Big Wave #6 - Goldmine

Facebook / wearebigwave.com

Big Wave are quickly making a name for themselves, not only as one of finest new bands in the UK but as excellent video makers too, following the wonderful speed-dating theme of the "Only You" video comes "Goldmine", the lead single from their sexy new cassette due next week via Art is Hard - pre-order here, which sees the band tackle their alter-egos in a gameshow.

Another Robot are again responsible for the video as "Goldmine" bounces along with endless indie-pop enthusiasm and infectious guitar hooks, perfectly complimenting the super-sweet flip-side "GW Bridge" which we heard a couple of weeks back, a perfect, summery beauty that will do little but enhance your day - those 100 cassettes - they are going to fly out - get one act quickly.

Big Wave #5 - GW Bridge

Facebook / wearebigwave.com

A band I can be unbiased about again - after their last single Only You was released via my Beautiful Strange label - Big Wave return to brighten you day, well I say that, the track, the flip side to the Torquay quintet's latest single "Goldmine" (due May 20th via a rather gorgeous looking golden embossed cassette release by Art is Hard Records). is actually about a suicide hot-spot...

You'll be forgiven for not knowing that or noticing as "GW Bridge" bounds along like an over-excited toddler, all vibrant beats, catchy hooks and echoing vocals. Big Wave are one of the finest indie-pop bands around today and this urgent, melodic jangle is (another) proof of that - there are only 100 tapes so don't hang around kids.

Beautiful Strange Presents: Big Wave 'Only You':

A quick plug, arguably the best line-up I've ever put together if I don't say so myself! Details below. It would be great to see you there...



BEAUTIFUL STRANGE PRESENTS:

SUNDAY 28TH OCTOBER at The Buffalo Bar, Islington

BIG WAVE 'ONLY YOU' SINGLE LAUNCH FT:

BIG WAVE + HELLA BETTER DANCER + THE TUTS + YOUNG ROMANCE

Doors: 19.30. Advance Tickets £5 via wegottickets: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/188386

Beautiful Strange is delighted to host the single launch party for the debut vinyl release by Torquay five piece Big Wave, 'Only You'. With all fingers crossed they'll be advanced copies of the single on sale on the night (official release date is November 5th) and they'll be give-aways throughout. The first 20 people through the doors on the night will receive a goody bag with a selection of nice things, vinyl, tapes, badges and more.

BIG WAVE - https://www.facebook.com/wearebigwaveband / http://wearebigwave.com/
"I stumbled across Big Wave at the Buffalo Bar. They were on a bill with Tender Trap and their jangle surf tinged pop was a like a blast of a fresh sea breeze... Big Wave have a sound that crosses a hinterland that has indiepop flirting with the poppy moments of dreampop. Their sound is reminiscent of the finest Swede pop (think Sambassadeur or The Radio Dept. at their most pop). You're all gonna love this band". Trev at Oddbox Records



HELLA BETTER DANCER - https://www.facebook.com/hellabetterdancer 

”..the HBD kids are getting ready to take London, Great Britain and the Universe by storm. With some serene and affecting melodies entwined with crisp riffs & beats and all taking place in a sparse, echo filled expanse..”- Matt Simmonds, SGTMT



THE TUTS - https://www.facebook.com/thetuts

"Part of an ongoing girl-band renaissance that takes in everything from the dark post-punk of Savages and Zoëtrøpe to the lo-fi sounds of Woolf and Skinny Girl Diet, The Tuts instead take a refreshingly punked-up pop approach, citing their inspirations as everyone from The Beatles to Bikini Kill, and wielding enough classic-indie influences to make them serious contenders for mainstream appeal should word continue to spread. The icing on the cake? They deliver a guitar-girl-gang pop sass the country hasn’t seen since Kenickie or Shop Assistants." The Girls Are



YOUNG ROMANCE - https://www.facebook.com/YoungRomanceMusic

"A wonderful noisy pop duo - Paolo and Claire are Young Romance. They write about love and doubt and dislocation, wrapping up their words in a layer of fuzz and distortion. They are inseparable. They live together, write together, finish each other’s sentences and second-guess what the other’s going to say next. Sweet, charming, funny, and entirely self contained, they can bicker and joke with each other for hours on end, splendidly isolated as the world rushes on all about them"



Facebook Event // Beautiful Strange on Tumblr // Beautiful Strange on Facebook

Venue: The Buffalo Bar, 259 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 (just outside Highbury & Islington tube station). Map.

Big Wave #4 - Only You

Facebook / wearebigwave.com/

It's not the first time it's happened but about ten months ago now I posted an "Introducing" blog on a new band from Devon called Big Wave whom I'd not heard more than a couple of songs by at the time and then after falling in love with the band music with their following releases, I find myself about to release their next single via Beautiful Strange with a single launch gig to follow.

I'll avoid my usual superlatives, it feels a bit wrong to praise something close to home, I'll let (hopefully) other sites do that (they should because it is fucking awesome) and instead just give you something new to listen to and enjoy (and then tell your friends about)...

