Wednesday 28 June 2017

INTERPOL ANNOUNCE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF 'OUR LOVE TO ADMIRE'



In the late 90s, Interpol emerged as one of the American indie-rock scene's most exciting and inventive new bands. The New York outfit's artfully layered sound drew comparisons to a multitude of notable post-punk combos, but Interpol's cutting-edge sound was wholly its own. That's the case with 2007's Our Love to Admire, the band's third album as well as its first major-label release and one of the group’s biggest selling albums.

With the full participation of the band members, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Our Love to Admire, UMC will release three special expanded-edition reissues of this beloved classic: a two-LP vinyl set, a double LP with bonus DVD, and a CD/DVD set on August 18, 2017. The LP and CD will debut a sparkling new edition of the original album, remastered for this release by Gavin Lurssen with all of its original packaging intact. The bonus DVD captures the band's 12-song performance at the London Astoria on July 2, 2007 and includes live versions of several songs from Our Love to Admire, along with such earlier Interpol favorites as "Narc," "Obstacle 1," "Public Pervert," "Evil" and NYC."

Interpol formed in the late 1990s and quickly established a dense, intoxicating sound featuring layers of guitar, bass and synthesizers. The band came up through the vibrant New York scene, alongside such notable contemporaries as the Strokes and the National, but gained crucial early attention in Britain, where they recorded a prestigious live session for legendary BBC DJ John Peel.

Our Love to Admire marked a critical and commercial breakthrough for the band. Recorded at New York's Electric Lady and the Magic Shop studios with producer Rich Costey (Muse, Death Cab for Cutie), the album boasts an expansive, cinematic sound that drove home such notable songs as "The Heinrich Maneuver," "Pioneer to the Falls," "No I In Threesome," "Mammoth" and "Rest My Chemistry."

Upon its release, Our Love to Admire debuted in the Top Five in both the U.S. and the U.K. Uncut described the album as "a majestic, grandiose, machine-tooled album, subtly orchestrated with gothic pianos and doomy organs." Billboard noted that the band "retains its flair for dramatic images and ominous guitar lines...."

In the years since its original release, Our Love to Admire has remained a cornerstone of Interpol's body of work, and continues to stand as one of the key albums of the musical era in which it was created. Now, with these distinctive 10th anniversary editions, this modern classic shines more brightly than ever.

TRACK LISTING (2LP & CD) 01. Pioneer To The Falls 02. No I In Threesome 03. The Scale 04. The Heinrich Maneuver 05. Mammoth 06. Pace Is The Trick 07. All Fired Up 08. Rest My Chemistry 09. Who Do You Think 10.Wrecking Ball 11.The Lighthouse

DVD: 01. Pioneer To The Falls* 02. Narc 03. Mammoth 04. Rest My Chemistry* 05. Obstacle 1* 06. Public Pervert* 07. Hands Away* 08. The Heinrich Maneuver 09. Evil 10. Not Even Jail* 11. NYC* 12. Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down* * previously unreleased

This year Interpol will also celebrate the 15th Anniversary of their debut album Turn On The Bright Lights by playing the record in its entirety.

Turn On The Bright Lights Tour Dates: August 9 - Prague, CZ - Lucerna Music Bar August 10 - Vienna, AT - Arena August 12 - Buftea, RO - Summer Well Festival August 13 - Belgrade, RS - Belgrade Fortress August 15 - Budapest, HU - Sziget Festival August 16 - Munich, DE - Muffathalle August 19 - Luxembourg, LU - Den Atelier August 20 - St. Malo, FR - La Route Du Rock August 22 - Asolo, IT - AMA Music Festival August 23 - Milan, IT - Carroponte August 25 - Zurich, CH - Zurich Open Air Festival August 27 - Copenhagen, DK - The Koncerthuset August 29 - Tilburg, NL - 013 August 30 - Groningen, NL - Oosterpoort September 1 - London, UK - Alexandra Palace September 3 - Manchester, UK - Albert Hall September 5 - Paris, FR - Le Trianon September 9 - Madrid, ES - DCode Festival September 23 - Queens, NY - Forest Hills Stadium * September 30 - Los Angeles, CA - LA State Historic Park * October 17 & 18 - Mexico City, MX - Pepsi Center WTC * denotes w/ Deerhunter and Battles

END OF THE WORLD Releases Brand New "One More Night" Remix with GREY


Photo Credit: Liam Wong

Indie-pop outfit END OF THE WORLD has premiered a brand new remix of their song “One More Night” with electronic group GREY on Dancing Astronaut. This is the latest in a series of remixes for the song, following their previous “One More Night” remix with DJ TEP NO.

