HMV is delighted to announce that Bajan R’n’B sensations Cover Drive, whose single Twilight is set to be confirmed as the official UK charts No.1 single this weekend, have just been added to the bill of its hmv Next Big Thing ’12 festival, which kicks off this coming Thursday 2 February – and will run for ten days through to 12th February 2012.
The four-piece band, who release their debut album Bajan Style later this year, will appear at the Garage, London on Saturday 11th February as special guests supporting Clement Marfo & The Frontline.
Although the festival is again proving popular and tickets are selling fast, your support in either listing over the next few days and/or reviewing gigs within it would be much appreciated.
The full line up is listed below, and many artist images/biogs can be supplied on request.
For further info or to review/photo (subject to space availability and artists PRs etc) pls. let me know or email my colleague Liam McMahon of PressOnPr at liam@pressonpr.com.
Over 200 new/breakthrough artists will be taking part in this year’s hmv Next Big Thing ’12 festival, including BRIT Awards 2012 Critic’s Choice recipient Emeli Sandé as well as a host of other exciting new talent, including the likes of Labrinth, Delilah, Lianne La Havas, StooShe, Dry The River, We Are Augustines and Conor Maynard.
COVER DRIVE SPECIAL GUEST ADDITIONS TO hmv NEXT BIG THING ’12 FESTIVAL
… latest names added to the bill of 200 new artists set to perform at nine UK venues: 02 – 12 Feb 2012
* third hmv Next Big Thing festival for new talent bigger than ever – now showcasing 200 new artists
* Tickets just £10 per gig (incl. booking fee) on sale now at hmvnextbigthing.com.
* Latest acts signed up include Labrinth, Frightened Rabbit, Lucy Rose, Dog Is Dead, Gemma Ray, Conor Maynard, New Look, Florrie, Kwes, Gang Colours, AWOLNATION, Starboy Nathan and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
* Headline names previously confirmed include Emeli Sandé, Delilah, Lianne La Havas, Dry the River, Clement Marfo & The Frontline, We Are Augustines, Loick Essein, Spector, Modestep, Jodie Marie, Yasmin, King Charles, Stooshe, Ren Harvieu, All The Young, Willy Moon and Fatoumata Diawara (see below for full line-up).
* Next Big Thing pays host to 5 of the shortlisted acts from the BBC Sound of 2012 poll and also five of the MTV’s Brand New for 2012 shortlist acts.
* Curated nights adding to eclectic mix from Domino Records, Dirty Hit, Tru Thoughts, Moshi Moshi, Spinefarm Records, Distiller Records, Basick Records, DJ Target presents and Xfm and The Fly.
* 63 gigs are currently on sale.
* Exclusive ‘bundle’ deal for Modestep – see them live at Heaven and pre-order their new CD for just £16.49.
* Increased number of venues as event extends nationwide – incl. Manchester’s hmv Ritz for first time, Birmingham’s hmv Institute and Edinburgh’s hmv Picture House.
* Gigs to be recorded as added-value content for hmv.com and hmvdigital.com tie-ins in support of future artist album releases and hmv ‘bundle’ special deals to customers.
HMV is delighted to confirm the final artists to sign up to its hmv Next Big Thing annual new music festival, which, with the valued support of Red Stripe Lager Beer and media partners Time Out and Xfm, showcases the very best in new and emerging talent drawn from all genres across the music spectrum – tipped to make it big or to break-through in 2012.
Alongside the likes of – Emeli Sande, Spector, Modestep, Delilah, Lianne Le Havas, Stooshe and Dry the River, who are already signed up, Labrinth, Frightened Rabbit, Lucy Rose, Dog Is Dead, Gemma Ray, Conor Maynard, New Look, Florrie, Kwes, Gang Colours, AWOLNATION, Starboy Nathan, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and Blitz Kids are the latest exciting names to be added to the bill – ensuring that the festival now has an impressive total line-up of 200 artists.
Featuring five artists recently shortlisted by both the BBC Sound of 2012 and MTV’s Brand New for 2012 respectively, the hmv Next Big Thing festival – which last time out successfully showcased the likes of Jessie J, Anna Calvi, Wretch 32, The Pierces, Ed Sheeran, Rizzle Kicks and James Blake, and the year before brought us Ellie Goulding, Two Door Cinema Club, Marina & The Diamonds and Professor Green, is now firmly established as one of the main curtain-raisers to the UK festival season.
It’s also become a credible barometer of all that’s fresh and exciting in new music at the very point it’s on the verge of making it big or bursting through to achieve mainstream chart success.
