Friday 26 March 2010

EQ "another glamorous glitterfest of their quality electrifying vivaciousness."

"The Dirty Disco thought that they’d sewn-up work on their soon to be released debut album, but then got hit with a refreshed wave of creativity which has subsequently led them to slap down a few extra maybes for the album. Vulture is one of those tracks that might or might not be appearing on the long player.

As we’ve come to expect from the DD’s many postings on EQ it’s another glamorous glitterfest of their quality electrifying vivaciousness.

EQ has got The Dirty Disco fever and we can’t get enough of you!"

Pop over to ElectroQueer and see the full feature here!

The Dirty Disco "Vulture" (The Dirty Disco Remix) by Tomorrow Never Knows

Female First "You HAVE to listen to Amy Wadge"

"Monday 12th April sees the release of 'Hold Me', the sublimely sweet and simply beautiful single from, Amy Wadge, I’ve heard it just once and I’m already dying to get my hands on a whole album of her stuff.

A love song in the most classic sense, it is an unapologetically direct appeal to a lover, delivered with uncomplicated, but heartfelt lyrics in Amy's trademark vocal.

Amy, who has previously won the much coveted 'Best Female Solo Artist' at the Welsh Music Awards, has taken time off in the last year as she recently became a mum, but is now back with a renewed sense of vigour and a whole new bank of stories to tell and songs to sing.

The track is also being released in Welsh. “Dal Fi” has been recorded by Amy as a fund raiser for her daughter’s ‘Ysgol Feithrin’ (Welsh nursery schools) with 20p from the sale of every Welsh language download being donated to the Welsh Nursery Schools Movement.

With years of touring experience under her belt (she has supported Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Damien Rice and Eric Bibb amongst others), Amy has developed and nurtured an absolutely captivating and quite magical live experience."

Click here to read the full feature on Female First



Amy is touring the UK throughout 2010, with more dates to be added - check her website for more www.amywadge.com

March
Friday 19th Roland's, Brackley
Friday 26th The Verge, Hyde, Cheshire
Saturday 27th Theatr Harlech, Harlech

April
Friday 23rd Farncombe Music Festival, Farncombe
Sunday 25th Maverick Live @ Breeze Bar, Maidstone, Kent

May
Saturday 1st The Madhouse, Burton On Trent
Saturday 8th Torch Theatre (Support Jonathan Powell), Milford Haven
Sunday 23rd The Acoustic Festival of Britain, Uttoxeter Racecourse
Friday 28th The Forge @ The Anvil, Basingstoke

June
Friday 4th Level 3, St. David's Hall, Cardiff
Thursday 10th Colcheter Arts Centre, Colchester
Saturday 12th Raglan Festival (Full Band), Raglan, Monmouth
Friday 18th Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham, Hants
Saturday 26th Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold


September
Thursday 23rd The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen
Friday 24th The Inn at Lathones, Lathones, By Largoward, St Andrews
Saturday 25th The Gala Theatre, Durham
Thursday 30th Browsers, Lingfield

December
Friday 3rd Huntingdon Hall, Worcester
Saturday 4th The Ent Shed, Bedford

Wednesday 24 March 2010

"The Dirty Disco are up to something good".. Arjan Writes

"The Dirty Disco are up to something good. These London newcomers strike a perfect balance between emo-fueled pop rock and '80s inspired synth pop with a slightly subversive, theatrical twist. Their music is a bit like Shiny Toy Guns meets David Bowie meets Dead Or Alive meets Lady Gaga.

The group is made up of Adam K (vocals), Kyle Mackenzie (keyboard), Olly Dexter (bass) Andrew Ignatius (guitar) and Kyle Langley (drums). The London-based group is has been working on their debut LP together with mixer Dylan Dresdow who mostly recently engineered Black Eyed Peas' GRAMMY-nominated "The E.N.D." Check out a totally guilt-free download of their new single, "Vulture," which the group remixed for themselves to give the original a dirty edge."

