After a dazzling year of success – in which they have signed a succession of bands who have caused critics, tastemakers and fans alike to all sit up and take notice – the Manchester Evening News devoted a full page to MUK Records.
The MEN is on the money, spotting that MUK are the most successful and promising label to emerge for many years – and they’re not the only ones who think that bigger things are to come…
Manchester’s finest scallywags The Minx got a phone call from Mike Skinner, asking if they’d like to come and spend a whole day in the pub with him and fellow Mancunian rabble-rousers Murkage.
Well, of course they said yes, and the above photo is post-event evidence of the fun that was had.
Here’s what Mike had to say, “Modern jamaican madness by way of MURKAGE and modern skindom by way of THE MINX. after filming chill in the pub we turned it up a notch as murkage did their wild club thing. wild it was. first train back to london for final day of bad eating before editing begins and i reintroduce green vegetables back on my diet”
Mike has promised that, “something exciting’s coming soon.” Watch this space…
Breakthrough psyche-folk duo Bird to Beast – who have been enjoying plenty of radio play in the last few weeks – were invited into the studio for an interview on BBC 6 Music’s Radcliffe & Maconie’s daytime show on Monday 10th March.
It was all part of the BBC’s 6 Music Recommends day, and the band had a great chat with Mark and Stuart about Sam and Hannah’s background, how they met, and the time when Hannah ate bacon butties at Will and Kate’s royal wedding party with Ellie Goulding!
Their prominent interview is just the latest fillip as a result of their new double A-side single, Elephant/Winter Snow, which is out on the 24th March – and have a string of dates that precede a busy summer of festivals.
MARCH
10th – Deaf Institute, Manchester with Kristyna Myles
13th – Gullivers, Manchester with The Hosts
15th – The Castle, Manchester with Ellen and the Escapades
24th – In a lucky fans’ living room! (competition winner)
APRIL
10th – Sofar sessions – Winchester
11th – Sofar sessions, Cardiff
12th – View 2 Gallery, Liverpool
13th – Nelsons, Hebden Bridge
MAY
2nd – Velvet hour, Didsbury (Chris Hawkins’ event)
23rd – Chorlton Arts Festival with Liam Frost
JUNE
2nd – Smoked and Uncut festival
21st – Camden Crawl, St Michaels Church @ 3.30pm
Manchester’s top purveyors of Buzzcocks-esque power-pop tunes, The Minx, are playing their biggest ever gig at one of the city’s most prestigious venues: The Deaf Institute this coming Saturday night – and there are only a handful of tickets left.
This coming show is just another example of their rapid ascent: they have sold out every show in the city so far, and after touring with Inspiral Carpets earlier this year, have their sights set on bigger crowds and wilder responses.
The Minx are a prime example of both a band of the new music world – they book, promote and sell all their own gigs; and of the past, when guitar bands felt like groups of friends having fun and playing top pop songs for the sheer joy of it.
They’re a band who are connecting with an under-represented segment of music-loving society – and their rabid, loyal fanbase pack out their raucous shows every time.
IMPACT DATE: 5th August 2013
LABEL: Queen Street Records
The Minx have been effortlessly selling out venues in their home town of Manchester for months – and each gig has been bigger and better than the last.
It’s for a good reason! The Minx don’t sound like the Mancunian bands you’d expect, but have still connected with the youth in the manner you’d hope.
Word of mouth has spread the news about The Minx’s gigs quickly around town, their young acolytes packing shows to the rafters. (Word has also reached as far as Los Angeles, where Mike Davies has played them on his BBC Radio 1 show.)
And kids have found kindred spirits in The Minx. They’re lads you’d like to meet in the pub: smart, sharp-dressed, unpretentious and fun… but with the wit, brilliant pop tunes, snappy lyrics and infectious enthusiasm that have filled dancefloors citywide.
