Tag: Catalogue

Eight Legs – four 18-year-olds from Stratford-upon-Avon. Eight Legs have an edgy sound reminiscent of The Smiths or The Cure and more recent bands The Libertines, Interpol and The Strokes. Their dark emotive lyrics complement their tunes perfectly, and will refuse to leave your head. Eight Legs have played hundreds of gigs around the country, already having supported bands such as The Cribs and The Futureheads.

This January and still virtually unknown, Eight Legs were noticed by Dior style icon Hedi Slimane who commissioned them to produce the soundtrack for the Dior Homme Winter 06/07 fashion show in Paris. Previous artists asked to complete the same task include The Rakes, Beck and Razorlight. This has already opened them up to an international audience.

“Fresh, catchy, old skool indie that’s way cool beyond their years” The Fly (Jan ’06)

“Worth trying if you’re outspoken, dishevelled and/or slightly bitter.” Drowned In Sound

“This band demands your attention now… The sound of NME’s favourite band only with more style and substance” rhythmandbooze.net

Cuff were a Croydon-based quartet formed after Liverpool born frontman/singer/bassist Lee Horrocks and drummer Ray Whisker found the talents of guitarists Neil Whitcher and Sean Walmsey through an ad in the Melody Maker. Horrocks has a songwriting flare and skill that belies his age and says “I’d liked to be known for our songs rather than our sound. I’ve never particularly followed bands, its always great songs that get me”. Cuff were favourites at 1997’s London Music Week, and the band’s single ‘Yellowmaddacoolivision’ for Blow Up received extensive support and airplay from MTV at the time of its release (as well have on of the most unusual of titles). Cuff had previously recorded another single on Club Spangle. Last seen: jetting off to the US after signing to Atlantic Records.

Coming Soon…

Capri were a London-based five-piece who chose their name because it suggests so many things: “Everything from the glamour of the island where Sophia Loren was born to a crap 80s car and the name of a dry cleaners in Mayfair.”

Their debut single for Blow Up’s 1000 Series was described by the NME as “an aesthetically fetching representaion of their rare pop beauty”, their influences ranging from Motown, Roxy Music, Paul Quinn to The Associates and The Beatles.

The Blow Up 1000 Series is a series of 7″ only singles in a die-cut house sleeve which aimed to showcase a diverse range of international talent to the UK. Each single was limited to a run of 1000 copies, and will not be repressed.

The Weekenders began in 1993 after Paul Tunkin started his search for willing volunteers in his struggle to fight the good fight in new era for British Pop. He was soon joined by Chris Remington on bass, Steve Smith on drums and James Hender on guitar. By May of 1994 they already had a small fan base and a mail order  7″ “All Grown Up” under their belts which served as ample ammunition when it came to being picked to feature amongst the hottest of post new wave and pre-new mod popsters on the Fierce Panda compilation 45 “Return To Splendour”.

In March 1995, the Weekenders breakthrough single “Man Of Leisure” was released on Blow Up Records (BLOWUP002)  – a touch of vaudeville, an amble through old time music hall with a madcap punk snarl that scored highly in the independent charts and made large inroads into Japan. This nicely paved the way in June for their most significant single yet with the release of “Inelegantly Wasted, In Papa’s Penhouse Pad In Belgravia” released as a three track 7″ and CD single. It was launched onboard HMS President with a live show and boat party on the Thames. The single was awarded Single of the Week in Melody Maker and sold out of all pressings in one week.

In August 1995 the band headlined The Garage, Highbury, London and co-headlined the Carlsberg ? Carling? Stage at the Reading Festival. These were the bands last two UK shows.

To bring 1995 to a snug conclusion a compilation of these now hard to obtain singles was compiled for export release as ‘That Was Then But This Is Now’. This release though still managing to make it into the UK independent charts despite no promotion. It was intended as aperitif-type precursor for The Weekenders debut studio album. 

‘Lucky 15’ are: Shint.T, Yoshi Y, and Lola. J, backed by ‘The International Playboys’ – Brother Jules and Cerise Longue.

This London based trio hailing from Japan and the UK created digital hardcore cinematica, a combination of symphonic arrangements and sultry vocals merged with heavy dance beats. Influenced by such artists as Debussy, Serge Gainsbourg and the KLF, Lucky 15 incorporate psueudo-classical ideas with authenticity, not parody. The result is an exhilarating, eclectic mix of lusciously designed pop music.

Yoshiko and Lisa have also recorded an album with the inimitable Phillipe Katerine in Paris titled Les soeurs Winchester chantent Katerine, released on Rosebud Records. Shintaro has contributed a track which also features Momus to tribute album to Antonio Carlos Jobim with another a French label Les Belles Promises, featuring artists including Ray Wonder, Pizzicato 5 and Bertrand Burgalat.

Add N to X: “Moog situationists, pioneers of avant-garde electronica“.

The original line-up of Barry Smith, Ann Shenton and Andrew Aveling recorded their debut album for Blow Up as Add N to X in 1995, the band name later gaining brackets – Add N to (X) – when they signed to Satellite and then Mute in 1998. Here’s how they were originally described at the time of release of Vero Electronics:

The creators (Barry, Andrew and Ann) of this new sound descended from the avant-pop of the sixties moog boom through Suicide, and Kraftwerk with a brief stop off at the Radiophonic Workshop.Not finding a sound they liked being made now they decided to form ADD N TO X, an all electronic band with an ever-changing style of electronica.

ADD N TO X is “Avant Hard”. “Avant Hard” is the title for their music a sort of cross between Manic Street Preachers, Suicide, Kraftwerk and Throbbing Gristle. Barry regularly D.J.’s across the London scene whilst Andrew is already well known for his contributions to the infamous Minty and Vittorian Ammastronaut aka VA6.

Add N to X are interested in exploiting interuption and loss in the caophonic malais, revealing schitzophrenic couplings:

“This album hopes to resurrect a long lost genre in electronic music by mixing the classic cinematic sound with a live drummer, seventies drum machines and looped syth descending into the inferno of the avant-garde.