Black Honey have announced their brand-new album – ‘Written & Directed’. ‘Written & Directed’ will be released on the 29th of January 2021 on Foxfive Records.
 

‘Written & Directed’ is Black Honey’s second album. It follows their outstanding self-titled debut released back in 2018 when the world that surrounded the Brighton fourpiece looked and felt like a very different place. Black Honey however are still the bad-ass, truly original band they have always been, they’ve just graduated from the intriguingly anomalous newcomers to becoming one of UK indie’s most singular outfits.  They've travelled the world and released a Top 40 album; graced the cover of the NME and become the faces and soundtrack of Roberto Cavalli's Milan Fashion Week show; smashed Glastonbury and supported Queens of the Stone Age, all without compromising a shred of the wild, wicked vision they first set out with.
 

It's now time for the next instalment of their story – ‘Written & Directed” – which see’s Black Honey deliver one, very singular, message – a 10 track mission statement that aims to unashamedly plant a flag in the ground for strong, world-conquering women. For fierce frontwoman and album protagonist Izzy B. Phillips – it’s the most important message she could send to inspire her cult-like fanbase and fill the female-shaped gap that she felt so acutely when she was growing up and discovering rock music for the first time. 
 

Written throughout 2019 and recorded in fits and spurts between touring, ‘Written & Directed’ is drenched with a hedonistic, anything-goes attitude. It’s also the most full-throttle collection of music that Black Honey have ever-written – egged-on by their run of shows supporting long-term friends and collaborators Royal Blood. Exploring everything from womanhood, to identity and power, it’s an album that revels in the rich history of pop culture, throws a wink to its rock-and-roll heroes, but ultimately (and in true Black Honey fashion) it stands on its own two feet.  
 

With a typically hyper-visual world referencing grindhouse cinema, kitschy pulp films and a flip-reverse of female cinematic representation all primed to unfurl and explode around them, 'Written & Directed' is the sound of Black Honey strapping in and saddling up, of harnessing their quirks, and, as the Phillips has always hoped, riding them joyously into the sunset.
 

1. I Like The Way You Die
2. Run For Cover
3. Beaches
4. Back Of The Bar
5. Believer
6. I Do It To Myself
7. Disinfect
8. Summer ‘92
9. Fire
10. Gabrielle

Follow Black Honey 
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2020 PPL Momentum artist LOW ISLAND share fresh single Don’t Let The Light In, their first piece of new material in over a year, out on their recently set up label Emotional Interference and as-featured on FIFA’s 2021 soundtrack.

Listen Here: https://low-island.lnk.to/DLTLIPR

The track received its first play on Lauren Laverne’s ‘While You Were Sleeping’ feature on her BBC 6music show this morning (Oct 8th). 

Fusing emotive synths, skittering guitars and propulsive electronics, the first version of the song was written 3 years ago: ‘It’s a song about trying to preserve the moment of falling in love, but ultimately being unable to’, explains singer Carlos Posada.

‘I fell quite deeply in love with someone who didn’t love me back, and it set off a pattern that started to continually repeat itself; a flying start and then an abrupt ending, as if someone had just switched off a light with no explanation. This song is about trying and failing to capture that initial moment in time; of pressing pause and holding the frame before it falls apart’. 

Written, produced and engineered by the band, the song was finally finished earlier this year in remote France, the day it announced a national lockdown. A few hours later, they packed up their studio, travelling back through an eerily empty country to begin their own lockdown in the UK.

It was mixed by Matt Wiggins (Holy F**k, Porridge Radio, The Fat White Family) and is accompanied by artwork made in collaboration with cinematographer Ann Evelin Lawford (100 Vaginas, Ghostpoet, The Japanese House, Sam Fender). Taking inspiration from Wim Wenders’ film about dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch, the photo is the first in a series exploring memory and male fragility. 

As well as writing new material, the band spent lockdown learning everything they could about the music industry and, like so many artists, working out how to survive in the post-Covid landscape. Out of this was born their own label, Emotional Interference, with the intention of giving the band ‘the freedom to make whatever we want, to take risks, and to only have ourselves to answer to’. 

