AWESOME FRIENDS ALL DAYER

Radio 6’s very own Chris Hawkins comes to Birkenhead on Saturday 1st February to present a special Independent Venue Week edition of Awesome Friends featuring some of the hottest new music around at Future Yard.

This all-day celebration is set to feature Seb Lowe, Freak Slug, Casino, Blue Dolphin Wranglers, Hello Cosmos, Two Tonne Machete + Thalia’s Grace.

Tickets on sale now. 

Seb Lowe‘s sound is a rich tapestry woven with elements from each of his inspirations. With one mini album and several EPs under his belt, Seb has already solidified his position as one of Britain’s most distinctive voices. His music combines powerful social commentary with infectious melodies.

While his songs tackle pressing issues such as societal injustice, Seb’s wit, humour, and melodic sensibilities ensure they are delivered with nuance and accessibility. He values the power of words to spark meaningful conversations, even among unlikely participants.

Hugely influenced by ‘90s cult heroes including Ride, Mazzy Star and Stephen Malkmus, Freak Slug is all about hitting a mood. Everything that fuels her creative output is raw, authentic, sometimes weird, but always totally true self-expression. She wants to make music that “has bite”, that “doesn’t fuck about”, that “cuts the shit”. Her debut album, ‘I Blow Out Big Candles’ is a strong statement of all of this and more.

Down there, picking through the curious mix of sounds and feelings, from nostalgic, ‘90s-influenced and dreamy as well as eccentric and experimental, lives Freak Slug.

Casino are the b*stard sons of Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding. A riot of classic Motown and Stax mixed with their own contemporary, modern take on northern soul, funk and a strong streak of fresh, danceable, irresistible Liverpool melody.

Dillon, the band’s singer, has a voice straight out of a Memphis Mississippi gravel pit. A distinctive sound with their own brand of fabulous indie soul tunes which Motown’s Berry Gordy would give his right arm for. A most rare combination of a band with tunes, melodies, danceable songs, a stormin’ rhythm section and a voice which could easily have been born in Muscle Shoals.

Surrender to the rhythm of classic R n’ B southern style, rock n roll with class.

Hello Cosmos are a Greater Manchester-centred collective of creatives. A four-piece at their core, the band are led by songwriter and bass player Ben Robinson, the co-founder of the celebrated bluedot & Kendal Calling festivals. Also featuring the talents of mainstay members Angela Chan on viola/synths/vocals (notably a member of the Mercury-shortlisted Lanterns on the Lake and a touring member of Placebo), powerhouse drummer Simon Robinson (brother of Ben) and the uniquely styled guitarist Adrian Ingham (of Deathretro, assisted by a stack of FX pedals); together as Hello Cosmos they are a meeting of minds of telepathic harmony with immense capability.

Thalia’s Grace are your girlfriend’s favourite band.

Moody grunge. The soundtrack for gloomy days and overwhelming feelings. Characterised by distorted guitar lines bathed in dreamy vocal lines, the pairing of brittle harshness juxtaposed by softer tones through the instrumentation allows Thalia’s Grace to create a unique, new approach to the grunge genre. With a mix of influence, the band take inspiration from a wide range of genre, from PJ Harvey to Mitski, Grizzly Bear to Wolf Alice. love it, hate it, thalia’s grace it