The “One More Night” Grey Remix remix continues End of the World’s expansion into the U.S. music market, with the group now branching out into EDM/Dance music. The remix is both elegant and pulsating, boasting a memorable chorus that will be stuck in your head for days. It is a certified club banger and can easily fit in between acts such as Zedd and The Chainsmokers.

On the remix, Grey said that, "Both of us are really into Japanese culture, so when this remix opportunity came up we were on board immediately. We tried to make something that instantly put a smile on your face to try to match the vibe that the vocals gave us. We had a really fun time with this one!" End of the World, meanwhile, said of the remix, "We are big fans of Grey and have been looking forward to sharing this remix with everyone ever since we heard the news that they will be remixing our song! We really love the remix, it's super cool and makes you want to listen to it over and over again. It brought out a new face of 'One More Night'. Big thanks to Grey!"”

“One More Night” was originally the Tokyo-based group’s first step towards releasing music in the U.S. Fitting to the theme of the band’s name, the origin of End Of The World began at the lowest point of lead singer-songwriter Fukase’s life. Amidst his continuous battle with mental illness, Fukase checked himself into a mental hospital at 17 years old and spent a year of his life in psychiatric care. In order to regain what had been lost in his life, he began fully enveloping himself in his music and found renewed life through penning his honest feelings into song. Years later, Fukase reconnected with a few childhood friends and began writing and playing music as a group. The result of these writing sessions created a unique blend of Top 40 pop-hooks with lyrics themed to subjects like atheism and anarchy. As a nod to Fukase’s history in the inception of his music, the band collectively chose the name SEKAI NO OWARI, which translates to End of the World. Despite the ominous name, it was a new beginning for the band.

Both remixes of “One More Night” can be streamed now on Soundcloud. The official video for "One More Night" (featuring a cameo from pop-rock group DNCE) is now available to view on YouTube. Even more new music from End Of The World is on the horizon. The band is available for interviews. End of the World is Fukase, Nakajin, Saori, and DJ LOVE.

Tuesday 27 June 2017

MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST Signs worldwide deal with NB; Announces new studio album



Michael Schenker is one of the most significant rock guitarists in the history of music. He has mesmerised the rock community since the 70's with his characteristic guitar play and contributed not only to Scorpions classics such as 'Lovedrive', 'Coast To Coast' and 'Holiday', but also constructed himself a monument during his time in UFO by writing hits like 'Doctor Doctor' and 'Rock Bottom' amongst others. His playing has had monumental influence on several generations of guitar players.

Back in 1979, the "German Wunderkind" decided to be his own boss. He founded the Michael Schenker Group aka M.S.G. and released the masterpieces ‘Assault Attack’ and ‘Built To Destroy’, the live legacy ‘One Night At Budokan’ as well as the McAuley Schenker Group pearls ‘Perfect Timing’ and ‘Save Yourself’. Around that time, outstanding musicians such as Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big), Don Airey (Deep Purple), Cozy Powell (ex-Jeff Beck), Chris Slade (AC/DC), Pete Way (UFO) and Neil Murray (ex-Whitesnake) were all invited by Schenker to play with him. M.S.G. also became the home of great vocalists, most notably Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet (ex-Rainbow) and Robin McAuley. Those guys were also a part of the comprehensive Michael Schenker Fest, whose celebrated Tokyo show was released as live CD, DVD and Blu-ray this March recently passed.

Now the time has come for Michael Schenker to move another step forward: He fulfils the long-awaited dream of all hard rock fans by entering the studio as Michael Schenker Fest. The band have just started the recording process for a brand-new studio album with producer Michael Voss. Its release is set for spring 2018 through Nuclear Blast, the band's new record label.