Low Island is made up of singer and multi-instrumentalist Carlos Posada, producer Jamie Jay, bass player Jacob Lively and jazz drummer Felix Higginbottom. Their off-kilter electronics have been lauded by NME, Wonderland, The Independent, The Times, The Line of Best Fit and more. 

Their last EP featured in 6music’s Lauren Laverne and Tom Robinson’s highlights of 2019, and was accompanied by a critically acclaimed UK tour in collaboration with Arts Council England. A full live performance from the tour is available here

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Facebook.com/LowIslandMusic 

Twitter - @LowIslandMusic 

Instagram - @LowIslandMusic

Low Island on Spotify 

LowIslandmusic.com

Or please contact:

thom@sonicpr.co.uk

Today, rising London punk five-piece Chubby and the Gang have announced their signing to Partisan Records (Fontaines DC, Laura Marling, Fela Kuti, IDLES) and shared a new song 'Union Dues', originally written/recorded alongside their acclaimed 2020 debut LP Speed Kills. 

In addition, the group has shared a new Looney Tunes-meets-West London video for Speed Kills highlight 'All Along the Uxbridge Road'. Eagle-eyed viewers will clock famed West London venue Bush Hall in the video and the band are thrilled today to announce a live show there for May 15th 2021. Listen/watch below and feel free to share.

Listen to 'Union Dues' here: https://youtu.be/uG_Ty8_oyls

Watch the 'All Along The Uxbridge Road' video (dir. by Lluis Fuzzhound) here: 

https://youtu.be/xRgP_vca1Po

Fronted by local electrician Charlie Manning, Chubby and the Gang have been leading a pack of bands coming out of a new wave of British Hardcore. Underneath an unrelentingly fun concoction of hardcore, pub rock, doo wop, and blues, Speed Kills boasts songs of deep substance and political conscience with a precise sense of time and place. 

Produced by Jonah Falco of Fucked Up, it has also proved to be one of this year’s surprise critical hits. It received an 8.0 Pitchfork review, Stereogum praised its “massive barroom gang choruses, power chords at breakneck tempos, rock spelled R-A-W-K and visceral gratification,” and Paste went as far as to call it the “the best punk-pop LP in recent memory”. 

Speed Kills has been digitally reissued and re-released via Partisan today, and will be physically re-released on November 20th. The album was remastered for vinyl at West London’s Metropolis Studios. 

The standard edition will be available on yellow vinyl and include a cartoon sticker sheet. There will also be a limited-edition version that includes a black-and-white colour-in sleeve with crayons.

Chubby and the Gang will return with a new album in 2021 - more details on that coming shortly.
 

Chubby and the Gang - Speed Kills reissue // Partisan Records - Out Now (digital) / 20/11/20 (physical) 

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On November 27th, Niger-born Tuareg guitar virtuoso Bombino will release his first-ever live album as a solo artist, ‘Live in Amsterdam’ (via Partisan Records). 

Recorded in November of 2019 while Bombino and his band were touring behind his acclaimed latest studio album ‘Deran,’ the release will coincide with RSD Black Friday. Listen to a searing performances of "Azamane Tiliade” now, which originally appeared on Bombino’s 2013 album ‘Nomad’ and is accompanied by video footage.

Bombino - "Azamane Tiliade” (Live in Amsterdam)

‘Live In Amsterdam’ showcases Bombino’s rich musical palette, as he and his internationally renowned band seamlessly blend folk, rock, blues, funk, and most uniquely the ‘Tuareggae’ sub-genre which Bombino and his band pioneered. In addition to his regular band, this performance features special guests and Bombino’s cousins, Nigerian singer/actress Toulou Kiki as well as Anana Harouna of Kel Assouf.

‘Live In Amsterdam’ is dedicated to the loving memory of longtime Bombino bandmember Illias Mohamed Alhassane (rhythm guitar, vocals), who sadly and suddenly passed away in September of this year. ‘Live In Amsterdam’ features Illias in his final recorded performance with his ‘brothers’ in Bombino’s band. May his soul rest in peace.

