All French Wives 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.
ABoF April News: ABoF Podcast, Bands, New Music
We're back after a short Easter break and raring to go. We've got news about Last.fm's Turn On The Sound Inside live series, new bands and new releases plus we've just started a series of podcasts for our friends up north - Glasgow PodcART.
Free MP3s can always be downloaded from our Soundcloud page and any other information you need about the artists, labels and other companies we work with can be found on our official website. Thanks for reading - we hope you have a great month ahead!
A Badge of Friendship Podcast on Glasgow PodcART
It's been a long time coming but we've finally managed to get it together and record our first podcast with Halina from Glasgow PodcART. The PodcART crew are good friends of ours and have agreed to feature a regular monthly podcast that will aim to bridge the gap between the Scottish scene and what's happening down south.
The first episode was recorded back in March and has just gone live. We chat about our work with Doug Stanhope, Last.fm, our bands and other activity around A Badge of Friendship.
You can listen to the full podcast on the Glasgow PodcART website.
New Bands, New Releases, New Music!
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. They're new to the ABoF roster and they're already causing quite a stir with their video on NME and support from XFM's John Kennedy and Mary Ann Hobbs, BBC 6Music's Tom Ravenscroft and Amazing Radio.
After the release of their acclaimed single Younger, French Wives have released a stream of the album track "Sleep Tight" ahead of their debut album release Dream of the Inbetween out next month.
Glasgow's Quickbeam have released their sumptous debut single Seven Hundred Birds on Comets and Cartwheels. The video for for the single caused quite a stir and this is a very promising start for the band who have been compared to Low and Bon Iver.
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've launched a PledgeMusic campaign to raise funds for their next release Sister City. They're already past the halfway point now and are giving away the free MP3 Over Your Head, to help promote the campaign, which is available to download now via the A Badge of Friendship Soundcloud page.
Last.fm presents... 'Turn On The Sound Inside' Live Series
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.
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.
Until next month, ABoF out!
French Wives release stream of album track “Sleep Tight”
The beginning of 2012 has been a bit of a whirlwind for French Wives having released the acclaimed single Younger, embarking on a successful UK tour and making it over to SXSW and Canadian Music Week.
With the release of their debut album, Dream of the Inbetween, less than a month away, French Wives have released a stream of the album track "Sleep Tight".
"Sleep Tight" is a departure from the usual melody heavy, strings-laden style that has become synonymous with the bands sound. The track highlights their ability to shift genres into a more high-octane style, with singer Stuart's distorted vocals cutting through the repetitive melody that builds into a bop your head style indie-disco classic.
The album Dream of the Inbetween is a culmination of French Wives hard work over these last four years and follows the release of the singles Halloween / Dogfight (a double a-side), Me vs. Me and an EP entitled Feel Safe Small. Their label - Electric Honey - has also previously released records by Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol and Biffy Clyro, and sets up a fascinating 2012.
The album encapsulates French Wives ear for a gorgeous melody. "Numbers" and "Month of Sundays" are as good as some of the best modern alternative anthems, with Stuart's lilting vocals hanging over a glorious cacophony of strings and drums. "Sleep Tight" showcases French Wives diverse writing ability, with an angular take on their gorgeous indie sound.
You can watch the video for their previous single Younger via YouTube.
The band are also on tour in May to promote Dream Of The Inbetween:
May Tour 2012
- Tuesday 28th February - Sneaky Pete's,
Edinburgh - Friday 4th May - Dexter's, Dundee
- Saturday 5th May - Spring Jam @ Stables, Culross
- Monday 7th May - The Captain's Rest, Glasgow (free show!)
- Tuesday 8th May- The Bull & Gate, London
- Friday 11th May - The Mad Ferret, Preston
- Saturday 12th May - The Cobden View, Sheffield
- Sunday 13th May - Peas n Loaf @ The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow (acoustic show)
Stuart Dougan (vocals/guitars), Chris Barclay (bass/vocals), Siobhan Anderson (violin/vocals), Scott MacPherson (guitar/vocals) and Jonny Smith (drums/vocals) formed via mutual friends while at University. Although the band’s beginnings are humble, they have been on quite an adventure so far, supporting the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club, Two Door Cinema Club and Mystery Jets. They've also played festivals like T in the Park, Rockness, Wickerman and Stag and Dagger, while their captivating live set has also caught the attention of BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1 Scotland and BBC 6Music as well as making The Guardian’s up-and-coming bands of 2012.
Dream of the Inbetween will be released on 7th May 2012, via Electric Honey.
