Friday 26 July 2013, 11:50 | By Aly Barchi

The Blow break seven-year gap via new LP

Releases

Khaela Maricich’s one time solo digi-pop baby The Blow – now a collaboration with Melissa Dyne, who joined in 2008 – will on 30 Sep release her/their/its first LP in seven years, ie since 2006’s ‘Paper Television’.

Feting it as an “odyssey of experimentation”, the pair say: “After a few years of swapping ideas and watching them grow and breed new ones, we decided, ‘Fuck it, why not record a record together?’ So we went together into the wordless realm and were there for a couple of years, fusing together the landscape of sounds and samples and waves and sensations that make up ‘The Blow'”.

If and when they share any preview tracks, they’ll be taken off this list:

Make It Up
A Kiss
From the Future
I Tell Myself Everything
Invisible
Hey
Like Girls
The Spector
Not Dead Yet
You’re My Light

Cults announce LP

Releases

Chirpy NYC pop band Cults, aka Madeline Follin and her beau Brian ‘Oblivion’, are all done making a sophomore LP to follow 2011’s creatively-titled ‘Cults’. ‘Static’, as the new record is named, will be released 15 Oct.

Here’s a preparatory trailer to it, as features LP tracks ‘We’ve Got It’ and ‘So Far’:

Sam Smith previews new EP

Releases

Singer Sam Smith, who having sung on Disclosure’s ‘Latch’ is now officially a ‘one to watch’, is going to release a solo EP later this year via PMR. In the meantime here he is playing pitch gymnastics on first track ‘Safe With Me’, a collaborative split (in that they co-wrote, arranged and mixed it) with Two Inch Punch.

Oh wait, first I’ll let Sam have his say: “Ladies and gentlemen, since ‘La La La’ I’ve been experimenting with different sounds and producers in preparation for my record. I have loved the process so much that I have decided to release an EP this summer to show you what I’ve been trying out. ‘Safe With Me’ is the first song on the EP”.

That said, this is ‘Safe With Me’:

Genesis P-Orridge confirms ‘controversial’ photo-book

Artist News

Artist, auteur, pandrogyne and ex Throbbing Gristle-ite Genesis Breyer P-Orridge is to release a ‘controversial lifetime of memories’ – that is to say, a photo book.

It features over 350 selected images, an intro and Q&A by writer Mark Paytress on P-Orridge’s motivations, and relevant scribblings by Genesis h/erself.

Details re the deluxe signed version – which is strictly super-limited to 333 editions and on pre-sale already – and a slightly less limited option limited to 990 copies, are available via publisher First Third’s site.

Future Of The Left set new dates

Gigs & Festivals

Future Of The Left have handed a new set of dates into the live ether, which is nice if you like Future Of The Left, which we (CMU) do. The band’s PledgeMusic-funded new album, ‘How To Stop Your Brain In An Accident’, is due on a TBA date in October.

And so, it’s on to the live dates, ticket links to which you’ll find by clicking this one.

1 Nov: Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall
2 Nov: Glasgow, Broadcast
3 Nov: Newcastle, The Cluny
5 Nov: Sheffield, Queens Social
6 Nov: Liverpool, East Village Arts Club
7 Nov: Manchester, Gorilla
8 Nov: Nottingham, Bodega
9 Nov: Birmingham, Temple
12 Nov: Brighton, The Haunt
13 Nov: London, Heaven
14 Nov: Bournemouth, 60 Million Postcards
15 Nov: Bristol, Thekla

Foxes to go on tour

Gigs & Festivals

Urban pop scourge Foxes has provided for the overspill from her sold-out show at London’s Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen on 30 Jul by announcing lots of October shows.

Look at info on those, and Rudimental’s Foxes-co-starring ‘Right Here’, now:

3 Oct: Glasgow, ABC
4 Oct: Birmingham, Academy 3
6 Oct: Manchester, Roadhouse
7 Oct: Bristol, Exchange
8 Oct: London, XOYO

Festival line-up update: Illuminations, Visions and Damnation

Artist News Festival Line-Up Update Gigs & Festivals

Placing high in today’s Festival Line-Up update stakes; initial names confirmed at London’s vari-sited Illuminations, which isn’t exactly a festival, but rather – says its promoter Rockfeedback – a “week-long series of specially curated music and arts events”. So there.

