Any artist is welcome to send us a track via freshonthenet.co.uk anytime between Monday lunchtime and Wednesday evening (or when we receive 200 submissions, whichever is sooner) - and all our moderators, including Tom Robinson, will listen to every track. This is our full inbox from the week beginning Mon 5 December 2022: from Friday afternoon you'll be able to hear our shortlist and pick your favourites on this week's Listening Post which will appear at freshonthenet.co.uk/batch470

If a track you submitted does not appear in this list, it’s probably because another of your tracks appeared in our Fresh Faves or on the BBC Music Introducing Mixtape during the last three months — we ask that artists featured on either wait three months before resubmitting to give others a chance. 

We also don’t accept short previews or SoundCloud Go tracks that can only be heard as 30 second previews, and tracks made private after submission, which cannot be included in playlists. You will be able to resubmit the track in future. Tracks (and remixes of tracks) that have been previously submitted, and tracks from banned artists will also be removed.

Christmas songs and the like are also not eligible for the Listening Post, although we will collect these into a playlist that will be published on 24 December.

ENTIRE INBOX: Batch 470

Thanks to everyone who came by Fresh On The Net at the weekend to check out  Listening Post 470 and tell us which tracks they liked best. Here, in alphabetical order, are our readers' top favourites. Our reviews are written by Fresh On The Net's Neil March - and you can read them at http://freshonthenet.co.uk/faves470

Fresh Faves: Batch 470

‘Fight Fire With Fire?’ is the new single by Tribes of Europe & Barbara Stretch, out 4th November 2022 via Integrity Records on all digital platforms and limited edition, hand numbered 7” lathe-cut black vinyl.

With the classic vocal of Barbara Stretch, former frontwoman of Pye Records’ soul sensations The Vernons, to the fore, the Ely Fallen Angels Choir led by CREEPY NEIGHBOUR’s Max Taylor add layers of joyous harmonies to this building 60’s style space pop stomper with a strong political undertone.

Tribes of Europe, the alter ego of Fenland-based multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Martin Elsey, are joined on ‘Fight Fire With Fire?’ by Andy Gangadeen (Massive Attack, Chase & Status) on drums, Phil Cambridge (Kensington Symphony Orchestra) on trombone & trumpet, and Chris Taylor (Poison Girls, The Bays) on bass and co-production duties amongst the resident chickens at the wonderful Bluebarn Studios in the Cambridge countryside.

Martin describes the thinking behind the new single: 

“The motivation for the song was the creeping fear watching democracy across the world get more and more squeezed and ‘played’ as we get further into the 21st Century. Populists, oligarchs, autocrats … all seem to feel like their moment has arrived. Sooner or later each individual has to decide how they’re going to respond to that.”

Previous singles by Tribes of Europe & Barbara Stretch have enjoyed national support on BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Ulster, BBC Radio 3's Late Junction and various regional shows.

 “An instantly catchy and uplifting retro-futuristic creation” - Get In Her Ears
“Unashamedly ‘60s but with a new twist” - Steve Lamacq, BBC 6 Music
“The whole goddamn super-group bring their A game on this one” – LWM 

https://tribesofeurope.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/EuropeTribes
https://www.facebook.com/TribesOfEurope/
http://integrityrecords.co.uk/

Fight Fire With Fire?

After spending the summer bathing in the warm analogue waters of 70's fuzz rock, Villanelle & The Northern Wonder return with brand new single 'December Bloom'. A head turner, a sound to reanimate Bolan, a melody to make Fleetwood Mac swoon. This hook is sure to be so deeply embedded in your mind you'll forget your mums birthday.

December Bloom.wav

We Are One

We Are One (Extended) [feat. Karen Dunbar]

“Something's standing in the way, blocking the staircase
Locked all the gates, cast shadow on your face
So will you burn the town down?
Do bird for the crown, drown out the sound of everything but, the song in your strut
Well, will ya?”
Calum Connaughton, Frontman

Barbiturates - single

Barbiturates

Stream

Charles Shomo composed the music and recorded the instrumental track in Wake Forest, North Carolina, U.S.A.
Martin H. Samuel wrote the lyric about the Alamo and Rick Livingstone recorded the song, with the Caffeine Creek Band, in St. Augustine, Florida, U.S.A.

