Lucie Barât

Multi-talented artist Lucie Barât is set to release her new single Take Me Away on 24th November via Alya Records.

Being the sister of Carl Barât , of The Libertines fame, music is firmly embedded in Lucie’s blood.

Having always performed in bands, combining a love of writing and performing, Lucie has recorded with legendary David Bowie producer, Mark Plati and more recently with The Au Revoirs.

She has also appeared in both film, television, and worked in theatre production - having always been one for exploring creative outlets.

Ralph's been a little bit in love with Lucie Barât after playing her debut single Be Uprising on the Radio KC Indie Show last week (the new single will be on the show for a pre-relase spin soon) to some excellent online feedback, so we've slipped the video in for that below. You're welcome...

If you'd like to catch Lucie live then she has a couple of dates coming up...

Firstly on October 19th in Tunbridge Wells Forum followed by, November 2nd in Sticky Mike's Frog Bar, Brighton with another Ralph's Life favourite Brix Smith.

The edgier Lucie Barât sophomore single, Take Me Away, is about being stuck in a cycle of excess and wanting to reconnect to that innocent child with big dreams.

Yearning to gain back some purity, optimism and to be saved from a soul-eating cycle of hedonism and oblivion.

Speaking of the track, Lucie said...

“For me, it's about milestones in life. Stopping to take stock, looking backwards and seeing if you ended up where you thought you would be - looking forward and honestly asking yourself if you want to shift gears and make changes to your life.”

White Boy

If Marc Bolan and David Bowie had produced a bastard son to give their music a twist for future generations, then White Boy is the result. Although recently formed (frontman Joe Jones was previously with the much vaunted Janice Graham Band) they've produced 'Glitoris', an album of ten quality tracks that'll see them quickly rise to become firm favourites in their home city of Manchester (where they're already playing to sold-out venues) and beyond.








Ralph's already played the burgeoningly loud 'Kiss and Run' on his Radio KC show to much critical acclaim and the other nine tracks are no less glorious. The White Boy album is diverse in it's soundscape, all things to all listeners, from the almost disturbing start of lead track 'Mama' to the last note of the orchestral 'Star Child'. 

One of the real surprises is the cover of the (very) old David Essex single 'Rock On'. White Boy give it a fresh, cool direction with some clever use of horns and in your face vocalising.










Off the back of a successful Isle of White Festival performance White Boy are playing an interesting gig soon in The Macbeth, London followed by a return to Night and Day in Manchester. It'll give them an excellent chance to show The Big Smoke and their growing army of hometown fans the quality of this album as a live set, with 'Bleach' and 'Kiss and Run' perfect for the ears of a live audience.

Blair Jollands

Ralph's not averse to a bit of mean and moody vocalising and he's found it in spades with the release of the four track EP Stars Will Descend by Blair Jollands. 

New Zealand born and now based in London, Blair's style has been previously compared to Nick Cave or Rufus Wainright and I'm getting shades of a funky Leonard Cohen. 

The EP is a precursor to Blair Jollands eagerly awaited album Half Life which is due for release later this year.












Such is the critical acclaim Blair Jollands has already recieved it's probably not that surprising that his fanbase includes Boy George and David Bowie!

Blair Jollands has had a number of successful compositions in the world of film including the Golden Globe nominated Pride and recently had work included on the highly acclaimed Sky Atlantic series Fortitude.










Lead track Stars Will Descend sees Blair Jollands doing what he does best, pulling on the listeners heartstrings with a simple melody and plaintive vocal, not surprising it's single material. 

The more uplifting Carve It Up is no less listenable overlaid with some delightful sax whilst the deliciously dark and decadent My Way Home is my favourite of the four tracks. It's what every self-respecting serial killer should have on his ipod and I'll be giving it a spin on the Radio KC Indie Show this Sunday.

Blood From A Stone finishes off this quartet of almost malevolent tracks with more edgy almost dystopian musicality. It's music to drink red wine to on a stormy night with the headphones on.

APR

16

7:30 PM

RABBIT HOLE, HAMPSTEAD, LONDON.

