Share video for ‘Gagarin’ – first single from upcoming second album

The Race For Space LP due Feb 20^th  

Belfast & Dublin dates announced as part of UK & Ireland tour

Premiering on NPR yesterday, “Trust me, this is the best thing you’ll watch all day…the two unassuming guys behind the band Public Service Broadcasting, don matching spacesuits and bust out a synchronized dance routine that’ll make your heart leap out of your chest with pure joy.”

Public Service Broadcasting today unveil the video for the first single from their upcoming second album, The Race For Space. A brassy, funk-heavy superhero theme song for the most famous man in the world at the time, ‘Gagarin’ reveals a new side to the band – not least their considerable dancing skills.

Once again given access to newly acquired BFI footage, this time of the Soviet space race, PSB’s J. Willgoose, Esq. explained the rationale behind the song: “We didn’t want to be too literal in our interpretation of the material we were given – material that was full of heroic language and a sense of exuberance, with lines like ‘the hero who blazed the trail to the stars’, and ‘the whole world knew him and loved him’. It seemed more appropriate to try and re-create some of that triumphant air with a similarly upbeat song – and when it came to creating the video, the best way we could think of to communicate that sense of joy was to get our dancing shoes on.”

With both a 6-piece brass section and 5-piece string section in tow, ‘Gagarin’ also signals a broadening of Public Service Broadcasting’s sound, making it a somewhat surprising return for this apparently reserved British duo. “We wanted to surprise people, and show that there is a depth and breadth to our musical interests and influences that goes far beyond our first album”, Willgoose continues, referencing the group’s Top 30 UK debut LP Inform – Educate – Entertain, released in May 2013.

‘Gagarin’ is the first single from the new album, and will be available on 1 December as a free download for anyone who pre-orders a copy of The Race For Space, out 20 February 2015. The new album is also available to pre-order as a limited edition clear vinyl, more information can be found here.

The band will play two launch shows at the National Space Centre, Leicester, in the week of release – both of which sold out in under 24 hours – before heading around the world on an extensive international tour. Which includes two dates in Ireland, they will play Mandela Hall on 3^rd May & Button Factory Dublin on 5^th May.

The video for ‘Gagarin’ is directed by Alex Kemp, produced by Tony Powell and was shot in PSB’s south London homeland.

See PSB live in Ireland on;

Sunday 3^rd May                                Mandela Hall, Belfast

Tuesday 5^th May                              Button Factory, Dublin

Tickets on sale here.

www.PublicServiceBroadcasting.net

MULLED

‘A Perfect Christmas’

Out 12^th December

It’s been a long time since anyone came up with a new Christmas song that’s catchy but not annoyingly so, festive but not too cheesy, pop but with an indie spirit. Maybe Mulled have finally cracked the code?

A Perfect Christmas is, at its core, a great little pop song. Written and performed by Mulled -who are Eoghan O’Sullivan of Co. Wicklow and David Graham of Co. Clare – it is set to be released on 12th December and it just might become your new favourite Christmas song.

It was recorded at Orphan Recording in Dublin, where Gavin Glass and Scott Halliday wrapped it in tasteful tinsel and a sprinkling of sleigh bells. The end result has been described online as “a very happy, bouncy, foot-tapping Christmas tune with excellent pop lyrics!” and “one of the finest indie happy Christmas songs heard….it should be considered in indie terms at least as good as the legendary Belle and Sebastian John Peel Christmas session”.

Find the video and more info here: http://aperfectchristmas.net
Listen and download from iTunes, Bandcamp, Spotify and all good digital retailers.

Down By The River

“Something about that off-the beat rhythm that says summer” Evening Standard
“All about the beautiful acoustic guitar groove” **** Daily Star

Alternative electronic sensation Milky Chance announce new single ‘Down By The River’ will be released 5^th December through Ignition Records.

After performing to huge crowds at Reading and Leeds Festival (and selling out their first headline show in London at Koko), the band head to Dublin for their debut Irish show at Vicar Street on 5^th February, which has just sold out!

