Blog
Good vibes…
Claire ABoF shares some updates from ABoF HQ...We’ve been so busy lately, I’d forgotten to write a little update of what’s been going down here at ABoF towers. As you can see from our latest newsletter, we’ve been rather busy these last four weeks!
The biggest thing we’ve been working on (since September last year!), was a private event for Last.fm and HP. We’ve been working with Last.fm since the summer, doing online PR for the pop-up sessions they’ve been promoting in conjunction with HP. The private event was a culmination of all our efforts and a party for Last.fm and HP’s staff and media partners.
There were canapés, free drinks, ballerinas and David Guetta plus 2manydjs did their thing on the decks. When the DJs started, it hit me that we’d come quite far and I felt so happy that we had this chance to organise something like this. When we started ABoF, we simply wanted to do something we loved and be in control of our own destinies work-wise and I felt really proud in that moment. Much thanks goes to Last.fm for giving us the opportunity.
Aside from this event, we’ve been working on lots of different bands. I think I should mention there are lots of Scottish bands on our roster at the moment too. I can’t believe how many great bands are coming from up north.
It’s been such a busy start to the year and we’ve barely had time to breathe but we like it that way. I hope we continue moving onwards and upwards and working with brilliant people like the folks at Last.fm and all our wonderful bands. The only new music I’ve been listening to since the start of the year has come from them, we’re very lucky to be working with quality bands at the moment.
That’s enough gushing from me! Wishing all who read this super positive vibes for 2012!
If you'd like to get in touch, please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), you can also follow Claire and ABoF on Twitter...
ABoF End of Year Blog: Ed Says goodbye to 2011
In the first of our end of year blogs this week, our super assistant Ed Williams, shares his highlights of the year...As the relative new guy, 2011 marked my first full year with team ABoF, and what a year it was! I got the chance to work with some amazing artists, and Paul and Claire couldn't have been more helpful, showing me how get to grips with the heady world of PR.
I'm a writer by trade, so I'm always looking for new challenges in my work, and this year for me was all about nailing the perfect press release - chatting to the bands, getting a feel about what they're about, and then making sure their press page reflects that. It's all about making it snap. I've still got a lot to learn, but that's the beauty of working in a challenging environment - every day there's something new.
At times I've wished I could pick up the phone and talk to my 16 year-old self, as they'd be blown away to learn that future me would have the opportunity to work with some of the artists that were staples on the college common room stereo. Suffice it to say, working with Rod Jones from Idlewild in his new solo-project, The Birthday Suit, and the folks from The Moth & The Mirror have been a dream come true for me. Getting to meet Jeffrey Lewis when we put on his show at The Lexington was pretty special too. To be honest, there hasn't been an artist on our roster I haven't been excited about working with - I get to listen to their releases months before they hit the shelves, and it's great to be part of a process that helps them gain the recognition that they deserve.
Towards the end of the year, Paul and Claire were brave enough to let me join them behind the decks when they DJd at the Q Awards after show party and Geek Out at The Wheelbarrow. It had been about 7 years since I'd done any sort of djing, so to say I was nervous was an understatement - I think I did them proud, though I did discover that my music collection mainly consists of old-skool hip hop and angry, angry speed metal. Might have to sort that out for 2012!
Geeking Out!
Last night we DJ-ed Geek Out at The Wheelbarrow. It was our last of 2011 and we had a great time (we'll be back next year though!). This one was extra special because Turnpike Glow and The Unkindness of Ravens were playing. Instead of going on about how awesome it was (it was very awesome by the way!), I'll just say this... if you've not already seen Turnpike Glow or The Unkindness of Ravens live then make sure you get your gig going asses down to one of their shows very soon.My camera decided to be an arse and stopped working so all photos were taking on my crappy little iPhone - sorry for the rubbish quality! You can also download some free MP3s from both bands below.
Enjoy! - Wee Claire x
Turnpike Glow - The Turn, The Pike And The Glow by abadgeoffriendship
The Unkindness of Ravens - Prototype by abadgeoffriendship
Virus / Viper single by The Unkindness Of Ravens
Turnpike Glow
The Unkindness of Ravens
Interview: Secret Rivals
Secret Rivals are an Oxford based 4-piece indie pop outfit, and their upcoming single, the double A-side Once More With Heart / I Know Something is due out at the beginning of 2012. We managed to catch up with them this week to have a chat about the new single, and generally pick their brains.
How did you guys all meet?
The band formed in 2008, after Clouds and myself moved to Oxford from Southport. We answered an ad from fellow (early) Idlewild fanatic Andrew, who was keen to start up a band in the city having recently moved from Boston. We found Reece through advertising for a drummer pretty much straight away. We've been living out of each other's pockets ever since.
Where does the band name come from?
