Tig Digs: John Smith - 'Headlong'

In case you missed the announcement on our social media - we're super excited to be hosting John Smith in Oxford for a show on his UK tour later in the year. He's touring to promote his new record Headlong which was released a few weeks back to critical acclaim... with Uncut calling it a "testament to how powerful his music can be", MOJO claiming that "you're smiling even as tears catch in your throat" and Total Guitar commenting on the "refreshing openness and honesty". Check out an acoustic performance of the title track below...

John plays St Barnabas Church in Jericho, Oxford on Thursday 16th November with support to be announced, you can grab tickets through the Facebook event here!

Tig Digs: Too Many Zooz - 'Bedford'

3am on the New York subway.... you're tired, probably feeling a little worse for wear and Too Many Zooz enter the carriage bringing their party vibes to your early morning. Probably not ideal but it makes for a really fun one shot music video from the trio with their track Bedford. They're coming across the pond for a UK tour in July/August including a show at KOKO on 1st August.  

Tig Digs: Catgod - 'I'm Innocent'

Oxford musical collective Catgod have released I'm Innocent, a Talking Heads-esque track and the second of three which make up their upcoming Someone Love EP. While the title track (which you can listen to here) is busy getting radio play from Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 6, Tigmus's own Oli Steadman gave the new track its radio debut on Hoxton Radio last Friday, which you can listen back to here towards the end of the show.

We've all been digging I'm Innocent in the band's live performances that we've been lucky to catch over the first half of the year, including a support slot at our sold out Holly Redford Jones EP launch in Oxford and the secret opening slot in our Alt Escape stage at Brighton's Great Escape festival, and we're sure that audiences at Common People, Cowley Road Carnival and Tandem Festival to name a few have been enjoying their tunes too over the last few weeks! One of your next chances to catch them live is in London at their EP launch show at The Harrison, a folk venue in King's Cross, on Thurs 27th July - tickets here!

Tig Digs: Low Island - 'In This Room'

They were our track of the week just a couple of weeks ago with their latest single That Kind of Love but the wonderful Low Island are back on the Tigmus blog with their second EP, In This Room. As well as some already released tracks the EP features two entirely new tracks, That's Right and (Pause) - get listening over on Spotify or iTunes!

Catch Low Island live at Farmfestival Somerset at the end of July and Ritual Union in Oxford on 21st October!

Tig Digs: Richard Walters - 'Starlight'

Oxford musical royalty Richard Walters released his new track Starlight last week, the first release since his beautiful album AM last year. It's a beautiful tune taking inspiration from recent changes in Richard's life, becoming a father and losing a close friend over the last year. Get listening!

Follow Richard online - Facebook | Twitter | Instagram. 

Tig Digs: Lucy Leave - 'The Beauty Of The World'

One of our fave Oxford bands Lucy Leave have today released their new EP, entitled The Beauty Of The World (listen + buy here.) Premiering the EP earlier in the week, Raw Meat wrote that "Lucy Leave's shuddering art rock guitars and bizarre lyrics made our ears prick up and our feet shuffle" and that they're "one of the weirdest bands we've heard in a while" - I  guess that's why we love them so?! Them being a lovely bunch of people helps on that front too! They're this month's Nightshift Magazine cover stars and opened up the main stage at Oxford's recent Common People Festival - two huge achievements, and this evening they are launching their new EP with a show at Truck Store, supported by Holy Moments playing an acoustic set. If you're in town, finishing work and heading home, change your plans and head along to see them from 6.30!

Grab the EP from the band's Bandcamp page here - pay as much as you want!

Tig Digs: Charlie Fink - 'Cover My Tracks'

Although you might not recognise his name, you almost definitely know Charlie Fink's band Noah & The Whale, with whom he scored hits such as 5 Years Time and L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. Since the band parted ways a couple of years ago they've had various solo projects, and last Friday marked the release of Fink's debut solo album, Cover My Tracks, featuring the wonderful track I Was Born To Be A Cowboy which you can listen to below - if you listen carefully to this and other tracks from the record you'll be able to hear the beautiful backing vocals of The Staves.

The record is a unique release, a combined album and theatre show (so called "gig theatre") with Fink and actress Jade Anouka performing the record in full for two weeks at The Old Vic at 10pm til the 17th June. It's press night earlier this week earned it a 4* review in the Evening Standard (read it in full here), calling it a "late night, minor key delight". If you're in London next week be sure to catch it, tickets available here (and if you're out of London then the show might be headed near you on its regional tour later in the year - dates here!) You can listen to the record on Spotify here and grab a copy in record stores or at the show itself!

Tig Digs: Mt Doubt - 'The Loneliness of the TV Watchers'

Edinburgh's Mt Doubt have recently released their new EP The Loneliness of the TV Watchers - they're launching it with a show at Servant Jazz Quarters tomorrow night (7th June) with support from Duke Bradley and Oggy Why. The EP reflects on "the everyday sense of disillusionment and fear that affects all of us [and gives] an insight into the banality of everyday life" and features the track Reference Books, the video for which was premiered by The List a few weeks ago, who called the track "a blend of jangly guitars and stark lyrics, creating dark, pure indie". Take a listen to the track below!

