12 Albums For 2012

So here it is our top 12 albums of the year, in no particular order. No long justification for each album, the only way to judge music is to listen to it.....enjoy!

Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, we will be back in 2013 (Maybe!)



 



Toy - Toy

We Are Augustines - Rise Ye Sunken Ships




 

 The XX - Coexist






First Aid Kit - Lions Roar





Goat - World Music

Django Django - Django Django

Jim Jones Revue - Savage Heart

The Ting Tings - Sounds From Nowheresville 

Tame Impala - Lonerism

Richard Hawley - Standing At The sky's Edge

 



 

Bat For Lashes - Haunted Man





 

Alt J - An Awesome Wave

NME Awards Tour 2013

NME have announced the line up for the 'Awards Tour 2013' Django Django will headline the tour with other acts including Miles Kane, Palma Violets and Peace on the bill. 

Tickets for the following dates go on presale at nme.com/tickets tomorrow 28/11/12 and general sale on Friday 30/11/12.
  
Newcastle O2 Academy (February 7)
Manchester Academy 1 (8)
Leeds O2 Academy (9)
Glasgow O2 Academy (11)
Nottingham Rock City (12)
Liverpool O2 Academy (13)
Norwich UEA (15)
Birmingham O2 Academy (16)
Cardiff Uni Great Hall (17)
Bristol O2 Academy (19)
Bournemouth O2 Academy (20)
Brighton Dome (21)
London O2 Brixton Academy (23)

Django Django





Miles Kane


Palma Violets




Peace

James - On Tour - 2013

James announced via Larry's Twitter feed and then a couple of days later on the official website a UK tour for 2013. Special guest for all dates will be Echo and the Bunnymen. The tour advert also confirms the long awaited 'The Gathering Sound' box set will finally be released on 10/12/12. Tickets go on sale this Friday 22/12/12. Check out the live video of 'Born Of frustration' below.

I Am Kloot 'Let It All In'

I Am Kloot are due to release their 6th Studio album titled, 'Let It All In' on the 21st January 2013. The album is produced by Guy and Craig from Elbow. The first single to be lifted from the album is 'Hold Back the Night' which was release on the 5th November.

The album is now availble to pre order Here



I Am Kloot also tour the UK in 2013:

Glasgow Oran Mor, 12th Feb
Leeds Irish Centre, 13th Feb
Manchester HMV Ritz, 14th Feb
Nottingham Albert Hall, 18th Feb
London Barbican Centre, 19th Feb
Brighton St Bartholomew’s Church, 21st Feb
Cambridge Junction, 22nd Feb
Bristol Trinity, 23rd Feb
Coventry Warwick Arts Centre, 24th Feb

Busker One!

In 2011 Busker One set themselves the incredible task of recording an acoustic version of every UK No 1 for an entire year......no matter what the song was. The band consist of Catherine and Tom. As well as recording covers the band also recorded a a excellent Demo EP of their own material that is still available as a free download.


Who are Busker One and where you from? 
Busker One is a folk/pop acoustic duo from Manchester.

Can you give us a brief history of the band? 

Myself and Tom have been working together in bands since College so over 6 or 7 years now, we decided when we got back from Uni to form a duo and start writing our favourite kind of Music!

Do you write your own stuff as well as covers? 

Yes we do and this can be heard at bandcamp we are always writing new stuff!

Anywhere else we can find your music? 

As above and at www YouTube.com/BuskerOneUK

What's the biggest gig your played so far? And what's the best? 

Manchester City Stadium to 46,000 people! That was immense! We took part in a competition called City sound and that has to be the best experience ever!

What's your favourite song to cover? 

Our favourite song to cover might have to be Oasis - don't look back in anger as we do it in a jazzy style quite different from the original and it gets people up every time! 

Are there any songs you would like to cover but haven't? 

