“There are hints of Sharon Van Etten in a jam with Billie Eilish" Tom Robinson’s ‘Fresh On The Net’

“...the same sort of songwriting gene pool as classic 70’s stuff from the likes of Carly Simon and Fleetwood Mac...and there’s more than a touch of - whisper it – Kate Bush about this ...” The Crack

Cortney Dixon, Newcastle-born singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer, was raised on an eclectic mix of music. She grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac, Bowie and Kate Bush, is a fan of The Clash and The Specials and takes inspiration from the likes of Sharon Van Etten, Lorde and Bon Iver.

Championed by BBC Introducing in the North East as a Top Ten Tip for 2020, Cortney released a special self-produced debut EP ‘Won’t Feel Like This Forever’ in October 2020 featuring tracks from a portfolio of songs she wrote and recorded for her own sanity, therapy and enjoyment during Lockdown. November 2020 saw the release of her long-awaited beautiful EP ‘Our Intuition’, made up of a collection of seven songs including singles Cortney worked on with Jim Lowe (producer of Stereophonics & Charlatans).

As 2021 began, ‘Half My Heart’ from the EP received its first National play on BBC Radio 1 and Cortney signed with new BMG label imprint, Fieldhouse Music, for sync promotion.

A unique vocalist, skilled guitarist, dynamic Live performer and prolific writer of hook-laden alternative pop songs, Cortney has been awarded funding from Arts Council England and Help Musicians UK to continue development of her record production skills and creative practice. She’s in her studio writing, recording and producing a wealth of new songs and sounds for release and has exciting writing collaborations underway with both new and high-profile co-writers.

Engaging with authentic Geordie warmth, quirky charm and charismatic style, Cortney’s known for creating amazing imagery and visuals to accompany her music. She enjoys collaborating with local videographers to create interesting and creative music videos for each of her songs which reach millions of viewers and are shared by thousands on social media. She has a fast growing and dedicated fanbase with a large female following who love her music, style, imagery and her hilarious self-deprecating humour!

Cortney and her band had an amazing international debut at Reeperbahn Festival in Germany before the pandemic and were rolling as everything closed down. The dynamic trio are back! They played their first Live performance of 2021 on Big Screen TV and headlined shows at the Cluny’s Welcome Back event, the second stage at Northern Kin festival and the St Chads College Garden stage at Durham Fringe Festival. They played the Mish Mash and Gathering Sounds festivals, were guest support for King No One’s Newcastle show. Their first London showcase of the year is on 26 October 2021 at Paper House Vintage. More news and Live date announcements imminently!

Future Humans are Afnan Prince (vocals), Sam Cramer (guitar and synthesiser), Andrew Garner (keys, guitar and backing vocals), John Paul Gatenby (bass and backing vocals) and Michael Muir (drums and backing vocals).

They combine catchy choruses, driving beats, playful indie guitars and bass lines with arching club synths all topped off with Afnan Prince’s wonderfully warm and soulful voice.

Future Humans initially was London based producer Sam Cramer who has produced various artists such as Lewis Capaldi, Sam Sure, Kelli-Leigh and Camden Cox. Sam then met Newcastle Singer-Songwriter, Afnan Prince in late 2018 during a collaborative writing session and they found they shared the same passions and tastes for music and agreed to have a session together. The first song they wrote was “I’m Not In Love” (released June 2019) and this encouraged the guys to form “Future Humans x Afnan Prince”. It grew to be Future Humans in October 2019 when Sam and Afnan realised they were writing music that deserved a live audience and brought in John, Andrew and Michael, who Afnan knew from the Newcastle gig scene.

The band write all of their music in Damon Albarn’s suite of Studios in West London and have over 40 outstanding tracks in the bank already. The rule is they have to finish each track to a “Mix A” Demo standard by midnight that night.

They made their live, full band debut in February 2020 playing their first gig to a sold out audience at Riverside, Newcastle. 2020 was about to become an exciting year of gigs but the pandemic struck, so the band decided to wait it out and concentrate on writing more songs. Their self released works, so far, have amassed over 2.5 million Spotify streams to date.

Recently signing a deal with The Orchard, Germany they released their first EP D.R.E.A.M.S in May 2021 and there will be a second release starting at the end of October 2021.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/futurehumansfb YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/FutureHumans Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/4BXM7ghfjufutCDfJfXdIl Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/futurehumansig/

Following the recent announcement of his forthcoming EP ‘Something Out Of Nothing’, today, 21-year old multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Sam Eagle has shared a video for his new single ‘Like This’. The single follows the recent release of the first track from the EP entitled ‘Funkenheim’, which was released last month earning plaudits from the likes of BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, Radio X, CLASH, Mahogany, Berlin in Stereo and more.

