We're pleased to announce that Blow Up club founder and DJ Paul Tunkin will be performing the DJ Set before the 50th Anniversary screening of Michelangelo Antonioni's 'Blow-Up' at the Film4 Summer Screen Festival at Somerset House on Tuesday 22nd August 2017...
You may never believe your eyes again after watching 'Blow-Up', and icon of 1960s cinema; a hypnotic mystery that follows a fashion photographer as he’s drawn into a world where nothing is quite what it seems...
"Inspiring everyone from Francis Ford Coppola to Mike Myers, Michelangelo Antonioni's arty thriller remains an absorbing, eerie enigma" Total Film
Short film 'The Devil' with scenes shot at Blow Up (St Moritz Club) shows from this Friday on Channel 4 Random Acts. Paul Weller narrates and Big Boss Man are on the soundtrack.
21 Years ago today Blow Up opened its doors for the first time in the upstairs room of The Laurel Tree, Camden Town, London. Anyone remember this Select Magazine article about Blow Up that came out the following summer in 1994? #ForThe90sSwingingLondon Stay tuned for further announcements...
Congratulations to our own David Woodcock - with 52% of the vote - winner of this week's BBC Radio 6 Music Rebel Playlist with his next single 'Relatively Single Man' from his self-titled debut album - thanks to everyone who voted!
Ahead of the release of their fourth album (September 1st 2014 on Blow Up) Big Boss Man have been busy filming two new videos in Bristol. The first, and album title track 'Last Man On Earth', sees the band as never before as (almost) unrecogniseable mod zombies stalking the streets of post-apocalyptic Bristol with a cameo from guest vocalist Princess Freesia. Director and photographer Marcus Way takes us behind the scenes...
The new Big Boss Man video for Last Man on Earth concept was born from an idea created by the band, after discussing the details and the feel of the track, a post apocalyptic/mod zombie theme was decided.
We had some simple webcam footage from Princess Freesia recorded and sent from Australia, for the vocal track which was to be inserted into a retro TV set in a 60's style room shot on location in a vintage furnishing warehouse in Bristol, now for some zombie action.
After a couple of hours of the band tearing up and dusting down their best mod zombie threads and attempting to poke scary contact lenses into their eyeballs, Scott, Nass, Des and Trev, in full undead garb, hauled musical instruments down disused railway tracks to an area of heavily graffitied warehouses in South Bristol. I directed them to distort their reanimated corpses as people went past on their evening runs and walks with their dogs. The Big Boss Men played the part wonderfully shaking heads and dragging feet like the crazed living dead they were.
To complete the changeover we needed an extra scene to take us from the relative comfort of our suburban house out into the streets crawling with the undead, I devised an old style news report with actor Mike Bidmead, the TV crackles into an important news report that takes precedence over the original programming. The song stops and all eyes and ears turn to the TV to hear of the horror!
To complete the feel of change and shutdown I shot the full moon passing through the night, time lapses of boiling, moody, cloud filled skies and a series of time lapses of Oxalis triangularis (Love Plant/False Shamrock) closing down.
The final scene has the gang of rotting zombies sensing the viewer and moving toward them preparing to tuck in! The very final shot is a 7 hour, night to day time lapse overlooking Bristol, the final moments, life rushing before your eyes before you slip away, only to return as something abominable.
As always it was a pleasure to work with Big Boss Man and I believe we have created something with just the right balance of horror and kitsch to entertain!
We're pleased to announce the launch of our all new Blow Up online shop! We've teamed up with Greedbag so you can now buy all your Blow Up releases on all formats in one place online as well as posters and T-Shirts, plus there's a new rarities section including the original promo posters pictured above - available to buy for the first time!
Vinyl & CDs: All* Vinyl & CDs now come with free MP3 Download More »
Posters & Rarities: See what we've found in our warehouse - including rare promotional posters (pictured above), limited vinyl and more! More »
MP3s & WAVs: You can now get your downloads directly from us - choose from MP3s or lossless WAVs More »
Thank you to everyone who made it to the Blow Up 20th Anniversary last week and to all the bands Baltic Fleet, Trans, Big Boss Man and DJ's who performed. It was great to see so many old faces from far and wide - it was a blast!