If you would like more information about French Wives or our PR services please contact info@abadgeoffriendship.com.
French Wives release free download single “Younger”
Since their inception in 2008, Glasgow's French Wives have been working intensively to build a strong fan base in Scotland. Today, the band have released the free single Younger taken from their forthcoming album Dream of the Inbetween, released on 7th May 2012.
Younger is available to download from French Wives' Bandcamp page.
You can also watch the video for the single via YouTube.
The album Dream of the Inbetween is a culmination of French Wives hard work over these last four years and follows the release of the singles Halloween / Dogfight (a double a-side), Me vs. Me and an EP entitled Feel Safe Small. Their label - Electric Honey - has also previously released records by Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol and Biffy Clyro, and sets up a fascinating 2012.
The album encapsulates French Wives ear for a gorgeous melody. "Numbers" and "Month of Sundays" are as good as some of the best modern alternative anthems, with Stuart's lilting vocals hanging over a glorious cacophony of strings and drums. "Sleep Tight" showcases French Wives diverse writing ability, with an angular take on their gorgeous indie sound.
The band are on tour this February and March. See below for their full list of dates:
February/March Tour 2012
Tuesday 28th February - Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh
Thursday 1st March - Hootenannys, Inverness
Friday 2nd March - New Market Bar, Thurso
Sunday 4th March - Harrisons Bar, Sheffield
Monday 5th March - Brixton Windmill, London
Tuesday 6th March - Dry Bar, Manchester
Thursday 8th March - Milo, Leeds
Friday 9th March - Stereo, Glasgow
Stuart Dougan (vocals/guitars), Chris Barclay (bass/vocals), Siobhan Anderson (violin/vocals), Scott MacPherson (guitar/vocals) and Jonny Smith (drums/vocals) formed via mutual friends while at University. Although the band’s beginnings are humble, they have been on quite an adventure so far, supporting the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club, Two Door Cinema Club and Mystery Jets. They’ve also played festivals like T in the Park, Rockness, Wickerman and Stag and Dagger, while their captivating live set has also caught the attention of BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1 Scotland and BBC 6Music as well as making The Guardian’s up-and-coming bands of 2012.
Dream of the Inbetween will be released on 7th May 2012, via Electric Honey.
If you would like more information about French Wives or our PR services please contact .(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… French Wives!
Since their inception in 2008, Glasgow’s French Wives have been working intensively to build a strong fan base in Scotland. Now, after a steady rise, the band is ready to release their debut album Dream of the Inbetween on 7th May 2012.The album is a culmination of their hard work over these last four years and follows the release of the singles Halloween / Dogfight (a double a-side), Me vs. Me and an EP entitled Feel Safe Small. Their label – Electric Honey – has also previously released records by Belle & Sebastian, Snow Patrol and Biffy Clyro, and sets up a fascinating 2012.
Dream of the Inbetween encapsulates French Wives ear for a gorgeous melody. “Numbers” and “Month of Sundays” are as good as some of the best modern alternative anthems, with Stuart’s lilting vocals hanging over a glorious cacophony of strings and drums. “Sleep Tight” showcases French Wives diverse writing ability, with an angular take on their gorgeous indie sound.
The album track "Younger" is available to stream on the ABoF Soundcloud page. This will be available to download in full for free from 27th February.
The band are on tour this February and March. See below for their full list of dates:
February/March Tour 2012
- Tuesday 28th February - Sneaky Pete's,
Edinburgh - Thursday 1st March - Hootenannys, Inverness
- Sunday 4th March - Harrisons Bar, Sheffield
- Monday 5th March - Brixton Windmill, London
- Tuesday 6th March - Dry Bar, Manchester
- Thursday 8th March - Milo, Leeds
- Friday 9th March - Stereo, Glasgow
Stuart Dougan (vocals/guitars), Chris Barclay (bass/vocals), Siobhan Anderson (violin/vocals), Scott MacPherson (guitar/vocals) and Jonny Smith (drums/vocals) formed via mutual friends while at University. Although the band’s beginnings are humble, they have been on quite an adventure so far, supporting the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club, Two Door Cinema Club and Mystery Jets. They’ve also played festivals like T in the Park, Rockness, Wickerman and Stag and Dagger, while their captivating live set has also caught the attention of BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1 Scotland and BBC 6Music as well as making The Guardian’s up-and-coming bands of 2012.
Dream of the Inbetween will be released on 7th May 2012, via Electric Honey.
If you would like more information about French Wives or our PR services please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
