A huge congratulations to the team behind Australian feature film SNOWTOWN for winning a stack of AACTA Awards. We’d like to extend an extra special high-five to director Justin Kurzel for taking out the Best Direction gong for his extraordinary work on the film. The full list of winners can be found here and the soundtrack, featuring Jed Kurzel‘s stunning original score, is available now from iTunes.

We’re leaping through the air with excitement to announce that Sydney’s Deep Sea Arcade will release their debut album OUTLANDS on March 16, 2012. And guess what? They’re got a brand new single to share with you. The track is called STEAM, and because Deep Sea Arcade want their fans to hear it first, all those who ‘Like’ the band on Facebook can stream the track now before it hits the airwaves: www.facebook.com/deepseaarcade

Fresh from supporting Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and receiving praise from none other than bass player Russell Pritchard, Deep Sea Arcade will also be setting out on a national tour in support of Melbourne grunge lords, Children Collide throughout March and April. All dates below.

DEEP SEA ARCADE w/ Children Collide on the ‘Sword to a Gunfight’ National Tour

TICKETS ON SALE THURSDAY 2nd FEBRUARY

FRI 9th March – Ferntree Gully Hotel, Ferntree Gully, VIC
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545
Ticketmaster – www.ticketmaster.com.au / 136 100

SAT 10th March – Pelly Bar, Frankston, VIC
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545
Ticketmaster – www.ticketmaster.com.au / 136 100

THUR 15th March – Hotel Great Northern, Byron Bay, NSW
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545

FRI 16th March – Elsewhere Bar, Gold Coast, QLD
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545

SAT 17th March – The Zoo, Brisbane, QLD
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545

WED 21st March – The Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour, NSW
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545

THUR 22nd March – The Cambridge, Newcastle, NSW
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545
Moshtixwww.moshtix.com.au / 1300 438 849

FRI 23rd March – The Patch, Wollongong, NSW
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545

SAT 24th March – The Metro Theatre, Sydney, NSW
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545
Ticketmaster – www.ticketmaster.com.au / 136 100

THUR 29th March – The Gov, Adelaide, SA
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545
Moshtixwww.moshtix.com.au / 1300 438 849
Venuetix: www.venuetix.com.au / 08 8225 8888

FRI 30th March – Capitol, Perth, WA
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545
Moshtixwww.moshtix.com.au / 1300 438 849

SAT 31st March – Players Bar, Mandurah, WA
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545

SUN 1st April – Mojos, Fremantle, WA
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545

THUR 12th April – Karova Lounge, Ballarat, VIC
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545

FRI 13th April – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets via: Oztix childrencollide.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545

A huge congratulations to Lanie Lane who was awarded the FBi radio SMAC (Sydney Music, Art + Culture) award for Record Of The Year for her debut album To The Horses. A big congratulations to all the other winners including our pals at GoodGod Small Club and Millie Millgate of Sounds Australia. All the winners can be found on FBi’s website.

We’re stoked to let you know that Catcall’s debut album THE WARMEST PLACE will be released on May 4, 2012 in Australia and available for digital download through iTunes everywhere else. Featuring your fave summer jam Satellites, the album is a pretty huge step forward for Catcall, the artist also known as Catherine Kelleher, who cut her musical teeth as frontwoman for Sydney art noise band Kiosk.

Catcall will be taking it back to her live roots in February though as she makes a welcome return to the stage with a stellar new band. The all-star line-up includes Al Grigg (Red Riders/Palms), Andrew Elston (aka Toni Toni Lee), Bec Allen (The Fabergettes) and Simon Parker (Lost Valentinos). Playing Sydney’s GoodGod Small Club on February 1, this is the band’s first headline appearance and follows their recent shows supporting Brazil’s CSS. Surf sensations Atom Bombs and garage gangsters Bloods will be offering their support.

To celebrate the band’s first headline show, Catcall is giving away a brand new, unreleased remix of Satellites by Melbourne’s Magic Silver White. All you need to do is ‘Like’ her Facebook page to access the free track: facebook.com/catcallmusic.

CATCALL
w/ Atom Bombs + Bloods
Feb 1, GoodGod Small Club, SYDNEY
Tickets from Moshtix

The good folk at iTunes have made Woe & Flutter‘s track ‘Cities Of The Red Night’ their Single of the Week. Good work all round. You can grab the track for FREE here + see the wonderful SPOD-directed video here. And if you happen to reside in Brisbane town, catch the gentlemen of Woe & Flutter tonight (Jan 12) supporting our fave Melbournian six-piece Alpine at The Zoo.

It was a fairly awesome year in the League in 2011. We were lucky enough to release albums by Sparkadia, Josh Pyke and Lanie Lane, we put out our first ever film soundtrack thanks to Jed Kurzel‘s stunning score for Snowtown and we released the first cuts from Alpine, Catcall and Deep Sea Arcade‘s debut albums. In some cultures, this is what constitutes a ‘win’.

Along the way, we manufactured an army of Lanie Lanes, sunbathed with oiled-up leathermen and sang Dave Dobbyn’s ‘Slice Of Heaven’ with Red Riders after their last ever show. We threw an album of pics up on Facebook to share our fun times with you. It’s here for your voyueristic pleasure. And if you’re nice, we might even post the video of said Slice Of Heaven singalong.

Happy 2012 to you! Following on from the killer remix of Sparkadia’s ‘China’ we threw your way at the end of 2011, here’s a new take on Deep Sea Arcade’s ‘Girls’ for your listening + downloading pleasure. To get hold of the mp3 for free, you just need to ‘like’ us over at the ‘book. You’ll be rewarded for your efforts down the track too, with remixes from the likes of Alpine and Catcall also set to wing their way to you. Party on Wayne.

While not exactly alike musically, Melbourne six-piece Alpine and The Mess Hall’s Jed Kurzel had something in common in 2011 – they had some very good times. While Alpine toured their pants off + found new fans the world over, Jed was busy winning praise and awards for his first foray into film composition with his soundtrack to Snowtown. We asked them for their highlights of the year and discovered that Alpine are averse to snow-capped mountains while Jed has a thing for films with single word titles.

ALPINE

2011 was the year that we got to do huge, awesome tours with really cool people, and visit a bunch of places we’ve never been. We thought about what we enjoyed most this year, and there’s one thing that we all enjoyed equally…

Alpine’s ‘Top Outdoor Swimming Experiences On Tours’ Of 2011

1. Newcastle Sea Baths, on tour with Jinja Safari
We got to Newcastle way early for our show and made a beeline for the beach. We had ice creams and then took over the kid’s pool on the beachfront. For hours.

2. A beach in Perth, on tour with Sparkadia and Operator please
Ryan cut his leg and there was a neo-Nazi in the water, but the sand was awesome.

3. Wet & Wild Swimming Park, Gold Coast, on the same Sparkadia tour
Phil went insane and ran around like a kid, and we ate overpriced chips. We stayed until they kicked us out, and then we were aching and sore, so we hit the…

4. Gold Coast hotel spa bath, same Sparkadia tour
We snuck in beers and a ball and then ate Thai food and fell asleep. Busy day.

