After bowling over our fastidious panel of judges at London venue Heaven, the band were handed a whole host of money can't buy prizes. So since, the final back in May, what have the guys been up to? We caught up with one of Laurel Collective's two (yes two) front men Bob Tollast to find out...

So tell us about your Red Stripe Music Award experience.
"Well, we didn't expect to win, considering we were missing a member. We're blown away to find ourselves in front of a massive, psyched up crowd supporting The View, which was a prize in itself.

Further to that, all the bands in the last heat got to talk one to one with a panel of industry experts, who dished out some key advice on the raw realities of the biz, like don't let the record label take you out to lunch, or buy you lots of drinks and ask you to sign what looks like a big essay.

How did it feel when your name was called out at the final?
When XFM's John Kennedy announced we had won, we were over the moon and had no choice but to take him back stage for some celebratory passion- we literally had no choice, as it seems this is what it takes to get on the radio these days. Gigs at The Great Escape followed, with Marina and the Diamonds, the awesome little festival Blissfields and a weekend at Lovebox, where I had the most rock n'roll experience of my life so far: a ride in a golf buggy to the stage. We also won a load of Fender backline, which will no doubt come in handy when we have to sell our current instuments to buy food.

So what's next?
A single, Jellybird, is in the offing, as is a clutch of new material, where I am glad to say I managed to use the lyrics "soldering iron in my shed."  Because although I have never used a soldering iron, or owned a shed, I think it is a topic missing from a lot of current music.

We're now looking forward to what will be our second mini tour of the U.K, and I am especially psyched, because like an idiot, I have never been to Scotland...

What's been the best thing about 2010?
All in all, its fair to say winning the RSMA has made our year so far, put a new spring in our step and made us a lot more optimistic about the coming release."

Laurel Collective's new single 'Jellybird' is released in October.

19/08/10 - The Flowerpot (free entry), LONDON
04/09/10 - In the Woods
23/09/10 - The Railway, WINCHESTER
24/09/10 - Timepiece, EXETER
01/10/10 - The Harley, SHEFFIELD
02/10/10 - The Puzzle Hall, HALIFAX
06/10/10 - Captain's Rest, GLASGOW
07/10/10 - The Tunnels, ABERDEEN
08/10/10 - The Independent, SUNDERLAND
12/10/10 - The Lexington, LONDON

Proud owner of one of the biggest line-ups around, Sonisphere festival takes place from 30th July to 1st August and what are we going to do about it? Give you and a friend the chance to be there that's what! Aren't we lovely?

For your chance to win a pair of tickets, click here.

Join, and you'll be contribute to our weekly charts simply by listening to music using your computer (either via their website or with your own iTunes collection). It's that easy!

If you don't have an account yet, get one and you'll soon be treated to personal music recommendations, event listings in your area and the chance to pick up on a whole load of new music at the click of a button.

Sound good? Of course it does! Here's that link.

The iconic clothing brand will be hosting sets from 6.00pm every other Friday evening from 11th June until 10th September, adding a musical twist to your shopping experience.

Not content with offering you the chance to see some fantastic new bands for free, our good friends at Merc are offering you the chance to win £ 100 to spend while you're in there! And if that's not good enough, we'll throw in a crate of Red Stripe to help you enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Click here for your chance to win and be sure to check out Mercs Summer Sessions.

So, we've hooked up with the King of Caribbean cooking himself, Levi Roots, to give you the chance to bag yourself a whole host of his famous sauces and relishes, as well as a portable bucket BBQ and a crate of Red Stripe to keep the good vibes rolling.

Up for grabs is a selection of culinary goodies including Levi's now legendary Reggae Reggae Sauce and Reggae Reggae Tomato Ketchup, plus his new relishes - Reggae Reggae Relish and Mango & Chilli Relish, and the tantalisingly tasty Fiery Guava Dipping Sauce.

So grab this chance to impress your friends and put some music into your food with a sunshine infused culinary feast even if the sunshine evades you...

To enter, simply email us at comps@becomms.com with your favourite Jamaican food, recipe or eatery in the UK...

Headlining this fourth STRIPE night will be Texas's The Strange Boys, performing a special Saturday night show before playing on the main stage at Latitude Festival.

The band found acclaim across in the UK in late 2009, when their single 'Be Brave', taken from the album of the same name, landed plays across national radio. The record, coming out through Rough Trade, was championed as a breakthrough for a new wave of rockabilly, the band even being invited to play a showcase gig for Uncut Magazine this June. The bands sound, a sultry, 60's soulful scowl, is matched by support acts Spectrals, who having recently found themselves supporting Frankie and the Heartstrings and being talk of British new music festivals, also fall in a new camp of rock 'n' roll.

Joining them, and continuing their Red Stripe Music Award winning streak, is the Laurel Collective. They appear at STRIPE just hours after playing London's Lovebox festival, and off the back of performances at the Great Escape and Blissfields festival.

Colours and a host of DJ's complete the biggest night yet for STRIPE, a club night aimed at those whose ear is set firmly to the moshpit floor.

Tickets are £ 7.50 (advance) from TKTDROP.

Blissfields is an intimate and friendly festival for all ages in the heart of the Hampshire countryside. This really is a festival on a different scale to the big and commercial festivals of today, allowing people the chance to relax and enjoy the warm atmosphere and attractive surroundings.

With a list of great bands and artists as well as a large number of DJs, this will be a festival to remember. It's no wonder why weekend tickets are now sold out. So thanks to Red Stripe, you still have the chance to be there... To be in with a chance of winning tickets click here.

For more information on the festival, head to www.blissfields.co.uk

Finally, we've got a cracking little comp running for you to win tickets to the pre-gigs, a Fender guitar and other Red Stripe merch. Have a punt here.

The View, welcome! How's it feel being back on tour together?

It's great to be back on the road and in front of the fans. Life in the studio and life on the road are so different it makes for a wide variety of experiences.

Can you tell us a little about the venues you've played in recently? They are definitely more intimate than your last couple of tours in the UK...

The venues for the latest tour were intimate. We've been showcasing some new material and wanted to keep it more among the close fans. The back stages are really small, but it wasn't that many years ago we were playing the toilet tour for the first time. It's got a certain charm.

Do you enjoy the intimate nature of a small venue or do you feel you are best suited to the big stage?

Both big and small have different vibes. In terms of energy the smaller gigs are amazing. You can see the whites of the fans eyes and speak to them between the songs which makes every show a one off. Festival stages and big shows just sort of blow you away with amazement...

'Which Bitch?' was released over a year ago now. Do you have enough material ready for the next album?

Our problem is that we have too much new material. You can only have so many songs on the record and we've recorded over 40 demos which we're proud of so cutting tunes is going to be a nightmare. Like picking from your own children!

You've been showcasing new material in recent gigs. What sort of reception have you been getting from your fans?

I suppose it's always going to be weird when people don't know the words etc, they are more intent on listening than dancing about. That's why we chose the small intimate venues to help people connect better. In general, people are getting really excited by the new stuff.

Do you see yourselves as a live or recording band?

We have a great reputation as a live band but you can't really get to the live stage without having a good enough record to go on the radio so I'm happy to say both.

What do you think you guys would be doing if you weren't in a band?

Someone asked me in another interview, "what's it like doing your dream job?" I answered, "I wanted to be an astronaught, rockstar came 2nd." To be honest there wasn't a choice for us. It was either death or glory!

Nowadays there is a demand for a new band every day. How do you feel about the industry at the moment?

People are always giving it doom and gloom about the music industry these days. It doesn't mean that much to us because we're still enjoying playing music in front of people as much as we ever did. Bands should be concentrating on their music instead of constantly going on about the state of the business. They should leave that to their managers...

What advice can you give to new aspiring artists or bands, like our finalists, wanting to break the music scene?

Always be true to yourself... Never compromise what your music means to you as a person or you won't be real to yourself or your fans.

What was the last gig you went to Kieren?

An acid house rave in Central London. It was really mental...

Do you drink Red Stripe (say yes or it's over)??

Yes indeed... And not just 'cause you work for them...

Which band are you loving at the moment?

Gogol Bordello. they are in the UK on tour in May.

Thanks Kieren... It's a pleasure and we'll be seeing you and the lads at the Final.

The Final of the Red Stripe Music Award 2010 takes place at Heaven in Charing Cross on Wednesday 28th April.

Patrick James Pearson, Come on Gang!, The Laurel Collective and Hold Fast have been confirmed as the finalists for the evening.

We're offering the chance to win a signed guitar and other gifts to early punters to the Final. If you haven't applied for a free ticket then head to the homepage www.redstripe.net.

Picked from over 150 bands that have played around the UK since January 09, here are some comments from the panel:

PATRICK JAMES PEARSON (Truro) www.myspace.com/patrickjamespearson

Patrick is influenced by everything from Iggy Pop, Ivor Cutler and Marnie Stern and has been creating a storm in his home county of Devon over the last couple of years. He has gain an intrepid support playing throughout the south west.

"Patrick James Pearson stood out for his quirky charisma, the indelible indie-pop hooks of his songs loaded with an energetic tongue-in-cheek delivery. I wish him all the best at the final - if anything, his looks like it might be the most attention-grabbing performance of the evening..." Niall Doherty (The Fly Magazine)

COME ON GANG! (Edinburgh) www.myspace.com/comeongangmusic

Forming at Edinburgh art school in 2007, the 3 members of Come on Gang! have been writing music they want to hear on a night out - "infectious, melodic, punk guitars and words that bear another listen."

"Having played at SXSW last year as well as other top festivals, Come on Gang! are a force to be reckoned with. Their breed of power pop is definitely infectious and the vocals ensure that you'll want to listen again." Jon Mcildowie (Mama Group)

HOLD FAST (Portsmouth) www.myspace.com/holdfast

Over the last year, Hold Fast has supported the likes of White Lies, Polly Scattergood, The Joy Formidable, Grammatics and Pulled Apart By Horses as well as headlining shows in their own right around Portsmouth.

"Hold Fast drew my attention straight away. The song 'Jaws' is a ripping 80s track full of distinct melodies and strong underlying music. They've toured with a great list of acts in the past and this demonstrates what a live music force they really are. The team at Red Stripe can't wait to see them perform at the final." Paul Brazier (Red Stripe)

LAUREL COLLECTIVE (Manchester) www.myspace.com/thelaurelcollective

Collective by name and by composition also, this six-piece comprise members hailing from Wales, England Nigeria and Italy. The Laurels are a genre trashing band led by the twin attack and contrasting vocals of front men Martin Sakutu and Bob Tollast.

"What caught our particular attention with Laurel Collective was the song writing the vocals and guitars already had a great style in melody and direction, but when used alongside other less common instruments/sounds it really did create an exciting and original dynamic. Bands like this who are pushing in different directions and trying something new are definitely deserving of a helping hand to get where they deserve and see what they can achieve."

Simon Barbour Brown (SuperVision Management)

Deciding on which of the four finalists will be crowned this year's winner and playing slots at 3 top UK festivals (The Great Escape, Lovebox and Blissfields) will be Ollie Hodge from Columbia Records and David Mogendorff from MTV. 3 other judges will be announced shortly.

Scottish indie rockers, The View, will be finishing the night off in style and there will be an special guest performance from last year's winner Ben Howard, who has been touring non-stop across the world. There will be an opportunity to win a signed guitar from the View for the first 100 through the door.

Check out more info at www.redstripe.net where you can win tickets to the Great Escape, a brand new Fender guitar and Merc Clothing.

The Red Stripe Music Award is supported this year by The Fly Magazine, The Great Escape, Fender, Merc Clothing, Arising Artist and Last FM. The winner will receive Merc and Fender gear as well as great packages from Arising Artist and Last FM.

The shortlist of 20 bands that impressed throughout the regional gigs is as follows with 2 hours worth of free consultancies being awarded to each by Arising Artist.

With slots at three of the summer's major festivals including The Great Escape guaranteed for the winner, The Red Stripe Music Award looks to offer talented musicians a platform to get themselves noticed by both the public and the industry. Also on offer is Fender equipment, Merc gear, as well as a great package from Last FM.

