Hare and Hounds

Phantom Limb will release their anticipated new album, The Pines, on February 13, via Naim Edge Records. This will follow the December 12 release of the title track.  Having performed a sold-out show at London’s The Bowery in November (having already played huge dates around the UK with Rumer, at her personal request, as well as Solomon Burke, Candi Staton and many others) further live plans will be announced nearer the album’s release.

Phantom Limb are an unusual musical prospect, drawing together a range of different sounds and experiences. By day, various members of the group have earned their crust as session musicians, vocalists and songwriters, skirting round the edges of the industry. A glance at their collective musical CV would list collaborations with everyone from Pee Wee Ellis and Percy Sledge to Tom Jones.  Charismatic lead singer Yolanda Quartey, who has sung lead spots with Nitin Sawhney and Chase & Status, spent the summer of 2008 touring with Massive Attack, written for Will Young and performed backing vocals for Adele and Dizzee Rascal. By Yolanda’s own admission, though, the band has found it hard remaining in the shadows. “You’re supposed to be able to shrink back,” as she puts it. “I’ve had to play down my voice, and that’s the worst thing, actually.”

Having met by chance amidst these workmanlike sessions, Phantom Limb formed in 2004, and released their self-titled debut album in 2008. Yet it is with their second offering – The Pines – that you sense they’re truly stepping out to the front of the stage. The Pines is an assured, well-studied and heartfelt record, absorbing an array of classic influences. Musically, the songs stand at the crossroads between Country and classic R&B, which – from Ray Charles’ country albums to The Staple Singers fronting The Band – still feels relatively unexplored. Yet as Yolanda succinctly puts it, “Country and gospel are the same, just with different race singers.” The skill of Phantom Limb lies in their ability to assimilate these seemingly-disparate influences in a manner that feels effortless and idiosyncratic.

The Pines was in part conceived on the road, then in rural France, before being produced by Marc Ford (The Black Crowes) in Signal Hill; the oil capital of California. All proved to be conducive settings for an album largely written about escape. It’s all there in the restlessness of the title track, as well as the bruised-hearted Muscle Shoals vibes of ‘Give Me A Reason’. The resigned, working-for-the-man sigh of ‘Gravy Train’ captures the overriding sense that the band have spent all day making ends meet, but will sing songs they love long into the night. The Pines themselves act as a central metaphor for the longing to break out, and creatively, Phantom Limb appears to provide these expert musicians with the opportunity to do just that.

Some stellar musicianship aside, The Pines is arguably held together by the powerful, tender vocals of Yolanda. “My voice was pretty much incongruously massive from a very young age,” she laughs. “I used to sing Aretha Franklin as well as Dolly Parton, but I always had country licks more than soul licks. So I thought, I have to try to find a place for them both, and it took years.” And while it may have taken them their time, The Pines sees Phantom Limb find a space that is very much their own.

“A thoroughly unique work of art from start to finish. Whether by hook or crook, you MUST own this album. RATING – 5 / 5″. Channel 4 (UK)

We’re very sorry but due to circumstances beyond our control this show has been cancelled

The perfect big fun band – Balkan Gypsy with Latin and Afro-beats with a twist of Middle-Eastern and Hip-Hop! Guaranteed to blow your socks off!

The Magic Tombolinos, fronted by the charismatic Argentine – Alejandro Toledo, seem to have come from out of nowhere, not only storming the world music scene, but bursting its banks in the process…

“None of us in the group really understand what ‘world music’ means, we just absorb what we like and play what we please.” – Alejandro Toledo

Triumphant performances at festivals across Europe, including raucous showings at WOMAD and Larmer Tree in the UK, are amongst the year’s highlights.

With members hailing from Italy, Portugal and Costa Rica (in addition to Argentina), the group have woven together a cohesive, lithe and exuberant sound, despite their varied musical backgrounds. Elements of Balkan, gypsy, jazz and flamenco music (all performed with an assured swagger), coupled with their energetic live shows, have invited comparisons to bands such as Gogol Bordello, Mano Negra (Manu Chao),  Rodrigo y Gabriela and Fanfare Ciocarlia.

September 2011 sees the release of their debut album, ‘Full Attack, With Sudden Defenses’ (Inclusionism Records).

