Monday 28 March 2011

Pop Fodder ‎"The beginning of ‘I Am The Miracle’ is just… wow"

"The Plea started off as the two Doherty brothers, Denny and Dermot (no relation to Pete) were working building sites as day jobs then touring the Irish pub circuit by night. After an American label signed them they created an album that sadly never got the recognition it perhaps deserved.

However, after grabbing the talents of drummer Gerry Strawbridge and bassist Paul Toland they got to work on more songs and whacked them on their myspace page, this caught the attention of Legendary Belgian Dance Label R&S Records and after long talks on Skype, the band were signed.

The beginning of ‘I am the Miracle’ is just… wow. The guitar into is fantastic, supported by well played drums. The vocals and lyrics are very catchy which is far from a bad thing as you are singing along after only 30 seconds of the track, and the singer can put those vocals to a variety of ranges it seems, which is rare these days in the music scene with most acts whole back catalogues sounding remarkably similar (talking to you Scouting For Girls). The lyrics go together well with the chords and the band as a whole just fit together effortlessly"

Click here to read the FULL review on Pop Fodder!

Become a fan on Facebook here, follow The Plea on Twitter here @thepleaofficial, check out The Plea on MySpace here.

Music News : The Plea "Destined for big things"

"My first impression when listening to The Plea is that the band is destined for big things. Their debut single of I Am The Miracle might not offer anything fresh to the indie genre, but it contains all the catchy hooks you would normally associate with the likes of Oasis. The end result is more infectious than the T Virus.

Once thing you instantly notice from The Plea is how well produced their first release is, which is down to experienced producer Chris Potter to is renowned for working with Indie’s best, including U2, Blur and The Verve. Perhaps The Plea will eventually follow in their footsteps, and I Am The Miracle is certainly a strong start"

Click here to read the full review on Music News - this is just an extract

Become a fan on Facebook here, follow The Plea on Twitter here @thepleaofficial, check out The Plea on MySpace here.

Thursday 24 March 2011

The Plea's "I Am The Miracle" Looks STUNNING in HD

The Plea "I Am The Miracle" HD from Planet Function on Vimeo.



Become a fan on Facebook here, follow The Plea on Twitter here @thepleaofficial, check out The Plea on MySpace here.

Tatiana "Spider Web" Featured On Pop Fodder



‘Spider Web’ is one of those infectious pop songs you like straight from the word go, if the brilliant 7th Heaven Remix was played in any dance club across the UK it would have people jumping up and down singing the words even having never heard it before.

Sung by Tatiana Okupnik a solo artist from Poland and produced by Denis Ingoldsby and Andy Murray (both well respected producers who have worked with the likes of N-Dubz and Sugababes) it was clear this would be a radio friendly single aimed to appeal to the masses of casual clubbers out there.

She was in a band called Blue Café and toured throughout Europe until she went solo in 2006. Now five years later she’s got an album being released in May and has this single, as one of the stand out tracks from it.

Continue reading this feature on PopFodder.com right here

BBC News "Unsigned acts to get support during Surrey's Guilfest"

BBC News feature on GuilFest including an interview with organiser Tony Scott;

The nights are getting longer, the sun is trying to shine and so we look forward to a long, hot summer of music and the festival season that comes with it.

While we are doing our bit on the radio to bring the freshest new talent from the South direct to your ears, one of the events which is working hard to champion the plethora of amazing unsigned acts in the area is Guilfest.

Taking place this year from 15 to 17 July, Guilfest 2011 looks to be the biggest one yet.

It will have over two hundred live acts and DJs performing on seven stages across the festival site in Guildford, including the Acoustic Lounge and the two unsigned LiveClub stages.

Organiser Tony Scott was involved in staging the very first Guilfest in 1992. He said: "We did the first one on a Bank Holiday Monday in August, as we weren't allowed to do the Saturday because it was a big shopping day in Guildford, and Sunday was a day of rest, so that was the only day we could do.

"The time was mid-day to 7 o'clock in the evening, with Peter Sarstedt as a headline act, and a fiver to get in."

While the 2011 headline acts include Public Image Ltd, Erasure and Razorlight, it is those smaller stages where you will find the best up and coming acts from the South - and you can say where you saw them first.

Previous festival-goers may have witnessed fledgling performances from The Darkness, Newton Faulkner, and even James Blunt's first gig, while popular local acts The Toniks, The Dirty Disco and Subsource have all graced Guilfest's stages"

To read the full feature on the BBC News website, click here.

