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Proudly hailing from the North East, fast-rising artist Amelia Coburn has released her first single of 2025 with the bewitching ‘Sandra’.

It takes a certain type of magic to capture the praise of Paul Weller and Paul Heaton off the back of one album. And yet, that’s exactly what Tees Valley singer-songwriter Amelia Coburn has achieved with her debut effort Between the Moon and the Milkman, released in March 2024. One year on, her latest single to be lifted from it, ‘Sandra’ (out 5th March), tells a true story of suffering at the hands of an alcoholic and abusive husband.

This gothic-folk story came from an elderly woman Amelia stayed with while she was studying for university in France, one who spoke no English. After all she endured from her husband, his addiction led him to an early grave and his dying wish was that he be buried and that, under no circumstances, should she cremate him… so she cremated him. 

Amelia Coburn: ‘“Sandra” is one of my favourite songs from the album, inspired by the life of my French landlady, who I’m still close to today. I wanted to release it as a single to carve out a special space for her story. Filming the video in Paris made it even more meaningful; walking the same streets she once took to and from work felt like stepping into her world. Her life held a lot of tragedy, but she never let it define her. We took inspiration from the classic short film Le Ballon Rouge (The Red Balloon) to capture that part of her: the way she found joy and happiness even in the smallest things.’

On the live front, Amelia has a busy year ahead opening for a number of established acts including UK underground survivors The Levellers and Katherine Priddy, as well as heading out on a headline tour with her full band in May. She has previously appeared at Reeperbahn Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, and Focus Wales, and will soon be flying stateside for her first American shows at SXSW Texas.

Upcoming Live Dates (tickets available here):

14.05 The Grace, London

15.05 The Louisiana, Bristol

16.05 Heartbreakers, Southampton

17.05 The Blue Moon, Cambridge

25.05 A Stone’s Throw Festival, North Shields

30.05 Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds

31.05 The Live Rooms, Chester

01.06 Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham

15.08 Beautiful Days Festival, Devon

Supported by PRS Foundation’s Open Fund.

Bio:

Weaving together the literate lyrical approach of Scott Walker with the melodic genius of Paul McCartney, Amelia Coburn has a knack for making the unusual sound timeless.

Drawing inspiration from gothic literature and the shadowy allure of film noir, there is a darkness at the heart of many of her songs, populated by vivid characters and nocturnal creatures that inhabit the liminal space “between the moon and the milkman”. This is artfully counterbalanced, like the chiaroscuro of an old master, by Amelia’s down-to-earth charm and wicked sense of humour.

Produced by Bill Ryder-Jones (founding member of The Coral), her 2024 debut album Between the Moon and the Milkman has already gained a cult following, including praise from British music legends Paul Weller – chosen as one of his albums of the year for MOJO – and Paul Heaton, as well as national radio play in the UK and Ireland (BBC Radio 2, 3, 4, 5, 6Music, Scotland and Ulster). The album reached number 7 on the Official UK Independent Album Breakers chart and spent 3 consecutive months on the Official Folk Top 40.

Multiple end-of-year lists have praised Amelia, with Drowned in Sound naming her in their ‘15 Must-See Acts 2025’ shortlist, and Louder Than War’s ‘25 acts to see in 2025’ including her. The Arts Desk crowned the album as their Album of the Year, and it also made its way into Shindig! Magazine’s Top 30 Albums of 2024, while the likes of CLASH, Line of Best Fit, RnR and Far Out Magazine have been incredibly vocal of their support for Amelia.

The new Amelia Coburn single ‘Sandra’ is out now.

Links:

WEBSITE  │  FACEBOOK  │  INSTAGRAM  │  BANDCAMP  │  SPOTIFY

UK Hip-Hop/Electronic dance pioneers Stereo MC’s will return in 2025 for a brand new run of UK and Ireland shows. 

Demand for Stereo MC’s remains at a high. Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon performing “Connected” (watch here) in January, the band also recently announced a slew of US dates – their first full US route since 2001 – leading up to an appearance at the prestigious Cruel World festival on 17th May.