• Thursday, April 16, 2015
• 7:30pm  11:30pm
• Duke Of Hamilton 

This will be an intimate gig downstairs at the Duke Of Hamilton in Hampstead village. 

Its an amazing venue - limited seating.

Also on the night featuring Adam White who will performing before hand as part of his EP release.

The Black Lamps

Whilst the barrage of music from the 'bright young things' is endless it's always nice when some grown-up music drops into the kennel. So Ralph was delighted when the postman dropped off a copy of the newly released album by The Black Lamps eponymous debut in all its shiny, translucent red vinyl glory before making a quick exit past the 'Beware Of The Dog' sign.








If you're a fan of anyone from Joy Division to Public Image Ltd, The Fall to The Cure then these Barnsley musical luminaries tick all the boxes. 

Describing themselves as a post-rock ambient guitar band, The Black Lamps have created a stunning selection of melodiously crafted 'shuffle and repeat' tracks that John Peel would have been happy to feature on his shows.











Collectively the musical pedigree of band members Liam Stewart (vocal & guitar), Dean Ormston (drums), Greg Firth (bass) and Lyndon Scarfe (guitar & keyboards) is almost as wide ranging as their musical influences.

The Black Lamps have a shared love of The Cure, David Bowie, The Pixies, The Ramones and The Bad Seeds however individualy it's an eclectic mix.

Greg has a penchant for post-punk and the heady days of C86 although more recent leanings are the likes of Mogwai, Sigur Ros and British Sea Power. 

Dean on the other hand has souled out (he regularly DJ's at local Northern Soul Nights) and his particular love is Curtis Mayfield. No bad thing says I.

Liam is very much the wordsmith favouring songwriters such as Nick Drake, Bowie, Nick Cave and Ralph's current favourite John Grant. 





Lyndon however professes an obsession with a multitude of musical delights ranging from elecronica and drone to post-rock and classical. 




The Black Lamps, having drawn on a lifetime of musical experience have created a must have album for any serious music collector. It looks good, it feels good, it sounds good...and by God it does you good! 

Stand out tracks for me are lead track The Archivist and Scissors, Paper, Stone which I've had on repeat all week and playlisted on Ralph's Radio KC Indie Show.

The cover artwork was created by Jamie Briggs from a painting by drummer Dean who is also a noted comic book artist who's work includes 2000AD and DC Comics.

Snippet aka Johnno Casson

Snippet aka Johnno Casson is the quintessential English musician.  Prolific, diverse, entertaining, clever, wistful and whimsical (no more so on his recently released mini-album 'DIY' and the track 'Let's Talk About Us' on which he comments on his winkle - and he isn't introducing us to his pet mollusc Brian).  It's a track Ralph's had on constant replay ever since he featured it on his Radio KC Sunday Show a couple of weeks back, and which received much favourable feedback.

A Londoner now based in Colchester, Johnno is also known to many as the establish artist Snippet, a funky folky, wonky pop multi instrumentalist, who has delivered an extremely well received range of vibrant releases in the last few years in the shape of four well received EP's and a debut album ‘Slowly Slowly Catchee Monkey’.  In the process he became most played artist in the history of BBC Introducing and was described by Q Magazine as - “reminiscent of early Beck."

It's a 12 track album and Johhno proves that he's all things to all listeners bringing you everything from funk (Let's Talk About Us) to electro (Come To My Party) and all in his own inimitable stylee.  There's a quirky little 22 second insert 'There's A Bear' between the two tracks that gives you an insight into the humour of the man.

Next track 'Absolutely Love' gives us a more laid back disco/funk feel and it's followed by another 20 second piece of quirky humor 'Hello Hello'.  This is followed by some of the aforementioned wistfulness with 'Gone To Ground' with it's shades of Bowie.

45 seconds of electronic quirk 'Memory Bot' lead us into 'Much To Much' which kicks in with a funky world music thrum overlaid with deft keyboards and laid back vocals.  It's an addictive track and one for the headphones on chilling in the garden.

