ULU

Herman Düne are a French Anti-folk band, formed in 1999. The band consists of André Herman Düne (guitars and vocals), David-Ivar Herman Düne (guitars and vocals) and Neman Herman Düne (drums and sometimes backing vocals). Néman, who is from Switzerland, replaced former drummer Omé in early 2001. On December 13th, 2006, André Herman Düne played his last show with the band, and subsequently changed his name to Stanley Brinks.

Some of Herman Düne's influences include: Daniel Johnston, Lou Barlow, The Mountain Goats, Cat Power and Silver Jews.

HD has worked with several other bands and singers such as Turner Cody, Julie Doiron, Leah Hayes, and Laura Hoch.

Although the band has only five official albums, they have worked on many side projects, some of which include Kungen, Ben Haschish, Ben Dope, John Trawlings, Fountain Boats, Satan's Fingers, and Fast Ganz. They have also played as the backing band for recordings by Julie Doiron (ex-Eric's Trip) and Kimya Dawson (ex-Moldy Peaches). Both André and David-Ivar have also released numerous solo CDs (mostly self-released CDRs). André and David-Ivar each contributed a song to the 2006 album by Françoiz Breut, Une Saison Volée.

One of the finest events bands on the circuit, Coaster arrive in London to play a rare public-access gig.

A six-man covers band, Coaster deliver an irresistibly enjoyable experience. From Killers to Kooks, Monkeys to Muse, Stones to Strokes - Coaster are an energetic and creative live outfit that has left dance floors pounded to breaking point the length and breadth of the UK.

Now in its third year, the legendary RollerCoaster event rolls into town on Friday 12th October at ULU, promising outstanding performances from Coaster, newcomers the Khyber Rifles and legendary DJ Ben Bristow.

EVENT CANCELLED: Stereophonics have been forced to cancel their Xfm 10th Birthday Show at ULU this Saturday 6th October, following frontman Kelly Jones recent arm injury.

Kelly consulted a specialist at the end of last week and he was advised not to play guitar for a further three weeks. Kelly's determination to continue has meant that the band will still go into the Xfm studio this Friday to play 3 songs live on Ian Camfield's Drivetime show as part of his 'Live From Leicester Square'. The band are looking to re-schedule the 10th Birthday show at the nearest convenience to Xfm.

Stereophonics very much regret having to cancel this show and are aware how disappointing this is for the fans who’ve already won tickets on Xfm and have been waiting a long time to see the band. Kelly is devastated at the timing of this and apologises to all the fans, here's a note from the man himself...

"Due to troubles in a dark seedy club and being thrown onto the street
resulting in surgery and pampering by lovely nurses I am afraid to report I
cannot play Saturday's show and for that I am gutted. My arm will return to
full cannon force shortly and I will be back stronger than bulldog trying to
snap his chain. May your house be free from tigers. Bless you all." Kelly.

Meanwhile the brand new single It Means Nothing has hit the shops this week and the new album Pull The Pin will follow on October 15th.

For More info - www.stereophonics.com

Sorta odd but hella good Brooklyn four-piece Yeasayer (think Liars at their most mystical toying with Animal Collective oddness and jazzy basslines) are heading to the UK

We've been together as people for most of our lives and as a band for the past 6 years. It's been a hell of a journey - Two albums and hundreds of gigs around the world which have been a pleasure to share with those of you who have been there.

Now is a particularly exciting time for us. Our lives have changed so much since we started this fresh from school and went straight on the road. The two years since our second album "Welcome To The North" have been challenging times. We've been working out who we are, sorting our personal lives and trying to push ourselves to write an album that we and other people can believe in. It's been a difficult process at times, but it's been well worth the struggle. The ideas and inspiration we're finding now are stronger than ever. This feels fresh and exciting and we can't wait to share what we're making with people.

We've always known that we can be a great band. Our ambition for our music spans way beyond where we've taken it so far, and in a way, it feels like we are just ending the first chapter of our story and turning the page to the start of the second. In that spirit we've just signed to a new label (Polydor). Finding a new home has been part of this feeling of renewal. It's invigorating to find people who share our passion and belief.

As a band, we don't feel like the music we are hearing and seeing out there is particularly exciting or inspiring. We want to be a part of changing that and hope with our next album we can bring something to the party that isn't out there at the moment.

Lets make these times special again.

See you out there

The Music.

Pagan Altar is a doom metal band formed in 1978 in Brockley, England. Alongside Witchfinder General, they are one of the few NWOBHM bands to play doom metal. Although they were ignored by mainstream metal media during the early and mid 80s, their influence did not emerge until after the 80s incarnation had broken up.

Their gigs were characterized by moody, epic and heavy music interpreted with highly visual stage aspect which accented their interest for occult themes. Pagan Altar's only release from that era was independent, self-released, self-titled album which was in later years often bootlegged. It was finally officially re-released on Oracle Records in 1998 and titled Volume 1.

In 2004, Pagan Altar reunited, re-recorded and released their previously unfinished second album, Lords of Hypocrisy. These songs date back to the first 1980s incarnation. Also in 2004, The Time Lord LP was released, which contains recordings that date back to the band's inception in 1978.

Their third album, Mythical & Magical was released in late 2006 and features a considerable amount of material that also date back prior to the 1982 release.

Sichma Squared the Simcha on the square afterparty: Estelle Goldfarb + DJ Click – Club Klezmer band from Paris and Emunah, popular Jewish/Palestinian Hip-Hop band from Londo

Amy Macdonald (born August 25, 1987) is a Scottish singer/songwriter. Her debut album, This Is The Life, was released on July 30, 2007. Her first single, "Poison Prince", was released on May 7, 2007. She has been scheduled to play shows at music festivals such as Glastonbury, Hyde Park, T in the Park, and V festival. She has signed a record deal with Vertigo, the same record label which hosts The Killers and Razorlight. Amy started playing on-stage acoustic gigs at the age of 15. Her influences include Travis and The Libertine

Tour in support of New Album "On Your Sleeve"

All band members were born in 1979. Brett Anderson is the singer of the band, Allison Robertson is the guitarist, Maya Ford is the bass player, and Torry Castellano plays the drums. As best friends, they formed in the eighth grade to play for their school's "Day on the Green." The only girl band in their town Palo Alto, California, they were relatively unknown until they were out of high school. They are all self-taught musicians and practiced in Castellano's garage nearly every day during high school.

Towards the end of their high school days, while they were still known as "The Electrocutes", they decided to create another band (with the same members) which they would use to play softer tunes without distorting the metal queen image of The Electrocutes. To further distinguish the difference between the two bands, they all took matching "Donna" monikers, where all of their names were Donna, and their last names were the first initial of their last name (Brett Anderson became Donna A) which they used only when performing as "The Donnas". Although they initially planned on dropping The Donnas after a while and sticking with The Electrocutes, they changed their minds after high school and stuck with the Donnas instead, while still keeping their Donna names. They are sometimes described as a punk band, but the band itself denies any kind of affiliation with the punk rock movement.

Experimenting with different musical styles, they underwent a variety of band names (Screen, Ragady Anne, and The Electrocutes) before settling on The Donnas. They worked with producer Darin Raffaelli for their first two albums, the first of which, simply called The Donnas, was entirely written by Raffaelli and released on his own Superteem! record label. (It was later released again on Lookout! Records.) They took a week off of their senior year of high school to tour Japan and experimented with riot grrrl, calling themselves The Electrocutes. Afterwards, they signed with Lookout! Records. As the band grew, they were urged to sign with a major label company. In 2001, they signed with Atlantic Records.

