October Newsletter

[0] EPFree: STA Autumn Mixtape

This month's a busy one and for that reason we thought one free track just won't cut it so we have packaged together 5 of the best tracks propping up our busy October schedule. Click here
to get your free mix from the carefully considered listings below.

1. More Than Conquerors: I've Done Nothing/I Have Done It All
2. 4 or 5 Magicians: Oh! Darwin
3. Ace Bushy Striptease: Bon Nuit, J'ai Changé Mon Esprit
4. Illness: Paper Cut
5. Crooked Mountain, Crooked Sea: Slow News Day


[1] Introducing: More Than Conquerors



New signings to the Smalltown stable are Northern Irish punch/riff/rawk early risers More Than Conquerors.

Formed in late 2009 the band have wasted no time - less than a year later they have racked up impressive supports with General Fiasco, Feeder, Twin Atlantic & our very own Fighting With Wire.

Their debut 5 track EP written and recorded in a week in a DIY home studio is a confident display of who-the-flip-are-Arctic-Monkeys? era danceable punk rock meets Me Without You rock structures delivered with the live raw passion of As Cities Burn. Its available to pre-order NOW! on the Smalltown America shop - click here to bag your copy...

Check them live when they take to the road in November in support of Fighting With Wire, dates as follows;

1 Nov - Stereo, Glasgow

2 Nov - The Shipping Forecast, Liverpool

3 Nov - HMV Institute Temple, Birmingham

4 Nov - Cellar, Oxford

5 Nov - Joiners, Southampton

7-Nov - Prince Albert, Brighton

8 Nov - Club Ifor Bach, Cardiff

9 Nov - Barfly, London

[2] Recurring Illness: New EP, Tour with Crooked Mountain, Crooked Sea



Hot on the heels of their first EP, Brighton instrumental slackermath duo Emilio and Spencer return with another fifteen minute argument against the need for vocals. For All You ABC-1s Out There... features a further 6 tracks from their session earlier this year with Rory Bratwell plus a video-slash-Palinesque travel documentary of lead track Paper Cut. Lead track Paper Cut is available right now on the EPFree [0]

Illness will be going out for some dates with labelmates and neighbours Crooked Mountain, Crooked Sea where you'll be able to get the EP directly from the band a full month ahead of it's proper release date.

8th Oct - The Cowley Club, Brighton
11th Oct - Vines Bar, Derby
13th Oct - Harry's Bar, Stoke On Trent
16th Oct - Old Blue Last, London
18th Oct - The Boiler Room, Guildford

The band will then be touring mainland Europe from Nov 10th - Dec 2nd so if you'd like to put Illness on in your country get in touch with them via Myspace. Meanwhile, their recently recorded debut album is currently being mixed in the STA studio ahead of release next year.


[3] Skibunny Hug the Scottish



Skibunny take their critically-embraced debut album of electro-rock gems Hugs to some rather more conventional venues than their recent Belfast album launch on a barge with 6 Scottish shows:

8th Oct - Mad Hatters, Inverness (w/Stanley Odd)
9th Oct - Skinandi's, Thurso, Caithness (w/Stanley Odd)
13th Oct - Captain's Rest, Glasgow
14th Oct - The Greenside, Leslie, Fife (w/Islet)
15th Oct - Harley's Bathgate, West Lothian
16th Oct - Doghouse, Dundee

At time of writing, there's a handful of album bonus discs left - featuring brand new songs written and recorded specially. Order it now from the STA store. Keep watching the band's myspace for news of more UK dates.


[4] FWW November UK Tour



The band are currently in the Smalltown America studio adding a little here and taking away a little there before they announce the completion of their exclusive tour EP. The title of the super special 4 track titan is I Am Ursus - which references a bear and a constellation - both are huge, are you trying to say something here lads? I'm excited....


[5] Ace Ormsby Striptease: New 4 or 5 Magicians Tour

Brighton's irony-laden indie favourites 4 Or 5 Magicians and hotly-tipped Birmingham 4 piece Ace Bushy Striptease have announced a joint tour for October.

