Industry news & advice blog

Still waiting for summer to arrive? Us too! Allow us to provide some rays of sunshine via our top notch track selections for August Spotlight. 




La Bete Blooms – ‘Nothing Left But The Taste’
Combining noise and jangly reverb, La Bete Blooms have long been making an impact on their home circuit of Hull…and this could be set to stretch further afield in the coming months. Having recorded an EP earlier this year with Matt Peel (Pulled Apart By Horses, Eagulls) at The Nave in Leeds, it will soon be unleashed by 2 labels; The Warren, a Hull charity organised record label who are currently working with the PRS Foundation, and The Adult Teeth Recording Company who are longstanding supporters of La Bete Blooms. 

The band are no strangers to the local festival scene having warmed up the crowd before Ratboy at last year’s Freedom Festival. With Hull about to become UK City Of Culture in 2017, the spotlight will be well and truly shining on the city’s finest talent with La Bete Blooms flourishing at the top of the musical mound.

The band plan to hit the road in October to promote their EP release so keep an eye on their website for dates.

www.facebook.com/labeteblooms 
www.twitter.com/labeteblooms 
www.labeteblooms.tumblr.com 

Harry Pane – ‘Changing’


Walthamstow singer songwriter Harry Pane’s specialty is Folk and Blues with an injection of Americana, all seamlessly fused by his striking and poignant vocals. Our chosen track ‘Changing’ is taken from the EP of the same name released back in June which was funded through PledgeMusic and recorded with Dani Castelar who has produced REM, Snow Patrol and Paolo Nutini. The song addresses Harry’s relationship with his father.

“Changing is a song I wrote recently relating to mental health and my father’s battle with the illness. Very sadly he passed away unexpectedly on the day of the release which has given the song a new meaning.  Mental health is a subject very close to me and I support charities like Mind.  However, it could relate to anything really, I wrote it about a situation when you're in a dark place and someone believing in you that it's going to turn out okay.”

So far the track has received radio support by John Kennedy on Radio X and also BBC Introducing. Earlier this year Harry won the Road To The 100 Club competition after being selected by a judging panel of industry experts, and if that wasn’t enough cause for celebration he has also gained a development fund from Island Records, played at SXSW and across 5 stages at Glastonbury this year.

With more festival performances coming up over the summer, Harry also plans to sort out a UK tour soon and will also be writing a new EP due to be recorded in autumn as part of the Island Records development fund. Busy times indeed! Check out his video for Changing…

www.harrypane.com 
www.facebook.com/harrypanemusic
www.twitter.com/HarryPaneMusic
www.youtube.com/user/Hpane1 
 

Bosco Ramos – ‘SNKSWM’


Although just a duo, Bosco Ramos are capable of a much mightier noise than you may first anticipate. Hailing from Belfast, the pair describe themselves as “fuzz punk” and combine raucous high-energy riffs with primal vocals and tight harmonies.

‘SNKSWM’ is the first song from their debut double A side. So far they’ve been played on BBC Radio 1, as well as getting much love from their local station, BBC Radio Ulster. 2016 has been a year of gathering momentum with some exciting festival and venue gigs at home in Northern Ireland including Stendhal Festival Of Art, They’re also working on putting the final touches to some new material to be recorded in early August, with a new single release on the not-too-distant horizon.

Watch the video for SNKSWM here:

www.facebook.com/BOSCORAMOSBAND 
www.boscoramos.bandcamp.com 
www.twitter.com/boscoramosband 

Ellie Griffiths – ‘Sweet’


The dulcet and stunning vocals of singer songwriter Ellie are instantly engrossing. Her trademark sound merges down tempo beats with Jazz infused contemporary trip-hop. For this track ‘Sweet’, Ellie teamed up with Nolasco to create a sultry and addictive groove. 

The song has been played by Huw Stephens on BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing West Yorkshire and Amazing Radio, plus Ellie was interviewed and played a session for BBC Radio 1Xtra and garnered recognition from Indie Shuffle where ‘Sweet’ was Number 4 for 2 weeks in their Female Vocal Popular chart. So let’s hear first-hand from Ellie what inspired the track:

“Sweet is about dreams overriding reality and the concept of falling in love with a vision of what you want, rather than is what actually there. It is based upon the concept of fantasy vs reality inspired by literature such as Keats's Lamia, T Williams' A Street Car Named Desire and Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby where the main characters cope with the harshness of the real world by retreating into their preferred ideals. The lyrics of Sweet were written in my first year of uni when I was living in halls, after a party in the early hours of the morning when this concept and my relationship at the time sort of amalgamated. It was a way of working through my own thoughts and understanding that I was more attracted to the idea than the reality.” 

Having just been awarded artist development funding, Ellie is now able to further explore her forthcoming concept EP ‘LAMIA’ which will further delve into the fantasy vs reality theme. We can’t wait to hear more!

www.facebook.com/elliegriffithss 
www.twitter.com/elliegriffithss 

Ivory Wave – ‘Club’


Creating a fusion of iconic Indie beats, synth sounds and authentic lyrics, it’s hard to believe that this Birmingham band only started making music 7 months ago. They’ve come a long way in that time with numerous plays on their regional BBC Introducing show, a sold out headline gig in their hometown, and were finalists in a recent competition for a slot at Truck Festival. 

They won’t be slowing down for the rest of 2016! With more gigs lined up and plans to venture out and play in new cities, plus some studio time in London on the horizon, it seems like big things are definitely afoot for Ivory Wave. 

www.facebook.com/ivorywaveuk 
www.twitter.com/ivorywaveuk

How do I get featured on the Spotlight blog?
Our Spotlight blog is compiled every month from fresh new music submitted to us by our members. We want to hear from you! We select 5 of the best tracks from our members, so if you want to be in the running you’ll need to sign up to The Unsigned Guide then follow the instructions in your Welcome email to submit a track for Spotlight consideration to us. If you’re already a member and still not sure about how to submit your music for Spotlight, just give us a shout via our Contact page & we’ll help you out!

As well as being featured in our new music blog, your track will also be played on our monthly Amazing Radio show and also forwarded onto music industry professionals including folks from Big Life Management, Club Fandango, Decca Records, Memphis Industries, Rocksound, Spotify, DIY Magazine, Transgressive Records and The Great Escape. View the full list of who listens to our Spotlight tracks here.

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READ OUR LATEST SPOTLIGHT BLOGS:

The Unsigned Guide Spotlight: July

The Unsigned Guide Spotlight: June

The Unsigned Guide Spotlight: May