A little sampler of how our 2012 has been shaping up so far...

For more information, please check out our website:

www.abadgeoffriendship.com

A Badge of Friendship Jan-June 2012

Saturday Night Gym Club begin 2012 with the release of their debut EP How To Build A Life Raft. This 6-track EP is the perfect introduction to the band’s well-crafted electro sound. 

The EP starts on an ambient note with “I Know ft. Ellie Walker”. The smooth soundscape created by the SNGC boys is akin to the sound M83 created on their album Saturdays = Youth. However, this track is a mere taster of what’s to come as the EP quickly changes pace. “A Green Light “ and EP title track “How to Build a Life Raft” showcase the band’s ear for a well-rounded upbeat electro inspired tune, not dissimilar to bands like Crystal Castles and Ladytron. By the end of the EP, the band slowly bring the listener down with their less “dancey” influences taking a backseat. “Lituya Bay” is a gorgeous layering of strings and piano, with their signature electro beats introducing themselves only in the last few minutes of the track. Think Ólafur Arnalds performing at a dinner party, gate crashed by Aphex Twin - beauty and the beats!

Alan Sanderson (vocals, beats / sampler), Conor O’Kane (vocals, keys, guitar), Nick Crowe (vocals / bass) and Tom Bounford (violin / synths) all met at University whilst studying science. This half English, half Irish quartet quickly bonded over their mutual obsession with sound, something that helped to overcome their initial misunderstanding for each other’s musical styles. And so these four science students formed Saturday Night Gym Club. The band self-produce all of their material, sending parts of the music via email, threading it together to concoct dreamy textures that swell and glitch, something that they describe as “an electric blanket for the soul”.

The band have already played BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, Livefest at the London 02 and Small Trees Festival but have plans for more. With DJ sets planned in the UK, Ireland and Europe, a set of festival appearances for summer 2012 and a debut album planned for the end of the year, there’s no stopping Saturday Night Gym Club.

Saturday Night Gym Club - How To Build A Life Raft

Heartbeats is the free single taken from the EP Heart & Soul (Part 1).

The EP is out on March 5th 2012 via Hijacked Records and Heartbeats will be available as a free download from Monday 30th January.

Vigo Thieves - Heartbeats

Turnpike Glow begin 2012 with the release of their next free download single 1986. The track has been mixed by acclaimed producer Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene, Super Furry Animals, Los Campesinos), giving it that full-bodied edge that has become one of his trademarks. The single is the follow-up to their free download track The Turn, The Pike and The Glow, released at the tail end of 2011. It received a great reaction online including Track of the Day features from Spinner and Classic Rock Magazine. 

The song captures the end of a relationship under a heavy and unusual Roman snow. That amazing snowfall made for a Guardian headline entitled: “The Heaviest Snow to Fall in Rome Since 1986”. This true story became the inspiration for 1986. The track is unadulterated Turnpike Glow, with the band displaying all their melodic signature moves with Newfeld’s touch packing an extra punch; quirky keys overlay steady beats and a catchy verse and chorus. By the end of the song, you’re sure to be humming along and you’ll definitely want to hear more.

The band started life in Rome, in a scene marginalized by glossy Italian mainstream pop and insider trading. However, with their Pavement / Phoenix inspired sound, they soon found themselves supporting acts like The Futureheads and Cooper Temple Clause. In 2007 they started flying over to do live shows in London, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester. It wasn't long before Sandro Schiena (vocals/guitar/keys) and Giuseppe La Mela (vocals/bass/keys), the songwriting core of the band, moved to London armed with only their guitars and a bag full of European plug adaptors. One rainy Sunday, the pair bumped into Anthony J. Hutchinson (drums) busking on the tube in a giant sombrero. They talked, they laughed and eventually, they joined forces to become the Anglo-Italian indie pop powerhouse Turnpike Glow! Their line-up was recently complete with the addition of Jeremy Levy (guitar/keys) and Tom P. Griffiths (guitar/BV’s).

Turnpike Glow - 1986

Younger is the free single taken from the album Dream of the Inbetween.

The album is out on 7th May via Electric Honey and Younger will be available as a free download on 27th February.

http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/artists/french-wives

French Wives - Younger

Hide is the free single taken from the debut album City of Paradigm.

The album is out on May 17th via ARU Records and Hide is available to download for free now!

http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/artists/access-royale

Access Royale - Hide

Seven Hundred Birds is the debut single from Glasgow band Quickbeam.

This accomplished debut single pulls at the heartstrings much like heavyweights in their field Low, Bon Iver and Sigur Rós, making Quickbeam a must listen for fans of the genre.

Seven Hundred Birds will be released via Comet and Cartwheels on 9th April 2012.

For more information visit:

http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/artists/quickbeam

http://www.quickbeammusic.com/

Quickbeam - Seven Hundred Birds

After their critically acclaimed self-titled album released in 2011, The Son(s) return with their latest EP Leviathan, which will be released on 7th May 2012 via Olive Grove Records. 

“These songs were sung and recorded in an old cold, empty, echoey flat in Edinburgh. Away from home, stuck in the dark middle of winter. It was the coldest winter there for more than 50 years. Temperatures fell to minus 14C. It was colder at night, colder still at home. Snow fell, trains stopped.”

