Six weeks, three tours and three albums we cannot wait for.
Finally, the wait is over. Tonight on Radio One, The Magic Gang announced their debut album.
Wrapped up in the celebratory playing of The Magic Gang's previous releases and waiting for midnight so we could play their latest track, Get Along, over and over again, we realised a lot of new music is heading its way over the next few weeks.
The Wombat's new album. The return of The Vaccines and of course the newly announced breakout record from the Magic Gang.
Twelve tracks long, the self-titled album was about to start feeling well overdue. When the band announced they would be on Radio One with Annie Mac, we expected a new track, news about the upcoming tour and a few questions about their elusive debut album. Everything happened the way were expecting and then they dropped the bombshell that the album will be out in 32 days time. Yes, next month. The 16th of March.
The type of announcement we were anticipating was at best the usual 'our album will be out in 4 months time' or 'by the end of summer'. Less than six weeks warning is something we were not ready for at all, but we are not complaining.
"The Magic Gang" by The Magic Gang is out March 16th. This is going to be a huge, if not one of the biggest, debut records being released this year in the UK. Get on to their Spotify, Apple Music (and all the rest), check them out, pre-order the album and try to catch them somewhere this year, between their headline tour and numerous festival slots.
Their tour kicks off in Birmingham less than a week after the album is released. Hitting 6 cities, the tour finishes in The Electric Ballroom London.
March 2018
22 - Birmingham, O2 Institute 2
23 - Manchester, Academy 2 // SOLD OUT
24 - Leeds, The Church // SOLD OUT
25 - Glasgow, King Tuts // SOLD OUT
27 - Bristol, Thekla // SOLD OUT
28 - London, Electric Ballroom
Safe to say we won't be sleeping tonight. Instead, we're staying awake until midnight, just to hear the album as it is released into the world (call us obsessed if you need to). In other words, we cannot wait for it.
The Vaccines have returned.
English Graffiti feels like a lifetime ago. As people who have loved this band for a very (very) long time, a new album is something special. For the past five years, we've been (carefully) running our 7" copy of 'Teenage Icon' into the ground. It was one of the first vinyls we ever bought and is from a time where our love for this band was moving from generally liking them to becoming a little obsessed. Can you blame us?
Although we're still pretty young, we already feel nostalgic towards the band's debut album and have always disagreed with their position in the BBC Sound of 2011 (where they came third behind Jessie J and James Blake). History aside, the new album is called Combat Sports and is released on the 30th of March. There's a sizeable UK tour to go alongside happening in April and already two tracks, Nightclub and I Can't Quit, have been released from the upcoming record. The tour kicks off in Bristol and ends in a huge final date at London's Alexandra Palace.
April
As usual, we're planning to get to as many of these dates as possible and genuinely think you should too. Please please please, buy tickets direct from the bands websites or via sites like Ticketmaste/See tickets etc. Don't assume buying a re-sale ticket will get you into the venue because it might not, especially when touts are being closed in on.
At age ten, we were consumed with the world of primary school drama and bluetoothing MP3 files of our favourite songs to our friends. There was one band we listened to and like a lot. They were from Liverpool and had a bit of a weird name. We didn't understand why bands had to have animals mentioned in their names, like the Arctic Monkeys, but we liked them anyway.
They were called The Wombats. Ten years later, we're waiting patiently for our copy of their latest album, Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life, to be delivered tomorrow morning.
They were called The Wombats. Ten years later, we're waiting patiently for our copy of their latest album, Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life, to be delivered tomorrow morning.
We've already heard a few tracks off the album, like Lemon To A Knife Fight and Turn, and its safe to say our love for them hasn't gone anywhere. Listening through their discography from start to (the current) finish, you do hear the bands sound progress and become less 'teenage indie band' (which worked for them at the time because that's what they were). Growing up alongside this bands music means we've got memories attached to tracks that we remember from a specific time and place, like Greek Tragedy being played at prom. For as long as we've been writing and have been properly obsessed with music, The Wombats have always been there. Sometimes in the background or as an 'old track' in one of our playlists - they've been there throughout.
Safe to say we won't be sleeping tonight. Instead, we're staying awake until midnight, just to hear the album as it is released into the world (call us obsessed if you need to). In other words, we cannot wait for it.
March 2018
13 Mar – Belfast, Limelight
14 Mar – Dublin, Academy
16 Mar – Cardiff, Great Hall // SOLD OUT
17 Mar – Sheffield, O2 Academy // SOLD OUT
19 Mar – Aberdeen, Beach Ballroom
20 Mar – Newcastle, O2 Academy
21 Mar – Nottingham, Rock City // SOLD OUT
23 Mar – Birmingham, O2 Institute
24 Mar – Manchester, Academy
25 Mar – Norwich, UEA // SOLD OUT
27 Mar – London, Alexandra Palace
28 Mar – Bristol, O2 Academy
29 Mar – Southampton, O2 Guildhall
English Graffiti feels like a lifetime ago. As people who have loved this band for a very (very) long time, a new album is something special. For the past five years, we've been (carefully) running our 7" copy of 'Teenage Icon' into the ground. It was one of the first vinyls we ever bought and is from a time where our love for this band was moving from generally liking them to becoming a little obsessed. Can you blame us?
Although we're still pretty young, we already feel nostalgic towards the band's debut album and have always disagreed with their position in the BBC Sound of 2011 (where they came third behind Jessie J and James Blake). History aside, the new album is called Combat Sports and is released on the 30th of March. There's a sizeable UK tour to go alongside happening in April and already two tracks, Nightclub and I Can't Quit, have been released from the upcoming record. The tour kicks off in Bristol and ends in a huge final date at London's Alexandra Palace.
April
3 - Bristol, O2 Academy
5 - Bournemouth, O2 Academy
6 - Cambridge, Corn Exchange
7 - Birmingham, O2 Academy
9 - Manchester, O2 Academy
10 - Nottingham, Rock City
12 - Glasgow, O2 Academy
13 - Sheffield, O2 Academy
14 - London, Alexandra Palace
As usual, we're planning to get to as many of these dates as possible and genuinely think you should too. Please please please, buy tickets direct from the bands websites or via sites like Ticketmaste/See tickets etc. Don't assume buying a re-sale ticket will get you into the venue because it might not, especially when touts are being closed in on.