News also of this year’s hard-moshing Damnation, and of a ‘special guest’ added to the first ever Visions festival:

DAMNATION FESTIVAL, Leeds University Union, 2 Nov: Katatonia, God Seed, The Ocean, Year of No Light, Shining, Mourning Beloveth. www.damnationfestival.co.uk

ILLUMINATIONS, various venues, London, 3-10 Nov: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, MØ, Field Music, Money. www.illuminationslondon.com

VISIONS, various venues, London, 10 Aug: Public Service Broadcasting. www.visionsfestival.com

Brand spend on music up 6% in 2012

Brands & Merch Business News

Brand spend on music in the UK (not including the sync revenue of labels and publishers) was up 6.09% in 2012, according to a report by PRS For Music and music-specialist brand agency FRUKT.

So that’s nice. Let’s all go to an O2 Academy and celebrate by watching the McFlurry Music Mix Up on our Jay-Z-backed phones, while downing a Beyonce-branded Pepsi and nibbling on a One Direction-endorsed cracker. And if that sounds expensive, just take out a Kerry Katona (now not) approved pay-day loan to cover the costs.

In total UK brand spend on music was up to £104.8 million in 2012, according to the PRS/FRUKT report, which considered artist partnership deals, brand-created music events and online content, and the sponsorship of live music and music TV.

Digital-based music-focused brand ventures saw the highest increase in spend, up 33.81% to £10,341,000, possibly part of a recent trend in which brands increasingly want to own their own media platforms and music content, rather than badging existing media. Artist endorsement deals saw the next biggest rise, up 32.85% across the board to £4,684,750, though they are still the least lucrative of the brand strands the report considers. Unsurprisingly live music sponsorship is the biggest area, despite being down 5.56% in 2012, generating £33,150,424 – the live sector has long dominated in the music/brand space.

Commenting on the stats PRS boss Robert Ashcroft told CMU: “Innovative companies understand the power of a good song and how a memorable music experience inspires and connects with fans. Historically, sport was where big brands put their money, but the last twelve months have demonstrated the unique power of music to convey brand value and how the right partnership can benefit music lover, songwriter and business alike”.

Meanwhile FRUKT CEO Anthony Ackenhoff added: “The brand and music space is an incredibly active and vibrant one. We’ve seen an increase in both the volume of activity and sophistication of platforms over the last five years and there are no signs of this changing. Music is something people instinctively love – when brands improve or enrich music moments and experiences they strengthen relationships with their consumers. There’s a clear trend in brands wanting to take control of platforms and move away from traditional sponsorship – we’re really excited by this and see it as an opportunity to get even more creative”.

Shakira made tooth ambassador

Brands & Merch

Shakira has been made the international smiling face of oral care brands Oral-B and Crest’s ‘3D White Collection’.

Stephen Squire, Global Marketing Director at P&G Oral Care says: “As an award-winning recording artist, star of NBC’s ‘The Voice’, philanthropist, beauty icon and mother, Shakira embodies the true spirit of the multi-dimensional woman, and always does it all with a brilliant smile on her face. We are thrilled to have a beautiful, strong woman of Shakira’s calibre to represent the brand”.

The squeaky clean singing star and her scarily radiant teeth, which we’re advised to view via special glasses, adds: “[Oral-B and Crest] are iconic brands and I know they will be a great partner, including the work we will be doing together to support children in Colombia through my Barefoot Foundation”.

IVS to bring contactless tech to AIF member festivals

Business News Digital Live Business

Intelligent Venue Solutions, which provides contactless payment, access and data technology to live events – usually in the form of clever wristbands or smartcards – has announced that it will bring its ‘RFID technology’ to a series of Association Of Independent Festivals affiliated events this summer. Starting with WOMAD this weekend, the company says that this is the first time smaller UK events have used such systems.

In addition to WOMAD, the company will also work with Galtres Parklands Festival, Weyfest and the Cornbury Festival, amongst others. Previously it has provided services to events such as The Isle Of Wight, T In The Park, Barclaycard British Summer Time in Hyde Park, Goodwood Festival Of Speed and the UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium.

Claire O’Neill, General Manager of the Association Of Independent Festivals, told CMU: “Promoting more efficiently managed events and improving customer experience have always been priorities for the AIF. We can see that contactless technology holds great promise for both and we are very encouraged that independent festivals are now starting to adopt it. We look forward to working with IVS to further this exciting process and help enable our members to benefit to the fullest possible extent”.

IVS Director Paul Pike added: “Whilst we are very proud of our work with our large event clients, it has long been our ambition to extend the benefits of this technology to the independent sector, where we feel it has the potential to make an even greater difference to organisers. We consider it a great accomplishment to have made our systems sufficiently cost-effective to achieve this aim. And this is just the beginning”.

