Author: Paul Tunkin

BLOW UP IS BACK IN THE USA for APRIL/MAY 2012! Friday 27th April – Los Angeles – Underground @ Grand Star Jazz – Info / Facebook Saturday 28th April – Sacramento – Townhouse Lounge – Info / Facebook Tuesday 1st May – San Francisco – Monarch – Info / Facebook (Friday 4th May – London – Ginglik – Info / Facebook ) Blow Up in association with Record Club / Club Underground / Shake Appeal is excited to announce another return for Blow Up to California in 2012: On Friday 27th Blow Up teams up with the Club Underground again in LA in their new home at the Grand Star Jazz with Blow Up DJ/Founder Paul Tunkin and Club Underground DJs Larry G (aka Supercrass), Diana M. (Sweater Girls), Liz O. ( Bang!), Bip Jeffington (Bang!, Beat It). Running since 2001, Club Underground has been the premiere Britpop, Indie, Eletro Pop, Twee, Post-Punk, Soul, Sixties and New Wave party in Los Angeles…      …Followed the next day on Saturday 28th at The Townhouse Lounge in Sacramento, with DJ Paul Tunkin, Record Club’s Roger Carpio, a live set from San Francisco’s Cellar Doors plus a light show by George Holden (lightshow artist since 1966 and one of the pioneers in the field. He first worked with Abecrombe Lights featured by Bill Graham at the original Fillmore West and Winterland shows in San Francisco) and an art show by the talented Galine Tumasova who collaborated with Blow Up’s Claudia Arnold for the ace series of club posters this year…    …Followed by San Francisco on Tuesday 1st May at The Monarch with DJs Paul Tunkin and a great line-up of DJs from the SF scene  Carlos Perez (Tailor Made), Major Sean (Tailor Made, Club Leisure), Liam Caton (Shake Appeal) & Galine Tumasova (Shake Appeal)! Sponsored by Ben Sherman (thanks Mikey Tashjian!)   …followed by Blow Up back in London on Friday 4th May at Ginglik with a special anniversary show for B-Movie… phew! blowupclub.com • facebook:  blowup •  blowupusa •  recordclubsacto • clubunderground

BLOW UP returns to Sacramento!  With Cellar Doors (San Francisco) live, DJs Paul Tunkin (Blow Up founder) & Roger Carpio spinning Pop Stylism, 60′s Soul, Beat, Garage, Funk, Ska, Soundtracks, Electronica, Library Music colliding with British Pop, Glam, Indie-Pop and New-Wave. Plus a light show by George Holden (a lightshow artist since 1966 and one of the pioneers in the field. He first worked with Abecrombe Lights featured by Bill Graham at the original Fillmore West and Winterland shows in San Francisco). Art by Galine Tumasova! Event Info • Facebook Event Facebook: Blow Up • Blow Up USA • Record Club • Townhouse Lounge

We’re pleased to announce that we now have 3 new additions to Blow Up Records ‘ roster for 2012: Fay Hallam & The Bongolian (a new collaboration), singer-songwriter David Woodcock from Southend-on-Sea and Sicilian duo Daiquiri Fantomas . Plus, ‘ Towers ‘ the long-awaited follow up to Baltic Fleet ‘s self-titled debut will be released this Summer, followed swiftly by the second album for Alfa 9 ‘ Gone To Ground ‘. FREE DOWNLOADS: The first 2 singles for 2012 will be ‘ Engage ‘ from Baltic Fleet , and ‘ Dancing ‘ from Fay Hallam & The Bongolian which we’ll be giving away as free downloads for a limited time , links below…   FAY HALLAM & THE BONGOLIAN ‘ Dancing ‘ will be the first track to be taken from ‘ Lost In Sound ‘ the very first collaboration between Fay Hallam ( Makin’ Time, The Prime Movers, Phaze ) and Blow Up Records’ The Bongolian . Both share a serious passion for 60’s Hammond Beat and Soul. Due for release very shortly, the album covers a variety of styles: Bossa Nova, heavier 70’s grooves and a strong Northern Soul influence. Get ready to get Lost In Sound… Head over to FayHallamAndTheBongolian.com to get your free download .       BALTIC FLEET ‘ Engage ‘ is the first track to be taken from ‘ TOWERS ‘ the 2nd album from BALTIC FLEET , released this Summer and which follows his 2008 self-titled debut which was an Album of the Year (No 29) for Rough Trade Shops . Baltic Fleet is the moniker of multi-instrumentalist and DIY producer Paul Fleming. The second record signifies a departure from the travelling and diarising of life on the road (whilst touring as keyboard player for Echo & The Bunnymen ), and arrives home to the industrial backdrop of North West England. The album was written and recorded in a room overlooking the industrial landscape a stone’s throw from Spike Island, the scene of another Northern band’s finest hour. Head over to BalticFleetMusic.com to get your  free download .

