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Album Release (01st Oct 2002)
The latest release to appear from Meltdown Music is the debut album from the Maddy Leigh Blues Band. The album was due to be available at Greenbelt, where the band appeared on stage 2 and in the USPG tent, but some complications meant it wasn't available on site. Nickels and Dimes can now be purchased directly from the band -- see their website for more details.
Maddy Leigh's Nickles and Dimes (14th Aug 2002)
The Maddy Leigh Blues Band are set to release their debut CD on Meltdown Music on 23rd August 2002 with a series of sets at Greenbelt. The album is called Nickles & Dimes and the band tell us they have been offered a distribution deal for it with Awake music as well as making it available through their web site which will also shortly feature MP3 clips from the album.
Blues Meltdown (12th Apr 2002)
The Maddy Leigh Blues Band are currently in the process of recording their debut album on Meltdown Records. Meltdown report that the recording is almost complete and are very pleased with the work American producer Jeff Scheetz is doing. The album is described as having a strong blues feel (as the band's name suggests) with the occasional jazzy track.
Ian White Update (27th Nov 2001)
It's been a busy year for Ian White, with a series of overseas visits including two to Russia in May and September where he performed in Ekaterinberg and Moscow. He's also spent time in Canada at a worship conference and in the USA where he's recently been in meetings with EMI about the possibility of including more of his songs on compilation albums ('You are merciful to me' was included on the I Could Sing of Your Love Forever album.) Ian has also continued to work with Andrew Jenkins Lamb, who is now taking solo bookings.
Tidbits (24th Nov 2001)
Plans have emerged for a festival next year in Milton Keynes, to feature Kato, Bell Jar and others. Check out our discussion boards to find the announcement. Rodney Cordner and Jean-Pierre Rudolph have released a CD "Milestones" to celebrate 20 years playing and touring together. Alex Robertson is working on new album due for release before end of the year. 2bc have their first CD, still don't know, out now. A track from the CD is available from download through their page at britlinks. 3rd Day Rising have a track on the Barclay James Harvest tribute album, Everyone by Everbody Else . They've done a rearrangement of 'Hymn'. Marilla Ness has been voted International Artist of the Year and her best selling album 'Holy One of Israel' has received the accolade of International Album of the Year at the first ever UCMVA (United Catholic Music and Video Association) unity awards held at the Catholic University in Washington DC.
Christmas Rock Nights (09th Nov 2001)
For some years now the Christmas Rock Night event in Germany has attracted many rock fans from across Europe. This year two events in the UK are hoping to follow in that tradition, with Superhero, IndigoEcho and others taking to the stage for two consecutive nights in Edinburgh and Broughton, and Bushbaby and Fire Fly playing support to Caroline Alexander in London. Check out the gig guide for more details.
Caroline on TV (15th Oct 2001)
This Friday Caroline Alexander will be performing her new single on the first episode of new music series "Nu Music" on cable channel PlayUK. The show, presented by Primal Screams Mani and also featuring Noel Gallagher and Super Furry Animals, will play at 8.30pm on Friday and is expected to be later shown on terrestrial TV. Caroline will also be featured in the issue of Classic Rock magazine which will hit the streets on November 7th.
Tidbits (11th Oct 2001)
IndigoEcho have hit number one on the mp3.com Edinburgh chart. The new Beyond the Bars album is pretty much finished, with just a little post-production work still to do. Mechunkandoolan have a new album called Humble Pie out. Susan Enan and Laura-Anne both play tonight at the belFEST event - both women are also currently working on albums. Love Crusade's debut single Coming Home is available now. Coastal Dune will be appearing with Caroline Alexander at the Borderline later this month.
Caroline Alexander Signs (07th Sep 2001)
Caroline Alexander, the young singer who has been the focus of plenty of label and publishing interest in recent months has signed a two album deal with South London independent label Amber Lamp. Caroline has recently spent 4 days in Harrow Film Studios filming a promo for her first single/album on the label. Caroline will be performing her acoustic set around London over the next few months before embarking on a UK tour in 2002.