The band bookend a packed 2025 schedule with an 11-date UK and Ireland stretch of shows throughout November, December and January. 

Kicking-off at Glasgow St Luke’s venue on 27th November, the ‘True To Life’ UK / IE Tour will take in shows in major cities like Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham and beyond, before concluding with a two-night residency at the Button Factory in the Irish capital of Dublin in January (30-31/01 2026). 

Forming part of what will be Stereo MC’s’ first full European tour since 2014, the line up will feature original members Rob Birch (Rob B), Nick Hallam, and Cath Coffey, along with drummer/percussionist, Tansay Omar. 

Fans can expect to hear tracks from across the Brit Award-winning act’s acclaimed seven studio albums, including Connected, Step It Up, Elevate My Mind, Lost In Music,

As Rob explains of ‘True To Life’: 

“There are many influences in the melting pot being shaped by this time we live in. In the same way as we look back for inspiration, we are charged by the present and that’s how we work: combining old methods with modern technology. The more diverse our music becomes, the happier I feel.”

While Nick adds of the upcoming tour:

“There’ll be a lot of new music… some club orientated in keeping with our label and recent outlook, and some more in the Stereo MC’s known mould. When the two merge as one, we will be there.”

Tickets for the True To Life UK / IE Tour are on sale now, with the full list of dates as follows:

STEREO MC’S TRUE TO LIFE UK / IE TOUR

NOVEMBER 2025

27 – GLASGOW St Luke’s

28 – LEEDS Brudenell Social Club

29 – LIVERPOOL Arts Club

DECEMBER 2025

4 – BRISTOL Trinity

6 – MARGATE Dreamland

7 – NORWICH Epic Studios

12 – LONDON Shepherd’s Bush Empire

13 – MANCHESTER O2 Ritz

14 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy 2

JANUARY 2026

 30 – DUBLIN Button Factory

 31 – DUBLIN Button Factory

Tickets: www.stereomcs.com

*******

BIOGRAPHY

Stereo MC’s are probably best known for their international Top 20 hit single ‘Connected’, which was released in 1992 and was the title track of their album the same year, reaching #2 in the UK Album Chart. It also contained the hits ‘Step It Up’, ‘Creation’, and ‘Ground Level’, and led to the group winning two Brit Awards for Best Group and Best Album in 1994.

Being childhood friends and neighbours, Rob Birch and Nick Hallam formed Stereo MC’s in the mid-eighties, with the pair inspired to make music by their combined love of early hip-hop, funk and electronic music.

The Stereo MC’s initially pressed their first 12” vinyl and started their own independent record label called Gee Street Records, with Kiss DJ Richie Rich and budding entrepreneur, Jon Baker.

When Gee Street attracted the attention of 4th & Broadway in 1989, the duo recorded the debut Stereo MC’s album, ‘33-45-78’. As Nick remembers:  

“When we started getting gigs around that time, we thought it would be great to have live drums, even if they made the turntables bounce around. But when we went to the States, the U.S. branch of our record company said, ‘We’re not paying for a drummer to come on tour, because you don’t do that with this type of music’. There were a few barriers to cross before dance music was established as a live music force and was given equal rights in the touring and festival scene. Island Records had a good attitude to developing young acts, though, and we were given time to grow both in the studio and on the road.”

After releasing 33-45-78, the band toured with De La Soul, Living Colour and A Certain Ratio. They then headed to New York to record their second album, ‘Supernatural’ in 1990, bearing the singles ‘Elevate My Mind’ (which made it into the US R&B Charts) and ‘Lost in Music’ which was a club hit in the UK and US. This success was further cemented when they supported Happy Mondays on a US tour.

Rob adds: 

“If we weren’t on the road or making our own tracks we were remixing for other artists. Life didn’t have a clock, you just worked and vibed until you dropped on the sofa and woke up in your clothes six hours later…  The summer of 1992 saw us finish our 3rd LP, Connected, which we toured solidly for about 18 months after its release. It was a big success for us and everybody involved and was a beautiful moment in our development. Navigating our way through the aftermath of over-touring fatigue and life catching up with you was challenging, and for a while the creative spark was hard to find, so we went into recluse mode and built our own studio again so we could get out of the music biz domain.”

