* Music Tourist Board (non profit disorganisation) *
** Pop Of The Tops (promotions/events) LIVE MUSIC & CLUBS *
Welcome To Rocklands (guide to the rock'n'roll republic) *

Music Tourist Board - is it all mouth? I hope not. We started in Sept-003, as did Rocklands Music Promotions. Within two weeks we announced a hand picked bill from the pool of acts mentioned below to play four special shows. So what happened.? REPORT Dec-003

21st century punks, old skool - passion, not fashion) - UK establishment'-media's tips are high in "trendiness", "taste makers choices", "coolness", geography lessons... and the government is passing laws to kill off lalaland. But there's also a fantastic underground pop explosion going on. A welcome addition to stale predictability - celebrate!
Alternative Rock Idol bands are already tipped/recommded, constantly gaining fans/reputation. Having proved their seeds of potential, Music Tourist Board would like them to be exposed and promoted to the general publc. A communal effort (one of the most exciting parts being musicians helping other musicians. Justifying the faith since the idea of Music Tourist Board actvity started in Summer 003, many have already moved on in their career. Give bands a chance! Get involved/Get on board. Recommend unmissable shows, if you are a zine/site etc join in - speak to bands!. experience and be part of the d.i.y. pop explosion in glorious technicoloured six dimensional sound - at shows around britainireland oct 003 - mar 004 - essential Alternative Rock Idols sites/pages include www.joyzine.co.uk - www.nikkidido.com -www.musosguide.com - Hear! Here! An Alternative Rock Idol forum (join with an email address - add / discuss underground rock bands at Screaming Tarts - Share The Joy!

REAL IS THE NEW COOL (pic-justin/the darkness - punk city, by minxy)
we need alternative rock idols. sod the rules of "cool"...

Mobo Unsung contenders are alternative rock idols - doing their OWN thing. There's room for fame/celebrity wannabes but also music obsessives too. The Darkness, like Radiohead them, a prime example of REAL, fan base acclaim followed by mass media acceptance. Old skool, hard slog, uncynical mujsic obsession - big fun!. The Thrills, inspired by The Bluetones? Couldn'\t get less "cool". BritainIreland do REAL so well, plenty more in the wings. Bands with potential need support, exposure, money to exist. In return our wealth of home grown talent creates jobs, puts us on the map/earns great income. In other words supporting our music is good for everybody.

Jan 004 : Hooray for the bands that took part in Alternative Rock Idol Live in Oct 003. Many of them are playing or already played special gigs / events / tours, appeared on acclaimed new compilataons (i.e. The New Cross and Fear Of A Black Kennett), been tipped for 2004, have labels/media interest, radio play, newspaper and magazine exposure. News reaches Music Tourist Board that mainstream media is now planning a Rock Idol programme for this year - wonder how it will compare with the underground punkery of Digital Sneakers film? Anyway, bands like Twisted Charm, Bloc Party, Art Brut, Corporation:Blend and an alternative music industry met in August/September 003 and created. Alternative Rock Idol was born to do things in a completely new way, runs from Oct 003 to Mar 004 and has already made it's mark on the future music life of Britain/Ireland. It's only a start, come join in...

Alternative Rock Idols? Talent! Songs! Performance! Potential! Charisma! Individuality! Determination! ... With big money squandering big talent, the loss of "development" for acts to blossom and not enough places for new music to (affordably!) expose itself - the d.i.y. pop explosion is being supported by the growing Music Tourist Board collective (mostly musicians). Not so much "taste makers" (some people can taste for themselves...) as fun makers and music lovers. These bands need to be taken seriously. Many of them soon will... p.s get the idea? i.e. there are just SO MANY...
The following, are some recommendations courtesy of various members/staff of the following (so far) with some names cropping up regularly as hot-as-fug tips... and new suggestions still coming from around BritainIreland. (Thank you for inpute to various folks from Bang Magazine, BBC Leicester, BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Sussex, CMU, Corporation:Blend, Dirty Sounds, The Fly, Fong at CMU, Hall Or Nothing, The Independent, Matt at CEC, Melton Times, Mind Trafik, Must Destroy, Oxford Nightshift, NME, PA Press, Rockfeedback, Rocklands, Timk Pery, Twinstar Revolution, the Pop Of The Tops crowd and the collective of d.i.y. music industry at Music Tourist Board meetings. If you know any of these bands, tell them to keep in touch!)

vaguley alphabetical tip of the iceberg suggested so far... A Lines, Accelerator, Agent Blue, Ambershades, Amsterdam, American Analog Set, Acid Tone, Antihero, Art Brut, The Bandits, Baxendale, Belbison, The Barbs, Bikeshed, Bloc Party, British Sea Power, The Blueskins, Branded, Broken Social Scene, Candy Floss, The Carousels, Clearlake, Chikikinki, Coast, Collapse, Carlos, Corporation:Blend, The Crowd, The Carousels, Chris T T, Crazyface, Castro, Crash Convention, Darling, The Datsuns, The Days, Dolium, Discordinated, Do Me Bad Things, Dogs Die In Hot Cars, Duke Spirit, Dogs, Dan Spider Cairns, Desolation Angels, Eighties Matchbox B Line Disaster, Electric Shocks, Electric Eel Shock, The Features, The Fairies Band, French Kicks, From The Getgo, Gemma Ray Ritual, The Glitterati, Goldie Lookin' Chain, Gwenno, The Gossip, Half A Crowd, Hidden Cameras, Interpol, International Jet Set, Jarcrew, Jetplane Landing, Kill Kenada, Kinesis, Koala, The Koreans, Koska, King Adora, Klang, Librium, Long Blondes, Luxembourg, The Lams, Ludes, Manitoba, M.A.S.S., Mew, Mclusky, The Miggs, Mother Of Pearl, Mika Bomb, Mind Trafik, My Red Cell, Metro Riots, Neil's Children, New Rhodes, The Nextmen, Plastic Heroes, Plastik, Polster, Puressence, Pink Grease, The Parkinsons, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Red Jetson, Regina Spektor, The Ricketts, Ricky Spontane, The Rocks, Robots In Disguise, Ricky, Saint Rose, Santa Cruz, Seachange, Six By Seven, Slovo, Sludgefeast, Spacehopper, Special Needs, Spektrum, Stateside Hombres, Small Victories, Sexy Breakfast, The $ellouts, The Swear, Ten Benson, Turbonegro, Torquamanda, True Swamp Neglect, Twisted Charm, Uncle Davids, Winnebago Deal, We Can Build You, White Rose Movement, Zombina & The Skeletones.