Intense, sensual and arcane, Diamond Black are a dark-rock quartet from Camden, London, UK. Founded by Ben Christo (guitarist of The Sisters of Mercy) and Finnish singer J.I. Turunen, Diamond Black bring you crushing riffs, mesmerizing electronica and cinematic choruses; a dark fusion of irreverence, intrigue and isolation. Diamond Black to release their debut single & video 'Sorrow' on October 20th, 2017.

Diamond Black is:

Ben Christo - Guitars, Backing Vocals (The Sisters Of Mercy)
J.I. Turunen - Lead Vocals
Adam Lightspeed - Bass, Backing Vocals
Jan-Vincent Velazco - Drums

Additional:

Jaani Peuhu - Synths, Backing Vocals, Production
Michal Akrabi - Backing Vocals

Inspired by the heaviness of Katatonia, the passion of Depeche Mode, the haunting soundscapes of Type O Negative and the anthemic melody of The Cult, Diamond Black weave tangled tales of desire, decadence and devotion.

Turunen’s powerful vocal is equal parts brooding, fragile, venomous and soaring, delivered with distinctly Scandinavian melancholy, whilst Christo’s unforgiving riffs and emotive lead-lines provide a dramatic backdrop. Add a thunderous, dynamic rhythm section, courtesy of premier UK rockers Jan-Vincent Velazco and Adam Lightspeed and encase it all in the cutting-edge darkwave/electro-rock production of Finnish visionary Jaani Peuhu (Swallow the Sun - Best Finnish Album of 2015, To/Die/For, Iconcrash) and you’ve got the explosive and evocative sound of Diamond Black.

www.facebook.com/diamondblackofficial
www.diamondblackofficial.com

As the daughter of famed violinist, Paul Robertson, the high priestess of ‘Pop Macabre’, Calista Kazuko, was born into a bohemian family where classical music was a staple part of the diet. Now, the London based outré singer-songwriter and multi- instrumentalist is all about high art, high class, high gloss and high drama. 

Calista Kazuko's classical roots at the Royal Academy of Music have been jettisoned, she is now carving out her own genre with a diamond-edged blade which she likes to call ‘sophistipop-noir’, perfectly and elegantly exhibited in her highly anticipated EP, Project: Love Me.

'As a full-time, unadulterated, unashamed drama queen, 'Project: Love Me' tells a story full of extravagance, opulence and of course - DRAMA!'

The collaborative producers named on the record include such music heavyweights as award winning film composer Guy Dagul, and super-producers Nuno Fernandes and Dennis Weinreich.

Calista's way with a grand piano, story-telling songwriting and sophisticated performance style blend together into a dry, heady cocktail that will leave your emotions exposed and giddy. She's not so much lightning in a bottle as the conjuror of the storm.

www.facebook.com/CalistaKazuko/

London-based Drones are set to play a special, free entry headline show at the unique Tamesis Dock in London on 28th Nov to celebrate the announcement of their new album ‘Exiled’. The record will be released via Lockjaw Records early next year. Produced by Drones guitarist Tim Kramer at Signal House Studios, ‘Exiled’ is the first full length from Drones to feature the current line-up.
 
As vocalist Lois McDougall explains, "Exiled is a collection of songs that we began writing after being struck by the misery of the European refugee crisis. Some of the songs are written from the perspectives of fictional characters of those impacted by the crisis, and others of those who prefer to distance themselves from it. Millions of people are suffering every day and it's a subject that should be kept at the forefront of all of our minds. Music is a great platform for personal connection. We've taken a subject that can so easily be viewed as a distant-seeming 'world-issue', and tried to make it more personal. In doing so, we hope that people may feel more compassion for the victims, and that those suffering may find an ounce of comfort in these songs. Exiled is dedicated to those fleeing any war-torn country."
 
‘Territories’ was a first glimpse at the visceral content within the album and can be heard alongside its hard-hitting music video here. Stay tuned for more music launching around the just-announced London show. Drones are also set to play Manchester Punk Festival in April next year alongside Propagandhi and more plus there will be further live dates announced.  
 
Drones’ previously purely-punk-inspired oeuvre has given way to something that’s further reaching in terms of genre, drawing upon a wider “rock” influence. From playing underground squats to appearing on festival stages, Drones have seen a lot of live action during their career to date and this is not set to let up. The band have already supported the likes of Marmozets, Neck Deep, Gallows, Funeral For A Friend, Heck and H2O, and played Download Festival this year, as well as packing out their own headline shows.

DRONES ARE:

Lois McDougall - vocals
Rob King - guitar
Tim Kramer - guitar / backing vocals
James Kerr - bass / backing vocals
Mitchell Thomas - drums
 
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www.twitter.com/dronesuk

Paloma Faith – one of only two British female artists this decade to have their last three albums go double platinum in the UK – will release her long-awaited fourth album, ‘The Architect’, on November 17 via RCA Records.
 
The new album – her first in more than three years and since giving birth to her first child – features an array of acclaimed co-writers, producers and collaborators including: Sia, John Legend, Jesse Shatkin, TMS, Starsmith, Tobias Jesso Jr., Eg White, Rag'n'Bone Man, actor Samuel L. Jackson and journalist and activist Owen Jones.
 
Paloma, who won the BRIT Award for British Female Solo Artist in 2015 following the phenomenal success of her last record, 2014’s ‘A Perfect Contradiction’, explores both personal and political themes on the album.
 
