Which Nottingham musicians to follow on Twitter

May 2012

May 29 2012 is Nottingham Trending Day on Twitter. Follow @NottinghamTrend to find out more about the campaign. Meanwhile, here are the Notts musicians with the biggest number of followers...

JayMcGuiness

@JayTheWanted

380,530 followers

Born in Newark, Jay studied at the Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama (MADD) in Carlton then auditioned for, among other things, a new British boy band. The Wanted are now one of Britain’s biggest alongside One Direction and JLS, with No. 1 singles and albums and sell-out tours.

Joel Peat

@LawsonJoel

25,855 followers

He is guitarist with Lawson, a new guitar band who supported The Wanted on their arena tour earlier this year. Joel grew up in Ravenshead and following his A levels moved to Guildford in Surrey to study at The Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM). But he quit after a year to try and make it with Lawson, the band he’d joined while at college. After three years of touring the UK gig circuit, Lawson were picked to open for The Wanted on their theatre tour. At the end of that they signed to Polydor. As well as another tour with The Wanted, Lawson have played shows with Avril Lavigne and recently returned from Los Angeles where they finished recording their debut album. That’s due for release late summer.

Dog Is Dead

@Dog_Is_Dead

6,185 followers

After signing to Atlantic Records last year, the Rushcliffe quintet have supported Bombay Bicycle Club, played major festivals such as Latitude, Bestival and Leeds and Reading, had airplay on and played sessions for Radio 1 and BBC 6Music, and appeared on the Channel 4 soap Skins. They’ve even played at Fashion Week in Milan for Burberry.

So far they’ve released two singles for the label, Hands Down and Two Devils. A third is due next month.

They play Rock City on Sunday as part of the Dot to Dot festival.

Liam Bailey

@liambailey

6,101 followers

The soul singer, who grew up in Beeston, released two singles on Amy Winehouse’s own label before signing to Polydor. He guested on the Chase & Status Top 5 hit Blind Faith and joined the duo on their UK and European tours. Despite finishing his album for Polydor it was never released. They parted company last year. Songs he’d recorded with Amy Winehouse were also lost when his laptop was stolen. Since then his single When Will They Learn? was played on Radio 1, as was Breathe by Delilah, which features Liam’s vocals.

He’ll be joining Natalie Duncan and other Notts musicians at Nottingham Contemporary on July 6.

THePETEBOX

@THePETEBOX

4,617 followers

THE award-winning beatboxer has played shows from as far afield as Mexico and Africa. He’s supported dance troupe Diversity on a sell-out tour and his videos have been seen by millions on YouTube. The Australian-born Sneinton resident recently released his debut album Future Loops.

Jake Bugg

@jakebugg

4.412 followers

He signed to Mercury Records last year and has since released three singles with an album due in October. Although he is a big fan of Donovan and Don McLean, the 18-year-old has been drifting across genres with his singles, from classic Bob Dylan (Trouble Town), tender country (Country Song) and raw garage rock (Lightning Bolt). He’s been playlisted on Radio 1, opened a show for Example at Rock City, toured Europe with Michael Kiwanuka and Country Song is currently being used to soundtrack the TV ad campaign for Greene King IPA. Last week he appeared on Later With Jools Holland alongside Jimmy Cliff and Paloma Faith.

He’ll be at Rock City on Sunday as part of the Dot to Dot festival.

Sam Beeton

@sam_beeton

2.926 followers

The 23-year-old from Carlton is an old hand at this pop music lark having been signed to major label SonyBMG at the age of just 17. He released one single, toured with Sandi Thom, James Morrison, Scouting For Girls and Paolo Nutini and even played a show with Katy Perry.

After a period of stagnation on the label, Sam set up Sweet Luigi Records, through which he has released an EP every month via a subscription service. Two of his songs, Under The Fence and The Storyteller, have been played on Radio 2 and he performed the latter on BBC 2’s The Review Show. He’s also an occasional Burberry model.