Stereo MC’s were in demand for remix work from the likes of U2, Madonna, Tricky, Pressure Drop, David Holmes, Terranova and Mo’Wax records, as well as earlier mixes for The Jungle Brothers, Latifah and RZA.

After making a mix album for the DJ Kicks series on Studio!K7 in 1999, 2001 saw the release of the band’s fourth album ‘Deep Down & Dirty’, followed by a tour that included opening for Jane’s Addiction in the US. The album’s title track became Stereo MC’s fifth consecutive Top 20 hit single in a row.

Following recordings for Pias, K7 and Graffiti, they continued their long relationship with club music, starting the label ‘connected’ in 2015, initially to release their own new music, while also releasing other artists, and have since become established in the ever-popular Afro House genre. They have also collaborated with some of the biggest current names in house music via releases with Adam Port and Keinemusik and Stil Vor Talent, and have featured guest spots with Re.You, Anja Schneider, Fred Everything and many others.

‘True To Life’ sees the Stereo MC’s embarking on their first major European tour in over a decade later this year.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

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Juanita Stein‘s critically acclaimed fourth solo album ‘The Weightless Hour’ is out now via Agricultural Audio. Having recently toured with Evan Dando, and with a handful of shows remaining for the Travis support dates, the Howling Bells frontwoman has just announced her UK headline tour in March, which includes a performance at London’s Lower Third on the 25h.

Described as:

“Spellbinding” – Rolling Stone France

“Haunted, folk-infused indie-rock” – Pitchfork

“Stein steers these heavy songs with admirably light touch” – Mojo

The Weightless Hour sees Stein reunite with producer Ben Hillier (Depeche Mode, Blur, Elbow), crafting an album of raw, minimalist beauty that’s already earning widespread praise.

Juanita Stein Live Dates 2024:

DECEMBER

Fri 13th – LONDON, o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (with Travis)

Sat 14th – LONDON, o2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (with Travis)

Sun 15th – BRISTOL, Beacon (with Travis)       

Tue 17th – EASTBOURNE, Winter Gardens (with Travis)

Wed 18th – SHEFFIELD, Octagon (with Travis)

Thu 19th – NEWCASTLE, City Hall (with Travis)

Sat 21st – GLASGOW, OVO Hydro (with Travis)

Juanita Stein Live Dates 2025:

MARCH

Mon 14th – SHEFFIELD, Hallamshire Hotel

Tue 15th – MANCHESTER, Soup

Thu 17th – NEWCASTLE, Cluny 1

Fri 18th – GLASGOW, Nice’n’Sleazy

Sat 19th – EDINBURGH, Sneaky Pete’s

Mon 21st – LEEDS, Headrow House

Tue 22nd – CARDIFF, Clwb Ifor Bach

Thu 24th – BIRMINGHAM, Hare & Hounds

Fri 25th – LONDON, Lower Third

Sat 26th – SOUTHAMPTON, The Joiners

Sun 27th – BRIGHTON, Hope & Ruin

Tickets available here.

The Nightingales release their first studio album since 2022’s much-praised ‘The Last Laugh’. Celebrated in the excellent Stewart Lee-narrated film King Rocker of 2020, where the curtain was raised on the magic of the “long serving punk/alternative rock volunteer” (The Quietus) Robert Lloyd, The Nightingales are as pertinent as ever as they release a poignant tirade on modern times heralded, quite rightly, as ‘The Awful Truth’.

Released on April 4th on Fire Records, their new album ‘The Awful Truth’ is a modern mutant music hall interpretation of the day’s news, a haunting jolt into realism narrated with all the angst of an insistent, slightly dishevelled late-night newscaster.

LISTEN TO ‘THE NEW EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES’

“They genuinely sound more vital than ever.”

