Check out Blonde Bunny’s new single While We’re Sleeping which will be released on an extremely limited run of cassettes, complete with B-Side ‘Termite’. The song was recorded and mixed at home by Blonde Bunny, with Felix Davis at Metropolis mastering the track. We totally dig the band’s grooved out vibe!
You can check them out live (we hear the put on a quite a show) at The Victoria, Dalston on 28th September, before joining The Wytches on their tour for three dates. Check out dates below!
September 28th – Flufferfest – London, The Victoria (Dalston)
Check out Breach’s latest track The Key featuring Kelis! Starting off originally as a rework of Kelis’ hit single ‘Rumble’,takenfromher sixth LP Food, once they met up in the studio they flipped the track upside down – chopping up vocals and adding in new slick layered synth beats.
Breach will be all over the globe this fall with dates including We Love Space in Ibiza on 12th September, Amsterdam Dance Event on 15th & 16th October and a return to Manchester’s infamous Warehouse Project with The Chemical Brothers on 5th December. But if you’re in the US or Canada you can catch him at the dates below!
BREACH NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
October 30th – Boston @ Make It New
October 31st – Washington DC @ U Hall
November 1st – Los Angeles @ Escape from Wonderland
November 7th – Toronto @ Coda
November 8th – Chicago @ Spybar
November 13th – Miami @ Trade
November 14th – Philadelphia @ Dolphon
November 15th – Denver @ Vinyl
November 19th – Oklahoma City @ Kamps
November 20th – Edmonton, Alberta @ Starlight Room
November 21st – Calgary, Alberta @ Hifi
November 22nd – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Celebrities
Sink your teeth into Lewis Watson’s cover of Local Natives’ Wide Eyes.
Set to release his highly anticipated debut album The Morning in the US tomorrow on 7/8, Lewis Walton is a no frills young UK singer songwriter armed with his guitar and deep abiding soul.
Check out dates below for his North American tour.
10/22: Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubador
10/23: San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel
10/25: Evanston, IL @ SPACE
10/26: Toronto, ON @ Virgin Mobile Mod Club
10/28: Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
10/29: New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
10/30: Boston, MA @ Cafe 939
11/1: Vienna, VA @ Jammin’ Java
Sam Smith delivers the hit single ‘Stay With Me’ with a rendition that includes vocals from the legendary Mary J Blige. His recently released album, In the Lonely Hour is dominating UK charts – even knocking out heavyhitters Coldplay out the #1 spot and earning him the current title of fastest selling album in 2014.
It gets better – SS has also announced a special concert at the renowned Apollo Theater in Harlem, NYC – upon which he will join many of the R&B legends that have inspired him.
For American fans of Sam Smith, In the Lonely Hour releases in the US on June 17th. See below for Sam Smith’s upcoming US and UK tour dates.
Hot off completely selling out their last tour, UK darlings the 1975 have announced the dates for their new Autumn US and UK tour which kicks off this September in Glasgow.
Those who sign up for band’s mailing list will receive exclusive access to tickets at 9am on June 4. Tickets on sale to the general public on Friday, June 6.
Check the full tour dates below!
September:
25 – Barrowland – Glasgow
26 – O₂ Apollo – Manchester
29 – Civic Hall – Wolverhampton
30 – Alexandra Palace – London
November:
1 – Metropolis – Montreal, QE
2 – Kool Haus – Toronto, ON
4 – The Fillmore – Detroit, MI
7 – Eagle Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI
8 – The Myth – St Paul, MN
11 – The Fillmore – Denver, CO
13 – Roseland Ballroom – Portland, OR
14 – Vogue Theatre – Vancouver, BC
15 – Vogue Theatre – Vancouver, BC
16 – The Paramount – Seattle, WA
19 – The Palladium – Los Angeles, CA
21 – Soma – San Diego, CA
22 – Commercia Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
24 – South Side Ballroom – Dallas, TX
25 – Austin Music Hall – Austin, TX
26 – Bayou Music Hall – Houston, TX
28 – Track 29 – Chattanooga, TN
29 – Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
30 – The Ritz – Raleigh, NC
December:
2 – Echostage – Washington, DC
3 – Tower Theatre – Philadelphia, PA
4 – Terminal 5 – New York, NY
5 – Terminal 5 – New York, NY
Check out the cover above for the second edition of XO Edit featuring Neon Jungle! We are so excited to share this issue with you all! Be on the lookout for the official drop later this week! Also don’t forget to subscribe here so you never miss an issue!
