Pavilion and Alcopopular 3 on Tour

Sorry dear blog, I’ve rather let you down over the last few days… No updates which I can’t be forgiven for and even now I’m neglecting you to watch the England game. It’s terrible work from myself, but as I settle down for an evening of keeping half an eye on international glory and the other 1.5 on making maps for Alcopopular 3, I should mention that if anyone’s heading out to catch any of the shows on the Tellison (with Johnny Foreigner) or David Gibb tour – you can pick one up with them on the road, or they’re still available from our shop.

Meanwhile, a nice little blog post about Pavilion (who’s single we released way back about a year or so ago) from the lovely Saam at Faded Glory waxes lyrical about their song Clarity. “Although melodically uplifting, its lyrics examine relationship issues. Maybe it’s not all jolly good fun in Wakey? Regardless, this is a pop classic. Seeing as their first single sold out, I’m hoping ‘Clarity’ will be single number two for Pavilion on the brilliant Alcopop label. I’d buy about 3 copies myself.” Which is very nice of him to say…

So I got in touch with Stu from Pavilion today to see what they’re upto and the good news is that the gloriously melodic Wakefield beauties is that they’re planning all sorts of stuff for the end of this year/ beginning of next. Go have a listen on MySpace if you haven’t heard them before… Sadly the single we released ‘Spoils of War’ sold out on 7”, but you can still get it on iTunes if you like.

That’s good of me eh…

Pavilion sell out 7″, and snare a tour with The Thermals

So…it seems like forever since we at Alcopop HQ entertained a hearty blogpost about those handsome lads Pavilion – but believe me when I say it’s all go in Wakefield. Firstly, they have themselves a shiny new bass player – Mr Tom Butler – and what’s even more exciting is that they’ve booked a main support UK/Ireland tour in June with… Get this – The fu**in’ Thermals…. Awesome!

This is of course fantastic news – not least because the summer is very much the season for Pavilion and this update proves to me that it’s just weeks away. Remember last year and Spoils of War. What a glorious song… I would say buy it immediately on vinyl form, but unfortunately it’s sold out. Still available on iTunes though so if you fancy a listen, head over there or stream it from the MySpace page.

Now – where did I put those sunglasses….?

Pavilion rule the roost

The lovely people at Planet Sound on Teletext (remember? That thing we all used to read before the internet) have put ‘Spoils Of War’ by Pavilion at number 25 in their top 50 singles of 2008! View the full list, along with the top 50 albums, here

Alcopop Christmas Party – 15th December in London w/ Sam Isaac, Stars & Sons, Pavilion & Nima (Arrows of Love)

Just a quick reminder for all of you kids in the city, or nearby of course… Next Monday, the 15th December will see the Alcopop cohorts descend onto the big smoke for fun, frolics and all sorts of super music. There will be lovely presents for the first 15 people through the door, excellent DJs, Christmas covers and cake is a relative certainty. What’s more – it’s only a fiver in! Get your tickets over here, and lets sing in the festive season….

Champion! It would be lovely to see you there…

Punktastic rate CTBW as the best yet… Pavilion hit the charts!

Ah – what a week, and apologies for lack of updates once again. In-between plenty of gigs with my own band, the This City release show and trekking across the country to pick up records, CDs, meet with management et al – and now find myself in the unenviable position of coming by a ticket for tomorrows FA Cup Qualifying Round 2 match to see the mighty Garforth Town take on Guisely AFC. A firecracker in store for sure, and almost certainly worth the 7 hour round trip it’s bound to take to get up to sunny Yorkshire.

And it’s good news on several fronts in the Alcopop stable too, with the good steed Pavilion whinnying particularly proudly after snaring #13^th place in the official indie charts some month after releasing their exceptional record ‘Spoils of War’.

Cut the Blue Wire too have been receiving a fair bit of nice press in the dawn of their new EP ‘Revert Restart Reset’, Punktastic stating “Every time I hear a new BSM/Alcopop band I proclaim them my new favourite on the label. It’s usually lazy journalism, but I’m serious – Kev and co seem to outdo themselves with every release”, while New Noise have asked for “More please. Much, much more.”

In time boys, in time!

And now away with me – for I’m off to enjoy a good night of dancing too ‘Feeling Gloomy at Oxford Zodiac’ – oh and incidentally, anyone in the Oxford locale next week, do pop down to The Regal on Wednesday for a floor-filling night of Alcopop DJs busting out massive tunes, and This City playing live… I can barely bloody wait!

Oh – and finally – it’s good news brought to us by The Rambler, who says… “So the Rudd Government (Kevin07 for the kiddies playing at home), has finally admitted that the alcopop tax introduced in April of this year is a big flop and has been outed was what it was designed for all along – another revenue raiser.”

Yeah – have that taxman…. Surely one of the worlds most evil professions! Need proof? Just look what they did to Superman – bah!

Sunday Times know where it’s at….

Massive bank holiday so apologies for a short blog post from Alcopop HQ… The dusk is settling on another fine Oxford eve, and with gentle glass of pimms and hand, and Pavilion’s ‘Spoils of War’ settling on my tongue – but it’s not just mine… So get out to the shops, or preferably here online, and order yourselves a copy of the single on limited edition 7inch.

Or you could do what the Times Online suggest, and download the track here. They say of the single, what sweeping the nation have known for weeks, that it is “a new pop single to lose your heart to” – and alongside Slow Club, Glasvegas and Tigercity it nestles snugly in their ‘hottest download’ section. Click below..

Meanwhile, an observation for you.. Rubicon, I now have no doubt, is perhaps the finest drink ever to grace the shelves of British newsagents, and seems to be slowly taking over in the last few weeks. Whilst its sometime mango lovliness had never even crossed my pallette more than a month ago, I’m now addicted to pretty much every flavour going. It’s fucking brilliant! They really need to get on something a little alcoholic…

Look Mum! Pavilion are in the papers…

I’m still out at Sziget, with my face all bloodied and torn (well – sort of). I’ve partied till i can literally dance no more, and all thats keeping me awake while Babyshambles meander their way through a quite frankly tedious set outside, is the gentle tip-tapping of these keys. This though my friends is no matter, and the real subject of this post is the quite frankly ace press that’s popping up all over for Pavilion, and their latest single ‘Spoils of War’.

Still a good week or so away from release, you may well have been hearing this song all over independent and BBC related radio, but have you seen this ‘New band of the day‘ post in The Guardian? OK – so the author has snatched upon that old Hoosiers comparison and run, and run, and run with it – but one cannot deny several things that they’ve picked up…. Firstly that they have hits to go, and also that they produce the kind of melody driven pop that is beautifully infectious – guilty as charged. Not to mention that they’re Most likely to: Recruit an army of fans.

Record of the Day… You got it, and noize make enemies are big fans too it would seem. Subba Cultcha rave about the boys too suggesting that Spoils of War is “Another fine slice of Indie pop brilliance to grace my speakers as I go a little crazy on my office/dance-floor… with a whiff of Morrissey, two dashes of Guillemots and a sprinkle of Rumble Strips-You’ve got one hell of a sonic cocktail here…”

There will be plenty more to come too – so for the meanwhile head over to their MySpace page and fill yourself with musical aceness, or catch them on tour next week.

Pavilion – Spoils of War video… Better than Lindsay Lohan?

As the Alcoblog continues to be inexplicably ravaged by an inordinate amount of people searching for an image of Lindsay Lohan (honestly – well over 1,000 and counting in the last few days) – I thought that the hallowed, and much beloved readers of our website should be treated with something even more beautiful than a teasing peak of the blonde tart’s shreddies… And so, allow me to introduce you to the video for Spoils of War… The upcoming single by Wakefield champs Pavilion, set to be released on Alcopop Records on the 25th of this month.

Already garnering play on plenty of nation BBC radio stations, and set to be receiving some very favourable reviews… Take a look at this, which displays the likely Northern lads running through the forest dressed as soldiers, before hitting the London streets… Needless to say, a number of passers-by were left extremely confused!

If you fancy a copy of the record, which will be strictly limited to 500 copies and liable to sell out swiftly on account of it being one of the finest feel-good summery hits to be released this side of the 1960′s – pre-order it from the shop, or pop to the MySpace, find your nearest tour date, and get the hell along there and buy it.

Pavilion new single available to preorder now!

		Pavilion – Spoils Of War
		ALCOPOP017 – 2 track 7″ – Released: 25.08.08
		Perfect summery indie pop from Wakefield. A bit of Weezer, a touch of the Beach Boys and a whole heap of Alcopop charm, ‘Spoils Of War’ is the feel good hit of the summer. .
PRE-ORDER 7″! – £3

You see what it says on the tin! Yes indeed… It is with happy heart, and joy to go that I can announce that the new single from Wakefield champs Pavilion is available for preorder!

Having been together for just over two short years, Pavilion have recently toured with the likes of Glasvegas, Yeasayer, Tiny Dancers as well as those aforementioned Cribs boys. Unusually for most bands, Pavilion change their live set every night to keep things interesting for both them and their growing fanbase.

Pavilion recorded the previously unheard ‘Spoils Of War’ in May this year at West Heath studios in London. Home to the recorded works of both Edwyn Collins and Bernard Butler, Edwyn (who had seen the band play in their hometown 6 months earlier) very kindly provided the services of his studio and engineer to Ryan Jarman – who was getting stuck into his debut role as a producer for this recording.

So have a listen to the band over on their MySpace, press ‘purchase’ to pick up one of the very limited 7″ records, and watch smugly as the track appears all over the radio, web and top music magazines over the next few weeks.

Good news is that we’ve still got some of the BSM ’50 not out compilations’ to give away with every order too! Bada bing -

Oh – and Pavilion up for single of the week on Radcliffe & Maconie next week, so if you love, like (or even merely tolerate) us and the band – please take a moment to email

‘radcliffe.maconie@bbc.co.uk’

The subject title should be ‘Pick ‘n’ Mix’ and then the email only has to read ‘PAVILION – Spoils of War’.

Thanks lots!

News and views and Pavilion and booze

This week’s been a bit of a blur – and opened my eyes to what is definitely the worst part of being involved with Alcopop Records. No f**king expense accounts. At last night’s fun-filled industry fest of a Pavilion show, how I baulked on my cheap rum as the rest of my pals quaffed back handsome amounts of booze, all the time charging it back to their record label/ booking agent sugar-daddies. (anyone fancy investing in Alcopop? *smiles*)

Still – the night was tremendous, mostly down the libidinous bunch of chums out, Pavilions great (if technically troubled) Barfly show and Kev’s birthday which saw us traverse venues (at least one of whom offered us a free box of Indian sweets), until – with no place left to go – we popped by a chums in Camden. Emerging several hours later, we were shouted at by police for unwittingly entering a crime scene and finished up rolling home at gone 5am on the Oxford Tube – rock n’ roll.

Still – ‘twas great times, and reinforced to me how absolutely awesome Pavilion are. If you haven’t listened to them yet, take a butchers over at their MySpace page, or download the Alcopodcast to hear an exclusive interview and some acoustic tracks.

In other news, although a number of my big names seem to have pulled from the Alcopop 5-a-side team (no Peter Beardsley it seems – terrible news) the squad is shaping up to resemble a magnificent warhorse on the pitch. Indeed, our goalkeeper Thomas Day (infamous for being banned from all competitive football by the local Oxfordshire FA after punching a chav and flipping the bird to the referee) – has promised not to concede a goal. A proud boast indeed, and who would argue with a man willing to take on all-comers in this aggressive wrestling stance (pictured)…

Last of all, but by no means least, Alcopop shall be attending Truck Festival this weekend, not only in an attempt to find ‘our new favourite band’ (any tips give us a shout), but also to tip a cheery wave to lovable roster eccentrics The Family Machine – who are on Saturday at 5pm at The Village Pub, Pub Rock Stage. For anyone at the festival, go and say hello and they promise they will give you a kiss or blow a raspberry on your tummy. Now that’s value you can’t argue with!!