Introducing: Yumi Zouma

Like a breath of fresh air this little number caught my ear and I couldn't resist the share. Yumi Zouma from New Zealand is definitely one to be watching for 2014. Check out Yumi Zouma - Sålka Gets Her Hopes Up on Cascine

Listen & Events: Bishops Album Launch & Stream The New Album

Here is your chance to get a ticket for the official Album Launch of The Bishops at the Sebright Arms for Oct 23rd. We at Lost in The Manor have been working with The Bishops for a few years now and we are so excited for the show. The supports are excellent also and will be The Lazlo Device and The Shallows Tickets are £5 in advance which you can purchase here

If you fancy checking out the facebook event you can see it here

Stream the new album 'All Things Lost' by The Bishops in full

JUNE 2013 - REVIEW PODCAST feat. Dear Pariah

A chance to listen to us and our special guest Dear Pariah reviewing some great new music for our June Podcast. July's edition coming very soon...

June - Lost in the Manor // Music Review Podcast by Lost In The Manor // Podcast on Mixcloud

Zervas & Pepper - Jerome

Childhood - Solemn Skies

Landshapes - Limbo

Zoe Konez - Haley Don't Say Goodbye

Dear Pariah - Interview & Session - Brother

The Veils - Deep Dark Woods

Symphonic Pictures - Backwoods

The Harlequin Dynamite Marching Band - Jonah

To Submit Track for the next podcast email to chris@musicborn.com

Review: Animal Noise + Felix Hagan & The Family - The Finsbury 28/6/13

Time was when the Glastonbury Festival was at the heart of the British counterculture, and time was when The Rolling Stones at least pretended to be. So on a weekend when the two came together for a televised event that was about as insurrectionary as the Jubilee flotilla, it was good to find that rock’n’roll can still be at its edgiest and most electrifying at the roots.

Particularly when the sounds are emanating from a group as lithe as Animal Noise, an Essex trio whose explosive rifforama powered a breathless opening segment of a Finsbury set built on furious chops and brutal beats somewhat comparable to Queens of the Stone Age - and this bunch (blond, basin-haired singer-guitarist; stoner-rock rhythm section) had the musical nous to pull it off. As the set progressed, so did Animal Noise’s flexibility, their influences diversifying as the giant of a bassist strummed, slapped and flicked at his fretboard, while the guitarist switched from chorused finger-picking to uptempo off-beat skank, linking with the tattoo-torsoed sticksman for the kind of intuitive musical interplay that sometimes only stripped-down three-pieces seem able to convey. But among all the stomping grooves and pulsing head-shakers, do the band have the hooks, the pop sensibility to pull out truly enduring tunes? The euphoric ‘Bag Of Bones’ certainly suggested they do. Crafted on to a rhythm so fresh it was verging on hardcore highlife, it was a jaw-dropping finale.

So how do you follow a band like that? Well, how about a tongue-in-cheek, theatrical Rocky Horror-tinged show from a two-tiered septet whose near-anonymous instrumentalists supply the slick foundation for a self-deprecating, classically voiced bandleader to croon operatic innuendo-laden vignettes while assisted by a pair of glamorous gothic sirens who perform melodramatic choreography and instigate audience participation that culminates in jumping into the crowd to initiate a wild, climactic dance-off? Phew. That was how Felix Hagan & The Family chose to do it, anyway. And if their performance art-cum-music-hall-revue-cum-Eric-Idleish-surrealism seemed a little incongruous on the Finsbury stage at times, it was no less entertaining for it. Just the sort of thing you could imagine going down a storm in a marquee at an innovative festival, perhaps. Eat that, Glasto.

Follow Nick Mee on Twitter: @nickjmee

Watch: Cloud Control - Dojo Rising + UK Dates

Originally from Blue Mountains, near Sydney, Cloud Control – made up by Alister Wright, Heidi Lenffer, Ulrich Lenffer and Jeremy Kelshaw – are now residing in the UK. They are currently working on ‘Dream Cave’, their second full length album after ‘Bliss’, which received the Australian Music Prize in 2011.

They are now working with producer and mix engineer Barny Barnicott, whose collaborations include several names of indie rock bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Plan B, Peace and Franz Ferdinand. Their latest single ‘Dojo Rising’ adds to their typical psychedelic touch and harmonies from the West Coast rock/electronics effects. The mix of a pop beat and a feeling of nostalgia will make you feel like one of those days when the sun is out but rain falls down on you and you can't help wondering how a person can feel happy and sad at the same time.

The band will be touring from August in UK and Europe before their Australian tour.

