Franz Nicolay is a multi-instrumentalist and man about town. He is a member of the World/Inferno Friendship Society, The Hold Steady, Guignol, and the Anti-Social Music collective. His piano, accordion, mandolin, saw, and harmonica playing can also be found in recordings of Dresden Dolls, Leftover Crack, The Sharp Things, the Suckers, Mischief Brew, Demander, and The Ratchets. He is active in the realms of performance, recording/production, and composition of original instrumental music.

http://franznicolay.com/

http://franznicolay.com/discography.html

JG Wilkes is a very significant DJ indeed, at Optimo he and JD Twitch helped Glasgow and then the world re-understand dance music, switching from Detroit Techno to Napalm Death to Madonna within a few minutes, and not have it feel schizophrenic, but all as part of the same beautiful whole. Jonny’s gonna play us some great disco.

It’s great to have David Barbarossa back, he played the best Wasabi guest DJ slot of 2009, some real honest Paradise Garage shit.

David provided the basement sounds in the good old days of Optimo at The Venue, alongside Wasabi Disco resident Kris Wasabi.

£3 / members free

Chris T-T is an English songwriter. So far he’s made five albums. His current release is Capital which came out in March 2008 on Xtra Mile Recordings.

Chris lives in Brighton on the south coast.

DO PEOPLE LIKE HIM?
Most people seem to, though he’s not very famous, in the Heat magazine sense of the word. Check press quotes to gauge what music critics think. Chris has played radio sessions on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 3, XFM, BBC6Music, BBC Radio Ulster, Resonance FM, LBC and others. His songs can be heard on radio stations around the world.

IS HE REALLY A COMMUNIST?
Possibly.

GIGS
Chris tours solo and with backing band The Hoodrats, who are loud. He headlines shows across the UK and has toured mainland Europe and the United States.

His resumé includes shows with: Ben Folds, British Sea Power, The Divine Comedy, Elbow, Bellowhead, The National, The Walkmen, Quasi, Tom Robinson, Brakes, Frank Turner, Electric Soft Parade, KT Tunstall, Emma Pollock (Delgados), Carter USM, The Broken Family Band, Jim Bob, author Iain Sinclair, Madrugada, Hefner, Robyn Hitchcock, Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue) and many others.

In 2004, Chris joined the Tom Robinson Band as pianist for Tom’s annual Castaway Party. Since 2006, Chris has been Jim Bob’s piano accompanist and in 2008 he also played piano at UK festivals and on tour in Europe with label-mate Frank Turner.

OTHER STUFF
Chris is a columnist for national left-wing newspaper The Morning Star. He has written pieces for several books and magazines. He has composed a live re-soundtrack to cult Japanese movie Battle Royale, performed at Soho’s Other Cinema, and composed music for an exhibit at the Natural History Museum.

He has also taken part in debates and panels at SOAS and for Brighton Live, read short stories on Resonance FM, written childrens’ poetry for the BBC’s Jackanory website and curated an evening of political documentaries at Greenwich Film Festival.

In 2006 and 2007 Chris presented a live Saturday afternoon radio show for Phoenix FM in Essex and, during the same period, was house DJ for Brighton’s Be A Ham club nights. As DJ he played alongside Dinosaur Jr, Okkervil River and Efterklang, amongst others.

WHAT ARE CHRIS T-T SONGS LIKE?
Vivid, outspoken and inventive, with occasional bursts of withering sarcasm. Fiercely literate, brimful of unique perspective and underpinned by a strong sense of place. Yes.

WHAT DOES ‘T-T’ STAND FOR?
It’s his abbreviated surname and he’s unfeasibly fussy about the hyphen.

Our acclaimed indie/electro night presents awesome live guests Egyptian Hip Hop.

DJs Bargain Harold and Tallah Disco kick ass after.

£3 / members free.

FREE ENTRY TO THIS IS MUSIC CLUB WITH EACH TICKET TO E.H.H.

Paul Lester in The Guardian writes…

Rhythmical, almost funky, in an 80s Manc way, but four white boys approximating the sound of LL Cool J’s Bigger and Deffer this ain’t.

Their songs have been described as everything from melodic grunge to lush scuzzy pop and housey math rock, but whatever it is, it’s dark but upbeat, [and] very Manchester.

The band – who are unsigned and have only played a handful of gigs – have even got a Manc hero patron: none other than Johnny Marr, who gave Nick Delap some advice, as well as some old guitar pedals … even some shoes, assuming from his down-at-heel appearance that he was poor and needed help. “He’s like the Robin Hood of the indie world,” say Egyptian Hip Hop, who look less scruffy than they do like 00s style victims, all asymmetrical hair enhanced by brightly clashing fabrics and colours (and their clothes aren’t exactly low-key, boom boom). Think Hoxton via Hulme. In fact looks-wise and musically, think Klaxons transported back to 80s Factory.

The buzz: “These four Mancunians comprise one of the most exciting bands in the UK right now.”

The truth: We’d like to hear more, always a good sign …

Most likely to: Make you feel brand Nubian.

Least likely to: Make a rap album with ouds.

What to buy: Egyptian Hip Hop are unsigned, but we’re guessing not for long.

File next to: Marcel King, Quando Quango, Kalima, Paris Angels.

From behind a mess of moustache, fake specs and silly hair colour comes the sound of South London’s LA Shark. For fans of pop that’s a little bit messy, their songs come stuffed with vaudevillian wiggle, dramatic pause and squiggly keys. After slumming it with The Maccabees and Good Shoes they get the glitz and glamour they deserve on a Paloma Faith next month. Pouts ready. Bums out. Let’s dance.

Pensioner was born out of the infinitesimal victories but ultimate failures of the bands Alamos and Juliet Kilo, and the generally poor life choices of Callum Sutherland.

What follows is the true story of four men; a story of fortunes won and lost; a story that will inspire and repulse in equal measure – a story that needs to be told.

“Fantastic mathy Rock!” - Vic Galloway, BBC Radio 1

Support comes from the amazing Bronto Skylift

“Dazzling Glaswegian beat combo…they will set your face on fire” - The Skinny

And completing the bill is veterans Degrassi

“Chiming, criss-crossing guitars all bound up in jutting time signatures delivered with no little measure of plaintive twang” - The List

Tickets available at Tickets-Scotland / Avalanche / Ripping Records

Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize 2009, we’re delighted to welcome back outstanding band The Invisible. Three of London’s most talented live dance musicians, who’ve played with the likes of Matthew Herbert and Hot Chip, have created one of the great albums of last year.

“Soulful, supertight, impeccable” – NME

“Instantly marked out by its breadth of scope and uncanny intensity. The sound of ambition paying off” – Q

“The Invisible have a superhuman knack for writing hypnotic songs” – BBC 6music

“Don’t believe the hype about The Invisible .There’s more to them than that” – The Wire

Sure they’ve had some amazing guest names play… Alex Smoke, Rustie, Radioactive Man… but this is a rare time for Stepback crew to showcase their own bass heavy skills, playing B’more, crunk, ghettotech to UK funky, aqua, and techno.

Define Pop presents…