All Atom Eye News
A Badge of Friendship Update: Music, Comedy and More!
Now we're officially striding through the last half of 2012, we thought it was about time we sent out an update. 2012 has been our busiest year yet working on a variety of wonderful clients from Last.fm to comedian Doug Stanhope and an array of wonderful bands and labels.
If you'd like to read more about our PR and event management services, please check out our ABoF case studies pdf which you can download online. If you'd prefer to get in touch personally, please drop us an email here: info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
Coming up...
We're about to add an array of wonderful new clients and projects to the ABoF roster - we've not announced all of the bands, comedians and new projects we're working on just yet but we're not ones for holding back the good stuff so we thought, why not just announce them here? Don't say we don't spoil you!
We're very excited to be working on comedian Dave Hill's forthcoming book Tasteful Nudes. The multi-talented Mr. Hill has appeared on the US TV show The King of Miami, currently appears as on-air talent for HBO and Cinemax and currently fronts the band Valley Lodge and plays guitar with Walter Schreifels' (Rival Schools, Quicksand) solo band and Diamondsnake, a hard rock band also featuring Moby. Tasteful Nudes will be released in October, we'll have more information on this release and Dave very shortly.
Continuing on from last year's pop-up sessions, we're working with Last.fm on their Originals sessions. These sessions are an intimate an exclusive look at new and established artists featuring interviews and exclusive live performances.
Berlin based duo Me And My Drummer have already released two tracks from their forthcoming debut album The Hawk, The Beak, The Prey and the anticipation is building. Hailed as a cross between Florence + The Machine, Bat For Lashes and Delphic, they've already got John Kennedy and Mary Anne Hobbs (XFM), Huw Stephens (BBC Radio 1) and Tom Ravenscroft and Chris Hawkins (BBC 6Music) signing them praises. The Hawk, The Beak, The Prey is out on September 24th via German label Sinnbus.
Scottish band State Broadcasters release their second album Ghosts We Must Carry via Olive Grove Records on September 24th. They just released a free download of the album track "Trespassers" with another to follow in August just before the album's release.
Another fantastic Olive Grove release coming up is Jo Mango’s album Murmuration. Having already collaborated with Vashti Bunyan and Devendra Banhart, this much anticipated album will showcase Jo’s brilliant songwriting talents as a solo performer.
Also watch out for new artists Cara Mitchell, The Maginot Band, Verse Metrics, Jonny & The Giros, Shirock, Damian Cox, Humphrey Milles, The Jar Family plus more releases from ABoF favourites Atom Eye, Turnpike Glow, The Birthday Suit and The Murder Barn. We'll be posting out information on all of these very soon!
2012 so far...
It's been a year of great releases so far here at ABoF towers. However, not only have we been working with some of the finest new bands around, we also had the chance to work with controversial comedian Doug Stanhope and top music sharing platform Last.fm.
Doug Stanhope released his latest DVD Before Turning The Gun On Himself back in March and completed another successful UK tour, which ended on a high to a packed out audience at the Hammersmith Apollo. The DVD was released to rapturous reviews with Doug appearing in the Shortlist, Rock Sound, MOJO, Nuts and Front on the run up to its release.
After the success of their pop-up sessions with HP last year, Last.fm asked ABoF to event manage their media party with HP earlier this year. The party was to celebrate the activity their activity in 2011 with David Guetta headlining the event.
We've been working with even more brilliant new bands this year, we’re very proud of the quality of our roster this year. We would love to list all the amazing bands we've worked with this year but instead we've put them all on this handy Soundcloud set and you can also read about some of our highlights below!
Knifeworld returned with their strongest release to date - Clairvoyant Fortnight. The EP followed 2011's critically acclaimed EP Dear Lord, No Deal and their 2009 debut album Buried Alone: Tales of Crushing Defeat. Prog Magazine and Rock A Rolla heralded the EP a success and special praise went to their brilliant (and slightly mental!) video for 'Clairvoyant Fortnight', which featured snooker legend Steve Davis.
Scots boys Vigo Thieves have gone from strength to strength providing T in the Park with this year's 2012 theme tune, playing the BBC Introducing stage, packing out shows in Scotland and appearing on Classic Rock, Drowned in Sound, Spinner and NME.com to name but a few.
