Latest News
Introducing… Johnny and the Giros
Once again proving that Scotland is a breeding ground for pure musical talent, Johnny & The Giros have arrived with their new single, I Don't Need A Lover, which will be released on October 5th 2012 via Dead Hand Records.
The single is available to stream now on the A Badge of Friendship Soundcloud page.
The band draw from a diverse range of influences, including Foals, LCD Soundsystem, Bloc Party, The Rapture, Yeasayer and Two Door Cinema Club (amongst others), feeding into a sound that masterfully combines all of these elements, to create polished dance floor indie gems.
Interestingly, there are strong elements of Math Rock within their style. Imagine this mixed with a smattering of New York style indie performed at The Hacienda in its pomp, and you have Johnny & the Giros - an indie-rock band that have the uncanny ability to hold a dance crowd in the palm of their hands. I Don't Need A Lover is a stunning example of what these guys are truly capable of.
The band will be launching their free single with a live performance at the Short Back & Sides Clubnight at The Old Hairdressers in Glasgow. Helping them commemorate the occasion will be Vigo Thieves and White Vinyl Collective, who'll spend the evening spinning some tunes. If the band's live show is anywhere near as impressive as their performance on record, this is definitely going to be a show that cannot be missed.
I Don't Need A Lover is released 5th October via Dead Hands Records. You can download the full press release from the A Badge of Friendship website.
Last.fm Originals… Minus The Bear Session!
Following hot on the heels of The Noisettes Last.fm Originals session, Seattle based alt-rockers Minus The Bear have recorded a very special session for their fans, which came out just in time to mark the release of their latest album Infinity Overhead.
A track from the session - "Diamond Lightening" - was released exclusively on the Rock Sound website as a preview but the full session is available to watch now on the Last.fm Originals website.
Watch Minus the Bear perform the track "Steel And Blood" now on Last.fm Originals!
Since forming in Seattle in 2001, Minus The Bear has worked relentlessly over the past decade to build a large and devoted following worldwide with consistent releases and a non-stop touring regimen. With a back-catalogue that has seen them sell over 300,000 records, the band has played countless sold out tours throughout the world, in addition to unforgettable performances at huge US festivals, including Bonnaroo, Coachella, Lollapalooza and Sasquatch!Building on the huge success of Last.fm's Originals sessions in the US, Last.fm HQ in London is embarking on a series of filmed sessions showcasing emerging and established artists. Last.fm's Originals sessions are curated based on member listening data ("scrobbles"), Hype Charts and label/artist partnerships. Shot in a number of diverse and visually compelling locations, they aim to reflect the personality of their showcased acts,as well as telling the story of their Last.fm journey through appropriate song choices.
Last.fm UK’s first two Originals sessions with Bastille and Keaton Henson are live now.
Turnpike Glow Daytrotter Session and other news!
Turnpike Glow released their debut EP Inflatable Optimism on 11th June 2012. Since the EP's release, the infectious indie four-piece haven't looked back! Not only has new music aficionado Tom Robinson championed the band but now BBC 6 Music's Lauren Laverne and Absolute Radio's Dave Gorman are fans too!The band recently recorded a session for Daytrotter. Daytrotter started up in 2006 as a place of discovery for music lovers. Since its inception, they have recorded over 2000 sessions, with multiple new sessions being taped every day. Some of these bands have gone on to wide acclaim (previous sessions include Bon Iver, Iron & Wine and TOY) and Daytrotter remain one of the only sites that truly champion new music discovery - perfect for our very own Turnpike Glow.
If you like what you hear and you want to check out more of Turnpike Glow's brilliant Inflatable Optimism EP, you can buy it now on their Bandcamp page for £3.
Live, the band bring their bubbly enthusiasm and sonic exuberance to every song they perform. There's a chance to see the band at the Bull & Gate on October 18th, with the band playing a show for Oxjam.
You can download Turnpike Glow's debut single "1986" via the A Badge of Friendship page and their latest single "The Turn, The Pike And The Glow" via the band's own Soundcloud feed.
The video for the single The Turn, The Pike And The Glow is available to watch now on the band's YouTube channel.
To find out more about Turnpike Glow, please visit the A Badge of Friendship website.
Digital promo copies of the EP are available, please email info@abadgeoffriendship.com if you wish to cover the band and require a link.