5. Coogee beach sea pool – On tour with The Jezabels and Hey Rosetta
On a super hot Sydney day before a show at the Enmore, Christian, Ryan and our tour manager / enabler Clint snuck off to the sea pools. It was FREEZING.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: Bribie Island, on the way back from Splendour In The Grass. We didn’t swim here, but the water looked beautiful and we had an awesome breakfast. Kind of counts.

JED KURZEL

Favourite Album
Josh T Pearson – Last Of The Country Gentlemen
First class.

Favourite Dish
Same as every year, Portuguese Steak at The Portuguese club.

Favourite City
Kiev
Forget Berlin.

Favourite Films
ALPS by Yorgos Lanthimus. One of a kind!
SHAME by Steve McQueen. A sex addict Living in New York played by Michael Fassbender. What’s not to love about that idea?
DRIVE by Nicolas Winding Refn. Great opening.

Favourite Video
Anything set in a forest of course!

Hope for the New Year
That we’ll see the end of woodland animal themed bands……It’s not fucking Horse and Hound! No more bears, foxes etc…..

Favourite Show
Noah Taylor and the Sloppy Boys……Anywhere!

As to be expected at this point in the game, we asked some of our artists to tell us what floated their boats in 2011. Youth Group‘s Toby Martin spent a big part of the year in Germany, so he sent us this lovely letter breakin’ down his highlights. That’s him over there enjoying ‘Käse Frühstücks’. Read below + all will be revealed…

Dear Ivy League,

Oh, how time flies! I can’t believe it’s time for my end-of-year round-robin already. And what a year it’s been!

I have spent the last half of 2011 in Germany, so my annual missive has a Teutonic theme this year.

First up: breakfast. I have been enjoying the local ‘cheese breakfasts’ (or ‘Käse Frühstücks’) which consist of many types of cheese, folded or rolled, distributed on a plate accompanied by boiled eggs and olives. The cafe called Major across the road from our flat in Berlin did a good one (although it may not look like it from this photo where it appears as if I am going to be sick. Photos can be deceiving. Trust me, I liked them – although maybe not quite as much as my trusted Mexican breakfast from Cafe 485, Crown St, Surry Hills).

Gigs: Two of my favourite shows this year have been my old pal and Youth Group drummer Danny Allen’s new band The Drums. They are rather excellent, and its always intensely enjoyable to see Danny on-stage from the audience (the closest I may come to an out-of-body experience). Coincidentally, both the shows The Drums played in Germany took place in buildings built by the Nazis, which actually isn’t that easy to do as there aren’t many left: the first was a festival inside the hangars of Berlin’s massive, now disused, Templehof Airport; the second was in a WWII above-ground bunker in Hamburg.

Sport: In the shadow of the aforementioned bunker in Hamburg lies the homeground of St Pauli FC. I have been accepted into their supporters club via my friend Micha. Although a second-division team, St Pauli have a large and somewhat cultish following by virtue of their identity as the alternative, punk rock, anti-fascist team and their appealing skull and crossbones insignia. Wanting to be in with this gang, I joined in wholeheartedly in the goal celebrations. After this display of newfound devotion, Micha turned to me and said ‘yeah, but if we supported another team you would just be cheering for them.’ Harsh but true.

Books: I have been sampling the light and frothy delights of German literature recently. Highlights have included WG Sebald’s ‘Austerlitz’ (which chronicles a man’s journey to uncover his memory of escaping the Holocaust, and is very sad in a beautiful kind of way) and Thomas Mann’s ‘Doctor Faustus’ (which describes the life of a fictional 20th century composer who sells his soul to the devil and consequently descends into madness, and is horrific in an arch and sarcastic kind of way).

Merry Weichnacts!

Toby

Toby Martin’s debut solo album will be released on Ivy League Records in 2012.

It’s that time of year. We’re about to bombard you with end of year lists, thoughts about what may transpire in 2012 and discussions about whether ham, turkey or nut loaf is your preferred protein of choice. There’s also that whole thing about voting for your fave songs in that poll.

We released some pretty outstanding music in 2011 if we do so say so ourselves, and we want to celebrate that there little fact by giving you some free remixes this summer. First freebie is pretty special – it’s a killer unreleased remix of Sparkadia’s ‘China’ by Melbourne DJ + producer Nick Thayer. To grab it, ‘Like’ us on Facebook + hit the ‘ol download button. Simple as.

In the next few weeks, we’ll have remixes of some of the year’s best tracks from Deep Sea Arcade, Alpine, Catcall and more for you. Keep an eye on facebook.com/ivyleaguerecords for all the details! We also recommend you head to our Facebook page if you wanna see what happened in 2011 when no-one was looking – we’ve uploaded an album of behind-the-scenes pics from video shoots, studios + shows. Get involved!

Josh was recently asked by our good friends at Google to  be a part of their awesome new ‘Get More Into Music’ campaign.

Along with the likes of Florence and the Machine and Bluejuice, Josh was asked to put together a playlist of his favourite musical youtube clips.

You can check out his very ‘animated’ video picks right here

Catcall has made Gorilla Vs Bear’s 100 favourite songs of 2011 list with Satellites! She joins fellow Australian legends Twerps on the list, which is pretty rad. Check out the other tracks here. Also keep an eye on this space for your chance to nab the track for nada…

After another sold out run of dates in capital cities last August in support of his new album ‘Only Sparrows’, Josh Pyke will hit regional Australia! Showcasing album tracks including the brand new single ‘Punch in the Heart’ ft Katy Steele, the Only Sparrows Regional Tour will travel through the country throughout January and February, and will finish with a headline spot at the 2012 Corinbank Festival.

JOSH PYKE ‘ONLY SPARROWS’ REGIONAL TOUR

Fri 20 Jan – Westernport Hotel, San Remo VIC
www.moshtix.com.au / 1300 GET TIX / All Moshtix outlets / Available from the venue

Sat 21 Jan - Torquay Hotel, Torquay VIC
www.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545 / All Oztix outlets / Available from the venue

Sun 22 Jan – The Whalers Hotel, Warrnambool VIC
www.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545 / All Oztix outlets / Available from the venue

Thu 26 Jan – Soldiers Club, Batemans Bay NSW
www.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545 / All Oztix outlets / Available from the venue

Fri 27 Jan – Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre (Studio), Shoalhaven NSW *SOLO*
www.shoalhavenentertainment.com.au / 1300 788 503 / From the venue box office

Sun 29 Jan - Milton Theatre, Milton NSW *SOLO*
Country Leather, Milton (02 4455 3056) and Malibu Music, Ulladulla (02 4455 5693)

Thu 02 Feb – Entrance Leagues Club, Bateau Bay NSW
www.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545 / All Oztix outlets / Available from the venue

Fri 03 Feb – Panthers, Port Macquarie NSW
www.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545 / All Oztix outlets / Available from the venue

Sat 04 Feb – Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour NSW
www.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545 / All Oztix outlets / Available from the venue

Fri 10 Feb – Waratah Hotel, Hobart TAS
www.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545 / All Oztix outlets

Sat 11 Feb – Hotel New York, Launceston TAS
www.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545 / All Oztix outlets

Thu 16 Feb – Prince of Wales, Bunbury WA
www.oztix.com.au & http://www.heatseeker.com.au / 1300 762 545 / All Oztix & Heatseeker outlets

Fri 17 Feb – Settlers Tavern, Margaret River WA
www.oztix.com.au / 1300 762 545 / All Oztix outlets / Available from the venue

Fri 02 Mar - Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns QLD
www.ticketlink.com.au / 1300 855 835 / Cairns Civic Theatre (Ticketlink Box Office)

Sun 04 March – Corinbank Festival, Brindabella Mountains ACT

www.corinbank.com

Our newest signings, GC legends-in-the-making Woe & Flutter recently released their self-titled debut EP and it’s super special – so special in fact that the wonderful folks at We Are Hunted have featured the track ‘I Think I’m Fine’ on their site this week. You can grab yourself a free download of the song right here and now.