A Hip Hammond hybrid of 60's and 70's drenched R'n'B, Funk, Latin, Jazz, Soul and Pop. Big Boss Man are currently in the studio putting the final touches to their fourth album due out this year on Blow Up Records, and alongside brand new tracks expect such classics such as 'Sea Groove' and 'Party 7' which have won them fans worldwide. Their last album 'Full English Beat Breakfast' was described as:
"Effortlessly hip"**** - Echoes
"Their best album yet" **** - Record Collector
"Big Boss Man are back and groovier than ever"Clash
Described as 'psychedelic post-punk krautrock', GIT-Award winner and Liverpool Music Awards Nominee (Best Album 'Towers', 2013) Baltic Fleet is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist and DIY producer Paul Fleming (ex-Bunnymen) who recently returned with his second album 'Towers' which was described as:
"Immense. Fleming has upped the ante on an already stellar debut"Rough Trade Shops 'Album Of The Week' & 'Albums Of The Month'
"A sublimely cinematic blend of kosmische musik, dream pop" 9/10 Subba-Cultcha
"One of the finest records from Liverpool in years"Liverpool Echo
We're pleased to announce that Bernard Butler and Jackie McKeown’s new project TRANS will be playing on February 15th. They will shortly be releasing their second EP on Rough Trade Records.
This year saw the Blow Up Clublaunch a brand new residency at The Bussey Building in Peckham, London and in October the club reached it's 20th Anniversary (read more) - we'll be celebrating officially on Saturday 15th February 2014.
Over at Blow Up Records, 2013 saw Baltic Fleetwin this year's Liverpool GIT Award, be nominated for Liverpool Music Awards Album of The Year (along side Miles Kane and Ian Skelly) and perform at Yoko Ono's Meltdown. more / listen...
After a long haitus Alfa 9 returned with the stripped back West-Coast influenced second album Gone To Ground and swung back into live action. more / listen...
2013 also saw two debut releases for new signings Daiquiri Fantomas and David Woodcock. Sicilian experimental duo Daiquiri Fantomas released their debut album 'MHz Invasion' this August, including the fantastic 'Moogchile' described as 'Air meets John Barry'. more / listen... Essex-based singer-songwriter David Woodcock released his debut single 'Same Things', and the ltd. 7" 'Tease' more / listen...
Whilst Fay Hallam continued her UK & European tour dates in support of last year's 'Lost In Sound' more / listen... Meanwhile both Big Boss Man and The Bongolian have been touring around Europe, whilst The Bongolian returned for two storming sets at Blow Up this October and December.
Following on from the critical success of the second album 'Towers', this April Baltic Fleet won Liverpool's GIT Award (other nominees included Clinic, Dan Croll, Stealing Sheep and Wave Machines), and was invited to play the opening night of Yoko Ono's Meltdown this June at London's Southbank Centre:
"The judges believe that Towers captured the sprawling vitality of contemporary music and married this to a sonic landscape which is indicative of its birth. Flawless electronic melodies, breezeblock beats and an effortless futuristic edge"
Although Baltic Fleet is essentially the solo recording project of Paul Fleming, his live band have since played around the UK and Europe, shows including Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia, Soundcity, Sheffield Sensoria, Norwich S&V. This year they've played with Public Service Broadcasting (caught in action performing 'The Wilds' and 'Toire De'), Hookworms andThe Portico Quartetmore ...
This August Daiquiri Fantomas released 'MHz Invasion', the debut album from the Sicilian experimental Avant-Pop duo Marco Barrano and Dario Sanguedolce. A mainly instrumental cocktail of ideas with a Retro-Futuristic flavour, encompassing Prog, Sci-Fi movie soundtracks & Kosmische (youtube album sampler).
Single 'Moogchile' described as 'Air meets John Barry' receiving spot plays on BBC 6 Music from Don Letts, Gideon Coe, Radcliffe and Maconie and Chris Hawkins and Huey Morgan on BBC Radio 2. more ...
After a long haitus Alfa 9 followed their highly acclaimed debut with ‘Gone To Ground’ a much more stripped back affair, the most recent single from which 'El Morocco' was playlisted for 4 weeks on BBC 6 Music (1.9 million listeners UK & Worldwide) (other singles receiving numerous spot plays). They now haveBBC Radio sessions under their belt for 6 Music, BBC Stoke andBBC Liverpool.
The band have swung back into live action with dates up and down the UK including the Annual Liverpool Psych Fest and a support for Poltergeist in December more ...
Fay Hallam and Nasser Bouzida AKA 'The Bongolian' met when both playing a live show at Blow Up, and they soon discovered that they both shared a serious passion for 60's Hammond Beat and Soul. On 'Lost In Sound', their first collaboration, they immersed themselves in the music they both love, from Bossa Nova, heavier 70's grooves, Latin and Northern Soul, with a choice of classic instruments including old Rhodes, Wurlitzer and Hammond C3 keyboards and other vintage equipment, mixing in some analogue synths. The album was released to critcal acclaim and Fay Hallam continues to tour the album in both the UK and Europe with more dates lined up for 2014 more ...
