Any readers Stateside are in for a treat and a half in the new year. Loney Dear are to support their hero Andrew Bird on a full US tour in January and February. This will be the first ‘proper’ chance to hear new material from both acts’ new records - which are both out in the new year. Exciting times indeed. They’ve played shows together before and are big fans of each others work. Bird even supplying violin on Loney’s new record Dear John.
In other news, Loney Dear are also set to return to the UK in January for a full band show at a VERY special London venue. I’ve been sworn to secrecy for now, but lets just say that I nearly wet myself when I found out. It’s going to be a religious experience for sure.
And REMEMBER - 8th December is our TLOBF christmas party at Old Blue Last, London EC2. It’s free entry and promises to be a mega night. Joining a solo Loney Dear will be Martin Carr of Boo Radleys fame, the awesome garage-folk-rock hybrid of Adam Donen & The Drought plus Bella Union DJs.. There will be more suprise guest(s) announced soon. Keep an eye out on the Facebook event page for all the latest additions.
Loney Dear solo dates:
December 08 - Old Blue Last, London (TLOBF CHRISTMAS PARTY w/ VERY special guests - FREE ENTRY)
10 - Mercury Lounge, NYC, NY (W/ MELPO MENE)
12 - Bellhouse, Brooklyn, NY (W/ MELPO MENE)
Loney Dear and Andrew Bird dates:
January 30 - Boston, MA The Orpheum
February 03 - Washington, DC The 930 Club
04 - Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
06 - Orlando, FL The Plaza
07 - New Orleans, LA House of Blues
12 - Austin, TX The Paramount Theater
13 - Albuquerque, NM The El Rey
14 - Tucson, AZ The Rialto
18 - Los Angeles, CA The Orpheum
19 - San Francisco, CA T
Easily one of the best UK debut albums of 2008, Little Death by Reading’s Pete and The Pirates has been on heavy rotation at TLOBF towers all year. A short, sharp, attack of the senses with a great big giant pop heart. Brilliant.
The guys are currently on a UK tour in support of the record and we have two pairs of tickets to give away for their show at London’s ULU on 27th November. The two winners will also receive signed copies of Little Death and a Pete and The Pirates t-shirt. Ooooh arrrr me hearties etc.
To be in with a chance of winning simply answer the following question.
Which record label are Pete and The Pirates signed to in the UK?
Send your answer, along with your name, address and a contact telephone number to competition@thelineofbestfit.com with the subject line Pete and The Pirates ULU
Closing date is Monday 24th November. Winners will be notified via email.
The Black Keys vocalist and guitarist Dan Auerbach as unveiled plans for a solo project, and tour, for early next year.
Called Keep It Hid, it’s due in February on Nonesuch, after which Auerbach will go on an 11-date solo tour around the U.S.
Speaking to Billboard.com, Auerbach said “It’s all over the map. I write songs for the Black Keys, so some of them sound like they could be Black Keys songs. But some songs are just acoustic guitar. There’s some real dark tunes and some psychedelic rumbas. It’s all that stuff I grew up playing — all those bluegrass harmonies. I experimented a little bit with instrumentation.”
Recorded at Auerbach’s Akron, Ohio, studio “Keep It Hid” is something of a family affair; the artist’s father Chuck wrote the song “Whispered Words,” while his uncle, James Quine, sings and plays electric guitar on “Street Walkin’.” Auerbach’s protege, Jessica Lea Mayfield, appears on “When the Night Comes.”
I can’t wait to hear it…
Here are Dan Auerbach’s solo tour dates:
Feb. 28: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
March 1: Boston (Paradise)
March 2: Brooklyn, N.Y. (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
March 3: New York (Bowery Ballroom)
March 5: Cleveland (Beachland Ballroom)
March 6: Chicago (Metro)
March 7: Minneapolis (First Avenue)
March 10: Seattle (Showbox)
March 11: Portland, Ore. (Wonder Ballroom)
March 13: San Francisco (Bimbo’s)
March 14: Los Angeles (El Rey Theatre)
Beach House are back with a brand new single ‘Used To Be’ which comes out via Bella Union on 27th November. Putting it bluntly, you really should buy it - it is without doubt the best thing they’ve recorded thus far and could well be one of my favourite singles of 2008. Like, seriously.
To coincide with the single release, Victoria and Alex are flying over to Blighty for a one off London show at Cargo on 2nd December. It promises to be a corker of a show and a sneaky chance to hear some brand new material from the duo’s as yet untitled third album which they are due to finish recording early next year. Exciting times indeed.
We have not one, but TWO pairs of tickets to give away for the show. The two winners will also receive both Beach House albums (self-titled and Devotion), a copy of ‘Used To Be’ on 7″ AND a Beach House T-Shirt. Sweeeeeet! To be in with a chance of winning simply answer the following question..
