weepop! news

All sorts of news

2010-02-06T12:35:00.008Z

Little my has just announced they will be playing their last ever gig on Tuesday, 9th March in Cardiff. It turns out the plan had always been to play lots of gigs, have lots of fun, and to record 10 eps. They have just finished recording Little my's tenth, so after exactly four years, they decided it's time to stop.

I can't even think how much we're going to miss watching those guys live, but I'm glad they accomplished what they were set out to do and immensely proud to have released three of their records.

They are still playing a few gigs in between now and then, so catch them live while you can. More details at littlemy.org.

Also in March, Allo, Darlin' will be setting off to Austin, Texas to play SXSW festival!! And to raise some money for those very expensive plane fares they have rounded up some of their very taletend friends for a show at Barden’s Boudoir (London) next Tuesday, February 9th. It will be a very special night with our very own Moustache of Insanity, Hexicon, Darren Hayman, Tender Trap and of course, Allo Darlin'. More details and tickets here.

On other news, Chris Mac, who you might know from Indiepage s, is opening a record shop (yeah, a real live record shop!!) in Seattle. It's going to be called Jigsaw records and specialize in indiepop, indie rock, twee and lo-fi pop. That alone puts Seattle in my top five must-visit-places, but in the meantime, those of us who can't quite go to Seattle that easily, will have everything they stock available online too. The opening date for both the shop and the mailorder is March 13th. March must really be the month for big things happening...

And, last but not least, just as everybody will have had time to recover from the four days of awesomeness of the second London Popfest, I will be playing records on Sunday, March (again) 7th at the Hangover Lounge at the Lexington. It should be a great afternoon, so if you're around, please come along.

More from us soon! x

2010, Here we come!

2010-01-21T20:58:00.005Z

Wow, it's been a while since we last had a new cd up on our little pre-order shelves. It was good to have some time to catch up with all our previous releases, but I was really starting to miss that excitment you get when you hear a perfect collection of songs by a band you love for the first time, so I couldn't be any happier to announce that we're starting the year with a very welcome return by Kansas' Transmittens.

In their new mini-album, We Disappear, Danny and Jen bring us ten catchy synth-pop songs laced with jangly guitars and some very clever lyrics. If that doesn't give you a good enough idea of what to expect, get a little taste of it here.

We Disappear will be officially out next week and it is avaiable to pre-order on our release page now.

We have a few very exciting projects coming up soon and lots of plans for 2010, so keep an eye out.

Catch you later. x

Another great year!

2009-12-21T21:31:00.005Z

The year is almost over, and it's been such a good one. I just wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you amazing people who made it so.

We have some exciting things planned for 2010 and lots to look forward to.

Right in the beginning of the year, there's already a lot happening in London, with the the 2nd Popfest taking place. The line up is looking amazing, I can't wait! Some of the confirmed bands include The Just Joans, Allo, Darlin, Horowitz, The sunny street, Rose Melberg, The pines and Standard Fare.

We have a couple of releases in the making right now, which we are very excited about and proud of, but I won't spoil the surprise just yet.

For now:

Moustache of Insanity has a new EP out, with five songs of pure lo-fi fun and they've made the whole thing available available as a free download until the end of the year. I must warn you that it is pretty addictive, the tittle track - Postcards to strangers - has been stuck in my head constantly for the past week. Download it here.

They will be assembling a limited number of physical copies too, each ot them attached to a different vintage postcard, painstakingly gathered from charity shops all over the place. Keep an eye on their website for more details.

Allo, Darlin's new single The Polaroid song is out now on Fortuna POP!, and there's treats in there too. Not only is the single brilliant, but it's also available as a free download on the label's site and 100 copies of the 7” will contain a unique, individually-taken Polaroid which entitles the lucky finder to enter a competition to win a special Allo, Darlin’ gig live in their own living room! How good is that?
More details here.

Those kids have been working really hard, they're recording an album, playing a zillion shows, and I'm sure will have big things waiting for them in the new year. Here's a video of them playing "Henry Rollins don't dance" a couple of weeks ago at the Scala.

