PictureHouse have announced plans to release their smash hit single “Sunburst”internationally on their PHRC label in the summer of 2017.
For two years in a row this summer song was the most played song on Irish radio, used in a national TV advertising campaign for a major retailer and was used in the soundtrack to a film. It propelled the band to stardom and brought them on tours with the likes of The Corrs, Meatloaf, The Divine Comedy, Mel C from Spice Girls, Texas, Ronan Keating, their own tours and festivals which saw them headline Dublin’s Big Day Out in Marley Park to 35,000 people.
A dispute with their then record company ultimately contributed to the band breaking up, meaning the track never got released properly in the UK. They reformed, releasing 2014’s “Evolution” (which spawned the hit single “Rules of Science” which was playlisted on BBC Radio 2 as well as countless other stations across Europe.)
PictureHouse have now digitally remastered a number of their songs in a package that’s not meant to be a greatest hits – but instead be a “best bits” including some previously unreleased material. The record is called “How Can I Explain How This Came To Be?” and is due for release in August 2017. More details to follow.
Before the release of his 16th album ‘I Am for You’ this autumn, UK solo artist Tim Arnold will re-release his first album: Jocasta – No Coincidence. The album was produced by Bruce Lampcov(Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Peter Gabriel) with all music, lyrics and string arrangements by Arnold, featuring The London Symphony Orchestra. Whilst the band only performed live as a four piece, the album became a sonic canvas for the creative ideas Arnold had been developing since he was 17 and has continued to explore ever since as a solo artist. Last year, Iggy Pop compared Arnold’s recent work to David Bowie.
After a string of hit singles in the ‘90s, Jocasta were dropped by Sony on the day the album was released. ‘No Coincidence’ remains one of the only albums released by Sony during that period not to have been added to iTunes or any other digital platforms for download or streaming, and never before released in North America. The album is now available for the first time in 20 years.
NME’s Roger Morton wrote of Jocasta in 1996:
‘Jocasta pour molten American rock guitar over peaking, clever-clever Anglo pop tunes, forging the kind of deep-grooved, glider high, everyman/woman heart-burst pop songs that everyone forgot existed. Like a Thom Yorke or a Billy Corgan, Arnold is at the helm of a distended, inflated, killer melody machine, robust enough to skim right across the Atlantic and bed in deep’
Q Magazine’s Nick Duerden wrote of No Coincidence in 1997:
“Fronted by Tim Arnold, this is a highly impressive debut whose breadth of vision suggests an ambition not easily sated”
‘No Coincidence’ will be released through TA Music on 2nd June 2017 – exactly 20 years to the day of the original release. The album is accompanied by a video for opening song ‘Laughing’.
The video places Arnold’s song about the British parliamentary system (written in 1995) onto an apocalyptic take on the special relationship between Theresa May and Donald Trump.
After a six-year hiatus, Swedish heavy metal band LION’S SHARE has just released a new lyric video, “Another Desire”. This is the group’s first new release since the Dark Hours album in 2009.
“The plan was always to release more LION’S SHARE material. And even though Lars [Chriss, guitar] and I live quite far apart, we have managed to squeeze in songwriting sessions here and there throughout the years,” lead singer Nils Patrik Johansson reveals.
“I’ve been working full time as a producer/mixer for the last six years, and Patrik has released albums and toured with both Civil War and Astral Doors, so it’s not like we’ve been out of the music business, even though LION’S SHARE as a band hasn’t been very public”, Chriss adds.
Both remark that they have always worked very well together, and at this point it feels the most natural to keep LION’S SHARE as a duo, with friends helping out wherever needed.
Well over 20 new LION’S SHARE songs are more or less written. About half of them are partly recorded as well, with original member Andy Loos handling the bass duties on the first batch of tracks. The plan is to release a couple of lyric videos – one by one – a couple of months apart, and to take it from there, depending on the response from fans.
Bristol-based Elles Bailey has a talent for crafting and seamlessly weaving rootsy blues, country, and soulful rock, with a contemporary edge. What’s more fate has blessed her with a ‘smoky vocal’ style that perfectly fits her music.
Elles’s trademark husky, lived-in voice may sound like this young songstress keeps up a 60-a-day habit, but was actually caused by a serious childhood illness. At the tender age of three, Elles contracted both viral and bacterial pneumonia. Ever-resilient, Elles recovered, but her voice had changed completely. An ENT visit revealed no permanent damage, but as the specialist prophetically observed, “If she ever wants to sing, she’ll be a natural blues vocalist!”
Now, the miracle girl with the made-for-the-blues voice is about to release her debut album, ‘Wildfire’, on 1stSeptember, 2017.
The opportunity to record ‘Wildfire’ arrived sooner than expected when a planned family road trip across the Southern States of the USA saw fate step in once more. “We’d arranged to cut a demo in Nashville along the route,” explains Elles, “You know, ‘when in Rome’ and all that? But what was meant to be just one solitary track took on a life of its own. Before I knew it, boom, we had a whole album!”
In Nashville, Elles drew together an amazing pool of musical and production talent and expertise, who were so taken with her that they went the extra mile (and then some), giving her not just the chance to create a demo, but to lay down an entire album!
“It was always my plan to release my debut album in 2017,” says Elles, “It had been a long time coming, but I could never have imagined getting the opportunity to make it in Nashville, at a studio like Blackbird Studios, where so many iconic albums have been made! I’m very excited about sharing this record with the world!”