Which US State do Beach House come from?
Closing date is Wednesday 26th November. Email your answers to competition@thelineofbestfit.com including your name, address and a contact telephone number.
Below is the first glimpse of new material from Secret Machines in their recently revamped line-up. Called ‘Atomic Heels’ this is the lead single from the hotly anticipated self-titled third album, due for release on Jan 19th 2009.
The beginning of next year looks to be tour-tastic by the number of bands gracing these shores to banish the new year blues.
First up, Of Monteal have revealed plans for a European tour:
January 2009
20 Germany Berlin Kesselhaus
21 Holland Amsterdam Paradiso
22 Belgium Brussels Rotunde
23 Holland Utrecht Tivoli
24 UK Brighton Digital
26 UK Glasgow Oran Mor
27 N Ireland Belfast Kitten Tree
28 Ireland Dublin Button Factory
29 UK Manchester Club Academy
30 France Lille Aeronef
31 France Paris Bataclan
Februay 2009
1 France Strasbourg Laiterie
Then Late of the Pier have decided to tour the UK in February, tickets are on sale now for these:
February 2009
3rd BATH Burdalls Yard
4th EXETER Phoenix
5th WOLVERHAMPTON Civic Hall
7th SHEFFIELD Leadmill
8th GLASGOW Oran Mor
9th ABERDEEN Moshulu
11th MIDDLESBROUGH Empire
12th LEEDS Metro
13th DERBY The Royal
14th MANCHESTER Academy 2
16th OXFORD Zodiac
17th LONDON Forum
18th BRIGHTON C2
20th PORTSMOUTH Wedgewood Rooms
21st HITCHIN Remix
22nd CAMBRIDGE Junction
The annual Big Scary Monsters Christmas Tour is back! Bigger, better and more exciting than ever before.
An indie institution, the last 5 years have seen more festive joy than Miracle On 34th Street and more carnage than a Home Alone film. The first two only, of course. This years tour sees a revolving cast of treats from the BSM roster, ensuring that every single night will be different to the last. So alongside label stalwarts such as Secondsmile and This Town Needs Guns, some new faces from 2008, such as Blakfish, Pulled Apart By Horses and the mighty Tubelord, will be making their debut appearances, as well as a handful of very exciting 2009 favourites-to-be, including the wonderful Copy Haho - who frankly kick MAJOR ASS.
Expect to find mince pies, free things and some form of drunken St Nick at the following shows…
December 4 - Glasgow, Sneaky Pete’s (Copy Haho) 6 - Leeds, Brudenell Social Club (Bone Fest - Tubelord + Secondsmile + Blakfish + Copy Haho + Shapes + Dananananaykroyd and more) 7 - Nottingham, Chameleons Art Cafe (Tubelord + Secondsmile + Shoes And Socks Off) 9 - Brighton, The Hope (This Town Needs Guns + Secondsmile and more) 10 - London, The Windmill (This Town Needs Guns + Blakfish + Shapes + Shoes And Socks Off) 11 - Oxford, The Cellar (This Town Needs Guns + Secondsmile + House of Brothers) 12 - Sheffield, House Party (Pulled Apart By Horses + Blakfish + Shoes And Socks Off) 13 - Birmingham, The Flapper (Blakfish + Shapes + more)
For the first and probably last time of my life, I wish I lived in Leeds. LOOK AT THAT LINEUP?!?! Cor.
Neil Finn has announced plans to record a follow-up to his 2002 live album Seven Worlds Collide, including some of the the same faces. These include Ed O’Brien and Phil Selway of Radiohead, Jeff Tweedy, John Stirrat, Glenn Kotche and Pat Sansone from Wilco and Johnny Marr from, well, whatever indie band he happens to be involved with that week.
Now, this follow-up will be a studio project, unnamed, which will recorded “over the next few months” in Auckland and will be released next year. Many of the guest artists will also join Finn for a concert series the first week of January at Auckland’s Powerstation.
Save for the Wilco members, the other guests all participated in “Seven Worlds Collide,” alongside Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder. All proceeds from the new endeavor will benefit international development organization Oxfam.
I honestly cannot wait for this - two of my favourite songwriters in Finn and Tweedy together in studio. 2009 is shaping up nicely…
Bruce Springsteen’s new album Working on a Dream has been set for a January 27 release on Columbia Records.
The new album was recorded with the E Street Band and features twelve new Springsteen compositions plus two bonus tracks and is the fourth collaboration between Springsteen and Brendan O’Brien, who produced and mixed the album.
