Liam Noble, AKA Big Mad Andy has stocked up on Breakfast Room Green and is ready to bring you the ultimate quiz on one of Britains favourite sitcoms, Peep Show! Famed for his emotionally unstable yet lovable painter/decorator, Big Mad Andy will delve deep into this cult classic, testing your knowledge of all things Peep Show! Expect insane prizes, MAD trivia, a fck plasma screen and yards of ale! Maximum 6 players to a team - Please buy tickets for your team in the same transaction

John Harold Arnold Bramwell, to give him his full name, is perhaps best-known for his time as the songwriter and frontman of Manchester three-piece, I Am Kloot. However, he also possesses an enviable back catalogue as a solo artist and continues to work on new material under the guise of his latest band, John Bramwell & The Full Harmonic Convergence. Bramwell’s first studio output appeared in 1989, when he was performing and recording as Johnny Dangerously and entitled You Me & The Alarm Clock, an album The Guardian referred to as one of the ‘greatest albums you’ve never heard.’ Following a stint as a television presenter and as a member of the band, The Mouth, Bramwell formed I Am Kloot, with two members of The Mouth. They went on to record six studio albums, including the Mercury-Prize nominated album, Sky At Night. Since 2016, Bramwell has reverted to being a solo artist and tours continuously, around the UK and Europe. A home-recorded solo album, Leave Alone the Empty Spaces appeared in 2018 and the follow-up, a more expansive affair, with a working title of The Light Fantastic, is now scheduled for release in 2022.

The sparkling synth pop and Motorik Krautrock of Manchester-based three-piece W.H. Lung first burst onto the music scene in 2017, with the release of the single Inspiration!/Nothing Is.

A member of Kraftwerk during the group's golden era, Wolfgang Flur was the band's electronic percussionist from 1973 to 1987.

Public Service Broadcasting have been “teaching the lessons of the past through the music of the future” for more than a decade now. 2013’s debut album Inform – Educate – Entertain used archival samples from the British Film Institute as audio-portals to the Battle of Britain, the summit of Everest and beyond. Two years later, The Race For Space used similar methods to laud the superpowers’ rivalry and heroism in orbit and on the moon. In 2017, joined by voices including Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield, Every Valley was a moving exploration of community and memory via the rise and fall of the British coal industry. Pointedly topical in its analyses, it reached number four on the UK charts. For their fourth album, Bright Magic (2021), the band take inspiration from Berlin: “It’s become an album about moving to Berlin to write an album about people who move to Berlin to write an album…”. Heralded as the band’s most varied and cerebral record, Bright Magic is an impressionist portrait of the city from the ground up, less linear and narrative than previous works, combining PSB’s use of electronics and surging guitar rock with sound samples collected in the city itself to realise the dreams of Berlin they’d constructed in their minds.

Melin Melyn’s music is a hearty cawl (Welsh broth) of surfer psych-pop and folk.

Determinedly doing things her own way and standing up for what she believes in has long been ingrained in the psyche of trailblazing South African musician Moonchild Sanelly, whose drive to succeed has been fuelled by personal pain and trauma. Growing up in Port Elizabeth with a hip-hop producer brother and a mum who would put her onstage from a young age to compete in dance competitions, Sanelisiwe Twishas music-filled childhood was full of creativity. Whether it was self-choreographing dance routines to Spice Girls tracks, teaching herself to play the piano, singing at church with her family, or starting to write poetry, expression and being artistically free was always encouraged.

Rose City Band’s country psychedelic rock evokes the wide-open spaces of the American west and the free spirits who call it home. The project of acclaimed guitarist and vocalist Ripley Johnson, Rose City Band has extended beyond the studio and lives in tandem as a live ensemble featuring some of the finest players in contemporary rock: pedal steel guitarist Barry Walker, keyboardist Paul Hasenberg, bassist Dewey Mahood (aka Plankton Wat) and drummer Dustin Dybvig. Their latest record, Garden Party, is a celebration of summer and all it brings: communal gatherings, the respites offered by nature, and an appreciation for even the simplest beauty. Freedom, contentment, and joy were the sources for the songs. From the soaring guitar solos to the driving rhythms, the elegant pedal steel lines to the organ grooves, Garden Party has a live band’s energy captured in exquisite detail. Like all great music, Garden Party takes listeners to their happy place – their sunny spot. The album is an invitation to recalibrate, a joyous ride where the band’s sounds surround and embrace you.