Yes loads! We restricted ourselves at first to just doing the No1's so sometimes there were awesome covers in the Top 10 we had to leave! We would have loved to have covered 'Love On Top' by Beyonce!

When can we see Busker One live? 

This Saturday at The Robin Hood

Where can we find Busker One's music?  

You Tube & buskerone bandcamp.com

What's next for busker one? 

We are currently writing new stuff and hope to have an album out next spring, we want to do a mini tour of this as well! 

Every Number 1 from 2011.....

 

Esper Scout

Leeds based 'Esper Scout' first caught our attention when they played the 'Glaston-Bury Festival' in Bury over the summer. The all girl 4 piece have a couple of releases under their belt already and in December will release their latest single and video 'Gaps in the Border Fence'  

Esper Scout's Sarah Statham tells us more about the band and the forthcoming release.

 

Hey, how are you?

Good thanks! Busy sorting various things for the Gaps in the Border Fence / In Foreign release later in the year, we finished filming the video yesterday which is a big weight off! An ambitious project and one which took longer than expected but we’re really happy with how it all went. Everyone received stings and bites from the forest as marks of achievement!

Where are the band from?

We’re based in Leeds but Kirsty, Rebecca and I were born, raised and met in Manchester. Lou is a Leeds gal.

How long have Esper Scout been together?

The three of us moved up between 2007 and 2008 and met Lou quite soon after so just over four years in some guise or another. We’ve been Esper Scout for what must be coming up to three years.


Wallet of Brass Coins by Esper Scout

Where does the name come from?

‘Esper’ is a word first used in a science fiction short story called ‘Oddy & Id’ by Alfred Bester and it’s derived from the idea of ‘extra sensory perception’. I can’t remember how but ‘Scout’ emerged when Kirsty and Lou were watching a documentary about bears. Me and Reb were out watching the ATP film at TJ Woodhouse in Leeds and we got a number of texts with bear related suggestions. Unfortunately I’m not able to recall any of them but I’m sure they were crackers!

Have any of you been in other bands before Esper Scout?

Actually mine and Kirsty’s first band is how we met Reb. It was a tongue-in-cheek, youthful punk thing. We broke the ice with Incubus’ Alive at Red Rocks DVD and had a song called Pork Sword. We’ve matured slightly since then, creatively at least. This excludes doodles and puns of course.

You've had a couple of singles release, how well have they been received?

The reviews we had were positive but we’re definitely honest about them as teething experiences mainly. We’re stronger players now and Kids & Pets was my first experience singing on a recording and I learnt plenty, especially with regards to how much pressure I seemed to be putting on myself. Thankfully we were recording with a friend so the process was more relaxed than if it had have been someone else. In Foreign, the second track on our next release, was born out of how I was feeling that winter. I think we’re all agreed that we’re only just starting to find ourselves musically but the first two e.ps have led us to some really good gigs, radio play and other exposure so they’ve served us well. We love the remixes that have emerged from a couple of their songs too and we’ve just recorded a revised version of Shed Some Light which will be out next year. We’re sort of in-between drummers at the moment so I recorded drums on that. I hadn’t recorded drums - or played very much at all - for several years so it was good exercise to be back in the saddle. Excuse the metaphor.




If someone has not heard the band how would you describe your sound?

Loud/quiet/rock is a response which we’ve used before but I’m aware that’s perhaps frustratingly vague and not too helpful. To add to that then, we like to combine melody, harmony, guitar and bass textures and pedal effects with strong, dynamic drums and rhythms.

Who would you say are the main influences on the band?

There aren’t many artists who we can agree on but Melissa Auf der Maur is one of the few. We’ve been told that the songs have QOTSA, Oceansize and Jack Off Jill tendencies. I don’t think we deserve such comparisons just yet but it’s very complimentary - and they weren’t all drunk. It was both confusing and worrying when a guy likened us to U2 and Metallica one time though, at two in the afternoon.

Do you have any live dates planned?

