Alabaster dePlume Does Not Know

14 May 2012

Check out Elle Brotherhood’s stop motion promo film for Alabaster dePlume’s song “I Don’t Know” from the album “Copernicus - The Good Book Of No” on general release from Debt Records on 28th May 2012

The album is available to pre-order from Alabaster dePlume’s online store

Read More | Leave a comment

Louis transforms himself in Bedlam Six video shocker!

10 May 2012

Watch the promo video for “Deep Enough” the closing track of Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six’s Memoir Noir EP (directed by Joseph Mannion from SleepingState Film).

There are a few behind-the-scenes photographs on the Bedlam Six Blog.

Read More | Leave a comment

"Memoir Noir" by Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six

12 March 2012

The new record by Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six is released today exclusively through the band’s online shop.
Available in 10” Vinyl, CD and Download.
On general release (via iTunes etc) 8th April.

Read More | Leave a comment

A rare glimpse of Louis Barabbas' sensitive side

26 February 2012

Louis Barabbas is best known for his caustic love songs and aggressive stage shows but new song “Living In The Aftermath” (from the upcoming record Memoir Noir) shows an altogether different side. This is illustrated beautifully by the accompanying music video directed by Nick Leyland featuring Alfie the dog.

Memoir Noir is available to buy in a range of formats from 12th March

Read More | Leave a comment

A Christmas Present For You...

05 December 2011

Christmas is creeping up on us once again.

But it’s not all bad.

We have a present for you.

Re-imaginings of classic Christmas songs by artists from the Debt roster.

You fill find a download link in our shop. There are no strings attached, no email address needs to be submitted or “likes” declared. Just some excellent music that happens to be a bit season-specific!

Gawd Bless Us, Every one!

Read More | Leave a comment

Debt It Snow!

02 December 2011

We’re putting together a little Christmas Present for you in the shape of a seasonal compilation. Christmas carols and yuletide pop songs re-imagined by artists from the Debt roster.

Here’s a little taster of the sort of thing to expect:

The album will be available as a free download from Monday 5th December

Read More | Leave a comment

Danny Mahon release postponed

02 December 2011

Due to events beyond anyone’s control we are having to postpone the release of Danny and Becca’s single “Four Walls” (originally scheduled for release on Wednesday 7th December).

Once we have an alternative release date we shall announce it here as well as the various social networks.

In the mean time, you can still enjoy Danny’s last single “Odd Socks Is The Secret Recipe”

We thank you for your patience in this matter

Read More | Leave a comment

Ladies and Gentlemen... a warm welcome to Danny Mahon

13 October 2011

Debt is happy to announce that we will be releasing Danny Mahon’s next single “4 Walls” in late November. The song, a duet with our own Becca Williams (of Broken Biscuits fame), has been put together specially to raise money for Francis House Children’s Hospice in Manchester.

Danny has been on our radar for a while (indeed, if you live in the Northwest he’s a difficult artist to ignore). His upcoming album, recorded at PlainSounds studio where many of our artists have recorded in the past, features members of Debt stalwarts The Bedlam Six among the session musicians for a number of the tracks. He has just come back from touring in Italy with Liam Gallagher’s new band Beady Eye.

We look forward to telling you more about the release over the next few weeks…

Read More | 1 comment

Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six "Live At The Dancehouse Theatre" now on sale

08 August 2011

Now on general release from the Debt Records Online Shop and all the usual digital retailers LOUIS BARABBAS & THE BEDLAM SIX - LIVE AT THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE

The seventeen track album was recorded live at a packed out show at Manchester’s beautiful Dancehouse Theatre on Saturday 5th February. The album sleeve features photography from local photographer Gordon Jackson and the names of audience members present on the night.

Described by Louis as the band’s “most joyful, energetic and honest album to date” the record is now on general release.

We hope you like it.

Read More | Leave a comment

Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six Album Launch Party at The Ruby Lounge

04 August 2011

The launch party for Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six’s new live album will feature special guest appearances and exclusive collaborations with Kirsty Almeida, Liz Green, Richard Barry and Becca Williams at Manchester’s Ruby Lounge on Saturday 6th August. The album is officially released the following Monday (8th August).