The new EP will be his first release since signing to Cooking Vinyl and forms the first half of a two-EP vinyl release due out in early 2021.

Another incredibly vivid and exploratory snapshot of the evolution of his jazz roots, ‘Like This’ is built around a funk-inflected, hook-driven bassline, which Sam permeates with moments of genre-bending instrumentation and leftfield soul phrasings. Speaking about the single, Sam says, “pretty much the whole song just came that night. Lyrically it’s quite abstract I think, but to me, the concepts behind it are kind of just getting through struggles and experiencing the great things in life that pop up out of nowhere and you didn’t see coming, I guess more concisely just about the uncertainty in life – ‘something, outta nothing, look at what I found.’”

Following on from his 2019 debut ‘Coping Mechanisms’, the last year has seen Sam Eagle earn plaudits from the likes of BBC Radio 1, 6 Music and Radio X, performing at festivals such as Latitude, SXSW and The Great Escape, as well as going out on a headline tour – including packed out dates at the Southbank Centre, Green Door Store and a sold-out 400 cap gig at Colchester Arts Centre.

The new EP ‘Something Out Of Nothing’ sees Sam home in on a bigger and more focused sound whilst also channelling his lyrical content inwards. Drawing from the songwriting of decades before him, but with the modern production of the current crop, Sam cites an eclectic range of artists as influences such as JPEGmafia, Andre3000 and Kendrick Lamar as well as David Byrne and Radiohead. However, Sam doesn’t endeavour to replicate these artists musically but credits their inspiration in terms of approach and their attitude to experimentation and composition. The result is a collection of songs that are powerfully imaginative, honest, and most importantly impossible to pigeonhole.

Speaking on the new EP, Sam says “The process for these songs has been about adapting and finding new ways to work and make music. I recorded the tracks at home. The entire mixing process was done remotely over the phone and internet. These challenges have made the songs what they are, just as challenges make us who we are as people.”

Getting to this point required a series of refinements, self-exploration, and acceptance. Sam describes a big part of the process of writing and recording the new EP as involving him “completely losing” his way. Whilst the last year saw him gaining traction off the back of his debut release, it also involved many challenges and changes: a new relationship, travelling across Spain in a van and the Covid-19 lockdown, all of which subsequently led to him craving an opportunity to reconnect with why he makes music and who he is making it for. “It’s been a pretty intense journey. I’m doing stuff now that is much more honest to who I am...” says Sam, “I try to keep my music as pure an expression of myself as I possibly can. These songs are about love. For other people, family, for music (or whatever you do) and nature - the different types of love and what they bring. As a result, it changes and moves with me.”

‘Something Out Of Nothing’ is a hugely exciting leap forward from Sam’s 2019 debut, not only in its musical development but more importantly in Sam’s own personal introspection and thematic and creative awareness. With his sights firmly realigned, more music planned with Cooking Vinyl in the next year and hopes to play live again soon, this is the best possible time to get onboard.

‘Something Out Of Nothing’ is due out November 2020 via Cooking Vinyl

If there’s a romance attached to the changing seasons, there’s inevitably a sadness that sweeps through with it. For Zoe Graham, every note of her crystalline electronic pop is imbued with that bittersweet feeling; on her single ‘Gradual Move’, the past is something constantly reshaped by increments, no matter how sudden some of life’s departures may seem.

Zoe is an artist who already feels the weight of several lives lived. Since moving away from her family home to start a new life in Glasgow, the gradual moves have caught up with her in less gradual ways. New single ‘Gradual Move’ is a song built on warm synth tones and the shiver of October mornings. The meeting point between Zoe’s folk past seen on debut EP Hacket & Knackered and electronic pop present collide at various points on the track, though the song itself is largely in thrall to the latter; if the subject matter of lost homes feels more like a traditional folk subject, the expansive drums and lead guitar line take the track well beyond those confines.

Ultimately, the track is the story of past lives lost and keepsakes cherished, with Zoe’s childhood home leaving both emotional and physical fragments – both of which she’s sought to salvage. Zoe Graham has changed too, though what’s precious to her remains the same. ‘Gradual Move’ is a call in both directions – both elegy to the past and clarion call to a future that looks brighter than ever.