In a world where riffs are king and master, To The Bones are essential.

Hailing from glamorous Bolton, the four-piece play a feral mix of riffs and melody; imagine the Pixies tackling QOTSA and you’re playing in the right ball-park.. The band write amazing, hook-laden rock songs that you’ll find rumbling around your head days after your last To The Bones fix.

Mixed by legendary knob-twiddler Dave Eringa, the band’s new single ‘Emperor’s Ride’ is set for release on 22nd April 2013.

“To The Bones move with the force and efficiency of a machine. They make one hell of a racket, but it’s nearly always melodic, the songs brutally concise.” – The Guardian

Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

TO THE BONES PLAY HARE & HOUNDS BIRMINGHAM ON THURS 2ND MAY 2013, WITH SUPPORT FROM VICTOR. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Check out the video for new track ‘Emperor’s Ride’ below:

http://youtu.be/bTfZ3dI3aPQ

After the HUGE success of Cyril Hahn last month at our sister venue The Bull’s Head, Leftfoot favourites Le Lieu return to the Hare & Hounds with an equally as strong line up.

Headlining the night and continuing Le Lieu’s reputation for brining new acts to city will be Maribou State. In 2013 the pair have already gained nods of appreciation from the likes of Annie Mac and Diplo as well as finding themselves supporting Julio Bashmore and T Williams.
Supporting Maribou State will be Le Lieu residents Andrew Hill (Abandon Silence), Bangatand and Honest Source.

If you’ve not been to a Le Lieu party before then check out the video below from Cyril Hahn last month to get an idea of what to expect…

http://youtu.be/IdQaA95v0Fg

It all kicks of at 10:00 pm tonight with the promise of a few surprises for all attendees so make sure you get down early. There are still some advance tickets available right here at the bargain price of £5 then its £7 on the door.

It comes as no surprise to find that Epic45 grew up (and still reside) in a small rural village in the heartland of the English Midlands. Based around the nucleus of two old school friends, the band have released a series of highly acclaimed EPs & albums for labels such as Bearos, Awkward Silence & Where Are My Records. The band has also received radio airplay from the late John Peel,Steve Lamacq, Stuart Maconie and Verity Sharp. Inspired by their surroundings, blissful childhood summers and mysterious/inspiring walks, the duo have been making music for more than a decade.

2007′s ‘May Your Heart Be The Map’ cemented the band’s reputation as purveyors of gorgeous, hazy, atmospheric pop and was described by Word Magazine as “the best English summer album ever” as well as being included in their ‘Albums Of The Decade’. It displayed epic45′s masterful blending of acoustic and electronic instruments, their subtle use of field recordings to evoke different moods and memories, and glorious, understated vocal harmonies.

2011 saw the release of the beautiful ‘Weathering’, which journalist/comedian Stewart Lee made The Sunday Times album of the week upon its release, and was  accompanied by  a remix album entitled ‘Weathered’. A new album is expected in 2013.

If you’re looking for musical references, you might be able to hear the ghosts of Sarah Records, Disco Inferno, Slowdive and New Order in epic45′s ever evolving sound.

EPIC45 PLAY HARE & HOUNDS BIRMINGHAM ON MON 15TH APRIL 2013, WITH SUPPORT FROM CONSTANT WAVES & SILHOUETTES. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Watch the video for ‘Summer’s First Breath’ below:

http://youtu.be/uJHw94x-R44

We are very excited to announced that Kieran Leonard and Shanade are confirmed to support Josephine at Hare & Hounds Birmingham on Tues 16th April 2013.

Since an epiphany at the age of 13, Kieran Leonard has been driving; guns blazing, eyes open, pen poised to this point. With his debut album Out Of Work Astronaut receiving critical acclaim and gathering an intense following, now is the moment that will undeniably propel this impassioned and politically galvanized talent onto the global stage.This ability to meld the poetic with the political in a patchwork of broad ideas is exemplified in single ‘Jerusalem’.  The track was released in the start of 2011 and legendary film director Ridley Scott then picked it up as a sound track to his unique documentary Life in a Day exposing the song to a growing global audience.

