End of 2011...

Quick list of songs/bands/artists to listen to during the Christmas period when you need a wee break from all the family get-togethers...Merry Christmas everyone and I'll see you in 2012. Knoxy x

Billy Lockett - Balance

The Din - A Question of Being

Frank Hamilton - All Over The City

Bwani Junction - Two Bridges

Click on the links below too...

Galleries - Young Wounds

Emeli Sande - Daddy (Ifan Dafydd Remix)

*As ever, please post your thoughts/opinions/links to other tracks you like at the moment!

Little Comets

Absolutely delighted to have finally heard a new single from the Little Comets - 'Worry' is a great follow on from arguably the most under heard album of last year, In Search of Elusive Little Comets.

Pre order the EP and get this bad boy pumping on YouTube to keep you going in the mean time.

New music to get into, in a big way...

Serenades - Oceans

Really enjoying this tune. Swedish duo, one of whom used to be in the Shout Out Louds - expecting more from these two in the next 12 months.

Gotye - Someone I Used To Know

I seem to be very late on this one as it has been massive in Australia for a long time now it seems, but what a tune this is. He sounds a lot like Sting, and the chorus is excellent.

Drake Feat Rhianna - Take Care

The Drake album seems to have leaked a week early (mare for someone), and this is a biig track from it - the album is a must get for me once it is properly out!

M83, Jason Clarke, Citizens & The Heartbreaks

Started writing this last week and then got side tracked...
Really enjoying the new M83 album at the moment - so so good and it seems everyone around me is playing it all the time too as I keep hearing 'Midnight City' everywhere!

Remember The Official Secrets Act? Well if you don't, Citizens used to make up the majority of the line up, but are now quite frankly better :) watch the excellent 'Bollywood esq' video for their latest offering 'True Romance' below.

For fans of pop and more specifically male singer-songwriters - listen to this lad from Belfast, Jason Clarke. His latest single 'Gotta Go' sounds massive and is enjoyable to say the least. File next to The Script, Jack McManus & Daniel Powter.

In other news, I am off to see The Heartbreaks tonight at The Bull & Gate which should be fun (will let you know how it is later), and I have started growing a 'tache' for Movember - it will be awful. Donate HERE if you fancy...much appreciated!

Happy Movembering!

Few Names To Look Out For...

As we get towards that time of the year where people start to throw about their "tips" and "ones to watch" for the year ahead (most of whom you never hear of again AFTER they've been tipped), I have decided to list a few names for you to check out if you like...

The one that everyone keeps banging on about is Lana Del Rey, who in all honesty, might have a seriously good chance of being a genuine tip that DOES make a noise in 2012. Watch her video for Video Games below.

Other names to watch out for (all of whom have been mentioned on here before I believe) include Spector, Cave Painting and Michael Kiwanuka.

Hopefully all of the above are still around this time next year!

Male Singer-Songwriters are back...

A favorite topic/genre of mine and there are several who are floating my boat at the moment...Ed Sheeran has been getting a fair bit of airplay on here recently, but there are a lot more coming out of the UK at the moment...


First up is Marcus Foster who is a recent(ish) signing to Geffen/Polydor/Universal who fits nicely into the current Mumford/Fleet Foxes vibe that swept the country over the last 12-18 months. He has some massive hits up his sleeve and a voice to be enviable of - certainly has a bright future. Keep an ear out for his tune, 'I Was Broken'.


Next, is another major label and Universal/Island signing Ben Howard who spent a long time building a fan base amongst the British surfing community before getting his deal. Having seen him live recently and having only really heard the tune 'Old Pines' before (very good track - see the beautifully shot video below) he comes across as a really sound person; his general look and demeanor make me feel as if Id like to be his mate. I guess he isn't too dissimilar to a British Jack Johnson.

If you haven't heard the name Frank Hamilton previously - you will do (again) in the next 6-12 months, guaranteed! An extremely talented lyricist and song-writer who has been played twice in a row on Radio 2 by Chris Evans before, has co-written a Top 3 hit in Holland and continues to sell (quite a few copies of) his debut EP entitled, You, Your Cat & Me he released a few years ago! He recently posted an acoustic version of a new track called 'Had Enough' from Barn On The Farm Festival - check it below! Amazing!

Finally, big mentions to Benjamin Francis-Leftwich and Josh Bray who have both had albums out this year that you should check out!

