Our weekly round up of news from bands we play on the show. Think of this page as the NME without all the clickbait about Billie Eilish or Charlie XCX …
The Darling Buds live at the Lexington, London, November 2019
THE DARLING BUDS have released a new remix of their 2017 EP track “21 Aches” by John Meredith. It’s available for free from their Bandcamp but the band ask if you can make a donation to your local foodbank if you like it. The band also announced during a Twitter listening party hosted by Welsh Music Podcast | Podlediad Miwsig Cymreig that they have written an album’s worth of new material and are ready to get back into the studio and start recording it when they can.
More details: Bandcamp
42’s RECORDS’ MANCMADE /// ACTS OF HOPE is a brand new album released 24th April, with 100% of proceeds going to the MancSpirit Charity in support of their Creative Change Homeless Project.
This 18 track compilation is a special project release by the Manchester label and contains contributions from legends Johnny Marr & Maxine Peake, Peter Hook (MANRAy), Gaz Whelan and Rowetta (Happy Mondays), Brix Smith, Mark Radcliffe and a host of up and coming Manchester based talent – native and adopted, including Liines who we’ve featured on Resurrection a few times in the last year.
More details: https://42srecords.tmstor.es/
HAFDIS HULD is meant to be touring Canada at the moment, but as we’re all in lockdown she’s releasing a song a day on her YouTube channel. I know a billion artists are doing this at the moment but we’ve got a soft spot for Hafdis – we’ve interviewed her a few times and she’s always tremendous fun!
More details: YouTube
Two tracks from SLEEPER At The BBC – What Do I Do Now and Package Holiday – are now available on streaming services.
The album will be released as part of Record Store Day 2020 on 20 June.
More details: Rough Trade
Female fronted alternative rock band SIBYL VANE have just released their third album Duchess, including singles I Want You, Go Baby Go and Thousand Words.
More details: Official website
MJ HIBBETT AND THE VALIDATORS are releasing their new EP ‘People Are All Right’ on Monday 27 April, and they’re putting it out on a brand new format – a badge!
“It’s easier to wear than a 7″ single, nicer to look at than a CD, and less likely to get tangled up than a cassette,” says MJ Hibbett. “It’s also much easier to post!”
The badge comes with a download code on the back, which gives fans four brand new songs. Lead track ‘People Are All Right (if they are given half a chance)’ is about the power of pub talk, while ‘An Office Ballad’ is about a way of working that currently feels like ancient history. The EP is finished off with two previously unreleased cover versions: ‘Deanshanger’, originally by Validators drummer Tim Pattison’s old band Prolapse, and ‘The Lighthouse Keepers’ Song’ by August Actually. At least two more badge-based EPs are planned for this year, each of which will feature exclusive cover versions.
More details: www.mjhibbett.co.uk/badges.
Cardiff duo DERW (“Der-oo”, oak) release their debut single Dau Gam (Two Steps) on 1st May 2020 on CEG Records. The duo are a mother and son combo and are influenced by chamber pop bands like The National and Elbow.
More details: official website
DMA’s have announced that they will live stream footage of their headline London show at O2 Brixton Academy. The entire gig will be shown at 9pm GMT (6am AEST) on Wednesday 29th April and will repeat at 9pm AEST (11am GMT) on Thursday 30th April on both YouTube and Facebook.
The band have also released a new live video of their massive track Silver, which is taken from the same sold out show.
More details: Silver video
JOHN DREDGE AND THE PLINTHS have released a new video for their song All The Rage, an acoustic-driven waltz taken from the Plinthsmania EP which combines catchy guitar pop with a sense of the ridiculous.
More details: YouTube
Reading psych-indie outfit THE ADY BAKER SOUND have just released a new EP, Modern Day Ruined, with all tracks written, recorded, mixed and mastered during the lockdown period at home in a lounge, kitchen, on a boat and in a shed!
More details: Facebook
Swedish jangle-pop indie stalwarts EASY will be releasing their third album Radical Innocence on 1st May. This year marks 30 years since their highly acclaimed debut Magic Seed LP, which led to successful tours with Ride and The Charlatans, before they disbanded in 1994. Easy reformed in 2018 when they released their second album A Heartbeat From Eternity.
More details: official website