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

Ed Sheeran releases the hip-hop infused folk song ‘Let It Out’ on June 7th, produced by Jake Gosling of Wiley and Crookers fame and follows in a trail of brilliant self released records. Ed has written more than 100 songs and last year he played over 300 gigs. His live performance featured on SBTV has already clocked up more than 30000 hits and whilst nurturing a loyal fan base he has caught the attention of high profile musicians, songwriters and producers. These include producers Jake Gosling, Si Hulbert (Sugababes/Lemar) and drum and bass legend Goldie, who was suitably impressed after seeing Ed play live in London. ‘ Ed will soon be giant’ screamed Goldie. Not only did he then go on to write with Goldie but he has managed to garner the support of the hard-to-please grime scene, recently collaborating with Scorcher, Thomas Jules, Slix and Wretch 32. Ed released his first EP at the tender age of fifteen and then went on to release two albums and another EP, all before the age of t

Kylie Minogue returns to the charts at the end of June when her highly anticipated brand new single “ All The Lovers ” is released June 28 on Parlophone. The single, set to be a huge summer anthem, previews her new studio album “ Aphrodite ” scheduled for release a week later, on July 5. The album, Kylie’s fifth studio album on Parlophone, sees her celebrate her dance-floor roots and features Stuart Price as executive producer. The list of songwriters includes Kylie, Stuart Price, Calvin Harris, Jake Shears, Nerina Pallot and Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley. Kylie said today: “The single was one of the last tracks to be written for the album. As I was recording it I knew that All The Lovers had to be the first single; it sums up the euphoria of the album perfectly. It gives me goose-bumps, so I’m really excited to hear what everyone thinks of it”. Stuart Price , who mixed the track and was executive producer on the album said: “ All The Lovers is a magical song and sums up everything tha

Mumford & Sons release their new single, ‘Roll Away Your Stone’ through Gentlemen Of The Road / Island Records on the 7th June 2010. It is taken from the band’s critically acclaimed, platinum selling Top 5 debut album, ‘ Sigh No More ’. It's turning out to be Mumford & Sons ' year. Spurred on by glowing word-of-mouth recommendations and a fearsome live reputation, their debut album, 'Sigh No More', has spent the first three months of 2010 in the Top 20 of the UK's album chart, soaring beyond 350,000 sales in the process. The four friends have been on the cover of the NME, sold out a triumphant British tour and secured some great slots at the summer's biggest festivals. And it's not just in the UK where things are sky-rocketing for them. The band were in Australia at the beginning of the year, where 'Sigh No More' knocked Susan Boyle off the top of the album chart and stuck around at the summit for four weeks, achieving double platinum status

Violent Soho ‘Bombs Over Broadway/ Son of Sam’ Monday 3rd May 2010 Violent Soho have gone from self-releasing their debut in their native Australia to signing to Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace! label, home to Be Your Own Pet, Free Kitten, Awesome Color and other freak-rockers. Ecstatic Peace! step out of their usual modus operandi with Violent Soho to release it on new UK imprint Defacto through Island/Universal . They are the most visceral, mushroom-munchin’, bong-tokin’ slacker guitar foursome to be punishing their amps in a long time and have impressed rawk royalty wherever they park their van. They played for Rick Rubin at his Malibu Condo. Thurston Moore was at the front at their first NY show at Lower East Side hang out Pianos. And passing the grunge baton on a generation their album was produced by The Pixies/Foo Fighters/Distillers producer Gil Norton at his Rockfields studio in the Welsh countryside (in between playing darts on Black Sabbath’s favourite d

Night Bus ‘I Wanna Be You’ Monday 17th May 2010 Newcomers Night Bus have concocted a sleek, sexy nocturnal anthem. A love song breathing sweet-nothings into the late-night ether. Formed in the after-hours haunts of Hackney and channeling the spirit of Stardust’s ‘Music Sounds Better with You’ if Blondie were playing it, Night Bus have re-skinned pop for a disco bloodbath in the new decade. With their glittering looks and glam hooks, Night Bus are the house band from Studio 54 entertaining the terrace at Space, Ibiza. Lead by Anglophile LA-emigré Jackson Kennedy , Night Bus are in a four-way relationship with each other. Jackson met drummer Laura Conway when she was living in Hollywood, then they moved back to London together and slept in the same bed for months. Co-vocalist Hannah Melbourne is fashion-worker by day and a dazzling disco-chanteuse at night. Meanwhile they stole dark-featured heart-throb Ben Tarrant-Brown from a Camden indie band. ‘You can turn me on like a drug, I

