Word by Jamie Reynolds

The Fox sombrely oozes out of my speakers as I start my journey through Dear Reader second album. Slowly each subtle tone filters and resonates all it’s beauty and penetrates me on a different cosmic level than I have experienced in a while. Dear Reader have an uncanny gift to sound ‘pop’ if I must stain them with that dirty word, however they do it with a certain style and class like no other current sensation loitering on our radio playlists at the moment. It’s the perfect intro for Idealistic Animals. Cheri holds back a touch on the opener and it’s this that really attracts me. It adds an extra bit of curiosity as to what this album is about to unfurl.

Monkey follows suit and stands out early on as a single that should be running constantly on airwaves around the world. I am not a fan of humming at the best of times but it works so well on this track. Add violins, piano and an intriguing guitar riff here and there and you have the perfect recipe for pure bliss.

I was a little apprehensive when first hearing that founding member Darryl Torr would be missing in the Dear Reader line up. However sad it is for members to come and go the band have still managed to hold on to everything I loved from “Replace Why With Funny” and have pushed their sound in so many new and exciting alleys. Quaint classic tones and melodies thrive on MacNeil’s vocals. She is the heart and soul of Dear Reader and with Idealistic Annimals she hits every note perfectly and effortlessly. Her vocal beauty is further enhanced with her flair for doing more than just writing thoughts to paper. Her lyrics are phenomenally enchanting and honesty sweep me off my feet. The words come right out of the music and tug at every heartstring possible. If there was honestly an artist I could fall in love with at first sound it would be Dear Reader and Idealistic Animals is just the right record to come into my life right now.

9.5/10

Released in 1997 through Beggars Banquet, the critically and commercially acclaimed album features singles ‘North Country Boy’, ‘One To Another’ and ‘How High’, all of which remain firm live favourites with fans.

These shows follow their retrospective ‘Some Friendly’ concerts in 2010 and marks 15 years since ‘Tellin’ Stories’ was released.

The Charlatans will be performing ‘Tellin’ Stories’ in full on the following dates:

FRIDAY 8TH JUNE 2012
LONDON HMV HAMMERSMITH APOLLO
0844 844 4748

SATURDAY 9TH JUNE 2012
GLASGOW BARROWLAND
0844 499 9990

Tickets go on sale Friday 9th December at 9.30am and can be purchased using the following websites and phone numbers:
0844 811 0051 / 0844 826 2826

Both Dear Reader and Laura Gibson are set to release their new albums on January 9th through City Slang, and with The Social’s intimate surroundings, it’s the perfect place to experience their new material and captivating live performances.

With her album ‘La Grande’, the thematic notion of aggressively taking matters into one’s own hands was at the front of Gibson’s mind, in which she also took on the task of transforming a 1962 Shasta trailer into a makeshift studio/private writing place.

The twin projects of restoration and transformation – all that sanding, painting and do‐it‐yourself problem solving – seeped into her music, a sometimes surreal blend of styles that doesn’t belong to any particular decade or genre, but leaves the listener with the distinct impression that something old has been repurposed in a brilliant new way.

Similarly, Dear Reader’s Cheri MacNeil underwent a dramatic change, taking a step back from the religion that was once so intrinsic to her way of life. In ‘Idealistic Animals’, she’s composed an album that examines the consequences of deciding that the very foundation on which one has built one’s life is worse than flimsy. MacNeil admits that she was once close to fanatical, but, at the start of her twenties doubts started to creep in and she began to reconsider her life’s course.

Laura Gibson releases her album ‘La Grande’ on January 9th and you can download the single of the same name here: http://soundcloud.com/cityslang/laura-gibson-la-grande.

Dear Reader releases ‘Idealistic Animals’ on January 9th and you can download ‘Bear (Young’s Done In)’ here: http://soundcloud.com/cityslang/dear-reader-bear-youngs-done

The third single to be lifted from the Top 12 album ‘England Keep My Bones’, ‘Wessex Boy’ encapsulates the album’s feeling of nostalgia, reminiscing about home towns and re-visiting cosy childhood memories after a long time away. Just added to the Radio 1 B-list, 6Music A-list and XFM daytime playlist it provides the perfect seasonal soundtrack as the winter nights draw in and attention is turned to going home for Christmas.