State Broadcasters Release Album ‘Ghosts We Must Carry’
“Beautiful...” - Uncut Magazine
Today marks the release of The State Broadcasters' eagerly anticipated second album, Ghosts We Must Carry, the follow up to their stunning 2009 debut, The Ship and the Iceberg. With the new album having already received reviews from The List, The Sunday Herald and Mojo, this marks another strong release from one of Scotland's best loved independent labels, Olive Grove Records
To give you a little taster of the album, "Trespassers" is available to stream and download now via the A Badge of Friendship Soundcloud page.
"Kittiwake" is also available to stream and download now via the State Broadcasters Soundcloud page.
"The "ghosts" in the title are the burdens we carry with us as we get older, the things we've done or had done to us that still hurt - actions and memories that occasionally haunt us,” the band say and they execute this theme beautifully. Opener “The Only Way Home” (a tribute to Mark Linkous and Vic Chesnutt) builds layers of sound underneath melancholic vocals. Yet tracks like “Trespassers” and “Kittiwake” pick up the pace bringing a dreamy nostalgic quality that has become the band’s trademark. There are tinges of The Low Anthem in some of the more sombre tracks but in their more upbeat moments the melodies are more akin to Andrew Bird’s “catchier” tunes.
With much of their first album The Ship and The Iceberg having been featured in Scottish independent films - fitting for a band described by Uncut as being "cut straight from a film by Bill (Gregory's Girl) Forsyth"- in the interim between records the band took time to compose and record the soundtrack for the multi-award winning short Fixing Luka. This piece saw co-songwriter and producer Pete MacDonald taking home the BAFTA New Talent Award for 'Best Original Score'. The band have also found themselves the subject of a great many admirers with Uncut, The Sunday Express, The List, BBC 6Music’s Gideon Coe, Marc Riley and BBC Radio Scotland’s Vic Galloway amongst them.
Ghosts We Must Carry is released today via Olive Grove.
If you would like more information about State Broadcasters or our PR services, please email info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
The Birthday Suit to Release Second Album ‘A Conversation Well Rehearsed’
"With material this good, Idlewild's hiatus could be rather long..." - Kerrang!
The Birthday Suit - solo project of Idlewild guitarist and songwriter Rod Jones - release their second album, A Conversation Well Rehearsed on 3rd December 2012; it’s the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut The Eleventh Hour, which was released at the tail end of 2011 and received support from BBC Radio 1 Scotland, Kerrang!, Rock Sound, This Is Fake DIY and Drowned in Sound.
Whilst The Eleventh Hour heralded a triumphant return for Rod during Idlewild's indefinite hiatus, A Conversation Well Rehearsed shows that Rod continues to develop his solo sound with an album that straddles the line between infectious spiky indie rock on tracks “Uh-huh Uh-huh” and “A Can Of Worms” and modern day melodic folk rock akin to bands like Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad. “You Deserve So Much Better” and “Wait For The River” are wistful and beautifully melancholic, giving the album a real maturity and backbone. However, that infectious, catchy indie sound that made Idlewild famous is never too far away, especially on the band’s last single “Less Worthless Years” and album track “Bad Dreams”.
Album track "Uh-huh Uh-huh" is available to stream now on A Badge of Friendship's Soundcloud page. You can download the full track via The Birthday Suit's website.
The video for "Less Worthless Years" is available to watch on YouTube.
Formed with Roddy Woomble and Colin Newton in Edinburgh in 1995, Idlewild spent the last 16 years becoming one of Scotland's most beloved indie rock acts. But after seven studio albums, four top 20 singles and numerous world tours, including supporting bands such as REM, Pearl Jam, U2 and The Rolling Stones, the band decided to take a break to concentrate on their individual solo projects.
Since The Birthday Suit released their debut last year, the band have embarked upon several successful UK tours and gained many fans in the press with This Is Fake DIY noting their debut was “packed with hooks” and “pounding basslines”, The 405 claiming they were a “soon-to-be-great band” and their debut picking-up a solid 8/10 review in Rock Sound and 4 Ks in Kerrang! Magazine.
A Conversation Well Rehearsed cements The Birthday Suit’s place in the UK music scene with Rod proving he is continuing to transcend beyond Idlewild’s musical foundations, laying his own roots as a solo artist.
A Conversation Well Rehearsed is available to pre-order now from The Birthday Suit's website. The album is only available on CD via the pre-order link on the front page until October 19th 2012 and albums will be posted within 10 days of the pre-prder closing date (19th October).
