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A Badge of Friendship in Live UK Magazine!
Last year, A Badge of Friendship featured in NME magazine talking about what we do and how we run the company. We had such a good response from the article that Live UK, an industry-focused publication, asked us to chat a little about emerging artists and PR.
We featured in issue 143 (December 2011), but copies only just hit our desks this week.
If you'd like to talk to us about our PR services or anything else, please get in touch: info@abadgeoffriendship.com
Introducing… Atom Eye
Phantom’s Elsie Martins returns with a new solo project 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”.Atom Eye’s Trilogy EP will be released in three individual parts, each part will have it’s own artwork, video and sound, tying together the EP as a whole. The award-winning percussionist Pete Lockett
(Björk, David Holmes, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Lee Scratch Perry, Primal Scream, Scanner) has contributed to Part I and II. This collaboration has been a perfect fit as Lockett worked extensively in the film industry, arranging and recording percussion for many Hollywood hits. Whereas Part III will see a collaboration from Mute artist, composer and producer Simon Fisher Turner - whose works include soundtracks for Derek Jarman's Caravaggio,
Part I is available to stream now on Atom Eye's Soundcloud page. It will be available to download free from 6th February 2012 via Atom Eye's official website.
Part I - Trilogy 120 by Atom Eye
The Trilogy, as a whole, is an exploration of experiments with field recordings, analogue tape loops, reel-to-reel machines, guitars, cellos, ambient drone and world percussion. Drawing influences from film soundtracks, experimental music and sound art, Trilogy 120 was mixed and co-produced by James Aparicio (Liars, Spiritualized).
Elsie’s previous work in Phantom certainly made its mark on the alternative circuit. The Quietus, Artrocker and Q were amongst their fans with the band’s debut album, Smoke & Mirrors, receiving brilliant reviews. Pushing the envelope furthermore with Atom Eye, Elsie has been concentrating on developing her sound into something more filmic whilst retaining the sensual melodies and intriguing compositions that we have known her for.
Part I will be released on La Nausee Records on 6th February 2012. Part II and III of the Trilogy 120 EP will be released on 12th March and 30th April respectively. They will be available as free download singles from Atom Eye’s official website.
With Elsie’s background and Atom Eye’s quirky collaborations and cinematic direction, this project is set to intrigue and beguile the avant-garde music scene in 2012.
For more information about Atom Eye or our PR services, please email info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
Tango in the Attic Return!
Tango in the Attic are back!
The Glenthrothes four-piece are set to release their much anticipated second album on April 12th (so fresh from the studio, it’s yet to be named!). The album is the follow-up to their fantastic 2010 debut Bank Place Locomotive Society.
As a little taster, the band have released a video for "Swimming Pool", a track which will appear on the forthcoming album. This is not a music video but a live session the band have recorded against a frosty backdrop, highlighting the warmth, vibrancy of their music.
After the release of their debut, the band took time out to pursue other projects eventually coming back together in October 2011 to record their second album. The boys have honed their sound and this is a more mature answer to the band’s previous quirky indie pop tones.
In March, Tango will tour the USA. When they return, the boys plan to tour the UK relentlessly from May onwards, eventually heading out to Japan. Alongside all the tours, they plan to release the first single from the album in March, the aforementioned second album in April and another single in May. These boys don’t stop!
For the latest information please visit the official Tango in the Attic website.
For more information about Tango in the Attic or our PR services, please email info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
Introducing… Saturday Night Gym Club
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.The EP starts on an ambient note with "I Know ft. Ellie Walker". The smooth soundscape created by the SNGC boys is akin to the sound M83 created on their album Saturdays = Youth. However, this track is a mere taster of what’s to come as the EP quickly changes pace. "A Green Light" and EP title track "How to Build a Life Raft" showcase the band’s ear for a well-rounded upbeat electro inspired tune, not dissimilar to bands like Crystal Castles and Ladytron. By the end of the EP, the band slowly bring the listener down with their less "dancey" influences taking a backseat. "Lituya Bay" is a gorgeous layering of strings and piano, with their signature electro beats introducing themselves only in the last few minutes of the track. Think Olafur Arnalds performing at a dinner party, gate crashed by Aphex Twin - beauty and the beats!
Alan Sanderson (vocals, beats / sampler), Conor O’Kane (vocals, keys, guitar), Nick Crowe (vocals / bass) and Tom Bounford (violin / synths) all met at University whilst studying science. This half English, half Irish quartet quickly bonded over their mutual obsession with sound, something that helped to overcome their initial misunderstanding for each other’s musical styles. And so these four science students formed Saturday Night Gym Club. The band self-produce all of their material, sending parts of the music via email, threading it together to concoct dreamy textures that swell and glitch, something that they describe as "an electric blanket for the soul".
You can 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
The band have already played BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, Livefest at the London 02 and Small Trees Festival but have plans for more. With DJ sets planned in the UK, Ireland and Europe, a set of festival appearances for summer 2012 and a debut album planned for the end of the year, there's no stopping Saturday Night Gym Club.
How To Build A Life Raft will be released via Music Cuisine on March 5th, 2012.
For more information about Saturday Night Gym Club or our PR services, please email info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
The Birthday Suit - February Tour Announced!
We're very pleased to announce that 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.The album was released on 11th November 2011on Sing It Alone Records and received brilliant reviews so this is your chance to see what all of the fuss is about.
February Tour 2012
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.