Madness

Hailing from Camden Town, London, England, Madness are a ska band that formed in 1976. They are one of the most enduring and beloved English bands to ever come from the late seventies and early eighties and quite possibly the world’s biggest 2-Tone band.

Billy Bragg

The Big Nosed Bard from Barking

The Roaring Forty | 1983-2023

https://bbragg.lnk.to/theroaringforty

Gogol Bordello

Gogol Bordello are a gypsy punk band, comprised of members from across the globe. They formed in Lower Manhattan, New York City, in 1999.

The Undertones

This is the official Facebook Fan page for Derry's finest, The Undertones

Skindred

Skindred are a band from Newport in Wales that endorse nu metal, and reggae rock. They have developed a reputation with their energetic live performances, and have won awards throughout their career, most notably “Best Live Band” at the 2011 UK Metal Hammer ‘Golden Gods’ awards.

Beta Band

THE BETA BAND

Super Furry Animals

Levellers

Levellers have long been and still are, one of the best live bands around. Often overlooked is their outstanding back catalogue of recorded music. Levellers sold more platinum, gold, and silver albums in the 1990s than any other act. 5 of their 6 Top 40 albums (which spawned 14 Top 40 singles), including the number 1 Zeitgeist, are re-released this June on Warner Brothers’ Rhino label. Levelling the Land is re-issued as a double disc with the BBC’s recording of the era-defining headline slot at Glastonbury ’92 as the second disc. Re-mastered, expanded with B-sides from the singles, new packaging, liner notes and artwork, the five re-issues reflect the huge recent resurgence in the band’s popularity. All albums will be available physically and digitally and there will be a “best of” compilation, chosen by the band themselves available exclusively from iTunes. Levellers’ anthem What A Beautiful Day is re-released on 28 June (download only). The single will be available from all good online music stores, and there will be an exclusive bundle featuring the video and live tracks available through iTunes. In 2008 Levellers celebrate their 20th anniversary. They have ridden waves of huge popularity and chasms of widespread mistrust. They have ignored fads, fashions and trends, and in doing so have existed alongside them. They still play with a passion and pride that, having seen off many of their early contemporaries, is setting a standard that many young pretenders find hard to match; they play 29 festivals in this summer including Fflam, Bestival, Rock Ness and their own Beautiful Days. The band live on through hard work and a passion for what they do. They manage themselves, run their own label, book their own tours and run their own festival. It is this ethos which means, against all the odds, they have kept themselves relevant for 20 years, and will keep doing so for another 20 years. After 2 decades, it is time for the UK to be truly proud of one of its most enduring musical talents. Levelling The Land is one of those albums that every song is an inspired gem. Strains of Far From Home, Liberty Song, Another Man’s Cause, Battle Of The Beanfield are still heard from campfires to nightclubs across Europe and even further afield. With enduring anthems like One Way, Levellers have always known the power of a fantastic tune. Levellers is the band at their rawest and grittiest with songs from the haunting Julie to MTV favourite This Garden. Unveiled not long before their generation-defining headline slot at Glastonbury ’94, its commercial progress was somewhat hampered by their well documented spats with the UK music press. Zeitgeist marked a new, more mature era in the band’s development. Hope Street, with its powerfully ironic lyrics (with video to match), was a massive hit. Like 2 of the band’s 3 previous singles it hit number 12, stalling just short of the top 10. Just The One also hit number 12, and saw the band invited to perform twice on Top of the Pops which they did with aplomb. Splitting fans, critics and new recruits to the Levellers army right down the middle when it was first released, Mouth To Mouth has endured as one of the Levellers true gems. What a Beautiful Day as the standout track is probably the band’s biggest in terms of mainstream popularity, yet tracks such as Far Away, Elation and the hauntingly introspective Too Real rival any of the bands ‘credible’ recordings. The last of the 5 albums to be reissued is the hugely underrated Hello Pig. Introducing a more psychedelic edge to the Levellers sound it again split opinions within the fanbase, although ironically, it received substantial critical acclaim. NME hailed it as the band’s best work for many years and Playlouder exhorted its readers to buy Hello Pig over Radiohead’s Kid A. www.levellers.co.uk www.myspace.com/levellers Formed in: Brighton, England, UK Year formed: 1988 Personnel; Mark Chadwick - Vocal, Guitar, Harmonica, Occasional Drums Jeremy Cunningham - Bass Charlie Heather - Drums Jon Sevink - Violin David (Bucky) Buckmeister - Guitar Alan Miles - Guitar, Harmonica, Mandolin Simon Friend - Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica, Mandolin Matt Savage - Keyboards, Backing Vocals

The Chameleons

The atmospheric pop band the Chameleons formed in Manchester, England, in 1981 from the ashes of a number of local groups: vocalist/bassist Mark Burgess began with the Cliches, guitarists Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding arrived from the Years, and drummer John Lever (who quickly replaced founding member Brian Schofield) originated with the Politicians. After establishing themselves with a series of high-profile BBC sessions, the Chameleons signed to Epic and debuted with the tense, moody single "In Shreds," produced by Steve Lillywhite and released in March 1982.

The quartet was soon released from its contract with Epic, but then signed to Statik and returned in 1983 with the band's first full-length effort, Script of the Bridge. What Does Anything Mean? Basically followed in 1985, and with it came a new reliance on stylish production; following its release, the Chameleons signed to Geffen and emerged the following year with Strange Times. The dark, complex record proved to be the Chameleons' finale, however, when they split following the sudden death of manager Tony Fletcher; while Burgess and Lever continued on in the Sun & the Moon , Smithies and Fielding later reunited in the Reegs . In 1993, Burgess surfaced with his proper solo album Zima Junction. He and his band the Sons of God toured America the following year.

