BOTM April 2011 - L.U.V

L.U.V. is a London-based female Rock 'N' Roll band with a charismatic front man from Hollywood, California.

The band was the brainchild of singer/songwriter Jimmy Sweet, a former member of Hot Hot Heat. If Iggy Pop, Goldfrapp, The Cramps and Peaches spawned a love child, you would have L.U.V. Sweet has performed with many bands, but he states, "L.U.V. is my baby. This is the band that I'm pouring everything into."

Along with Sweet comes a quartet of gorgeous girls - Claire, Holly, Kasia and new addition, Chloe. The blonde, brunettes and redhead make up the rest of L.U.V. Bassist Claire has appeared internationally in live performances and music videos, and has written several film scores. On drums and percussion is Holly, who has performed in numerous live shows and was accepted into Paul McCartney’s Fame School where she met the lovely Guitarist Chloe. The synth-player Kasia, originally from Poland, went to music school at a very young age before abandoning classical music and discovering her talents in rock 'n' roll. The major accomplishments and talents of the rockers mixed in with their overall appeal establish a show that you won't easily forget.

L.U.V.'s debut gig was at the November launch of the latest book by the legendary Mick Rock where they were chosen by the sponsors, Zippo, to perform and have a photoshoot with the man himself. This was followed by a series of shows titled the "Dirty, Sexy, Rock 'N' Roll" tour at the Bull & Gate, Enterprise, Water Rats, Bullet Bar etc. The EP launch gig was a sell out show at Proud Gallery, Camden, London on January 13th. The lead track from the EP ‘She’s My Fix’ has already been played numerous times in London, Peru (Kool Rock Radio) and L.A.

Arctic Monkeys Announce New Single

Arctic Monkeys are due to release new single 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair' on April 16th.

Completed somewhere between Los Angeles and London, Arctic Monkeys are due to release their new album 'Suck It And See' in June. So far, fans have only heard one track - the riff heavy 'Brick By Brick'. Streaming online, the song caused a mixed reaction amongst fans with drummer Matt Helders making a rare turn on vocals.

Available on seven inch, the single boasts 'Brick By Brick' on the B-side. Meanwhile, the A-side will be released digitally on April 11th. Available exclusively for Record Store Day, Arctic Monkeys are preparing a full single release on 7 inch, 10 inch and mp3 on May 30th.

Of course, Arctic Monkeys are long term devotees of vinyl. Each single from 'Humbug' was pressed onto seven inch vinyl, with British charity Oxfam using their shops as an exclusive distribution point.

Full release details as follows:

Record Store Day 7”

Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair

Brick By Brick

7"

Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair

I.D.S.T.

10"/Digital Download

1. Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair

2. The Blond-O-Sonic Shimmer Trap

3. I.D.S.T

The album, 'Suck It and See' is released on Domino on Monday 6th June 2011.

The Music To Split Up After August Tour

The Music have announced that they will split after their farewell tour in August.

Battling against the industry, the Leeds band packed out venues across the North of England when still unsigned. That early momentum saw them pick up a deal with Hut, who released their self-titled album back in 2002.

Touring across the world, The Music became festival favourites, their hi-octane live show sat somewhere between early Verve and Led Zeppelin, mixing electronics with huge riffs. However trouble set in when singer Robert Harvey succumbed to addiction. Admitting problems with drink and drugs, a spell in rehab took The Music off the road for almost two years.

Stalling the momentum of their career, a lacklustre third album 'Strength In Numbers' followed in 2008. Since then, the band have struggled to regain the sense of purpose which fuelled those early live shows.

Now the band have announced that they are to part company after ten years together. In a statement The Music said: "We've come so far together and now it's time to end things the right way and in the place we love the most - onstage playing live. We're going to give it our all for these last times together and it's going to be emotional, but were really glad to get back to Japan one last time where people have been so good to us over the years, and we send our love and thoughts to everyone there who has been affected by the terrible events of March 11th."

"We'll be saying thankyou to so many people over these dates and we'll start now by saying thanks to anyone who’s been with us on this incredible trip. We're all looking to the future and what comes next, but we'll always be grateful for the years, times and experiences we've shared. We're going to make these shows as much of a party as we can, and we hope people turn up to celebrate with us."

Split between Japan and the UK, The Music are to play the following shows:

July

25 Osaka Big Cat

26 Nagoya Club Quattro

27 Tokyo Club AX

August

4 London Shepherds Bush Empire

5 Leeds O2 Academy