There Goes the Fear, a UK/US Music Web site | Live UK gigs, news, and events

In the Post #160: Ben Howard announces his new album ‘Noonday Dream’ with first single ‘A Boat to an Island on the Wall’

If you follow Ben Howard‘s social media, you might have noticed a quiet but mysterious breeze blowing around his internet persona recently. That soft breeze became a full blown wind last Wednesday, as Howard announced the impending release of ‘Noonday Dream’, his first solo album in 4 years, which follows his breathtaking 2014 album ‘I Forget Where We Were’. Howard hasn’t been entirely idle in the interim, releasing an EP and a full long player last year with his side project A Blaze of Feather.

Howard has previewed ‘Noonday Dream’ with lead single ‘A Boat to an Island on the Wall’, which received its first radio play last Wednesday on BBC Radio 1 with Annie Mac. In the accompanying interview with the DJ legend, Howard himself described the song as “a bit of a patchwork quilt”. He went on to briefly explain the song’s birth and evolution over time: “It went through a lot of different lives, this one, and I think you can sort of tell.”

Indeed, the song’s soundscape moves through palpable stages over the course of its 7-minute duration, starting with an a harsh, synthetic intro and progressing to a lighter acoustic backdrop under Howard’s softly intoned vocals. The entire recording has a broad, airy quality, in contrast to some of the heavier tones he’s taken in the past, and distant voices in the background suggest a vast sense of open space. About halfway through the track, layers of percussion and keyboards add light and color to the sonic palette, and the texture thickens dramatically with the introduction of a dark guitar melody near the end.

Produced by Howard himself and recorded at various locations in England and France, ‘A Boat to an Island on the Wall’ sounds like not only a continuation of what Howard did on ‘I Forget Where We Were’, but an even further extension of that atmospheric neo-folk sound. Lyrically the new song is as evocative and elusive as Howard has ever been in his writing, but musically he extends well beyond his acoustic folk rock beginnings. Take a listen to ‘A Boat to an Island off the Wall’ via Spotify at the bottom of this post.

8.5/10

‘Noonday Dream’ is due out on the 1st of June on Island Records. Just after the album’s release, Howard will play the below list of live dates in the UK. Listen back to Ben Howard’s interview with Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 and the song’s first play through here; the stream will be available for the next 24 days. find TGTF’s past coverage of Ben Howard back through here.

Wednesday 13th June 2018 – London Hammersmith Apollo
Thursday 14th June 2018 – London Hammersmith Apollo
Thursday 28th June 2018 – Edinburgh Playhouse
Friday 29th June 2018 – Manchester Albert Hall
Saturday 30th June 2018 – Cornwall Eden Sessions

Editors / October 2018 UK Tour

Long soldiering English alt-rock band Editors will be releasing their sixth studio album tomorrow. The incendiary-titled ‘Violence’ will be available on PIAS in hours. For those of you interested in special editions of the LP, there’s good news. A limited edition deluxe CD will feature two bonus tracks housed inside a rigid box that will also contain 2 fridge magnets, 12 inserts and a fold-out poster. For vinyl fans, a limited edition deluxe LP will be pressed on 180 g red vinyl and will be accompanied with a download code for the album plus the two bonus tracks. The vinyl will sits inside a triple gatefold sleeve with the 12 inserts. For those interested in seeing Tom Smith and co. live, more good news. The band have also announced a UK tour for October, which will also be on sale starting tomorrow at 9 AM through the band’s official Web site. For more on Editors here on TGTF, go here.

Sunday 7th October 2018 – Southampton Guildhall
Monday 8th October 2018 – Bristol St. Phillips Gate
Tuesday 9th October 2018 – Nottingham Rock City
Thursday 11th October 2018 – Newcastle Northumbria University
Monday 15th October 2018 – Belfast Ulster Hall
Tuesday 16th October 2018 – Dublin Vicar Street
Thursday 18th October 2018 – Manchester Apollo
Friday 19th October 2018 – Birmingham Academy
Saturday 20th October 2018 – Leeds Academy
Monday 22nd October 2018 – Norwich UEA
Tuesday 23th October 2018 – Brighton Dome
Wednesday 24th October 2018 – London Brixton Academy

Blossoms / May 2018 English Tour

Stockport’s Blossoms have announced their second album will be out in April. ‘Cool Like You’, the follow-up to their enjoyable debut ‘Blossoms’ from summer 2016, will be released on Virgin EMI on the 27th of April. Shortly following the release of their new long player, the psych pop group will tour England on a short string of dates. The tour kicks off at home at Stockport Plaza on the 4th of May and concludes in Norwich on the 12th of May. Something tells me there will be more dates announced soon, perhaps in the autumn following music festivals? Just a thought. For more on Blossoms here on TGTF, use this link.

Friday 4th May 2018 – Stockport Plaza
Monday 7th May 2018 – Leeds Academy
Tuesday 8th May 2018 – Newcastle Academy
Thursday 10th May 2018 – London Kentish Town Forum
Friday 11th May 2018 – Manchester Apollo
Saturday 12th May 2018 – Norwich Nick Rayns LCR at the UEA

Stella Donnelly / May 2018 UK Tour

Welsh/Australian songwriter Stella Donnelly will play a run of headline dates in the UK this spring, around a pair of May festival appearances. In addition to the listed headline shows, Donnelly will play Live at Leeds 2018 on the 5th of May and The Great Escape 2018 on the 17th of May. Just below the tour date listing, you can watch Donnelly’s most recent promo video for ‘Mechanical Bull’; the track features on her debut EP ‘Thrush Metal’.