Red Stripe's Paul Brazier comments: "The Red Stripe Music Award is a celebration of every thriving live music scene across the country. The quality of the bands this year has been outstanding which is why it's so important for us to have a band like The View involved at the final. The View has stood apart from the very beginning with their raucous and energetic style of music. After seeing them a while back we knew they'd be perfect for the Red Stripe Music Award final."

Tickets to the Red Stripe Music Award final on Wednesday 28^th April are now available on a first come first serve basis via www.redstripe.net

There will be a signed Fender guitar for early entrants to the Final.

Visit www.redstripe.net to see reviews and footage from the regional gigs and for regular updates about the final.

The Red Stripe Music Award is supported this year by Fender, Merc clothing, The Fly magazine, Last FM, Arising Artist and The Great Escape.

Visit www.redstripe.net to see reviews and footage from the regional gigs and for regular updates about the final and check out more The View news http://www.theviewareonfire.com/

Win a Case of Beer!

Get yourself down to a Red Stripe Music Award gig and take in some sights as well as the sounds for your chance to win a case of Jamaican lager beer. Capture footage of a stellar performance, an interview with one of the bands or even your personal review of the night and upload to Red Stripe's Fan TV on www.muzu.tv/redstripe.

If your clip makes it onto the main player on Red Stripe's home page then expect a nice surprise in the form of 24 cold cans of lager!

Now in its 15th year, the Awards are voted for entirely by British film fans. The nominations are chosen by readers of Empire Magazine who cast their votes via the magazine's website.

Two of the biggest and most revered action/thriller directors lead the way in this year's Awards with James Cameron's Avatar and Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds each garnering five nominations. Academy Award-nominated dramas proved equally popular with the multi-BAFTA Award-winning The Hurt Locker and District 9 receiving four nominations each whilst Up In The Air and An Education each receive three nominations.

In the running for the coveted position of Best Film (presented by Sony) are Avatar, Star Trek, District 9, Inglourious Basterds and The Hurt Locker.

Harry Brown, Sherlock Holmes and Inglourious Basterds all feature in the Best Actor category (presented by Citroen) with nominations for Sir Michael Caine and Robert Downey Jr. They are joined by Christoph Waltz with his Academy Award-nominated performance in Inglourious Basterds, Sam Worthington in Avatar and Robert Pattinson in New Moon.

The past year has also given movie fans a dazzling array of performances by a new generation of leading ladies. Zoe Saldana for her motion capture work in Avatar as Best Actress, alongside Carey Mulligan's superb performance in An Education. They are joined by Emily Blunt in the title role of The Young Victoria, Melanie Laurent as vengeful refugee Shosanna Dreyfus in Inglourious Basterds and Anne-Marie Duff for her acclaimed performance as John Lennon's mother in Nowhere Boy.

Avatar and Inglourious Basterds see directors James Cameron and Quentin Tarantino go head to head for the coveted title of Best Director alongside Neil Blomkamp for District 9, JJ Abrams for Star Trek and Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker.

This has been another fantastic year for British filmmaking as reflected by nominees in many of the categories. The nominees for the Best British Film Award include Daniel Barber's Michael Caine thriller Harry Brown, Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Lone Scherfig's An Education, Sam Taylor-Wood's directorial debut Nowhere Boy and Armando Iannucci's political satire In The Loop (also nominated for Best Comedy).

The awards continue to acknowledge and celebrate the emergence of new talent. This year's nominees for Best Newcomer are: Carey Mulligan for her BAFTA Award-winning role in An Education, Aaron Johnson for his performance as a young John Lennon in Nowhere Boy, Sharlto Copley in District 9, Anna Kendrick for her roles in Up In The Air and New Moon, and Katie Jarvis in the critically acclaimed Fish Tank.

Cinemagoers were kept in stitches by films such as the hit buddy movie The Hangover, the Coen Brothers' A Serious Man, In The Loop and George Clooney's dual roles in The Men Who Stare At Goats and Up In The Air - all of which are nominated for the Best Comedy Award.

Meanwhile, the Best Horror nominees that saw filmgoers cringing in their seats comprise of Tomas Alfredson's Let The Right One In, Oren Peli's terrifying Paranormal Activity, Ruben Fleischer's comedy horror Zombieland, Chan-wook Park's Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize winning Thirst and Sam Raimi's return to form, Drag Me To Hell.

The Best Thriller category sees Harry Brown and Michael Mann's Public Enemies up against Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker and Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr.

Finally, Duncan Jones' Moon, JJ Abrams' Star Trek and James Cameron's Avatar will go up against Neil Blomkamp's District 9 and Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus for Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy film.

With some of the most hotly tipped new artists playing alongside some of the greatest bands of recent years, our incredible line-up includes: Groove Armada, Chase And Status, Broken Social Scene, The Walkmen, The Big Pink, Delphic, Ellie Goulding, These New Puritans, Marina & The Diamonds, Wild Beasts, The Slits, The Fiery Furnaces, Blood Red Shoes, Hurst, Everything Everything, General Fiasco, Band of Skulls, The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster, slow Club, Stornoway, Eskimo Joe, Crystal Fighters, Chew Lips, I Blame Coco and many many more...

To check out the full line-up so far see www.escapegreat.comSingle day and combined tickets are now available from 22.50 to order your tickets. 3 day saver tickets are currently on sale for only 55 pounds. For tickets go to www.escapegreat.com/buytickets

The Great Escape is only round the corner. Are you going to be there? To get your 3 day tickets for 55 pounds http://tiny.cc/mb99f

'Ming Ming and the Ching Chings' was the first band on stage at the Box.  With a bassist ready to knock you out with some unreal riffs and a guitarist/vocalist putting together the song with awesome melodies, the local band played some hard hitting garage indie punk in fist clenching style.

On a small stage you wouldn't think there'd be room for 9 ska skankers, however 9 piece 'Esperanza' did just that.  The atmosphere was electric and the crowd simulated a heavy metal mosh pit for some really great ska tunes.  Think Imperial Leisure meets the Specials, 'Esperanza' were on top form and helped everyone out to a taste of what they're all about.

'The Deals' have been together since 2008 and their music was indie to its true form.  They managed to blend a bit of everything in their set and it worked.

Finally 'The Tenemants' took to the stage with the whole crowd catering for every word.  The band knows its fans and played a thrilling set of Scottish folk with the audience singing along with every word.  With smiles on their faces and great tunes, it was a proper end to a quality evening in Scotland.

First up on stage was 'Hail Animator'.  Having met whilst studying at the Leeds College of Music, this impressive group of lads played a set of great hard hitting indie music with a progressive edge and they belted their songs out.  With plans set out for the rest of the year, we're looking forward to hearing more from the band.

'Merry - Go' was next on stage to follow.  The band from Wakefield has been together since 2006, and it's their workhorse ethic that's given the band much to be proud of.  The tight set consisted of booming songs in the same vein as Green Day with influences notable in classic rock.  Definitely a good bunch of guys ready for the big time!

 'The Nice Sharp Pencils' have been causing a storm and even have fans in the likes of Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens.  The duo consisting of a bassist/vocalist and drummer got some great props for their ability to power out hard riff rock with only 2 members.

Finally closing the show were the lads of 'Silverlode' who describe themselves as a four headed skiffle prog pop band.  All hailing from Leeds, the dynamic group played some great tunes which sounded like a dirtier version of Elbow being played in a massive steam train.

A good night for the Red Stripe Music Award!

The Red Stripe gig series is set to run every weekend until late March 2010 with a final at a great London venue scheduled for April 29^th.

With slots at three of the summer's major festivals including The Great Escape guaranteed for the winner, The Red Stripe Music Award provides unknown bands and artists with a suitable platform and promotional support working with local promoters, press and music specialists.  Winners will also be receiving support from Arising Artists, Merc and Fender as well as some great help from Last Fm.

Make sure you are keeping tabs of the latest news from the Red Stripe Music Award.  Coming up we have the shortlisted 20 bands who will be offered major consultancies from Arising Artists, and the announcement of the finalists and headliner for the Final.  We've still got quite a few regional gigs left though!

Every band who has applied for the Red Stripe Music Award will also be offered a 10% discount from 'Arising Artists'. 

Paul Brazier heads up the Red Stripe team and is thrilled to be working with Arising Artist.  "The Red Stripe Music Award is about providing emerging artists with an appropriate platform to be heard. Working with the consultants at Arising Artist will only help us achieve that goal and ultimately empower musicians everywhere."

The Red Stripe Music Award is supported this year by Fender, Merc clothing, The Fly magazine, Arising Artists and The Great Escape.

Please also see www.muzu.tv/redstripe for footage from all the gigs so far.

If you haven't already, make sure you enter our competition for your chance to win The Great Escape tickets, a Fender guitar and Merc clothing!!

First up was Carrie Mac, delivering an impressive acoustic extravaganza.  She belting out raw, power vocals that make her stand out from the crowd, supported by Harry on guitar.  With Tracey Chapman-esque undercurrents, she put everything into her performance of favourite song "Home".

Next up were two piece The Fire & I.   Not for the faint-hearted, they smacked the crowd right in the face with an original, turbo charged performance of bass and drum skills. Making as much noise and impact as a band double their size, these two guys have moulded an aggressive, distinctive sound with impressive drum stick throwing skills to boot! 

Pose Victorious took to the stage next, a five strong Scottish crew delivering an enthusiastic and energetic indie performance.   These loveable guys delivered a tight performance and catchy lyrics to ear pleasing effect while their front-man controlled the stage with confidence. 

Come on Gang followed, a three piece taking the vibe in a different direction.  They delivered an infectious and energetic set, packed full of great melodies mixing up powerful rock and punk drums, bass and guitar with folky vocals.  Front-woman Sarah's gutsy vocals shined and they delighted the crowd with their entwined sounds, a stonking set packed full of great tunes.

Last by no means least were Banana Sessions , a unique, quirky band keeping everyone on their toes and tapping their toes.  They delivered a great set of highly original material, swopping a bass guitar for a oompah oompah tuba and distinctive flute blowing and melodica.  The crowd lapped up their material, changing their rhythm and tempo throughout, while their Prodigy Medley was one to remember and a big hit with revellers.  Finishing the Edinburgh showcase of the Red Stripe Music Award on a high note, a great band to watch!

Another great showcase of emerging bands at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh.

First up were local boys 'Kosmo Kings', who were a sure fire pop rock beauty.  Their songs were driven by great melodic vocals and enhanced by a great band whose tight set really lit up the eyes of everyone in the crowd.  A great set of songs which are all still stuck in my head in a good way.

'GirlFriday' were a great fit for the jazz and soulful venue.  Fronted by some big vocals and stylish sense of their front woman and also some great backing tracks behind the band, the songs were well written and another nice addition to the line up.

Indie rockers 'Casitas' were immense fun.  From awesome lyrics like 'She's a Rah' about a girl wearing Jack Wills and Abercrombie and a great companionship between the band, the crowd found themselves really into their melodic and boyish tunes. 

Things weren't about to die down since 'The Adventures of' were next to hit the stage.  The concept band which mould themselves on Sergeant Peppers, were a fantastic tribute to the night.  With big songs and a great stage presence, Exeter was duly ecstatic.  A Rocking end to the night!

First up on stage was acoustic turned percussive guitar player 'Sam Naylor.'  Born and raised in Cornwall, the songwriter has been wowing crowds in the area and brought with him a good number of fans.  His clever song writing and amazing guitar plucking ability gave the night a great start with a warming and atmospheric set of covers and original songs.

 'The People's String Foundation' project all started a few years ago on a narrow boat in Bath and since then the collective of musicians has amassed over 350 gigs.  Their set sounded like a mini orchestra with all the musicians fully capable of playing some great styles with true ability.  It was a set list of Jazz and Classical music played with smiles and passion which fully moved the emotions of the crowd.

'Patrick James Pearson' was the 3^rd to get up onto the stage.  The self titled one man band has recorded a good number of songs with almost every instrument played by himself.  There will definitely be some great moments of Patrick in the future.  His music and vocals were a mixture of influences which span four or five decades, the song writing was immense and he was a great credit to the Red Stripe Music Award.