Happy Holidays!
xx

Winter fun

2009-12-01T22:50:00.005Z

It's December already and with the holiday season upon us, not only will every order go out with it's own special winter holidays treat, but we've also put together bundles of December Special Deals as a way of saying 'thank you' for all the support you've given us all year long.

For more information, have a look at our secret treats page, where we have any two cds for £5, any two vinyl EPs for £6, all three vinyl EPs for £9, and a bundle with any CD and T-shirt for £9.

If your order is a gift for a friend, let us know and we can gift-wrap it and include a personalised message on your behalf.

Other exciting news:

* Allo, Darlin' has a new single out on Fortuna POP! It will be officially out next week, both directly from the label as well as from the band at their shows, and they do have a LOT of shows coming up. More details available on the band's myspace page.

* Thee SPC is now stocking our 3" cds as well as our 7"s. Woot! If you're not familiar with the SPC yet, they're an ace label and mail order specialized in indiepop, indie, electronica and garage. They always have tons of great stuff in their shop and they even have a clerance sale on at the moment.

* And talking about ace mail orders, Pebble Records, a new webshop focusing only on indiepop and electronica is launching this week. They'll be stocking lots of UK and Worldwide labels like Cloudberry, Humblebee, Letterbox, LTM, Matinee, Skywriting, Susy, This Almighty Pop!, Fortuna Pop! WAIWYA, Yay! Cherry Red, Make Do And Mend, Edition 59 and more. Their website will be up and running in a few days at www.pebblerecords.co.uk.

More from us soon.
Keep warm! x

Last copies

2009-11-10T15:13:00.003Z

Just a quick note to say we're down to the last copies on quite a few of this year's releases and they probably won't be available for much longer. We're running very low on Jacob Borshard's Cocktail, Megamoog's Icicle, The Felt Tips' Bought and sold, Transmittens' Our Dreams and Moustache of Insanity's S/T Ep.

More from us very soon, and if you're in London, hope to see you at the Betsy this Friday for the Just Joans, Stars of aviation and the Rocky Nest. x

Autumn break

2009-09-09T12:31:00.005+01:00

We've been working hard cutting, glueing, folding and assembling the cd version of the Smittens/ Just Joans split over the past few weeks. It's officially out now and available to order on our release page.

And, just announced yesterday - London's Spiral Scratch will be putting on their first show in awhile and its with The Just Joans playing alongside Stars Of Aviation and The Rocky Nest - so good, but teasingly, not till November!

After so much happening this summer, things are slowing down a little at the weepop headquarters.We'll be holing up inside to catch up on all these latest releases, but don't worry that we'll be a bit quieter on the release front for a couple of months - we will be back fresh soon.

We'll keep you posted! x

Summer Sunshine

2009-08-18T16:50:00.001+01:00

Wow, July was so much fun - One happy Island and the Smittens touring the UK, Indietracks at the Midland Railway , Cosy Den Fest in Stockholm, lots of great live music and good times! There are lots of pictures and videos online, and we have finally just posted some of our own photos to flickr too.

The cd version of The Just Joans / Smittens single is in the making now and has just been made available to pre-order on our release page. It's a limited edition of 120 copies only, so if you'd like one, grab yourself a copy very soon.

On other news, Little my has a new ep out on Businessman records this week. Limited to 200 copies, they're as cute as it gets, packed in hand-made felt sleeves and sealed with a badge. You can get one here.

More from us soon, enjoy the sunshine! x

The Just Smittens

2009-07-14T15:51:00.010+01:00

I just got a confirmation from the pressing plant that everything is on schedule, and am utterly excited to announce that our next release - The Smittens / The just joans SPLIT - is going to be available next week.

Both such quintessentially WeePOP! bands, The just joans and The Smittens represent two different sides of the atlantic and two aspects of the indiepop sound: The Smittens with their more uptempo handclaps, jangles and percussion, and the Just Joans showcasing a more uniquely british anarok styling and lineage.

Long time admirers of each others work, they finally got to meet and play together at last years Indietracks festival. Friendships were made, plans were hatched, and the result is a joined release with them covering each other's songs as well as a single of their own.