Click here to read the feature on Arjan Writes, listen to the track and download it for free below

The Dirty Disco "Vulture" (The Dirty Disco Remix)  by  Tomorrow Never Knows

Teen Today : Win VIP Tickets To Fugative's 16th Birthday Bash




"Time for teentoday.co.uk to hang our heads in shame as we admit that the whole Fugative phenomenon passed us by. Fear not though Fugative fans – we’re making amends now with an absolutely massive competition to win VIP tickets to his 16th Birthday Party. Hit see more to check out the details.

Here at teentoday.co.uk, we’re slowly coming to terms with the fact that we’re too old to know what’s cool anymore. Turns out Fugative is very cool indeed – you even told us so (quote chelseaR4 ‘Fugative is amazing and he is absolutely gawguss’). In an immense display of massive overachievement for a 15 year old, self-styled ‘hip-popster’ Fugative sings, raps, plays the keyboard, produces and writes his own material, has his own record label and opened Radio 1’s Switch Summer Road Show whilst his song In The Summertime stayed in the urban top five for 17 weeks, follow-up Jimmy Shoe received over a million hits on Youtube and his new single, Crush, is out on 10 May. Well, that certainly puts our 97% in the Year 11 spelling bee to shame.

Back in the day, our Sweet 16th comprised of a cosy meal with friends, followed by an awkward return home where our parents embarrassed potential boyfriends by digging out the baby photos. Not so for Fugative. Instead he’s hosting a very special birthday bash at the Ministry of Sound on Thursday 15 April, with performances from the man himself plus Funky S, Aggro and other guests.

We’ve got 2 pairs of VIP tickets to the event up for grabs – VIP means you get a meet and greet with the delicious Fugative (swoon), access to a special VIP room, goody bags and signed posters. Not too shabby, hmm? But after the Sugababes party debacle, where it turned out neither the winners, runners-up, other entrants or even randomers off Twitter could actually go to the event, PLEASE make sure you are free on Thursday 15 April, between 6.30-10.30pm and are able to make it to the Ministry of Sound (103 Gaunt Street, London, SE1 6DP; nearest Tube station, Elephant & Castle on the Bakerloo or Northern lines)."

To find out more, and to enter the competition, click here and visit Teen Today

GuilFest 2010 Announcement: Hawkwind, Hadouken, Chase And Status Added To Line Up!

HAWKWIND, HADOUKEN!, CHASE AND STATUS (DJ SET), KID CREOLE AND THE COCONUTS, DRAVEN added to the GuilFest 2010 lineup!

Joining previously announced headliners:
ORBITAL, HUMAN LEAGUE and STATUS QUO, as well as N-DUBZ and JUST JACK.

Legendary Psychedelic Rock originators Hawkwind are confirmed to headline the 2nd Stage on Saturday 17th July. Founded by Dave Brock in 1969, Hawkwind are one of the truly quintessential English psychedelic rock bands. Most famous for their seminal hit “Silver Machine”, the band have had many nationally successful chart hits, such as “Sonic Attack”, “Choose your Masques” and “Church Of Hawkwind”. Fans old and new can expect a selection of music spanning the whole spectrum of the bands 40 year career. With a spectacular array of projections, dance, mime and theatre……expect a psychedelic rock show with a few surprises!

Electronic Indie sensation Hadouken! are confirmed to support Orbital on the main stage on Friday 16th July 2010. With two top 20 albums, a BT Digital Music Award for best Electronic act 2008, and a huge and loyal fanbase, Hadouken! are one of the UKs leading electronic acts. Described as a cross between UK grime and Indie, their music has been championed by names such as Zane Lowe and has been played to huge crowds all over the country. GuilFest organisers are delighted to welcome the band to Stoke Park for the first time at GuilFest 2010.

Chase and Status (DJ Set) are confirmed to headline the Funky End dance tent on Sunday 18th July at GuilFest 2010. Since the birth of their career in 2004, things have been moving extremely rapidly for this London based duo. Quickly getting noticed for their mixing skills as well as their production, Chase and Status have gathered a hectic DJ schedule and can regularly be seen touring the world. Having won the accolade for 'Best Single' at the BBC 1Xtra Drum & Bass awards, and receiving constant airplay on Radio1 (hitting the Number 2 spot in the national dance charts with their single “Dumpling Riddim”), Chase and Status are one of the top names in the UK dance music scene today. Don't miss the duo sending the Funky End wild at GuilFest 2010.