We’re playing a MS fundraiser in Empire in Leeds on the 17^th November and supporting our friends Chemistry Lane at Telfords in Chester on the 22^nd of November. We’re busy booking some more for the end of the year and hopefully a release gig for Gaps in the Border Fence / In Foreign.

Where can people find your people find your music?

It’s all exclusively on Bandcamp at the moment, including a two track remix e.p at www.esperscout.bandcamp.com.

What's next for Esper Scout?

We’ve been pretty wrapped up in Gaps and In Foreign to think too far ahead. After we release that it’ll be the re-recorded Shed Some Light single which is on the cards for early 2013.


You can find Esper Scout online: Bandcamp Facebook Twitter

The band launch their new single on 12.12.12

   

Lucy Rhiannon

Singer/Songwriter Lucy Rhiannon has only played a small number of gigs but is already making a name for herself in Manchester. Having caught the attention of BBC Intorducing, Lucy has recorded a session and played at the monthly introducting night. You can check out some of Lucy's music on Sound Cloud. Keep an eye on Lucy's as 2013 is sure to be a big year for her.


Hey Lucy, how are you?

I'm really good thank you!

How long have you been singing and when did you play your first gig? 

I've been performing for just under a year and only recently started gigging with my own material. My first gig was at Night n Day a couple of months ago in the Northern Quarter which was great!

How did you get into singing? 

I got in to singing at a really young age actually at Primary school. I remember being chosen to sing solo in the Christmas play in front of around 200 people at the age of around 9! I was so quiet and shy when I was younger but when I sang it just felt so natural and in my comfort zone. I was always in the choir or any event that involved music and singing. From then on it was always a hobby and I knew I'd want to make it a career someday.

Which bands/artists have influenced you? 

I love deep strong gravelly voices. Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, Elbow, Johnny Cash are massive influences.

You've had support from BBC Manchester/Introducing, how much has that helped you?

BBC introducing have been amazing for helping me gain recognition in Manchester. Michelle Hussey (radio dj) first heard my songs and was really interested. Since then i've done live sessions and interviews, etc. I recently performed at the Ruby Lounge for the BBC introducing night which was incredible!

Is It difficult to get exposure outside of Manchester?

Being really new to the music scene I haven't yet had the opportunity to gig outside of Manchester. Over the next few months I'll definitely be in London so keep a look out for new dates! 

What music have you been listening to recently?

My favourite artist at the moment is Lianne La Havas. Her album is incredible. Also listening to Ben Howard, Bon Iver, Ren Harvieu, Lucy Rose, ALT J ..Some great new artists around at the moment and I love going to see them at really intimate venues.

Where can we find your music?

You can find a couple of my tunes on www.soundcloud.com/lucy-rhiannon. I'm currently recording new material so keep a look out over the next couple of months!

Whats does the future hold for Lucy Rhiannon? 

At the moment i'm gaining as much experience as possible and in just a few months it's been amazing and everyone has been so supportive along the way. Watch this space!

 You can find out more about Lucy on facebook 

Tom Hingley

Tom Hingley is the former lead singer with Manchester band 'Inspiral Carpets' The band are often credited along with, The Stone Roses & Happy Mondays as starting the Madchester scene. Tom has recently written 'Carpet Burns' his account of his life with the band. Tom continues to perform as a solo artist and with his band 'The Lovers' Most recently they have toured 'Inspiral Carpets' album 'Beast Inside' 

Your book 'Carrpet Burns' has been very well received, did you feel it was time to tell your story?

I have always wanted to write a book so it was a good way to start, thanks for the praise!

Carpet Burns - The Trailer........

 

How easy was it to write the book and remember back to the early days of the band?

If was fun, not easy but I have a really good memory so it wasn't hard to recount the early days of the band.

Do you have plans for any more books or is this a one off?

There will be more books but I cant tell you what they will be about just yet.

You've been touring the Inspirals Album 'Beast Inside' was there a reason for choosing that album?