Over the last year this kind of smart thinking has put him on the same stage as Bob Dylan, Billy Bragg, Mick Jones, Graham Coxon, Baba Maal, Fionn Regan, Lee Mavers & Keane. More highlights included performances at Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds Festivals, and being invited to support The Libertines at their reunion concerts in London.
Since appearing on the acclaimed Rhythms Del Mundo albums alongside the likes of Amy Winehouse, Cat Power and Bruno Mars, Shanade’s career has been on a rapid ascent. With her unmistakable vocal and unstoppable energy, Shanade’s live performance has won her tours with the award winning Joe Driscoll and Sekou Kouyate and seen her play some of the countries top venues including Earls Court, The Tabernacle and Warwick Arts Centre. With critically acclaimed tracks ‘Cry Wolf’ and ‘Loved First’ getting praise throughout the industry, Shanade is one of the UK’s current hottest properties.

“Shanade’s music has deep resonance, giving you the impression that you have heard it somewhere before, a sure sign of a world-class songwriter and artist.”

KIERAN LEONARD AND SHANADE SUPPORT JOSEPHINE AT HARE & HOUNDS BIRMINGHAM ON TUES 16TH APRIL 2013. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Watch the video for Kieran Leonard’s ‘Jerusalem’ below:
http://youtu.be/UsoRMpe_LuA

Tomorrow night, Thursday 4th April, sees David Ford play the Hare and Hounds.

For this special show David will be doing things slightly differently with Jarrod Dickenson & Emily Grove  joining  Ford on stage with all three backing each other during each other’s sets. Imagine Fleetwood Mac playing songs by The Band and you’re half way there. To get more of an idea of how it’ll work check out the video below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sdex9iw_aJM&feature=share&list=PL8RuZVyAgz4S7CK4DwuLwTBDWOlCrWWU2

The show is very close to selling out so if you haven’t already purchased tickets you can find the last few right here. Doors are at 7:30 pm with the acts coming on not long after!

With just the right blend of psychedelia and hypnotic grooves, White Hills weave in and out of anthemic chants, deep space bleeps and other worldly madness for a mix that proves to be intoxicating. Since the release of the band’s debut CD, listeners have been praising their originality and unique brand of heavy space rock.

Earlier last year, White Hills released their newest and most energized recording to date, Frying On This Rock’ The album was bursting with raw energy packed into their newly streamlined songs, whilst still managing to maintain the killer guitar work and fuzzed out psychedelia the band are famous for.

Their boundless live performances, especially the higher profile ones at ATP New York, Supersonic and several Roadburn Festivals, or their dates with the Flaming Lips and Sleep have established White Hills as one of the most talked about space rock bands currently performing.

Support comes from Opium Lord – one of the UK’s hottest properties in doom at the moment.  The act has only been a proper band since December 2012 and they have already signed to seminal metal label Thirty Days Of Night Records, gigged with the mighty Boris, received major airplay on the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show and have announced 3 separate UK tours. Hailing from right here in Birmingham (fittingly, being the home of metal), Opium Lord feature ex members of History of the Hawk, Stinky Wizzleteatand current Mothertrucker.

WHITE HILLS PLAY HARE & HOUNDS BIRMINGHAM ON SUN 14TH APRIL 2013, WITH SUPPORT FROM OPIUM LORD. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Check out the video White Hills video for ‘H-p1′ below:

http://youtu.be/CUsuW_llITU

World Service Project play the Hare and Hounds this Wednesday 27th March as part of the Jazzlines series. Current leaders in a major European jazz project in which they tour with like-minded bands from different countries this particular group is led by pianist Dave Morecroft, featuring Tim Ower on saxophone, Raphael Clarkson on trombone, Conor Chaplin on electric bass and Liam Waugh on drums.

