Category Archives: Culture

Francis Bowie | Music Profile

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Artist: Francis Bowie
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
CD: Francis Bowie EP
Release date: Oct 17, 2011
Label: Interscope Digital
Production: Michelle Djarling & Kasper Larsen (Kay & Ndustry)
Websites: http://francisbowie.bandcamp.com/, http://francisbowie.com, http://soundcloud.com/francis-bowie, http://www.facebook.com/FrancisBowie
Style: Intelligent Pop Music
Streaming link: http://francisbowie.bandcamp.com
Secure Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?t3nlbx26o1nlbw9
Music video links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=260f6EIaQi4&feature=channel
“Sunny Day” music video: http://youtu.be/260f6EIaQi4

Bio: Francis Bowie is a metrosexual whirlwind of creativity within the Danish music and art scene; aside of his singing and songwriting, he is a painter, sculptor, designer, writer and gallery owner.

Along with a growing band of people worldwide who love pop music but are disenfranchised by the bland ‘Pop Idol style’ music that dominate the charts, Francis Bowie has decided to promote his new concept of Intelligent Pop Music, aka IPM.

The Francis Bowie EP is a beautifully crafted selection of his finest songs in a NuWave vein.  With soaring synthlines and orchestral backing, it’s light yet deep; sincere and thoughtful; catchy yet cool, it’s a superb example of the IPM genre.

In Copenhagen in 2007, he opened his first art gallery GalArtery, while also releasing the debut album “Too Much” with his indie art rock band “A LOVE YOU”. GalArtery soon became a place where young artists could gather and do their shows and performances. After touring constantly in 2010 with A LOVE YOU, Francis decided to leave the band for a while and do solo projects. In the spring of 2011 along with two designers, he opened a second art gallery called MATT 18 which also exhibits fashion, clothing and design.

Francis is frustrated by the scene today: “I’m disappointed by many contemporary pop musicians and producers because it seems like it’s just about going for the cash and a pretty young face. Anything else like the quality and content of the songs themselves rather than just the look often get overlooked in the race for the charts.

Francis Bowie does not think that pop music should deal with all these matters at once or necessarily be too complex. But neither should pop music should be as banal as it can so often be in his opinion. In his own words; “IPM is an attempt to put some quality, dignity and honour back into popular music”

View video ‘Sunny Day’ from the EP here:
http://youtu.be/260f6EIaQi4

Oleg Prodeus | Music Profile

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Artist: Oleg Prodeus
From: Vienna, Austria
Album: The 13
Label: self-released, digital distributor: Rebeat
Streaming Link: http://soundcloud.com/oleg-prodeus/sets/album-the-13-1
CD Download w/cover & promo shots: http://www.olegprodeus.com/dl/the13.zip
Music Videos: http://www.olegprodeus.com
Style: Alternative Pop/Rock
Members: Oleg Prodeus
Production: Oleg Prodeus, Niko Stoessl
Tracklisting: 01. Savior 02. Can You Feel the Rain 03. Follow Me 04. You’re Running Away 05. Mother 06. Do You Know the Way 07. Last Hero in This Universe 08. Cross the Line 09. Over You and Me 10. Crash 11. Return to Begin 12. When You Cry 13. I Hear You Calling
Sounds Like: Muse, Ours, Sneaker Pimps, Nine Inch Nails

Bio: Oleg Prodeus is a singer/songwriter, a multi-instrumentalist and a music producer, a multimedia artist and a filmmaker/director. He has been actively making music since he was 14. He has composed and produced 3 solo albums, “To the Sky”(1997), “Collective Farm”(2000), and the newly released “The 13”. Oleg has toured Austria extensively with his music projects. In 2004 he composed and co-produced 5 songs for the film soundtrack of Pepe Danquart’s motion picture “C(r)ook” (Dor Film, Germany/Austria).

“The 13”, a multifaceted, at times dark and heavy alternative pop/rock album, is a collection of intuitive and passionate songs with moving melodies, complex arrangements and hypnotic singing.

The strong visual music language of the 13 songs, their majestic soundscapes
and the irresistible charm of Russian melancholy provide the music with a unique personal signature. The Album “The 13”, which was produced in cooperation with the music producer Niko Stoessl, is a poetical philosophical last word for mankind’s relentless search for his own identity, for the human essence that is within him, and is also a plea for the hope of harmony and love. His music video for “Savior” is a fictitious story about a falling angel and his painful eternal life on this earth, because he has to exist dually.

Bowling for Soup announce UK tour | Music News

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Bowling For Soup turn 18 years old this week and to commemorate the band have announced a full UK tour, for what will be their 30th visit to the UK. Having just completed a busy spring of touring the Middle East (entertaining the troops), a successful UK acoustic tour, and a tour of the North Eastern United States, BFS are delighted to announce a 15-date blitz of the UK. Support comes in the form of American counterparts The Dollyrots and Patent Pending.

Sharp-eyed BFS fans will be quick to notice the lack of a London date on ‘The One Big Happy Tour’ and this grey cloud comes with an enormous silver lining as, BFS are beyond excited to be a part of the Warped Tour’s return to the UK at Alexandra Palace, London, November 10th, 2012. So Londoners make a day of it and witness a taste of the legendary tour on home soil.

