Check out the retrospective at The Photographers Gallery now…
Filled with emotional intensity and introspective songwriting, ‘Tedious & Brief’ is an exploration of what it means to be a woman trying to survive in a man’s world. Over the course of the EP’s six tracks, Xondra reconciles with childhood and past trauma. It’s a harrowing but ultimately empowering journey.
“Writing this EP helped me mourn the versions of myself I can never get back to. As a survivor, I am not the same person I was before I had certain experiences. I have had to make peace with my pain and give myself the space and time to rebuild myself from the ground up,” Xondra says. I love who I am now. I am stronger, kinder, and more full of life now than I have ever been. Writing ‘Tedious & Brief’ helped me find my light again and reignite it after thinking for the longest time that it might be gone for good. I hope it can serve as a reminder to send love to all past and present versions of you. May we all continue to move forward and heal the parts of ourselves that are still hurting.”
‘Tedious & Brief’ Track List:
1. Tedious
2. Brief
3. Waterworks
4. Inner Child
5. Dead Girl
6. Life Force
Fresh off the back of a packed out hometown show earlier this month, and hot on the heels of sensational earlier release “Feel It”, the amped-up new release blisters with live-ready, rollicking rock energy that nods to the genre’s pioneering past masters.
With fractious, looping guitar lines, relentless drum smashes and twangy, Britpop-tinted vocals, “Modern Life” tells a timely tale of a dilapidated and defective society. As songwriter and guitarist Brad Hayes explains:
“”Modern Life” promotes a voice of the disenfranchised youth. It best summarises our story as a band so far: razor-tongued lyrics, relentless energy and stadium-sized choruses. We rely on new writing tools to open up new avenues for social commentary. On this track we use a 12-bar blues, late ‘50s-inspired guitar riff — most commonly used by the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Eddie Cochran — to help shift our narrative to present times.”
Written in the summer of 2022 in the band’s rehearsal room, the smouldering new track was recorded live at Prism Studios to provide its raw, punky edge, and produced by Shaun Lowe.
THE ILLICITS – NEW SINGLE: “MODERN LIFE” – OUT NOW
STREAM ON ALL SERVICES HERE
Blending scorching social observations with infectious riffs and mordant melodies, the new track sees the band hone in on their propulsive “terrace punk” sound as they bring the post-industrial imagery of their own northern towns to the fore.
THE ILLICITS LIVE DATES 2022
DECEMBER
02 – Electric Church, Electric Church ** NEW DATE ADDED **
03 – Electric Church, Electric Church ** NEW DATE ADDED **
07 – Hug & Pint, Glasgow
The first taste of Stoned Cold Country – a forthcoming 60th anniversary tribute album to The Rolling Stones from some of country music’s biggest names – arrives with the release of Brothers Osborne & The War And Treaty’s soulful rendition of ‘It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)‘.
Brothers Osborne & The War And Treaty will hit the stage live at The 56th Annual CMA Awards on Wednesday, November 9 (airing on 18/11 on BBC Four) for a not-to-be-missed debut broadcast performance of the collaboration. Brothers Osborne are the reigning CMA Vocal Duo of the Year and nominated again in that category this year, while the performance of ‘It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)’ will mark The War And Treaty’s first time on the show.
We couldn’t be more honored to take part in such a unique tribute to, not only one of music’s most influential trailblazers, but one of our favorite bands of all time,” shared Brothers Osborne. “And to top it off, we get to enjoy the spoils with two of our favorite people and fellow Marylanders, The War And Treaty. We adore them both.”
"It is such an honor to be part of a tribute to one of our favorite bands of all time and to share this moment with Brothers Osborne makes it that much more special," said Michael Trotter Jr. of The War And Treaty. "We cannot wait to share the stage with them next week at the CMA Awards and we are looking forward to hearing what fans think of our take on the song.”
Stoned Cold Country will be released in 2023 on BMG, filled to the brim with reimagined versions of the legendary rock band’s catalogue. Throughout the record, which was produced by Robert Deaton, the participating artists – Jimmie Allen, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Eric Church, Steve Earle, Elle King, Marcus King, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris, Elvie Shane, Koe Wetzel, The War And Treaty, Lainey Wilson & Zac Brown Band – all inject their own trademark style into the revered music of The Stones across Stoned Cold Country, creating a powerful homage to one of the most enduring, trailblazing and influential bands in the world.
"This album is Country Music's thank you to The Rolling Stones for 60 years of inspiration and providing the soundtrack of our lives. While recording the record, I was reminded that this is a showcase and spotlight on the best we have to offer as a genre,” Deaton says of the project. “From our artists to all of the musicians that played on the record, we boldly state that Country Music is second to none when it comes to artists of integrity and creativity.”
Stoned Cold Country tracklist:
“(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” – Ashley McBryde
“Honky Tonk Women” – Brooks & Dunn
“Dead Flowers” – Maren Morris
“It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)” – Brothers Osborne & The War And Treaty
“Miss You” – Jimmie Allen
“Tumbling Dice” – Elle King
“Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” – Marcus King
“Wild Horses” – Little Big Town
“Paint It Black” – Zac Brown Band
“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – Lainey Wilson
“Sympathy for the Devil” – Elvie Shane
“Angie” – Steve Earle
“Gimme Shelter” – Eric Church
“Shine A Light” – Koe Wetzel
Nashville-based singer and songwriter Caroline Romano returns with her new single, “Me After September,” out on all streaming platforms now.
