BLOW UP BLOG

Alfa 9 went down a storm last Saturday at This Feeling at what was their first gig in 4 years. They made a few friends along the way! The band have 2 dates lined up in their hometown Stoke, and will be back in London in 2 weeks time to support Cornershop live dates here ...

More photos from the gig on Flickr and Facebook...

Alfa 9's second album 'Gone To Ground' gets its official release on March 11th and the band will be signing the first 100 copies, but they'll only by available from the official Blow Up / Alfa 9 shop -  click here to pre-order to guarantee yours!

Plus you can buy their other releases, including other limited goodies. There are even a few copies of their first album 'Then We Begin' on vinyl signed by the first line-up.

Here’s what we've been up to at Blow Up in 2012... Blow Up Records releases included the critically acclaimed Baltic Fleet album ‘Towers’, ‘Lost In Sound’ from Fay Hallam & The Bongolian (their very first collaboration), meanwhile the year also saw the return of the mighty Alfa 9 who have been picking up some great early press for their second album 'Gone To Ground' which is out in March 2013. All three appearing in end of year polls for 2012. Sweden’s Mockingbird, Wish Me Luck returned with the single ‘Leaving For A Day’ and a last minute Christmas track ‘This Year’ and there were  two new signings to the label for David Woodock and Daiquiri Fantomas, so stay tuned in 2013 for releases from these!

The Blow Up club headed back to the USA twice this year, with shows in LA, San Francisco and Sacramento. And in October Blow Up took part in the annual Oxjam series of shows in Leicester. Plus our London residency in West London carried on from 2011 with live guests including Sulk, The Fractures, Thee Faction, Fay Hallam, David Woodcock, B-Movie....

Read more below....

BALTIC FLEET 'TOWERS'...

"Immense. Fleming has upped the ante on an already stellar debut,"
Rough Trade Shops 'Album of the week' & 'Albums of the MONTH'

"Exceptional motorik beats" NME

"A sublimely cinematic blend of kosmische musik and dream pop" 9/10 Subba-Cultcha

"Something very special indeed" Crack Magazine

"One of the finest records from Liverpool in years" Liverpool echo

"A wonderfully well rounded and complete album"
Louder Than War 'Album Of The Week' & an Album Of The Year

AN ALBUM OF THE YEAR: LOUDER THAN WAR, VIVE LE ROCK, CRACK MAGAZINE, LIVERPOOL ECHO, RESIDENT RECORDS & MORE...

More about Baltic Fleet here...

FAY HALLAM & THE BONGOLIAN 'LOST IN SOUND'...

"A match made in heaven. It's timeless and that's the secret ...addictive stuff" ★★★★ Blues & Soul

"An immediate pleasure, and wonderfully seductive" Shindig!

AN ALBUM OF THE YEAR: VIVE LE ROCK & 'DANCING' Podrophenia Single Of The Year

More about Fay Hallam & The Bongolian here...

ALFA 9 'GONE TO GROUND'...

"The Stoke songsmiths are back, and it's been well worth the wait" CLASSIC ROCK

"A beautiful record" SHINDIG!

EARLY ALBUMS OF THE YEAR: VIVE LE ROCK, PODROPHENIA, ACTIVE LISTENER, POP JUNKIE...

Read more about Alfa 9 here...

Advance tickets have now sold out for tonight. For those who wish only to attend the late night club session without seeing the bands there will be a VERY limited amount of reduced price tickets at £5 on the door from 11pm. This will only allow entry after the bands have finished playing, and again is strictly first come first served.

Stereo Total will return to Blow Up on February 8th 2013 for a one-off London show at The Macbeth. The 5th time our favourite electro-duo have played at the club who are flying in from Germany especially.

Plus Blow Up DJs Paul Tunkin & Ian Jackson spinning their trademark mix of Pop Stylism, 60's Soul, Beat, Garage, Funk, Ska, Soundtracks, Electronica, Library Music colliding with British Pop, Glam, Indie-Pop and New-Wave.

More info: blowupclub.com • Facebook Event • Map

Advance Tickets: SOLD OUT

Stargreen.com • We Got Tickets • Gigantic • SeeTickets • Ticketweb

Connect: Facebook • Twitter

In association with Record Club / Club Underground / Shake Appeal, Blow Up returns to California this October, with two 19th Birthday dates in Los Angeles at Club Underground and then San Francisco at The Monarch.

On Friday 26th October we're back with our friends at the excellent Club Underground at The Grand Star Jazz Club - LA's best indie night! Plus get your costume ready, as this week they'll be celebrating Halloween. Great Music, Candy, Costumes, Groovy Ghoulies, Spooky Photobooth, Horror Film Screening, Prizes & Halloween themed drinks!

And then on Monday 29th October we're back again in San Francisco at the lovely Monarch. Blow Up founder/DJ Paul Tunkin + rotating DJs Galine Tumasova (Shake Appeal) + Major Sean (Tailor Made, Club Leisure) + Liam Caton (Shake Appeal) and a special live performance by excellent The Bang girl group!