To hear the Smittens singing about the Buckfast tonic wine and wearing Kappa tracksuits is in their cover of "what do we do now" is just too good!! They round out their side with a new track called 'Summer Sunshine' full of that much loved percussion and jangle, with a big wiggly synth line for the summer!

The Just Joans went for 'Gin and Platonic' from The Smitten's 'Gentlefication Now!' album, and a re-recording of one of their own earliest and favorite tracks, 'I Hear You're The Man Now, John' from their album 'Last Tango In Motherwell'.

The split is going to be available on 7" vinyl next week (available to pre-order now) and on our traditional 3" cds later in the month.

The two bands are playing a show together on Monday, July 20th, at the Flying Duck in Glasgow, along with One Happy Island, The specific heats and the Maple Leaves. Advance tickets available on wegottickets.

Woot! Can't wait!

xx

Secret Charisma

2009-07-10T11:12:00.007+01:00

Secret Charisma: Original Cast Recording is up for pre-orders now.

The concept behind this release is pretty different: Secret Charisma is an indiepop musical, a lo-fi headphone opera about a about a guy who has been away from home for a long time and when suddenly comes back, is reintroduced to the people and situations from his past.

I have always been a fan of thematic albums, but this is more than that, it is in fact a musical, in the sense that it tells a story, and each character is played by a different musician.

Written, played and directed by Brad San Martin (of One happy Island), the project started in the summer of 2008 and took a life of its own during the past year. Brad played pretty much all the instruments (and there are a lot of them!), and when most of the tracks were done, he started asking friends if they would like to sing one of the characters' parts in it. He put together a pretty impressive cast there: Kristin Andreassen (Uncle Earl, Sometymes Why), Nichole Ferree (Orange Nichole), Desmond Reed, Mark Robinson (Cotton Candy, Unrest), and his own band, One Happy Island.

It'll be out next Wednesday, july 15th, coinciding with the date Brad lands in the UK to tour with One Happy Island and we're having a Release party at the Bufalo Bar to celebrate the occasion. Colin Clary is headlining the night and even though it's almost sold out now, we never managed to organize a release show for Colin's 'Every little thing counts', which came out last February, so I think we can call it a double weepop! release show. With support by The sunny street and Ich Bin Finn, it should be an ace night, please come along.

More exciting news from us soon! x

Summer's here!

2009-07-07T18:14:00.011+01:00

July is completely packed with shows, festivals and all around awesomeness. And we have two new releases on their way, which we are super excited about:

Secret Charisma: Original Cast Recording

A 14-minute indiepop musical written and produced by Brad San Martin of One Happy Island, featuring Kristin Andreassen (Uncle Earl, Sometymes Why), Nichole Ferree (Orange Nichole), One Happy Island, Desmond Reed, and Mark Robinson (Cotton Candy, Unrest). Somewhat based in personal experiences, Secret Charisma is a tale about time, coming home, and friendship.

The Smittens / The just Joans SPLIT

The title says it all for this one - we got The just joans and The smittens in the same record... covering each other's songs!!! It will be available in our usual 3'' cds as well as 7'' vinyl. More details very soon.

The timing for both these releases is perfect, since The Smittens and One Happy Island are coming over from the States next week to tour the UK and play a couple of festivals.

It all kicks off with Secret Charisma's release party at the Bufalo Bar next Wednesday, July 15th, with Colin Clary (yow!!), The Sunny Street and Ich bin finn. This promises to be a very special show, a unique chance to see Secret Charisma live and Colin's only solo show in the UK, so please come along.

For the Just Joans/ Smittens single release, we're heading off to Glasgow for HMHB at the Flying Duck, with One happy Island, the Specific heats and the Maple leaves. ''Half my heart beats'' is an ace pop night in Glasgow which I have always wanted to go to, and it's named after a smittens song, so I can't think of a more perfect time to do so.

