It’s soon February and Acuvi is having its Two Year Anniversary (it’s quite formal you know – I’ll be celebrating with cake!)

Like the other news posts; I’ll keep on updating this post this month with further music news, updates, releases, short reviews,  quick introducions and music related stuff.

And all the music here is free to stream and/or download somewhere on the internet – so enjoy!

Click here for “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue!” (January news) and here for “A Kind of Magic.. eh, roundup!” (December news).

A Fresh Pint of Milk!

Brand new band The Milk have already been hotly tipped by the likes of The Guardian and The Fly. So this is a band you’re gonna hear more from in 2011.

The band has just recorded some songs at Nextmen sessions- it’s the final cut of the first single ‘(All I Wanted Was) Danger’ plus new B side ‘Dynamite’ (to be released on March 28).

All I Wanted Was Danger

French Wives – ‘Feel Safe Small’ EP

French Wives (read the interview here!) are Siobhan Anderson, Chris Barclay, Stuart Dougan, Scott Macpherson and Jonny Smith; a exciting, Glasgow based band that make colourful, interesting indie-pop.

Debut EP “Feel Safe Small”, will be released on Monday 21st February from brand new Red Hat Records, followed by an extensive UK in support of the release. See tour dates here.

The third track “Covered In Grace” is avaliable to stream below.

Covered In Grace

Tour dates:

17/02/11 – Glasgow – Nice n Sleazy’s
18/02/11 – Edinburgh – Sneaky Pete’s
19/02/11 – Perth – Twa Tam’s
22/02/11 – Dundee – Dexter’s
23/02/11 – Aberdeen – Drummond’s
24/02/11 – Inverness – Hootenanny’s
25/02/11 – Stornoway – Jaager Room
26/02/11 – Aviemore – The Old Bridge Inn
01/03/11 – Newcastle – Bridge Hotel
02/03/11 – Manchester – Night n Day
04/03/11 – Leeds- Call Social Lane
05/03/11 – Sheffield – The White Lion
07/03/11 – London – Bull and Gate
09/03/11 – Durham – The Fox and Pheasant

(more dates to be announced)

Big Scary Monsters announce tour dates for Hold Your Horses Is, Shapes, Shoes And Socks Off/Tubelord support and Talons!

Hold Your Horses Is : (Their new free download single, ‘Forgive And Forget’, which will be available from 31st January.)

* 03.02 – LEICESTER, Firebug

* 05.02 – NEWCASTLE, Pumphrey’s Cellar Bar (FREE ENTRY)

* 06.02 – GLASGOW, 13th Note

* 07.02 – ABERDEEN, Cafe Drummonds

* 08.02 – EDINBURGH, Sneaky Pete’s

* 09.02 – LEEDS, Brudenell Social Club (FREE ENTRY)

* 10.02 – IPSWICH, The Swan (FREE ENTRY)

* 11.02 – ALDERSHOT, West End Centre

* 12.02 – NOTTINGHAM, The Maze

* 13.02 – CARDIFF, Undertone

* 15.02 – LONDON, Purple Turtle (FREE ENTRY)

* 16.02 – SOUTHAMPTON, Hamptons

Shapes : (Whose newly recorded album is BRILLIANT) with †Hymns†, whose debut single we’ll be releasing on Feb 28th (stream it at http://www.bsmrocks.com), followed by their album in the summer. They’ll be joined by the three times ex-members of Meet Me In St Louis in Tropics for a couple of the shows.)

* 04.02 – Kingston, The Cricketers (w/ Tropics)

* 05.02 – Bristol, The Croft

* 07.02 – London, Old Blue Last (Free entry w/ Tropics)

* 10.02 – Nottingham, The Chameleon

* 11.02 – Manchester, Kro Bar

* 12.02 – Hartlepool, The Studio

Shoes And Socks Off : (First Europe tour!)

* 03.02 – NL Haarlem – Patronaat

* 04.02 – NL Arnhem – Luxor

* 05.02 – BE Aiseau Presles – MJ

* 06.02 – DE Heidelberg – Zum Teufel

* 07.02 – DE Duisburg – Steinbruch

* 08.02 – DE Trier – Ex-Haus

* 09.02 – BE Brussels – DNA

* 10.02 – BE Brussels – private show

* 11.02 – FR Rouen – Emporium Galorium

* 12.02 – FR Rennes – Apartment show

* 13.02 – FR Strasbourg – TBA

* 14.02 – FR Cologne – Aetherblissement

* 15.02 – DE Frankfurt – Sinkkasten Arts Club

* 16.02 – DE Leipzig – KUB Gallerie (Afternoon show)

* 16.02 – DE Leipzig – Sweat Club

* 17.02 – DE Berlin – Levee Club (ex- Bang Bang Club)

* 18.02 – CZ Pragua – Chapeau rouge

* 19.02 – DE Stuttgart – Zwoelfzehn

* 20.02 – DE Regensburg – Heimat

* 21.02 – DE Bremen – MS treue

* 22.02 – DE Chemnitz – AJZ

* 23.02 – DE Kiel – Schaubude

* 24.02 – DE Hamburg – KulturhausIII&70

* 25.02 – DE Freiburg – Swamp

* 26.02 – LUX Luxembourg – D:qliq

* 27.02 – IT Milano – Circolo Magnolia

* 28.02 – IT Vigevano – Cooperativa Portalupi

* 02.03 – ES Barcelona – Sala Moog

* 03.03 – ES Madrid – La pequeña Betty

* 04.03 – ES A Coruña: – Casa da Silva

* 05.03 – ES San Sebastián – Bukowski Bar

* 06.03 – FR – Bordeaux – TBA

* 07.03 – FR – Paris – l’International TBC

Talons have just announced their first UK tour of the year, taking place in April. European dates will also be announced soon.

