Latest News
ABoF April News: ABoF Podcast, Bands, New Music
We're back after a short Easter break and raring to go. We've got news about Last.fm's Turn On The Sound Inside live series, new bands and new releases plus we've just started a series of podcasts for our friends up north - Glasgow PodcART.
Free MP3s can always be downloaded from our Soundcloud page and any other information you need about the artists, labels and other companies we work with can be found on our official website. Thanks for reading - we hope you have a great month ahead!
A Badge of Friendship Podcast on Glasgow PodcART
It's been a long time coming but we've finally managed to get it together and record our first podcast with Halina from Glasgow PodcART. The PodcART crew are good friends of ours and have agreed to feature a regular monthly podcast that will aim to bridge the gap between the Scottish scene and what's happening down south.
The first episode was recorded back in March and has just gone live. We chat about our work with Doug Stanhope, Last.fm, our bands and other activity around A Badge of Friendship.
You can listen to the full podcast on the Glasgow PodcART website.
New Bands, New Releases, New Music!
German duo Me And My Drummer are set to make their impression on the UK music scene as they get ready to release their single You're A Runner on May 14th 2012, via Berlin label Sinnbus. They're new to the ABoF roster and they're already causing quite a stir with their video on NME and support from XFM's John Kennedy and Mary Ann Hobbs, BBC 6Music's Tom Ravenscroft and Amazing Radio.
After the release of their acclaimed single Younger, French Wives have released a stream of the album track "Sleep Tight" ahead of their debut album release Dream of the Inbetween out next month.
Glasgow's Quickbeam have released their sumptous debut single Seven Hundred Birds on Comets and Cartwheels. The video for for the single caused quite a stir and this is a very promising start for the band who have been compared to Low and Bon Iver.
After the release of last year's critically acclaimed album Turn And Face Me, The Blood Arm are already plotting their next assault after relocating from LA to Berlin. They've launched a PledgeMusic campaign to raise funds for their next release Sister City. They're already past the halfway point now and are giving away the free MP3 Over Your Head, to help promote the campaign, which is available to download now via the A Badge of Friendship Soundcloud page.
Last.fm presents... 'Turn On The Sound Inside' Live Series
Last.fm continue to bring the online experience to the live setting with a trio of Last.fm Presents gigs in the north of England. Up-and-coming artists from the Last.fm Hype Chart will keep their momentum going in 2012 by performing small, intimate free entry shows.
The first gig of the series featured Folks and The Sundowners in Leeds. Now, with support from Welsh punk rockers Straight Lines, Manchester locals Sonic Boom Six are set to play a free intimate hometown show for Last.fm Presents at The Roadhouse on Thursday 19th April.
Supporting the Turn On The Sound Inside live series activations, HP will be giving its Facebook community access to exclusive video content captured by Last.fm at the curated gigs, continuing the celebration of Beats audio technology that comes with HP's premium range of PC's and laptops.
Until next month, ABoF out!
French Wives release stream of album track “Sleep Tight”
The beginning of 2012 has been a bit of a whirlwind for French Wives having released the acclaimed single Younger, embarking on a successful UK tour and making it over to SXSW and Canadian Music Week.
With the release of their debut album, Dream of the Inbetween, less than a month away, French Wives have released a stream of the album track "Sleep Tight".
"Sleep Tight" is a departure from the usual melody heavy, strings-laden style that has become synonymous with the bands sound. The track highlights their ability to shift genres into a more high-octane style, with singer Stuart's distorted vocals cutting through the repetitive melody that builds into a bop your head style indie-disco classic.
The album Dream of the Inbetween is a culmination of French Wives hard work over these last four years and follows the release of the singles Halloween / Dogfight (a double a-side), Me vs. Me and an EP entitled Feel Safe Small. Their label - Electric Honey - has also previously released records by Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol and Biffy Clyro, and sets up a fascinating 2012.