Here's a list of The Smittens and One happy Island's tour dates and a couple of other ace shows coming up:

08/07 - Allo, Darlin' at the Scala - London UK
15/07 - Secret Charisma and Colin Clary - Bufalo Bar - London UK (EP RELEASE PARTY!!!)
17/07 - Let's Whisper and Allo Darlin' at the Betsey Trotwood - London UK
18/07 - One happy island at the Norfolk Inn - Stoke on Trent UK
19/07 -The Smittens and One happy island at Head of Steam - Newcastle - UK
20/07 - The Smittens, One happy Island and the Just Joans at The Flying Duck - Glasgow UK (SINGLE RELEASE PARTY!!!)
21/07 - The Smittens and One happy island at the Victoria - Birmingham UK
22/07 - The Smittens and One happy island at The Wilmington arms -London UK
23/07 - The Smittens and One happy island at The Packhorese - Leeds UK
23/07 - Moustache of Insanity at Brixton Jamm - London UK
24 to 26/07 - Little my, One happy island, The smittens, Let's whisper and Moustache of Insanity at Indietracks festival - Derby UK
28 /07 - The Smittens in Gothenburg, Sweden
20/07 - The Smittens at Insikten - Jonkopings Kulturhus - Sweden
30/07 - Let's Whisper at the Cozy Den fest - Stockholm - Sweden
31/ 07 - The Smittens at the Cozy Den fest - Stockholm - Sweden
01/08 - Allo, Darlin' at the Cozy Den fest - Stockholm - Sweden

For more details, please check our gig listings and/ or the bands' myspace page.

On other news, Summer Cats have finished their debut LP, Songs For Tuesdays and it sounds brilliant! It will be out on Slumberland Records on July 14th and later in the year on Knock yr. socks off records. Go order yourself a copy now!

Live action!

2009-06-20T16:38:00.014+01:00

Allo, Darlin's release party last thursday was a lot of fun. Thank you to everyone who were there for making it so special.

There are lots of shows happening this week:

Amida is having a Manchester launch show for "If the wave loves two suns" this Friday, June 26th is at Fuel Cafe, presented by the lovely folks of Pull Yourself Together.

Mexican kids at home will be playing with Moofish Catfish this Monday at Vines in Derby, then head to Belper for the Belper Summer Festival on the weekend, and a couple of shows in London on the following Monday and Tuesday.

Allo, Darlin' is playing two shows this week! On Wednesday, 24th, They'll be playing with Stuart Flynn's Dear Britch, Xylitol and Monster Bobby at Special Sounds, a new night at Oliver's Bar in Greenwich (London).

On Friday, they'll be one of the many bands playing Bruce Springsteen songs at the launch party for a tribute compilation WIAIWYA has put togehter. It's all happening at the Bufallo Bar (London) from 8:00 onwards. Tickets and details here.

Let's whisper and Transmittens will be playing next Sunday, June 28th at the Monkey Bar in Vermont(US). It's an early one (for the American standards), open from 7:30/8 with the music starting at 8:30.

And this is just the beginning! x

'Henry Rollins don't dance' available to pre-order now

2009-06-11T17:21:00.013+01:00

Allo Darlin's new single - Henry Rollins don't dance - is now available to pre-order!

Allo Darlin' was one of the first bands we contacted when we started the label, back when they were still called 'The Darlings, and now, almost two years after releasing the Photo EP, they're back on weepop! with three new songs on a 7" vinyl release.

It is a bit unfair calling this record a "single". The whole thing is just so damn good, each track should deserved a big front cover of their own. Those of you who were lucky to see Allo darlin' play live in the past months are probably familiar with these songs, and know just what I'm talking about.

We're having a single release party/ show at the Wilmington Arms (London) next Thursday, June 18th, when we will also be celebrating our 2nd Anniversary. We promise everything a good party should have - cake, great music and lots of fun. Come along!! Advance tickets are available on wegottickets.

x

June already!

2009-06-05T13:18:00.011+01:00

June already!! We'll be two years old very soon, Summer (and the festivals that come with it) is just 'round the corner, and we have two new releases on their way:

We start the month with another ace addition to the weepop! catalogue by Manchester's popsters Amida (who also appeared on our Starting Anew compilation earlier this year), with the five track ep "If the wave loves two suns".

Brought together via the usual channels of musician wanted ads, Amida combines the members' different backgrounds to create infectiously jangly indiepop packed with lots of c86 and 90s indierock influences.