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

Wednesday 23 March 2011

The Plea's Playlist Featured On MySpace Homepage

The Plea's Playlist is currently featured on the MySpace Homepage - the compilation of 15 tracks includes The Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter", The Verve's "Love Is Noise", David Bowie's "Heroes", Neil Young's "Like A Hurricane", Elvis's "Way Down" and "Crystal Ship" from The Doors, click here to listen to all 15 tracks on a MySpace pop out window.



The Plea "Praise Be" - download the full track for FREE here:
The Plea "Praise Be" by Planet Function

Become a fan on Facebook here, follow The Plea on Twitter here @thepleaofficial, check out The Plea on MySpace here.

Watch the official video for "Praise Be" here;

Tatiana Featured On Female First

"‘Spider Web’ is the debut UK single by Polish superstar Tatiana Okupnik and is a perfect introduction to her individual style of power-pop and strong signature vocals.

Produced by Denis Ingoldsby (N Dubz, Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Eternal) and Andy Murray (Gary Barlow, Craig David, Alicia Keys) at Granary Studio in Kent, the single has been remixed by Jeremy Wheatley (Leona Lewis, Skunk Anansie, Duffy, Corinne Bailey Rae, Pixie Lott).

Born in Lodz in Poland, Tatiana grew up listening to Led Zeppelin and the best of western rock and pop on cassettes recorded from Radio Luxembourg and the BBC and was inspired by great vocalists such as Chaka Khan, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner and Robert Plant "The thing that unites the artists I love is that they understand big, emotional musical vocals. I would like to think that the emotional impact of my voice is big like some of my idols".

A former ballerina (Tatiana studied ballet at the National School of Ballet), when painful bones ended those dreams she focused her attention on her music.

As the lead singer of the Polish band Blue Café she enjoyed platinum records and became a massive star in her homeland and toured throughout central Europe."

There's more - this is just an extract - click here to continue reading this feature on Female First

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Tatiana "Spider Web" Popjustice Song Of The Day "Once Again It Appears To Be Poppers O'Clock"

From Popjustice;

"We don't know a great deal about Tatiana but if you were to force us to come up with some info off the top of our heads we'd say that ‘Spider Web’ is the debut UK single by Polish superstar Tatiana Okupnik and is a perfect introduction to her individual style of power-pop and strong signature vocals. Produced by Denis Ingoldsby (N Dubz, Girls Aloud, Sugababes, Eternal) and Andy Murray (Gary Barlow, Craig David, Alicia Keys) at Granary Studio in Kent, the single has been remixed by Jeremy Wheatley (Leona Lewis, Skunk Anansie, Duffy, Corinne Bailey Rae, Pixie Lott).

Born in Lodz in Poland, Tatiana grew up listening to Led Zeppelin and the best of western rock and pop on cassettes recorded from Radio Luxembourg and the BBC and was inspired by great vocalists such as Chaka Khan, Janis Joplin, Tina Turner and Robert Plant “The thing that unites the artists I love is that they understand big, emotional musical vocals. I would like to think that the emotional impact of my voice is big like some of my idols”.

Read the full feature on Popjustice here

Thursday 17 March 2011

The Plea "I Am The Miracle" Video



The Plea's infectious sound is steeped in a rich musical texture of swirling guitars and lavish drum beats and with the release of their first single, the inspirational 'I Am The Miracle,' b/w 'Praise Be' are about to take the band on an amazing voyage of discovery, as they head into the dark, murky uncharted waters of rock 'n' roll, but not after earning their spurs the hard way.

The Plea are the brothers Doherty; Denny and Dermot from the small town of Ballyliffen, County Donegal who plied their trade busking on the streets of London, before moving to Boston, where by day they worked on building sites and by night our dynamic duo played the city’s bustling, Irish pub circuit. They spent a year in Minnesota after an American major label funded an album recorded in a big budget studio, but it never saw the light of day.

So in 2009, back in Ballyliffen, the brothers brought in drummer Gerry Strawbridge and bassist Paul Toland, wrote a batch of new songs and posted them on their MySpace page. Interest from labels was immediate, but one offer in particular intrigued them. The founders of legendary, Belgian, dance label R&S Records were so impressed by the songs and after lengthy discussions on Skype they signed the band and became their first ever rock signing.

The band have just finished recording their debut album with Chris Potter (The Verve, The Rolling Stones, U2) which will be released later this year, but in the meantime open your heart up to The Plea.

