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

Dagenham’s finest Devlin announces his second nationwide tour of 2011. His Feb/March tour of 6 UK venues from Glasgow to London sold out in a flash. His debut album ‘Bud, Sweat & Beers’ has surpassed Silver sales in 2 months. To meet the surplus demand Devlin will be back out on the road with his full live band in May 2011, bringing his visceral mix of consciousness lyrics and grime energy to the Great British public. The Official Bud, Sweat and Beers Tour is the most powerful UK rap show of the spring. Tuesday 10th May 2011 Oxford O2 Academy Wednesday 11th May 2011 Cardiff Coal Exchange Thursday 12th May 2011 Cambridge The Junction Monday 16th May 2011 Manchester Academy 2 Tuesday 17th May 2011 Preston 53 Degrees Thursday 19th May 2011 Edinburgh Liquid Rooms Friday 20th May 2011 Sheffield The Plug Sunday 22nd May 2011 Leeds Stylus Monday 23rd May 2011 Birmingham HMV Institute Tuesday 24th May 2011 Nottingham Rescue Rooms Thursday 26th May 2011 Newcastle O2 Academy Fri

Following on from their triumphant Royal Variety performance, which saw the band perform for Prince Charles, N-Dubz announce their first release of 2011, brand new single ‘Morning Star.’ Released via All Around The World & Island Records, ‘Morning Star’ is the third single from the Camden trio’s most recent Top 10 album, ‘Love.Live.Life’ with over a quarter of a million copies of the album sold in a month. Another example of the band’s trademark euphoric pop, on this all new radio edit Dappy and Fazer wax lyrical on this brand new single version, about missing someone special, while Tulisa’s sweet, sing-along chorus introduces flavours of the Rose Royce classic, ‘Wishing On A Star’ to a whole new generation. 2010 has been another phenomenal year for N-Dubz. In December they announced their first UK arena tour; the first UK Urban act to embark on such major venues. The Love.Live.Life 10-date tour will see the band play to their biggest audiences ever, taking in every part of the co

15 year old London-born soul singer Dionne Bromfield, whose debut album introduced the teenager as one of the finest young singers the UK has produced in years, returns with the April 11th release of her brand new single “Yeah Right”. The single, which features rising US rapper, reality tv star, and son of the Rev. Run Simmons, Diggy Simmons, is taken from Dionne’s eagerly awaited new album “Good For The Soul”. Released on friend and mentor Amy Winehouse’s Lioness label, the album is a collection of all new soul songs co-written by Dionne and some of the UK’s premier songwriters, and looks set to establish her as a writer and genuine star in her own right. Dionne Bromfield came to the attention of the world’s media when she became the first signing to Amy Winehouse’s Lioness Records label. ‘Everyone told me I could sing from about the age of ten, but I was so shy I didn’t believe them. It wasn’t until Amy was round the house one night and heard me and said ‘girl, it’s true. You can si

UK Urban music has a new male group ready to claim their spot in 2011. Encore, aka singers Mark and Cairo and rapper Pierre are freshly signed to Island Records. Having formed in 2009, the boys have already toured the country with likes of N-Dubz, Chipmunk and Taley Riley. Now ready to step out on their own, Encore released their debut single ‘Wind Up’ on February 14th, Valentine’s Day. So what do Encore sound like? They’re not just your average, sweet uniformed male group, Encore create something fresh & original by combining dubstep, R&B and a hint of pop. ‘Wind Up’ takes us through a troubled relationship, urging their girl to “make your mind up”; laced with slick R&B vocals thrown over a tough and edgy dubstep beat. Encore’s debut album will follow in 2011.The group have been in the studio working with top writers and producers from both sides of the Atlantic including Davinche (Kano "P's & Q's") Nate Walka (Jamie Foxx ‘Blame It’) and Ina Wroldsen

Award-winning, record-breaking singer/songwriter Lady Gaga continues to push the envelope with her edgy fashion-forward aesthetics and massive electro-pop anthems. Get the empowering first single, "Born This Way" , from her upcoming full-length album.The new single launches today

T o mark the release Let England Shake, PJ Harvey will debut her new album live in a one-off, special show from Paris next Monday February 14th. The show will be streamed live on Monday night at 8pm GMT by the French music site Deezer www.deezer.com and the cultural chanel ARTE www.arteliveweb.com The webcast will also be available on the official PJ Harvey site www.pjharvey.net   Let England Shake, Harvey’s eighth studio album is set for release next Monday and has already received exceptional reviews internationally. This week’s NME awards it a rare 10/10, calling it “arguably her most brilliant record to date.”  Harvey will play two sold out shows at The Troxy in London later this month, as well as sold-out dates in Brussels, Berlin, and Paris.

Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall - Concert Tickets On sale Friday 11 February 09:00am – Beady Eye, Biffy Clyro, Editors, John Bishop, Roger Daltrey, Squeeze, Tinie Tempah CHECK TOUR DATES/GET TICKETS

Jon Fratelli, who has just finished recording his as yet untitled debut solo album in LA with producer Tony Hoffer (Beck, Air, Depeche Mode, The Fratellis!), is set to mark the album’s completion by giving away a new song, ‘Rhythm Doesn’t Make You A Dancer’, on his new website ( http://www.jonfratelli.co.uk/ ) and playing a special show in Edinburgh at the HMV Picturehouse on Feb 12th as part of the HMV Next Big Thing Festival. The show, at which Jon will play alongside much-tipped newcomers Morning Parade, marks something of a new beginning for one of Scotland’s most prolific and talented songwriters. Jon’s band will feature former bandmates from his previous bands The Fratellis (with the one and only Mince Fratelli returning to the drum stool!) and Codeine Velvet Club. Jon Fratelli first came to fame as frontman of The Fratellis, a trio of unruly Glaswegians whose 2006 debut album ‘Costello Music’, featuring the monster hits ‘Chelsea Dagger’, ‘Henrietta’ and ‘Creepin Up The Backstai

Nicki Minaj, without question the hottest new artist on the planet right now, follows her wildly acclaimed debut album “Pink Friday” with the release on February 21st of her new Young Money/Cash Money single “Moment 4 Life”. The track features label-mate, friend and fellow hip hop superstar Drake and is taken from the 25 year old rap phenomenon’s feverishly anticipated debut. Nicki Minaj’s star has been on the rise since she released her first mixtape, Playtime Is Over, in 2007. Themixtape featured Lil Wayne and the cover showed Nicki posing as a Barbie Doll. A second mixtape “Sucka Free” released a year later, increased the heat around Minaj and was followed in 2009 by mixtape number three “Beam Me Up Scotty”. Shortly thereafter Nicki, aka Harajuku Barbie, aka Nicki Lewinsky, aka Roman Zolanski, aka Ms Step Your Cookies Up, signed to Lil Wayne’s new label Young Money Entertainment and featured heavily on Young Money’s debut album “We Are Young Money” which spawned the massive hit sing

Hugely acclaimed Jackson Tennessee born, London based singer-songwriter Lauren Pritchard, whose 2010 debut album “Wasted In Jackson” introduced an artist with a remarkable voice and a song-writing talent to match, has her new single “ Stuck” released on February 28th through Spilt Milk/ Island Records. Lauren has also been confirmed as the headlining act on one of HMV’s Next Big thing tours. Support comes from Gabrielle Alpin and Natalie McColl. The dates are as follows : 2nd Feb – Birmingham Glee Club 3rd Feb – Manchester Day and Night 5th Feb – Glasgow King Tuts 8th Feb – LONDON Borderline - Headline HMV Next Big Thing Festival 9th Feb – Bristol Louisiana Lauren Pritchard was born and raised in Jackson , Tennessee and played piano from an early age. When she reached the age of 16, she headed, alone, to LA where she sang in a band, fell in love, broke up, ran out of money and was on her way back to Jackson, dream in tatters, when one of her close friends, insisted she move in wi

“Stomp Stomp, I’ve arrived!” struts the opening lyric of Jessie J’s debut single, ‘ Do It Like A Dude’ – a heavy urban-pop tune set to juddering beats and laced with her own brand of ghetto-fabulous, sordid swagger. The instantaneous skank-inducing debut is getting incredible airplay support from the likes of Kiss (B-list), 1Xtra (A-list) and Radio 1. The white hot remix from man-of-the-moment and good pal Labrinth rocketed Jessie J straight to the top of the HypeMachine chart in under 24 hours an impressive 3 months ahead of release. Last year saw Jessie J give a highly applauded performance on the legendary TV show ‘Later.. with Jools Holland’ while the ‘Do it Like a Dude’ video (currently the VIP video across the Box, 4 Music and The Hits) has become an internet phenomenon receiving a staggering 2 million YouTube views in just one week. The unbelievable demand for Jessie J’s live shows has seen her sell out three London dates in as many weeks. The 22-year old, Essex-born songwriter