In 2002, The Donnas released Spend the Night. The album was their mainstream break through, spawning the hit single "Take it Off" and appearances on Total Request Live, Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and The Late Show with David Letterman. In the summer of 2003, they played the main stage at Lollapalooza. In 2004, they released their sixth album Gold Medal. In February 2005, they toured Australia with the Big Day Out music festival, playing from Sydney to Perth.

Their influences are Guns N' Roses, KISS, Anthrax (John Bush era), L7, and The Ramones.

The Donnas' music has repeatedly been featured in video game soundtracks. "You've Got A Crush On Me" can be heard in the PlayStation 2 game, Splashdown. "Who Invited You" can be found on soundtrack for True Crime: Streets of LA and MVP Baseball 2003. "I Don't Want to Know" is in the Gran Turismo 4 soundtrack also and a cover of the song was also used for Donkey Konga 2 for the Nintendo GameCube. A cover of "Take it Off" is featured in Guitar Hero (released in 2005) and Downhill Domination (released in 2004).

The Donnas' music has also made various appearances in film and media. The band appeared in the movie Drive Me Crazy in 1999 (as the Electrocutes), and more recently appeared on the TV show "Charmed" performing the single "Fall Behind Me" at P3. They also appeared in the teen comedy Jawbreaker as the prom band, contributing two songs to the soundtrack ("Rock 'N' Roll Machine" and "Checkin' It Out"). A cover of "Roll On Down The Highway" was used in a Disney commercial. The Donnas can also be heard on Mean Girls during the end credits playing a cover of the Billy Idol song "Dancing With Myself", and they also contributed to the soundtrack of the movie Grind. The video "Too Bad About Your Girl" also features the cast of the film Grind. The song Take It Off features in the movie Dodgeball.

It's been a long adventure for The Subways since the Welwyn Garden City trio emerged fresh-faced and exuberant with their 2005 debut album 'Young For Eternity'. Now their second album 'All Or Nothing' is scheduled for release. With their teenage days still relatively recently behind them, the band have already experienced more than most bands endure in an entire career.
The combination of frustration and fresh influences from the likes of Refused, Death Cab For Cutie, Mclusky and Shellac has provoked the vehement dynamics that are infused in the new album's most vitriolic moments.
The band opted to head to Los Angeles to record the album with producer extraordinaire Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth). Vig proved to be a powerful influence on the band with all three members eager to highlight his intelligence and musical prowess.

"Coming back to the UK was almost too comfortable for us," says Lunn of the band's decision to join Vig in Los Angeles when he had offered to come to England for the recording process. "We like to keep ourselves on our toes and we wanted to dive into this record and make it the best we could." He replicated this philosophy with his lyrics, adding, "I really wore my heart on my sleeve. All the trials and tribulations that we've been through, they're there. I haven't left anything to myself."

The result is that 'All Or Nothing' recalls the exuberance of 'Young For Eternity' while embarking up an adventurous sonic progression.

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The Electric Soft Parade are masters of reinvention. If you trace your favourite artists there can be said to be two groups, those who peddle and stick to a sound you love (think Oasis, the Strokes, Abba, – for example) and those that constantly twist and turn your perceptions of them and push their own abilities as performers and writers, whilst still somehow never losing their own inimitable traits (think Robert Wyatt, The Flaming Lips, Super Furry Animals). With ‘No Need To Be Downhearted’ the Electric Soft Parade root themselves as firmly in the latter category.
 
Most of us know that Tom and Alex White are from Brighton, that they pretty much put Brighton on the music map and that they’re tireless musicians, intent on breaking musical systems, formulas and public perceptions. Most of us also know that 2002 saw ‘Holes In The Wall’ (DB Records) released to great critical acclaim. Everyone loved it: the past and the future collided on one record, all the boxes were gloriously ticked, and the accolades (Q best new band award, Mercury Music Prize nomination) came rolling in.
The unceasing energy of these boys shines through in all their endeavors: both continue to play with Eamon Hamilton and Marc Beatty in funktry-punk-disco supergroup Brakes whilst contributing to a number of other Brighton-based projects, too: Alex recording and playing live with noise-harmonists Actress Hands, Tom providing drums for instrumental hip-hop collective Restlesslist. And now, with a brand new album of their own, they're at it again, this time as space-age power-balladeers and digital terrorist-rockers. The world is still their oyster.

‘Garbage’ is how Kingslee ‘Akala’ Daley, 22, describes ‘what was once, not that long ago, the most charismatic, enigmatic, energetic, lyrically creative music on the planet’, because it has turned into a reflex idiolect for plastic players with false values and arid imaginations, who know the price of bling but the value of nothing. With his debut album, ‘It’s Not A Rumour’, (released April 10 2006 on Illa State Records), Akala attacks a lazy, retrograde rap scene from all sides, intent on moving it both forward and back into what it was in the first place – a generational voice for change, empowerment and salvation, for himself, his people and for the streets.

True to hip hop’s original template, ‘It's Not A Rumour’ is alternately reflective and anthemic, stone to the bone and rocked-out all the way to one louder. It may move you to insurrection, to tears or just nearer to the centre of the dancefloor. Just as New York crews rapped over AC/DC’s ‘Back In Black’ way back when, Akala’s album synthesises the raw rock dynamicsm with the lyrical ingenuity of rap with no compromising either – that’s why its appeal extends far beyond the narrow hip hop scene into a far broader music sphere.

Xiu Xiu (pronounced shoe-shoe) is an experimental indie band originally from and currently based in San Francisco, California, with time often spent in Seattle, Washington. The band is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart, who has been its only constant member since its inception. His current bandmates are cousin, Caralee McElroy, percussionist Ches Smith, and bassist Devin Hoff. Xiu Xiu are also, on occasion, joined by Cory McCulloch, who has also produced several of their albums. Past members include Lauren Andrews, Yvonne Chen, Sam Mickens and Jherek Bischoff. Some, including McCulloch, have played in previous bands with Stewart, notably Ten in the Swear Jar and IBOPA. The band's name is taken from the 1998 Chinese film Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl.^[2]

Xiu Xiu's music draws heavily from several disparate genres including punk, noise rock, ambient noise, modern classical, and folk. The majority of lyrics deal with morose topics such as suicide, AIDS, war, and taboo experiences. Musically, the band will often blend cacophonous percussion with lush hooks and diverging lyrical styles, influenced by bands of the UK post-punk scene such as The Cure and Joy Division.

'3 blokes..., with various computers and old synths'

Hiding behind a curtain of filtered funk, evil electro and twisted disco are a pair of Brits who are building up a flurry of excitement in the music press thanks to their awesome remix of Bloc Party’s The Prayer. Now signed to Virgin Records, the duo are currently putting the finishing touches to their debut album, and with tracks like We Are Rockstars, Weird Science and Battle Royale in their arsenal, we’re sure it’s going to be massive. - MTV Top Tips 2007

THE YOUNG GODS
‘Super Ready/Fragementé’
(PIAS)

Messrs Treichler, Comet and Trontin have never been ones to rest on their laurels and ‘Super Ready’ marks another sea change in their long and fruitful career. Finely honed over a couple of years of live performances, with songs bolted firmly into place by legendary producer and longtime collaborator Roli Mosimann, it signals a triumphant return to their rock roots. The adrenaline fuelled machine-tooled punk of ‘I Am The Drug’ and ‘Freeze’ share the clanging metal riff and glorious fuck-you attitude of ‘Envoye’ while the joyous, euphoric ‘Everyhere’, propelled by some amazingly fluid drumming from Trontin just might be the greatest ‘had a bad day dear?’ antidote known to man. Franz Treichler has never been on better vocal form, moving effortlessly from sensuous croon to seismic roar although on the curious ‘Machine Arriere’ he sounds more like Oscar the Grouch having a breakdown. The affecting ‘Stay With Me’ continues their longstanding fascination with late Sixties psychedelia while the title track, already a live favourite, dissolves beautifully into lysergic guitar fuzz, trampling over the burning embers of a Stooges riff. The sound of master craftsmen completely at ease and enjoying themselves immensely, these Gods might not be young anymore but their talents are ageless.
www.younggods.com
Neil Gardner 9

1965 Records took their name from the year of Endeacott's birth, as well as his favourite year for music. Originating in May 2006, the company initially releasing five separate limited edition 7-inch vinyl singles by Jack Afro, Billie the Vision & the Dancers, Pizzy Yelliot, The Book of Lists and Jahcoozi in the first three months of its creation between May and July. The label's first album distribution, Cannery Hours by The Occasion, came on July 17, 2006. The label followed this with the release of "Wasted Little DJs" by The View on August 7, 2006. This single was the first charting single associated with the label, reaching #17 in the UK Singles Chart.