Ronika

@ohronikagirl

1057 followers

SHE has been dubbed “the Madonna of the Midlands” for her 80s-influenced dance pop, that has earned Lowdham’s Veronica Sampson attention from the Mirror, The Sunday Times, the NME and the Guardian, who described her as “destined for pop greatness”. Last month Radio 1 played her latest single Automatic. Chic’s Nile Rodgers tweeted that he thought the track was “dope”. She’s due to hit the chart soon guesting on the new single by dance producer Herve.

* follower numbers correct 4pm May 25 2012

Nottingham music 2011

December 2011

DESPITE a consistently rich local music scene, chart success has been, to say the least, disappointing. You have to go back decades to find the last time a homegrown band or singer made any impact on a national or international scale.

And even then it’s hardly credible: Su Pollard, Paper Lace, erm, Alvin Stardust. It’s perhaps only sixties blues rockers Ten Years After who you’d really want to shout about.

There have been others but the connections to the city start to hang by a thin thread. Stereo MCs moved to London before they were Stereo MCs. Ditto Tindersticks. And yes there was that bloke from Air Supply... it’s hardly Madchester.

But this year has seen a real change in the fortunes of our music scene.

Even The Guardian wrote about it with the feature: “Nottingham’s music scene: soon to be heard?”

“The most exciting thing about the successes of 2011 are the implications for 2012,” says Mark Del, a champion of local music who set up Nusic to promote Notts artists.

“With Dog Is Dead, Jack Bugg, Natalie Duncan and Shide Boss all signed to majors I predict at least one top-ten album and maybe even that hallowed number one.”

He adds: “I think girl power will continue. There’s a growing momentum behind Nina Smith and Opie Deino. And I will be dumbfounded if Ronika and Harleighblu don’t make some serious moves in 2012.”

Following all the names familiar to local music fans are the new kids, such as Kappa Gamma and Kagoule, who won the chance to support Dog Is Dead at Rock City last weekend, plus Great British Weather, Frankie Rudolf, Rob Green, The Bystanders, Saint Raymond and Boots Booklovers.

Says Mark: “There is a lot of talent in the colleges and cul de sacs of suburban Notts.”

He concludes: “2012 will quite simply be the most incredible year of all time for the Nottingham music scene. Sorry about sitting on the fence there.”

Here are the ones to watch...

DOG IS DEAD
AT the weekend the South Notts indie quintet played a headline show at Rock City at the end of a year that has seen them sign to Atlantic Records (the home of Bruno Mars, Plan B and Ed Sheeran), support Bombay Bicycle Club on their UK tour, play major festivals such as Latitude, Bestival and Leeds/Reading, get airplay on Radio 1 and despite the free Burberry clobber look scruffy at Milan Fashion Week. A follow-up to their debut single for Atlantic, Hands Down, is expected within weeks, with the album due in the spring, following a headline UK tour.

JAKE BUGG

THE 17-year-old from Clifton was another major label signing for Nottingham this year, snapped up by Mercury Records, who flew him to Nashville last month to record his first single for the label. His single Someone Told Me was playlisted on Radio 1, he was at Glastonbury for BBC Introducing and last week he opened for Example at his sold-out Rock City show. Jake, whose influences include Donovan, Don McLean, Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles. continues his residency at the Glee Club from January 13.

SAM BEETON

HIS song Under The Fence was played on Radio 2’s Graham Norton Show – twice! And yet he’s as yet unsigned to a major label. Instead the 23-year-old from Carlton has been self-releasing his music through his own Record Club, which has over 2,000 paying subscribers around the world. And he’s continued to model for Burberry, hanging out with the likes of Paul Weller and Kanye West. He will release Under The Fence as a single on January 9 – and a Radio 2 playlisting is imminent.

RONIKA

SHE has been dubbed “the Madonna of the Midlands” with three EPs this year of 80s-influenced dance pop that has earned her attention from the Mirror, the NME and the Guardian who described her as “destined for pop greatness in 2012”. This year Ronika, who lives in Carrington, has played Madrid and New York. Her next local gig is at the Bodega on March 23.

SPOTLIGHT KID

ANOTHER band self-releasing material – their second album Disaster Tourist came out in the autumn – and yet they earned a slot at Glastonbury, were playlisted on Radio 1 and had the Guardian writing about them this year. And they’re one of only a few bands in the UK making music rooted in the “shoegaze” movement of the early 90s.