They will be playing a couple of shows in Manchester later this month - at at Chorlton Irish Club on the 12th, at Fuel on the 26th and hopefully a date in London soon. We'll keep you posted.

The EP is available to pre-order now on our release page.

And after a long time in the making, we're ecstatic to say that in couple of weeks we'll present to you an awesome single by Allo, Darlin' - three songs, all of which deserved the A-side, pressed on bright orange vinyl.

We're having a single release party on June 18th at the Wilmington Arms, where you'll be able to see the band in their full excellence playing a 45 minute set, with support by Moustache of Insanity and Sweden's incredible Moofish Catfish. Advance tickets are available now on wegottickets.

x

T-shirts!!!

2009-05-29T23:58:00.005+01:00

Woot! The awesome Vermont-based illustrator David Zacharis designed a t-shirt for us, and we just got a big box full of them back from the printers.

Have a look at our (brand-new) merch page for more details and/or to get one.
x

Back and busy

2009-05-22T04:09:00.013+01:00

I'll be back in London this Sunday and there will be lots happening at the weepop! headquarters straight away, starting with a brand-new release next weekend.

Following an appearance on our new year's compilation, Moustache of Insanity has a whole EP ready for us now. This London-based duo are Niklas Vestberg and Will Harrison. Using an electric guitar, drum backing tracks, a variety of vintage Casio keyboards and whatever else they can find lying around, they make fun, super catchy songs.

The ep features artwork by James Paterson (including a fun twelve-page comic book full of references to the band's lyrics) and every copy comes with its own unique badge made by Nik himself.

You can get an idea of what MOI is all about and pre-order a copy of the ep on our release page. If you're in the UK, maybe you can go see them play too - They're doing a three-day tour, starting in London this Thursday, May 29th, Manchester on the 30th and Edinburgh on the 31st. More details here.
xx

Indiepop in Brazil

2009-05-12T20:52:00.006+01:00

Woaah! This thursday I'll be playing some records at Splashdown, an indiepop night in Sao Paulo (Brazil) that started about a month ago.

It seems that new bands, new nights, new festivals and new labels have been popping up all over the place in the past couple of years. It feels great to be a little part of this, and it's even nicer to travel and get to meet people who share the same ideas and are doing similar things, miles and miles away.

Ah, and once on the "like-minded people" subject, I'd like to point out a couple of ace new little labels based in Brazil that are well worth checking out:

Bolinhas records is a brand new pop label, releasing music they love in beatiful, handmade packging. Their first release, out now, is by the Swedish band Stars in coma and they already have three more lined up.

Si no puedo bailar (no es mi revolucion) is a collective focused on new, independent music in Latin america. Their first two releases are compiles bands from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela that range from indie-rock to folktronic tunes.
xx

Away!

2009-04-30T16:22:00.004+01:00

I'm going to be away for the next couple of weeks, so orders placed from now on will have a wait a wee bit. But rest assured they'll be on their way as soon as I get back.

There will be lots happening this summer: loads of new music, coloured records, gigs and parties, popfests all around and friends travelling to come and play over here. And we also have plenty of weepopness planned to make up for these quiet weeks in May. It'll be great!!

More from us soon. x

April happenings

2009-04-19T13:55:00.003+01:00

There's lots of live action happening in the next couple of weeks:

The Motifs are touring Europe!!! They'll hit the UK on thursday for shows in Glasgow, Nottingham, Cardiff and London and then Stockholm, Turku, Tallinn and Riga before they head back home to Australia. Can't wait to see them here in London on the 29th!

Little my will be down in London for a show this Thursday, April 23rd. They're playing at the Buffalo Bar with Je suis Animal and Cats on fire. More info and tickets here.

I'll be DJing at the Cats on fire show on friday, April 24th at the Wilmington Arms (London). It should be a very fun night - it's a lovely intimate venue and Cats on fire are absolutely brilliant live. Please come along if you can. Advance tickets are available on wegottickets.

