The new album of brand new songs by Dodgy has been a long time coming but ‘Stand Upright In A Cool Place’ is well worth the wait. Deeper and more mature but with bigger choruses and stronger melodies, recorded over the summer of 2011 in an old farmhouse in Malvern and mixed by Matt Pence in Texas, the original members Nigel Clark, Andy Miller and Mathew Priest, have recorded their best work to date.

The first time round, Dodgy were only together for seven years, but in that time they sold over a million records worldwide, released three albums and 12 Top 40 singles including ‘Staying Out For The Summer’, ‘So Let Me Go Far’, ‘If You’re Thinking Of Me’ and the Top 5 hit ‘Good Enough’, all still a staple of radio playlists. They sold out the Brixton Academy for three nights in a row and were awarded an unprecedented 90-minute Saturday evening slot on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival in 1997 before headliners Radiohead. Not bad, for a band reputed not to be shy when it comes to enjoying a festival, and for many the archetypal festival band.

"Dodgy's new album is a revelation" - The Guardian ****
"They’ve just made the record of their career by a country mile" - The Word

www.dodgyology.com
www.facebook.com/dodgyuk
twitter.com/#!/dodgyuk

Allo Darlin' are many things. They can turn a room in a famous punk venue into a joyous, jumping, sweaty, pop-mosh pit. Or bring a room of 500 to hushed silence with the few strums of a ukulele and a love song about cooking. Their DIY attitude inspires true dedication from their fans, some of whom will travel hundreds of miles to see them. They have toured the USA and Europe extensively in the last three years.

Their self-titled debut was released to universal acclaim in 2010, including being named No. 2 record of the year by online retailer eMusic, and a glowing 1,200 word essay by legendary Go-Between Robert Forster in the Australian magazine, The Monthly. Their second album 'Europe' was released in 2012 and was Rough Trade's Best Selling record of the year, and number four in their end of year critical list, as well as earning top praise from the likes of Pitchfork and the NME, Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of the year and featuring in stacks of Top Ten of 2012 lists. Despite such critical and underground success, Allo Darlin' have not become a mainstream act. They are a cult band in the truest sense.

www.allodarlin.com
twitter.com/allodarlinuk

It’s possible that The Affray were the original inspiration behind Spinal Tap... Four pals from Oxford, England cut their teeth in a variety of bands, both pro and semi-pro, before coming together in their current lineup.

Named after an accident prone submarine, and fuelled on a diet of coke and M&M’s (not brown ones!), they have played as far afield as Croatia, Milwaukee, Barcelona and Long Crendon. This four piece guitar band, who have found favour with the motorcycling fraternity of Europe, have played alongside many top acts, including the Foo Fighters and the Fun Loving Criminals.

They play all the very best rock songs with pace and volume. You’ll find your feet tapping, your eyes watering, and your ears bleeding...

Candy Says is a new band with a new sound and a determination to do things its own way. Lead singer Juju (formerly of Little Fish) teamed up with fellow Fish Ben Walker, Eliza Zoot (Black Casino and The Ghost) and Mike Monaghan (Man Without Country, Fionn Regan) in the summer of 2012 and set about recording an album in the garage of Ben and Juju's bungalow. The result is a lo-fi chic pop sound influenced by Juju's french roots.

After Juju's experience in the industry (signed to Universal in the US, and Island in the UK with Little Fish) she wanted to create something closer to her heart, closer to home. "I feel like I have finally found something to feel inspired by, something to strive for and something that I believe in once again. I have that same magical feeling about what I am doing now that I had when I first started writing songs" The rest of the band were drawn in by her musical vision, and Juju's fans are rallying in support of this new musical adventure.

It sounds like a garage band recording a version of an electro band playing Velvet Underground songs. It's pop, but with a real focus on the finer intricacies of the music, which boasts complex arrangements to keep the sound fresh. At times the beat is almost tribal, and at others it's layered with melodies, the sounds and vocals harmonising and blending until picking out each element becomes impossible.

candysays.it
candysays.bandcamp.com
twitter.com/candysaysit

In a past existence,Nick Cope was the singer and songwriter in The Candyskins (indie band 1990’s). We toured around the globe and recorded several albums.

I now write and record music for young children and their families. I play regular shows at schools and family centres and throughout the summer at many of the music festivals around the country. I have established quite a diehard following of little people and their parents, and my CD’s have sold, through word of mouth, all over the world.

