The Buzz
The debut album from Lightspeed Champion hits the shelves on January 21st.
Thursday, 17, Jan 2008 09:28
So, here we go hurtling headlong into 2008 and The Buzz has the inside track on who's playing where and when, and who's releasing new material for your delectation. This time around we say hello to Lightspeed Champion, Ladyhawke and many more.
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Quite possibly the next KT Tunstall, Amy Macdonald will bring her warm folk-tinged pop to London Shepherds Bush Empire on February 19th. Amy's debut album
This Is The Life is out now - Click here to read the inthenews.co.uk review
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Chart sensation Robyn comes to the capital next month, playing London Koko on February 28th.
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With nary a transforming automaton in sight, Robots In Disguise visit London next month when they perform at Astoria 2, formerly The Mean Fiddler, on February 12th.
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Rising new soul sensation and Who's Next fave Duffy has started her residency at The Pigalle Club in the capital, perfect for her husky, heartfelt vocals.
The Rockferry starlet performs every Wednesday at the Piccadilly venue until February 6th, while her debut album Rockferry is out March 3rd.
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Nouvelle Vague can be caught at The Scala in London's Kings Cross on February 20th.
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Offering up a fantastically eclectic mix of folk and art-pop, Lightspeed Champion aka Dev Hynes, ex of Test Icicles, releases his new album Falling Off The Lavender Bridge on January 21st.
His current single Tell Me What It's Worth is out now on two seven inches, a CD and download. The first seven-inch features an exclusive cover of Patrick Wolf's Tristan. The second seven-inch has a cover of Olivia Newton John's 80s classic Xanadu. The CD also boasts a cover of Amy Winehouse's Back To Black.
The album was the first LP to be recorded at ARC Studios in Omaha, America. While he was recording the album, Dev Hynes lived at the studios but it was far from plain sailing for Lightspeed Champion and his collaborators.
Originally the album was to feature Janet Weiss from Sleaterkinney on drums but she broke her foot a few days before the recording was due to start. However, the Faint's Clark Baechle stepped in.
And the seemingly cursed album struck again when Hynes lost his voice for four days, and four foot of snow fell on Omaha during the recording.
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Darling is the new single from Sons And Daughters and it's available now on two seven inches, CD and download. The single is taken from the band's new album This Gift, out on January 28th.
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Irish rockers Keltica have a six track EP out now which is available from the band's website.
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The Black Crowes swoop into London on April 9th to perform at the Brixton Academy. The Crowes' new album Warpaint is released on March 3rd.
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Described as the 'Elvis of the North' Richard Hawley is getting ready to tour the UK next month.
The 40-year-old who hails from Sheffield will play 13 dates across Britain starting at Hull City Hall on February 2nd. The tour also takes in Glasgow ABC on February 9th.
Hawley first rose to fame as part of indie outfit the Longpigs, who toured the globe supporting U2.
However, the band's second album failed to catch fire and the Longpigs split up. Hawley, from the working class neighbourhood of Pittsmoor in Sheffield, was offered a helping hand by his mate Jarvis Cocker of Pulp.
Hawley toured with the Britpop stars as a guitarist in the 90s. With Pulp seemingly on hiatus, Hawley has stepped out of the shadows and is enjoying solo fame and picking up Mercury Music prize nominations.
His breakthrough album Coles Corner, named after a famous lovers' meeting place in his native Sheffield, arrived in 2005 and became a word-of-mouth best seller. However, the singer wasn't content - he built on the acclaim of Coles Corner with his 2007 album Lady's Bridge.
Again, there is a strong Sheffield connection as the aforementioned bridge is historically linked with the section of the city where Hawley grew up.
The making of Lady's Bridge has a very personal note to it, as Hawley's father passed away last February following a three-year battle with cancer.
In tribute to his late father, the album cover shows Hawley in Sheffield's legendary Club 60, the venue where Hawley Snr played on stage with blues legend Muddy Waters.
Lady's Bride was recorded in Yellow Arch studios, which only a few years ago was a rundown old building in the south Yorkshire city. Thanks, however, to the efforts of Hawley and his friends, the building is enjoying a new lease of life.
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Jess Russo is the stunning lead singer of up-and-coming pop band Daruso whose debut single The Closest Thing To Heaven is out now as a download.
The launch of her pop career has seen the 22-year-old from Eastbourne involved in photo shoots, where she was given the star treatment by stylists who have worked for Girls Aloud and American Vogue magazine.
Jess and Daruso have inked a deal with TramTrack Records and the band is produced by Julian Gingell and Barry Stone who wrote the theme tune to Pop Idol, and have worked with Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Jess comes from a musical family and has performed at the Millennium Dome and the 2001 Labour Party conference.
She's managed by Maggie K De Monde of 80s band Scarlet Fantastic who predicts a bright future for the young singer.
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Groove rock outfit Gift Wrapped Fist, also known as the Fist, upped sticks from their native Jersey to set up shop in Burton, deep in the heavy metal heartland of the Midlands.
Although there is another reason as Fist drummer Danny Norris states that beer is produced in Burton!
The four-piece left Jersey citing that the island was hampering their career. Now the band is concentrating on getting a record deal but the lads have self-financed an EP called Smell The Cheese which is available at their gigs.
A new album, a plethora of UK dates and a mini-tour across Europe is being planned for 2008.
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Winning a local newspaper battle of the bands competition bagged Hertfordshire-based Underview three days in a recording studio in Watford.
The band impressed the studio's manager so much he let them record a total of six tracks, three more than they were scheduled to do. Now you can experience the electrifying four-piece when they play at Horns in Watford on January 21st and the St Albans Horn on February 6th.
Underview, from Hemel Hempstead, are hoping to land some London gigs this year and they've attracted attention from a promotions company.
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Combining surf-rock and psychedelia is what makes Clinic so listenable and the band can be caught live throughout April.
The tour opens on April 8th at Bristol Thekla; London 229 Club (9th); Brighton Audio (10th); Leeds Brudenell Social Club (11th) and Manchester Academy 3 on the 12th.
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If you fuse folk and punk with an air of mystery the end result is The Cave Singers from Seattle. The Singers release their debut album Invitation Songs on February 11th. Recorded in Vancouver, the album is warm and welcoming with each of the ten tracks coated, it seems, with a dense but accessible atmosphere.
The Cave Singers comprise vocalist Pete Quirk, guitarist Derek Fudesco and drummer Marty Lund, and they're touring the UK and Europe next month.
The tour opens on February 20th at The Button Factory in Dublin; Glasgow ABC (21st); Birmingham Academy (23rd); Manchester Academy (24th) and Bristol Thekla (25th).
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Meet Ladyhawke. She's from New Zealand and used to be in Teenager with Aussie techno bod Pnau, and she shares her name with a rather dull 80s fantasy film.
Mix Stevie Nicks with a torrent of synths and that's Ladyhawke. Listen out for Paris Is Burning and Back Of The Van.
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And from the same stable as Arcade Fire and Black Kids comes Broken Records whose sound is best described as massive and epic with a superb chaotic edge. You have been warned.
Lee Davis