Hunter & The Bear bring their explosive alt-rock to Birmingham as they play an intimate venues tour.
Hunter & The Bear will play on Weds 8th May 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.
Hunter & The Bear bring their explosive alt-rock to Birmingham as they play an intimate venues tour ahead of the release of their new album later this year. Songs from the album (recorded with super producer Romesh Dodanenga) will make their live debut, alongside fan favourites such as the dark, high-tension Chemical and the jagged and punchy crowd pleaser Electric.
And it’s not just new songs debuting on this tour – new guitarist and Birmingham native John Caddick joins the party for the first time.
Expect big riffs, huge choruses and energy through the roof from one of the UK’s most exciting modern rock bands.
Sydney outfit PLANET is the culmination of several years of trial and error in songcraft, performance and production. They were first brought together by their shared love of music: old and new, foreign and domestic. Drawing influences from past and present the four-piece combine pop laden guitar hooks with soaring vocal melodies. The result is a sound which is reminiscent of Britpop but remains undeniably Australian.
PLANET will play on Mon 13th May 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.
In 2016 PLANET released a slew of singles, including ‘Undermine’ and ‘Can’t Conect’, which were subsequently added to high rotation on Triple J Unearthed and also received airtime on Dom Alessio’s “Home and Hosed” program. The lads pushed forward into 2017 releasing ‘Aching Dream’, the first single off their forthcoming EP, exclusively premiered via Rolling Stone Australia who describe it as “a minimal ballad … [building into] epicness suited for stadium sway-a-longs”. The song has since recieved a number of plays across Triple J and Unearthed. Overseas the band’s unique sound has drawn attention and airtime in the UK on “This Feeling” and Radio XFM.
Their follow up to ‘Aching Dream’ was revealed earlier this year in the grittier single ‘Save.Sold’, earning the quartet a rotation addition on FBI and an abundance of glowing reviews, including the covered title of I OH YOU’s Fresh Juice. Following its release the band announced they would be crossing the equator to tour the UK and Europe with fellow Sydney-sider DMA’s, where they played 24 shows in just 30 days.
Having signed with booking agents New World Artists in late 2016, PLANET kept themsleves busy playing a string of shows all over the country supporting British India and UK giants JAMES. They also made their debut on the Australian festival circuit securing slots at Festival of the Sun, Lost Paradise, Party in the Paddock, Blurst of Times. As proof of their ability to stand on their own merit, look no farther than their first ever interstate single tour. The boys played three shows in support of their most recent effort, ‘Aching Dream’. Starting with an intimate affair at The Foundry in Brisbane, the band headed down to Melbourne to play a rowdy post-midnight gig at Yah Yahs before bringing it all back home for a sold out show at The Chippo in Sydney. Over the course of this period the band have developed a tight and energetic live show which has on more than one occasion resulted in sweat drenched t-shirts and arm in arm sing-a-longs.
Showing no signs of slowing down, the boys have pushed forward through 2018 and are touring Australia’s East Coast in support of their recently debuted EP ‘Waking Eight’ in June.
While PLANET remains, for the most part, a staunchly independent labour of love – all songs being recorded in Matty Took’s bedroom studio – the band employed producer Lachlan Mitchell (Jezebels, Little Bastard) to add his touch to their past singles as well as their upcoming debut EP. Dave Ruby Howe of Triple J has said of the band, “Every song feels like a step forward for them to the point now that they’re 10 paces out in front.”
Juniore are a French indie pop quartet from Paris led by singer and songwriter Anna Jean. Before forming Juniore in 2013, Anna Jean collaborated with Samy Osta in an indie folk duo called Domingo.
Juniore will play on Thurs 2nd May 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.
With Domingo, Anna Jean released one LP in 2008. In the following years, her mysterious, sultry vocals would lead her to collaborations within the Parisian electro scene, appearing as a guest vocalist for artists like Jackson & His Computerband and Bot’Ox.
Working again with Osta, she formed Juniore, originally as a duo, later expanding into a quartet.
Mixing modern indie pop sensibilities with elements of retro French pop, dark, twangy surf guitar, and a vocal style that falls somewhere between Cat Power and Françoise Hardy, Juniore released their debut 7″ single, ‘Christine’ b/w ‘Dans le noir’, in late 2013 on the Parisian Entreprise label.
