What Goes On - Loudhailer Update

January went like this

elbow launched a film for album track 'Fly Boy Blue / Lunette'



Then they followed it up with a video for the single, 'New York Morning' featuring Dennis and Lois of NYC music scene fame. Soup Collective's finest for them to date I would suggest



The album, 'The Take Off and Landing of Everything' is out March 10th.

There's a new beer as well, called Charge. We had a little party for it last week at The Eagle in Salford. It's very drinkable.

Slowdive reformed. The web went potty. It was very gratifying for all kinds of reasons, mostly because I have known Neil and Rachel since Mojave 3 / 4AD days and it was nice to see their first band get the recognition it deserves. And, no, there aren't many places on the list for the show on May 19th. ;-)



Loudhailer started working with Deer Shed Festival, a grand boutique event up in North Yorkshire which is already way popular but now has added Johnny Marr to its undoubted delights. Fucking Johnny Marr. Headlining. That's a July highlight right there



Balthazar announced a date in London at the Hoxton Bar & Kitchen on Feb 27th and a new single, 'Leipzig'. As great as anything on 'Rats', which we all know is great yeah?, looking forward to seeing a band that impress live every time.



Tom Hickox came to London with Lindi Ortega and played a spellbinding set. The debut album is a Loudhailer fave of early 2014.



The Twang are gearing up to go on tour before the release of new album. 'NEONTWANG' in March. New single 'Larry Lizard' is a blinder



The Anchoress launched a debut single with a play from Steve Lamacq on 6 Music. Video for 'What Goes On' soon.

And Towns land in London tomorrow to play Antidotes at The Old Blue Last.

expect this kind of thing

Pyschedelic noise explosions

I'm very happy to announce the return of the excellent Tripwires to the Loudhailer roster. Having been with the band at the beginning when this still quite astounding video for 'Cinnamon' got a few folk in a twist nearly two years ago, the lads made the (currently) extremely brave decision to decamp to New York to make their debut album and snag a deal with French Kiss. The album will be with us in June and my totally unbiased decision is that it was time well spent as it has all the hallmarks of a record that we will still be talking about in a decade. Big claim? Sure, but sometimes these things are true. The band go on tour with another Loudhailer member, Towns, throughout April and May in what can only be billed as a psychedelic noise pop explosion.

As if having one new band wasn't enough Loudhailer also welcomes Matt Berry to the fold. His debut 'Witchazel' was a revelatory delight to me given that I knew him, as many did, for his comedy work, in particular his repeated scene stealing moments in 'The IT Crowd'. If you haven't seen his first appearance on the show then I heartily recommend stopping what you are doing for a few minutes and clicking here. The new album, 'Kill The Wolf' maintains his interest in the pysche sounds of the late 60's, making him a fellow traveller to the wonderful Mary Epworth who recently returned from the clusterfuck of South By South West and will tour the UK from next week. Mary dates are here and Matt's UK tour (featuring Mark Morriss of The Bluetones in his band, a friendly face from my Hall Or Nothing days) are here.

I was lucky enough to spend some time in the studio with Editors last week. It has been a while since we last heard from them but the album is pretty much in the bag now and announcements on the debut single will be with all very soon. I have heard it. It rocks. I can also now say that they are playing Glastonbury. More on this soon.

Hooks, Rats And Sinking. Plus something of the Night

A New Year brings a new start to the blog and a resolution to make sure it is actually updated every Friday afternoon, work permitting. It will happen ;-)

New Year's bring new things generally in our artificial music world. Bands that were signed in April of last year have been held in captivity in order to ensure their appearance in the Sound of 2013 list and so, as every year, we have a plethora of 'new' acts to enjoy. Co-incidentally Loudhailer has taken on a few new things of its own for this bizarre sounding year (2013 just doesn't look right to me on the page, possibly superstition coming from a family where hanging out the washing on New Year's Day was a no-no as you will 'wash someone out of the family before the year is over').

Two of these new contenders played London this week and a good time was undoubtedly had by all who saw them. They are as alike as an orange and an apple but there you go, I always did hate mono-rosters.