"A great little pop record" STEVE LAMACQ, BBC 6MUSIC
"Essex has a bit of form when it comes to delivering maverick pop geniuses with a gift for mixing a smidgeon of music hall with a dash of 60s pop and creating inspired, but intelligent tunes"BRANDISH.TV
David Woodcock is a singer song writer based in his hometown of Southend-on Sea, who recently signed to Blow Up in 2012 and he has just finished recording his debut album, due for release early 2014
A pianist and prolific writer, with a strong local following around the pubs and clubs of Southend, he has been building up a solid songbook of sharp lyrics and great melodies that are have been distilled into his debut more ...
October 16th this year marked exactly 20 years to the day when doors opened to the Blow Up club for the first time. Since then it has become a bona-fide legendary club night, being at the centre of the early to mid Nineties Brit Pop explosion, cited as the catalyst and birth place of the Brit Pop scene and influencing the style and sound of a generation. Blow Up was voted as No.4 in Time Out's Top Ten Clubs of the 90s, one of '5 Classic Clubs of Out Time' by Vox Magazine (alongside The Blitz Club and Shoom) and as 'The club that changed the world' by Melody Maker. More recently Blow Up appeared in Time Out's London Calling which described the club as "the breeding gournd of the Brit Pop sound" and in NME's Original's Top Ten Britpop Moments. From its origins at The Laurel Tree, Camden Town (1993-1996), to Soho venues the Wag Club (1996-2001) the Metro Club (2002-2009), and through various London venues since (2009-2013), Blow Up is one of London's longest running club nights. We've hosted events in Europe, and further afield, with events in USA, Russia and Japan, whilst the Blow Up club compilations ('Blow Up A-Go-Go!' and 'Blow Up presents Exclusive Blend') have proved popular worldwide.
There is nowhere else quite like Blow Up, and in many ways it’s still unique. ‘Blow Up may be inspired by the ’60s,’ wrote Time Out years ago, ‘but their night could run and run.’ It looks set to do just that. Time Out London, January 2009
"Year after year, Blow Up just seems to get better"The Evening Standard No.4: Time Out's Top Ten Club's of The 90s
"The club that changed the world"Melody Maker
"This is the night which spawned a thousand bands, inspiring fashion designers and stylists to recreate the look for the mainstream"The Guest List
"Legendary"Time Out, Evening Standard, NME
The Roxy, Blitz Club, Shoom, Syndrome & Blow Up: Vox Magazine's 5 Classic Clubs of our Time
"The London clubland institution"The Guardian Guide
October 16th this year marked exactly 20 years to the day when doors opened to Blow Up for the first time. Celebrate our Anniversary with us this February when we'll be taking over two floors at The Bussey Building!
Blow Up - it all started 20 years ago today! Saturday 16th October 1993 in the upstairs of the Laurel Tree in Camden! And we're pleased to announce that our official 20th Birthday Bash will be on February 15th 2014 at The Bussey Building - stay tuned!
Alfa 9 dropped into BBC Radio Stoke again last Saturday for the weekly 'Introducing' show for a chat with Rob Adock. During their session they performed a stripped down acoustic version of Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky'...
The sleeve for 'MHz Invasion', the debut from Sicilian experimental Avant-Pop duo Daiquiri Fantomas, was created by in-house Blow Up designer Claudia Arnold and shot on location in Lanzarote, where the volcanic landscape echoes that of Daiquiri Fantomas own Sicily. The large uninhabited volcanic areas of the island make a perfect stand in for the barren but beautiful lunar worlds that 'MHz Invasion' hint at.
Find out more about Daiquiri Fantomas here and watch the album trailer below...
'Same Things' is the debut single from David Woodcock, released on Monday 29th July. This is the first fruits from the forthcoming and currently being completed debut album from Mr Woodcock, due for release this Autumn.
Just uploaded this week - Baltic Fleetperforming 'Toire De' from his new album 'Towers' back in May at Village Underground joined onstage by Public Service Broadcasting (Baltic Fleet's Paul Fleming later joined PSB for their last number 'Everest'). The sold-out show was supporting Public Service Broadcasting and they'll be playing with them again at Hebden Bridge Trade Club on June 22nd.
Last Friday we headed down to London's Southbank Centre to catch both of Baltic Fleet's sets at the opening night of Yoko Ono's Meltdown Festival as well as the lady herself in Yoko Ono's Plastic Ono band, joined onstage by Peaches.
Baltic Fleet's set was described by Bloomberg as "the psychedelic mid-point between Joy Division and Daft Punk". The band caught up with Sean Lennon at the aftershow too - check out the photos on Flickr.
Baltic Fleet performing new single 'The Wilds' (with a nod to Daft Punk) live at the Village Underground last month on. The sold-out show was supporting Public Service Broadcasting and they'll be playing with them again at Hebden Bridge Trade Club on June 22nd.
October 16th this year marked exactly 20 years to the day when doors opened to Blow Up for the first time. 
@DWoodcock_Music
