In this bumper edition Ruth Barnesand Piney Gir come live and direct from a tiny flat in east London - bringing you an update on Piney Gir's new album which is out in October AND a sneak preview of new tracks.
Piney Gir went to LA to record with The Brian Jonestown Massacre's Rob Campanella which is why we've been outta action for a while - oh and also because Ruth got a proper job, sigh.
We also have our Bride To Be in the shape of the brilliant Psapp's Galia Durant....
...and a chat with awesome DIY muso Tune-Yardson her new album Who Kill out now on 4AD.
Ha! That got your attention didn't it? Well, the New Zealander is not exactly quitting but this may be the end of the Bachelorette project... the world is Annabel Alpers' oyster!
Bachelorette is Annabel Alpers, a quiet New Zealander who has made a dreamy, other-worldy, electronic record filled with clever lyrics and melodies worthy of the pop greats. Bachelorette, her third album, is out now on Souterrain Transmissions and could be the end of the solo Bachelorette project, as she says, she may just find a band and start rocking out - who knows! We chatted backstage ahead of her show at Camp Basement in east London and - you lazy journo's who name check Bjork as her main influence - the Icelandic songstress had nothing to do with this!
The Other Woman has joined forces with the formidable the girls are website to kickstart a series of nights called spit. We were inspired by the Beats Workin' night at Ladyfest 10 which saw goosebump-inducing performances by Lady Chann, Lykez, Lady Leshurr and more - which you can see here:
Here are the launch details - join us on Facebook, follow us onTwitter and more importantly, come down!
spit. presents ENVY and BELLATRIX
Friday 15 July 2011, 5:15pm The Front Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall
spit. launches its inaugural show on 15 July at the Southbank Centre, with performances from Envy and Bellatrix.
As part of the Southbank Centre's Intelligent Movement festival (in association with Channel 4's Street Summer), spit. presents a free event showcasing some of the most exciting women on the hip-hop, grime and dub scenes.
At just 24, Manchester MC Envy is a force to be reckoned with. Since releasing her début album in 2010 to critical acclaim, she's gained a reputation for being one of the fastest, most formidable live MCs on the circuit - her bold lyrics matched by her unrivalled on-stage charisma.
Bellatrix is now the UK's leading female beatbox artist, and one of few performing beatbox women worldwide, who works with instrumentalists as well as live looping and playing bass whilst beatboxing. In 2007 she founded the UK's first all-girl beatbox crew The Boxettes (http://www.theboxettes.co.uk/), who have caused quite a stir on the London scene.
Joining these performances will be guest DJs, and spit.'s own inimitable host. More details to follow.
spit. was born out of a joint love for women making amazing music. Ruth Barnes (The Other Woman Radio) and Annette Barlow (the girls are) joined forces in 2010 to programme an all-women hip-hop show. Turning to each other in the midst of the swelling, baying crowd, the pair agreed that a regular platform supporting women beatmakers, lyricists, DJs and MCs was needed. spit. is unashamedly grassroots, with an emphasis on community and seeking out emerging talent. spit.'s next event will be taking place in September. Keep an eye out for details.
The Intelligent Movement festival is taking place at the Southbank Centre between 14 and 17 July 2011. Get your festival tickets here.
The spit. showcase will be taking place in Queen Elizabeth Hall from 5.15pm - 7pm. For more info visit here.
Entry to the showcase is free.
Sue Denim and Dee Plume are the masterminds behind electro-pop duo Robot's In Disguise. They are sheer forces of natures: funny, opinionated and very proud of their fourth record Happiness V Sadness... they bloody well should be too. Have a listen for tracks from the album and their thoughts on life, love, tabloids and how to get yourself a £2000 date with the delectable Dee.
Back in January 2010 when we kick-started this blog in a little kitchen in Clapton, east London one of the first posts absolutely had to be about Vuk. Read about it here... and then move your ears onto a brand new track!
A studio demo from the Finnish-American solo artist, called The Archaeologist, has reached our inbox... taken from the album that has a working titles of Year of the Gourd (how very Game of Thrones, we love it!). It's all written, arranged, played and sung by Vuk aka Emily Cheeger.
Vuk is also currently looking for any interested labels to release her record, and if this track is anything to go by it's going to be amazing. Last year's The Plainswas one of our albums of the year.