Looking towards 2012 and details of Frank Turner’s Friday the 13th at Wembley Arena can be announced. Having already sold well over half of the tickets Frank can take great pleasure to announce that the one and only Billy Bragg will be special guest, and the incomparable talents of Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip will open the show.
It’s going to be a corker!

Friday 13th April 2012 London Wembley Arena 0844 815 0815

Tickets are on sale: http://www.gigsandtours.com/?a=frank+turner&site=frankturner

Early next year will see the general release of Frank’s ‘Second Three Years’ – a collection of live tracks, sessions, cover versions, b-sides and lost songs from the past three years. Out on 16th January 2012 it features live recordings of the traditional folk song ‘Barbara Allen’ from Shepherd’s Bush and the show-stopping ‘Father’s Day’ from Union Chapel both in 2009; covers versions of Springsteen, Nirvana, NOFX and Flanders & Swann to name a few as well as session tracks from Radio 1 and the bonus tracks featured on the limited deluxe edition of ‘England Keep My Bones’.

Live reviews from UK headline tour:
“The singer-songwriter is finally graduating from a cult concern to a mainstream success.” Evening Standard 4/5

“For singer soon to headline Wembley Arena, Frank Turner has remained remarkably under the radar. That, you suspect is where the 29-year-old from Hampshire would be happy to stay. His fans, however are having none of it.” Times 4/5

“…the former Million Dead frontman turned rabble rousing solo singer songwriter inspires overhead handclaps and massed chants to every single song, and a phenomenal atmosphere of togetherness and unity.” Independent on Sunday

Reviews of ‘England Keep My Bones’:

“Turner proves himself an accomplished and impassioned storyteller. Stirring stuff.” Q 4 stars
“a fearless venture for an artist with something interesting to say” 8/10 NME
“The wonderfully titled England Keep My Bones’ features some of the finest songs Frank has yet written.” 4/5 Kerrang!

“One of the UK’s greatest songwriting talents…these songs will be soundtracking many of our lives for years to come.” Rocksound 9/10

“The high priest of protest song sings on.” Evening Standard 3/5

“Four albums into his solo career…”folk punk” man looks poised for a breakout beyond his loyal following.” Observer

“this is an exuberant yet quietly sophisticated triumph” BBC online

Announced this morning, the top-honour selection from the world’s #1 music store caps off a stellar year for the 3 piece who have adopted the UK as their second home.

The band are currently in the UK and will play 3 shows in London. On Monday 12th December they will play an acoustic set the last pop up gig of the year at the Book Club for Last.fm and HP. Entry is free as is their headline slot at the Wheelbarrow in Camden High Street on Tuesday 13th. Don’t miss these.

We Are Augustines will also perform as part of XFM’s sold out Winter Wonderland concert at Brixton Academy in London on Wednesday, December 14th, an evening that will also include performances from The Horrors, Band of Skulls, Kaiser Chiefs and The Maccabees.

Their much anticipated debut album Rise Ye Sunken Ships will be released March 5th 2012 on Oxcart Records and documents the most traumatic period of lead vocalist/guitarist McCarthy’s life in which he lost both his schizophrenic mother and his brother, James, to suicide. Watch this EPK featuring Billy McCarthy and Eric Sanderson discussing exactly what to expect from the album next year.

Having spent much of the past three or four months in studios both Stateside – with Dave Fridmann at his upstate New York Tarbox Road studio, sessions in Chicago with Steve Albini at his
EAR studio and London, writing and recording what will be their as yet untitled fifth album – the band return with an eagerly awaited burst of live activity.

The band look set to follow up 2009’s ‘Ignore The Ignorant’ sometime in the early part of 2012 and confirmed shows as follows which will doubtless see them airing new material alongside
all the old favourites.

February 28th London ULU
March 1st Edinburgh Liquid Room
March 3rd Leeds Metropolitan University

Tickets go on sale on Tuesday 13th December at 9.00am, priced at £20.00 (plus 0.60p charity donation) for the London show with Leeds / Edinburgh priced at £18.00 and available from
all usual outlets.

