Rotary Ten and Colour – brand new split single!

Monday 26th May 2008 sees the release of brand new double A-side split 7″ single featuring Sheffield four piece Rotary Ten and Kingston quartet Colour. However, if you can’t wait that long – both tracks are available from major digital service providers from today! Get involved.

Rotary Ten came together in the Summer of 2003 via a shared admiration of US indie-rock bands such as Death Cab For Cutie and American Football, eighties groups like The Pixies and The Smiths and post-rock acts such as Explosions In The Sky and Sigur Ros.

Originally from a little Lincolnshire village, two of the band began attending Uni in Sheffield so it was logical to take the Steel City as a starting point from which to create their clever, intricate and exciting indie with its quintessentially British pop twist.

“Feed a hefty dose of old school college and D.I.Y. indie to a cram-packed swimming-pool full of Mogwai after midnight. Illuminate with the notion of Explosions In The Sky doing precision pop and you’ll get something akin to Sheffield’s Rotary Ten: spunky gremlins in the pseudo-art closeted community.”  The Fly

With two self released singles  which received radio-play courtesy of Steve Lamacq and Gideon Coe – and support slots with everybody from The Killers to British Sea Power to I Was A Cub Scout to The Futureheads to Kids In Glass Houses already under their collective belts, Rotary Ten have been slowly but surely proving that theres more to Sheffields music scene than singing about bouncers, prostitutes and night clubs…

‘Time Is Not A Line and I Am Not A Rock’ is the first taste of what’s to come from their stunning debut album ‘These Are Our Hands’ which is released on Xtra Mile this June.

Joining Rotary Ten on the release are young Kingston-Upon-Thames math-pop kids Colour, who now feature former Meet Me In St Louis bassist Lewis amongst their ranks.

“Colour are one of these bands who, before I heard them, loads of bands told me I had to listen to as they’re one of their favourites ever. It’s very clear that they are a pretty amazing band, and deserve their peers’ hype.”Marsha XFM

Colour’s contribution is the tremendous ‘Chutes’, a track which perfectly highlights their ability to create ridiculously catchy yet intelligent guitar pop that bands such as Foals, Hot Club De Paris, This Town Needs Guns, The Maccabees and Dartz! would be more than proud of.

The 7″ vinyl release will be available exclusively from this very website and from the bands themselves – as well as digitally from all of the main download providers. Both bands are out on the road over the next few months; check their myspaces for the latest dates:

http://www.myspace.com/rotaryten
http://www.myspace.com/colouruk

 

Lights.Action! – debut mini album!

After a highly successful 2007 that saw London five piece Lights.Action! release two critically acclaimed digital singles (“Satellites” and “Story Of A Broken Boy”) which adorned radio play lists and were well received by the press; support the likes of Aiden, Kids In Glass Houses, and I Was A Cub Scout and make memorable appearances at Download, Great Escape, Guilfest and Leeds Festivals, the band released their debut mini-album ‘All Eyes To The Morning Sun’ through Xtra Mile Recordings on 14th April 2008.

‘All Eyes…’ was recorded with highly regarded producer Richard Wilkinson (The Magic Numbers, Adele, Sugababes, Paul Weller) and is a collection of the bands finest recorded work to date coupled with an enhanced section featuring videos to all of the bands single releases available physically for the first time. Track listing for the mini-album is as follows:

1. Aurora
2. Story of A Broken Boy
3. Satellites
4. Ghosts
5. Hide And Seek
6. All Eyes… (outro)

Enhanced section

7. Aurora video
8. Story Of A Broken Boy video
9. Satellites video

Lights.Action! came together from as far afield as California and Suffolk and their combined passion, hard work and sheer musical ability – combined with a fanbase that’s growing alongside them – ensures 2008 will see them take off from the impressive platform they’ve already built. In support of the mini album release Lights.Action! will be heading out on the road:

April
13 Bracknell South Hill Park Arts Centre Doors 8pm £6
19 Oxford Purple Turtle Doors 5pm £5
21 Derby The Venue**new date
23 Manchester Pop Bubble Rock Doors 8pm £5
28 London Bar Academy** new date
May
5 Oxford Carling Academy 7.30pm £6** new date
8 Weymouth Lazy Lizard Doors 7pm £4
9 Yeovil Orange Box Doors 7pm £4
20 London Dublin Castle** new date
24 Chelmsford Cramphorn Theatre** new date
26 Leeds Royal Park Cellars Doors 8pm £5
28 Dundee Dexters Doors 7.30pm £5
29 Arbroath Waterfront Doors 7.30pm £5
30 Aberdeen East Neuk Doors 7.30pm £6
June
03 Stoke Sugarmill 7.30pm £7

“…songs that are so rich and masterful that on first listen at least half of them sound perfectly brilliant not just different, fabulously so” Kerrang!