UNCUT

Opening cut, ‘The New Emperor’s New Clothes’ is an upbeat immersive eruption with a thumping percussive piano holding proceedings in order; think the Velvets meet Fairport Convention in a crowded boozer, still waiting for their man.

Robert Lloyd enlarges: “A stream of consciousness. Initially inspired by the tawdry but tractable trend of the vacant, voluntarily egged on by ego hungry politicians, pop stars, beauties, ballers, ingrowing haters and hard-nosed influencers. One hundred percent on point with the nonsense of neo populism and savagely edited to fit the music, it is far from silky, it is futile and silly. Real rock ‘n’ roll.”

‘Same Old Riff’ recalls Bowie’s ‘Queen Bitch’ rekindling the class war struggles and throwing sharp focus on the national unrest in the summer of 2024.

“The powerless are the problem, as if, as if”

‘The Men, Again’ begins with Beefheart mayhem before spilling onto a funky dancefloor adding fuel to an already raging blaze. Meanwhile, the band namecheck themselves trying to recall their WiFi password;

“With lyrics inspired by The Nightingales’ drawing on their post punk attitude, sharp wit and often sarcastic observational style.”

Under such scrutiny, Robert Lloyd’s acidic one-liners trace the collapse of modern society, retaining the harmonious warble of a veteran pub crooner infected with the growl and grouse of The Fall, Nick Cave and at times Beefheart reincarnated.

‘Just Before’ languishes in a more spacious ambience, a moment of clarity, of taking stock, that sits among tales of piss artists and princesses whose morning-after breath and recent memories are something to behold.

Cinderella’s “classic” anthem ‘Bibbidi-Bobbidi Boo’ becomes a disturbed nursery rhyme riff on ‘The Gates of Heaven Ajar’; the stuttering solo on ‘The Best Revenge’ strips paint; while ‘Warm Up’ ends as if it’s about to break into HMS Pinafore.

“When the fun stops, I don’t stop…

In the early 80s they enjoyed cult status as darlings of the credible music scene and were championed by John Peel, who said of them – “Their performances will serve to confirm their excellence when we are far enough distanced from the 1980’s to look at the period rationally and other, infinitely better known, bands stand revealed as charlatans.”

Their time has indeed come.

2025 Live Dates

21 May: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK 

22 May: Think Tank, Newcastle, UK 

23 May: Stereo, Glasgow, UK 

24 May: Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK 

25 May: Castle & Falcon, Birmingham, UK 

27 May: Exchange, Bristol, UK 

28 May: Chalk, Brighton, UK 

29 May: Junction, Cambridge, UK 

30 May: Oslo, London, UK 

31 May: Bunkhouse, Swansea, UK 

GANS release a new single I THINK I LIKE YOU through Strap Originals on Wednesday March 5th. I THINK I LIKE YOU was produced and mixed by Ross Orton (Arctic Monkeys, Amyl & The Sniffers, Yard Act, M.I.A, Working Men’s Club, The Fall) in Sheffield in December 2024.

GANS say: I THINK I LIKE YOU is a song about body dysmorphia and its effect on relationships.

GANS are a 2 piece from Birmingham, England – Euan Woodman – drums/vocals and Tom Rhodes – bass/vocals 

GANS write music about love and hate.

GANS was born in late 2023 over a shared love of noise, literature and late night shebeens.

GANS have released 6 tracks in the last 15 months: What you Mean (December 2023), Harry’s Tune (January 2024), Talk to Much (March 2024), Business ( April 2024), Dirty Cowboy (July 2024) and In Time (November 2024)

GANS make all their own videos with their collaborator Benji Charles who captures the footage. The band then do all editing and treatments.

GANS have had Spotify & Apple Music playlist support on all releases.

GANS last release, In Time, was ‘B Listed’ at BBC 6 Music and they recorded a live to air session for the New Music Fix show in September 2024.

