Alcopopular 3 – message in a bottle compilation for pre-order!

Hurrah! As featured in Loud and Quiet (full page) – it is with great pleasure I can announce that our newest compilation Alcopopular 3 is up for pre-order… And coming out next week

Priced up at just a fiver, and featuring delicious tracks from the likes of Pulled Apart by Horses, Apples, Paul Steel, Unicorn Kid and Stagecoach (along with many more) your downloadable comp comes in bottle with hand-browned treasure map tracklisting and is pretty much a must for any record collection.  After all, you can pretend to be a pirate and listen to some cracking tracks… Can’t beat that eh!

It’s – in a word – amazing! But you don’t even have to take my word for it as we have a number of crack Twitter reviewers, picking it apart track by track in 140 characters or less over the next couple of weeks… So I’ll be letting you know some of the highlights of what they say about each track.

Bottle – Buy now / MP3s only – Buy now

Full tracklisting is…

1. Tellison – Wasp’s Nest
2. Apples – Theo
3. David Gibb – The Oxfordshire Brigade
4. Stars and Sons – In The Ocen (piano version)
5. Town Bike – Cock Muff Bum Hole
6. Pulled Apart By Horses – E=MC Hammer
7. Stagecoach – We Got Tazers
8. Paul Steel – Psychedelia Smith
9. Unicorn Kid – Nuts n Milk
10. Arrows Of Love – Prescriptions
11. Ice King of California – I Wouldn’t Want To Do That All
12. The October Game – Cast These Waves
13. The Computers – Track Four

Purchase, and fill that bottle shaped hole in your record collection, because – as Loud and Quiet say…

“but maybe it’s now that we need labels like Alcopop to offer us something a little out of the ordinary. There’s no character in a bunch of mega bites but there’s a hell of a lot in a bottle containing a modern day pirate treasure map that leads you to some audio booty.”

Awwww

A tribute to Fierce Panda Records and 15 years – by Alcopop

It has recently been brought to my attention, via the handsome Sam Isaac who just last night supported the Spinto Band as part of their birthday celebrations, that Fierce Panda Records is 15 this year… and while no doubt there will be a milieu of tributes across the web to a label that has brought us the likes of Idlewild, Kenickie, A Hundred Reasons, 3CR, Llama Farmers, Seafood and more – I was keen to throw my own little bit of nostalgic loving towards what I see as one of the most influential labels (in my life anyway) and, quite frankly, one of those institutions that without – Alcopop (and I’m sure a lot of labels like us) may be an awful lot poorer for, if here at all…

My love affair with Mr Bongo and his lot really begun back when I was just out of 6^th form, and already heavily into my alt/indie scene, I happened across the ‘Dead Cheap’ Fierce Panda sampler for 3 quid in (I believe) spinadisc records in Coventry. Already vaguely knowing the label, I snapped it up and it literally became my favourite compilation of ever. Looking back now and working it out I bought releases from 10 of the bands featured, fell in love with at least 6 of them – 3 of which were particularly passionate… And out of 15 songs that aint not bad (as the illiterate say).

Post that, more of my ‘life highlights’ that included the mighty Panda included my first year of university when, featuring them as label of the week on my student radio station, they sent me a white label test pressing (limited to 10 copies) and a load of stickers (very kind I thought), still owning a Ning 154 limited edition Panda jacket despite losing it temporarily at so many venues across the country and thinking myself continually cool in my youth knowing that getting into Panda bands was not only the way to guarantee bucket loads of indie-cool points, but also enjoy a massive hit rate of favourites in my record collection. Plus they seemed to run the label in the right way – releasing stuff they liked, doing it in a fun way – and releasing rather super merch (tea-cups, coats and polos)

And now – operating an indie label of my very co-own, it is with great love, thanks and praise indeed that I’d like to wish all at Fierce Panda a very happy fifteenth birthday. Whether they can continue to be the behemoth of great indie talent that they were after 15 years hard slog, who knows, but for me – and I imagine a whole swathe of kids who grew up in my generation – it’s “Panda for life”… Or so I once scrawled on the toilet wall of the Coventry Collosseum after a particularly epic Llama Farmer’s set anyway

OMFG – Alcopop have stickers and they’re fuckin’ indie!

God knows why we haven’t got round to ordering any in the past, but the good news for those who enjoy a nice bit of colour here and there without resorting to the spray cans – is that now you can belt a little bit of Alcopop onto every flat surface that isn’t coated in water (and even then you can try) courtesy of these here stickers…

Already starting to show their handsomely coloured faces in and around Oxfordshire, note this one (which I saw with some delight last night) so elegantly stuck to a bus timetable board. Ace.

If you want to get your hands on a few, they’ll be included free with every single online order made in the shop as of now – but if you’re penniless, recently ordered, manage a F1 racing team and want to make your helmets look good etc. feel free to drop us an email at info@ilovealcopop.co.uk and I’ll send you some out.

Similarly, if you think your town would look good plastered in 100s of the things, and want a big wadge to splash liberally around, we’d much appreciate it. Just drop us a line on the same email.

Another Alcopop T-shirt model comes forward… and she’s lovely

Alcopoppers have already proven themselves to be a handsome bunch, and no more than this latest image that recently arrived at Alcopop HQ to low whistles and hushed mutterings of ‘phwoar’ and ‘fit’.. We’re classy gents like that! So almost as if T-Shirts haven’t dominated pretty much all of the last 17 posts (ahem) on this blog, here’s another one of the mysteriously monikered ‘Maitresse’ – who rivals even Ben and Coxy in terms of regal majesty in a crocodile/skateboard dominated shirt. And quite delighted, no doubt, to tell her friends, that she’s our friend. We’re delighted an’ all…

Loving the stockings too, which will be no doubt be high on the list of our next merch purchasing list!

Keep ‘em coming poppers – soon we’ll have enough pictures to warrant remembering the password to our Flickr account…

Buy something from here, and I’m pretty sure she’d be impressed!

Get your Alcopop kit on poppers! w/ Crocodiles on skateboards…

Having recently added some extremely limited edition Tees to our online shop, I’ve noticed a proliferation (or at least a couple) of handsome poppers slipping on their brand new threads and exposing themselves to world. Banging their photos about like it ‘aint no thing’, these icons of style are displaying their handsome torsos to the world, decked in the finest crocodile based record label merchandise money can buy.

And for the hip fashionistas amongst you, allow me to introduce our first model – Coxy, who was so cool that he actually purchased two tees for fear of destroying one (which he has already done with grease). In this awesome pic, illustrating the proverb ‘many hands make light work’ look as he holds CDs and Cat… His is a flickr stream you really should have a look at.

Meanwhile, Bristol based Ben has submitted this magnum opus, after he received his T-Shirt after returning from a holiday in Vienna. Vienna was OK, these threads quite clearly better.

Any other Alcopop related shots would be magnificent to see. It’s so nice to see all your handsome faces. You can purchase one of the last few in the shop for just £8 and look as good as these folk (and remember this design/colour combo will never be repeated)…

Woop!

Pinnacle distribution goes under – what now for the indie record labels?

It’s been a long day, night and onwards over the last 24 hours or so – ever since the announcement reached me that independent distributors Pinnacle have succumbed to the slavering Credit Crunch – their video games arm allegedly taking down the music ‘bit’ and everything else with it.

Now from an indie music perspective in general this is terrible news. Not just because Pinnacle deal with around 1/3 of all such distribution in the UK (and 94 jobs have been lost in a very competitive industry), but also because it nudges me towards the belief that across the country, that maybe it’s not just the majors that are going to be hit! A well needed shot in the arm perhaps, but one that is really scary as far as Alcopop and all in our ilk are concerned.

Now don’t get me wrong – it’s not all bad news, and up till now I personally feel that 2008 has been a most enjoyable year for Alcopop. I hope you agree – and barring any massive problems chucked our way by this, will be considered quite a raring success. Indeed – I’m pretty convinced that with your continued support (which we’re so grateful for), we’ll be able to continue working with incredible up and coming acts and continue working with them, providing real music – for real people – who really care!

Of course – more immediate concerns abound, not least because our (very ace) distribution company goes through Pinnacle, and as is the way of the record sales world, perennially owe us cash (that we owe to others) from shop sales from the last few months – which, as any Alcopopper will know has borne a pretty hectic schedule.

Now, we’ve received assurances that everything should be OK, so that’s something… But one is never 100% certain until the money is folding in your hands, and whatsmore – what will become of our distribution company when all this fallout clears? Apparently they’re still strong, and a fiercely independent company, so hopefully they’ll simply about turn and waltz onward with someone else – but we’ll have to wait and see.

I wasn’t going to drag you all down with this kind of news (after all – this blog is primarily a happy place), but after all, I think it’s important that everyone knows what’s going on. This whole indie culture, in my eyes at least, should be a disparate community of everyone who plays, releases, writes about – or just loves music with heart! Making its way from the dingy clubs around the UK, nay the world – we know the majors have had it wrong for years – dictating to us…. Now we need to rally together and prove that we all are the way forward, whatever the economy throws at us.

Pinnacle may be gone, but indie will not be forgotten!

Ace photo courtesy of Olly Farrell

Alcopop dominate London in football(nearly) and all-day gigs – a majestic weekend!

So the blog has been rather barren over the last couple of days (I’ve been moving house.. Sorry guv) – and anyone stumbling across it, as well as downloading the excellent new free Family machine single, could be forgiven for angrily kicking tumbleweed as they make their way through old posts, wondering where the hell the updates are. Well – here they are!

Firstly – thanks loads to everyone who popped down to Alcopopalooza on Saturday and indulged in a day of booze, bands and burgers. A great time seemed to be had by all, and amongst the piles of BBQ meat, flowing booze and bustling crowd, a fantastic line up of acts rocked us from 4.30pm till very late, with This City, Pavilion, Cut the Blue Wire, Paul Steel and Stars and Sons amongst the many highlights. Look out for Alcopopalooza 2 in, oooh, about a year.

However, It is with sad news that I must bring you news that, unbelievably, Alcopop Records did not (as boldly predicted on these here pages) triumph in Sundays BSM 5-a-side tournament, despite a series of epic performances. Making our way through the tropical heat of Wormwood Scrubs, London, Alcopop’s brave and hardy soldiers – myself, Thom, Manus, Si, Leigh and grandson of legendary Scotland and Rangers forward Torry Gillick Darren (pictured doing his best Gattuso impression amongst the hands-on-the-hips gang below) – took to the field in a tough looking Group D.

Battering Banquet Records 5-0 in what can best be described as total football, we went on to draw 2-2 with the very energetic Rolo Tomassi, and topped it all off with a morale-boosting 2-1 victory against Gold Artists (featuring many of Pavilion) coping with wave after wave of attack as our savaged feet blistered in the midday(ish) sun. 7 points and a goal difference of plus 6 was surely enough… But no! And as the now very tired Banquet shower capitulated 9-1 to Rolo Tomassi, the hopes and dreams of Team Pop were shattered, leaving us missing out on making it through by the odd goal.

Congratulations to Punktastic who triumphed…. For more info, head over here to Kev’s BSM blog – or here for the vitriolic Punktastic thread toasting their own victory.

Other than that, my time has been pretty much spent between shifting beds up many stairs, and listening to the new Cut the Blue Wire EP (coming out September time – it’s truly stunning!) So any band wanting to sign their lives away to Alcopop and garner rock star fame and riches (or send us a demo at least), please note the change of address.

Oh – and did anyone notice that Sam Isaac was the ‘Hottest record in the world’ on Zane’s show… Awesome

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!!

Colin Murray is The Family Machine…

And as the radio 1 juggernaut rumbles on, it is with pride and pleasure that we notice it (and especially Colin Murray) is stopping off along the way for a tasty Alcopop or too. That’s right – for not only did the wee Irish champ give the Family Machine their first (of many) Radio 1 play for the upcoming new album (and former free downloadable EP) on Tuesday, featuring the song Got It Made – but he decided to give the majestic Sideways by our boy Sam Isaac a spin the following day.

We don’t know what his exact tipple is (although my chums once met him at the Northern Ireland vs. England match and said he was a heavy boozer) but anytime your round our way, I’ll get you one in Colin! And does anyone else think that his Fighting Talk on Radio 5 is one of the best damn sport-based radio shows around? Me too!

Meanwhile, Kev (Alcopop and BSM) has gone on holiday to New York to see, amongst other things, a solo, intimate Andrew WK piano gig on Sunday… Lucky f**ker! J He’s got a bit of a guestlist too, so if any die-hard Alcopopper happens to be in the big Apple this Sunday, ‘gis a shout and I’ll see if he can get you in (you never know).