The third hmv Next Big Thing festival will run for over 11 days between 2nd – 12th February 2012 at nine venues around the UK: six in London – the Borderline, Camden Barfly, Heaven, the Jazz Café, the Garage and Upstairs at the Garage, and also outside of the capital at Birmingham’s hmv Institute, the hmv Picture House in Edinburgh and, for the first time, Manchester’s hmv Ritz.
Each venue will host up to three acts per night and, in keeping with the remit of introducing new music to the wider public, entry to gigs remains at the bargain price of a flat £10 (incl. booking fee), whoever the artist and whichever the venue.
Tickets to all the events are selling fast and are available to purchase via hmvtickets at hmvnextbigthing.com.
There are three ways to buy: Online at www.hmvnextbigthing.com; by phone to the hmvtickets call centre on 0844 822 2603; or in person at hmvtickets box offices at selected HMV stores nationwide.
The festival will also feature specially curated and label nights from the likes of Domino Records, Moshi Moshi and DJ Target presents. See list attached for confirmed details of full line up.
HMV is also pleased to announce that the hmv Next Big Thing’s charity partner this year is Teenage Cancer Trust.
Each year-end there is feverish debate speculating on which new artists are likely to make it big in the 12 months that follow.
Previously, the gig-going public has often had to wait to catch a glimpse of these new stars-in-the-making, but the hmv Next Big Thing now provides an early platform for fans to see these new faces perform live – in great locations and at accessible prices.
HMV has always supported new and breakthrough artists, recognising that they represent the future lifeblood of the Music Industry, but the hmv Next Big Thing takes this encouragement to a new level, especially as artists can also expect promotional support instore and online for their new releases as part of the initiative.
Jessica Lace, of Red Stripe Lager Beer, says: “Red Stripe is proud to be supporting hmv Next Big Thing. The brand has always been associated with up-and-coming talent, and we’re looking forward to discovering something new and original for 2012.”
Ryan Dooley, of Warners act, All The Young, comments: “We’re very happy that we’ve been invited to play the hmv Next Big Thing alongside other bands tipped for breakthrough success.
“I have fond memories of Saturday afternoons spent in our local HMV in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, when we’d check out all the latest albums, though nothing will top listening to Oasis and Blur singles in a packed store.
“If you’d have told us that we’d be one of HMV’s tips for 2012 all those years ago, I don’t think any of us would have believed it, so this is a really exciting show for us to do.”
Raoul Chatterjee, SVP (Commercial), Warner Music UK, adds: “We’re excited that our artists are set to perform at this year’s hmv Next Big Thing festival, which in just a short time has grown into an important platform for new talent.
“What also helps to make our involvement worthwhile is the knowledge that HMV will get fully behind our priority artists for 2012 with vital support instore and across other channels.”
Jason Legg, hmvlive manager and co-promoter of the hmv Next Big Thing, comments: “To have Jessie J play live at the Barfly the day she secured her first No.1 summed up what hmv Next Big Thing is all about – supporting new talent on a platform that delivers amazing engagement for fans and artists alike.
“Predicting which new acts will break through has become a bit of a national past-time, so we’re really pleased to be giving fans an early opportunity to see some of the fresh new faces they’ll have heard so much about.
“And we’re happy to do so for just a tenner a gig and in great, intimate venues in London and around the country. Our aim is to further extend the scope of the hmv Next Big Thing as we continue to open new venues around the UK.”
Lucy Ward, corporate account manager of the event’s nominated charity partner, Teenage Cancer Trust, adds: It’s wonderful to build on our existing relationship with HMV and, indeed, on our own live music credentials, by taking part in this great festival for new artists.
“A lot of the young adults we work with are very passionate about music – often attending gigs and festivals and with their own aspirations to be in a band and perform live. So, this is a great platform for us to connect with a wide audience of young adults who may not be aware of the work that we do.”