Next up was Wadebridge based Lioness to showcase their music to the Truro crowd.  The band have recently gone through a change of genre from metal to melodic rock and now their riff based songs carry a soulful and Oasis-esque quality to them.  It was a good set of tunes fully enhanced by the qualities of all the musicians.

Finally electro pop songsters 'Marble Fairy' finished off the night.  The entire Bunters venue turned into a mosh pit of disco dancers fully enthralled by the vocal duo of Molly and Louise.  Wearing glittery blue make up as a stripe across their eyes and outfits that Abba would be proud of, the pair created a real frenzy and rocked (or popped) the night away.   Followed by great musicians, this is an act to most certainly look out for in the future.

First up was Lee Broderick, who left his band behind tonight to deliver an impressive acoustic set with strong and powerful vocals, certainly a talented singer songwriter.

Next up were The Lupin Thieves, a confident 4 piece delivering an enthusiastic half hour of indie rock, led by frontman Terry and his unusual voice.

A dynamic, footstomping performance next from threesome The Sterlings.  This  pop punk outfit packed out the place and completely nailed it with a tight set of catchy, fast tunes that totally rocked the floor.

Wirral based Ashville took the night in a different direction with their jazzy pop set infused with blues undercurrents.  Even with a man down due to sickness, they reshuffled their order to deliver a strong set.

Pristeen were up next, a  4 piece who delivered a strong melodic and poignant set and engaged and bantered with the crowd throughout.  Loveable frontman Paul has a powerful edgy voice, plus some great harmony trios from these guys who delivered some winning tunes.

Last but not least were Ellis and the Cardinals, delivering a super charged performance of moulded pop punk.  Dressed to thrill in Smiffey's costumes, their fans lapped up their energy, leaping onto the stage and around the dance floor.

First up was Andy Crawford, a singer songwriter from Wigan, just back from a three month stint in LA, who delivered an impressive acoustic set with powerful vocals.

Next up were The Novacaines, an alternative indie 4 piece, who delivered a tight confident and enthusiastic half hour set making their presence felt with some seriously catchy tunes and guitar riffs and great linear drums.

The Dandretta were up next, an indie/rock/pop foursome who delivered an engaging performance going from strength to strength and working the crowd with their universal rock and roll appeal.

Last but by no means least were Blackburn based New York Tourists, a top band well on form who hit the ground running, making their presence felt with a highly polished performance throughout.  The crowd lapped them up - certainly an alternative indie band with a big future.

The Standards

Visceral pop things The Standards have been getting high praise from debut single 'Out of the Fire', praised indeed for ominous guitar flailing and Cash-like warbling, catapulting a humbling, mesmeric chorus with chantful vocal snarl. They write music like the past few years of indie cool never happened, sounding like the watchful uncles of all that's good in 2010 rock, with a smoky nod to anti-hipsters. There are clear elements of their inter-band North / South divide as the cheeky Newcastle sentiment is laced over London chic, the result being a discerning manoeuvre of bluesy, over-the-top pop romance.

Recommended Track

Gaggle 'I Hear Flies' (Transgressive Records)

When this all-girl choir played our Stripe club night last year there was more than the faintest flicker which would suggest an awesome 2010 for them. Now with a debut single coming out on our good friends Transgressive Records, 'I hear Flies' is an example of the bands primitive, almost tribal approach to vocals and song-making. Acerbic and sharp, it&rsquos a devastatingly raw and unnerving track about an indignant drunk, with a clattering cavalcade of noise behind it. Epic, dear readers. Epic.

To kick off the evening in the back room was 'The New Root' fronted by Trish Boothby.  The 4 piece power group delivered a melodic and powerful set even tempting the Croft crowd with bars of chocolate.  Having just finished off their album, the band is set to storm the rest of the UK showcasing their music prowess and emotive song writing.

Moving swiftly to the front bar, 'Diego' was already tuned up and introducing their first song.  Melodies coupled with powerful harmonies made for an intriguing set of well sung and played tunes.  With a new lead guitarist ripping into his Fender, the band is looking forward to recording a new EP and touring as much as possible. 

'Substatic', fronted by the eagle feather wearing Colleen Quinn was the next up on the big stage at the Croft.  This band really impressed, through the amazing and captivating performance of their lead girl.  Her voice was superb and ripped through the tuneful electro beats.  This act is sure to maintain a great following and fan base with their electric live shows.  I'm predicting big things for the Substatic future.

There's nothing like some good ol' fashioned blues rock to create an atmosphere.  Duo 'Scarlet Rascal and the Trainwreck' are led by vocalist and guitarist Luke and powered by Maya on the drums.  They made a devil out of the Croft crowd.  Following the duo was 6 piece genre smashing funk electro hip hop act 'Syte and the Sound'.  They definitely have the commercial appeal.  Ivy Cairo tore up the place with her cool and sexy style topped by some smart rhymes and instrumentals.

With the night nearly at its end, you'd begin to think we'd need an acoustic artist to cool the night down.  'The Ruckus Collective' was nothing of the sort and it was their turn to make a party of the night.  A hectic performance of sax, guitars and awesome MCing producing heavy energy with a punk attitude and one hell of a way to finish the 2nd night of the Red Stripe Music Award tour.  

Time to go to sleep and get ready for another night of great acts in Cardiff!!!

With one band down due to illness, it was down to the 3 other bands to pull in the punters and put on an exciting night.  This night wasn't to be the eclectic line up had in Bristol, but a perfect example of good rock in all its glory.

First on the bill are alt rockers 'The Committed.'  The band comes from near Swansea in South Wales and the guys have been enjoying some great success lately.  It's not hard to see why!  Their music is tight and loud, and the vocals are matched by powerful emotive chords which you could expect to hear on XFM anytime soon.  'The Committed' are 4 guys who love to listen, play and write music together and we're with them all the way.

Cardiff is creating a friendly and warming atmosphere at the Barfly and we're now anticipating 'Touchfinder'.  The 3 piece start their set by thanking the previous band for putting on such a great show.  The 'Touchfinder' guys are a little older than the band before but with no less energy or power.  Bringing an energetic fan base full of roar, the Neath metallers brought outstanding noise and rocked the Barfly to its core.  They truly shook the place up and I'm still singing along to 'Way Out'.  Recently quoted by a magazine as 'big riffs and sing-along choruses', I definitely second that!

Finally, the 'Alex Dingley Band' took to the stage.  The indie pop group were a man down this evening although it didn't affect their performance one bit.  Their folk infused indie pop was infectious from start to finish and the camaraderie between members was great to see.  The tuneful harmonies of Swci gave the songs added beauty and it was a fine way to finish off the 3rd leg of the Red Stripe tour.

Look out for these bands touring the country in your area soon!

Balearic-electro-folk-jazz 3 piece, Tom Eno kicked things off beautifully.  With classically trained Tom playing Spanish guitar with sounds reminiscent to Rodrigo & Gabriela alongside some seriously funky acid jazz percussion and soulful vocals, dreamy.

On to something a tad more full on.   A four piece rock band from Brighton, Dolphin Parade banging out big rock riffs, harmonies and something about a Trilogy of Happiness, a collective of, 3 (it's a trilogy!) tracks that signifies true happiness Hot Food, Sleep After Sex and of course Money!  Mine would be beer, beer and beer but that's just me.

3rd on the line up were Girl/boy/girl trio Something Beginning with L with their synth-pop sweetness and catchy melodies, which soon had the packed out crowd singing and swaying.

Last but by no means least were The Helmholtz Resonators.  These guys look like they're straight from the set of Sherlock Holmes with their curly moustaches, pocket watches and waistcoats.  Playing electronic rock to psychedelic pop these guys have a whole host of kit from electronic gadgets to a xylophone & all of which they rotate between them so they each get to play the drums!  These guys are fun to watch and great to listen to with their catchy tunes, they soon had the crowd in a frenzy all of whom donning their own penned on moustaches. 

Tickerty boo old chaps!

THE 2010 CONFIRMED DAYTIME LINE UP

COMEDY:
The Fix > Camden Fringe > Myster General & Friends

SPOKEN WORD:
LitroLive! > Poejazzi > Bookslam > One Taste

THEATRE:
Grand Theft Impro > The Magic Bandwagon > SKIPtheatre

VISUAL ARTS & CRAFTS:
Craftacular > Grafik Warfare > Poster Roast > Stitch London

LIVE MUSIC:
Andy Ross Presents > Fierce Panda Showcase > Hawley Arms Sessions > Hoochinoo > Island Records Boat & BBQ Party > The Lantern Society > Loose Records Showcase > Rock A Hula > Red Stripe Busking Sessions

INTERACTIVE EVENTS & GAMES:
Bring & Share Musical Bingo > Hip Hop Karaoke > Karauke > Ringo: Music Bingo > Moshi Moshi Pop Quiz > Rough Trade Pop Quiz > Scrabble Sunday > Who Killed Bambi?

For full listings go to www.thecamdencrawl.com/hosts

The Crawl daytime schedule of events programme kicks off from midday on both Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd May and runs until 6:00 pm when the evening live music Crawl extravaganza embarks. Upon arrival at the festival each ticket holder will be presented with an all-access wristband, programme guide, timetable and free download album to help plot his/her day's adventure. 'Crawlers' will be granted unlimited access to all official daytime and evening venues and parties capacity permitting.

The evening line-ups are selected by a committee of music industry tastemakers, including radio DJs, club promoters, journalists and record labels and will begin being announced in late January.

Weekend tickets for the Gaymers Camden Crawl 2010 are on sale now at www.thecamdencrawl.com. For each of these tickets purchased, the Crawl will donate £2.00 to War Child (registered charity no: 1071659).

Ellie Goulding

Brit Awards are usually the preserve of established multinational pop stars almost exclusively for the red carpet brigade with as many trophies as assistants. It's astonishing, then, that 22-year-old Ellie Goulding bagged the Critics' Choice Prize this year without as much as a top 40 hit to her name. Looks like the judges have again picked wisely again, though: Goulding follows in the footsteps of Adele and Florence And The Machine to take the title, but her work is more in the Little Boots vein of chart-straddling electro-pop. The brilliantly infectious debut single 'Under The Sheets' earned her a Radio 1 playlist and Jools Holland appearance towards the end of last year, but that looks set to be just the start for the latest in the line of UK pop princesses.

Ellie Goulding - Myspace

Free Energy

"Have a good time, all the time" is Philadelphia quintet Free Energy's carefree manifesto, and it's this sense of fun that's at the heart of everything they do. Recalling the likes of Cheap Trick, their tunes are hook-filled slices of party-punk, each sounding like it's a contender for the next American Pie soundtrack album. It's something of a surprise, then, to learn that they've been produced by LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, and that they're signed to his DFA imprint - a label renowned for its dancefloor-based punk-funk sound. With tunes the size of theirs, though, genres are almost redundant: Free Energy will be shockingly huge.

Free Energy - Myspace

Local Natives

Looking for the band most likely to 'Do A Fleet Foxes' in 2010? Look no further, because we have 'em right here for you. Los Angeles troupe Local Natives make exactly the kind of lovely Americana-infused folk-pop that had us all falling head over heels for Pecknold and co. last year - and then some. Described by The Guardian as being "Like Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes and Arcade Fire in one hairy package, Local Natives' sound is, in a sense, almost _too_ perfect - cynics have questioned whether this is some clever piece of marketing a beardy X-Factor-alike, but fear not: Local Natives were unsigned until quite recently, and they still all share an apartment in their hometown of Silver Lake.

Local Natives - Myspace

Everything Everything

Manchester-based band Everything Everything are something of a curveball in this list. They've come from seemingly nowhere over the past year to capture the imagination of critics everywhere - brilliant singles like 'My Kz, Ur Bf' (think XTC covering Prince) and 'Photoshop Handsome' have helped, but theirs is a sound that's developed through sheer imagination and songwriting ingenuity in the studio as opposed to relentless gigging and trumpet blowing. Expect the latter to change in 2010, though, as the band recently penned a deal with the super-massive Geffen imprint. Theirs is a perfectly-crafted, harmony-led pop sound that looks set to penetrate the charts sooner rather than later.

