Following Colorama’s appearance at Glastonbury, Dave Fletcher passed away in his sleep in the early hours last Monday morning from a heart attack. He was 37 and a beautiful person.

Colorama’s Carwyn Ellis had this to say about his friend and bandmate…

Dave passed away suddenly in his sleep from a heart attack in the early hours of Monday morning. It is comforting to know that his last gig was with us. He so looked forward to playing at Glastonbury.

David Fletcher was a true musician and a dear friend. A serious and passionate player, he had performed at concert halls all over the world from Sao Paolo to Moscow. Aside from being the heart of Colorama, David was at the top of the Classical music profession and had been the lead double bassist with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and worked with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra and many, many others besides, let alone playing on many soundtracks recorded at places like Abbey Road. He was THAT good. And he fitted it all into 37 very busy years. He will be deeply missed by everyone who was touched by his warmth, his humour and his talent. Thank you David.

*********

The release of the band’s mini-album The Magic Lantern Show is scheduled for release on Redbricks on August 31, 2009.

Footage of the band’s show at Glastonbury may be viewed here -
Watch Glastonbury video on BBC

Colorama MySpace

After their storming set at Glastonbury, and in what will undoubtedly be another highlight of 2009, Kasabian announce a 10-date UK Arena Tour in November 2009 to bring their phenomenal year to a spectacular close.

All tickets for the tour are priced at £25+ booking fee.

Incredible value for an incredible show.

Kasabian November 2009 UK tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

November
Tue 10th NEWCASTLE, Metro Radio Arena 0844 493 6666/ www.livenation.co.uk
Wed 11th ABERDEEN, AECC 0844 499 9990/ www.gigsinscotland.com
Thu 12th GLASGOW, SECC 0844 499 9990/ www.gigsinscotland.com
Sat 14th LONDON, Wembley Arena 0844 815 0815/ www.livenation.co.uk
Mon 16th LIVERPOOL, Echo Arena 0844 800 0400/ www.livenation.co.uk
Wed 18th NOTTINGHAM, Trent FM Arena 0844 412 4624/ www.livenation.co.uk
Thu 19th BIRMINGHAM, NIA 0844 338 8000/ www.livenation.co.uk
Fri 20th MANCHESTER, MEN 0844 847 8000/ www.livenation.co.uk
Sun 22nd CARDIFF, International Arena 0292 022 4488/ www.livenation.co.uk
Mon 23rd SHEFFIELD, Arena 0114 256 5656/ www.livenation.co.uk

Tickets go on sale 9am Friday 3rd July, 2009
Tickets are priced at: £25 + booking fee

Kasabian – Serge Pizzorno (Songwriter, Guitar, Vocals), Tom Meighan (Vocals), Chris Edwards (Bass) and Ian Matthews (Drums) release their epic new single “Where Did All The Love Go?” on August 10th – the follow-up to their No.3 single “Fire”, which has sold over 80,000 copies.

Their acclaimed No.1 album ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’ has sold over 150,000 copies in two weeks.

Buy Music:

Kasabian on amazon.co.uk

Kasabian on amazon.com

Kasabian Official Website

Here we are, with our very first Band Weblogs Stance Awards, 2009.

One thing often overlooked when it comes to Rock ‘N’ Roll and unforgettable live performances, are the many great stances that we’ve seen on stage over the years.

With the Band Weblogs Stance Awards, there is a certain criteria to fill when it comes to picking the best stances on stage – along with a unique formula that we’ve used to determine our Top 5.

Since funds are limited this year, unfortunately, we were unable to give the winner an actual, physical award, but what they can walk away with, is knowing how high in our estimation they are.

After lengthy discussion and consideration, and having to narrow down quite a few great Glastonbury stances to the Top 5, the decisions were made.

Counting down from 5:

5. Karen O – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
With her, shall we say, interesting fashion sense and loyal fans, Karen O never lets us down when it comes to stage stances.

Website: Yeah Yeah Yeahs

4. Alex James – Blur
During his Glastonbury set, bassist Alex James from Blur played a stand-out performance, but it was his stance that took it to another level. He spent a lot of time standing with both feet on the monitor, looking cool, while continuing to play hit after hit.

