Do you want sauce with that, Barbarian?

October saw the release of Hotchip's The Barbarian EP, a limited vinyl only release which precedes the official release of their new single "Over & Over" (due out in the New Year). It features the tracks: Over & Over, My Shit's On Fire, No Fit State and Barbarian.

Hot Chip were in Miloco back in the summer, mixing album tracks in The Garden, and these are some of their forthcoming live dates: 19th Nov '05 The Tunnel Aberdeen 20th Nov '05 Optimo @ Sub Club Glasgow...21st Nov '05 Club NME @ Digital Newcastle...25th Nov '05 Evol @ Korova Liverpool...26th Nov '05 Club NME @ Rescue Rooms Nottingham...and theyÕre then on the road with LCD Soundsystem as follows: 3rd Dec '05 Barrowlands Glasgow...4th Dec '05 Ritzy ManchesterÉ6th Dec '05 Blank Canvas Leeds...7th Dec '05 Brixton Academy London... www.hotchip.co.uk

Smash those hits!

Yes, young Rachel Stevens has been nominated in four awards categories for the 2005 Smash Hits Poll Winners Party. Her latest album, Come And Get It, (regrettably not the follow up to Can We Have Our Ball Back, Missus?) was recorded by our master of skewed pop, Pete Hofmann, and attracted rave reviews from all corners of the media world for it's sleazy, slick 'n' sumptuous ways.

She's in with the chance of the following awards: 'Smash Hits Star Of The Year', 'Best Solo Artist' (where she's up against, amongst others, fellow Miloco customer, Lee Ryan) as well as 'Most Fanciable Female' and 'Smash Hits Style Icon' - if she can shake off a certain Paris Hilton's fan-base... www.rachelstevensofficial.com

Holy Frozen Monkeys!

Trouble's a'brewing at the top of the indie tree, folks, as it seems certain Monkeys and Chiefs aren't exactly bosom buddies. Arctic Monkey, Alex Turner, recently said "I think if we're next year's Kaiser Chiefs, we'll quit. I suppose they've sold a lot of records, but I don't like them. They're a bit annoying." He also baulked at people who, in efforts to describe their music, say 'just think the Kaiser Chiefs and you're nearly there'. "That's just thick isn't it?" he said. www.arcticmonkeys.com

Love bite luck

Not content with tracking down a management company via Google, the quartet of young punkettes known as Love Bites then happened along a little advice from Sir Mike of Skinner. He chanced to be in a studio next door to the girls and was duly invited in. "He listened to our single You Broke My Heart and said it was really cool and to 'Keep it cheeky.'" Featuring, as it does, the lyric "You broke my heart, so I broke your nose," it's safe to say they took the advice to heart. www.thelovebites.com

The Brightening Space

Stars of last issue's New Band Profile, the up and coming The Bright Space boys proudly snared their first radio plays this month. Scotland's Jim Gellatly played 'Wrongstar' on his Beatscene show, while Emma Scott of Kerrang played 'With no time to kill' on RAW.

They're also playing the following lower-case gigs: 7th nov: liverpool academy 3...9th nov: birmingham jug of ale...10th nov: northampton soundhaus...13th nov: southampton mono... 16th nov: brighton freebutt... 17th nov: london water rats... 18th nov: leicester charlotte... 21st nov: glasgow king tuts... 22nd nov: aberdeen tunnels... www.thebrightspace.com

Nick and the bad deeds

Recently seen sashaying about in The Garden, Mr Nick Cave has also been busy writing a screenplay. The film, The Proposition, is a macabre revenge Western set in the Australian outback, and itÕs released this month. It features a Cave-penned soundtrack into the bargain, performances from the likes of Ray Winstone, Guy Pearce and John Hurt, and is reportedly really rather marvelous. www.nickcaveandthebadseeds.com

 

All aboard Agnes...

Mystery Jets are set to release their fourth single on the 5th December. 'Alas Agnes' will be available in three formats, with the CD featuring the B-side 'The Last Bench'. The 7" vinyl edition will include the song 'Electric Fire', whilst the limited edition 7" vinyl will boast 'Rastamadeus (Live at Eel Pie)' and 'Lizzie's Lion' on the underside, as well as a live version of 'Alas Agnes'.



They're also off on a gargantuan 27-date UK tour throughout November and December, which is far too many dates for MILC to list here, but if you go to their website and ask nicely I'm sure they'll squeal... www.mysteryjets.com

Here to Mattafix you

After a sterling performance on Later...with Jools Holland, Miloco favourites, Mattafix, are on the road with a vengeance this winter, both in their own right and in support of Jem and then Joss Stone. They're bringing their distinctive brand of dubbed-up laid back hip hop to the gleeful masses huddling within the following venues:

November: 2nd - London KoKo; 17th - London Metro; 25th - Wolverhampton Wulfren Hall; 26th - London Shepherd's Bush Empire; 28th - Portsmouth Pyramids; 29th - Cardiff University Solus Bar; 30th - Cambridge Junction...December: 2nd - Glasgow ABC Club; 3rd - Dublin Ambassador Theatre; 4th - Manchester Academy 2; 8th - Brighton Centre; 10th - Plymouth Pavillions ; 12th - Manchester Apollo; 14th - Birmingham NIA; 16th - RDS Dublin; 18th - Blackpool Empress Ballroom; 20th & 22nd - London Hammersmith Apollo... www.mattafix.com

 

Shake a leg and win an Atari!

Those Roll Deep boys are currently running a competition to win a rather lovely Atari Flashback console, as well as a copy of the game Getting Up and an oh-so-desirable Atari t-shirt. Just head on down to their website and click on the rather presumptive Win tab.

They're also rolling about the country this month in support of their Miloco recorded debut album, 'In At The Deep End'... 14th Dec: Timeclub, Swansea; 2nd Dec: Pantiles Night Club, Bagshot; 27th Nov: Club Pulse, Stevenage; 25th Nov: U18 - Planet Ice @ Milton Keynes; 19th Nov: Honeycomb, Edinburgh; 15th Nov: Operation Black Vote, Jongleurs, Birmingham; 14th Nov: Squares Club, Norwich. www.roll-deep.com

 

Williams in window wonder!

If you were to slip on down to Kathryn Williams' website today, you'd be in for a lovely surprise... There's a deliciously intimate little video of her performing Shop Window, and this link will take you right there! For everything else Kathryn-like, this is where to go: www.kathyrnwilliams.net

Everybody needs good...Sons & Daughters

After presumably working through a list of names they deemed unacceptable (Home & Away, Neighbours and Prisoner Cell Block H, to name but a few) these decidedly un-soapy types have been making merry of late with their brand of ode to Johnny Cash, Velvet Undergroundesque, murder ballad beauty.

Sons & Daughters were in The Square, tracking and overdubbing in the summer of 2005, and they're swooping into the following venues soon, too: 20 Nov: Concorde 2, Brighton... 21 Nov: Kings College, London... 22 Nov: Academy 3, Manchester... 23 Nov: Rescue Rooms, Nottingham... 24 Nov: ABC, Glasgow... 26 Nov: Limelight, Belfast... 27 Nov: The Village, Dublin... before heading off to, where else, Australia for a bit. www.sonsanddaughtersloveyou.com