Latest News
Introducing… Brave Little Note!
Brave Little Note is musician Jacqueline ‘Jack’ Irvine’s musical moniker. She releases single Grrrl Trouble, a song written as a reaction to Donald Trump, on his inauguration day - 20th January 2017.
The single premiered on Gigslutz and is available to stream from Brave Little Note's Soundcloud Page now.
Jack describes the track as “a visceral, emotional response - triggered by the election of Donald Trump - to her personal experiences of misogyny.” That “visceral” feeling is felt throughout the track’s dark energy as Jack whispers “got some girl trouble? I’ll give you fucking girl trouble.” The song never lets up with feelings of anger and confusion surfacing throughout.
Jack tends to follow her instincts when it comes to music but there are strange, serendipitous moments, which seem to often arise too as she describes: “When I was working on my first ever solo song, I was downloading a Japanese flute track for another project at the same time. It started playing alongside the track I was working on and wove in perfectly both in time and harmony.” Jack uses her intuition and honest emotionality when writing, which is evident on Grrrl Trouble.
Outside of Brave Little Note, Jack is no stranger the to the scene. She composes music for film and TV, is a member of Idlewild’s Rod Jones’ side project The Birthday Suit and also collaborates with many other artists including Kenny Anderson of King Creosote.
Brave Little Note’s single Grrrl Trouble is out on 20th January 2017.
Introducing… Fuzzystar!
Edinburgh based artist Andy Thomson - aka Fuzzystar - creates off-kilter indie pop filled with rich lyrical storytelling and lo-fi melodies. His forthcoming album Telegraphing is due for release on 28th April 2017 via Satellite Sounds.
As an introduction to the album, Andy's latest track 'High Friends' has premiered on The Skinny and is also available to stream on the band's Soundcloud Page now.
Telegraphing flows with a rich narrative alongside scuzzy melodies and uptempo indie-rock beats. The album is full of catchy riffs akin to The Cribs but with the endearing emotion strewn delicacy of Sun Kil Moon. From the catchy hooks of ‘Angel Transported’ to the twinkling melodies of emotive ballad ‘Telegraphing’, and the reflective and honest sense of fragility oozing from ‘High Friends’, the new album from Fuzzystar is sure to capture the hearts of many in no time.
Referring to the album’s title, Thomson explains that the songs are about a “mix of love, loss miscommunication, feelings of alienation or being disconnected. Telegraphing to communicate and also indicating something you may not already be aware of yourself, like the physical metaphor for it, often referred to in boxing.”
Andy Thomson has been playing solo and in various line-ups as Fuzzystar for years; starting in Edinburgh, with a stint in London, before returning to Scotland. The band name comes from an appreciation of the bands Big Star and Mazzy Star. Now, Fuzzystar is made up revolving cast of whoever is available at the time, hence the name - a star which looks like one star but is made of lots of other stars.
Telegraphing, the forthcoming album from Fuzzystar, is out on 28th April 2017 via Satellite Sounds.
Introducing… Bad Wave!
"...full of dynamic tides and stylistic right angles and bolshy chaos." - The Line Of Best Fit
"…effortlessly freeform pop that doesn’t lose any of its ear worm immediacy in the process…" - DIY
"…a duo who surf the interface between bubbly indie-pop and sumptuously sad synth-pop." - The Guardian
Los Angeles based duo Bad Wave start the year with their latest single Time To Get Lost, a track about the feeling of dismay over the recent US election. The single will be released on 17th February 2017 via LA and Miami based label 10K Islands.
Time To Get Lost premiered on The Line Of Best Fit and is available to stream from the band's Soundcloud Page now.
For many, November 2016 was a dark time; a billionaire with no political experience had managed to dupe America into voting him as the next president of the United States of America. The news came as a shock and another notch on 2016’s rotten belt. However, in times of anguish, it’s artists who are able to create something positive from the darkness, which is exactly what Bad Wave have done with Time To Get Lost.
“Whenever I catch myself feeling feelings I try to stop and think about how to express them through music or writing, and there were A LOT of feelings about this election,” says Tota. “This song is definitely an expression of anger at the outcome. Anger towards a broken system. Towards a person who is somehow expected to represent me. Obama said in his farewell address that “citizen” is the highest office in a democracy. This is a song about remembering who’s in charge.”
Last year, Bad Wave’s Patrick Hart and Tucker Tota released a slew of singles, each receiving tremendous support, much to the pair’s surprise. 3AM topped the Hype Machine chart, hitting the number one spot, with Runaway peaking at no. 2, and they achieved over a million streams in 2016 as well as featuring on Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlist. The Guardian, The Line of Best Fit, DIY, Wonderland and The Sunday Times were amongst their top supporters with Beats 1’s Zane Lowe, BBC Radio 1’s Huw Stephens and LA based station KCRW flying the Bad Wave flag on the airwaves.
Time To Get Lost is out on 17th February 2017 via 10K Islands.
Right Said Fred announce new single ‘Sweet Treats’!
Right Said Fred have revealed the first single to be taken from their 9th studio album Exactly! - Sweet Treats. The single is available to stream now via Spotify, with Exactly due for release on 24th February 2017.
The single premiered on Ken Bruce's BBC Radio 2 show last week and the guys also appeared as guests on Chris Evans' BBC Radio 2 show, performing a live version of their iconic 90s hit I'm Too Sexy.
Right Said Fred recently announced the following dates, including a headline show in London:
30th July 2017 - Camp Bestival - Lulworth Castle, Dorset
The album was two years in the making featuring an array of special guests and Fred and Richard Fairbrass’ signature mix of tongue-in-cheek observational pop. Half of the album was recorded with Paul Statham (Simple Minds, Kylie, Dido) and the other half with Gordon Davis and Jason Glover (who was part of the James Taylor Quartet). The album’s opener ‘Me And You’ is an upbeat pop anthem featuring Jodie Scantlebury who has previously worked with Bryan Ferry. The album’s themes range from simple and fun observations like single ‘Sweet Treats’ inspired by a British Airways dessert, to the more serious. ‘Save Me’, which touches upon depression whilst ‘Raining In England’ is a melancholic song about everything in the world around us is changing but the one thing that can be relied upon - the rain in England.
The album arrives after the Fairbrass brothers spent 2016 celebrating the 25th Anniversary of their 1991 hit I’m Too Sexy. They are one of the UK’s most enduring pop acts and in the 25 years since I’m Too Sexy’s release, the brothers have reached fans all across the globe, selling in excess of 7 million copies of their debut album Up worldwide, receiving two Ivor Novello’s for I’m Too Sexy and Deeply Dippy as well as a Brit Award nomination for Best British Act. Fred and Richard have also played The Royal Variety Performance, met the Queen, released a track for Comic Relief (Stick It Out) and, most importantly, Richard was voted Rear of the Year by Smash Hits Magazine.
Right Said Fred continue to appear at various special events and TV shows all over the world performing in front of 200,000 people at the 2006 World Cup opening ceremony and 300 million people for the Bollywood Awards plus guest appearances on Good Morning America, Big Brother’s Bit On The Side,The Wright Stuff, Lorraine, Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, Pointless and John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight.
However, after 25 years, the brothers remain true to their spirit - they don’t follow trends, they follow their instincts and have fun along the way. Doing music the ‘Right Said Fred’ way has always been the right way and their track record and continued success is testament to that. Long live Right Said Fred!
Exactly! is out on 24th February 2017.
Introducing… The Nyx!
"...stings and excites..."
- Q Magazine
Ferocious four-piece The Nyx are about to explode into 2017 with the release of their debut self-titled EP, out on 21st April 2017 via Rumours Music. These empowering women are making music with a purpose and they’re doing it with huge servings of attitude, emotion and raw authenticity.
To introduce the EP, the band have shared free track 'Home', which is available to download via The Nyx's Soundcloud page now.
You can also watch the powerful video for their previous single Humdrum now on the band's YouTube channel.
The EP kicks off with the band’s upcoming single Hideaway, immediately introducing you to electrifying riffs and front woman Simone Picknett’s undeniably unique vocal blending effortlessly with the girls’ solid harmonies throughout. Simone explains “Hideaway is about the struggle of the push and pull of an over thinking mind. What's real and what’s not”. The next two tracks on the EP, Fire Breathing Lady and Myself, were written in the early years of the band’s formation. The first of which, an angsty track delivering a strong yet fun message, shows a grittier side to the band. Its brimming with quirky guitar licks and front woman Becky Wixon’s fierce vocal delivery is paired with almost glam rock style harmonies from the rest of band. Final tracks Myself and ‘Home’ build slowly, showing the band’s musical versatility whilst still evoking the same uncontrollable energy and intent that carries throughout the entire EP.
The band originally formed in High Wycombe, which included Becky and Simone (vocals and guitar) and Ruby Rose Lee (bass). Having already received praise from the likes of Q Magazine, Absolute Radio and having previously supported well-established acts such as The Subways, the girls decided they wanted to move in a different direction and thus The Nyx was born. Adding Collette Williams on drums, the grunge-rock outfit was complete and these fiery females are now ready to redefine what it means to be a girl in a band.
This release amplifies the energy of this flaring female-piece who have something to say and stand for.
The Nyx is out on 21st April 2017 via Rumours Music.