Two years on from her blistering debut ‘A Suitable Girl’, Ali Barter has announced her triumphant return with ‘Hello, I’m Doing My Best’ – a revealing collection of songs that track her most formative relationships: to her body, her instincts, sobriety and the old vices it counteracts, and the people she loves most.

Ali Barter will play on Tuesday 1st October 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.

‘Hello, I’m Doing My Best’ is set for release on October 18, via Inertia Music / [PIAS], today Ali also revealed her first ever love song with, ‘Backseat’ which premiered with triple j and her first ever global tour. You can pre-order the album and lock in your tickets via alibartermusic.com.

Directed by Anna Phillips (‘Ur A Piece of Shit’), the video for ‘Backseat’ also premiered today via Consequence Of Sound, and sees Ali weave through a comedy of errors with long time collaborator and husband Oscar Dawson (Holy Holy). Ali describes the treatment as being about “two awkward people that get together one night at a bar. A girl admires a boy from afar but when she meets him they are so clumsy and over eager that they end up injuring each other during a late night jam session. It’s just like love really: a mess.”

‘Hello, I’m Doing My Best’ follows Barter’s 2017 debut LP ‘A Suitable Girl’. A record that, by all accounts was critically and popularly acclaimed. Tone Deaf touted it as “an album that struck a nerve with Australia”, while Sydney Morning Herald backed her as a “star on the rise”. Ali Barter, however, wasn’t so sure. “The first record came out and for some reason I rejected it,” she says, listing the complaints she found with her own work: “it’s too polished and my voice is too high” being at the top of the list. Overcome with self-doubt, Barter pushed herself away from music, determined to never write another song.

But in the winter, a few months after the record’s release, she went out of town to clear her head, with her guitar for company. “Stuff started coming up and I couldn’t push it down,” she says, and despite feeling like she “wasn’t ready” for what these songs were saying, her and Dawson went about recording and testing the limits of her surprising new songs. She heard something in them she’d realised she didn’t need to fight anymore. “When we demoed them up, I was like, Oh, there I am. The thing I was pushing against was me”

‘Hello I’m Doing My Best’ is a sentiment most can relate to, and therein lies the undeniable pull of Ali Barter’s output. From her breakout single ‘Girlie Bits’ to recent cut ‘Ur A Piece Of Shit’ Barter spins sobering honesty through sugary pop songs, like a one-two punch of staunch self assurance and touching vulnerability, in a way that is so uniquely her own. On her method, Barter explains “I really connect to the idea that you can say something really controversial, but if you say it in a nice way people are more likely to listen to it.”

Since winning the triple j Unearthed competition and releasing her debut album A Suitable Girl in 2017, the former choir girl has enjoyed support at home in Australia from triple j, FBi Radio, The Australian, Rolling Stone and Tone Deaf, while further afield, Beats 1, Clash and The 405 have all thrown support behind the unconventional pop star.

Barter has toured relentlessly, completing two sold out headline tours, countless festival slots and supported The Rubens, The War On Drugs, The Jezabels, Stevie Nicks, The Preatures, Chrissie Hynde and personal hero, Liz Phair.

Ali Barter Links: Website | Facebook | Instagram

Watch the official music video for ‘Ur A Piece Of Sh..’ below:

Things have been going from strength to strength for the 22 year old, with his last UK tour dates all selling out.

Joe Dolman will play on Tuesday 6th August 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.

The shows were then followed swiftly by Joe Dolman’s latest single ‘Drag You Down’ which has been widely praised by fans and industry alike. Previously Joe has made festival appearances BBC’s Biggest Weekend, The Great Escape and Wilderness Festival. Joe will be playing an intimate solo show at The Sunflower Lounge in August ahead of the release of new music.

Support from Will Naisbitt and Ellie Poole.

Joe Dolman Links: Website | Facebook | Spotify

Watch the official music video for ‘Drag You Down’ below:

The term ‘unique talent’ is banded around in musical circles, often too freely. While it is best advised to avoid clichés, unique is the optimum word when describing Ed Geater.

Ed Geater will play on Friday 29th November 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.

The Birmingham (UK) born singer, multi-instrumentalist and beatboxer combines sublime songwriting, rhythmical dexterity and technical prowess in his masterful self-produced works.

