Glaswegian alt-rock trio Haight-Ashbury will be releasing their new single, a taster of their second album, next week.

‘Sophomore’ is a fuzzed-out piece of psych pop that wouldn’t have sounded out of place blasting out of a window in the eponymous San Francisco district during the Summer of Love. It’s out on Lime Records on February 27.

The video to the track is suitably trippy and ethereal – you can take a look below:

The band’s second album Haight-Ashbury 2:The Ashburys follows on May 7, but before that, they hit the UK for some long-awaited touring action – dates are below:

February 23 – Cardiff Gwdihw
February 25 – York Fibbers
February 26 – Hebden Bridge Trades Club
March 2 – Birmingham Hare & Hounds
March 3 – Brighton Green Door Store
March 6 – Oxford The Cellar
March 7 – Edinburgh Sneaky Pete’s
March 8 – Glasgow Captain’s Rest
March 9 – Halifax Dog House
March 10 – London Club Surya

Amy Bell

Seattle country-soul singer Rachel Harrington is bringing her good self, not to mention her motley bunch of all-female musicians, over to the UK from next month.

Like Loretta Lynn if she’d been an obsessive fan of Otis Redding, Harrington mixes traditional honkytonk with cry-into-your-beer blues and throws in a side order of 21st century sass for good measure.

Having gone it alone for three albums, Harrington met the women who were to become The Knock Outs at a Seattle tribute show to Patsy Cline – the group was born backstage, rather appropriately, with several shots of whisky.

Previewing tracks from their eponymously-titled album, due out on April 30, Rachel Harrington & The Knock Outs will be playing the following UK dates:

March 13 – Bilston Robin 2
March 14 – Biddulph Arms
March 15 – Hereford Courtyard Arts Centre
March 16 – West Totton Hanger Farm Arts Centre
March 17 – Basingstoke The Forge @ Anvil Arts
March 18 – Bristol Thunderbolt
March 20 – Oswestry Ironworks
March 21 – Lowdham Old Ship
March 22 – Sheffield Greystones
March 23 – Cottingham Back Room
March 24 – Cambridge Acoustic Routes @ CB2
March 25 – London Underbelly
March 26 – Brighton Greys
March 27 – Leicester Musician
March 28 – Eaglescliffe Cleveland Bay
March 29 – Haile Village Hall
March 30 – Montrose Links Hotel
March 31 – Cromarty Old Brewery
April 1 – Bogbain Farm
April 3 – Edinburgh Leith Folk Club @ The Victoria Park House Hotel
April 4 – Perth Theatre, Redrooms Café Bar
April 5 – Stirling Tollbooth

Amy Bell

Canadian alt-country chanteuse Kathleen Edwards has released a new single from her fourth album Voyageur.

‘Change The Sheets’ is a buoyant, upbeat slice of folk-pop and the perfect lead-in to the Bon Iver-produced LP. If it sounds a little familiar, it may be because the track has already been A-listed at BBC 6 Music…

‘Change The Sheets’ is out now, with Voyageur also available. Edwards is rocking up to the UK later this week to showcase her brand new tunes live – you can catch her at the following dates:

February 24 – Glasgow Oran Mor
February 26 – Manchester Ruby Loung
February 27 – Birmingham Glee Club
February 28 – London Islington Academy

You can listen to ‘Change The Sheets’ below:

Kathleen Edwards – Change The Sheets by Kathleen Edwards

Amy Bell

Robots in Disguise @ The Lexington, 10 February 2012



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Photographed by Tina Sheikh for the girls are.

Electro-wave Brooklynites Selebrities have revealed the video to their brand new track ‘Night Heat’.

The track is a super-retro slice of synths and frontwoman Maria Usbeck’s ice-cool vocals, which might delight those who have been waiting with baited breath for a new Glass Candy release. It’s out on 7″ on March 20, backed with fellow new song ‘Paraiso’.

The accompanying video clip is a suitably minimalist, yet intriguingly psychedelic affair – you can watch it below:

Amy Bell

Leeds-based alt-folkers Ellen And The Escapades have revealed release details of their long-awaited debut album.

All The Crooked Scenes is out on April 16, with its blend of enchanting vocals and bittersweet tunes sure to satisfy the clutch of fans they’ve acquired while supporting the likes of Josh T. Pearson and First Aid Kit. It was funded through a Pledge campaign, with the quintet hitting their target within only eight days of release.

The album is preceded by the release of its title track, which comes out as a single on April 2. The band are also hitting the road for an exhausting-looking UK tour, which begins tonight – dates are below:

February 21 – Nottingham Malt Cross
February 22 – Sheffield Shakespeare
February 23 – Bath Chapel Arts Centre
February 24 – St Austell Eden Cafe
February 25 – Falmouth Miss Peapods
February 26 – Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach
February 27 – Exeter Phoenix Arts Centre
February 28 – Brighton The Haunt
February 29 – Reading South Street Arts Centre
March 1 – Preston Mad Ferret
March 2 – York Pocklington Arts Centre
March 3 – Chester Telford’s Warehouse
March 4 – London Notting Hill Arts Club
March 5 – Cambridge Portland Arms
March 6 – Leicester Sumo
March 7 – Oxford Wheatsheaf
March 8 – Guildford Boileroom
March 9 – Tunbridge Wells Forum
March 11 – Winchester The Railway

Amy Bell

Following on from the release of her critically-acclaimed debut album Moonchild, singer-songwriter Charlene Soraia has recorded a live session of a new track entitled ‘Animal’.