Livi is a Latvian hard rock band, that was very influential in forming the Latvian rock music culture. Their signatures are very poetic lyrics and trademark guitar solos.

The band debuted in 1976, when it was founded in Liepaja by Eriks Kigelis and Juris Pavitols. They started out as a pop-rock band and played in various gigs around Latvia, whilst trying to find their own specific style. Thus the period of 1977-1985 was largely a chaotic time in group’s music – it varied from pretty pop to heavy rock. But one thing never changed – their anti-soviet propaganda, their patriotism and their monumentalism.

After the tragic death of Livi leader Eriks Kigelis in 1986, Ainars Virga joined the band, thus starting a new era – the era of anthemic ballads, hard hitting heavy rock tunes and rebellious philosophy. Virga turned out to be a worthy successor to Kigelis by composing some of the best-known Latvian hard rock songs. Since the beginning, Livi have recorded a total of 9 albums and are still rocking’ to this day.

The band’s trademark songs include “Dzimta valoda”, “Dzelsgriezejs”, “Meitene zeltene”, “Saldus saule”, “Piedod man”, “Zilite” and “Tikai tev un man” and “Pari visam”.

Hell Is for Heroes are an English post-hardcore band, formed in Camden, London, in September 2000. Initial partnership of Will McGonagle and Joe Birch, previously in Symposium was joined by James Findlay, Tom O'Donoghue and later Justin Schlosberg. The band played their formative shows in West London throughout 2001.

After two independently released singles, Hell Is for Heroes released their debut album in February 2003 on EMI. The Neon Handshake was produced and recorded in Los Angeles at Sound City Studios and mixed in Umea, Sweden at Tonteknik by Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lövström, the band's A&R was managed by Duncan Illing. The band and their A&R left EMI in 2004.

Hell Is for Heroes released their second album Transmit Disrupt independently before signing a deal with Burning Heart Records, who subsequently re-released it in 2006.

Their debut album was voted 58th best British rock album ever by the readers of Kerrang! magazine in the Feb 19, 2005 issue.

Imperial Leisure are a phenomenon: a ten-piece band playing their own particular blend of hip-hop, ska and rock music, complete with live brass section, keyboards, DJ, two MCs and a singer, who have been mates since North London secondary school, and in some cases, primary school.  Their music is a killer combination of great beats, great tunes and irresistibly memorable lyrics.

Influences come from all over the place: as well as a group admiration of great British bands such as The Specials, Madness and The Prodigy, there is a Motown-inspired soulfulness to singer Jel’s vocals, and a rock sensibility to MC Denis’s delivery.

The sense of unity and familiarity that comes from 15 years of friendship and hanging out together is very much evident both in the band’s sound and in the relationships between members.  Based in their own rehearsal/recording studio in Wood Green, they work together and party together, and put equal energy into both things.

Asobi Seksu presents its new album, Citrus: eleven slices of guitar-swirling, sweet-and-sour, bilingual dream pop. Frontwoman Yuki’s voice is more assured than ever, swinging from a girlish falsetto to plaintive laments and switching effortlessly between Japanese and English lyrics, all the while anchored by the lush, turbulent guitar of James Hanna. This is the sound of a band coming into its own, and having fun doing it.

Asobi Seksu (colloquial Japanese for “playful sex”) released its debut album in 2004 to significant critical acclaim, winning rave reviews from the New York Times, Nylon, Under the Radar, YRB, and XLR8R, among others; scoring a #1 video on mtvU’s Dean’s List with the song “Walk on the Moon;” garnering a top ten spot on CMJ’s radio charts; and becoming an instant favorite in the NYC scene, playing packed shows at the Bowery, Knitting Factory, and Mercury Lounge.

Asobi Seksu have always been masters at creating musical textures; gauzy, cloudy dreamscapes for their slower songs and squalls of guitar and daisy-chained effect pedals for their barnstormers. What truly distinguishes Citrus, though, is that the band has now married this ability to a finely honed pop sensibility. The songs here aren’t just “pretty,” they’re melodically rich and incredibly catchy. As their captivating live show attests, Asobi Seksu have outgrown the comparisons to My Bloody Valentine and Lush, and have finally realized their potential as one of New York’s greatest bands. True to its name, Citrus is every bit as sweet and delicious as it sounds.

Late Of The Pier was created somewhere in the mists of 2003, born from the warped minds of Sam Eastgate and Ross Dawson somewhere in the mists of G.C.S.E's. No-one can remember exactly how it happened but lets just presume it went something like… 'Lets start a band' 'OK' …ignoring the fact that neither Ross or future guitarist Faley had only ever touched their instruments once at this point. (Ross had a knock-about on Sam's drums one evening, Faley skipped school to get stoned in Sam's attic and make a song 'Wasted Intellectuals'... probably LOTP's first song).

LOTP found a home in Way Out West and it's all-ages gigs, their feelings reciprocated by the new generation. Stuck mid-way between an older generation of somewhat static crowds and a younger generation of hyper-active kids, LOTP gained a dedicated following in the younger generations through myspace.com and for the energy of their live shows and in the older generations for the music itself. The Klaxons/NME had just coined the phrase 'Nu-Rave' and Late Of The Pier's ideas of live music began to become popular with the mainstream. With this came more interest from the music industry… NME and Radio1 quickly picked up on the band, noting them as one of the bands to watch out for in 2007 and music industry king-pins and affiliates soon became regular attendees to London gigs, often for pleasure instead of business.

With a heavy-handed approach and a sound that crashes like thunder, HIGH ON FIRE has put the power back in 'power-trio.' Less a band than a supersonic exercise in conquest by volume and sheer heaviness, the band has burned the metal rulebook and forged a new archetype.

HIGH ON FIRE was formed by guitarist Matt Pike in late summer 1998; a scant six months after the breakup of his previous band, the enigmatic stoner-metal legend SLEEP. Formed out of the need to simply play guitar again, Pike jammed with settled on a line-up of powerhouse drummer Des Kensel and longtime guitarist friend George Rice, who made the switch to bass to round out the trio.

HIGH ON FIRE are a supersonic exercise in conquest by volume. Equal parts molten metal and earthquake panic, HIGH ON FIRE's MOTORHEAD-meets-SLAYER roar is outrageously loud and absolutely punishing. With their latest release, "Blessed Black Wings", guitarist / vocalist Matt Pike (ex-SLEEP) unleashes a devastating combination of bombastic guitar and howling war cries, weaving fantastical tales of supernatural beasts, forgotten battles and rivers of blood over an unstoppable bass and drum assault. HIGH ON FIRE are a class unto themselves, manhandling rock music while locking into grooves that transcend time.