‘Deran’ earned Bombino career-best reviews, including a major New York Times profile, features with All Things Considered, NPR Music, Billboard + more. Noisey went as far as to declare him “World's Best Guitarist™”. The album also received a Grammy nod for Best World Music Album, making Bombino the first-ever artist from Niger to receive a Grammy nomination. 

Bombino has performed at Bonnaroo and Newport Folk Festival, and his previous two albums were produced by Dave Longstreth (Dirty Projectors) and Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys). His list of on-the-record fans includes: Keith Richards, Stevie Wonder, Robert Plant, Arcade Fire + more.

Links:

Official
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Ultraísta - vocalist/producer Laura Bettinson (FEMME / lau.ra), multi-instrumentalist/producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead) and drummer/producer Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M) – have detailed their upcoming EP, ‘Ordinary Boy – The Remixes’. 

The collection will be out November 6th via Partisan Records and features new remixes from Floating Points, plus FaltyDL, Zero 7, Crate Classics and Leifur James, with the digital version also featuring a bonus remix from The Cinematic Orchestra. 

Listen to the Floating Points remix now, and feel free to share. Bettinson says of the remix: “It was love at first listen. I don’t know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn’t that outrageous drop. Bouncy banger.”

Ultraísta  - “Ordinary Boy” (Floating Points Remix)

“Ordinary Boy” is the hypnotic and propulsive highlight from ‘Sister,’ the trio’s first album of new music in eight years, which was released to critical acclaim this March. Today, Ultraísta have also shared the official music video for the album version of the song, directed by Godrich. Watch below.

Ultraísta - “Ordinary Boy” (dir. by Nigel Godrich)

‘Sister’ grew out of several years of sporadic improv sessions, with Godrich ultimately piecing everything together at his London studio space. The album is a cinematic sci-fi soundscape that’s both exhilarating and laser-focused. Behind Bettinson’s warm, inviting vocal delivery and anchored by Waronker’s sophisticated percussion work, ‘Sister’ easily stands tall among the impressive and extensive career resumes of each bandmember. 

Earlier this year the album landed spotlights with NPR Music (Top Songs of January), Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Fader, Cool Hunting, Hypebeast, Stereogum + more. In August , the band also gave a unique virtual reality performance for Crack Magazine, watch that here.

‘Ordinary Boy - The Remixes’ tracklist:

12" version:

Side A
1. Ordinary Boy - Floating Points Remix
2. Ordinary Boy - FaltyDL Remix

Side B
1. Ordinary Boy - Zero 7 Remix
2. Ordinary Boy - Crate Classics Remix
3. Ordinary Boy - Leifur James Remix

Digital version:

1. Ordinary Boy - Floating Points Remix
2. Ordinary Boy - The Cinematic Orchestra Remix
3. Ordinary Boy - FaltyDL Remix
4. Ordinary Boy - Zero 7 Remix
5. Ordinary Boy - Crate Classics Remix
6. Ordinary Boy - Leifur James Remix

Praise for Ultraísta:

“Nigel Godrich and Joey Waronker work up a hypnotic groove, but singer Laura Bettinson remains Ultraísta's secret weapon, cramming tons of personality into a deadpan, texture-first performance with just a few notes” – NPR Music

“Upbeat and infectious...a calculated chaos that has been created thoughtfully.” – Cool Hunting

“fast, nervous, thumping dance-pop that twists and squiggles without ever venturing into anything like Radiohead territory. It reminds me of something that Underworld could’ve recorded in the ’90s.” - Stereogum

“laced with a pulsating electronic beat complemented by driving basslines and delicately layered vocals. –Hypebeast

Links:

BIO

Official
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Sonic PR

Already having a storming year, Bull release ‘Bonzo Please’, their 3rd single with EMI Records/Young Thugs. 

The song finds the band channelling discordant noise-pop vibes similar to the likes of  Dinosaur Jr, No Age and Surfer Blood. Featuring fuzzed out guitars, ramshackle drums and a piano that sounds like it’s falling down a flight of stairs (in a good way), the band are venting a spot of songwriter angst, both musically and lyrically.  

