Citizens! - The REAL 'Next Big Thing'?

It's a term one hears a lot - 'the next big thing' - but in a number of cases never quite happens in the end. But in the case of London quintet Citizens! the tag has a 9/10 chance of coming to fruition. If it doesn't, then something is going badly wrong somewhere.

Catchy tunes that grip you right from first hearing, an Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) produced debut album on its way in May, and before that they play a string of dates around the UK.

Signed to the French indie label, Kitsune, if you liked their debut single 'True Romance' last year, then the radio-friendly follow-up 'Reptile' (out on March 19) will eat into your ears like burrowing worms. (The accompanying video - see below - racked up over 5000 views in just under 3 days.) What's more, aside from these two singles, they already have another seven killer tunes in the bag.

Don't believe the hype, see this band for yourself - NOW!

Citizens! will be on tour in the UK from February to March:
02/02 - The Lexington, London
17/02 – Electric Ballroom – London
18/02 – Castle – Manchester
20/02 – Beercart Arms – Canterbury
22/02 – Start The Bus – Bristol
23/02 – Lexington – London
25/02 – Rescue Rooms – Nottingham
28/02 – Portland Arms – Cambridge
29/02 – Ten Feet Tall – Cardiff
01/03 – Camden Wheelbarrow – London
02/03 – Green Door Store – Brighton

January 27 2012 - Five Hot Ones For The Week

Lower Dens - Brains




Jack Penate - No One Lied




Lapalux - Gutter Glitter




School Of Seven Bells - Lafaye




Citizens! - Reptile

January 20 2012 - Five Hot Ones For The Week

Diagrams - Tall Buildings




Porcelain Raft - Strange Weekend




Halls - I Am Not Who You Want




Perfume Genius - Hood




Chairlift - Guilty As Charged

Like Father Like Son - Nile Marr Steps Into The Spotlight

Man Made aka 19-year-old singer/songwriter Nile Marr, son of Johnny Marr, is a name to watch out for in 2012. Heading out on a UK tour from January 23 as support to Howler (ending February 6 in London), before moving on to Europe for further dates.

Nile has already performed onstage with artists such as Broken Social Scene, Bright Eyes and The Lemonheads, as well as opening for Junip and Badly Drawn Boy. He has also performed at both Latitude and the award-winning Tramlines Festival last year. Hailed by The Observer Magazine as one of the country's top new musicians, we are banking on him becoming a big name before long.

Man Made's debut EP is available on itunes now, and to stream on Soundcloud here: http://soundcloud.com/manmade

http://www.facebook.com/manmadeproject

XFM New Music Award - Who Made Your Favourite British Debut Album Of 2011?

Xfm are once again about to kick off with its annual music prize. Every January, it names the Best British Debut Album of the last year, celebrating the diverse and impressive selection of new music and new artists across the country.

Previous winners have included The Enemy (with We'll Live And Die In These Towns, 2008), Glasvegas (Glasvegas, 2009), The xx (xx, 2010) and Stornoway (Beachcomber's Windowsill, 2011).

The winner will be announced by a voting panel of judges at the HMV Ritz in Manchester on February 8 as Xfm and HMV's Next Big Thing put on a very special night featuring All The Young, Dry The River, Spector, Ren Harvieu and Willy Moon.

Before they reach that stage, however, they need you, me and us to tell them our favourite debut album by a British artist. From that they will compile a shortlist for the judges to work from.

Here are a few of the eligible artists:
Chapel Club, Ed Sheeran, Frankie & The Heartstrings, Beady Eye, Miles Kane, The Vaccines, Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Wretch 32.

Voting opens on Monday (January 16), so get thinking and then get voting!

http://www.xfm.co.uk/news/xfm/xfms-new-music-award-returns

January 13 2012 - Five Hot Ones For The Week

Alt-J - Fitzpleasure




The Twilight Sad - Another Bed




The Maccabees - Pelican




Young Guns - Bones




Zulu Winter - We Should Be Swimming

From London to LA - the next step for Chapel Club

Chapel Club flew to Los Angeles yesterday (January 6) to begin work on their second album for the next two months. This will be the follow-up to their debut release at the start of 2011, Palace.

The album's producer is Grammy-winning Tom Biller. Biller has a long and extensive background in production, engineering and mixing. Along with producing Warpaint's The Fool, he worked with Liars on Sisterworld, engineered Kanye West's Late Registration (for which he received the Grammy in 2005), Eels and 30 Seconds To Mars; and co-produced and played on Karen O's soundtrack to the Spike Jonze film, Where The Wild Things Are. Biller is also a member of the LA band Shadow Shadow Shade, whose live shows and debut record has gained them fans like artist Shepard Fairey (Obey), and Jim James of My Morning Jacket.

Over the course of last year, Chapel Club gave a hint of what might be expected to be forthcoming on their next studio sojourn, airing two new songs (New Colours, Shy) at summer festivals in the UK and Europe, and adding a further four (Burt Reynolds, Old House, Your Lawn and Excuses/The Ice) to the set for their October UK tour. What became apparent was that the band known for their dark lyrical imagery and brooding melancholic feel, had begun to look upward, adding a synth-laden dance feel to the mix, and swapping vocalist Lewis Bowman's smoothly rich baritone to a falsetto for the most part. Whether this will be in keeping with the mood of the new album's full body of tracks remains to be seen. We wouldn't be surprised to find that the Bowman baritone once again takes a prominent place in the band's catalogue. But who knows? Whatever Chapel Club turn out this time around it is bound to be as intriguing as ever.

January 6 2012 - Five Hot Ones For The Week

Bear Driver - Let The Cold




Theme Park - Milk




Various Cruelties - Great Unknown




Clock Opera - Once And For All




Spector - Chevy Thunder