I am sure some of our new music fans and freaks will be heading with the masses to Baldo at the weekend for this year’s T in the Park. So for all concerend and even for those who want to try and catch some highlights from their armchair, here are (in no more than 140 characters) some of the new and emerging acts we think you should give some time to.
Anderson, McGinty, Webster, Ward and Fisher
Formed from Luva Anna, The Law and Magdalen Green. The multi instrumentalists and superb singers are creating a buzz. Find out why at T.
Bacchanal Party
Glasgow lads who will deliver tales of wild nights to an upbeat indie soundtrack. Likely to create a wave of bouncing and drink spillage. Bacchanal Party on SoundCloud
Beerjacket
Songwriter Peter Kelly, who we caught recently at Brew at the Bog. Fans of Bright Eyes, Elliot Smith and Nick Drake will be delighted. Beerjacket on SoundCloud
Blank Canvas
Edinburgh band with a unique sound and live shows made for bouncing to in a field. Recently supported The Twilight Sad and The Big Pink. Blank Canvas on SoundCloud
Brown Bear & The Bandits
We caught these guys at goNORTH in Inverness delivering near perfect folk pop foot stomping anthems. EP ‘Truth or Dare’ out now. Brown Bear & The Bandits on SoundCloud
CAPITALS
A Netsounds favourite. Masters at creating electro indie sonic blasts that are simply catchy as hell, which become mesmerising live sets. Capitals on SoundCloud
Chris Devotion and The Expectations
An act that many a blog and critic hailed as a ‘must see for 2012’. Keepers of classic stirring punk-pop rock n roll.
Davey Horne
Hailed by some as ‘the next big thing’. With a superb backing band, glorious harmonies and a presence to match he could well be. Davey Horne on SoundCloud
Fatherson
Expect an emotive and rousing performance from one of the finest melodic indie pop acts around. Recently heard on Radio 1. Finally.
Laki Mera
Reminiscent of early Portishead. They deliver a live set that simply soaks you with their absorbing ‘folktronica’ sound.
Miaoux Miaoux
Brilliant hook filled punchy syth pop that could well be the soundtrack for a glorious summer weekend regardless of any threatened rain! Miaoux Miaoux on SoundCloud
Open Swimmer
Lo-fi electric folk with classic indie pop thrown in make up the sound of the Glasgow based Open Swimmer. Brilliant at Brew At The Bog. Open Swimmer on SoundCloud
Randolph’s Leap
Another regular on our playlists. The Glasgow-based group will charm you with their quirky, joyous and witty folk pop collection. Randolph’s Leap on SoundCloud
The Machine Room
Edinburgh’s The Machine Room produce brilliant haunting indie synth that will bury inside your head. The indie come down kings. The Machine Room on SoundCloud
The Mirror Trap
Four-piece new wave rock band from Dundee. Toured with The View, and opened for Placebo in April of this year. The Mirror Trap on SoundCloud
United Fruit
Ferocious Glasgow four-piece charged to deliver a strong confident kick in the crotch bursting set. Their album Fault Lines certainly does. United Fruit on Soundcloud
Woodenbox
This gritty, tight, raucous, hollering collective are one of the finest energetic acts we have seen. New EP out now. 2nd year at TITP!
At the start of June the mighty Rockhopper mobile studio was commanded to roll into Inverness by Team goNORTH to record sessions from a selection of acts who would be showcasing at this year’s goNORTH festival in Inverness.
Together with the Rockhopper lads (and lass) we herded over 20 acts into the Rockhopper or pushed them up onto the balcony of Hootananny in Inverness to record a series of exclusive sessions for goNORTH 2012.
The result of these sessions are starting to land now on the goNORTH YouTube channel and we have a selection of these available for you right here!
Subscribe to the goNORTH YouTube channel and follow @goNORTH2012 and @netsounds on Twitter to catch the latest videos and plug our latest podcast into your ears which features some of these session tracks.
A string of rising indie and alternative acts have been added to the line up for this year’s Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival.