Echoes of fellow Mancunians The Buzzcocks & pop-punk pioneers The Undertones shoot through their short ‘n’ sweet paeans to the joys of real life.
Chris Haddon, singer and guitarist, says that there’s no huge secret to The Minx’s successful recipe of pop-noise:
“We’re just five best mates from Wythenshawe interested in all the cultures around us and everyday life – we all love Punk, Reggae, Soul, New Wave, and Pop, and it all comes out in the music we make. It’s Frank Sinatra meets Joe Strummer with a good backbeat!”
They’re a gang, not a band, he says. Right now, the gang is growing fast.
“I listened to [The Minx] one more time, decided I liked it and bought it” – Mike Davies, BBC Radio 1
“The most exciting new band I have heard in years; a ferocious live proposition” –Pete Jobson, I Am Kloot
“The Minx – the best thing to come out of Manchester since Oasis” – Sabotage Times
“Their star will continue to rise over the next 12 months” – John Robb, Louder Than War
Who are The Minx?
Chris Haddon – Vox / Guitar
Paul Robinson – Guitar / Vox
Steven Stuttard – Bass
Kieran McIntyre – Keys / Vox
Andy Evans – Drums
So… last night I met up with friends in The Castle Hotel for a drink because we had just announced that The Travelling Band are playing a surprise gig there next Monday night (which will be streamed online too).
It was pretty quiet and we were putting our coats on to go when we asked the bar staff who was playing that night – and were told Mark Owen! We didn’t believe them, and then I noticed Simon Moran (SJM Concerts, Take That‘s promoter) behind me, so I asked him, and he confirmed it.
Apparently, Mark had phoned The Castle Hotel (only a tiny venue) just a few hours beforehand to ask if they were free that evening to play a few tracks at 9pm. We quickly pulled our coats off and stayed – who wouldn’t!
The next thing we knew, Mark, a guitarist and pianist were playing in the pub’s tiny back room to about 20 surprised people! He was very cheerful, a tiny bit nervous, but came across confident and chatty.
He opened his five song set with Take That’s ‘The Flood’, played his own songs “Clementine” and “Four Minute Warning” and a new song ‘Stars’ which sounds like a huge hit. He closed with Take That’s “Shine”. (I managed to grab video of the last two songs, above.)
There were smiles all round! He joked that if we wanted to hear more we would have to pay and come along to his gig at The Ritz Manchester in a few weeks…
It’s an amazing coup for BIMM Manchester!
Peter Hook, bassist from not one, but two legendary bands in Joy Division and New Order, will be the special guest at BIMM Manchester’s next Open Day on Saturday May 25th at 11am!
Hooky will be discussing his career on stage and sharing his incredible experience with potential BIMM Manchester students.
After the enormous success of the previous BIMM Manchester Open Days, this event continues the tradition of securing amazing speakers – in previous events, Mike Joyce (The Smiths), Richard Jupp (Elbow), Ben Thompson (Two Door Cinema Club) and Clint Boon (Inspiral Carpets) have all spoken about their life and careers.
The final BIMM Manchester Open Day until September begins at 11am on Saturday 25th May.
Rumours have been flying around for years about a possible Smiths reunion, but Morrissey isn’t budging and Johnny Marr is doing his own thing. I was lucky enough to see The Smiths a few times and I am a huge fan.
So when I discovered this early, extremely rare cassette tape recording of a rehearsal on Youtube I thought I would share it. Before I knew it Mike Joyce had tweeted it via original Oasis guitarist Bonehead and the NME were on the phone.
‘The Pablo Cuckoo Tape’ as told by bellapintura c/o http://smithstorrents.co.uk.
Unearthed, Very Rare Rehearsal Recording
{Awash with Unusual idiosyncrasies & early lyrics}
Recorded at Crazy Face, 13~15 Chapel Walks, Manchester.