Juniore then released several singles and two albums: ‘Juniore’ in 2016 and ‘Ouh là là’ in 2017.
“Joel Baker has always been an exacting artist, a perfectionist in the way he approaches each new release.” – Clash Magazine
‘One of the most promising new voices in the singer-songwriter world.’ – Notion Magazine
His EP is special –a collection of honest, engaging and sometimes raw songs.’ – TMRW Magazine
‘A husky mastered tone that creates a powerful impact, a sound that is perfect for emotional storytelling.’ –Link Up
Joel Baker will play on Fri 26th April 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.
Encapsulating a sound that falls somewhere between Ben Howard and early Jamie T, the former Labour Party speech writer, singer-songwriter, musician and producer was discovered by BBC Introducing Nottingham and key champion DJ Dean Jackson after sending his demos into the station in embossed parliamentary envelopes. Since Joel came on the scene he has racked up millions of streams, landed countless radio playlist spots with BBC Local, BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra and Beats 1 and been championed by everyone from Dean to Huw Stephens, MistaJam, JackSaunders and DJ Target, through to i-D and Clash, to Taylor Swift who included his single ‘No One In Heaven’ in her ‘Songs Taylor Loves’ Spotify playlist.
London, UK – 22nd Febuary 2019 – BBC Introducing artist Joel Baker releases new single ‘What’s A Song’ via Virgin EMI and tickets for his 2019 headline tour today.
Produced by Jordan Riley ‘What’s A Song’ is the first instalment from his forthcoming debut album and firmly places a marker in the sand for what fans can expect from his longform debut.
Speaking of the release Joel notes: ‘I wrote it a few years ago and it’s great to have it finally introduced to the world. When you lose someone in your life, especially someone who you’ve been living for, it leaves an ugly space that makes life feel worthless at times. Also, it’s hard to know how long to wait before you remove their profile icon from your Netflix account. It’s about the important questions! Hope you enjoy.’
The new single follows the success of his recent Bag of Dreamsmixtape which featured a guest appearance from Abra Cadabra and was co-produced by Joel alongside Courage (Ray BLK), Kin (Naughty Boy) and Maths Time Joy (Gallant); and follows EP’s Winter Dreams and The Dreamers EP, which featured stand-out collaborations with Sneakbo and BBC Sound of 2019 nominated Mahalia.
Joel’s momentum is set to continue throughout 2019 with the release of his anticipated debut album and headline tour.
Performing a blend of experimental-pop, soul and electronica, UK based singer, songwriter and producer SAER is forging a name through his musical collaborations and set to feature on new releases later this year.
SAER will play on Sat 27th April 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.
An emotive singer with a distinctive voice, SAER’s songwriting embraces curiosity and vulnerabilities in human nature; delivered fluently with a haunting falsetto.
SAER is a multi-instrumentalist that moves effortlessly between stormy electronica soundscapes and minimalist, heartfelt laments. Influenced by the likes of Jeff Buckley, Nick Drake and Imogen Heap; with rousing piano with soaring vocals, SAER conjures a contemporary sound that is both unique and intriguing.
“There was a euphoria and excitement we didn’t always get from indie gigs, but a connection to the songs and musicians we felt was missing from club nights.”
Low Island will play on Wed 20th March 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.
Low Island is the collaboration between DJ/Producers Jamie Jay & Carlos Posada, bassist Jacob Lively, and jazz drummer Felix Higginbottom. You’ll never find Low Island forced into wearing a creative straight jacket. In this respect, they are truly creatures of the 21st century, seeing no contradiction in slipping between uplifting electronica and intimate ballads – or merging the two. It was a step that was both deliberate and natural.
Not only have they struck this happy medium, but their creative juices are in full flow right now, with a string of EPs and singles under their belt, a highly acclaimed immersive live show, and on going collaborations with the Fashion, Dance and Theatre worlds. Low Island belong to the now.
The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing hail from London, UK.
The Men Who Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing will play on Sat 13th April 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.
They sing loud punk rock songs about the Victorian era, and have been gleefully rubbing the face of present day Britain in the rotten corpse of its past since 2008, in the hope that it will learn from its mistakes (it hasn’t).
