Latest News
Law Holt Announced as Ghostface Killah Support at Restless Natives Festival!
Eclectic R&B singer Law Holt will be supporting the acclaimed rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah at Glasgow’s Restless Natives Festival, appearing on Friday May 13th 2016 at St. Luke’s.
Having received support from the likes of The Guardian, The Telegraph, Time Out, The Line of Best Fit and Clash amongst others, Law Holt is an artist that embodies our era. She has created herself on a shoe string, with charity shop style and high-fashion finesse. Her voice is that of a Northern Soul diva and her music feels instantly timeless.
Restless Natives will open its doors from May 9th - 15th 2016, featuring an array of diverse music and film events spread throughout seven venues and studios in Glasgow’s East End.
The festival’s heart and soul lies within the DIY scene as Restless Natives not only aims to bring people together in and around the East End of Glasgow, generating income for the local community, bands and charities, but it also aims to promote ethnic diversity and gender equality throughout the program. The festival is reflective of a truly modern DIY ethic that showcases talent from a broad spectrum, mirroring the diverse talent the creative scene has to offer.
“There's a common argument put forward during discussions about DIY promotion that, small independent acts are one thing but big bookers - the likes affiliated with Live Nation and other multinationals - are a "necessary evil" to bring big acts to a city,” says Restless Natives organiser Chris Cusack. “That may well be true when the system is set up to make it impossible to even get in touch with the agents representing the big acts but, where contact is possible, often the DIY collectives - providing they have a good track record and can demonstrate reliability - offer fairer prices for fans and fairer compensation for the artists themselves. These collectives and DIY promoters can also frequently side-step the politics that can squeeze a particular city or town out of the routing considerations of a high profile band. Ghostface Killah was our attempt to demonstrate how a professional approach and real enthusiasm for the musical act can help bring someone to a town they otherwise would skip.”
All events will be individually priced as affordably as possible to ensure accessibility for people from all economic backgrounds and the organisers will also be donating a portion of gate receipts towards specially nominated East End charities to help their community.
As well as the recently announced Ghostface Killah, the festival already boasts a strong line up including Cardiff's alt rockers Future of the Left, Sheffield mathcore champions Rolo Tomassi, Canadian composer Tim Hecker, electronic maverick Blanck Mass, Chicago favourites Into It. Over It, US cult heroes The Hotelier and Glasgow’s own Tuff Love, United Fruit, Happy Meals, Spinning Coin and Nightwave. Full details of further showcases, film nights and talks programmed by Hotgem Music, Nightschool Records, No One Knows Records, Winning Sperm Party, Stretched, Fuzzkill Records, Nice n' Sleazy, Bloc+Music, Song, By Toad and Struggletown are also set to be announced very soon.
A number of film events have already been confirmed including The Skinny presents Couple In A Hole with live Q&A by Geoff Barrow (BEAK>, Portishead) and Billy Fuller (BEAK>, Robert Plant Band), The Room featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary and live Q&A with Greg Sestero, Song, By Toad presents The Ambiguity Of David Thomas Broughton with exclusive unseen footage, Restless Natives’ own national exclusive of Blood, Sweat and Vinyl : DIY in the 21st Century starring Neurosis, Godspeed You Black Emperor and ISIS (the band!) with live Q&A by director Kenneth Thomas, Une Chant D'Amour & A Page Of Madness with an exclusive live original score by Adam Stafford. Plus special guest-curated screens by The Glasgow Film Theatre, Africa In Motion, The Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival and The Radical Film Network.
Restless Natives Festival will take place May 9th - 15th 2016 and tickets are available via the Restless Natives website.
Tryptamines re-issue Metropolis EP
Tryptamines are delighted to announce the reissue of their conceptual EP Metropolis, out now via Fitlike Records.
