Showcase UK

The Showcase UK blog has moved

2009-05-21T00:14:00.000-07:00

This blog has moved to www.xan.co.uk

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Film of Birdpen live in Paris

2009-02-02T10:59:00.000-08:00

We love Paris and have always wondered what it would be like to see Birdpen in the City of Light.

And although the free EuroStar tickets are yet to arrive we can whet our appetite with a free film of a Birdpen concert recorded at Fleche D'or on December 19th 2008.

The film was made by Grandcrew who specialise in making shows like this available to all. Below is a taster: Birdpen's “Off” which, if you have iTunes, can be found on the album "On, Off,Safety, Danger"

The whole show can be viewed here: http://www.grandcrew.com/videos/79

File sharing works "Wonders" for unsigned duo

2009-01-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

Last year the unsigned UK pop duo Georgia Wonder tasted minor but traditional success through supporting Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall on his first solo tour.

This year an unconventional approach has seen their debut EP “Hello Stranger” downloaded over 30,000 times in four days by users of Frostwire, one of the file sharing programmes the music industry would prefer to shut down rather than harness.

For Georgia Wonder’s vocalist, Stephanie Grant, the opportunity was irresistible:

“What Frostwire helped us achieve is incredible. Their support has put our music into the hands of tens of thousands of potential fans in a matter of days.”

And all Frostwire did was add a link to the duo’s songs on the programme’s welcome page, their spokesperson Kademlia explained (via email) that Georgia Wonder was an act they believed in:

“When we first heard Georgia Wonder's EP, we couldn't stop humming 'The Girl You Never Knew' (see below). We knew there is something unique about them, because this doesn't really happen within our team. Another interesting thing was that we immediately felt the need to share the word about them.”

Even though this altruistic attitude has given a massive boost to Georgia Wonder’s listener base, Frostwire’s software is also helping a vast amount of people share music that should have been purchased.

When you read the latest statistics you can’t blame record companies from gnashing their teeth over the huge sums of money they are potentially losing.

Figures recently published by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) showed that forty billion files were illegally shared in 2008.

As these statistics are based on results from only 16 countries the extent of their problem is potentially much bigger.

Sharing this many files has been made very easy thanks to the “BitTorrent protocol” which allows a computer programme to download a file from many sources instead of the traditional one point of contact.

For example: if you were using the BitTorrent protocol to buy a book in the physical world, individual pages would be sent to you by hundreds of people instead of the whole book delivered from just one shop.

This type of data transfer is known as Peer-to-Peer (P2P) with the “peers” being thousands of domestic computers running programmes like Frostwire.

If you visit the charts hosted at “The Pirate Bay” you’ll see what is currently popular in the BitTorrent universe.

Heading music’s Top 100 is Pink Floyd’s full discography – all 27 albums wrapped up in a file that is just under 4 gigabytes in size.

Also in the charts are established groups such as U2, Metallica, Coldplay and The Beatles as well as a host of present day artists.

Unbelievably, unsigned Georgia Wonder are rubbing shoulders with these giants and, during the period their EP was available on Frostwire, they broke into the Top 20 – which is a remarkable achievement.

It would take many months for Georgia Wonder to reach a similar number of listeners using networking sites such as MySpace, YouTube, ReverbNation and Facebook but at least with those places a firm relationship can be developed with the visitor.

However, as Frostwire only promote music they believe to be a worthy listen, they themselves will form a relationship with their users and that level of trust will mean many more digital artists knocking at Frostwire’s door.

As Kademlia points out: “Music just seems to be the natural thing to share and young and up-and-coming musicians seem to be first to understand and utilize the advantages of peer-to-peer distribution. After all, today's new artists are the pioneers of the future music industry, one which will not be controlled by a hand full of record labels.”

With this type of success it won’t be long before the music industry embraces P2P trading and, with yearly downloads of 40 million; even fifty percent of that traffic would be a tidy sum.

For Kademlia the future is obvious: “P2P has been proven to be an effective media distribution technology. It's been embraced by millions organically. Hopefully, the music industry will evolve and figure out way to use it, instead of fighting it.”