GABRIELLA CILMI: Single ' On A Mission ' released by Island Records on March 8th 2010 Album ' Ten ' released by Island Records on March 22nd 2010 Gabriella Cilmi is ' On A Mission '. Just turned 18, the Australian-Italian singer-songwriter is set to surprise a lot of people with her bold, fresh musical direction and feisty attitude: "I'm not a little girl anymore. I've grown up, and I'm ready to fight to get what I want." Gabriella Cilmi was catapulted to global fame by her worldwide mega hit, ' Sweet About Me ', which sold over 2 million copies, was top ten in 16 countries, viewed over 20 million times on you tube, spent 37 consecutive weeks in the UK singles chart in 2008 and was recently PRS certified the most played record of the 2009. Gabriella's debut album ' Lessons to be Learned ' went top 10 in over 10 countries, notching up close to a million sales. The combination of commercial punch and genuine musical spir

Tickets for The Drums headline show @ the 900 capacity venue, Heaven on 8th June were put on sale this morning and have SOLD OUT in one day! · Additional date on the 9th June added due to popular demand The Drums announce headline London show @ Heaven in June Band win “Philip Hall Radar” award at NME awards  New single ‘Best Friend’ out March 29th Having just finished the NME Awards Tour with a triumphant show at London’s Brixton Academy , The Drums were crowned winners of the “ Philip Hall Radar ” award at NME awards on February 24th. The quartet have now announced a new London headline show for June plus they’ll be playing Camden Crawl & Live at Leeds Festival as well: 30th April – Live at Leeds Festival, Leeds  1st May – Camden Crawl, London  Tuesday 8th June – Heaven, London  SOLD OUT Wednesday 9th June _ Heaven London New date added by popular demand Heaven, London: Under The Arches, Villiers Street, London, WC2N 6NG Tickets go on sale Friday 12th March £11.50 http

Mumford & Sons release their new single, ‘The Cave’ through Gentlemen Of The Road / Island Records on the 1st March 2010 . It is taken from the band’s critically acclaimed Top 10 debut album, ‘Sigh No More’. Mumford & Sons have begun this decade much as they ended the last, with word-of-mouth recommendations and a fearsome live reputation helping them to become one of the most significant (and unexpected) British success stories in recent years. After Sigh No More charted at Number 11 in the UK album chart in October 2009, the album has quietly kept on selling - rising to a new high of Number 7 in January and shifting over 200,000 copies in the process. Meanwhile, the folk-rockers have been taking their euphoric live shows across the globe. A unique tour of India at the close of December included sold-out performances in Pune, New Delhi and Hyderabad . While they were there, the band decamped to a studio in New Delhi to collaborate with a collective of Rajasthani musici

Michael Franti & Spearhead SINGLE: SAY HEY (I LOVE YOU) : MONDAY 1st FEBRUARY ALBUM: ALL REBEL ROCKERS : MONDAY 8th FEBRUARY Oakland, CA born Michael Franti has occupied a unique position in American music over his two decade career. Cutting against the grain of fashion, he has been an outspoken champion of social justice - whether that's fighting for human rights, veteran's rights, ridding poverty or producing his 50,000 capacity 'Power To The Peaceful' festival each year. His newest album ' All Rebel Rockers ' has struck a loud chord Stateside and become a hit record. Recorded in Jamaica at the Anchor Studio with Island Records legends Sly & Robbie, the album produced the rapturous dancehall-reggae hybrid lead single 'Say Hey (I Love You)'. With Kingston's own Cherine Anderson on guest vocals, the single has sold a million copies (certified platinum) in the US, and the video has been watched close to 4 million times on Youtube. Commerc