Kid Creole & The Coconuts will be gracing the Main Stage on Saturday at GuilFest 2010. Celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2010, the band has not only recorded 15 albums and achieved gold and platinum status in numerous countries, but have played countless concerts worldwide, generating a reputation as one of the greatest show bands on earth.

The band’s concerts have become the stuff of legend – full drama, humour, witticisms, syncopation, theatricality and most of all passion, with The Kid himself remaining as suave, smooth and energetic as ever. On stage and on disc, Kid Creole & The Coconuts transcend musical and fashion trends and are unmatched in their originality, energy and the vibrancy of their performance, which leave audiences exhilarated and uplifted.

GuilFest are also delighted to announce that local alternative rockers, Draven, will be performing on the Main Stage on Friday afternoon. Following the release of theiur debut album last year, the band have built up a considerable following – with support from Classic Rock Magazine, and a “Future Classic Track” award from Rock Radio.

Over the coming months, the already stellar GuilFest line up will continue to grow with over 200 live acts and DJs performing on 7 stages across the festival site, including the now legendary ROCKSOUND Rock cave, the Funky End Dance Tent, Acoustic Lounge and our two unsigned LiveClub stages. But there is so much more than music to GuilFest: Elsewhere on the site you can find our brilliant Man in The Moon Theatre tent featuring productions all weekend long of anything from Shakespeare to Noddy; The eFestivals Cosmic Comedy Zone, with some of the best comedians on the circuit; Late night attractions such as the Rock Disco as well as some brilliantly quirky areas such as Farmer Giles' Barn Dance, the 70s disco, and loads more besides. New for 2010, GuilFest will feature a late night Ceroc dancing area – Come and experience this exciting fusion of jazz and salsa that is currently sweeping the nation, this year at GuilFest. All this as well as our massive 150ft beer tent, cocktail bars, food and drink from around the world, craft and clothes stalls, impromptu street theatre performances and much more besides!

Voted the UK's Best Family Festival, GuilFest has probably the best KidZone on the festival circuit, featuring a brilliant children's theatre, face painting, fun rides, games, and costume making, culminating in a wonderful procession across the festival site on Sunday.

Don't forget, the festival even has Guildford Lido right next door for anyone wishing to shower or cool off in the Olympic sized swimming pool.

GuilFest 2010 looks set to be the biggest and best festival yet and tickets are selling very fast – So get your tickets quick – you don't want to miss out!

Tickets are on sale now and are available online from http://www.GuilFest.co.uk, or by calling Seetickets on 0871 2301106.

Monday 22 March 2010

Alt Sounds Review of The Dirty Disco's "Sista!"

"After spending 5 minutes trying to get this CD to play ( I don’t know why it wouldn’t work ) ‘Sista!’ from The Dirty Disco finally arrived. I must admit, I was expecting 100% dance crap or something similar, but I was pleased that it had a bit of power behind it. Now, The Dirty Disco is a name which has been flying around my local area and hometown of The Dirty Disco (Guildford, Surrey).

Nothing good has come out of Guildford, except maybe Camel in the early days, but otherwise it’s got nothing going musically for it. Anyway, this gave me the chance to plump for The Dirty Disco self released ‘Sista!’ which has already received some national acclaim.

The original edit (track one) is a great little number, combining a decent vocal attempt with instrumentals which pick-up to give a raw and ‘dirty’ sound for the choral chants. Mixed with a trendy display of dance techniques, this song has a lot going for it. Yes, on face value its accessibility is limited if you aren’t open minded to a bit of pop-vocal and dance music combination, but we can all take the time out to give 'Sista!' a spin. I was surprised that I was able to find any enjoyment in it at first, but I'm glad I stuck with it."