“There’s no fucking future for anyone but the privileged anymore, education needs to be for everyone, we need jobs, houses, and all they want us to do is pay our taxes, shut the fuck up and gratefully eat X-Factor. It makes me sick to my gut. Banker bonuses and politicians claiming thousands for their fucking duck ponds while they sweep the homeless off the streets and hose down where they’re sleeping, taking away benefits while two and a half million people are unemployed, leaving empty houses to rot and trying to outlaw squatting during a homeless crisis. There’s a battle going on and we’re part of it whether we like it or not. Cameron says, ‘in this together’, easy to say if you’re sitting on £30,000,000! He has no idea what life is like for the people he condemns, for the people he makes it most difficult for. He’s a fucking scumbag and I’ve had enough of it, I know I ain’t the only one either. I look around and I see resistance on every level. Call us what you like, striking workers, protesting students, rioting kids, the 99%, we are who we are, a product of a broken Britain being torn apart and yes, we are fucking angry – is anybody gonna fight back?” – Jonny ‘Itch’ Fox

Due for release on February 12th on digital download, the single will also include a live accapella version of ‘Five Bottles of Shampoo’ taken from the band’s recent triumphant performance at The Roundhouse, London – their biggest headline show to-date, as a b-side. Fans can also look forward to re-living the rest of that electric night in Camden as the whole gig looks set to become part of a forthcoming limited edition King Blues DVD.

The tracks were recorded at various studios in Stockholm, Sweden with producer Jacob Hellner, renowned for his work with Rammstein and Apocalyptica, and the Epicentre team of Fredrik Thomander and Anders Wikstrom (Scorpions, Backyard Babies). The album’s title track, ‘We Are The Others’ is an anthem for outsiders. For everybody who maybe chooses to look different, act different, or has chosen a different path in life than is expected by society and ‘the norm’.

Fronted by the fiery-tressed Charlotte Wessels, DELAIN is the brainchild of keyboardsman, Martijn Westerholt (brother of Within Temptation’s guitarist Robert Westerholt), and the band have generated quite a following for themselves with their previous visits to the UK, quietly shifting almost 20,000 records here.

In other news, Delain also embark on a European headlining tour in April, with support coming from Trillium, the metal project masterminded by American singer/songwriter Amanda Somerville.

The UK dates rack up as follows:

Sat 12th May – BIRMINGHAM HMV Institute II
Sun 13th May – SHEFFIELD Corporation
Tue 15th May – MANCHESTER Academy 2
Wed 16th May – LONDON Koko

Tickets are on sale now, from box offices, all usual agents and online at www.kililive.com. You can also pick them via at the credit card hotline on 0844 871 8803.

Words by Jamie Reynolds / Photos by Marcus Maschwitz

It’s been a long while since I randomly stumbled across a new band that I instantly love and never before has this happened before I even heard an actual full track of theirs … last week I was walking through St. Pancras train station and the trio that is We Were Evergreen were sound checking as part of the Station Sessions and I knew that I had to stay and watch them play.

I loved what they were doing and bought their EP which I have killed since trying to learn as much of the tracks that I could in preparation for their headline show tonight at The Borderline. The trio are from Paris and have just relocated to London to step up and focus on their music journey together. I really like these guys and because of this I was almost feeling worried for them wondering if people would actually end up coming through to this show. My worries were smashed right out the park when we arrived at the venue to find it EXTREMELY full with a mass of people ready to party … the secret I thought I had was out. I slotted in to the last gap available and 15 minutes later the trio took to the stage.

From the first note I am reminded of that amazing feeling that I got hearing them a week earlier in the station and I get excited for the next 50+ minutes of their set that is perfectly put together. The 3 band members have a connection to each other as well as the music they make that I can connect to with ease. I don’t know all of their tracks but my foot definitely taps along to all of them and everyone around me is dancing and clapping hands.

The three of them play a mass amount of instruments and use live looping to bring together the tracks throwing in a bunch of beat boxing and mouth sounds into the mix. I’ve never really seen anything like this before and all their music has a great feel to it with inspirations of happy days, nursery rhymes, love, dancing and days gone by … it’s really hard to pinpoint any one artist that they are like and I think this is only because their stuff is very unique.

We Were Evergreen are new to me but I know off the cuff, especially after tonight, that I am going to follow them for as long as they are around for. They’re the “cutest” and “nicest” of people and when the show ends I am left smiling along with the full house but then I realize that it might be a while until I get to see them play live again. It’s a pity.

Make sure to look these three up and try to see them live. I guarantee that anyone and everyone can fall in love with what they do … it’s easy.