'3 blokes..., with various computers and old synths'

Hiding behind a curtain of filtered funk, evil electro and twisted disco are a pair of Brits who are building up a flurry of excitement in the music press thanks to their awesome remix of Bloc Party’s The Prayer. Now signed to Virgin Records, the duo are currently putting the finishing touches to their debut album, and with tracks like We Are Rockstars, Weird Science and Battle Royale in their arsenal, we’re sure it’s going to be massive. - MTV Top Tips 2007

Hammond released a solo album entitled "Yours To Keep" in the U.K. through Rough Trade Records on October 9, 2006 . Hammonds album was recorded at New York's Electric Lady Studios, LoHo Studios, and The Cabin In The City with Albert Hammond, Jr. as guitarist and vocalist together with Josh Lattanzi on bass and Matt Romano on drums. That basic trio has been augmented on various tracks by Julian Casablancas, Jody Porter (Fountains of Wayne), Ben Kweller, Sean Lennon, Chris Feinstein, Mikki James, Sammy James Jr. (The Mooney Suzuki) and Ryan Gentles.

The album was produced by Greg Lattimer who first came to attention as vocalist with New York's Thin Lizard Dawn in the late-nineties. The album comes in addition to Albert's role in The Strokes - he is not leaving the band.

also with touring members...
Marc Philippe Eskenazi - guitar / keyboards / backing vocals
Steve Schiltz - guitar

The Dirtbombs crash back into the UK and blow up at the ULU in London on Thursday 5^th June to celebrate the release of their brilliant new record-"We Have You Surrounded".  This will be the first Dirtbombs show in the UK  for a couple of years and "We Have You Surrounded " is the first full-length album of new material since 2003's pivotal Dangerous Magical Noise. 

The Dirtbombs are the brain child of Mick Collins, godfather of the Detroit garage punk movement. After writing the template of modern US garage with The Gories (who were a major formative influence on The  White Stripes among many others) Mick wanted to form a band that reflected not only punk but the black music scene too, specifically soul. Whereas  The Gories were a bassless band, The Dirtbombs not only have TWO bass players but also TWO drummers! 

The Dirtbombs are an absolutely unmissable live event.

For more information go to  www.punkrockblues.co.uk

The resulting collective came to be known as "tapes 'n tapes". By altering hit records ever so slightly, and plagerizing great works of german and norwegian literature, the collective developed a sound wholly their own... in the spring of 2003 the band migrated north, to the taconite fields of the iron range. There, buried deep in a mine shaft, they spent long nights perfecting their craft. finally, as the northern chill of fall began to once again sweep over lake superior, the brothers tapes returned south.

Today they are presenting their beautifully wrapped, sweet smelling product to the hipsters, college rockers, and b-boys of the world.

Idlewild are a Scottish rock band formed in December 1995, by Roddy Woomble (vocals), Rod Jones (guitar), Phil Scanlon (bass), and Colin Newton (drums).

Initially their sound obeyed the conventions of 1990s British indie-punk guitar music, but unlike many of their contemporaries, it developed over time, from an edgy and angular sound approaching post-hardcore, as heard in their early material (once described by the NME as "the sound of a flight of stairs falling down a flight of stairs"), to a different, sweeping, melodic rock sound as displayed on their third album The Remote Part. Idlewild's sound cannot be easily placed into a specific genre, though they have clearly been influenced by bands like Blur, Nirvana, Gang Of Four, R.E.M., The Smiths and Fugazi.

Part of Idlewild's early success can be attributed to their singles gaining heavy rotation on Steve Lamacq's Evening Session on BBC Radio 1, as well as his all-round endorsement of them - the diminutive DJ often cites them as one of his favourite bands.

Amir Sulaiman (HBO Def Poet), Johari Abdul-Malik (Civil Rights Activist), Poetic Pilgrimage (UK-based spoken word duo), Mo Yahya (of Blind Alphabetz), Young Ummah (Grime Artists from Harlesden), Michael Mumisa (Inspirational Speaker)

Japanese noise rock band Melt Banana found more success in the U.S. and the U.K. than in their own country, gaining a small but dedicated fan base among American and European punk rock fans. Although their music sounds noticeably different from any sort of traditional punk, it contains some punk elements: shrieking vocals, overdriven guitars, and one-and-a-half-minute songs. Melt Banana's unique style, however, comes as a result of the distinctly piercing vocals of lead singer Yasuko O. As well as the frenzied, effect-charged playing of guitarist  Agata Searing, intense, and mind-blowingly fast are perhaps the first adjectives that come to mind when listening to Melt Banana's music. Try to imagine an even more energetic incarnation of the Boredoms.

But, for many, the appeal of Melt Banana is not entirely limited to their music. Yasuko O's lyrics and song titles reflect a Japanese pop culture that is fascinating and strange, yet attractive to many non-Japanese fans. As time passes, their overshadowing influence is becoming more and more evident within the cultish following of the noise-core movement. However, it is the band's incredible severity and furious sound that has gained them the most recognition. Their shockingly intense live shows are that of sheer legend, with many fans leaving sweaty and exhausted, and Yasuko O often persevering through nosebleeds.

Japanese noise rock band Melt Banana found more success in the U.S. and the U.K. than in their own country, gaining a small but dedicated fan base among American and European punk rock fans. Although their music sounds noticeably different from any sort of traditional punk, it contains some punk elements: shrieking vocals, overdriven guitars, and one-and-a-half-minute songs. Melt Banana's unique style, however, comes as a result of the distinctly piercing vocals of lead singer Yasuko O. As well as the frenzied, effect-charged playing of guitarist  Agata Searing, intense, and mind-blowingly fast are perhaps the first adjectives that come to mind when listening to Melt Banana's music. Try to imagine an even more energetic incarnation of the Boredoms.

But, for many, the appeal of Melt Banana is not entirely limited to their music. Yasuko O's lyrics and song titles reflect a Japanese pop culture that is fascinating and strange, yet attractive to many non-Japanese fans. As time passes, their overshadowing influence is becoming more and more evident within the cultish following of the noise-core movement. However, it is the band's incredible severity and furious sound that has gained them the most recognition. Their shockingly intense live shows are that of sheer legend, with many fans leaving sweaty and exhausted, and Yasuko O often persevering through nosebleeds.

For the first time ever, the Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands is having a European Regional, to be held this summer in London. The winning European Regional qualifies to compete at the finals at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Ohio, October 2008.

Yes folks, Xfm's All Day Breakfast is the biggest, best and most ambitious event we've ever planned. This is what's going down:
 
It takes place from 6am Saturday June 21 through until 6am Sunday June 22

Alex Zane will be hosting a 24-hour breakfast show during this time, live from our Leicester Square studios. While Alex goes live, we'll be putting on eight FREE gigs in eight different venues, by some massive names, one after another.
 
There's no paying to get in, no queueing, no aggravation, just great music, laid on by your favourite radio station. The shows will also be broadcast live on Xfm 104.9.
 
Keep visiting xfm.co.uk for details on how to get tickets to these exclusive shows. Like we said, the only way to get in is to keep listening or to keep visiting. It's as smiple as that.

Blessed by a Broken Heart is a Metal band from Montreal, Canada that was formed in 2003. They are currently signed to Century Media. They first released All’s Fair in Love and War on Blood & Ink Records in 2004. It was mostly met with unfavorable reviews.In 2006 they toured in the United Kingdom with Enter Shikari. Their major label debut, "Pedal to the Metal", is to be released in 2008 on Century Media. "Pedal to The Metal" was recorded in 2007 by producer Gggarth. They spent 2007 touring the United States with Kittie, It Dies Today and Bring Me the Horizon. They went to Europe with Bring Me The Horizon in mid January 2008 and then returned to the UK for a headline tour in February with Azriel. They are currently part of the "Scream the Prayer" summer tour, with other notable Christian bands such as Impending Doom, With Blood Comes Cleansing, and War of Ages.