Tidbits (14th Jul 2001)
Sola Harba have just released their debut EP, Public Paranoia, available from the band via mail-order. David McNair has also just released an EP. His three track release has been produced by Iain Archer. Formerly UK-based, Liberation Suite have just reissued their 1981 album Stride For Stride in digitally remastered form. Martyn Joseph will be touring with Tom Robinson and Steve Knightley (Show of Hands) on a tour next year to be billed "Faith, Folk and Anarchy". There will be a CD release to accompany the tour. More details soon.
Land Hit Number 1 (29th Jun 2001)
Land have achieved theirthird consecutive number one in the US Import Chart with"Taking Jericho" from their Point Me To The Skiesalbum. The band have been on the chart, which is compiled byWITR-FM from Rochester, New York, more or less continuouslyfor the past two years.
Caroline Unplugged (13th Jun 2001)
CarolineAlexander will be releasing her new albumUnplugged... on July 2nd through the
New Britlinks Features (19th May 2001)
Two new features: To go with the MP3s and band biographies we've updated the band index to include links to search for bands' products at guardiangifts.com who we're partnering with. You may also have noticed that we're starting to include some pictures with news stories to liven the page up a little. Hope you like it.
Caroline Alexander in Japan and on TV (19th May 2001)
Caroline Alexander will be appearing on the new Sky Digital entertainment channel 461's "Where its at TV" on Tuesday performing two songs unplugged. The next day she'll be flying to Japan for talks with two more record labels. She's just signed a worldwide publishing deal with Devman-BMG in Germany and is considering European and American deals for her debut studio album which is slated for release in January 2002.
Tollbooth Prepare Releases (16th May 2001)
Tollbooth Music, who brought us last year's Helen Turner album are preparing a number of new releases for the coming months. Postcards From Aunt Cordelia, the long awaited solo album from studio owner Paul Davies is due to see the light at Greenbelt this year, with a new Eve And The Garden album, a solo album from EATG frontwoman Alison Eve and a dance/ambient album called Enygmata due to see the light later in 2001. The Eve and the Garden album is said to have a laid back folk-roots feel which has taken the band by surprise. The core band members, Alison Eve, Paul Cudby and Paul Davies will also be working together on Alison Eve's solo album which they describe as "very studio, very big sound".
MP3s On Britlinks (15th May 2001)
Following hot on the heels of biographies, the latest addition to our band index listings are MP3 links. We're bringing together links to MP3s by a number of the bands listed on the site. So far only a handful of bands have sent us links but we hope to see that grow in the next few weeks and decided to put things live now so you could hear some more of the bands listed on Britlinks and perhaps encourage those who haven't sent us MP3 links to do so now. The band index is at www.britlinks.co.uk/bands/.
Delirious Can't Wait For The Summer (13th May 2001)
Things are really hotting up for
Maddy Leigh Blues Record (25th Apr 2001)
The Maddy Leigh Blues Band are about to begin pre-production for their debut album which will be recorded early next year. The band are in talks with Michael Bloodgood (of stadium rockers Bloodgood) who they hope will fly in from Seattle to produce the album before mixing it in the USA. The album will be released by Meltdown Music.
Andrew Buckton's New Album (11th Apr 2001)
New addition to the band index Andrew Buckton has just released his second album, Now But Not Yet which features a number of his friends including Jezz Carr and Steve Lawson and is now available from Sounds Good.
Caroline Looks at Publishing Deals (04th Apr 2001)
Caroline Alexander is seeing increased interest from a range of European publishing companies, including BMG and Strongsongs as a result of her "European Demo" having so far spent three weeks in the top five of the industry's 'European Newcomers Rock Chart.' Caroline plans to decide on recording and publishing contracts by the end of this month. Her management are also looking for musicians for her backing band. Check out the discussion boards for more details.