Formed in 2009 and through many incidents on buses, aeroplanes and run-ins with local councils they have arrived at The Wacky, the Slightly-Uncomfortable, the Dark Jazz Riff and the Downright Silly. Greatly inspired by the vibrancy of Loose Tubes and psychedelic nature of Frank Zappa the band combine complex riffs, boisterous grooves and humour  with a large dollop of Stravinsky-an fun thrown in. Check out the band playing live at the 12 Points festival below.

http://youtu.be/MSoYC2LS7Mk

Support on the night comes from the Chris Young Sextet, featuring Alto saxophonist Chris Young, from the Birmingham Conservatoire. He is joined by a backline including Ben Kane on drums, Dan Casimir on bass and a flexible rhythm section with vibes from Liam Halloran and guitarist Tom Ford. The Chris Young Sextet is completed by the voice of Lottie Hodgson, who improvises melodies over the top of their accomplished styling.

If Jazz is your thing then this is a night you cannot miss. Make sure you get your advanced tickets for the bargain price of £8 plus booking fee. You can find them  here.

Next Friday 29th March, Ruts DC will be DJing right here at the Hare & Hounds. Support on the night comes in the form of two live bands, The Cracked Actors and Black Bombers!

We’ve kindly been given two guest list spaces to give away to one lucky person, however we’ve been given strict instructions to do things slightly different this time. In order to win you don’t have to be right you just have to funny! All you have to do is come up with an amusing (and fairly clean) answer to this question..

Segs and Ruffy the two surviving members of the Ruts have booked a
long session with their favourite kinky mistresses.
What take away food would they order on their way home?

Post your answer as a comment and if you’re deemed the funniest the tickets are yours! The competition closes 12 pm Thursday 28th March, with a winner selected not long after. If you don’t want to leave the chance of getting tickets to your sense of humour alone then perhaps the safer option is to get your advanced tickets right here instead.

Good Luck!

This Friday 22nd March see’s Origins bring Bristol based producer and DJ Kahn to the Hare and Hounds.

Known for encompassing a variety of styles in his productions blending grime, garage, dubstep and more, Kahn is one of the hottest bass-music acts to emerge from the city of Bristol as of late. A true individual with a unique sound and sense of style, Kahn has been turning some serious heads over the last year and you can be assured to hear a diverse set that’ll knock your socks off.

Spanning from the garage influenced sounds of ‘Like We Used To’ (his 1st 12″ release on Peverelist’s label Punch Drunk Records in early 2011) to the bass pounding frequencies of ‘Way Mi Defend’ and deep minimal ‘Azalea’ (out on Box Clever), while not forgetting his outstanding dub-infused DEEP MEDI release of Dread/Late Night Blues: Kahn’s style is fresh, unique and unpredictable. Check out his single ‘Dread’ below…

http://youtu.be/2aPh3ZHFE9M

It all kicks off tomorrow night at 9:00pm with £7 advanced tickets still available right here.

Returning after a decade of silence, Birmingham Promoters bring stripped down lo-fi disco four-piece Gramme to headline the Hare & Hounds!

After more than a decade of silence – no gigs, no music, no nothing – Gramme return with their debut album Fascination. The cult around the band and their lone release, the Pre-Release EP, continued to grow until in 2011 some mysterious 12″ bootlegs of ‘Like U’ began to appear, with edits by Joe Goddard of Hot Chip. A few months later self released white labels begin to circulate with new Gramme material. Those recent EP’s have gone on to form Fascination, the first full studio album by Gramme.

Gramme is the musically pioneering band that went missing in action sometime around 2000. Originally signed to Trevor Jackson’s Output label, the band emerged in the mid-nineties with a sound so out of step with the cultural milieu they found themselves swimming against the tide.

Originally a five piece, the band formed around a shared love of the emotional melancholy now synonymous with Factory artists such as Joy Division, Section 25 and A Certain Ratio. Gramme were attracted by Manchester’s psycho disco of the early 80′s and NY’s subterranean proto punk-funk on 99 Records and bands like Liquid Liquid and ESG. Tim Goldsworthy and James Murphyhave also acknowledged the influence of the band’s EP on the early DFA sound.

“An influence on every record you’d ever want to dance to in a sweaty room above a pub, this record deserves your attention” – The Guardian

Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter

GRAMME HEADLINE HARE & HOUNDS BIRMINGHAM ON TUES 7TH MAY 2013. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Check out the new video for ‘Too High’ below:

http://youtu.be/iG3zOTYdQBo