Having recently been certified as Nashville’s newest and hottest export, Mona return to the UK (for the third time in six months) to perform a series of live shows that coincide with the release of their first single of 2011. ‘Teenager’ will be released on February 28th through the band’s own imprint Zion Noiz Recordings/Island Records on digital download and limited edition 7-inch. ‘Teenager’ is the soundtrack for a new generation, an angst driven anthem with vintage roots. Passion, obsession, longing and desire are the backdrop to this gigantic juggernaut of a song. “All people have desire and need more than just themselves, you love love but can’t find a love” says frontman Nick Brown on the theme of the song. Mona finished 2010 on a high after appearing on Later...With Jools Holland, being tipped by all key music press including the BBC Sound Poll and being selected for MTV’s Brand New For 2011. This is not to mention ‘Trouble On The Way’ being record of the week on BBC Radio 1. T

CocknBullKid is poised and ready to take on 2011 and what better way to kick things off than with the massive single ‘Hold On to Your Misery’?   We all know and cherish Miss Anita Blay – from early one off 7”’s exciting the senses, her potential to grow from coolness of the underground to a true pop sensation has always been huge. Now she’s up there with the new crop of truly exciting and talented British girls and boy, has it been worth the wait. Where 2010 was all about the planning, the writing, the studio, the touring (with Marina & Kele just lately to name but a couple), this year holds big things for CocknBullKid. Following ‘One Eye Closed’ which enjoyed superb radio support at R1, 6 Music, XFM, NME and Q, ‘Hold On To Your Misery’ is an out and out smash of a pop song, whilst retaining that distinctive cool and sassy CocknBullKid sound. It’s what Blay calls 'an anti-anthem'. "It's about stopping putting so much value on being happy. When I'm happy, things

A new PJ Harvey single, The Words That Maketh Murder, will be released digitally by Island Records on 17th January 2011. It will be the first release from Harvey's forthcoming album Let England Shake due out February. Following the digital release on 17th January, The Words That Maketh Murder will be released on 7" vinyl on 7th February 2011 backed with an exclusive track The Guns Called Me Back Again, recorded during the Let England Shake album session. Award-winning war photographer Seamus Murphy has produced a series of short films - containing reportage footage shot around England and performance footage of Harvey - for each song on the album. His film for The Last Living Rose is currently on http://www.pjharvey.net/ Let England Shake, scheduled for release on 14th February, is Harvey's eighth studio album. The record received a 5 star review in the current issue of Q magazine and Mojo writes ‘…of all her many guises – this may be her most powerful… more than ever, P

Pete Lawrie releases a new single, ‘Fell Into The River’, on the 31st January 2011 through Island Records. It is taken from the debut album, ‘A Little Brighter’ released on the 4th April 2011. The obvious pressure of being a hotly-tipped young artist for the coming year is something that Pete Lawrie hasn’t even considered. Confident and assured, the young Welshman soaks up the pressure and volleys it back in the shape of another soulful pop lament. The success of Pete’s limited edition EP at the tail-end of 2010, with lead-track ‘In The End’ being playlisted at national radio, and press acclaim suggesting that the next twelve months were Pete’s for the taking, has primed the now-London-resident for an exciting 2011. It’s not just these early recordings that have raised his profile so significantly, but a hefty touring schedule which started out at 2010’s festivals (Glastonbury, Isle of Wight, Radio 1’s One Big Weekend, Hop Farm, Belladrum, and Cardiff’s SWN), and has seen Pete perform

