In the past few years Kieran Leonard has toured the UK and USA supporting and playing shows with Ryan Adams, Father John Misty, Bob Dylan, The Strokes, Beck, The Libertines, Billy Bragg and Wolfmother, to name a few. Then, early last year he was invited to work on music at Stanley Kubrick’s family estate in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The intention was to harness the creative forces at work in the Kubrick house and record new material as ‘live’ as possible with the five-piece band playing together in the same room and even lead vocals being laid down live with each track.
Independent Venue Week: Gig Roundup 23rd – 29th January
It’s Independent Venue Week and to celebrate we’ve got a busy week of gigs lined up, including one off intimate show with The Wytches on Tuesday, with Steve Lamacq dropping by to interview them for his BBC Radio 6 Music show. Wednesday sees Belfast duo Exmagician with their heady mix of guitars meeting psychedelic synths. On Friday we have grunge punk trio The Cosmics whose influences include Blondie, Ramones and The Stooges, and on Sunday, brand new guitar band RedFaces. Check out the full listings below:
Introducing: Joe Dolman
Joe Dolman is a 20-year-old singer-songwriter from Leamington Spa. Praised for his relatable lyrics and emotive live performances, Joe has been attracting attention from the public more than ever before.
Ideal Club play Birmingham EP Launch
After a year of captivating live audiences, UK punk band Ideal Club have recorded a 5 track EP, inspired by life in the second city.
Introducing: Stevie Parker
Bristol-based Stevie Parker delivers a unique take on ambient electronic pop. Having supported the likes of SOAK, Georgia, Alex G and Adam French, as well as playing a show for the famous fashion icon Markus Lupfer, Stevie is certainly already turning heads.
Catholic Action to play Birmingham show
Catholic Action are a product of Glasgow’s famously fertile music scene but have won fans across the UK thanks to their peerless pop masterpieces. After a run of rapturously received gigs in their hometown the group released their long-awaited debut release for Luv Luv Luv Records (Spector, Only Real, Splashh, The Garden) earlier this year.
Introducing: Tom Walker
Recently signed to Sony’s Relentless Records, Tom Walker was born in Scotland and raised in Manchester on his father’s extensive record collection – drawn to artists like Ray Charles, The Police and Bob Marley. He’s spent the past few years honing his sound, landing in a house-share with twelve other musicians (including members of Whilk & Misky), jamming together in their home-built, soundproof studio.
Introducing: RedFaces
RedFaces are a brand new guitar band snapped up by a major label RCA. With a debut single – the incendiary ‘Kerosene’ – due on February 3, 2017, RedFaces are four lads from Sheffield treading what was once a well-worn path, these days the road less travelled.
The Wytches announce intimate Birmingham show
BBC Radio 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq is touring some of the UK’s iconic independent music venues to support the IVW initiative, where he will be stopping off at Birmingham’s own Sunflower Lounge. Steve says that “Now, more than ever, it’s important to support small, grassroots venues around the country, because, while a lot of them continue to thrive, we’ve seen many of them shut down and many still under threat”.
Introducing: Cosmo Pyke
Cosmo Pyke (that’s his real name) is an 18-year-old songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Peckham. Raised on a diet of blues, jazz, hip hop, and neo-soul, he writes warm, lo-fi songs that he describes as “spacey, beautiful, and lazy”.