Inspired by the Fritz Lang film of the same name, the band's uniquely experimental style is beautifully showcased on the forthcoming single and, to celebrate today's announcement, it is available to stream now via the Fitlike Records bandcamp page or from the embed below.
The band recently release the free download track Nina Shuffles which can be downloaded via the ABoF Soundcloud page or via the embed below.
The EP is based around modern cultures increasingly dependent relationships with machines, questioning both the good and bad facets of these developments and ultimately where this might lead in the not too distant future. As a result, Tryptamines have created a four track EP where each individual song has a feeling so distinct in nature, it's difficult to pin the band down into any one particular genre, as they embrace elements of psychedelia, space rock, post-rock, pop, lounge and experimental rock
Title track and soon to be released single, Metropolis, evokes memories of artists such as Beck and Caribou thanks to its cerebral dream-pop sounds combined expertly with a playful trippiness - a sound that will become synonymous with the band. This experimental yet whimsical sound can also be heard on 'Nina Shuffles' where the affecting influences of CAN and Captain Beefheart are apparent throughout. The other half of the EP has a completely different feeling as Tryptamines continue to push their creative boundaries on the songs 'Why Are There People Like Frank?' and 'Insulin Unmix', stepping boldly into the sprawling, hypnotic and bleak soundscapes of bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Mogwai.
Formed in Aberdeen by Chemical Callum (piano, guitar, omnichord, hammond organ, vocals), Tom The Noisemonger (vocals, samples, tiny broken keyboards, echoes & noises) and Foxbeef (bass guitar, drums and percussion) the trio have already played a number of psychedelic festivals and gigs around their native Scotland and are currently working on their forthcoming album release in spring 2016.
Metropolis is available to download now via iTunes and the Fitlike Records bandcamp page.
Introducing… United Fruit!
“...soaring, anthemic punk-rock.” - DIY
“...A snorting, snarling, four piece rock explosion…”
- Clash
A Badge of Friendship are proud to announce that United Fruit have joined the roster with the news of their second album Eternal Return due for release on May 13th 2016.
Eternal Return is a heart-pounding blast of energy, hope and passion. Featuring some of the band's most accomplished songs to date, as each track unfurls and bursts into a cacophony of riffs, high soaring vocals and hectic beats that will leave you exhilarated by the end.
The Glasgow based four-piece have taken their time with Eternal Return, slowly teasing fans over the last few years with single Open Your Eyes and their Nightmare Recovery EP, which features three tracks on Eternal Return - ‘Ghost Inside Your Head’, ‘Nightmare Recovery’ and ‘Cause And Effect’. Press were quick to pick up on the band’s thrilling punk rock sound with The 405 noting that, if played loud enough, ‘Nightmare Recovery’ would ‘probably wipe all that shit off your face’. Stereogum also featured ‘Ghost Inside Your Head’ after the band played a showcase for the critically acclaimed site at SXSW plus DIY, Drowned in Sound, Clash, The Skinny, Rock Sound and many more have been strong supporters of the band.
Check out the video for United Fruit's single Open Your Eyes via the band's YouTube channel now.
More so than ever before, Iskandar Stewart (vox, guitar), Stuart Galbraith (guitar, vox), Marco Panagopoulos (bass) and Dean Inglis (drums) have brought together their love of discordant, dissonant chords and melodies then destroyed the rule book and created their own unique sound upon its smouldering ashes. The result is Eternal Return - an eleven song beast that combines angular alt rock and pop, drenched in love, sweat and optimism.
From the uplifting riffs and driving beats, which channel the Smashing Pumpkins filtered through an early Rival Schools lens, on ‘Where The Sun Beats Down’ to Iskandar’s signature anthemic rock vocals on ‘Golden Days’, Eternal Return feels like an exciting journey for the band and one that only scratches the surface of what’s to come.
Eternal Return is out on May 13th 2016.
She Makes War announces UK tour!