French Wives have also been flying the flag for talent in Scotland. They released their album Dream of the Inbetween this year with everyone from BBC 6Music, The Line of Best Fit, The Herald, The Fly and The Skinny Magazine singing them praise.
If you'd like more information on anything you've read here or our PR services, please email info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
Atom Eye release Trilogy 120 EP
“... a masterful display of evocative music and true experimentation...” - The Music Fix
After the release of Trilogy 120 - Part I and II, Elsie Martin’s Atom Eye completes her fascinating sonic voyage into the unknown with Trilogy 120 - Part III. The final part completes the EP - Trilogy 120 - and this intriguing journey.
Atom Eye’s Trilogy EP was released in three individual parts, each part will had its’ own artwork and sound, tying together the EP as a whole. The collaboration with Pete Lockett has been a perfect fit as Lockett worked extensively in the film industry, arranging and recording percussion for many Hollywood hits. Part III will sees a collaboration from Mute artist, composer and producer Simon Fisher Turner - whose works include soundtracks for Derek Jarman's Caravaggio, The Last of England and The Garden as well as the David Lynch-produced Nadja; perfect additions to Atom Eye’s oeuvre.
Atom Eye's Trilogy 120 EP is available to stream and download from the official Atom Eye website.
The Trilogy, as a whole, is an exploration of experiments with field recordings, analogue tape loops, reel-to-reel machines, guitars, cellos, ambient drone and world percussion. Drawing influences from film soundtracks, experimental music and sound art, Trilogy 120 was mixed and co-produced by James Aparicio (Liars, Spiritualized).
Elsie’s previous work in Phantom certainly made its mark on the alternative circuit. The Quietus, Artrocker and Q were amongst their fans with the band’s debut album, Smoke & Mirrors, receiving brilliant reviews. Pushing the envelope furthermore with Atom Eye, Elsie has been concentrating on developing her sound into something more filmic whilst retaining the sensual melodies and intriguing compositions that we have known her for.
With Elsie’s background and Atom Eye’s quirky collaborations and cinematic direction, this project is set to intrigue and beguile the avant-garde music scene in 2012.
Trilogy 120 out now and is available as a free download from the Atom Eye website.
For more information about Atom Eye or our PR services, please email info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
March 12th Single Releases: Atom Eye, Tango in the Attic and The Birthday Suit
Dark, cinematic and intriguing, Atom Eye release Part II of the three part Trilogy 120 today. Atom Eye is Elsie Martins' solo project whilst she steps aside from Phantom for the moment to create gorgeous, experimental, filmic soundscapes. The single Trilogy 120 - Part II will be available to download from Atom Eye's official website from 12th March 2012, however, a stream of the single is available to check out now.Tango in the Attic are back and preparing for the release of their forthcoming second album Sellotape out 23rd April 2012. The album is the follow-up to their fantastic 2010 debut Bank Place Locomotive Society. The live session video for the track "Swimming Pool" is already available to watch on their YouTube channel and now you can download the free single Paw Prints, from our Soundcloud page.
In case you missed them, The Birthday Suit (Rod Jones from Idlewild) released their debut album Sing It Alone in November. Just back from their first UK tour, they're releasing the single A Nation, a more melodic departure from the free track "Do You Ever?", which was released alongside the album last year.
A Nation is available to stream on The Birthday Suit’s Soundcloud page now.
ABoF News Round-Up!
What a busy week here at ABoF HQ and we're look forward to more announcements and lovely news next week (including a comedian signed to Road Runner Records... oh, who could it be?).As always, there are lots of freebies to download from our official Soundcloud page. You can also follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!
If you’d like more information about our PR services, please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
A Badge of Friendship in Music Week
Music Week included us in their special feature in the magazine this week, with industry folk giving their top Unsigned Tips.
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Many thanks to Music Week for asking us to take part. If you can't see the image above, you can read our tips HERE and view the full page HERE.
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Vigo Thieves video reaches 28,000 views in 4 days!
Vigo Thieves only uploaded their video for their free single Heartbeats 4 days ago and it's reached almost 28,000 views (27,952 views to be exact) - a terrific reaction to the track, which is taken from their forthcoming EP Heart & Soul (Part 1).