Every year Belladrum masters the knack of putting on some brilliant emerging new acts and this year will be no different. Here is our guide to some of them:
Red Kites
Red Kites whose front-man Moteh Parrott hails from Inverness are band on a winning streak right now following their wondrous sets at this year’s goNORTH and RockNess. Likely to create a euphoric and toxic performance. See and hear their Rockhopper Session for goNORTH right here soon!
Bwani Junction One of Scotland’s finest emerging bands. We first met the guys two years ago at Bella and since then they have released their debut album ‘Fully Cocked’, played T in the Park and have been tipped for success by NME. Their bright breezy afro beat influenced sound makes them a must see at Bella.
Rachel Sermanni
What more could possibly be said about the Carrbridge singer songwriter? Not so much an emerging artist but a rising one! Belladrum is always a special place for Rachel to play and it will be one of at least 18 festival dates for her this summer including the acclaimed Cambridge Folk Festival.
Stanley Odd The Edinburgh based alternative hip hop crew have been a favourite of ours for a couple of years and you will see why at Bella. They will take you on a journey that will have you swaying and bouncing in all directions. You will simply lap these guys up. We have a live session track from the crew coming here soon!
Iain McLaughlin & The Outsiders Their dynamic rock n roll sound with a grunge edge makes their performances flow with an intense energy that creates enormous space and vast landscapes! Each and every performance is delivered from deep within their souls. We are biased but they are a must see. The band have also confirmed they will be doing a Rockhopper Session for goNORTH and Netsounds at Belladrum.
Fatherson We first met Ross from the band at goNORTH 2011 and last year at Belladrum where he recorded an early version of the Fatherson tune First Born. Such was the response to the video on goNORTH’s YouTube page that the band recorded a full version which became Radio 1 play-listed. Expect some of the most emotive, rousing and catchy as hell tunes you are likely to hear all weekend.
Make Sparks
As I am awaiting this it reminds me how many astounding new acts are on the line up at Belladrum this year. Make Sparks are no exception. Highland fans may have caught the recently at goNORTH where the 3 piece recorded a Rockhopper Session where they recorded 2 tracks including the outstanding ‘Your Heart’s On Fire’ which we will preview here soon.
Ryan Keen Ryan is an English singer songwriter who has toured with the likes of Lucy Rose, Ben Howard, Newton Faulkner and Ed Sheeran. BBC Radio 1′s Fearne Cotton, Zane Lowe, Huw Stephens and Steve Lamaq at BBC 6Music are all fans and has also announced he will be playing at Bestival in September.
James Mackenzie
The Inverness singer songwriter has already delivered impressive performances in previous years at a range of key festivals including goNORTH, RockNess, Belladrum and Loopallu. His recently release mini album Curtain Road was recorded with Grammy Award winning producer Steve Orchard (Travis, Chris Cornell, Bela Fleck).
To Kill A King
The Leeds/London based folk/rock/pop band who released their debut single in 2011 on Ben Mumford’s Communion label. Not entirely sure the world needs another folk/rock/pop combo but they recently supported Lucy Rose (her again!) and the buzz is that they could leave a notable mark on 2012. Judge for yourself.
The Magnetic North
The Magnetic North is the side project of Erland Cooper of folk psych band Erland and the Carnival and also includes fellow band mate and former Verve guitarist Simon Tong and folk pop singer songwriter Hannah Peel. Their new album ‘Orkney: Symphony of the Magnetic North’ and dubbed by some critics as a cult classic reflects Erland’s passion for his native home land of Orkney.
Zombie Militia
The Inverness metal heads won the 2011 Scottish Alternative Music Awards for best metal band and they appeared at Bloodstock 2011sharing the line up with the likes of W.A.S.P and Moterhead. Expect the earth to shake and spit fire.
Little Mill of Happiness
Their massive, layered driving sound and powerful lyrics paint a dark picture that just simply draws you deep in. Their sound hangs over you like an unsettled sky with a glimpse of grace. Compelling.
Niteworks
The Isle of Skye 4 piece released their debut EP in late 2011 and have received critical praise for their fusion of Gaelic vocals, pipes, folk and electronica. The guys recorded a Rockhopper Session for the goNORTH festival tour at Belladrum in 2011 which crops up on their depute EP. Expect an up beat rousing performance that may make you sweat!
