Fair Catch issue 20
Download the PDF version of Issue No.20

Check out our Featured Artist


HybridLab Who?
Are you a musician/artist/designer? interested in widening your fan base? or hankering after your own career in media?
HybridLab is a unique social enterprise set up by charity IEA (Innovative Enteprise Action). We profile unsigned artists for free. Check out www.hybridlab.org/featuredartist/
aboutus.php for more info, and get in touch! HybridLab is about promoting you and the work that you do. We are different from other organisations as we focus on the individuals behind their work, giving a more personal approach to promotion. We also have a featured artist every fortnight check out www.hybridlab.org/featuredartist/
home.php

4 Excellent
HybridLab
Artists
The Indy Music Awards
The INDY Music Awards strapline is – “Highlighting the very best in emerging live music”. The awards are not a competition and they don’t offer prizes, thankfully they also don’t exploit the artists fan base by charging for voting. Artists cannot enter themselves and they must be nominated by live music venues or promoters. Originally focusing on London the awards are now encompassing the whole of the UK with a special International Award nominated by venues and promoters outside the kingdom. Now in their second year the awards were created to celebrate, reward and recognise the hard work of live music venues, promoters and talented artists. This year’s awards have no less than 18 categories and there are 4 excellent HybridLab artists to vote for. Mark Mathews, (“a refreshing blend of funk, Indie and rock n’ roll”) has been nominated for Best Solo Act; Old Street Musical Union, (“Their inventive and mesmerising music ranges from punk flavoured rock to country ballads with plenty of quirky touches along the way”), have been nominated for Best Indie; The Humanity, (“a London based Indie/Electronica outfit, they are also a total breath of fresh air”), and The White Russians, (“have laid their greedy hands on the bravado and energy of The Pixies, the idiosyncrasy of post-modernist Beck and the laid-back cool of the Velvets”), have both been nominated for Best Alternative Act. Probably time to exercise your voting fingers. www.indyawards.co.uk/2008/index.php
By Claire Quinn

An Intimate Space
Catch Review
Catch is located on Kingsland Road just shy of Old Street. The venue is a perfect fit for the Shoreditch scenesters teeming outside its doors every weekend. Small, sparse and decorated deep red, it offers all you need for the makings of a good night out. That is to say they have a bar and staff willing to serve its contents to you, the rest you bring yourself. Upstairs is an intimate space that plays host to many of the bands that frequent Catch. A small stage nestled at the back of the room, a thumping DJ box and a slowly growing crowd all threaten a bit of a performance about to go off. On the face of it, the venue is not that different from all the other bars on offer in the area, but its strength lies in the riotous gigs that kick off upstairs and that, as it were, is the catch.!
www.myspace.com/thecatchbar
By Andrea Maltman

Julian Hinton
New BBC songwriting initiative
Acoustic crooner Julian Hinton has been plucked from 3 000 hopeful new artists to form a panel of 60 songwriters for a new BBC songwriting initiative. He will work alongside leading commercial writers and chart artists to produce material which will feature in an upcoming documentary on BBC Radio 2, due for broadcast in March. Hinton is also preparing to deliver ‘The Precious Sessions’, a series of intimate monthly gigs where he will perform material from his acclaimed debut album, “My Precious Life”. You can catch Julian’s set at Viva Viva World Music Bar from 6th March.
www.myspace.com/julianhinton
By Andrea Maltman
Fair Trade
Danelle Harvey
Danelle Harvey will be performing on the 29th February as part of Fair Trade Fortnight. The aim of the fortnight is to encourage shoppers to make ethical choices through buying Fair Trade products. These products guarantee that disadvantaged producers in developing countries are getting a better deal. Singer-songwriter Danelle Harvey is the first artist to represent Fair Trade and will appear at an acoustic music event in Progreso, Oxfam’s answer to chain coffee shops -156 Portobello Road, 6-7:30pm www.myspace.com/danelleharvey
By Claudia Bronda

Marquee Club goes virtual
On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the famous Marquee Club, the venue has announced that it will be going virtual and abandoning bricks and mortar. The last address of the Marquee at 14 Upper St Martin’s Lane closed on the 12th February and will be demolished to make way for luxury flats. The Marquee will operate by holding gigs in various secret and unusual locations in the West End. A 50th anniversary album will be released later in the year by Universal featuring many of artists who have graced the Marquee stage on the road to becoming music legends.
www.themarqueeclub.co.uk
By Claudia Bronda
Indighost have been really busy of late. Fresh arrangements have been made on the drums and acoustic of ‘Potential’ and ‘They Don’t Believe Me’. The band have lowered the bass and drums on ‘When You Were Mine’ as well as adding a few solos to ‘St Augustine’. In addition, ‘Throw To The Lions’, ‘7 Sins’ and ‘Enemy’ are being remixed with new vocals. Not to be missed: the acoustic version of ‘Never’; HybridLab thinks it is brilliant! When Indighost add their final touch, ‘Never’ will be available for download. Mash their guitarist, has been offered some work in Japan and has sadly departed. New guitarists are being auditioned, and if you know anyone or fancy yourself stage right get in touch: www.myspace.com/indighostmusic
By Eliza Pasvati