Everything Everything - Myspace

The Drums

You've got to hand it to The Drums, the timing of their 'Summertime!' EP - which dropped slap bang in the middle of a freezing cold Britain - was absolutely perfect. See, it's clinically proven that it's even easier to fall in love with sunkissed, harmony-stuffed summer-pop when you're packing thermals at the start of a bleak winter. Its lead single 'Let's Go Surfing' is a perfect approximation of what's so special about this band, marrying as it does an eminently danceable Factory Records-esque bassline with breezy surf-pop melodies, but they've tunes to spare if their debut is anything to go by. Catch them on the NME tour in February, before they go silly-big.

The Drums - Myspace

Check out the first installment of our New Music tips for 2010 here, featuring Jesca Hoop, Esben and The Witch, Delphic, Joy Orbison and Pulled Apart by Horses.

Jesca Hoop

Tom Waits has always had an ear for a star, and he's cherry picked one in the making here indeed, Waits' long term patronage has helped his former nanny to forge a rather accomplished music career of her own. And childcare's loss is certainly our gain! New to UK listeners but a known quantity in the States, Hoop's idiosyncratic vocal style and kooky arrangements have already attracted favourable comparisons to Tori Amos, Kate Bush and Regina Spektor. If the critics were right and 2009 was the year of the girl, then on this evidence that trend looks set to continue in 2010.

Jesca Hoop - Myspace

Esben And The Witch

This hotly tipped Brighton-based trio (Daniel Copeman, Rachel Davies and Thomas Fisher) made one of 2009's best debut EPs in the shape of '33', and, with a new single due early next year on the Too Pure imprint, their star only looks set to rise over the next twelve months. That they take their name from a Danish fairytale involving cruelty and ritual slaughter is appropriate theirs is a dark, literate sound that imagines what 'Kid A' would sound like if Portishead recorded it. Yep, that good. Expect very big things next year from this lot.

Esben and The Witch - Myspace

Delphic

Manchester music has always had a close and productive relationship with guitars (Oasis, The Smiths, The Stone Roses - etc etc), but let's not forget the massive contribution the city has made to electronic music over the years. Delphic haven't, and there's a fair similarity between their synth driven dance-rock and the music of local scene Godfathers New Order. This heady concotion of live instrumentation and floor filling beats, best exemplified on recent singles 'Counterpoint' and 'Doubt', looks set to make their debut album 'Acolyte' - released on January 11th - the first big record of 2010.

Delphic - Myspace

Joy Orbison

The Dubstep genre is fast becoming the new year's Grime, and by that we mean a hard, leftfield oriented style of dance music crossing over into mainstream conciousness. As demonstrated last year by the popularity of scene stalwart Skream's monstrous remix of La Roux's big hit 'In For The Kill', its underground roots are about to be left firmly behind. Somewhere near the forefront of that is South London producer Peter O'Grady - Joy Orbison - whose superlative debut single 'Hyph Mngo' was responsible for igniting much interest in the genre towards the tail end of 2009.

Joy Orbison - Myspace

Pulled Apart By Horses

This Leeds quartet spent pretty much the entirety of the last twelve months on the road honing their live craft (including tours with Biffy Clyro and Future Of The Left), and it's left them in possession of the most exciting rock show in the country. Comprising blood, sweat and tunes aplenty, their chaotic punk-rock consistently devastates every audience they play to. If you haven't seen them yet, you really need to address that ASAP. With a debut album in the can and ready for release soon, 2010 looks set to be - in their own words, from past single 'Meat Balloon' - awesome and radical.

Pulled Apart By Horses - Myspace

Full of great acts upstairs and downstairs and plenty of mince pies to add, Red Stripe are putting on a great show for all you music fans.

The line up includes David E Sugar, Hoodlums, Foxy Shazam and Them Changes as well as numerous acoustic acts and DJs.

To win a pair of tickets, simply answer the following question:

This Friday, sees local indie pop band Shakeys Brother perform at the Attic.  Incredibly they have recently won two Grammy nominations...  That's right, two Grammy nominations, which means they'll be battling it out against the likes of Pink and Keane at the world's most famous televised music awards.  The energetic act have recently been touted by US record labels and promoters as the next best thing and are now about to propelled to stardom in front of a TV audience of millions.

The five lads from Burnley will be making a special appearance at the Attic on the 27^th November.  Make sure you're in the area and best of luck to what could be the band of 2010!

Them Changes' snarling, old-school rock approach to indie opened the night as Bloody Awful Poetry and Anglo Franko DJ's controlled the tunes on the main stage. Downstairs Siddy Bennett and Smokey Chapman were strolling through their acoustic treasures in our caf&eacute-style, laidback downstairs room where people had filled a wall with letters to Santa, full of mince pies and that very British Christmas attitude for nostalgia.

Back in the main room and Foxy Shazam tore new meaning to the word "performance", knocking Electric Six, The Darkness and the best of new American rock in the shape of bands like Cage the Elephant, into oblivion. The Gogol Bordello style to their outrageous performances threw down a gauntlet that London's own Hoodlums picked up without hesitation, dancing on table tops and hanging from the rafters&amphellip literally.

Last up was David E Sugar, producer and songwriter who's collaborations with the likes of Klaxons, Wiley, Rumble Strips and Operator Please have given him something of an indie Mark Ronson reputation. The beats flew off the back of a Calvin Harris influenced summer, and with a certain 60's flair in the warmth in his sound, it was the perfect dance act to a rainy December evening.

Join us in February at the Cross Kings, where new festival legend Beans on Toast will be playing tracks from his 50-song-strong debut album alongside a host of other UK folk acts TBA very soon.

And we've got a bag signed by all of them.

The gig series gives emerging bands and artists the chance to play at some of the UK's best loved venues as well as potentially securing slots at a number of summer festivals.

Last year, Ben Howard was crowned Red Stripe Music Award winner after impressing crowds in Porthtowan, music industry in London and finally a judging panel made up of Michele Stodart from the Magic Numbers and Flash Taylor from Sony Publishing at London's HMV Forum. Ben then went on to play at The Great Escape, Blissfields and Lovebox and has since supported Jason Mraz and Fink amongst others.  You can hear more from him at www.myspace.com/benjaminjohnhoward.

With a host of new partners joining Fender and Merc this year, Red Stripe is expecting this to be the best series yet and will be announcing venues very soon. In the meantime, if you think your band could make the grade, and have a set to behold, please sign up here: www.redstripe.net/rsma/

Open to any manner of music, Red Stripe asks only that applicants are over 18 years of age and perform original tracks with the heart and soul they deserve.

We made sure that we were there to catch all the gigs and give the bands some beers for the show.  We also managed to get all the bands to sign a T Shirt for us.  The Rifles, Official Secrets Act, Mean Poppa Lean, Officer Kicks, Philadelphia Mainline, DIDZ and New Education have all made their marks on the green vintage T Shirt.

To win, please answer the following question:

The London based quartet played a dazzling set, with definite musical influences from Bowie and a host of 80s synth pop acts.  Their sound was truly refreshing, generating a positive modern and retro reflection on the music of today to the crowd on Carnaby Street.

Merc has hosted a series of 8 gigs at the store this summer including Officer Kicks, Mean Poppa Lean and the Rifles and there is no doubt that there will be plans for other sessions in the future.  Also invited to play were Red Stripe Music Award finalists Philadelphia Mainline who jammed the blues for a quality 45 minute set.

Speaking just before their gig at Merc, Lawrence Diamond of Official Secrets Act said, "The Merc in-store session should be a nice little gig to end a cracking summer, and we're looking forward to cranking it up on Carnaby Street."

Olivia Fletcher at Merc is already in talks with bands for another gig series very soon: "We speak to bands and artists on a weekly basis and love getting them in store to play live. We like to mix things up with different styles and are already in talks with some talented artists for our next music event the 'Winter Walmers' kicking off on the 1st of December.."

So with the summer finally come to an end at Merc, we'll keep you readily posted for any news coming in the near future.

For more information please go to www.merc.com or visit their myspace on www.myspace.com/mercclothing

Remember you can win a signed Red Stripe T shirt in our win section...

The Cross Kings, Kings Cross

7th October 2009

A massive thanks to all those who ventured out in the cold, damp autumn air last night to catch the second instalment of our club night, STRIPE, at the Cross Kings, Kings Cross.

Kicking off the live action was Arcadian Kicks, stars of the Surface Unsigned festival, the Birmingham band's set was chock-full of Spector-esque girl pop, haughty saxophones and increasingly tight, almost mechanically precise guitars. Vocally spectacular, visually stunning and melodically kitsch, their old versus new take on guitar pop was as vibrant now as Blondie's 'Parallel Lines' sound was three decades ago.

They were followed by new London outfit Arrows of Love, whose dirty guitar sound mixed with Jason Spaceman threads of filthy guitars and tone, with sonic swaying between psychedelic happenings and Manson-like irrationality, found frontman Nima lunging around the cozy venue with each blurt of dusty poetry. They were an old-school, Doors-esque barrage of noise that nestled so gingerly next to Arcadian Kicks, the night's headliners Gaggle and the acoustic delights of STRIPE's new found second room of sound.

Downstairs in the Cross Kings' Jester Bar, an impromptu acoustic cafe was in full swing, echoing the Red Stripe Busking Sessions of the Camden Crawl earlier this year, acts including the Lah De Dahs were filling the intimate space. Backdropped by our Post-It note art installation, and with a subtle doo-wop charm, their cover of Radiohead's 'Creep' was especially startling.

Upstairs and Gaggle were dressed in their finest cloaks, their voices in perfect magnetic synch with one another. This 20-odd piece choir is really something different you can't quite imagine how special they are until you've seen them in the heartrending flesh. Led into electro backed tracks about guitars, cigarettes and men, the choir is both fascinatingly traditional and gob-smackingly original, real revolutionaries in London's guitar obsessed pop climate. They cap an incredible night of new music in the capital, spilling over two floors of noise in Kings Cross.

More news to follow soon on STRIPE #3 coming December 2009.

- Alex Lee Thomson

 GAGGLE / ARROWS OF LOVE / ARCADIAN KICKS / LEGS ELEVEN

ARTROCKER DJ / ROCKFEEDBACK DJ / NOTION DJ / BLOODY AWFUL POETRY DJ

7th October 2009

...'A Stage Less Ordinary'...

Said to be one the most inventive new bands around, Gaggle, the all girl troop of vocalists, were recently described by the NME as, 'the most exciting, innovative and genuinely imaginative force at large in music right now'. They pretty much describe their music as an alternative to burlesque, bad TV and dire boyband watching, but we'd like to think of them as an authoritative might of vocal prowess, sass and sonic freedom.

Releasing their next single this November via 20 limited edition physical copies, courtesy of 20 artists ranging from London's up and coming to legendary photographer Steve Gullick, Arrows of Love will be in main support. They'll be joined by Surface Unsigned festival stars Arcadian Kicks and London's Legs Eleven, plus DJing support from the acclaimed writers at Artrocker, Rockfeedback and Notion magazines... with our friends Bloody Awful Poetry completing one of the most exciting line-ups in new music hitting the capital this autumn. 

New for STRIPE #2 will be a second room featuring semi-acoustic and unplugged sessions from emerging bands such asThe Lah De Dahs, Rob McCabe and Eliza Shaddad. Joining them downstairs will be a&nbspspecial art installation, and DJing until late into the night.

New music supporters, Red Stripe will be getting involved of course, continuing its 80 year crusade for good music and spirit of youthful rebellion. Having embodied a long, rich history of Jamaica, its music and DIY culture, the beer cemented its association with music in the UK in the late seventies, by the emergence of reggae, punk and ska.  STRIPE is an extension of this and opens its doors to all that challenges, thrills and borders on the next big thing. 

Tickets are &pound5 (advance) from See Tickets, and with more surprises in store, STRIPE is sure to match the success of its launch with a night of irreverent merriment set to a fantastic soundtrack.

For further information, please contact:

Q Awards with Russian Standard Vodka and Mean Fiddler also teamed up for 6 pre award gigs featuring Kasabian, Biffy Clyro and White Lies which went down a storm at the Kentish Town HMV Forum.

Check out www.muzu.tv/redstripe for footage from this year's Q Awards.

