After several years honing her craft in the US and Amsterdam, South London Singer-Songwriter Ellie Lawson returns home to release her phenomenal ‘Lost Without You EP’ on 15th November 2011.

Ellie’s story can be seen as a modern tale of overwhelming talent being discovered while travelling America. This led to a whirlwind courtship by the US entertainment industry including being signed by Atlantic Records, taking meetings with Rap mogul Russell Simmons, Billboard Magazine describing her music as “the perfect marriage of melody, rhythm and words” and appearing on Ellen DeGeneres’ hugely popular TV show where she explained, “I play her music over and over again in my house…I predict she will be the hugest, hugest star.”

Ellie Lawson – Lost Without You by Cannonball_PR

The tide turned, the industry changed and Ellie decided to respond to a call to work with leading trance DJs like Richard Durand and Ferry Corsten in Holland by co-writing and adding her vocals to some of 2010/11s biggest European dance tunes, including ‘Safe From Harm’ with 4 Strings which was #1 on Beatport for 5 weeks consecutively and ‘Wide Awake’ with Richard Durand which was #1 in Music Week’s Cool Cuts Chart in January 2011.

Ellie has decided that now is her time to come into her own and enjoy the sort of success in the UK she undoubtedly deserves. This self released EP is a great place to hear what all the fuss is about and with another EP planned for next year with acclaimed Communion Records co-founder and super producer Ian Grimble (Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Everything But The Girl, Manic Street Preachers) Ellie clearly has a big year ahead of her.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/fox-n4-95_8" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

UPDATE 4th August – Due to unforseen circumstances this gig has been cancelled.

Onyx are here playing Fabric Aug 4th with special guests and DJs for what will be a very special night for Hip Hop in London.
 
Considered to be one of the greatest hip hop acts of all time from their explosive entrance onto the rap scene in the early 90s on Def Jam with tracks like ‘Slam’ through helping launch the career of 50 Cent, Onyx are an act that need to be seen if you like your rap real and dirty.
 
This will be a rare treat for all fans as Onyx have not played in the UK for several years.
 
Tickets are on sale and more details on Facebook here.

jakegigThere was a tingle in the air at Bush Hall, a sense of expectation – and those expectations and hopes were fulfilled.

Jake Morley is a singer-songwriter who gained a strong following from his early YouTube recordings showing him playing the guitar in a very peculiar and jaw-dropping style. As he sings the upbeat love/hate-song to London, entitled “This City”, his hands flash around his guitar, plucking at strings, banging it on top, on the side, whacking and plucking a whole band out of the one instrument.

This was a very popular video, but there is always a danger that the musician can be trapped by the popularity of this one thing, to become an online only flash-in-the-pan.

This night, in a gig that launched his first album “Many Fish to Fry”, Morley proved that he has the potential to be much more than a one-hit-youtube wonder. Looking 100% at ease with where he was, and what he was doing – playing to a packed Bush Hall – Jake and his talented band proceeded to grab the already eager audience into the palm of his hand and lead them through his collection of songs that were at times heartfelt, funny, revealing and emotional – and ultimately uplifting.

This is a man to follow, but not just on social media sites, but in real life whenever he plays a gig.

This is music to cherish, an album that is personal, but speaks to you on many levels.

This is Jake Morley.

www.jakemorley.com

MaccabeesThe Maccabees are set to headline the Shockwaves NME Awards Tour 2010, with Bombay Bicycle Club, The Big Pink and The Drums completing the stellar line-up. The tour kicks off in Newcastle on 4 February 2010 and culminates on the 20th February at London’s Brixton Academy. The South London five-piece recently played a triumphant home-coming headline show at this very venue, from which The Guardian ran a five star review, acknowledging that “The Maccabees’ star has risen spectacularly in 2009”.

In October The Maccabees headlined the Lake of Stars festival in Malawi, Africa and are currently on tour with Editors in Europe. Both bands return briefly to London to play a Little Noise session at the Union Chapel in Islington in aid of Mencap on Monday 16th November. Read more

Twin Atlantic-Green ShirtAcclaimed Glaswegian rock band Twin Atlantic are set to continue their quest for greatness into 2010 with their biggest headline tour to date in the UK before they go off to the USofA in support of their debut mini album ‘Vivarium’ which was release this year on the newly founded Redbull Records.

