United Front: Aus artists make impact overseas

02 August 2010

Melbourne’s Temper Trap continues to make headway in their mission to break as a headline act in the US.  TTT has recently played key festival dates including Coachella and oddball Tennessee festival Bonnaroo alongside acts such as the Black Keys, French Art Rockers Phoenix and home boys Kings of Leon. The guys will be undertaking a twenty two date tour of the US commencing 4 August in San Diego at the House of Blues and will be appearing as part of the Lollapalooza festival along the way.  Indications are that the tour will sell out early so if you’re thinking of catching the guys in the States then get in quick. (thetempertrap.com) Back in the UK TTT celebrates 51 weeks in the top 100 via their single Sweet Disposition.

Violent Soho gained a huge sway of industry fans following their UK showcase at The Great Escape festival earlier this year but it’s in the US that they are really waving the flag for Aussie rock of the heavy persuasion.  The nicest stage diving rockers you will ever meet, Violent Soho are also scheduled to play Lollapalooza and organisers have billed them on the BMI stage immediately under Dan Black.   They play a huge number of dates across the US in the coming months including the Santos Party House in NYC and the House of Blues in Atlantic City.

Back here in the UK, West Australian folk act Emily Barker and the Red Clay Halo are fast becoming darlings of the UK folk scene. In an exclusive interview this week with United Front Emily Barker revealed the name of the new album that she and the band are currently recording with producer Ted Barnes. Titled Almanac it is being recorded at Cafe Studio in Bow East London and is due to for will release in the UK in January on Barkers own label Everyone Sang.

There is no official word on an Australian release at this stage however interest is high in this fast rising act and an announcement should not be too far away one imagines. Barker has also become the poster child for the alternative funding model with money for the recording coming from UK online business Spareroom.co.uk.  Marketing funds for the album were raised via a Pledge Music campaign. (pledgemusic.com) The campaign raised over £3,000: $5,200 in just on 5 weeks from fans in the UK and Australia.  Barker said about Pledge Music “it’s been a great exercise in finding new ways to engage with our fans and we came up with some creative ways of drawing new people to the Pledge site such as posting videos of the audiences we played to at festivals”.

In my second exclusive this week, Boy and Bear are set to commence their entry into the UK market via a release on Chess Club records. Chess Club are one of the leading tastemaker singles only labels here in the UK. Getting signed by Chess Club gives an act almost instantaneous cool status and an assurance of good audiences at the events run by Chess Club across London.  The guys all ready had a head start on cool status in the UK having been selected in person by Laura Marling as a tour support both here and down under. More on this signing and a couple of others that I can’t tell you about in the coming weeks.

In the interim, many thanks to both managers and labels for the hospitality during my recent stay in Australia. Keep me informed of your overseas plans and I look forward to supporting and writing about you in the coming year.