AEG announces Hammersmith Apollo refit

Business News Live Business

AEG has announced it is refurbishing the Hammersmith Apollo, the West London venue it acquired last year in partnership with CTS Eventim off what was then HMV’s live division, MAMA.

Being led by Foster Wilson Architects, the multi-million overhaul of the venue is underway and should be completed by September. Work includes restoring various fixtures and fittings so that they look like they would have done when the theatre opened in the 1930s, reviving two marble staircases in front of the stage, bringing natural light back into the circle bar, and installing lovely LED lighting on the façade.

Confirming all this, AEG Live COO Colin Chapple told CMU: “As the new owners AEG and CTS Eventim recognised that London deserved more from one of its foremost venues. With a passion for delivering a high standard of comfort to the fan the changes we are making in seating, ventilation and the bar operations will ensure they will enjoy the best music and comedy talent in a wonderful venue capturing the original art deco heritage”.

BBC announces film music season

Media

The BBC has announced a season of programmes on film music, entitled ‘Sound Of Cinema’, due to air in September. Shows will be broadcast on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 1, Radio 3, 6music, and the Asian Network, looking at everything from classical to contemporary music in film, as well as a three part BBC Four series on soundtracks presented by silent film composer Neil Brand.

Brand told CMU: “It’s so fantastic that the BBC, the biggest producer of music content, is showing how music works for films. Film scores demand an extraordinary degree of both musicianship and dramatic understanding on the part of their composers. Whilst creating potent, original music to synchronise exactly with the images, composers are also making that music as discreet, accessible and communicative as possible, so that it can speak to each and every one of us”.

He added: “Film music demands the highest standards of its composers, the insight to ‘see’ what is needed and come up with something new and original. With my series and the other content across the BBC’s ‘Sound Of Cinema’ season I hope that people will hear more in their movies than they ever thought possible”.

Student requests Nirvana shout out video. Sub Pop provides one

And Finally

Sub Pop’s inbox is a strange and wonderful thing, as are the legendary label’s responses to some of the letters and emails it receives. Earlier this year, for example, the label pretended to sack a member of its customer services team, after complaints about a particularly choice reply.

This week came another classic, quickly posted to the label’s Tumblr blog, in which a student from Virginia Tech requested that Nirvana provide a short video to help her in her bid to become the university’s Homecoming Queen.

Now, you might have spotted a hole in this plan. But, wait, maybe she meant the surviving members of Nirvana. She obviously knew that Kurt Cobain died in 1994. And sure, it’s a long time since they were affiliated with Sub Pop directly, but requesting a thumbs up from Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic would be sort of reasonable, right?

“As Virginia Tech loves Nirvana, we’d love to have her in our video”, the anonymous writer announced. So, you see, that’s… wait, “her”? Oh, right.

Well, not being ones to let someone down, a few members of Sub Pop staff got together and read out the script suggested by the potential Homecoming Queen. And, you know, I’m not sure I can actually tell them apart from the real Nirvana:

Playlist: Grumbling Fur

CMU Playlists

Grumbling Fur, aka Daniel O’Sullivan (Ulver, Æthenor, Mothlite) and Alexander Tucker, release their second album, ‘Glynnaestra’, through Thrill Jockey this week. A layered, experimental record held within pop boundaries – as displayed on lead track ‘Dancing Light’ – it’s a compelling listen.

To mark the album release, we asked Grumbling Fur to put together a playlist for us. They were adamant that their list must feature seventeen tracks, rather than the usual ten. Like, really adamant. And so it does.

This statement provided on their behalf possible goes some way to explaining their decisions here: “Here’s a collection of delightful musics courtesy of messers Tucker and O’Sullivan. Consulting with experts within the high profile world of executive decision making. These decisions were made slightly before you were reading it now. Found inside a time capsule. Hear for eternal relishment. Their impeccable taste is only exceeded by their discreet musicality and flamboyant flair in the fashion accessory department. Employing a top team of farmers, travelling tinkers and milkmen they generated a new system for calculating the potency of their extremely good taste. Brought to you by enhanced humanoid zionist organic computing fellow homosapiens”.

GRUMBLING FURGONE ACCUMULATOR SUPERMIX
Subscribe to this playlist on Spotify, and then read on to find out more about Grumbling Fur’s choices.