Read the full review on Alt Sounds here

The Dirty Disco headline Alan McGee's Death Disco on 31st March

Tuesday 16 March 2010

The Dirty Disco's Sista! "A masterpiece in a world entirely its own" All Gigs

Another great review for The Dirty Disco, and another from All Gigs!

"A fantastically loopy, theatrical and infectious song is hard to come by, so if you like that potent mix then I heartily recommend Sista!, the new track from 'The Dirty Disco.' The song is wrapped in a warped land that encompasses New Order, The Cure, Cher; Electro-Pop fuelled madness and a dash of psychedelic panache thrown in for good measure. The pure frenetic tempo of the song means you are left with no time to really question if the tune is actually decent one but it's so fun that it becomes one of those rare joys - a song so fun, cheesy and likeable that is transcends any real critique. With a couple of rather enjoyable remixes as well as a great cover of Florence & The Machine's 'Rabbit Heart', which sounds like something Kate Bush would have conjured up in her prime then I have nothing but positive remarks on this single. It may not be held up and revered in years to come but it sure is one hell of an enjoyable way to spend a few minutes. A masterpiece in a world entirely its own."

Click here to see the review on All Gigs

Archangel "Loud And Clear" - 'One of the best singles this year without a question'

Fantastic review of Archangel's "Loud And Clear" on All Gigs;

"This is the new single from the multi talented musician Nick Webber aka Archangel. If you have heard any tracks from his debut album, 'How To Lose Your Best Friend' then you need not be told of the man's obsessive DIY approach to recording, an approach that on the base of this single seems very astute.

'Loud And Clear' is quite simply stunning, especially as the entire music was created and recorded by one person, which could easily have resulted in a rather uneven sound. No chance with this man; the music remains focused, well orchestrated and above all, powerful. Webber's vocal guides the music with a soulful, elegiac tone, calling to mind the Arcade Fire. The guitar work is sharp, understated and moving and all other instrumental work slips into its place perfectly. The song also lends itself rather well to remixing, as the four remixes on offer prove. It's great to see artists like Archangel releasing material, which makes you feel good about music. One of the best singles this year without a question."

Click here to see it on All Gigs!

The Dirty Disco's 5 out of 5 Disco Ball Review on Female First!

"The cover of the single lead me to the style of the music already. I enjoy judging a book by its cover. The song starts off energetic and has great production quality.

The melodies on the chorus are very catchy and make you dance. Put on your spandex, feather masks, lip liner and get your buns to the dance floor. I already knew the chorus the second time it came around.

The song is also positive and the lyrics really fit with the music. This song is the only song we reviewed that we instantly knew the lyrics and melodies after one quick listen. Great song for your ear drums.

It receives 5 of 5 disco balls. If this was based on 10 balls it would have received 9.8."

Read the FTSK Marc & Austin Review on Female First here

Amy Wadge "Hold Me" Released 12th April



Monday 12th April sees the release of 'Hold Me', the sublimely sweet and simply beautiful single from, Amy Wadge. A love song in the most classic sense, it is an unapologetically direct appeal to a lover, delivered with uncomplicated, but heartfelt lyrics in Amy's trademark vocal.

Produced by Stan Kybert (Oasis, Massive Attack, Paul Weller), the track builds from sparse beginnings, through myriad melodies and gorgeous harmonies in the chorus, into a huge, layered sound that makes 'Hold Me' an irresistible teaser of what's to come on her forthcoming album.

Amy, who has previously won the much coveted 'Best Female Solo Artist' at the Welsh Music Awards, has taken time off in the last year as she recently became a mum, but is now back with a renewed sense of vigour and a whole new bank of stories to tell and songs to sing.

The track is also being released in Welsh. “Dal Fi” has been recorded by Amy as a fund raiser for her daughter’s ‘Ysgol Feithrin’ (Welsh nursery schools) with 20p from the sale of every Welsh language download being donated to the Welsh Nursery Schools Movement.