Following her upbeat indie-pop track “Chopstix,” “Me After September” is a propulsive alt-pop ballad about struggling to move on from a past relationship. “I wrote ‘Me After September’ about someone I fell for earlier this year. When things ended, I had this fear that he was going to move forward and forget about me while I just wanted to stay in Summer, and heartbreak, and things that reminded me of him,” says Caroline. “My birthday is in September, and I think my fear was that turning a year older without him was going to make the ending of things all too real. ‘Me After September’ is about clinging to anything to stay where you once were. Sometimes the act of moving on just feels all too final.”
Caroline Romano’s songwriting documents both the simplicity and stress of being a young woman in today’s world. She’s accrued over 8 million streams across her repertoire and has captured the attention of key tastemakers like Hollywood Life, Just Jared, EUPHORIA and American Songwriter. After years of buzz around her single releases, Caroline revealed her debut album, Oddities and Prodigies, in early 2022.
Currently in the studio working with songwriters and producers like Mikal Blue (Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz, OneRepublic), Matthew Wilder (No Doubt, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Christina Aguilera), Brett Mazur (Crazy Town, Prince, NWA) and Val Garay (James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Kim Carnes), Caroline is compiling an arsenal of brand new songs to unveil next year.
They say all good things arrive in threes, and the third single to be cut from Addie’s upcoming album ‘That Dog Don’t Hunt’ (out 25 November, via Itza Records) is a prime example.
“This is about compassion, as seen through the lens of Nature, The Golden Ratio, Fibonacci Numbers, with the fairy dust of the Charles Laughton film, Night of The Hunter, thrown in for colour.”
“I think Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato… the ancient Greeks blazed a very wise trail with the Golden Mean that influenced the best of what the West has achieved. The Golden Mean can right matters, which have gone too much in one direction, like betrayal or corruption; it’s about symmetry as opposed to chaos. The US Constitution, an inspired 4-page document, is still completely revolutionary. It states that man has unalienable rights, these rights are from Divine Authority and not from the State. It was written for ‘The one dissenting voice’. Whether it be society, music, architecture or education, the overarching thought should be: is it true, is it good, is it beautiful?”.
The Icelandic pagan black metal outfit continues in the massive footprints that their current album “World Serpent” has left. Epic Icelandic melodies, sharp riffing that draws from black, death, thrash, and heavy metal as well as Einar Eldur Thorberg’s distinct vocals combine into fiery and spirited new songs.
At the end of December 2020, FORTÍÐ were visibly on the rise. Having moved back to Iceland and with a new line-up, mastermind Einar scored heavily with “World Serpent” in soundchecks, end of the year lists in the press and with sales soaring as well, it looked like those descendants of the Vikings were about to set sail again and take the world by storm. The world had other plans. For all too well known reasons, FORTÍÐ ended up stuck at home instead of touring.
Pre Sale http://lnk.spkr.media/fortid-domur
Instead of twiddling thumbs, FORTÍÐ decided to hone their weapons by writing new material and to weather out the global storm season in their rehearsal room and later in the studio to make the best out of the situation. The first new songs on “Dómur um dauðan hvern” demonstrate that “World Serpent” was not an accidental success, but that this album represents a new height, which the Icelanders, with many years of experience under their belts and still burning with passion, have securely reached and hold on to.
There have always been subtle experiments and at times drastic line-up changes with each new album that FORTÍÐ have released. Yet with Einar firmly at the helm, the Icelanders are still following the course that he set on the “Völuspá“-trilogy of albums from 2003 to 2010. Their combination of harsh black and death metal riffing with a pinch of thrash and a penchant for epic melodies, versatile vocals as well as a heavy dose of “Icelandic sound” was maintained on the acclaimed “Pagan Prophecies” (2012) full-length and the following “9” (2015) album as well, which finally led to the dark and deadly “World Serpent” being unleashed onto the pagan metal world.
Far from being satisfied with their latest achievements, FORTÍÐ are preparing for their next attack. “Dómur um dauðan hvern” is a strong omen for those ravens of the north to embark on another metal journey filled with heavy glory, riffs of ice, and steel-strings!
The ‘Cradle You Again Tour’, it is “a collective ‘cwtch’ to all our fans & a thank you for supporting us across the years” (Ritzy Bryan).
5.03.23 GLASGOW King Tuts tickets
16.03.23 MANCHESTER Academy 3 tickets
17.03.23 NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms tickets
18.03.23 LEEDS Wardrobe tickets
20.03.23 OXFORD Academy 2 tickets
21.03.23 BRISTOL Fleece tickets
22.03.23 PORTSMOUTH Wedgewood Rooms tickets
10.05.23 NORWICH Epic Studios tickets
+
For one night only with the Wolf Orchestra
11.05.23 LONDON Clapham Grand tickets
Tickets for all shows go on sale 04.11.22 at 10am.