LIAM BAILEY

STARTED the year at the head of the pack contributing vocals to the Chase & Status Top 5 hit Blind Faith, while already signed to Polydor Records. Prior to that the Beeston soul man had released singles on Amy Winehouse’s Lioness Records label, 2am Rough Tracks and So Down, Cold. But after just two singles, You Better Leave Me and It’s Not The Same, he and Polydor parted company. The album, Out Of The Shadows, which he’d recorded with Salaam Remi (producer for Lauren Hill, Nas, Amy Winehouse), was never released.

But Liam’s not finished just yet.

His single When Will They Learn? was played on Radio 1 just last week. He’ll be at the Bodega on Wednesday for Soundhism’s Christmas party, 9pm-3am.

NINA SMITH

THE 25-year-old released her debut EP this year, Lonely Heart Club, a collection of acoustic soul/pop tunes. Lead track I Won’t Forget You was played by Tom Robinson on BBC 6Music and on Absolute Radio. A dance remix of Lonely Heart Club by Kumarachi had a few airings on BBC 1Xtra. Nina has also supported Finley Quaye and Alesha Dixon this year.

She says: “It’s been a great year for us. We’ve seen so many acts get signed, perform on the festival circuit and get, well deserved, national recognition. For me supporting established acts, getting national radio play and receiving great press for my first EP has made it a wonderful year. Bring on 2012!”

Nina joins Liam Bailey, Royal Gala, 1st Blood and others at Soundhism at the Bodega on Wednesday.

NATALIE DUNCAN

LIKE Bailey, moved to London before being signed to Verve Records, the home of Jamie Cullum, DJ Shadow and Diana Krall. She was featured on the BBC 2 three-part series Goldie’s Band: By Royal Appointment, in which the drum’n’bass star put together a band of unsigned musicians to perform for Prince Harry. This week she started work on her debut album.

SHIDE BOSS

AFTER winning Channel 4’s Hollyoaks Unsigned Music Show, a spin-off of the teen soap aimed at finding Britain’s best new talent, the 22-year-old was signed to Karman, part of the Sony group.

“We entered the show on the last day with no real aim but to get our song It’s Alright out there,” he says.

His debut EP, Ni Sohniye, a mix of pop, R&B and Asian beats, is out now on iTunes.

Nina Smith

August 2011

WHEN friends asked Nina Smith to break into song at school, she’d lock herself in a toilet cubicle and let them listen outside.

“It’s true,” laughs the 25-year-old from Bakersfield.

“I was too shy. I’d recorded music at home on my computer and put it on mini-discs but I didn’t have the confidence to actually stand in front of anyone and do it.”

Despite that she is now among the most talked about musicians on Nottingham’s music scene and expected to follow Liam Bailey, Dog Is Dead and Jake Bugg by signing a deal with a major record label.

She has supported everyone from Finley Quaye to Alicia Dixon and appeared on Radio 1. Strange then that Nina never harboured ambitions to be a singer as a child.

“No-one in my family is really musical at all,” she says.

“My dad was a lorry driver and he also worked on the canals. My mum worked in retail. But she did play a lot of music in the house, like Tina Turner, Simply Red and Robert Palmer and I used to mimic them. I’d try really hard to get it exactly the same.

“I didn’t think ‘I want to be a singer’ I just enjoyed it. It’s the only thing I’ve ever been good at.”

She wasn’t a particularly big fan of music either.

“The first song I ever bought was Mr Blobby on a cassette,” she laughs.

“I liked Destiny’s Child, Justin Timberlake and the Spice Girls but I didn’t really go to gigs. I was more into clubbing.”

Her first conscious move towards a singing career came at 17 when she dropped out of college to work on her music at CRS, the community recording studios in St Ann’s.

“They took me under their wing and developed me. It was where my confidence as a performer grew. I dropped out of college to concentrate on that.”

Her soulful pop style was in contrast to the studio’s largely hip-hop stable.