Finally, R.I.P. Amy Winehouse (1983-2011).

Ed Sheeran: New Video...

Brilliant video for the 2nd Ed Sheeran single 'You Need Me, I Don't Need You'. Let me know what you think  of it!

Also, let me know about any bands/artists you are into/like either on here, the Facebook page or on Twitter @andyknoxmusic

Little Green Cars, Spector & Hoodlums

Iv had an interesting and busy last few days and have seen some very good bands/artists in a short space of time which is always nice.


First up are Little Green Cars from Dublin who I saw support Bastille in Hoxton last week. I place them somewhere between Band Of Horses, Deacon Blue, The Band and Fleet Foxes - but make up you're own mind . Their 3 part, mixed gender harmonies are a treat and the one female in the band even looks a lot like a young Chrissy Hynde. Have a listen here! ('Harper Lee' is a great track FYI).

London based Spector may have been known in various line ups and disguises in the past, but on hearing their track 'Never Fade Away' a few months ago - they were new to me. 'NFA' is a belter of a track by a sophisticated band (with a lead singer who resembles Elvis Costello slightly) and they were tremendous at the Electric Ballroom supporting the Kaiser Chiefs a few weeks ago so check them out here.

Finally, Hoodlums are a relatively new, young radio-friendly pop band (which is a positive thing for those of you who were un-sure) from London. With co-writes with CockNBullKid under their belt and having already played Camden Crawl, Great Escape and Rockness with Secret Garden Party to come - there is a bit of heat about them. Their debut single 'Landmarks' is out now via Blow The Whistle Recordings - listen to it here.


In other news, massive well done to Bwani Junction from Edinburgh for getting their first Radio 1 plays last week from Zane & Fearne and then for tearing up the BBC Introducing stage at T in the Park on the weekend. Big moves.

As ever, let me know what you think of the bands in question!

Post Glastonbury 2011

Absolutely mental...The only way I can describe the weekend just past.

A few things have caught my attention since I returned from the mud bath that was Glasto and they are;

• that Brother have had to change their name to Viva Brother for legal reasons.
• that a band from Liverpool called The Tea Street Band are ace.
• and that this cover of a 00's classic by Bastille is enjoyable.

Enjoy.

Are Guitar Bands Dead?

Are guitar bands dead? You know, the traditional guitarist, bass player, drummer with the unforgettable front man that everyone wants to be type-band. I grew up loving Oasis and Blur and going back even further people loved (and still love) The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Clash, The Jam, The Smiths, The Cure, U2 and The Stone Roses, but...


As I stare at the Top 20 Singles in the UK today I see American-rhythmic-pop by the bucket load but no guitar-based bands. The only ones are Coldplay - whose new single Every Tear Drop Is A Waterfall  (which shows them moving further away from those mentioned above - except from U2 who they are sounding like more than ever) isn't exactly setting the charts on fire at #6. What is it that makes today's youth (who I am suggesting are the majority buyers) LOVE Pitbull, LMFAO, Nicole Scherzinger, J Lo, Rihanna, David Guetta and the Black Eyed Peas so much? The increased sexualization of the majority of these acts (and the motto 'sex sells') and the ever growing knowledge of young people has made it inevitable. The girls want to be Rihanna and the boys want to BE ON Rihanna - or at least have those relevant dreams.


I saw Two Door Cinema Club the other night smash the Brixton Academy and everyone inside it to bits which surprised me (a little); not their ability to move a crowd - but the size of the crowd. Admittedly, they are a band who have had quite a lot of Radio 1 support (certainly for an "indie" band), have now sold out one of the biggest venues in the UK (outside of the arenas) but still aren't selling a massive amount of albums - and that is very worrying, for both them and the industry. The kids are willing to pay to see them live, but won't pay to buy the album because they can get it somewhere else for free or even just listen to it somewhere else without paying a penny. As I heard someone say recently, "music is now about accessibility rather than ownership" which is why Spotify is taking off (in a big way) and YouTube continues to go from strength to strength. So it brings us back to the illegal downloading argument, which is nothing that will come as a surprise to anyone, we are all well aware of it, I am just highlighting it is a fact many bands in a similar position have faced and are facing; how do they carry on from here?