As the '90s came and went, the four members of the Chameleons UK continued to work on music and see one another on a personal basis. While their own musical projects kept them busy, a reunion was practically inevitable. The Chameleons reconnected in January 2000 to prep for three May dates in England. The acoustic-based, self-released Strip was available by showtime and for a limited time only. Additional European dates followed throughout the summer, and by fall the Chameleons UK played their first American shows in nearly 15 years. Several live efforts appeared shortly thereafter. Why Call It Anything? (2001) marked the Chameleons' first studio album since 1986's Strange Times. This Never Ending Now appeared two years later. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

The Wonder Stuff

The Wonder Stuff are a band originally based in Stourbridge, in the Black Country, West Midlands, UK.

The original line-up was Miles Hunt (whose uncle Bill Hunt was keyboard player with Wizzard), Malcolm Treece, Rob "The Bass Thing" Jones (d. 1993) and Martin Gilks (d. 2006). The group originated from an earlier collaboration with group members of Pop Will Eat Itself (aka PWEI), called From Eden, which had Miles Hunt on the drums.

In 1990, Martin Bell (aka, Fiddlie), an accomplished fiddle and banjo instrumentalist, joined the band and Paul Clifford replaced Rob Jones on the bass.

The band initially split on July 14, 1994 at the Phoenix Festival near Stratford-on-Avon, with Miles Hunt forming Vent 414 and Malc Treece, Martin Gilks and Paul Clifford teaming up with ex-Eat frontman, Ange Dolittle, to form We Know Where You Live.

Following the split of Vent 414, Miles Hunt took to touring an acoustic solo show performing old favourites and new material. During this period, he toured and released an album under banner of The Miles Hunt Club, featuring Stuart Quinnel and Andres Karu (who would later featuring in subsequent line-ups of The Wonder Stuff) as well as Michael Ferentino fom the Amazing Meet Project.

The band later reformed for a few live tours from 2000 onwards including a sell out 5 night residency at The Forum, London. For this incarnation, Stuart Quinnel took over on bass from Paul Clifford.

Their first new album for over a decade, Escape From Rubbish Island, was released in September 2004. The line-up for this album was Hunt and Treece plus Andres Karu and Mark McCarthy (formally of Radical Dance Faction).

This line-up (plus Erica Nockalls on violin) continued into 2006 with the release of their new album Suspended By Stars.

Nova Twins

Over the last few years, Nova Twins have become one of the most celebrated and transformative forces in contemporary music. Since bursting out of the independent UK scene, the Mercury Music Prize and two-time BRIT Award nominees have rewritten the rulebook of what a modern rock band can achieve. Praised by icons like Tom Morello and Elton John they’ve dominated festivals from the UK’s Glastonbury to Japan’s Summer Sonic and shared stages with legends like Foo Fighters, Muse, and Bring Me The Horizon. In 2022 their Mercury Music Prize shortlisting inked Love and South’s names in the history books as the first black rock band to receive a nomination, a victory not just for the duo, but for music culture itself.

Renowned for their electrifying live performances, Nova Twins are equally celebrated for their singular sound. Every note is the product of real instrumentation - bass and guitar teased, pulled, pushed, and manipulated through tap-dancing across an expansive pedalboard. Paired with a rich, inventive vocal approach, their music achieves an unmistakable identity without a synthesizer in sight.

Now entering a bold new era, Nova Twins have unveiled “Monsters,” a blistering statement of intent that combines roaring power with honest vulnerability, offering a glimpse of what’s to come. With an album on the horizon, South and Love are poised to push boundaries further, elevating their genre-defying sound to new and exhilarating heights.

The Royston Club

Described as "Wrexham wonderkids" by BBC 6 Music, The Royston Club are the new Welsh band making waves in the UK and beyond. The four-piece indie band has amassed millions of streams, sold out UK tours and enjoyed support from mainstream media. Their debut album 'Shaking Hips and Crashing Cars' was released in June 2023, then last summer, the band went on to play major festivals such as Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, and supported the likes of Blossoms, Two Door Cinema Club and The Wombats.

Gurriers

As the end of the first quarter of the 21st century inches ever closer, our planet precariously teeters from one crisis to the next. Rather than passively sit back and watch, the high-energy Irish guitar quintet Gurriers are firing on all cylinders and confronting the ills of the modern world on their debut album, Come and See, a truly thrilling collection of razor-sharp progressive punk songs.

Come and See explores many themes, be they the end of the world, the disenfranchised youth of Dublin, emigrant friends, the rise of the far right, desensitisation to violence, a pope struggling with belief and love amongst other things.

Gurriers' first album is no ordinary debut, but an exhilarating statement of intent by five people fed up with tiptoeing politely around the chaos. Come and see for yourself.

“It’s impossible to overstate how impressive this album is. It’s not impressive for a debut; it’s not impressive for a punk album; it’s just impressive. It’s unambiguous, it’s unapologetic, it’s quite frankly unbelievable.” 5/5 Dork Magazine

“At Simple Things in Bristol Gurriers riotous art-punk threatens to collapse the venue’s bouncy floor“
5/5 NME

Gwenno

Artist

Big Special

UK duo Big Special write about desperation and struggle, about a Britain in decline, about finding pride in your darkest moments, about how the real class war in the UK involves always punching downwards. They’ve developed a sound drawing disparate influences like Sleaford Mods’ bleakly hilarious bark, the intense power of Tom Waits-esque gospel, the healing power of soul and the electric charge of rock into something ecstatic, painful, truthful and real. The riotous debut album Postindustrial Hometown Blues came out in May.