“There were people there who were getting played on Radio 1, like Scorzayzee, C-Mone and Shifty Spirit. They were mostly rappers. But I’d start to sing on their tracks, feature choruses.”

It was a session with Scorzayzee at Maida Vale that gave Nina her Radio 1 and 1Xtra debut 18 months ago.

Soon after she as supporting Finley Quaye in London.

“I walked in on him on the toilet,” she laughs.

“This was before I’d even met him. And foolishly when he came out I asked for a photo. It was all a bit uncomfortable to say the least.”

Earlier this year she opened for Alicia Dixon at the opening of Best Buy at Castle Retail Park.

“It was the strangest gig I’ve ever done. The first day I was performing on the Best Buy bus in Birmingham. Then the second day was outside the shop in Nottingham with Alicia Dixon and there were hundreds of people there. I gained some mega fans from that gig but it was strange.”

There have been offers from record labels but not the right ones as yet.

“I think one label wanted to shove me out on stage in a short outfit with a dance act and I wasn’t ready for that.

I wanted to see what I could do first.”

Which is why she will be releasing her debut EP, Lonely Heart Club, later this month.

“It’s very exciting in Nottingham at the moment. There are a lot of artists getting recognition like Liam Bailey, Ronika, Dog Is Dead and Jake Bugg. And there are others on the way like Royal Gala, Natalie Duncan, Cecile Grey and Harleighblu.

“And everyone is supporting each other.”

Liam Bailey, who is signed to Polydor and hit the Top 5 with the Chase & Status single Blind Faith, is a friend.

“Liam has the potential to go all the way,” says Nina. “Although he can be embarrassing sometimes.

“When we were at the Bodega once we met Mat Horne from Gavin And Stacey. I introduced myself properly but Liam grabbed him in a headlock and started messing his hair up. He just doesn’t care.”

Nina Smith plays The Waterfront Festival tomorrow.

Lonely Heart Club EP is released on CD and through iTunes on Monday August 29.

Liam Bailey

July 2011

ON a Friday night I’ll usually go to a mate’s gig or the pub and both will end up with us jamming and listening to music until the early hours of the morning. So, on Saturday I won’t get up until around two o’clock, I’ll do myself a fry-up and then go out again.

On Sunday I’ll have a Sunday dinner or if I’m in Nottingham I’ll go and see my mum.

I’ve been living in London the past few years. I live on my own but the girlfriend is around a lot.

I might be doing a gig myself at the weekend, of course. This weekend I’m off to Germany with Chase & Status. That’s on Sunday. I toured with them earlier this year and now it’s the festival season, so we’re going all over Europe. We’ve already been to Denmark and Belgium, we did Wireless, T In The Park and Oxygene. I was in Spain yesterday for Benicassim. There’s even a gig in Japan coming up.

Tonight I’ll be at my mate’s hip-hop night, then on to a warehouse party in Hackney. So tomorrow I’ll be recovering then flying out to Germany.

I was supposed to be doing a few festivals on my own but I cancelled them to promote my album which is out next month. It’ll be regional radio interviews and things like that.

I got a complaint from the neighbours the other day. The landlord phoned me up and said they’d heard me shouting at the telly. I wasn’t even drunk, I was sat on the sofa watching that BBC programme about songwriting (Secrets Of The Pop Song, BBC2). Nothing soulful comes out of the studio when you’re sat there with a pen going “I don’t think we should say ‘with’, I think we should say ‘and’”.

I like watching Channel 4 News for some reason. But I generally like to watch the stupid stuff, like Undercover Boss and Come Dine With Me – that cracks me up. I’d love to go on it. I’d do a fry-up. I’ve had some posh fry-ups in London, you’d be surprised what you can do. Put spinach on it, make it look nice.

I’m alright in the kitchen, thanks to Jamie Oliver, he taught me well. I’ve got his book, 30 Minute Meals. Obviously it takes me about an hour and a half. He’s got one of his restaurants around the corner, I might go in and have a moan.

I’ve been to Jamie’s Kitchen in Nottingham and it’s all right in there. It’s not too expensive.

