Give it a whirl… Put on the kettle.

as he says:
A new policy document published today, Ken4Music, includes commitments to:

* Work with venues across the city and the international music industry to create a London-wide music festival/expo
* Incorporate protection of live music venues into the Mayor’s planning strategy – the London Plan for the first time
* Create a forum to ensure better lines of communication between local authorities, the mayor, and the music industry.

Here’s a link to read it: Ken 4 Music.

Sorry for the delay in the update. I took a holiday. Yes, me. Woot.

We have some new partners this autumn, as well as a few familiar friends.

Check out the following. We’ll be there:

POPKOMM
Berlin, DE
Sep 8-12

See Me Sofia
Sofia, Bulgaria
September 15-18
www.seeme-sofia.com

Reeperbahn
Hamburg, DE
Sep 23-25
www.reeperbahnfestival.de

October:

Iceland Airwaves
Reykjavik, Iceland
Oct 15-19
www.icelandairwaves.com

Amsterdam Dance Event
Amsterdam, NL
Oct 19-23
www.amsterdamdanceevent.nl

WOMEX
Copenhagen, DK
Oct 29-31
www.womex.com

TICKETS:
https://fan.musicglue.com/sale/promoproducts.aspx?productid=d1ebe2af-f205-4266-87d5-8658cd59c946

The Young Empires

Erland and the Carnival

Washington Irving

Tizzy Bac

The Loom

Enjoy!

This was more laid back than most festivals.  The trade show opened for two days, while bands played both during the day and night, with DJs taking over the clubs afterwards.  We had one Canadian present, the fantastic Wolf Parade, who headlined the closing gig of the festival at Halle D, a venue that saw its first shows for the festival, as a test case in prep for its official opening in July.  Lots of German bands played, including Bang Bang Bang, The Lo Fat Orchestra and Me and the White Tiger, but aside from Wolf Parade it was Domino signed Brit Max Tundra that impressed the most, alongside Iceland’s For a Minor Reflection and Whale Watching Tour, featuring Nico Muhly and Valgeir Sigurdsson.

Germany has more independent labels than one can count it seems, and a lot of them were here for Leipzig Pop-Up.  The trade show was filled with the people who still put up posters across town in February, do the door at their shows and flyer outside other peoples gigs.  There’s something to be said about that aesthetic, and it was on show in full force here.  Leipzig is a fiercely independent town, and its musicians and companies exemplified that.

Otherwise, Canadian Blast took in the sights.  Leipzig is surrounded by lakes and forests, creating a ton of hiking trails.  In addition, there is a big hill in the centre of town made from World War II rubble.  We were taken up there by one of Berlin’s best music journalists, Axel Rahmlow, right before the interview.

But now it is back to London, as there’s the Puregroove gig and Great Escape this week.  Here we go.

Here’s some pictures from the Pop-Up site:

Kicking off the afternoon was the maverick bearded one man band wonder that is Mayor Mcca. Playing to a mix of festival goers and slightly bemused locals, McCa soon had the whole venue charmed and singing along with his “Drinking Trilogy”. When playing at the start of a long weekend, having a song called “Hooray for Beer” in your repertoire can come in handy. Having won the crowd over he finished the remainder of the set before setting off  a crowd noise loop and running off stage and individually thanking everyone in the room.
Artur Dyjecinski and his band were up next with their fine line in brooding lo-fi melancholy, Although touring solo, Octoberman’s Marc Morrissette was joined for some of his set by some of the members of The Wilderness of Manitoba.

As the afternoon wore on the Fiddler’s elbow become steadily more full, and by the time The Wilderness of Manitoba took the stage for their European debut performance the venue was packed and buzzing to the sound of new Canadian talent provided by the Canadian Blast DJ’s. Yet the hubbub was hushed by the bands four part harmonies, and before long the band captivated the audience.

Closing out the afternoon was another European debut, this time from The Rural Alberta Advantage. Having landed earlier that morning, the bands set belied their jetlag and they tore through the songs taken from debut album hometowns at great pace. Despite not officially being released in the UK until later this month, many in the front row sang and danced along, while those at the back of the packed room had to climb on chairs to catch a glimpse of the band. As the event ended, fans were lined up to catch a few words or a picture with the bands. It wasn’t until two hours after the end of showcase that the final audience members left into the cooling May rain.

Up next for Canadian Blast Octoberman and The Wilderness of Manitoba at the Slaughtered Lamb, May 4th, and a pre- Great Escape Pure Groove Instore with Foon Yap, RIch Aucoin, The RAA, Joel Plaskett and Woodpigeon on May 11th.