01 Paul & Linda McCartney – Dear Boy
‘Ram’ is both beloved. ‘Ram’ is king.

02 Aphex Twin – Acrid Avid Jam Shred
Speed Mary Jane and a bus ride home.

03 I Roy – Catty Rock
Lion I and I Roy, Jah blaze.

04 Faust – Jennifer
PAUL IS DEAD.

05 Alastair Galbraith – Mansfield Story
Dark pop generator.

06 Nico – Frozen Warnings
Manchester vibe circa 1882.

07 Sinoia Caves – Naro Way
Jeremy [Schmidt] is an amazing artist. Diamond in the black mountain.

08 Yo La Tengo – Autumn Sweater
Gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh. Chicago blues.

09 Arthur Russell – Instrumentals Volume 2
Alpine thymes. We listened to this a lot on an Æthenor Tucker tour.

10 Lou Harrison – Avalokiteshvara
Tower Gardens rain.

11 Gate – Wilderness
Michael Morley the dreamy techno lord.

12 Gabriel Yared – C’est le vent, Betty
Glynnaestra.

13 King Curtis – A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Marwood’s dawn approaches.

14 ‘Tautu’ Archer – Ama Ama
Dervishing primitive punk moves. Amazing mix on Tompkins Square.

15 The Garbage & The Flowers – Love Comes Slowly Now
NZ knock knocking at your door.

16 Augustus Pablo – Harder Shade Of Black
Dense bliss magnet streams of burning jah.

17 Duke Ellington – Portrait Of Mahalia Jackon
Baba gamma ray shiva Mahalia.

Approved: Anna Meredith – Orlok

CMU Approved

Having so enthralled us with ‘Black Prince Fury’, her debut EP for Moshi Moshi last year, we welcome the news of a follow-up from Anna Meredith excitedly.

Entitled ‘Jet Black Raider’, it will once again feature four tracks and, if ‘Orlok’ is anything to go by, will again be packed with intense, genre-slapping electronic wonderment.

Meredith will, as previously noted, perform live at Tipsy Bar in Dalton on 19 Aug, and will also contribute to the BBC 6music Prom (part of the wider BBC Proms) at the Royal Albert Hall on 12 Aug.

Listen to ‘Orlok’ right here:

Indie record stores see 44% growth in album sales

Business News Retail Top Stories

It can still be a tricky business running an independent record store, especially outside of a major metropolis, but here’s some good news from the indie sector: collectively the UK’s independent record shops saw album sales grow 44% year-on-year in the first half of 2013, despite British album sales overall slipping 1.5%.

We know this because of stats from the Entertainment Retailer’s Association, based on Official Chart Company data.

Two phenomena in particular helped cause this trend, the continued success of Record Store Day in April, and the ongoing vinyl revival which – although often exaggerated in the mainstream press – is helping some in the independent entertainment retail sector, the indies usually dedicating more space to the classic album format.

ERA notes that while indie stores account for 3.2% of the albums market overall, they account for more than 50% of vinyl sales. And about one in seven of all albums sold in indie shops are sold on vinyl (compared to one in 250 elsewhere).

Presumably the collapse of HMV in January also helped, partly because it resulted in nearly 100 of the chain’s stores closing, and partly because, for a few weeks at least, it sparked a new interest in high street music shopping.

It’s possible too that the closing of the VAT loophole that enabled Channel Islands-based mail-order operations to sell CDs at 20% less than high street sellers has helped, though Amazon generally continues to undercut everyone else even without that advantage.

Commenting on these stats, ERA Chairman Paul Quirk told CMU: “These first-half sales figures reveal a stunning result for indie record shops. Although the odds are stacked against them, indies have fought back”.

He continued: “With Record Store Day they have created the first major new UK sales promotion for music in 20 years and as consumers re-waken to the joys of analogue, they have driven the growth of vinyl sales. Although only a tiny part of the music market overall, indie stores are driving some of the most exciting new initiatives in music, as well as continuing to support and help break new talent”.

For fans of lists, here is a list of the twenty best selling albums via indie record stores so far this year. It’s interesting to compare where each record is in indie store sales, compared to where it would be in an overall chart of sales so far this year (the number in brackets after each title). And it’s also interesting that all but six of these albums are indie label releases.