If you like what you hear, you can get hold of Woe & Flutter’s full EP in stores and online now. Finer than fine.

We couldn’t be prouder of Alpine right now! Not only is the amazing new video for their brand new single ‘Hands’ clocking up some serious views on the old youtube, they were also named The Guardian’s ‘New Band Of The Day’ – kind of a big deal!

The prestigious British paper’s website even went as far as to say that Alpine are “Hands down the best Aussie band we’ve heard all year”.

Congratulations Alpine! Clearly the plan for world domination is well and truly in effect!

You can read the full article from on The Guardian’s site, right here

Following on from his ARIA Award nomination + Screen Music Award win, Jed Kurzel has now been nominated for an AACTA Award (the awards formerly known as the AFI’s) for Best Original Music Score for ‘Snowtown’. Congratulations are also in order to Jed’s brother Justin who has been nominated for Best Direction and to everyone at Warp Films who picked up ten nominations in all. Nice work all!

The Snowtown soundtrack is available from iTunes.

Ladies of the League Lanie Lane and Catcall have been nominated for awards in Sydney radio station FBi’s SMAC Awards! SMAC, an acronym for Sydney Music, Arts, and Culture, is not a word allowed on the Scrabble board but is a word signalling excellence in the creative industries in Sydney.

Lanie has been nominated for Album of the Year for her debut(t) record To The Horses and, alongside Catcall, for Next Big Thing. DON’T MAKE US CHOOSE!!!

Voting is open now, so head on over to www.smacawards.com and cast your vote.

Punch In The Heart is the new single from Josh Pyke’s top five album Only Sparrows. Featuring Katy Steele, the stunning single follows on from radio faves ‘No One Wants A Lover’ and ‘The World Is A Picture’. Shot between Sydney and New York, the video was produced by the ever-talented Amelia Tovey of Shoot The Player

The story of the song is best told by Josh himself:

“Punch In The Heart is a song that took the long way home. Whilst on tour with Lawrence Greenwood, (aka Whitley) on the south coast of New South Wales, the song was born in a small hotel room in order to kill an afternoon.

“Years passed and then when en route to a friend’s wedding, I dropped my sister off at her accommodation and the song came flooding back. She was staying at the same hotel in the exact room that the song was written in. I decided then and there to use the track on my next album.

“I emailed Lawrence (now in London) to ask if I could have sole custody of our song-child, and then decided on friend Katy Steele to add a female counterpart to the song. Her voice has the perfect mix of vulnerability and strength, and is so unique. Katy was living in New York City, so the song took another journey, back and forth across the digital sea, and came back to me all grown up.

“Finally, to complete its journey, we shot a clip, half in Sydney, half in NYC to add a final visual element to the story.

“Somewhere between Mollymook, London, NYC and Sydney, Punch In The Heart has become one of my favourite tracks on the album.”

And you can watch the video here.

It’s all hands on deck in Alpine Land this week, with a tour announcement, new video + FREE remix. Let’s break this down:

1. Alpine will take all 12 of their hands across the country on the Hands headline tour this coming January in celebration of their new single. All dates + details below.

2. The otherworldly video for Hands was beautifully shot by Luci Schroder and features a lot of love for hands. They are very useful after all. It’s out now and you can see it here.

3. Fans of Alpine can nab themselves an exclusive remix of Hands by hitting the band’s Facebook page now: www.facebook.com/alpineband. The remix comes courtesy of rad Sydney dude Toni Toni Lee, who has worked with fellow Lady of the League, Catcall. You might also have head his killer new single ‘Girl I Used To Know’ which is currently burning up stereos here and across the seas.

ALPINE – HANDS ACROSS AUSTRALIA TOUR
with special guest to be announced
JANUARY 2012

SAT, 7 JAN – PERTH – AMPLIFIER
www.heatseeker.com.au / Oztix: 1300 762 545; www.ozitx.com.au &
Moshtix: 1300 GET TIX (438 849) www.moshtix.com.au
Tix $15 + bf pre-sale, $18 at the door if available

THUR, 12 JAN – BRISBANE – THE ZOO
Oztix: 1300 762 545, www.oztix.com.au
Tix $15 + bf pre-sale, $18 at the door if available

FRI, 13 JAN – ADELAIDE – ED’S CASTLE
Moshtix: 1300 GET TIX (438 849) www.moshtix.com.au
Tix $15 + bf pre-sale, $18 at the door if available

THUR, 19 JAN – MELBOURNE – THE CORNER HOTEL
www.cornerhotel.com
Tix $15 + bf pre-sale, $18 at the door if available

FRI, 20 JAN – SYDNEY – OXFORD ART FACTORY
Moshtix: 1300 GET TIX (438 849), www.moshtix.com.au
Tix $15 + bf pre-sale, $18 at the door if available

A massive and heartfelt congratulations are in order for Mr. Jed Kurzel who last night won the coveted Feature Film Score of the Year Award at the 2011 Screen Music Awards. The Mess Hall front man won the gong for his ‘Snowtown’ soundtrack, in our humble opinion already one of the all-time great Australian films. We dip our lid to this very talented standard bearer for the Ivy League guild.

And whilst we’re lid-dipping, here’s to Jed’s brother Justin who directed the film so brilliantly (the first feature for both of them), and who we are very lucky to have had direct these four frankly awesome videos over the years.

The Snowtown soundtrack is available now through iTunes.

After a massive year for Cloud Control, there’s another bit of news that will see things get, er, massiver for the four-piece. They have now officially penned a deal with US Label Turnout – home to Brooklyn buzz band ‘We Are Augustines’ – making them the second official signing to the boutique indie label (through Atlantic/Warner).

Turnout will release the band’s debut album ‘Bliss Release’ which won the coveted Australian Music Prize and was released in the UK/Europe earlier this year on bespoke indie label Infectious to much acclaim including glowing 4 star reviews in the Guardian, Times, Independent & Q Magazine.

The Cloudies will join the The Drums on their month long tour in Europe / UK before winding up the year back in Oz for Woodford, Pyramid Rock and Launched Festival over NYE.

They’ll then be heading back into the studio in early 2012 to finish writing and begin recording their follow up LP which we’re all pretty darn excited about.

As some of you may already know, the inspiration for Lanie Lane’s song ‘Oh Well, That’s What You Get Falling In Love With A Cowboy‘ came to her in her sleep. The track made it on to her album ‘To The Horses‘ by the skin of its teeth having been written and recorded at the last minute, and we’re very glad it did, as it’s the brand new single from the album.

