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Introducing… Me And My Drummer
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.
The video for You're A Runner is available to watch now on YouTube.
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 and XFM's Mary Anne Hobbs 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.
You're A Runner is available to stream now via Soundcloud.
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.
If you would like more information about Me And My Drummer or our PR services please contact info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
Last.fm presents… Free Sonic Boom Six Show in Manchester!
Last.fm continue to bring the online experience to the live setting with a trio of Last.fm Presents gigs in the north of England. Up-and-coming artists from the Last.fm Hype Chart will keep their momentum going in 2012 by performing small, intimate free entry shows.
The first gig of the series featured Folks and The Sundowners in Leeds. Now, with support from Welsh punk rockers Straight Lines, Manchester locals Sonic Boom Six are set to play a free intimate hometown show for Last.fm Presents at The Roadhouse on Thursday 19th April.
The Manchester-based five-piece, are the most compelling soundclash to rise from the underground in years. A true product of their city-centre environment, The Boom’s sound is as authentic as it is unique. Described by Kerrang! as “taking ska, pop, grime, dubstep, punk and metal apart, then rebuilding them as a hyperactive hybrid”, SB6 play firmly for the dance-floor while retaining enough power and aggression to be an active fixture of the UK's rock and punk scenes.
The last show planned in the live series will be in Sheffield at The Harley on Tuesday May 1st, with locals The Crookes, with support from Hey Sholay. Although all the shows are free, these are first come, first served so make sure you get down early!
Encouraged by the successes of 2011's partnership, which featured a series of London based live music events showcasing emerging talent such as Slow Club, The Boxer Rebellion, Ghostpoet, DELS, The Leisure Society and We Are Augustines, HP and Last.fm's early 2012 strategy will be to branch out of the capital, and hit the road with the Everybody On global campaign.
Supporting the Turn On The Sound Inside live series activations, HP will be giving its Facebook community access to exclusive video content captured by Last.fm at the curated gigs, continuing the celebration of Beats audio technology that comes with HP's premium range of PC's and laptops.
Doug Stanhope DVD trailer and tour bus video!
"Doug Stanhope might be the most important stand up working today" - Ricky Gervais
"If there's a comedian out there who is as vital as Stanhope I haven’t heard him or her yet" - The Independent
Comedian Doug Stanhope released his latest DVD Before Turning the Gun on Himself on March 12th via Roadrunner Comedy, the sister label to Roadrunner Records, home to bands like Slipknot, Rush and Rob Zombie. The DVD (his tenth DVD release to date) comes with a bonus audio CD. To coincide with the DVD release, he is currently on the road, on an extensive UK tour.
The official trailer for Doug's DVD is available to watch now on YouTube.
Doug's manager Brian also posted a video recently, giving us a little insight to life on the road and a guide to the tour bus.
You can watch Stanhope introduce his involvement with Roadrunner Comedy on Roadrunner Record's YouTube channel.
Stanhope's confrontational rants, whose live show was twice named Best Stand-Up Show of the year by Time Out New York, encompasses caustic social commentary, outlandish first-person narratives, graphic sex and perversion, sometimes within the same sentence.
Fuelled by equal amounts of anger, outrage and alcohol, Stanhope rails against western civilisation's slide into apathy and stupidity, always on the edge of implosion yet fully in control and never afraid to risk alienating his audiences.
In a field crowded with conformists and copycats, Stanhope is a genuinely original comic voice, albeit a gleefully vulgar one.
"A visionary douchebag" says The Times. Raw, agitated and unflinching, he holds forth on all manner of major injustices and petty annoyances, excoriating himself as much as any of his other targets. But Stanhope's venomous bile is matched by his passion and conviction, as well as a fierce intellect that gives his work a level of substance and subtlety that belies his snarling exterior. His comedy is as corrosive as it is hilarious, and his righteous self-immolation is exhilarating and life affirming in its cathartic honesty.
Stanhope completed a 25-date residency in at London's Leicester Square Theatre in August 2011 to rave reviews and sold out shows. Metro lauded Stanhope with five stars saying, "Searing, relevant and brilliantly funny, there's good reason why Stanhope is often cited as one of the greatest comedians on the planet… If fearless stand-up is your bag, you'd be a fool to miss him." The comedian has also been compared to such fearless comic revolutionaries as Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Sam Kinison and Bill Hicks. But his work makes it abundantly clear that he's a complete original.