The last time I went to the cinema was to see Attack The Block, which was funny. I only went because the girlfriend wanted to go. It’s about these aliens that come down and try and take over a council estate in South London but there’s all these kids, the ‘you get meh’ crew who are like ‘What you sayin’ bled!? We’re gonna kill these aliens.’ It’s funny.

I’m reading a book about Quincy Jones. He had an interesting life. And Bob Dylan’s Chronicles... that was like reading the Bible. It’s a great book. Really interesting. And I’ve got quite a short attention span.

The music I’m loving at the moment is Hudson Mohawke, Tyler The Creator and Radiohead.

Of course I don’t keep fit. I need to do. At one point I put on about a stone and a half which made me laugh because a girl I know, she’s a singer, you’d know her... well, the label put her on meals on wheels. Delivering the food she’s allowed to eat. They couldn’t do that with someone like me, there’s no point. And it’s different for blokes. I’m not that kind of artist anyway. If I was in a pop group it’d be different.

My perfect weekend would be good music, good people, good wine, good weather... if you’ve got good people around you it doesn’t matter where you are.

Liam Bailey’s It’s Not The Same EP is out now on Polydor Records. It includes an acoustic version of Blind Faith, the Top Five single he recorded with Chase & Status.

Hhymn

May 2011

LIAM Bailey, Dog Is Dead, Natalie Duncan, Swimming, Ronika... Nottingham’s music scene is stronger than it’s been in more than a decade. And the latest name to add to that list of homegrown talent who could go all the way is Hhymn.

The alt-folk quintet have just released their debut album, In The Depths, on Nottingham label Denizen Recordings and the anticipation for it was such that their launch gig at the Malt Cross was a sell-out.

“It was quite overwhelming how many people turned up,” says singer and guitarist Ed Bannard, taking a break from painting to sit on a hill in East Bridgford, the only place his mobile will receive calls.

“There were about 20 people outside who couldn’t get in at one stage,” he says of the 300-capacity venue in St James’ Street.

“It’s quite difficult to play on that small stage, particularly when there were nine of us.”

The core of Hhymn are Ed (guitar/vocals), co-songwriter Simon Ritchie (guitar), Michael Wynne (drums), Will Jeffrey (bass) and Amy Helliwell (trumpet, melodica, glockenspiel).

The additional players bring zithers, mandolins, ukuleles, harmoniums, dulcimers, double basses, brass and brushes and it’s this parade of instruments that characterises the Hhymnsound. There’s even a saw on the album.

“If you bend a saw in a certain way and get a violin bow on it, you can make really nice notes that sound a bit like a theramin,” says Ed.

The release follows championing by everyone from 6 Music’s Tom Robinson to Burton Joyce’s Gavin And Stacey star Mat Horne, who invited them to play at his Sessions club night in London.

Ed says: “At the moment there is a really good vibe in Nottingham and it’s quite a close community of bands. There’s a really good underground scene as well as the guys like Liam Bailey, Dog Is Dead and Swimming who are making it into the magazines. And all them are bigging up Nottingham, which is really good.”

He adds: “The bands in Nottingham are stellar at the moment and it would be great for the city to get the recognition it deserves, in the same way Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds. Nottingham’s never really had that. The industry just seems to fly over us.”

The album is available at all online retailers as a CD and download but in Nottingham it’s currently only on sale from the Music Exchange in West End Arcade.

It was recorded by Denizen Recordings boss Pete Fletcher at Confetti Studios using the Neve VR60 mixing desk, which was previously used at Rockfield Studios in Wales on Oasis’ (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, The Stone Roses’ Second Coming and Ash’s 1977.

“It has a lot of history but I don’t think that had as much to do with the sound as Pete’s production,” says Ed.

“That was a massive part of it. The songs stand up on their own but the production wraps it all up in nice gold paper.”

MistaJam

May 2011

To be a radio DJ the pre-requisite is that you have to be a nerd

THE journey from Nottingham to national radio started for Pete Dalton around seven years ago when he invited the BBC’s urban music station 1 Xtra to the hip-hop all-dayer, UK Takeover at the Marcus Garvey Centre.