What we do know for sure is that the accompanying video was most definitely performed whilst Lanie was completely awake. Beautifully shot by Mr. Josh Logue of Mathematics, the eagle- eyed amongst you might notice that the background for the unfolding action is Lanie’s favourite Sydney watering hole, Shady Pines, and we thank the gents from that magnifique establishment for making it available. It’s also important to note that the number of crystals per square inch that cover LL’s shorts is too high to be calculated by man or machine, and that more have since been added for the live shows. Watch it here and enjoy!

Thought your summer soundtrack couldn’t get any better with those bloomin’ brilliant new tracks from Catcall and Deep Sea Arcade? Well guess what? We’ve got another contender for “most excellent song that’s arrived just in time for coconuts and cossies”.

Here’s Alpine’s brand new single Hands, the first single from their debut album. We’ll be releasing it in early 2012. Get ready folks – next year’s gonna be a big one.

Hands by alpineband

Big congratulations to Jed Kurzel of The Mess Hall who has received another award nomination for his tremendous score for Australian film Snowtown. Following on from his ARIA Award nomination for the soundtrack, he is now in the running to win ‘Feature Film Score Of The Year’ in the APRA/AGSC 2011 Screen Music Awards. The winner will be announced on November 14 and we wish Jed the best of luck.

The Snowtown soundtrack is available now from iTunes and the film, directed by Jed’s very talented brother Justin, is also out on DVD, Blu-Ray and in digital form.

Did you catch Legends of the League Lanie Lane and Alex Burnett from Sparkadia on Rockwiz recently? If not, we suggest you take a little gander at their performance over here, where they deliver an outstanding take on Bowie’s ‘Rebel Rebel’ and Alex does his parents proud with his quiz prowess.

Lanie and Alex will soon be teaming up again as part of the all-star line-up that’s about to tour the country for Straight To You: triple j’s Tribute to Nick Cave. With fellow artists like Adalita, Tim Rogers and Abbe May also performing, these shows promise to be rather special indeed – not least because Alex + Lanie have hinted at another duet…

We’re lucky enough to have a pair of double passes to one show in each city to give away (except Brisbane) so you’ve got the chance to be there too.

To win, please send an email to info@ivyleague.com.au with ‘Nick Cave’ in the subject header and tell us in 25 words or less which Nick Cave song is your favourite and why. Please include your contact number in your email and indicate your preferred show from the dates below. The competition for tickets to the Victorian shows ends at 5pm on Monday November 7 and the competition for tickets to the ACT and NSW shows ends at 5pm on Monday November 14. Please note winners MUST be 18+.

More details on Straight To You: triple j’s Tribute to Nick Cave can be found here.

DATES

Wednesday 9 November – PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, GEELONG
Thursday 10 November – HER MAJESTYS, BALLARAT
Saturday 12 November – FORUM THEATRE, MELBOURNE
Wednesday 16 November – ROYAL THEATRE, CANBERRA
Thursday 17 November – ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY
Saturday 19 November – PANTHERS, NEWCASTLE

A huge and hearty congratulations to Lanie Lanie on her #12 debut on the ARIA Albums chart. We are beyond excited for this talented lady + would like to extend a massive thanks to everyone who has bought the album – we hope you’re loving it as much as we do.

As a side note, those looking for their bonus tracks should head to lanielane.ivyleague.com.au where you click the button at the bottom of the page then enter in your unique promo code. ENJOY!

In case you missed the news last week, the one-and-only Josh Pyke received three ARIA Award nominations, including one for Best Male Artist. A huge congrats to Josh, who is currently touring the UK. If you haven’t grabbed his stunning new album ‘Only Sparrows’ yet, we suggest you have a little listen to some of it here then get yourself a copy of one of the year’s best releases.

We’re totally vibing on the new Catcall track ‘Satellites’, and we’re not the only ones! Set to soundtrack your summer, it’s already  been blogged by Rose Quartz, Gorilla Vs Bear + a stack of lovely bloggers across the globe. It’s powering on the Hype Machine charts so throw a heart this way if you love Satellites as much as we do and buy it now from iTunes!

The wondrous video shot by SPOD is being premiered over on Mess + Noise right now too – cast a glance in this direction to experience it in all its glory!

Satellites by CATCALL

We’re still obsessing over Deep Sea Arcade’s Girls. WHAT A SONG. If you haven’t seen the video yet, we suggest you throw your eyes in this direction immediately. It’s what the good folk of the Internet call a ‘WIN’.

Tickets are on sale now to see the superstars-in-the-making play, and you also land yourself the chance to see our new buddies from the Gold Coast Woe & Flutter play at the NSW shows too. That’s what we call a ‘Hot Deal’.

DEEP SEA ARCADE – ‘GIRLS’ TOUR

Fri 11 Nov Annandale Hotel, Sydney NSW
Tix: $12.00 + BF (presales) & $15.00 (door sales)
Tickets: Annandale Hotel – (02) 9550 1078 / www.annandalehotel.com

Sat 12 Nov Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW
Tix: $10.00 + BF (presales) & $15.00 (door sales)
Tickets: Moshtix – 1300 438 849 / www.moshtix.com.au

Fri 18 Nov ‘Houndstooth’ @ Rocket Bar, Adelaide SA
Tix: $12.00 (door sales only)
Tickets: Available on the door

Sat 19 Nov Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC
Tix: $12.00 + BF (presales) & $15.00 (door sales)
Tickets: Northcote Social Club – (03) 9486 1677 / www.northcotesocialclub.com

Sat 26 Nov The Northern Hotel, Byron Bay NSW
Tix: $10.00 + BF (presales) & $15.00 (door sales)
Tickets: Oztix – 1300 762 545 / www.oztix.com.au

We’re super excited that Jed Kurzel of The Mess Hall was nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack for his outstanding work on Snowtown. The original score composed by Jed plays an integral role in a film that has been hailed a “masterpiece” by critics.

To celebrate, our friends at Madman have kindly given us five copies of the film on DVD and five copies of the film on Blu-Ray to give away to you fine folk. We like words here in the League, so to win, we’re looking for the most creative anagram of ‘Jed Kurzel Snowtown’. Entries close Friday October 21 – please email them to info@ivyleague.com.au with the subject title ‘Jed Kurzel Snowtown’ (no anagrams there please) and include your postal address and whether you would like a DVD or Blu-Ray.

‘Snowtown’ is the debut feature of Jed’s brother, director Justin Kurzel, who fans of The Mess Hall may recognize as the man behind the award-winning clips for ‘Keep Walking’, ‘Pulse’ and ‘Bell’.

We’ve been waiting to share this record with you for a while + now we’re very excited the time is almost upon us – the lovely Lanie Lane will release her debut album ‘To The Horses’ on Friday. To celebrate, she has a couple of super special performances lined up in Melbourne and Sydney.

On Friday October 14, Lanie and her wonderful band will perform Live-To-Air on Triple R in Melbourne from their Performance Space in East Brunswick. It all kicks off at 7.30pm and Triple R subscribers can win passes to attend the show the by tuning in.

We also have five double passes to give away to Lanie fans who will be in Melbourne + can get themselves to Triple R! To win, please send an email to info@ivyleague.com.au and let us know why you’d like to go to the show. The competition closes at 5pm on Wednesday October 12 + winners will be notified via email. If you miss out, tune in!