Nottingham indie four-piece Divorce are spearheaded by songwriting duo Tiger Cohen-Towell and Felix Mackenzie-Barrow. Initially meeting as teenagers through the city’s close-knit DIY scene, the band – completed by members Adam Peter Smith and Kasper Sandstrøm - came together as Divorce in mid-2021, releasing a slew of genre-defiant singles that quickly caught the attention of tastemakers the world over.

Smoove & Turrell create a style they describe as 'Northern Funk'. The duo's contemporary sound fuses a variety of musical genres including funk, Northern soul, hip-hop and jazz. A firm favourite of 6 Music's Craig Charles their live shows are legendary and they'll be playing material from the new album Crown Posada and their extensive back catalogue.

Clinton Baptiste is the useless clairvoyant medium psychic from Peter Kay's smash hit comedy Phoenix Nights. Fresh from another sell-out UK tour, he's back to deliver the best of his recent work, plus some new bits. Join Clinton for his stories, jokes plus demonstrations of his amazing ability - and as always he'll be in the audience to give you truthful (but startling) readings from the spirit world! Not for the faint hearted.

This is a 16+ event. Each under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult who is over 21 (1:1 ratio). In order to verify your age, ID may be requested. For this reason, we advise that all customers bring valid ID. For further information see Age and ID in FAQ’s. Right of admission reserved.

Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage have more or less perfected a scuzzy and urban style of indie-folk - a 21st Century mash-up of Pete Seeger, R. Crumb and Sonic Youth. A born and raised New Yorker, Lewis has been hard at work in the underground music and art world since the turn of the century - touring throughout the world and releasing eight acclaimed albums on the record labels Rough Trade and Don Giovanni. He is also a widely respected comics artist who self-publishes a comic book series called Statics. On stage Lewis is backed by his band the Voltage, including longtime collaborators Brent Cole (drums) and Mem Pahl (bass), as well as recent addition Mallory Feuer (violin and keys).

These days, David Ford feels much more at home operating on the fringes of the music business, not trying to be famous, not trying to get rich. It might be an unconventional way to conduct a musical career, but this is not a conventional guy, as evidenced by his most recent album, Animal Spirits, a surprisingly accessible, even soulful collection of songs about economics. As an artist Ford still defies classification or comparison. Singer-songwriter doesn’t begin to cover it. He writes and performs with fluency across multiple genres, plays every instrument on the stage and even invents new ones to create truly unique recordings and performances. Every live show is different. Ford’s trademark one-man loop machine circus grows more complex and audacious every year, but then he is just as likely to show up with a six-piece band, a string quartet, jazz drummer or a choir and his most recent UK tour proved he can be equally compelling sat in an armchair, playing acoustic guitar and telling stories. The result is a live spectacle described by The Guardian as “unmissable”. As well as playing sold-out headline shows on both sides of the Atlantic, he has toured with and supported artists such as Elvis Costello, Allen Toussaint, Ray LaMontagne, Aimee Mann, Sara Bareilles, Gomez, Aqualung, Richard Ashcroft, Suzanne Vega, Augustana, Ingrid Michaelson and Jakob Dylan.

Good Sad Happy Bad are CJ Calderwood, Marc Pell, Mica Levi and Raisa Khan. 
 Previously known as the moniker Micachu & The Shapes, Good Sad Happy Bad named themselves aftern their last album, Good Sad Happy Bad. 
 Things changed a bit, Raisa Khan is leading the bands vocals and songs, and they now have the addition of CJ Calderwood contributing a minimum of vocals, saxophone and recorder.