“’Bonzo Please’ is a song about writing songs, thinking that maybe you can’t be inspired by someone else and that by constantly staring at and comparing yourself to other people, you miss out on what you personally have to offer” vocalist, Tom beer explains.

“It’s also inspired by the modern day preoccupation with staring at your phone/T.V constantly watching other people and ‘entertainment’ and is a kick back against it, trying to shake my head up and break out of the hypnotic depression.”

The theme of inspiration also runs through the song’s video. The band wanted to make it truly collaborative and commissioned 50 pieces of artwork from 50 artists (friends and peers of the band, aged between 7 and 72) to provide a backdrop for a brilliant animation of the band created by Katy Daft. Each artist documented the progress of their piece and some of them have been highlighted in a brilliant photo montage. 

Since signing to EMI records in conjunction with, York based label, Young Thugs the band have been growing apace. At radio the band are already being championed by the likes of Chris Hawkins and Steve Lamacq at 6Music, Huw Stephens at BBC Introducing Clara Amfo, as well as being acclaimed by fellow musicains like Elton John on his Beats 1 show and Declan McKenna during his recent appearance on the Radio 1 Future Artists mix tape.

Formed in 2011 by vocalist and songwriter Tom Beer and guitarist Dan Lucas, Bull’s mission is simply to make the music they wanted to listen to, inspired by their 90’s heroes such Pavement, Yo La Tengo and the Pixies. The rest of the band came together through a mix of friendships and happenstance. Drummer Tom Gabbatiss joined after he and Tom jammed together in bars while they were back-packing round Thailand, and Kai West had previously used to jump up on stage with the band and “Bez” (verb meaning to dance badly while intoxicated) before they eventually let him play bass. 

A unique group within the city’s already eclectic scene, the band’s sound mixes together their alt-rock influences along with Tom’s down-to-earth song writing and a particularly wry sense of humour that comes naturally to the four Yorkshiremen.  

They’ve played support shows for the likes of Squid, The Orielles, Pip Blom and even one of their long-time heroes in the form of Spiral Stairs (AKA Scott Kannberg of Pavement), and their constant gigging has seen them build up a dedicated local following. Not to be restricted to God’s own county, the band have plied their wares in mainland Europe, playing a series of unforgettable shows in Germany and the Netherlands.

Links:

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www.youngthugs.com

Today, Partisan Records is proud to announce their newest signing, Made Kuti. Grandson of legendary activist and originator of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti, Made now proudly steps into the limelight bearing his family’s torch, pushing the brand of infectious grooves and social consciousness that his grandfather and father (four-time Grammy nominee Femi Kuti) pioneered into exciting and modern new territory. 

Alongside Fela and Femi, the signing also marks three generations of the Kuti family now on Partisan’s roster. Listen to Made’s debut single “Free Your Mind” now, accompanied by a vibrant animated music video directed and animated by Olly Frostie.

Made Kuti – “Free Your Mind”

Made plays every instrument on “Free Your Mind,” which centers on a mesmerizing rhythm and lyrics preaching an emancipation of the consciousness. The phrase, “free your mind and set your soul free” mixes within a groove that grows more hypnotic the longer it plays. 

Made explains, “‘Free Your Mind’ is very much inspired by the teachings I received from my father and his efforts to make me understand exactly what the black man and woman’s situation is in Nigeria, Africa, and around the world. I think freeing your mind is, in a way, the opposite of what the phrase actually sounds like. ‘Free your mind’ almost sounds like decadence, like ‘don’t be constrained by anything, just take things as they are.’ I think the true meaning of ‘free your mind’ is to be critical. It means use your mind to its full potential—to think, to try to find answers and ask the right questions.”