Produced by Brad Nowell ‘Wildfire’ assembled a host of Nashville’s finest, including Grammy Award winner and two-time CMA ‘Musician of the Year’ Brent Mason on guitar, three-time ‘Musician Hall Of Famer’ Bobby Wood on piano, joined by Chris Leuzinger (Garth Brooks) on guitar, Mike Brignardello (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Amy Grant) on bass, Wes Little (Stevie Wonder, Melissa Etheridge) on drums, and even legendary Ivor Novello Award-winning songwriter Roger Cook came on board to help add some extra sparkle. Blended together back in the UK with the likes of Jonny Henderson (Robyn Ford, Matt Schofield) on Hammond organ and Joe Wilkins on blistering guitar, the result is a unique trans-Atlantic coming together of styles.
The single ‘Wildfire’ has already secured spot plays/sessions with Radio 2 and BBC London, Bob Harris and BBC Introducing and play listed on Planet Rock.
Having played extensively throughout Europe, and supported UK soulstress Jo Harman on her UK tour, Elles’ insatiable desire for live performance continues apace across the Summer of 2017, encompassing a series of headline shows and festival dates alike.
June
24th June Buckle and Boots Country Festival, Manchester
July
8th July Saddleback Blues Festival (main stage)
9th July Richmond Music Festival
15th July Rhythmtree Festival (main stage)
22nd July Upton Blues Festival (main stage)
29th July Café Rene Rhythm and Blues Festival 2017, Gloucester
12th August Lakefest, Eastnor, Ledbury,
18th Aug Old Bush Blues Festival, Callow End, Worcestershire
27th August Great British Rhythm and Blues festival (main stage), Lancashire
29th August – Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham (Special guest support for Lucky Peterson)
Frontiers Music Srl is excited to announce the signing of legendary rockers NAZARETH to the label for the release of a brand new studio album in 2018!
The current line-up of the band consists of Jimmy Murrison (longest serving guitarist in the band’s history), Lee Agnew (drummer since Darrel Sweet’s death in 1999), Pete Agnew (founding member, on bass) and new singer Carl Sentance (who joined the band in 2015 after Dan McCafferty had to retire due to illness).
Pete Agnew says, “with Carl as our brand new singer and Frontiers as our brand new record company, the buzz surrounding us right now is the same as it was when we went in to record our very first album. Can’t wait for the sparks to fly!“
Originally coming together as The Shadettes in 1968 in Dunfermline, Scotland, the entity known as Nazareth came together in spring 1970 and released their eponymous debut album in 1971. The band came to prominence after the release of the Roger Glover (Deep Purple, Rainbow) produced “Razamanaz” in 1973. Two more successful releases, “Loud ‘n’ Proud” and Rampant, followed before the release of “Hair of the Dog” in 1975, which was an unqualified success. The title track was a staple of ’70s rock radio and the ballad “Love Hurts” is a worldwide hit.
Nazareth mantained a solid sales history during the ’80s, particularly in Germany, where “Dream On” became a hit single. A tribute of note to the band came in 1993 when Guns N’ Roses covered “Hair of the Dog” on their “The Spaghetti Incident?” album.
To date, Nazareth has recorded 23 studio albums, earning them platinum, gold, and silver awards around the world. Their latest release, “Rock n’ Roll Telephone” was released in 2014 and generally hailed by music critics as another masterpiece in a long line of them from the band.
Frontiers is honored to be part of this legendary band’s rock ‘n roll legacy and looks forward to releasing another great slice of classic hard rock from Nazareth!
THRESHOLD have released the first official picture of their new line-up featuring returning vocalist Glynn Morgan.
The band are currently at Thin Ice Studios in England putting the finishing touches on their new concept album ‘Legends Of The Shires’. The record is due for release through Nuclear Blast later this year and it will be the band’s first ever double album.
Karl Groom commented: “The music just would not stop flowing during the writing process. We decided that while the ideas were of a high standard, we would keep writing and are very excited by what we have.”
THRESHOLD will be back on the road across Europe at the end of the year, kicking off in Athens on November 12th and rounding off with a homecoming show in London on December 10th. Glynn Morgan will also play guitar during the shows, which will include tracks from ‘Legends Of The Shires’ as well as plenty of blasts from the past!
THRESHOLD – ‘Legends Of The Shires’ Tour 2017
12.11 GR Athens – Kyttaro Live Club 17.11 UK Pwllheli – HRH Prog
w/ DAMNATION ANGELS, DAY SIX
28.11 NL Weert – De Bosuil
29.11. D Hamburg – Markthalle
30.11. D Berlin – Lido
01.12. D Aschaffenburg – Colos-Saal
02.12. D Munich – Feierwerk
03.12. CH Pratteln – Z7
05.12. D Stuttgart – Club Cann
06.12. D Hanover – Musikzentrum
07.12. B Kortrijk – De Kreun
08.12. D Essen – Turock
09.12. NL Zoetermeer – Boerderij 10.12. UK London – O2 Islington Academy
Mike Peters & the Alarm are back with a new single, ‘There Must Be A Way’ (out on May 12th), from their upcoming album ‘Blood Red’, which is release on May 5th. The song is a typical uplifting tune from Mike Peters featuring a strong chorus and piano taking the lead role, as opposed to the usual guitar. The other song on here (or B-side in old money!) is a seven minute epic ‘The Scriptures’. Quite a departure here as it starts off with that classic Alarm guitar riff but before the end of the song it has gone a bit country with a bit of a banjo solo. Again a strong lyrical message and both songs bode well for the upcoming album ‘Blood Red’.
Look out for Mike Peters on TV as he has his documentary ‘Man In A Camo Jacket’ which airs on the BBC in early May.
