British India, saying sorry

Already on high rotation at triple j, Melbourne indie pop band BRITISH INDIA return with a new single ‘I Said I’m Sorry’ from their upcoming second album Thieves, out Saturday 19 July.

To celebrate their new album British India are pleased to announce the ‘Thieves’ National Album Launch Tour. Proudly presented by triple j and Channel [V], the tour spans a massive 25-dates throughout July and August (details below). British India were also recently announced as part of this year’s Splendour In The Grass, and The Great Escape festival.

It’s been 12 months since the indie champions burst onto the Australian music scene with their debut album Guillotine. What followed was 11 months of sold out shows around Australia as the popularity of the band grew nationwide. Songs such as ‘Tie Up my Hands,’ ‘Russian Roulette’, ‘Run The Red Light’ and ‘Black & White Radio’ became anthems in clubs, venues and festivals across the country.

Thieves is an album that celebrates the garage pop which has characterised British India’s initial success, but demonstrates the band’s growth, both as songwriters and musicians. A tight cohesive album, by a most promising and talented young rock & roll band; the journey begins with the foot stomping brooding pop melodies of ‘I Said I’m Sorry’.

Do not miss your chance to see one of Australia’s finest live rock acts on tour:

King Jack

The three piece indie/rock band that is King Jack first took the stage in late 06 at a grind metal night in Sydney and were booed off the stage. Since then it has been onwards and upwards for the band as they have sold out iconic venues such as the Annandale, Spectrum & the Hopetoun, and have graced the stage with the likes of The Fumes, The Dirty Secrets, Lost Gospel & Dallas Crane.

King Jack have just completed their second ep and despite Dave’s best efforts to move the band in the direction of new wave/metal/simply synth/concrete, the sound of “cuts like cuts” could best be likened to The Stooges, Sonic Youth or, at a stretch, the very earliest works of Genesis. Lots of fun was had making the ep which was co-produced by the superteam of Roland Elis & Tim Carr. The band travelled to an all but abandoned church to track most of the songs and then returned to Studio 301 in Sydney to mix them.

Having recently toured in support of Faker they come to Newcastle for their very own launch show and will be joined by Novocastrians Benjalu.

Who like burgers!

NEWCASTLE’S burger scene is set for a shake up with Grill’d – the healthy burger specialists – opening a restaurant at The Junction this Sunday, 6 July.

The contemporary and quirky Grill’d menu boasts 19 different fresh, healthy and satisfying 100% beef, chicken breast, lamb and vegetarian burgers.

Franchise Partners and husband and wife team, Dave Morris and Jo Flood, jumped at the opportunity to have their own Grill’d restaurant in Newcastle after being wowed by the Grill’d concept interstate.

“The Grill’d concept delivers a healthy burger experience like no other and offers a fast, fresh and affordable alternative for lunch or dinner. Grill’d Newcastle is also fully licensed, so you can enjoy a beer or glass of wine with your burger”, Jo said.

“Although we have been living in Melbourne for years, we are both originally from Newcastle so when the Grill’d opportunity came up here, we jumped at it”.

“The Junction is a prime location for Grill’d because of its dynamic dining scene, and relaxed feel. We’re really excited to join the precinct and to be a part of Newcastle’s booming expansion,” she said.

With their interesting and lively working background, Jo and Dave bring together different managerial experience to make their new business a success. While Jo has a background in radio promotions, Dave is a bassist for Melbourne based rock group Pre-Shrunk and has toured Australia extensively over the last 15 years supporting acts like Silverchair and featuring at the Big Day Out music festival. A self confessed burger addict, he has spent this time on the road searching for the country’s best burgers.

“After 15 years touring the country I know where to find the best burgers. The day I had my first Grill’d burger I knew I had discovered burger heaven,” Dave said.

Managing director and founder of Grill’d, Simon Crowe, said Grill’d would more than satisfy Newcastle locals’ craving for healthier, convenient food options. According to Crowe, “Grill’d is more than just a great tasting, healthy burger restaurant. We place a huge emphasis on the entire Grill’d experience from fun and friendly staff to the unique décor and the open, modern kitchen. It’s the culmination of our people, product and the in-store environment that sets Grill’d apart”.

“Newcastle was chosen as the prime location to extend the Grill’d footprint due to its rapid growth and the gap in the marketplace for quality, fresh, convenient and nutritious meal solutions” Simon said.

Grill’d Newcastle is located at Glebe Road, The Junction, and will be open 7 days for lunch and dinner. For more information about Grill’d visit www.grilld.com.au.

Here Come The Birds, send them to Splendour

NEWCASTLE BAND, HERE COME THE BIRDS MAKE IT THROUGH TO THE GRAND FINALS OF TOOHEYS EXTRA DRY UNCHARTED COMP TWO BEATING OVER 2,000 BANDS IN THE PROCESS!

Tooheys Extra Dry uncharTED announces the two Grand Finalist, now in the running to play live at Splendour in the Grass 2008.

The votes have been counted and Australia has decided! Melbourne band Pressure Radio and Newcastle band Here Come the Birds are the two grand finalists for Tooheys Extra Dry uncharTED competition two – Australia’s largest prize pool & hottest breaking band competition.