Made grew up in the legendary New Afrika Shrine in Lagos, and spent much of his childhood touring with his father, playing bass or saxophone in Femi’s band, The Positive Force. Unlike his father, who didn’t formally study music, Made went to the famed Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London (the same place Fela studied, back when it was known simply as Trinity College), where he shared a musical environment with some of the most talented and disciplined musicians up-and-coming acts from the city’s underground scene. “Free Your Mind” will appear on Made’s debut album due out in 2021 (more info on that coming soon).

The release of “Free Your Mind” also coincides with the start of Felabration, the annual music and arts festival held in Lagos, Nigera that celebrates Fela’s memory and music. 

More info on Felabration HERE.

Made also recently spoke out in strong support of anti-police brutality protests currently happening across Nigeria, which have subsequently led to the government dissolving SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad), a notorious part of the country’s police unit. Made even took to the streets himself earlier this week, alongside his father. 

Watch a clip HERE.

Links:

Instagram
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PONDAROSA have confirmed details of their addictive new single, ‘As You Think’ - set for release on 13th November.

Exuding a new, psychedelic and disco-infused energy, ‘As You Think’ marks a huge step up and change in direction for the Manchester/Liverpool based four-piece. Teaming up with Matt Heap of Suff Studio for a third time, 2020 sees the band look to influences like New Order, ABBA and Dua Lipa to focus on a groovier, synth-heavy sound which emphasises their captivating and uplifting energy.

Speaking about re-writing and recording ‘As You Think’, the band’s Adam Ghidouche explained: “We worked with Matt Heap for the third time, which made things very relaxed and easy from the start. Matt is comfortable with electronic music as well as guitar-based stuff, so he was able to help us capture a great blend of guitars and synths to create a more disco-infused sound.”

Based between two of the UK’s most prominent music scenes, Manchester and Liverpool, Pondarosa’s reputation as one of the North West’s strongest upcoming live bands continues to grow.

Working with powerhouse promoters This Feeling and Scruff of the Neck, the band have established an effortless brand of live energy through sold-out support shows with the likes of Honeymoan and Shambolics, and a full capacity debut headline show at Salford’s The Eagle Inn.

Forced to step aside from the live scene, this year has seen Pondarosa look to focus on the disco and psychedelia side of their songwriting, swapping drums for keys and introducing funky and infectious basslines. The resulting new direction sees the band stronger than ever before, ready to break out of the North West and establish their ever-growing reputation much further afield.

PONDAROSA ARE:

James Millington - Vocals

Joe Anderson - Rhythm Guitar

Lawrence Aspin - Lead Guitar

Adam Ghidouche - Keys (formerly drums)

LIVE DATES:

2021

29th May - Arts Club, Liverpool (w/ The Cheap Thrills)

For more information:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify | Soundcloud

Braids will embark on their second 24HR WWWORLD TOUR on October 29th,  live streaming from their studio in Montreal, playing six concerts in six different time zones in one day. Tune in to their YouTube channel or on their Instagram account.

Please note the Manchester concert will be streamed via The Line of Best Fit’s Instagram account.

“This is our second marathon whirlwind livestream from our studio,” explains the band. “Safe to say all three of us are eagerly awaiting what's become a rare treasure in music - to connect, to engage, to have a conversation, listener to maker, maker to listener. We love playing live. 

It's a deep part of our band DNA, and to us as much a part of breathing life into songs as making records is. It's also a moment for us to ham it up in front of the camera, from dawn till dusk. This time we'll be polishing off a few old gems from the Braids catalogue, alongside some reworks and songs from our latest record. 

Human connection is a thing of beauty, we're excited to play some tunes, and to shoot the shit with your digital selves.” 

Braids brand new album “Shadow Offering” co-produced by Chris Walla, is out now via Secret City Records. A luscious and expansive release, Shadow Offering leads us through a sonic tapestry of narrative. With heartbreaking honesty and precision, listeners traverse a nuanced and complicated world: one full of beautiful contradictions.
 

BRAIDS >> 24HR WWWORLD TOUR #2 

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29th

9pm AEDT (Melbourne) - 6am EST 

9pm HKT (Osaka) - 8am EST 

9pm CET (Paris) - 3pm EST 

9pm GMT+1 (Manchester) - 4pm EST (presented by The Line of Best Fit) 

9pm EST (Montreal) - 9pm EST (presented by YouTube) 

9pm PST (Seattle) - 12am EST 
 

Listen/Buy “Shadow Offering” by clicking here.

