SoundsXP is a UK based music webzine. [1] It was set up in 2001 by Paul Mawdesley, Ged McAlea and Kevin Odell and is entirely based on contributions from unpaid writers. [2] The site mostly publishes reviews and interviews covering primarily the indie, indiepop, shoegaze, folk, alt-country and electronica musical genres. It also covers alternative music news and free MP3 downloads. [3] The front page includes a regularly updated music player which showcases current songs recommended by the writers. [4] In addition, SoundsXP has forums to allow for discussion and comments on the articles, as well as live event notices which are free to use for bands and promoters for publicity. [5] The site has organised a number of live events over the years featuring artists such as the Broken Family Band, the Bishops, Younghusband, Pete and the Pirates and many more. [6] [7] [8]
In 2006 the webzine set up a label, Sounds eXPerience, with limited 7" releases by Piney Gir's Country Roadshow, the Schla La Las, the Bridge Gang, Santa Dog and a split release by Esiotrot and Foxes!.
New Musical Express (NME) is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a free publication, before becoming an online brand which includes its website and radio stations.
Gerling were an Australian electronica, alternative rock trio formed in 1993. From early 1997 the members were Darren Cross on guitar and lead vocals, Presser on drums and Burke Reid on guitar and vocals. Their second album, When Young Terrorists Chase the Sun, reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 50. It provided a top 50 single, "Dust Me Selecta". The group disbanded in 2007.
Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South London, in the district Brixton. Opening in 1929 as a cinema, the venue was converted into a discotheque in 1972, then reborn as a concert hall in 1983. It is owned by the Academy Music Group, and has become one of London's leading music venues, hosting over 50 live albums, and winning the NME Best Venue 12 times since 1994. It has been home to several notable performances, including The Smiths' last gig (December 1986), Leftfield's June 1996 concert which set a decibel record for a live gig at 137db, and Madonna's gig in 2000, which was watched by an online audience of 9 million
Indie pop is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and subsequently generated a thriving fanzine, label, and club and gig circuit. Compared to its counterpart, indie rock, the genre is more melodic, less abrasive, and relatively angst-free. In later years, the definition of indie pop has bifurcated to also mean bands from unrelated DIY scenes/movements with pop leanings. Subgenres include chamber pop and twee pop.
Ayalah Deborah Bentovim, better known by her stage name Sister Bliss, is a British keyboardist, record producer, DJ and songwriter. In the studio, she is best known for her work with Rollo Armstrong as one half of the production duo Rollo & Sister Bliss, and particularly as part of Faithless.
Drowned in Sound, sometimes abbreviated to DiS, is a UK-based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway. Founded by editor Sean Adams, the site features reviews, news, interviews, and discussion forums.
PDX Pop Now! is a local annual music festival held in Portland, Oregon, and a 100% volunteer-run registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that organizes and promotes the festival event. It consists of a two-disc compilation released in spring; a multi-day, free, all-ages music festival in the summer; and school and community outreach programs throughout the year. The organization and the event are dedicated to "celebrating, promoting, and enhancing Portland’s vital and diverse music community." The festival was first held in 2004, and has occurred every year since that time.
The Violets were an English post punk/indie/pop band from the New Cross area of London, England. Formed initially as a bassless garage punk trio, The Violets early gigs saw them playing stark, spiky and minimalist punk that evoked early art-school punk bands such as Delta 5, Prag Vec, and Siouxsie and the Banshees, as well as more contemporary acts such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Antlered Man is a four-piece alternative rock group from London, England. The band members had previously performed as Metro Riots before changing their band name and style in 2009.
The music of Cardiff has been dominated mainly by rock music since the early 1990s with later trends developing towards more extreme styles of the genre such as heavy metal and metalcore music. It, along with the nearby music scene in Newport, has brought a number of musicians to perform or begin their careers in South Wales.
Meg Lee Chin is a Taiwanese-Irish singer, songwriter, audio and video producer, writer and art activist who lives in London, England.
How Does It Feel to Be Loved? is a London-based nightclub which predominantly plays indie pop, Northern Soul and Motown music. On the club's website, founder Ian Watson explains: "We love pop, we love guitars that jangle, we love foot stomping melodies and huge choruses." The club's name is taken from the lyrics to The Velvet Underground song "Beginning to See the Light".
The Windmill is a pub and live music venue in Brixton, London, England, with a reputation for championing new music. It was voted the third best music venue in London, in a 2012 poll in Time Out magazine, and #7 by The Guardian in 2008, and has been described as "one of the top-10 music venues in the U.K.".
David Cronenberg's Wife is a London-based band. The name is taken from the Canadian film-maker and actor David Cronenberg.
The Gresham Flyers were a power pop band, formed in 2005 and based in London, England, although none of their members or former members are originally from London.
Standard Fare were a British three-piece indie-pop band based in Sheffield, The band were formed in 2005 and comprised members Emma Kupa, Danny How, and Andy Beswick. Standard Fare were named after a sign Emma saw on a bus in Newcastle. The band's sound draws on their influences of soft rock and punk but is often linked to the sounds of C86 era bands.
Crystal Fighters are an English-Spanish electronic music band, formed in 2007, in London, England, and in Navarre, Spain. Their debut album, Star of Love, was released in October 2010 in the UK and was released in the US through Atlantic Records in April 2012. Their second album entitled Cave Rave was released on 27 May 2013 and their third, Everything Is My Family was released on 21 October 2016. Their latest album titled Gaia & Friends was released on 1 March 2019.
Indietracks was an annual indie pop music festival at the Midland Railway in Butterley, Derbyshire, UK. The main site was located at Swanwick Junction. Bands played in variety of locations, including a restored church, in a train shed, and on the moving trains themselves. The event was staffed by volunteers, with the proceeds from the festival going towards the upkeep and renovation of the site and trains.
Alt-J are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds, by Joe Newman, Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals) and Gwilym Sainsbury (guitar/bass).
Everywhere is a UK Alt Rock band. The band play 'Post-pop' and their sound has been compared to artists such as 'The Cure' and 'Depeche Mode'.