Blow Up 2013 Review
Wednesday December 18, 2013

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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...
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 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
We're pleased to announce that we now have 3 new additions to Blow Up Records' roster for 2012: Fay Hallam & The Bongolian (a new collaboration), singer-songwriter David Woodcock from Southend-on-Sea and Sicilian duo Daiquiri Fantomas. Plus, 'Towers' the long-awaited follow up to Baltic Fleet's self-titled debut will be released this Summer, followed swiftly by the second album for Alfa 9 'Gone To Ground'.
FREE DOWNLOADS:
The first 2 singles for 2012 will be 'Engage' from Baltic Fleet, and 'Dancing' from Fay Hallam & The Bongolian which we'll be giving away as free downloads for a limited time, links below...
'Dancing' will be the first track to be taken from 'Lost In Sound' the very first collaboration between Fay Hallam (Makin' Time, The Prime Movers, Phaze) and Blow Up Records' The Bongolian. Both share a serious passion for 60's Hammond Beat and Soul. Due for release very shortly, the album covers a variety of styles: Bossa Nova, heavier 70's grooves and a strong Northern Soul influence. Get ready to get Lost In Sound... Head over to FayHallamAndTheBongolian.com to get your free download. ![]() ![]() ![]() |
'Engage' is the first track to be taken from 'TOWERS' the 2nd album from BALTIC FLEET, released this Summer and which follows his 2008 self-titled debut which was an Album of the Year (No 29) for Rough Trade Shops. Baltic Fleet is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist and DIY producer Paul Fleming. The second record signifies a departure from the travelling and diarising of life on the road (whilst touring as keyboard player for Echo & The Bunnymen), and arrives home to the industrial backdrop of North West England. The album was written and recorded in a room overlooking the industrial landscape a stone's throw from Spike Island, the scene of another Northern band's finest hour. Head over to BalticFleetMusic.com to get your free download. ![]() ![]() ![]() |