Author Archives: Liam Walsh

Soft Toy Emergency – Maida Vale Session!

“Noughties electro disco pop, writ large in neon lights”

Soft Toy Emergency - CriticalSoft Toy Emergency

After taking the Reading and Leeds Festivals by storm back in August (they were the only band on the Introducing stage to be played by Nick Grimshaw and Huw Stephens), the good folk at BBC Introducing were very keen to get Soft Toy Emergency in to record a session for them. Subsequently, a few weeks ago, the guys dropped in to Maida Vale studios to do just that…

Check out their forthcoming single Critical live at Maida Vale

 

Check out Headline live at Maida Vale

 

Check out Circles live at Maida Vale

 

Check out Here With You live at Maida Vale

 

Alternatively you can visit Soft Toy Emergency‘s BBC Introducing page for the videos of their Reading/Leeds performances.

Ask Me PR In The City – Day 3!

Saving Aimee

In The City

Shmoo

Tuesday night saw the final push for ITC and Ask Me PR. Early doors this evening, at the Roadhouse, were Saving Aimee. Polished, slick pop music from these six young confident men at a 14+ night to allow their army of younger fans to be there too. The set was full of energy, with potential hit after hit . They played their BBC Radio 1 playlisted single ‘We’re The Good Guys‘ and the audience (mainly young girls) loved it.  Another crowd pleaser was their current single ‘Fresh Since ’88‘, check out the video here.

Straight after Saving Aimee, and it was a dash around the corner to Moho Live for the second BBC Introducing ITC night. This evening it was the turn of the mighty Shmoo to assault the ears of the crowd. The video for their new single Amnesia, which was filmed at their show at the Manchester International Festival with Delphic this summer, can be seen here.  The two keyboard players and vocalists (who are brothers) give it their all, and to see their hypnotic live drummer in action is really something. It’s hard to believe they are playing electronic music without a laptop in sight!

Well, ITC has drawn to a close for another year. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be hearing much from our roster of artists until then. On the contrary, this is just the beginning…

Liam

Ask Me PR In The City – Day 2!

In The CityThe CordelsMy AlbatrossThe Vanguards

 

 

So… Monday night and Day 2 of ITC. A HUGE night for Ask Me PR as we had 3 bands playing (including one playing in two venues).

At BBC Introducing In The City @ MOHO Live, the excellent My Albatross give a sterling performance despite an onstage nightmare involving a broken guitar neck! Many thanks to The Vanguards for helping out with a replacement.

Following that, The Vanguards themselves went down a storm, leaving many industry people reeling, probably in shock at the force of what they had witnessed. What an exhilarating performance!

A little later, and with the focus shifting to the Mint Lounge, The Vanguards played their second gig of the evening (again impressive in every way). Last (and most DEFINITELY not least) of the night were The Cordels. Playing a set with two new tracks added (check out their MySpace to hear them) the response from industry folks (“the best band I’ve seen during ITC”) was fantastic.

All in all, a massive success for the bands! Well done guys!

Liam

Ask Me PR In The City Day 1!

In The CityNeil McSweeney

 

 

 

 

Day 1 of In The City, and to kick things off it’s an early show for Sheffield’s Neil McSweeney. Hot on the heels of an excellent album launch party at The Luminaire in London, this  gig at Oldham St’s infamous Night & Day was another real triumph. With support from his backing band The Gents, Neil impressed everyone with a mixture of new tracks from the album ‘Shoreline’ and some crowd-pleasing favourites such as London Road and Postcards.

Really nice to see the conference opening with a personal favourite of mine. Looking forward to more from Ask Me artists at ITC over the next few days.

Hoping to see you there,

Liam

In The City Manchester 18-20th October!

itcThis Sunday (18th October) is the start of In The City new music festival in Manchester. Some 150 bands will be performing over 3 days, and of course Ask Me PR will be in attendance along with a number of our bands/artists!

Neil McSweeney @ Night and Day on Sunday 18th October at 2.40pm.

The Vanguards and My Albatross @ BBC Introducing In the City at Moho Live  on Monday 19th October at 8pm.