The first album by original Dirt-Swing progenitors Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six featured a string section, brass ensemble and twelve-piece dog-impersonation choir; the second release closed with a Richard Burton-style narrative-led instrumental epilogue. This new record, however, is much simpler - seven friends playing seventeen songs recorded live in their hometown of Manchester at the beginning of a Europe-wide tour.

They chose the prestigious Dancehouse Theatre as the location for the ambitious recording of their infamously energetic live show. That night (5th February 2011) the auditorium was packed to bursting and those that didn’t book ahead had to be turned away from the door. The band played three sets (including a stint as backing group for special guest John Otway) and over the course of the night the bar had to be restocked no less than three times. When the final curtain fell the calls of Encore rang out long after the houselights came up.

“It was a real career highlight” says Louis, “it’s been a hard slog getting to this point but walking out onto that big stage in our hometown, playing with my personal hero to a full house and making a record all at the same time was an experience I’ll never forget… it also energised all of us in anticipation of our first European tour.”

Now the album they recorded that night is about to be released and the band have got a fittingly spectacular launch party planned. This time the Ruby Lounge will be the venue - “it’s a less formal setting than the Dancehouse” says Louis, “a place where people can feel at ease heckling or throwing their drinks at the stage - and it’s good for a boogie!”

As well as performing two sets of their own material the band will be joined by contemporaries from the Manchester music circuit, playing specially prepared collaborative pieces. Guests include the internationally renowned Kirsty Almeida and Liz Green, as well as popular label-mates Richard Barry and Becca Williams.

The collaborative aspect of this launch is typical of The Bedlam Six, a band that have always avoided conventional support/headline events if they can help it, especially in Manchester:

“There’s only so much control you can have over a show when you’re out on tour” says Louis, “but when you’re playing to your home audience - some of which were there at the very beginning - you are obliged to make that show something special, something a bit exclusive. The day we stop making that special effort is the day we retire.”

Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six play Manchester’s Ruby Lounge on Saturday 6th August. The live album is out the following monday, available from the Debt Records Shop.

Read More | Leave a comment

Bedlam Six Live Album Inlay Notes

10 May 2011

We are going to send the Bedlam Six live album to the pressing plant soon. As promised, the names of audience members will be among the sleeve notes.

If you were at the show please have a quick glance at the list below to check that we have transcribed your names correctly. If you see a name of someone you were with but the spelling is inaccurate let us know about that too as they may not see this post.

Only about half the people present on the night gave us their name so if you know anyone who was there and isn’t on the list but would like to be let us know and we’ll add them.