The EP is part of an ambitious two-part EP Heart & Soul. The first part, Heart & Soul (Part 1), is due for release on March 5th 2012.
Heartbeats is available to download free from the band's official website.
Heart & Soul (Part 1) is due for release on 5th March 2012, via Hijacked Records.
Atom Eye Release “Trilogy 120 - Part I”
Phantom’s Elsie Martins returned with a new solo project Atom Eye, releasing Trilogy 120 - Part I the first of three free download singles.
Part I - Trilogy 120 by Atom Eye
Drawing influences from drone and sound art, she has taken the cinematic undertones of Phantom and has honed them into something beautifully dark and rich. Broadening her horizons and introducing new elements such as analogue tape loops and world percussion, creating something that she describes as “cavernous cinematic soundscapes”.
Part I was released this week on La Nausee Records. Part II and III of the Trilogy 120 EP will be released on 12th March and 30th April respectively. All will be available as free download singles from Atom Eye’s official website.
Saturday Night Gym Club’s video for “I Know featuring Ellie Walker”
Saturday Night Gym Club begin 2012 with the release of their debut EP How To Build A Life Raft. This 6-track EP is the perfect introduction to the band's well-crafted electro sound and is released on 5th March on Music Cuisine.
The video for the track “I Know featuring Ellie Walker” is available to watch on their YouTube page.
You can also listen to EP title track, How To Build A Life Raft, on our Soundcloud page.
Saturday Night Gym Club - How To Build A Life Raft by abadgeoffriendship
For more information about anything above or our PR services, please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Hello February!
After a very hard working January, scurrying behind the scenes and setting up lots of lovely new bands, we’re happy to say hello to February. We had a fantastic 2011 with ABoF being featured in several magazines (NME and Live UK), plus our bands did terrifically well, hitting all major magazines and websites last year.
So here’s a little rundown of what’s been going down here at ABoF towers since the start of the year and what’s coming up in the next month or two! If you make it to the end, there are lots of free tracks to download and stream in this newsletter, if you've any questions about anything you read here, please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and remember to keep checking our official website for all the latest news!
HP and Last.fm presents David Guetta
A few weeks ago, the culmination of many months of hard work and planning with Last.fm finally happened - David Guetta and 2ManyDJs DJ-ed exclusively for HP and Last.fm at The Rose Club - an event for HP and Last.fm’s media partners.
The club was packed, there were lots of happy faces and the music was terrific. This was the largest event we’ve had to organise and manage since we started and we’ve promted our fair share of events in the past (sold out shows with Hell Is For Heroes and Jeffrey Lewis to name but a few).
Super photographer Lee Allen was on the scene to capture the good vibes on the night, as you can see, we all had a great time!
The Crowd
Team ABoF and Last.fm
New Year, New Bands, New Music!
As you can see from our website, Facebook and Twitter activity, we’ve been announcing new bands and releases left right and centre. As always, you can stream and download free tracks from the artist pages on our website or our official Soundcloud page.
Access Royale, an alternative indie band from Washington DC, are brand new to our roster and with a sound akin to The Dismemberment Plan. We are very excited to see what happens with these guys in the next few months as they prepare to release their debut album City of Paradigm on 17th May. The track "Hide" is available to download now from our Soundcloud page.
If you prefer your music a little more on the filmic, post-rock edge of alternative then Atom Eye will be right up your street. This is Elsie Martins’ side project whilst she steps aside from Phantom for the moment to create gorgeous, experimental, cinematic soundscapes. The single Trilogy Part I is available to download from Atom Eye's official website from 6th February 2012.
Our very own electro rockers, The Unkindness of Ravens, return with the single Last Call For The River (out 5th March). The single is taken from their eagerly awaited debut album Virus out 7th May on Sonic Fire Records. Last Call For The River is available to stream no via the band's Soundcloud page.
Turnpike Glow released their first free download before Christmas and now start the year with their heads held high with the planned release of the single 1986, a track that’s been remixed by Broken Social Scene’s producer, Dave Newfeld. The track is available to stream now but will be available to download free from 5th March.