Comments Schenker: "I am very happy to have signed with Nuclear Blast Records and I am looking forward to releasing a killer Michael Schenker Fest studio album in the spring of 2018. The album will bring together past and present in the form of 3 original M.S.G. singers - Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet & Robin McAuley - and the current Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock vocalist Doogie White (ex-Rainbow). Keep on rockin'!"

With this latest signing, a long-desired dream came true for the South Germany-based label. Owner Markus Staiger grew up with Michael Schenker's music and is also one of his greatest admirers: "I'm proud to be able to work with the ultimate guitar god, Michael Schenker. He has always been my idol and he's the reason why I started to play the guitar when I was 13 years old. But I was ungifted in that area, so I had to stop and decided to found a record label instead. It's a great day and I feel happy just like back in the day when I was listening to ‘Lovedrive’ and ‘Michael Schenker Group’ for the very first time, and went nuts! Thanks!"

Michael Schenker Fest will be playing several shows this year, including four UK show dates in London, Sheffield, Manchester and Hull.

MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST – 2017 Dates Featuring 3 original M.S.G singers: Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley:

15th Jul (DE) – Balingen, Bang Your Head!!! Festival 15th Oct (JPN) – Tokyo, Loud Park Festival 25th Oct (DE) – Offenbach, Capitol 27th Oct (ES) – Santander, Escenario Santander 28th Oct (ES) – Pamplona, Auditorio de Burlada 29th Oct (ES) – Barcelona, Razzmatazz 31st Oct (NL) – Zoetermeer, De Boerderij 02nd Nov (UK) – London, o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire 03rd Nov (UK) – Sheffield, o2 Academy 04th Nov (UK) – Manchester, o2 Ritz 05th Nov (UK) – Hull, City Hall Meet & Greets: www.michaelschenkerfest.com

MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST – 2018 Dates Featuring 3 original M.S.G. singers: Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley plus Doogie White (ex-Rainbow, Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock):

6th Mar (USA) – Silver Springs, MD, The Fillmore 7th Mar (USA) – Pittsburgh, PA, Carnegie Music Hall 9th Mar (USA) – Boston, MA, Berklee Performance Center 10th Mar (USA) – New York, NY, Irving Plaza 11th Mar (USA) – Philadelphia, PA, Theatre of Living Arts 12th Mar (CAN) – Montreal, QC, Club Soda 14th Mar (USA) – Detroit, MI, Royal Oak Music Theatre 16th Mar (USA)– Cleveland, OH, Agora Theatre 17th Mar (USA) – Chicago, IL, Concord Music Hall 18th Mar (USA) – Milwaukee, WI, Pabst Theater 19th Mar (USA) – Minneapolis, MN, Cabooze 22nd Mar (USA) – Seattle, WA, Neptune Theatre 24th Mar (USA) – San Jose, CA, Events Center 25th Mar (USA) – Anaheim, CA, The Grove 26th Mar (USA) – Phoenix, AZ, Marquee Theatre 27th Mar (USA) – Las Vegas, NV, House of Blues 29th Mar (USA) – Denver, CO, Cervantes Ballroom 31st Mar (USA) – San Antonio, TX, Vibes Event Center 1st Apr (USA) – Dallas, TX, Bomb Factory 3rd Apr (USA) – Tampa, FL, The Ritz

Monday 26 June 2017

EUROPE - The Final Countdown 30th Anniversary Show - Live At The Roundhouse



On July 21, 2017, Swedish classic rock icons EUROPE will share their unique 30th Anniversary performance of The Final Countdown from London's legendary Roundhouse with fans everywhere. The band's new limited edition audio/video release, The Final Countdown 30th Anniversary Show - Live at the Roundhouse, celebrates the multi-platinum album's triple-decade success.

The band played the album in its sequential entirety at a series of selected cities in 2016, with London's most historically venerated venue playing host to an exceptionally special night on November 12, 2016, which was captured by Patric Ullaeus from rEvolver Film Company AB for this set. Preceding the landmark event described above, fans were also treated to a live performance of Europe's latest album War of Kings, a release which re-established Europe as one of the top classic rock bands in the world.

