Gearing up for their third album Constellations due this spring, Moulettes are hitting the road for their first tour of 2014, playing at The Haunt on 24th April courtesy of Love Thy Neighbour. We were fans of the bands unique take on folk music for years before we even started the blog, and it’s always a joy to see them live. Their new album promises to be rather star studded, with contributions from members of the Unthanks and the Mystery Jets, as well as Herbie Flowers (famous for the legendary bassline on Walk on the Wild Side, as well as playing on countless other records) and Arthur ‘God of Hellfire’ Brown who both live locally. Arthur Brown has joined the band many times on stage, and is also playing at the Haunt two nights later, so who knows what treats we have to expect.
There’s also more news from Love Thy Neighbour, this time from the record company side of their activities rather than their promotions. Us Baby Bear Bones, whose What Starts With a U Ends With an I came out on the label last summer, have been in the studio working on their new EP. Details are scant at the moment but a YouTube video of what they’ve been up to has been posted on their Facebook page:
On the 9th of April at the Komedia, Brighton’s Laish plays support as Melting Vinyl bring Simone Felice to town as part of his current UK tour promoting his new album Strangers.
Simone is known for his unique folk music, and Laish should be the perfect complement to the main act. Tickets are on sale now for £12 + bf.
Also coming up is a new single from electronica act Anneka. So far, Big Bad Change is only out there as a live video on YouTube, but it’s getting a proper release later in the month, which we’ll give you more details about as we hear about them:
Today Blood Red Shoes release their fourth album Blood Red Shoes on Jazz Life records. Recorded in Berlin by the band themselves without outside help from producers or any other musicians, and the sound they create is incredible for just two people. Deliberately moving back to a rougher sound after the more produced In Time To Voices, Blood Red Shoes is an album that revels in the unadulterated joy of rock. You can stream the album over on the band’s website, where you can also read details of their mammoth upcoming tour. The hometown date is at the Concorde 2 on 25th April.
February might be the shortest month, but there was no shortage of good music. Here’s our pick of the crop from the last month:
1 – Momotaro / Warm Step
We could have put any track from Momotaro’s Second Side album at number one this month. It’s barely left the stereo since we first heard it
2 – GAPS / I Know It’s You (Foreign Skin remix)
The original version of I Know It’s You made an appearance in our January top ten, but right at the end of the month, Foreign Skin’s remix was post up, which made the track even more lush.
3 – Blood Red Shoes / An Animal
The brand new Blood Red Shoes album is out tomorrow, but if you pre-ordered it you got an early download of An Animal, which is also the single coming out on 7″ alongside the album. If you want a physical copy and tomorrow’s too long to wait I did spot that they already had it on the racks at Resident yesterday.
4 – Yumi & The Weather / Love
Yumi & The Weather gave us their Love as a Valentine’s present. We didn’t get around to posting about it (but we did retweet their link) and since then the link has gone. If you managed to grab the track – all jittery rhythms and slick vocals – then you’ll know why we’re such a fan of this.
UPDATE : Yumi & The Weather have just posted that the track is available as part of a Camels & Lions compilation which you can download for free here.
5 – Electric Soft Parade / One of Those Days
One Of Those Days was one of our favourite tracks on Idiots when it came out last year, so we’re pleased that they’ve put the track out as a single, and that we’ve got an excuse to post it up here
6 – The Wytches / Gravedweller
It’s been a great month for Brighton’s finest psychedelic rock’n’rollers. Not only have they signed to the mighty Heavenly Records, putting them on a roster alongside Toy and Charlie Boyer and the Voyeurs, but they also released their first single with the label, available on their current tour, or as a free download.
7 – Physics House Band / Titan (Ital Tek remix)
This month also saw Physics House Band put out an album of remixes of last month’s Horizons / Rapture Ep. Our pick is Ital Tek’s remix of Titan, which wrestles the original into something altogether more dancefloor friendly.
8 – Fujiya & Miyagi / Tetrahydrofolic Acid
Tetrahydrofolic Acid is the first new track released by the band since 2011’s Ventriloquizzing, and shows them heading in a much more electronic direction. To these ears it sounds like To Rococo Rot on a night out with Underworld.