Only the Arctic Monkeys, The Foo Fighters and The Wombats are still sniffing around the singles Top 100 - which many would argue is an irrelevant point as these bands are album selling artists, not single selling ones. This is all fair and well when you are a band as established as the Arctic Monkeys/The Wombats or The Foos who happen to have a member who was once part of one of the most famous bands of all time, but even THEY are not selling the masses that this industry expects, but then again, is anyone other than you know who!?! (It also highlights the negatives of our chart/radio system; one chart for all tastes is clearly ludicrous, but that is another topic all together).


If you are a band with guitars trying to break through TODAY - then you almost have no hope, even less of one than 10 years ago when it was tough enough. In the words of Steven Stelfox (from the novel Kill Your Friends), “Fuck off. Seriously, your parents are right. You might as well spend your guitar-string money on lottery tickets...”


I hate that he might actually be right. I love that there are still so many people trying to prove him wrong. What do you think?

Ed Sheeran: Ed The Great? Or Ed The Duck?

If you haven't heard of Ed Sheeran, you soon will.

The 20 year old Londoner has just signed a deal with Atlantic and has had his first single The A-Team play listed at Radio 1. A young lad with an acoustic guitar (who doesn't just write love songs is refreshing - I can say that as someone who has penned a fair amount of love songs in his time), clever lyrics and rapped/spoken verses mixed with melodic choruses definitely make him stand out from the crowd. He has already been on tour with Just Jack as well as Example, sold over 10,000 copies of his self released EP and has celebrity fans in Rio Ferdinand and Elton John.


Subsequently, Sheeran has already built a large following, via an excellent live show (his track You Need Me his huge and apparently even better in the flesh), collaborating with some already famous friends (Devlin, Example & Wiley) and by believing in what he does. I keep hearing about him everywhere I go and that is only a good sign for the lad, as well as his label.


As ever with people who start to create hype, there are those who don't want to believe, to which, I say (as Mrs Knox used to say), the world would be extremely boring if we all liked the same thing! She's not wrong. Sheeran may just be "another singer-songwriter"? Does the industry really need another? He may just be a little ginger kid with a decent voice, some decent tunes and a loop pedal (which in itself isn't a unique sound any more)? But that's not all, there are the Jamie Woon parallels which might seem a little cheeky to some. First the covering of Jamie Woon's version of Wayfaring Stranger (which in my opinion helps both artists, but anyway...) and then the going down a river on a boat performing. See Woon in Cambodia here (Feb 2011). See Sheeran in Camden here (May 2011).


Personally, I think Ed Sheeran is going to go on to have a big 2011 and become a household name here in the UK and probably beyond. Everything is coming together nicely, mainly down to all the hard-graft he has put in over the years (he did 312 gigs in 2009!) and the fact he now has the financial backing of a major label. Finally, Sheeran is a fantastic role model to anybody trying to make it (he has gigged, been self sufficient, gigged, wrote lots of songs, gigged, collaborated and gigged) but I have no doubt he is well aware that the real work has now only just begun.

Click here to watch Ed Sheeran - The A Team on Later with Jools Holland.

What do YOU think of Ed Sheeran? Get back to me and let me know.

Cave Painting & Bastille

I'm excited because this is a new blog I have set up to talk about all things Music in particular new bands, acts, artists who are turning me on at the moment...

The first two bands to grace this stage are Cave Painting & Bastille. I don't know if you have heard of either of these, but seeing as you have now, listening to some of their stuff should be the next thing you do in life. 

Cave Painting, from Brighton are starting to pick up some heat after releasing a mysterious video clip of one track and a Free Download of another called 'Leaf', which lead to playing to an industry-filled crowd at The Social last month. They are back in London on June 8th playing Proud Galleries. A must see. Mysterious and haunting with massive sounding drums.

The two tracks currently on London-based Bastille YouTube channel are getting a lot of airplay on my speakers at the moment. 'Flaws' was the first track I heard and although the lead singers voice reminds me of the tractor-song-singing dudes Nizlopi, this should not be a bad thing. A potential summer hit with a cracking video! Newly added 'Laura Palmer' is also a big track, have a listen! Electro-pop with catchy hooks.

Short but sweet debut entry there (aye?!) so before I call it a day, I have to give a special mention to Glaswegians Twin Atlantic whose debut full length album, Free, finished at #37 in last weeks album charts. Huge work lads. 

If you want to follow me on twitter then please do on @andyknoxmusic 

Let me know about any of the bands talked about and what you think of them!