Whilst the music is classic Paloma – with sweeping orchestral tracks, smooth soul, sleek disco grooves and stomping electro pop all featured on the album – the lyrics raise social and political questions, and cover powerful and topical themes, such as motherhood, social anxiety, wealth inequality, technology’s impact on feelings of alienation…. oh and also the future of the Western world, Donald Trump, Brexit and the refugee crisis – all within the confines of classic pop.

A deluxe version of the album will include four bonus tracks -
 
16. Power to the Peaceful
17. Tonight’s Not the Only Night
18. My Body
19. Price of Fame

Title track ‘The Architect’ features - if you can imagine it – Paloma as Mother Nature, singing to humanity, while ‘Guilty’ reflects on the Brexit vote from the perspective of a Leave voter who regrets their choice. Lead single ‘Crybaby’ ponders whether war would cease to exist if men successfully dealt with their emotions, and ‘Lost and Lonely’ is sung from the viewpoint of a skeleton!
 
The album also includes the track ‘Warrior’ written by Sia, which Paloma interprets to be about the refugee crisis, a duet with John Legend, ‘I’ll Be Gentle’, and two spoken word interludes – album opener ‘Evolution’ which is performed by acclaimed actor Samuel L. Jackson and ‘Politics of Hope’ which is a political commentary by Owen Jones. String arrangements on ‘The Architect’, ‘Warrior’ and ‘I’ll Be Gentle’ were written by David Arnold, the celebrated film and TV composer best known for his work on James Bond and Sherlock.
 
Paloma said: “‘The Architect’ is a social observation record. I was adamant that I wouldn’t write about love. I wanted to look outside of myself. I’m coming at politics from the perspective of the common man or woman, observing why people are suffering. Each song on the record is about a different pocket of the socio-political world that I’ve been delving into.”
 
She added: “I wanted to write something more modern. On previous albums I’ve been more concerned with the past, but now I’m looking forward because of motherhood and wanting to change things for a better future. It’s a marriage of old and new.”
 
Today Paloma releases the video for first single, ‘Crybaby’ – watch here. The dystopian video, which is directed by Thomas James and was shot in Ukraine, opens with footage of IVF, a newborn baby and a young girl, before a man addresses a group of uniformed young people, including the girl, in a human factory. He gives a speech about qualities such as emotion, empathy and feeling, which he says are “for the weak, for those we leave behind, for those that we remove from the crop.” The rest of video features Paloma as one of the people in the institution as she encounters the brutal training of the people imprisoned.
 
‘The Architect’ follows the huge success of Paloma’s last album, ‘A Perfect Contradiction’, which spent 29 weeks in the Top 10 Albums Chart, 66 weeks in the Top 40, and 100 weeks in the Top 200. The epic lead single from the record, ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’, is Paloma’s biggest-selling to date, with over half a million copies sold and 55 million streams on Spotify.

Pre-order the ‘The Architect’ here and here
 
Paloma will embark on a UK arena tour next year, entertaining huge crowds across the UK and Ireland playing shows at venues including the Manchester Arena, Newcastle’s Metro Radio Arena, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Dublin’s 3Arena and London’s O2 Arena. Tickets for The Architect tour 2018 go on sale on September 29 at 9am via gigsandtours.com
 
Full UK arena tour dates below:
 
March 2          First Direct Arena, Leeds
March 3          Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham
March 5          BHGE Arena, Aberdeen
March 6          The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
March 8          Manchester Arena, Manchester

March 9          Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle
March 11        BIC, Bournemouth
March 12        Brighton Centre, Brighton
March 14        O2 Arena, London
March 17        Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff

March 20        Echo Arena, Liverpool
March 21        Genting Arena, Birmingham
March 23        The SSE Arena, Belfast
March 24        3Arena, Dublin

The new album October 27th, 2017

Check out the trailer for the first single ‘Break’ here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAnOGly0PM4&feature=youtu.be

After the success of their ‘Sentience’ EP, hard-hitting UK quartet Skarlett Riot soon began to attract interest from far and wide. Signing deals with TKO Agency and The Artery Foundation management were just the beginning for this highly rated act – soon they had signed a world-wide record deal with the pro-active and forward thinking Swedish label Despotz Records.

With the ink still drying on their contracts the four-piece, led by the unique and passionate vocals of Skarlett, headed back in to the studio to begin work on their hugely anticipated second album.

The new material is harder, heavier, faster but still driven by the anthemic hooks that have kept this band at the forefront of the UK modern metal scene.

The band have constantly developed and honed their craft; and the band are in comfortable in their darker and heavier guise, with elements of Asking Alexandria, In This Moment and Bullet for My Valentine shining through; opening up all new possibilities for the band

The result is the amazing new album – ‘Regenerate’.

Whereas their peers are all seemingly heading towards a lighter direction, Skarlett Riot are embracing the anger and aggression of the modern world and challenging it into some of their most challenging material to date.

The commanding voice of Skarlett has taken on a bolder and more forceful presence, whilst the guitars of Danny are razor sharp and incisive, giving the rhythm section of Luke and Martin the room to progress and expand into a taut, almost hostile driving force, as the first single ‘Break’ ably demonstrates!

The regeneration is complete – Skarlett Riot are back!

Skarlett - Lead Vocals/Guitars
Danny - Guitars/Backing Vocals
Martin Shepherd - Bass/Backing Vocals
Luke - Drums

Skarlett Riot live

September 2nd – Macmillan Fest, Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
November 10th – Bedford, Esquires (with Toseland)
November 12th – Oxford, Academy 2 (with Toseland)
November 14th – York, Fibbers (with Toseland)
November 15th – Stoke, Sugarmill (with Toseland)