Federation of The Disco Pimp
From Glasgow The Federation of The Disco Pimp will bring an explosive and aggressive jazz funk fuelled set to Bella. The band have been championed by Craig Charles on his Funk and Soul radio show on BBC6 Music.
The Draymin
The Fife band are another bunch of chaps we first met a couple of years ago at Bella. You might have caught them at RockNess this year or even last and they also played T in the Park, The Great Escape and Liverpool Sound City. Fans of epic indie synth rock should check these guys out.
Hoodja
If you are looking for the band that might deliver the best craic and create a true tartan atmosphere it could possibly be Hoodja.
We know there are more names to come and we will feature some of them here in a future post.
And, although no longer “emerging” you really need to check out Frightened Rabbit if their recent Highland dates were anything to go by. With their Atlantic Records debut around the corner expect new songs and old from a band that can simply project and capture the hearts of the smallest venue (Old Bridge Inn, Aviemore) to the widest arena (US arena tour with Deathcab for Cutie).
HEN Stage
Also worthy of checking out this year’s at Bella is the return of the Highland Free Range Folk Stage. The setting is in the University of Highlands & Islands Walled garden and it boasts a strong line-up of Highland artists.
Curated and produced by Highland Environmental Network the Free Range stage will feature Sheirm; The Sweet Melindas; Sara Bills & The Hasbeens; Sarah Coloso; Jade Murray; Gil Anderson; Josephine Sillars; Duncan Overmeer; Ashley & The Cosmonauts; Eilidh Hadden and Robin Bell; The Elephant Sessions; The Frues; Purple Divide; The Second Hand Marching Band; Jon Paul Palombo; Ailsa Villegas with Malina & Gilly; Young Trees; Barry Mackay & Ryan Golder; Kai Henderson; Steve Eaglesham; Amy Henderson; and Steven Barclay.
They all join headliners and Scots indie heroes Travis and Liverpool rockers The Wombats plus numerous other acts including: Legendary punk heroes The Buzzcocks; The South (formerly The Beautiful South); UK award-winning queen of soul Beverley Knight and the ultimate honest indie pop festival band We Are Scientists.
Plus . . Californian charismatic soul/rock band Vintage Trouble; indie folk Slow Club acoustic troubadour Fink; Aztec Camera’s Roddy Frame; Edinburgh singer/songwriter Nina Nesbitt; Massachusetts singer-songwriter Willy Mason who been received as the new Dylan in some quarters and Pink Floyd tribute band Macfloyd who will play the whole of ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’!
Mercury nominated artrockers Sweet Billy Pilgrim are also on the line up with Celtic tune’n’groove folk artists Treacherous Orchestra; Highland trad/electro/foot stomping Grousebeater Soundsystem; Northern Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance; Newcastle sextet Lanterns On the Lake and one of the UK most talented new singer songwriters Karima Francis.
And if you need any more, a special mystery guest has been added to the main stage line up on the Friday evening! “The identity of this artist will not be revealed until they appear on the Garden Stage at 1830 on Friday 3rd August,” said festival promoter Joe Gibbs. “But – and here’s a hint – judging by their previous receptions at Bella, they’re going to be a popular choice.”
Tickets are still available but we urge you to get them very soon! Full details can be found at www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk
Keep an eye on our site here and follow @netsounds on Twitter for updates and news on our special Belladrum Mix Tape!
When I was invited along tocult shopHeroes for Sale in Invernesson a Sunday eveningfor a video shootI have to say Ihad a bad feeling about it. However, all was well as the video shoot was for new Highland based bandToby Michaels Rolling Damned.
Instead of feasting on a Sunday roast I found myself negotiating my way past poor old Han Solo frozen in carbonite andvarious Batman, Marveland Dr. Who collectables and action figures to findfront-man Toby Michaels practicing menacing rock star stares into camera. He gave me a look that suggested he found my lack of faith disturbing.
Toby Michaels Rolling Damned were put together by Toby in April of this year and played their debut last month supportingHeavens BasementatMad Hattersin Inverness. The line up consists of formerStolen Orderguitarist Jonny Ga$h, Calum Martin on drums and is completed by Gary Thain on guitar and Steve Robertson on bass (both borrowed fromalternative rockersKOBI).