JAN 26: SOUTHAMPTON, Joiners – 0238 8022 5612 / www.joinerslive.co.uk
JAN 27: CARDIFF, Clwb Ifor Bach – www.ticketweb.co.uk
JAN 28: LONDON, Borderline – 08448 472 465/ www.ticketweb.co.uk
JAN 29: NOTTINGHAM, Rock City – 0871 3100 000 / www.alt-tickets.co.uk
JAN 30: BIRMINGHAM, Academy 3 – 0844 477 2000 / www.ticketweb.co.uk
FEB 01: SHEFFIELD, Academy 2 – 0844 477 2000 / www.ticketweb.co.uk
FEB 02: LEEDS, Cockpit – 0113 245 4650 / www.lunatickets.co.uk
FEB 03: MANCHESTER, Night & Day – 0161 832 111 / www.gigsandtours.com
FEB 04: NEWCASTLE, Digital – 08444 771 000 / www.yourfutureisdigital.com
FEB 06: GLASGOW, ABC – 08444 999 990 / www.gigsinscotland.com

livAmy Winehouse’s dad has managed to get his own TV series – or website series anyway!

Mitch Winehouse’s new series on Liv continues to challenge the celebrity world as Cabbie Mitch sounds off about  X-Factor Favourites, Alex Reid’s cross-dressing, Robert Pattinson and others. The whole rant can be viewed in its entirety in Mitch Winehouse’s Showbiz Rant, on LIVING’s new online channel Liv on Thursday 5th November.

Liv can be retrieved through LIVING’s own website at www.livingtv.co.uk and also through an array of other websites and social networking areas (including YouTube and Facebook).

Hot Chip-TreeThe indefatigable 5 headed pop colossus that is Hot Chip have announced a return to the live arena with a UK tour in February that will span the length and breadth of the UK culminating in two back to back shows at Brixton Academy on February 26th & 27th (live dates listing below).
 
Furthermore, in a message posted on their website the quintet of Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Al Doyle, Felix Martin and Owen Clarke also revealed that they were putting the ‘finishing touches’ to their fourth studio album. The new, as yet untitled album is the follow up to 2007s gold-selling ‘Made In The Dark’ and although very few details of the album’s sound / direction are clear, being a Hot Chip album it’s inevitably going to be full of devious musical experimentation, killer pop hooks, heartfelt & soulful introspection and naturally, more than a few surprises. Read more

Lady Gaga-MicLady Gaga – the biggest selling new artist of the year bar none – has announced a major UK arena tour for February-March 2010. The Monster Ball will be her first UK shows of 2010, and the first chance for fans to hear live renditions of new songs from her revamped album, The Fame Monster, due for release on 23 November.
 
The Monster Ball comprises the following shows:
 
Thursday 18 February         Manchester MEN Arena
Wednesday 24 February      Liverpool Arena
Friday 26 February                London O2
Monday 1 March                   Glasgow SECC
Wednesday 3 March             Cardiff CIA
Thursday 4 March                 Newcastle Arena
Friday 5 March                      Birmingham LG
Sunday 7 March                    Sheffield Arena
Monday 8 March                  Nottingham Arena

Tickets go on sale Friday 30 October at 9am and are available from www.aeglive.co.uk or via the 24hr hotline 08444 775775.
 
The Fame Monster is a two-disc re-package of Lady Gaga’s 4 million-selling debut The Fame. It will feature the entire breakthrough album – including the hit singles Just Dance, Poker Face, Paparazzi and LoveGame – alongside eight entirely new songs, including the new single Bad Romance, which is available to download now.

newbeautifulsouth2From the ashes of the phenomenally successful Beautiful South, itself formed from the Housemartins, comes the New Beautiful South, and they tour the UK this November.

After the original band broke up 2 years ago, famously citing “musical similarities”, a number of the band decided to reunite and resurrect the songs and the sounds of this Great British Pop institution by dipping into the Beautiful South songbook as well as writing new material. Find out the November dates from their official website.

Carrying on where they left off Dave Hemingway & Alison Wheeler (Vocals), Dave Stead (Drums), Damon Butcher (Keys), Tony Robinson and Gaz Birtles (Brass) are now joined by Phil Barton (guitar), Karl Brown (Percussion) and Steve Nutter (Bass).

The driving force behind the original band Paul Heaton continues to pursue his solo career.

proclaimersshotIt seems very easy to be dismissive of The Proclaimers as so many people associate them purely with their big early hits of the 1980s. That’s a shame because if they gave them a chance they would find some great, beautiful and intelligent songs.

This is what The Proclaimers brought to a nearly-packed St. David’s Hall in Cardiff last Wednesday. After a great showing by their impressive support Miles Hunt & Erica Nockalls from The Wonder Stuff, the lads took to the stage and quickly set out their musical stall.

With a huge back catalogue it is really only the die-hard fans who could singalong with all songs but the well-known tracks really got the crowd going, from those 80s classics to their most recent tracks from albums “Life With You” and “Notes and Rhymes”.

If there was one word that I could use to describe the gig it is “joyful”. That’s the feeling that The Proclaimers brought to their audience and have done so for a good few decades already.