September dates Mon 23 LONDON Xoyo Tue 24 MANCHESTER Deaf Institute Wed 25 GLASGOW King Tuts Thu 26 BIRMINGHAM Hare & Hounds Fri 27 BRISTOL Start The Bus

Checkout their current video Dojo Rising

Introducing: Bird

Singer songwriter Adele Emmas and guitarist Sian Williams met in late 2000 and, over their mutual love for artists such as Leonard Cohen, Kate Bush and The Cocteau Twins a decision was made to found the band Bird. The quartet is completed with drummer Alexis Samta and Mike Bennet at the keyboards.

The band signed with Jack to Phono Records and launched their first EP ‘Shadows’ in 2012. Their second, ‘Ophelia’, was released in February and they're working on their first full length album.

Bird have gained a strong and solid fan-base as well as praise from eminent voices of the music industry. Winning ingredients of their project are Adele's hypnotic voice, dreamlike lyrics and melodies that will capture your heart with their fusion of tribal, folk and classic beat.

Their songs manage to create an atmosphere like a Grimm's tale. You think you're reading an innocent and innocuous bedtime story but a moment later you're shifted in a thick and dark wood. You excitedly feel lost and attracted by the danger hidden in the dark.

Review: Johnny Parry Chamber Orchestra Live - The Finsbury 9/6/2013

"Johnny Parry nails the perfect symphony, a must see band of 2013"

When Johnny Parry Chamber Orchestra got up on the stage of The Finsbury, they were crammed on a relatively small space. It was eight of them possessing keyboards, violins and double bass to name a few. As Johnny Parry said; it was only the stripped version of the Orchestra that usually counts 30 elements.

The band opened with 'Sweet Nothings' from their second album Song without a purpose; Parry's clear and warm voice led off, accompanied by the astounding voice of the soprano. From there they were slowly joined by all the instruments on hand, being introduced one at a time. When they retracted, the song ended up with a light touch on the keyboard.

'God loves me' hit the crowd like a punch, unlike the other songs that started slow and then built up, this one started at full voice. There was a nice contrast between Parry's deep voice, and the soprano warbling in the back.

Throughout the whole performance there was a strict link between the song played and the images being projected on the screen behind the band. When the orchestra played 'Rebuild It Piece By Piece', images taken from comic books worked as captions relevant to the song and, inside the balloons, it was possible to read the lyrics. Parry's mesmerizing voice was the main character of the performance, with the instruments building around him and originating a sense of grandeur.

Johnny Parry Chamber Orchestra closed with another tune from Song without a purpose; 'Love Song'. As the title suggested it was indeed a song about love but not in a traditional way. The grandeur of the music left place to lyrics that were an ode to life and love. Love for the countryside, for home, for personal ghosts, demons, love for God. In the end the song reached its zenith and I couldn't help feeling I was watching live - for the first time - the execution of a symphony.

Watch: Local Natives - You & I + October Tour Dates

The Local Natives first record - 'Gorilla Manor' - was such a strong debut, it concerned me how the band would set about making a follow-up. I kept thinking to myself; how on earth can you beat this record! Truth be told, with my first listen to new album 'Hummingbird', I wasn't sure what to think. Although, as the sound waves started to penetrate, it didn't take long before Local Natives started to work their magic on me. Their brave statement with their new sound shone through as expected.

You can catch Local Natives at tons of UK festivals this year along with a host of headline shows. After seeing them as Field Day's secret guests, I cannot recommend buying a ticket as fast as possible or making sure you are in the best position possible if you're at one of the lucky festivals.

June Fri 28 - Glastonbury - Festival

July 15 - Nottingham - Rescue Rooms 16 - Brighton - Concorde 2 20 - Longitude - Festival 21 - Latitude - Festival

August 17 - Beacons - Festival 18 - Green Man - Festival

October 15 - Cambridge - Junction 16 - Norwich - Waterfront 17 - London - Brixton Academy 20 - Newcastle - Sage 2 21 - Glasgow - Arches 22 - Belfast - Limelight 24 - Dublin - Olympia 25 - Sheffield - Leadmill 26 - Manchester - Ritz 27 - Bristol - Academy 29 - Southampton - University

Check out Local Natives outstanding new video 'You & I'

Listen: Ajimal - This Human Joy

Clearly one of the best voices I've heard this year!

'This Human Joy' is a hopeful song about finding peace in the beauty of small and simple things, when often it's easy to slip into feeling frustrated or irritated by the world, routine and to stop taking chances and risks. It's about accepting the fact that we can't always know where we're going or what will happen to us and embracing those mysteries.