The Other Woman meets Lauren Doss, she's a 25 year old singer, songwriter and pianist who goes under the moniker of Mechanical Bride. You may remember her haunting version of Rihanna's 'Umbrella' which got loads of airplay on Radio 1 a few years ago:
Now she's released her official debut album Living With Ants on Transgressive Recordsand it's a collection of simple and beautifully crafted songs showcasing gentle piano melodies and her fabulous voice.
Christanne is one of two girls who make up half of Newcastle fuzzed up popsters Pale Man Made.
Christanne's email that popped into TOW's inbox says: 'we play music driven by discordant jangles, bittersweet lyrics, and, female and male vocals - inspired by the The Shop Assistants, Comet Gain, The Pastels, The Smiths and Sleater Kinney.'
Yup, the influences are worn on their collective sleeve, but there's nothing wrong with that when this is the result!
They've just just finished recording an album with Steve Whitfield (Cure, Pylons, Trash Can Sinatras, Buen Chico, Shed 7) and are looking to find a label to put it out...
Yes, Brighton artist Bella Spinks is 18. And yes, she's already writing songs that some seasoned old muso's could be proud of. Her Dad Patrick runs Sublime Music, and emailed TOW about Bella and on listening to this track we reckon Poppa Spinks has every right to be puffed up and proud about his young offspring. Bella has already supported some impressive artists including Ellie Goulding - watch this space!
Jazz By Association is an excellent programme on French Radio London, playing a mix of leftfield and experimental jazz, with an emphasis on French artists. Presenter and contemporary jazz boffinJason Phipps recommends this album byCarla Kihlstedt and Matthias Bossi and we couldn't agree more. Carla's voice is huge and soulful and the music she makes with Matthias is at once filmic, dark, spacious, weird and above all - original and captivating.
This Manchester band write fresh, catchy, uplifting pop tunes with layered lo-fi vocals, synthesisers a-plenty and some serious hooks... Anna Louise Etherington is who you hear on lead vocals and she pounds away at the synths too.
From the cold, mean streets of Manchester to the hot, humid and definitely meaner streets of LA - Kissing Cousins are from Silver Lake and led by songwriter Heather Bray Heywood... she pumps out stark, dark rock tunes with an autoharp put through a delay pedal making most of the noise. Nice.
TOW has been shouting from the rooftops about noisy, Glasgow band Divorce for a few years now. Having undergone a line up change, the band launch their new single Love Attack on the world on the 27 June on Night School. Sinead Young as vocalist has been replaced by Jennie Fulk and as much as we loved Sinead's style (what's happened to her?) we are also loving Jennie's shrieking wails over the pounding rhythms and beats created by the rest of the band - Andy, Vickie and VSO.
The press released is sprinkled with descriptions like 'post-hardcore' and 'post-wave underground' which makes us slightly cross-eyed, we'd sum 'em up as a total and utter onslaught on the senses - bring it on!
FRI 5th: NEWCASTLE - Head Of Steam
SAT 6th: LIVERPOOL - Wolstenholme Creative Space (w/ ACTION BEAT
and STIG NOISE SOUNDSYSTEM)
SUN 7th: MANCHESTER - The Islington Mill (FAT OUT FEST w/ ACTION
BEAT, STIG NOISE SOUNDSYSTEM, BARBEROS and more)
MON 8th: MILTON KEYNES - The Buszy
TUE 9th: CARDIFF - The Undertone (w/ DRAINS)
WED 10th: LEMINGTON SPA - venue TBC (w/ T3ETH)
THU 11th: BRIGHTON - The Green Door Store
FRI 12th: LONDON - venue TBC (YES WAY 3 FESTIVAL)
SAT 13th: NORWICH - venue TBC
SUN 14th: NOTTINGHAM - StuckOnAName Recordings (w/ DIET PILLS)
Fact Magazinefavourite and hotly tipped producer Maya Medvesek aka 8Bitch... now re-branded Nightwave has turned out a fantastic glitchy electronic live set ahead of the release of The Feel EP.
Check out the video to the EP's lead track Feel here - this track is an absolute stormer and we here at TOW humbly think it's her best yet, more please!