The full EP is available through the band's page on Bandcamp and you can grab tickets for the show tomorrow night here to hear it live! 

Tig Digs: Dazy Crown - 'Multi Vitamin'

Norwich band Dazy Crown, who organised a mini tour through Tigmus last Summer, have released the first track from their upcoming debut EP. It's the follow up to their last single Peanut Butter Dreaming (which is a total tune), get listening to Multi Vitamin below:

The EP is set to be released on 16th June and launched at The Birdcage in Norwich on 14th June with support from Treacle People, Ellie Bleach and Peach Club - tickets just a couple of pounds through the FB event here!

Tig Digs: Alexander Wolfe 'I Can't Get To Sleep'

Here at Tigmus we're looking forward to our next London show, with the brilliant Alexander Wolfe playing Paper Dress Vintage for us on Thursday, alongside Kevin Pearce and Cunning Folk. Alexander's new single I Can't Get To Sleep was released in January and has received support from the lovely folk at BBC Radio 6 Music. Check out his performance of the track at Sofar Sounds London below and come along to the show on Thursday...

Advance tickets for the show on Thursday (6th April) are available through our site here.

Tig Digs: Harry Pane 'Fletcher Bay'

He played a couple of brilliant sold out shows for us last year and we're thrilled to be working with Harry Pane again on a run of UK dates to launch his latest EP, The Wild Winds. All the dates and ticket info are available through Harry's site, and early bird tickets for some of the shows are available through Harry's Tigmus page! The first track from the EP, Fletcher Bay, was premiered yesterday and it is getting us pretty excited to hear the rest of it! The track is about a place in New Zealand where Harry visited with his father whilst travelling some years ago, and returned last year to spread his father's ashes after he tragically passed away, with the EP as a whole detailing the journey of grief and acceptance. Listen below...

You can pre-order the EP on iTunes here and follow Harry on Spotify to be alerted once it is released!

Tig Digs: Goan Dogs 'Drifting Apart'

Love music?! Love balloons?! Well this will be right down your alley... it's the new video from Bristol's Goan Dogs for their track Drifting Apart. Who knew that a bunch of grown men playing with balloons could make for such an entertaining music video? 

If you dig the tune and video as much as we do (and you live in Oxford or nearby) you're in luck as Goan Dogs play for us tomorrow night at The Bullingdon with support from Ben Dey and The Concrete Lions and Joe Osborne & The Winter Moon. Tickets are cheap in advance on the site here and just a fiver on the door, come down for some Sunday evening tunes!

Tig Digs: Little Mammoths 'Phantom Dreams'

While this blog is a great place to celebrate the music of those who have shows upcoming with us, we also love keeping up to date with what the artists we've had previous shows with are doing, and on that note... Little Mammoths, who played their first ever Oxford show for us back in February, have recently released their debut record and we're loving it! We're also massively digging their new video for Uncle Ken's Bar, the opening track of the record.

As well as the online streams, digital release and an upcoming CD release, the guys are hoping to get the album released in a limited vinyl run. If you like what you hear - show your support and reserve a copy here! We're 

Tig Digs: Vidar Norheim 'Crystalised'

Following his shows for us earlier this Summer we can't wait for Vidar Norheim's Liverpool show at The Fenton next week. He's a Norweigan musician, composer and producer, based in Liverpool, and a member of the band Wave Machines. In the run up to the show we're digging this video of his track Crystalised.

Vidar Norheim plays a hometown EP launch as part of his debut UK tour on 25th August, tickets here. 

Tig Digs: Homeplanetearth 'Luca'

One of our favourite Oxfordshire bands, the lovely homeplanetearth, have recently released new track Luca which, the band writes, "discusses the feelings associated with an abusive relationship", a really mature topic for a band so young. Alongside Phat Phil and Find Me, the track is the third from the band's debut upcoming EP, which we can't wait to hear in full! The band played their first festival a couple of weeks ago at Truck Festival, and in September, we're really excited for them to have booked their debut tour with us, to promote the release of the EP, more info below... 

They kick off the tour with a huge Oxford show upstairs at the O2 Academy (with support from Roberto y Amigos, Polar Front and Little Red) on 16th September, before visiting Bristol's Crofters Rights, London's George Tavern, Norwich's The Waterfront Studio and The Joiners in Southampton. All the dates and tickets are here. 

Tig Digs: Neverlnd 'Neighbours'

Oxford's Neverlnd have just released Neighbours, the fourth of their monthly tracks (and we love it.) True to form, it's daring and catchy, and signals a slight departure from what we've come to expect of the band - releasing a track a month allows them to constantly develop their sound. All four tracks are free to download through Soundcloud here and well worth a listen!

We love working with the band in Oxford and beyond, and following a superb show at the O2 Academy 2 at the end of last year (Ocelot Mag's gig of the year, no less..) they've played for us a few times this year already, at our Oxford Independent Venue Week show in January, last month at our Alternative Escape showcase in Brighton and a brilliant and intimate headline show at the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building back in April.

After a summer including performances at both Common People and Truck Festival, we're very excited to be putting on their next headline show at Oxford's biggest independent venue, The Bullingdon. The show is on 3rd September and you can grab early bird tickets for just £6 here. Share the show with your friends through the Facebook event here!