“This bunch are going to be bigger than Facebook – thanks to a charisma-packed stage show and a clutch of killer songs. Miss them at your own risk!” Big Cheese Magazine

“Pop rockers guitar driven anthems have earned them comparisons with The Killers” The Sun

 

Frank Turner – new album!

“I think Frank Turner will turn out to be one of the best singer songwriters of our generation.” Mike Davies Radio 1 (22^nd January 2008)

 

 “Gather round kids, old beardy balls has something to tell you…” Zane Lowe Radio 1 (5^th March 2008)

 

Everyone’s favourite folk hero Frank Turner follows the overwhelming successes of the past year with the release of his brand new album ‘Love Ire & Song’ out on March 31^st through Xtra Mile Recordings.

 

Written and recorded in a farm outside of Winchester, Hampshire with the help of producer supreme Ben Lloyd once again – ‘Love Ire & Song’ (a list of ingredients for the good life according to Frank) is an album of musical maturity with Frank’s adept storytelling lyricism providing expressive and poignant songs. From the rousing opener of ‘I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous’ to the piano-led despondency of finale ‘Jet Lag’, Frank takes the listener on a journey through lost love and loneliness (‘Substitute’), through mourning and heartache (‘The Queen Is Dead’) and through themes of distance and, at times, despair. However, ‘Love Ire & Song’ is far from dark and depressing as Frank’s inherent hope and optimism runs brightly through it’s core.

It’s an album that signals a progression in Frank’s songwriting; or as he put: “if ‘Sleep…’ was a cracking rebound shag, then this new album is a budding new relationship with an altogether classier type of girl.”

 

Since the release of his debut ‘Sleep Is For The Week’ in January 07, Frank has steadily continued his one-man assault on world domination by touring the UK and USA extensively supporting Biffy Clyro, headlining the Softcore Tour with pals Josh English, Jacob Golden and Jonah Matranga and playing a storming set at Reading and Leeds Festival. He also released ‘The Real Damage’ EP and the killer DVD ‘All About The Destination’. To top it all, ‘Sleep…’ made the much coveted shortlist for the inaugural XFM New Music Award 2007 thanks to active voting by his ever-loyal fans and performed with the other nominees at the live ceremony at London’s KOKO.

 

2008 is going to be better still; the first single ‘Photosynthesis’, featuring The Holloways, is coming out digitally on March 24^th and has already been played on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show by fans and new buddies Hadouken and by Mike Davies on his Punk Show.

 

Frank will be touring with a full band throughout April. Support comes from Andy Yorke (AY) and Oppenheimer (O) sharing main support, and Ciara Haider for the full tour.

 

    LOVE IRE & SONG UK TOUR

MARCH

31 The Brudenell Social, Leeds £6 (O)

APRIL

1 Fibbers, York £7 (O)

2 The Cluny, Newcastle £6 (O)

3 The Corporation, Sheffield £6 (O)

4 The Sugarmill, Stoke £6 (O)

5 The Kasbah, Coventry £4 (O)

6 The Bar Academy, Birmingham £7 (AY)

7 The Queen Charlotte, Norwich £6 (AY)

8 Zodiac @ The Academy, Oxford £7 (AY)

9 Moles, Bath £6 (AY)

10 Thekla, Bristol £7 (AY)

11 Bodega Social, Nottingham £7 (AY)

12 SiZe, Workington £6.50 (AY)

13 The Tunnels, Aberdeen £6 (AY)

14 King Tut’s, Glasgow £7 (AY)

15 Joshua Brooks, Manchester £5 (AY)

16 Crawdaddy’s, Dublin club night

17 Speakeasy @ QUBSU, Belfast club night

18 Barfly, Liverpool

21 Hanbury Ballroom, Brighton £7 (AY)

22 The Barfly, Cambridge £7 (AY)

23 The 100 Club, London £9 (AY)

24 The Railway Inn, Winchester £7 (AY)

Doors vary but usually 7pm

www.frank-turner.com www.myspace.com/frankturner

 

Stapleton – new album and free download!

Monday 5^th May 2008 sees the release of the long awaited fourth full length album from Scottish independent rock band Stapleton.

 

‘Rest and Be Thankful’ is the band’s first musical output since 2005’s critically acclaimed J. Robbins produced masterpiece ‘Hug The Coast’ (Gravity DIP) and it looks set to remind us all just what a special band Stapleton are.

 

To celebrate, Xtra Mile Recordings are giving away the first track from the album, ‘From Wood To Ridge’, for free via Myspace – just visit www.myspace.com/xtramilerecordings and give it a click.

Recorded by Robin Sutherland (Tellison, Avast!, Jacobs Stories etc) in a remote Scottish barn, ‘Rest and Be Thankful’ features ten brand new and previously unreleased tracks, as well as a stunning new version of fans favourite Chez Chef.

 

Since forming in April of 1997, Stapleton have released three albums, two EPs and toured with everybody from Idlewild to The Get Up Kids to Hundred Reasons. In addition to that, they’ve shared stages with pretty much a “who’s who” of indie rock’s elite, such as The Dismemberment Plan, The Weakerthans and Burning Airlines. Members of Stapleton also play in Metronomes, Avast!, Elements Of The Seventies and Black Gold.

 

Although considered criminally under-rated by some, their influence on many of the UK’s latest up and coming bands can’t be underestimated – with the likes of Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Tellison, The Xcerts, Johnny Foreigner and Dartz all citing the Scottish four piece as one of their biggest sources of inspiration.

 

One listen to ‘Rest and Be Thankful’ simply emphasises that when it comes to intelligently crafted, heartfelt indie-rock, there’s few better bands than Stapleton.

 

“Long kings of the Glasgow music scene, it’s still very surprising they’re not much bigger… It’s magical at the best of times, enchanting at the worst. 8/10″ Drowned In Sound

 

“If you’re a newcomer, but have a warm, inviting spot in your

heart for any band that morphs from Superchunk to Braid

through Built To Spill and Pavement, whilst sounding

every bit and yet nothing like them, let Stapleton

establish a permanent residency.” Rock Sound

www.myspace.com/stapleton

www.xtramilerecordings.com

www.myspace.com/xtramilerecordings

 

The Maybes? – new single!

The Maybes?, Britain’s premier tour de force live act, are set to release ‘Talk About You’ on 24^th March 2008 through Xtra Mile Recordings.

 

‘Talk About You’, a powerful driving anthem of modern day relationship breakdown, is the first single to be released from their incredible forthcoming debut album ‘Promise’, due out in the Summer. Working with internationally revered producer Head (PJ Harvey, Therapy? and Massive Attack) the band have created an album that showcases their immense musical diversity and ability to deliver a view of the human condition through contemporary British song-craft. A sonic assault to excite the senses and invigorate the psyche, a beautiful vision that does not adhere to any here-today-gone-tomorrow scene.

 

‘Talk About You’ will be released on 24^th March as a download-only single through iTunes and other major DSPs.

 

The band support the release of the single with a national tour featuring support slots with The Rifles and The Dykeenies. Already established as one of the country’s best live acts, European Capital of Culture’s finest have come to educate!

 

March

12^th – Stoke Sugarmill

13^th – Leeds Halo Club (NME)

14^th – Carlisle Brickyard

17^th – London 93 Feet East (supporting The Dykeenies)

18^th – Leeds Cockpit (supporting The Rifles)

19^th – Dundee Fat Sams (supporting The Rifles)

20^th – Newcastle Academy (supporting The Rifles)

21^st – Liverpool Barfly (supporting The Rifles)

24^th – Cambridge Portland Arms * (venue change)

25^th – Brighton Barfly

26^th – London 229 (Fandango)

27^th – Nottingham Bodega

28^th – Cardiff Barfly

29^th – Exeter Hub (NME)

April

5^th Manchester, Urbis Museum

26^th Liverpool, Nation

 

www.myspace.com/themaybesliverpool

www.xtramilerecordings.com

www.myspace.com/xtramilerecordings

 

“It’s over before it’s finished and leaves you wanting more. Like real rock ‘n’ roll should.” – Disorder

“The first name on people’s lips if you ask about current Liverpool talent.” – The Times

“The Maybes? are looking more like the definitlys every day.” – Liverpool Echo