'Red Banner, No Quarter' was a Best Outlaw Song Top 10 Finalist in the Fall 2022 World Songwriting Awards contest.

★ RED BANNER, NO QUARTER ★

EARLY ON A COLD MARCH MORNING
 A HANDFUL OF MEN THEY TOOK A STAND
 IN THE YEAR OF EIGHTEEN THIRTY SIX 
WHEN A SABRE DREW A LINE IN THE SAND

AND IT WAS SANTA ANNA WHO GAVE THE ORDER
 FLY THE RED BANNER SHOW NO QUARTER
 SANTA ANNA GAVE THE ORDER 
FLY THE RED BANNER SHOW NO QUARTER

EVEN AS THE DAY WAS DAWNING 
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY NINE MEN STOOD THEIR GROUND
 THIRTEEN DAYS IN SAN ANTONIO 
SUCH A FEARFUL SIGHT A DREADFUL SOUND

WHEN SANTA ANNA GAVE THE ORDER
 FLY THE RED BANNER SHOW NO QUARTER
 SANTA ANNA HE GAVE THE ORDER
 FLY THE RED BANNER SHOW NO QUARTER

IT WAS VICTORY OR DEATH FOR THE VALIANT FEW 
OUTNUMBERED AND OUT-GUNNED 
AS SURRENDER AND BE SPARED AN ULTIMATUM THEY KNEW 
WITH A CANNON SHOT BY TRAVIS IT WAS SHUNNED

SANTA ANNA GAVE THE ORDER
 FLY THE RED BANNER SHOW NO QUARTER 
SANTA ANNA GAVE THE ORDER 
FLY THE RED BANNER SHOW NO QUARTER

A BLOODY BATTLE TO THE BITTER END 
WHILE THE MEXICAN BAND PLAYED EL DEGÜELLO 
NOW THE GUNS ARE SILENT AND THE SMOKE HAS CLEARED TO THIS DAY TEXIANS ALL SAY REMEMBER THE ALAMO

IT WAS SANTA ANNA WHO GAVE THE ORDER 
FLY THE RED BANNER SHOW NO QUARTER 
SANTA ANNA GAVE THE FINAL ORDER 
FLY THE RED BANNER SHOW NO QUARTER

Music: Charles Shomo & the Caffeine Creek Band
Lyric / Music: Martin H. Samuel  – ASCAP IPI: 216450985
 © 2022 Malaika Music  – ASCAP IPI: 336609064 
Composer: Rick Livingstone – ASCAP IPI: 48485843
Zabra Music – ASCAP IPI: 447850726
ASCAP Work ID: 918966912
ISWC: T3142543366
 ℗ 2022 MHS

Red Banner, No Quarter

Make A Wish (Radio Edit with Intro)

Speak

Something Good

Follow Heir - https://linktr.ee/heirtheband

Written by Ste Fisher, Tom Hammond and Sam Perry
Produced by Ste Fisher, Tom Hammond, Samuel Newham, Sam Perry and Harry Vernon
Mixing and additional production by Hugo Meredith-Hardy
Mastering by Kane Whitelam

© 2022 Love vs Fear
℗ 2022 Love vs Fear

Picturing Mother

Get Back on Your Horse

Happiness is a science, a disconnect from reality... all the signs lead to nowhere...

From pub-going eccentrics to creative dynamites, Happy Science are the band you can’t live without. The North London based collective claim to be an “alternative to alternative rock music” and their fuzz filled, modern pop offerings more than live up to that claim.

Happy Science are not a band in any traditional sense of the word. A collective of producers, mix engineers and multi-instrumentalist songwriters; Happy Science are a melting pot of creative innovation.

A diverse range of influences, from political change to art, culture, protest, film noir and more; Happy Science are a modern day musical equivalent to the films of Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock. You can hear the raw voice of working class North London estates clash with fuzzed drenched guitars and pop sensibilities. Musically, the band has cited Sonic Youth, The Velvet Underground, Can, NEU! Kraftwork, Blondie, The Last Poets and Pixies as key inspirations.