Giants to join Black Shapes on UK tour

SKATE punks Giants are to head out on a UK tour in January in support of noise merchants Black Shapes.

The band from Essex, England, are also working on material for a new album, which is also expected in 2014.

Guitarist Jack Longman told RealSoundsOK: "We've been writing new material in between our touring schedule for about a year now. The 7" was a taster of the material we've been coming up with and I'm pleased to say that we're now in the process of recording demos for our next release at our drummer's home studio in Essex.

"Everything is still in the early stages of pre-production at present but the tracks are already sounding  really exciting so far and we can't wait to get into the studio early next year to start recording them.

"We're really putting everything into the writing of these songs, taking on different writing techniques, trying different ideas and really pulling apart the songs to make them the best they can be. We cannot wait to show everyone!"

The New Year dates with Black Shapes will take in London, Southampton, Leicester, Sheffield and Hull starting on January 22nd.

Before that, the Essex quintet will round out the year with appearances at the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater club night in Kingston on November 20th and Facedown at the Scala on December 6th.

Giants recently recorded a Maida Vale session for the Mike Davies BBC Radio One Punk Show including material from their new 7" double A side vinyl It's Not All Bad News.

For more information on the band visit facebook.com/giantsuk or twitter.com/giantsuk and you can watch their 2013 European Tour documentary below.

New EP from Vienna Ditto

ELECTRO-blues duo Vienna Ditto are released their new EP Ugly as a free download on Monday through Ubiquity Project Records.

Band members Hatty Taylor and Nigel Firth first met when he started teaching her guitar around 2000, when she was 11. 

They lost touch after a couple of years but met again in the street in 2009. A week later they had recorded a cover of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire and soon moved onto their own compositions.

Their track Long Way Down made its way on to Huw Stephens' Radio One show and an appearance at the Glastonbury Festival followed.

You can check out the three-track EP below and for more information visit www.viennaditto.com

Big Sixes deliver video from new EP

THIS is The Hunter, the new single from Big Sixes which has already landed sizeable support from BBC Radio 1's Huw Stephens in the UK.

The band from Buckinghamshire will be playing Berlin Music Week, Smichoff Summer Festival (Prague), Ringmaster Festival, Underground Festival and will tour with Deaf Havana over September/October.

For more information on the band visit www.bigsixes.com or click here to download the single as part of the four-track Hunter EP.

Defeater air new track No Shame

No Shame is the new track from Massachusetts rockers Defeater.

It's taken from the band's third album Letters Home, which is out on July 15th, and received its first play on Daniel P Carter's Rock Show on Radio 1.

Check out the video below and click here for more on Defeater's new album release.

Official video for To Be Frank's new track

THIS is the official video for To Be Frank's If You Love Her.

Already gaining support in the UK from BBC 6 Music and Huw Stephens at Radio 1, the track is a stripped back, uncomplicated and honest piece of music.

It was self-produced by Frank Pescod himself and he is keen for it to "speak for itself".

The Suffolk singer and multi-instrumentalist said: "Too many artists are about the story these days, rather than just letting the music talk."

Frank has already seen music success with  his own sync company and record label Solebay Music, penning scores for the likes of Harley Davidson, Louis Vuitton, River Island and various television shows and films. 

He is currently working on an EP, but in the meantime you can listen to the track above, or find out more about To Be Frank at www.tobefrankmusic.com/, www.facebook.com/tobefranksounds or www.twitter.com/tobefrankmusic

Disclosure disclose details of debut

AFTER storming the UK charts with latest single ‘White Noise' - featuring AlunaGeorge’ – Disclosure have announced details of their forthcoming debut album.

Settle will be released on June 3rd via PMR records, which is also home to Jessie Ware and Julio Bashmore.
 
Leading the charge into the album is the single ‘You & Me’ featuring Eliza Doolittle. It will receive its unveiling to the world on Friday night on Annie Mac's Radio 1 show and will be available to buy on iTunes from April 28th.
 Pre order the forthcoming album exclusively from www.disclosureofficial.com

New tracks on Jessie Ware re-release

AFTER a sparkling year, Jessie Ware is to re-release debut album Devotion with four bonus tracks.

Out on April 15, it includes two previously unheard cut including Imagine It Was Us, which was premiered on Annie Mac's Radio 1 show in the UK last week.

Teaming up again with album collaborator Julio Bashmore, Imagine It Was Us has one eye firmly on the dancefloor while retaining the sultry soulfulness that Jessie’s voice has garnered so much praise for.

Devotion entered straight in to the Top 5 upon release in August of last year, and has since gone on to be shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, as well as settling comfortably in to the upper ends of many ‘Albums of the Year’ lists in December. 

Jessie also picked up nominations at this year’s Brit Awards, getting the nod for both ‘British Breakthrough Act’ and ‘British Female Solo Artist’. She is approaching the end of a sold-out UK tour, and will be embarking on a string of dates in Europe and the US in the coming months.

You can listen to the track Imagine It Was Us below:

Debut EP from Vienna Ditto

RECORDED in a chilly boat, a dank basement and an old temperance hall, Vienna Ditto's debut EP Liar Liar is a DIY diary of their first turbulent two years.

Recorded and produced by the band themselves, the tapes were then rescued and mixed by Umair Chaudhry at Silver St Studios. The resulting electronica mixed with dirty guitar riffs has been described by Huw Stephens of UK's Radio 1 as ‘Portishead doing a Tarantino Soundtrack’.

The band – comprising vocalist Hatty Taylor and guitarist Nigel Firth – jerked into life in April 2009 when a hastily-recorded demo from their second rehearsal was played on Stephens' show. 

An appearance on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury 2009 followed, as did a Maida Vale session for Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music and an appearance on Channel 4’s Hollyoaks Music Show.

Released in November 2009, their debut single Long Way Down gained airplay on Radio One, BBC6 Music and XFM, and was given glowing reviews in Q Magazine, Artrocker and The Fly. 

The band are currently working on their debut album.

Hurts premiere new video ahead of album launch

THE first video from Hurts’ much anticipated second album ‘Exile’ was unveiled through their social networks this morning.

‘Miracle’ received its first worldwide radio play on Huw Stephens show when he covered the Radio 1 breakfast show in the UK in early January, while his station-mate Zane Lowe described it as 'quality songwriting, brilliant production, really confident'.

‘Exile’, the band's follow-up album to their 2010 debut ‘Happiness’, can now be pre-ordered from iTunes, Amazon, Play and HMV.com, with ‘The Road’ available as an instant free track for any orders through iTunes.

Full tracklisting for ‘Exile’ is as follows –

1. Exile

2. Miracle

3. Sandman

4. Blind

5. Only You

6. The Road

7. Cupid

8. Mercy

9. The Crow

10. Somebody To Die For

11. The Rope

12. Help