Brighton-based multi-instrumentalist Ben McKelvey has shared his video for ‘Wild Child’, a refreshing indie-rock offering, on which he plays all instruments.
Mckelvey is an experienced performer in his own right, having toured extensively with the likes of Wet Wet Wet, Genesis supergroup, Mike & The Mechanics, Marti Pellow and Scouting For Girls. It’s no surprise then that the video is centred around the trials and tribulations facing the travelling musician. “‘Wild Child’ was the last song I recorded for the album. It instantly became my favourite on the record and probably is my favourite I’ve ever written. There’s a lot of emotion in this song and it’s the most personal I’ve ever written. A song based on true events about how being a musician is something you can’t choose to let go when it’s in your blood and how it can destroy personal relationships. A tough song to write but very therapeutic. It was written at a low point in my life but when we get to play it live, it’s just incredible. I guess it’s dedicated to the musicians out there giving it their all.” he says.
All of that said, even the ups, downs and sacrifices that need to be made don’t seem to be able to put McKelvey off the touring life. Catch him on the road – dates below.
Live Performances:
22/06/19 MAGAZIN4, BAD REICHENHALL, GERMANY
19/07/19 PENNFEST (main stage)
22/10/19 KING TUTS, GLASGOW w/ Jake Clemons
23/10/19 O2 ACADEMY2, SHEFFIELD w/ Jake Clemons
24/10/19 O2 ACADEMY2, LIVERPOOL w/ Jake Clemons
25/10/19 O2 ACADEMY2, OXFORD w/ Jake Clemons
26/10/19 O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON, LONDON w/ Jake Clemons
Taking Back Sunday will be taking Canadian surf punk band The Frights on their UK and European tour dates. And if TBS has proved anything besides the fact that Adam Lazzara is a man with the stamina of a Pronghorn Antelope… it is that having the supporting slot for a band like TBS is basically yours to mess up. But if you don’t, you bloody got it in the bag, man. Taking Back Sunday is only one of the three most important bands to come out of the alt-rock/post-hardcore/emo era. No pressure, boys.
FULL TOUR DATES:
June 13th, 2019 – O2 Institute, Birmingham (UK) June 14th, 2019 – Barrowlands, Glasgow (UK) June 15th, 2019 – Limelight, Belfast (UK) June 16th, 2019 – Vicar Street, Dublin (IRL) June 18th, 2019 – Troxy, London (UK) June 19th, 2019 – Academy, Manchester (UK) June 20th, 2019 – O2 Academy, Bristol (UK) June 23rd, 2019 – Melkweg, Amsterdam (NL) June 24th, 2019 – Gloria, Cologne (DE) June 25th, 2019 – SO36, Berlin (DE) June 26th, 2019 – Grunspan, Hamburg (DE)
Madonna has released “Crave” featuring Swae Lee and co-produced with Mike Dean and Billboard. The infectious pop gem, co-written by Madonna and Starrah, is the third track of five songs to be previewed before her highly-anticipated new studio album Madame X debuts globally on June 14. Following the release of the critically-acclaimed “Medellín” and the empowering “I Rise,” additional songs to be shared with fans include the Jamaican dancehall vibes of “Future” featuring Quavo on May 17, as well as the sonically innovative “Dark Ballet” on June 7. The music video for “Crave” is coming soon.
Madonna announced earlier this week her Madame X Tour, a series of rare and intimate performances taking place exclusively in theaters in select cities. Demand was so overwhelming, additional shows have already been confirmed and are available for ticket request alongside the original shows through Friday, May 10 at 11:59pm ET. In New York, 12 shows are confirmed at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House on September 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28 and October 1. In Los Angeles, nine shows are set at The Wiltern for November 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 21, 23, 24 and 25. Shows at the Chicago Theatre are on October 15, 16, 17 and 21. The Madame X Tour will also visit Las Vegas, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Lisbon, London and Paris. Dates and details on those cities to come in the near future.
Influenced creatively by living in Lisbon, Portugal over the past several years, Madame X is a collection of 15 new songs that celebrate Madonna’s career-long affair with Latin music and culture as well as other global influences. Singing in Portuguese, Spanish and English, Madonna collaborated on Madame X with longtime producer Mirwais, as well as with producers Mike Dean and Diplo, among others.
