Angus & Julia Stone, currently enjoying global success with their sophomore album ‘Down The Way’, return to the UK for their second tour this year in December.
The duo who kick started their career in the UK – and consider London their second home – have steadily amassed a devoted following alongside considerable critical acclaim. Having wrapped up their spring tour with a sold out show at Shepherds Bush Empire, they’ll return in December for six shows including a date at the Royal Festival Hall.
Meanwhile the band’s profile is rapidly on the rise across Europe with ‘Big Jet Plane’ a huge radio hit in France along with sales of over 30k for their current album. They will play an extensive run of dates across Switzerland, Germany, France and Holland ahead of their UK tour.
Tickets for their UK tour are on sale on from Friday July 23rd with full list of dates and ticket outlet info as follows:
DECEMBER
4th BRIGHTON, St Georges Church
5th LEEDS, The Wardrobe
7th GLASGOW, Oran Mor
9th LONDON, Royal Festival Hall
10th FALMOUTH, Princess Pavillions
11th BRISTOL, Trinity Centre
The siblings have just taken part in a week of collaborations and gigs put together by Communion – the label and club night co-founded by Ben Lovett from Mumford & Sons. The fruits of their labours will be heard on a compilation album – also featuring likes of Lissie, Lyre Birds and Sarah Blasko – to be released later this year.
Unsigned, but releasing through the Too Pure singles club, Leeds collective Milk White White Teeth are a band that should be very easy to hate. Dreadful name, a biog that lists their influences as ‘cheese, vegetarian sausages, strawberry milk’ (ho ho! Self conscious wackiness you say? A spiffing idea! Bollocks.) their indie-folk could be easily listed as Mumford bandwagon-jumping upon first listen, but a couple of hooks pull you in. The meter of the vocal line is bizarre; every word pronounced fully, and over-enunciated; like a full grown man singing in the style of a church choirboy, or Jonsi Birgirsson trying to impersonate Bryn Terfel. The first part of the track is English summer-pop, lush with brass fills, musically forgettable; but in the second the guitars go angular, choppy; heading toward Pavement territory. At this point you’d expect the vocal to go RAWK, but it continues as was, reminiscent of Ian Brown’s lack of vocal talent unwittingly saving The Second Coming from simply being John Squire scratching his big bad rock arse. I won’t make a crap joke about Milk White White Teeth needing to be bared, but I am suitably intrigued.
![Mumford--Sons-Jun-08[2]](http://www.shout4music.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Mumford-Sons-Jun-082.jpg)
This song is already blazing a surprising trail through the mainstream, getting repeated plays in that most hallowed of places – Radio One’s daytime playlist. Shining like a diamond nestled amidst N-Dubz and Lady Gaga, ‘Winter Winds’ has perhaps reached this stage of ubiquity because of its obvious Christmassy undertones. Maybe the public desire a stronger folky influence in their daily soundtrack. Or maybe it’s just a bloody good love song, Mumford & Sons regaling us with their personal battle between head and heart with a consistently majestic turn of phrase. Young lovers will swoon to this song. ‘Winter Winds’ weaves a rich tapestry, effortlessly conjuring up images of London streets bedecked with virgin snow (as far as I know this only ever happens in romantic comedies but it’s still a nice image), rosy cheeked carol singers, and roaring log fires. ‘Winter Winds’ falls on the right side of the schmaltz-line though, decorated with a soaring chorus that is both grand without being pretentious and infectious without being repetitive. This song should warm the cockles of all but the stoniest heart.
If you are a fan of the Fleet Foxes and are looking for new music of a similar vein, then you should find the Mumford and Sons sound an excitingly fresh brand of New Americana with a British twist. American born singer/songwriter Marcus Mumford leads on vocals, acoustic guitar and pedal operated drums and is backed by Winston Marshall on banjo, Ted Dwane on double bass and Ben Lovett on Keyboard. Mumford and Sons are a complete revelation live. With all the assurance and musicianship of an established American folk band; powerful harmonies, deft bluegrass melodies and fast-paced hillbilly chase music, all seem to come too easily for a band from London. It’s a bit like seeing the Dukes of Hazard driving a Ford Capri.