The Plea "Praise Be" - download the full track for FREE here:
The Plea "Praise Be" by Planet Function

Become a fan on Facebook here, follow The Plea on Twitter here @thepleaofficial, check out The Plea on MySpace here.

Watch the official video for "Praise Be" here;

Wednesday 16 March 2011

GuilFest 2011 - Erasure, PIL, Peter Andre!



Erasure, PIL and Peter Andre have all added to the GuilFest 2011 lineup 15, 16, & 17 July

Joining previously announced headliners:
James Blunt & Razorlight

Singer/songwriter Peter Andre is confirmed to headline the Good Time Guide Stage on Saturday 16th July. With numerous No.1 hit singles, a multitude of national and international awards, as well as sell-out tours throughout the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia and a plethora of television appearances, Peter Andre can genuinely be described as a household name. Soaring to fame in the nineties with his No.1 debut album ‘Natural’ and two No.1 singles “Mysterious Girl” and “I Feel You”, the singer has enjoyed a long and incredibly successful career, featuring many great achievements - including having the highest selling record of the nineties in his native Australia. Last year saw Peter releasing his seventh studio album, “Accelerate”, which debuted in the UK top ten, and led to a hugely successful arena tour. Organisers are delighted to welcome him to GuilFest for the first time this July for what promises to be a truly fantastic showcase of new and old material.



Public Image Ltd, the English post-punk outfit fronted by John Lydon, AKA Johnny Rotten, are confirmed to headline the Good Time Guide Stage on Sunday 17th July. Formed following the break up of the Sex Pistols in 1978, PiL are regarded as producing some of the most diverse music of the post-punk era, and are cited as one of the most innovative and influential bands in music history with their 1979 album ‘Metal Box’ being ranked in Rolling Stone Magazines’ greatest albums of all time. Their experimental sound fuses Rock, Dance, Folk, Ballet, Pop and Dub, and recent concerts have earned the band great critical and public acclaim. PiL are certain to provide a rocking end to the Good Time Guide Stage at GuilFest this year.



Erasure, the definitive synth-pop superstars, will be supporting James Blunt on the Main Stage at GuilFest on Sunday 17th July. Having sold a total of over 25 million albums worldwide, achieving twenty-four consecutive UK top 20 hits including seventeen UK top tens such as “Sometimes”, “Blue Savannah”, and “A Little Respect”, Erasure have established themselves as one of the most successful bands of their genre. With a brand new album planned for release this summer, Erasures’ debut performance at Stoke Park will definitely not be one to miss!
In the coming months, the already wonderful 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 Rock Cave, the Funky End Dance Tent, Acoustic Lounge and our two unsigned LiveClub stages.

Regular patrons will be well aware that it is not just about the music at GuilFest! All over the site you can find excellent entertainment such as the brilliant Man In The Moon Theatre Tent, featuring a wealth of diverse theatrical productions all weekend long. The eFestivals Cosmic Comedy Tent also returns this year with a fabulous yet to be announced line up of some of the best comedians in the business.

For the night owls amongst you, Farmer Giles' Barn Dance, the 70s disco, and The Ceroc Dance tent will keep you revelling ‘til the early hours. 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!

Consistently nominated as the UK's Best Family Festival, GuilFest has, as you would expect, a fabulous Kidzone for your young ones to enjoy - 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. Last year, there was even a special guest appearance by Peppa Pig and Barney the dinosaur!

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 2011 really does looks set to be the biggest and best festival yet and tickets are selling very fast – So get your tickets quickly – you don't want to miss out!

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

Tuesday 15 March 2011

ElectroQueer : Exclusive Free Download: Tatiana "Spider Web”



"There’s no stopping these Russians, I think they are determined to take over the world with their catchy pop and altogether excellent electro prowess. Do we stop them?…… no we don’t, we say bring it on!

Stepping up to her first touch at the UK market is already crowned Polish superstar Tatiana Okupnik spinning us a mega dance tune in the making “Spiderweb” with the help of polished remix house 7th Heaven productions.

Bouncy, tight, it’s more than alright, let’s say it’s immense and plenty to stomp your hoofs too!"

Click here to see the feature on ElectroQueer, and download the track!

Friday 4 March 2011

Introducing The Chakras "We The People"

The Chakras "We The People" by Planet Function

First track from the new album "Build Me A Swan", to be released on Planet Function, a Rock / Indie subdivision of R&S Records, Belgium

Find out more about The Chakras, from their website www.thechakras.co.uk, become a fan on Facebook here and follow them on twitter here. They are also on YouTube here and MySpace here