Finally its here a mp3 version of Destiny’s Child ‘Bills, Bills, Bills” re-imagined by James Blake. Being released via his 1-800 Dinosaur label, take a listen and jam out below.
The UK has long produced some of the greatest electronic acts the world has ever seen. From the time of the underground rave, to today’s stadium-filled house scene, the world consistently looks to the UK for the best and brightest producers of the modern age. Today, our neighbors across the pond showcase yet another groundbreaking electronic act…. Rudimental. This foursome has exploded over the past year, providing some of the most unique and interesting sounds to ever come out of Britain. They’ve developed tremendous success in 2012, with their debut album Home reaching the #1 spot on the UK Albums Chart, as well as two #1 singles (“Feel the Love”, “Waiting All Night”).
Home is unique in that it’s managed to steer clear of the ubiquitous “genre label” by blending everything from Drum and Bass, to Soul, to Jungle. If you really want to get a sense of what this band can offer, their live show is where it’s at. “I think that’s one thing that sets us apart from other dance acts is that we play fully live.”. That’s Kesi Dryden, the keyboardist for the band, and when he says “fully live”, he means it. As an electronic act, they seamlessly mix live keys, drums, and vocals, with digital programming. This is an important element with the band because, as Dryden describes, “I think you’re really able to better understand our album by hearing us live, because you get the feeling, and the emotion, and the soul and that comes from playing live together, as opposed to someone on a computer, sort of playing by themselves.” In an age of digitally focused, popular music, it’s refreshing to see chart toppers focusing on live instrumentation.
The bands success can also be attributed to their past. From their collective roots in the greater London area of Hackney, a place that was once shined upon in a negative light, the boys have made it a point to spread an even brighter light. “We’ve always believed in positivity and working with communities…. and inspiring people.” Dryden says, “It’s a part of our mission”. Take their music videos for example. From documenting the horse-riding youth program of North Philadelphia’s Fletcher Street, to showcasing the hidden optimism within the precarious streets of the Manila slums, they seem to always find a way create something meaningful. Dryden expands on this by saying, “You’ve got 3-4 minutes to show a story, to create something that’s real, to document what’s happening around the world.” It’s safe to say, Rudimental’s story is simple; love, humanity, and positivity.
Visit Rudimental’s website for their upcoming US tour dates.
The genre of pop music can be a crazy thing, sometimes reaching soap opera proportions – especially girl groups (has there ever been a girl group spared the dramas of breakup rumours, egos, and all around cattiness?). But every now and then you’ll have a member of said group, rise above all the drama and pave their own way. Meet Amelle, who if you didn’t know is 1/3 of the current incarnation of UK mega-trio, the Sugababes. Last week saw the release of her new solo single, ‘Love Is All You Need’, a collaboration with Adam J and the Nightcrashers. The single is typical club fare – featuring dupstep-esque break downs, pulsating beats and a shimmery melody. But what really stands out with this track is Amelle’s vocals, which are as soulful and powerful as ever. This track though isn’t a representation of where her debut solo album is going though. “‘Love Is All You Need” is a really fun track and a great collaboration between Adam J and I, as it really happened quite organic and sonically, but the album will sound a little different. Its more soulful and quirky. I really experimented and took my time in seeing where I wanted to go. Which was great because my label gave me a lot of time and freedom to do so.” It was that freedom that really allowed her to create something a bit different than what people might expect. After spending a year and a half in the studio, the album is “a nice mix of everything, there’s ballads, uptempo songs, its cheeky and quirky, but most importantly its me and I just hope people are into it ya know?” Her favourite track on the album? She has two: ’Come On” ( a mid tempo ballad “very Alicia keys and sentimental as there is a real story behind it”) and ‘Wrigley’s Extra” (like the chewing gum! ) are her standouts.
While we still have a while before the album debuts (the release date is slated for early 2014), Amelle will release another collaboration track this fall, and then her big solo debut after. But for now we’ll be keeping ‘Love Is All You Need” on repeat and keeping our eyes and ears on alert for more!
‘Love Is All You Need’ is out now via Nightcrasher Records
Check out some of our favourite new tracks debuting this week courtesy of Summer Camp, Hunters, Antimatter People, Panic! At theDisco, and Phoenix Martins.
XO MAGAZINE 