“They recorded some sets from there but they didn’t see me DJ,” says Dalton, 28, better known as MistaJam, who organised regular hip-hop nights with Joe Budha under the name SureShot.

“That went so well that when we booked KRS-One in to Rock City and added on a Q&A with him at Broadway the next day, they came up to Nottingham again. And that’s where they first saw me DJ. They asked me to try out for a show. That was in 2005 and I’ve been there ever since.”

Three years later he was drafted in to host a Saturday night show on Radio 1.

“I continue to do both. From Monday to Thursday I’m on 1 Xtra, then on Saturday night I’m on Radio 1 and 1 Xtra.”

He adds: “Being on national radio is a major thing. I grew up listening to Radio 1 and people like Pete Tong, Trevor Nelson, the late great John Peel so it is weird being amongst them.

“And the nominations for the Sony Awards has been the icing on the cake for me.”

MistaJam has two nominations for the 2011 Sony Radio Academy Awards, the Oscars of the radio world. He’s up for Best Specialist Music Programme and Music Broadcaster of the Year and he’ll find out if he’s won at the ceremony in London on Monday.

“It’s the first time I’ve been nominated and I wasn’t expecting it,” he says.

“I’ve got a good chance but I’m not holding my breath. I’m up against Jarvis Cocker, Zane Lowe and Mark Radcliffe, people with real pedigree. I mean, Mark Radcliffe was on Radio 1 when I was at school, so it’s weird to be nominated alongside him.”

At least there’s the party to enjoy, although he must be used to them by now.

“That’s the thing, you think it might be all glamour and glitz but the majority of the time it’s sitting in front of a laptop listening to music.”

What a nerd.

“You have to be. To be a radio DJ the pre-requisite is that you have to be a nerd.”

He grew up in Bestwood Park and Arnold and has family and friends in Radford and St Ann’s. His first taste of DJing was as a child using a Fisher Price record player.

“I used to spend hours and hours and hours playing records on it, ruining my parents vinyl collection,” he laughs.

At 14 he joined a local youth sound system then DJ’d for hip-hop collective Out Da Ville.

“I served my apprenticeship with them before working with Trevor Rose (at CRS) then with Joe Budha.”

MistaJam now lives in Northampton with his wife and their 10-month-old daughter.

“My missus works in Northampton so it made sense to move there and me to commute.”

He is still in touch with the Nottingham music scene and is a fan although he doesn’t give preference on his shows.

“Everything I play on my show is based purely on musical merit but there is a lot of really good music coming out of Nottingham, a lot of talented musicians. Liam Bailey is doing amazing things right now and flying the flag. In terms of hip-hop there’s a kid called Juggernaut who I think is absolutely amazing. Scorzayzee is finally getting round to releasing his album and I cannot wait to hear some finished material from Harleighblu, because she’s an amazing singer.”

The 2011 Sony Radio Academy Awards are on Monday at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London. The ceremony, hosted by Chris Evans, will be broadcast live online atwww.radioawards.org from 6.45pm

Notts-stars: Liam Bailey, Dog Is Dead...

March 2011

SHE cooks a mean meatball and avocado salad, does Amy Winehouse. Just ask Liam Bailey. The soul singer from Beeston, who released his debut single for Polydor Records two days ago, has been round her gaff for dinner.

“She’s a brilliant cook,” says the 25-year-old.

“Apart from me mam’s lasagne it was the best meal I’d ever had.”

Liam released two singles on Winehouse’s Lioness Records label, 2am Rough Tracks and So Down, Cold. Although, by that time, he was already signed to Polydor.

“They heard about me,” he says simply.

“Winehouse heard some stuff I’d done that was pretty rough, Polydor wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole. I hadn’t even bothered playing it to them but Winehouse heard them and she put them out on her label.”

He adds: “She’s sound, you know. She’s a lovely girl. And she knows her music. She’s up there, one of the most iconic singers to come out of this country in the 21st century.

“Yeah, all right, she has her faults but I’ve got nothing but good things to say about her.”

Winehouse will be seeing him play in London next week, he says.

“We’ve been out a few times.”