- Doug Stanhope's official website: www.dougstanhope.com
- Roadrunner Comedy: www.roadrunnercomedy.com
- Roadrunner Records: www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk
If you would like a promo copy of the DVD, physical and digital copes are available. Please note however that physical copies are extremely limited. For more information, email info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
The Blood Arm Launch Pledge Campaign For Album ‘Sister City’
After the release of last year’s critically acclaimed album Turn And Face Me, The Blood Arm are already plotting their next assault after relocating from LA to Berlin. They are launching a PledgeMusic campaign to raise funds for their next release Sister City.
Sister City will be the band’s fourth album release, completely self-funded on the band’s own imprint Pau! Records. With the money raised, they plan to record the album in June and release it early next year.
The band have made a video explaining why they have chosen PledgeMusic.
PledgeMusic is designed to help bands fundraise for forthcoming releases, encouraging them to participate with fans by creating fun and unique ways to access exclusive content and material. A portion of the proceeds will go to the American Red Cross plus they’re giving fans incentives for pledging. Examples of incentives include signed copies of the new album, rare out of print t-shirts, tickets to exclusive Pledger-only acoustic shows, an opportunity to visit the band in the studio, a custom scarf hand-knit by Dyan, and even the chance to have the band write and record a personalised song.
The garage rocking four-piece are also giving away a free MP3 alongside the launch of their PledgeMusic campaign - Over Your Head, which is available to download now via the A Badge of Friendship Soundcloud page.
It’s been quite a year for the band with keyboardist Dyan Valdes and frontman Nathaniel Fregeso making the big move from LA to Berlin.
“We wanted to follow in the footsteps of some of our other favourite artists who have moved to Berlin and done the best work of their careers – David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Brian Eno...” explains Dyan. “As the music industry crumbles, it has become increasingly clear that the best way to sustain ourselves and our music is to work directly with the fans who support us. Pledgers can be confident that the money that they spend on this campaign will go directly into making the album (rather than paying for record company overhead).”
Third album Sister City will see a departure from the band’s sunny, garage rock bravado, a sound that Q Magazine called “playfully knowing indie rock” and Uncut hailed as “ramshackle boho party-rock”. The band’s recent move will be reflected in the music with themes of change, uncertainty and discover reflected in their new, more experimental, direction.
If you would like to speak to The Blood Arm about their PledgeMusic campaign or anything else, please email info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
Last.fm presents… Belakiss, Folks and The Sundowners in Leeds!
Last.fm continue to bring the online experience to the live setting with a trio of Last.fm Presents gigs in the north of England. Up-and-coming artists from the Last.fm Hype Chart will keep their momentum going in 2012 by performing small, intimate free entry shows.
The first of these intimate free entry shows starts next week with Belakiss, Folks and The Sundowners set to perform at The Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, Tuesday 27th March. Entry is first come, first served so make sure you get down quick to ensure you grab a chance to see the first of these special Last.fm presented gigs.Karima Francis was originally lined-up to headline the Leeds show but unfortunately had to pull out due to recording commitments, however, Last.fm have outdone themselves again with this exciting new line-up of fresh talent.
Still hot from their recent slew of dates supporting indie giants Kasabian, Belakiss bring their raucous garage rock tones to a more intimate setting. Support comes from the tremendous indie six-piece Folks, who have been supporting Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds in Europe and The Sundowners with their nostalgia-tinged rock and roll.
Last.fm aren't stopping at Leeds, there are free shows already planned for Manchester and Sheffield. Politically-charged rockers Sonic Boom Six, supported by Straight Lines, will play a hometown show at The Roadhouse in Manchester on Thursday April 19th. The last show planned will be in Sheffield at The Harley on Tuesday May 1st, with locals The Crookes, with support from Hey Sholay. Although all the shows are free, these are first come, first served so make sure you get down early!
Encouraged by the successes of 2011’s partnership, which featured a series of London based live music events showcasing emerging talent such as Slow Club, The Boxer Rebellion, Ghostpoet, DELS, The Leisure Society and We Are Augustines, HP and Last.fm’s early 2012 strategy will be to branch out of the capital, and hit the road with the Everybody On global campaign.
Supporting the Turn On The Sound Inside live series activations, HP will be giving its Facebook community access to exclusive video content captured by Last.fm at the curated gigs, continuing the celebration of Beats audio™ technology that comes with HP’s premium range of PC’s and laptops.