They have released four critically acclaimed albums, have toured the UK and US, played festivals like Download, Glastonbury, Bestival, Secret Garden Party, Green Man, Latitude and the Edinburgh Fringe and appeared at numerous conventions and events on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Men are:
ANDY HEINTZ: Vocals (sore), additional instrumentation (saw).
“The south London-based singer-songwriter will win you over” – FADER “A beautifully soulful voice” – Noisey “This girl is really special – R&B inflected dream pop” – Lauren Laverne, BBC 6 Music
Only Girl will play on Thu 11th April 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.
Hailing from South East London, Only Girl (Ellen Murphy) has been honing her own brand of soulful, understated pop with soaring R&B infused melodies, since her critically acclaimed 2014 debut ‘Feel It’. With the success of second single ‘Remains’ under her belt along with two sold-out headline shows and a highly-praised release with long-term collaborators Zero 7, Only Girl returned with the beautifully heartfelt ‘Young Blood’ EP, supported by PRS Women Make Music fund.
To date, Only Girl has picked up support from the likes of Huw Stephens (Radio 1), BBC Introducing, Lauren Laverne (BBC 6 Music), Tom Robinson, John Kennedy & Jo Good on XFM, a live session on Dermot O’Leary (Radio 2) and Edith Bowman in ELLE, as well as a whole host of online tastemaker praise from The Fader to Noisey to The 405 and DIY.”
Things are most certainly on the up for Brighton-based alt-pop quartet ORCHARDS. For anyone who might be wondering why, there’s one word that seems oddly lacking in the description of many bands, but sticks to Orchards like glue: Fun. Charming, delirious, positive, big-beaming-grin-on-your-face bundles of fun.
Orchards will play on Sun 31st March 2019 at The Sunflower Lounge Birmingham. Tickets are available here.
Friends since childhood, Sam (Rushton, guitar) and Dan (Fane, bass) met remaining members Will (Lee-Lewis, drums) and Lucy (Evers, vocals) in their first week at university in Brighton – the start of a friendship which has seen them become increasingly inseparable and has resulted in the tight, family unit they are today.
To date, they’ve released a steady stream of standout singles including fan favourite ‘Peggy’, the ‘80s summer pop anthem ‘Darling’, and their surprisingly meta ode to the worldwide bee colony collapse ‘Honey’ – all of which feature on the EP.
These tracks have seen keen support from local and national radio at BBC Introducing, Juice Radio and BBC Radio 6 Music, backed up by critical praise from press including Noisey, The Line of Best Fit, DIY, CLASH, DORK, Wonderland, Indie Shuffle and a whole host of Hype Machine blogs and influencers.
Previously described as a “glittery gateway drug” and combining left-field experimentation with startlingly prescient pop sensibilities, Orchards are following in the footsteps of luminaries Everything Everything and Foals, though their personal influences range from the super mainstream pop of Anne Marie and Dua Lipa, through to the danceable indie of Bloc Party and The Wombats, to more progressive, heavier bands like The Mars Volta and The Fall of Troy.
Approaching their new material with a heavy focus on killer melodies, the songwriting process was intentionally conscious of that vital room being left for the melody to breathe, whether that meant taming a guitar riff or simplifying a drum beat, it didn’t matter so long as the melody was at the forefront.
“There’s more to Orchards than meets the eye. The band’s whip-smart math-pop is all glistening surface and immediate melody, but beneath this chrome-plated chassis lies a complex rhythmic engine.” – CLASH Magazine
“‘Honey,’ by Orchards is a great example of Math Rock mixed with Top 40 pop elements.” – Indie Shuffle
“Math-pop brilliance.” – DORK
“Atop sharp-edged, angular collisions, Orchards managing to cram approximately 5 killer hooks into the space of a single song” – DIY
“The quartet’s delightful dabblings in math-rock and incredible hooks has manifested in an undisputed banger that you’ll have in your head for the rest of the day” – Wonderland
Hailing from Porto, Portugal, this psych punk duo Sunflowers have been pricking up our ears for a while now and super happy to get them over to play their namesake venue The Sunflower Lounge, from their early raw psych to their newest LP on Stolen Body Records (see Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Night Beats) they pack a hell of a live show.