1. David Bowie – The Next Day (15)
2. Boards Of Canada – Tomorrow’s Harvest (218)
3. Stereophonics – Graffiti On The Train (21)
4. Daft Punk – Random Access Memories (5)
5. Courteeners – Anna (160)
6. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Push The Sky Away (108)
7. Atoms For Peace – Amok (158)
8. Queens Of The Stone Age – Like Clockwork (71)
9. Frank Turner – Tape Deck Heart (123)
10. National – Trouble Will Find Me (143)
11. Emeli Sandé – Our Version Of Events (2)
12. Savages – Silence Yourself (478)
13. Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires Of The City (91)
14. Steven Wilson – The Raven That Refused To Sing (513)
15. John Grant – Pale Green Ghosts (226)
16. Palma Violets – 180 (228)
17. Mumford & Sons – Babel (13)
18. Jake Bugg – Jake Bugg (8)
19. Texas – The Conversation (128)
20. British Sea Power – Machineries Of Joy (43)

Pussy Riot member loses parole ruling appeal

Artist News Legal

Pussy Riot member Maria Alyokhina has failed to have a decision made by a parole board in May overturned, meaning she will remain in jail for performing that protest song in a Moscow cathedral last year.

As previously reported, Alyokhina was one of two Pussy Riot members controversially jailed last summer for the political protest. The two members of the punk group were found guilty of ‘hooliganism motivated by religious hatred’, despite condemnation of the prosecution by artists and politicians around the world.

Both Alyokhina and her fellow Pussy Riot jailee Nadezhda Tolokonnikova applied for parole earlier this year, but both were turned down. Alyokhina appealed the parole board’s decision, but – according to Reuters – her appeal has now been knocked back.

As previously reported, lawyers for Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova still hope to appeal the conviction itself to the Russian Supreme Court.

Cumbrian festival considers legal action after Wiley cuts short set

Business News Legal Live Business

Oh Wiley, Wiley, Wiley. Organisers of the Cockermouth-based CockRock Festival have said they are taking legal advice after the rapper stormed off stage after just fifteen minutes at the Cumbrian rock fest last weekend. He was contracted to play for 45 minutes.

To be fair, Wiley departed the CockRock stage after being booed by his audience, some of whom also threw beer cans on stage. To be unfair, that was very possibly because the rapper apparently preceded his set by tweeting “just the name [of this event] makes me not wanna go. My agent knows that there are cool places to play and other places are just not worth the hassle. Do not throw piss at me cos I will throw it back LOL”.

After his cut-short performance, Wiley seemingly returned to Twitter to reassure his fans he’d been paid in full for his show, noting “I just earnt £1000 a min. I’m gonna piss this 15k up the wall. Faced up to a few Pagans and got paid. I hate my agent”.

Asked about the walk off, the festival’s organiser Marie Whitehead has told reporters: “We are dealing with 250 contracts for the event, so I’m not sure what the position is but we will be getting legal advice on what happened. It is very disappointing, as it would appear he did not fulfil his contract and was supposed to play for 45 minutes”.

Gaga tops young rich list in Forbes

Artist News

Lady Gaga may have been forced to cancel her touring activities earlier this year due to a wonky hip, but don’t worry, she was still the biggest earning celebrity under 30 in the last twelve months.

And by quite a long way. Ha, take that Bieber. Look at you, struggling there on the meagre $58 million you earned this year. Perhaps you should l earn to use the toilet, then your career might properly take off.

Anyway, Forbes has published its latest list of people who appear in the middle of the Venn diagram of being celebrated, youthful and very, very wealthy. The popstars dominate, as do the ladies. Gaga tops the poll, Justin Bieber comes in second, and a certain Calvin Harris does his rich bit for us Brits. Well done him.

Anyway, here’s the top ten with estimated last year earnings in brackets. The dollar-to-pound conversions come courtesy of the BBC, so if you find any errors, write a Daily Mail opinion piece about it.

Lady Gaga – $80 million (£52 million)
Justin Bieber – $58m (£38m)
Taylor Swift – $55m (£36m)
Calvin Harris – $46m (£30m)
Rihanna – $43m (£28m)
Katy Perry – $39m (£25m)
Jennifer Lawrence $26m (£17m)
Adele – $25m (£16m)
Kristen Stewart – $22m (£14m)
Taylor Lautner – $22m (£14m)

Gaga ‘teases’ ARTPOP track, Applause

Releases

Lady Gaga may or may not be releasing her lead ‘ARTPOP’ single, a track potentially titled ‘Applause’, in 25 days time.

At least, that’s what was intimated yesterday when an image – featuring what may well be sleeve art, headed ‘Applause’ and with the caption ’26 days’ – appeared on Gaga’s social media-type site Little Monsters. It’s traceable back to the singer’s make-up artist Tara Savelo, aka the lady in the pic, which basically makes it official. That’s what I’m saying, anyway.

And indeed, lending credibility to it all, Gaga herself said she was “ready” to release a single just earlier this week, writing via the same site: “As they pry the single from my bleeding fingers, it’s a scary thing to revisit those things underneath, the pain in your past. But all I found was raw passion. Thought I was destroyed inside. I’m just ready to fight. Start the music”.

Childish Gambino gives away new track

Releases

His part in TV serial ‘Community’ having taken a back seat to his rap career, actor/MC Donald Glover – aka Childish Gambino – has shared a new track titled ‘Centipede’, which might herald his first LP since 2011’s ‘Camp’.

Since he’s giving the new track away free, and all, I guess we may as well all take advantage of that now via this CG SoundCloud stream.

Four Tet announces new album

Releases

Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, has announced that he will release his new album, ‘Beautiful Rewind’, at some point in the near future. “Soon” is as much as his website tells us. The record is the follow-up to 2010’s excellent ‘There Is Love In You’.

Announcing the album on Twitter, Hebden said: “The album is all done and just getting some copies made and then will get it into the shops for you. LP, CD and internet versions. Deluxe SendSpace edition with art print and unique numbered download code. No pre order, no YouTube trailers, no iTunes stream, no Spotify, no Amazon deal, no charts, no bit coin deal, no last minute Rick Rubin. I’ve got distribution sorted in North America now… going to be easy to get there at decent price”.

Aw, no Rick Rubin? Oh well, at least it has a tracklist. Look:

Gong
Parallel Jalebi
Our Navigation
Ba Teaches Yoga
Kool FM
Crush
Buchla
Aerial
Ever Never
Unicorn
Your Body Feels

Ghostpoet adds October shows

Gigs & Festivals

Ghostpoet has confirmed new October live listings following the springtime release of his new LP, ‘Some Say I So I Say Light’.

Now take in the individual dates, and a Roska mix of Ghostpoet’s past single ‘Cold Win’:

16 Oct: Manchester, Academy 3
18 Oct: Nottingham, Bodega
19 Oct: Dublin, Button Factory
20 Oct: Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms
21 Oct: Birmingham, Glee
22 Oct: Glasgow, CCA
23 Oct: Newcastle, Warehouse 34
24 Oct: London, Hackney Empire

MS MR set seven new dates

Gigs & Festivals

Alt-pop pairing MS MR have assigned themselves a seven-date trek starting later this year. The band released their new (and first) LP, ‘Secondhand Rapture’, back in May, and will likely be seen and heard playing it, and their new single ‘Think Of You’, as listed:

5 Nov: London, Shepherds Bush Empire
16 Nov: Hove, Old Market
17 Nov: Bristol, Trinity
18 Nov: Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
20 Nov: Glasgow, Oran Mor
24 Nov: Manchester, Academy 2
25 Nov: Oxford, Academy
26 Nov: Norwich, Waterfront

Superfood plot supertour

Gigs & Festivals

New band Superfood, the goji berries of Birmingham’s ‘indie’ pack, have made a list of live dates they’ll be skipping class to play in September and October.

“We’re skiving off and going on tour”, say the B-Ham quartet, all at the same time, “spicing up our lives in a huge way come September, hope you can join us”.

Sure thing. But first, it’s time for show info and Superfood’s DIY intro ‘Superfood’:

7 Sep: Hull, Freedom Festival
10 Sep: Bristol, Louisiana
11 Sep: Nottingham, Bodega
12 Sep: Oxford, Bullingdon
13 Sep: Southampton, Joiners
14 Sep: Portsmouth, Southsea Festival
17 Sep: St Albans, The Horn
18 Sep: Sheffield, The Harley
19 Sep: Newcastle, Think Tank
20 Sep: Liverpool, Korova
21 Sep: Leicester, Cookie Jar
24 Sep: Guildford, Boileroom
25 Sep: London, The Old Blue Last
26 Sep: Manchester, Deaf Institute
27 Sep: Brighton, Green Door Store
1 Oct: Cambridge, Portland Arms
2 Oct: Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall
3 Oct: Birmingham, The Rainbow
4 Oct: Glasgow, Nice N Sleazy
5 Oct: Belfast, Voodoo
6 Oct: Dublin, Academy 2

Festival line-up update: Reading & Leeds, The Warehouse Project, Bestival and more

Artist News Festival Line-Up Update Gigs & Festivals

As Michael Eavis cranks the Glasto 2014 gossip machine into motion via hints that David Bowie might headline next year’s fest – “David’s done it a couple of times before but I’m sure he could come back again”, as he phrases it – let’s steady our nerves with a few new certainties at Reading and Leeds, shall we?