Variousmembersfrom the local media werealso invited along to witness the video shoot for the band’sforthcoming singleSave Mefilmed by Inverness dynamic duoNut Productions.I havenever seen amore wretched hive of scum and villainy.
Front-man Toby Michaels said: “We were looking for somewhere unique with character to do a session and also wanted to showcase the live electric sound of the band so when our bassist suggested Heroesfor Sale we thought that would be a perfect location for us to shoot”.
Gary Davies owner of Heroesfor Sale said: “I was excited to be asked by a member of the band if they could film a video for one of their tracks in the store…it’s a little unusual so my attitude was why the hell not. I was very impressed by the quality of their performance & I can’t wait to see the footage of this online…I guess they got themselves another fan in me”.
Amongst the comics and collectables the band ran through acouple of versions of the tracksSave Me andA Little Bit Of What You Fancy Does You Goodand nailed aforceful videoperformance which included some impressive lead riffs from Gary and Jonny; far too accurate for sandpeople. It was a real short trip for me but their performance restored my faith. Don’tunderestimate this band; they could become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.Toby Michaels isn’t just a crazy old man and Ifor one can’t wait to see the final cut on video.
We will havethe video forSave Meon the site here later this week and the trackA Little Bit Of What You Fancywill be released in the coming weeks.
Toby Michael Rolling Damned live dates:
Friday July 6th – Rock 4 Ross Charity Show Boat of Garten Community Hall, to raise money for the Air Ambulance charity
Tickets cost £5, with all proceeds going to the charity,Acts confirmed so far are: The Lost, Toby Michaels Rolling Damned, Last Summer Effect, Graham Brown, Amy Taylor and Purple Divide
Friday July 13th – The Mallard Express – new monthly night at The Mallard, Dingwall promoting the best up & coming acts in the Highlandswith Last Summer Effect and City in Surveillance
Saturday July 14th – Captain Toms, Aberdeen-Estrella Album Launch
Saturday August 4th – Belladrum Festival
Thursday August 30th – Summer Showcase at Ironworks, Inverness - playing with The Oxcides and ROADWAY
At the start of June the mighty Rockhopper mobile studio was commanded to roll into Inverness by Team goNORTH to record sessions from a selection of acts who would be showcasing at this year’s goNORTH festival in Inverness.
Matt Norris & The Moon
Michael Cassidy
Cleavers
Together with the Rockhopper lads (and lass) we herded over 20 acts into the Rockhopper or pushed them up onto the balcony of Hootananny in Inverness to record a series of exclusive sessions for us and goNORTH.
The result of these sessions are starting to land now on the goNORTH YouTube channel.
Subscribe to the goNORTH YouTube channel and follow @goNORTH2012 and @netsounds on Twitter to catch the latest videos and in the meantime plug our latest podcast into your ears which features some of these session tracks.
Following 2 days and 3 nights of music at goNORTH it was time to head to RockNess for a further 3 days of live music!
Listen to our RockNess adventure here on our latest podcast.
We weren’t heading to RockNess to capture Ed Sheeran, Mumfords or Deadmouse number 5 so if you want to know all about the big names at this year’s RockNess head over to another site right now. Our purpose at RockNess was to catch a glimpse of the emerging acts on the line up that don’t always get the attention in the media that they rightly deserve. It’s easy to write about the big names but we like to catch the first whiff of those who have the potential to unseat the bigger names in the future.
That said we thoroughly enjoyed a bit of Biffy and the pyrotechnics (not a new band) on Sunday night!
We had 3 acts we wanted to see on Friday night and they were all on one stage. At first we were unsure about the location and size of the Howard’s End Tent at the top of the hill right next to the Red Bull stage and the Big Wheel. Would the acts be able to drown out the beats and screams? Three acts from the Highlands dominated the stage that night, The Whisky River Band, Team Kapowski and Homework.
The Whisky River Band were in the mood to lay down the law and show RockNess what they are best at and drew in a crowd to match. They could have easily been the house band for Howard’s End that night quite happily rocking into the wee small hours without any complaints and likely increasing the takings at the bar to boot! For those who missed out, the launch for their debut album “The Taming of Me” takes place on the 23rd of June at Bogbain Farm, Inverness.