Wednesday was the first night out post New Year when Balthazar played a sold out Lexington. Their second album, 'Rats', which is, somewhat confusingly their debut UK release comes out on Feb 25th and they tour with Local Natives in February but it was a pleasure to see a full show from them in the company of Edith Bowman (a big fan) and Gary Lightbody amongst others. Channeling a Gainsbourg spirit but creating a modern groove based chanson the album has that Loudhailer defining quality of being a complete body of work rather than a few songs chucked together and was undoubtedly a big favourite on the Jamieson stereo over Christmas. The show was no departure, building an atmosphere of intensity that grew throughout to the final note. This is probably not something I should do with the album not being out but here's a link to 'Sinking Ship', my favourite track from the album and, hopefully, a post album single.



Last night was a return Northwards to see Velcro Hooks play Artrocker's New Blood Festival. I first saw them last year at a Howling Owl night that Towns played. They were a revelation. I won't easily forget walking in to a packed room at 830 and spending half an hour transfixed by this transmission of the spirit of Pixies channeling Television, Sex Pistols and who knows what else (but most of it noisy and off kilter). To have them on the roster is a big honour and I truly believe that, along with Towns, they will put not just Howling Owl but Bristol on the map. They also have the best 'how we formed' story I have ever heard which involves Guatemala, moustaches, Canadian fishing boats and more. But more of that soon. For now, enjoy the genius of 'Girlfren' from last year's sold out 'Gymnophoria' Ep and already something of a live legend.More soon on this, if you don't have the EP you really are missing out.



The third of the new generation actually got moving at the close of 2012. Night Engine's rise to prominence is suprising even me, which shouldn't really be the case I suppose. Or at least I shouldn't be saying that but there you go. We knew they had tunes and we knew they were clear what they wanted to do, what we didn't bank on was two pages in The Guardian as a tip for 2013, a sold out London debut show last year and reams and reams of online coverage marking them as ones to watch for this year. Not that we're complaining and not that we don't think its deserved. If you caught 'I'll Make It Worth Your While' last year on its journey around the web then you'll know why there's the fuss but the debut single drops 18th February and The Borderline headline follows on the 20th so very exciting times. If you missed it, here's a link to the Guardian piece

and here is 'I'll Make It Worth Your While' for your listening pleasure




Aside from Loudhailer stuff and noting that The Joy Formidable's 'Wolf's Law' album is getting the great reviews it deserves, Glasvegas plans for their album are shaping up nicely and Editors are back in the studio there has been much of interest already in 2013, not all of it happy.

When I first started buying records, HMV was my destination of choice. It felt more real than Our Price and Virgin, probably as a result of the heritage and the staff (at least in the Preston and Blackpool stores) knew about music. I still have a set of Bauhaus albums bought there with Christmas money in 1983 in their protective plastic sleeves. It's demise should be a source of sadness for me but I just can't get there. Watching my brother work for ten years at first the Cardiff store and then the Preston store and become increasingly disillusioned with the way it was being run didn't help. Managing Larrikin Love and being told that their local store had taken 6 copies of the debut single (which sold out in one hour and weren't restocked until the Monday following) definitely added to it. Walking into the Oxford St store last year and being overwhelmed by an immediate urge to go to Fopp or Rough Trade or anywhere nearly sealed the deal. Then being told I couldn't try a pair of noise cancelling headphones (£250) at the London Victoria store and would need to go to 'a bigger store' did it. Run down by bean counters, deprived of genuine music lovers within its staff, chopped and changed from a music store to an entertainment store to an entertainment conglomerate it shared many of its problems with the labels that serviced it; out of touch management living in the past assuming that because they had always been there they were untouchable. Now, like those labels, they are toast. That's capitalism. Here's hoping that the space created is filled by real music stores staffed by people who give a shit and know what they are talking about. In the meantime this excellent piece by Bob Stanley, a year old though it is, says it all. Thought - music once drove fashion, currently fashion drives music. That's what we have to change.


Christmas was an excellent (and rare) opportunity to read. CJ Sansom's Shardlake series now has me hooked. As does his other, non medieval novel, 'Winter In Madrid'. As a fan of Faulks and Carlos Ruiz Zafon he could have been made for me. One of the fascinating things about his Shardlake series, set in Tudor England, is the constant feeling that the nature of power and those who wield it has never changed, nor will it. If you like a decent 600 page cleverly written but readable novel then give it a go. And if you happen to work for a tv or film company surely this is made for an adaptation. Beats the living shit out of Mr Selfridge anyhow (which is possibly the biggest piece of dross I've sat through in some time).