Preoccupations' beautifully rough version of post-punk is equally life-affirming and well-versed in existential dread. The band's debut album, 2015's Viet Cong, mixed post-punk, psych-pop, shoegaze, noise, and electronics in fearless ways that nevertheless maintained a very human pulse.

Thomas Giles Robinson is a British singer, bassist, radio presenter and long-time LGBT rights activist, best known for the hits "Glad to Be Gay", "2-4-6-8 Motorway", and "Don't Take No for an Answer", with his Tom Robinson Band. He later peaked at No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart with his solo single "War Baby".

Girls of the Internet’s manifesto is clear; to create dance music that calls back to how it was made at its inception, but with the knowledge and experience of the past 50 years of the genre. Joining the dots that have not been joined for a long time, the collective takes on people of all sexualities, gender expressions and body types. “We are very proud to bring this music back to its inclusive roots. Let’s forget the disjointed and cliquey scene we live in, and bring back what once united us.” Crafting songs with real musicians, the group’s name was inspired by Ladies of the 80’s by Eighties Ladies, the album from a girl group produced by Roy Ayers, “I just loved the whole concept, and I wanted to do the same thing with Girls of the Internet,” explains the group’s founding member Tom Kerridge. “I wanted a name that played with gender, and people’s subconscious misogyny. Girls of the Internet is abstract – it means nothing, and it means everything.”

Psych-punk rockers FRANKIE & THE WITCH FINGERS are flying down from LA for their debut Bristol show on 31st May, courtesy of Extra Terrestrial Promotions & Velvet Echoes. Notorious for their high-energy and sweat-drenched shows, the band have been a staple on the psych-rock circuit for the last 10+ years, having performed at festivals and venues around the world, developing strong relations with music powerhouses Levitation and KEXP. Emerging from the DIY LA scene which has birthed such other acts as Osees and Ty Segall, the group now stand as their own, honing in a unique sound influenced all the way from proto-punk to afro-beat. Unmissable FFO: Osees, Ty Segall, King Gizzard, Wand Supports TBA Frankie & the witch fingers Bubbling up from the psychedelic tar pits of L.A., Frankie and the Witch Fingers have been a constant source of primordial groove for the better part of the last decade. Formed and incubated in Bloomington, IN before moving west to scrap with Los Angeles’ garage rock rabble, the band evolved from cavern-clawed echo merchants to architects of prog-infected psych epics that evoke a shift in reality. After a stretch on Chicago/LA flagship Permanent Records the band landed at yet another fabled enclave of garage and psychedelia - Brooklyn’s Greenway Records, now working in tandem with psych powerhouse LEVITATION and their label The Reverberation Appreciation Society, the group’s latest efforts are dually supported by a RAS / Greenway co-release. Presented by Velvet Echoes. This is an 18+ event

Chris Breheny, aka Moncrieff, began his musical journey as a teenager after the tragic loss of his older brother and sister. Music had become the vessel that the burgeoning artist used to process emotions that at that point were threatening to overwhelm him. Relocating from Berlin to London, Breheny later called time on law studies and started songwriting full-time, with immense dedication. Moncrieff grew up loving Soul and Blues music, his sound is a modern spin on these genres – driven by his stadium-sized vocal.

It lurks in the shadows: a five-ton, red-eyed monster ready to crush its prey. It's Cheekface and Martha with special guest Fresh: the high-flying, awe-inspiring megastars of modern rock! Watch Cheekface and Martha with special guest Fresh's toughest competition do their talking on and off the stage with wild, song-to-song action!

Deerhoof is an American musical group formed in San Francisco in 1994 which formed as an improvisational project for guitarist Rob Fisk, with drummer/keyboardist Greg Saunier joining him a week later. Beginning as an improvised noise punk band, Deerhoof became widely renowned and influential in the 2000s through their self-produced albums.

Indie ensemble hailing from East Kilbride, Scotland. Declan Welsh is a songwriter and poet from Glasgow. With his band, The Decadent West they create music that is unapologetic, direct and with a message of humanity.