Following ‘Leaving For A Day‘, another brand new track from Mockingbird, Wish Me Luck, an melancholy upbeat indie-pop song for Christmas….

Released before Christmas, you can check out now on Soundcloud and youTube...

Big Boss Man kick of their mini-European tour this Thursday at Le Bar Du Matin in Brussels, followed by dates in 2012, with concerts in Frankfurt, Strasbourg and Paris…

See all the Big Boss Man dates here

Blow Up’s new monthly West London residency at Ginglik in Shepherd’s Bush, continues with live guests this month B-MOVIE . Plus Blow Up DJs Paul Tunkin & Ian Jackson (and the occasional guest) spinning their trademark mix of Pop Stylism, 60’s Soul, Beat, Garage, Funk, Ska, Soundtracks, Electronica, Library Music colliding with British Pop, Glam, Indie-Pop and New-Wave. A celebration from the other side of Pop where the Kinks, Bowie, Blur share the dancefloor with current newcomers Pete & The Pirates, British Sea Power and Metronomy, all alongside Swinging Soundtracks & TV Themes (The Italian Job to Barbarella), 60s Exotica & Electronica (Jean-Jacques Perry), 60s Club Soul (Motown, Stax etc.), Northern Soul, Beat, Mod Jazz, French Pop (Jacques Dutronc, Bridget Bardot) and New Wave (XTC, Wire). More info: blowupclub.com • Facebook Event • Map Tickets for live show before 11pm £8 adv. from: Stargreen.com • We Got Tickets • Gigantic • SeeTickets • Ticketweb / Tickets for club only – entry after 11pm: £6 Connect: Facebook • Twitter • mySpace   B-Movie live at Blow Up B-MOVIE Cult 80’s New-Wavers B-Movie return for a one off show for Blow Up at Ginglik in Shepherds Bush on May 4th 2012, 30 years after the release of their most famous song. Expect all the classic early eighties post punk singles plus songs from their new EP, Echoes, out April 2012.Originally released in 1982, the single made the Top 10 in many European countries and reached #68 in the United Kingdom at the time. In 2000 Uncut magazine released an album entitled Dawn of Electronica, a tribute to the early pioneers of electronic music, and alongside acts like Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, Art of Noise and Giorgio Moroder were B-Movie. ‘B-Movie’s Remembrance Day though it may might not have stormed the top 40 was quintessential synth pop: the lugubrious vocals and heroic gravitas, the stabbing keyboard as rhythmic device and air of icy melodrama/melancholia.’ Echoes of this Nottinghamshire quartet’s melodic post punk analogue synth driven sound can be heard in many indie and dance acts of today; American electro-punk indie band The Faint reworked Remembrance Day into Southern Belles in London Sing on their Wet from Birth album, and B-Movie’s most famous song Nowhere Girl was remixed by Adam Freeland for the Future Retro compilation.