The album encapsulates French Wives ear for a gorgeous melody. "Numbers" and "Month of Sundays" are as good as some of the best modern alternative anthems, with Stuart's lilting vocals hanging over a glorious cacophony of strings and drums. "Sleep Tight" showcases French Wives diverse writing ability, with an angular take on their gorgeous indie sound.
You can watch the video for their previous single Younger via YouTube.
The band are also on tour in May to promote Dream Of The Inbetween:
May Tour 2012
- Tuesday 28th February - Sneaky Pete's,
Edinburgh - Friday 4th May - Dexter's, Dundee
- Saturday 5th May - Spring Jam @ Stables, Culross
- Monday 7th May - The Captain's Rest, Glasgow (free show!)
- Tuesday 8th May- The Bull & Gate, London
- Friday 11th May - The Mad Ferret, Preston
- Saturday 12th May - The Cobden View, Sheffield
- Sunday 13th May - Peas n Loaf @ The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow (acoustic show)
Stuart Dougan (vocals/guitars), Chris Barclay (bass/vocals), Siobhan Anderson (violin/vocals), Scott MacPherson (guitar/vocals) and Jonny Smith (drums/vocals) formed via mutual friends while at University. Although the band’s beginnings are humble, they have been on quite an adventure so far, supporting the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club, Two Door Cinema Club and Mystery Jets. They've also played festivals like T in the Park, Rockness, Wickerman and Stag and Dagger, while their captivating live set has also caught the attention of BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1 Scotland and BBC 6Music as well as making The Guardian’s up-and-coming bands of 2012.
Dream of the Inbetween will be released on 7th May 2012, via Electric Honey.
If you would like more information about French Wives or our PR services please contact info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
Introducing… Me And My Drummer
German duo Me And My Drummer are set to make their impression on the UK music scene as they get ready to release their single You’re A Runner on May 14th 2012, via Berlin label Sinnbus.
The single is about “someone driven to the edge and an abyss” as singer Charlotte Brandi puts it. “the singer embodies the voice in her head, ‘the angel on her shoulder’ so to speak.” The track builds around this theme with Matze Pröllochs’ steady beats acting as a backbone to the melody, which builds perfectly. Charlotte’s deliberately off-kilter vocals crescendo into gorgeous lilting tones that match the intense and explosive chorus. You’re A Runner makes a worthy comparison to epic, alternative modern pop acts such as Florence + The Machine and Bat For Lashes.
The video for You're A Runner is available to watch now on YouTube.
Charlotte Brandi and Matze Pröllochs’ met in Tübingen (Matze’s hometown) in Germany whilst doing theatre work. They were stage musicians signed on for three productions in a row. Their mutual inspirations brought them together and those inspirations range far and wide. The pair site Micachu And The Shapes, Beach House, The Roots, Ella Fitzgerald and M.I.A. as some of their melodic influences. Hip hop, electro and pop have all had a baring on how they write music, which is clear to hear on their forthcoming album The Hawk, The Beak , The Prey, out in September.
You’re A Runner has already received heavy support from Amazing Radio and BBC 6Music’s Tom Ravenscroft and XFM's Mary Anne Hobbs with more to come over the coming months. With their debut album out in September the band have a busy summer ahead touring and sharing their music with as many people as possible.
You're A Runner is available to stream now via Soundcloud.
In a market saturated by saccharine indie pop nonsense, fluffy haircuts and skinny jeans, Me And My Drummer are a breath of fresh air with music that will not only appeal to a wide audience but a sound that has real soul and depth.
If you would like more information about Me And My Drummer or our PR services please contact info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
Last.fm presents… Free Sonic Boom Six Show in Manchester!
Last.fm continue to bring the online experience to the live setting with a trio of Last.fm Presents gigs in the north of England. Up-and-coming artists from the Last.fm Hype Chart will keep their momentum going in 2012 by performing small, intimate free entry shows.
The first gig of the series featured Folks and The Sundowners in Leeds. Now, with support from Welsh punk rockers Straight Lines, Manchester locals Sonic Boom Six are set to play a free intimate hometown show for Last.fm Presents at The Roadhouse on Thursday 19th April.
