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A Badge of Friendship wraps up another amazing year!
It’s December, we’re tired, a little bit chilly and we've heard so much amazing music that we think our brains might melt, but we’re feeling fully festive and very thankful because 2014 has been A Badge of Friendship’s biggest year yet!
This year, our bands and labels have featured on the Guardian, NME, The Quietus, The Line of Best Fit, Drowned in Sound, The 405, Clash, Kerrang! and Rock Sound plus many more.
Up in Scotland, The Skinny, The List, The Herald, BBC Radio Scotland’s Vic Galloway and XFM’s Jim Gellatly have been especially brilliant about championing our bands.
And speaking of radio, BBC 6Music’s Steve Lamacq, the Shaun Keaveny Breakfast Show, Tom Robinson, Lauren Laverne, Danielle Perry over at XFM and those good folks at Amazing Radio have played many of our bands singles this year.
We'd also like to give a special thank you to online hubs such as Podcart, Ravechild, Scottish Fiction, Jockrock, Echoes and Dust, Shout4Music, Atlsounds, Netsounds and Punktastic who have been especially supportive over the last 12 months.
Idlewild joined our roster in autumn. Their album is due for release on 16th February 2015 and it’s already been a campaign that’s started with a bang. Their single Collect Yourself is currently on the BBC 6Music Playlist, has been championed by XFM and everyone from The Quietus to Clash are talking about the band’s return.
Check out the teaser trailer for the album via Idlewild's YouTube channel.
Fat Goth, Bear Arms, Felix Champion and Algernon Doll led the way this year with the rock press, proving that heavy independent music ain’t dead yet. Fat Goth's filth laden, balls out gonzo rock gained praise from Kerrang!, Rock Sound and even The Line of Best Fit!
You can stream our ABoF Scotland Rocks 2014 playlist via SoundCloud.
Our favourite German label Sinnbus has been with us for over two years now. They've gone from strength to strength with four superb album releases this year from Hundreds, The/Das, Einar Stray Orchestra and Miss Kenichi. The quality of their output is unparalleled, proving their 'cutting edge' status with features, premieres and reviews popping up on Clash, The Line of Best Fit, DJ Magazine, Mix Mag, MTV Iggy and many more.
You can stream the Sinnbus playlist via the ABoF SoundCloud page.
This year, we started working with Glasgow based label/venue BLOC. The label has a strong DIY ethic and has put out several fantastic compilations including BLOC Ensemble Vol.2 Part 1 which premiered on The Skinny, BLOC Ensemble Vol.2 Part 3, and the BLOC+TYCI Ensemble Vol.2 Part 4 which premiered on The Quietus.
You can stream and download the BLOC Ensemble Part 2 for free (or name your price) via Bandcamp. You can also check out and download the rest of the series while you're there.
We're sure there's lots of stuff we've missed out, as this has been one of our biggest years so far, but we'll be back in 2015 with releases from clients both old and new, so keep your eyes peeled and, as an early present, check out our ABoF Xmas playlist. Have a fantastic Christmas, and a Happy New Year.
If there are any bands, musicians or labels out there wanting to find out more about what we do, please get in touch with us at info@abadgeoffriendship.com