Caroline in Net Charts (17th Mar 2001)
Caroline Alexander is currently at number four in the netmusiczone rock charts based on votes and downloads from across Europe. Her management hope to tie up record deal negotiations by the end of April and Caroline's off to New York next week for a promotional visit.
Steve Confirm Deal (07th Mar 2001)
As we reported previously, Bristol based indie rockers Steve have signed with US label Forefront and they've now started work on their new album. They're planning to keep their website up to date with news from the studio and are hoping to tour extensively once the album's completed. It seems that Andy Hunter of Trip has also been signed by Forefront.
Caroline Sifts Through Contracts (07th Mar 2001)
Following her showcase with Coastal Dune at Dingwalls last week, Caroline Alexander is said to be working through a number of possible record deals, including one with Europe's biggest rock label, Massacre Records, for four albums. She'll be flying to New York shortly to meet with some US companies. It looks likely that she will sign with Massacre, but further offers are pending.
A Few New Bands (23rd Feb 2001)
We don't normally run a news story on new bands added to the site, but there've been three new ones today and we're also looking for some help gathering information... First up is Maddy Leigh Blues Band who are currently recording an album with Meltdown Music. Another addition is Rif who are currently working on their second album which they hope to release this summer. And finally there's the Alliance-signed Kindle, featuring former Blueberry guitarist Dan Boreham. We're currently trying to track down up to date contact details for Bushbaby and Athlete (formerly Wondercub/Cub), so if anyone can help us out there, do drop us a line. Don't forget you can discuss these and other bands on our discussion boards.
Caroline Alexander in the Press (20th Feb 2001)
Caroline Alexander is to be featured with a two page article in German rock magazine Powerplay and one of her tracks will also appear on the cover CD. Caroline's recently received a review in Kerrang! magazine and is hoping to gain more attention soon since most major music magazine are expected to be in attendance at her London show next week with Coastal Dune.
Sounds Good Build Catalogue (19th Feb 2001)
Sounds Good have just added Love Crusade and our current indie of the month Coastal Dune to their online catalogue. Very soon they'll be adding Caroline Alexander's debut album which is to be launched later this month at Dingwalls in London.
Einstein 40 Delayed (05th Feb 2001)
The release of scottish band Jaysson and the Astronauts' debut EP Einstein 40 has been put back because of production problems. All the tracks from the EP and some video clips will soon be available through the band's website which is currently being revamped and should be updated very soon. The band are keeping busy, with a trip to Ireland in the pipeline, but are still looking for more bookings.
Paul Field In The Long Run (31st Jan 2001)
Paul Field's latest album is called In The Long Run. Co-produced with Dave Lynch (R:age, Kato, Toploader), the album features guest appearances from Paul and Phil Wilkinson of The Amazing Pilots and Louise Fellingham of Phatfish and also a song co-written with John Hartley (Phil And John) and US-based luminaries Derri Daugherty and Phil Madeira.
Fire Fly Build Studio (20th Jan 2001)
Fire Fly have nearly completed construction of their own studio, which they plan to use for the recording of the debut full-length release. The studio will be up-and-running this week and they hope to add a little more gear ready to start recording in mid-February. The band are off to Holland next week to do some gigs, building on their success on mainstream radio there which saw them charting highly on at least one station. The band say that European distribution and a tour this summer look very likely.
Aieris Release (16th Jan 2001)
Scottish rockers Aieris have a new live demo available to interested promoters, the demo contains six songs, all but one of which are new. The band have a few more gigs lined up before entering the studio again within the next couple of months to get working on their next release.