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“I love the music these guys come out with, great energy” Maxi Jazz (Faithless)

“They don’t do energetic, they do nuclear!” Rob Brydon

“Be sure to catch them live, and bring your dancing shoes” Songlines

“Bursting with a contagious happiness” fRoots

“Multinational they may be, but to a man they’re very much our own” WOMAD

A rare UK show by Grant Hart founding member of the seminal noise pop and hardcore punk band Husker Du live at the Hare & Hounds

Husker Du and R.E.M. were the two American post-punk bands of the ’80s that changed the direction of rock & roll. While R.E.M. became a superstar band; Husker Du’s legacy is that of a hugely influential cult band. Indeed, their albums between 1981 and 1987 provided the sonic blueprint for the roaring punk-pop hybrid that crossed over into the mainstream in the early ’90s. Not only did they shape the sound of the music, they shaped the way independent bands made the transition to the major labels; they showed other bands that it was possible to record uncompromising music on a major label without losing any integrity or creative control. From the Replacements to Nirvana, the Pixies to Superchunk, nearly every major and minor band that appeared in the alternative underground in the late ’80s and ’90s owed a major debt to Husker Du.

Leaving the group in 1987, Grant formed Nova Mob before going completely solo in 1997. Grant’s solo records have been subtle, thematic renderings that move the listener along the route, building up to climaxes all the more dramatically including the critically acclaimed Good News for Modern Man that continued with his practice of laying down all the instrumental tracks himself. He often performs with Patti Smith and has shared the stage with such notables as Charles Plymell, Philip Glass and of course his late friend William S. Burroughs. Come enjoy a very special performance at the Hare & Hounds by one of America’s most enigmatic and loved artists he combines early Husker Du favourites with his own solo album material.

“Multi-layered, sensationally good and endlessly absorbing…an extraordinary album.”  THE SUNDAY TIMES, UK,  ‘Hadestown‘, CD of the Week *****

“Mitchell has created something joyful and witty that yields more with every listen” THE GUARDIAN, UK *****

“Hadestown is nothing short of incredible, whether you extract individual tracks like ‘Wedding Song” or listen to the endearing tale as an artfully rollicking whole. Mitchell has always been good, but “Hadestown” is her Odyssey” NME 9/10

“Oh, by now, I must have grown”, Alessi Laurent-Marke croons beautifully, four songs into her stunning sophomore album Time Travel. And hasn’t she just – not yet 21 but already a seasoned pro, having recorded her debut album aged just 17, with members of Bright Eyes, and touring with the likes of Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons and Brighton cult faves the Willkommen Collective. Time Travel is the first Alessi’s Ark album since signing to Bella Union, where her acutely melodic and exquisitely tender folk-pop charms haven’t just grown; they’ve blossomed into something extraordinarily mature.

Intimacy is the key not just to Time Travel’s sound but also its soul. “This is a collection of songs that have mostly grown from travelling and touring, away from the familiarity of home, family and friends.”

The experience of recording Time Travel – in Brighton’s Electric Studios with Wilkommen Collective’s Marcus Hamblett and at Bryn Derwen in Wales with David Wrench (Beth Orton, Bat for Lashes) – gave the album its name. “In Brighton, we did 12 hour days and had no idea what was going on in the outside world. In Wales, there was no phone signal, and it felt far away from everything”.

The 12-track Time Travel keeps alternating between anxiety and joy, between childlike wishes and grown-up truths – how change can force us apart but also signify growth. ‘Run’ acknowledges that you must let friends go, “to chase their dreams, even if it takes them away from you”. ‘Wire’ imagines a man who knows he hasn’t chased his dreams, and time is running out.

The album’s one cover version, Lesley Gore’s 1965 smash ‘Maybe I Know’, is a classic from the ’60s girl-group glory days of teen angst disguised as sweet and innocent pop. “On the surface, the song is very pretty but the lyrics are very sad and dark”.

Such is Alessi’s ability to look for the good in others and hold out hope for the rest of us. Oh, and one more fact; with her mum, nan and aunt, she runs a little cottage industry knitting bags for every item sold through her website. Where indeed has Alessi landed from? Be prepared to be transported.