Milky Chance’s rise to music’s upper echelons has been unstoppable. Last year in their tiny self-built studio the duo cut their full-length debut ‘Sadnecessary’ and last summer they released it on their own Lichtdicht Records in Europe. Within a few weeks, lead single ‘Stolen Dance’ had reached number one on Hype Machine. To date ‘Stolen Dance’ has received over 84 million Youtube views, and topped the Irish, German, Austrian, Australia, Canadian, Swiss, French and Belgium singles charts. Ireland has been a huge supporter of the band, where as well as having a #1 single, the song was a #1 radio hit and has achieved over gold sales status.

‘Stolen Dance’ continues to build worldwide – particularly in America, where it is currently #1 on the US Alternative radio chart and # 1 on the AAA radio chart.

Milky Chance have won a European Border Breakers Award (EBBA) and are also nominated for the public choice award, you can vote for them here and be in with a chance to win 2 tickets to the EBBA’s and Eurosonic Festival – http://www.rte.ie/2fm/eurosonic/. The EBBAs are about breaking down borders and recognising emerging European rock, pop and dance artists who achieved success in other countries than their own.

New single ‘Down By The River’ will knock you over at first. But when you gather yourself, get back on your feet and listen again, you’ll want to hit the play button a second time. The video for the single has already had over 7.7million views on Youtube and the FlicFlac remix has had over 26 millions views on Youtube.

Live Date: Vicar Street, Dublin on 5^th February 2015 – SOLD OUT!

www.milkychanceofficial.com

Public Service Broadcasting

Share details of second album The Race For Space – due Feb 2015

Belfast & Dublin dates announced as part of UK & Ireland tour

Following the release of a tantalising and atmospheric trailer earlier this month (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udKBXoO2e3U) which quoted John F Kennedy’s famous Rice Stadium address of 1962, Public Service Broadcasting are now excited to reveal full details of The Race For Space LP (Feb 20^th  2015 via Test Card Recordings) – as well as their biggest UK & Irish tour to date.

Tickets for the duo’s return at two unique album launch shows at The National Space Centre sold out in under 24 hours, and the band now have their sights set on their biggest tour yet as they jet around the UK & Ireland in April & May 2015. The tour splashes down at the Roundhouse, London on 7 May – all dates listed below.

At Public Service Broadcasting’s uniquely spell-binding live AV ‘Transmissions’ the audience will witness the band weave samples from archive footage around live drums, guitar, banjo and electronics as they teach the lessons of the past through the music of the future – beaming our past back at us through vintage TV sets and state of the art modern video projection devices. Granted unique access to historically important films from the BFI, PSB will go back in time and explore the period when the USA and USSR fought to gain the upper hand in a new frontier – space.

Public Service Broadcasting have quickly developed a reputation as one of the most exciting live acts in the country, wowing audiences over the past two festival seasons with major appearances at Glastonbury, Bestival, Green Man and a whole host of others. Support slots with The Rolling Stones & Arcade Fire at Hyde Park plus touring with the Manic Street Preachers across Europe and an upcoming arena tour with the Kaiser Chiefs scheduled for early next year point to a band at the top of their game.

Before their UK & Ireland dates the duo will be embarking on a global tour, starting in Australia and New Zealand, before moving onto North America. The tour will finish with a string of European dates in May / June 2015 before they hurtle straight into another busy festival season. Additionally Public Service Broadcasting have been invited to be the sole support for Kaiser Chiefs on their UK arena tour in early 2015.

The Race For Space follows Inform – Educate – Entertain, Public Service Broadcasting’s debut album which reached #21 in the UK album charts and was nominated for ‘Best Independent Album’ at the AIM Awards 2013, as well as being The Guardian’s Album of the Week and one of BBC 6Music’s Top 10 albums of 2013.

Listeners will be able to choose which front cover they favour as the band release a double-sided sleeve for The Race For Space.

Tracklisting: 1. The Race For Space, 2. Sputnik, 3. Gagarin, 4. Fire In The Cockpit, 5. E.V.A., 6. The Other Side, 7. Valentina, 8. Go!, 9. Tomorrow

See PSB live in Ireland on;

Sunday 3^rd May                                 Mandela Hall, Belfast

Tuesday 5^th May                               Button Factory, Dublin

www.PublicServiceBroadcasting.net

José González will release his first solo album in seven years, Vestiges & Claws on 20 Feb 2015 via Peacefrog Records.

“Every age has its turn / Every branch of the tree has to learn/ Learn to grow, find its way / Make the best of this short-lived stay” – José González

It’s the quiet ones we should watch, they always say. Which is particularly astute advice right now, when loud, constant self-declaration and saturated “brand” visibility have become the norm. But above the babble and brightness, some voices will always speak quiet volumes ­– with calm eloquence and the kind of certitude that comes from valuing the playing out, not just the prize.

Sweden’s José González is just such a voice. He first charmed his way into the UK’s & Ireland’s earshot via the murmurous and elegant, classically finger-picked folk pop of his 2005 album, Veneer, which has since sold over a staggering 430, 000 copies in UK alone & went double platinum in Ireland.. Two years later came In Our Nature, a further exploration of José’s influences (Argentinian Folklore, the ’60s US folk tradition and the British pastoral folk-pop style of the same era), on which he resisted the temptation to beef up his alluringly introvert aesthetic. The albums made the UK Top 10 and Top 20 respectively.

It may be seven years since he released a solo record, but José has been anything but idle in that time. He’s delivered two albums with the band Junip, his more fulsome, electronic-edged, pop project and has toured with both the Berlin/Göteborg String Theory orchestra (in 2011), co-performing 11 reworking’s of his songs, Sidi Touré and played with Malian desert blues troupe Tinariwen (both in 2012). In 2013, Hollywood came calling when Ben Stiller commissioned José to work with Theodore Shapiro on the soundtrack to his remake of ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ and most recently, he’s contributed his version of ‘This is How We Walk On the Moon’ to the Red Hot charity compilation honouring Arthur Russell. Community and collaboration are obviously satisfying in their own ways, but now José is again stepping centre stage solo, with Vestiges & Claws.

Conceived as the natural third part in an acoustic trilogy, Vestiges & Claws is a(nother) hushed and delicate solo set that forefronts the artist and guitarist’s compellingly intimate vocal style and intricate playing technique, but it’s often strikingly rhythmic in nature and cohere’s perfectly, with hand claps and taps on the body of his instrument underlining the songs’ mantric rise-and-fall pattern, while elsewhere, over-dubbed guitar parts and multi-tracked vocal harmonies entwine to sweetly immersive effect.

The title refers to both cultural practices and biological features that survive despite having lost their original function, and to currently useful tools, ie the “claws” of modern life.

Vestiges & Claws was recorded almost entirely by José and self-produced, mostly in his Gothenburg home, using computer plug-ins to achieve a warm, analogue sound. He prefers working alone, mainly for artistic reasons. “There were a couple of things that enabled me to complete this record: one was curiosity, to be able to play percussion and do a lot of harmonies and also to produce and mix the album; the other was aesthetics. I love to listen to Arthur Russell and Shuggie Otis, to music that has been done mostly by one person in their solitary state.”

As José sees it, the record is his personal, “zoomed-out eye on humanity on a small, pale blue dot in a cold, sparse and unfriendly space. The amazing fact that we are all here, an attempt at encouraging us to understand ourselves and to make the best of the one life we know we have – after birth and before death.”

Vestiges & Claws Tracklist: With The Ink Of A Ghost / Let It Carry You / Stories We Build. Stories We/ Tell / The Forest / Leaf Off/The Cave / Every Age / What Will / Vissel / Afterglow / Open Book
Vestiges & Claws Pre-order: http://smarturl.it/iTunesVestigesClaws

http://www.jose-gonzalez.com

SINÉAD O’CONNOR

 BRAND NEW VIDEO FOR

 ‘8 GOOD REASONS’ – NOVEMBER 14^th

Hear ‘8 Good Reasons’:  https://soundcloud.com/nettwerkmusicgroup/sinead-oconnor-8-good-reasons/s-5IjCy

Sinéad O’Connor releases her brand new single ‘8 Good Reasons’, the second single to be taken from her acclaimed new album ‘I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss’. ‘8 Good Reasons’ is released via Nettwerk Records on November 14^th 2014.

Today Sinead unveils the brand new video for the track, shot on a bus in her home town of Dublin recently. The video shows Sinead at her most direct and powerful but also shows the redemptive power of the song and the joy of the lyric.

The full video for ‘8 Good Reasons’ can be seen at www.sineadoconnor.com/. ‘8 Good Reasons’ is an emotive and beautiful song that represents the very best of Sinead’s songwriting, her ever-powerful and moving vocal set to a gorgeous and uplifting chorus produced by long term collaborator John Reynolds.

Sinéad’s new album ‘I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss’ has been her most successful album in recent years both critically and commercially and was her first Irish No 1 album since ‘I Do not Want What I Haven’t Got’ in 1990. Mojo called the album ‘simply a remarkable collection of songs’ in a 4* review, Sunday Times Culture called it ‘excellent’ whilst the Daily Mirror described Sinead as a ‘Celtic queen performing a career high’ in a 5* review.

In addition to headlining Womad and performing at Camp Bestival & Electric Picnic, Sinéad also headlined her own sensational live sold out show at NCH, Dublin which was showered in four star reviews by reviewing media.

‘I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss’ is the follow up to Sinéad’s acclaimed album ‘How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?’ which was released in 2011. ‘I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss’ features twelve brand new songs which showcase the very best of Sinéad and what makes her so special, passionate and direct yet with an overarching fragile beauty Sinéad’s voice and lyrics are as powerful as they are tender.

Sinead O’Connor plays Vicar Street, Dublin on 16^th December.

 www.sineadoconnor.com

Boy & Bear’s UK & Irish tour kicks off on the 4^th November

They play Whelan’s, Dublin on 9 November

New single Southern Sun releases in Ireland on 14^th November

Australia’s indie folk darlings Boy & Bear finish their year of consistent touring in Europe, kicking of the run of UK & Irish dates on the 4^th of November, in Glasgow. This year will have seen Boy & Bear complete a total of 157 shows across the globe!  Have a listen to Southern Sun taken from the critically acclaimed Harlequin Dream, an album that went straight to the no.1 spot in their native Australia, and received widespread critical acclaim in the UK.

Currently winning the hearts of the USA’s music loving public whilst on tour, the band performed live on Conan O’Brien’s late night TV show, on the 23^rd of July.

Harlequin Dream, the band’s first album since signing to Nettwerk Records was recorded at the legendary Albert’s Studio and mixed by Phil Ek (Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, Built to Spill, The Shins) It follows on from their debut LP, Moonfire, which sold platinum in Australia and earned the Sydney five piece an astonishing five awards in 2011’s ARIA awards.

NOVEMBER 2014

Tuesday- 4th Glasgow -Oran Mor

Wednesday 5^th Edinburgh- Electric Circus
Thursday 6^th-Manchester- Gorilla

Friday 7^th– Leeds- Brudenell Social Club

Sunday 9^th – Dublin- Whelens

Tuesday 11^th- Liverpool- Leaf

Wednesday 12^th– Bristol – Anson Rooms

Thursday 13^th– Cardiff- Clwb lfor Bach

Friday 14^th– London- Shepherds Bush Empire
Sunday 16^th-Oxford- Academy

Tuesday 18^th– Portsmouth- The Wedgewood Room

https://www.facebook.com/boyandbear  // http://www.boyandbear.com

Toy Soldier

Announce New Single ‘Sugar’ Out 14^th November

From their upcoming EP ‘Breathe’

“[A] polished high energy sound that is as unique as it is fresh” – Dwayne Woods, The Irish Daly Star

“Memorable tunes with catchy choruses… Irresistible tune Butterfly has chart topping single written all over it” –

Colm O Hare, Hot Press Magazine – writing about band’s debut album ‘Calling Up The Dusk’ in 2012

Toy Soldier is an Irish based electro-pop trio combining a dance floor groove with rocking riffs. Think of your favourite club night with Nine Inch Nails and Blondie mashing it up on the decks.

They are releasing the first song to be taken from their forthcoming EP ‘Breathe’, which will be released in March 2015. The slick, super catchy ‘Sugar’ will be filling club dance floors both sides of the Atlantic very soon!

Having perfected their live performance in L.A. with early live shows in world renowned venues such as The Viper Room and The Mint, Toy Soldier are now one of the most exciting bands on the live music scene with an unmatched level of showmanship amongst their peers.

Spawning a number of very eye catching videos the band quickly gained a reputation for their sharp image, even being nominated for Sexiest Music Video at the IMTV awards in 2013 for their video ‘Summertime’.

Toy Soldier had a foray into the sporting world when the Munster Rugby team chose the band’s then forthcoming single ‘Animal’ as their official run-on song for the 2013/14 season.

2014 sees the band continue to bring their high octane live show to international audiences. This year saw the trio dent the Irish charts with single ‘Animal’ which was taken from the bands recent ‘Love Buzz’ EP released back in February.

‘Sugar’ is scheduled for release on the 14^th November and will be available on iTunes.

Toy Soldier are Fionnuala Curran (lead vocal), Cian Walsh (lead guitar and backing vocals) and Fergal McCarthy (drums and backing vocals)

Live Dates:

Thursday 30 October                          Dolans, Limerick – https://dolans.ie/

Friday 21 November                           The Greenroom, Letterkenny, Donegal – www.facebook.com/GreenroomLiveLetterkenny

Sunday 7 December                            Crane Lane, Cork – http://www.cranelanetheatre.ie/

Sunday 14th December                     Sunday Roast, The Mercantile, Dublin – http://mercantile.ie/

Monday 15 December                        Blackbird, Ballycotton, Cork – http://www.blackbirdballycotton.com/

 http://toysoldierband.com/

DUKE SPECIAL

Announces Irish Tour for 2015

New single ‘Elephant Graveyard’ out 21^st November,

New album ‘Look Out Machines’ releasing early 2015

Duke Special has just announced his first full Irish Tour in over 5 years! He will be covering every corner of the country in January & February 2015, introducing audiences to the songs of his 4^th studio album ‘Look Out Machines!’. which is set for release in 2015! Duke releases the first single from the album, a pulsating 60’s tinged belter entitled ‘Elephant Graveyard’ on November 21st.

This album sees Duke exploring new musical ground with collaborators including Iain Archer, Phil Wilkinson and Gary Clark. It was recorded at Electric Zoo studios in the English seaside town of Eastbourne. For this album Duke teamed up with Pledge Music for a second time to help bring it to life. Back in 2009, Duke Special was one of the first artists to embark upon a Pledge Campaign, raising money for his ambitious “Stage, Book and Silver Screen” project. Within only a week of the new pledge being launched it soared to 55% of reaching its target goal! It is currently at 85% with still some time to go so keep those pledges coming in!

Fans can pre-order the album now via Pledge Music, and can also make pledges for a variety of other exclusive goodies, such as signed CDs, personal house gigs, and loads of other brilliant stuff including the opportunity to join Duke in an attempt to break the world record for the most concerts performed in 24 hours! The record is currently standing at 65 shows.

As part of Duke’s Pledge Campaign, where he is raising money to make and promote the new record, Duke is offering an Irish Tour Gold Ticket giving you access to all shows on this Jan/Feb tour. These tickets are priced €126 and are selling fast so best buy yours ASAP before the rest get snapped up! See www.pledgemusic.com/projects/dukespecial for more details.

Duke has given us a sneak preview of the direction he is taking this time via the video he posted on YouTube of the song ‘Domino’ – http://youtu.be/99ipAv0T5_Y – and he gives us some other clues in the first of many film snippets about the album on the Pledge website – www.pledgemusic.com/projects/dukespecial

Supporting Duke on the tour will be VerseChorusVerse (Jan 15-17), SOAK (Jan 22-24, 29-31 & Feb 5-7) and more support acts are to be announced. All tickets for the Irish tour are €15/ £15 and are on sale from today.

JANUARY 2015

Thursday 15th Market Place Theatre, Armagh – www.marketplacearmagh.com

Friday 16th The Glens Centre, Manorhamilton, Leitrim – www.theglenscentre.com

Saturday 17th Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo – www.hawkswell.com

Thursday 22nd Coughlan’s, Cork – www.coughlans.ie

Friday 23rd De Barras, Clonakilty, Cork – www.debarra.ie

Saturday 24th Garter Lane Arts Theatre, Waterford – www.garterlane.ie

Thursday 29th Arts Centre, Wexford – www.wexfordartscentre.ie

Friday 30th Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, Meath – www.solsticeartscentre.com

Saturday 31st Iontas Theatre, Castleblaney, Monaghan – www.iontascastleblayney.ie

FEBRUARY 2015

Thursday 5th McGrory’s, Culdaff, Donegal – www.mcgrorys.ie

Friday 6th Old Courthouse, Antrim – www.antrim.gov.uk/oldcourthouse

Saturday 7th Downs Arts Centre, Downpatrick, Down – www.downartscentre.com

Thursday 12th Cunninghams, Kildare – www.cunninghamskildare.com/cms

Friday 13th The Set Theatre, Kilkenny – www.set.ie

Saturday 14th The Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Wicklow –www.courthousearts.ie

Thursday 19th Boyles of Slane, Meath – www.boylesofslane.com

Friday 20th Spirit Store, Dundalk, Louth –www.spiritstore.ie

Thursday 26th Sol Y Sombra, Killorglin, Kerry – www.solysombra.ie

Friday 27th Roisin Dubh, Galway – www.roisindubh.net

Saturday 28th Dolans (upstairs), Limerick – www.dolans.ie

PHOX

Play songs from their self titled debut Album in Sugar Club, Dublin

on Sunday 9 November

“Buoyant African and Caribbean grooves behind sometimes moody reflections.” – New York Times 

“Not only does this sextet have abundant energy and a batch of strong songs, but it’s also got Monica Martin, as charismatic a lead singer as I’ve seen in a while.” – NPR 

“A pop sensation in waiting” – Clash / “Monica Martin’s honeyed voice; it’s full of soul” – NME 

“A triumph” – The 405 / “Monica Martin has a torch singer’s quiet glamour and smoky voice” – Uncut

It’s a rare thrill nowadays, when listening to the opening few bars of a track, to hear a voice that slices its way through such a riot of colour and effortlessly holds your attention. The breathy-yet-powerful intensity of Phox’s Monica Martin’s voice sits somewhere between the evocative agelessness of Christine McVie or Nina Simone with more modern echoes of Chairlift’s Caroline Polacheck. Beneath this, an elegant Lee Hazlewood-meets-Regina Spector arrangement and compressed drums that St Vincent would be envious of. Wisconsin’s Phox straddle the normally shaky boundary between sounding modern and classic, perhaps what Haim would sound like if they were brought up in the South instead of the West Coast.

Phox touch many genres, swimming amidst a heady fill of rock, psychedelia, and soul. ‘Slow Motion’ has the ability to hazily transport you to a summer setting; whilst maintaining an ever-pulling nostalgia, it becomes infectiously heartening. The smoky jazz vocals from Monica Martin provide a heavy, sultry coating to the glittering pop backgrounds that slide into clarinet interludes. The single is out August 29th through Partisan Records which is taken from their self-titled debut album due for release on the same date.

In Baraboo, Wisconsin, six unlikely musicians attended high school together, and after a short stint of separation to pursue careers of their own, their hometown was calling. They rekindled their creative streaks, almost as a family, after moving in together. It was Monica who needed to be convinced of her own talent, set against the soundscape of cups, woodwind, pianos and electric guitars provided by fellow band members Jason Krunnfusz, Matthew Holmen, Zach Johnston, Matteo Roberts and Davey Robert. Through the colourful arrangement of ‘Slow Motion’, Americana influences and Caribbean rhythm can be heard, but it’s with the bare, stripped-back harmonies and subtle melancholy of the lyrics that show Phox has created something totally enchanting and unique, captivating from the first listen.

Ask the band how they would describe themselves and they’d say:

“PHOX is a bunch of friends from the Midwestern circus hamlet Baraboo, Wisc., a place where kids often drink poisoned groundwater and become endowed mutants. They make music that straddles Feist and Monty Python.”

With recent support slots with The Lumineers and Laura Mvula, this Wisconsin sextet are set to cross the pond. Following their debut Irish show at this year’s Electric Picnic, Phox are returning to The Sugar Club on 9 November.

Sunday 9 November          The Sugar Club, Lesson Street, Dublin 2 http://www.thesugarclub.com/

 http://phoxband.com