Ace Bushy Striptease are fast earning a reputation for their short, sharp songs which stubbornly avoid repetition and spring along with light melody and inescapable fun as witnessed by anyone who's heard their 12 song, 22 minute long recent album. Some have dubbed them as an extrapolation of Mclusky and The Pastels, others just stand there a little stunned, not entirely sure what's going on, but enjoying every precious minute.

Magician-in-Chief Dan Ormsby says: "I'm excited about making our first trip as a band to both Manchester and Nottingham, and a long awaited return to old haunts in the three Bs of Birmingham, Bristol and Bournemouth. Oh and Brighton and London too, of course!

On tour we will be showcasing new material which will feature on our 2nd album, hopefully out next spring. We just demoed two of the newies and even the dodgy rough mixes sound ace! The plan is to record the album in November and December, so this may well be the last time you get to see 4 Or 5 Magicians until 2011!"

Oct 14th - Big Chill House, Kings Cross, London (FREE ENTRY)
Oct 15th - The Hobgoblin, Brighton
Oct 16th - The Green Room @ The Portman Hotel, Bournemouth
Oct 17th - Mother's Ruin, Bristol
Oct 18th - The Victoria, Birmingham
Oct 19th - Tiger Lounge, Manchester
Oct 20th - Spanky Van Dykes, Nottingham

An mp3 from each band - Oh! Darwin from the 4 or 5 Magicians album Empty, Derivative Pop Songs and Bon Nuit, J'ai Changé Mon Esprit from the Ace Bushy Striptease album A Little More Suspicion In Our Fairytales Plz (Odd Box Records) - can be heard on the EPFree [0]

[6] And So I Watch USA from Afar



And So I Watch You From Afar get properly stuck into North America this month in the company of Trash Talk. Expect tour diary anecdotes aplenty.

4 Oct - Mohawk Place, Buffalo, NY
5 Oct - Rex Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
6 Oct - Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH
7 Oct - Magic Stick, Detroit, MI
8 Oct - Reggie's Rock Club, Chicago, IL
9 Oct - Triple Rock, Minneapolis, MN
10 Oct - Jackpot Music Hall, Lawrence, Kansas
12 Oct - Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO
13 Oct - The Basement Ogden, UT
15 Oct - El Corazon, Seattle, WA
16 Oct - Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR
18 Oct - Cafe Du Nord, San Francisco, CA
19 Oct - Chain Reaction, Anaheim, CA
20 Oct - Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
22 Oct - The Casbah, San Diego, CA
23 Oct - The Underground Mesa, Arizona
25 Oct - Rubber Gloves, Denton, TX
26 Oct - Emo's Alternative Lounge, Austin, TX

Barely pausing for breath, ASIWYFA's next UK tour in November is selling fast...

22 Nov - Dingwalls, London
23 Nov - Hare & Hounds, Birmingham
24 Nov - Club Ifor Bach, Cardiff
25 Nov - Kazimier, Liverpool
26 Nov - King Tuts, Glasgow


[7] LaFaro in not touring this month controversy



It appears that relaxation for LaFaro after an intense year of live shows is to record a 2nd album(!). Expect to hear new material sneak into these select live appearences ahead of November's much anticpated European tour with Helmet.

9th Oct - HWCH Twisted Pepper, Dublin
15th Oct - Mandela Hall, Belfast w/Therapy?
23rd Oct - Cypress Avenue, Cork w/Therapy?
24th Oct - Cypress Avenue, Cork w/Therapy?


[8] Crooked Mountain, Honest Giveaway



Post-hardcore rejuvenators Crooked Mountain, Crooked Sea are giving away their previous EP It's The Falling That Counts, Not The Landing for free via their Bandcamp. Click here to download the songs that seduced the likes of BBC 6Music's Tom Robinson into playing them and well, us into signing them!

Catch CM,CS out on the road with Illness [2]