Liam was born in Beeston. His dad is a factory worker, his mum works on the tills at a supermarket. It was his mum’s record collection that he feasted upon, from Michael Jackson to The Beatles, Bob Marley to Jimi Hendrix.

The family moved to Selston when he was 10.

Later, while living in Sneinton, he played in a number of bands around the city, including Bosco, but moved to London to live with a girlfriend and to pursue music five years ago.

“I was still coming back to Nottingham because I’ve got a lot of mates there and my family. So I’d have a jam with mates on a Friday night and play a gig on Saturday evening under the name Soul Parade.”

Polydor picked him up two years ago and his debut single, You Better Leave Me, was released this week to coincide with his current tour supporting Plan B around the UK. After that he’ll open for the hotly-tipped Jessie J but neither tour brings him home.

That said, he will be joining Chase & Status when they play their sell-out gig at Rock City next Sunday, to perform with them on Blind Faith, their Top 5 hit on which he sings.

“That was mad,” he says.

“I didn’t even know who Chase & Status were when I got a phone call from them asking if I fancied doing something.”

The song is included on the Chase & Status album, No More Idols, which reached No. 2.

Liam’s debut album, produced by Salaam Remi (Nas, Fugees, Amy Winehouse) will be released in May.

Another Nottingham name getting a lot of attention is Dog Is Dead.

“I rate Dog Is Dead, they’re good songwriters,” says Liam.

“Although I felt sorry for them. I was playing a gig supporting someone who dropped out so the promoter brought in Dog Is Dead. But the room was full of people from my label and some of my mates, so when I’d done my set everyone left. There was only me and a few of my mates watching them.”

There is little need to feel sorry for Dog Is Dead. After playing Glastonbury last summer, the five-piece from West Bridgford have been been all over Radio 1.

“The current single, River Jordan, was playlisted, which is pretty incredible,” says guitarist Rob Milton.

“We did a four-song session for Huw Stephens and I was interviewed by Jo Whiley for her show last weekend. She seemed really nice and didn’t emphasise too much how much she hated the band name,” he laughs.

The NME stamped its approval with a full page feature last week and in a couple of weeks they’ll be seen in an episode of Channel 4 youth drama, Skins.

Last night Dog Is Dead started their UK tour in Manchester.

“This is the most exciting bit,” says Rob.

Their current single, River Jordan, is the final instalment in their trilogy of singles on the Your Childhood label, following July’s Glockenspiel Song and October’s Young.

“We’ve offers from labels which we’re considering,” says George Akins, the band’s manager.

“It’s all pretty exciting stuff. The plan is to record an album with them this summer.”

Liam also rates Nottingham rapper Cappo, acoustic singer songwriter Nina Smith and knows The Petebox, the beatboxer who toured last year, opening for Diversity. He is also the drummer for Nottingham guitar band Swimming, who’ll be playing a set at Fopp on Tuesday from 5pm to plug the release of their new single, Sun In The Island. The single has been played on Radio 1 by Fearne Cotton and Rob Da Bank.

Other Nottingham talent to listen out for are Ronika, who shares management with Plan B and Hot Horizons, who are signed to EMI’s Zarcorp label. They’ll be supporting Dog Is Dead at the Rescue Rooms tomorrow.

Natalie Duncan recently moved to London to pursue her music career, having already recorded demos for EMI.

And there’s Parade, the new girl group, featuring Gunthorpe’s Bianca Claxton, who release their debut single, Louder, on Monday.

It’s expected to chart, particularly now it’s being used to soundtrack the new TV ad for Rimmel.

Parade have already supported Shakira and Alexandra Burke and this week it was announced they’ll be opening for Shayne Ward on his next tour.

And Nottingham’s national pop profile has already been raised by the success of boy band The Wanted, featuring Jay McGuiness from Farndon, a one-time resident of Carlton.

After a No. 1 single and Top 10 album, they’re releasing the official single for Comic Relief, Gold Forever, on March 13.

They also play a sell-out show at the Royal Concert Hall on April 2.

“My agenda is to make people know about Nottingham and that it has a very eclectic and quite substantial music scene,” says Liam.

“The industry should start going there to see what’s going on. I’m going to be reading the riot act to them.”