The winning band will play on the main stage to crowds of over 20,000 people at Splendour and will score a hot indie music package including studio time, management mentoring and legal consultancy – worth a cool $20,000. The winning band will play alongside international superstars Devo, Tricky, Sigur Ros and homegrown heroes Wolfmother, The Living End and Pnau at this year’s premier winter music festival.

Both Pressure Radio and Here Come the Birds have proved they have a huge ground swell of loyal fans. For both of these bands, progressing to become the grand finalists relied on committed fans jumping online to vote every hour. Chris Stanton from Here Come The Birds said ”Most of my friends and family have hardly slept over the past month. I had old mates call me up from school that I haven’t spoken to in ages, telling me they’ve got all their family voting every hour for us. It’s fantastic! I think just about everyone from Newcastle has rallied behind us.”

After roughly two years as a band, the guys from Pressure Radio have spent their time gigging around Melbourne gathering a legion of fans with their powerful live performances. The band came together after three cousins’ (David Gorecki, Johnny Paradowski and Mark Pietryk) bands broke up. Along with their mate, Anthony Vestri, they came together to create a sound that David Gorecki says is, “old-school, nu-skool, all-schools rolled into one… it’s what we do!”

Pressure Radio have recorded tracks at Studio 52 and Digiwhip Studios, and are currently working on their first EP. Gorecki said “The best thing about being a part of the Tooheys Extra Dry uncharTED competition is the massive exposure it’s given us in the scene and amongst the industry. We’ve grown our fan base from people voting for us on uncharTED…this competition is the best around.” David is particularly excited about their chance to win a spot at Splendour and get the chance to rub shoulders with the big boys!

The raw magnetism and charm of Here Come The Birds was recognised early in the competition by none other than Australian music industry heavyweights SONY BMG. Proving she has an eye for Australia’s next wave of music stars, Senior A&R Manager Courtney Hard, handpicked the band due to their sheer raw talent. She said “After listening to lots of bands from all over the country, I selected Here Come The Birds because of their energy. They show lots of promise.”

This five-piece band made up of Chris Stanton, Dane Bates, Shaun McKay, Tom Bellam and Adrian Smith, have been independently releasing demos since 2005. Last summer they recorded a fantastic EP with Powerhouse Studios, alongside ARIA award nominated producer Greg Stace (for Kid Courageous), blending a diverse mix of new wave, indie and post punk sounds.

The two bands will perform for the nation at the exclusive Tooheys Extra Dry uncharTED Grand Final gig at Sydney’s coolest club, Oxford Art Factory. The event will be aired on MTV and hosted by MTV’s sexy rock chick, Ruby Rose and NOVA’s Funnyman, Tim ‘Rosso’ Ross.

So jump online at www.uncharted.com.au and vote for one of these killer bands. Will we be the rockin’ sounds of Pressure Radio or the post-punk tunes of Here Come The Birds? The choice is yours!

Beck get’s modern with distro

TouchTunes Corporation, the largest out-of-home interactive entertainment network, has announced a special preview of Beck’s hotly anticipated new album, “Modern Guilt,” via 10,000 digital jukeboxes at locations nationwide.

Produced by Danger Mouse and Beck, “Modern Guilt” goes on sale July 8th, but will be playing on TouchTunes digital jukeboxes beginning July 1st. While the song “Chemtrails” is currently streaming on Beck.com and imeem, TouchTunes jukeboxes will be one of the first platforms — and the first jukebox platform — to feature the album in full.

Starting today, Beck fans can text message BECK to 40411 to find the nearest participating TouchTunes digital jukebox location. Beck fans will learn about the promotion through strategically placed ads on Beck’s profile pages on select social sites like Facebook, iLike, and MySpace. The text messaging capability is powered by LocaModa, a technology company providing a mobile social platform that connects consumers online and out-of-home.

“The ‘Modern Guilt’ sound is an homage to 1960s British pop, along with Beck’s signature futuristic flair,” said Ted Mico, executive vice president, digital, Interscope A&M Geffen. “The TouchTunes interactive network offered us an innovative and exciting way to release Beck’s music to a very savvy group of fans. We were especially excited that TouchTunes, along with LocaModa, were able to connect Beck’s most committed fans through a viral mobile platform, giving them the opportunity to listen to the album before anyone else.”

TouchTunes will further support the promotion through banners and full-screen billboards that will appear during the time a user touches the screen. A custom survey will ask users about their favorite Beck song and which Beck album they love the most. Beck fans will have the option to enter their email address onscreen at any of the 10,000 participating jukebox locations to be added to Beck’s mailing list and receive information about ordering the new album.

“Beck fans have been talking for months about his new album, and now, finally, it’s available — on the TouchTunes network,” said Ron Greenberg, TouchTunes CMO and senior vice president of digital media. “For Beck especially, we needed to do something both a little different and sophisticated at the same time. By combining interactivity, social networks, and texting from LocaModa for this pre-release on our digital network, we’re defining more integrated ways to bring great music to fans.”

“An integrated media campaign like this is rapidly becoming essential, particularly in the music industry, where new dynamic approaches are cutting through,” commented Steve King, VP sales for LocaModa. “The TouchTunes network reaches millions of fans where they already hang out in the real world, and now TouchTunes and LocaModa together reach them both online and on location. Together we’re offering them valuable benefits for being socially active and connected. It’s easy to see how both brands and consumers reap the rewards from a program like this.”

“Modern Guilt” is available July 8 on DGC/Interscope Records.

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