Tom Odell set to play Forestry Commission gigs in 2015

Tom Odell has announced a unique new UK tour for summer 2015. The 24 year old singer/songwriter will be joining Forest Live, an independent programme of events organised by the Forestry Commission. Playing in forests and woodlands across the UK, Tom will be joined by other acts such as The Script in this unique series of events.

Odell has had a smash hit year, winning the Ivor Novello Award for Songwriter of the Year and having renewed interest in his music after his connection with this year’s famed John Lewis Christmas advert. Covering ‘Real Love’ by John Lennon, Odell’s version of the track appeared in the highly anticipated advert and saw him peak at number 7 in the UK charts.

Now Christmas trees are being swapped for Oak, Ash and Pine when Forest Live opens in June. "This will be a whole new experience for me," said Odell. "I can’t wait to bring my live show to the woods and I hope to see you there."  Hoping to open the forests to new visitors, all of the money raised from the shows will go towards protecting and expanding England’s forests and woodlands.

Tickets for Odell's shows go on sale at 9am on Friday December 19 from the Forestry Commission Box Office. He will appear, along with other acts, at these events across June and July…

Friday 19 June: Bedgebury Pinetum, near Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Saturday 20 June: Westonbirt Arboretum, near Tetbury, Glos.

Thursday 25 June: Dalby Forest, near Pickering, N Yorks.

Friday 26 June: Sherwood Pines Forest, Edwinstowe, near Mansfield, Notts.

Saturday 4 July: Delamere Forest, Delamere, Cheshire.

Sunday 5 July: Thetford Forest, near Brandon, Suffolk.

Sunday 12 July: Cannock Chase Forest, near Rugeley, Staffs.

For now, we can stay in the Christmas spirit with Tom Odell’s recording of ‘Real Love’

Written for www.BEAT100.com

Congratulations to Orlando Seale and the Swell, BEAT100's Newest Ultimate Musicians!

Orlando Seale and the Swell have caught the eye of the BEAT100 A&R team and become the newest artists to receive an Ultimate Musician Award! Fronted by lead singer/songwriter Orlando, the musical collective is currently making it big on the London indie music scene. Orlando has always been musically inclined and finds that, for him, listening to music also has a strong family connection. As well as regularly listening to Edith Piaf and Om Kalsoum records with his aunt, (the British fashion designer Thea Porter) the young singer also loves listening to his late mother's records as a way of connecting to her. Heavily influenced by a variety of music as a teenager, Orlando especially found a connection with the eclectic tastes of David Bowie, he tells BEAT100 'I poured over the songs, thrilled by the range of subjects they dealt with, the inventiveness of the lyrics. Of course I wanted to be like him but sadly I was your typical hairy, carbuncular teenager, a million miles from the androgyny of the Thin White Duke.'

Moving on to play in cover bands throughout his teenage years, the music lover didn't even think about writing songs until years later when he was living in LA pursuing an acting career. Inspired by artists such as P J Harvey, Leonard Cohen and The Cure, Orlando soon discovered that he had a lyrical talent. Talking about his time in LA, he says 'The hours alone in my car crossing the sprawling city to auditions became a sort of musical education...Melodies and lyrics of my own started appearing and spilling out as I drove...but at the time I couldn't play any instruments.' His girlfriend at the time provided him with a guitar to accompany his new found love for lyrics, a guitar once owned by famed US musician Elliot Smith that became a great source of inspiration for the budding lyricist. After this cross roads in his career path, Orlando decided to pursue music and made the move back to London.

Struck by the changing extremes of London life, Orlando found a new musical influence in the natural movement of the city. A movement that can still be heard in the music that he currently creates, a sound both hectic but reassuring, a reflection of the busy city lives that move around him as he writes. A collaboration with an orchestra for The Old Vic Tunnels gave birth to the Swell; with Orlando at the helm, together the group create energetic and captivating tracks filled with their vibrant signature sound. That sound is definitely gaining them popularity on BEAT100 and beyond; the group has currently gained Gold Awards for Video, Favourite and Song as well as steadily climbing the World Music Video Chart with their track 'Hyde'. Orlando, accompanied by the Swell work hard on creating their own unique sound as well as performing style. Currently they have performed everywhere from stripped back intimate living room tours to big festival stages with up to 20 members on stage at once. Constantly writing new tracks and reworking old ones, the group love to challenge themselves with different spaces and arrangements to enhance their performances. Orlando says 'Our biggest achievement is sticking at it, trying to keep developing and challenging ourselves, making each show special.'

Currently Orlando Seale and the Swell are writing and recording new material in preparation for their upcoming EP, as well as looking forward to collaborating with a variety of different artists and performers in the near future. Check out BEAT100's favourite track 'Dance Little Man' below!

Written for BEAT100.com

Essex's Hottest New Band? : We Are People

It's always something to shout about when someone with talent comes from your hometown. Hailing from sunny Southend-on-Sea in Essex, we may have lovely (coughnotquite) beaches and the world's longest pleasure pier but not much else goes on. 

That's why when I heard of a great new band that have been performing in and around our small Essex town and steadily growing in popularity, I decided to give them a listen. I was in for a pleasant surprise! 

We Are People are offering a fresh new sound with a funky twist to a classic Indie backdrop. Having only played their first gig at Saks on Halloween, We Are People are still virtually unknown but instantly have listeners hooked with their catchy tunes. Talented frontman Matt Linnen leads with gravelly vocals that add a rawness and edge to the band's overall sound. Linnen as been hinting for sometime at the formation of We Are People, with the slogan appearing during and after his solo cover performances on YouTube for the past couple of months. His distinctive vocals can also be heard on the acoustic version of 'We Are People' the band's newest self named track. The group are rather elusive, with minimal info to be found online about the band's line up and background but this just allows them to be judged on the music alone (which, as it stands, is working wonders in representing them). 

Have a listen to my favourite track so far, Love Toys, a funky upbeat Indie song that is sure to have your head bopping less than 30 seconds in.