The Candle Thieves EP up for pre-order now w/ Pre order freebies!

Ah August, look at you so gloomy out there… Refusing to make any of us smile with your cloudy face. Well f**k you you bleak old bi**h, because great news is afoot for those of you who may be missing sun on your face, but enjoy it in your heart.

Woop – one of Alcopop’s latest signings The Candle Thieves have released The Sunshine EP (limited to 1,000 copies) so delicious it will literally leave you grinning for weeks… It’s up for pre-order right now from our shop (out on the 10th September – we’ll make sure you get it early), for the sum of just £5 of your English pounds, or £2.50 for the MP3s. This site is liable to be the only place where it’s available digitally, although iTunes would be another quid more expensive, so you’re better off getting it from us anyway…

But wait! There’s more! As you may know, the boys have recently been traversing the gardens of England playing a lovely tour outside in folk’s houses, and we were keen for people to take a little bit of the Candle Thieves magic back to their own gardens… Therefore, the first 20 people to order the EP (on CD) will get a promo TCT seed bag to plant or keep, all branded up with TCT/Alcopop stickers and badge – and limited (strictly) to just 100. Plus the first 10 we ship out are fully signed by the lovely Scott and Glock.

Awesome…

Love you poppers

A Modern Education on the way – and Jack PoP on radio

Man – it’s been an absolute whirl since Alcopop descended upon Cheltenham last Friday – so apologies for lack of blog updates, and hearty congratulations to those of you who won a little something in the Alcopop shop. Obviously I’m gutted there were no big winners (a nose away from a 20/1 shot) to see the Alcopop shop emptying rather rapidly.. But everyone seemed to enjoy it – so all good fun.

Meanwhile, goFASTER>> are just days away from releasing their super hotly anticipated debut ‘A Modern Education’, and there are still a few of the first 100 left with bonus discs in the shop available to purchase… Pretty sure they’ll be gone by Monday though so get in quickly if you want the bonus disc – which includes 3 bonus tracks and two awesome remixes, one of which I may be posting on the blog soon (because it’s really rather epic).

Oh incidentally, as massive advocates of the black stuff (aka vinyl releases) – Stu from a radio station way down south recently did a phone interview with me about releasing records, and has posted it to be heard by all here. Don’t let my contribution put you off though as he talks to people from the likes of the Fly and TANOU too – and it’s really worth a listen. Ace!

Meanwhile Kevs gone to SXSW – lucky bastard – here’s an artists impression of his probable actions so far…

The right way to approach record labels with your music?

Ah – what a day… Just realised Golden Axe II can be downloaded on the Wii (meaning more pelting of oddly coloured mauve skeletons with a big, badly rendered sword), two T-shirts from Unicorn Kid turned up at killer speeds – and nestled in between my weekly stock of demos came this heart-warming package from An Accidental Modernist AKA Carolyn Power from Dublin, Northern Ireland.

Always one to favour the good old British postal system ahead of MySpace links copied to every record label, magazine and PR company in the known universe (have you never heard of bcc!) telling me that they ‘love the roster and are going to blow my head off’ with whatever it is brand of power-rock that’s a lot like Pearl Jam meets Radiohead but loads better… This demo really stood out.

Not only was there a personalised letter, stickers everywhere, the use of bubblewrap because “well, bubble wrap is ace” – but the self-styled knitting aficionado had even included a hand-crafted cup warmer, no doubt ideal for an over-iced receptacle of Smirnoff Mule on a cold winters morn. Needless to say I was much delighted…!

Of course, I always make it a point to listen to every demo that comes our way anyway (that’s only polite) – so it doesn’t mean (for us at Alcopop anyway) that it stands any more chance of being picked up, and I like to think that packaging won’t sway my decision on the million and one considerations that go on whether an artist is right for us… But I think that going that extra mile will certainly thrust the name of An Accidental Modernist into various heads, and leave record type folk with a good impression of her creativity, desire and passion to show her music in the very best light.

Everyone around the music industry on big buck salaries seems to be saying that traditional recording media is dying, CD sales are crashing and no-one wants physical products anymore. I suggest those naysayers take a look at something like this as an example and ask themselves – were Carolyn to release her album with knitted cup-warmer, personalised letter and stickers everywhere, would her fans be more likely to buy it than rip it off rapidshare, or stream it for free from Spotify? Because in short, I think the answer is yes…

Rock on!