The Vernon Spring is the recording project of North London-born musician Sam Beste, whose journey traces various arcs across jazz, soul, ambient, and songwriting modes. Beste's dedication and talent placed him in Amy Winehouse’s orbit, whom he accompanied as her live pianist for the majority of her ascendent career. Their pairing paved the way for other significant and diverse collaborations, including work with Gabriels, Kendrick Lamar producer Sounwave, Beth Orton, Kano, Joy Crookes, Matthew Herbert, and MF DOOM. After years of writing and releasing music with the alt-soul outfit Hejira during his mid-twenties, Beste helped form the Lima Limo collective and label, which offered a supportive community and inspiring creative foundation. By 2019, he began releasing solo music as The Vernon Spring, developing a voice that merged his jazz background with contemporary electronic production. His debut EP and subsequent releases, including the acclaimed A Plane Over Woods and Earth, On A Good Day, established a signature sound for The Vernon Spring: ethereal piano work layered with emotive vocals and subtle electronics.

Strange Brew presents Dar Disku LIVE (full band show) \+ special guests Full 8-piece band live show from Bahrain’s Dar Disku, whose two lead members are now based in Bristol - channelling sounds from across Arabia & beyond, including Egyptian folk, Turkish psych, Algerian rai, Sudanese funk, Ethiopian jazz, Nigerian disco and beyond 2025 marks new territory and untouched ground for the Bahraini duo Dar Disku, who presented their 2024 debut album via Soundway Records. Throughout the year, the Bristol-based artists will present a new and unique live show that has never been seen before. The show will take shape in various hybrid formats, with guest vocalists joining them along the way. Bahrain’s Dar Disku first hit the scene as a DJ duo in 2018, but Mazen Almaskati and Vish M’s musical collaboration stretches back to their childhood. Growing up in the same neighbourhood, the pair have been fascinated by uncovering, sharing, and celebrating connections between traditional Swana music and electronic sounds since adolescence. Dar Disku’s debut album, forthcoming on Soundway Records in September 2024, represents the latest extension of this musical journey. Vish and Mazen sought to create live and original interpretations of sonics from the countries that inspire them - transforming their influences into something new. Their meticulous analog approach to live recordings ensures that the album remains true to its roots. Dar Disku have found a fitting home at Soundway Records. Presented by Strange Brew. 14+ (under 18s to be accompanied by a 21+ adult at a 1:1 ratio)

The London-based quartet performs its own take on alternative rock, taking in a range of other influences. A spirited melding of northern soul, garage punk, and noisy shoegaze.

Pop Mutations & Freakender present: C.O.F.F.I.N + special guests Sydney, Australia's hard biting rock & roll band C.O.F.F.I.N (Children Of Finland Fighting In Norway) are returning to the UK this May for The Great Escape (Brighton) and a string of headline/fest dates. After a tremendous run across the globe supporting best mates Amyl and The Sniffers, C.O.F.F.I.N have since returned to the Pet Food Factory recording studio run by Jason Whalley (Frenzal Rhomb) and recorded their most potent album yet. Expect new music, classics and the good-times-all-the-time formidable spirit that C.O.F.F.I.N pour into every single stage.

NYC rapper Billy Woods and LA producer Kenny Segal are back with their first collaboration since 2019’s Hiding Places; their new album Maps drops May 5th on Backwoodz Studioz. At heart, Maps is a story of the road, and fittingly, in support of the project, Kenny and Woods will be touring together for the first time. This is a 16+ event. Each under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult (1:1 ratio). Every customer may be requested to provide a valid ID upon entry, this is to ensure customer safety and ensure our legal age requirements are met. For this reason, we request that all customers bring valid ID. For further information see Age and ID in FAQ’s. Right of admission reserved.

