Ellie Goulding Tickets – UK Tour Dates Announced

Ah, the pain of being a hyped newcomer. You are tipped as a promise, you are loved and hanging out with your idols, you win a critics choice award, and then suddenly you are not as sensational as they expected, your debut album is disappointing, the interviews start to focus on how you didn’t like fame anyway, and the full spectrum media approval turns into merely acknowledging your existence.

The problem, when the newcomer in question is Ellie Goulding, is that although there isn’t a high concept or a big personality for her to be a pop phenomena, she is at the same time too talented and young to be a yesterday promise. Yes, she doesn’t ride any particular fashion wave, her music is not revolutionary, her clothes cover most of her body and so the hipsters started to feel bored. When they want dramatic production, there are trainers. When they want spectacular behavior, there is sweet naivety. When they want scandal, there is a family girl who loves sports and runs whenever possible.

For those looking for exuberance, try next years’ promise. But there is more to Ellie Goulding than the false expectations and the unfulfilled stardom: beautiful pop songs in a folk-disco wrap and lyrics that remind us of another time, when we were innocent and music was more important than marketing agendas.

Ellie Goulding debut album, Lights, is out now. She has announced her first headline tour with many UK dates. Ellie is also playing in a number of festivals such as Great Escape, T in the Park and Lovebox.

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Billy Childish: a journey from the depths of the underground to the lights of ICA

Nietzsche’s was huge. Dali’s was long. Stalin’s was powerful. Einstein’s was very messy and Freddie Mercury’s oh so camp. But with all due respect for this famous figures, there is nothing like Billy Childish’s moustache. Thick, funny, trendy, old fashion, sexy and very impressive. Perhaps its the man behind the moustache that turns it into something remarkable.

Born in 1959 in Chatham, Kent, Childish is a prolific artist and a man of many talents. True to the DIY philosophy, he has published over 40 collections of his poems, alongside fanzines and novels. He has recorded over 100 full length independent LP’s and has produced over 2000 paintings. For the last 25 years, Billy Childish has been a underground and infamous figure in the British art and music scene. He got expelled from St. Martin’s School of Art, is friends with the YBA gang, dated Tracey Emin and, in 1999, was co-founder of the Stuckism art movement. His bands include Buff Meadways, The Milkshakes, Thee Headcoats and, recently, Billy Childish and The Musicians of the British Empire.

A cult figure, he is loved by a small number of dedicated fans and largely ignored beyond that. Until now. Billy Childish relevance and extraordinary career have been at last recognized by a mainstream organization. The Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) has brought together a major solo exhibition that shows his prodigious range of activities as a total work of art, one which revolves around his own persona. Legend.

The exhibition Unknowable but Certain runs until May 02 (ICA London).

Billy Childish and  The Musicians of the British Empire will play Camden Crawl on May 01 and Dirty Water Club on Apr 30, May 21, Jun 18 and July 16.

Brad Paisley’s UK concerts still on despite flood in Nashville

First there was his newly released single, Water, followed by a music video with musical instruments and amps floating in water and Brad Paisley and his band playing inside a pool, drums et all. Then there was the announcement of the so called H2O world tour. And, in April, during the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, Brad accepted the Male Vocalist of the Year trophy and ended up, again, in a pool.

Sadly and ironically, in the beginning of May heavy rain left Nashville, the country music capital and also Brad’s home, literally under water. The flood left a devastating trail of damaged bridges, houses and a death tool still unknown. The Mecca of country music, The Grand Ole Opry, is also under water. And most of Brad`s instruments and gear, along many from musicians such as Keith Urban and Vince Gill have also been affected. Brad Paisley is now set to add some charity gigs to his scheduled concerts that include two London dates in June.

Johnny Cash, a country music legend, in his song Five Feet High And Rising tells that good things sometimes come from adversity. “We couldn’t see much good in the flood waters when they were causing us to have to leave home / But when the water went down, we found that it had washed a load of rich black bottom dirt across our land / The following year we had the best cotton crop we’d ever had”. Touch wood!

Brad Paisley plays Shepherds Bush Empire on June 23 and 24.

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Hot Chip: new album, new music video, and not leaving after breakfast

Since their first album, back in 2004, Hot Chip seized a permanent place in Britain; precisely that space in between the DJs and the bar. And from then on, every other year we are caught singing their songs over and over and over again. On the cusp of celebrating 10 years, there is no sign of they losing force.
I Feel Better, Hot Chip`s latest music video, is absolutely hilarious and epidemic, while the band’s fourth album, One Life Stand, is short and perfectly formed. At least four of the songs fall in the dance-monsters-smash-hits category, a talent that Hot Chip mastered in the previous albums, while the others are perfect ballads – some warm and cozy, some a little awkward. Instead of inconstancy, the mix gives the album a coherence rarely seen – One Life Stand is not a music compilation, but a proper album with songs that guide you through the moods that involve growing up.