The Art of Birdpen

2009-01-20T03:39:00.000-08:00

Collaboration is the theme for the year and one of the best examples we’ll soon see is between the group Birdpen and Southampton illustrator Joanne Negus.

Joanne’s been working with the band for the past six years designing covers as well as helping with a couple of videos.

On March 9th Birdpen will reveal Joanne’s creations for the physical release of their debut album On/Off/Safety/Danger.

The art collaborations also continue with a new video for the single “Breaking Precedent”.

The current video (above) was homemade and delves into a band’s life on the road. By using split screen we get the interesting juxtapositions between band and the surroundings they drive through. You can see it on the Daily Echo’s web site.

The band recently made another road trip to Paris to film the green screen elements for the new video which will be made by the award winning animators Simon Gesrel and Xavier Ehretsmann.

The duo’s latest animation “Zombie Zombie” (below) uses action men type figures to deliver an excellent six minute horror film set in an Antarctic research centre.

ZOMBIE ZOMBIE Driving Clip Simon Gesrel Xavier Ehretsmann
by JeanCarpentier

We don’t yet know what animation they have in mind for Birdpen’s but the quality of the Zombie flick heightens the anticipation.

In fact Europe seems to be the destination of the year for Birdpen as Switzerland beckons in February and France in April.

However we can make a short journey to see the trio in Southampton on 8th February at The Talking Heads supporting Asobi Seksu

Come and see The Family

2009-01-20T03:35:00.000-08:00

When you have the bottle to describe your music as “Swaggering, bourbon-drenched, Cosmic Country” you need to back such a grand claim with cracking songs.

And The Family do that in gallons.

Once you’ve heard tracks like: “Who’s In Who’s Out”, “The Byrd” and “Let The Love Shine In” you’ll find yourself floating on heady concoction seemingly brewed in the southern states of America.

Yet with their roots firmly in Southampton you realise The Family have something special.

Born out of blues band Jupiter Few they found this new style by simply adding Hag on pedal-steel guitar and piano.

According to lead singer Brad Weeks things are looking good for the band as a unit but they still need: “a manager, publisher and a record deal.”

As budgets contract in 2009 these will be harder to find but luckily they have been given a free video and, says Brad: “You don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Shot by Dan Bridge at the Green Wave Festival this could be an essential gift.

The Family

Although the presentation isn’t in the same style of the band’s web sites and CD covers you still get a great impression of how passionate The Family is about their music.

Once you have seen the band on screen I am sure you’ll want to see them live and that is why every act should have one.

Podcast: Stephen Kalinich: American Poet

2008-12-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

American poet Stephen Kalinich is the subject of Showcase UK's first podcast.

Stephen spent 2008 working with two British musicians: maverick classical guitarist Richard Durrant and dance producer Cal Gibbson.

However 2008 also saw Stephen release an album he recorded 40 years ago with beach Boy Brian Wilson. The album was a never released classic of its time. Maybe its time has come?

Making a music video using photographs

2008-12-02T06:45:00.000-08:00

When Showcase UK set up shop on the Internet we found that many good musicians didn’t have videos.

Cost was the big issue followed by various reasons ranging from lack of desire, attitude or someone who can actually film and cut the pictures together.

So here out first attempt at a low cost, homemade video that looks the business.
The song comes from the album “Brittle” by Welsh singer/songwriter Davy Cartwight. We picked “The Grey Song” because its sound and feel would suit a set of photographs and sent Davy some ideas and directions to follow: what to shoot, which angle to use and various other tricks of the trade.

In return he sent us some CDs with pictures taken by himself and his daughter Hannah from around Llantwit Major on the south coast of Wales. All we had to do is string the pictures together and the result you can see below.

Birdpen and Sine Star Project Brighten Up November

2008-10-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

Two Southampton bands that move the grey matter as well as the body are Birdpen and Sine Star Project.

And both have an excellent November ahead which will reward years of hard graft.

