Any artist is welcome to send us a track via freshonthenet.co.uk anytime between Monday lunchtime and Thursday morning (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 20th April: from around midday on Friday 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/batch362

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 will be invisible to everyone. You will be able to resubmit the track in future. Tracks that have been previously submitted and tracks from banned artists will also be removed.

ENTIRE INBOX: Batch 362

This is the first song I ever wrote, and literally means more to me than words can express. I originally wrote it in 2004 and recorded a demo in 2005; it's taken me this long to record a proper version, mainly because I only now feel able to do the song the justice it deserves :-D I thank the universe for gifting me such a beautiful song :-D I hope you like it :-D

Everything you hear is me, all the instruments, the vocals and the production, except for some guest harmonies by the gorgeous Asia Pracz :-D

Will We Ever Get To Mars

This is my first solo EP. I wrote all the songs, played all the instruments myself (except for the lead guitar in 'Keeping Them On The Ground' by Jon Tufnell of The Lost Souls Club and Saint Agnes) sang all the vocals, and produced the whole thing in my home studio :-)

A reworked track that Michael wrote on the Piano for an old EP entitled '336 hours' which told the story of a 2 week period consisting of several life changing events. 
Featuring Tenisha Edwards (Dr Meaker) on backing vocals
Words and Music by Michael Vickers.
Featuring Michael Vickers - Piano/Vocals, Tenisha Edwards -Backing Vocals, Jake Leighton - Electric Guitar, Joe Smith - Bass Guitar and Jake Spicer - Drums.
Recorded by Gareth Nicholas James Kuhnel, Joe Smith and George Watts
Produced by Jonny Glennon

336 Hours (Featuring Tenisha Edwards)

Recorded in Bunker Studios, Brooklyn, December 2016. Engineered and mixed by Aaron Nevezie. Mastered by Alex DeTurk. Produced by Ben Allison.

Cornet: Kirk Knufke
Saxophones: Michael Blake
Guitar: Steve Cardenas
Bass: Greg Cordez
Drums: Allison Miller

Chekov's Gun

Low Winter Sun

The Original theme I wrote for Max & Paddy's Rd to Nowhere was only around 30 secs long, to work with the TV Title sequence ... But - the chance of me writing a full version to be sung by the legend that is Tony Christie, was just too good to pass up!
And the icing on the cake - as well as the whole music track,I actually produced him singing it!
I LOVE Pete Hilton's drum fill on the intro!
Nice bass playing from Richard Benson too.
And I have to say - my Hammond work ..... blah blah blah!
Special thanks to the Stockport horns (Helena Summerfield & Mark Gilbanks)

Road to Nowhere - (from Max & Paddy's Rd to Nowhere) sung by Tony Christie

Indestructible (Truth No Lies) - Knitwear Junkees

Tom Shawcroft performing "figure out" - available everywhere now: http://smarturl.it/figure-out
 
► follow Tom Shawcroft online
instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tomshawcroft
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomshawcroft
twitter: https://twitter.com/tomshawcroft
youtube: https://youtube.com/c/tomshawcroft
website: http://www.tomshawcroft.com
 
lyrics:
i know that i'm the one to make you feel complete
amongst some other things you fully comfort me
sometimes, i fantasise how you feel bout me
when i come alive
cause i failed to figure out 
that kind of love to fall for 
i somehow fell for a coldhearted kind of love
it was the kind to mess me up but i’ll be singing
sun's out but it's still so cold clear skies but it's been so long
since i remembered how to love myself again
so i called my friend to tell her now "it's been so long"
and i worry how we'll drift off away
my love, you're so hard to love
in years to come you'll learn to trust
so woe is me, i hope you're coming back to me in time
and i'll start feel alright
all you know, you're the one to make me feel complete
amongst some other things you finally found my feelings
buried deep inside a cage, you finally found the key
now i'm so alive
so when you're coming back, oh, i'll be all alone
waiting for you to show me how to feel at home
and i’ll leave my pride out by the door so you can see my heart, 
my all and my flaws, but i’ll be singing
sun's out but it's still so cold clear skies but it's been so long
since i remembered how to love myself again
so i called my friend to tell her now "it's been so long"
and i worry how we'll drift off away
my love, you're so hard to love
in years to come you'll learn to trust
so woe is me, i hope you're coming back to me in time
and i'll start feel alright

