Latest News
Tango in the Attic to release “Paw Prints” single!
Scotland’s Tango in the Attic are releasing the free download single Paw Prints on March 12th 2012, taken from their anticipated second album Sellotape, released via Believe Digital on 23rd April 2012. Sellotape is the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2010 debut album Bank Place Locomotive Society.
Paw Prints sees Tango in the Attic’s sound progress into much noisier territories than anything on the first record. It’s loud, frantic, childishly fun and unconventional.
Paw Prints is available to stream now from the A Badge of Friendship Soundcloud page and available as a free download from 12th March 2012.
A live session video for the track “Swimming Pool” was also recently released as a taster of what to expect from Sellotape. The video was picked up on NME, MUZU, Clash, Artrocker and made Spinner’s Video of the Day.
Jordan Craig (vocals / guitar), Jonathan McFarlane (guitar), James Crook (bass) and Paul Johnson (drums), all from Glenrothes, formed Tango in the Attic in 2008. After the release of Bank Place Locomotive Society, the band took time out to pursue other projects, coming back together in October 2011 to record their second album. Their debut received brilliant support from the likes of NYLON magazine, Artrocker, The Line of Best Fit and The Skinny with their singles receiving plays on BBC 6Music, Absolute Radio and BBC Radio 1 Scotland.
In March, the boys will tour the USA as well as appearing at SXSW. When they return, they will tour the UK relentlessly from May onwards, eventually heading out to Japan. Alongside the tours, and the single Paw Prints, they plan to release Sellotape on 23rd April 2012 and then another single in May. These boys don’t stop!
Paw Prints is available to stream from the A Badge of Friendship Soundcloud page and will available as a free download from 12th March 2012.
Doug Stanhope to release “Before Turning The Gun On Himself” DVD
"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
We're very happy to announce that we will be working with comedian Doug Stanhope on his forthcoming DVD release Before Turning the Gun on Himself, which will be released on 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) will come with a bonus audio CD. To coincide with the DVD release, he will also be hitting the road, doing an extensive UK tour throughout March and April. The audio CD will be released on March 5th 2012, with the DVD to follow a few weeks after. Stanhope’s act offers a potent double dose of the abrasive, brutally honest brand of standup comedy that has established him as a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.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
You can download the full DVD press release, which includes a full list of Doug's tour dates from the A Badge of Friendship website.
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.
Turnpike Glow’s release video for “1986”
Turnpike Glow begin 2012 with the release of their next free download single 1986 available from 5th March 2012 on Fünke Pop Records. The track has been mixed by acclaimed producer Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene, Super Furry Animals, Los Campesinos), giving it that full-bodied edge that has become one of his trademarks. The single is the follow-up to their free download track The Turn, The Pike and The Glow, released at the tail end of 2011. It received a great reaction online including Track of the Day features from Spinner and Classic Rock Magazine.The band have released the video for "1986". The song captures the end of a relationship under a heavy and unusual Roman snow. That amazing snowfall made for a Guardian headline entitled: "The Heaviest Snow to Fall in Rome Since 1986" and this true story became the inspiration for 1986. The video captures the band's sense of fun and energy with Tunpike Glow kicking around in the snow - the song and video are guaranteed to make you smile.
You can watch the video now on Turnpike Glow's YouTube channel.
The track is unadulterated Turnpike Glow, with the band displaying all their melodic signature moves with producer Newfeld's touch packing an extra punch; quirky keys overlay steady beats and a catchy verse and chorus. By the end of the song, you're sure to be humming along and you'll definitely want to hear more.
1986 is available to stream now via the ABoF Soundcloud page and will be released as a free download from 5th March 2012.
Turnpike Glow - 1986 by abadgeoffriendship
The band started life in Rome, in a scene marginalized by glossy Italian mainstream pop and insider trading. However, with their Pavement / Phoenix inspired sound, they soon found themselves supporting acts like The Futureheads and Cooper Temple Clause. In 2007 they started flying over to do live shows in London, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester. It wasn't long before Sandro Schiena (vocals/guitar/keys) and Giuseppe La Mela (vocals/bass/keys), the songwriting core of the band, moved to London armed with only their guitars and a bag full of European plug adaptors. One rainy Sunday, the pair bumped into Anthony J. Hutchinson (drums) busking on the tube in a giant sombrero. They talked, they laughed and eventually, they joined forces to become the Anglo-Italian indie pop powerhouse Turnpike Glow! Their line-up was recently complete with the addition of Jeremy Levy (guitar/keys) and Tom P. Griffiths (guitar/BV's).