Will Wiesenfeld has been recording original music for more than 15 years, most notably under the moniker Baths. Will has had albums, collaborations and remix work released on dozens of independent labels, and toured around the world. He maintains a philosophy of keeping his work as personal as possible, with the majority of his music created in his home studio. For his fourth full-length album Gut, Will embraces a new personal ethos of writing "from the stomach" versus writing from the heart. "I'm sketching my strongest and most pervasive feelings out quickly and treating their roughness as gospel, then exploring them in greater detail with the added sheen of time and perspective." The most impressive Baths album of Wiesenfeld's career, Gut spans a breathtaking spectrum of lacerating hopelessness to lustful joy, inspired by the more unforgiving oeuvre of post-punk and noise music, and any music that works its magic through blunt force rather than careful introspection. Presented by Bristol Beacon. Age Guidance: 14 + Under 18s accompanied by a responsible adult.

Brandon Hagen (guitar, vocals) and Drew McDonald (drums) formed Vundabar in high school as neighbors, then rounding out with Zack Abramo (bass) as they emerged from the DIY scene of Boston and Western Massachusetts. Their story became one of constant grind and slow-burn ascent: house gigs to small clubs to opening for Beck, the music growing bolder and more ambitious, yielding one of the sharpest catalogs of the past decade.

Berlin-based 7-piece making super fresh and uplifting afro-soul music grounded in Ghana’s Highlife, jazz and silky grooves. Jembaa Groove is a dynamic band taking inspiration from Highlife, Jazz and Soul. Founded in late 2020 by bass player and composer Yannick Nolting and singer-percussionist Eric Owusu. This 7-piece liveband combines fresh sounds from Berlin’s underground music scene with traditional West-African sounds from Ghana and Mali. Presented by Strange Brew. 14+ event, under 18's to be accompanied by a 21+ adult (1:1 ratio)

Live sets Das Kinn, Zohastre, Foudre, Kou, Drainolith, GGED and backroom aktion from So Low DJs for the creatures of the night! Strictly out-of-towners, SEVEN Bristol debuts! From Canada, Norway, Belgium, Germany, Scotland and across France & England comes a cohort of Global Sonic Miscreants converging for One Night Only! 4x EU tours colliding on one night, plus DJs travelling especially & an AMAZING SECRET SPECTRAL GUEST?! Should be twice the price frankly... Presented by Schwet. This is an 18+ event

Say Sue Me are a surf-inspired indie rock quartet from Busan, South Korea. The band are influenced by 1960s US surf bands such as The Ventures and 1990s US indie-rock bands like Pavement and Yo La Tengo.

MRCY are producer Barney Lister and vocalist Kojo Degraft-Johnson. Hailing from different ends of England and disparate cultures theirs is a space of soulful self-expression that combines the timeless warmth & social consciousness of Marvin Gaye with the genre-melding modern sensibility of Anderson .Paak, Leon Bridges & Sault. Hailing from Huddersfield, Barney has established himself as one of the UK’s most in-demand producers, with collaborations ranging from award-winning work with Obongjayar to Mercury-nominated records with Joy Crookes and Olivia Dean. South London-raised Kojo, meanwhile, earned his stripes in church as well as singing with equally-illustrious homegrown artists like Cleo Sol and Little Simz. MRCY’s music reverberates with individual perspectives, but also reminds how those common experiences of graft, grit and abandon have always been able to bring crowds - or a new band - together through tough times. Debut single ‘Lorelei’ exemplifies MRCY’s method of viewing Soul through the contemporary looking glass.