'Absolutely Funk' is just that, a minute of funky instrumental, quickly followed by the almost Brit Pop-esque 'Celebration' (the next single maybe).  The album is rounded off with a short, subtle reprise of 'Let's Talk About Us' - lovely!

If you haven't already been introduced to his inimitable stylings then this is the perfect lead in...go and seek out his back catalogue or even better check him out live...I think you'll find he's one of the nicest blokes you'll ever meet...

Johnno is also a writer/team member of the Fresh On The Net Online Music Blog

21st SEPTEMBER- FOLKSTOCK FESTIVAL,HERTFORDSHIRE

The Travelling Band

The Travelling Band return with a new EP 'Hands Up' and have embarked on a mammoth 24-date UK tour, before releasing their new album which is produced by multi-platinum selling producer Iestyn Polson.  The tour was preceded by a live session on Marc Riley's BBC 6 Music show on and the ‘'Hands Up'’ EP is available on a 'pay what you want' basis prior to the session here..... http://thetravellingband.bandcamp.com

If the ‘'Hands Up'’ EP is a taste of what’s to come then bring it on. Original ingredients are maintained, intricate guitar lines and infectious rhythms interact with expansive chord structures and subtle tempo changes.  The EP leans more towards alt/rock than alt/folk but that's no bad thing for this Jack Russell's ears.  As Mumford and Sons churn out what they think their fans want to hear The Travelling Band have moved on from their last album with tunes that will stick in your head.  The lead track 'Hands Up' being a case in point with an almost anthemic feel.







The new album, "The Big Defreeze" was produced by multi platinum selling producer Iestyn Polson (David Gray, Patti Smith, David Bowie, Simple Kid), recorded at the turn of the year at The Church Studios in Crouch End, London.  Having spent the first half of 2012 writing followed by a summer of UK and European festival dates, the group successfully crowd-funded an album via Pledge Music, and quickly hit their target thanks to their enthusiastic fan base.





The Travelling Band are:

Jo Dudderidge (Vocals, Guitars, Keys)
Adam Gorman (Vocals, Guitars, Keys)
Steve Mullen (Lead Guitar, Vocals)
Chris Spencer (Bass)
Nick Vaal (Drums)








With such a wide range of venues available to you the length and breadth of the country, there's no excuse to miss catching them live and loud.....Ralph will have a review of their Electric Circus, Edinburgh gig for your delectation as soon as the pigeon drops it off.....


TOUR DATES – MARCH 2013


Wed 06: Edinburgh, Electric Circus
Thur 07: Glasgow, King Tut’s
Fri 08: Leeds, Brudenell Social Club*
Sat 09: York, Duchess
Sun 10: Liverpool, Eric’s
Tue 12: Manchester, Sound Control
Wed 13: Nottingham, Bodega
Thurs 14: Leicester, Donkey
Fri 15: Birmingham, Hare & Hounds
Sat 16: Cheltenham, Frog & Fiddle
Sun17: Cardiff, Buffalo Bar
Tue19: Bristol, Thelka
Wed 20: Oxford, Jericho Tavern
Thurs 21: Southampton, Cellar
Fri 22: Brighton, Green Door Store
Sat 23: Guildford, Boileroom
Sun 24: Tunbridge Wells, Forum
Tue 26: London, Lexington
Wed 27: Norwich, Arts Centre
Thurs 28: Cambridge, Portland Arms
Fri 29: Crewe, Box*
Sat 30: Hull, Adelphi






OK the pigeon's just landed.....and here's a review of the Electric Circus gig in Edinburgh courtesy of Malcolm Parry.

The first of two supports was local country/rock pop stars in the making: The Holy Ghosts

Really looked forward to finally catching these guys after hearing the word on how good they are live, also because of their nomination for best newcomer at this weekend's SAMA awards to be held in Glasgow on Friday.