With years of touring experience under her belt (she has supported Van Morrison, Jeff Beck, Damien Rice and Eric Bibb amongst others), Amy has developed and nurtured an absolutely captivating and quite magical live experience. Amy is currently touring the UK. Please keep an eye on: www.amywadge.com for full gig listings.
'Hold Me' is currently available to pre-order at: www.amywadgeholdme.com
From 12th April ‘Hold Me’ will also be available on iTunes

'Pint sized poetess with valley quaking voice. Her songs have a raw vibrancy that suit her earthy voice and emotionally mature lyrics' - Q magazine.

Monday 15 March 2010

McLean "My Name" New Entry At No.10!

Congratulations to McLean, who's debut single "My Name" has entered the UK singles chart at Number 10!

Roll Deep "Good Times" Official Video

Currently the 3rd most viewed music video on YouTube in the UK!



Legendary grime pioneers Roll Deep return with a bang with the April 26th release of their new single ‘Good Times’ on Relentless / Virgin Records.

Heralding a new era for the London collective, ‘Good Times’ contrasts Roll Deep’s attitude-driven vehemence with an immediately memorable hook delivered by guest vocalist Jodie Connor. The single captures the essence of Roll Deep’s breakthrough hit ‘The Avenue’ while pushing the boundaries and maximising the crossover potential of their sound.

Roll Deep’s line-up has continued to evolve since the 2005 release of their debut album ‘In At The Deep End’, yet the collective still boasts the talents of founder members Wiley, Breeze, Scratchy, Flow Dan and Danny Weed, as well as crew veterans Brazen, Manga, J2K and Target.

Roll Deep emerged from the mean streets of East London, and soon became the influential figurehead as the then nascent grime scene began to earn mainstream attention. Roll Deep’s live performances took them across Europe, America and Japan and included support shows with Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent.

Other notable artists that have flowed through the Roll Deep ranks or have been associated with them include Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder.

A new Roll Deep album will drop later this year, and with grime now embraced by the masses, Roll Deep are back to reclaim their throne.

http://www.myspace.com/rolldeepofficial
http://twitter.com/rolldeepuk

Tuesday 9 March 2010

Sugarscape "Check Out The New RnB Hottie!"

Sugarscape : "We reckon McLean's going to be huge... "


"We are getting very excited about upcoming RnB dude McLean. The Essex hottie has already been described as a “modern day Marvin Gaye” and has worked with Tinchy Stryder and N-Dubz.

McLean's new single, My Name, which was released this week, is already climbing up the charts at number 12, nice.

Take a look at the track…


Like what you see? Then check out www.myspace.com/mcleanofficial and www.youtube.com/McLeanofficial to find out all about him.

The debut album is due to drop (like our music lingo) this summer, and will feature some of the industry's finest producers who have worked with the likes of Black Eyed Peas, Leona Lewis and Usher - how can it be anything other than amazing?"

Click here to see the feature on Sugarscape, and whether or not their readers think that 2010 will be the year of McLean!

Monday 8 March 2010

Bertie's Koko Review From The Girls Are Appears On The Australian Times!


Photography by Rachel Ferriman for The Girls Are...

"Having become a tad smitten with Bertie Blackman’s new album Secrets & Lies, I decided to brave the creche that is Koko on a Friday night to see Bertie Blackman play.

Every couple of months I find myself privy to a performance of utter brilliance, sheer force and astounding precision. This was one of those performances.

Sad, then, for it to be marred by a moronic section of the largely underage audience intent on ruining everyone else’s experience.

The aforementioned morons took form in five barely pubescent boys located a few feet from the stage. Not satisfied with infuriating their neighbours by starting a mosh pit, they then decided to launch 50p pieces at poor Bertie onstage.
With good grace she quipped that she would now be able to “afford a bus home” (sorry love, not round these parts), but from that point on it was evident that this phenomenally talented lady wanted to get through the set, and just leave.

What can not be faulted however, was Bertie’s performance itself. Fierce, enigmatic, faultless, energetic and at times quite touching, she poured heart and soul into every song.

Current single ‘Black Cats’ caused cheers and whoops from the crowd, and personal favourite ‘Thump’ was the highlight of the show. Seamlessly fusing tongue in cheek lyrics, electro-clash sensibilities and classically solid songwriting, she commanded the stage."