Blow Up Easter Special: Sulk + Fractures + David Woodcock + Thee Attacks + Powersolo with Blow Up DJs Blow Up’s new monthly West London residency at Ginglik in Shepherd’s Bush, continues with the BLOW UP EASTER SPECIAL on THURSDAY 5th APRIL (please note that we’re usually the First Friday of the month – moved forward to Thursday for Good Friday). We’ve FIVE live bands for you this month: SULK , FRACTURES , DAVID WOODCOCK , THEE ATTACKS (dk) and POWERSOLO (DK). Plus of course Blow Up DJs Paul Tunkin & Ian Jackson (and the occasional guest) spinning their trademark mix of Pop Stylism, 60’s Soul, Beat, Garage, Funk, Ska, Soundtracks, Electronica, Library Music colliding with British Pop, Glam, Indie-Pop and New-Wave. …. A celebration from the other side of Pop where the Kinks, Bowie, Blur share the dancefloor with current newcomers Pete & The Pirates, British Sea Power and Metronomy, all alongside Swinging Soundtracks & TV Themes (The Italian Job to Barbarella), 60s Exotica & Electronica (Jean-Jacques Perry), 60s Club Soul (Motown, Stax etc.), Northern Soul, Beat, Mod Jazz, French Pop (Jacques Dutronc, Bridget Bardot) and New Wave (XTC, Wire). More info: blowupclub.com • Facebook Event • Map Tickets £6 adv. from: Stargreen.com • We Got Tickets • Gigantic • SeeTickets • Ticketweb Connect: Facebook • Twitter • mySpace Sulk live at Blow Up SULK Under the rainy skies of London, the shining sounds of Britpop, Shoegaze and Psychedelia are back in bloom. Locked up in the back room of an east end gallery stirring up 90s inspired sonic harmonies, this five-piece’s influences are less worn on their sleeves, than branded on their hearts. Bands such as The Stone Roses, Suede, Ride and The Verve are wholly evident, but this isn’t nostalgia for old time’s sake. It’s a whitewash of powerful prettiness; with sun-drenched vocals, ethereal guitars and pounding drums, rooted in 90s vibes but with its eyes to the future… “Epic, stadium-indie guitars, baggy beats and trippy lyrics, this Suede-meets-Oasis number sets Sulk far above other 1990s revivalists” The Independent, November 2011 Fractures live at Blow Up FRACTURES “Reminiscent of Supergrass circa ‘I Should Coco’, Britpoppy [and] drenched in London” NME, 2011 “The kind of indie band that has become all but extinct in recent years” NME ones to watch 2012 David Woodcock live at Blow Up DAVID WOODCOCK David Woodcock returns to Blow Up after his show at the club’s 18th Birthday in November and will be heading up from the town of outstanding talent Southend-On-Sea. Expect great songs delivered in Dave’s own inimitable Essex style. Best described as the closest thing to a knees-up with Chas’N’Dave and The Kinks’ Ray Davies! Thee Attacks (dk) live at Blow Up THEE ATTACKS (DK) Fresh from their stint at SXSW and signed to hip Danish label Crunchy Frog are Thee Attacks… Powersolo (dk) live at Blow Up POWERSOLO (DK) Also signed to Crunchy Frog and first on tonight are Powersolo…

Big Boss Man have just confirmed a mini tour in Europe for the start of December 2012, with concerts in Belgium, Germany and France… see the dates here