Right, here it is…

Stefan Elsaesser, Dan Keehan, Ruthie Roo, Jennifer Liddle, Alex Mastin, Kim Casement-Mastin, Helen Crosbie, Adam Harper, Jess Connor, Vivienne Webster, Jade Mellor, Paul Rawlings, Richard Mullineux, Annemarie Visser, David Smith, Phylidda and Mike Maude Roxby, Terri Lucas, Carol Lucas, Gus Fairbairn, John Weldon, Louise Bilous, Neil Hilton, Erik Swyngedouw, Cail Kinton, Ian Moss, Mr Beg, Robert Woodhead, Richard Taylor, Eric Hamill, Trish Nevitt, Patrick Maude-Roxby, Danny “Mr Beat” Chorlton, Tom Munday, Jess Maude-Roxby, Lucy Moffit, Richard O’Connor, Ant Parr, Becky Dixon, Martin Connell, Chris Bye, Sam Garrett, Bee Gebhardt, Maria Kaika, Melanie Phillips, Ben Ferguson, Eleanor Goddard, Eric Thomas, Elaine Ellery, Kirstin Ramskir, Rashid Bouaissi, Liam and Nazia, Sam Saxby, Gemma Bradley, Laura Mackey, Andy Holland, Chris Naylor, Keith Naylor, Kyle Naylor, Judy and Len Cegielka, Jimmy Cush, Lynne Maggie Jaap Jenkinson, Gemma Hadsall, Rattler Damo, Ratther Jenkins, Louise Silous, Neil Hilton, Chris Wood, Mike Morris, Caroline McKevitt, Nick Wright, Mark Wharton, Sinbad, Mark Dwyer, Aiden Spencer, Philip Taylor, Adam Robertshaw, Colin Jackson, Sam Roberts, Jennifer Jackson, Alison Jackson, Sarah Wilde, Sophie Wright, Lorna Bennett, Arwell Jones, Damian McAreavey, Benedict Gifford, Jonathan McAreavey, Daniel O’Connor, Lauren Beard, Carol Hamson, Julian Romero, Johno Johnson, Eleanor Ives, Anne Hogan, Joe Brannigan, Michelle Gibson, Claire Ashton, Lisa Clarke, Derek Green, Alan Ackerley, Paul Addison, Chris Parkinson, Sean Bechhofer, Richard Cowan, Linda Irish, Mike Grierson, Richard Wood, Michelle Goodrich, Julia Goodrich, Mick Harris, Helen Nightingale, Gary Nightingale, Jeff Thompson, Zoe Thorman, Neil Tiffen, Kate Stephenson, Andrew Robinson, Claire Philbin, Jane Stratton, Lauren Wroe, Matt Panesh, Lissa Pinard, Gareth Hacking, Amelia Ubergoover Asburg, Jennifer Nelson, Laura Nixon Carfield, Mini Tombie, Ursula Pabisch, Camille Audsley, Lemmy Mark, Becky Webb, Alan Jones, Caroline Channing, Vicky Higgins, Nim Burgin, Victoria Symonds, Jessica Mancini, James Carr, Jo Eyre, Warwick Holland, Chris Horkan, Aidan O’Rourke, Charles Britten, Claire Hewitt, Claire Slatter, Clare Heaton, David Harbottle, Nick O’Sullivan, Doctor Yad, Christin Kusitzky, John Banks, Ina Prugel, Samantha Bail, Aleksandra Vuruna, Hannah Riley, Jane Mooney, Joan Wilson, Sam Alder, Chris Mitchell, Alex Lee, Dee Outtara, Tom Duffy, Jonathan Ritson, Zoe La Bron, Sophie Jane Daniel, Steve Pearce, David Crabtree, Marielle Hehir, Richard Barry, Gemma Foxcroft, Kelly Joseph, Hannah Crayk, Molly Macleod, Pam Shurmer-Smith, John Otway

Phew.

The launch party will be at Manchester’s Ruby Lounge on Saturday 6th August. We hope you can all join us for that. The album will be on general release on Monday 8th August.

Read More | 2 comments

Causes and Cures launch party

18 February 2011

Al Baker & The Dole Queue’s long awaited new album, “Causes and Cures”, is being released on Monday February 21st through Irregular Records.

To celebrate the release from this long time friend and associate of Debt Records, we are helping the band put on a very special (and FREE) show at Fuel Cafe Bar, our spiritual home in Withington, South Manchester.

Al Baker & The Dole Queue will be playing material off their new record, and will be joined on the bill by some of Debt Records’ finest folk players: Becca & The Broken Biscuits, Richard Barry & The Chaps and T. E. Yates.

There is a facebook event page with all the relevant information here

www.albaker.co.uk

Read More | Leave a comment

John Otway and The Bedlam Six

11 January 2011

Manchester Dirt-Swing outfit Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six team up with their hero to create a new live album at the Dancehouse Theatre on Saturday 5th February 2011.

It has been a busy year for the Manchester band, releasing the album “Found Drowned” in February, followed by the controversial single “Mother” (later included in Drowned In Sound’s top singles of 2010). They also played shows with rock behemoths Motörhead, jazz legends Sun Ra’s Arkestra and musical inspirations The Blockheads, before gaining national notoriety with their seedy lounge version of Take That’s “Relight My Fire” commissioned by the BBC.

But all that is nothing compared to what they have planned. Not content to mark the release of their new record with a conventional gig they have instead asked one of their musical heros, the anarchic John Otway, to join them for a special live recording session in The Dancehouse Theatre - a stage more famous for ballet than rock & roll.

“I first saw John Otway when I was sixteen,” says Barabbas, “he tore open his shirt, head-butted the microphone and put his head through the ceiling… to say he inspired me would be a criminally gross understatement - he was THE reason why I became a performer… I’m absolutely thrilled to finally be sharing a stage with him.”