The band will be celebrating the release on 1st March 2012, playing live at Geek Out at the Wheelbarrow (55 Camden High Street, London). The release party will be free entry with A Badge of Friendship and Geek Out DJs.
The Birthday Suit: UK Tour and Single Release!
"With material this good, Idlewild's hiatus could be rather long…" - Kerrang!
"… an unexpected treat." - Rock Sound
Idlewild's Rod Jones is taking his solo project, The Birthday Suit, on the road in February to promote their recently released album, The Eleventh Hour and the brand new single release A Nation.
The album was released on November 11th 2011 on Sing It Alone Records and the single will be available from March 19th 2012. You can stream the single on The Birthday Suit's Soundcloud page.
February Tour 2012
- Friday 10th - Legends Rock Club, Newcastle
- Friday 17th - Coast, Arbroath
- Saturday 18th - Tunnels, Aberdeen
- Sunday 19th - King Tut's, Glasgow
- Friday 24th - The Electric Circus, Edinburgh
- Sunday 26th - The End, Birmingham
- Monday 27th - The Garage, London
- Tuesday 28th - Fibbers, York
- Wednesday 29th - The Ruby Lounge, Manchester
With Idlewild currently on hiatus, Rod formed The Birthday Suit with a selection of friends and local musicians. The Eleventh Hour sees him deliver some of the most passionate, fiery and powerful songs he has ever written. It creates a sound that captures the sound of early Idlewild albums, such as 100 Broken Windows - a real treat for old fans and new fans alike.
The album track "Do You Ever?" is currently available as a free download on our Soundcloud account. If you'd like a little taster, download it now.
The Birthday Suit - Do you ever? by abadgeoffriendship
If you would like to speak to the band or enquire about guestlist places for any of the shows, please email us here: info@abadgeoffriendship.com. We still have digital promos of the album but, please note, physical copies are now not available.
ABoF News Round-Up!
What a busy week here at ABoF HQ and we're look forward to more announcements and lovely news next week (including a comedian signed to Road Runner Records... oh, who could it be?).As always, there are lots of freebies to download from our official Soundcloud page. You can also follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!
If you’d like more information about our PR services, please email info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
A Badge of Friendship in Music Week
Music Week included us in their special feature in the magazine this week, with industry folk giving their top Unsigned Tips.
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Many thanks to Music Week for asking us to take part. If you can't see the image above, you can read our tips HERE and view the full page HERE.
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Vigo Thieves video reaches 28,000 views in 4 days!
Vigo Thieves only uploaded their video for their free single Heartbeats 4 days ago and it's reached almost 28,000 views (27,952 views to be exact) - a terrific reaction to the track, which is taken from their forthcoming EP Heart & Soul (Part 1).
The EP is part of an ambitious two-part EP Heart & Soul. The first part, Heart & Soul (Part 1), is due for release on March 5th 2012.
Heartbeats is available to download free from the band's official website.
Heart & Soul (Part 1) is due for release on 5th March 2012, via Hijacked Records.
Atom Eye Release “Trilogy 120 - Part I”
Phantom’s Elsie Martins returned with a new solo project Atom Eye, releasing Trilogy 120 - Part I the first of three free download singles.
Part I - Trilogy 120 by Atom Eye
Drawing influences from drone and sound art, she has taken the cinematic undertones of Phantom and has honed them into something beautifully dark and rich. Broadening her horizons and introducing new elements such as analogue tape loops and world percussion, creating something that she describes as “cavernous cinematic soundscapes”.
Part I was released this week on La Nausee Records. Part II and III of the Trilogy 120 EP will be released on 12th March and 30th April respectively. All will be available as free download singles from Atom Eye’s official website.
Saturday Night Gym Club’s video for “I Know featuring Ellie Walker”
Saturday Night Gym Club begin 2012 with the release of their debut EP How To Build A Life Raft. This 6-track EP is the perfect introduction to the band's well-crafted electro sound and is released on 5th March on Music Cuisine.
The video for the track “I Know featuring Ellie Walker” is available to watch on their YouTube page.
You can also listen to EP title track, How To Build A Life Raft, on our Soundcloud page.
Saturday Night Gym Club - How To Build A Life Raft by abadgeoffriendship
For more information about anything above or our PR services, please email info@abadgeoffriendship.com.