This City full page features in NME and Kerrang

Wow – this week has been a bloody good one for us, and the music-press buying public alike, as lovable tattooed Brighton rockers This City have had a big ‘ol full-page spread in not one – but two of the nations top rags. Discussing everything from ‘the band food game’ to how they met, they really are bloody great articles – and prove (if proof was needed) just why all at Alcopop HQ love them quite as much as we do.

The single ‘We Move’ (a fucking tour de force of a tune) can be pre-ordered now on very limited edition 7” vinyl (ltd to 500) – and is released on the 22^nd September. Check out the MySpace, or order from the shop.

Meanwhile – here’s that tasty press…

Cut the Blue Wire – Revert.Restart.Reset released for pre-order

The Fly have described them as ‘Sentiments of At The Drive-In, the soul of Enter Shikari and the twister ambience of Bloc Party’ – and by far the best thing to come out of Portsmouth since the HMS Victory, Cut the Blue Wire have their new EP up for pre-sale in our shop, and I really can’t recommend it enough!

It’s out on the 29th September, and although I may not be the most un-biased reviewer in the world, I bloody love it – evoking as it does memories of Symposiums ‘One Day at a Time’, Uresei Yatsura’s ‘All Hail’ – and indeed Midget’s ‘Alcopop’. You see, I always loved the punch of 6 tracks, all belting at 600mph – which smacked you in the face and demanded to be listened to – time and time again.

The track-listing goes a little something like this:

1. Everest

2. Get Out Of the Road

3. All of This Was Buildings

4. Rockets Ready To Fire

5. Race to The King

6. No Song of Mine

You can preorder it, by clicking on this link (inland p&p a flat rate of 50p no matter how many CDs/7s you order), check out the band here – or have a gander at the lovely artwork below….

This City offer up a fine competition!

They move at just the right speed, they’re releasing a very limited 7″/digital single on Alcopop, and now This City have proved themselves to be pretty damn benevolent too, by offering a really rather corking competition on their MySpace blog, with a free track to go…

As they say, it really couldn’t be simpler – and all you have to do is buy just a single ticket for their massive upcoming tour (more details here) which will set you back not much more than a fiver. Southsea, Stoke and Norwich types… That includes you!

All you have to do is forward a ticket confirmation email / take a photo with your ticket / scan a ticket etc and email it to THISCITYCOMP@HOTMAIL.CO.UK to win….

1st prize

T Shirt of your choice
Signed We Move promo CD
We Move 7″ vinyl
Kids With Fireworks CD
ThisCity tote bag

2nd prize

T shirt of your choice
We Move 7″ vinyl

3rd prize

We Move 7″ vinyl

Whatsmore, those who buy tickets for any of the above dates will be sent a brand spanking new demo track “GHOSTS” absolutely free. Man…. What more could you possibly want!

Download Alcopop’s new sampler for free – yes FREE!

Download it now…

If you’ve been following the blog over the last few weeks, you’ll have noticed that Alcopop are preparing for summer – not simply by splashing on the sun-tan lotion and lazily thumbing through brochures to the Maldives. Oh no, instead we’ve decided to throw all other summer plans aside and create a lusty release schedule, to blow your ears wide apart – and inject a whole new shot of musical deliciousness deep into your thorax. Sing it now….

For this is ‘AQA does not care much for Alcopop. Pimm’s is delicious’ – named after that handy (if overpriced) text service’s response to our musings on booze, and our label. Heavily endorsed by our newest pals, Alcodog and Alcocroc – anyone thinking that their eyes are deceiving them when they imagine the artwork shows Kev dressed as a beaver and me as a lobster – it is with shamed face I tell you no… You’re entirely correct. That’s actually on iTunes! *weep*

Whether you’re into the frenetic pop punk, soaring vocals and breathtaking melody of Cut the Blue Wire or lush, symphonic tones of the doe-eyed Sam Isaac – we’re convinced we’ve got something for you, and so have put together a rather tasty 6-track sampler to showcase what we have coming up in the next few months. Available on iTunes, or on handmade, limited edition CD (which features a whole heap of bonus tracks and videos from deep within the Alcopop vaults) – you can, if you like, get it free for a week – just by following the ‘sampler’ link on the menu bar above – and clicking the download button.

So follow this link to take a look at exactly what’s on it – or pop to the shop to buy a full copy with all the bonus exclusive content of videos, MP3s and old rarities that have graced many a past release. Enjoy, pass it on to your friends and spread the wealth… It is only available here free for a week though, before we have to take it down and let the corporate giants at apple have their share too.

Here’s the full tracklisting – with love from Alcopop….

1. goFASTER>> – NHS Dentist
2. Cut The Blue Wire – The Race To The King
3. Sam Isaac – A Cinematic Low
4. Pavilion – Clarity
5. This City – With Loaded Guns
6. My First Tooth – North Sea (demo)

DSP better than Metallica!?!

We love DSP – You love DSP! Now it seems that Kerrang! also loves them too… Yup, just take a look at the image below and you’ll see that ‘No Girls Allowed’, their new single (on the ace Smalltown Records), has just pipped some band called er… I forget now… Metallica into number 2! In internet speak… WTF!

Awesome work from DSP, and without meaning to sound like a used car salesman, we’ve still got some of the original 3″ CD single in hand stamped, hand-numbered limited edition cases hangning around the Alcopop office (or available digitally on iTunes). May i suggest that they won’t be there for long?

BSM reaches 50 releases – and we celebrate by giving away free 50 track CDs

Like those moments in childhood, when you look up at your big brother who’s just picked you up and cuddled you after grazing your knee, or offered you the last scoop of ice cream – all at Alcopop are immensely proud and pleased that big brother label BSM has reached one hell of a milestone!

50 releases… Congratulations Kev! And thanks for the good ol’ Alcopop days too – its been a real pleasure working with you pal *sniffs*!

Anyway – rather than blog along sound like a sentimental old fool – I shall use the genial general of gentlemanly grooves (that’s Kev by the way) very own words… Oh, and if anyone wants a copy of this spectacular new release (and you do, because it’s got 50 tracks of greatness including stuff from Alcopop’s very own Hush the Many, 4 or 5 Magicians, DSP… alongside Get Cape, Rolo Tomassi, Tubelord and loads more… I’ve pinched a whole load of them out of his room (heh heh) and we’re going to give them away free with every single order until I run out! You heard it right… Any BSM or Alcopop order placed will see you coming away with a godamn 50 track free CD – (for slae on its own for £4) – so you can’t lose really!

Anyway – here is all the info you’ll need on the compilation – read and inwardly digest…

Big Scary Monsters is 50 releases old! No, we didn’t see it coming either. Over the past 7 years we’ve put out many many releases from more wonderful bands than I can count on an army of toes. There have been great moments and there have been even better moments, and so it seemed only fitting that we celebrate the half-century with something a little special.

50 Not Out is a compilation CD of 50 MP3s featuring past, present and future BSM associates, along with many of our favourite others. So that’s music from the likes of Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Maps And Atlases, Tubelord, This Town Needs Guns, Jeniferever, Jonah Matranga, Rolo Tomassi, Secondsmile, Copy Haho, Sam Isaac, Tera Melos, Hush The Many, Data.Select.Party, Meet Me In St Louis and a lot more! The full tracklisting is right here and frankly, it’s amazing.

The CD is being given away for free with all purchases from this very website, or you can buy it for the princely sum of just £4. Click here to purchase.

But wait… There’s more! If you join up to our Friend of The Family mini-site you can pick the CD up for just £3 and also have access to 10 free MP3 downloads of tracks from the CD. Check it out.<

So that’s it. Fifty bloody releases! Thanks to everyone for playing a bigger part than you probably realise in helping us reach this milestone. Here’s to the next 50.

Nice one kev!!

Video clues to find fruity CDs in Oxforshire trees!

Long live the Family Machine!

Of all the bands ever to come a wandering along the Alcopop rosta, charming us with their witty banter and crafting glorious releases now and then – if someone was to ring and say “some of your lot are rampaging around parks hanging CDs on trees” – I’d know it could be only one!

For not only do these boys have gloriously fresh minds so far removed from ‘conventional reality’ that
you could hang them in the Tate Modern, but they are all about sharing their music through rather exotic means (must be an Oxford thing). Whether its hanging CDs on trees, allowing them to float away on hot air balloons, or sending them to sea in bottles – make sure you’re always keeping an eye to the ground (and sky) for FM masterpieces released into the wild.

Of course, if you’re not lucky enough to catch one, you can always buy an album from the shop for but 7 sheets – but if you’re the more dedicated type, take a look at these clues – and bag yourself the fruit of the loins of the Family Mahine – mmm mmm!