Watch GANS on the – Justin Hawkins show HERE 

Go see GANS

Last month GANS toured with The Libertines (Europe) and Hamish Hawk (UK) and over the next few months will be playing the Something Else Tour along with shows with Peter Doherty, Big Special and a performance at the Great Escape in Brighton in May:

MARCH

13th      BIRMINGHAM, XOYO (w Peter Doherty)

14th      OLDHAM, WHITTLES (w Peter Doherty)

16th      BRISTOL, TRINITY CENTRE (w Peter Doherty)

17th      LONDON, NEW CROSS INN (w Peter Doherty)

20th      BIRMINGHAM, ACADEMY 2 (w Anthony Szmierek)

27th      BIRMINGHAM, HARE & HOUNDS (w Big Special)

29th      LONDON, KENTISH TOWN FORUM (w Big Special) 

APRIL

1st       CARLISLE, THE BRICKYARD

2nd      GLASGOW, KING TUTS

8th       YORK, FULFORD ARMS

9th       HUDDERSFIELD, PARISH

11th     NORTH SHIELDS, THE ENGINE ROOM

17th     MARGATE, JUSTINES

19th     STOCKTON CALLING

20th     BEDFORD, ESQUIRES (Big Day Out curated by Big Special)

22nd    LEICESTER , THE BIG DIFFERENCE

23rd     OXFORD, JERICHO TAVERN
25th     CHELTENHAM, THE FROG & FIDDLE

26th     NANTWICH, GRANARY ARTS CAFÉ

27th     HULL, THE NEW ADELPHI

30th     CARDIFF, CLWB IFOR BACH

MAY

1st       SWANSEA, THE BUNKHOUSE 

2nd      FROME, THE TREEHOUSE

3rd       SOUTHAMPTON, WANDERLUST FESTIVAL

14th     BRIGHTON, STRAP ORIGINALS at THE GREAT ESCAPE

16th     LEEDS , IRISH CENTRE (w Adult DVD)

17th     SHEFFIELD, GET TOGETHER FESTIVAL

GANS are GOOD FOR THE SOUL

Brown Horse are excited to announce their second album, ‘All The Right Weaknesses’, out 4th April on Loose Music. The latest single, “Dog Rose”, is out now.

Road tested and road worn, the band tracked these eleven songs in a whirlwind week of live takes at Sickroom Studios in Norfolk following a multi-month European tour. Building on the stark twang of their debut album, ‘Reservoir’, ‘All The Right Weaknesses’ sees an energised Brown Horse meld slacker-rock, folk and alt-country – equal parts Lucinda Williams, Jason Molina, The Breeders and Silver Jews. Weary, wry and disarmingly honest, these songs flash a smile at the dark and strange. With contributions from the band’s multiple songwriters, the record is a patchwork far greater than the sum of its parts.

Following the release of the new album, Brown Horse will play a run of shows in the UK and Europe, including dates at Rough Trade in Bristol, Rich Mix in London and Salford’s Sounds From The Other City festival.

***** 

About ‘All The Right Weaknesses’

Arriving off the back of a busy touring schedule which included sets at Green Man Festival, Latitude and the main stage at End of the Road, Brown Horse’s second album is characterised by an intense energy born from night after night on tour playing full-band shows. As the band explain: 

“We’d been on the road in Europe for over two months by the time we arrived at the studio to start recording. We were pretty much constantly together, spending hours in the van listening to the same music, exploring unfamiliar places and playing shows almost every night. That was sort of the creative justification for playing so many dates ahead of recording, to find that level of coherence.”

“We didn’t need to pay for rehearsal space,” they continued, “we rotated new songs in the setlist and learned them on our rare days off. We’d slept on floors and in construction sites, caught midnight ferries, driven a Ford Transit past incredible Norwegian fjords, and been towed from a snowbank in the middle of nowhere by a man in shorts and flip flops. It was pretty cool to be that tuned into each other, and have that shared experience going into recording an album.” 

While the songs on ‘Reservoir’ took shape over years of intimate, stripped-back pub gigs, ‘All The Right Weaknesses’ holds nothing back, building a yowling wall of distorted guitars, accordion, banjo and pedal steel, at once familiar and difficult to place. The songs are thoughtful and delicately arranged, but the record rocks harder than ever. 