The Manchester-based five-piece, are the most compelling soundclash to rise from the underground in years. A true product of their city-centre environment, The Boom’s sound is as authentic as it is unique. Described by Kerrang! as “taking ska, pop, grime, dubstep, punk and metal apart, then rebuilding them as a hyperactive hybrid”, SB6 play firmly for the dance-floor while retaining enough power and aggression to be an active fixture of the UK's rock and punk scenes.
The last show planned in the live series will be in Sheffield at The Harley on Tuesday May 1st, with locals The Crookes, with support from Hey Sholay. Although all the shows are free, these are first come, first served so make sure you get down early!
Encouraged by the successes of 2011's partnership, which featured a series of London based live music events showcasing emerging talent such as Slow Club, The Boxer Rebellion, Ghostpoet, DELS, The Leisure Society and We Are Augustines, HP and Last.fm's early 2012 strategy will be to branch out of the capital, and hit the road with the Everybody On global campaign.
Supporting the Turn On The Sound Inside live series activations, HP will be giving its Facebook community access to exclusive video content captured by Last.fm at the curated gigs, continuing the celebration of Beats audio technology that comes with HP's premium range of PC's and laptops.
Doug Stanhope DVD trailer and tour bus video!
"Doug Stanhope might be the most important stand up working today" - Ricky Gervais
"If there's a comedian out there who is as vital as Stanhope I haven’t heard him or her yet" - The Independent
Comedian Doug Stanhope released his latest DVD Before Turning the Gun on Himself on March 12th via Roadrunner Comedy, the sister label to Roadrunner Records, home to bands like Slipknot, Rush and Rob Zombie. The DVD (his tenth DVD release to date) comes with a bonus audio CD. To coincide with the DVD release, he is currently on the road, on an extensive UK tour.
The official trailer for Doug's DVD is available to watch now on YouTube.
Doug's manager Brian also posted a video recently, giving us a little insight to life on the road and a guide to the tour bus.
You can watch Stanhope introduce his involvement with Roadrunner Comedy on Roadrunner Record's YouTube channel.
Stanhope's confrontational rants, whose live show was twice named Best Stand-Up Show of the year by Time Out New York, encompasses caustic social commentary, outlandish first-person narratives, graphic sex and perversion, sometimes within the same sentence.
Fuelled by equal amounts of anger, outrage and alcohol, Stanhope rails against western civilisation's slide into apathy and stupidity, always on the edge of implosion yet fully in control and never afraid to risk alienating his audiences.
In a field crowded with conformists and copycats, Stanhope is a genuinely original comic voice, albeit a gleefully vulgar one.
"A visionary douchebag" says The Times. Raw, agitated and unflinching, he holds forth on all manner of major injustices and petty annoyances, excoriating himself as much as any of his other targets. But Stanhope's venomous bile is matched by his passion and conviction, as well as a fierce intellect that gives his work a level of substance and subtlety that belies his snarling exterior. His comedy is as corrosive as it is hilarious, and his righteous self-immolation is exhilarating and life affirming in its cathartic honesty.
Stanhope completed a 25-date residency in at London's Leicester Square Theatre in August 2011 to rave reviews and sold out shows. Metro lauded Stanhope with five stars saying, "Searing, relevant and brilliantly funny, there's good reason why Stanhope is often cited as one of the greatest comedians on the planet… If fearless stand-up is your bag, you'd be a fool to miss him." The comedian has also been compared to such fearless comic revolutionaries as Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison and Bill Hicks. But his work makes it abundantly clear that he's a complete original.
- Doug Stanhope's official website: www.dougstanhope.com
- Roadrunner Comedy: www.roadrunnercomedy.com
- Roadrunner Records: www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk
If you would like a promo copy of the DVD, physical and digital copes are available. Please note however that physical copies are extremely limited. For more information, email info@abadgeoffriendship.com.