The Whisky River Band
Edinburgh based quartet Homework appeared in fighting spirit and true to form delivered a powerfully charged set that was in danger of starting an electrical storm. Seriously impressive drumming, driving bass, synths and sonic riffs were herded over by lead singer Oli’s punchy vocals.
Homework
All 3 acts delivered combustible sets but we have to tip our hat to Team Kapowski who lifted the roof and brought a serious party to RockNess. Worthy of a bigger stage and possibly in HD if that can be achieved, Blair Stewart was born to be a front man. It was a genuinely uplifting and bouncing performance. You can hear our interview with Team Kapowski here.
Team Kapowski's Andy pointing out people singing the wrong words.
We arrived back at RockNess on Saturday for People Places Maps who opened the main stage. The band were one of 2 acts selected through a competition run by The Daily Record to open the main stage. The other winner of the competition was the every smiling So Many Animal Calls. We caught up with both acts after the main stage appearances and you can hear the interviews here.
Sean from So Many Animal Calls. Happy.
Backstage our new found roles as artist liaison was in full swing. Following our interview with So Many Animal Calls their manager said the media whores were wanting to seek out more interviews. Within minutes we hooked the lads up with Margaret from the Highland News and Nicola McAlley from STV where an interview and acoustic session followed. Quick to notice our negotiating skills Be Like Pablo’s Ewen jumped in on the act and we secured him some time with STV too! A quick phone call to Iain McLaughlin and he was in on the act too. Our fee is in the post chaps!
It is very likely that the acoustic tracks by So Many Animal Calls and Be Like Pablo will surface on our next podcast.
We were also delighted to have caught Lucy Rose’s engaging set that strangely drowned out the breaks and beats from the nearby UFO Arcadia stage. We bumped into her earlier in the day and she even remembered us from last year! Hardly surprising seeing as we saw her at least 4 times last summer. The restraining order has now been lifted.
We arrived back on Sunday to the sound of KOBI ringing out from the top of the hill. The highland lads secured a slot at The Clash arena sharing the stage that day with Errors, Rifles and headliners Ash. We have seen KOBI several times now and the band have sent us various demos over the past year so we hoped that we weren’t going to hear the same bloody songs again! Luckily we were treated to two new songs, All The Way and Fight. And according to Netsounds quality controller Murray Cameron, “They’re alright.”
Despite several changes to their stage time Be Like Pablo managed to draw festival revellers from all corners of the site to the compact Howard’s End on Sunday for a bouncing set. The fun lovin’ So Many Animal Calls were also in attendance nodding and smiling with approval.
After all the joy and euphoria came Iain McLaughlin & The Outsiders; a band not known for bouncing and jubilations. The last time we caught the guys full set was at their album launch and we thought that was their best set to do date. Apparently not. You would have been forgiven for thinking they were playing the main stage or to a stadium audience due to the energy and electricity that was flowing from them. I could carry on for several paragraphs but rather than do that I think their performance can be summed up by new music baroness Marion Scott (MFR) who said, “They were so good they made me want to vomit.”
STV's Nicola McAlley blows a good luck kiss to Iain and Russell.
Following a failed attempt to catch Charlotte O’Connor, a “cupping” incident involving Zane Low and getting eyebrows near singed by Biffy’s pyrotechnics that was pretty much how our RockNess ended.
Thankfully the heavens stayed relatively dry and there was even a special guest appearance by the sun on Saturday which prompted a premature packing of the sun cream on Sunday which isn’t apparently affective at dealing with mist and light showers. It was a delight to see bands like So Many Animal Calls, People Places Maps and Discoplois on the main stage which will surely have extended their reach and helped promote the interest in new music that is currently emerging in Scotland. We would have loved to have seen the Howard’s End stage situated further away from the big wheel and the Red Bull stage to avoid a sound clash but on the whole most of the acts overcame this. I am sure this is an annual challenge for the second biggest festival in Scotland whilst trying to retain their image as a small and friendly festival.
So, if you have any energy left plug into our podcast and let us take you backstage at RockNess 2012.