Website: Blur

3. Tom Jones
What can we say? He’s Tom frickin’ Jones. It was great seeing the legendary singer at Glastonbury. His voice is so good, it tends to overshadow his stage stances, but he’s able to pull both off with ease.

Website: Tom Jones

2. Gareth McGrillen – Pendulum
The second bass player in the Top 5, Gareth McGrillen from the Australian now British-based band Pendulum was a contender from the start. The band probably played one of the best shows at Glastonbury Festival this year, and it was Gareth’s stance that was a surefire stand-out – and it almost got him to #1.

Website: Pendulum

1. Bruce Springsteen
Talk about unforgettable live performances. Bruce Springsteen blew us away. The band was top notch, playing the classic Bruce Springsteen songs we all know and love, like “The River” and “Born To Run” and the couple of songs that I hadn’t heard before, like “Outlaw Pete”, by the end, I was singing along like I’d been listening to them for years. The band played a 2 hour and 40 minute set, breaking the Glastonbury curfew, which just goes to show the passion and dedication that Bruce has for his craft – and his fans. However, it was Bruce’s legendary stage stances, sometimes reminiscent of Joe Strummer, that got him to #1 on this list, and during the long set, we were entertained with countless amounts of them. 5 stars.

Website: Bruce Springsteen

Hooray!! It’s the festival for sofa louches again this weekend. Yes, this time all over the world via the internet, TV and radio, ladies and gentlemen, Glastonbury is here again.

So there’s no need to go trudging through the swamps and bogs of Pilton to see some obscure musical act in the middle of nowhere. Now we can view the whole thing on our TVs at home or in the car or anywhere I suppose.

Once I’ve digested the usual morsels of the day, I gather up a clutch of lagers from the fridge and then tune the box to the good old BBC for what I hope to be an evening of quality alternative entertainment. The first band I saw on Friday was White Lies. They were nice. Pretty tunes for a pretty evening. The highlight of their set had to be the Bruce Springsteen cover of “Dancing In The Dark”.

Then I pressed the red button as they so often tell you to do, and was confronted by Lady Ga Ga in her glittery world of confuser gender. Playing through all of her current favorites. I think “Poker Face” is mine.

Lilly Allen, God bless her, she is turning into quite the young festival princess and being as she has been coming to this place since she was a child, I suppose she has some sort of right to the title. Her set is fun, with Lilly wearing a purple cat suite and purple wig, flirting with the audience as she entertains everybody by playing all of her hits.

For my money, and to be honest, there isn’t a lot of it, Neil Young is the saviour of the night. This man is one of the last living legends left on this planet and he really brings it to the table tonight.

Mighty is the word you would have to use to describe Neil Young’s presence on stage. The last song of his set was “A Day In The Life”, a Beatles cover. Well you have to see the performance. He ends up tearing the strings from his guitar whilst still playing it. My words will not do this great man justice, so you will just have to check out his live performance to understand what I am saying!

Watch “A Day In The Life” video on YouTube

Neil Young on amazon.com

Neil Young on amazon.co.uk

Neil Young Official Website

By: Dave Tommo

Alberta Cross are poised for the release of their much-anticipated full-length debut, ‘Broken Side of Time’, set for release September 22, 2009 on ATO Records.

The album arrives on the heels of their acclaimed EP ‘The Thief & the Heartbreaker’, which earned the band UK touring slots with Oasis, The Shins and Bat For Lashes, and widespread critical praise, including PopMatters, which declared, “The seven-song EP is one of the best you’ll be lucky enough to pick up, resembling a full album’s quality but leaving one wanting a lot more.”

Alberta Cross is coming off noteworthy performances at Bonnaroo, Coachella and SXSW and is slated to perform at Glastonbury, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and more.

Details on upcoming tour dates will be announced soon.

Founded by guitarist/vocalist Petter Ericson Stakee and bassist Terry Wolfers, Alberta Cross took shape when the two began jamming together in London’s east end.

Stakee, from London by way of Sweden, and Wolfers, a Brit himself, moved to New York City in 2008 in pursuit of renewed creative energy and new challenges.

‘Broken Side of Time’ is born of the struggles and setbacks the band faced along the way. The album serves as Alberta Cross’ official introduction to the U.S.

