BIWFY / TWWFNO / Sour Lemon / Violet Street / Sunlit Youth / Hummingbird / Gorilla Manor

Iskra means 'a spark' to ignite. 

Iskra is a collaborative group of string players who enjoy making music together regardless of genre. The quartet has travelled extensively across Europe with Icelandic composer Johann Johannsson, performing at various prestigious concert halls and festivals, including the Steve Reich 75th Birthday celebrations for the Barbican, London and Cork Opera House, Ireland. A highlight includes performances of 'The Miners' Hymns' collaboration with American artist film maker Bill Morrison.

Iskra has also enjoyed working closely with pianist/composer Olafur Arnalds. A concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall and European tour led to an invitation to perform at the sold out launch of the album “For Now I Am Winter’ (Mercury Classics 2013) at the Barbican Concert Hall accompanied by the Britten Sinfonia conducted by Andre de Ridder.

The quartet’s work with producer Jamie xx featured on the No. 1 best selling album by The xx entitled ‘Coexist’ (Young Turks/XL 2012). Recently Iskra contributed strings to Jamie's score for Tree Of Codes, a contemporary ballet created with choreographer Wayne McGregor and visual artist Olafur Eliasson for the Manchester International Festival.

Iskra’s collaborations with composer Alex Baranowski have featured on the soundtracks to the twice BAFTA nominated film McCullin (David Morris and Jacqui Morris, 2013) and for Sir Nicholas Hytner’s production of Hamlet at the National Theatre, London starring Rory Kinnear.

In 2007 Iskra were commissioned by Radiohead and XL Recordings to create a string quartet remix of their song ‘The Reckoner’ as part of the promotion of the album ‘In Rainbows’ (XL 2007).

Other highlights include collaborations with artists such as Vampire Weekend, Sufjan Stevens, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Katie Melua, Duke Special, My Brightest Diamond and composers Dustin O'Halloran and David Julyan. Recently Iskra performed as a trio alongside The Lone Bellow on Later...with Jools Holland (BBC Two).

Their forthcoming album celebrates their 10th anniversary and includes contributions from composers Johann Johannsson, Olafur Arnalds, David Julyan, Peter Gregson, Alex Baranowski, Isobel Waller-Bridge, Luke Anthony and Paul Frith.

"The program that questions everything -- except your intelligence."

Philosophy on the radio? You've got to be kidding? Well, sometimes we do (kid, that is). Mostly we look at today's important ideas with an eye to thinking them through.

Philosophy Talk is a weekly, one-hour radio series. The hosts' down-to-earth and no-nonsense approach brings the richness of philosophic thought to everyday subjects. Topics are lofty (Truth, Beauty, Justice), arresting (Terrorism, Intelligent Design, Suicide), and engaging (Baseball, Love, Happiness).

This is not a lecture or a college course; it's philosophy in action!

Philosophy Talk is a fun opportunity to explore issues of importance to your audience in a thoughtful, friendly fashion, where thinking is encouraged.

The Official Online Radio station for The Soul of Rock & Roll, ROY ORBISON.

MERCY!!!

www.RoyOrbison.com

This is an audio version of Richard Herring's Warming Up blog, available to read at www.richardherring.com/warmingup, but there might be a few little extra surprises thrown in as well and exclusive audio blogs. Warming Up is thought to be the second longest running consecutive daily blog in the world, having been started in November 2002. Richard Herring is a comedian and writer and podcaster who you can also hear in the Collings and Herrin podcast and AIOTM 

Official Soundcloud account of Bat for Lashes

“Destined for big things” – Gigwise.com
“The Sea & I create a vast cacophony of sound, eased elegantly into an impressive blend of conventional pop songs.” – Who’s Jack Magazine
“The type of alt-pop opus that an artist like Rufus Wainwright might like to lay claim to.” – Indie London

The Sea & I return with a new EP next month. ‘The Great I Am’ EP is released on March 10th, and was once again produced by Paul Frith and Irwin Sparkes. The EP was mixed in Crouch End by Ian Grimble (Seasick Steve, Alessi's Ark, The Staves) and features the London Chamber Brass. An EP launch will take place at The Lexington in London on March 10th with Communion Records. 

Built around the central core of Paul Frith, Irwin Sparkes, Bernie Gardner and Naomi Hammerton, The Sea & I are augmented with anything from brass to strings to choirs as occasion demands.

Live, The Sea & I reinterpret their recordings according to where they are and who they're with. The first such performance was in St. Leonard’s Church in East London and featured a 50-piece choir. The next was at London’s Old St Pancras Church and featured a brass dectet / 10-piece brass band. Each gig has featured light installations from the band's in-house lighting designer Josh Carr. There is a tangible sense of spectacle and grandness with no two shows the same.

All four musicians have been in bands before and found the usual experience uninspiring – hence the unusual venues, fluctuating line-ups and ever-changing instrumentation. 


The Sea and I is following