Alternative pop songstress Erinn Williams knows that she’s not your prototypical pop star. She is a strong singer/songwriter whose background in opera translates into some of the dramatic overtures she writes into her music. The Cumberland Arms are welcoming her back on Friday 12th June, when she last played The Cumberland she left a lasting impression on all who saw her.

For two nights in May, the Newcastle Upon Tyne based quintet took over the 02 Academy. They are on the road to promote their third long player, ‘Quicken The Heart’. You have to admire them as they have survived the recent cull of mid noughties bands and pushed onto different levels.

After the amazing success of their debut, the band built on it with a good second album but the third album may be more successful but has it got the tunes? In my opinion it hasn't and live gigs only highlight the gulf in pop class between their third album and their debut. Tracks like recent single 'The Kids Are Sick Again' and 'Wreathlike' are highlights of their new material. Sadly there aren't many moments of brilliance in the new songs. In terms of their live performance, they are brilliant as ever with Paul Smith jumping around and posing like its his final day on this earth. They end the night with ‘Apply Some Pressure’ and the crowd went home happy after an energetic and engaging set.

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‘I’m Ok’ is the follow up to the critically acclaimed album ‘7 Guitars with a Cloud of Milk’ which won GaBLé best new act award in the French equivalent of the NME, Les Inrocks Magazine. They have previously toured with Dan Deacon and chk chk chk (!!!). The Title is in reply to the question posed by Daniel Johnson, with his album, "Hi how are you". The trio hail hail from Normandy and they make unconventional off kilter DIY pop. Conventional instruments such as cello and brass are used as well as  throwing in random sounds and samples. You can't predict which way the album will go, just as it seems a normal song they throw a curveball in. The release will be available as a limited edition of 300 12” records, screen printed by the band themselves, suplimented by individually hand drawn illustrations by kids of the band’s local grammar school in Caen. This is an interesting curio, they are eccentric and exciting but not in an contrived stylised manner.

www.myspace.com/loafrecordings