As Stakee explains, “It’s kind of a desperation album, a darker album; it’s definitely angrier. We’ve been in a crazy place during the whole album and you can hear that.”

Led by Stakee and Wolfers, Alberta Cross is rounded out by guitarist Sam Kearney, drummer Austin Beede and keyboardist Alec Higgins. ‘Broken Side of Time’ was recorded in Austin, TX and produced by Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Dead Confederate, Heartless Bastards). John O’Mahony (Depeche Mode, Coldplay, Kasabian) mixed the album at Electric Lady in New York City.

“Each tune comes on like a fragile gesture – rich with euphoric choruses, layered guitars and raw harmonies.” – NME

“Channeling Neil Young and My Morning Jacket, the sound of deliverance.” – Esquire

Alberta Cross 2009 Summer tour dates:

(This is a partial list – dates and information subject to change. More dates on their website.)

June 28 Glastonbury Glastonbury
July 13 Higher Ground Burlington, VT
July 17 The Stone Pony Asbury Park, NJ
August 9 Lollapalooza Chicago, IL
October 3 Austin City Limits Austin, TX

Buy Music:

Alberta Cross on amazon.com

Alberta Cross on amazon.co.uk

For music, the latest tour dates and more, go to:

Alberta Cross Website
MySpace
Alberta Cross on Twitter

KAVA KAVA, who released ‘Forwards’ on June 23, 2009, have been already been profiled as one of the hottest new British imports to arrive in America.

It doesn’t hurt that many fans are already familiar with a few of the tracks off the new album since they have been featured in the Golden Globe Award-winning TV series, WEEDS, as well as JOHN FROM CINCINNATI and DIRT, and on the newly released XBOX 360 snowboarding game, STOKED.

They will be playing this weekend, June 27th, at the Glastonbury Festival alongside Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave and many more.

As Kristin Anderson from Indie Music Universe explains, “Having started as a four-piece psychedelic funk band gracing the underground festival and party scene, KAVA KAVA has now expanded into a six piece force to be reckoned with – that fully realizes a distinct and unique sound that is bringing the indie music scene to its knees.”

The vocals of singer Pat Fulgoni are accompanied by a revolving line-up that includes Matt Bond on guitar, Martin Chung on bass, Chris Corrigan on drums, Steve Davies and Ian Bailey on horn section alongside vocals, guitars, electronica, brass, strings and a funky rhythm section.

Midnight Swimming is a new digital and vinyl label based in New York.

‘FORWARDS’ will be their first release.

Early reviews are raves:

“KAVA KAVA … fully realizes a distinct and unique sound that is bringing the indie music scene to its knees … Well-earned confidence leaks through every song like sex streams from your television.” – Indie Music Universe

“[The band]’s sound could best be described as ‘a musical rainbow.’ KAVA KAVA isn’t afraid to mix many different musical styles like, rock, psychedelic, club, electronica, soul and funk to achieve their band’s signature sound.” – Indie Music Stop

“KAVA KAVA is definitely a band on the come up. Their brassy, electronic rock sound is reminiscent of … contemporaries like the Kaiser Chiefs and the Chemical Brothers.” – Liv2Ride

“[The album] is a 10-track hybrid testament to that fact that Kava Kava know where they’re headed – forwards.” – Skope Magazine

KAVA KAVA: FORWARDS (Midnight Swimming)
Digital Release is now available!
Vinyl: August 4, 2009

Midnight Swimming MySpace

Kava Kava MySpace
YouTube Channel
Kava Kava on Twitter

Following Jersey Budd’s thrilling live set at the Isle Of Wight Festival last week, Budd announces a 9-date UK Autumn Tour.

Fans who buy advanced tickets for the tour can download a free 4-track acoustic EP including: “She Came Back” featuring Tom from Kasabian on backing vocals and brand new track “Thinking for Two”.

Jersey Budd Autumn 2009 UK tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

September 2009
Thu 24th PORTSMOUTH, Wedgewood Rooms
Fri 25th LEICESTER, Y Theatre
Sat 26th SHEFFIELD, Leadmill
Mon 28th GLASGOW, King Tuts
Tue 29th MANCHESTER, Night & Day
Wed 30th LEEDS, Brudenhall Social Club

October 2009
Thu 1st PUREGROOVE – Instore 6.30pm
Fri 2nd LONDON, The Garage
Sat 3rd SOUTHAMPTON, The Hamptons

Jersey has a royal summer mapped out over the next couple of months. He plays five festival shows including Glastonbury (June 28) and a show with The Enemy at Somerset House (July 11th).