Plus as its our 19th anniversary party there'll be some Blow Up vinyl give aways at both events, so get down early!

Facebook links: Blow Up / Blow Up USA / RecordClubSacto / Club Underground / The Monarch

Twitter: Blow Up / Underground / Monarch

BLOWUPCLUB.COM

'The Zodiac' by David Lindup featured on Blow Up presents Exclusive Blend Volume 1 and originally from the KPM music library spotted in new UK Fiat 500 ad 'Colour Therapy'. Read more about the Exclusive Blend Series here. Volume 1 is avialble on CD, LP and digital here.

Blow Up SF: San Fransisco & Lost In Sound Launch

Mod Soul New-Wave & Britpop Action For Pop Stylists!

Blow Up returns to SF and to the Monarch with a great line-up of DJs from the SF scene: Carlos Perez (Tailor Made), Major Sean (Tailor Made, Club Leisure), Galine Tumasova (Shake Appeal) & Russel Quan (Teenage Dance Craze) and a live show from The Chuckleberrys.

Plus FAY HALLAM & THE BONGOLIAN Record Release Party! (Blow Up Records) This is a brand new collaboration between Fay Hallam (Makin' Time, The Prime Movers, Phaze) and Blow Up Records' Nasser Bouzida (The Bongolian).

Please note event is 21+.

More info: blowupclub.com • monarchsf.com • Facebook Event • Map
Connect: Facebook • USA Facebook • Twitter • mySpace

Blow Up feat. DC Fontana + Electric Stars + David-Woodcock

Blow Up's monthly West London residency at Ginglik in Shepherd's Bush with live guests this month DC Fontana and The Electric Stars. Plus Blow Up DJs Paul Tunkin & Ian Jackson spinning their trademark mix of Pop Stylism, 60's Soul, Beat, Garage, Funk, Ska, Soundtracks, Electronica, Library Music colliding with British Pop, Glam, Indie-Pop and New-Wave.

More info: blowupclub.com • Facebook Event • Map
Tickets £6 adv. from: Stargreen.com • We Got Tickets • Gigantic • SeeTickets • Ticketweb
Connect: Facebook • Twitter • mySpace

DC Fontana live at Blow Up

Turned-on music to shake your hips & pluck your heartstrings… DC Fontanaare on a mission.The 2012 edition of the band is fronted by Louise Turner while founding member Mark Mortimer plays bass & is one of the two main song-writers along with Scott Riley who used to play with Spectrum, the psychedelic off-shoot of the Spacemen 3.With producer Donald Ross Skinner (Julian Cope, Prolapse, Salad, Cud etc) at the helm the DCs delivered the kitchen-sink drama Six Against Eight after camping inside the famous Parr Street Studios in Liverpool where they had been invited to record by legendary Echo & The Bunnymen guitarist Will Sergeant, a fan of the band.

Electric Stars at Blow Up

THE ELECTRIC STARS Infectious melodies, lyrics that become part of your life & songs that you NEED to own! If there was a modern mash up of Stones/Who/Kinks/Beatles...This is what it would sound like!

David Woodcock live at Blow Up

DAVID WOODCOCK New Blow Up Records' signing David Woodcock returns to Blow Up as part of his monthly residency. Expect great songs delivered in Dave's own inimitable Essex style. Best described as the closest thing to a knees-up with Chas'N'Dave and The Kinks' Ray Davies!

Blow Up presents the album launch for Fay Hallam & The Bongolian's new album 'Lost In Sound' (Blow Up Records) with a rare live London show by the Mod Queen herself, with a brand new band line-up, and featuring special guest appearances by ex-Prisoners/ Prime Movers/ Phaze/ Solar Flares, bass-legend, Allan Crockford.

Blow Up's monthly West London residency at Ginglik in Shepherd's Bush with Blow Up DJs Paul Tunkin & Ian Jackson spinning their trademark mix of Pop Stylism, 60′s Soul, Beat, Garage, Funk, Ska, Soundtracks, Electronica, Library Music colliding with British Pop, Glam, Indie-Pop and New-Wave.

The Blow Up playlist includes classic tracks from both its past and present, from its Brit Pop era favourites, (the scene of which the club helped kick-start way back in 1993 in Camden Town) to the current new things tickling our fancy - the new Pop stylists putting the art back into pop alongside essential New Wave, Glam and indie classic cuts. All this alongside Blow Up's trademark mix of 60's killer dance floor tracks in the following genre's - 60's Swinging Soundtracks, TV Themes, 60s Exotica & Electronica, 60s Club Soul, Northern Soul, Beat, Mod Jazz, French Pop, Library Music and Ska. Bloody marvellous!

More info: blowupclub.com • Facebook Event • Map

Tickets £6 adv. from: Stargreen.com • We Got Tickets • Gigantic • SeeTickets • Ticketweb

Connect: Facebook • Twitter • mySpace