Blow Up’s new monthly West London residency at Ginglik in Shepherd’s Bush, continues with live guests this month THE WOLFMEN , BERMONDSEY JOYRIDERS and RKC . Plus of course Blow Up DJs Paul Tunkin & Ian Jackson (and the occasional guest) spinning their trademark mix of Pop Stylism, 60’s Soul, Beat, Garage, Funk, Ska, Soundtracks, Electronica, Library Music colliding with British Pop, Glam, Indie-Pop and New-Wave. …. A celebration from the other side of Pop where the Kinks, Bowie, Blur share the dancefloor with current newcomers Pete & The Pirates, British Sea Power and Metronomy, all alongside Swinging Soundtracks & TV Themes (The Italian Job to Barbarella), 60s Exotica & Electronica (Jean-Jacques Perry), 60s Club Soul (Motown, Stax etc.), Northern Soul, Beat, Mod Jazz, French Pop (Jacques Dutronc, Bridget Bardot) and New Wave (XTC, Wire). More info: blowupclub.com • Facebook Event • Map Tickets £6 adv. from: Stargreen.com • We Got Tickets • Gigantic • SeeTickets • Ticketweb Connect: Facebook • Twitter • mySpace THE WOLFMEN The Wolfmen Marco Pirroni and Chris Constantinou formed The Wolfmen in 2005. Marco (guitars) enjoyed extraordinary success with ADAM & THE ANTS and later worked with Sinead O’Connor. Chris (bass, lead vocals) previously led JACKIEONASSID and has worked with Adam Ant, Annabella Lwin(Bow-Wow-Wow) and Sinead O’Connor also. Zelig Preston Heyman (Massive Attack, Kate Bush) also features in the Wolfmen on percussion. Alongside their own work, the band is known for some surprising collaborations with artists ranging from LOU REED to DALER MEHNDI, the biggest selling artist Indian in music history. They’ve also covered Screaming Jay Hawkins’ “I Put A Spell On You” with PRIMAL SCREAM for an ALEXANDER MCQUEEN catwalk show and co-written a few tracks on Sinead O’Connor’s new album. Debut album Modernity Killed Every Night was mixed by Alan Moulder (The Killers, U2, Arctic Monkeys, Smashing Pumpkins), lead track “Cecilie” being A-listed on NME Radio for seven weeks in a row. The Wolfmen’s 2011 second album – Married To The Eiffel Tower – was produced by Courtney-Taylor-Taylor (frontman/songwriter with The Dandy Warhols) and Jacob Portrait (Queens Of The Stone Age, Foo Fighters)., winning massive radio support with spins from the likes of Dermot O’Leary (BBC Radio 2), Chris Hawkins (BBC 6Music), Don Letts, Sarah Kerr (BBC 6Music), Lauren Laverne, Gary Crowley and David Quantick. “Dense stuff… Extraordinarily overstated… an unholy mix…” UNCUT “Steeped in the space-age glam boogie of Bowie and T Rex with a bit of Iggy-in-Berlin thrown in… infernally catchy…” MOJO   THE BERMONDSEY JOYRIDERS The Bermondsey Joyriders Claiming all the credentials of a bonafide 77 super group, The Bermondsey Joyriders is a band pooling all the hard won experience and history of three veteran Punks…Gary Lammin,Martin Stacey,and Chris Musto.. Founder members Gary Lammin(Vocals/Guitar) and Martin Stacey(Bass) cut their teeth in the Joe Strummer produced ‘Little Roosters’ and Chelsea respectively..Whilst recent recruit Chris Musto (Drums) is a sticksman of some credenials..Having previously played with Johnny Thunders,Joe Strummer and Nico to name a few! At Blow up they will be playing their classic 1st album set and showcasing selected songs from their eagerly awaited forthcoming 2nd album ‘Noise & Revolution’,featuring ex MC5 manager / White panther party leader John Sinclair! Voted one of the Bands to watch in 2012 in ‘Viva le Rock’ magazine! Tags 60s , Adam & The Ants , BabyShambles , Blow Up , Blow Up Club , Britpop , Ginglik , Live , London , Mod , Shepherds Bush , The Wolfmen , West London | Comment (0)

Some Blow Up highlights of 2011, including HMV’s Next Big Thing back in February, another return to the USA and Japan, Latitude Festival in July, The Bongolian’s fourth album and the club finally coming of age (b. October 16th 1993).