“…a pioneering revelation that will blow you away.” - DIY
"Why just sing songs, when you can build worlds?" - The Quietus
She Makes War is pleased to announce her Direction Of Travel album launch tour, which will take place in May 2016 across the UK.
She Makes War will be supported on tour by Bryde - a Brixton-based Welsh artist who creates stunningly fierce and fragile songs about freedom and personal exploration. In London, Laura will be joined by MALKA aka Tamara Schlesinger, who combines elements of worldbeat with a fresh and slick electro-pop sound.
You can watch She Makes War's latest video for single Drown Me Out via Laura's YouTube channel now.
Direction Of Travel was recorded in the winter months of 2014/15 in Bristol, Brighton and London. Produced by She Makes War, mixed by Dan Austin (Doves, Pixies) and featuring guest appearances from Tanya Donelly and Mark Chadwick, most of the instruments on the album were played by Laura herself, added to by a cast of supporting musician friends including Clive Deamer and Andy Sutor on drums, The McCarricks and Nicole Robson on strings and Cajita on piano.
The songs on Direction Of Travel reveal widescreen ambition, deepening the glittery, grunge-inflected guitar driven sound of She Makes War’s back catalogue while exploring new worlds of cinematic orchestration and heartfelt, confessional songwriting. The songs vibrate with sadness but the album’s message is hopeful - we can all become strong enough to reclaim ourselves, to escape from suffocating situations, process sadness and sorrow and emerge all the stronger for the experience.
Catch She Makes War at the dates below to celebrate the release of her forthcoming album Direction Of Travel, out on April 8th 2016 (online) and April 29th 2016 (physical) via The state51 Conspiracy.
12th May - Sticky Mike’s Frog Bar, Brighton - Tickets
13th May - Fallow Cafe, Manchester - Tickets
15th May - The Hug & Pint, Glasgow - Tickets
16th May - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds - Tickets
17th May - OPEN (Club Room), Norwich - Tickets
18th May - Ort Cafe, Birmingham - Tickets
19th May - Sebright Arms, London - Tickets
20th May - Notes Cafe, Southampton - Tickets
21st May - Cavern, Exeter - Tickets
We Came From Wolves’ latest single ‘Ruiner’ out now!
“Feels, hooks and more feels...” - Rock Sound
We Came From Wolves' latest single Ruiner is out now via Saraseto Records and is available to buy on the label's Bandcamp page now.
The video for Ruiner premiered on Team Rock and you can also watch it via the band's YouTube channel now.
The single is taken from their self-titled debut album, which was released last year. “Ruiner is a frank and bleak self-assessment of a dark period in my early 20’s,” says frontman Burgess. “The song battles the realisation of pain you are causing others through selfish choices and lifestyles, and opens up to the failures in my life at that point.” It’s apt that the single features as the penultimate track on the album, with final track ‘I Need Something’ offering a glimmer of hope, showing progression, a different mindset and what is yet to come. We Came From Wolves’ album is one of self-discovery and single Ruiner shows us the end of that journey.
The album gained praise from Rock Sound, The Sunday Herald, The Daily Record, Team Rock, Amazing Radio and XFM amongst others and although Ruiner is taken from their last album, it feels like a fresh start for the band. After the success of the album and winning the Best Alternative Rock category at 2015’s Scottish Alternative Music Awards, We Came From Wolves have since had a line-up change with new members Andy Donaldson and Michael MacKay joining founding members Kyle Burgess and Robert Whytock.
Musically, the band are influenced by Arctic Monkeys and fellow Scots Biffy Clyro. Ruiner reflects Biffy’s earlier sound - there’s a raw energy and urgency about the single. However, despite these influences, We Came From Wolves have very much made this sound their own and with a Highlands tour confirmed for March 2016, a new EP planned later in the year and festival announcements to come, the band continue to make their mark as one of Scotland’s most exciting new alt rock bands.
Ruiner is out now via Saraseto Records and is available to buy on the label's Bandcamp page now.