In her native Canada, singer-songwriter Sarah Slean is an award-winning star whose last album charted in the Top 10 and who regularly performs in respectably large venues to adoring fans. Over the course of her six studio albums and over a decade of shows, she’s developed a reputation as a spellbinding, intelligent performer with a talent to be reckoned with. Never heard of her? The fact that she has never toured Europe once in all that time might have something to do with that. She’s visited, briefly, with a couple of concerts in Paris many years ago, but as far as Wears The Trousers is aware, she has never once played a gig in the UK.
Filed under: news, trouser press, where's the gigs | Tags: charlotte richardson andrews, slow club
Following on from the success of last year’s free download single ‘Christmas TV’, the ever-likable Sheffield duo Slow Club have announced a shiny new, ribbon-wrapped Yuletide offering. The five-track EP, Christmas, Thanks For Nothing, out December 14 through Moshi Moshi, includes two new originals, two Darlene Love covers and, of course, the brilliant ‘Christmas TV’, which has quite deservedly gone on to be a year-round favourite at gigs. Charles and Rebecca take turns to have fun with the covers; Rebecca sings the Phil Spector-penned ‘Christmas (Please Come Home)’ from the mighty perennial A Christmas Gift For You, while Charles heads up a stripped down version of ‘All Alone On Christmas’, as featured on the soundtrack to ‘Home Alone 2′. The two new songs are the title track and ‘It’s Christmas & You Are Boring Me’.
Filed under: news, where's the gigs | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, imogen heap, music
First UK gigs since January 2007
Making her much anticipated live return after three years tucked away behind her laptop and piano, Imogen Heap has announced a 10-date UK tour for February 2010 with presale tickets going onsale at 10am tomorrow morning. We’re not sure if you need a password for the presale, but if you want to err on the side of caution then you should join Imogen’s mailing list to make sure you don’t miss out on the best tickets. Go here to make your booking, or call 0871 230 0333. The tour kicks off in Manchester on February 7th at the Academy 2 and culminates in a hometown show at the Shepherds Bush Empire on February 19th. Full dates below. General sale starts Friday. (more…)
Filed under: news, where's the gigs | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, music, natalie merchant
First headline show in over 7 years announced for November
In addition to her upcoming appearance at the opening gala of this year’s London Jazz Festival on November 13th, Natalie Merchant will play her first headline performance in the UK in a very long time at Conway Hall in Holborn, London. The November 16th event, dubbed ‘An Evening With Natalie Merchant’, will showcase some of the songs from Natalie’s forthcoming album – her first for Nonesuch Records – as well as selections from her 28-year musical career. Tickets are priced at £25 plus booking fee and are on sale now through LiveNation.co.uk. If you can’t make that show, then clear your schedule in plenty of time for next year’s Celtic Connections festival as Natalie will appear at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall with Irish band Lúnasa on January 28th as part of the impressive lineup, which also includes Laura Veirs, The Swell Season, Angelique Kidjo, Nell Bryden and more.
Filed under: news, where's the gigs | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, martha wainwright, music
Live album out November 9th
Martha Wainwright is bringing her well received Edith Piaf performance to the Barbican in London on November 11th following an intimate two-night run at New York’s Dixon Palace Theater back in June, and tickets are selling out fast. The occasion? To mark the release of the Hal Willner-produced live recordings of those shows on November 9th through V2 Records. Dubbed Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, A Paris: Martha Wainwright’s Piaf Record, Martha Wainwright’s Piaf record builds upon a lifetime of admiration for the tragic French chanteuse’s vast catalogue of passionately sung recordings, picking out several of her lesser known songs to breathe some new life into.
Filed under: news, where's the gigs | Tags: amiina, charlotte richardson andrews, josephine foster, polly scattergood
Amiina and Polly Scattergood will also play the anti-jingle festive celebrations
The dreaded deluge of Christmas-themed drivel seems to start earlier and earlier each year, and by the beginning of November most of us are already seeking refuge from the monotonous audio torture of Yuletide-themed audio spam. Whether it’s time honoured cheesy anthems or torturous jingles you’re fleeing from, look no further; the Barbican have come up with the perfect escape. After their successful debut last year, which featured Jarvis Cocker, Patrick Wolf and the wonderful Sandy Dillon (whom you’ll find on our upcoming tribute album, Beautiful Star: The Songs Of Odetta), the Twisted Christmas show makes a very welcome return on Tuesday 15th December.