1. Outlaw Pete
2. My Lucky Day
3. Working on a Dream
4. Queen of the Supermarket
5. What Love Can Do
6. This Life
7. Good Eye
8. Tomorrow Never Knows
9. Life Itself
10. Kingdom of Days
11. Surprise, Surprise
12. The Last Carnival
Bonus tracks:
The Wrestler
A Night with the Jersey Devil
Springsteen commented on the recording process, saying “Towards the end of recording ‘Magic,’ excited by the return to pop production sounds, I continued writing. When my friend producer Brendan O’Brien heard the new songs, he said, ‘Let’s keep going.’ Over the course of the next year, that’s just what we did, recording with the E Street Band during the breaks on last year’s tour. I hope ‘Working on a Dream’ has caught the energy of the band fresh off the road from some of the most exciting shows we’ve ever done. All the songs were written quickly, we usually used one of our first few takes, and we all had a blast making this one from beginning to end.”
On 16 March 2009 Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy is to release a brand new album, called Beware!, on Domino.
Joining Bonny deep in the mix of Beware, the roll-call of top players include the band (Josh Abrams, Jennifer Hutt, Emmett Kelly and Michael Zerang) and special guests (Dee Alexander, Leroy Bach, Jim Becker, Robert Cruz, DV DeVincentis, Jon Langford, Greg Leisez, Rob Mazurek, Nicole Mitchell and Azita Youseffi)!
Beware Tracklisting:
1. Beware Your Only Friend
2. You Can’t Hurt Me Now
3. My Life’s Work
4. Death Final
5. Heart’s Arms
6. You Don’t Love Me
7. You Are Lost
8. I Won’t Ask Again
9. I Don’t Belong to Anyone
10. There Is Something I Have To Say
11. I Am Goodbye
12. Without Work, You Have Nothing
13. Untitled
Bonny does not tour in support of records, however he will tour simultaneous with the record release, even in major markets. Beware! indeed…
The Leisure Society at last months TLOBF CLub Night
Friends of TLOBF The Leisure Society need your help, dear reader. Yes, their new single ‘The Last Of The Melting Snow’ has been hand picked by Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie at Radio 2 for inclusion on their ‘Pick n Mix’ feature. Basically - each week, Mark and Stuart pick four of their favourite new tracks and it’s down to you to vote for your favourite. The winning track will be played every day the following week. Exposure-tastic.
The Christmas-y ‘The Last Of The Melting Snow’ is the bands debut single and will get its official release via the awesome Wilkommen Records on December 15th. So being as it’s nearly Christmas time, why not give the gift that keeps on giving and pledge your vote here.
Check out and befriend The Leisure Society at their myspaz page here and if the mood takes you, download our Building With Stringscompilation from earlier in the year which features ‘Come To Your Senses’ by The Leisure Society, plus some wicked good tracks by Loney Dear, Sambassedeur and Sons Of Noel and Adrian. Yeah.
Jeremy Warmsley, your friend and mine, dropped us a line about his new internet TV show, called, “Jeremy Warmsley’s New Thing”. His original show, WTOTS is on hiatus for a little while… so you’ll have to make do with this…
This first episode features Mechanical Bride, Jay Jay Pistolet and Peggy Sue, and was filmed on a light-up dance floor at the Electricity Showrooms in London.
Toronto’s Ten Kens are about to embark on their inaugural UK tour, and to celebrate they have created a brand new animated video for ‘Spanish Fly’, one of the standout tracks on their eponymous debut. Instead of releasing a single, the band is giving away a free download of the song that inspired the video. The video was developed and created independently by close friends of the band, The Blackbelt Kids. It was directed by fellow Toronto native Kareem Thompson and animated by Peter Auld and Louis Norris.
You can download an mp3 version of ‘Spanish Fly’ by clicking here. All they ask is that you sign up to their mailing list.. Not too much to ask, is it now??
We caught up with the guys a few weeks ago. If you happened to miss the interview, you can check it out here.
November
28 - London, The Lexington
29 - Birmingham, Barfly*
30 - Glasgow, Nice N’Sleazys*
December
1 - Edinburgh, Cabaret Voltaire
2 - York, The Duchess
4 - Manchester, The Roadhouse*
5 - Leeds, The Cockpit*
6 - Cardiff , Clwb Ifor Beach*
8 - London, ICA*
9 - London, Blow Up Metro
10 - London, 229**
* supporting A Place To Bury Strangers
**with Stricken City
Relatively unknown here in Blighty, Candadian five-piece Wintersleep have been causing modest sized waves over in their homeland and the States. This year alone they have won a Juno Award for Best New Group and a Much Music Award for Best Independent Video (check it out here), they have spent most of the year away from their adopted hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, building their growing army of fans touring with fellow Canadians Black Mountain and Wolf Parade, amongst others. Now it’s time for us Brits to get in on the action.. See, this band is something really fucking special. Their album Welcome To The Night Sky has been on regular rotation here at TLOBF Towers ever since they were nominated for Canada’s answer to the Mercury Prize - The Polaris Award, a few months ago.