He releases his stunning new single “She Came Back” July 6th, featuring guest vocals from Kasabian’s frontman Tom Meighan who was roped into singing for 4 cans of Fosters and a pack of Marlboro Lights.

Buy Music:

Jersey Budd on amazon.co.uk

Jersey Budd Official Website

Vagabond’s summer is taking off in style. Having hit the road hard in recent weeks touring the UK with some of our biggest acts, the band are to be special guests at a series of huge open-air gigs, they play three major festivals (Glastonbury, T in The Park, V) and are to release their much-anticipated debut single and album.

Watch “Sweat (Until The Morning)” video:

Buy Music:

Vagabond on amazon.co.uk

Vagabond on amazon.com

Vagabond’s album ‘You Don’t Know The Half Of It’, out August 17, 2009, is to be the first release on the newly launched Geffen Records and is preceded by the anthemic single “Don’t Wanna Run No More”, out August 3rd, already championed by Jo Whiley: “They sound huge this band. (This) is a massive song” Jo Whiley – Radio 1.

The band kicked off their summer last week as special guests to The Script at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, followed by shows with McFly, James Morrison and The Saturdays.

In addition to their festival dates they finish with a string of headline shows at the end of August.

Vagabond UK Summer tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

June 2009
Tue 23rd MANCHESTER, Apollo with The Saturdays
Wed 24th LONDON Apollo with The Saturdays
Fri 26th YORKSHIRE, Dalby Forest with Mcfly
Sat 27th KENT, Cricket Club with James Morrison
Sun 28th GLASTONBURY, Festival Queens Head Stage

July 2009
Sat 4th LONDON, Kenwood House with James Morrison
Tue 7th LIVERPOOL, Arena with James Morrison
Fri 10th T IN THE PARK, Festival
Sat 11th LIVERPOOL, Arena with Mcfly
Sun 12th NEWCASTLE, Mouth Of The Tyne Festival
DURHAM, Cricket Club with James Morrison
Fri 17th ROCHESTER, Castle with Mcfly

August 2009
Thu 6th LONDON, Bush Hall
Fri 7th SOUTHAMPTON, Joiners
Mon 10th NOTTINGHAM, Bodega
Tue 11th MANCHESTER, Moho
Wed 12th GLASGOW, King Tuts
Fri 14th LEEDS, Cockpit
Sat 15th NORWICH, Arts Centre
Mon 17th LIVERPOOL, Masque
Sat 22nd STAFFORDSHIRE, V Festival Union Stage
Sun 23rd CHELMSFORD, V Festival Union Stage

“They could be the world’s biggest new band.” – The Guardian

“Vargas has the charisma and the talent – Verve-like ‘Don’t Wanna Run No More’ and ‘I’ve been Wanting You’, sounds like huge future hits.” – Sunday Times Culture

“The debut album from this Geffen-signed act is packed with huge pop moments that ooze international appeal.” – Music Week

Vagabond MySpace
Vagabond on Twitter

As you may or may not already know, Maximo Park are officially opening Glastonbury Festival in high style this year. But what you probably didn’t realise is this: in a move that is certain to be a Glastonbury first, Maximo Park – one of the UK’s most cherished bands – are inviting fans to select the songs they want to hear by voting for the entire setlist that the band will play when they kick off proceedings at the legendary festival on 25 June, 2009.

Playing at the Queen’s Head Stage at 4pm on Thursday, this set will be shaped and decided specifically by the fans themselves. So they can select whichever Maximo Park classics they want from the band’s three albums to date (and a few b-sides) and hear it played in the historic environs of Glastonbury on the opening day.

This set will then be followed on Saturday night by another blazing set on the Other Stage which will boast songs from their brand new album ‘Quicken the Heart’, including their forthcoming single “Questing, Not Coasting”, to be released on 13 July, 2009.