Taio Cruz who has been dominating the UK and US singles charts with his two No.1 smashes “ Break Your Heart ” and “Dynamite”, joins forces with the undisputed first lady of pop Kylie Minogue on his new single “HIGHER”. The single will be released through 4th & Broadway Records on February 14th. Taio and Kylie recently met at a party in Paris hosted by legendary designer Roberto Cavalli. Both being huge fans of each other’s work, they started talking about doing a song together. Taio had been working on a brand new song called “Higher” and played it to Kylie on his iPhone. Within a matter of minutes they had booked a studio and recorded the track the very next day. This soon to be smash, as well as “ Break Your Heart ” and “Dynamite”, are featured on Taio’s new greatest hits album ”The Rokstarr Collection ”. Following Taio’s staggering US success and due to the fact that his debut album “Departure” was never released Stateside, Universal combined the biggest hits from “Departure”,

Following on from the phenomenon that is ‘Game Over’ Tinchy Stryder is gearing up for the release of his new single, double A-side, ‘Gangsta?’ and ‘Let It Rain’ scheduled for release on 24th January 2011. When Tinchy Stryder went into the studio with his friends to record ‘Game Over’ he knew it would be big. The album track, featuring a who’s who in the UK urban scene: Tinie Tempah, Chipmunk, Devlin, Giggs, Example and Professor Green, exploded with its exclusive first play on Tim Westwood’s Radio 1 Extra show, Zane Lowe followed crowning it Record of the Week on Radio 1 and the video amassed over a million views in under a week. Tinchy Stryder is now set for the next release, the double whammy, ‘Gangsta?/Let It Rain’. ‘Gangsta?’ showcases a harder edge to Stryder’s lyrical prowess and sound. Produced by Tinchy’s long term production partners TMS, the track plays on the difference between what it means to be ‘a gangsta’ and to be ‘gangster’. In contrast, uplifting ‘Let it Rain’, produ

Devlin, Dagenham’s 21-year-old lyrical prodigy, whose universally feted debut album “bud, sweat & beers” has established him as one of the breakthrough artists of 2010, has announced 5 UK dates for the new year. The dates follow the release of Devlin’s new Island single “Let It Go” produced by and featuring Labrinth, on January 31st. As these dates are announced, Devlin’s debut album has been classified silver in the UK for sales in excess of 60,000. The full list of dates is as follows : Thursday Feb 24th Manchester Club Academy Friday February 25th Glasgow 02 ABC2 Sunday February 27th Birmingham HMV Institute (The Library) Monday February 28th Norwich Waterfront Tuesday March 1st London 02 Academy Islington Tickets will be available to pre-order exclusively from Devlin’s website http://www.officialdevlin.com from 9.30am on Friday December 17th and will go on general sale from Monday December 20th and will be available from http://www.livenation.co.uk/ & http://w

Taken from Lennox’s acclaimed festive album ‘A Christmas Cornucopia’ available now through Island Records. Annie Lennox, one of the most successful, iconic and talented artists of the late 20th century releases the single ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ just in time for Christmas on 20th December. ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen’ is accompanied by a glorious video, which is a beautiful and magical illustration of the song and the Dickensian feel that is synonymous with it. Annie Lennox oversaw the creative of the video, using the iconic Angel outfit worn in the Eurythmics unforgettable ‘There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) video from 1985. The video is available here to view: http://www.muzu.tv/annielennoxl4u0gryycp/god-rest-ye-merry-gentlemen-music-video/820132 One of the many highlights of the brand new festival album, ‘A Christmas Cornucopia’, this powerful rendition of the mid 18th Century traditional Christmas classic will fill our hearts and minds with joyful festive spir

‘Let It Go’ brings together two of the most potent forces in UK urban music to create an explosive future music single. Devlin is Dagenham’s 21-year-old lyrical prodigy. A lightening quick flow peppered with one-liners, cathartic street stories and fevered imagery. His fêted debut ‘bud, sweat & beers’ peaked at #5 in the iTunes Chart on its release in November 2010. ‘Let It Go’ is his follow up single to the Top 20 hit ‘Runaway’. With a UK headline tour planned for February and over 18 million Devlin related views on Youtube, the country is discovering the grime scene’s most thoughtful spitter one line, one video view at a time. Producer and vocalist on this single is 21-year-old Labrinth. In the brave new world where UK hip hop talent is receiving the attention it deserves, Labrinth has emerged as a star producer. He is the man behind Tinie Tempah’s #1 single ‘Pass Out’. ‘Let It Go’ documents a relationship in turbulence. Labrinth weaves together hyperactive guitar parts, interna