This isn’t just a dream project for Louis though, the band are also keen to use the event as a gesture of thanks to their fanbase. Last year, members of the mailing list were asked what songs they’d like the band to play at the show and the band have since been busy rehearsing up old material and obscure covers. They have also announced that everyone present at the Dancehouse show will get their name added to the record’s liner notes and receive a free signed copy of the album upon release.

“The cyclical nature of it all is very appealing to me” says Louis, “this new record sums up the band in a way that our past releases don’t… I feel like it’s got a lot of truth in it. The decision to mark its release with a show in an old fashioned theatre, scripted in part by the audience and doubling as the next release, seemed very apt - a snapshot of The Bedlam Six on the first date of a Europe-wide tour at the beginning of a new decade. To then add to that mix a performance by the man who got me started in this business is the final piece of the puzzle - it just makes the whole thing perfect. One thing is certain: it’ll be a hard show for us to top!”

Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six with special guest John Otway will take place at The Dancehouse Theatre in Manchester on Saturday 5th February 2011. Tickets are £10 on the door and £8 advance. The show begins at 8pm. “Get Religion!” will be on general release from Monday 7th February.

Read More | Leave a comment

Red Rides: Housebound and Free

08 January 2011

Red Tides present their debut single “Housebound” as a free digital download on 10th January 2011.

Following a great year which has seen this unique five-piece release their debut EP “Wild Hour”, support San Francisco’s Vetiver at the Manchester Academy, take pride of place as BBC Manchester’s band of the week and feature on Music Week’s cover CD, Red Tides welcome in the new year with this very special two track digital single - completely free.

Singer/lyricist Molly Macleod describes the song as being about “the fear of decay… a song for people who are in the throes of the beginning of a relationship but cannot silence the worry that we are all bound to rust and weather.”

The mood is perfectly captured by filmmakers Mark Kendrick and Hossein Mirshahi who produced the stunning super-8 music video that accompanies the track.

“Hossein has a true love for film and art, he is the most passionate filmmaker I have ever met and is really inspiring” says Red Tides composer/guitarist Sam Alder.

Iranian filmmaker Hossein Mirshahi has been capturing and animating super-8 and 16mm film for the past 4 decades. Hossein grew up in rural Iran, and first moved to the UK in 1980s. Since then he has produced and collaborated on numerous films and art installations. After meeting four years ago, Manchester based producer and editor Mark Kendrick and Hossein began to collaborate on numerous projects. This work drew the attention of Red Tides who believed this style of art would be the perfect accompaniment to their music.

Kendrick commented “It is always an honour to work with Hossein’s beautiful footage and animation, and to combine this with the beautiful music of Red Tides was really special.”

“Housebound” will be made available for free download direct from the band’s online shop through www.debtrecords.net/shop on Monday 10th January 2011.

The EP is on general release from March.

Read More | Leave a comment

Becca & The Broken Dreams

10 November 2010

Pop music has always been about hope. After all, it’s a young person’s genre and Hope is what young people trade in. The rule applies to every pop hook from “We’ll meet again” in the 1940s to “I hope I die before I get old” in the 1960s and it continues on into the present day with no signs of abating.

Well now Becca & The Broken Biscuits are telling Pop Music that it’s time to grow up.

“Train Driver”, the new single from the Manchester three piece, was directly inspired by a list of bullet points its singer had come up with in response to the common question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” - a list she’d written over twenty years earlier.

On it the words “alt/folk-pop vocalist with day job in higher education and administration” are conspicuous by their absence. “Deep-sea diver”, “cowboy”, “explorer” and “spy” are just a few of the fanciful answers that pepper this moving song about when Rites of Passage give way to Rites of Past-It.

Songwriter Becca Williams (like the other artists on Debt Records) has always chosen to do things her own way. Attempts by others to change her image or influence her performance style have repeatedly been met with disinterest from the singer. As a consequence Becca’s beautiful voice, easy onstage performance style and naturally infectious music has, for the best part of a decade, been confined to the opening slots of dingy Northern pub music nights. Nevertheless, a mixture of indomitable enthusiasm and dogged determination has meant that over the last year she has finally been getting the recognition that was always due to her: receiving regular airplay, mainstage festival bookings and a growing international fan-base.