Winners list:

Best New Act: White Lies

Breakthrough Artist: Mr. Hudson

Best Track: Lily Allen - "The Fear"

Best Video: Lady GaGa - "Just Dance"

Best Live Act: Arctic Monkeys

Best Album: Kasabian - "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum"

Best Act in the World Today: Muse

Classic Song: Frankie Goes to Hollywood - "Relax"

Q Classic Album: U2 - "The Unforgettable Fire"

Innovation In Sound: Sonic Youth

Classic Songwriter: Yusuf Islam

The Q Idol: Spandau Ballet

Outstanding Contribution to Music : Robert Plant

The Q Inspiration Award: The Specials

The Q Icon: Marianne Faithfull

The Q Legend: Edwyn Collins

Red Stripe caught up with several of the stars at the event and the video below is a testament to the great support Q has generated over the years.

http://www.muzu.tv/redstripe/q-music-awards-2009-with-red-stripe-q-awards-2009-with-russian-standard-vodka-music-video/501066/hq

GAGGLE / THE MOLOTOVS / ARROWS OF LOVE / LEGS ELEVEN with Artrocker, Notion, Rockfeedback and Bloody Awful Poetry DJs

@ Cross Kings, Kings Cross

7^th October 2009

...A Stage Less Ordinary...

After launching at Dingwalls this summer, ALT and GIGS is now proud to bring Gaggle, The Molotovs, Arrows of Love and Legs Eleven to the Cross Kings in October (Wednesday 7^th).

Said to be one the most inventive new bands around, Gaggle, the all girl troop of vocalists, were recently described by the NME as, "the most exciting, innovative and genuinely imaginative force at large in music right now". They describe their music as pretty much an alternative to burlesque, bad TV and dire boy band watching, but we'd like to think of them as an authoritative might of vocal prowess, sass and sonic freedom.

Having just signed to Fierce Panda, The Molotovs have become one of the most celebrated new live bands in London today. Compared to the Last Shadow Puppets, British Sea Power and any other form of dusty classic British songwriting, they're performing for STRIPE off the back of A Fistful of Fandango and the release of their debut mini-album, 'And The Heads Did Roll'.

They're joined by Arrows of Love and Legs Eleven, with DJing support from the acclaimed writers at Artrocker, Rockfeedback and Notion magazines, with friends Bloody Awful Poetry completing one of the most exciting line-ups in new music hitting London this autumn.

New music supporters, Red Stripe will be getting involved of course, continuing its 80 year crusade for good music and spirit of youthful rebellion. Having embodied a long, rich history of Jamaica, its music and DIY culture, the beer cemented its association with music in the UK in the late seventies, by the emergence of reggae, punk and ska. STRIPE is an extension of this and opens its doors to all that challenges, thrills and borders on the next big thing.

Tickets are £5 (advance) from See Tickets, and with more surprises in store, STRIPE is sure to match the success of its launch with a night of irreverent merriment set to a fantastic soundtrack.

For further information, please contact:

alexleethomson@rockeedback.com
girlsingreenshoes@hotmail.co.uk (bookings)
clare@becomms.com

Every other Friday evening, there have been taste makers, fashionistas and music fans crowding round the iconic store in central London.  It really is a sight to behold since the street is usually buzzing with punters looking for the newest trends and it  fitting therefore that Merc allow people a treat while they get in touch with the stylish mod brand, which has been worn by such bands as Franz Ferdinand, the Kaiser Chiefs and Kasabian.

Hatchlings kicked off the series of gigs on the 19^th June.  The 3 piece used a great drumming style with electronic folk sounds through their Mac to keep the crowd interested and really intrigued.  They produced a new kind of sound with real purpose and it was no wonder that the summer would be a busy one for them.

www.myspace.com/ilikehatchlings

Former Cooper Temple Clause and Dirty Pretty Things cool man Didz Hammond was the second addition to the Merc line up.  Since the well documented split of the DPT, Didz has been working on various projects and we were lucky enough to hear an exclusive DJ at the store featuring songs from the Ramones and other classic acts.

http://www.spock.com/Didz-Hammond

Stoke rockers New Education made the journey down to London to promote new single 'Another Miracle' with a miraculous set at the clothing store.  The energy was fantastic and riveting and the band has since had a write up in NME quoting them as "the light at the end of the tunnel for proper British rock n roll."

http://www.myspace.com/neweducation

To get us to the half way point, Brighton's funk rockers Mean Poppa Lean performed wonders with a truly memorable set on the 31^st July.  These guys are creating a whirlwind of attention through their extremely brilliant live sets and it was a pleasure to hear them for the first time.

http://www.myspace.com/meanpoppalean

Remember we're still only at the half way point, and with The Rifles and Official Secrets Act still to play their sets, it's going to be one hell of a second part to the summer.

14 August - Officer Kicks

28 August - The Rifles

11 September - Philadelphia Mainline

25 September - Official Secrets Act

The Awards took place at the Brewery in central London and were hosted by a duet of metal talent, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian for the third year running, joined by Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor.

Essex ravers The Prodigy took time out of their hectic tour schedule to personally collect the award for Best Single (sponsored by us - Red Stripe), for 'Omen'.   Emerging as the only multiple award recipient (and the most nominated artist this year) were heavy metal maniacs Slipknot, who collected the trophies for Best Live Band following their first ever UK festival headline performance at Download Festival, and Best International Band beating off competition from Metallica, Lamb Of God, Madina Lake and Green Day.

For more info, head to this link

Let us know what you think...

Recommended Track:

Oswald 'These Days'

They've been compared to U2 and Coldplay, but unlike those two brash, egotistical nonsense merchants, new Glasgow three-piece Oswald have something far more valuable and enchanting. Heart. Enough heart to make debut track 'These Days' sound wonderfully mainstream, but exceptionally stirring, balancing a highly polished sound with the fuzzy naivety of any new band. Certainly the first step for what should be a phenomenal new Scottish band.

Recommended Track:

Life In Film 'Sorry'

Life In Film really shouldn't be sorry. This Kings of Leon inspired piece of indie isn't too bad at all. In fact, with its vocal strength and massive chorus, they should be rather proud. It's a thin slice of UK-cut Americana bombastic, flamboyant Americana with an eccentric British twist.

Recommended Festival:

Lovebox, Victoria Park, London

Taking place on the weekend of 18^th and 19^th July, this London gem nabbed the 'Best Mid-sized Festival' award in 2008, and this year looks to topple itself with a bill headlined by arguably the biggest pop band of the 80&rsquos Duran Duran. Red Stripe Music Award winner Ben Howard is also due to appear alongside NERD, Doves, Friendly Fires and our recommended tips Gang of Four, VV Brown and Noah and the Whale. Rodrigo y Gabriella will surely be a highlight as well, warming up for their Secret Garden Party headline slot.

This festival has an incredible London atmosphere, and is certainly one to take the ancle-biters too as well.

Recommended Band:

The Siegfried Sassoon

The noisily alternative 8-bit post-pop of Surrey's The Siegfried Sassoon is being laid onto record for the double A-sided vinyl and digital download 'Muscle Beach' / & 'The Al Gore Rhythm' via Cats and Cats and Cats label Natural History Records.

Inspired by wonky pop, obscure time signatures and 80's movie classic 'Inner Space', the former of the tracks is a rebelliously battering curiosity which forgoes keybords for the slightly more chaotic tones of Gameboy melodies, with bands such as Wire and Dismemberment Plan in mind. Far more antagonistic and frenzied than the usual barrage of alternative dark pop, the flip side of TSS debut release fuses the intricate guitar muddling of XTC and Fugazi with an epic sense of songmanship, using boldly arranged orchestrations with old school friend and guest vocalist Laura Mary Carter of Blood Red Shoes making a wonderful alliance.

Recorded by Nick Abbott (The Datsuns, Foals and The Subways), the tracks are imaginative, well thought and engineered shards of eccentric pop, negotiated with a sense of classic British songwriting. Each song comes complete with an original video, 'Muscle Beach' featuring a Blur-esque narrative directed by Alex Pyper (Esser, Official Secrets Act) of the rather fitting Art War Entertainment while 'The Al Gore Rhythm' is animated by TSS guitarist Simon Gould and Caroline Parkinson (of CBBC's & 'Charlie & Lola').

This is a band to believe in.

Ben has been really busy since the final with gigs at The Great Escape and Blissfields and is now giving fans the chance to watch an intimate performance at the Enterprise in Camden on July 13^th.

To win a pair of tickets simply answer this question:

The sonic backdrop to Red Stripe's new club night in conjunction with ALT and GIGS was opened by feisty Rosie Oddie and the Odd Squad. Having headlined Koko just days before her appearance, she led the more intimate crowd into an early fury, her unique blend of angular London punk raising the heat, dare we argue, more than the common man is comfortable with. Showering the stage with melodramatic pop, she ceaselessly threw vociferous choruses at us while those still arriving scurried frontwards for a glimpse at this upcoming goodie, and what's more... we can bet she knows a thing or two about birds as well.

Trip followed with a short, exciting set of semi-urban poetry, directly in line with exciting London pioneers Jamie T et al, his mammoth tune 'River Phoenix' slapping against the sides of the venue, stimulating our affections for such lucid, youthful guys making sensible post-Blur pop. So tight his set could have musically backed any mainstream pop act, he&amprsquos brought into the weird and wonderful world of the cool by discretely tongue in cheek storytelling and wit for a good lyric.

After the limbo pole had been brought out for some fun and frolics, aided by Bloody Awful Poetry's awesome medley of beach-friendly disco anthems, it was time for headliners Imperial Leisure. As frontman Dennis helped those who'd fallen onto their rears during our escapades, he leaped onto the stage for a performance which best defines the great British summertime they've even written a song on the subject for cryin' out loud. With the audience clad in Imperial Leisure fancy dress garb, 'Man on the Street' became the anthem of the night with tales of leaving the suit and tie behind, and "heading for the weekend".

While the crowd happily bashed themselves into the walls, the ground and even themselves, the band threw every last breath they had into the show which marked not just the launch of STRIPE, but also the release of their summer anthem jam-packed record 'The Art of Saying Nothing'. Of course these boys do far from say nothin'... even when their sound is left solely to the brass section, making them a brilliant new generation Specials, with references to American ska and punk seeming so effortless, though all the while brilliantly British.

As the dust settled, Bloody Awful Poetry played us out as many went home to wash the smell of sweat from their costumes and others shot across London on a converted Routemaster for a not so secret aftershow party with the band. All were welcome, as long as they managed to fit on the bus, of course.

'It's impossible not to get caught up in it all, the sense of fun seeping into everyone involved like a shot of serotonin' KKKKK - Kerrang!

'Absolutely outstanding' BBC Radio One

Over 80 years, Red Stripe Lager has embodied the long, rich history of Jamaica , its music and DIY culture. Over the last three-and-a-half decades, the beer has become synonymous with good music and a spirit of youthful rebellion.

Red Stripe's association with music was cemented in the UK in the late seventies, by the emergence of reggae, punk and ska. Club 'Stripe' is an extension of this and opens its doors to all that challenges, thrills and borders on the next big thing.

Club 'Stripe'&nbspis booked and promoted by Alex Lee Thomson of Rockfeedback and Orbit PR (Secret Garden Party, Orbital, Spiritualized) with Rhiannon Price and Olivia Morrell of Girls In Green Shoes (Blissfields Festival, Life In Film, Barefoot Confessor).

"We wanted to do something on a bigger scale, says Alex Lee Thomson. "We have all these ideas, like most people our age working creatively in the music industry, and Red Stripe came forward as a way to make those ambitions seem possible. We want people put on a night people can be a part of and join in with.

Paul Brazier, Red Stripe Brand Manager agrees, "Red Stripe's had a legitimate place in music for over 30 years and we thought it was about time we helped curate a club night that encompasses all that we believe in: great live music, creative license and anything that's prepared to challenge the mainstream.

Imperial Leisure are a North London band born from high school friendship and a huge admiration of great groups, both close to home, such as The Specials and The Prodigy, and, from further afield, Jurassic 5 and Rage Against The Machine. The fan-base Imperial Leisure have built through their live activity has paid off with their debut single, In A Letter, selling out on the day of release.