We performed the album because I love it and I wanted to reclaim it for the 21st Century.

How much have you enjoy playing the album live?

You can see the pleasure at playing it etched on my face in the YouTube videos and the audience reaction. 

Have you any plans to tour any of the other Inspirals albums or is this a one off?

No plans at the moment, I have a baby on the way at Christmas, I am focused on that at present.

What's your favourite song that you have written?

'Goodbye To The Lord Of My Life' from the album 'Keep Britain Untidy' released in 1999

What music have you been listening to recently?

Arcade Fire, Band Of Horses and the Manchester band The Minx

Have you any live dates coming up?

Yes, check the GIG section of my website for latest dates. I am also playing at the Carter USM after shows at Leeds Academy November 9th and Brixton Jamm November 10th

Do you have plans to release new material?

Yes but its a work in progress! 

Carpet Burns is available now, to find out move check out:
Carpet Burns Website  

You can also find Tom at:
www.tomhingley.co.uk

5 For Friday!

5 Tunes To Get The Weekend Started!


Smoke Faries - Let Me Know - Listen  Website

I Am Kloot - Hold Back The Night - Listen  Website

Bat For Lashes - All Your Gold - Listen  Website

Two Gallants - Broken Eyes - Listen  Website

King Krule - The Noose Of Jar City - Listen  Website

 

Sam Haine & The Blood Flames

Sam Haine & The Blood Flames have had a busy summer playing festivals with the likes of Seth Lakeman, The Whip and The Futureheads amongst others. The band have a couple of live dates coming up as well as working on a single and video release for November. Taking time out of those preparations, Sam told us more about the band.


Who are Sam Haine and The Blood Flames?
We're a Manchester based 4 piece: Ben Meade on Drums, Mark Khan on Bass, Tanah Stevens on Violin and myself on guitar and vocals.   

How long have you been together?   

Coming up for 2 years now. Tanah (the violinist) has been with us for about a year.

How would you describe your music?
 
We describe our selves as epic folk but we're actually a bit broader than that. So far I've written the basics of the songs (guitar, lyrics, melody) but the production process is completely collaborative with all members of the group writing their own parts and contributing to everyone elses. We all share some musical tastes but our combined range of musical influences is pretty vast, which means that the main ethos of our music is dynamics, sometimes tender, sometimes aggressive: light and shade.

Have you had much media interest so far?

A bit, yeah: Razor cuts XFM, Manchester Chimp Mag, Music from Rainy Skies Magazine, BBC Manchester Introducing, The Breakfast show with Andy Crane and we have a spread in the MEN in October.  

It's been busy summer for you, which have been your most memorable gigs?

In terms of line up I think 'Beached' (Mcr) was the best. Being the relative minnows we are, it was an honour to be playing at the same gig as Jessie Rose Trip, The Whip and Future Heads. For Booze it would probably have to be Galtres (York) where we discovered Moonshine Cider and for people I would definitely say BOMfest (Barnsley). We went to a pub after we played and heard 2 guys say 'look it's them' made us feel like rock stars. BOMfest is all unsigned bands and for people to go out of their way to come and see bands they might never have heard is quite rare in England these days unfortunately. So respect due Barnsley.

You've got a free EP available, how did that come about?
 
Yeah, it was the lovely people a 3 minute theatre in Afflecks arcade in Manchester. John, (co owner) has an old multitrack recorder so we set up a gig there and recorded the set. Really nice acoustics in that venue, because of the wooden floors I think. It came out so well we decided to release some tracks from the gig as an EP, You can download it here:

www.samhaineandthebloodflames.bandcamp.com

What music have you been listening to recently?
 
John Ainsworth (can't get enough of that guy), Kill it Kid and Alessi's Ark

Where can we see you live?
 
We would really like to encourage everyone to come see us at Ruby Lounge on Nov 1st. We're supporting Alessi's Ark so between us and them, your pretty much guaranteed a good time.

