On Song Festival: Programme

Plain White T's
Saturday 1st September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

For almost a decade, the Plain White T's have been playing that perfect pop-punk punch to packed audiences in the USA. Their journey, which began in a small suburban basement playing covers, has taken the band on three US Warped Tours and landed them opening slots for bands like Jimmy Eat World and Panic! At the Disco. The new single 'Hey There Delilah' is currently a Top 3 smash in the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in America and is lifted from their stunning new album "Every Second Counts."

Catapult Club presents... HMV/Kerrang FM! Showcase ft. Mile Wide Stride + The Kamikazes + Silent Riot + The Stone Remotas
Saturday 1st September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Catapult Club showcases the best bands on the Birmingham music scene with a four band line-up every week.

Chris Cornell
Tuesday 4th September: Carling Academy Birmingham

Ranked 12th in MTV's "22 Greatest Voices in Music" survey - ahead of such icons as David Bowie, Steven Tyler and Bruce Springsteen - Chris Cornell, the voice behind Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog, has been called "the single most dynamic rock and roll force produced by the Grunge Revolution of the early '90s." After earning two Grammy Awards, selling more than 20 million albums worldwide, his second album, Carry On, was released earlier this year.

The Teenagers
Tuesday 4th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

From Paris but now based in London, The Teenagers were conceived during Christmas 2005 after deciding to start a fake MySpace page for a fictional band. Posting lyrics on the site as a response to the messages they got from the page's visitors, before long the lyrics became actual songs, and their page got international attention. By autumn 2006 they had over 10,000 MySpace "friends", a record deal, and commissions to remix New Young Pony Club, Au Revoir Simone and the Black Ghosts. Easily one of the most intriguing acts to emerge this year, this trio are the saviors of French indie.

Regina Spektor
Wednesday 5th September: Carling Academy Birmingham

This Moscow born, New York based singer/songwriter has won over audiences across the world with her incredible voice and musical talent. Her last album 'Begin To Hope' showcases her diverse range of influences and displays her song writing at its best with an effortless accompaniment, captivating storytelling and profound melody.

Ben's Brother
Wednesday 5th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Influenced by vintage R&B and early Rolling Stones, Jamie Hartman grew up, as the name suggests, in the shadow of his elder brother, Ben - an accomplished sportsman and soaring ad executive. After years of busking on Portobello Road his songs began turning up on other people's albums, and it was this that pushed him to form Ben's Brother. Back on August 6th with the hook-laden new single 'Let Me Out,' they're poised for success in what looks set to be their most accomplished year to date.

Catapult Club presents... Baise-Moi + Nightshow + Max Raptor + The Procession
Thursday 6th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Catapult Club showcases the best bands on the Birmingham music scene with a four band line-up every week.

Gossip
Friday 7th September: Carling Academy Birmingham

With their gold-selling album 'Standing In The Way Of Control,' which has sold over 100,000 copies in the UK alone, Gossip have seriously arrived in 2007! Beth Ditto might be making new friends with the likes of Kate Moss and Jarvis Cocker, but it would be foolish to forget that Gossip will forever remain a rebel band of survivors who spread a heartfelt message of liberty and action. Listen and learn...

Catapult Club presents... Rednerv + Blue Nation + Lucid + Sabotage Left
Friday 7th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Catapult Club showcases the best bands on the Birmingham music scene with a four band line-up every week.

HMV/ Kerrang FM! Breakout Show
Saturday 8th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

Some of the best up and coming bands from Birmingham take part in this special showcase for the On Song Festival, with live sets from The Scarlet Harlots, Dirty Soul, The Refuge, The Mannequin Republic, Room Two, The Vigilantes Of Sound.

Passenger
Saturday 8th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Singer-songwriter Mike Rosenberg and Andrew Phillips are two of Passenger, one of Brighton’s hottest new musical exports. The ten songs that make up ‘Wicked Man’s Rest’, their debut album due for release in September, are an extraordinary mixture of acoustic folk in the storytelling tradition, and an epic-yet-intimate, electronica-influenced modernity, suffused with pain, sadness and precocious wisdom.

Nizlopi + Damien Dempsey
Sunday 9th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

Nizlopi is Luke Concannon and John Parker, two friends who’ve been writing and playing music together since their early teens. Luke handles the heartfelt lyrics, the endlessly soulful vocals, and his beloved guitar, while JP sets jaws-dropping with his masterful double-bass playing, his breathtaking human beat-boxing, and a little extra guitar playing of his own for good measure. They are joined by Irish singer/songwriter Damien Dempsey.