Radio support for the band has been extensive, with singles winning plays by Zane Lowe and Colin Murray at Radio One, Xfm nationwide and Virgin Xtreme, and with additional enthusiastic spins from BBC London's Gary Crowley, Shaun Keaveney at BBC 6Music and Kerrang! Radio.

For further information, please contact: clare@becomms.com

www.imperial-leisure.co.uk

The massively acclaimed Super Furry Animals performance at Blissfields will be their most intimate festival performance of 2009. Their new album has already been hailed as one the finest records of their career, championed by NME who say 'Dark Days/Light Years' reaffirms what a fantastic band they are and is arguably their best offering since 2001's Mercury-nominated 'Rings Around The World'. Greatly admired as one of the most commanding and impressive live bands around, their appearance makes Blissfields Festival a must for any music fan.

Paul Bliss (Festival Organiser) says "we have to pinch ourselves that the Super Furry Animals, one of the country's top bands, are playing our intimate festival. They will help make Blissfields 2009 an unforgettable experience for those attending, definitely Something 4 the weekend!"

Early bird tickets sold out within 24 hours, with all weekend tickets now completely sold out. A limited number of day passes are on sale with the announcement of the Super Furry Animals and Mercury Prize nominee Laura Marling as headliners of the event, they're sure to go fast for this wonderfully small, at an intimate 1,250 capacity, but beautifully formed Hampshire festival. Friday tickets (from 5yrs) are 20.00 + booking fee while Saturday tickets (from 5yrs) are 25.00 booking fee, available from www.blissfields.co.uk.

Line-up

Super Furry Animals - Laura Marling - Mumford & Sons - Thomas Tantrum - Gideon Conn - Barefoot Confessor - Cherbourg - The Men They Couldn't Hang - Sungiant - Soweto Kinch - Rebel Control - Scarlet Soho - The Ramblings - Life in Film - The Moho - The Ashbies - Beans on Toast - Echaskech - Ryan O'Reilly - Hijera - Nathan Flutebox Lee & WanDan - Subsource - Gloria Cycles - Birdpen - Suicide Party....

Plus Red Stripe Music Award winner Ben Howard and Club Stripe's Imperial Leisure.

Interview with Paul Bliss, founder of Blissfields:

Is everything set for this year's festival?  It's all looking good and site work has started for a small team but it mainly happens a couple of weeks before the event.

Are you keen to grow the festival or do you think the size is part of its charm?  We have had much feedback from our attendees that it is our size and friendliness which makes us stand out, so it would be difficult and probably the wrong move to go bigger.

Who are you looking forward to seeing at Blissfields this year?  Well having Super Furry Animals play in your back garden doesn't happen every day so I think I'm going to plump for them!

Are you going to any other festivals this year?  Secret Garden Party, Endorse in Dorset and possibly Festinho... as you can see we prefer the smaller ones when not at our own as well.

What's been your top ever Blissfields moment?  The whole of 2007 was a wonderful experience from first to last, I wouldn't like to pick any particular moment, it was all great fun for us, made so by such a grear crowd.

For more information, contact:
Karen@orbitpr.net / alex@orbitpr.net / 0207 033 4667
www.blissfields.co.uk

Competition Dates: 02.06.09 - 31.08.09

Competition Dates:  01.06.09  - 01.07.09

To win one of two pairs of tickets simply ask this question:

Competition Dates: 01.06.09 - 01.07.09

Competition Dates: 29.05.09 - 22.06.09

Click Here - 'Friends of Red Stripe'

The Great Escape , Brighton's extolled annual music festival is set to announce the first artists that will form part of yet another commanding line up of truly essential acts, stretching from the well known and loved to the most exciting up-and-coming bands around.

Opening the UK's 2009 festival season on May 14^th, 15^th, 16^th, The Great Escape is thrilled to be playing host to the wonky techno-pop of Metronomy, Kissy Sell Outs Rock n Rave bliss, Esser's irrepressible melodies, the filthy pleasures of Future of the Left's super-raw rocking, erstwhile Alec Empire guitarist Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell's deliciously droning melodies as The Big Pink, the widely fancied Passion Pit's psychedelic electro-pop, and the experimental manoeuvres of Micachu and the Shapes. The perfect melodies of V.V. Brown, the epic Pulled Apart By Horses and Ben Kweller's pleasingly quirky pop will also join the party. Also incredibly hot for 2009, The Chapman Family, Johnny Foreigner, Danananakroyd, Yves Klein Blues, John Steel Blues Band and the Joy Formidable will also be making Great Escape appearances.

Plus there will be the jangling vibes of Kent's It Hugs Back, the synthesised scatter pop of The Golden Silvers, A Grave With No Name's fuzz-pop stylings, the vocal harmony powered Your Twenties, To The Bones' sublime riffing, the return of Cassie and the Cassettes, the captivating Tin Can Telephone and the inimitable Fanzine. Kasms and An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump will be supplying the post-gothic rock, then there will be Bell X1's supersonic sounds, Vivian Girls' kick-ass workouts, Middle Class Rut's ear crunching dynamism, Let's Wrestle's frayed chaos, With many more acts to be announced this is just the first salvo in The Great Escape's impressive arsenal.

Firmly established as Europe's premiere new music event and spread across 34 venues, featuring 300 of the best new local and international artists, The Great Escape brings everything the likes of SXSW can offer and places them in the heart of Brighton, the UK's most effervescent seaside town. A cast iron barometer of forthcoming cultural trends, the past three years have seen acts that started out the year on stage at The Great Escape heading up the NME Cool list and breaking out of their underground notoriety into fully fledged mainstream success. A hotbed of talent the event has helped to break acts as diverse as The Klaxons, The Kooks, Gossip, Adele, The Ting Tings, Jack Penate, Gallows, Kate Nash, Sam Sparro, Vampire Weekend and Crystal Castles.

Jon Mcildowie, Director and Co-Founder "We're delighted to be presenting some of the best new music from all over the world at this year's Great Escape. Each year we've been fortunate to have early shows with artists such as Ting Tings, Klaxons and Gossip. We expect this year to be even better."

Jonny Kirkham, Marketing Manager of Great Escape sponsors Red Stripe commenting on the 2009 event said "Red stripe is proud to support the Great Escape which places new artists at the very core of the festival - the winner of the annual red stripe music award will be making their debut here. Red stripe is fortunate to be in a position where we can help great music get heard.&rdquo

Earlybird tickets, which will give you access to every single gig (subject to venue capacity) at this year's event, are now available at www.escapegreat.com priced just £ 39.50. Hotel and Travel bookings can also be made through the site.

Hand-picked from over 150 bands that have played around the UK since early January 09, Ben has won himself secured slots at the following summer festivals: Brighton's Great Escape (14, 15, 16th May), Lovebox (18, 19th July Victoria Park) and Blissfields (3rd-5th July).

Ben played alongside rhythm and blues masters Gomez who headlined fresh from their 12 date UK tour, playing a storming finishing set. Ben Howard pipped four other emerging bands Gideon Conn, Philadelphia Mainline and First Degree Burns to win this year's title.

The competition was fierce and resulted in some serious debate for the judging panel made up of Michele Stodart from the Magic Numbers, Steve Proud of 14th Floor Records, Paul Bonham of Crown Music Management and Flash Taylor from Sony Publishing.

Steve Proud comments: "The level of talent and diversity at this year's Red Stripe Music Award final was huge. It genuinely took us an age to decide on the winner and at several points during the discussion, all four almost had it".

Ben who ped out of university in Falmouth in December to concentrate wholly on his music said: "What has amazed me is that they usually go for bands but here I am just with my acoustic guitar."

On winning Ben continues: "It was a privilege to play this event, and a proper bonus to win it, what a night!". To secure a place at the final Ben played in the Porthtowan showcase on March 6th.

The evening was compered by Radio One's very own BBC Introducing Huw Stephens and supported this year by The Fly Magazine, The Great Escape and Fender and Merc clothing, who will be awarding the winner with 5,000 pounds worth of kit and plenty of clothing to boot.

The Red Stripe Music Award is now in its third year and remains central to Red Stripe's support of live music.

Renowned as a tastemaker event, 2009's Camden Crawl seemed more about the established bands and special guests which gave the intimate event a whole new vibe. Bigger than ever, Red Stripe was down front and centre for the action.

Kicking off with our intimate Red Stripe Busking Sessions these found music fans appearing onstage at the Camden Eye, sharing a bill with the stunning Life In Film, Barefoot Confessor, Gerry Del-Guercio of SixNationState, Will Daunt of The Molotovs and Bedford's own Guildean Gang. They played intimate performances to the festival audience, experimenting with their diversely involved material, delivering something special, exclusively for Red Stripe. Full to capacity once again, this was another great chance for us to soak in the brilliance both of the sun, and some of London's best new talent.

Across town the legendary Camden band Madness marked the sonic start of the Crawl. Playing atop a double-decker bus parked at Inverness Street Market, they opened the event in true eccentric British style. The revered anthems found the arguably Camden-centric outfit reaching a new audience, heritage tracks like "House of Fun", "One Step Beyond" and more recent staple "NW5" finding ground amid the awesome new music on offer.

They're the perfect embodiment of what this festival is about. Great music right on your doorstep assuming you're a Londoner of course. You can try and escape this festival, not that you'd want to hellip and it'll find you. You'll be making a dash for VV Brown at The Barfly or Graham Coxon at the Spread Eagle, and you'll be accosted by the madness of Madness on a bus top, or a Jamaican busker called Roots singing a five minute mini-epic about Red Stripe. You'll uncover Scroobius Pip doing a spoken word session at the Jazz Café or a travelling disco roll right in front of you. You can try to outrun this event, but it'll track you down, pin you sonically to the floor and thrash the festival philosophy out of you. It's wonderful for just that.

Across town, Brakes offered a taste of their "all night disco party" while Idlewild played "100 Broken Windows" in full to an intimate Dublin Castle crowd. Fight Like Apes wrecked the Purple Turtle with massive pop melodies masquerading as thrashing, back-flipping rock. An awesome new band, and a real highlight of the festival. Wristbands on, you're welcome to stroll around the event, taking in as many of the hundred plus bands scattered across the thirty plus venues until you're all tuckered out. The odd queue aside, the freedom from this festival to immerse yourself in great music is comparable only to the Great Escape festival in Brighton. The process of hopping from gig to gig, soaking in the authentic, unpredictable feel of the Crawl is a really rare and wonderful thing which leaves you wishing that Camden was like this all year around. It's close, but not quite.

The Von Bondies, Billy Bragg, The Maccabees and the eternally dazzling The View complete our highlight rundown with time to flash The Fall, Echo and the Bunnymen, VV Brown and Marina and the Diamonds at you. The most eclectic year so far in the Camden Crawl anthology, 2009 was a wistful and remarkable romp around North London which found blaringly joyous new music fight for time with true legends. From The View's "Double Yellow Lines" to Echo and the Bunnymen's "The Cutter" and Die! Die! Die! "Whitehorses", there was nothing but astonishing tunes, relentlessly for two days and two nights.

The only way to cap this would be to stick it on the sea front and add another day. What's that about The Great Escape? See you there.

Words by Alex Lee Thomson

Animal Collective 'Merriweather Post Pavilion' (Domino)

This is more than just a record. It's as though somebody had reached into the hearts of every radical music fan, pulled out what they loveed and traversed it onto wax. It's the anarchy of Foals knotted into the melodies of The Beach Boys with the subtle splendor of Sigur Ros. Few records this year will match the grandure of "My Girls" or "Summertime Clothes". Few will manage to swim around in such rich harmonies and complex arrangements, all the while forming songs so capriciously pop they could explode in a thundercloud of mayhem and sonic booms at any moment. Though the band have been around for a few albums now this will be engraved on their tombstones. Get this record!

Recommended Album:

The View 'Which Bitch' (Sony BMG)

Ah, you wouldn't believe how many times we've asked that question. Actually, come to think of it&hellip we've never asked that question. It's a good job this is such a wonderfully crafted and eclectic pop record or we wouldn't allow for such literary attitude. The View's first record was a single-packed blinder yet unjustly they were overlooked by serious critical acclaim. It would seem though that the quill holders have caught up with The View's ambition. This album is end to end classic British songwriting that kind of Peter Doherty Libertinism, though not so much of a pastiche as in previous years. Connecting more with their Dundonian roots, this is an album which meanders The View nicely into the great Scottish tradition of classy pop bands like The Waterboys. "Double Yellow Lines&rsquo is a messy epic while "5 Rebecca's" keeps the old fans secure.