It’s strangely apt that the songs are so often about going somewhere - both in terms of geography as well as aspiration. “Astronaut Song” - the single’s B-Side and a long-time live favourite with fans - is a good example of this but, when one delves a little deeper into Becca’s lyrics, the message is more often about going nowhere. They speak about a life away from Pop Music’s promises - a life far more familiar to the X-Factor generation than to any other in the history of the mainstream music industry.

So it is with great pleasure that this independent label announces the release of “Train Driver”, the first of many projects Debt Records has planned with The Broken Biscuits. I’m tempted to make a Train Driver pun about being “on the right track”. But I won’t.

Read More | 3 comments

Becca's Secret Single

25 October 2010

Manifold catastrophes literally rained down on Becca Williams last month as a calamitous flood put all the worldly possessions in her Chorlton flat (and nearly also her pet cat) under water.

Rain and sewage may have drowned the instruments but it did not dampen Becca’s ambitions as she prepared for the release of her debut single “Train Driver” (along with its heart-breaking B-side “Astronaut Song”).

The record - on general release on 15th November - got a special “fans only” launch on 20th October at An Outlet in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. Becca explained the reason for this unconventional approach:

“There were all sorts of delays to this release that weren’t anyone’s fault, just unforeseen circumstances and bad luck. We didn’t want to keep pushing the date back and back though… we have such a great bunch of people who have supported us at shows and festivals over the years and they’ve been asking about the single - we didn’t want to let them down so decided to organize a free concert (for all the people on our mailing list) in which the audience would be given a free limited edition press of the single while we get the official release sorted properly. We basically just wanted to say ‘Thanks for the help over the years and hope it’s been worth the wait!’”

So the single was home pressed, the sleeves hand drawn by Becca and the distribution happened face to face. A fitting beginning that has been a long time coming.

BBC’s Chris Long - regular champion of Becca & The Broken Biscuits - had plugged the show as Manchester’s gig of the week and was in attendance on the night to see the action play out for himself, later tweeting that the event was “absolutely stunning.”

The evening’s entertainment closed with an appearance from label-mate Richard Barry (who had also been the opening act) duetting with Becca on their celebrated reworking of The Smiths’ “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” to roaring applause.

“Train Driver” is available to download from the Debt Records shop and will be on general digital release (complete with music video) on Monday 15th November.

Photos courtesy of Andy Darbyshire

Read More | 1 comment

New Record from John Fairhurst

11 October 2010

Internationally acclaimed guitarist John Fairhurst is to release his much anticipated second record - enigmatically entitled “BAND” - on Monday 18th October 2010 through Debt Records.

Laid down in a small German analogue studio with a group of international musicians assembled specially for the event, BAND takes inspiration from the extensive touring John has done since his last album came out - a journey that took him to SXSW in Texas, the UK festival circuit (including Glastonbury), a three month tour of Australia and the Far East as well as continual Europe-wide performances.

Fairhurst’s debut Joys Of Spring (released in 2007) was an instrumental album that daringly fused Indian Classical guitar trends with the raggedy American blues licks of the early nineteen hundreds. Its limited run of 1000 copies sold out almost immediately and the critical response propelled its author onto a world tour that still continues today. Later the record even secured John endorsement from legendary US guitar manufacturers National and an apprenticeship with Sarod Maestro K. Sridhar.

Though the album featured contributions from The Leaf Label’s Nancy Elizabeth and Humble Soul’s Denis Jones, Joys Of Spring was for the most part a private undertaking recorded in a secluded shed in Fairhurst’s native Wigan. Its follow-up BAND, however, could not be more different.

This latest release transports John Fairhurst’s singular blues fusion style (with newly acquired fearsome singing voice) boldly onto the dance floor. Indeed, whilst his first collection of songs exhibited an artistry that compelled audiences to sit forward in their seats and marvel, the dominant message of BAND is undoubtedly “Get on your feet!”

John Fairhurst’s BAND is on general release from Monday 18th October 2010. Limited Edition numbered advance copies will available at Debt At The Dancehouse (where John is celebrating the record’s launch) on Saturday 16th October.

Read More | Leave a comment