Caroline and the Dunes (11th Jan 2001)
Caroline Alexander and Coastal Dune are to appear together at Dingwalls in London in February to launch Caroline's new Live At Dingwalls album to the UK press. The album's been produced by Dave Lynch (Toploader, r:age, Iain Archer) and tickets go on sale later this month "from the usual agents". Caroline's management are still in negotiations with a number of labels and tell us they hope to be able to disclose some big news very soon. Coastal Dune will also be continuing to promote their BlueGreen album which releases next month.
Juliet Turner Goes Platinum (09th Jan 2001)
Juliet Turner's Burn The Black Suit was certified platinum in the Republic of Ireland during the week before Christmas, indicating sales there of over 15,000. A thousand more copies of the album were then sold in the next week. The title track of the album will be released as its third single in February. She's going to be touring extensively over the next few months, including a 32-county tour of Ireland, a trip to the USA and a variety of European destinations. Juliet hopes to start work on her third album later this year.
Delirious? in the Lowlands (03rd Jan 2001)
Delirious? have just released their first single to the mainstream market in the Netherlands. "It's OK" is available through Jive Records. Rumours are circulating that the band will be featured in a TV documentary, possibly on channel 4, featuring the band in the run up to their next single release. The band have also been busy recording new material for their next studio album with the help of Charles Zwicky, who also collaborated with the band on Glo.
Laura-Anne Revises Album (13th Dec 2000)
Northern Irish Laura-Anne has revealed that the final version of her Writing In The Sand album will take a slightly different form from the one we recently reviewed. The two cover songs have been removed and a new live track has been added. The album will be available through mp3.com
Caroline Alexander's New PR (24th Nov 2000)
As her management continue to negotiate with a number of major labels, Caroline Alexander has signed a deal with Amanda Williams, who currently handles PR for The Bloodhound Gang and who has also worked with Alanis Morrisette and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Amanda will be taking over all Caroline's PR from the start of the new year. Caroline is still in the studio demoing new material for BMG.
Martyn's Thunder and Rainbows (22nd Nov 2000)
The highly anticipated Martyn Joseph best of is to be titled Thunder and Rainbows: The Best We Could Find 1988-200. The collection comprises 33 songs spread across two CDs, two of which are new tracks: "This Is Us" and "Thunder and Rainbows". The latter is tipped to do well at radio in the build-up to the album's retail launch in January. The album will be available from December through Martyn's website and at shows on his forthcoming UK tour.
Andy and Iain on Tour (18th Nov 2000)
Andy Thornton and Iain Archer begin a short tour together next weekend, taking in London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Details in the gig guide. It remains to be seen whether Iain's new album will be available on the tour. A replacement has not yet been found for Andy Thornton as Greenbelt Festival manager.
IndigoEcho Up North (16th Nov 2000)
Clive Parnell, IndigoEcho front-man, has recently returned from Shetland, where he played a number of acoustic gigs. He reports that the local BBC radio station is playing the band's CD and that he played to over 900 people during his week there. Clive wants to know whether he holds the record for the most northerly gig played by an artist listed on Britlinks? IndigoEcho have also announced some special Christmas discounts on copies of their album One.
Steve Lawson Reviews and Gig (13th Nov 2000)
Steve Lawson, creator of the current indie of the month is playing at St. Luke's church in London on Friday 17th November along with Andy Thornton. Steve's album continues to receive good reviews. It is featured in this month's Bass Frontiers magazine and is soon to be reviewed in Bass Player and New Age Voice.
Major For Caroline? (12th Nov 2000)
Caroline Alexander's second single is to be released on December 8th. A double A-side featuring the tracks "I Don't Need You" and "Healed" (a cover of the Split Level song) is again produced by Dave Lynch. Caroline is half-way through a seven week spell in the studio recording six new tracks with producers Lionel Hicks and Tony Ritchie. The tracks are to be mixed in Germany by American producer Denis Ward for BMG and it is thought that they could form the basis of a major label deal next year. Caroline is playing one more live date this year.