Watch “Questing, Not Coasting” video:

Frontman Paul Smith says “We were trying to decide what songs to play over the two sets and we thought why not let the public decide. We wanted the show to be fun and we don’t like to take ourselves too seriously. All of our songs were written for a reason, so we’ll be happy to play any one of them”.

To vote and see how the set is shaping up, all fans have to do is visit the band’s facebook profile: www.facebook.com/maximopark. The voting ends at 5pm on Wednesday, 24 June, 2009, with the results to be unveiled on 25th June.

In addition, to add even more of a sense of occasion to proceedings, there will be a flag competition on the day – fans should head down to the Queens Head stage early wearing Maximo Park T-shirts and carrying Maximo Park flags, and send photos of themselves in front of the stage backdrop to the facebook page to win an extremely special and secret prize. As if you needed any further excuse to get to Glastonbury one day early!

Buy Music:

Maximo Park on amazon.co.uk

Maximo Park on amazon.com

Maximo Park Official Website

Sublime pop magicians Goldfrapp officially announce the arrival of summer with the release of their next single, “Caravan Girl”, which comes out through Mute on 30th June 2008.

“Caravan Girl”, a euphoric rush of sun-kissed English summer daydreams, is the latest single to be taken from Goldfrapp’s critically acclaimed new album ‘Seventh Tree’, which went Gold in its first week of release for sales of over 100,000 and is their fastest selling album so far.

Ahead of their sold out UK tour in June, Goldfrapp have played two very special acclaimed shows, one at London’s Union Chapel was, according to The Observer, “A privilege to witness”. The band has also just headlined the Ether Festival at the Royal Festival Hall which ended with the entire audience playing along on kazoo to their last hit single Happiness!

Goldfrapp are undertaking selected festival performances this year, which included Radio 1 Big Weekend, and Glastonbury 2008 which promises a very special sunset set.

Glastonbury is followed by a headline show at the Lovebox Weekender in London’s Victoria Park on Sunday 20th July, 2008 and the Connect Festival in Scotland at the end of August.

“Sublime, anthemic pop” – The Independent

“The Sound of Summer” – Sunday Times

Goldfrapp music on amazon.co.uk

Seventh Tree on amazon.co.uk

Myspace
Goldfrapp

Beautiful Days is the Levellers‘ festival set in the heart of Devon, now approaching its sixth year. The festival has five music stages, a huge children’s area, amazing site art, local real-ale bars, food and craft stalls, family camping, comedy and walkabout theatre. With an intimate atmosphere and a feel-good vibe, Beautiful Days has fast become one of the most popular festivals in the UK. Virtual Festivals recently put Beautiful Days at No. 6 in their Top Ten Boutique Festivals for 2008.

The festival takes place 15, 16, 17 August 2008 at Escot Park, Ottery St Mary (Nr Fairmile) Devon.

Winner of Best Grass Roots Festival at the UK Festival Awards in 2006, Beautiful Days has no corporate sponsorship, no mainstream media partners and does not advertise. The festival has, however, sold out in advance for the last few years and tickets for this year look set to do the same.

Other acts for 2008 include Squeeze, Supergrass, Flogging Molly, Ross Noble, Gabriella Cilmi, Idlewild, Alabama 3, Nouvelle Vague, Stiff Little Fingers, Seth Lakeman, Turin Brakes, Cage The Elephant, Fishbone, Eat Static, John Cooper Clarke, Zion Train and loads more!

Weekend Camping Tickets £90 / discounted children’s tickets available

The Levellers also play the following 2008 live dates:

Dates could be added or changed! Go to the Levellers’ Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

26.06.08 – Glastonbury Festival The Left Field Stage
04.07.08 – Guilfest
12.07.08 – Arley Hall Northwich
17.07.08 – Larmer Tree Festival
01.08.08 – Cambridge Folk Festival
03.08.08 – Stokes Bay Festival
08.08.08 – Cropredy Festival
09.08.08 – Harewood House Yorkshire
15.08.08 – Beautiful Days Festival
22.08.08 – Arundel Castle
30.08.08 – Connect Festival
12.09.08 – Bowood House
17.10.08 – Musicport Festival

Beautiful Days Festival Myspace
Beautiful Days Official Website

Levellers Myspace
Levellers Official Website

Tinariwen has been a band that I’ve had my eye on since I saw them on the cover of a magazine a couple months ago. Their look alone intrigued me enough to look forward to finding them on the internet as soon as I got home.