Birdpen (left) digitally release their debut album On/Off/Safety/Danger on 3rd November and have been confirmed as the support for Ida Maria’s 15 date tour of the UK.

As a warm-up they’ll be playing the Joiners this Monday (27th Oct) and I’ll review the album next week.

Meanwhile November sees Sine Star Project supporting Marillion: three gigs in the UK and four in Holland.

I recently spoke with their drummer Matthew Shmigelsky and he joked that because they build their own studio equipment and guitar amps they could easily be placed in a “Geek Rock” genre.

However true I see this ability as a reflection of the band’s dedication to their art and they also approach their song writing with a similar level of thought and skill.

Sine Star Project’s web video presence has recently improved thanks to filmmaker Philip Bloom.

He used the track “little Bird” from their second album “Building Humans” for an art installation and in doing so produced an impressive promotional tool for the band.

This means they have been able to ditch the old promos which were acceptable to die-hard fans but unlikely to attract new ones.

Birdpen and Sine Star Project deserve our support as they are talented and both have the drive and perseverance to take them into Europe and beyond.

Their videos are on www.showcaseuk.tv

See also: Marillion "Peer" Into The Future

Jackson Analogue in session for Levis

2008-10-14T07:54:00.000-07:00

Jackson Analogue have posted a brand new video for the title track of the second album "Half Way Home".

Featuring "The Brothers Homes" it was recorded for a Levis Icons session.

Jackson Analogue - Half Way Home

Marillion “Peer” into the Future

2008-10-09T09:52:00.000-07:00

Marillion release they 15th album “Happiness Is the Road” on October 20th however the music has been available, legally free, on the internet since September.

The band has been using the peer-to-peer network (P2P) to beat the pirates and also introduce themselves to potentially millions of music lovers.

Marillion are no strangers to the online community, as they point out in their press release they are: “Widely recognised as the first band to truly embrace the Internet’s potential to interact with fans since circa 1996.”

Working with Internet technology company, Music Glue they have added a video message to the downloaded music file which brings to the listeners attention what the band are about and how they can get a DRM free version of the music by signing up to the mailing list.

There are two reasons behind this.

The first was to stop the usual leak when the album was officially released and by doing so engage with the people who prefer their music for free and nudge them in the direction of the tour, t-shirts and other ways the downloader can pay for Marillion to continue existing.

Secondly it continues their successful online relationship with their large and loyal fan base whose pre-orders had paid for the album’s recording and extensive artwork - two separate 96-page full-colour hard-bound books, both stored in a single outer case.

The exclusive deluxe addition which was available to early buyers would also get their name in the credits.

The personal touch has to be the way forward for established bands. Most of them know how many true fans they have and roughly how many albums they will sell on release so all they have to do is provide some credible extras and they’ll be getting the money upfront.

One band Showcase UK has been following recently is Sine Star Project. They don’t yet have a video but they have announced they will be supporting Marillion on part their November tour!

Dates announced so far

14th November @ the Manchester Academy
15th November @ the Bournemouth Opera House
19th November @ the Forum LONDON

Tickets from www.marillion.com (of course)

Dlugokecki - Mini-Album, Gigs

2008-10-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

Dlugokecki will join Chris Difford (Squeeze), James Walsh (Starsailor) and various other artists and Matthew Jay fans to celebrate the life of Matthew Jay, an extraordinarily talented singer/songwriter who died five years ago at the age of 24.

The concert takes place at the Shepherds Bush Empire on Friday 10th October 2008 what would have been Matthew’s 30th birthday! All profits are going to his favourite charities Amnesty International & UNICEF. Tickets are £20.

Mini-Album

Dlugokecki release a new 7 track mini album "Let This Be Right" on Cherrywood/AND Records on November 3rd. It includes all brand new, previously unreleased tracks.

There are also 4 free mp3’s at www.myspace.com/dlugokecki which includes a live version of one of the new songs ‘Save my soul’ that was recorded on a Showcase session and a cover version of a Matthew Jay track.