Praises for “Shadow Offering” 

“The music – lush electronic textures, delicate piano melodies and driving rhythms – is cinematic in scope, offering Armageddon and salvation in turn. 8/10” – Uncut

"‘Shadow Offering,’ is beautiful and heart wrenching, pulling on listeners’ heartstrings. The album offers a sanctuary by easing anxiety and fueling hope, acting as a sort of security blanket for these unnerving times. 8/10”  - Clash Magazine 

“a gloriously intricate fourth outing [...] Braids have refined themselves, ready to offer mature, emotional soundscapes of understanding. 9/10” - The Line of Best Fit

“Braids are incisive, and conjure up a kind of confiding emotional warmth; Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla’s rich production is the ideal match.” - NME

“…[Shadow Offering] feels like the culmination of what Braids have been building towards over the last 10 years. It’s glimmering and assured, an album that’s constantly refining and one-upping itself. The Canadian band’s songs have always been massive, bursting at the seams with ideas, but they’ve never sounded as good or as crystallized as they do on Shadow Offering.”  - Stereogum (50 best albums of 2020 so far)

“Raphaelle Standell-Preston sings with openhearted earnestness.” - The New York Times

“The whole thing builds to a frantic final third in which the chaos and confusion is palpable." - The Fader (About “Snow Angel”)

 "a bouncy good time; in the tug-of-war between mind and matter, these pulsing synths are clearly on the side of the body." - Consequence of Sound (About “Young Buck”)

 “An undulating piano carries heartfelt sentiments, presented in a voice that stylistically manages to pay tribute to both Joni Mitchell and Alanis Morissette.”  –  The Globe and Mail (About Eclipse (Ashley)

“Just Let Me” and “Snow Angel” part of Under the Radar’s Best Songs of the week

Watch “Just Let Me” video here.

Watch “Snow Angel” video here. 

Watch “Young Buck” video here. 

Watch “Eclipse (Ashley)” video here.

Braids online

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter 

Secret City Records online

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Announcing a brand new festival for 2021…. CREATION DAY.

A celebration of the legendary Creation Records label and the legacy of its visionary founder: Alan McGee, Creation Day will bring two days of exceptional live music to Wolverhampton West Park next year (29-30 May 2021).

Presented in a joint collaboration between The City of Wolverhampton Council, Creation Management and Toura Toura Festivals, the first Creation Day festival will be exclusively curated by Alan McGee himself. A bonafide music mogul who has been at the epicentre of the music industry for the last four decades, McGee is opening up his enviable address book to conjure a formidable line-up for the first Creation Day Festival.

Who better to headline the first night than proven party-starters: HAPPY MONDAYS. Since 1980, the Mondays have been corrupting audiences with the baggified brilliance of alternative dancefloor anthems like ‘Step On’, ‘Kinky Afro’, and ‘Hallelujah’. Now signed to McGee’s Creation Management, the band will be stepping up to the mainstage as the certified ‘24 Hour Party People’ they are. Something that’s especially true for their infamous frontman, Shaun Ryder, who will be also performing over the weekend with his other band: BLACK GRAPE. A Creation Day Festival Exclusive, this will be the first time Ryder will have fronted both acts at one festival.

It’s no understatement to say that Sunday night will be headlined by one of the Midlands’ greatest musical exports this century: EDITORS. Formed in Birmingham, the band launched into the consciousness of the mainstream with their stunning 2005 debut ‘The Back Room’. Fifteen years on they have released six studio albums (with two of them going platinum), consistently sold out the enormadomes of the UK, and headlined major festivals world-wide. 

The band released their best-of ‘Black Gold’ in 2019, a record packed with hits including ‘Bullets’, ‘Munich’, ‘Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors’, ‘Papillon’, ‘An End Has A Start’; and a testament to their enduring career so far. Dark, dramatic and powerful, Editors’ intoxicating brand of alternative rock has put the Midlands firmly on the musical map and this  Wolverhampton appearance will feel like an epic homecoming.