Welcome to the beautifully strange world of Colourmusic, a place where concept albums, an LP named “My _____ is Pink” in this case, have nothing to do with structured narratives or loosely-linked lyrics.   More like musical walls that must be climbed.
That explains a couple things, starting with My _____ is Pink’s actual sound. Rounded out by bassist Colin Fleishacker, drummer Nicholas Ley, and British guitarist Nick Turner, Colourmusic’s new material amounts to an ever-evolving mass of melancholic melodies, gauzy vocals, shifty beats, and monophonic musical structures. Not to mention glimpses of agnostic gospel grooves (“You For Leaving Me”), hip-shaking R&B (“Feels Good To Wear”), acid-drenched pop (“Tog”), and Bladerunner-inspired psych (“Pororoca”, which means — quite tellingly —“great destructive noise” in many parts of South America).

Colourmusic will be performing at SXSW, ahead of these UK and European shows in May and June.

‘a well oiled song making noise machine… and quite possibly the loudest band I’ve ever seen.’

‘Live they are simulatnouesly heavy and euphoric, like AC/DC covering the Lips, with frontman Ryan Hendrix’s coming on like a cult-leader – spooky, uplifting and ever so slightly odd.’

+ support Zebedy Rays-

Hailing from deepest Worcestershire ZEBEDY RAYS are an intense new band set to unleash themselves onto the UK’s music scene. Their sound is a combination of sleazy guitar riffs, pounding basslines, and an onstage energy that is absolutely bursting at the seams!

“Brilliant!” – Huw Stephens, Radio 1

Marcus contributed a song to the Twilight soundtrack, entitled Let Me Sign, sung by Robert Pattinson and two songs in the road movie Five Dollars a Day starring Christopher Walken and Sharon Stone, this was enough to light a fire under Marcus’s name, and create a lot of  excitement.

With astonishing rapidity, he had now became a word-of-mouth sensation, and by the middle of 2010 this still unsigned new artist had already racked up over a million hits on his MySpace page, while his Twitter account was followed in the tens of thousands. It prompted record labels to court him, and he eventually signed to Communion/Geffen Records shortly before Christmas. Communion Records is the label owned by Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons, Kevin Jones, and producer Ian Grimble.

www.myspace.com/marcusfoster

“Falls impressively close to the ground occupied by Van Morrison’s masterful Astral Weeks” – Q

“Remarkably talented and excitingly different” – The Independent

How does a 19 year-old, ginger haired kid from Suffolk, go on to record an EP with the best of the hard-to-please grime scene; clock up 2 million hits on YouTube; seize spins on 1Xtra, Channel AKA and BBC Introducing; stay at Jamie Foxx’s LA pad and perform on his radio show; sell-out Headline shows across the UK; and bag hoards of screaming females along the way?!?… Answer: Follow the Ed Sheeran School of folk-hip-hop! Ed was never going to be defeated by his gingerness, poor eyesight and lack of hearing in one ear – his “slightly depressing” childhood endowed him with balls of steel and a wicked sense of humour instead… Meeting one of his idols Damian Rice backstage at a gig in Ireland, the then 11-year old Ed heeded Rice’s words of advice and wrote his very first song the next day. This led to a summer of recording and shows in London aged just 14. Ed would later add beat-boxing, rapping and the loop pedal to his repertoire soon becoming a highlight on the acoustic circuit (despite frequently having to sneak in the back door due to his youthful stature). He also landed a job as a roadie with Nizlopi (‘JCB Song’), jetting off at every opportunity to change their guitar strings. At 16 Ed moved to London permanently . Gigging daily for the entirety of his first year in the Big Smoke, he performed alongside the likes of Jamie Woon and Mr Hudson, selling albums out of his backpack to get by. Support slots ensued with The Noisettes and Jay Sean, and 2009 saw the road testing of Ed’s new material with another 312 gigs in the diary and similar amount last year. Ed’s skills are increasingly in demand – with him frequently being called upon to underpin tracks from the grime scene and beyond; as a touring partner (he’s supported Example, Just Jack and Devlin on recent tours) and an internet star (Ed’s SB:TV performance is approaching 850,000 views) Ed’s latest Collaborations EP (he’s already racked up 10,000 sales of his first 4 EPs) is a ground-breaking sampling of the very best of UK MC talent fused with Ed’s unique songwriting and vocal. It includes turns from Wretch 32, Ghetts, Devlin, Wiley, P-Money, JME, Dot Rotten, Mikil Pane and Random Impulse and entered the iTunes album chart at #2 on release selling over 5000 copies.