Full tour dates:

14 Oct – O2 Academy – Newcastle

15 Oct – O2 ABC – Glasgow

16 Oct – O2 Academy Liverpool

17 Oct – Mandella Hall – Belfast

18 Oct – The Academy – Dublin

19 Oct – O2 Academy – Leeds

20 Oct – Manchester Academy – Manchester

21 Oct – Picturedrome – Holmfirth

22 Oct – 53 Degrees – Preston

23 Oct – UEA – Norwich

24 Oct – O2 Academy – Birmingham

25 Oct – Rock City – Nottingham

26 Oct – O2 Academy – Bristol

27 Oct – O2 Academy – Oxford

28 Oct – Corn Exchange – Cambridge

http://www.livenation.co.uk/artist/bowling-for-soup-tickets

WARPED TOUR UK

10 Nov – Alexandra Palace – London

http://vanswarpedtouruk.com/buy-tickets/

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGRxmYXi4Io&w=420&h=315]

 

Bloc Party announce new album + live dates | Music News

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Bloc Party will release their new record, ‘Four’, on 20th August via Frenchkiss Records. The album was produced by Alex Newport (Death Cab For Cutie, The Mars Volta, At The Drive-In), and was recorded and mixed in New York.

Along with this wonderfully exciting news, the band have announced a string of European, US and festival appearances following a two year absence from playing live. Frontman Kele’s blog gives more on the making of the record and the year ahead.

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4M5EqOGsMA&w=420&h=315]

 

The band play the following UK, US and festival dates throughout the summer:

June
19 – Garage – Glasgow
20 – The Ritz – Manchester
21 – Koko – London
24 – Ebisu Garden Hall – Tokyo, Japan
29 – Peace and Love – Sweden

July
05 – Super Bock Super Rock – Sesimbra, Portugal
06 – Open’er Festival – Gdynia, Poland
08 – Ruisrock Festival – Turku, Finland
12 – BBK Live – Bilbao, Spain
13 – Melt Festival – Ferropolis, Germany
20– Festival Les Vieilles Charrues, France
21 – Paleo Fest, Switzerland
28 – Splendour  In The Grass, Australia
30 – The Republik – Honolulu, HI USA

August 
03 – Hard Festival – Los Angels, CA USA
04 – Lollapalooza – Atlanta, GA USA
05 – Osheaga Festival – Montreal, CA
07 – Terminal 5 – New York, NY USA
08 – Terminal 5 – New York, NY USA
09 – Terminal 5 – New York, NY USA
11 – The Pool @ The Cosmopolitan – Las Vegas, NV USA
12 – Outside Lands – San Francisco, USA
16 – Pukkelpop Festival – Hasselt, Belgium
17 – Lowlands – Biddinghuizen, Netherlands
18 – Frequency – St Polten, Austria
24 – Rock en Seine – France
25 – Open Air Festival – Zurich, Switzerland

September
04 – Mallorca Rocks – Mallorca, Spain
05 – Ibiza Rocks – Ibiza, Spain

November
03 – Le Stereolux – Nantes, France
04 – Le Transbordeur – Lyon, France
05 – Le Rocher de Palmer – Bordeaux, France
07 – Le Bikini – Toulouse, France
08 – Alcatrax – Milan, Italy
11 – Docks – Hamburg, Germany
12 – Theatrehaus – Stuttgart, Germany
13 – Eventwerk – Dresden, Germany
14 – Tonhalle – Munich, Germany
18 – Vega – Copenhagen, Denmark
19 – Munich Brewery – Stockholm, Sweden
20 – Rockafeller – Oslo, Norway

 

 

Watch Javeon McCarthy’s new video for ‘Precious’ | Music News

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmxg7ij8Pew&w=560&h=315]

 

Soulful singer Javeon McCarthy has unveiled the video for “future-r&b ballad” ‘Precious’, produced by PMR counterpart Two Inch Punch.  The video for ‘Precious’ captures the Bristol native delivering a captivating performance of the track in an intimate setting.

Let’s Claim Back The Union Jack.

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The BNP can be blamed for a lot of things, but the main reason I hate them is what they have done to the Union Jack flag {or the Union Flag). Some people now see the Union Jack as racist, it’s not. It is the most inclusive flag you can think of. It is the flag of the United Kingdom; It has the St Andrews Cross (Scotland), St George Cross (England) and St Patrick’s Cross (Ireland). Wales was not a Kingdom but a Principality so it could not be included on the flag. which is made up like this:

  • The red St. George’s Cross width is 1⁄5 of the flag’s height with a 1⁄15 flag height fimbriation
  • The white diagonal St. Andrew’s Cross width is 1⁄15 of the flag’s height and the broader white diagonal’s width is 1⁄10 of the flag’s height
  • The red diagonal St. Patrick’s Cross width is 1⁄15 of the flag’s height and the narrow white diagonal’s width is 1⁄30 of the flag’s height

As all of the bunting went up in London I had an Irish friend ask if I found it offensive. Offensive? Why would I? “It’s racist”, she said, “to us”. By ‘us’ she meant that I am Scottish and she is Irish. To be honest it was her question I found offensive. I may be Scottish, but I am also British and I have lived in London for over five years. My flag is in the Union Jack and no-one, not a racist and certainly no one ignorant will ever take it away from me. I am proud to be British and I love my flag. Both of them.

Bonnie “Prince” Billy unveils ‘I See A Darkness’ video | Music News

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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iV4NwSbscg&w=560&h=315]

 

Will Oldham aka Bonnie “Prince” Billy aka the hardest working man in music has unveiled the new video for his single ‘I See A Darkness’. The track is from his upcoming EP Now Here’s My Plan, a collection consisting of new versions of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy classics recorded by Steve Albini, due for release in accompaniment with the Will Oldham on Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy book on June 4th and separately through Domino on July 24th.

Two Inch Punch: ‘Paint It Red’ single due in June | Music News

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West London producer Two Inch Punch has announced the new single ‘Paint It Red’ from his forthcoming EP, ‘Saturn: The Slow Jams’. The track features vocals from Nashville native Mikky Ekko. Have a listen here:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/45839717″ iframe=”true” /]

 

To celebrate the launch of the EP, PMR Records will be hosting a special EP launch party on Friday, June 22nd at the Notting Hill Arts Club.