Rodney and Rudolph Anniversary (11th Nov 2000)
Next year marks twenty years since Rodney Cordner and Jean-Pierre Rudolph first began playing together. The duo plan to celebrate this impressive anniversary with a series of concert tours playing material from throughout their two decades together. If you'd like to promote a concert, they'd love to hear from you. Keep an eye on the gig guide for details of gigs in the UK and Ireland. The pair also have a new album out called One Of The Few.
Urban Militia Compete (11th Nov 2000)
Urban Militia have won their first heat in the liveanduncut national bands contest run by vitaminic.com and are currently looking for more votes to boost their chances in the regional finals. You can check out some of their tracks and vote for them through the liveanduncut website.
Dust Back From Eastern Europe (09th Nov 2000)
Josh Jones played his last gig as bass player with Dust in September. He's subsequently been replaced by Birmingham-based Nicko. The band have been busy touring Poland, initially with death metal act "None" and later supporting "2 Timothy 2,3". The band are currently reviewing live footage recorded on their tour of the Czech Republic in March for a possible live album. They're also hoping to record some new tracks with producer Paul Burton in December.
Lots of Updates (15th Oct 2000)
We're having some connectivity problems here at Britlinks HQ, so sadly updates haven't been coming as quickly as we might have liked. Nevertheless the site has recently had quite a bit of work done to it, including improved band pages which now include forthcoming gigs and recent news stories, a revised "news search" feature for finding past news about a given band, a totally revised record labels section and a number of less prominent updates.
Superhero Live (15th Oct 2000)
Superhero were excited recently after 50 young people made commitments to Christ after one of their recent gigs in Merthyr Tydfil. The band have been working hard touring and are currently trying to prepare a number of short tours of England.
Dum Dums Welcome Broadband (10th Oct 2000)
On October 18th the Dum Dums will be playing a free gig at King Tuts in Glasgow, to be filmed exclusively for BT's Open World and webcast at a later date. This webcast will be the first ever Broadband Ondemans webcast of a gig in the UK. The band will be on stage between 10:00pm - 10:45pm, heading to the gig straight after supporting Robbie Williams across town. To be a member of the audience for the show, you'll need to e-mail your name and that of up to four guests to webmaster@dumdums.com
Chi2 on Later... (05th Oct 2000)
Violinist duo Chi2, made up of sisters Sarah and Liz Liew, will be joining Moby for his "Later With Jools" session broadcast this Saturday (7th October). Sarah will be doing some improv violin during the show. Chi2 are still working on their debut album collaborating with Scanner, si-cut.db and bitTonic (Sprawl Imprint) and Doppler 20:20 (Law and Auder) and some guest vocalists. They have also been working on a number of tracks for TV shows.
Caroline Alexander Playlisted (20th Sep 2000)
Currently preparing for a gig at Camden Dingwalls tomorrow night, which is being heavily plugged by Time Out, Caroline Alexander's debut single, Fake The Blame has been playlisted by Music Choice Europe, who are also planning to air an interview with Caroline soon. The release of her second single has been pushed back till 20th November to allow for more promotion of Fake The Blame.
Juliet Turner North American dates (04th Sep 2000)
After proving such a success at Greenbelt, Juliet Turner is off for a working holiday in the USA. While there she will be playing three concerts -- Arlene's Grocery, New York (9th September); The Living Room, New York (11th September); and Fremont Centre Theatre, S. Pasadena, California. Juliet plans to return to Ireland for some more gigs during the autumn before returning to the USA for two or three months at the start of next year.
Greenbelt Huge Success (30th Aug 2000)
This year's Greenbelt Festival which ended on Monday night has been hailed as a great success by organisers and regulars alike. The attendance of 9000 was double the number at last year's festival and the new site in Cheltenham stood up well to some adverse weather conditions on Friday night. This year's festival was also Andy Thornton's last as festival manager. He has decided it is time for him to move on and will stand down as soon as a replacement is found. Anyone interested in the role should contact the Greenbelt office for more information.
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