Leviathan was recorded in the middle of winter in an old, cold, empty flat in Edinburgh and, as a result, each track is dripping with atmosphere. The EP picks up where last year's debut album left off, tipping a hat to the laid back and stripped down qualities of Americana, with tracks like "Cocksure Boys" and "Shot Out A Cannon" utilising echoey minimalist guitar and harmonious vocals to summon images and sounds reminiscent of The Beta Band at their best.  As always, strong lyrics are at the forefront of this release, with each track encapsulated in its own world while The Son(s) paint metaphysical pictures in the mind's eye of the listener. 

The Son(s) previous releases received great support from the press, with the single Radar featuring as Track Of The Day on Spinner and Classic Rock Magazine (online) plus some outstanding reviews from the likes of The Line of Best Fit, Sunday Mail (4/5) and The Skinny (4/5).They also received support from BBC 6Music’s Gideon Coe and Tom Robinson plus BBC Radio 1 Scotland’s Vic Galloway and Ally Mcrae. Leviathan is a worthy follow-up to an already impressive body of work.

Leviathan will be released via Olive Grove Records on 7th May 2012 as a download and a limited edition cassette tape, complete with intriguing inlay artwork.

Full info here:

http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/artists/the-sons


The Son(s) - If I Hear You Talk Apostrophes Again...

After the release of last year’s critically acclaimed album Turn And Face Me, The Blood Arm are already plotting their next assault as they launch a PledgeMusic campaign to raise funds for their next release Sister City. 

The band are giving away the free MP3 Over Your Head to help promote the campaign.

Official website: 

http://www.thebloodarm.com/

The Blood Arm - Over Your Head

German duo Me And My Drummer are set to make their impression on the UK music scene as they get ready to release their single You’re A Runner on May 14th 2012, via Berlin label Sinnbus. 

The single is about “someone driven to the edge and an abyss” as singer Charlotte Brandi puts it. “the singer embodies the voice in her head, ‘the angel on her shoulder’ so to speak.” The track builds around this theme with Matze Pröllochs’ steady beats acting as a backbone to the melody, which builds perfectly. Charlotte’s deliberately off-kilter vocals crescendo into gorgeous lilting tones that match the intense and explosive chorus. You’re A Runner makes a worthy comparison to epic, alternative modern pop acts such as Florence + The Machine and Bat For Lashes.

Charlotte Brandi and Matze Pröllochs’ met in Tübingen (Matze’s hometown) in Germany whilst doing theatre work. They were stage musicians signed on for three productions in a row. Their mutual inspirations brought them together and those inspirations range far and wide. The pair site Micachu And The Shapes, Beach House, The Roots, Ella Fitzgerald and M.I.A. as some of their melodic influences. Hip hop, electro and pop have all had a baring on how they write music, which is clear to hear on their forthcoming album The Hawk, The Beak , The Prey, out in September.

You’re A Runner has already received heavy support from Amazing Radio and BBC 6Music’s Tom Ravenscroft with more to come over the coming months. With their debut album out in September the band have a busy summer ahead touring and sharing their music with as many people as possible.

In a market saturated by saccharine indie pop nonsense, fluffy haircuts and skinny jeans, Me And My Drummer are a breath of fresh air with music that will not only appeal to a wide audience but a sound that has real soul and depth.

Info:

http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/artists/me-and-my-drummer

Me And My Drummer - You're A Runner

The Murder Barn are a London based six piece, ready to unleash their own earthy brand of alternative rock this summer with their debut double A-side single America / Harvest, out 11th June 2012.

With this double A-side offering, the band showcase both their brilliant songwriting talent and their ability to weave a wonderful story around the melodies as well. “America” channels influences such as The Bad Seeds and David Lynch, and wouldn’t be amiss on the soundtrack for 70s folk horror cult classics like The Wicker Man. Chesca Dolecka’s soaring vocals, and sardonic lyrics, juxtapose the simple keys and epic strings to convey this hymn about the religious right and the end of an empire. “Harvest” takes a slightly different direction, with the music and vocals taking on a heavier mantle much more akin to PJ Harvey and Anna Calvi. This is dirty, honest, straight up rock n roll with The Murder Barn’s signature introverted, whimsical twist in this dark tale about love and rituals.

The six musicians spend most of their time together in East London hanging out in the real Murder Barn. A Warhol-ian workspace, it's the creative nerve centre of the band.

Sisters Chesca Dolecka (vocals / guitar / accordion / piano / ukelele) and Becca Grover Jones (Guitar / vocals) have been playing music together since they were kids along with childhood friend Ryan Wilson (guitars / sax / vocals) and Serbian drummer Velibor Krstic. They had known Matt Jones (previously of Ultrasound, Minuteman, Beady Eye) for years and had worked together before on various projects. Bassist Kev Feazey (The Fierce and The Dead) had produced The Murder Barn’s early material before joining the band and completing the current line-up. 

America / Harvest is just the first in a series of many releases planned this year with more singles, EPs and a debut album planned. This beautifully peculiar alt rock sextet will bewitch and enchant you, enticing you into their dark and dreamy world.

Full info here:

http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/artists/the-murder-barn

The Murder Barn - Harvest

"Clairvoyant Fortnight" is the free single taken from Knifeworld's forthcoming EP of the same name, out June 11th 2012 on Believers Roast.

Please note: The full version of the track is available on the EP.

More information here:

http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/artists/knifeworld

Knifeworld - Clairvoyant Fortnight (Radio Edit)

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