ENQUIRIES
Gennaro Castaldo, HMV Press & PR
+44 (0)20 7432 2033 / +44 (0)7801 1941 39 / gennaro.castaldo@hmv.co.uk
Liam McMahon, PressOnPR
+44 (0)20 7688 8929 / +44 (0)7734 739 794 / liam@pressonpr.com
Vicky Beercock, MAMA Group
+44 (0)20 7688 9000 / +44 (0)7833 090 393 / vicky.beercock@mamagroup.co.uk
hmv Next Big Thing ’12 – artist/venue full line-up summary
Barfly in Camden
Thurs 2 Feb – Distiller Records present: Sound Of Guns, St. Spirit, Fractures
Fri 3 Feb – Domino Records present: Eugene McGuinness, Francois & The Atlas Mountains, Trailer Trash Tracys
Sat 4 Feb – Florrie, FOE, Shake Tiger Shake
Sun 5 Feb – Marlon Roudette, Hollie Cook
Mon 6 Feb – Basick Records present: Chimp Spanner, Uneven Structure, The Algorithm
Tues 7 Feb – TOY, O.Children, Red Kite
Wed 8 Feb – Oui Love present: Revolver, We Were Evergreen, Sing Tank
Thurs 9 Feb – Sonic Boom Six, Hildamay, Wonder Villians
Fri 10 Feb – 22, [me], Deadbeat Darling
Sat 11 Feb – Conor Maynard, special guests (matinee show)
Sat 11 Feb – The Fly magazine present: The History Of Apple Pie, Eagulls, Hooded Fang, Bwani Junction
Sun 12 Feb – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., WE//ARE//ANIMAL
The Borderline
Thurs 2 Feb – We Are Augustines, Admiral Fallow, Folks
Sat 4 Feb – The Heavy, Hanni El Khatib, Crybaby
Sun 5 Feb – Yasmin, very special guest Sway
Mon 6 Feb – Sweet Billy Pilgrim, special guests, Charlene Soraia
Tues 7 Feb – Dirty Hit present: Little Comets, General Fiasco, Fossil Collective
Wed 8 Feb – Lianne La Havas, The Staves, Rae Morris
Thurs 9 Feb – Emeli Sandé, Daley
Fri 10 Feb – Young Guns, Tonight Alive, POLAR.
Sat 11 Feb – Exit Ten, Blitz Kids
The Garage
Thurs 2 Feb – Spinefarm Records present: Reckless Love, The Treatment, Jettblack
Fri 3 Feb – Hadouken!, Proxies
Sun 5 Feb – DJ Fresh, Jackwob, Dukebox (live)
Mon 6 Feb – The Virginmarys, The Trews, Mad Dog
Tues 7 Feb – King Charles, Dog Is Dead, fiN
Wed 8 Feb – UKF present: Gemini, Cutline, Xilent, Boy Kid Cloud (live), Serial Killaz
Thurs 9 Feb – Delilah, special guests
Fri 10 Feb – AWOLNATION, Arcane Roots, Invaders
Sat 11 Feb – Clement Marfo & The Frontline, Cover Drive, Starboy Nathan
Upstairs At The Garage
Thurs 2 Feb – Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves Of Destiny, Kyla La Grange, Olfar
Fri 3 Feb – Bluey Robinson, Ava Leigh
Sat 4 Feb – Missing Andy, Belakiss, Bibelots
Sun 5 Feb – Gemma Ray, The Lucky Strikes
Mon 6 Feb – Atticus Anthem, Tellison, Channel Cairo
Tues 7 Feb – New Look, Man Without Country, Skint & Demoralised
Wed 8 Feb – Angel, G FrSH, Encore, Smiler
Thurs 9 Feb – Foy Vance, One Sixth Of Tommy, Tom Moriarty
Fri 10 Feb – ahab, Phantom Limb, Jackie Oates
Sat 11 Feb – Kwes + Gang Colours (co-headline show)
Sun 12 Feb – Elephant, Porcelain Raft, Vadoinmessico
Jazz Café
Thurs 2 Feb – Loick Essien, Luke Bingham, L Marshall
Fri 3 Feb – Tru Thoughts present: Belleruche, Rodney P, Anchorsong, Riz MC, Robert Luis (DJ)
Sat 4 Feb – Lucy Rose, Paul Freeman
Sun 5 Dec – Juan Zelada, Julian Ovenden, Laura Wright
Mon 6 Feb – Fatoumata Diawara, Stranded Horse
Tues 7 Feb – Jay James Picton, Boy, Jodie Marie, Jeb Loy Nichols
Wed 8 Feb – Moshi Moshi present: Tom Williams & The Boat, Fiction, Two Wounded Birds, Psychologist
Thurs 9 Feb – The Boxettes, 14th
Fri 10 Feb – DJ Target presents: Russo, Maxsta, C4
Sat 11 Feb – Labrinth, Stooshe, Tanya Lacey
Sun 12 Feb – Jake Morley, Sam Brookes, Liam Blake
Heaven
Tues 7 Feb – Modestep, Phear Phace, Break The Noize
hmv Institute, Birmingham
Tues 7 Feb – Exit Ten, The Trews, Raven Vandelle
Sun 12 Feb – The War On Drugs + Cloud Control (co-headline show), We Were Evergreen
hmv Picture House, Edinburgh
Mon 6 Feb – Field Music, The Dykeenies, Laki Mera, Bwani Junction
Fri 10 Feb – Frightened Rabbit, We Are Augustines, Fatherson
hmv RITZ, Manchester
Fri 3 Feb – Janice Graham Band, The Sundowners, The Narrows
Sat 4 Feb – Murkage, Mikill Pane
Mon 6 Feb – Exit Ten, Club Smith, The Feud
Wed 8 Feb – Xfm New Music Award Night present: All The Young, + very special guests Dry the River, Spector, Ren Harvieu, Willy Moon
Fri 10 Feb – The Dunwells, Butcher The Bar, The Kill Van Kulls
Sat 11 Feb – Earache Records present: Evile, Cerebral Bore, Savage Messiah
Check hmvnextbigthing.com for line up details and updates.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About the hmv Next Big Thing
Successfully launched in February 2010, hmv’s Next Big Thing now enters its third year. This acclaimed festival for new music aims to showcase the very best in new and breakthrough UK and international talent drawn from an eclectic mix of genres and musical styles.