Beautiful Strange is delighted to announce its next release will be the debut vinyl release by Torquay five-piece Big Wave, ‘Only You’ is due for release on Monday November 5th 2012 with another new track "Living Room" on the flip side. The wonderful artwork is by Niamh Tulley.

Limited to 500 copies on ‘beer’ coloured vinyl (with digital download) the single is available to pre-order now via Beautiful Strange Bandcamp: http://beautifulstrange.bandcamp.com/ or Big Cartel http://beautifulstrange.bigcartel.com/. and will also be stocked in various UK/Euro retailers too.

They'll also be a single launch party at London’s Buffalo Bar on Sunday 28th October headlined by the band with special guests tba. They’ll also be some special give-aways too. Head over to the facebook event page for more details.

Watch the video /stream "Only You" below:

Big Wave #3 - Dying on the Vine

Facebook / wearebigwave.bandcamp.com/

Hello Monday, it's so good to have you here again. Of course, the idea of being in the office 9-5 is so much more appealing than enjoying the hot weather outside like I spent the majority of the weekend (when I wasn't getting annoyed at football - welcome back my love)... unfortunately that doesn't pay the rent, so instead, here is a track to transport you back to the garden/beach/park from my favourite bunch of Torquay-ers (I've no actual idea if that's the name for somebody from Torquay) Big Wave, with a brand spanking new track "Dying on the Vine"...

Released on Friday as part of Art Is Hard's Pizza Box series you can download the track for free following the link I've just given along with a host of other tracks too and you'll probably want to do that (even if it's just for Big Wave alone) as "Dying on the Vine" is all sorts of amazing, bigger and bolder than anything the five piece have recorded before, immediately drawing you in with powerful, bright guitar lines, punchy drums  and bouncing synths, this is pop music kids.

The track might be available on the bands forthcoming 7" single, due in a couple of months, more on that soon enough...

Big Wave #2 - The Roots of Love

Facebook / wearebigwave.tumblr.com/

It's fair to say the Soft Power Records are on fire at the minute, a swift return after the sold-out September Girls cassette (I did tell you to act quickly) sees the Scottish based label release the second (and first physical) EP by Torquay's Big Wave. Following up their wonderful 'Another Year or Two' EP which stole my heart just before Christmas is the five track 'The Roots of Love (Come Tumbling Down')...

Two (or three if you count the reappearance of the perfect slice of summer sunshine pop in "Another Year or Two") tracks are available to preview now and fans of beautiful, pure and well crafted indie-pop should be ready to fall in love. "Circumstance" serves as an ideal introduction, bathed in sweet dreamy vocals, the five piece's jangle guitars, shimmering keys and skittish drums provide a melody likely to melt icebergs, or at least cause the sun that we're due this week to arrive in timely manner.

"Leavers Party" changes things up with a shift up in pace, more mid 90's indie than the Sarah's Records influenced sounds I've heard from Big Wave previously, it works too, with a bouncy keyline, stomping beat and reverb heavy vocals it's ready to fill indie club dance floors just as soon as they release we don't all want to be listening to Kasabian and the Kaiser Chief's.

One of the tracks you'll have to buy the EP for is probably my highlight, "Blissed Out", a perfect title for the care-free nostalgia of the band, breezy and overwhelmingly luscious. With that tease I should give you the release details, the limited five track cassette is released 11th of June, keep your eyes peeled via the links above for order info.

Big Wave - New Music "Introducing"

Facebook / wearebigwave.bandcamp.com/

So, it's December again, it seems like yesterday when we were putting away our Christmas trees and throwing away leftover turkey dinners and now here we are on the run in to doing it all again. Though, of course if you've been listening to the advert makers you're probably sick of it already; seemingly starting before Halloween these days (or increasingly the music industry, the She & Him Christmas album was released in October!).

There were two options today (I start my tips for 2012 / top albums next week), I post Christmas songs or I post songs that make me think or summer, I've gone for the latter, although it's hardly been a bitter winter (yet) what better to cheer you up then some brand spanking new (and utterly gorgeous) tracks from an act who coincidently aren't too dissimilar in sound from the aforementioned She & Him.

Big Wave are a newly formed five piece from Torquay, famous for being the setting of Fawlty Towers and err the Babbacombe Model Village (me neither) and have clearly been enjoying their time in the baking English sunshine. "Wild Strawberries", the first track the band recorded is genuinely wonderful, an uplifting slice of dreamy indie pop, portraying all the ups and downs of young love over three minutes of sugar-sweet, doo-wop vocals, understated and accomplished guitars and rat a tat drums, pure and unadulterated pop that's a throwback to charming, playful tunes of the 50's and 60's.

"Another Year or Two" is similarly pretty as a flower, with effortless and whimsical melodies that are laid-back and provide nothing but a blissful, enjoyable listen. Want to keep St. Nick at bay a little longer? Well then Mr Scrooge, take a gander at this:

Wild Strawberries by wearebigwave
Another Year Or Two by wearebigwave


Big Wave - Another Year or Two from Big Wave on Vimeo.