In just a few years Portico Quartet’s hypnotic music has taken them from busking on London’s South Bank, to a Mercury Prize nomination, to performing at the Royal Opera House (with support from Wiley and Chipmunk) and recording at Abbey Road with producer John Leckie. Famed as a nurturer of young bands (Stone Roses, Radio Head etc), Leckie has brought a powerful clarity to the band’s music and Isla is a darker, more mature, expansive statement than their debut, Knee-Deep In The North Sea. However, it is still very much a Portico Quartet album.

The most ferocious roots guitarist from the UK since The Yardbirds, 22-year-old Isle of Man born Davy Knowles returns to the UK with his band Back Door Slam and a brand new album “Coming Up For Air” produced by Grammy Award-winning guitarist Peter Frampton and mixed by Bob Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, The Who and Paul McCartney). Davy Knowles has spent the last two years on a US blues pilgrimage wowing audiences in every state, even giving guitar legend Jeff Beck a run for his money, having just finished a …

So which European nation has the best dancer, stamina and moves…France, England, The Netherlands…
On July 7th, ten European nations battled it out to see which country had the number one dancer at The Last Call event, a 24 hour dance off competition at Matter at the O2 in London.
100 contestants from across Europe competed with their Samsung BEAT Edition DJ music phone, a continuous playlist and a set of headphones to become the last man dancing and the winner of €10,000 prize and a night out with Swedish …

Mirrorkicks are a new electrifying force, who have channelled their body-quivering live energy into record format with the release of their debut single, ‘Turning Up’, out on 28 September.
‘Turning Up’ is a deliciously captivating anthemic slice of indie/rock. Driving audiences into uncontrollable frenzy during live gigs, it was the obvious choice as a debut single for the band. With an addictively-catchy sing-along vibe, the melody is instantly unforgettable, however, the lyrics explore a murky darker side as they delve into the mysterious realms of mental illness, drug induced …

Have you ever been called at the wrong moment? In a meeting, Interview, out on intimate date, taking a leak, yeah, thought so, well think about the guy who received a phone call when he was on the cusp of winning €10,000 and a night out with Swedish pop star September.
Gareth Beavis from Great Britain was battling it out to be last person dancing at The Last Call event, a 24 hour dance off competition in London when he received a call to eliminate him from the dance off …

‘The Voluntary Butler Scheme At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea’ is the debut album by Rob Jones, a 23-year-old pop prodigy penning songs of classic sound, vivid imagination, and tin-pot ingenuity. Rob’s studio may, by his own admission, be nothing much – “just a bedroom full of wires and keyboards” in his native Stourbridge in the Midlands – but his ambition is by no means stuck in the bedsit. Three singles to date, ‘Trading Things In’, ‘Multiplayer’ and ‘Tabasco Sole’ have blended The Jackson 5 and classic Motown to an instinctual, home-made …

Bears From Labrador return with their second EP El Cantar De Mio Cid this July after their acclaimed first EP – Wilderness released last year.
Here you will find bandits and pistoleroes, the great Bella Starr cutting down her enemies, El Cid riding Bavieca, brought to life in the twenty first century, face to face with modernity and wanting nothing but destruction, the heartfelt prayer of a lonely soldier in “Love” and the wandering killer and indifferent god of “Cruel As The Wind”.
The recordings were made in the bands …

THE BEAT Edition presents THE LAST CALL
Love dancing? Love music? Love to win €10,000 and rep your country in ‘The Eurovision Dance Contest’
Europe’s first 24 hour dance off! sign up now here www.thelastcall.tv

Core Facts
1. The Last Call is a brand new dance competition running from now until July 8th 2009, across Europe.
2. On July 7th, chosen contestants from around Europe will compete in a 24 hour dance-off at Matter (nightclub) at the O2 in London.
3. With a Samsung BEAT Edition DJ music phone, continuous playlist and a set of …

June marks the release of ‘Dead Man’s Suit’ the debut long-player from South Devon’s finest, Jon Allen. Sitting comfortably with contemporaries such as Ryan Adams, Jose Gonzales and Damien Rice, whilst being unmistakeably evocative of the folk-rock scene of the late 60s/ early 70s.
A confident performer – opening for the likes of Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, KT Tunstall, Jose Gonzalez and Damien Rice has not fazed him – wowing audiences in the process in venues from the miniscule 12 Bar all the way up to Wembley Arena.
The critically acclaimed first …

The Good The Bad are neither just good, nor bad & they’re definitely not ugly. They’re the best new band you’ve never heard of. Three desperados, bringing the finest New School Surf & Flamenco to people who don’t yet know how badly they need it. In fact, their lip-trembling, bone-rattling, hip-shaking dirty cool has been increasing the birth-rate in Denmark by the day ever since their own explosive conception just one year ago.