Formed in 2009 and comprised of lead vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan, bassist/vocalist Rhydian Dafydd and drummer Matt Thomas, The Joy Formidable released their very personal fifth album ‘Into The Blue’ in 2021 and are currently on an extensive US tour. After a triumphant return headlining the National Eisteddfod in Wales this summer, the March 2023 dates will be their first full UK tour in four years.
The track ‘Chimes’ is based on a true story of serendipitous events that Ritzy states “felt like something or someone is looking after you. The wind chimes that my grandfather made me when I was a kid. I felt his presence when I was feeling lost at the start of making this record. Weird little happenings that shake a cynical soul like me to believe in some higher power of guardianship, trusting in life and the love that you put out will come back to you.”
‘Sevier’ is named after a river that runs through the US state of Utah and is close to where Ritzy currently lives. “It’s like a metaphor for love and its journey,” she explains. “Are you staying in it, following it through all the seasons, cutting through mountains and canyons through all the hardships, or cutting (severing) loose?”
Released via Full Time Hobby, the band describe ‘Into The Blue’ as a record “about opening your eyes to beauty and love again, and making it to the other side. While not conceived as a metaphor for the times we all live in now, it certainly turned out that way.”
Reflecting on where they had been and where they needed to go for their next chapter, highlights of ‘Into The Blue’ include a title song that “is about surrendering to love and magic, having the courage to enjoy a new journey and the mystery and excitement of something unexpected,” while ‘Back To Nothing’ “takes a stance on self-compassion, realising your worth, your boundaries and deciding not to waste your love on an undeserving partner.”
Originally from North Wales, the group currently split their time between there and Utah. Says Ritzy about the tour: “We are so looking forward to reconnecting with our UK fans again after a long time away. Our live shows are so special to us and we’ll be celebrating all our releases across this tour, including a special one night only orchestral show at the beautiful Clapham Grand. We’ve missed you.”
A playful rock track laced with a satirical twist, “More” arrives as the first new music from The Pearl Harts since their 2019 EP ‘Suck It Up’. A rhythmic and rampant romp, it’s the sound of a band bursting back onto the scene with new energy, new frustrations and a renewed motivation to pave the way for women in rock music.
'More' is a sassy, sexy, post-ironic stab at the consuming world that we live in. One can be encouraged to ‘have more’, ‘do more’, ‘expect more’, ‘be more’. The amount of ‘more’ is overwhelming — it’s like a never-ending hamster wheel. Where does it end? Where is the satisfaction?... Interestingly, the point we observe is that the people who have the most always feel like they are entitled to “More”. Whereas those who generally feel like they need “More” are told they are too much.”
'‘Love, Chaos’ is about saying goodbye to unhealthy patterns that we all identify with in our lives. Be that work, alcohol, sex, drugs, procrastination, love… Whether we like it or not our whole lives are a series of patterns that shape our personality, they can come about through the unconscious, through family dynamics, through everyday interactions and through trauma. ‘Love, Chaos’ is about realising and accepting this and forging a life beyond.”
As women in rock’n’roll we have had to fight and unpick a load of history and patterns to accept ourselves as we are today. Shake off the ‘good girls’ we have been brought up to be’, not to become ‘bad’ but to become our real, true, authentic selves. We are starting a new conscious pattern of how we want to play rock’n’roll our way. We don’t just have to be hard, tough women. We can be sensitive ones too.”
THE PEARL HARTS – RELEASE NEW SINGLE: “MORE” – OUT TODAYLISTEN HERE
Lydia Can’t Breathe is a high energy, multi genre band who is setting back out on the road this November with Scream at the Sky for ‘The Sky High Tour’!!
Lead singer, Kyle Bolduc, is fresh off his debut wrestling match against Micro Wrestling madman, The Little Warrior, which took place at the recent Backyard Smokeout Festival. ‘The Sky High Tour’ plans on breaking 2 world records on this run.
The 1st is to smoke more joints in 3 weeks than anyone has before! The 2nd is to make and feed the most peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to people in a 24 hour period. Make sure to check out the dates below for the craziest tour hitting the streets this Autumn!!.
Sky High Tour Dates with Scream At the Sky:
Nov 3 Riffhouse Pub – Chesapeake,VA
Nov 4 Bad Habits Bar and Grill – Martinsburg,WV
Nov 5 Sub Alpine Society – Turtle Creek,PA
Nov 6 Cheers pub – South Bend, IN
Nov 7 Lefty’s Live Music – Des Moines, IA
Nov 9 Kiss Bar and Grill – Springfield,MO
Nov 11 Anthem School Of Music – San Antonio,TX
Nov 12 Acadia bar and grill – Houston, TX
Nov 13 Wonder Lounge – Laredo,TX
Nov 14 Boozers – Corpus Christi, TX
Nov 16 The Battlefield Bar – Chalmette, LA
Nov 17 The Warrior – Tallahassee,FL
Nov 18 The Brass Mug – Tampa,FL
Nov 19 Haven Lounge – Winter park, FL