My friend is a film reviewer/blogger, and he was reviewing cult martial arts cinema at the time. I took the name from the article he was writing about a film of the same name.
Who/what would you say has influenced you the most as musicians?
The people we love, the people we loathe, our crappy day jobs, our over inflated sense of purpose, our relationships.
2011 has been an amazing year for you guys. How did it feel getting so much attention for your single, Tonight, Matthew?
It was unexpected and totally overwhelming! We've been very lucky in terms of radio support from the off. Our debut EP, Start Fires, was picked up by Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson, who have always been really supportive of us. When we were recording Make Do And Mend, there was no big plan of action; we didn't have a publicist or a manager or even a label to release it on at that point, we just recorded it and sent it out. It was when Rob Da Bank played Tonight, Matthew on BBC Radio 1 that things really started to happen: we were approached by a London record label who released the single, Rob invited us to play Bestival (which blew us away - I literally couldn't get my head around it, I remember thinking it was a trap
Meeting and talking shop with Tom Robinson and Steve Lamacq et al is amazing, you cant put a price on that kind of thing. They're the types of situations you reflect on when you get home and think 'did that really just happen?'.
We played with Summer Camp last night, for example, whom I've been in love with since their record release. I've just been told today we're opening for Big Pink next week (whom we love!). It's all a bit silly really.
Tell us about the new single, Once More With Heart / I Know Something.
It's a double A-Side and we're really, really happy with it. We think it's the perfect follow up to our album, Make Do And Mend. Once More With Heart has been getting a great live reception since we introduced it into our set and it's probably the most fun to play. We're over the moon with how it sounds on record,
Have you got any plans to tour it?
Yeah, we'll definitely be putting together a string of dates across the UK.
What else can we expect in 2012?
More gigs, more releases, more shouting! We've already started writing the next record and we'll more than likely tour at the start of the year before recording an EP prior to the Festival season. We want to hit the festivals hard this year. (We'd love a jolly abroad as well).
Finally, a meteorite is about to hit the planet, destroying it completely - you have one hour. What album do you listen to?
What! an hour! Why, what's going on? Why am I reaching for a cd...? Can this not be stopped!? Quick, someone do something!!!!
Once More With Heart / I Know Something will be released via It’s All Happening! on 16th January 2012.
Interview: Turnpike Glow
This week's interview is with ABoF roster newbies Turnpike Glow. They're about to get very busy in 2012 with singles, an EP and an album planned next year.
1. Where does the band name come from?
A dEUS gig setlist was hanging in my room like a trophy at the time and that's where we got "Turnpike" from. "Theme from Turnpike" is a song of their second album.
However, we soon discovered the name was already being used by a Swedish techno DJ. So we flicked through the dictionary and and saw the word 'Glow'. The two words put together seemed to have an evocative imagery, we thought. It did make a lot of sense when we came up with it. Not sure it still does. We totally appreciate this anecdote lacks in glamour but since then we've become even less sophisticated
2. Do you still bust out the giant sombreros from time to time, or is that part of your life over?
These are tough times so we prefer to cling on to our sombreros. They work great on rainy days, too.
3. Two of your members are Italian, How do you find the UK music scene, compared to Italy's?
Unlike the typical London venue, in Italy you’re likely to get a few drinks and some food after the show. That’s not bad. There are actually many willing indie bands but the scene is pretty small compared to the bigger and squalid mainstream pop market. And so it’s tough to get your voice heard. Unfortunately there’s a lot less interest for up and coming bands where we come from. Sometimes we do miss our friends in Rome though.
4.Who or what would you say has influenced you the most as musicians (doesn't necesarrily have to be another musician)?Some records had a big impact on what we do: The Flaming Lips' “The Soft Bulletin”, Broken Social Scene's “You Forgot it in People”, U2's “Achtung Baby” and dEUS' “The Ideal Crash”.
5. "The Turn, The Pike And The Glow" is your first release - are you nervous?
Not anymore since we're on valium. Joking aside, of course we're eager to see how people are going to react to our music. You put so much into this and then you can only wait and hope people will enjoy it. Should no one take an interest in what we do, we can always fall back on our sombreros.
Turnpike Glow - The Turn, The Pike And The Glow by abadgeoffriendship
6. Have you got any plans to tour?
The idea is to do a mini-tour in March following the single release. We’re on the case!
7. Who are you guys listening to at the moment?
Bon Iver, Caribou and The National.
8. Can we expect an album in 2012?
That's the plan. We're constantly writing new material. Probably going to release an EP first and then hopefully an album later in 2012.
9. Finally, a meteorite is about to hit the planet, destroying it completely - you have one hour. What album do you listen to?
"A New Day Has Come" by Celine Dion. It would make death a more appealing option.