With weekend passes at Reading no longer available (Sunday day tickets still are, mind), the festival and its Leeds-based parallel have added identical acts (Mausi, Lonely The Brave, Jaws etc) to their BBC Introducing roster, whilst Leeds fattens its Dance To The Radio-hosted stage listings via new adds Black Moth, The Crookes, Dutch Uncles, Hookworms and Menace Beach.

In Hungary at Sziget, Azealia Banks has cancelled her main stage appearance “due to [the] unforeseen physical pressure of her tour”, leaving a space Sziget HQ has instead filled with French rhythmic band Les Tambours Du Bronx.

And that’s it I think. Oh, bar the actual FLUUs that today include new names at Bestival and its familial kid sister Camp Bestival, and a tiny, tiny extract of the massive cast-list matching this year’s Warehouse Project, less a ‘traditional’ festival than a fifteen week series of live/DJ nights featuring Chic and Nile Rodgers, Phoenix, Hot Chip, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Disclosure, The Chemical Brothers.

BESTIVAL, Robin Hill Country Park, Isle Of Wight, 5-8 Sep: John Newman, Simian Mobile Disco, Pretty Lights, Kitty Daisy & Lewis, Dub Pistols, Ella Eyre, Skinny Lister, Mixhell, Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer, Kate Boy, Dream Koala, Polio, Zhala, Story Books, Will Joseph Cook, Bestival’s All Gone Pete Tong, Daniel Avery, Mark Jones, Mumdance, Lovesick, Comfyporn DJs, Dan Hayes, Propaganda DjJs, Across The Tracks. www.bestival.net

BOARDMASTERS, Watergate Bat, Newquay, 7-11 Aug: Sweet Baboo, Saint Raymond, Isaiah Dreads, White Bicycles, Ben Jordan, Joss White, Rich Stephenson, Stevie Ray, Franklin. www.boardmasters.co.uk

CAMP BESTIVAL, Lulworth Castle, Dorset, 1-4 Aug: Max Romeo. www.campbestival.net

GATHERING, various venues, Oxford, 19 Oct: Local Natives, London Grammar, Drenge, Mt Wolf, Charlie Boyer And The Voyeurs, Chloe Howl, Waxahatchee, Temples, Troumaca, Wolf Alice, Chasing Grace, Cheatahs, Dancing Years, Fyfe, Jay Brown, JJ Rosa, Port Isla, Pyyramids, Ryan Keen, Sweet William, To Kill A King, Candy Says, Kimberly Anne, Ruen Brothers. gatheringfestival.tumblr.com

LEEDS FESTIVAL, Bramham Park, Leeds, 23-25 Aug: Black Moth, The Crookes, Dutch Uncles, Hookworms, Menace Beach, Childhood, Bipolar Sunshine, The Wytches, Stay Positive, Parachute Youth, Benin City, Battle Lines, Amber, As Elephants Are, Big Wave, Casablanca, Catfish & The Bottlemen, City Of Lights, Crusade, Denai Moore, Glass Caves, The Grand, I Divide, Jaws, Joel Baker, King No-One, Lonely The Brave, Man Can’t Fly, Mausi, Modo Stare, Peasants King, Prides, Saint Raymond, Ruen Brothers, Slaves, Sundara Karma, Theory 59, Thumpers, To Be Frank, Tripwires, We Are Knuckle Dragger, We Are Fiction, Witch Hunt, Zaheer. www.leedsfestival.com

READING FESTIVAL, Little Johns Farm, Richfield Avenue, Leeds, 23-25 Aug: Childhood, Bipolar Sunshine, The Wytches, Stay Positive, Parachute Youth, Benin City, Battle Lines, Amber, As Elephants Are, Big Wave, Casablanca, Catfish & The Bottlemen, City Of Lights, Crusade, Denai Moore, Glass Caves, The Grand, I Divide, Jaws, Joel Baker, King No-One, Lonely The Brave, Man Can’t Fly, Mausi, Modo Stare, Peasants King, Prides, Saint Raymond, Ruen Brothers, Slaves, Sundara Karma, Theory 59, Thumpers, To Be Frank, Tripwires, We Are Knuckle Dragger, We Are Fiction, Witch Hunt, Zaheer. www.readingfestival.com

SZIGET, Danube, Budapest, 7-12 Aug: Les Tambours du Bronx. www.sziget.hu/festival_english