Lanie will then treat Sydney to a free all ages instore performance at Red Eye Records on Monday October 17 at 5pm.

The acoustic set will be followed by a signing session where fans will have the opportunity to buy the new record on CD or limited edition vinyl and have it personally autographed by Lanie. The first 50 people to purchase the album will also receive a special limited edition Lanie Lane badge.

This is a very rare opportunity to catch Lanie in an intimate setting and get your hands on a signed copy of her album, so get there early!

LANIE LANE: TRIPLE R LIVE-TO-AIR PERFORMANCE
Friday, October 14, 7.30pm
Triple R Performance Space, East Brunswick

LANIE LANE: FREE INSTORE PERFORMANCE at RED EYED RECORDS
Monday, October 17, 5pm
Red Eye Records, 143 York St, Sydney

Ivy League Records is thrilled to tiny particles to announce Gold Coast four-piece WOE & FLUTTER is the latest addition to its roster.

WOE & FLUTTER are: Dusty Anastassiou (Vocals/Guitars), Adam Schneider (Vocals/Guitars), Aiden McMillan (Bass) and Dave McMillan (Drums).

Having recently been ‘unearthed’ to the nation, WOE & FLUTTER performed at this year’s BIGSOUND conference and won the hearts and minds of the lucky few who witnessed their shows.

Proudly describing their sound as a stylistic cacophony, WOE & FLUTTER write tunes with a lo-fi indie rock, punk and garage ethic and will release their self-titled debut EP on October 28. The release will comprise of five “all-killer-no-filler” gems that include current radio fave ‘Cities of the Red Night’. This single has just been immortalised in video form by the one and only SPOD. Watch the clip on the ‘Tube.

And catch WOE & FLUTTER on the road over the coming months:

WOE & FLUTTER – DEBUT EP TOUR DATES

Thu 6 Oct Elsewhere – Gold Coast, QLD
Supporting Velociraptor

Sat 29 Oct Coolangatta Hotel – Gold Coast, NSW
Supporting Papa Vs Pretty + The Vasco Era

Sun 30 Oct The Zoo – Brisbane, QLD
Supporting Papa Vs Pretty + The Vasco Era

Fri 11 Nov Annandale Hotel, Sydney, NSW
Supporting Deep Sea Arcade

Sat 12 Nov The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, NSW
Supporting Deep Sea Arcade

Sat 26 Nov The Northern Hotel, Byron Bay, NSW
Supporting Deep Sea Arcade

The Cloud Control crew have been rather busy of late, tearing things up across the UK and Europe. They’ve been so busy in fact that they didn’t even have the time to appear in the clip for the fancy new version of ‘Death Cloud’! The video has just been released and it’s a bit of a stunner – watch it here.

You’ll also be able to see the band back on our humble shores soon for the Fat As Butter Festival and some shows in Tassie + South Australia before they tour the UK and Europe with The Drums. Awesome. Details below in case you need them.

22 October: Fat As Butter, Newcastle NSW
27 October: Waratah Hotel, Hobart TAS
28 October: Bridgeway Hotel, Pooraka, SA

Here it is folks, the brand newie for Mr Pyke’s track The World Is  A Picture! This clip features Josh and YOU! Well, some of you… OK, those of you who were at some of the NSW shows on his current ‘Only Sparrows’ album tour. It’s a lovely + rare glimpse behind-the-scenes and gives you a bit of a look at what happens once Josh + band jump off stage. This clip comes courtesy of the legendary team at The Grindhouse.

WATCH IT HERE + NOW!

Sometimes you hear a song for the first time and you just know you will proceed to listen to it on solid repeat for the next five hours. That’s what happened when we first heard Deep Sea Arcade‘s new single ‘Girls‘. But that five hours has turned into five days and will probably turn into five weeks if we’re not careful.

‘Girls‘ is the first cut from the band’s debut album ‘Outlands‘ which we’ll be releasing in 2012, and my oh my is it good. Set to soundtrack your summer? We say YES. You’ll be able to hear it very soon, but in the interim, start gettnig excited about the GIRLS tour, headed your way this November. Details —->

DEEP SEA ARCADE – ‘GIRLS’ TOUR
Special guests TBC
Tickets on sale Friday 23 September

Fri 11 Nov Annandale Hotel, Sydney NSW
Tix: $12.00 + BF (presales) & $15.00 (door sales)
Tickets: Annandale Hotel – (02) 9550 1078 / www.annandalehotel.com

Sat 12 Nov Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW
Tix: $10.00 + BF (presales) & $15.00 (door sales)
Tickets: Moshtix – 1300 438 849 / www.moshtix.com.au

Fri 18 Nov ‘Houndstooth’ @ Rocket Bar, Adelaide SA
Tix: $12.00 (door sales only)
Tickets: Available on the door

Sat 19 Nov Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC
Tix: $12.00 + BF (presales) & $15.00 (door sales)
Tickets: Northcote Social Club – (03) 9486 1677 / www.northcotesocialclub.com

Sat 26 Nov The Northern Hotel, Byron Bay NSW
Tix: $10.00 + BF (presales) & $15.00 (door sales)
Tickets: Oztix – 1300 762 545 / www.oztix.com.au

For those not paying attention earlier, Sydney songbird Lanie Lane recently  recorded a seven inch single with Mr. Jack White. The results are in, and they are superb, in the form of the fuzz bass stomper “Ain’t Hungry” and the lovers’ lament “My Man”. They’re first class.  The 45 has just been released on White’s label, Third Man Records.  The video is here.

The forward-thinking people at Third Man always press a limited edition of 100 tri-colour vinyl copies of every release. You heard that right – they colour it not once, not twice, but thrice. These delectable collectables are then shipped to the artist’s hometown for sale, and always sell out immediately.

To celebrate the arrival of these 100 rare cultural artifacts into Sydney Cove, Lanie Lane will be setting up her very own temporary record bar at Sterling Hairdressing Parlour & Barber Shop in Surry Hills at 7.00pm on Friday the 9^th of September. Here, within the magnificent surrounds of Sydney’s finest hairdressing parlour and barber, Lanie will personally sell, sign and play a set for 100 lucky shoppers. The fabulous environment at Sterling make perfect sense for this event, not simply because it is so very fabulous, but it also happens to be where Lanie gets her hair done.

The only way to get your hands on one of these triple-hued beauties is to be at Lanie Lane’s Record Bar at Sterling Hairdressing Parlour & Barber on September 9th, as once they’re gone, that’s it.

“I’m doing my hair that night” is clearly not an acceptable excuse.

LANIE LANE’S RECORD BAR @ STERLING HAIRDRESSING PARLOUR & BARBER

SHOP 3, 29 BRISBANE ST, SURRY HILLS
7.00PM FRIDAY 9^TH SEPTEMBER

Hoorah! Josh Pyke‘s new album ‘Only Sparrows‘ is now available for you to own on a shiny plastic disc or as little bits of data for you to store on some kind of technological device! You can grab it many places, including from our pals at iTunes, Bigpond Music, Red Eye Records or JB Hifi.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

We put together a little video to give you the chance to hear a few of Mr Pyke’s new songs before his album, ‘Only Sparrows’, is released on August 19. It features the wonderful artwork of James Hancock and was beautifully animated by the fine folk at Katana. Take a little look here!