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You’ve Got Everything Now
Accept Yourself 04:26
What Difference Does It Make 08:46
Reel Around The Fountain 12:52
These Things Take Time 19:28
I Don’t Owe You Anything 22:37
Hand In Glove 28:06
Handsome Devil 31:04
Miserable Lie 34:11
In May 1983 (exact date unknown), while preparing to record their debut album, The band ran through & recorded a selection of songs at a rehearsal in band manager, Joe Moss‘ jeans warehouse (Crazy Face).
The cassette tape was recorded for Troy Tate in order to give him something to work with before going into the studio
It’s pretty rough, but considering it was recorded on cassette with a stereo Mic pointing into the room, the quality isn’t too bad.
Morrissey‘s vocals are a bit distorted – maybe singing too close to the mic or maybe the cassette Mic was too close to the PA but everything else is surprisingly clear.
There is some tape flutter at various points.
I was lent the master cassette by a source close to the band who made the recording, let’s call him Pablo Cuckoo in 1997 with a view of trying to put it out as a semi-official release.
As it was recorded before the band had signed to Rough Trade, technically he had the rights to the recording.
But a combination of poor sound quality & threats from Warner Bros meant that the idea was shelved.
~
Free & Safe HQ lossless audio download available at the ever excellent Smiths Torrents http://www.smithstorrents.co.uk/forum…Courtesy of the very generous bellapintura.
~
The Moz & Joe Moss picture is sourced from, The Arcane Old Wardrobe http://foreverill.com/gallery/details… A Morrissey & The Smiths Photo cornucopia lovingly maintained by the indispensable Comtesse DeSpair
‘OFFERING THE NEXT GENERATION OF TALENTED MUSIC INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS STATE OF THE ART EDUCATION’
BIMM Manchester is offering budding musicians and music industry professionals a life-changing opportunity to pursue their musical ambitions.
As the newest college in the award winning BIMM Group, BIMM Manchester is offering £120,000 worth of Foundation Scholarships when it opens its building in the heart of the city centre in September 2013.
BIMM Manchester will be offering one full Foundation Scholarship (valued at £18,000) for each of its seven BA (Hons) courses – meaning prospective students can study a degree level course in Guitar, Bass, Drums, Songwriting, Vocals, Music Business and Music Event Management, to cover all tuition fees.
BIMM Manchester Principal Vaseema Hamilton adds, “Since we launched BIMM Manchester earlier this year, we have been thrilled by the number of applicants to all our courses and astonished by the level of talent and dedication that has been presented to our assessment and audition teams.
‘We also recognise that the current financial climate is immensely challenging for many families and we have created these Foundation Scholarships in order to support members of the next generation of Manchester Music Industry creatives who might otherwise not have been able to gain a BA (Hons).”
All BIMM Manchester BA (Hons) degrees are validated by the University of Sussex (currently ranked 21st in the UK) and studied on a full time basis, for three years.
BIMM Manchester is open for applications now, and due to continued demand is hosting its fourth Open Day on Saturday 16th March, starting at 12 noon at the Gorilla music bar.
More Open Days are planned for April and May.
Talking at the last BIMM Manchester Open Day in January, Mike Joyce said, “I wish we had something like [BIMM Manchester] when The Smiths were starting out. Nobody told us about the pitfalls of the music business. We might have avoided the problems we encountered.”
After visiting the BIMM Brighton college, Roger Daltrey CBE said, “Really impressed with what you have here, you’re very lucky.”
Today it was announced that Roger Daltrey is to be a Patron for BIMM.
For more information on the courses available, click here.
City Reign are no strangers to making albums in odd places – having just recorded their new album Another Step in Salford’s Sacred Trinity Church.
Q Magazine asked them to put together a playlist of their favourite tracks that were recorded in odd places – and they picked a varied bunch, including Johnny Cash, Doves, Bon Iver, U2 and My Morning Jacket.
Hear their new single ‘Making Plans’ here – it’s released on Car Boot Records on March 11th.