Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Doves

V.V. Brown

For two days in September, Soho celebrates its rebirth as the hub of London’s live music scene!

Over 50 music acts from a wide range of genres will perform in and around Soho on September 16th and 17th, in up to 20 of the area’s finest venues, filling Soho with that unmistakable buzz of excitement familiar since the Fifties and Sixties.

Ticket-holders will receive a pass enabling them to wander from venue to venue choosing which acts they want to see. A predominant venue will be Madame Jojo’s, which holds a genuine place in the history of popular music reaching back to the Mod years and beyond.

HEADLINERS celebrates London’s love of music, and at a time when leading Soho music venues are being closed down, will re-ignite the area’s music scene with two days of noise, fun and talent.

It will showcase the diversity of London’s broad music culture, featuring the best in pop, alternative, dance and more, performed across venues that lie on many Londoners’ doorsteps, some of which are rarely used for live music performance. It will also be a reminder of just how many vibrant live music venues do actually operate in this location.

A wristband system will be used enabling music fans to move between venues seeing as many different bands as they want. Chart-topping acts will rub shoulders with breaking new bands, and up and coming talent will find themselves sharing stages with the finest singer-songwriters around. The event will also include a number of impromptu free gigs in both established and more innovative, unexpected venues.

Artists already confirmed include:

Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Doves – A Flock of Seagulls – The Magic Numbers – V.V. Brown – Just Jack – Gabriella Cilmi – Esser – Frankmusik – Ben Howard – Biffy Clyro – Tommy Sparks – Tommy Reilly – The Boxer Rebellion – Fink – Ou Est Le Swimming Pool – Animal Kingdom – Flood Of Red – Daniel Merriweather – Dot Allison – DJ Yoda – Magistrates – MPHO – Ghostcat – Kurran and the Wolfnotes – Raygun – The Boy Who Trapped The Sun …

Tickets are on sale for £20 for one night or £40 for both nights. There are limited passes available for £17.50 for one night and £30 for both nights if bought through the event website or by taking your copy of thelondonpaper into participating HMV stores – visit the event website for a full list of participating stores.

Visit: thelondonpaper Headliners now to sign-up for free; for an updated list of artists taking part; for ticket details and to keep up with all the developments as they happen.

HEADLINERS
Wednesday 16th and Thursday 17th September, 2009
Times: TBA on http://thelondonpaperheadliners.com
Price: £20 for one night; £40 for both nights
Special discounts available if bought through www.thelondonpaper.com/headliners or by taking your copy of thelondonpaper into participating HMV stores visit www.thelondonpaper.com/headliners for a full list of participating stores.

Madame Jojo’s
8 – 10 Brewer Street, London, W1F 0SE
Nearest Tube: Piccadilly Circus.
020 7734 3040
events@madamejojos.com

Madame Jojo’s Official Website

Pixie Lott, N-Dubz, Tinchy Stryder and Frankmusik head up an astounding line up for new War Child single

Award-winning charity War Child has teamed up with the very best in young urban talent to release an epic new single in support of children ravaged by war around the world.

A plethora of the hottest young British urban acts have formed the Young Soul Rebels. As an urban soul super-group, they recorded “I Got Soul”, a new, re-written version of the stirring Killers track “All These Things I Have Done,” on Monday July 6th in London.

Watch War Child “I Got Soul” video teaser:

Artists reported to have attended the recording include (+ more):

Pixie Lott
N-Dubz
Tinchy Stryder
Frankmusik
V.V. Brown
Kid British
Chipmunk
Mpho
McLean
Ironik
Domino Go
Bashy
Egypt

The track, based around the hook line ‘I Got Soul, But I’m Not A Soldier,’ will undoubtedly become an anthem among the young this summer, and will throw the spotlight on the vital work War Child does with ex-child soldiers and those who suffer from the tragic effects of war around the world.

Without doubt a defining moment for the UK’s music scene, which is currently ablaze with world class talent, the song is the perfect way to educate British youth on the plight of thousands of children across the globe. UK urban and soul music has never been bigger; the artists involved here have featured on four number one singles already this year.

“I Got Soul,” to be released in August 2009, will be produced under the expert stewardship of Fraser T Smith (who has already achieved phenomenal success with Tinchy Stryer and James Morrison this year.)

To help spread the word, slogan bearing T-Shirts for the single release have been designed by über cool fashion designer Henry Holland, famed for his alternative fashion and work with supermodel Agyness Deyn. Radio One/1Xtra’s Ras Kwame was also on hand at the recording, Twittering the latest from the studio.

The Young Soul Rebels project was ignited just hours after the close of the Brit Awards in February, at the War Child after-party. The biggest pop acts in the world; Coldplay, U2 and Take That joined The Killers on stage for a celebratory chorus, chanting ‘I got soul, but I’m not a solider’ to an audience of just 2,000.The next day, Bono told Radio One: “That chant, ‘I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier’, has a whole new meaning when there is a War Child banner behind your head…”

War Child is an international children’s charity working in some of the world’s most dangerous war zones including Iraq, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. It has an already impressive and proud history of brilliant projects in music. The amazing support of artists including U2, Paul McCartney, Oasis, David Bowie and the Killers, has enabled War Child to carry out its vital work in the world’s most brutal war zones. 300,000 children are currently involved in wars around the world as soldiers, cooks, porters, spies and sex slaves. War Child and its music projects work to do something about this.

As Sir Paul McCartney comments:

“Imagine an army – if you can call it that – made up mostly of kids aged 13 or even younger. They face atrocities so bad that you can just about comprehend them but your brain cannot cope with them emotionally. This is happening all over the world right now. War Child help rescue children from fighting in these brutal wars. Rescuing a lot of these kids and reuniting them with their parents. Basically, they try to give these kids a chance of having a childhood like you and I are familiar with.”

I Got Soul Official Website

Partner:
London’s recording session is supported by DJ Hero

War Child UK
War Child UK on Twitter

Last night I was excited to see that Nicole Atkins was scheduled to play on Later Live…with Jools Holland.

A few months ago I was lucky to have had the opportunity to interview Nicole Atkins over the phone – and then the next day to watch her play an intimate show at the Soho Review Bar in London. I was able to see first hand what a talent she was and knew then that she had the ‘full package’ to reach out to many, many more people – with her excellent songs, charming stage presence and determination.

Originally from Neptune, New Jersey and having toured across the US, making appearances on shows like Late Night with Conan O’Brien and David Letterman, Nicole is probably more known in the States than here in England, however, after her strong performance last night on Jools Holland (her British television debut), I’m sure she’s gained even more fans from across the pond.

Other acts included:

Kings of Leon (”Sex On Fire”); when VV Brown came on, at first I wasn’t quite sure what to think, but then as the song went on (”Crying Blood”), her quirky soulful/punk grew on me and now I’ll be interested to hear more about her; Sway featuring Lemar (”Saturday Night Hustle”); and the First Lady of France Carla Bruni was interviewed by a flirtatious Jools Holland and then later was on with her “Tu Es Ma Came” single. It’s strange seeing a President’s wife hanging out with musicians and then singing live with a band…a first for me anyway. Has this ever happened before? With any other country’s First Lady?!

Nicole Atkins performed her dreamy pop single, “Maybe Tonight” off of debut album, ‘Neptune City’ and then Metallica closed the 30 minute night of varied music with their single, “The Day That Never Comes”. All members ended up taking solos, which was interesting on live TV, coming dangerously close to running over time. Now that’s Rock ‘n’ Roll…BBC style!

Later with Jools Holland Official Website

By: Jenny May