Latest News
Stalagmites share new video for ‘Binary’!
"Like a lone voice in the dark."
- Steve Lamacq, BBC 6Music
"...a captivating coalescence of dark alt-pop and glimmering guitars..." - Gigslutz
Manchester’s Stalagmites present their captivating blend of alt-indie and dark pop with the release of their debut single Binary, out now via Veta Records and is available to buy and stream on iTunes and Spotify.
The video for Binary is available to watch now via the band's YouTube channel.
Lead singer Bradley Lynch explains Binary is about “coming from a dark place and finding a way out, hoping it might be a simple switch but knowing it’s much more than that”. As each instrument comes together, new layers are added bringing fuzzy guitars, melodic bass and minimalist electronics together. The feeling is almost hypnotic, sitting perfectly alongside Bradley’s warm and melancholic vocals.
The single is also available to stream and download via the band's Soundcloud page now.
Bradley (lead vocals / bass) and Alex Hardman (guitar) initially formed Stalagmites at school in Salford in 2010. After their first drummer left, they found Nick Toft (drums) two years later, immediately fitting right in with the lads’ personalities, wider musical tastes and discipline. The trio have already received praise from the likes of BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq and Radio X’s John Kennedy to name but a few.
Stalagmites have signed to London’s Veta Records for the release of Binary, with more material to come later this year.
Binary is out now via Veta Records and is available to buy and stream on iTunes and Spotify.
Two Penny Blue share new single ‘Lament’!
"... an utterly charming and endearingly uplifting slice of folk-rock."
- Gigslutz
"... a mesmerising soundscape..." - Fame Magazine
Following their last single Gypsy, London-based trio Two Penny Blue are now back with another catchy and colourful track, Lament, due for release on 30th June 2017.
Lament premiered on Folk Radio UK and is available to stream via the band's Soundcloud page now.
With the smooth, luscious vocals of Tommy Gathers, sweeping emotion-strewn harmonies and a rich musicality, Lament is a twinkling slice of folk-rock oozing a grand romanticism and soaring sense of joy. Though reflecting on the grim prospect of death, the band’s playful lyricism encourages us to accept its finality and just take life as it comes. As Gathers elaborates: “... it's trying to glorify the Atheist perspective of life and death, preaching to sit back, drink champagne and just be happy you were alive.”
Having formed in London, Two Penny Blue have kept to a ruthless live schedule and have already started to build a reputation for their quirky, crowd-pleasing live performances. Throughout all their music there is a great message, not of great political or worldly problems, but something philosophical and profound. Now, with the lilting bliss of Lament, they intend to continue charming the ears of listeners far and wide.
Lament, the forthcoming single from Two Penny Blue, is out 30th June 2017.
Storm the Palace unveil new single ‘Go Home’!
"Expansive, baroque-flavoured pop
with a highly melodic bent..."
- Clash
"...a raucous number..."
- The List
"...a cinematic world of slow-moving melody and poised orchestration." - M Magazine
Baroque-pop five-piece Storm the Palace's debut album Snow, Stars and Public Transport is out now via Abandoned Love Records. It is available to buy on iTunes and stream on Spotify.
Go Home is the latest single to be unveiled from the debut album, which premiered exclusively on The List and is now available to stream on Storm The Palace's Soundcloud page.
You can also listen to the album in its entirety via M Magazine now.
Splitting their time between Edinburgh and London, Storm the Palace create beautiful soundscapes incorporating elements of European folk, sixties orchestral pop and nineties guitar bands, to transcend a number of genres over the course of ten captivating tracks. The gorgeous animated video for The Moon Above Villiers Street was premiered on Clash Magazine's website and is now available to watch via the Storm the Palace YouTube page.
The audio was unveiled on Vic Galloway's BBC Radio Scotland show. The stream is now available to listen to via the Storm the Palace Soundcloud page.
The band announced their album with the release of album track 'DLR Dreaming', which premiered on Folk Radio and is available to stream and download for free via the band's Soundcloud page.
A labour of love, the record was written over a nine year period while singer, Sophie Dodds, lived in London. Originally from Edinburgh, Sophie used her time in the city to write and create vignettes of her life; snapshots of the people who passed through it and how the city’s unfolding narratives impacted upon her.
The resultant record is an unintentional concept album full of compellingly memorable songs, both challenging and inviting, conjuring memories of chansonnier-style singers old and new; from Keren Ann and Chrysta Bell to Édith Piaf and Françoise Hardy. On songs such as ‘Nadir’ the band set the mood for what is to come; off kilter piano is accented by a simple, yet effective, rhythm section, all brought neatly together by Sophie’s pure, passionate vocals. The aforementioned single The Moon Above Villiers St creates a tension-filled atmosphere, built through a 7/8 time signature, with mesmerising repetitive mandolin fluttering and harmonies soaring, as the band come together as one to produce a rich tone and texture that is as welcoming as it is isolating. On Snow, Stars and Public Transport Storm the Palace have constructed an album full of contrasting styles and emotions, an ability that marks them out from current, contemporary indie-folk bands.
Comprised of Sophie (vocals, guitars), Reuben Taylor (piano, accordion), noted for his work with Meursault and James Yorkston, Pippa Murdie (backing vocals, mandolin), Gordon Webster (drums) and Sam Wilkinson (bass), Storm the Palace are based in Edinburgh and London and are signed to an American label; a transcendence that can be heard through the music they create. After Sophie began performing her own songs in 2013, she gradually accumulated band members along the way until Storm the Palace were officially born.
The album features a number of guest appearances such as Dan Simons (CYMBALS) and Jamie Kenny (The Hallé, Liverpool Philharmonic) and was mastered by stalwart of the Scottish IDM scene C. Mantle.
Snow, Stars and Public Transport is out on now via Abandoned Love Records. It is available to buy on iTunes and stream on Spotify.
Circe’s Diner release new single ‘Who Dares’!
"...folk-inspired melodies alongside the duo’s smooth, honey-sweet vocals..." - Gigslutz
Having formed back in 2014 whilst studying at BIMM Bristol, Circe's Diner - aka Rosina Buck and Bronte Shande - have now released their brand new single Who Dares, out now via Rough Kitchen Records.
The video for the single premiered on Gigslutz and is now available to stream on the Circe's Diner YouTube channel.
An uplifting track about being brave, despite all the sorrows of life that can make us dysfunctional, Who Dares is a truly magical slice of alt-folk. Filled with the intricate harmonies of Buck and Shande flowing perfectly with each other alongside delicate, twinkling melodies, it’s an empowering creation reassuring the listener that there’s still hope for love. Of the song, the duo explain: “Our timing and phrasing is a key part of the sound and is our way of keeping the audience encapsulated in the stories we tell, we have a bond and energy between us that reflects the madness we sometimes feel and takes our audience on a journey.”
The audio for Who Dares premiered on Folk Radio UK and is available to stream via the band's Soundcloud page now.
With performances at Glastonbury and Boomtown festivals, and support slots with the likes of Let’s Eat Grandma and Oh Pep! already under their belts, Circe's Diner look set to draw in listeners worldwide with their enchanting harmonies and endearingly honest lyrics that will resonate with anyone who’s had a broken heart.
The duo will be performing live on the following dates:
June 29th - Songwriting Book Launch - Rise, Bristol
July 5th - The Railway Inn, Newnham
July 7th - Wonderfields Festival, Exeter
July 14th - Tales Of Summer - Salt Cafe, Bristol
July 16th - Free Harmony Festival, Bath
July 29th - Somewhere Else Street Food Festival, Cirencester
Aug 3rd - The Green Gathering, Chepstow
Aug 4th - Fieldview Festival, Chippenham
Aug 10th - Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, Bristol
Aug 11th - Boomtown, Flying Lotus Stage, Winchester
Aug 17th - Arctangent, Compton Martin
Aug 19th - Just So Festival, Scholar Green
Aug 20th - Smoked And Uncut Festival, Bath
Aug 25th - Stroud Fringe, Stroud
Aug 25th - Schtumm at The Queens Head, Corsham
Aug 26th - The Big Festival, Stow On The Wold
Aug 26th - Chedworth Farm Shop Campfire Sessions, Cirencester
Aug 27th - The Crows Nest Inn, Swanage
Aug 29th - Dalston Curve Garden, London.
Who Dares by Circe's Diner is out now via Rough Kitchen Records.
Introducing… Model Aeroplanes!
"...a reflection of love and loss in the age of the telephone has never been so danceable.”
- Pop Dust
"Model Aeroplanes are unrelentingly
optimistic and upbeat…”
- The Independent
Channelling euphoric, feel good indie pop, Dundee quartet Model Aeroplanes return to form with their new single, Lover.
The single premiered on Pop Dust and is also available to stream on Soundcloud and Spotify now.
Following on from their successful debut EP Something Like Heaven released on Island Records, the 4-piece make a welcome return into the spotlight.
Friends for life and band mates since they were 13 – Rory Fleming-Stewart, (Vocals, Guitar), Grant Irvine (Lead Guitar, vocals), Ben Buist (Bass) and Kieran Smith (drums, vocals) have achieved notable success for a band so young and their new single indicates an impressive progression.
New single, Lover is a surefire summer anthem, with its outright hedonistic melodic hooks, sky-scraping falsettos and catchy chorus; this is a dazzling re-emergence that will place the band firmly amongst their more established peers.
Model Aeroplanes have received airplay from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, Huw Stephens, Phil Taggart, Alice Levine, BBC Radio Scotland’s Vic Galloway, XFM’s John Kennedy and BBC Radio 6 Music’s Tom Robinson. They have enjoyed press from Clash, The Line of Best Fit and The Herald. They have also graced the stages of Open Air Gampel in Switzerland, Bergen Fest in Norway, Way Back When in Dortmund, Where's The Music? In Sweden, Indiependence Festival in Ireland, T in the Park, The Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City, Kendal Calling, Dot To Dot. Tour Supports have included Twin Atlantic, Eliza and the Bear and Editors.
You can catch Model Aeroplanes supporting Hunter and The Bear at the following dates:
17th June - O2 Institute3 - Birmingham
18th June - The Cluny - Newcastle
20th June - The Deaf Institute - Manchester
21st June - Lending Room - Leeds
Lover by Model Aeroplanes is out now via Spinnup (Universal Music) and is available to stream on Spotify now.