What the press say

"Setting a new benchmark for sensitive pop in 2013" THE LINE OF BEST FIT

“Soporific, pianistic folk…displaying a charmingly earnest approach.” THE FLY

“Touches of Bon Iver and Jeff Buckley ring true, however Ajimal sculpts an illimitable soundscape that is entirely his own.” CRACK IN THE ROAD

“An unearthly, eerie and incredibly beautiful set of sounds that will capture the imagination of a much wider listening public before long.” DROWNED IN SOUND

“Remarkably beautiful.” FLYING WITH ANNA

Introducing: Landshapes

It’s taken some time for Landshapes to find their feet in the music they make.

As their previous incarnation Lulu and the Lampshades, they’re probably best known for the viral cup song You’re Gonna Miss Me - over 3 million hits on youtube and counting - but in the ensuing period they’ve undergone a considerable musical metamorphosis.

They have learnt and grown together, four distinctive personalities jostling and pulling, each with their own set of influences and sensibilities - an unlikely alchemy which comes together and makes sense. Broad brushstrokes, big sounds and mournful melodies forged a new soundscape, so that when a typo accidentally billed them as ‘Landshapes’ it seemed an appropriate description for an altogether new sound, and an altogether new band.

Landshapes is the sound of four people in a dingy practice room, building on accidents, listening over and reworking obsessively until every band member is satisfied. An unconventional and serendipitous a process it might be, but it’s crucial to Landshapes overall sound.

Their debut album Rambutan - the name chosen “not so much after the fruit but for the sound the word makes” and produced by Ash Workman is a distillation of songs old and new, re-worked and fine tuned with a deft precision.

In Limbo with it’s stunning video clip proves a triumphant opening salvo. “It’s always felt like a fighting song both musically and lyrically” says Luisa Gerstein. With images of Bolivia’s Cholita female wrestlers proving a major stimulus whilst recording, Luisa sought them out, travelling to La Paz and teaming up with director Ian ?. The resulting film is a dignified response to a “Latin American society where being both indigenous and a woman is a double sub-class” - a celebration of these extraordinary women both in and out of the wrestling ring.

Their unorthodox approach to songwriting is writ large across the ten tracks. Impasse “the oldest song on the record was a tinkery ukulele thing” that became something “bigger and better with the band”; Threads “a lot of ideas that came together in the practice room, has the feel of different parts interjecting like a conversation” and Racehorses “a truculent song” that was to become one of their favourites after Heloise and Jemma developed a new bass and guitar part. Demons acts as a marker of their evolution - “recorded as Lulu And The Lampshades, it felt closer to the sound we were developing and tracks that change in the way it sounds and how we worked together as a band.”

Forthcoming single Insomniacs Club “is cursed” according to the band. “Anyone who gets involved with it gets insomnia. The guy making the video hasn’t slept for days, true story.”

Landshapes take on another dimension in a live setting. With drummer Dan the only constant, multi instrumentalists Luisa, Heloise and Jemma shift seamlessly from one song to the next swapping instruments and vocals with a fluid dexterity.

Check out their track In Limbo

The Bedlamytes and The Black Ink, The Finsbury 31/5/13

Lost in the Manor Presents Such is the refreshingly diverse nature of the Finsbury clientele, that the crowd on the final Friday of May included a fully kitted-out softball team, fresh from an evening swinging the bat in nearby Finsbury Park. Not that such overt Americana had any noticeable impact on The Black Ink, whose white-shirt-black-tie Brit-beat shtick disguised a psychedelic rock band of greater depth. Three of the five members strummed six-strings but never overwhelmed, adopting a share-and-share-alike approach to their playing that was complementary rather than intrusive; flourishes such as the sparkling slide riff on ‘Tangerine’ gave the song its singular hook. Tight and accomplished, The Black Ink were at their best when belting out pop-flecked uptempo stompers, energised by a vibrant rhythm section. Oh, and it has to be said, the anchorman, sorry, the lead singer, was a dead ringer for Will Ferrell. No jazz flute tonight, though, sadly.

Headliners The Bedlamytes may have been more rudimentary musically, but they boasted an immediate focal point in singer Jasmine, whose keyboard swells and runs elevated sometimes functional tunes to a more intriguing level. Her strong vocal resemblance to Siouxsie Sioux completed the quartet’s alternative-eighties vibe, one where the occasional driving riff and catchy dynamic crescendo stood out rather than any infectious track as a whole. Still, another night at The Finsbury, another set of ascending London bands for no cover charge. All in all, another Home Run, as they may have been shouting on the sports pitches nearby.