A triple-headliner show with Manisdron, the solo project of epic percussionist Takafumi Okada who uses tense techno drumming fuelled by manic vocals & mutant no-wave grinding body music. We welcome back Ben Vince’s mind-expanding saxophone dreamscapes plus Saskia’s much-anticipated Bristol return, where will be reunited with her cinematic, broken-techno. Manisdron delivers a rebellious and raw sound, oozing with sweat and oil, it's fuelled by cyber vocals, hypnotic grooves and extremely precise, motorik-metallic drumming. Manisdron's hardware freakery via L.I.E.S. and his own imprint Cathodic Records, demonstrate his love for steaming EBM but with gnawing percussion which feel reminiscent of of his former involvement with Goat jp but tinged with frenzied synth blasts and industrial. A prolific collaborator, including with EP/64, Rat Heart, Cucina Povera, Joy Orbison, Mica Levi + Valentina Magaletti, Ben Vince is known for his saxophone explorations, inventive rhythms, textures and moods. Through live improvisation, reprocessing & looping, his intuitive approach surpasses the seeming limitations of his primary instrument. Passionate about music that combines elements of loose techno and wigged-out bass mutations, Saskia creates cinematic and playful electronic dance music, explored through negative space and unpredictable experimentalism. Her stunning EP 'es' released on Accidental Meetings last year is an ode to her amorphous and curious approach. Presented by Strange Brew. 14+ event with all under 18s to be accompanied by a 21+ adult (1:1 ratio)

Biig Time is a brother’s run side-project consisting of Johnny Took (DMA’S) + Matty Took (Planet).

Back in 2020, former Auteurs frontman Luke Haines and former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck teamed for the excellent Beat Poetry for Survivalists, and now they've announced a follow-up. The awesomely titled All The Kids Are Super Bummed Out is a double album, out October 28 via Cherry Red.

From catchy rock’n’roll high-energy rock songs to shamanic psychedelia, a Dirty Sound Magnet show represents an amazing experience for any music lov

Before Mötley Crüe, before RATT, even before there was a Metallica, Y&T was slogging away in sweaty rock clubs around America. When the band formed in the early 1970s, little did they know they would set the standard for hard rock bands that trailed. Many of the biggest acts of the '80s became popular opening for headliners Y&Tand cut their teeth on the band, as evidenced by the Y&T mentions in tell-all books by acts such as Metallica and Mötley Crüe. Born in Oakland, California, Y&T is one of the San Francisco Bay Area's own innovators of the hard rock sound. Whether performing to a festival crowd of fifty-thousand or in an intimate nightclub, Y&T's high- energy set and passionate performances still captivate legions of fans around the globe, proving Y&T's music timeless. Originally formed as Yesterday and Today, the initial powerhouse quartetfeaturing Dave Meniketti (lead guitar/lead vocals), Phil Kennemore (bass), Leonard Haze (drums), and Joey Alves (rhythm guitar) tore through the '70s and '80s with their own brand of hard rock. After two '70s albums on London Records, they shortened their name to Y&T and released eight albums on A&M in the '80s. Two more albums with Geffen Records marked an era of change with Jimmy DeGrasso (Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Megadeth) on drums and Stef Burns (Alice Cooper, Berlin, Huey Lewis) on guitar. With a discography of 18 albums, four greatest hits collections, plus a box set, Y&T have sold over four million albums since their 1974 inception. The band's most recent single "I'm Coming Home" has climbed to roughly 1.5 million views on YouTube. Y&T received extensive airplay with hits such as Forever, Rescue Me, Mean Streak, Don't Stop Runnin', and Summertime Girlswhich played in heavy rotation on MTV. Y&T songs have been featured in a multitude of movies and television shows, including Real Genius, Out of Bounds, Baywatch, and Hunter. After five top 100 albums, songs that tipped into the 40s, two Bammie Awards, and many international television appearances, Y&T's hits are still played on VH1 Classic and Classic Rock radio stations worldwide. With Kennemore's untimely passing from lung cancer, the band carries on the legacy that is Y&T. Y&T continues to tour the world, featuring the dynamic original frontman Dave Meniketti (guitar/lead vocals), John Nymann (guitar/vocals), Brad Lang (bass/vocals), and Mike Vanderhule (drums/vocals), playing songs that span the band's five-decade career and including all the hits and fan favorites. Prepare to have your face melted.

George Clanton is an American electronic musician and singer known for his involvement with the vaporwave music scene.