Fact is, Hot Chip´s members are well into their 30s, all respectable family man more prone to be seen in the local playground than in the local club. But even Hot Chip’s devotees, who at first were not impressed by the maturity of the group´s fourth album, have, with time, learned to love it. They may be singing lullabies at home but they still know the formula to make people rock. The title of the album says it all – Hot Chip is here to stay.

Hot Chip is now on tour. They play Glastonbury on June; T in the Park, Oxygen and Lovebox in July; Electric Picnic and Bestival in September.

Gorillaz and its stellar list of collaborators to tour England in September

There was a murmur in a packed London pub some time ago that sprang from the entrance to the kitchen. At the receiving end of heads turning not so discretely and chefs peaking through the staff door was Damon Albarn, a marmite type figure more loved than hated, incredible known in many circles and also the father of a number of high profile musical projects. The most prominent and first in line of them is Blur, a Britpop band that translated the nineties in Britain as no other band did. (Oasis supporters please refrain from throwing eggs.) Optimism was key in their behaviour and songs – a new and better world was possible and Blur was going to help build, and then conquer it.

The feelings that defined that decade are now long gone, but Damon Albarn is still very connected to the moods of the nation. His subsequent project, Gorillaz, is a virtual band with comic book characters for members and a hint of streetwise cynicism instead of naive hopefulness.  More like a concept than a band, Gorillaz songs are the result of collaborations between various musicians, Albarn being the only permanent feature. In a celebrity world, and considering the force of Damon Albarn figure, to physically exclude personalities from a band was a revolutionary and brave idea and, as such, not everyone thought much of it to start with.

But time has given Gorillaz a seat between the great projects of the noughties and so has  Albarn proved himself a man of many talents, in between them a talent for gathering great names to fulfill ambitious musical ideas. Gorillaz Roundhouse concert in April was memorable, with up to 20 musicians on stage at times, Mick Jones and Paul Simonon of The Clash among them. Many starred reviews later, Gorillaz announced an England tour in September. Tickets go on sale at 9AM on Friday May 21.

Gorillaz will play Birmingham N.I.A on September 10, Newcastle Metro Arena on September 11, Manchester MEN Arena on September 13, and London O2 Arena on September 14 and 15.

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Hip hop sensation Drake to play debut album, Thank me Later, in London gigs

In the 60s and 70s, the legendary Motown Records was synonymous with talent and its founder, Berry Gordy, claimed to be making history. Indeed, never before the music of Black America was sold to vast audiences regardless of race. Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and The Jackson 5 were among the many hits that were proof of Gordy`s point.
Universal Motown, the contemporary incarnation of Motown Records, still represents some important names in the industry but its relevance has diminished somewhat, with artists such as Lindsey Lohan in their catalogue. Nevertheless, it was the label chosen by hip hop sensation Drake after a dispute that apparently involved courting from other two major labels and a libel threat from a certain Universal big name, but that’s another story.

The Canadian Aubrey Drake Graham, originally known for playing a character on the popular television series Degrassi, is releasing his first studio album, Thank Me Later, on June 15. It seems very early days, but in fact Lil Wayne`s protégé is a rare case of Internet phenomenon gone viral – Drake`s MySpace page registers over 30 million profile views and his third independent mix tape, So Far Gone, found its way to radio stations and earned him a few awards nominations. Motown behind Drake`s already meteoric career is like a wedding between tradition and digital marketing. The child of such a union is awaiting to be heard.

Drake is supporting Jay-Z in Manchester on June 07 and Birmingham on June 09. He is also headlining London Shepherd’s Bush Empire on July 12 and 13.

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Paramore announce UK Tour Dates & Tickets in week of turmoil over Hayley’s topless picture

Soon after the tweet, came the excuse. That picture wasn’t meant to be there, my account was hacked, said an apologetic Hayley Williams, lead singer of teen cult band Paramore. Apparently it was in fact a mistake – the pic of Hayley topless should have gone to her boyfriend instead of her 695,000 tweeter followers. It was an interesting week in Paramore world for one more reason – the band announced a number of dates in the UK, at the end of their gigantic tour, for their legion of fans in British soil delight.

The Tennessee-based emo-punk-pop band third and latest album, Brand New Eyes, was released on September 2009 and reached the charts in a number of countries, from Brazil to Japan, Australia to Canada. Certainly contributing with two songs for the first movie in the Twilight series has helped propel Paramore from an already meteoric career to world stardom. But many argue that the band`s strength can be seen at its best live, when they deliver astonishing stage performances and boost charisma and energy.

Paramore will play Leeds and Reading festivals and return in November to seven dates around Britain – Echo Arena Liverpool on Nov 10, Sheffield Arena on Nov 11, O2 Arena on Nov 13 and 15, LG Arena Birmingham on Nov 16, Metro Radio Arena Newcastle on Nov 18 and AECC, Aberdeen on Nov 20.

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Bestival Tickets The Year of the Fantastic is fantastic indeed

If when you think music festivals the image that comes to mind is that of flooding loos, corporate banners, dodgy burgers, hot beers and elbow exercising, think again. Bestival and other so-called boutique festivals are on a mission to change the face of festival culture. Organized by BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob that Bank and his wife Josie, Bestival is held in the beautiful Robin Hill country park in the Isle of Wight since 2004, when it was attended by 10,000 people – a figure which has since increased to around 40,000.

Besides being more intimate and to its non-corporate feel, Bestival is also known for piloting odd and innovative ideas, such as offering yoga, massage and therapies, sumptuous cocktails bar with chandelier set all, burlesque-themed afternoon tea, a Pamper Lounge offering hair styling, manicures and make up, organic breakfasts and handmade piesto mention only a few indulgences.

The line-up is even more amusing than the chandeliers: Dizzee Rascal, the amazing Flaming Lips, Prodigy, Hot Chip, Simian Mobile Disco, Roxy Music, Mumford & Sons, Jonsi (Sigur Ros frontman), The XX and Cornershop, to mention only a few.
You don’t need any more convincing, do you?

When: 9 -12th September 2010
Where: Robin Hill Countryside Adventure park, Isle of Wight
2010 fancy dress theme: Fantasy

Check also its baby sister Camp Bestival

When: July 30, 31st & August 1stWhere: Lulworth Castle, Dorset

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Bombay Bicycle Club: new album, tour dates (and being nagged by Liam Gallagher, thanks!)

If winning a competition for a slot to V festival in the first year into your career and going on to play Reading and Glastonbury, release two well received albums via a respected label and winning the Best New Band at the 2010 NME Awards wasn’t enough proof of relevance, then being criticised by Liam Gallagher is as cool as it gets. After all, the Mancunian enfant terrible has criticized Franz Ferdinand, Scissors Sisters, Bloc Party, The Kaiser Chiefs, Blur and his own Oasis. Some would even pay to be slammed by him: it always ends up in the papers and many will Google to check out the flaws of his latest fallout. Which is specially handy in the case of Bombay Bicycle Club, as Flaws is actually the name of their second album, out on Monday 12 July.

In it, the four-piece from London Crouch End ditch the electric guitars and effect pedals that ornate last year’s I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose to unveil an album that mixes rock with folk and elements of electronica and free jazz. Singer Jack Steadman’s voice is greatly responsible for their success, a voice so strong and confident that seems disconnected from the teenager behind it, as if Steadman is actually mimicking an older and more powerful figure. Awkwardly, apart from Gallagher trashing their name, this has been the only other criticism aimed at Bombay Bicycle Club: that they somehow are too good to be true. Since when exceeding expectations turned into a crime has yet to be known. So the boys are too unarticulated, too young, and too insecure to be good, but still they are good? We will have to live with it.

Bombay Bicycle Club is playing in Manchester on July 12 and 13, Bristol on July 14, Birmingham on July 15, Lovebox London on July 16, Cheltenham Trees Festival on July 17, Gateshead on July 19, Norwich on July 20, Brighton on July 21 and London Union Chapel on July 22 and 23.

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Jakob Dylan to showcase new album in UK dates

Jakob Dylan brings to the Barbican in July a taste of the long running conversation between pop music and folk traditions. He will be showcasing his second solo work since leading The Wallflowers. Woman + Country was released earlier this year and brings references from folk lyricism to the mythic America and has been received with warm reviews. Jakob Dylan is accompanied both in the album and live by the band Three Legs, with singer- songwriters Neko Case and Kelly Hogan in most of the background vocals and an acclaimed group of musicians playing from bass and drums to mandolin, trumpet and horns. The album was produced by the prolific T Bone Burnett, who worked on The Wallflowers’ most successful record to date, Bringing Down the Horse, resulting in Grammy awards and selling millions of copies.

Jakob Dylan, now in his 40s and with a lengthy history in music recordings since the late 80s, bares the inescapable tag of “Bob Dylan’s son”, which puts him in the shadow of one of the greatest songwriters of all times. What might be seen as a mixed blessing when comparisons and similarities are concerned, doesn’t seem to pose as a challenge for Jakob’s heartfelt songs. His gentle vocal and the grown-up big label production of the album are confident enough, often playing in a relaxed safety zone. In songs such as Everybody’s Hurting, a more political agenda is in tune with today’s America search for a soul, but even this engagement is done in a humble, more tactful fashion. Which is pretty much Jakob Dylan’s trademark and also his secret to be out there for some time now. No pressure.

Jakob Dylan & Three Legs play London Barbican on July 23, Gateshead on July 25 and Glasgow on July 26.