My CD's "My socks", "What colour is your T-shirt?" and "Why is the sky blue?" are available through my website (see below), on itunes and most of the other major download sites.

www.nickcope.co.uk

The Dreaming Spires have an enviable musical pedigree. Group members - and brothers - Robin and Joe Bennett formerly played with not one but two influential bands - Goldrush and Danny & the Champions of the World, and co-founded not one but two award-winning festivals, Truck & Wood. They staged an event, Truck America, in Upstate New York where they jammed with Mercury Rev, Tim Easton and The Jayhawks (all of whom are now fans of the Spires), provided backing for The Band’s Garth Hudson and toured America with Mark Gardener of Ride.

It’s the latter experience – traipsing across the States in a beat-up Chevrolet van with no mirrors – that informs much of debut album 'Brothers in Brooklyn'. The real story is in the people and relationships established along the way, and “the real show” is back at someone’s house in the desert hours after the gig finished. It’s also about the true and inescapable drive that leads musicians to continue pursuing the dream long after any thoughts of guitar-shaped swimming pools have expired – “we do it 'cos we must, 'cos we need this the most” – the magic of forming lasting friendships and writing timeless songs.

"...the most thrilling country rock debut album since Big Star" **** Q
“if you’re partial to that lineage of American guitar music that touches on The Byrds, Neil Young, Tom Petty and The Jayhawks, this may well be your album of the year.” Happening
''I love this record'' - Bob Harris OBE

www.thedreamingspires.co.uk
www.facebook.com/thedreamingspires
www.clubhouserecords.co.uk/artists/the-dreaming-spires

Fantastically energetic and foot-stomping super 7′ (thankfolkforthat.com). Patch & The Giant are an alt-folk band from London; a spirited troupe of five boys and two girls who together craft their own, infectious brand of 'rough-edged folk' (Time Out).

With an air of ramshackle decadence, the songs are delivered with strong vocal harmonies, soaring strings, keys and buttons along with boots, braces and warbling brass. Their hearty and energetic take on modern folk is rustically enigmatic with definite nods towards the sea; the songs are anthemic, proudly lyrical with most featuring at least one ship.

Formed in late 2011, they have firmly established their name as one of the busiest and most talked about bands on the buzzing alternative folk scene. Their debut release, The Boatswain's Refuge EP (Folkroom Records) is released on 20th May 2013.

"One of, if not the single most promising folk acts to emerge so far this decade" (7 Bit Arcade)
"A band you should make an effort to catch" (Folk Radio UK)

www.patchandthegiant.com
www.facebook.com/patchandthegiant
www.youtube.com/patchandthegiant
www.twitter.com/patchandgiant

For six years Papa Truck have enjoyed playing their own brand of British Bluegrass. From bluegrass festivals to local pubs to Lithuanian TV, all who have had the chance to catch a set have come away with a smile.

They have two albums under their belt and are getting ready for a 3rd. 2012 saw them expand from 4 to 5 when they met fiddle player, Nia, who fit right in with the boys, complementing the established tunes and adding her style to the new ones. Martin (vocals, guitar, mandolin) Dan (banjo) Ryan (vocals, guitar) Sparkie (vocals, bass) Nia (fiddle).

www.papatruck.co.uk
www.facebook.com/pages/Papa-Truck/17006429580/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Q39Dz0lfI/

www.alphabetbackwards.net/
soundcloud.com/alphabetbackwards

Tamara Parsons-Baker began her career in Tokyo, Japan. Having taught herself the basics of guitar and written a batch of tentative but already unconventional songs, she returned to her hometown of Oxford and took on its expansive and competitive open mic scene. Wherever she performed, the verdict was the same: she had a VOICE, and one that wasn't easy to forget.

Over the next few years she produced new material that took its formulaic cues from jazz and the blues, and populated her songs with characters and observations that display wit and wisdom beyond her years. Sometimes she is part Amanda Palmer, part Anita O'Day; other times she is part Tom Waits, part Jeff Buckley. And you are invited to try and keep up.

Tamara is joined by Tom Sharp of Smilex fame.

tamaramusic.co.uk

Bear on a Bicycle is a new award-winning youth collective based in Oxfordshire and specialising in uniting all creative media. We are a collective of bands, solo artists, photographers, artists, poets, and film-makers.

Family: whyrhys//Jordan O'Shea//Sier Pin Sky// Curby//John-Henry Davidson//Toby Dawkins Moonbase Media//Heather Lawson//Kat Buchanan// Ed Millo//Charles III//Agony Number Nine The Campfire Raj//Amir Sharma//Lunar Maria

facebook.com/boabrecords
boabrecords.bandcamp.com

www.facebook.com/EmptyWhiteCircles
emptywhitecircles.bandcamp.com