* 23.04 – Cheltenham, Frog & Fiddle

* 24.04 – Portsmouth, Edge of the Wedge

* 25.04 – London, Bull & Gate (Club Fandango)

* 26.04 – Sheffield, Bungalows & Bears

* 27.04 – Leeds, Brudenell Social Club

* 28.04 – Bristol, The Croft

* 29.04 – Guildford, Boilerroom

New La bel netlabel release : Nick Rivera!

Nick Rivera (Michele Sarti’s solo project) was born under a bunk bed in a victorian house in Hackney, London. Born in Cagliari, Italy, Michele started playing drums in a number of rock bands, slowly developing a strong interest in more experimental and free-form styles of music.

The new approach led him to rediscover the french horn, the instrument he studied for years but never used on any of his projects. He also started toying with lots of different instruments like guitar, trumpet, glockenspiel, percussions, synths and loop machines.

His first personal project was a free reinterpretation of the music from german composer Kurt Weill, directing a band featuring banjo, piano, wind instruments, flute and percussions. In Italy he collaborated with Bron Y Aur and Franklin Delano, and after moving to London with Sunny Day Sets Fire and Oh Atoms. He also plays as a stable member of the lo-fi folk band Takoma.

Download the new release here!

Horn Y Orgy

Norwegian band Team Me (one of the bands Uno Møller plays in) are doing a UK tour in February and March, where they support The Wombats and British Sea Power.

23/02 – Brighton Komedia (w/ British Sea Power)

25/02 – London XOYO (Øya Festival showcase)

27/02 – London The Forum (w/ British Sea Power)

10/03 – Birmingham HMV Institute (w/ The Wombats)

11/03 – Sheffield Leadmill (w/ The Wombats)

13/03 – Norwich UEA (w/ The Wombats)

14/03 – London Hammersmith Apollo (w/ The Wombats)

17/03 – Cardiff University (w/ The Wombats)

18/03 – Bristol Academy (w/ The Wombats)

12-14/05 – Brighton The Great Escape Festival

Weathervanes and Chemicals

Guiye Frayo have released a new video clip for the new single “A Magnetic Field Called Love”, taken from the band’s fifth record.

Find more spaceship funky psychedelica, experimental toy-dance and electro pop on Last.fm.

One of the new next big things in 2011, James Blake has announced new tour dates;

17/02/11 Route Du Rock Winter Edition @ Antipode, Rennes, France

23/02/11 Band On The Wall, Manchester, UK (Afternoon 3-6pm)

24/02/11 St Pancras Old Church, London, UK

26/02/11 Thekla, Bristol, UK

27/02/11 Nice N Sleazy, Glasgow, UK TICKETS

10/03/11 St Pancras Old Church, London, UK

14/03/11 Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York, NY

16/03/11 Stubb’s – NPR, Austin, TX (SXSW)

17/03/11 Central Presbyterian Church – Pitchfork, Austin, TX (SXSW)

18/03/11 French Legation – Other Music, Austin, TX (SXSW)

19/03/11 Fader Fort – NPR, Austin, TX (SXSW)

24/03/11 St Pancras Old Church, London, UK

DJ Sets

19/02/11 Silo, Leuven, Belgium

25/02/11 Red Gallery, London, UK TICKETS

25/02/11 Life, Brighton, UK

Cosmo Jarvis goes from playing a gay pirate to a gay mobster. See Cosmo’s Valentines greeting here (who knew a cut off foot could be so romantic?!) And read 10 Q’s to Cosmo Jarvis here, and find out what he’s all about!
A new album will be released in March/April.

Swedish Heart-Sick Groans have just released a new EP. Download for “name your price” on bandcamp.

01. Man on the Rocks (feat Elsa Sjögren) (J Brännström/G Carlén/H Wallmark) 3:03
02. With Samantha from the Car Wash (J Brännström/H Wallmark) 2:53
03. Ballajero Beach (J Brännström/M Lindström/H Wallmark) 2:19
04. Surfer Friend (J Brännström/H Wallmark) 2:30
05. Seriously, Salinger (J Brännström/M Lindström/H Wallmark) 2:22
06. Last Night Out with the Gang (J Brännström/M Lindström/H Wallmark) 2:26

Lead singer of Heart-Sick Groans, Johan Brännström also recently released his last single ‘Here Today, Tomorrow Gone’. Check also out his last EP ‘My God How The Money Rolls In’ on Bandcamp.

The Paper Scissors have just released a great video chat with chief songwriter Jai discussing their video for “Lung Sum”. See it here. And see the final version below!

Brighton based organic pop band Two Spot Gobi are set to return with their stunning new track ‘Guiding Star’, released February 28th. The track is taken from the band’s forthcoming album ‘The Sun Will Rise’, and was recorded with legendary producer Niko Bolas (Neil Young, John Mayer, Regina Spektor) at the California home of Grammy Award winning artist Jason Mraz.

Adeliade based We Grow Up is no more. But fear not; a new project, Mountbatten has been started up by Walter and Anthony of the band. And several songs that were slated to appear on the third (now unreleased) can be found here!

Debut EP “The Night Is a Dream” will be released on 25 February!