Listening to their music for the first time, I remember thinking that this is a band that is perfect for outdoor music festivals. After reading about them, I learned that they were in fact “noticed by the western world” because of their performance at a music festival. The festival was the Festival in the Desert (Festival au Desert) held in Tin-Essako, Mali, a remote region of the Sahara Desert in 2001.

Since then they’ve continued to play festivals around the world with many more scheduled for 2007, including their recent appearance at the Glastonbury Music Festival which I was fortunate to have watched. I also caught their performance last month on Later with Jools Holland, as I pointed at the TV yelling to Dave, “There’s that band I was talking about!” Santana has played with them and they’ll be supporting the Rolling Stones on August 18th 2007 at Slane Castle in Dublin, Ireland.

As I naively romanticize of the Sahara, camels and Tinariwen, the actual reality is that before their music was introduced to the west, members of Tinariwen were soldier-musicians in Libya, living a difficult life, dreaming of the modern world and the freedom that comes along with it. They come from the Sahara desert and although they struggled, they are proud of their identity. Their ancient and contemporary cultures of the nomad and Touareg people are very important to them.

The lyrics in Tinariwen’s songs are French and Tamashek and their sound is guitar based with elements of rock, American blues and the traditional African sounds of the Niger bend.

There is a lot to learn about this band and their music.

Watch Tinariwen Aman Iman: Water is Life documentary video:

Tinariwen 2007 music festivals and tour dates:

*Dates could be added or changed! Go to Tinariwen’s Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

June 25 2007 Exeter Festival Exeter
June 29 2007 Festival Mediterraneo Loule
June 30 2007 Open Air Festival St. Gallen
July 1 2007 Furia Festival Cergy Pontoise
July 2 2007 Festival Les Nuits de Gignac Gignac
July 4 2007 Festival Les Hauts de Garonne Bassens
July 5 2007 Africa Festival Lisbon
July 6 2007 Evora Festival Evora
July 7 2007 Festival Mar de Musica Cartagena
July 9 2007 Piazza Della Republica Monfalcone
July 10 2007 Villa Arconati Milan
July 11 2007 Fiera Cagliari
July 13 2007 Latitude Festival Southwold
July 14 2007 Nuke Festival St Polten
July 15 2007 Teatro Greco (w/ Robert Plant) Taormina, Sicily
July 16 2007 Festival Sotto Le Stelle Ferrara
July 17 2007 Villa Ada Rome
July 19 2007 Italia Wave Festival Firenze
July 22 2007 Lovebox Festival London
July 23 2007 Festival de Radio France Montpellier
July 24 2007 Festival de Radio France Montpellier
July 25 2007 Festival de Radio France Montpellier
July 26 2007 Festival de Neoule Neoule
July 28 2007 Paleo Festival Nyon
July 29 2007 WOMAD Festival Charlton Park
August 1 2007 Pilldamms Park Malmo
August 2 2007 Savoy Theatre Helsinki
August 3 2007 Berns Stockholm
August 4 2007 Urkult Festival Urkult
August 5 2007 Tragarn Gothenburg
August 7 2007 Voxhall Arhus
August 8 2007 Oya Festival Oslo
August 9 2007 Sziget Festival Budapest
August 10 2007 Festival Les Nuits Secretes Aulnoyes-Aymeries
August 11 2007 Le Festival Du Bout Du Monde Crozon
August 14 2007 Festival Musique De La Rue Luxey
August 18 2007 Slane Castle (supporting Rolling Stones) Dublin
October 12 2007 Shibuya AX Tokyo
December 7 2007 L’Olympia Paris
December 9 2007 The Olympia Dublin
December 12 2007 Shepherd’s Bush Empire London
December 13 2007 Rohstofflager Zurich
December 14 2007 Kesselhaus Berlin
December 15 2007 Gloria Cologne
December 16 2007 WUK Vienna

More information: Official Tinariwen Website
Tinariwen on Myspace

By: Jenny May – Band Weblogs

Watch video of Arctic Monkeys performing “Dancing Shoes” live at Glastonbury 2007: