Malco, Emery and Mallia release threEPeople – YEAH!

We’re not trying to get you to spend ALLLLLL your money. Honest! But the gods of late August/early September have let it be known that they prefer a primarily Alcopop diet – and a damn fizzy one at that. See, not only are we mere days away from announcing another Johnny foreigner release (srsly im lrning lex spk too) – but we have perhaps one of our lovliest offerings in some time… Out today!

To sum up the story behind it (in a nutshell), our lovely new lady Katie Malco was keen to get out and see the sites during a summer tour of gardens, small festivals and such – so we hooked her up with two of our most beautiful boys in Warren Attika State and Matt Emery Stagecoach – booked a few shows and sent them packing. So far they’ve met ferrets in Capel, battled football hooligans with melody in Kingston – even partying in Bristol with spaghetti a-plenty.

To celebrate such endeavours, all 3 of them got together, recorded some lovely lo-fi songs with the help of Warren’s cat (seriously, you can hear her on the end of Warren’s Frank Turner esque belter 6 shots) – commited them to CD and digital locations – whilst all 3 artists and I (with Lady PoP) hand painted 25 sleeves each for putting them in. All individual, you’ve got owls, flags, kittens and even a picture of Warren looking very much like a sugarpuff monster. Voila! The threEPeople (clever name huh, yeah.. Thanks Elliott Morris)

You don’t know what you’re going to get – but you do know it’ll be bloody lovely! Available now from the PoP Shop for just 3 sheets, you can’t lose… You really can’t! Special Matt Emery related prize to anyone who snares the owl cover art (below).

Pulled apart by Matt Emery!

You know PoP favourites Stagecoach right? Well if you don’t get yourself into this shop and make good that mistake right away … If you do, you’ll no doubt be aware of delicious little Matty Emery – a charming gent from Dorking who not only hits things, but sings like an angel and plays the guitar/piano like an angel as well. Well – see, he’s been all sorts of busy of late and has put out this rad Pulled Apart by Horses cover album – where he’s covered some of their biggest hits, and looks like Andrew WK on the front cover.

That works for me – and you can download it for free here… Nice eh?

He’ll make you dance with his balls of fire!

Stagecoach Huw Stephens Radio 1 session…

We’ve always loved Huw Stephens here at Alcopop. Maybe it’s his edgily beautiful face, genuine passin for the music or the fact that he seems to hold us in some high regard (that and he’s a genuinely lovely guy) – but he really did exceed himself last Wednesday when bustin out some serious Stagecoach in session larks! Camping in at Chop’s (Mandolin) extravagent Londonshire pad armed only with chicken and the odd booze or two we got going with some strong Radio 1 action.

Ah it was awesome! And true to form, Coach boshed out some cracking tracks – and got all of that raucous rock down baby! Giles, Tazers, Ice Age and ouch! A brand new one called Tony Hawk…

Listening is believing yes - so follow the link for TIMES. Chapter 2 is the bit all about our lovely Dorking darlings, or listen to the whole show for a 2 hour treat.

Thanks Huw, you’re the best…

Hiero-Hiero-Hieroglyphics!

Yeah it’s out – and for any of you not yet versed in the beauty of the Crash My Ride EP by some of Alcopop’s finest, Stagecoach, then perhaps its time to have yourself a little taste yo. Right here, right no!

Doing sample battle with long-time producing collaborator James Kenosha (Dinosaur Pile-Up, Pulled Apart By Horses) and pop-star Ex Planes, Stagecoach have backed the single with a pair of spectacular remixes to ‘back the rock up’. Ex Planes got his break co-writing songs on Kylie’s Body Language album and has produced a string of brilliant disco-punk remixes for Kylie, Lily Allen, Bat for Lashes and Gorillaz (so Stagecoach were obviously next on his hitlist!) – whilst Kenosha ransacked his studio vaults to create one of his finest pieces of work to date.

So have a listen below, and get involved in the Coach bandwagon (does that work?). Yup!

Stagecoach Tour w/Twin Atlantic – Tour Pass notes

Dates: 6

Territory: North

Passengers: Luke, Matt, Tom, John, Nick (band). Tom Pandycane (Merch wizard/impromptu Tour Manager.)

Special Costumes: Wilco headband (Luke). Blue Lacoste tennis shorts (Tom). “Rad-Camp” Cycling Jersey (John).

Setlist: Hieroglyphics//We Got Tazers//Axe Behind My Back//Headbangers Ball//Map To The Freezer//Ice Age//Not Even Giles//Good Luck With Your 45

What are Twin Atlantic like? Awesome. Within minutes of meeting them we are knee-deep in a pun-off. They are charming and friendly and their Scottish accents make us weak at the knees. Then they offer to carry our amps with them in their van. And THEN their soundguy Paul helps out with mandolin sound. Extra good dudes.

How are the shows? Every venue pulls through with decent sound, good turnouts and friendly promoters. Twin Atlantic are a good draw and we do everything in our powers to entertain their fans. Generally they respond in like. Crowd invasions are welcomed and there’s plenty of dudes singing along who already know our stuff.

Did you mention pun-offs? After someone says ‘Buffy Clyro’ by accident we then spend the next 3 days thinking up TV/band combos which get added to Twitter. Turns out Twitter loves #tvbands. Everyone joins in the fun (nerd heaven). “Johnny Cash in the Attic” and “How I Met Your Wolfmother” are winners. Twin Atlantic entries are impressive, particularly “J-Location, J-Location, J-Location.” We love these boys!

Best/worst show? Worst is Durham. (Poor Durham. Too many rugby players = stunted emotional growth & lack of ability to express enjoyment). Best is Liverpool Academy. Turbo sound, enthusiastic crowd and our old pals My Amiga have come down too so lovely to catch up.

Most drunken night? Sheffield. After the show we meet up with our Alcopop buddies from Screaming Maldini plus the Jordan brothers one of whom we met at our last Sheffield show. Everyone is very much up for some party so we hit the town. First up is some old man pub where the DJ rocks some Beach Boys, Kenickie, At the Drive In and Erasure all in the same set –well good! Then to The Harley for a dubstep night (yikes!) where Tom Pandycane teaches us some sweet Crabcore moves. I think it’s the first time the two genres have joined forces but hopefully not the last.

Do say: “Lighthouse Family Fortunes.”

Don’t say: “Why’d you give the mandolin to me? I don’t know how to play it.”

To continue onward with Stagecoach?: Turn to page Punktastic

F**k off Alcopop, I can’t be bothered with your shenanigans right now!: Ok, Ok, go visit my favourite site on the internet of all time instead

Calling Kingston – Free show tomorrow!!!

Oh hells yes, we’re taking over the asylum! (The Hippodrome) tomorrow from 9. Come to Kingston with Banquet Records, tell em you love Alcopop, sing a Stagecoach song or dress as a giant Hooch Lemon* and you’ll get in free – and check out this lineup…

Oh yeah!

* ps – if anyone dresses up as a massive hooch lemon i will buy them 8 pints

Alcopop sign Johnny Foreigner

Been a real strong year thus far, but would you believe – it’s about to get stronger… As I can proudly announce that Alcopop Records have signed the magnificent Johnny Foreigner! ‘Ave it….  Welcome sweet Alexei Berrow, Kelly Southern and Junior Elvis Washington Laidley to Team PoP – where they will be releasing a brand spangly new EP come November entitled ‘There When you Need It’. It will be on 12” (so much vinyl – yum) and digital, and look like a groove-riders wet dream I promise you.

What’s more *deep breath* is that they’ll be teaming with our very own Stagecoach to hit the road in November in a mammoth tour of the UK – accompanied with a <this news is being announced in a week or so… Sorry> which is so awesome it will have to be heard to be believed. I’ll say no more at this stage, other than to say that I never realised Little Matty Coach sounded quite so much like Kelly.