After taking time out to write and record a host of new material, Ed is back – announcing his first headline show in Birmingham, for two years.

Ed added: “Nothing beats the feeling of playing headline shows in my home town. I’ve been lucky enough to experience this a number of times and I can’t wait for this one, especially as I’ll be dropping new material. The Sunflower Lounge is one of my favourite venues in Brum, it’s gonna be big.”

With plenty more announcements in the pipeline, stay tuned for further Ed Geater updates.

Support from T8PES and Nath Brooks.

Ed Geater Links: Website | Facebook | Spotify

Watch the official music video for ‘Symmetry’ below:

“NYC blues punks Daddy Long Legs are set to lay waste to Austin, leaving booze-blessed stages and wide-eyed revellers in their wake.”  – Glide Magazine

 Daddy Long Legs will play on Wednesday 24th July 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.

Brooklyn, NY-based trio DADDY LONG LEGS – Brian Hurd, Murat Akturk, Josh Styles – make their Yep Roc Records debut today with the release of their third studio album, Lowdown Ways.

The official video for “Pink Lemonade,” co-written with JD McPherson, premiered today at Brooklyn Vegan. Recently included in NPR Slingshot‘s ‘Best New Songs from NPR Music’, which noted the track “beams bluesy rockabilly from a distant satellite to quench thirsty ears.”

On June 19, they will take their “raucous stomping blues-punk” (All Music) on the road in support of their Yep Roc Records debut. The 23-city tour includes stops in Durham, NC, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, Boston, Minneapolis, Cleveland, and New York, among others.

Fronted by harmonica-blowin’ Brian Hurd, the band’s “swagger and grime of a Delta blues band” (Big Takeover) is rounded out with Murat Akturk (slide guitar) and Josh Styles (drums, maraca).

Produced by Jimmy Sutton and engineered by Alex Hall (JD McPherson, Pokey LaFarge, Jake La Botz) at Hi-Style Studios in Chicago, the album features 12 original compositions with songwriting contributions from JD McPherson and Sutton.

Leading up to the release,  Rolling Stone featured the second single, “Glad Rag Ball” as one of the ‘10 Best Country, Americana Songs of the Week, while the first single “Mornin’ Noon & Nite” premiered at WFMU.

Influenced by the likes of Son House, Captain Beefheart, Howlin’ Wolf, MC5, and Dr. Feelgood, their sound personifies garage rock and punk with a contemporary raw twist performed in their own brand of supercharged R&B. Since forming in 2010, the band has released two studio albums, a live album and two 45s on Norton Records.

Their last album was 2015’s Rides Tonight. They have toured with Jon Spencer, Hurray For The Riff Raff, The Sonics, Nikki Lane, Nick Waterhouse, amongst others.

Daddy Long Legs Links: Website | Facebook | Instagram

Watch the video to ‘Pink Lemonade’ here:

There may only be two members with the same surname, but The Dunwells are very much a band of brothers.

 The Dunwells will play on Wednesday 9th October 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.

Consisting of two siblings, the hardworking duo from Leeds are set to release their new album ‘Something In The Water’ on 2nd September 2019.

Indeed, that tenacity and spirit have brought the band members a long way since their school days. Joe Dunwell and his elder brother Dave grew up in a musical household and fondly recall flipping through their dad’s Bob Dylan and Beatles records, as well as hearing their mum singing along to Motown. Bassist Rob Clayton has been Dave’s best friend since childhood—in fact it was the Dunwell brothers’ dad who taught Rob how to play bass.
The Dunwells’ songwriting has grown over the years since school, enriched by extensive US and UK touring in support of the band’s 2013 debut, Blind Sighted Faith through to their extensive UK, mainland Europe and US touring in 2018. “There were so many euphoric moments on tour, and we’ve tried to capture those feelings in the new songs,” says Dave. Those memorable moments included an appearance on Late Night With Jay Leno and performances at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Fest and the Bonnaroo Festival, supporting Bryan Adams on his UK stadium tour in Summer 2017 as well as showcases at SXSW and a number of sold out shows across the UK in 2018.
The duo will be back on tour this October, visiting both new towns and old haunts across the UK.