Their CD "Pedal To The Metal" was leaked in its entirety onto torrent sites as of May 12, 2008.

Five young(ish) men from east London - but hey, don't let that put you off.

Founded out of the frustration of previous failed musical ventures, a love of 90's dance music (although crucially NOT the Shamen) and rock n' roll bands like The Stooges, The Stones and The Scream, we decided it was time to kill hum-glum wafer thin indie music and create a racket all of our own. Far too many people play it far too cool these days, don't ya think?

Time to turn those frowns upside down, uh-huh yeah. So, knowing that the music industry is terminally screwed we started releasing records ourselves, starting with “Leave Your Body” on our own Dead At Thirty imprint. One more 12” and several shambolic shows later we run out of money and shut up shop. Then Wall of Sound came a knocking waving contracts (but rest assured, not ca$h) and we thought we'd give it a serious blast. We lied to WOS, telling them we had a finished album ready for release and they seemed to go for it. We managed to hold them off for about six months but they finally saw through our cunning ruse. In comes Jagz Kooner to make sure we finish the job and after much blood sweat and tears we get there! “We Are Not The Infadels” came out in January this year and we've been touring it ever since. Happy days.

Misinterpreted by some but loved by many, we continue the job of doing our insane shows and writing the best songs we can. Hard work makes the world go round after all.

Still, many seem think we are loutish, lager boys who are screaming, shouting and vomiting our way round the UK and Europe . We'll have you know that this is an unfounded lie…apart from the vomiting.

So there you are.

As Turisas frontman Warlord Nygard says. "It's going to be packed, and it's going to be sweaty!"

All shows at the ULU are open to those 16 years old and over - and ticket buyers are limited to four per person.

As Turisas frontman Warlord Nygard says. "It's going to be packed, and it's going to be sweaty!"

All shows at the ULU are open to those 16 years old and over - and ticket buyers are limited to four per person.

As Turisas frontman Warlord Nygard says. "It's going to be packed, and it's going to be sweaty!"

All shows at the ULU are open to those 16 years old and over - and ticket buyers are limited to four per person.

Kerrang! are putting on five days of gigs leading up to the K! Awards. Taking place from August 16-20, they will be hosted at the London Barfly and London's ULU - with a killer bill being hooked up for both venues on every night of the week in the run-up to the Awards.

As Turisas frontman Warlord Nygard says. "It's going to be packed, and it's going to be sweaty!" 

All shows at the ULU are open to those 16 years old and over - and ticket buyers are limited to four per person.

So what exactly is Tokyo Police Club? Perhaps EYE Weekly summed it up best when they wrote "[Tokyo Police Club] are undeniably catchy and raw, marrying danceable hooks with talk of robot masters and global emergencies, providing an upbeat soundtrack to our troubled times." Somehow, the deeply innocuous subdivisions of Newmarket, Ontario have hatched a four-headed beast of tunefulness.

The Mountain Goats' first recordings were covers of songs by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. These recordings were made in employee housing at Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk, California - the same town which, perhaps not coincidentally, gave Metallica to the world. A tape of these early sessions, which used the roaring static sound of late-night TV test patterns as percussion/incidental noise but were otherwise a capella, still exists. The inscription on the spine of the tape reads THE MOUNTAIN GOATS/BLEATING WILDLY: A VERSION OF FRANKIE VALLI AND THE FOUR SEASONS. No-one will ever hear this tape in any form.

Throughout the early 90s, the Mountain Goats developed their style. What this means is "John started learning how to write songs." There were two albums and a limited amount of touring done by the lineup that solidified during this time - John and Rachel played twice in San Francisco, twice in Chicago, twice in New York City, and once each in Columbus, Newpaltz, Cambridge, Providence, Northampton, Nijmegen, Koln, Utrecht, Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. There were about a dozen shows in southern California, too. Around the end of this period, they made an EP called Nine Black Poppies, and then John moved to Chicago.

After making a few albums which were mainly solo endeavors with occasional guests, John called Peter Hughes, who'd joined him on bass for two tours of continental Europe in '95 and '96. "I'm signing to 4AD," he said. "You busy?" Peter was in fact busy, but not that busy. They recorded Tallahassee, toured themselves sick, recorded We Shall All Be Healed, toured some more, made the Sunset Tree, toured like French bicyclists, made Get Lonely in 2006 and then kept right on touring. You know how some people can't stop collecting Precious Moments figurines? John and Peter are kind of like that, except with tours.

Most bios attempt to describe the music made by the band they're profiling, and to compare it favorably to the work of giants in the field. This isn't that kind of bio. The general musical framework within which the Mountain Goats have worked for ten-plus years has been acoustic guitar, bass, and voice. The lyrics are central to the whole enterprise. Many of the songs involve desperate characters who've found themselves in some trouble and want to moan about it a little before taking their lumps. The sexual tension between characters in your average Mountain Goats song could split the atom if the power could be harnessed, but it can't, so forget it. Now you know what we know. Go forth and sin no more.

It’s time. Armed with sublime songs from their up-coming brand new album Make It Happen, Nizlopi are bursting out of the studio and taking to the road to get people up onto their feet. With their thrillingly intimate live shows Nizlopi are a revelation, a musical revolution, set to the soaring melodies of Luke Concannon’s powerful vocals (Tracy Chapman meets The Streets), and the dirty beats of John James Parker’s jazzed up double-bass and human beat box. ‘When were you in a gig last where the people smiled so broad that the reflection from their teeth contributed to the acoustics?’ bbc ‘The most exciting hip- hop, acoustic, double-bass shit going down’ Mojo Collections.

Signed to their own label, provocative and inspiring, their groove-driven beat-based songs are a mix of soul, folk, jazz, hip hop and everything in between. Get up, stand up. Love the place you live. Shake the thing your mamma gave ya.

‘Monstrously melodic….absolutely mesmerizing’ Musicweek. Get involved.   

‘nizlopi are the real thing’  the guardian

‘the missing link’  the independent

‘astounding’  irish world

‘raw talent’  the sun

‘intense, angular and beautiful’  Colin Murray bbc radio One  

Metronomy is the Electronic band and project fronted by Brighton's Joseph Mount. Yet to release a record of his own, he has already worked his magic on many hit records, with his notorious remixes for Lady Sovereign, Ladytron, Sebastien Tellier, Bright Eyes and even U2! Now the Arctic Monkeys have hunted him down to remix them. Meanwhile the forthcoming debut single 'You Could Easily Have Me' is aired every hour as the theme to MTV's new Greenhouse show.. Their sound draws from folktronic artists like Four Tet and is a sea of hypnotic synths, laptop beats, drum machines, bass and hand claps.

Blips and bleeps, ragged drums and lush melodies explode into a beautifully and understated organized mess. It rocks!

The Holloways new album is not just an authentic album in the tradition of great British bands who have left an indelible mark in both the UK and US, but one of song-writing prowess, keen hooks and luscious, textured melodies. A slice of quintessential British pop, further establishing their reputation as a hard working, solid and integral pop-rock band. Their first album in two years since ‘So This Is Great Britain?’ The Holloways return with stronger songs and catchier melodies than ever before.

The Holloways unique and loveable brand of indie–pop is here again. With a strong line-up, renewed vigour and a likeable, positive outlook on life, it’s clear that people will get the right idea about these national treasures – and the legions of fans that have patiently awaited their triumphant return to the fold. With their energy, diversity and maturity clearly growing, The Holloways are showing signs of becoming a truly great band, with a very fruitful future indeed.