As the 5 -piece stormed the stage and bounce straight into 'Damned if you don't', it's clear to me these guys are still buzzing after the awards nod, receiving a hero's welcome from this Edinburgh crowd like the good ole boys are back in town!  Warming us up through the first couple of in your face country rock/pop bangers was Singer Jack Sandison. Denim clad, armed with acoustic guitar & moves
a young Paul McCartney would have been jealous of. Lead guitarist Jon Mackenzie looked the part in a stetson hat, boots, Les Paul hung low, churning out melodic country rock licks like he just
came off a Gram Parsons '70's tour. We get infectious sing along choruses and tunes that will go down a storm at this year's festivals and hopefully gaining them a wider audience.

Their e.p is out this Saturday, available from their website or itunes - http://www.theholyghosts.co.uk/

Next up- Main support : Ellen and the Escapades 

Galloping in to their set with what could be easily disguised as an intro from a Morricone score is lead lady Ellen. A dainty, delicate singer, sounding to me like a cross between Stevie Nicks & Ann Wilson from early Heart,

backed up by a quality sounding band, though sometimes drowning out the singer with their dynamics. I'm sure on record the levels would work better.

Mid set, they slow it down for a bit of country tinged balladry, here Ellen comes into her own, hushed vocals, with gentle slide form the lead guitarist. All very nice though i longed for the bigger, bolder sounding tunes. My wish was granted with a couple of folk rock stompers

to finish, making an memorable exit to a nice set.Warming us up? Yes,
thank you!

for tonight's main act; 

The Travelling Band

One October in Manchester, many years ago, after an I am Kloot gig, I found myself in a bar called Big Hands with members of the band, some also from Elbow & a few music bizz lovelies.  Chatting away and drinking quite heavily, we all delved deeper in conversation when i asked "So, if you could recommend a Manchester band I would like, and haven't heard off, who would it be"? 

The reply 'The Travelling Band'.....

Fast forward to the night of the gig and me wishing I had taken his advice a bit more deeply.  Only buying the odd song, though I enjoyed what i heard, realistically, I couldn't call myself a fan.  Tonight we learn that the band's new album was funded by the fans, a fashion which seems to be working and avoiding lining the pockets of what's left of the music labels, a comment which lead singer Jo Dudderidge makes mid set.

The band taking to the stage, refraining from starting to play to urge the audience to move in closer, nice touch! Of course, they oblige.They start with an instrumental and instantly i'm taken aback; Wow! Their so tight!!  Lead singer Jo moving smothly into Old tune 'Only waiting', an impressive start.  Next up we get country / folk balladry number'Screaming is Something'.  Jo passing the vocal baton over to Adam Gorman, a looser vocal delivery.  They swap instruments and tune up for the next number: '25 hours' which is lifted from their upcoming album 'The Big Defreeze'.

The crowd are waiting, the singers lacking a bit of banter at this point, then comedy timing prevails in Adam saying ' Sorry! It takes 25 hours to tune a 12 string'  It was worth the wait!

A chunkier sounding tune to the last two, moving into a newer sound than previous offerings they up the pace with another tune, this one from both the album & current EP 'Hand's Up' ( a pay what you want on Bandcamp ). This being more of an alt / rock sound, reminding me of British Sea Power, especially on 'Passing Ships' which comes later in the set and both stand out tunes. I'm liking it!

Jo meets Adam at the 200m mark to take back the baton, launching into 'Battlescars' you would think these guys would have a few scars after the last few busy tours.  It doesn't show.

We move swiftly into another infectious folk/rock beauty 'For All The Fallen', a big uplifting chorus which your guaranteed to still be humming when you leave the venue.

A real highlight come's next; the title track from their excellent new e.p 'Hands Up' with dirty guitar riff intro and shouty harmonies. Sounding like mid 90's The Bluetones mixed with the latter work of 

The Decemberists.  Getting back to the follow up tune 'Passing Ships', the Patrick Watson stylee piano keys ring out furiously, British Sea Power anthemic vocals, building to a Sigur Ros- festival and Arcade Fire- no cars go crescendo. 

Very Uplifting and destined for main stage festivals.The last two numbers they build to a cosmic freak out proving their a match for any stadium band. Ending their set each band member leaves one at a
time, leaving us with a ringing in our ears, guitar feedback and an urge to hit the merchandise stand. Any respectable 70's rock band couldn't have done it any better.