And our latest release, "Our dreams" is out now! Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered, your copies are on their way now and should turn up in the next couple of days.

x

Balloons in the sky

2009-04-12T12:58:00.009+01:00

Wooah, Springtime is here, it's a bank holiday weekend, and we have a new release almost ready to go!

This time, with another brand new band to the label, we present to you a 10 song mini album by Transmittens, a lovely duo from Kansas (USA).

The band started when Jen and Danny started playing around with a synthesizer, a guitar, and a drum machine a couple of years ago, and have since then evolved into a lovely mind-melting band.

Apart from a few compilation appearances, Our dreams is their first release. With 10 songs in just over 20 minutes, the mini-album delivers the most upbeat, delightful melodies that are sure to put a smile on your face and a wiggle in your step.

Our dreams will be out on Friday, April 17th, and is available to pre-order now.

One Happy Island on Chic-A-Go-Go

2009-04-02T22:37:00.004+01:00

Awww, do I have to explain why i love these guys?

New ep on its way

2009-03-24T17:58:00.006Z

We have a new ep in the making, and are thrilled to announce this new addition to the weepop catalogue: The Adventure EP, by Dexter Poindexter.

Hailing from Illinois, Dexter Poindexter is Tommy Komorowski (and sometimes friends). He started making music because the winters there are far too cold and the summers too hot to skateboard. In the past year and a half he released several eps and a full length on the collective Brown Bear Records.

The adventure ep will be out this friday, and is available to pre-order now. As usual, it's limited to 160 handcrafted copies.

On other news:

After 12 days on the road and a few thousand miles across the country, One happy island is back home from their tour. I have been reading their tour blog and it sounds like it was a fun and very busy week. They're now booking a tour 'round the UK for the summer. I really can't wait!

Allo, Darlin' is playing a HDIF show this thursday. It's going to be another full band show, I hear there will be a couple of brand new songs and it's FREE to get in.

x

Outta town

2009-03-06T15:44:00.003Z

I'm going away on a little holiday and that means weePOP! is having a one week break starting tomorrow. I'm sorry that some of you will have to wait a bit longer to receive your orders.

But there's quite a few nice things planned for when i get back, starting with a fresh out of box ep coming all the way from Illinois. You can get the idea of what to expect here.

There are lots of gigs coming up everywhere: One happy island is going on tour this week (US), The felt tips are coming down to London on friday and Allo Darlin' is going up to Cardiff on Saturday. Have a look at the upcoming gigs list for more dates and details.

xx

Post Popfest

2009-03-03T16:56:00.005Z

Woot! The London popfest was pure awesomeness! So many good bands, lots of friends, dancing and smiling! I hope there are already plans for next year's.

There are a lot of pictures of the weekend on flickr and some videos on youtube, vimeo and myspace.

Our thirtieth release - Every little thing counts by Colin Clary - is officially out now, and ready to go. You can grab a copy on our release page.

Have a great week! x

Pop fun!

2009-02-22T13:13:00.004Z

Uff, hasn't this been a busy month?! The eps by the Just joans and Mexican kids at home are out now, and Colin Clary's "Every little thing counts" has just been made available to pre-order!

Colin will be landing in London this Thursday, and will be playing two gigs at the popfest: with Dana on thursday as Let's whisper and again on the saturday all-dayer with the Smittens. And hopefully we'll be able to see some of his solo stuff at some point as well.

Tickets for the festival are available on wegottickets.

Yow!!!

Two new releases and two shows

2009-02-02T22:52:00.006Z

We are very pleased to announce that the eps by The Mexican kids at home and The just joans are now available to pre-order. It's great to be working with both of them again and we're so proud to be putting these out.

The releases will be marked with a show each:

The Mexican kids are coming down to London for a pre-release show this Friday, Feb 06th. And the just joans will be playing an alternative valentines gig in Glasgow next Saturday, Feb14th. They should be great, so if you're around, drop by to see them play and grab a copy of the ep.

On other news - I was really excited to find out that a radio show called La Merienda on Canal Extremadura radio in Spain played a whole show dedicated to weepop, it's almost an hour of weepopness! It was aired a couple of weeks ago, but it's still available as a podcast here.

xx