A band that need no introduction I’m sure, we’ve long been big fans of JoFo (in fact we were chatting way back when before that TV/ massively funded record label thing got in the way) – so it’s an absolute delight to start working with them now. They have lots of fans with tattoos and stuff who make JoFo cakes and things… This is ace, and I hope they’ll all be happy wondering through the world of Alcopop too on their never-ending JoFo adventure. Yo! Hello… Do treat em’ good lovely poppers J

Customary to the way we like to do things here at Alcopop, look out for a nice free track for you over the next week or so, but in the mean time – why not watch Salt, Pepper and Spinderella…. And know that the new stuff a-coming is perhaps even better. So excited!

Stagecoach pop rocked Reading

Hope you all had a great bank holiday weekend poppers. It’s been a swell one here at Team PoP containing mostly booze, fine people, True Blood series 2 (oh yes!) and of course, Reading Festival 2010 – and with it, the first Alcopop act ever to grace the stages there. Step forward Stagecoach…

Booked (amongst others) this year for End of the Road, Southsea, Swn, Gloucester Underground, Nozstock and The Great Escape – it was always going to be quite ‘the festival summer’ for the boys from oh so glamorous Dorking, with these shows pretty much the icing on the cake.

Playing to a jam packed Introducing stage on Friday (Reading) and Sunday (Leeds) Luka and his troops proved they could kill it just as easily on the big(ger) stage as they could in a 5 capacity laundrette. Pop over to BBC3 for plenty of videos/ pictures etc (it was on TV yup), or just click on the play button below… It was a fine show, made only better via illicit vodka and the free cans of Rubicon given out at the station (how the fuck do I get a Rubicon T-Shirt??).

Also note the finely clad chest of Niggsy, SC guitarist… Resplendent in Alcocroc tee, still available from the PoP Shop for just £6… Ahem.

Stagecoach on at Reading/Leeds festival 2010!

Yesterday was rather fun in the world of Alcopop, and tooled up with Rubicon of all flavours (other than Lychee of course, Lychee sucks) and vodka – Kev and I hit the big smoke for the Idle Hands showcase. It was a charming afternoon with plenty of chums (including handsome heroes from Stagecoach, Elephants, Pandycane, Friends Versus Records and BSM), and Ute were ‘proper stand out’ for me, performing a vivacious set with plenty of delightful wit intertwining the tracks. Oxford’s finest? Definitely there or thereabouts…

But enjoying a swell pint with the handsome Matt Emery (pictured) post gig in a ‘The Champion’ pub nearby, I was reminded that I’m yet to put up a blog post with perhaps the biggest Alcopop news that ever there has been! It’s been a blast of a summer, we’ve got a new signing to announce that’s blown our minds coming soon, and now… Well F**K me! Stagecoach have been booked for Reading and Leeds festival. Ole!

Sharing the R1 Introducing stage with the likes of Little Fish, Gallops and more – we’re not sure entirely what time the ‘awesome live band’ (Huw Stephens) are on – but you should definitely check it out if you have tickets to the festival. Reading Friday, Leeds Sunday – and you just know we’ll be in strong, and handsome (of course) attendance. Free pint (even at Reading prices) to the first person I see in an Alcopop related tee!

Alcopop news in July – birthday edition…

Sure it was my birthday on Tuesday, and gosh, how lovely it was that so many of you handsome types wished me felicitations of the day. Thanks!

I celebrated by doing the Alcopop mailout on video for the second time – and filling it full of strong effects. You want mirrors? Check! You want my face becoming a line drawing…? Also… Check! Jesus, I’ll even put a little shooting star in their for you. Watch below, hear a bit of the new Stagecoach EP soundtracking it… And if you’re feeling flush you could even order something from the shop…

Don’t feel you have to though! This post is all about the shooting star