Alogte Oho is the number one Frafra gospel artist from within the explosive music scene of Bolgatanga in Northern Ghana. He is accompanied by his powerful female choir, the Sounds of Joy, comprised of Lizzy Amaliyenga, Patricia Adongo and Florence Adooni - all fantastic gospel performers in their own rights. Presented by Strange Brew. 14+ event, all under 18's to be accompanied by a 21+ adult (1:1 ratio)

The Irish-Italian outfit partly met at school and others later joined after meeting through the city's live music scene. With indie-pop qualities that blend alternative rock and soul sounds, Big Sleep cite artists like Big Thief, JJ Cale, Jamiroquai and The Cure as influences. It's been a busy year for the quartet. In the last 12 months since their Debut EP release, they've toured with Somebody's Child, received international radio play (BBC R1, Radio X, RTÉ 2FM) with features on major Spotify editorials (Hot New Bands, All New Rock) and toured internationally across Europe.

Bergman comes to this material naturally. Her first musical loves were church songs, especially the sing-song-y, repetitive hymns. "I've always written songs about Jesus," she says. "I'm not afraid of it; this album is my take on gospel music." Her voice really works the upper registers in a manner occasionally similar to 1930s blues vocalists, or perhaps Badu. But there's nothing retro about the way she multi-tracks her voice and self-harmonizes in sweet, lofty chords. "I was raised by musical parents who encouraged their children's artistry. My mother would recite George Gershwin on the piano; she taught me how to play my favorite standards. My father loved to sing his own renditions of Dylan and Mavis Staples. He met Mavis on several occasions, and she asked him to marry her, twice. He was drawn to music with a moral compass, a backbone. My father was a student of the Bible, and had a passion for great songwriting. He valued the importance of song itself. I often found myself in discussion with him about my own music. He liked to wrestle with words. He was a master of language. He taught me a great deal about mercy."

The progressive jazz/noise/thrash band Get the Blessing (formerly the Blessing when a legal issue forced them to modify their name) was formed in 2000 in Bristol, England. Their interest in the modern creative improvised sound, North African culture, and non-chordal music established their aesthetic. Also enamored with the harmelodic pretexts of Ornette Coleman, they established a more focused identity in 2006 with their first studio sessions. The original combo the Blessing formed a parallel approach to the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, but also Polar Bear and Acoustic Ladyland, and drew additional influences from the Kings of Leon, Morphine, Elvis Costello, and Albert Ayler. Their debut CD All Is Yes was issued in 2008. Bandmembers include bassist Jim Barr and drummer Clive Deamer, both former members of Portishead. Barr played previously with the Jukes and Peter Gabriel, while Deamer's extensive and wildly diverse credits include Hawkwind, Jeff Beck, Loreena McKennitt, Alison Moyet, Champion Jack Dupree, Dr. John, Tom Jones, Jools Holland, and Robert Plant. Trumpeter Pete Judge and saxophonist Jake McMurchie both have played with Super Furry Animals. Judge is known for his work on movie soundtracks and with Portishead, while McMurchie leads his own jazz quartet, and was a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra.

Leeds-based three-piece Far Caspian are kings of the hazy indie bop. Get involved with your new fave guitar dream boys.

Deadpunk Promotions Presents: The Dear Hunter It’s been almost a decade since Casey Crescenzo brought The Dear Hunter – both the band and the character of the same name – to life with his 2006 debut full-length, Act I: The Lake South, The River North. Although it was evident from his stint as singer of The Receiving End Of Sirens, the record revealed Crescenzo’s incredibly inventive and ambitious musical flair, something which has been evolving ever since. The two albums which followed – 2007’s Act II: The Meaning Of, And All Things Regarding Ms. Leading and 2009’s Act III: Life And Death – cemented the now 32 year-old as a maverick, idiosyncratic talent whose music, while fitting a modern aesthetic, was also from a bygone era. Anachronistic and timeless in equal measure, the narrative of The Dear Hunter existed in both the past and the present, its detailed plot standing simultaneously as an age-old and new age fable. As that tale progressed, so did Crescenzo’s art, his experimental compositions blurring the line between different genres to create a sound that was – and still is – unique to the band.