Filed under: news, where's the gigs | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, ellie goulding, florence and the machine, lisa mitchell, little boots, music, the xx
Tickets have gone on sale for the lovely Ellie Goulding’s first headline show in London on December 1st at Cargo. She should have no problem picking up enough fans to fill the space over the course of her upcoming 9-date tour with Little Boots and with the added bonus of her Florence + The Machine support slot at the Union Chapel on November 22nd. Ellie’s debut single ‘Under The Sheets’ received its first radio play last week ahead of its November 9th release through Neon Gold Records. You can currently download the Starsmith-produced track for free from the label’s blog.
21.10.09 Roadmenders, Northampton *
22.10.09 Concorde II, Brighton *
23.10.09 University, Sunderland *
25.10.09 Picturehouse, Edinburgh *
26.10.09 53 Degrees, Preston *
27.10.09 University, Liverpool *
29.10.09 Junction, Cambridge *
30.10.09 Wulfrun Hall, Wolverhampton *
31.10.09 University, Bristol *
22.11.09 Union Chapel, London †
01.12.09 Cargo, London
* with Little Boots
† with Florence + The Machine
Filed under: news, trouser press, where's the gigs | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, music, the lovely eggs
Song inspired by ‘Twin Peaks’ location visit
Unshakeably peculiar but adorable duo The Lovely Eggs return on October 26th with a brand new single especially for Hallowe’en. Tapping into their long-running obsession with David Lynch’s cult TV show ‘Twin Peaks’, ‘Haunt Me Out’ was inspired by a visit to Lynch’s original locations for the series and later recorded at Olive Juice studio in Manhattan’s Lower East Side with antifolk kingpin Major Matt Mason (Kimya Dawson, Jeffrey Lewis). It’s their first new material since the June release of their debut album If You Were Fruit [review] through Cherryade Records.
Limited to just 100 CD copies (and downloads of course), the two B-sides are ‘It’s Spooky’, a cover of the title track to Daniel Johnston and Jad Fair’s 2001 album, and ‘Rappin In Plastic’, a rant in which Lovely Egg Holly Ross tries to remember the names of all the ‘Twin Peaks’ characters. And if that’s not enough of a tie-in for Lynch fans, each CD is printed up to look like one of ‘Twin Peaks’ character Agent Cooper’s favourite flavour doughnuts and comes with a collectible freebie in the shape of a Laura Palmer half-heart necklace. Pre-order your numbered limited edition package here.
Filed under: free music friday, mp3, review, where's the gigs | Tags: 2009, janelle monae, mark goldby, music
Janelle Monáe
‘Come Alive (The War Of The Roses)’
Grammy-nominated conceptual artist and android-from-the-future musician extraordinaire Janelle Monáe follows up the acclaimed Metropolis: The Chase Suite with this sneak peek into part two of her four-suite album set. Mentor Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has said of Janelle that she is “one of the most important signings of my career”, and it’s easy to see why. Suite one immersed us into the imagined sci-fi world of android-on-human love affairs, aliens and Janelle’s astoundingly attractive quiff and 1950s dress sense. All that paired with fast-paced drumbeats and organs, futuristic synths and classic-sounding soulful rock ‘n’ roll – arguably an untapped market in rejuvenated music genres – made for an exceptionally innovative and fresh sounding album, and left fans crying out for more robot romance.
The saga continues in the form of ‘Come Alive (The War of The Roses)’, a dark, almost Hammer Horror rock song with a fast, throbbing bassline and quirky, toe-tapping beat seared through with electric guitar riffs and well placed vocal screams. With bells on. Literally. Recorded in conjunction with Kia Motors as part of their Kia Soul Collective initiative [watch a making-of mini documentary over on their website], it’s rock ‘n’ roll with real soul, the energy and passion behind Janelle’s voice being reminiscent of early Skunk Anansie, but far clearer and more measured. “That’s when I come alive / like a schizo running wild,” she wails, and listening to this track you most likely will too. MP3 after the jump.
Filed under: news, trouser press, where's the gigs | Tags: 2009, alan pedder, music, shakespears sister, siobhan fahey
Single, EP and album on their way
Why it was just last week that we were mulling over the whereabouts of Siobhan Fahey while evaluating the latest comeback by her former band Bananarama, and today we have an answer. Finally, seven years on from her first solo single ‘Bitter Pill’, Siobhan is making noises about the release of her debut album The Red Room and has resurrected the Shakespears Sister name (if not the original lineup; Marcella Detroit seems unlikely to join her) for a comeback gig at Underbelly in Hoxton, London, on October 30th. Tickets are a whopping £18.50, but they’re going fast so her longtime fans obviously aren’t complaining. The as yet undisclosed lineup will also be supporting Simple Minds on a couple of their European dates.