The Dunwells Links: Website | Facebook | Spotify

Watch the official music video for ‘I Could Be A King’ below:

NO HOT ASHES have unveiled the brand new video for “W.Y.N.A.”, taken from their forthcoming debut album “Hardship Starship” (out 16th August via Modern Sky UK).

 No Hot Ashes will play on Thursday 19th September 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.

“A video filmed in one day with no budget between Stockport and Levenshulme. A song which reflects on arguing with loved ones, sleep deprivation and the cyclical nature of relationships. The video addresses the everyday grind of daily life, which features Isaac and his dog ‘Trevor’ – it’s just a bit of a pisstake.”

Speaking about the video, director Sam Crowston explains “We wanted to make a video that really addressed the everyday grind of balancing a band with your regular life, so featuring Isaac going about his usual business was something we felt would resonate with the band’s audience. The fact we had no budget really added to the realism.”

A close encounter of the Northern kind, “W.Y.N.A” (or When You’re Not Around) finds the four-piece examining the abnormal, yet predictable complexities of human relationships. Once almost jettisoned from the band’s catalogue altogether, but re-visited, re-purposed, and electrified with space-age synth bleeps and rocket-fueled guitar riffs; the result is one supernova comeback single.

Speaking about the track, NHA front-man Isaac Taylor says:

“”W.Y.N.A.” is a song about kicking off with loved ones, sleep deprivation and the cyclical nature of relationships. Originally this song was written as a slow acoustic track I thought would never come to light but we were stuck for ideas one day in the practice room and tried it. Glad we did.”

‘Hardship Starship’ was produced by Chris Taylor (The Coral, Everything Everything, Ian Brown, Bill Ryder Jones) at Parr Street studios in Liverpool whom the band met in early 2018 whilst  in the thick of demos and writing for the upcoming debut album, they formed an instant connection with Chris which can be felt throughout the whole record. It will be released on Modern Sky UK on 16th August 2019.

Another formidable talent to emerge from Stockport, Greater Manchester in recent times, No Hot Ashes have been making waves around the North-West and beyond for the last few years. With a string of infectious singles in their repertoire including ‘Easy Peeler’, ‘Bellyaches’, and ‘Eight Till Late’, the band have received continued support across radio from the likes of BBC 6 Music and Radio X. Soaking up major support slots with the likes of Blossoms, Spring King, The Amazons and Prides around the UK, not to mention major festival appearances at the likes of Y NOT Festival, Isle of Wight and Kendal Calling, the band have already amassed over 3.5 million plays on Spotify. Word is spreading fast, so much so that the band were even asked to perform on hit BBC series ‘The A-Word’, Which was aired in the UK on BBC 1 and globally.

Following a landmark SOLD-OUT show at the 950 capacity Manchester Academy 2 last year (which sold out over a month before the show date) and recent sell out at Manchester’s AATMA (in which 150 tickets sold out in under 10 minutes), fans will have the chance to catch the band again in 2019 as they prepare for a spate of new UK dates and festival shows; including their biggest headline show to date at Manchester’s o2 Ritz on 27th September.

No Hot Ashes Links: Website | Facebook | Spotify

Watch the official music video for ‘W.Y.N.A’ below:

Cut Glass Kings are a Fuzzed out Blues/Rock and Roll duo from Stourbridge.

Cut Glass Kings will play on Saturday 19th October 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.

Their early, raw homemade recordings soon drew them in to the orbit of Skeleton Key Records, where they released a debut EP at the end of 2017. Latest single ‘Shadow of Your Love’ has racked up over 2,500,000 streams on Spotify.

Recent live highlights include tour slots with the likes of The Coral and The Twang. They are due to release a debut album in 2019.

Cut Glass Kings Links: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Watch the official music video for ‘Dream In The Dark’ below:

Ben Reed (vocals, guitar), Toby Cregan(bass) and Jonny Lani (drums) – have charmed listeners with their warm garage-punk sound, selling out shows all across the country.

Skegss will play on Monday 5th August 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.