Tickets for the following shows are available now. Keep an eye on TGTF for our upcoming coverage of Stella Donnelly at SXSW 2018 starting next week.

Friday 4th May 2018 – Farndale Band Room
Monday 7th May 2018 – Manchester Castle Hotel
Tuesday 8th May 2018 – London Lexington
Friday 11th May 2018 – Bristol Louisiana
Saturday 12th May 2018 – Wrexham Undegun
Wednesday 16th May 2018 – Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach

(SXSW 2018 flavoured!) Bands to Watch #405: Jade Bird

Header photo by Francesca Allen

Editor Mary covered London-based singer/songwriter Jade Bird briefly last year leading into SXSW 2017 and Live at Leeds 2017, but we think she warrants a closer look ahead of SXSW 2018 this month. Bird’s early life and musical influences intertwine to create a unique and thoughtful sound, with country, rock, and jazz styles intermingling seamlessly in her songs. Her ‘Something American’ EP was released last summer via Glassnote Records.

The press release for Bird’s newly released cover of Alanis Morissette’s ‘Right Through You’ provides some enlightening context to what looks on the surface like a typical girl-with-guitar setup. “Born in Hexham, UK, Jade’s early life was spent mainly in flight as an ‘army brat.’ One of [her] life’s few constants proved to be the influence of strong working women. At first via her mother and grandmother, who largely raised her, but later the female role models within the musical subcultures Jade become obsessed with, from empowering country heroines like Loretta Lynn to iconic alternative songwriters like Patti Smith. Alanis Morissette‘s ‘Jagged Little Pill’ was a similar early touchstone.” With this in mind, ‘Right Through You’ seems to be a particularly apt choice. It fits nicely both in Bird’s voice and in her dryly ironic (yes, I went there), mildly rebellious style.

Bird’s current single ‘Lottery’ was released earlier this year, also on Glassnote. Its recorded version is upbeat and bright, with a jaunty guitar accompaniment and a distinct rock tone to its vocals. The lyrical conversation between Bird’s youthful protagonist and her lover is related in an offhand tone, but its between-the-lines subtext is much deeper: “I’ll tell you about a guy that I’ve been with / you ask how old is he and I laugh, twenty-six / nah, but he’s thirty / how messed up is that?”

The acoustic version of ‘Lottery’ is surprisingly different to the original recording. The musical accompaniment is shifted to solo piano, and its subtle jazz harmonies are a clever change from the song’s previous country-rock stylings. Bird’s voice is more exposed here, and a little shrill in moments, but it holds up remarkably well as the dynamic and dramatic intensity rises.

For those of you on the eastern side of the Atlantic, Jade Bird is currently in the midst of a UK headline tour which will run through the 11th of March. If you’re in the market for a last minute gig, tickets for the following shows are available now.

Thursday 1st March 2018 – Norwich Waterfront
Friday 2nd March 2018 – Nottingham Bodega Social Club
Sunday 4th March 2018 – Brighton Green Door Store
Monday 5th March 2018 – London Village Underground
Tuesday 6th March 2018 – Birmingham Hare & Hounds 2
Thursday 8th March 2018 – Glasgow Poetry Club
Friday 9th March 2018 – Newcastle Think Tank
Saturday 10th March 2018 – Salford Eagle Inn
Sunday 11th March 2018 – Leeds Oporto

Following these shows, Bird will hop a plane for America and SXSW. If you’re on this side of the pond and can’t make it to Austin, you can catch Jade Bird on her spring and summer North American tour dates with Colter Wall and First Aid Kit; a full listing of Bird’s upcoming live dates can be found on her official Web site.

Please note: all information we bring you about SXSW 2018 is to the best of our knowledge when it posts and artists and bands scheduled to appear may be subject to change. To learn when your favourite artist is playing in Austin, we recommend you first consult the official SXSW schedule, then stop by the artist’s Facebook or official Web site for details of any non-official SXSW appearances.

Video of the Moment #2796: Let’s Eat Grandma

Header photo by Charlotte Patmore

Norwich electro-pop duo Let’s Eat Grandma, aka Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth, have revealed details of their latest single ‘Hot Pink’, a collaboration with producers SOPHIE and Faris Badwan of The Horrors. ‘Hot Pink’ is the first taste of the follow-up to Let’s Eat Grandma’s 2016 debut LP ‘I, Gemini’.

The ‘Hot Pink’ video was directed by Balan Evans and produced by Try Hard. Describing the inspiration behind her visual interpretation, Evans says, “The song had a really strong digital feel, so I wanted to input that into the aesthetic. The image of a tall building with a strong coloured light was something from an old memory that has stayed with me, and it felt like a fun idea, another building block.” The band themselves explain the metaphor behind the video as follows: “We’re trying to navigate through a city where people’s perceptions of reality are becoming more and more distorted in the fear that we’ll end up the same way.” Take a look into Let’s Eat Grandma’s surreal ‘Hot Pink’ cityscape just below.

Just below, you’ll find a list of Let’s Eat Grandma’s upcoming live shows in the UK, starting with a one-off show in March and picking up in mid-April. Tickets for the following shows are available now. TGTF’s previous coverage of Let’s Eat Grandma is back through here.

Thursday 8th March 2018 – London Lightbox
Wednesday 4th April 2018 – Glasgow Stereo
Thursday 5th April 2018 – Newcastle Riverside
Saturday 7th April 2018 – Leeds Belgrave
Sunday 8th April 2018 – Sheffield Plug
Monday 9th April 2018 – Manchester Deaf Institute
Wednesday 11th April 2018 – Birmingham Castle and Falcon
Thursday 12th April 2018 – Cardiff Globe
Friday 13th April 2018 – Bristol Lantern