'....From the spunky 2005 debut 'get even' to the recent EP 'Wait Stop Begin' with stand out numbers including the heavy bare bone rhythms of come on feet and the whimsical romance of think twice. On record and on stage, they're a tuneful mishmash of guitar pop, folk and punk.The pirates hooks include call-and-response harmonies, unpredictable shifting tempos and playful puns.'  Metro

There live shows have been lauded by critics; intensely dynamic and emotionally charged experiences. Shapes that multiply and smother you completely they are indeed one of the more vital bands of the new millennium

Killa Kella is one of the world's most innovative multi vocalist and beatbox musicians.

Emma-Lee Moss, known by her stage name of Emmy the Great, is a London based singer-songwriter.

 "It's been a while since Next Big Thing Tips by the NME and DiS but Emmy the Great's debut is a triumph, with a maturity beyond her years, and with a humour no less enjoyable for being subtler."
Drowned In Sound - 9/10

"Emmy The Great kicked off her UK tour last night (January 31) with a dedication to Elton John.
Playing with a four-piece backing band, the singer/songwriter performed a stirring 50-minute set, which featured fan favourites 'First Love', 'Gabriel' and 'The Hypnotist's Son'. Set closer 'Two Steps Forward', meanwhile, was dedicated to the Rocket Man. The singer/songwriter, whose debut album 'First Love' is released next week (February 9), was in a cheerful mood, talking at length to the packed crowd between songs and dedicating several songs to friends who were present at the gig."
NME online - Feb 1, 2009 

We Are The Ocean (Formerly known as Dead But Still Dreaming) are a Post-Hardcore/Rock band from East London/Essex. The band gained popularity through their highly energetic shows and outstanding performances on tours with You Me At Six and Flood Of Red.

The band recently gained airtime on channels MTV2, Kerrang! and Scuzz with their music video ‘Nothing Good Has Happened Yet’.

They are soon to release an album over the summer which is expected to be amazing. "With tracks such as Save Me Said The Saviour and Nothing Good Has Happened they seem to find an extra gear and an ability to blow the listener away"  - Musicscoop.net

Negrita began their musical career in 1992 in the provincial town of Arezzo (Tuscany)… and they soon start building their profile as a unique live rock band. Their debut album released in 1994 “NEGRITA” immediately revealed the essence of the band: irresistible guitar riffs, “stainless” rhythm section, powerful bass grooves and incisive vocal lines delivering relevant messages to the audience.In 1996, the band moved to the  U.S. to make XXX, which was followed by 1999's Reset, from which the single "Hollywood" was nominated in the European MTV Music Awards (the first nomination of three).  

Keeping their unmistakable  style, they express themselves in many genres: from the authentic blues vein of “XXX”, to the hard rythms and electronic sounds of “RESET” to the new rock/funk/blues vibrations of “RADIO ZOMBIE” and the multi-cultural sound and lyrics of “L’UOMO SOGNA DI VOLARE” (2005). Negrita’s latest album  “HELLdorado” (Oct 08), is a new conceptual journey through the contradictions of the contemporary world: a 360° exploration of sounds and lyrics (in Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese), whereby Africa, LatinoAmerica, Jamaica and Spain are the grid references for the wide musical  universe of the band in recent last years.

This event has been rescheduled from Thursday 5 March. All original tickets remain valid.

A band that need no introduction; The Bluetones have been releasing records since 1995. One of their first reviews in Q Magazine proclaimed, “They are the new Stone Roses”. 10 years on and so many wish that The Roses could have continued to do what The Bluetones do. Which is make music that people still want to hear. The band who gave us Indie anthems like 'Slight Return', and 'If…' are still cutting the finest Indie-pop songs today. From the early days of ‘Expecting To Fly’ to the later days of ‘Luxembourg’, The Bluetones will always make a comeback, but what’s important to them is that when they do, they never fail to impress.

The new 5th studio album is in the shops now. Do get a copy pronto, it's called quite brilliantly: 'The Bluetones'. A second single entitled "Head On A Spike" has recently been released from the afforementioned long-player.

Future of the Left was formed in 2005 in Cardiff and is made up of members Jack William Egglestone (drums), Kelson Louis Tregurtha Mathias (bass / vocals) and Andrew Falkous (guitar / vocals). Kelson sang in jarcrew while Falco and Jack played in mclusky until both bands split in early 2005. Moreover - if you like balls out rock and roll with interesting, deranged, energised riffing played by complete and utter headcases as well of lots of inspired scraming and shouting. Then this is the band for you. If you were a fan of McClusky. Future of the Left are the logical step forward. Honestly - you will regret missing this show. 

The Bronx are an American band from Southern California who began playing punk rock in 2002. Their original goal was to bring passionate, blood-and-sweat punk rock into the 21st Century and they started out on this quest when they released their first self-titled album back in 2003.

We are pleased to announce a special intimate show for Anthrax on the 16th June at London ULU.  This will be the first full UK headline appearance with new vocalist Dan Nelson.  Support comes from Suicide Silence and Trigger The Bloodshed.

The Jazz rock'n'roll magic of Tom Allalone and his troupe brings dreams of fifties diners and the Fonz screaming to you with a dirty, scuzzy underbelly that makes it feel wonderfully British.

 http://www.myspace.com/tomallalone

Using cheese graters, wardrobe doors, pianos, harps, brass, strings and an old gramophone to record the twelve-track debut, Adventures in Gramophone is truly a musical spectacular. Duke Special is one of a kind, a unique and talented young Belfast man whose bruised romanticism and soft Northern tinged vocals are at sharp juxtaposition with his wild dreadlocks, smudged eyeliner and unfeasibly wide trousers.

On stage, Duke Special explodes into musical mayhem the battered old trademark gramophone wheezes, huge cymbals clash, egg whisks and cheese graters break free from the kitchen, a stumpf fiddle screeches and the crushed velvet covered piano thumps and tinks in unison but its the very core of the songs, his heartfelt, passionate poems, that will remain in your head long after the lights have gone down.

www.myspace.com/espers

The Cave Singers first album ‘Invitation Songs’ was released early 2008 to hearty plays from the likes of Zane Lowe (Radio 1) and a warm flurry of critical acclaim. NME declared it a “post-folk masterpiece of a debut”, a fitting though rather unexpected description for a Seattle act formed from the ashes of three disbanded hardcore/post-punk bands (Quirk from Hint, Hint, Lund from Cobra High and Fudesco from Pretty Girls Makes Graves and before that Murder City High). Perhaps it explains the energy and edge that soars through even their prettiest of folk-laced songs.

Welcome Joy is a gorgeous, rich folky stew hitting musical touchstones from Led Zeppelin III (think Bron Yr Aur Stomp) with a healthy dollop of the more mournful Stevie Nicks’ songs from Fleetwood Mac’s mid-’70s period. Produced by Colin Stewart (Black Mountain, Destroyer, Ladyhawk), the album is far richer and more interesting sounding than their debut. The band performs their dramatic, forlorn and occasionally triumphant music in a wonderfully autumnal haze. ‘Welcome Joy’ is out now via Matador.

www.myspace.com/thecavesingers

WOODS are primarily the duo of Jeremy Earl (owner of Fuck It Tapes and Woodsist) and Jarvis Taveniere (Meneguar and Wooden Wand), and aided live by friends G. Lucas Crane on tape effects and Kevin Morby.

Jeremy’s Brooklyn based label, Woodsist, has recently released Vivian Girls, Wavves, Kurt Vile, Sic Alps and Crystal Stilts, among many others.

WOODS released their debut UK single on Half Machine Records on Monday 10th August 2009. The lo-fi Flying Nun-esque,‘To Clean’, is backed with the skeletal psych folk of exclusive acoustic version, ‘Rain On’, recorded live on WVKR radio.

Both tracks feature on their recently released fourth album, ‘Songs of Shame’, released through their own Woodsist label and cassette tape label Shrimper.