THE WAREHOUSE PROJECT, Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, 26 Sep – 1 Jan 2014: Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Phoenix, Lee Scratch Perry, Hot Chip, The Chemical Brothers (DJ set), Azari & III, Disclosure, Axwell, Armand Van Helden, Seth Troxler, Loco Dice, Flying Lotus, Armin Van Buuren, Jamie Jones, Maya Jane Coles, Moderat, Rudimental, David Rodigan, Jazzy Jeff, Steve Angello, Richie Hawtin, Nicolas Jaar, Heidi, Eats Everything, The Knife, Julio Bashmore, Laurent Garnier, 2manydjs, Four Tet, Major Lazer, Chromeo, Annie Mac, Bipolar Sunshine, Nero, Sven Vath, Solomun. www.thewarehouseproject.com

Live Nation to overhaul menus at US amphitheatre venues

Business News Live Business

Live Nation yesterday announced plans to overhaul the food offerings in its 38 US-based amphitheatre venues, promising to start serving more locally produced produce, meat products that are certified under Humane Society-recognised animal welfare programmes, and vegetarian options, which have seemingly been somewhat lacking in the past.

Confirming the food-based initiative, Live Nation boss man Michael Rapino donned his finest chef’s hat and told CMU: “I know in my own home it’s important for my family to buy locally grown produce, to know where our meat comes from, and to have a variety of vegetarian options whenever possible”.

He continued: “We know from working so closely with the artist community and from the fans that come to our events, that it’s important to many of them as well. So we felt as a company that we should be able to deliver the same quality food to our millions of fans, and we will continue to look for ways in which we can improve the concert experience for the people that come to our amphitheatres every summer”.

It’s often forgotten that the live music sector is as much in the food and drink business as it is the entertainment game, with Live Nation reckoning it will sell over 800,000 meals this summer at its US amphitheatres alone.

The Humane Society welcomed the move, saying of the initiative: “Live Nation is putting its money where its mouth is. Countless people are looking for more responsibly-produced meat and incorporating more vegetarian foods into their diets, and it’s both an ethical and savvy business move for Live Nation to go in that direction”.

EMI and Virgin Classics to be absorbed into Warner labels

Business News Labels & Publishers

The UK-based classical labels of what was EMI are to be merged into Warner Music’s classical units.

EMI and Virgin Classics were acquired by Warner when it bought the Parlophone Label Group, the European EMI assets Universal was forced to sell by regulators when it took over the wider EMI record company last year.

In an announcement posted to the EMI Classics Twitter account (and spotted by BBC Music Magazine), Warner has announced that EMI Classics artists, including trumpeter Alison Balsom, conductor Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic, will be absorbed by Warner Classics.

Meanwhile the Virgin Classics roster, including mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and the conductor Emmanuelle Haïm, will form the basis of a revived Erato label, utilising the brand of the French label originally launched in the 1950s and acquired by Warner in 1992.

The Twitter message notes: “This move marks the next exciting chapter and new momentum for these renowned artists and legendary catalogues within Warner Music Group, where there is – and will continue to be – a deep focus on classical repertoire”.

Dailymotion to screen Kendal Calling sets

Business News Digital Gigs & Festivals Live Business

Occasionally controversial video website Dailymotion is to screen several sets from this year’s Kendal Calling festival, it has been announced. Viewers will be able to live stream performances from Scrufizzer, Tea Street Band, Dutch Uncles, The Twang, Beans On Toast, Ash, Drenge and Primal Scream. There will also be footage of Basement Jaxx following their headline performance.

The performances are being screened as part of Virtual Festivals’ partnership with Dailymotion. MD of Virtual Festivals’ parent company Silver Bullet Digital Steve Wild told CMU: “The aim of Virtual Festivals is to bring the festival experience to as many people as possible and Dailymotion is a great means of achieving this, either through its own website or embeds on social and other media. We are highly confident that partnerships like this will increase the sponsorship opportunities available to festivals like Kendal Calling, helping them to grow even bigger and more compelling”.

Head Of International Content at Dailymotion Marc Eychenne added: “2013 is the Summer Of Festivals on Dailymotion – building on the 50 million hours of live music we have already streamed – and Kendal Calling is one of the leading events we are showing. Music fans around the world can watch great music from a fantastic event live on Dailymotion or embed our player onto their own social media pages to share with friends”.

Björk’s David Attenborough TV show to air this weekend

Media

Björk’s documentary with David Attenborough – examining the relationship between music and the natural world – will air this weekend.

Entitled ‘When Björk Met Attenborough’, the show will be screened on Channel 4 this Saturday at 7pm as part of the broadcaster’s Mad4Music season.

As previously reported, the show was announced last year, originally titled ‘The Nature Of Music’, and will use Björk’s ‘Biophilia’ album, on which Attenborough also appeared, as its centrepoint.

Watch a trailer here:

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