Mew to support Pixies in US

Mew will bring their intoxicating live shows back to the U.S. beginning November 30 in Philadelphia and running through to December 14 with a final stop in Los Angeles headlining the Henry Fonda Theater. The band has also been tapped by The Pixies to join the legendary band at their December 1st show in Washington, D.C. at Constitution Hall. The Pixies aren’t the first influential band to hand select and generously give Mew their stage. Throughout Mew’s touring career, the band has been given numerous and critical opportunities to open for some of the biggest names in music. And now it’s their chance to pay it forward. Mew will be Continue reading →

ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL 2009

From 11 Jun 2009 – 14 Jun 2009
Top rock and indie names, legendary acts, and rising stars, on a large main stage or the smaller tented stage in a relaxed festival atmosphere. The dates for the eighth Isle of Wight festival are confirmed as from Friday 12th until Sunday 14th June 2009. The confirmed acts for 2009 include The Prodigy who headline on Friday, with Stereophonics, and Razorlight confirmed as joint Saturday headliners, and Neil Young headlining the Sunday. Basement Jaxx, Pendulum, Maximo Park, White Lies, The View, The Rifles, Pixies, Simple Minds, The Pigeon Detectives, and The Script are just some of the names confirmed to appear on the main stage. Tim Burgess of The Charlatans curates the Sunday of this year’s Big Top, and will headline it on the same day, as well as a full line-up there’s DJ sets from Tim Burgess, Rhys Webb, and The She Set. Also appearing there on the Saturday will be Australian Pink Floyd, Calvin Harris, McFly, Mercury Rev, Ultravox, and more. Friday is Ladies night with Bananarama, Ladyhawke, Alesha Dixon, and The Noisettes. For campers The Human League lead the entertainment on the Thursday night. For the line-up details, day splits, and rumours as available. Tickets are priced at £140 for an adult ticket with camping which includes entertainment in the campsite on Thursday night, and Â£70 for a child ticket (12 years and under). The price of an adult ticket without camping is Â£120 and Â£60 for children (12 years and under). Every person attending the festival must purchase a ticket. This includes babes in arms.

The original Isle Of Wight Festival will forever be etched in musical history after it housed Jimi Hendrix’s last ever performance, attracted the largest ever UK festival crowd and led to any future festivals being banned from the island after nearly half a million hippies turned the 1970 site into a chaotic free-for-all. However, since it was re-ignited in 2002, the festival has forged a new identity that differs from its predecessors. Big names like The Rolling Stones and The Police honour the spirits of greats like Dylan and The Doors as some 60,000 fans annually cross the Solent for the three-day bash. With one main stage and a big top the festival is predominantly about the music and a varied line-up means there is often something for everyone with The Cribs, Amy Winehouse and Sugababes performing recently. Onsite there is a funfair as well as a selection of food and drink stalls. Camping is available from the Thursday

Graham Coxon UK tour dates and instore announced

GRAHAM COXON has announced UK tour dates in May. Also to coincide with the release of the ‘In The Morning’ 10″ for Record Store Day, Graham Coxon has announced a special instore at Pure Groove in London. This instore will take place at their shop in Farringdon at 6pm on 18th April. ‘In The Morning’ 10″ is limited to 1,000 copies and has an etching by Graham on the flipside. Graham Coxon will release his album ‘The Spinning Top’ on 11th May, with the single ‘Sorrow’s Army’ to follow on 18th May

Graham Coxon, he’s the guitarist of one of London’s most delightful Britpop bands, and Graham Coxon is the quiet one. As the chief guitarist of Blur, his sheer and jointed guitar riffs made him a distinctive piece in leading the four-piece into alternative creative outlets, not to be overshadowed by the popular hysteria painted by the press. Noticeably, Blur went from cockney rebels to experimental intellects throughout their growing roster of material during the mid- to late ’90s. Still Coxon wanted to steer into another musical invention. Expectations and personal wishes led him to throw his energy into a solo career. It was a side project of sorts, a loophole for Coxon to streamline his own ideas his own way.

Blur enjoyed mainstream success in America with “Song 2″ from their 1997 self-titled release. Coxon’s musical influences start to appear during this time, elements of American indie rock (Pavement, Pixies, Sonic Youth) shower through the band’s work. It was shortly thereafter that Coxon founded his own label, Transcopic and released The Sky Is Too High in 1998 (the album was released on Caroline stateside). His straight-ahead lo-fi sound and post-punk yearnings were finally captured on a glowing debut, a favorite among the college charts, but still a stifling move for die-hard Blur fans. No one was sure what to make of Coxon’s solo motivation. Unfortunately, a year later, it was brushed aside by the release of Blur’s sixth album, 13. Coxon remained the quiet one, despite his deepest efforts to make his most artistic side more apparent. But keeping up with the speed of things, Coxon put all things Blur aside to release his second LP, The Golden D, in mid-2000.

Two years later, Coxon shocked Blur fans around the world by announcing his departure from the band. Recording for Think Tank had just gotten underway in Marrakesh, Morocco; however Coxon had already grown distant, personally and creatively, from the rest of the band. In turn, Coxon fell back on his solo career and focused on fatherhood. His fourth album, Kiss of Morning, appeared in October. Two years following, Coxon hooked up with producer Stephen Street for his biggest solo achievement yet. Happiness in Magazines was released in May 2004. Love Travels at Illegal Speeds appeared two years later.

Graham Coxon will tour the UK in May:

3rd May Norwich Arts Centre
4th May Brighton Digital
6th May Tunbridge Well Forum
7th May Hertford Marquee
8th May York Fibbers
9th May Glasgow King Tuts
12th May Cambridge Soul Tree
13th May London Lexington
14th May Bristol Thekla
15th May Wolverhampton Civic
17th May Nottingham Rescue Rooms
18th May Newcastle Cluny