The impetus for creating the festival came from a recognition that a huge amount of interest can build among the media and music fans around the emergence of new artists at the beginning of each year.
But although the public gets to hear a lot about these artists, they often have to wait a while to actually see them perform live. So HMV and its MAMA Group live music division set out to create an annual festival across its London and regional venues that would not only provide a platform to great new talent in engaging and intimate surrounding, but that would also be accessible and affordable to fans.
Accordingly, each of the nine venues hosts up to three acts per night and, in keeping with the remit of introducing new music to the wider public, entry to gigs is priced just £10 (incl. booking fee), whoever the artist and whichever the venue.
Well over 250 artists have performed in the previous two to date including the likes of Jessie J, Anna Calvi, Ellie Goulding, Professor Green, Marina and the Diamonds, Example, Wretch 32, Little Dragon, The Pierces and James Blake.
About HMV
HMV is one of the UK and Ireland’s leading retail entertainment brands – giving specialist access to much of today’s popular culture through its chain of high street stores, online and digital sites and though a growing live music business that includes ticketing, venues, festivals and artist management.
Established in 1921 through its store in London’s Oxford Street store and renowned for its iconic ‘dog and gramophone’ logo, HMV is increasingly focusing on the merchandising of personal technology products such as headphones, tablets and mp3 players and speakerdocks to get people closer to the music, film and games they love – whether in the home, on the move or through the ‘live’ experience.
Through its ownership of MAMA Group, HMV is now recognised as the country’s second-largest live music and ticketing operator.
About MAMA Group
MAMA was founded in 2002, and is now owned by HMV Group plc. MAMA Group is the parent company of a number of UK-based music and media businesses. The Group is comprised of three divisions: Live Music, which includes the following venues: hmv Hammersmith Apollo, hmv Forum, Jazz Café, the Garage, Upstairs at the Garage, the Borderline, Heaven, G-A-Y, Barfly Camden, the hmv Picture House in Edinburgh, the hmv Institute in Birmingham and the hmv RITZ in Manchester. It also operates live music events including the Lovebox festival, The Great Escape festival, GlobalGathering, High Voltage, Escape into the Park and Wilderness festival. Artist Services, which includes artist and producer management, and investments in music publishing and recording businesses; and Consumer, which includes The Fly – the UK’s highest-circulating music magazine; a sponsorship business; Music and Media Solutions, which is responsible for all brand partnerships activity and is uniquely positioned to integrate and deliver a variety of brand objectives across MAMA Group’s stable of assets; and PAPA Projects – a production strategy, event design, project management business dedicated to delivering engaging and inspiring creative-led experiences.
About Red Stripe Lager
Red Stripe® is a legendary Jamaican lager beer which was found by Desnoes & Geddes in1928. It has long embodied the rich history of Jamaica, its music and DIY culture. In the 1970s, it became popular in Britain, first through Jamaican immigrants, and latterly through others living in Jamaican areas of Britain especially Brixton. It became especially popular with musicians, and other creatives. It’s synonymous with the Notting Hill Carnival and is the beer of choice for revelers. It retains its status to this day, and its can – with a simple red stripe on it – has become an iconic design.
Please drink responsibly. www.drinkaware.co.uk
The RED STRIPE words and associated logos are trademarks © Desnoes & Geddes Ltd. 2011
MEDIA RELEASE posted by HMV. You too can post media releases (aka press releases) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.
Contact: Gennaro Castaldo
Phone: +44 (0)20 7432 2033 / +44 (0)7801 194 139
Email: gennaro.castaldo@hmv.co.uk
Website: http://www.hmv.co.uk
