The Buzz
Friday, 11 Apr 2008 17:23
Grammy-nominated Sia is on a UK tour in April
April, eh? The start of spring, right? Here at Buzz Towers we've had snow and sleet but we've got the hottest news about who's playing where and when, and who's unleashing new material including Simple Plan, Sia, Beth Rowley and Chuck Prophet.
Canadian rockers Simple Plan release their new single Your Love Is A Lie on April 21st and play several UK dates in April.
Click here to read the inthenews.co.uk review of the new single
The band will perform at Norwich UEA on April 13th; Glasgow ABC (15th); Manchester Academy 2 (16th) and London Astoria on the 18th.
Simple Plan then play Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall on April 19th; Nottingham Rock City (20th) and Bristol Academy on Monday 21st.
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YouTube legend, Grammy-nominated Sia Furler releases her new single The Girl You Lost digitally on April 14th and physically on April 21st.
Click here to read the inthenews.co.uk review of the new single
The 12" and CD features great remixes from Stonebridge, Sander Van Doorn and Mark Picciotti.
Sia also plays the UK in April. Catch her at Liverpool Academy on the 11th; Oxford Academy on the 12th and Sheffield Plug (13th).
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Having released his latest album Soap And Water to great acclaim last year, Chuck Prophet will be touring the UK with his band The Mission Express in April and May.
The tour opens on April 20th at Brighton Barfly; Cambridge Barfly (21st); Winchester Railway (22nd); Bristol Fiddlers (23rd); London The Garage (24th) and Buckingham’s Tingewick Town Hall on the 25th.
It continues at Nottingham Rescue Rooms on April 26th; Bury's Met (27th); York Fibbers (28th); Sheffield The Boardwalk (29th); Newcastle The Cluny (May 1st); Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire (2nd) and Glasgow King Tut's (3rd).
Soap And Water was recorded in Nashville at Alex The Great studios with producer Brad Jones manning the desks. Jones has worked with Dolly Parton and Josh Rouse.
The album also features Cake's Todd Roper on drums, the Spinto Band and even the local methodist children's church choir helping out on a few tracks as well as Prophet's own band, the Mission Express.
Described by Q magazine as "The best work of his career", Soap And Water boasts Prophet's soul-country-rock sound, and several standout tracks including Would You Love Me? And Let's Do Something Wrong.
It's been three years since his last album, Age Of Miracles, but Prophet has been busy in that time.
He produced and co-wrote Kelly Willis’s new album Translated From Love and is working with Alejandro Escovedo.
Prophet made his acting debut in Revolution Summer, playing a drug dealer. Also on the film front, he contributed tracks to the Sundance sensation Teeth, about a woman whose vagina has teeth.
Prophet started his musical career in the 80s as a member of Green On Red.
This seminal American roots/rock band split up in 1992 and since then Prophet has recorded seven solo albums and toured with performers such as Ryan Adams, Aimee Mann and Cake.
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South West Sound, the Bristol and Dartington-based music festival, which opens on April 23rd has secured Government support.
Culture minister Margaret Hodge has praised the event for its aims to help musicians network and further their careers in terms of training and business opportunities.
South West Sound is a three-day festival that is now in its fifth year. This year's event focuses on education, skills and careers.
The opening day in Bristol sees 80s star Feargal Sharkey as a keynote speaker along with ex-Virgin Records executive Jon Webster and Dizzee Rascal mentor Tim Smith, a leading music educationalist.
The second day, held in Dartington, concentrates on how regional performers can develop their careers.
And rising star Beth Rowley will play Dartington's Great Hall on the 25th.
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On April 14th Sarah Brightman releases her first studio album in five years.
Symphony was recorded in the UK, America and Germany, and was created by Brightman and her long-time producer Frank Peterson.
Click here to read the inthenews.co.uk review of We Run 'Til It's Gone from the new album
The album features collaborations with Andrea Bocelli on the sweeping ballad Canto Della Terra; Spanish counter tenor sensation Fernando Lima and KISS legend Paul Stanley on I Will Be With You.
Another highlight of the LP is Running, the International Association of Athletics Federation Green Project song, which Brightman performed at the IAAF Championships' opening ceremony in Japan.
Symphony is an eclectic but wonderfully elegant album that contains gothic passion on Fleurs du Mal and the haunting Let It Rain.
Sarah Brightman said of Symphony: "It's a coming together of many different elements to create consonance with harmonious textures that still hold true to a common thread that runs down the centre of the album.
"Throughout my career I have worked in so many different styles of music, this is the first album where all of these styles come together to create a very diverse musical landscape."
Sarah Brightman will also be seen on the silver screen this year in Repo! The Genetic Opera!, a musical thriller directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, helmer of three Saw movies. Repo’s cast includes Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head and Paris Hilton.
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Welsh indie-punks Miss Conduct have vowed to hit the road until the wheels fall off their tour bus.
It's all part of the five-piece's bid to become one of the UK's most exciting and powerful bands.
Formed in 2006, they released a mini-album entitled Sinner Vs Sinned in 2007 which cemented their growing reputation as a new force in British punk and rock.
A successful tour in 2007 led to a Radio 1 session and saw them land a main stage slot at the Full Ponty festival alongside Lostprophets.
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Coming out of the closet may be the best thing to happen to Edinburgh funk outfit Sub-Opt.
The band, who split up last year, have now re-formed thanks to their guitarist living in a cupboard.
Ant Law moved into a cupboard in frontman Rod Braga’s bedroom as he couldn’t afford the rent where he was living.
Living in the tiny space, which just about accommodated a single mattress, concentrated Law’s thoughts and he realised he wanted the band to get back together.
After emerging from his strange habitat, Law discussed Sub-Opt re-forming with Braga and the band have now signed with indie label Strollers Records.
Sub-Opt are hard at work recording their second LP due for release in the summer.
Frontman Braga, with his tongue in his cheek, is considering locking Law in the cupboard to see if the talented guitarist, who studied at America's well-respected Berkeley College of Music, can come up with more good ideas.
Lee Davis 