FORTUNA POP! PRESENTS
THE WINTER SPRINTER 2015
6-9 January 2015 – The Lexington, London
featuring Withered Hand, Darren Hayman & The Long Parliament, Martha, Tigercats, Milky Wimpshake, Evans The Death, Mammoth Penguins, Mega Emotion, Simon Love & The Old Romantics, Bill Botting (of Allo Darlin’), Fulhast and The Hayman Kupa Band
It's happening again... The 5th Annual Fortuna POP! Winter Sprinter 2015 is Go!
Four nights, twelve bands, DJs... the perfect antidote to the post-Christmas blues with the creme de la creme of the Fortuna POP! roster in a show with everything but Joanna Gruesome.
2014 has been another incredible year for Fortuna POP!, right from the very start with the remarkable critical success of September Girls’ “Cursing The Sea” album back in January, closely followed by the release of Let’s Wrestle’s self-titled third album in February and the label’s first taste of album chart success with Withered Hand’s “New Gods” in March. The releases kept coming with albums from US cult heroes Chain And The Gang, UK indie legends Comet Gain, vegan straight-edge DIYers Martha and psych-pop contenders The Proper Ornaments, before they saw the year out with Flower’s incredible debut album and the third album from the much-loved Allo Darlin’.
2015 shows no sign of letting up with new releases scheduled from The Chemistry Experiment, Tigercats, Evans The Death, Simon Love, Joanna Gruesome, Mammoth Penguins (ex-Standard Fare), The Spook School, Flowers, Darren Hayman and Milky Wimpshake.
As always the Annual Fortuna POP! Winter Sprinter showcases the best of the label’s talent over four days in the intimate surroundings of The Lexington, with many of the bands mentioned above involved in this unmissable curtain-raiser to the year.
Full details below:
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FORTUNA POP! PRESENTS THE WINTER SPRINTER 2015
6th-9th Jan 2015, 7:30pm each night
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Road N1 9JB
Nearest tubes : King's Cross / Angel
Tel : 020 7837 5387
Web:
http://www.thelexington.co.ukFour night Season Ticket only £27.50
http://www.wegottickets.com/f/8403Tuesday 6th January - Withered Hand + Simon Love & The Old Romantics + Bill Botting (Allo Darlin’)
DJ (Upstairs) – Paul Wright (The Track & Field Organisation)
Tickets -
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/297209Wednesday 7th January - Darren Hayman & The Long Parliament + Mammoth Penguins + Mega Emotion
DJ (Upstairs) – Paul Richards (Scared To Dance)
Tickets -
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/297211Thursday 8th January - Martha + Evans The Death + Fulhast
DJ (Upstairs) – Ian Watson (How Does It Feel To Be Loved?)
DJ (Downstairs til 3am) – Morgan Giles
Tickets -
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/297212Friday 9th January - Tigercats + Milky Wimpshake + The Hayman Kupa Band
DJs (Upstairs) – Sandy & Karren (Stolen Wine Social)
DJ (Downstairs til 4am) – Simon Love
Tickets -
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/297213 **************************************************************************************************************
Tuesday 6th January, Doors 7.30pm
WITHERED HAND + SIMON LOVE & THE OLD ROMANTICS + BILL BOTTING (ALLO DARLIN’)
DJ (Upstairs) – Paul Wright (The Track & Field Organisation)
WITHERED HAND
Active in the world of visual art and dabbling in music for many years, Dan Willson aka Withered Hand came late to singing and songwriting at age 30, in a period of reflection between the death of a close friend and the birth of his first child. The resultant material, much of which went on to become the album Good News, was praised for its depth and startling honesty and saw him embraced by Fife-based musical powerhouse the Fence Collective and his songs picked up by MTV and cult series Skins.
Withered Hand's critically acclaimed second album New Gods was released in March of this year. It was nominated for "Best Difficult Second Album" at the AIM Awards, made No. 1 in the Official Chart Independent Album Breakers chart, and was named Album Of The Year by the Herald Scotland, but more than that it was a triumph of songwriting talent and superb musicianship that touched the heart of everyone that heard it.
Five years on from his arrival on the scene with the brilliant but lo-fi “Good News” Dan Willson went for broke, enlisting legendary Scottish producer Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Teenage Fanclub), and a veritable who's who of Scottish music including King Creosote, Eugene Kelly of The Vaselines, and members of Belle & Sebastian and Frightened Rabbit. The result: eleven meditations on love, fidelity and transience that saw Willson’s songwriting hit dizzying heights: by turns confessional and melancholy, raucous and life-affirming; a beautifully executed collection of songs from one of Scotland’s most gifted songwriters.