Click here to see the review on The Australian Times

Annette runs The Girls Are, www.thegirlsare.com, a collaborative blogging community supporting women in music.

Come Back And Stay Video Receives 170k views In Days!

Chicane's new video for single "Come Back & Stay" has now had over 170k views, and has had over 500 comments, mostly a mix of "did she come back", "good luck", come back to him" and "its a music video stupid".



The recent Chicane 'Best Of' album has sold over 100,000 copies achieving Gold status. It features such hits as; Saltwater, Don't Give Up - featuring Bryan Adams, Stoned in Love - featuring Sir Tom Jones, Bruised Water - Chicane vs Natasha Bedingfield, and of course, last years No.7 Uk chart entry, Poppiholla.

2010 brings a new studio album, working title 'Giants' and a new single from the album in the guise of 'Come Back & Stay', (April 12th release). The single is already a massive club favourite, with a package of mixes by Shock One, Riley & Durrant and Sidney Samson, all being coupled with the original club mix and radio edit. The band, Chicane will be appearing live in London April 9th at The Gallery, Ministry of Sound.

2009 finished with a flurry of live activity; five festivals in Australia, Jakarta, India, the UK and a show with perhaps future collaborator, Armin van Buuren. Since then producer, remixer, writer and artist Nick Bracegirdle (Chicane) has been hard at work in the studio, putting finishing touches to the album. So, what to expect next?

"The new album has been an interesting process for me, this really does bridge the old and the new "says Nick, "I'm very excited by it and can't wait to finish and play it live. I know it's corny but it really been a journey, and I feel I've learned a few languages, or phrases along the way which I'm confident to employ now"

http://www.chicanemusic.com/
http://www.facebook.com/chicanemusic
http://www.myspace.com/chicanemusic

McLean's 4Music Interview



His first single Broken has received over 5 million hits on Youtube and 20 million plays on MySpace. McLean is now hoping for further success with follow-up single My Name. We speak to Dagenham's rising star about internet fame and his upcoming debut album...

Q: Your first single Broken surfaced in 2006 and took on a life of its own on YouTube, having millions of hits. How did that happen?

A: Broken was on my MySpace page and the song got ripped from there. It just spread. I was doing my thing and I was getting emails from Germany, Australia and America. I'd look on YouTube and every day there would be ten new videos made for the song. It was crazy.

Q: Why do you think people connected to the song the way that they did?

A: Everyone has lost someone that they love in some way, and I think the song just touched people. Music helps people get through to certain situations.

Q: You used to perform under the name of Digga. Why did you decided to change it to McLean?

A: Digga was a nickname I had from school days. I've had so many nicknames and that name just stuck. I changed it because it was time to become serious.

Read the full interview on 4Music's website here

McLean's new single "My Name" is out today! Buy it here on iTunes

Tuesday 2 March 2010

Dandy Andy Featured On Popjustice

"We didn't feature this video for former Song Of The Day 'My Lonely Valentine' by Dandy Andy when it first went online but there's no time limit on spooky 'Smack My Bitch Up'-inspired Euro pop videos. That's Lee from 911 in the mask, you know."

Click here to see the feature on Popjustice

Hi Babe... please COME BACK xXx

Bertie Blackman "Black Cats" 4or The Record Review

"Pulsing with relentless energy, Black Cats is a typical Bertie Blackman effort, yet overly familiar in places.

An undeniably catchy melody proves the main focal point of all altogether solid track, keyboards sparkling in a strobe effect above a persistent drum beat to good effect. Blackman's voice whispers in sultry fashion, rarely breaking sweat yet doing exactly what is required of her.

It is only a slight lack of individuality that hampers the track's all round success. Despite it's attractions and with the exception of the melody, there little that feels original or fresh amidst the dense electronica and this softens it's impact slightly.

Yet despite this minor quibble there is enough about 'Black Cats' to like. A future dance floor filler, Blackman can feel satisfied with her purring effort."

Click here to see the 4or The Record review