this venue suited his expressive and raw sound perfectly.
Now, having supported artists such as Suzanne Vega and Anna Calvi, Matthiessen hopes to work his way into listener’s hearts with this latest impassioned collection of tracks.
When We Collided, the forthcoming EP from Lasse Matthiessen, is out 10th November 2017
via Zpektakel Records / The Orchard.