This entirely new song does not feature on Soraia’s debut, but it does include the musician’s genuinely unique guitar skills on her much beloved baritone guitar (affectionately named Barry). Known to many as the girl who sang ‘Wherever You Will Go’ on the Twinings advert, this new track once again showcases her talent beautifully.

Soraia’s first headline UK tour kicked off on Sunday – unfortunately, all shows are now sold out, but she has announced further dates in bigger venues across the UK and Ireland in April, this time with a full band. The dates are as follows:

April 10 – Sheffield Memorial Hall
April 11 – Edinburgh Pleasance
April 12 – Aberdeen Lemon Tree
April 13 – Glasgow Oran Mor
April 14 – Manchester RNCM Concert Hall
April 15 – Birmingham Glee Club
April 17 – Bath Komedia
April 18 – Exeter Phoenix
April 19 – Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
April 20 – Oxford O2 Academy
April 22 – Norwich Open
April 23 – Cambridge Junction
April 24 – Hove The Old Market
April 25 – London Union Chapel
April 27 – Liverpool Stanley Theatre
April 29 – Dublin Sugar Club
May 1 – Belfast Stiff Kitten

Watch Charlene Soraia perform ‘Animal’ below:

Maria Turauskis

Soulful X Factor darling Rebecca Ferguson has unveiled the video to her new track ‘Too Good to Lose’.

Following on from the release of her debut, self-penned album Heaven in early December, ‘Too Good to Lose’ once again demonstrates her excellent vocal abilities, which have clearly matured past the boundaries of the show that spawned her.

The single is out on on March 4 and is a combined release through Syco and Epic. The track is currently available for pre-order on iTunes.

Ferguson also begins her first ever UK tour tonight, continuing throughout February and March – dates are below:

February 20 - Manchester Bridgewater Hall
February 21 - Gateshead Sage 1
February 22 - Glasgow Clyde Auditorium
February 24 - Oxford New Theatre
February 25 - Sheffield City Hall
February 27 - Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
February 28 - Portsmouth Guildhall
March 1 - Birmingham Symphony Hall
March 2 - York Barbican
March 3 - Blackpool Opera House
March 8 - Cardiff St Davids Hall
March 9 - Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
March 10 - Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
March 12 - Bristol Colston Hall
March 13 - London Theatre Royal Drury Lane
March 15- Plymouth Pavilions
March 16 - Reading Hexagon
March 17 - Liverpool Echo Arena – Echo Two

Watch the video to ‘Too Good To Lose’ below:

Maria Turauskis

Sharon Van ‘ZOMG how awesome is she’ Etten confirms that she is indeed to trace a route around the UK, dropping music fans to their knees in a series of soon-to-be-sold out shows.

Another member of what is becoming a modern-day Brat Pack of artists that collaborate with the Dessner brothers, Van Etten’s third album Tramp (Jagjaguwar) has received a level of lauding that has managed to escape the accompanying tutting backlash that will henceforth be known as the Del Rey effect.

Lucky Londoners are treated to Brooklynite Van Etten’s laconic luxe at an in-store at Rough Trade East on February 29, and then a sold-out show at Cargo on March 1. Dates for the May UK and Ireland tour are as follows:

May 16 – London Scala
May 17 – Manchester Deaf Institute
May 18 – Dublin Whelans
May 20 – Leeds Brudenell Social Club
May 21 – Brighton Komedia

Van Etten is also confirmed to play at ATP’s Nightmare Before Christmas, curated by The National (bound to be Dessner Brat Pack-tastic) this December.

Arike Oke

Challenge: without using the words ‘achingly beautiful’ please do tell the girls are… your thoughts on Sharon Van Etten’s Tramp… Ready, steady, GO!

It’s a season of mixed doubles for Tennis, with the release of their second album last week, and a double A-side single coming on February 27, both on ATP Recordings.

The first single from new LP Young And Old features both ‘Origins’, which you can listen to on Soundcloud, and ‘Deep In The Woods’.

For everyone who has already fallen in love with Tennis’ delicate pop, there is also a limited-edition version of ‘Deep In The Woods’ available on February 27.

The video for the song is inspired by Shirley Jackson’s ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’. The limited edition single is a copy of the 1962 first edition of that book, with a code printed within for the digital download of Tennis’ double A-side release. Fancy!

Arike Oke

Did you see Tennis at their Valentine’s night Rough Trade show? Did they win you over? Let the girls are… know what you thought.