Tuesday, March 30

Factory Floor / FF - full-length debut

Factory Floor - now known officially as simply FF - are about to launch a renewed assault on the world's ears with a full-length release: 45 minutes, 4 tracks, 17th May. Untitled, out on CD and limited 10" vinyl on Blast First Petite, also includes a short DVD, Solid Sound. The experimental trio are currently on tour with Fuck Buttons, and play the Shepherd's Bush Empire with Liars in May. Don't miss out.

Sunday, March 14

Video: O CHILDREN - RUINS




Impressive stuff. It's out on April 19th on Deadly People.

Tuesday, March 9

1234... '10 - FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT

The first wave of the lineup for this year's 1234 Shoreditch Festival have been revealed. Be prepared: it's good. Highlights include These New Puritans promoting new album Hidden; perennial 1234 associates S.C.U.M; Wild Palms; the return of ddd; Japanese psych-freaks Bo Ningen; the jangling sounds of Veronica Falls; Maria & the Mirrors; The Ruling Class; and punk orchestra Action Beat. The full list is at The1234Shoreditch.com, along with £15 advance tickets which we recommend you snap up.

Monday, March 8

Band spotlight: THE MURDER ACT

Light from dark, melody from distortion, a chiming guitar and a clanking drive: The Murder Act step gracefully across dichotomies, rolling out waves of noise and beautiful harmonies in equal measure, the whole underpinned by insistent krautrock beats. If that sounds good to you - it should - then visit their MySpace page to hear their eight-minute greeting to the world, 'Sex Song'. Do it now, before it's too late.

Saturday, March 6

News: Wild Palms single

Wild Palms are no longer, as they had been dubbed formerly, 'the best unsigned band in London' - they've got a record deal with One Little Indian, and their second single 'Deep Dive' is out on April 19th. (The self-released debut single 'Over Time' is still available from their MySpace, too.) Even better: Artrocker magazine are offering a free download of the b-side, a splintered and soulful take on Bjork's 'Human Behaviour' - get it here. The quartet are on the move around the country in the next few months, so keep an eye out:

13th March: Double Magazine Warehouse Party, Manchester
15th March: Captains Rest, Glasgow
16th March: Bongo Club, Edinburgh
17th March: Roxy, Newcastle
19th March: Amplified, Darlington
24th March: The Garage, London (with The Twilight Sad)
16th April: The Coronet, London
22nd April: Bodega, Nottingham
24th April: The Recommender at Jam, Brighton
1st & 2nd May: Camden Crawl London
15th May: The Great Escape at Hector's, Brighton