Following on from the exciting news yesterday that Lanie Lane will release a Jack White produced 7″ on Third Man Records on August 23, here’s some more great news from Lanie’s camp: This August, Sailor Jerry will present Lanie in a series of shows that differ in both style and substance from the standard, run-of–the-mill live show.

Before an invited audience of 50 friends per night, Lanie will play four intimate performances around the country showcasing songs from her forthcoming debut album completely acoustically – nothing plugged in, no bells or whistles, just Lanie’s amazing voice and her acoustic guitar. It’s the perfect opportunity for her friends to hear the songs as they were written, and by jove, they sound pretty good that way.

Each show will take place in a non-traditional music venue: a café (Sydney) a gallery (Adelaide), a tailor/cobbler/barber/café (Melbourne) and an intimate bar (Brisbane). Bespoke venues for a tailor made performance.

Bespoke venues for a tailor made performance. Lanie’s old muckers Sailor Jerry have very generously offered to run a bar at each show, and who is she to refuse such a kind offer?

To receive an invitation, fans need simply head to lanielane.net, and sign up to Lanie’s mailing list before 5pm, Monday August 1. Invitations will then be sent out at 9am, Tuesday August 2 to all members of Lanie’s mailing list. Upon receipt of your invitation simply RSVP to the email address provided stating which show you would like to attend, and it’s a first in, best -dressed scenario.  “Best- dressed” being important obviously.  Please note these shows are all 18+.

SAILOR JERRY PRESENTS LANIE LANE

Monday 15th August
Katipo Cafe, Sydney

Tuesday 16th August
Collect Gallery, Adelaide

Wednesday 17th August
Captains Of Industry, Melbourne

Monday 22nd August
Junk Bar, Brisbane

These shows will be as special as can be, so we urge you to sign-up now, then be on deck at 9am next Tuesday with nimble fingers so you can hit the button to RSVP for these shows before all tickets are gone. For more info, visit Lanie’s website: lanielane.net

Only a day or so until Splendour in the Grass kicks off up in Woodford, QLD. We can’t wait to catch up with our London-dwelling pals Cloud Control (last seen leaping out of planes into swimming pools) and Sparkadia (last seen hangin’ with Digitalism) as well as our local-dwelling buddies Alpine (last seen selling out their Villages tour) and Lanie Lane (last seen keepin’ it real with Mr Jack White).

If you’d like to catch up with them too, you are most certainly welcome to. Here’s where + when they’ll be playing at Splendour:

Saturday, July 30
GW McLennan Tent
11am – Lanie Lane
4pm – Sparkadia

Sunday, July 31
Amphitheatre
11am – Alpine
3.30pm – Cloud Control

If we don’t lose our phones / gumboots / will to survive, we might even throw down a few tweets if you’d like to see a bit of what they all get up to, up there (or down there if you’re from a more northerly part of the country / world / solar system).

Latest Ivy League Records signing Lanie Lane has recently returned from Nashville, Tennessee where she recorded two tracks with Jack White. The songs are to be released on 7” as part of the Blue Series, an initiative of White’s Third Man Records that sees White produce songs in the Third Man Studio then make them available on vinyl and through iTunes on his label.

Lanie Lane’s Blue Series single will be available on August 23, and will feature two diversely different tracks, a fuzz bass sassed stomp number, ‘Ain’t Hungry’ and a wailing waltzing lament to withheld love, ‘My Man’.

Says Lane of the experience working with Jack White:

“It was an honour to be asked by Jack to record with him at Third Man. I was so inspired by the whole process and by how raw and instinctively everything happened. I got so much out of the experience and I’m very proud of the end result.”

‘Ain’t Hungry’ will hit radio in Australia on August 8. In the meantime, catch the beguiling Lanie Lane this weekend at the Splendour In The Grass festival, where she’ll be opening the GW McLennan Tent at 11am on Saturday July 30.

Lanie Lane will release her debut album in October on Ivy League Records and for more news on this, as well as the chance to be the first to hear about an upcoming exclusive tour, head to her website to sign up to her mailing list: www.lanielane.net.

After sunning themselves on the shores of Brighton Beach at the UK’s Great Escape Festival and supping on sangria at Barcelona’s Primavera Festival, new signings Deep Sea Arcade have just been announced as the support for Modest Mouse‘s upcoming Australian dates. Catch them in Melbourne and Sydney. Well, only Sydney, unless you already have a ticket to the Melbourne shows – they’re both sold out already.

Thurs 21 July – Prince Bandroom, MELBOURNE (SOLD OUT)
Mon 25 July – Enmore Theatre, SYDNEY
Wed 27 July – Prince Bandroom, MELBOURNE (SOLD OUT)

You’ve learned all the words to the song, now you can sing-a-long with visual accompaniment! The talented team at Moop Jaw recently put together the colourful clip for Josh’s new single No One Wants A Lover and we’re very happy to share it with you now! Watch it here.

Following their sold-out THE GREAT IMPRESSION album tour, Sparkadia are very pleased to announce they’ll be returning to our shores this September for the huge MARY tour.

Laden with epic choruses and more hooks than a squid lure, MARY sees Sparkadia frontman Alex Burnett step into gospel robes and pump out a pentecostal powerhouse that would fit well in the church halls of the deep south.

If you’ve been lucky enough to catch Sparkadia on the road, you’ll know what a highlight MARY is in the set. If you’ve heard THE GREAT IMPRESSION, you’ll know what a highlight MARY is on the album. If you haven’t seen or heard either, well…let’s just say you’re in for an experience. TICKETS ON SALE JULY 8!

SPARKADIA ‘MARY’ TOUR

Thu 1 Sep        Settlers Tavern, Margret River WA
(08) 9757 239 or Heatseeker: www.heatseeker.com.au, Moshtix: 1300 438 849, www.moshtix.com.au

Fri 2 Sep          Prince of Wales, Bunbury WA
Heatseeker: www.heatseeker.com.au, Oztix: 1300 762 545, www.oztix.com.au

Sat 3 Sep         The Astor Theatre, Perth WA
Bocs: www.bocsticketing.com.au

Wed 7 Sep       Entrance Leagues, Central Coast NSW
Venue: 02 4334 3233 or Oztix: 1300 762 545, www.ozitx.com.au

Thu 8 Sep        Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
Ticketek: 132 849, www.ticketek.com.au

Fri 9 Sep          Zierholz at UC (University of Canberra) ACT
Ticketek: 132 849, www.ticketek.com.au

Sat 10 Sep       Waves, Wollongong NSW
Venue: available from bottleshop, Moshtix:  1300 GET TIX (438 849); www.moshtix.com.au

Sun 11 Sep      Panthers, Penrith NSW
Venue: 1800 061 991 Proticket:www.proticket.com.au

Wed 14 Sep     Bended Elbow, Ballarat Vic
Venue: (03)5332 1811 or Oztix: 1300 762 545; www.ozitx.com.au

Thu 15 Sep      Bended Elbow, Geelong Vic
Venue: (03) 5229 4477 or Oztix: 1300 762 545; www.ozitx.com.au

Fri 16 Sep         The Forum, Melbourne Vic
Ticketmaster: 1300 111 011, www.ticketmaster.com.au

Sat 17 Sep       The Tivoli, Brisbane Qld
Ticketek: 132 849, www.ticketek.com.au

Sun 18 Sep      Coolangatta Hotel, Coolangatta Qld
Venue or Oztix: 1300 762 545, www.oztix.com.au

On the weekend just past I saw the Red Riders play their final show, and it was one of the most genuinely exciting and joyous nights of music I can remember for a long time. What could have been a sad occasion was in fact a celebration of Red Riders’ eight year career, with them playing to a room full of people who all felt the same way – that this was their band, everyone’s band, and what a pleasure it was to be a part of. Like everyone else watching the show, Red Riders have been one my favourite groups, who also just so happened to put out their records with Ivy League. That very agreeable arrangement encapsulated, for me, that rare utopian coming together of fandom and business that made us want to start a record label in the first place – you get to release records by bands who you really love.