The band have just wrapped a sold out ‘No Future’ regional tour which saw them sell out across the country. This regional tour followed their similarly sold out EP tour which came off the back of another sold-out regional tour. SKEGSS have their eyes firmly set on international domination, having toured Europe and the UK for the very first time last May, including the London Calling Festival in Amsterdam, and a UK tour planned for this coming May.

‘Spring Has Sprung’ , the lead single from their Holiday Food EP, spent the summer in high rotation on triple j, and ranked in their Top 10 of 2017’s Most Played Songs for over 8 weeks. This isn’t their first time triple j success with Skegss taking home the 2015 Triple J Unearthed Splendour in the Grass comp. The follow up single from the Holiday Food EP, ‘Got On My Skateboard’had a successful video with YouTube’s Aaron ‘Gocsy’ Gocs in a clip that reflected a nostalgic vision of youth, 90s fashion and bowl cuts, the song also places number 39 in this years Hottest 100.

SKEGSS have made a name for themselves with energetic live performances, garnering praise from The Music for their “infectious” on-stage chemistry and Moshcam who asserted they “seem to have some sort of hypnotic effect over their fans.” Skegss have played at festivals across the country and overseas including a headline slot at Sounds of the Suburbs, Splendour in the Grass and the upcoming Groovin’ The Moo circuit to name a few.

With an album set to be released this year through Ratbag Records, a UK tour which includes appearances at The Great Escape and Dot to Dot festivals, a single tour in June and multiple festival appearances – Skegss are one of the most energetic and exciting bands in Australia.

Skegss Links: Website | Facebook | Spotify

Watch the official music video for ‘L.S.D’ below:

Alex Francis released his first single ‘The Last Time’ in early 2017 before embarking onto a successful tour of the UK and Europe supporting pop legend Melanie C. Alex also provided guest vocals on Melanie’s 2017 single ‘Hold On’.

Alex Francis will play on Wednesdat 25th September 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.

Alex’s EP ‘A Stronger Love’ caught the attention of Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones who invited Alex and his band to open their European tour in early 2018. Last summer Alex toured Europe with Sting and performed at major festivals all over the continent including MadCool in Madrid, Blue Balls in Switzerland and The Isle Of Wight Festival. He finished 2018 with his first shows in the US in New York at the Mercury Lounge and at the Capitol Theatre in Portchester.

Alex Francis Links: Website | Facebook | Spotify

Watch the official music video for ‘Whatever Happened’ below:

Larkins have announced an extensive 17-date UK headline tour running through October and November 2019.

Larkins will play on Wednesday 6th November 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.

The announcement comes ahead of Larkins largest London headline show to date, where they will play Dingwalls on June 19th. Tickets are available via TicketWeb.

This year has seen Larkins make a huge statement as one of the most exciting and in-demand bands to emerge from Manchester in recent times.

The guitar-pop collective released their debut single ‘TV Dream’ on Good Soldier Records to an immense response from both fans and media, quickly clocking up over a million streams. The song proved a radio hit and featured on the playlists of Radio 1, BBC Introducing and Radio X, while the band have also received support from Zane Lowe on Beats 1.

The release led the band to sell out a landmark hometown show to 2000 rapturous fans at Manchester’s Albert Hall. Capturing the moment perfectly, Larkins release the live album Larkins: Live At The Albert Hall, Manchester. It is available to stream now and can be purchased physically from July 5th on CD, cassette and vinyl.

As an undeniable proven live force Larkins have sold out headline shows across the UK and Europe, and played their first US shows this year at SXSW Festival. The band are currently recording their debut album with producers Dan Nigro (A-Trak, Sky Ferreira, Lewis Capaldi) and Andrew Dawson (Kanye West, Fun, Kid Cudi) – a record which is sure to send Larkins even further into the stratosphere.

“Manchester’s next arena act” – Manchester Evening News

“”Manchester guitar-poppers Larkins make massive tunes with huge choruses made for the indie dancefloor” – Dork Magazine

“Trust us – Manchester guitar-pop collective Larkins are fast on their way to becoming your next favourite band.” – Music Crowns

“Straight laced indie pop filled with anthemic choruses and heartfelt lyricisms” – The Line of Best Fit

Larkins Links: Website | Facebook | Spotify

Watch and listen to ‘TV Dream’ below: