Having taken SXSW by storm, Bristol Music Foundation brings the South West sound and knowledge to Brighton’s Great Escape Festival this year, with a full day of events dedicated to raising awareness of Bristol’s burgeoning music scene and heritage.

Thursday 14th May, 2009, 11am-7pm

Taking residency at The Great Escapes HQ, The Thistle Hotel, the mini convention holds host to a series of exciting South West themed talks and panel conferences with leading local industry figures and media partners, all with South West associations.

Speakers include:

Chris Morrison (CMO Management)
Korda Marshall (Infectious – Muse, The Enemy)
Nick Williams (Brit School)
Seth Jackson (Indie Mobile)
John Empson (Eden Sessions)
Jack Kingslake (High Road)
Alison Tickell (Julie’s Bicycle)

Chris Morrison and Korda Marshall will be talking individually and participating in a joint discussion about the future of the music industry. The day will also include a discussion on ‘The Evolution of Dubstep in Bristol’s Multi Cultural Music History’.

Following the talks, a drinks reception will take place on the Library Terrace from 5 til 7pm feat music from the Carrivick Sisters, the Volt, Joe 90 (Future Boogie) and introducing Theo. It will feature a Bristol Urban Art Gallery courtesy of Friend & Co, and giveaways including an exclusive limited edition vinyl compilation of Bristol and South West artists. The evening will then continue with gigs from Bristol’s finest, including The Locarnos, Rosie and The Goldbug, Phantom Limb and The She Creatures in venues across the city.

Bristol’s presence resumes on the Saturday at The Great Escape with headline performances from TurboWolf and FREELAND.

For further information please visit:

Bristol Music Foundation Official Website

The Great Escape Official Website

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Alice Russell show at Thekla in Bristol, England.

What a great excuse for a road trip – to travel from Oxford, on a mission to see this up and coming British Soul singer, to a city that I hadn’t yet been to, but had heard so much about – with its vibrant music scene and rich historical heritage. For some reason, quite a few acts have been skipping Oxford while on tour in the UK, which is why these excursions have become necessary.

We got to Bristol quite early in the day, so we had plenty of time to spare. We wandered around town, and with the weather being unpredictable – going from sunny, windy to rain at any moment, we had to be a bit creative for our daytime entertainment. So what do we do? Well, first we thought food might be a good way to start, so for lunch we ended up at Start the Bus. A funky bar – obviously set up for nighttime entertainment, with interesting drawings on the walls, seemingly a student hangout with okay food.

It might have been impressive to say that later, we went into the round, mirrored planetarium, then found some very interesting museums and learned as much as we could about the city while we were there…but rather than do that, we decided to James Bond it, and ended up at the cinema instead. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon though – we had the whole place to ourselves and I finally got to watch Quantum Of Solace. Oh, and to hear the Jack White, Alicia Keys duet on the big screen.

After the movie, we wandered around the Christmas market, toyed with the idea of going on the ferris wheel, and thought about how great a setting that would make for a fight scene in a Bond film. Then we walked down by the harbour to look for Thekla, the infamous club on a boat. After ‘phoning a friend’ for directions, we turned around and eventually found it. Cool place. We went in, and ordered a couple beers in plastic cups, and sat outside on the deck, looking forward to the upcoming show.

We finished our drinks and then went downstairs into the club area. This was the first time I had been to a club on a boat, and it didn’t disappoint. What a great idea. We sat down along the side of the room, but as the room slowly started filling up with people, eventually packing the place, we decided to go upstairs to the balcony, which was the right decision, because the view of the stage from up there was superb. There were a lot of Alice Russell fans down below in front of the stage anxiously awaiting her arrival, and I knew that if I was down there amongst it, I wouldn’t be able to see anything!

The crowd was a mix of all ages, but mostly appeared to be students. When the band, all dressed in white, and then Alice walked on stage, the crowd applauded and hollered with excitement. She looked great in a black dress with a shiny gold short sleeve and leopard-like print tights. The band was funky and once Alice started belting it out the audience seemed to be spellbound, as many danced along and kept their eyes glued to the stage.

Alice has a very strong, soulful voice, she seems to genuinely enjoy what she’s doing, and is a professional no doubt. Her engagement with the audience is top notch and I wouldn’t be surprised if I see her on Later with Jools Holland one day. I’m not quite sure, though, why she’s being compared to the likes of Duffy, Amy Winehouse and Adele – she doesn’t sound anything like them, not that any of them sound alike, either. It will be interesting to see how things go for her here and overseas, but if the crowd at Thekla is any indication, she’s sure to have a promising future.

Alice Russell has recently released her second studio album, ‘Pot of Gold‘.

Alice Russell on amazon.com

Alice Russell amazon.co.uk

Alice Russell Official Website
MySpace

By: Jenny May

We have just a handful of bands for you to peruse, here on Band Weblogs. Don’t forget to click on the bands’ website links to learn more about them and to listen to their music.

5 Bands to watch in 2008:

1. The Rushes
The Rushes are Gerard, Dan, Joe and James. Most of them met studying in Leeds. James and Gerard are post-irish, pseudo-catholic-guilt-ridden brothers from Birmingham, Dan is from London and Joe is from Colchester. They like songs more than scenes and are currently near completion of recording their first album for Island Records with producer Victor Van Vugt (Athlete, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey). The Rushes will release the first single from the album, ‘Corners’, in March 2008. Other tracks to watch out for are the brilliant “Will You Won’t You” and “What You Waiting For” – the early demo’s of these songs were released last year and can be heard on the bands myspace.

The Rushes on Myspace
The Rushes Official Website

2. Parka
Hailing from Scotland but now based in East London, Parka have already toured with the likes of Switches, Foals, Boy Kill Boy and The Young Knives this year and amassed more and more supporters along the way. Their recent XFM Scotland session saw the band cover Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” and had the studio rolling about in hysterics by the time they got to the chorus. Parka have also been featured in the Hot New Ones in the NME chart on MTV2 with the angular video for previous single “If You Wanna?”. Parka prepare to release a brand new version of “Disco Dancer” on January 7th, 2008.

Parka on Mypace
Parka Official Website

The three bands below have had a single out in 2007, but we are feeling them for 2008 so have a listen:

3. The Courteeners
Liam Fray was known around the North West prior to the formation of The Courteeners as one of Manchester’s most promising and popular songwriters. Having tired of being unable to make the big sound that he yearned for on his own, he recruited fellow Middleton dwellers, Campbell (drums), Cupello (bass) and Conan (guitar). All known to each other since school days, (Campbell lived next door but one), the transition from solo singer to band was a short and seemingly pre-ordained transition. Early shows at D-Percussion and around the Manchester area saw the band build a fanatical local following in a very short space of time and their shows soon became must attend events in the city.

When the 500 capacity Academy 3 show sold out in July prior to the band signing a record deal or even releasing a note it was clear that they were on the verge of something very special. Tickets for their Academy 2 show (1000) in October sold out as they went on sale. The Courteeners made their first appearance in London in August, playing to another sold out room that saw the mania of their Northern shows translated into a Southern context. That gig saw the music industry fall for the band and “Cavorting” became an NME single of the week whilst mentions in the tabloids and plays on Radio One only served to increase the sense that something important was happening. The next single “What Took You So Long” is set for release January 14th, 2008.

The Courteeners on Myspace

4. The Ghost Frequency
Armed with shards of broken guitar and the acidic crunch of retro analogue synths, The Ghost Frequency came screaming out of North East London like a heart on fire. In a small besmirched bedroom, with a driving fascination with electronic sound and Post-Hardcore, Doran, Murphy, Barney and Ross began piecing ideas together 10 months ago.

An impressive plethora of diverse influences (from At The Drive-In and Dead Kennedy’s, to Dead Boys, Richard Hell and all things New York punk, to the raw driving 80’s synthesis of DAF and The Normal) began to encourage The Ghost Frequency’s fast and unforgiving sound. Coupled with a love for Electro Breakdance from Cybotron plus Spank Rock and MIA and the writings of Haruki Murakami, the amalgamation was set to completion by Doran’s unhealthy preoccupation with Kate Bush, and the arrival of drummer Ben.

The Ghost Frequency are: Doran (vocals / synth), Ross (guitar / synth), Ben (drums), Murphy (guitars) and Barney (synths / computers).

The Ghost Frequency on Myspace
The Ghost Frequency review on Band Weblogs

5. Malakai
Malakai are a two-piece band from Bristol, UK. They comprise of Gee (vocals) and Scott (music). Their sound is a mix of beats and samples, drawing on a wide range of influences from dub to sixties pop, all tied together by Gee’s distinctive voice.

Discovered by Geoff Barrow from the Bristol band Portishead, to date Malakai have released a limited-edition 12″ on Barrow’s Invada label, called ‘Fading World’. ‘Fading World’ was followed up by their debut EP 1 on Island Records in September 2007. The lead track from EP 1, titled “The Battle” was Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe’s “Single of the Week” for w/c 9th July 2007 and The Guardian newspaper featured Malakai as their “New band of the day”.

Malakai on Myspace
Malakai Official Website

Last year The Cribs took to the studio with Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos at the production helm to record their follow-up album (‘Men’s Needs, Woman’s Needs, Whatever’ out May 21, 2007), the first fruits of which will be their new single “Men’s Needs” (out May 14th) which sees the band take their choppy, angular guitar and hook-laden sounds to the next level.

Carling has got a huge stack of tickets piled up on our desk to give away for The Cribs’ shows at Carling Academy Liverpool (May 25th) and Bristol (June 5th).

Check out http://www.carling.com/members/ for more information.