The Cordels @ Mint Lounge on Monday 19th October at 10.30pm.

Shmoo @ BBC Introducing In the City at Moho Live on Tuesday 20th October at 8.50pm.

Saving Aimee @ The Roadhouse (14+ Show!) on Tuesday 20th October at 8pm.

The BBC Introducing sessions are being recorded for transmission on BBC Radio 1. Keep your ears open!

You can get your In The City wristband now from the ITC website. See you there!

The Cordels – Dance In Time Video

Two brand new tracks: ‘Run‘ and ‘Tear Me to Pieces‘ have just been uploaded to The Cordels MySpace.

The Cordels - Dance in Time OUT NOW on iTunes!
The Cordels have already won airplay from some well respected quarters. Nationally Zane Lowe (Radio 1), Lamacq and Tom Robinson (BBC 6Music), the Xfm Network playlist and Kerrang Radio have lent early support. The boys have drawn comparisons with that other classic three-piece The Police, with each band member bringing a simmering passion and effortless cool to an incredible live show…
“Just had my ears opened to The Cordels –
I recommend you opening your ears too”

Chris Long, BBC Manchester Introducing

Check out the video for the single, directed by the band’s bass player Kennedy. You can also check out Lies, Deceit (Live) on Ask Me PR’s Soundcloud.

Saving Aimee – Fresh Since ’88

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Release date:

18th October 09

Saving Aimee - Fresh Since '88

Saving Aimee‘s follow up to the Radio 1 playlisted We’re the Good Guys, enlists the enigmatic frontman of  The Darkness, Justin Hawkins, on production duties. The resulting piece of high-energy pop-rock, with its rock-laced solos and 80s synthesisers reminiscent of Duran Duran, surely can’t fail to satisfy Saving Aimee‘s army of loyal fans. With the video being aired on Kerrang TV and The Box already, not to mention their forthcoming tour supporting Fightstar and Go Audio, Fresh Since ’88 looks set to cement Saving Aimee as national treasures!

 

Honey Ryder – Rising Up (Fat Buddha Remix)

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Release date:

26th October 09

Honey Ryder - Rising Up

Ever true to their independent roots, the free-spirited darlings of Radio 2 go with a dance remix by breakthrough producers, Fat Buddha, as the main edit for new single Rising Up. This sun-baked ray of infectious pop-dance magic already sees the versatile Honey Ryder brightening the Top 10 of the Commercial Dance Chart and creating sparks on dancefloors around the country. The single also features the Bimbo Jones remix! Check out the band’s MySpace and their website for more information.

 

Shmoo – Amnesia

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Release date:

2nd November 09

Shmoo - Amnesia

The third offering from Shmoo, ‘Amnesia’, see’s the band exploring their sound in greater depth. Still reeling from sell-out shows at this year’s Manchester International Festival, which garnered rave reviews from (among others) Xfm’s Jon Kennedy. Catchy hooks, a killer vocal and vocoded harmonies all conspire to make ‘Amnesia’ a track of epic proportions aided by Manchester’s world renowned Halle Orchestra. The single will only be available to download (from iTunes and other leading digital music retailers). You can catch Shmoo live at Manchester’s In The City, as well as supporting Warp Record’s Max Tundra . You can also check out the video for Amnesia, filmed during their Manchester International Festival performance here.

Alice Russell – Let Us Be Loving

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Release date:

7th December 09 (Free Download)

Alice Russell - Let Us Be Loving

The latest offering from soul-siren Alice Russell, layers her now trademark vocal style with a rich and varied production style. Alice cites Jill Scott, Chaka Khan and Eva Cassidy among her inspiration, and this single demonstrates this with effortlessly cool jazz vibes making way for an uptempo soul explosion – with a sprinkling of rock energy thrown in (just for good measure). Let Us Be Loving is bound to appeal to Alice’s fans, but will also no doubt catch the attention of those on the look out for something undoubtedly cool and undeniably different. Check out the single now by clicking on the Soundcloud below.

 

Alice has very kindly agreed to make Let Us Be Loving available as a free download! What’s more, Mr Scruff‘s remix of Dreamer will also be available for free.