You've put away your tent, your wellies have been cleaned and you've binned the rave paint. 2012's festival season probably feels like a million years ago. Looking out of the window now, you can't believe that you were frolicking around in the mud wearing nothing but your beer coat just a few months before. But never fear! We're planning on keeping the glorious spirit of a fantastic summer of music alive well into winter.
Emerging Icons Live is a tour that will bring that fest vibe back to your lives- but with the cheeky bonus of venues rocking the 'walls and ceiling' look to prevent you from feeling that icy chill. You won't need a deep-clean when you get home, no waterproofs are needed... but we can guarantee that you will have the most intoxicating night of the best musical talent heard for a very, very long time. Annaca, Auction For The Promise Club and Tankus the Henge are hitting the road with Emerging Icons and Metropolis Promotions, and we CANNOT WAIT. With dates booked in some right cheeky little venues in Glasgow (Nov 21) , Manchester (Nov 22), Liverpool (Nov 28), Birmingham (Dec 09) and a grand finale in London (Dec 12), this is set to be the most spectacular end to the year- even threatening to put Christmas in the shade. Santa is quaking in his boots.
You see, we all had a right lovely time down at the Olympic Park this summer - but after we put away the last of our Union Jack flags, we soon realised what a shame it was for so many of you lot to have missed out on the Emerging Icons experience at London 2012. Seriously - there were stage dives, rollie pollie contests, weeing in the river...and one unnamed party were even caught getting fresh with mascot Wenlock backstage too. Rock and effing roll. Thousands of visitors from around the world were treated to some top-notch entertainment from some of Britain's most promising talents, making sure the legacy of the Games reached far beyond the world of sport.
We didn't want things to stop there. We want to re-live those performances we saw this summer because the artists that played came to life on our stage- and we want to share them on a bigger scale. Unfortunately, booking all fifty acts that played the Olympic Park just didn't work out. We did the sums, and we found out that we would need a tour bus as big as Canary Wharf to cater for them all. Instead, we had to whittle it down to just three- a trio of acts who are as varied as they are brilliant... and could adequately represent the quality and breadth of talent of all the artists at Emerging Icons. We turned to our Emerging Icons Headliners, who are absolutely prime for the task- and we think we've done pretty well. Taking alternate slots at the top of the bill each night will be...
Annaca and her band will be departing the stunning golden coastline of- ahem, Brighton- to take their striking sound to cities far and wide. Influenced by soul, gypsy and jazz, we've always loved the dramatic French-cabaret style in her tunes; but when you see her up on stage living each husky word, it takes them to a whole new level. She is an utterly captivating and passionate performer, reaching out to each individual and drawing them in with melodic hypnoses that slink around her audience like a saucy cat. An inner minx is concealed by an exterior of pure glamour and class, but her music will still have the power to make you feel just a little hot under the collar. You know you're going to love it, but perhaps bring a vintage handkerchief to dab your brow.
"Judging by the kind of quality of the voice and the classiness of the production...she'll be able to transcend pretty quickly. Annaca - another artist to support my claim that women are still ruling at the moment in pop music."Mika
Another act who will no doubt get you rather sweaty is Tankus the Henge. It won't be any sexy witchcraft that does it this time- although that's not to say that they aren't a devilishly handsome bunch of rogues. The fact is it's just more likely that you'll be far too busy dancing to get your rocks off, such is the cataclysmic force of their corybantic carnival rock n' roll. Let's not forget that this is 'the most fantastic band in the world' we've booked for you here. Fair enough, that might be a quote from the band themselves, but we certainly have no reason to dispute such outlandish claims. If a group are able to summon an atmosphere that incorporates fairgrounds, travelling circuses, Tom Waits, Gogol Bordello, Ennio Morricone and ABBA- would you rebuke their statement? We didn't think so. This is THE band you need to see at some time in your life- so why not make that time now? When you're in the company of charismatic front man Jaz Delorean and his aging accordion, you'll realise that buying a ticket to the show was possibly the best move you've ever made.
"There's a quality about this... it's very much like storytelling on an intimate basis- at one point you think you could be listening to something in Bugsy Malone, and on the other side, you feel like you're listening to Jellyfish with their album Spilt Milk. This record is charming and tells a story and welcomes you in. I really like it, it's really cool!" Mika on 'Smiling Makes The Day Go Quicker'
With Annaca and Tankus in tow the tour would be shaping up to look like some kind of fantastical Victorian travelling show; but thanks to Auction For The Promise Club we can bring things back to earth. This is a band that truly belong to the 'now' with a fresh, current sound of such urgency that they won't be 'emerging' icons for long. The Cornish trio masterfully create indie rock soundscapes to the key of 'epic' with a performance style that will get you giddy on endorphins. Their soaring melodies and irresistible hooks just sound sumptuous on a live stage. Lead duties are left very safely in the hands of the fair lady Zoe, but prepare to be blown away when she lets those dainty digits shred her guitar away. She cuts a striking silhouette between Toby and Perran, also adding fluttering vocal light to gutsy instrumental shade. It's easy to draw parallels to the likes of PJ Harvey, The Joy Formidable and Editors with this lot so you can be pretty much guaranteed an amazing gig on this tour.
" I thought it was quite epic. Really epic actually, when the chorus came in. You can tell the band's been influenced by what you see around you. So you see something like Coldplay at Glastonbury, and it is epic, it's massive, and that chorus definitely did the same thing" Peanut from Kaiser Chiefs on 'Running In The Dust'
So that's it! The dates are set, the bands are booked- all that's left is for you to get your tickets. Get a few of your music-loving mates together and get ready for the best night out of the year in the company of some brilliant bands- because it's going to be amazing. By supporting these shows you're supporting the acts and the thriving community they represent. These talented musicians just want to be heard and this is the way to see them at their very best! So get ready, because Emerging Icons are on the way to a town near you!
Click here to get your tickets NOW!