Recommended Band:

Guildean Gang

This gang of Bedfordshire's finest are bright, young musicians with a unique, fresh brand of music. It's not unthinkingly ground-breaking, but it does stand wonderfully alone in sound within these early parts of what should be a blinding year for British music. It takes a recession to spark the truly genius from the haplessly lucky, and as the Guildean Gang blend smooth edged guitar and strong, unstably throbbing bass and drums into an upbeat, awe inspiring music reminiscent of "that Britpop era", The Cure delightfully come to mind.

Guildeans' sound, produced by Matt Terry (The Enemy) and somewhere between Pulp and Interpol if you're asking, is a coherently low-fi, dark-pop mauling of sound, a sonic glance down empty bottles of whiskey with a sense of liberty. The band, though only pushing 21 in age, show writing ability far beyond their years, and far beyond the throwaway sensibilities of mere incidental indie rock 'n' roll.

They closed 2008 appearing at the BBC Introducing and Remix Christmas parties, and to coincide with the release of "Dennis Bergkamp" in January 2009 they played a whistle stop tour of the UK&hellip championed by Zane Lowe, XFM, Q and Artrocker along the way. Expect interesting things from this Bedfordshire quartette as they begin work on the follow up single.

- Alex Lee Thomson

Full of classics from their first album, which have graced many festivals over the last couple of years and still hell bent on turning the music industry on its head with their "don't give a **** music". A few years ago these youthful scallies were playing pub gigs to 50 people in their home town in Scotland, and now they're pumping out big gigs across the UK for a growing base of adoring fans.

Koko was filled with people. Looking down from the balcony you could see the tension and passion on people's faces as the music started to erupt especially with favourites from their debut album "Hats off to the Buskers." "Same Jeans", "Superstar Tradesman" and "Wasted little DJs" are all great rock songs. Energetic, infectious, rushing indie tunes, they really are everything that good pop should be: fun, fast and definitely of the moment.

By the end of the show you could see the band was rightly tanked up with adrenaline, as were we, and it was time to end the show with current single "Shock Horror". Frontman Kyle said, "we wouldna be here if youd ha nae bought it&rsquo, and rocked out blissfully to bring a great show to an end".

Don't get me wrong though, it wasn't all the View in Koko tonight. "Twisted Wheel" was a fantastic support and even if most only caught their last few songs, they travelled homeward bound thinking about downloading some of their tracks.

The Crawl will play host to over a mile and a half of new talent for over thirty hours across more than forty venues, including the legendary Koko and incredible new venue, the Roundhouse.

This year's line up includes Echo and the Bunnymen, Little Boots, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Maccabees to name just a few treats. As well as its customary stellar line up the Crawl will host daytime activities and cutting edge performances across the arts, including visual art, comedy, spoken word and theatre.

The programme kicks off from midday on Friday the 24^th April until the wee hours of the following Sunday. Upon arrival each ticket holder will be given an all-access wristband, programme guide, timetable and free download album to help plot his/her day's adventure. "Crawlers" are granted unlimited access to all official festival venues featuring more than 150 live artists, daytime activities & arts programme and aftershow parties capacity permitting.

In keeping with Crawl tradition and Red Stripe's spirit of discovery, the full line-ups and stage times remain a closely guarded secret until each night and surprise guests may appear at any time and at any venue.

Tickets for the Crawl are now available as either 2-day or single day passes through www.thecamdencrawl.com

To play at Red Stripe Busking Sessions at the Camden Crawl make sure you hit this : http://www.redstripe.net/latest/red_stripe_the_camden_crawl_2009/

Not only will we be the official beer for the Awards but we will also be sponsoring the best individual award of the night.  What is music if it doesn't happen live?  That's why we love the Red Stripe Music Award, where we look for the brightest live act in the UK.  So for that reason we will be sponsoring the 'Best Live Band' at the NME Awards 2009.  Could it be Muse, Radiohead, Oasis, the Killers or Kings of Leon??  Make sure you cast your vote at www.nme.com.

The tour is already in full swing with Scottish rebels Glasvegas taking headline slot in a nationwide tour spanning 17 dates.  Offering support are Hertfordshire indie-dance band Friendly Fires, West London three piece White Lies, and flamboyant South London singer/songwriter Florence And The Machine, in what is definitely one of the strongest line ups we have seen in a long time.

Following that, Friendly Fires guitarist Edd Gibson gives a nod to some interesting collaborations whilst on the road: "We might get a 'Feed The World'-style thing going on!"

Meanwhile White Lies fuels rumours of on-stage partnerships with singer Harry McVeigh declaring: "We get on well with Glasvegas and Friendly Fires. We've got something in mind&hellip"

Kicking off proceedings with the opening slot, Florence And The Machine is keen to bring some friendly banter to the tour bus, Florence adding: "It's good to have some rivalry. We'll all be trying to outdo each other, which pushes each band to be better!"

The 17 date extravaganza is an established must-see on the music calendar and is a a great pre show for the Shockwaves NME Awards 2009, which will take place at the legendary Brixton Academy on Wednesday 25th February 2009.

SHOCKWAVES NME AWARDS TOUR 2009 dates in full:

Thurs 29th Jan Liverpool University
Fri 30th Jan Glasgow Academy
Sun 1st Feb Newcastle Academy
Tues 3rd Feb Sheffield Academy
Wed 4th Feb Birmingham Academy
Fri 6th Feb Manchester Academy
Sun 8th Feb Leeds Academy
Tues 10th Feb Lincolnshire Engine Shed
Wed 11th Feb Nottingham Rock City
Thurs 12th Feb Norwich UEA
Sat 14th Feb Cardiff University
Sun 15th Feb Bristol Academy
Mon 16th Feb Brighton Dome
Tues 17th Feb Oxford Academy
Thurs 19th Feb Portsmouth Pyramid
Fri 20th Feb Cambridge Corn Exchange
Sat 21st Feb Brixton Academy

Celebrating the official release of tickets, which are already going faster than inflatable guitars at a McFly concert, Blissfields launch party was a free event packed with magicians, face painting, a mammoth DJ soundclash featuring Bloody Awful Poetry among others and of course artists due to appear at the July main event. First on Gerry (of SixNationState) played a solo performance with all the usual lung-bending vocals he's accustom to delivering, playing some delicate new songs among his more cherished hardcore nu-ska classics. Followed by up and coming indie scamps Barefoot Confessor this band knows how to write songs. They know what a song should be - possibly due to digesting every decent Springsteen record and then fashioning a wholly new sound from it - while front man Michael has the captivation to do such a well-crafted sound more than justice. A stunning new band.

Then came the Red Stripe highlight of the night London's derisive soapbox folk singer Beans on Toast. With songs ranging from EMI records, the very untouchable beauty of Laura Marling, and tongue in cheek discussions of cocaine and MDMA, it was his latest tale of London life and homage to recently burned down drinking hole Nambucca which found particular poignancy. With many of the story's real life characters standing amid the packed audience the song hit chords with Blissfields aficionados especially as the North London pub holds something of a history with the upstanding festival.

Headliners on Friday were Subgiant, their live dance music an example of something far more exciting than nu-rave, far more significant than The Whip and generally, altogether quite exciting. Their bass-heavy beats complete with live drums and guitar is a high-bar take on live dance music and showed the real diversity of the Blissfields Festival.

Tickets are on sale now via www.blissfields.co.uk for a credit-crunching 41 (plus booking fee) for a full weekend camping ticket. Blissfields Festival takes place in Hampshire between 3rd and 5th July and features Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons, Thomas Tantrum, Beans on Toast, plus many more still to be announced, including more headline names.

- Alex Lee Thomson

The winner of last year's Red Stripe Music Award will be playing a special show at the Borderline at the end of Janaury.  The venue, situated a stone's throw away from Tottenham Court Road station, has played host to such great bands as Oasis and the Libertines, and with it's bluesy rock atmosphere it has become a great venue for music lovers and bands alike.

You'll be able to buy the new mini album ahead of its launch 'Into the Wood' and also a selection of brand new merchandise including the debut release 'Mother Hen.'

Supporting Klaus on the 29th January will be the Help Movement.

Buy tickets

The Great Escape

The Great Escape, Europe's leading festival for new music, will be back in Brighton on 14th, 15th and 16th May 2009. With over 300 of the world's best new bands showcased in 34 venues over three days, plus secret gigs, outdoor shows, club nights, parties and more this should be the only event on your festival calendar. Highlights from previous years have include Adele, Alphabeat, The Black Lips, Crystal Castles, Foals, Glasvegas, Gossip, Klaxons, Laura Marling, Mystery Jets, The Ting Tings, Vampire Weekend and more&hellip

To find out further information or buy a ticket visit:

• www.escapegreat.co.uk
• www.myspace.com/greatescapefestival

Fender... Make History&trade

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) is the world's leading guitar manufacturer, and its name has become synonymous with all things rock 'n' roll. Iconic Fender® instruments such as the Telecaster®, Stratocaster®, Precision Bass® and Jazz Bass® guitars are known worldwide as the instruments that started the rock revolution, and they continue to be highly prized by today's musicians and collectors.

With an illustrious history dating back to 1946, Fender has touched and transformed music worldwide and in nearly every genre: rock 'n' roll, country and western, jazz, rhythm and blues and many others. Everyone from beginners and hobbyists to the world's most acclaimed artists and performers have used Fender instruments and amps, in the process making the company not only a revered music industry name, but also a cultural icon.

Your musical heroes have made sonic history on Fender instruments for over 60 years, today it's you turn. Are you ready?

Visit the websites:

• www.fender.co.uk
• www.myspace.com/fenderguitaruk

Merc

Established in 1967- the same year The Beatles release Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Radio One launches, and The Who play their first stateside gig, Merc was there. Youth orientated and youth driven, the boutiques of London set the tone as the world watched and followed.

Originally catering to the mods of the day, the Merc name reflected razor sharp cut, attention to detail and an immaculate finish that was signature look of the sixties.

Building on these foundations Merc has continued to promote this strong image proving that style never fades.

• www.merc.com

The Fly

The Fly is a free music magazine dedicated to covering the best new bands alongside more established artists.

Growing from its humble beginnings as a listings guide to the country's most widely circulated music magazine, 2008 saw the likes of MGMT, Late Of The Pier, Vampire Weekend, Noah And The Whale and Elbow gracing its cover.

• www.the-fly.co.uk

Although they were in constant demand as performers (often playing, individually, in those hotels by night), they kept up an incredible rate of work for Dodd, as well as with rivals, Prince Buster and Duke Reid, recording literally hundreds of tunes in just a few short years.

Ska ruled from the early '60s through to 1966, when, so legend has it, the uncommonly blazing summer demanded a slower sound, ushering in the 18-month long rock steady era, with its emphasis on soulful songs and vocal harmonies. This was a largely local affair, but the increasingly strife-torn nature of Jamaican politics, the growing influence of Rastafarianism and a new sparser, more ambivalent sound, prodded in part by veterans like Dodd and Lesley Kong, but also by a new generation of visionary producers led by Lee Perry spawned reggae, a culture that would take on the world.

Running parallel to this was the emergence of the deejay or toaster (note: in Jamaica, the deejay is not the man who plays the records). Soundsystems had always relied on showmanship, interaction between the selector (that's your actual DJ) and the crowd, while the oral tradition dating back to African griots means spoken word has always had a part in black music. So it was a natural step from there to introducing the deejay, initially onstage, acting as unofficial hypeman for the records. Count Machuki and King Stitt were among the originators, but it's U-Roy who made it into an artform, sparring or conducting conversations with the records played in the soundsystem, chatting in the most simple, accessible, yet musical form. It wasn't long before U-Roy's musical collaborator King Tubby started cutting special versions of popular tracks, leaving spaces for the deejay to do his thing alongside the vocals laid down by groups like The Paragons, dropping instruments in and out, filling gaps with echo effects. Dub was born and the incredible story of innovation that was Jamaican music in the '60s meant this tiny island of barely 3m people now had a story for the world to hear.

