Burton Agnes Jazz and Blues Festival returns for a 4^th year with another something-for-everyone line-up of artists set over 3 days, 6th - 8th August, in the most beautiful of surroundings.  Set in the grounds of an historic Elizabethan hall, the festival is organised by its sax-playing owner Simon Cunliffe-Lister and jazz singer Saffron Byass.

Organisers of this year’s Wizard Festival, held at New Deer, Aberdeenshire, have announced a clutch of top class acts have been added to the bill. Sandi Thom, Proud Mary, The Dykeenies, Kid British and The Dangleberries have all been added to the main stage line up.  
Hip Parade, The Draymin and Root System have all been confirmed to play the festival’s second stage, the Banshee stage. The festival, now in its fourth year, is held on August 27 & 28, over the bank holiday weekend.

These acts join an already impressive line up including Happy Mondays, James, Alabama 3, Pearl and the Puppets, Complete Stone Roses and the Peatbog Faeries. 
Top Glasgow DJ’s SLAM have also been confirmed to headline the festival’s dance tent on Saturday August 28th.  More headline DJ acts will be announced in the coming weeks.   The organisers have also announced an online competition where festival fans have the chance to win a pair of weekend tickets.  Check the website for more details. www.wizardfestival.com  

 The Crave follows Petit’s phenomenally well-received debut Guitararama, which was accoladed as Guitar Magazine’s 2008 Album of the Year. The follow-up’s release and tour will be backed by intensive media exposure – airplay, performance, interviews and ad campaigns in all top-end music publications.

The Crave, which contains some ferocious, rocking New Blues monsters alongside updated classics by the likes of Robert Johnson, Fleetwood Mac, Little Willie John and Albert King (“updates of classic blues songs often don’t work but this one certainly does” Paul Jones, BBC Radio 2), sees Ian (Travis, Clash, Manics, Fall, RHCP) Grimble share production along with the Chapel Studios, Lincoln hit factory team behind recent Arctic Monkeys, Editors and Kaiser Chiefs successes.   www.stephendalepetit.com  

Beverley Festival once again comes up trumps as it starts to announce it headline acts.  This year’s event has a truly Scottish theme with the dynamic fiddle playing of Blazin’ Fiddles, and hit makers The Proclaimers, who will finish off the festival on the Sunday night in its traditional fiery style.  To launch the festival on the Friday night will be the lead singer of the former Scottish acoustic pop group Fairground Attraction, Eddi Reader.  

With the General Elections due to precede the festival, who better to return again to lighten our spirits, as one of the event’s most popular acts , Roy Bailey and Tony Benn. Other festival favourites, returning for the third time will be the legendary band, famous for its hit record with The Floral Dance, The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band.   And making sure we don’t go to bed with a heavy heart will be hospital radio spoof DJ Ivan Brackenbury, guaranteed to bring a smile to us all.  
 “Winter Special “ tickets available NOW on line from www.beverleyfestival.com

Rent is the first single to be released by 22 year old electro pop singer/songwriter Alexander Price following his signing to record label Intense Presence Records. The single a dance driven yet moody and evocative cover of The Pet Shop Boys seminal and influential classic Rent. Price declares the cover to be "a tribute and a homage" to one of his most beloved musical influences. Price's lone, distant yet charismatic vocal glides over a winning combination of space disco and electro pop which soothes and subtly provokes before igniting an explosive dance floor eruption.

In the last year he has created the capitals most talked about and hotly anticipated live experiences, incorporating his wild female dance troupe The Designer Babies who combine high energy and a visually stunning choreography, wearing stage clothes which Price himself has designed. Alexander Price is London’s hottest property in the music scene right now. A high energy elctro pop prince awaiting to be crowned as the new king of electro pop.  
www.alexanderpricemusic.com 

After a busy couple of years of electronic debauchery, Irelands tough techno peddler Diarmaid O’Meara is gearing up to release his new mixed studio album ‘Structured noise’ in late November.
"One of the most important contemporary artists in the field of electronic music"
Sorted Noise

Owner of Irelands premiere tough techno label and brand, "Gobsmacked Records", Diarmaid O'Meara, who was earlier this year branded by M8 magazine as "One To Watch", is known for his energetic approach to thee turntable mash-up techno sets and productions of dance floor wrecking tracks.
Since his first vinyl release in 2006, his style has been grabbing more and more attention with releases across several labels, support from countless names, almost constant airplay across UK and European radio stations, including BBC Radio 1, XFM, RTE, KISS FM, NRJ Radio, DI - FM , Absolute Technoise while also guest mixing for most of these stations and bringing his intense mixing style to clubs across Europe. 

Currently making waves on the National Music Scene, The Quails are the latest big musical export from the South West.  The four-piece released their first album in 2009 and last summer they opened for Muse on the first night of their Resistance Tour, played at The Bulldog Bash and supported The Kooks at the Eden Project among others.  The Quails also featured in a BBC documentary about the Muse gig and they are confirmed to perform at the Relentless Boardmasters Festival in Newquay in August on the Vans stage, will headline at Namfest, Dorset alongside Toploader and will perform at Gold Coast Ocean Festival and Glastonbury Festival in June.

“The first time I saw this Indie rocking four-piece live, they blew all the other bands clean off the stage; tight, professional and oozing with energy, The Quails are the real deal” The Fly Magazine.  For full and up to date tour info please visit www.thequails.co.uk

Redtrack are up for 'Best New Band' and 'Best Live Act' at the Emerging Talent Awards 2010. The Southend trio recently won the Hollyoaks Music Show competition and appeared on the Channel 4 soap on February 16th. The trio were mentored by Hollie-Jay Bowes, who plays Michaela McQueen in the show.  

Redtrack's Double-A sided 'Pole Dancer/Addicted to Lust', the band's third release, co-arranged and featuring on backing vocals The Buzzcocks legend Pete Shelley is out now. Dave M. Allen (Cure producer) and Mark Ralph (Filthy Dukes) produced and engineered the single. 'Pole Dancer/ Addicted To Lust' has received strong national and regional radio support, featuring on BBC Essex Introducing, Pete Mitchell's and Alex Lester's shows on BBC Radio 2, Tom Robinson's Introducing show on BBC6, BFBS, Total Rock Radio and Kerrang Radio.   www.myspace.com/redtracktheband