“Endlessly lovable stuff… zings with Teenage Fanclub-ish exuberance.” (NME)
http://witheredhand.comSIMON LOVE & THE OLD ROMANTICS
Formerly the leader of the legendary Cardiff-based psych-pop collective The Loves, whose fusing of Nuggets-style garage pop, bubblegum fuzz, sugar sweet indiepop, and hand-clapping, hip-shaking rock'n'roll made them firm favourites of Marc Riley and John Peel, Simon Love now returns with a fantastic new band and a pocketful of brilliant new tunes.
“A truckload of chugging pop with wistful lyrics. Visually though, imagine the cast of the Big Bang Theory without the eye candy. Entertaining, with a Capital E.” (Louder Than War)
http://simonlove.bandcamp.comBILL BOTTING
Bill Botting is the bass player in the much loved Allo Darlin’ and one half of the wonderful Moustache Of Insanity. Renowned for his exuberant and bouncy stage presence, here Bill will be playing his own songs accompanied by some of his friends from London’s best indie bands.
http://billbotting.bandcamp.com/**************************************************************************************************************
Wednesday 7th January, Doors 7.30pm
DARREN HAYMAN & THE LONG PARLIAMENT + MAMMOTH PENGUINS + MEGA EMOTION
DJ (Upstairs) – Paul Richards (Scared To Dance)
DARREN HAYMAN & THE LONG PARLIAMENT
Formerly the singer-songwriter of the phenomenally successful and much-loved Hefner, Darren Hayman is now eight or nine albums into an increasingly idiosyncratic career path. Darren is also writing the best tunes of his career; increasingly complex and mature songs. Following his instrumental album devoted to London's lidos and the third release in his Essex Trilogy, The Violence, a double album of strangely beautiful, haunting songs about the Essex Witch Trials of the 17th Century, Darren’s next project sees him set William Morris’ Chants For Socialists to music. Having recently played a year long monthly residency at jazz venue The Vortex, this is another chance to see Hayman in a more conventional setting with his full backing band, The Long Parliament.
“London's laureate of sexual dysfunction, discomfort, and dog-eared under-achievement... the match of Ray Davies, or any of the quintessentially English masters.” (The Guardian)
http://www.hefnet.comMAMMOTH PENGUINS
Mammoth Penguins are the new band formed by Emma Kupa of Standard Fare no less, so you know it'll be ace, but if you need more convincing take a trip to their Soundcloud page and take a listen to their demos. Yup, infectious indie rock with a touch of genius and Emma’s incredible voice. Business as usual then folks.
“More raw and cocksure but with the questioning heart intact. Just a set of demos for the time being but they sound confident and ready for battle.” (Sweeping The Nation)
https://soundcloud.com/mammoth-penguinsMEGA EMOTION
Mega Emotion released their debut track ‘Brains’ in September and it’s already created quite a stir, scooping singles of the week in both The 405 and The Music Fix, alongside airplay on BBC 6 Music (Steve Lamacq) and BBC Introducing. The trio began working on material earlier this year – taking inspiration from bands like New Order, Metronomy, CHVCHES, Sleigh Bells, Depeche Mode, The Pixies, Kraftwerk and Sonic Youth. The result is a reverent blend of post punk, stark electronics and synth pop hooks.
“Brains starts like Blondie and soon becomes something different. Part Pixies noise-fest, part 80s synth sunset. I fucking love this song. It makes me want to rip out my shitty broken spine and flop around on a dance floor having fun.” – The 405 (single of the week)
http://megaemotion.co.uk**************************************************************************************************************
Thursday 8th January, Doors 7:30pm
MARTHA + EVANS THE DEATH + FULHAST
DJ (Upstairs) – Ian Watson (How Does It Feel To Be Loved?)
DJ (Downstairs) – Morgan Giles
MARTHA
Hailing from Pity Me near Durham, vegan straight-edge DIY pop group Martha released their debut album ‘Courting Strong’ on Fortuna POP! at the end of May. Providing energetic, impassioned pop punk, Martha are informed by 90s indie rock and Scandinavian anarcho noir. The album, produced by MJ from Hookworms, is laden with harmonies and interchangeable vocals whilst still retaining the energy and excitement of the band’s live shows. Formed in 2011 by siblings Naomi (bass, vocals) and Nathan Griffin (drums, vocals) with J. Cairns (guitar, vocals) and Daniel Ellis (guitar, vocals), Martha have fast become a staple of the UK DIY pop scene.