“Consistently awesome lo-fi pop” – Gorilla vs Bear

“A distinctive blend of spooky campfire folk, lo-fi rock, homemade tape collages, and other noisy interludes, all anchored by deceptively sturdy melodies.” – Pitchfork

www.myspace.com/woodsfamilyband

End of Term Student Showcase

Featuring Fleur Estelle & her Layali Dance Company,

graduates from the school's levels 1, 2, 3 & 4 as well as guest professionals.

Swords, Veils, Drums & Sequins!

From traditional to modern types of belly dancing, featuring a number of outside influences such as Bollywood, Salsa & Saidi to name just a few, this show is set to get you shimmying on the spot, not to be missed!

Fleur Estelle is an international belly dancer who has appeared on BBC & ITV, performed for Royalty, and is featured in Kasabian's latest music video. This showcase is brought to you by Fleur and dancers of her West End based belly dance school.

Tickets available online until sell out - early bird prices apply

www.fleurestelle.com

V V Brown is a singer, a songwriter, a performer, multi-instrumentalist and a producer. In this 24-year-old’s world, love sounds like the perfect melody. Both are difficult to define she says, but both pour out of the songs on her debut album. This is music which sounds like performance: dramatic, charismatic and, frequently, as mad as a box of frogs. This is high definition, high concept pop with scuffed edges and laddered tights. “It’s about letting out all these ideas I’ve had locked up in my mind,” Brown states. “It’s honest - it’s not about being festooned with £10m diamonds or having perfect hair.”

Leading the charge is Crying Blood, written on V V’s one-string guitar, but more of that later, which colourfully illustrates Brown’s penchant for mixing upbeat melodies with lyrics specialising in full-on despair. There are a few of these on her debut album, which is the story of V V’s life but also the story of one specific relationship with one specific arsehole. “He broke my heart just before I began writing the album,” V V says. “In a way writing Crying Blood, was liberating because I was letting everything out and it felt like there was some distance. But the fact that I was still writing songs about him meant that I wasn’t as liberated as I thought”.

As V V now realises, writing these songs brought everything to a close. From the brutal imagery of the song’s title, through “falling like a comet from a broken sky” to the point where she arrives back on earth with a bump, Crying Blood represents a cathartic process which also resulted in a pretty nifty pop tune.

“I can’t remember a time when music was not a part of me,” she says; “when I was five, I remember writing my first song on the piano. I played the same notes over and over again and from that moment I just knew that music would be a huge part of my life.” Evenings were spent in the attic with her five brothers and sisters playing at being in a band and dreaming about being on Top Of The Pops. At school, V V was almost unrecognisable – lunch-breaks would be spent sitting in the school field on her blazer wondering, as she says, “why the grass was green”. Feeling liberated rather than lonely, she immersed herself in her own thoughts. “I’ve always felt slightly on the edge of the circle,” she explains, and this double life, flitting from extrovert to introvert as the mood takes her, now runs through her album. Every Sunday she’d go to church and sing in the gospel choir; at home her mum and dad would listen to Aretha, The Rolling Stones, Ruth Brown, Elvis Presley, Queen and the music from Super Marioland. Anything with a tune was fair game.

It’s easy to see how V V inherited her theatrical, charismatic personality. It’s an excitingly eclectic mix, but V V has another phrase for it: “musical mashed potatoes”.“I was broke!” she howls, so broke in fact that she had to sell her keyboard to pay for her flight home from LA, “but I wasn’t sitting around watching Cash In The Attic – every day was spent making music. Every hour, every day from nine in the morning until two the next morning.” Money was so tight that V V bought a one-string guitar in a charity shop, marked the frets out with her red nail varnish and wrote Crying Blood the very next day. “I’ll wake up in the morning and have no idea what I’m going to write”. It was these sessions threw up the extraordinary songs which scored V V her new deal with Island. Her songs are now instantly addictive and unmistakably honest, with lyrics asking what the bloody point is answered by melodies full of life and reasons to be cheerful. The contradiction works, throwing the listener from happy to sad and back again in the space of three minutes.

“Everything that’s happened in the last few years has taught me to value the idea of knowing yourself and being your-self,” V V says. “And, my God, it took me a long time to get here.” True to this, and as she prepares to unleash the album on the world, V V’s binned off the LA lifestyle, choosing instead to live in London in her auntie’s house with her sisters. “I can’t see myself moving any time soon,” V V says. “Why should I change? I just want a simple life, with extraordinary music in it.”

Laibach and Juno Reactor are among the world's most acclaimed alternative electronic music artists. They have collaborated with each other on several occasions before.

Laibach is an internationally renowned Slovenian alternative band who developed their distinctive artistic expression in collaboration with the NSK (Neue Slowenische Kunst) artistic movement. Laibach's music is a unique mixture of industrial, rock, contemporary classical and electronic music. Using the provocative symbolism and aesthetics related to totalitarian ideologies, the band, founded in 1980, won recognition as a distinctive cultural phenomenon back in the times when Slovenia was still part of the communist Yugoslavia.

Juno Reactor is a musical and performing act known for the cinematic fusion of electronic, orchestral and global music. They are also famous for collaborating with composer Don Davis for the musical score of The Matrix and other films. reactorleak.com <http://www.reactorleak.com/>

Legendary British rock & roll band The Godfathers celebrate 25 years since the group's formation in '85 by announcing details of a Saint Valentine's Day Massacre concert in London in 2010 & their first German tour in over a decade in December '09.

The Godfathers will headline ULU in Malet Street, London on Sunday February 14th 2010 with special guests to be confirmed closer to the date.

The Godfathers will also play Schlachtof, Wiesbaden on 14th December, Bang Bang club, Berlin on 15th December, Lagerhaus, Osnabruck on 16th December, Backstage, Munich on 17th December, Waldsee, Freiburg on 18th December, Red Hot, Juchen on 19th December and Molotow, Hamburg on 20th December '09.

The London band's famed Saint Valentine's Day Massacre concerts have become an integral part of the rock & roll calendar since the group's inception, with fans travelling from around the world to catch their incendiary live show. The Godfathers reformed their original line-up in 2008 to perform a triumphant Saint Valentine's Day Massacre at The Forum (voted the best concert of 2008 by Music-News.com) and released a vastly expanded 2 CD version of their classic debut album 'Hit By Hit' to significant critical acclaim. In February 2009 The Godfathers played their first ever American Saint Valentine's Day Massacre with a knock out performance at The Metro in Chicago.

The Godfathers are currently writing material for a brand new album to be released sometime in 2010, their first studio album since 'Afterlife' in '95.

www.godfathershq.com <http://www.godfathershq.com/> www.myspace.com/theoriginalgodfathers <http://www.myspace.com/theoriginalgodfathers>

The young São Paulo singer Céu captivated the world with her self- titled debut album in 2008. After being chosen as the first interna- tional artist featured in Starbucks’ Hear MusicTM Debut series, Céu earned both Grammy and Latin Grammy nominations, countless press accolades, and chart topping numbers.

To celebrate their 7th year anniversary, JungleDrums will host the UK debut of this amazing rising star, with a night including support from the fantastic Zeep and London’s DJ legend, DJ Limão, making for an unprecedented line-up of Brazilian talent that is capturing the imagination of those in the know.

Receiving rave reviews from the top critics, Céu’s headlining this momentous event for the leading Brazilian/Latin Magazine in the UK is an exciting prospect in a young vibrant venue. With a capacity of 800+, it’s going to be the biggest night of the Brazilian calendar in London this year.

Blending Brazilian and European influences to perfection, Zeep continue to blow away new listeners and are set for a bright future. Adding to the mix, DJ Limão is the leading Brazilian DJ on the London scene, right at the forefront of his industry.

