Beth Jeans Houghton announces festivals and autumn UK tour

12 July 2011

The beautiful Beth Jeans Houghton has announced plans for the UK festival circuit this summer alongside an autumn UK tour. This is following the news that her debut album, to be released on Mute Records, will now officially surface in early 2012.

We’re very glad to see Beth back in the musical ring after taking a considerable amount of time off back in 2009/2010.

Prior to the album’s release, Beth will release a 6-track EP of new material to coincide with the autumn tour. More details on that are promised soon…

FESTIVAL APPEARANCES

13 AUGUST – Summer Sundae Weekender, Leicester
3 SEPTEMBER – End Of The Road Festival, Dorset

UK TOUR

27 SEPTEMBER, Brighton – Brighton Ballroom
28 SEPTEMBER, Winchester – The Railway
29 SEPTEMBER, London – The Lexington
1 OCTOBER, Manchester – The Deaf Institute
2 OCTOBER, York – The Duchess
5 OCTOBER, Newcastle – Cluny 1

The first track from the forthcoming album, the haunting ‘Dodecahedron’, will be available as a download from 18 July. That same week, Radio 1 have announced they’ll be playlisting Beth in their Introducing spot. Listen to the track via the video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBJkQ55EQMo&

Sea Of Bees @ Norwich Arts Centre

By: Lauren

11 July 2011

In: Reviews

2 comments

Image courtesy of The Line of Best Fit

Sea Of Bees is all kinds of brilliant. The moniker of stunning singer-songwriter Julie Baenzige, Sea Of Bees usually resides in Sacramento, California, but tonight we were lucky enough to welcome Julie and guitarist friend Amber to Norwich for one of the best gigs I’ve seen all year.

At the beginning of the evening, there was a modest crowd milling about Norwich Arts Centre, and unfortunately for them the local support acts seemed to suffer from a somewhat disinterested and sparse audience. By the time Sea Of Bees graced the stage, however, the room was packed and an excited atmosphere had overcome the place.

Live, Sea Of Bees combines beautiful, honest music with incredible, comedic banter. Stories and anecdotes were littered between the songs, and it’s safe to say that Julie had captured the entire room from her very first words. The performance was delicate, raw and effortless, and each song unique and compelling.

Particular standout tunes included ‘Marmalade’, ‘Sidepain’ and ‘Gnomes’, all of which are taken from current album Songs For The Ravens (buy it here). And yes, in case you wondered, the album is indeed as good as that name suggests.

A truly breathtaking evening from one of the most talented musicians in the independent UK music scene today. Listen and download ‘Wizbot’, also taken from Songs For The Ravens, via SoundCloud below.

Sea Of Bees “Wizbot” by Riot Act

Introducing: Solko

By: Lauren

8 July 2011

In: News & Leaks

2 comments

It’s not too often that a local band catches my eye enough to blog about, but on this occasion I’ve been moved to write something. Mixing sensational funk-infused soul pop melodies with unique and vibrant vocal tones, Solko are an interesting blend of all the good new things popping up in today’s UK music scene.

While their escapades have been limited to Norfolk and Suffolk so far, it seems likely Solko will be gracing stages in other counties soon enough. Their recent appearance at Norfolk’s Playfest alongside Frank Turner and The Futureheads caused quite a stir, with a sizeable crowd gathering for the band’s performance.

The band release new EP ‘Fix This Fire’ on the brilliant Norwich label All Sorted Records this September, with a single called ‘Weatherman’ preceding it this summer. Listen to it below and get excited.

Weatherman by solko