Live dates – headlining unless stated.

Talking Heads 4th Oct
Shepherds Bush Empire 10th October (Tribute gig)
The Vault (Winchester) 13th Oct
The Winchester (Bournemouth) 23rd Oct
Talking Heads (supporting Nizlopi) 24th Oct
The Boiler Room (Guilford) 29th Oct
The Joiners 3rd Nov
The Railway (supporting Nizlopi) Winchester 11th November

Dlugokecki

Dlugokecki on Showcase UK

Birdpen - Debut album, UK tour

2008-10-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

Birdpen's highly anticipated debut album On/Off/Safety/Danger will be digitally released on Monday November 3rd.

A free and exclusive download of the track 'Airspace' will accompany the release and be available on all of iTunes European sites.

The album follows the digital release of the Breaking Precedent EP which, along with another album track, included two new tracks.

In November Birdpen will be supporting Norwegian songstress Ida Maria on her UK tour and have a great range of supports on the south coast lined up.

Tour Dates

Wednesday 8th October - Lennons, Southampton (Supporting The Joy Formidable)
Wednesday 15th October - Railway, Winchester (Winchester Live Festival)
Monday 27th October - The Joiners, Southampton (Supporting A Silent Film)

Ida Maria Tour:

Friday 7th November - Oran Mor, Glasgow
Saturday 8th November - Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
Sunday 9th November - Academy 2, Newcastle
Wednesday 12th November - The Point, Cardiff
Thursday 13th November - The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Friday 14th November - Academy 2, Sheffield
Saturday 15th November - Barfly, Birmingham
Tuesday 18th November - Komedia, Brighton
Wednesday 19th November - Cockpit, Leeds
Thursday 20th November - Club Academy, Manchester
Saturday 22nd November - Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
Sunday 23rd November - Zodiac, Oxford
Monday 24th November - Waterfront, Norwich
Wednesday 26th November - Thekla, Bristol
Thursday 27th November - Scala, London

Friday 12th December - Orange Rooms, Southampton (Supporting Delays)

See the BirdPen website for links to tickets and info etc etc.
www.birdpen.com

Birdpen on Showcase UK

Subsource – New Single, Tour and TV

2008-10-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

Punk break-beats group Subsource have announce 'Dark Is The New Light' will be released officially on 10th November (pre-orders open details below) and will be touring through October/November.

They have also had 'Disarm' used as the main title music from Sky Sports’ highlights of the first ever Barclaycard World Freerun Championships. An event that brought together 23 athletes from 18 countries (broadcast 22nd September 2008).

Subsource T-Shirts as also available from the web site www.subsource.co.uk

Tour Details

3rd Oct - Monkey Bar, Swansea
10th Oct - The Croft, Bristol
11th Oct - The Jamm (Brixton), London - with STEREO MC'S
17th Oct - TBA, Manchester
18th Oct - The Lamp, Hull
25th Oct - The Brickyard, Carlisle
31st Oct - The Canteen, Barrow-In-Furness

7th Nov - The Jailhouse, Hereford - with IGLU AND HARTLEY
8th Nov - Drop Beats Not Bombs, Rainbow Warehouse, Birmingham
14th Nov - The Purple Turtle (Camden), London
15th Nov - The Boileroom, Guildford **ALL AGES**
21st Nov - TBA, Southampton
22nd Nov - Slackers Convention, Volks Club, Brighton
27th Nov - TBA, Aberdeen
28th Nov - The Ironworks, Inverness - with DREADZONE
29th Nov - TBA, Glasgow
5th Dec - TBA, Berlin, GERMANY
6th Dec - TBA, GERMANY
12th Dec - Oakenfield Social Club, Reading (TBC)
13th Dec - The Watershed, Wimbledon, London (TBC)

Subsource pre-order details
Text the word 'dark' to 78789 (UK). You will be charged £1.50 plus a standard text and receive full details on how to download the 320kbps DRM-free MP3. This service is provided by 7digital.

Subsource

Subsource on Showcase UK