But wait! Their not finished, unfortunately they have gone over the time curfew but we don't care and neither do they! We're treated to a gorgeous vocals only acoustic number 'Borrowed & Blue' (another tune from the new album) in front of the stage, among us mere mortals. A perfect end to a great night of Americana, alt /rock.

Speaking to Jo later I asked why they decided to go for a more heavier, anthemic sound? His reply "It's a natural progression after playing all the festivals".  Tonight they proved their demand for a wider audience. They are the anti- alternative to bands like Mumford & Sons, refusing to churn out rehashed riffs & melodies, re-inventing themselves for the old and newer fans.

Hopefully after this review you will agree that I can now call myself a fan?

So if your reading this...get well 'travelled' and go see this Band!!!

A popular method of producing an album with Indie bands at the moment is crowd funding and The Travelling Band have been involved in one of the more successful, with their trusty band of fans taking them to their Pledge amount and beyond.....

Hello and welcome to our Pledge Music page

Having spent much of 2012 writing new songs we’re nearly ready to go into the studio to record album three. This time we’re going to do something a bit different and we want you to be involved from the very start!

From our early pub gigs to playing festival stages all around the world, you’ve always been the most amazing of fans. Every gig you’ve come to, every album you’ve bought has kept us on the road and making music. As a way of saying thank you we’re giving you the chance to be involved in a totally new way. We’re offering up a range intimate experiences which will bring us even closer to you and in doing so you will be helping us raise the funds we need to make our new album.

We’re teaming up with PledgeMusic so you can ‘Pledge’ on the new album (basically pre-order it) as well as pledging on range of other fun and ace things we’re really excited about. These range from signed albums, spending a day in our jam room, VIP gig tickets, guitar lessons, gigs in your living room and even owning a signed guitar that will be used on the record.

By getting involved at this early stage you’ll be able to get various one-time, one-of-a-kind objects from the vaults of The Travelling Band’s underground musical lair and for a lucky few there will even be an opportunity to sing backing vocals on the album. You can see these on the right hand side of the page. Postage & packing costs are included in the prices that you see and will be calculated according to your shipping address.

All through the campaign you’ll get free access to our ‘Pledgers Only’ area here on PledgeMusic. It’s sort of like an online backstage, where we’ll give you access to a load of never-before-seen stuff, such as rare demos, remixes, videos from the studio and loads, loads more…

We’ll be working towards a minimum number of pledges to make all of this possible, and you’ll be able to track our progress with the percentage above. Once we’ve hit 100% we’ll know we have your support and we can start the wheels in motion for delivering all these great items.

So as you can see, there are so many great reasons to be a part of this album from the beginning. Thanks again from all of us for a wonderful few years.

Here’s to many more!

Jo, Adam, Chris, Steve and Nick

The Travelling Band

Here's what you can get for your money.....

PLEDGE

• New Album download + updates
  £ 8

PLEDGE PLUS

New Album download + updates, PLUS another exclusive below.

• New Album CD
  £ 12+
• New Album Signed CD
  £ 15+
• Travelling Band Chilli Sauce
  £ 15+
• New Travelling Band T-Shirt
  £ 20+
• Handwritten lyric sheet
  £ 25+
• Signed drum skins as played on the new album
  £ 30+
• Your name in the album CD credits
  £ 30+
• 2x Travelling Band VIP Passes
  £ 50
• Signed artwork screenprint
  £ 50+
• Drum Clinic with Nick
  £ 60
• One-on-one Guitar Lessons with Mugger
  £ 60
• Come to a rehearsal in Manchester
  £ 100
• Sing backing vocals on the album!
  £ 200
• Record a Cover Song of Your Choice
  £ 500
• Signed acoustic guitar, played on the album
  £ 500
• Acoustic House party gig in the UK
  £ 750
• Full-band house concert anywhere in the UK
  £ 1,000
• Travelling Band Song Day – Your Song
  
  
• Cut Spenny’s and Nick’s Hair Off