Finally, Saturday Night Gym Club, a band that site M83 and Ólafur Arnalds as a few of their influences, prepare to release their EP How To Build A Life Raft on 5th March. You can download the title track of the EP now and also watch the video for “I Know featuring Ellie Walker” on their YouTube channel.
Scotland Rocks!
When it comes to new music, Scotland prove more than ever before that they're pushing boundaries and stretching imaginations. We’ve got lots of new Scottish bands on our roster and each are as different and exciting as the next.
In case you missed them, The Birthday Suit (Rod Jones from Idlewild) released their debut album Sing It Alone in November. Now they’re ready to hit the road, about to embark upon a UK tour from February 10th, full dates are on our website.
French Wives are set to release their debut album Dream of the Inbetween, out 7th May. Having only just announced our involvement with the band last week, the free track from their album - "Younger" - has already had around a thousand listens and is getting folk buzzing with excitement online. If you're a fan of indie greats like Belle & Sebastian and Teenage Fanclub, these guys are for you.
Tango in the Attic return. The Glenthrothes four-piece are set to release their much anticipated second album on April 12th (so fresh from the studio, it’s yet to be named!). The album is the follow-up to their fantastic 2010 debut Bank Place Locomotive Society. The live session video for the track “Swimming Pool” is available to watch on their YouTube channel.
Vigo Thieves also make a comeback after a short break, writing and recording new songs. They’re about to release their EP Heart and Soul Part 1 on 5th March, the first EP of a two-part release. Their new sound harks back to those epic 80s greats like Simple Minds and U2, real sing a long stuff. "Heartbeats" is available to download from our Soundcloud page now.
Join us at Geek Out
After a short break, we’re back DJ-ing at Geek Out!
The night is run by Mark Beaumont (NME, Guardian) and Dan Martin (NME, Guardian) and we’ve been DJ-ing there for the last year. It runs the first Thursday of every month, the next Geek Out will feature Turnpike Glow’s single launch for 1986.
It’s free entry on Thursday March 1st 2012 at The Wheelbarrow, Camden. Hope to see you there!
If you'd like more information about anything you've read here or our PR services, please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Introducing… Atom Eye
Phantom’s Elsie Martins returns with a new solo project Atom Eye. Drawing influences from drone and sound art, she has taken the cinematic undertones of Phantom and has honed them into something beautifully dark and rich. Broadening her horizons and introducing new elements such as analogue tape loops and world percussion, creating something that she describes as “cavernous cinematic soundscapes”.Atom Eye’s Trilogy EP will be released in three individual parts, each part will have it’s own artwork, video and sound, tying together the EP as a whole. The award-winning percussionist Pete Lockett
(Björk, David Holmes, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Lee Scratch Perry, Primal Scream, Scanner) has contributed to Part I and II. This collaboration has been a perfect fit as Lockett worked extensively in the film industry, arranging and recording percussion for many Hollywood hits. Whereas Part III will see a collaboration from Mute artist, composer and producer Simon Fisher Turner - whose works include soundtracks for Derek Jarman's Caravaggio,
Part I is available to stream now on Atom Eye's Soundcloud page. It will be available to download free from 6th February 2012 via Atom Eye's official website.
Part I - Trilogy 120 by Atom Eye
The Trilogy, as a whole, is an exploration of experiments with field recordings, analogue tape loops, reel-to-reel machines, guitars, cellos, ambient drone and world percussion. Drawing influences from film soundtracks, experimental music and sound art, Trilogy 120 was mixed and co-produced by James Aparicio (Liars, Spiritualized).
Elsie’s previous work in Phantom certainly made its mark on the alternative circuit. The Quietus, Artrocker and Q were amongst their fans with the band’s debut album, Smoke & Mirrors, receiving brilliant reviews. Pushing the envelope furthermore with Atom Eye, Elsie has been concentrating on developing her sound into something more filmic whilst retaining the sensual melodies and intriguing compositions that we have known her for.
Part I will be released on La Nausee Records on 6th February 2012. Part II and III of the Trilogy 120 EP will be released on 12th March and 30th April respectively. They will be available as free download singles from Atom Eye’s official website.
With Elsie’s background and Atom Eye’s quirky collaborations and cinematic direction, this project is set to intrigue and beguile the avant-garde music scene in 2012.
For more information about Atom Eye or our PR services, please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
