Recent Bella Union signings Penelope Isles are set to release their debut long player, Until The Tide Creeps In, on the label this Summer. Ahead of this the Brighton-based quartet of Jack Wolter, Lily Wolter, Becky Redford and Jack Sowton are hitting the road, playing a selection of dates which includes a stop at SXSW and a home-town show for the Wolters on the Isle of Man.
Along the way the band will be making a return visit to Portsmouth, where they played Dials Festival last year, to play a set at the city's newest venue The House of Rapture. Tickets for the Tuesday 2nd April gig, co-promoted by Dials, Strong Island Recordings and Pie & Vinyl, are priced at a very reasonable £6 and available online via Billetto.
Support on the night comes from local acts Barbudo, who recently released their new EP Sunshine, and the lo-fi soul of Ban Summers. The gig poster, below, has been conjured up by Chris Williamson and, disturbingly, reflects how I feel some Saturday mornings. No, really.
This year's instalment of the annual celebration of all things round & shiny and the beloved shops that sell them, Record Store Day, will soon be upon us. On Saturday 13th April, at locations all across the land, people will be standing in line, waiting for the doors to open on their local vinyl emporium. Many will have been waiting outside their favourite shop for hours, perhaps even overnight, just to get their mitts on THAT reissue, THAT special pressing, THAT longed for release that they need to fill a specific hole in their record collection.
The selection of records, the long list of vinyl delights, is invariably a mouth-watering selection of gems that covers near all genres and styles of popular (and not so popular) music. Each year the list of records grows, a spreadsheet of wants that no doubt causes consternation for Bank Managers all over the country. The list of RSD records is released ahead of time, to both give the shops ample opportunity to request their preferred stock and us punters a chance to drool as we scroll through the mammoth spreadsheet of temptations.
The 2019 RSD list will be announced this Thursday, 28th February, and to mark the occasion Southsea's treasured Pie & Vinyl is hosting its own RSD launch event, spinning vinyl (and you're welcome to bring your own for a go on the decks), giving away cider from RSD partner Friels and, of course, offering a special selection of pie-tastic meal deals.
The following day, Friday 1st March, the fun continues over at Portsmouth's newest venue The House of Rapture. Havant Nu-Eyed Soul outfit Barbudo are launching their new EP, Sunshine. For a taste of what the band has to offer check out previous single Secret Admirer via the SoundCloud embed:
Entrance to EP launch party is £6 on the door, though entrance is FREE if you pre-order the new release via Pie & Vinyl. Doors open at 1930 and, I have no doubt, a good time will be had by all.
The lovely people at Southsea's Pie & Vinyl have teamed up with the equally lovely folk at Strong Island Recordings to curate an Oxjam Portsmouth festival. Hurrah!
Oxjam, if you didn't already know, is a multi-venue music event, held annually, that supports grassroots music across the UK whilst also raising valuable funds for Oxfam. Oxjam events take place in towns and cities nationwide, organised by volunteers, that can be either one-off gigs or music festivals.
In previous years Portsmouth has hosted several smaller Oxjam events, usually at the Edge of the Wedge, but this year Pompey is going large; Oxjam Portsmouth is a one-day festival, to be held at Portsmouth Pyramids on Saturday 13th October, and features both a family-friendly day session (from midday-1700) and an evening music session (from 1800-2300).
The line-up announced so far for the evening session includes Superdrone, Highlights of our Modern World, Barbudo and Lucid Rising, with further acts still to be announced. All that and it's for a good cause too, how great is that?
Tickets are available now via WeGotTickets, priced at £4 (Early Bird, standard price £5) for the day session and £8 (Early Bird, standard price £10) for both the day & evening sessions (ticket prices are subject to booking fee).
Good news everyone!
Dials Festival has returned, bringing a day of music to Albert Road, filling the hole made when Southsea Fest headed into the sunset. The Dials organisers have been hard at work behind the scenes since they tweeted their 'save the date' message, conjuring up the first wave of acts that has now been announced.
On the bill (so far) are [deep breath] Los Bitchos, Thyla, Fake Empire, Barbudo, Hotel Lux, Penelope Isles, Sad Palace, Lauran Hibberd, Art School Girlfriend, Bella Spinks, Highlights of Our Modern World, Horsefiles, Margot, Lice, Temples of Youth, Melt Dunes, Libralibra, Mystic Peach, Breathe Panel, Tigercub, Omar Baba, Attack the Fire, Jerry Williams, Bokito, Salt Ashes, Vinyl Staircase, Ugly, Sleep Eaters, Violet Mud and the most excellent Curxes.
That's hell of a line-up and, if that wasn't incentive enough to get aboard, Dials have partnered with Solent Mind, a registered charity that provides a wide range of high quality services, across the South, which support people with mental health problems. I can, from personal experience, vouch for the good work organisations like Mind do.
Super Early Bird tickets are on sale now for just £12 [sorry, all gone!], with regular advance tickets still a bargain at £16, available now from the festival website. For more information and updates check the Dials Twitter feed.
