Labelling his sound as ‘art-rap’ or ‘future R&B’, ATO’s fresh sound is reflective of his unique childhood that saw him jump between New York, Seoul and London before settling in York.
Taking influence from a rich diaspora of genres, ATO’s most recent work blends drum and bass with sparkling hyper-pop – all the while delivering nuanced reflections on race and identity with cut throat precision.
Daithí is an Irish multi-instrumentalist producer that has long had a fascination with capturing organic sounds and samples.
His name has become synonymous with raising the bar for the live dance experience, mixing in unique elements like his signature fiddle – a symbol of his traditional Irish upbringing – alongside a chorus of talented musicians who elevate songs that have been purpose-built for a widescreen arena.
Bedded in electronica, Daithí’s sound has moved beyond a fusion of Ireland’s past and present to a world of rich texture, veering from deep house music to ambient arrangements, both in the form of instrumental narratives and vocally-charged supporting characters.
The result takes the listener from the undeniably personal to the universally cinematic, a deft collision of Daithí’s propensity for storytelling, his capacity to reimagine the environment around him, and the ability to open up his world to those who seek escape.
China Bears consist of twin brothers Ivan (guitar / vox) and Frazer (guitar) alongside bassist James and drummer Dean. Their latest single is called ‘Back To How It Was’ and classic China Bears it was, too – all trembling guitars and mournful vocals building to a thoroughly piqued peak.
‘Back To How It Was’ is also taken from the forthcoming China Bears’ third EP ‘All That Distance’, which is due out in September followed by a UK tour in October, including a headline show at London’s Moth Club – full dates below. The summertime will see the release of a brand new EP track called ‘Someone Kill This Party’, which encapsulates the increasingly vigorous, ever-vivacious China Bears live show, a set full of melodic thrust and half-maddened emotions, with emboldened singer Ivan driving the band onwards.
You get the sense that for China Bears there is little time to waste. One of the many, many casualties of the Covid 19 impact on SXSW ‘20, China Bears were then supposed to find some solace playing a springtime tour of the UK…which then got rescheduled for September…which was re-rescheduled for spring 2021…which finally took place in October last year. Making up for that lost time the Bears have hurtled into 2022, headlining a sell out show at The Lexington in London in February and storming through official showcases at SXSW in Austin, Focus Wales and The Great Escape in Brighton.
After self-releasing 3 singles the alt-indie five-piece teamed up with Fierce Panda Records for the release of the EPs ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone Like You’ and ‘Statue Still’, picking up attention from the likes of BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing, Gigwise, NPR & Radio X. Along the way China Bears have played extensively around the UK, with notable support slots for bands such as: Genghar, The Districts, To Kill A King, Geneva, Neon Waltz and The Howl & The Hum. Next up they head out to these fine venues here, here and there…
Straddling indie-pop and psych-rock, the Brighton band make “Dreamily beautiful indie pop” (CLASH)
“A shimmering blend of soulful indie-pop and a 70s soaked rhythm section” – The Line of Best Fit?
This is a 14+ accompanied event
Highlights for the foursome include online support from tastemaker blogs for their last 2 EP’s, including DORK, DIY, Gigwise, Line of Best Fit and many more. The singles have also received Radio X, Radio One and BBC Introducing airplay as well as landing and maintaining Spotify playlisting on editorials including Hot New Bands, Garden Indie, Lovely Little Playlist, Lo-Fi Indie, Garden Indie and Alt Rocked, with their single ‘Hometown’ amassing over an incredible 1.4 million streams.
Their captivating and flawless live shows have earned them festivals spots at ILMC, The Great Escape and Wildpaths, invited to support PINS, VANT and Swimming Tapes, as well as touring the UK with Trudy & The Romance.
Formed in the heart of England in the town of Northampton, Sarpa Salpa (named after a hallucinogenic fish!) have evolved both physically and musically to achieve their current form. Marcus Marooth, George Neath , Meg Amirghiasvand and Charlie Doe are four friends whose individual tastes and talents came together perfectly to become Sarpa Salpa. With influences spanning the breadth of the indie, pop and rock spectrum, Sarpa Salpa create a sound that is uniquely their own and has won them a loyal fanbase across the UK and beyond.
With extensive support from the likes of BBC 6 Music legend Steve Lamacq and BBC Radio 1 tastemaker Jack Saunders, Sarpa Salpa have amassed an impressive array of radio accolades including BBC Introducing Track of the Week (Casanova), Radio 1’s Next Wave (Say Something), and Jack Saunder’s Tune of the Week (Forwards Backwards). In addition, the band have received numerous plays on BBC Introducing, BBC 6 Music, Amazing Radio, Radio X and across the Student Radio Association Network (Class of 2021). Sarpa Salpa’s music has also been used several times on hit E4 series Made in Chelsea bringing their blend of indie disco to a whole new audience.
Hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland, Dubinski are four inseparable brothers: Eugene, Fergus, Donal and Eoin Gaine. Originally from the remote green hills of North Yorkshire, the Gaine brothers lived their childhood in atmospheric and social isolation. A shared love of music was the common thread amongst the four, so they spent their adolescent years writing and performing for the sheer joy of it. Eventually the brothers moved to Edinburgh for their university studies, but the music passion never abated, so post-university they decided to raise the bar of their childhood music ‘hobby’ and make a proper go of it. Taking on the band name Dubinski (their late mother’s maiden name), the band wrote and recorded the songs that would eventually become their debut album. Working with Grammy Award winning producers/engineers Mike Horner (Yonaka, Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip) and Robbie Nelson (Beck, Jarvis Cocker, Rolling Stones), Dubinski recorded the entire album at RAK Studios in London. Dubinski’s debut album is set for release in Autumn 2022.
“Every song LIFE put their name to has electricity coursing through it’s veins’’ CLASH
LIFE are anchored by their hometown; the geography, history and community has always been the inspiration behind their creativity and on their new record the band pay homage to Hull and its folk.
Their 3rd LP North East Coastal Town finds the band at the height of their powers as they carve up a wide-screen, brooding body of work that is drenched in a sense of belonging and reflection but still impressively maintains their trademark swagger and ear for pop sensibilities and guitar hooks.
“This band are flexing their creativity for sure, This is LIFE we are talking about, they’ll always have something to say, something to stand for, a band to get lost in for sure” Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1
A night of dedicated ecleticism, binding together music from techno, jungle, glitch and folk, to ambient and the vanguard of electroacoustic.
“Digitally altering and smearing excrement over the boundaries keeping glitch, electronica, and ambient work separate, Daniel McGurty plays with these sounds like a curious scientist” — Heavy Blog is Heavy
For fans of Aphex Twin, Djrum, Shooglenifty and Empty Set.
Music Links:
Daniel:
Yoko:
Heron Valley are a six piece energy-fuelled trad band from Scotland, rooted in Scottish and Irish traditional music.
