Allo Darlin' are close friends that found each other and the music they make in London. Elizabeth and Bill are from Australia, Mike and Paul are from Kent. They've only been playing seriously as a band since January 2009, although Elizabeth has been releasing music under various guises since 2007. Their debut album will be released on Fortuna Pop in June 2010.
Presse:
THE NEW YORK TIMES MAY 25, 2010
"The real revelation of this year's NYC Popfest came during the Friday night encore of Allo Darlin', from London. First, that there was an encore at all: the middle act on a five-band lineup playing its first New York show rarely gets that privilege. But for its allotted half-hour at Don Hill's, Allo Darlin' had been terrific, witty and heartfelt, like a less moody Belle and Sebastian.
And then, with grins all around, it concluded the encore with the frontwoman Elizabeth Morris and the bassist Bill Botting breaking out into "You're the One That I Want" from "Grease".
It was not a misfire, even though no one in Allo Darlin' wears a motorcycle jacket or openly worships the 1950s, or that almost the entirety of the crowd, teeming with vintage tote bags and librarian glasses, could have been drawn from the extras pool of "Ghost World."
The choice made literal what was implicit throughout this often impressive festival: The pop ethic, survivor or many iterations, is mutable and agnostic and unembarrassed."
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Link:
http://www.myspace.com/allodarlin
THE SMITTENS -
The Smittens are a hard-working, globe-trotting independent American twee pop band from Burlington, Vermont. The band is friends first and open-hearted indiepop revolutionaries after that. Max Andrucki, Colin Clary, Dana Kaplan, Holly Chagnon, and David Zacharis switch up instruments, song-writing, and singing to create catchy, harmony-driven twee ballads, pop anthems, and queer love songs?always brilliantly lyrical, and often brazenly political. Preferring to do it themselves, The Smittens record their own music while David creates the distinctive
artwork that graces the band?s fliers and album covers, Dana and Max book the tours, and the whole gang work hard to share their contagious optimism with their fans near and far.
Formed on a whim at a party in 2002 the Smittens have emerged as one of the country's best-loved underground indiepop quintets, releasing 3 full-length albums and a handful of singles and compilation appearances. Currently at work on their 4th studio album, the band has a remix ep due out in summer 2010 on London's Odd Box Records and a few new tracks scheduled for release on compilations later in the year.
As a fixture on the international indiepop festival circuit, with appearances at the Indietracks festival, Athens Popfest, NYC Popfest, Popfest New England, San Francisco Popfest, London Popfest, and the Cosy Den Festival in Stockholm, the Smittens have been bringing their lively, melodic sound to new fans every chance they get. In summer 2010 the Smittens are heading back to Europe for their most ambitious adventure yet!
The Smittens have toured across the eastern US, the UK, and Sweden, and have shared the stage with many bands they admire including Dear Nora, The Mountain Goats, Ballboy, Tullycraft, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Pony Up!,
Mates of State, Mirah, The Butchies, Kimya Dawson, Dub Narcotic Sound System, Tender Trap, Bishop Allen, Boyracer, The Essex Green, Comet Gain, Standard Fare, Allo Darlin?, Bunnygrunt, The Manhattan Love Suicides, Northern Portrait, Cats on Fire, James Kochalka Superstar, and even Richie Havens!
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Link:
http://www.myspace.com/thesmittens