Arguably heirs to the Mondays’ indie-dance crossover crown, FRIENDLY FIRES will bring their dancefloor igniting creations to party on Saturday night. With technicolour pop wonders like ‘Skeleton Boy’, ‘Paris’, ‘Jump In The Pool’, ‘Hawaiian Air’ and many more, the band’s self-titled debut and its follow-up ‘Pala’ saw them take over charts all over the world and earn a Mercury Music Prize nomination in the process. Returning to the spotlight in 2019 with their acclaimed Top 20 charting LP ‘Inflorescent’ and some huge shows, Friendly Fires proved they are still one of the UK’s hottest prospects. 

Venerated all-time-greats: ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, will take to the mainstage for an unforgettable festival performance. A band who hark back to Alan McGee’s earliest days in music and have crossed paths with him ever since, expect Ian McCulloch & crew to deliver a hits-packed set to rival the best, laden with timeless treasures like ‘The Cutter’, ‘The Back Of Love’, ‘The Killing Moon’ and many more.

And marking the 25th anniversary of their magnificent ‘All Change’ album this year, seminal Creation Management signees CAST will be serving up some of its high-octane thrills and much more, with frontman and founder John Power guaranteed to be on typically electrifying form. 

Elsewhere on the bill, more acquaintances from McGee’s colourful past will be providing plenty of amplified blasts throughout the weekend. The recently revived SLEEPER will see Louise Wener and co. airing highlights from their critically acclaimed comeback album ‘The Modern Age’ plus countless classics cuts from the back catalogue; whereas a performance from ECHOBELLY will see Britpop-sister Sonya Madan dusting off era-defining gems like ‘King Of The Kerb’ and ‘Great Things’. 

 ASH, who are currently celebrating 25 years of pristine power-pop with their ‘Teenage Wildlife’ compilation, will be cruising through smashes like ‘Girl From Mars’ to ‘Burn Baby Burn’. A set from GLASVEGAS - a band discovered by McGee in Glasgow in 2006 - will be back to remind us of the blistering shoegaze of their Mercury Music Prize nominated s/t debut, plus will be revealing tracks from their much anticipated 2021 record: ‘Godspeed’. And, longstanding Leeds legends THE WEDDING PRESENT will see the ebullient David Gedge digging up gold from their hallowed back-catalogue of cult indie-rock reverence.

As a man with something of a reputation for spotting future talent, Creation Day will also showcase an array of new talent Alan McGee has earmarked as next-big-things in waiting. Selecting a cross section of bands from his current Creation 23 label, live sets by MARQUIS DRIVE, THE ILLICITS, CAT SFX, THE CLOCKWORKS, and SHAMBOLICS, plus HEAVY LUNGS (signed to Balley Records - the label of IDLES’ Joe Talbot & Mark Bent) will all promise a tantalising glimpse of the potential stars of tomorrow.

With a line up already bustling with some of the most influential acts and rising stars, standby for further announcements in due course too…

Speaking about the inaugural Creation Day festival, Alan McGee says:

"I’m looking forward to this one, some of the best old bands with some of the best new bands. I can’t wait to come and bring it all to Wolverhampton. Creation Day is the first time we have done anything like this since doing it for the kids. Hopefully we can do this every year.”

A festival that testifies to a trailblazing history and a vibrant future, Creation Day promises to be the ultimate celebration of all things Creation, as orchestrated by the man, the myth and the legend behind it all…

* * * .

TICKETS & DETAILS

Creation Day is a two day festival taking place at West Park in Wolverhampton on the 29th & 30th May 2021.

Limited first release tickets for the Creation Day festival will go on presale on 21st October at 10AM, and on general sale on 23rd October at 10AM.