The album (produced by tony Doogan - Mogwai, Super Furry Animals, Explosions In The Sky) will finally get a UK release in February of next year, and preceeding that the band will play three London dates to whet our appetite.
Stopping off at:
Dec 4th London, Club Fandango @ 229
Dec 5th London, Club NME @ Koko
Dec 16th London, Borderline
You can download the bands brand new single ‘Archaeologists’ for FREE(!) right here. Let us know what you think of it in the comments box below…
Cat Power started the year with Jukebox, her second album of cover songs and a tribute to the great vocalists who had influenced her over the years.
And now, to end the year, Cat Power is to release another set of covers, recorded at the same productive sessions as Jukebox, and now finally released.
The remaining unreleased tracks are to be aired this December in the form of Dark End Of The Street, a six-track gatefold double-10″ and download EP (tracklisting below).
Tracklisting:
1. Dark End Of The Street (James Carr/Aretha Franklin) *
2. Fortunate Son (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
3. Ye Auld Triangle (The Pogues) *
4. I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) (Otis Redding)
5. Who Knows Where The Time Goes (Sandy Denny/Fairport Convention) *
6. It Ain’t Fair (Aretha Franklin) *
Hailing from North Carolina, Benji Hughes looks like the bastard offspring of Greg Allman and Roy Wood. And Captain Caveman. Here is an extravegantly bearded man, something that always goes someway to winning me over, releasing, from out of nowhere, a 25 track double CD debut that spans pretty much every genre going with absolute ease. It’s obscene. Theres an awful lot to love.
Originally, I tried writing this in the style of the Phil Spector Christmas message from the sleeve notes to ‘A Christmas Gift For You’, but then when I read it back I realised it made me sound a bit mental. All that stuff about great traditions being contemporised through the pop music of today. It wasn’t really like that. We didn’t set out to write a Christmas song, it just turned out that it couldn’t be anything else, and however much we tried to pretend it was just a song about snow, it would always make us think of Christmas when we listened to it. I guess some songs just are what they are, and there’s nothing you can do about it. If a song wants to be a Christmas song it will be a Christmas song, or any other type of song it wants to be.
And because the song could never be anything else, we thought we’d better release it as a Christmas single, and so that you can enjoy it too we’re going to make it available for everyone to buy from December 15th. And then we thought perhaps we should throw a party and invite you all along, so we’re playing a Christmas show at the Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen to coincide with its release. This is the first single to be released on our own Too Young To Die label since we put out ‘Paper Cuts’ three years ago, and I don’t think I’ve been as excited about a record of ours coming out since then.
Our new album will be released in March next year, but for now This is ‘The First Snowflake’, a little pop song about feeling lost and alone at Christmas. I hope it makes you happy in the way that all the best sad songs should, and I hope you have as much fun listening to it as we did recording it for you.
Glasvegas have been announced as headliners of next year’s Shockwaves NME Awards Tour.
This annual showcase for the “hottest new acts in the country” will take in 17 towns and will also feature White Lies, Friendly Fires and Florence And The Machine. And, let’s be honest, that’s quite a TLOBF-friendly list…
Tickets for the tour go on sale tomorrow (November 12th) at 9am.
January
29 Liverpool University
30 Glasgow Academy
February
1 Newcastle Academy
3 Sheffield Academy
4 Birmingham Academy
6 Manchester Academy
8 Leeds Academy
10 Lincoln Engine Shed
11 Nottingham Rock City
12 Norwich UEA
14 Cardiff University
15 Bristol Academy
16 Brighton Dome
17 Oxford Academy
19 Portsmouth Pyramid
20 Cambridge Corn Exchange
21 Brixton Academy
Noah and The Whale have announced they are to headline PUSH Club’s New Years Eve party, the final ever NYE to be held at The Astoria, on 31st December.
The band broke off from the midst of a UK tour, performing to huge audiences across the country to provide the following comment:
“After detailed, protracted and highly confidential rider negotiations, Noah and the Whale have agreed to play Push Club’s New Years Eve party. An extension to Urby Whale’s clothing rail and an application to the city electric and water boards withstanding, the band are looking forward to joining forces with their long-term friends and crushed velvet enthusiasts Young and Lost Club. No strangers to the regorian calendar and modest celebration, Noah and the Whale will enact their musical first-footing at the Astoria 2 where there will be no burning of the clavie, no fire poi and minimal street drumming.”
PUSH Club promoter Pedro Morales added: “It’s fitting that the final ever New Years Eve at The Astoria will be headlined by one of our favourite bands. Let’s party hard, because in 5 Years Time, there’ll be nothing but a shiny new tube stop.”
Noah And The Whale headline PUSH Club New Years Eve
31st December 2008
9pm – 4am
Astoria 2, 165 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0EN