Rockfeedback Presents' is a new series which follows artists across the globe in a myriad surreal, serene and beautiful ways &ndash whether intimately caught in the dressing-room or the tour bus, or whilst in the studio, rockfeedback aims to be the honest, witty and informed alternative to years' worth of generic music TV fodder.

Set to air for the first time tonight, the six-part run will air every Friday night between the varying post-club, twilight hours of 00.30 and 01.30 for half-hour episodes. A one-off special will also surface this summer, plus a further six-parter in the autumn (expect it October time).

Jonny Kirkham, one of the team behind Red Stripe comments: "From top bands like The Clash and The View to legends like Noel Gallagher, Red Stripe's proud to be associated with artists who have clearly made their mark in music, as well as supporting more grass roots music. Red Stripe has had a legitimate place in music for over 30 years because, like the people who drink it, it is prepared to challenge the mainstream."

Rockfeedback/Transgressive founder and music obsessive, Toby L is delighted at the partnership. "The whole thing about Rockfeedback Presents is that it's distinctly non obtrusive - everything is handheld, intimate and contextual. We try to give brand-new/up and coming artists a mainstream platform, and a more representative stage for renowned artists. Our approach is clearly mirrored by Red Stripe's support of music and artists so it seemed natural to work with a likeminded brand."

"Rockfeedback TV" &ndash its first series &ndash was broadcast to rave reactions and repeats on both MTV2 UK/Ireland and MTV2 Europe between 2005 and 2007, as well as Channel 4, featuring artists such as Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, and Jack White, Liars, Klaxons, Dizzee Rascal, and plenty besides, shot everywhere from Tokyo to Oslo.

Additional rockfeedback activities confirmed this year include live events and showcases of vital new talent at The Red Stripe Camden Crawl, The Red Stripe Great Escape Festival, Huw Stephen/Radio 1's SWN Festival, Brighton's Loop Festival, and many more besides.

To find out more you can visit www.rockfeedback.com

To celebrate, The Bad Robots have relaunched their residency at the Enterprise - for them the greatest pub in the world - only this year they will be playing downstairs so they don't all make the ceiling collapse and die!

So joining them this first night out will be the truly fabulous Rosie Oddie and the Odd Squad and one more special guest. It's free entry (that's right - FREE - the best price!) and there are no excuses to not come and celebrate spring time, robot weddings and good times with ya mates!

For more information check out their myspace - www.myspace.com/thebadrobots

Supported by Red Stripe, the long running festival celebrates its 42^nd event, which boasts an impressive DJ line up of Mr Scruff, Gilles Peterson, Norman Jay and Soul II Soul Soundsystem amongst others.

Attracting over 5000 people, the Pontins holiday complex in Southport is each year dubbed as the UK's liveliest party. The 4 Arenas boast a heavy weight selection of cutting edge and classic soulful music right across the board from House, Jazz, Broken Beats, Drum n Bass, Hip Hop, Deep House, RnB, Soul, Jazz Funk, Rare Groove, Nu Soul and a hefty portion of classics with performances from the world's DJ Elite.

Tuesday 27th May

The Korova played host to Kentucky rockers Cage the Elephant who, after taking advantage of the Red Stripe riders played to a packed crowd. Local Liverpool lads My Auntie Sam did an excellent job supporting, gaining a big following with their explosive stage performances. Headlining the Carling Academy was Hadouken! with Crystal Castles playing the room below. Heat coming from the two rooms could be felt from outside the venue, helping to warm the crowds as they piled in. Hadouken! didn't fail to impress with 'Get Smashed Gate Crash', giving the crowd a helping hand at turning the place into nothing short of a sweat box. What an opening night!

Wednesday 28th May

On the second day of the festival, Liverpool was warming up nicely with the arrival of another 50 bands or so. Self acclaimed happy rockers Hellcyon, had travelled all the way from Southampton to perform and kicked things off at the Magnet, showing that they had more to offer than just 'happy rock' with plenty of funk, classic rock and metal. Multi Purpose Chemical followed and were instantly surrounded by metal heads, eager for some head banging action, an amazingly expressive band with a style very similar to the very best of System of a Down. Despite all the action, one band seemed to take the glory in the shape of The Thirst. Recently signed to Ronnie Wood's Wooden Records, the boys from Brixton came, saw and conquered Liverpool, with a brand of indie rock that makes your body dance of its own accord. Rocking The Bumper, shouts of 'Dead Boss!' came from the crowd, and the band were quickly mobbed by eager fans as they finished their fast paced, frankly amazing set.

Thursday 29th May

After an unfortunate late pull out from Late of the Pier, Red Stripe headed to the Korova to meet Balloons. Dressed in .... well a dress, the (male) bassist and guitarist delivered some fantastically original music &ndash with tones of angry sci-fi and electro genius.

The insane multi instrumentalist and multi mental A.P.A.T.T followed with a cello, accordion, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, violin and much more, tearing into the crowd. Red Stripe topped off the night back The Static Gallery for DJ Yoda's Magic Cinema show. Mixing both sound and visual live, throwing everything in to the mix from Run DMC to Star Wars and Wiley to Sesame Street &ndash crowd pleasing every step of the way.

Friday 30th May

Following a chance meeting with a slightly worse for wear Murph from The Wombats at Heebie Jeebies, following 6 solid acoustic songs, he retired to the ladies toilet where we joined him for an interview (see below). Propping himself up on a condom machine, we wondered how he would fair at the much hyped homecoming headline gig at St Georges Hall. As it turned out he did a great job - a fitting conclusion to a great event.

Check out part 2...

The reason we were so fixed on this chap and his squad of musicians is because they scooped the grand prize and title of Red Stripe Music Awards winner for 2008 and will, as of this very week, be enjoying their prize of appearing at the Great Escape festival in Brighton. Along with a slot at this amazing event, playing with Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong, One Night Only, Vampire Weekend, The Subways, Futureheads, they'll also have a tour bus for keeps, the lucky swines&hellip and a headline slot at this years massively acclaimed Blissfields Festival along with a set at the Lovebox weekend.

All in, it's a heck of a prize for any new musician, and being such a fresh band with only a few live performances under their belt Klaus certainly show a drive and a self reliance that we at Red Stripe just take great pride in being associated with. Real talent at a real grassroots level is what this award is about and it's with such delight that we can be allied with this gem in the British music scene.

More to come from this band we reckon, and we'll be sure to keep you all up to date.

Again, we'd like to thank all of our finalists, and all of the bands who played across the regional dates. We'd also like to thank the fans once over for their support in new music, and of course John Kennedy, the marvel himself, for presenting the prize. As Dirty Pretty Things closed the night in style we once again look back on a great year of new music and grow itchy to come back next spring for another bout. Until then, we'll see you down the front.

QUOTES FROM KLAUS

What inspired you to apply for the Red Stripe Music Award?

It was a spur of the moment thing. I just popped onto the website whilst surfing the net and applied. At the time it didn't occur to me that anything would result from it!

How was it playing at such a big venue so early into your career?

Man,it was a surreal day. I've been gigging quite a bit since November, but never really had the chance to play anywhere special...or at least somewhere that holds more than 50 people! The whole experience really got my heart beating.

How would you describe your music, and what is it that you think gave you the edge on the competition?

The other 3 finalists were great. They all had what it took to win. I think an advantage I had was that I was probably the odd one out I don't sound anything like any of the other bands! It could have gone any way. Either I won or got laughed off stage.

What's the next step for you from here?

Well, first off it's the Great Escape Festival this Friday! I'm also going to do some recording with the band, play a few more shows and release my first single on Unlabel, which is my favourite record label. After that, who knows!

In aid of the Parkinson's Disease Society all manner of acts will be descending upon the Embassy and, despite garnering a rep for pricey beverages, drinks are set to be half-price before eleven PM. Let's face it, you'll probably be a tad pissed by then, so when drinks prices do go up, you probably won't give it a second thought anyway.The All New Adventures Of Us (TANAOU) are a seven-piece band, you know, in the mould of Arcade Fire and the like. Anyway, TANAOU have gained notoriety for their live performances and, yet again, we're going use Arcade Fire as a comparison. Yep, it's a tad lazy to keep contrasting the two bands but time is of the essence, and my fingers are tapping the keyboard quicker than a hyperactive greyhound on a speed trip. Anyway, TANAOU have got that whole poetic, sweet sounding vibe going on&hellip A bit like Athlete, only less drippy and a lot faster paced. And they're not afraid to say "shit" in their lyrics either, which proves that they've got more balls! You're probably familiar with vudu-blues band Hijak Oscar, they're that group from Channel 4's 'Mobile Act Unsigned' that got really really far and fell at the last hurdle. The judges went all X-Factor on their arses because they looked a bit different, you know, and lacked that sort of poster boy/girl feel. Anyway, their grass-roots blues style sound, which incorporates the sublime harmonica, is a bit different from a lot of the music doing the rounds at the moment&hellip It's quite refreshing really, kind of like jacking off in the bath. We reckon the Channel 4 result was fixed! Finally, the Wallbirds, who kind of blend loads of different influences together to come up with their own sort of distinct sound, will be playing at Embassy. They've supported Pigeon Detectives, Lightspeed Champion and Reverend and the Makers in the past. Anyway, The Wallbirds incorporate the harmonica as well, which is where the whole dirty blues vibe of the night stems from. Wallbirds have that Bob Dylanesque raspy vocal shindig going on, and they have this sort of classic rock feel. Sort of bringing 50s and early 60s forward to a whole new generation, which is always welcome. So they'll have this sort of foot-tapping, "tappety-tap" rhythm one minute, and then suddenly go all fast-paced. You don't know what your gonna get. It's most exciting! Oh, and DJ Shuffle will be on the decks as well&hellip Out Of The Frying Pan: Putting grease in your champers and eggs on your caviar.

To say that any decent band you're likely to hear over the next twelve months will be present in Camden this April is nothing short of sheer probability. Practically every up and coming artist, with any hope of going the distance, is scheduled to appear across 25 of London's best music halls from Dingwalls to NW1.

Of course we'll there, basking in the mid-April sun, bringing you the best in live performances and artist interviews across both days, and in true style of the legendary inner-city festival, we'll be catching some acts twice while keeping you up to date with the entire goings on via our roving campervan. Look out for that along with an array of secret gigs, headline performances and Red Stripe giveaways.

The event boasts 130+ new and renowned pioneering artists with 2008 looking to be the most celebrated year in the events history, so do be sure to check out this site regularly for up to date line-ups, competitions and promotions. If you live in London, have a few free days, or heck, just love rock 'n' roll, you have no excuse not to join team Red Stripe down on the trendy streets of Camden's bohemia for a few days of off-the-wall fun and frolicking ordained to be as part of your musical upbringing as your first gig t-shirt.

Why then? By applying online here and performing at one of our 50 plus venues, you could be chosen to play our final at a top London music venue before some of the industry's most respected big shots to walk away with the esteemed title of Red Stripe Music Award 2008 Winners.

As if that title's not enough, we'll also invite you to play a slot at 2 major UK festivals (one of which is The Great Escape in Brighton) and throw in a fully functioning tour van on top. So how does that grab you?

The award is about championing grass roots music and we aim to offer a genuinely talented band a foot in the door of that great big sod known as the industry. Each show will be a laugh-riot in itself, bands playing to real fans in real venues across the nation between January and March 2008 with each individual night being promoted in the run up, so those not fortunate enough to make the final will still get the chance to perform before a frenzied crowd of clapping hands and hopefully bopping heads. We're not about cheap music and banging a logo onto something phony for the sake of promotion. We genuinely support the bands we work with and take pride in the artists we select for the prize, so don't hesitate to get involved.

2007's winners from Hertford The Runners, have played the Great Escape, Shoreditch and In The City festivals for us since sauntering away with the award and have gained a fan base across Europe motivated by the bands effortlessly catchy songs and a little leg-up from us. 2007 was such a big success with so many fantastically eclectic artists getting involved, we had to bring it back for 2008 bigger and better, and if the standard is as high as last time around the competition is really on.

Submissions are now closed for the Music Awards 08 but more details on the next stages of the competition coming soon.