Joey Tempest of EUROPE says:"What an awesome night! It was more enjoyable than we thought to revisit the whole Final Countdown album live! On top of that, to be able to share our whole War Of Kings album with this amazing audience the same night just made this show one of the most memorable nights of our career!"

Watch a brand new trailer for The Final Countdown 30th Anniversary Show - Live at the Roundhouse here:

Tash Sultana - Live in London This Week



Tash Sultana plays live in London for the first time this week. The 21 year-old Melbournian is quickly becoming an international sensation following the independent release of her debut EP ‘Notion’ last year.

Tash’s UK shows in June and September sold out without any promotion whatsoever. Her debut ‘Notion’ EP has amassed over 25 million streams, and Tash’s home-made video jam sessions have become a viral hit. Watch her live version of ‘Jungle’ here:



Tash first wrapped her hands wrapped around a guitar at the age of three, and the self taught artist quickly developed her own unique style that has people lining up to see her perform live. She will play sold out shows at London’s Scala on June 27 and 28, and London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire on September 14. The selling out of these shows is testament to how this unique artist has captured the imagination of music lovers everywhere. Further UK shows are also on sale now.

Tash’s vocal shines with a magical quality, she has a natural gift for melody and her virtuosic guitar playing is from another planet. Her carefully crafted, edgy, multi-instrumental pieces featuring beat boxing, unique guitar work and percussion styled finger tapping, has left audiences in awe. She honed these performance skills on the streets of Melbourne, busking being the only way she could make money having emerged from the clutches of drug-addiction, an issue from her past which she now speaks openly about.

In her native Australia, she is already collecting accolades having been selected as Triple J’s ‘Unearthed Artist of the Year’ already, plus this year she was Google Play’s #1 artist to watch. Recent single ‘Jungle’ came in at #3 in Triple J's hottest 100, the worlds biggest music vote, with over 2.5 million votes

Tash is currently working on her debut album, and will be releasing more new music very soon.

UK Live Dates: June 27 - London, The Scala. SOLD OUT. June 28 - London, The Scala. SOLD OUT. September 9 - Port Meiron, Wales, Festival #6. September 10 - Isle of Wight, Bestival. September 12 - Manchester, Club Academy. September 13 - Bristol, SWX. September 14 - London, Shepherd’s Bush Empire. SOLD OUT.

Sunday 25 June 2017

DANZIG - "Black Laden Crown", Released May 26th, 2017 via AFM Records - ALBUM REVIEW


DANZIG - "Black Laden Crown"
Released May 26th, 2017 via AFM Records

Not every day that an album from a music icon lands on your desk. Danzig's Black Laden's Crown is one of those. The unique voice from Glen haunts the entire album and I cannot help taking a trip thru memory lane including his early work with Misfits. What an artist!!! He has influenced not only musicians and many generations of music lovers but has also laid the foundations of what the music was to become for so many bands in the 80/90s.

Black Laden Crown the first track is the perfect stage for Danzig's voice. The music is stylishly and subtly influenced by stoner touches and together with the voice form the perfect story telling vehicle that Glen's is renowned for.

The production is clean and efficient while not showing off needlessly. The start of Eyes Ripping Fire is not without reminding me of some of the best Corrosion Of Conformity intros, same for Devil On Hwy 9. I swear I thought I heard Woody and Pepper (from C.O.C) the first time I played the track.

No instant hits stands out in the 9 tracks proposed and the first thing that may spring to mind is that there is no song as distinctive as Mother on Black Laden Crown. Having said that all the titles are very solid and cohesive if you consider But A Nightmare, The Witching Hour Or Skulls & Daisies.

I like Pull The Sun, the concluding track where Glen's soft singing style is taking all its dimension which for me is not so distant in terms of intonations from the great work of the late Chris Cornell.

Maybe not one of Danzig’s most catchy work but definitely up there in the strong and solid album category.
Overall: A super solid album.
If I was to pick 3 Only: Eyes Ripping Fire, Devil On Hwy 9, Pull The Sun
Live Test: Never seen him play but would surely if he comes to Ireland :-)

Reviewed by Pascal Derrien