London
Track: Benjamin A.D. – Mandatory Mantra, plus visuals
Following on from Come my Way, which we fell for just a few short weeks ago, South London MC Benjamin A.D. returns with the similarly brilliant Mandatory Mantra, looking inside himself for the lyrical inspiration and focusing on his inner demons. Over this tumbling, slightly dark and twisted accompaniments, with sprawling drums and and this …
Track: Hey Sholay – Ribcage
Hey Sholay are a curious band, disappearing for months on end before returning with a song and show to remind us, with a gentle nudge and a peck on the cheek, that they’re still here. The mysterious five-piece have just released their second single of 2015, titled ‘Ribcage’, to accompany their one-off shows in London …
Live Reivew: Courtney Barnett – Kentish Town Forum, London 26.11.2015, plus Gallery
With her award-winning album ‘Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit’ appearing in most album of the year lists (including ours), Courtney Barnett’s appearance before a sold out Forum was obviously highly anticipated. For someone with so much momentum behind her, Barnett is refreshingly unassuming. When I first listened to the album …
Tracks: Escapists – Pyramid Scheme
Out on December 11th, and accompanied by a headline show at Birthdays in Dalston is the new single, Pyramid Scheme, from London quartet Escapists. The track has this almost dour shoegazeiness about it, brightened by Simon Glancy’s vocal, where he reaches for the stars, and with his almost ethereal falsetto accompanied by these guitar swirls …
See: FEMME release new video for ‘Gold’
London alt-pop darling FEMME has released a new slice of glittering pop with her new single ‘Gold’. It’s already been receiving love from the likes of Lauren Laverne, Stella McCartney and Annie Mac, and was written after supposedly spending many days watching ABBA videos and late nights dreaming of Shirley Bassey, according to FEMME. The …
Meet: Snowpoet interview
We get sent a lot of songs. An awful lot. But one of the ones that’s captured us more than nearly all of them recently was ‘Waves’ from the brilliant Snowpoet. It’s this drop dead gorgeous, lilting slice of indie-folk, that laps against you’re ears, all aching guitars and melancholy, before its liberally decorated by …
Win: Tickets to Dream Koala at Birthdays, Dalston 4.3.16
The ethereal beauty of French-Brazilian singer-songwriter/producer Yndi Ferreira, better known by his sept age name ‘Dream Koala’is coming to Birthdays in Dalston for a no doubt dreamy set on March 4th next year, and we have been given a couple of tickets to give away courtesy of those brilliant people over at Soundcrash. This year …
Meet: Coves interview
We’ve fallen for Coves, here on Backseat Mafia. The duo, Rebekah Wood and John Roffe Ridgard recently moved from Leamington Spa to the bright lights of London, and are preparing for the release of their new album, the follow up to Soft Friday, next year. They’ve heralded the news of that album with a track, …
See: Night Games release Video for “Signals”
Night Games is London electro duo Constance and Paul. They’ve been honing their craft behind closed doors for a while, until breaking out with their track ‘Nine Days’. Following on from that they’ve appeared live at London’s Lexington and today they release their new single, Signals. Slow burning and delicate, Signals shuffles along at the …
Track: Snowpoet – Waves
London folk collective Snowpoet are led by lyricist and vocalist Lauren Kinsella and Chris Hyson, backed up with Matthew Robinson, Nicholas Costley-White, Josh Arcoleo and Dave Hamblett. Ahead of the release of their forthcoming eponymous debut album, the band have released a little taster in the shape of a new single, Waves. Although dealing with …