I’ve spent the day after their last show playing all of their releases in chronological order, from the “pink horse” EP right through to ‘Drown In Colour’, and in doing so have compressed all of the pleasure I’ve got out of listening to their music down through the years into one short, sharp blast down memory lane.

Memory Lane was in fact, for me, Portobello Road in London around 2003. That was where I first heard Red Riders as I walked along that famed promenade with Andy Cassell. Myself, Andy and Pete were living high on the hog at the time, poncing about the globe on account The Vines and Jet enjoying some commercial success thanks to some well placed iPod commercials, insanity, booze, and naturally, some very good songs. Oh, how quaint those days seem now.

As usual it was Andy C who had the demos – he was always the one with his nose in front. They were, he explained, from a newly formed band of Sydneysiders who had, like every second band at the time, sold out their second show at the Hopetoun, and were quite the talk of the town. Although we did actually have the internet and even emails even back then, these kinds of tales still held some kind of magical allure when relayed across to the other side of the world from your home town, and a combination of homesickness and Missing Out Disease invariably reared its head, pricking up one’s ears.

As Andy handed me his iPod he said something like “This sounds a bit like The Jam”. Two minutes later having listened to “Slide in Next To Me” it was fair to say that it sounded almost exactly like ‘Start’ by The Jam. Somehow though, that was actually okay. It was clear that the band could have no idea that such a song ever existed, because no-one would ever attempt such a brazen recreation if they had any prior knowledge of the song that inspired it. Similarly “The Sun Don’t Seem To Come Up” was “Let’s Spend The Night Together”, so at least they had impeccable influences, even when they had no idea they had influences.

That was the essence of what made me come to like the Red Riders so much as I listened to those demos over and over. Their unbridled excitement and naivety jumped out from every song. Their enthusiasm for what they were doing, and the fact that you felt that they were in the middle of discovering something unbelievably exciting within their own little group was incredibly refreshing. More than that though, they had great songs. There seemed to be a never-ending supply of them coming out in that rare and completely exhilarating surge that happens at the very beginning of a bands formation when everything clicks and they can barely keep up with their own ideas. In Al and Adrian, they had two distinct song writers and personalities, and in a tale that has been told a thousand times by other reminiscing fools like me, when they came together those differences served to make the resultant songs better than they would have been if just one hand had been involved. Whereas Adrian knew the names of chords, could actually play scales and even knew what effects pedals actually did, Al’s style was rawer and more instinctual, his songs a series of stuttering, slashed chords and yelped vocals. The mix of Adrian’s more measured approach to Al’s heart-on-sleeve style lifted the songs way above what they would have been if served up without the input of their counterpart. A vocal harmony from Al on one of Adrian’s songs would add some grit, a melodic guitar line from Adrian on an Al track would give it focus without taking away any of its original energy.

The rhythm section of Matt on bass and Tom on drums was a strange mix of precision and borderline sloppiness that I still find intriguing in the best possible way. The way they played together almost exactly mirrored the yin and yang of Al and Adrian’s song writing. I guess Red Riders had that thing that some people in bands get to experience once in their life if they’re really lucky – “chemistry” as Mondo Rock put it. For whatever reason, the combination of those four people coming together at that particular time just had a particular something, that couldn’t be forced. Hey, I’m not saying they were The Beatles, and thank God Alex played that skiffle set at the local fete when Adrian turned up, but it was pretty great.

I was so enamoured the first time I got to see the band play at Spectrum. That chemistry was blindingly obvious, and wherever the venue and whatever the situation in those early days, they just had so much spunk and spirit, but most importantly again, those songs. I remember the first time I heard them play “What They Say About Us” one night at the Newtown RSL I considered my wig well and truly flipped. It felt like it took forever to convince them to sign with us (I can’t actually remember how long it was now) the result being that we were able to have a traditional, Victorian-era style courting period that’s rarely seen in today’s bit- torrent version of label/band “romance.” The advantage of that in the long term was finding out that they truly are four (plus Brad equals five) of the nicest, most genuine people you could ever hope to meet. Everything was always easy, even if it involved difficult decisions because they are such gentlemen.

I could go on to recount every little twist and turn of the past eight years, but everyone who loves the band will have their own memories, favourite shows and late night recollections, and mine are just part of a much bigger collection. To me the Red Riders were a club that the band invited you to join with no door policy – everyone was welcome. They wrote fantastic songs, made great records, played some of the most exhilarating shows I’ve seen, and remained true to themselves for the whole time. Watching them play their last show, it felt like they were doing the right thing in saying goodbye while they were still in their prime. To hear those songs one last time felt like a genuine privilege. Bands aren’t supposed to last forever, and the Red Riders chose to go out in style, while they were still great, young and handsome. I even love the way they broke up.

By Andy Kelly

Side note: When we heard Red Riders were breaking up, we got all nostalgic and started listening to their tracks again. We found so many rare gems + interesting demos (see My Love Is Stronger Than Your Love) that we had a chat with the band + came up with 20 of our faves to put up on iTunes so you could all hear them too. R.R.I.P – Demos and Rare Tracks is available now.

In what might be considered ‘news of the day’, Josh Pyke’s brand spanking new single No One Wants A Lover is available now on iTunes. Grab it here + now and add some handclaps to your week. The track is lifted from JP’s third album Only Sparrows which we’ll be releasing on August 19. Excited? Listen to No One Wants A Lover and you will be!

We’re thrilled to pieces to announce that Sydney songstress Lanie Lane has joined the family. Adding sass to the smoky, sultry sounds of a bygone era, Lanie (pronounced “Lannie”) is an undeniable talent who draws on the past and plants it very firmly in the here and now.

The past 12 months have seen Lanie wing her way up from playing tiny venues to gracing magazine covers, and the ride is only set to continue as she gears up to release her debut album later this year.

Having just returned from the US and the UK where she wowed audiences and won new fans in New York, LA and London, Lanie is about to hit the road on a huge national tour with Clare Bowditch in June before playing Splendour in the Grass and supporting Fitz & The Tantrums on their Splendour sideshows.

LOTS MORE ON LANIE SOON! In the meantime, head on over to her site: lanielane.net

We’re very pleased indeed to let you know that Josh Pyke will release his third album Only Sparrows on August 19, 2011. The first single from the album No One Wants A Lover will hit airwaves on June 20 before Josh embarks on the very special Fans First tour.