Weekend Tickets are priced at: £110 (+bf) or £160 VIP (+bf)

Day Tickets are priced at: £55 (+bf) or £80 VIP (+bf)

Available Here:

Creationdayfestival.com/tickets

[ Due to the ongoing coronavirus (Covid-19) situation, the festival may be subject to change. Tickets will be on sale in a limited capacity, this will be reviewed over time and more tickets may be released depending on national guidance. ]

Other attractions at the two-day event will include a fairground and a wide variety of food and drink stalls.

Support for festival goers with access requirements will be available.

Site Opening Times: 12.30pm - 10.45pm

* * * * *

LINE UP
City of Wolverhampton Council, Alan McGee & Creation Management and Toura Toura Festivals present...

CREATION DAY 2021
Featuring….

Sat 29th May:
Happy Mondays
Echo & The Bunnymen
CAST
Black Grape
Echobelly
Shambolics
The Clockworks
The iLLicits 

Sun 30th May:
Editors
Friendly Fires
ASH
Glasvegas
Sleeper
The Wedding Present
Heavy Lungs
Cat SFX
Marquis Drive

+ more TBA

* * * * 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
w/ Creationdayfestival.com

OUT 30 OCTOBER 2020 

“Spicy indie pop with a tropical feel.” CLASH Magazine 

“Their music grooves like a bastard.” Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music & BBC Introducing) 

"Such a great live band." John Kennedy (RadioX Xposure) 

London-based 7-piece Cable Street Collective return with their brand-new single, Speaking in Tongues, featuring Gregg Kofi Brown, from the legendary Afro-rock band Osibisa. 

The track, which features their signature combination of thumping dance rhythms, African-influenced guitars and an addictive chorus, was co-written with the Osibisa singer and guitarist, who also contributes backing vocals. “Lyrically, it’s about what happens when relationships and trust - both personal and political - break down,” says the band. “Gregg suggested the chorus line, using speaking in tongues as a metaphor for talking at cross purposes. It conjured up images of individuals with entrenched, religiously-held views shouting at each other. That felt like a pretty good way to describe not just a break-up, but also the way the UK’s been led in recent years.” 

And don't miss the accompanying video for Speaking In Tongues - created in the style of an 8-Bit platform game. Here's the band on the idea behind it: "The track was written towards the end of last year, when it felt like the UK was descending into a full-blown culture war over Brexit. The lyrics are laced with references to the English Civil War, another period in the country's history where you had these massively polarising debates about parliamentary sovereignty, and the exercise of power by unaccountable leaders.

There's this current of British history that's really revolutionary, including the ideas of civil war factions like the levellers (and of course, much later, the Battle of Cable Street) that never really gets the attention it deserves. (All too often, British history gets appropriated by people on the right, who want to use it to defend the record of the empire, or push nasty, anti-immigrant rhetoric). So we were kind of referencing that with the lyrics. 

If anything, that culture war, those fights over history and identity, feel like they’ve become even more entrenched in the time between writing the song, and sitting down to make the video. The outrage that was sparked when a statue of a literal slave-trader was taken down in Bristol was mind-blowing. And then, looking across the Atlantic, it's hard to ignore the parallels with what's going on there.

So that's where we got the idea for our three 'end of level bosses' who are (obviously) Edward Colston, Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. We liked the idea of doing it as an 8-Bit platform game, with us throwing pineapples, because it felt like another good way of poking fun at these puffed-up ego-maniacs."

Their sound mixes African-influenced guitars and beats with soulful female vocals and western melodies, creating an idiosyncratic alt-pop sound that’s all their own. Their rousing live sets, often featuring extended jams, are guaranteed to get everyone to their feet. Cable Street Collective have been a fixture on the festival circuit since the release of their first EP in 2014, and have since built up a stellar reputation as a live band. 

Their second EP, Where Now From Here? (2018) earned them critical plaudits and radio play on BBC Radio 6Music, Radio X and Amazing Radio, among others. Last summer they added Glastonbury and Shambala to the long list of festivals they’ve played, which include Boomtown, Bestival, Secret Garden Party, The Isle of Wight Festival, and the Lake of Stars Festival (Malawi). 

Check out the video for Speaking in Tongues right here

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