“Their melodic guitar pop and charming, deliberately naïve lyrics are truly infectious… file between The Buzzcocks, Tigercats and The Wedding Present; furious, chunky guitars, brattish vocals and bouncing bass” (MusicOMH)
https://www.facebook.com/marthadiyEVANS THE DEATH
Named after the undertaker in Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood, Evans the Death comprise of Dan Moss (guitar, vocals), Katherine Whitaker (vocals, keys), Olly Moss (guitar) and James Burkitt (drums). The band document and channel the exuberance of youth via the prism of five pop music obsessives, gleaning inspiration from all of the music with which they grew up. They draw as much from the lyrical dexterity of Morrissey and Jarvis Cocker, as to the scuzzed up melodic exuberance of early My Bloody Valentine and The Pixies. Evans the Death have been given extensive airtime on BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6Music, as well being made John Kennedy’s ‘Xposure Big One’ on XFM, and the release of their album saw the music press sit up and take interest, with great reviews in Q, The Fly and Uncut, plus support from This Is Fake DIY and Drowned In Sound. Their second album “Expect Delays” will be released in March 2015.
"Smart and gutsy to: a clatter and pummel underscoring Katherine Whitaker's sweet, yet punchy vocals… Evans the Death make humdrum everyday existence sound quite magical." Q ****
http://www.evansthedeath.co.uk/FULHÄST
The other half of Moustache of Insanity (see Tuesday), Fulhäst was just Nik on his debut Fika Recordings album 'Broken'. Since then he's added a real live drummer. The duo could soon be a trio. Glitchy lo-fi gameboy pop-punk for the powerpop generation with songs about movies, time machines, heartbreak and stuff.
http://fulhast.tumblr.com/**************************************************************************************************************
Friday 9th January, Doors 7:30pm
TIGERCATS + MILKY WIMPSHAKE + THE HAYMAN KUPA BAND
DJs (Upstairs) – Sandy & Karren (Stolen Wine Social)
DJ (Downstairs til 4am) – Simon Love
TIGERCATS
Tigercats are a band from London as ambitious and intelligent as only people who try to shoehorn elements of Prince and the Trojan back-catalogue into a Jonathan Richman song can be. Having honed his songwriting craft in the short-lived but much much-missed Esiotrot, Duncan Barrett recruited sibling/long-time producer Giles (bass), talented songstress Laura (keys) and rhythmic powerhouse Jonny (drums), as well as latest member Paul Rains (guitar, of Allo Darlin' fame). It's a winning combination that has taken them not only across the UK and Europe – including such highlights as End Of The Road, Primavera Festival, appearances on Spanish TV (RTVE Radio3) and Indietracks – but also Stateside, their 2013 tour culminating in a headline performance at the fabled NYC Popfest. After early singles on Haircut Records and WeePop, their debut album Isle of Dogs was released in 2012 on Fika Recordings and Acuarela Discos. Their forthcoming album Mysteries, is set for release on Fortuna POP! in February 2015.
“A splendid guitar busyness inherited from Television, a rhythmic restlessness taken from the Violent Femmes and, from Blondie, an understanding that just because you’re a rock band, it doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to make people dance.” (The Sunday Times)
http://www.tigercatsband.comMILKY WIMPSHAKE
A potent mixture of fizzing pop tunes, punk attitude and protest folk have made Milky Wimpshake one of the UK’s best loved indiepop bands. They’ve released numerous singles and compilation tracks on assorted indie labels, along with four albums, 1998’s “Bus Route To Your Heart” released on singer Pete Dales’s own legendary Slampt label, 2001’s “Lovers, Not Fighters”, 2005’s “Popshaped”, and 2010’s “My Funny Social Crime”. For many Milky Wimpshake are the spiritual godfathers of the now-thriving North-East music scene that has spawned Martha, No Ditching and Onsind, and as überlord of the Slampt label Pete was responsible for launching a hundred fanzines and as many bands, The Yummy Fur and Kenickie included. With a new album “Encore, Un Effort” slated for release in 2015 - featuring the vocal talents of Sophie Evans in a series of duets – Wimpshake show no signs of slowing down just yet.
“Leaders of the pop underground." (A Layer of Chips)
http://www.microsofa.net/mw/THE HAYMAN KUPA BAND
The Hayman Kupa Band is a supergroup comprising of Darren Hayman of Darren Hayman and Hefner fame, Emma Kupa formerly of Standard Fare and current Mammoth Penguin, Fever Dream drummer Cat Loye and wonderful musician Michael Wood aka Michaelmas. This will be their first gig.
https://www.facebook.com/haymankupaband
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