I managed to catch up with Billy Walton after his gig at The 100 Club on Oxford Street for a quick chat. Here’s how it went.

AM How’s the tour been so far?

BW Fantastic. There’s been a lot of people coming out and supporting live music; it’s been fantastic.

AM How many times have you visited the UK so far?

BW I’ve been over here myself about 10 times but this is our 6th tour with the Billy Walton Band

AM And when will you be coming back again?

BW We’re coming back in May and we’ll try to come back as much as possible.

AM And is that doing the same kind of venues that you’re doing on this tour?

BW It’s a good mix; we’ve been working our way up the ladder. Read more

The FutureheadsThe new album has proved to be a success so far, but what can you promise fans who haven’t heard it yet?

The idea behind it is that it’s back to the blue print that we had for the first record, but it’s more straight forward and it’s simpler. And it’s played harder and faster and it’s louder than our previous albums.

How would you describe your style and who are your influences?

The fundamental elements of what we do are four part harmony punk rock band, where the live show depends on a lot of energy and a lot of crowd participation. As far as influences go, we put the band together in the beginning, because we loved the likes of Wire and The Clash and all that sort of post punk stuff. Now, because that’s all in your DNA, you get more influences from a story you read in the newspaper or a person you meet at a show.

You’re under your own record label now, is this a welcome change for you?

Yeah, it’s the best thing we’ve ever done, because it’s fifty percent less people who come and steal the rider at the end of the day! Truthfully ever musician is a control freak and it’s easier to keep an eye on things when you’re on the label. Read more

Kill Cassidy join us on the MusicRiot Presents podcast episode 6, and here they give us a bit of background type info!

Tell us a little bit about each of you.

Tim: My name is Tim Sensation, I have my parents to thank for that. I sing in Kill Cassidy and am half of the song-writing team.

Martino: My name is Martino. I play the guitar in Kill Cassidy and am the other half of the songwriting team. I am 6′ 4″. I like long walks, reading, European cinema, drinking till I’m drunk and talking about the universe and most of all going somewhere ordinary and listening to music that makes it feel unusual. Cat-lover, GSOH etc, etc…

What’s the story behind the name?

M: Simply put, it’s the title of a song from a long lost band, who were gigging friends a few Summers ago!! Read more

Jess Morgan entrances us on MusicRiot Presents… podcast episode 6, and so we thought it was a good idea to find a bit more about the woman behind the voice.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Now let me see… I was born and grew up in Norfolk. I’m a huge fan of the countryside and the coast which Is why i suppose, things didnt work out so well for me in London this year. I moved to the big city after graduating to try to gig as much as possible and make a name for myself.

I did play a lot of gigs and think it came to about 60 gigs from October to October. I’m a hard worker and I’m always writing wherever I go. I’ve moved back to Norwich now and intend to try to build a solid following of likeminded people whilst still keeping links with London and other regions.

How long have you been making music?

I began playing and singing at uni in York. There was a cool little open-mic night every other Thursday and eventually i did pluck up the courage to go and play a song. The support i found while I was at university was tremendous and i couldn’t imagine a better start or more supportive people to be around. Read more

Lucky JimHe’s on the latest MusicRiot Presents podcast, so we thought we’d find out a little more about Lucky Jim!

So, who are you?
My name is Gordon Grahame and I make records as Lucky Jim as well as under my own name.

What’s the story behind the name?
Lucky Jim was actually originally a combination of my self as writer and singer and Ben Townsend as Producer.

I am originally from Edinburgh, but met Ben in Brighton and made our first album “Our Troubles End Tonight” and soon signed to Dance Label Skint Records – not one of my better ideas. Read more

LooptronLooptron is featured on episode 4 of the MusicRiot Presents podcast, we wanted to find out more about him.

So, who are you?
Neil Sharkey, a.k.a. Looptron. Who the f**k are you? And what the f**k are you doing in my house?!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m 180 centimetres tall, weigh 75 kilograms, I’m an Aries, my favourite colour is blue and I have a morbid fear of that nasty fake tomato sauce you get on baked beans and spaghetti hoops. Read more

Malcolm Middleton as SantaChristmas number 1’s don’t always have to be 100% marketing-driven X-factor winners, despite what you may have thought from the past few years. And ex-Arab Strap man Malcolm Middleton is doing his best to prove this, with his bid for the Xmas number 1, “We’re all going to die”.

If you want to help get this to number 1 then you have today and tomorrow to buy the single, from iTunes, etc. or as an old-fashioned limited edition 7-inch. Go to Malcolm’s Myspace for more links. And you can find out a bit more of why Malcolm is doing this when we got the chance to pose him a few questions. Read more

Charlie SlothCharlie Sloth is featured on episode 3 of the MusicRiot Presents podcast, we wanted to find out more about him.

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So who are you? Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Charlie-Sloth, I am a musician from Camden Town-London. I have been making Hip-Hop for nearly 9 years, I’ve worked with some of the finest artists the World of Hip-Hop has produced.

I produce all my own material and make all my own videos, from writing the treatments to directing the video right down to the edit I’m really self -sufficient. Everybody tells me I’m the best rapper in the UK. World hip-hop publication ‘The Source’ recently said I’m “One of UK’s finest”. Read more

GlasvegasWe managed to grab a few minutes with Glasvegas, featured on MusicRiot Presents episode 3, and here is what they had to say for themselves.

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So tell us a little bit about yourselves.
I’m james, the singer and the guy who listens to christmas albums any time of the year. Rab is the guitarist and the best at ten pin bowling in the world. Paul is the bass player who will one day win a small fortune on a t.v. general knowledge programme. Caroline is the drummer and she likes looking at things. Read more

Cassette Electrik - Oli and Lucy - keyboard and fanWith less than a week before the 1st November album launch gig for Cassette Electrik, presented exclusively by MusicRiot, we complete our interview with Oli and Lucy. If you missed part 1, probably best go back to it first.

So in part 2 we find out how Cassette became a little bit Electrik, talk about their live experience and give praise to the God of Moogs!
Read more