What's next for the band?
 
Currently working on a single to be released with a video in the next couple of months. Hopefully to coincide with our gig at the Ruby Lounge.

Where can we find your music and more about the band?
 
www.samhaineandthebloodflames.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/thesamhaine
www.soundcloud.com/thebloodflames


For more information on the bands gig at The Ruby Lounge 1 November click here

5 For Friday!

5 Top Tunes To Start The Weekend!

The Lovely Eggs - Allergies - Listen  Website

Palma Violets - Madia Vale Session - Best Of Friends/Tom The Drum - Listen  Website

Peace - Bloodshake - Listen  Website

Magic Arm - Outdoor Games - Listen  Website 

Savages -  I Am Here (Live) - Listen  Website

Manchester Music Tours

Manchester is the centre of the musical universe....some might say. The City has not only produced some of the best bands in the world but also some of the best venues. The bands iconic pictures in front of local land marks are famous world wide. The lyrics of the City can be found around every street corner. So if you never been to Manchester where would you find Salford Lads Club or the site of The Hacienda?

You might want to try 'Manchester Music Tours' Run by Inspiral Carpets drummer Craig 'Gilly' Gill, the tours take you on a trip round Manchester (& Salfords) musical land marks. Special dedicated tours will take you round 'The Stone Roses' , 'Oasis' , 'The Smiths' and 'Joy Division' land marks or if you prefer a general Manchester Music Tour also runs. 

Craig Gill tells us more:

How long has 'Manchester Music Tours' been running?

I did my first music tour in 2005, its only the last 3/4 years that its really started to take off.

How did it you start running musical tours of Manchester?

I was at a loose end after Inspirals split in 95, Proud Mary my post Inspirals band had fizzled out, so I went into Afflecks Palace selling records/cd's and band t-shirts,  customers were constantly asking directions to the hacienda and Salford Lads Club, for seeing a boom in music tourism and influenced by Liverpool's Magical Mystery Tours, I set up Manchester Music Tours.

Are the tours themed around bands or general music tours?

It started out as a all encompassing walking tour, I now do specialist driving tours as well, such as: The Smiths, Joy Division, Oasis, Stone Roses, and also bespoke tours, some people want to see everything.

What's the most popular place that people want to see?

Salford Lads Club is the most popular tourist attraction, there is a lot more to see than the facade, I never get bored of showing people round, other highlights are 'epping walk bridge' (Joy Division) and 'sifters' record shop (Oasis).

Have you ever been surprised by somewhere that someone wants to see?

I had a request recently from a girl  who only wanted see the grave stones of Tony Wilson, Rob Gretton, Martin Hannett and Ian Curtis...

Why do you think Manchester has such a rich musical heritage?

Maybe because we've always been an industrious bunch here in Manchester?, or the fact that there's always been a melting pot of different cultures that have co existed side by side, meaning that a Mancunians record collection was more eclectic than most? Or is it just simply the rain? People always ask "is there something in the water in Manchester", which is partly true, playing an instrument was an escape from the weather and the boredom of being unemployed in the 70's and 80's, creating punk, acid house and Madchester. knowing there is a rich pedigree of bands that have been before you is not only inspirational but it also sets the bar.

What's your favourite album to come out of Manchester?

Its a tough choice, years ago I would have probably said something by The Smiths, but if push came to shove I'd  probably now say 'Closer' by Joy Division, I think it has more edge than unknown pleasures, both Joy Division albums have not dated in over 30 years, they could have been recorded last week

How can people find out more and book with 'Manchester Music Tours?

Online at www.manchestermusictours.com and you can follow us on Twitter at 

www.twitter.com/mcrmusictours
 

Craig Gill continues to play drums with Inspiral Carpets and the band have just announced plans to tour their 1990 album 'Life' next year.
For tour dates and tickets check out: www.inspiralcarpets.com