#TomShawcroft #figureout

© 2020 Tom Shawcroft.

figure out

Written by David Hoade -
Performed by David Hoade and Nina Johnson -
Produced by Ivan Anchant -
With much love and gratitude -
Dedicated to my dear Mum

Never Be The Same

From Anglo-Irish married songwriting duo The Portraits (“Irresistible and Irrepressible!” Tom Robinson, BBC 6 Music) comes an uplifting and timely new single, featuring an astonishing cast of musicians and friends singing and playing their hearts out from Coronavirus confinement in their bedrooms, living rooms and gardens with a simple and beautiful musical message of reassurance: ‘Don’t Worry’.

The powerful orchestral and choral ensemble joined forces through the power of the internet: a full score and guide track was transmitted to all the players via Dropbox, and thirty individual performances in twenty-five different self-isolated locations including bedrooms, living rooms and gardens from the South West of England to North America via France, were returned digitally within three days. It was then left to The Portraits’ arranger and producer Jeremy Millington to unite all the recordings in his home studio to form the final epic work.

The Portraits’ songwriters Lorraine and Jeremy Millington say “the song is only as good as it is because everyone threw themselves at it so wholeheartedly. Not one performance is lacking in spirit, style or belief: maybe that shows just how keen we all are to send the world a giant and heartfelt hug right now. We dedicate it to all who are toiling tirelessly each and every day to fight this terrible disease around the world, and to all those loved ones it has taken from us.”

The song will be released on May 1st 2020 on iTunes, Spotify and all popular digital platforms. The Portraits are married Somerset-based songwriters Lorraine and Jeremy Millington who have performed at six Glastonbury Festivals and been championed on BBC Radio 2. They were due to perform at Glastonbury Festival again in 2020, now postponed to 2021.

Don't Worry

Produced by JB Pilon at Buffalo Studios, London.
Mastered by Brian Lucey at Magic Garden Mastering, Los Angeles.

Available 23rd April 2020.

The Kecks - Modern Girls (Official Audio)

Fresh On The Net is a music blog hosted by Tom Robinson and Team Freshnet, offering independent artists an open door and a level playing field for their music. Our inbox is open at http://freshonthenet.co.uk every Monday to Thursday morning - if you share a track with us there it will be heard by every member of our moderation team.

IMPORTANT: 
Only send ONE track, and make sure the dropbox says "OPEN".  Sorry, but tracks sent while the dropbox is closed - or shared drectly with this Soundcloud account - will not get heard.

Named one of BBC Introducing in the East Midlands’ most played artists of 2019 and 2020, Michael Vickers is a British singer-songwriter from Leicester. His combination of indie-rock, folk, and heartfelt, anecdotal lyrics delivered with a raw, rap inspired vocal has had audiences describing his music as “clever, captivating, beautiful, vivacious, unique and spellbinding."

"A bit of a legend on this programme. His lyrics are clever and he’s sensational live.” - Dean Jackson, BBC Introducing.

 

Michael has performed at countless venues and festivals, including Glastonbury and 2000 Trees. As well as performing at De Montfort Hall Gardens in the summer of 2019 with his band, he has featured in promotional videos for Roland showcasing some of their latest musical equipment, signed publishing deals to BMG and has had his tracks placed in TV and Film. As part of BBC Radio Leicester’s Under The Covers show, Michael performed 'Fire' with Kasabian front man Tom Meighan.

 

Michael's latest release - Poetic Nonsense - received an impressive amount of airplay, with 2 singles (Dead & Buried and When You Said That We Were Through) being selected as BBC Introducing in The East Midlands' Track of the Week.

336 Hours (Featuring Tenisha Edwards)

Michael Vickers

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