Only Sparrows will be Josh’s third album and follows on from his Gold selling ARIA award winning albums Memories & Dust (2007) and Chimney’s Afire (2008).

Recorded with Wayne Connolly, it promises some of Josh’s finest work yet – but more on that very, very soon. For a sneak peek, head to www.joshpyke.com for a special message from Josh himself.

Following a year off the road, Josh will return with the Fans First tour, a small run of intimate acoustic shows in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne where he will play some of his new songs live for the very first time. Unfortunately all shows HAVE SOLD OUT! Lucky you if you’ve got a ticket.

JOSH PYKE – ‘FANS FIRST’ TOUR with special guest Jackson McLaren

Thu 23 June – Goodgod Small Club, Sydney, NSW
Fri 24 June – Beetle Bar, Brisbane, QLD
Thu 30 June – Grace Emily, Adelaide, SA
Fri 1 July – Grace Darling, Melbourne, VIC

Deep Sea Arcade are throwing up the sails and plotting a course for the UK and Spain this May. The band is set to play The Great Escape Festival in Brighton before jetting to Barcelona where they’ll fly the flag (figuratively speaking) as the only Australian band performing at the Primavera Sound festival. They join the likes of Pulp, PJ Harvey and The Flaming Lips on one pretty amazing festival bill.

Deep Sea Arcade will also release a special 7” of their single Lonely In Your Arms on London based indie record label New Music Club and play shows in London, Manchester and Liverpool. The band has already started to make waves in the UK, with influential BBC1 DJ Zane Lowe playing ‘Lonely In Your Arms’ on his show and including the band as his ‘Next Hype’ pick.

The track was mixed by Dan Grech-Marguerat (who has worked with Radiohead, Beck, Air and most recently The Vaccines) and conjures pure ’60s girl-group emotion with trebly surf-rock guitars and harmony heavy, reverb soaked vocals to match. Watch the video, made by DSA’s Nic McKenzie, now.

The 7” will be Deep Sea Arcade’s first UK release, and comes ahead of the release of their debut mini LP in Australia which will be unleashed later this year.

Before they leave our shores, Deep Sea Arcade are very much looking forward to supporting the inimitable Megan Washington at her sold out shows in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hobart.

Washington Shows:
Wed 27 April Wrest Point, Sandy Bay, TAS
Thur 28 April Ormand Hall, Melbourne, VIC
Fri 29 April The Forum, Melbourne, VIC
Tues 3 May Old Museum, Brisbane, QLD
Wed 4 May The Tivoli, Fortitude Valley, QLD
Thur 5 May The Metro, Sydney, NSW

UK/Spain Shows:
Thu 12 May Komedia, Brighton, UK
Sun 15 May Old Queen’s Head London, UK
Mon 16 May The Social London, UK
Thu 19 May The Castle Hotel Manchester, UK
Fri 20 May Sound City Liverpool, UK
Sat 21 May Screenadelica Liverpool, UK
Weds 25 May Charada Madrid, SPAIN
Sat 28 May Primavera Sound festival, Barcelona, SPAIN

Get your game faces on and battle weapons at the ready – tickets to this year’s Splendour in the Grass festival go on sale May 5. The line-up is mighty fine, with Ivy League faves Pulp, The Kills, The Hives, Kanye West and a whole lot of superstars coming to town to party. And guess what? Three members of Team Ivy will also be lining up to take the field. Cloud Control, Sparkadia and Alpine will all be heading up to Woodford to rep hard. We expect home runs, hotdogs + hopefully some fireworks. Get ready!

We lost the plot a little the other week when we saw Cloud Control play huge sold out shows in Melbourne and Sydney. Singalongs, shoulder rides and shimmering sounds were in abundance, and we bid a teary farewell to Al, Heidi, Jeremy + Ulrich as they jumped on a jet plane and headed to the UK where they’ll be based for a while.

The past 12 months have been amazing for the band – they won the Australian Music Prize, AIR Awards and SMAC Awards and scored nominations galore for their debut album Bliss Release. To celebrate, we’ve just released a deluxe edition of the award-winning album which features a bonus disc of b-sides as well as remixes by the likes of Seekae, Djanimals, SPOD and Fishing. It’s available now from iTunes for the bargain price of $13.99 or $14.99 from JB HiFi. Sweet deal!

A tremendously heartfelt congratulations goes out to Sparkadia. Their new album ‘The Great Impression’ debuted at #8 on the ARIA Chart this week.

Word came through shortly before the band stepped out on stage to a sold out and incredibly excited audience at Melbourne’s Hi Fi Bar on Friday night, needless to say the performance that followed is one that will go down in the journals of awesome!

The good news comes off the back of some truly spectacular action of late, with ‘The Great Impression’ scoring Triple J’s Feature album last week, Drum Media hailing it CD Of The Week, not to mention 4 Star reviews from the likes of the Daily Telegraph and some truly spectacular TV performances of the bona fide hit ‘China’ on Sunrise and the Adam Hills show on ABC1.

We’re delightfully proud to see such a brilliant record get the attention it deserves.

Don’t forget the band are currently touring the country, so make sure you don’t miss out.

We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that Cloud Control have won the 6th Australian Music Prize (AMP) for their debut album Bliss Release. It’s the second AMP won by an Ivy League artist – The Mess Hall took out the prize + giant novelty cheque for their record ‘Devils Elbow’ in 2007.

Cloud Control, currently touring Europe, had this to say about their AMP win:

“We woke up on the other side of the world this morning hearing that we’d won the award. At the time, Heidi and Al were on their way to Paris for promo duties, so we actually haven’t had a chance to collectively take it all in. We see them on Friday in Belfast, so the Guinness celebrations will be in order. It is amazing news and to win an award that acknowledges artistic merit is truly a special thing.

“We’d like to spin a few thanks to the great team around us: Umbrella, Ivy League Records, Artist Voice and Ivy League Music/Mushroom Publishing. Liam Judson who produced the record, Dan Zilber from Fbi radio for playing our first song, Australia Council & Sounds Australia for grants, Scott Murphy, the patrons and sponsors of the AMP Award and to all the talented acts that entered this year, it is great to be amongst a bunch of bands that we admire; Australian music is in a really great place right now that’s for sure. And a big mention to all to our wonderful family and friends for their continual support. We’ll now pay back all the money you have lent us – ha!

“Finally, thanks to everyone who has bought our record & come to our gigs. It is an amazing privilege to do what we do, so thank you all for supporting us and allowing us to do what we love.”

Ulrich Lenffer & Jeremy Kelshaw on behalf of Cloud Control

Now it’s really just a battle to see who can come up with the best headline to announce the win. So far the Sydney Morning Herald (Clouds part for Mountain rockers) and the Daily Telegraph (Cloud Control on cloud nine after music prize win) are in the lead, with The Australian not too far behind (Australian band Cloud Control reigns on $30k music prize).

We’re thrilled to bits to announce the enlistment of Sydney’s most fabulous new recruits Deep Sea Arcade. The five-piece join our ranks on the cusp of on an east coast co-headline with New Zealand’s awesome Surf City and are putting the final tweaks on their long awaited and much anticipated debut mini-album due for release in late April.

Deep Sea Arcade will also be supporting Megan Washington’s just announced ‘Tour of Laughter & Forgetting’ happening across the country in April/May.