‘All The Right Weaknesses’ is a little more eclectic than their first offering, representing a collective and reflecting the band’s experience of touring new places. It also incorporates one of the most enchanting elements of their live sets, the way the band members swap instruments on-stage, which has been carried into the arrangements and recording.

Listening to the record has a feel of switching TV channels – there’s a real range of genres and approaches across the eleven tracks, but the album never lacks cohesion. Strong thematic connections which might prove familiar to fans of the first record are woven throughout. Perhaps the band are confronting new ghosts here.

*****

LIVE DATES

 11th April – Blue Heart Festival, Alkmaar, NL

12th April – Heartland Festival, Hengelo, NL

13th April – Down By The River Festival, Venlo, NL

23rd April – Rough Trade, Bristol

24th April – Rich Mix, London

25th April – Jericho Tavern, Oxford

26th April – Green Door Store, Brighton

30th April – Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh

1st May – Hug & Pint, Glasgow

2nd May – Three Tanners Bank, North Shields

3rd May – Headrow House, Leeds

4th May – Sounds From The Other City, Salford

5th May – Hare & Hounds 2, Birmingham 

Following the release of their fiery new single, “Crying in Marseille”, Scottish alt-pop outfit Pistol Daisys will set out on the road this spring for a run of support slots with Big Country.

Following their performances at The Barrowlands, the Daisys will tour again in April 2025, supporting Scottish rock legends Big Country and making festival appearances across the UK. The Big Country tour kicks off at Junction in Cambridge on 17^th April and will include stops in Brighton, Bristol, Birmingham and more. The band will also join Thomas Law and SLEAZE for two shows at St. Luke’s in Glasgow and 100 Club in London.

Following their spring dates with Big Country, Pistol Daisys also have a number of festival slots lined up for this summer. The band will make appearances at Mighty Dub Festival in Alnwick, Sign of the Times Festival in Ware, Roadhouse Weekender in East Sussex, and Back Doune the Rabbit Hole in Doune. The full list of live dates can be found below.

Tickets are available here.

***** 

Pistol Daisys recently celebrated the release of their latest single, “Crying in Marseille” – a fiery, dance-pop anthem with a rock edge, born from a wild night in France. Written in a small studio apartment after their breakout set at Fete De la Music in Aix-en-Provence in front of 15,000 fans, the song is a defiant anthem for clubbers of all sexes.

At its core, “Crying in Marseille” is about being dumped while on tour and having the courage to say no at the right time – that moment of self-realisation when you shake off heartbreak, reclaim your confidence, and hit the dancefloor (with a glass of French red!) With a sound that blends indie grit with dancefloor swagger, “Crying in Marseille” is another step forward for the Pistol Daisys.

The Pistol Daisys are quickly becoming one of the most exciting new acts to emerge from Scotland’s vibrant music scene. Blending Glasgow’s grit with heartfelt authenticity, their sound has captivated audiences across the UK and beyond. The trio’s rise is unstoppable, and with their relentless live energy, 2025 will be their biggest year yet.

*****

2025 Tour Dates:

Thurs 17 Apr – Junction, Cambridge (w/ Big Country)

Fri 18 Apr – The Assembly, Leamington Spa (w/ Big Country)

Sat 19 Apr – The 1865, Southampton (w/ Big Country)

Fri 25 Apr – Roadmender, Northampton (w/ Big Country)

Sat 26 Apr – Chalk, Brighton (w/ Big Country)

Wed 30 Apr – St Luke’s, Glasgow (w/ Thomas Law & SLEAZE)

Fri 2 May – 100 Club, London (w/ Thomas Law & SLEAZE)

Sat 3 May – The Crossing, Birmingham (w/ Big Country)

Sun 4 May – Trinity Arts Centre, Bristol (w/ Big Country)

Sat 14 Jun – Mighty Dub Festival, Alnwick

Sat 21 Jun – Sign Of The Times Festival, Ware

Sat 5 Jul – Roadhouse Weekender, East Sussex

Fri 1 Aug – Back Doune The Rabbit Hole, Doune