To mark their 7th year, JungleDrums had to go big and this night is set to surpass its high standards in cultural and artistic expression that the magazine has established since 2002.

For more information contact info@jungledrums.org or call 0207 242 5140

Céu Reviews

"An astonishingly assured debut" ««««« - OBSERVER MUSIC MONTHLY

"All the makings of a summer hit. Classy, very classy." «««« – THE SUNDAY TIMES

"Described as ‘the future of popular Brazilian music’ she has the voice and the image to make an impact in 2008 and beyond" – Q

"Ceu has the seductive, sun-kissed croon of a latter day Astrud Gilberto"«««« –

INDEPENDENT

Zeep Reviews

"Delicious album, really fresh and fun" – GILLES PETERSON Radio 1

"A cool upbeat reaction to Rio’s samba revival....notable for the quality of musicianship and the impressively infectious songs" – THE GUARDIAN

"Breezily eclectic grown-up pop with a strong bossa-nova influence...very well executed" – DAILY TELEGRAPH

Regan's first releases were the single, "Little Miss Drunk", and three EPs titled Hotel Room, Reservior and Campaign Button, which were released on a small indie label, Anvil Records. Following these releases, in 2006, Regan signed to former Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde's independent record label, Bella Union, in the UK, resulting in Regan's debut album The End of History being released on August 7, 2006. Following his UK success, Regan was subsequently signed by the American label Lost Highway Records. The End of History was released in the U.S. on July 10, 2007.

The End of History was produced by Regan himself (mixing the album with Simon Raymonde). Mojo magazine gave the album four stars in a review that dubbed the disc "a debut that oozes rare confidence, startling maturity and originality". Other publications such as The Times and The Guardian also gave the album four out of five stars.

Regan has played many festivals around the world including the 2007 Glastonbury Festival, XPoNential Music Festival in Camden, New Jersey, Electric Picnic (Ireland), Summercase (Spain), Bestival (Isle of Wight) ACL (Austin, Texas) and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (San Francisco).[citation needed]

Regan was nominated for two Meteor Music Awards (Best Male and Best Newcomer) in 2006 and The End of History was nominated for Irish Album of the Year at the Choice Music Prize, and was shortlisted for the 2007 Mercury Music Prize.

The single "Be Good or Be Gone" has been used in the television dramas Grey's Anatomy, Nearly Famous, and Skins. His song "Put A Penny In The Slot" has been offered as an iTunes Free Download of the Week.

Fionn Regan has recently finished recording his second studio album, Shadow of an Empire, which is scheduled to be released on February 8, 2010.

Some musicians are meant to be heard but not seen - merely an auditory experience and nothing more. IAMX, on the other hand, isn’t merely a band… it’s an event - a full-on aural and visual attack with the dynamic and inimitable English musician and songwriter Chris Corner (founding member of Sneaker Pimps) leading the charge.

With the European marketplace going bonkers for his blend of dramatic synth-rock, darkness-infused pop, and intricately-constructed indie dance, IAMX, currently based in Berlin, has been headlining festivals in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, etc. and sharing the stage with Placebo, Franz Ferdinand, and The Cardigans among others.

Like an 80s electro glam soundtrack to a Jan Švankmajer film or an almost unfathomable hybrid between the sexy swagger of Prince and the cool and collected respectability of Roxy Music, IAMX mixes Chris’ erotically-charged vocals with music that is, at once, frantic yet controlled.

Corner adopts the trappings of mid-'80s electro-pop and new wave acts like New Order, the Cure, and Depeche Mode with his pounding, reverb-swathed, synth-washed compositions,  representing a notable departure from his work with the Sneaker Pimps. His first full-length as IAMX - Kiss & Swallow - was released on Recall in 2004; the sophomore IAMX album, The Alternative, followed on Major two years later; and the 2009 release of Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction, played and produced entirely by Chris Corner - barring Imogen Heap’s guest vocals – matured from the previous up tempo releases into epic, expansive and haunting compositions.IAMX live is Chris Corner (vocals), Janine Gezang (keyboard, guitar, backing vocals), Tom Marsh (drums) and Dean Rosenzweig (guitar).Guest appearances are not unusual with artist such as Sue Denim and Dee Plume from Robots in Disguise, James Cook from Nemo and both halves of The Mighty Boosh, Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt all having dropped in.

http://iamx.eu/ / http://www.myspace.com/iamx

Fanfarlo is a London-based indie pop band formed in 2006 by the Swedish musician Simon Balthazar. They make extensive use of the trumpet, violin and mandolin as well as more commonplace instruments such as guitars and drums.

Throughout 2006-2008 they released three limited edition singles and one split 7" single with Sleeping States on London-based indie labels.

Their debut album, Reservoir, was recorded in October/November 2008 at Tarquin Studios, Connecticut, USA and was produced by Peter Katis (The National, Interpol). The album was released in February 2009.

Their single The Walls Are Coming Down was released during September 2009. The music video for the single was produced by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard and features one of Europe's top escape artists Roslyn Walker performing his version of the Hanging Straitjacket Escape, a classic stunt first performed by Harry Houdini in the early 1900s.

End of Term Student Showcase

Featuring Fleur Estelle Dance Company,

graduates from the school's levels 1, 2, 3 & 4 as well as guest professionals.

Swords, Veils, Drums & Sequins!

From traditional to modern types of belly dancing, featuring a number of outside influences such as Bollywood, Salsa & Saidi to name just a few, this show is set to get you shimmying on the spot, not to be missed!

Fleur Estelle is an international belly dancer who has appeared on BBC & ITV, performed for Royalty, and is featured in Kasabian's latest music video. This showcase is brought to you by Fleur and dancers of her West End based belly dance school.

Tickets available online until sell out - early bird prices apply

www.fleurestelle.com

In case you were unaware, 2010 is an election year. Local politicians are going all out for re-election to councils in England and Wales, while Brown and Cameron will battle it out for the keys to number ten.

The British National Party has set its sights on winning control of Barking and Dagenham council and even the Barking parliamentary seat, where its leader Nick Griffin is standing. While Griffin’s campaign in Barking will receive the bulk of the publicity, at much greater risk is the council, where the BNP could easily emerge either in overall control or as the largest single party.

And it’s not just in London and Essex where the BNP poses a very real threat. Across the country the BNP is preparing for an assault on this country and its people, running campaigns of lies, vilification and hatred, scapegoating and scaremongering at a time of real financial uncertainty and job insecurity.

No election campaign would be complete without the timely intervention of one of Britain’s finest singer songwriters, Billy Bragg. For Bragg is the most trusted troubadour of the progressive forces in Britain (and indeed around the world) who agitate, articulate and educate on behalf of those who may just prefer to stay in bed rather than get out to vote. Billy Bragg is also, proudly, from Barking.

The non-partisan HOPE Not Hate campaign are the proud beneficiaries of Bragg’s ULU performance on 6 March to raise funds and awareness to help stop the electoral rise of the racist BNP. It is Billy Bragg’s badge of honour that his inclusive patriotism, social conscience and outspoken defence of a multicultural Britain has made him the target of so much hatred and bile from the BNP.

In last year’s European election the BNP’s 19.5% vote might seem a long way off the Labour and Tory votes, but since the election of two BNP MEPs to the European parliament, the BNP has continued its assault on the sensibilities of all decent people. Its racism, Islamophobia and insistence that there is no global warming raise new challenges. As Billy himself sang so prophetically, “wearing badges and t-shirts is not enough on days like these”.

To beat them, voting is the key, as is activism. To kick start those ideals and the campaign against fascism, Billy Bragg is the first port of call for anyone wanting to hear the progressives’ clarion call.

HOPE Not Hate is proud to present a walking, talking, singing, breathing, living national treasure to start the campaign against the BNP.