9 – Milk & Biscuits / Hairstyles
Yes, we wrote about Hairstyles before, but that was when it was released as an mp3 download, and this month it’s the lead track on the first cassette released by newly founded Lick Music, who wanted a distraction from making frozen yoghurt.
10 – Michael A Grammar / The Day I Come Alive
It feels like ages since we first wrote about Michael A Grammar’s Random Vision EP, but it finally came out this month. Lead track The Day I Come Alive sounds like dreamy early period Blur.
Here’s a first for Brighton Music Blog – our first Soundcloud Exclusive. Bentcousin have sent over their brand new track You Make Me Feel So Young – a collaboration with LL & The D’s from America who met the band through the social side of Soundcloud. It’s classic Bentcousin – vocals which on first listen might seem a bit innocent but are actually a bit cheeky. Bentcousin’s next Brighton gig is on the 11th April at The Hope.
Fear of Men have announced the first single from their upcoming album Loom. Luna will be released on a 7″ flexi disc on 7th April on Art is Hard, preceding the album which is out on 21st April on Kanine Records (with a special edition being released for Record Store Day on 19th April).
Fear of Men play a launch party for the album at the Dome Studio Theatre on 15th April before playing some more gigs in London and New York.
We’ve just had an email drop into the Brighton Music Blog in box with the video for Dog In The Snow‘s upcoming single Factory. The video was mostly shot along the south coast by Eleanor Hardwick and tells a strange tale involving mysterious crystals and increasingly less appealing lunch. The single is out on 3rd March, and the band play at the Prince Albert on 6th March supported by Foreign Skin and Myyths.
Brighton Unsigned launched their latest issue with a gig at the Hope featuring their cover stars yourgardenday, and three other up-and-coming acts. Another excellent night’s entertainment, emphasising the vast musical talent that exists in Brighton.
First up was a young guy called Mortie Pockett, who hails from Storrington but is now a local town player. His sound felt like a throwback to Elvis in his Sun Sessions period, strong rhythmic strumming and a twang-infused vocal style over some nice rocking tunes.
Next up were the startlingly youthful looking but exceptionally talented Stark, with a harder powerful sound that took us out of 1950s rockabilly into a late 60s bluesy heavy rock vibe, akin to Led Zeppelin. All three members of Stark were incredibly impressive, and the sound whilst rocking was also soulful and full of great tunes. They ended their set with a stunning and original version of Dylan’s Crash on the Levee. There’s an EP being launched at the Prince Albert on 4th March which comes highly recommended.
Then came the cover stars yourgardenday with their first full band set of the year, following last year’s successful launch of the Flat Stream EP. Another favourite of this blog, Robin Coward has a bunch of really strong songs which are highly memorable and stand out form the crowd. Robin can be heard every week at one of the open mic spots he runs around town, but in a full band setting songs like the opener Something in the Music, sons of a Gun and the beautiful closer Spring is Springing can be heard as they were intended. Pop classics every one.
Final band Unsung Lilly are out-of-towners, reflecting Brighton Unsigned magazine’s desire to spread a little more widely and cover more of the talent across the south east. They’re a big loud band with a powerful pop sound and oodles of talent.
Last night was the final Source new Music night at the Dome Studio Theatre, and a fitting send off for this Brighton institution of the arts it was too with a dynamic, high quality and varied line-up of some of … Continue reading →
Gearing up for their third album Constellations due this spring, Moulettes are hitting the road for their first tour of 2014, playing at The Haunt on 24th April courtesy of Love Thy Neighbour. We were fans of the bands unique take on folk music for years before we even started the blog, and it’s always a joy to see them live. Their new album promises to be rather star studded, with contributions from members of the Unthanks and the Mystery Jets, as well as Herbie Flowers (famous for the legendary bassline on Walk on the Wild Side, as well as playing on countless other records) and Arthur ‘God of Hellfire’ Brown who both live locally. Arthur Brown has joined the band many times on stage, and is also playing at the Haunt two nights later, so who knows what treats we have to expect.
Brighton Music Blog 