Of “I Rise,” NME says the song, “is politics and positivity combined,” while Rolling Stone calls the song, “Uplifting” and Billboard says its, “Powerful.” NPR says, “Medellín is a carefully dosed combination of…coolly narcotic dance-pop…and energetic reggaetón,” while Entertainment Weekly declares the song is, “A breezy, summer-ready anthem…” The Guardian says, “Medellín is a potent reminder of Madonna’s deft history of meshing genres.”
Madame X from Live Nation, Interscope Records and Maverick will come in a standard and deluxe version of the album and is now available for pre-order. Album pre-orders include a download of “Medellín,” “I Rise” and “Crave,” which is available across Apple, Spotify (pre-save), Amazon and all DSPs. Exclusive album pre-order bundles with limited edition merchandise are now available direct from Madonna.com.
Oh Sees have announced the reissue of Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion which will be out 5/24 on Castle Face Records. The band also recently announced a run of Fall North American tour dates. You can check out where they are playing below and also check out their forthcoming Spring/Summer shows that include stops at Shaky Knees Fest and Solana Beach.
“Thee Hounds of Foggy Notion / Live Performances Sans Stages And Whatnots With Thee Oh Sees (2008), is a film we made just over a decade ago, and this record is the soundtrack. I loved making it, and I love all that were involved. I’m honestly blissed-out proud to hear over the years that it somehow is loved by so many others, too.
I first met John Dwyer on Flag Day. I was blown away by a trio of roving Coachwhips guerrilla street shows that climaxed at the the scenic vista parking lot high above San Francisco atop Mt. Sutro. Amongst the gathered uninitiated hordes of souvenir sweatshirt selling families, and puzzled elderly global tourist translators, and a white weirdo tuxedo wedding party, was the sonic corruption of the Coachwhips that was collaborating with the all-female, fake-pregnancy, jump-rope-y, real-pit-bull-shredding-fake-plastic-baby fantasy majesty of the performance artist crew Double Dutchess. I’m certain that this exact event was the idea seed for Thee Hounds Of Foggy Notion, and that it saved my life a little bit.
When JPD asked me to consider making a video for Thee Oh Sees with the sole stipulation that he didn’t want to do anything fake-y to playback, my head started swimming. What we mutually agreed upon was to essentially reprise Flag Day, and film Thee Oh Sees performing live, but not on stages. My own secret undisclosed personal caveat was to see this as an opportunity to document his process by mixing in some interstitial interviews between the roving live shows. He shut the ‘interview’ idea after I asked the very first question. Instead, what we got was infinitely more true to the free fun reality of the scene in the form of a multitude of glorious stories.
I rented a 15-passenger van, a generator, and the minimal cinematic equipment my trusted cinematographer friend James Wall deemed we needed. Everything sound wise was JPD territory and went through an ancient mixing board that Johnny had housed within a Samsonite suitcase. We ran all the plate mics from the drums, and the lil pedestal mics from the amps through this old mixer, and we all believed that all would be well and swell. As an emergency audio backup, I also grabbed a 12” Sennheiser directional mic in a fluffy wind muff that directly fed into one of our Canon XL-2s. My residual fear that the only thing that ruins docs or indie films is shit sound came true when we discovered that all the multi-tracking through the mixer was hopelessly covered in geiger counter static tics. All of the audio that you hear on the LP is sourced from that single Sennheiser mono mic that we then dual-mono’d in post.
As great as JPD is as a live performer, he was in absolute alpha epic story-teller genius mode during every single spare second of the journey. Brigid Dawson added some delicious gems as she always does. Petey Dammit is a pretty quiet private guy, but even he proved to be very funny when he gets loose. Patrick Mullins on the other hand is literally Castleface. After editing through 40+ hours of footage of live performances and interstitial stories, it became very shockingly clear to myself, and editor Akiko Iwakawa, that his expression never ever ever changes. He is Castleface incarnate.
Massive Love yous and Thank yous to all involved and to all of Yous toos” – Brian Lee Hughes
It’s out on Castle Face Records May 24th
May 3-5 Atlanta, Georgia Shaky Knees Fest
18 Manchester Albert Hall
19 Glasgow QMU
20 Belfast Limelight 18-20
21Dublin Button Factory
23 Cardiff The Tramshed
24 Derby Bearded Theory Festival
June 7 Nelsonville, OH Nelsonville Music Fest
14 Solana Beach, CA San Diego Belly Up W/ Bronze And Fuckwolf
