Focus Music Notes. "Out of the Blues". Popular music through the decades

Mr Jukes – the solo project of Jack Steadman of Bombay Bicycle Club – has announced details of an Autumn UK and European tour, including his largest headline show to date at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire. With his debut show at London’s Village Underground on the 11 th July selling out in under 24 hours, and having performed two intimate ‘An Evening With Mr Jukes’ shows at The Slaughtered Lamb that sold out within hours of being announced, Mr Jukes will play the following shows later in the year: Monday 18th September – Brighton Concorde 2 Tuesday 19th September – Bristol The Marble Factory Wednesday 20 th September – London O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire Friday 22 nd September – Glasgow King Tuts Saturday 23 rd September – Sheffield Leadmill Sunday 24 th September – Manchester Academy 2 Monday 25 th September – Birmingham O2 Institute 2 Tuesday 26 th September – Amsterdam Paradiso Wednesday 27 th September – Berlin Musik & Frieden Friday 29

Melodica, Melody and Me release their debut single, ‘Piece Me Back Together’ on Monday 12th July 2010 through Everybody’s Stalking and confirm lead support on Bombay Bicycle Club’s acoustic tour. Check out the beautiful new video: click here Brixton’s original folksteppers Melodica, Melody and Me announce the release of their debut single, Piece Me Back Together , through Everybody’s Stalking on Monday 12th July 2010. The new single will be available on limited edition seven-inch vinyl and download. Huw (Vocal/Guitar), Rudi (Guitar, Charango, Kora, Melodica), Emilio (Kora, Melodica, Charango), Anna (Vocals, Melodica), John (Bass) and Greta (Drums) uniquely combine their folk influences of Bert Jansch and Victor Jara with their Dub and Reggae heroes Augustus Pablo and Lee Scratch Perry and have become Britain’s go-to band for all-night skanking and festival stomping. From their first proper gig supporting Whitest Boy Alive at Hoxton Bar Grill MMM's infectious live set has been c

Bombay Bicycle Club release double A-sided single Ivy and Gold / Flaws on July 5th – the first release from their stunningly beautiful, new acoustic album also titled Flaws. Having finished recording their debut LP I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose in February 2009, the band went straight back into the studio (The Church, Crouch End) days after they submitted the master for I Had The Blues, and started the initial recordings for this album. Recorded in between touring over the past year and a half, a few early tracks were laid down at The Church and produced by Neill MacColl (guitarist Jamie's Dad), but the rest was recorded in singer, Jack Steadman's bedroom and produced by Jack himself. The album is characterised by a delicate, heart-swelling beauty and lightness of touch throughout. Those that had BBC pegged merely as an indie band may need to re-think. The A-side to the single Ivy & Gold (already made “ Hottest Record In the World ” by Zane Lowe on Radio 1) wrap

Brixton’s original folksteppers Melodica, Melody and Me Release their debut single, ‘Piece Me Back Together’ on Monday 12th July 2010 through Everybody’s Stalking   To check out the beautiful new video: click here . They have done a great little cover of Paul Simon – Diamonds on the Soles of Her shoes, which you can get at www.myspace.com/mmmelodic as a free download. The new single will be available on limited edition seven-inch vinyl and download. Huw (Vocal/Guitar), Rudi (Guitar, Charango, Kora, Melodica), Emilio (Kora, Melodica, Charango), Anna (Vocals, Melodica), John (Bass) and Greta (Drums) uniquely combine their folk influences of Bert Jansch and Victor Jara with their Dub and Reggae heroes Augustus Pablo and Lee Scratch Perry and have become Britain’s go-to band for all-night skanking and festival stomping. From their first proper gig supporting Whitest Boy Alive at Hoxton Bar Grill MMM's infectious live set has been creating waves across the UK touring with the li

Having released their critically acclaimed debut album ‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose’ earlier this year, selling out the London Garage for their album launch show and playing a summer of stand out festival performances including a spellbinding set at Glastonbury, Bombay Bicycle Club are back on the road for a fully sold out UK tour before returning to release their next single. The London based four-piece will re-release live favourite ‘Always Like This’ on November 23rd through Island Records. ‘Always Like This’ was initially released on the band’s own label in April and was the first track from the album to catapult the band into the nation’s conscience and is likely to propel them even higher this time. Celestial vocal loops meet echo chamber guitars and afrobeat rhythms, as Bombay Bicycle Club juggle ecstatic, anthemic melodies with an uncompromised experimental vision. Led by lead singer Jack Steadman’s unique tremulous vocals, ‘Always Like This’ is defined by an irresi