I'm From Barcelona + Jeremy Warmsley + KateGoes
Monday 10th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

Fueled by love and vacation, Emanuel Lundgren writes a couple of explosive happy pop songs and decides to gather all his friends to put them on tape. This is where it all started for Swedish band 'I'm from Barcelona' and after the 29 members had finished the homemade EP they never could have anticipated what was to come! Their first full length album 'Let Me Introduce My Friends' is a record full of euphoric pop gems and sing-a-long friendly choruses and after a summer full of festival appearances they come to Carling Academy Birmingham!

The Alones + Murdoch + The Vehicles
Monday 10th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Straight out of Stoke On Trent comes The Alones, a band full of rock and roll swagger who have already supported The Twang and The Enemy.

I Am Kloot (J.H.A.B Solo Show)
Tuesday 11th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

John Bramwell knows all about being on stage on his own armed with just a guitar, some songs and his wit - he spent several years in the late 80's playing sets between comedy acts on the UK circuit. One of the reasons for I Am Kloot's rabid live following is his legendary stage patter which means that no two shows are the same. He has recently played a raft of sold out acoustic shows across the UK, road-testing new material and allowing fans to hear older classics in an intimate setting.

Circa Survive
Tuesday 11th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

After two years, one successful album and limitless amounts of love and respect earned and shared between one another, Circa Survive has become one of the most impactful, ethereal bands on the planet.

Unklejam + David Jordan + Ava Leigh
Thursday 13th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

Like the three very different individuals who make up Unklejam, their sound is loud, colourful and funky, with instant pop hooks and a heart full of soul. Listen hard and you'll hear echoes of P-funk, the sweet sound of classic soul mixing with 80s electro-pop, all with an edge that's totally contemporary, immediately commercial, yet oddly hard to place. It doesn't sound like anything else around, and that's exactly the point. Though citing the likes of Prince, Gary Numan and Sly & the Family Stone as influences, they have a determination to follow their own path, making music that expressed how they feel rather than fits into pigeonholes.

Catapult Club presents... Kings of the Deep End + Old Ions + A Simple Notion + Rudi's New Outfit
Thursday 13th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Catapult Club showcases the best bands on the Birmingham music scene with a four band line-up every week.

The Holloways + The WOMBATS
Friday 14th September: Carling Academy Birmingham

The Holloways have swiftly become one of the most talked about bands of the summer, with their sunshine pop calypso sounds of their single 'Generator' taking over the airwaves. This is their biggest UK tour to date and they take The WOMBATS out with them as special guests.

Catapult Club presents... The Darlings + Circus Town + The Gamma Rays
Friday 14th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Catapult Club showcases the best bands on the Birmingham music scene with a four band line-up every week.

Misty's Big Adventure + Envy & Other Sins
Friday 14th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

Forming in 1996, Misty’s have been a long time fixture on the experimental scene in their home city. This glorious 8 piece band is made up of brothers and sisters and twins and saxophones and trumpets and cute, weird dancers who produce the most uplifting, life affirming tunes you will hear since Louie Armstrong played with the Lovin Spoonful. Support comes from up and coming Birmingham band Envy & Other Sins.

Ian McNabb
Saturday 15th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Ian McNabb is known both for his work as leader and songwriter-in-chief of the Icicle Works in the 1980s, and his critically-acclaimed solo career throughout from the early 1990s to date. He has played with musicians as diverse as Ringo Starr, Crazy Horse, Mike Scott (of The Waterboys), and Danny Thompson of folk legends Pentangle.

birminghamusic.com showcase: ‘Noise Pollution’
Monday 17th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Birminghamusic.com take over the Bar Academy with four of the best local bands in tow. Featuring A Day Called Desire with their axe battering metal licks and straight up modern punk beat-downs and support from Blakfish, The Fall, The Rise and The Cape Of Good Hope.

Euros Childs + Threatmantics
Tuesday 18th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

For the uninitiated, Euros Childs was originally the frontman of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci. Euros Childs new album, ‘The Miracle Inn’, is released on the ever-discerning Wichita Recordings in August and comes hot on the heels of the ‘Bore Da’ album.

Harrisons + Dexter + Headway
Wednesday 19th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

Sheffield band Harrisons formed two and a half years ago and have already picked up high profile fans (Steve Lamacq, Phill Jupitus), and stormed the Texas festival SXSW.

Blood Red Shoes
Wednesday 19th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Formed in Brighton two years ago over a jam session, Blood Red Shoes (Steven Ansell and Laura-Mary Carter) were soon playing live, touring, and releasing a 7" on Jonson Family. Repeating the same process as much as they could up until now, they’ve since notched about 200 live shows - including the recent NME New Music Tour with The Rumble Strips, The Little Ones, and Pull Tiger Tail.

Turisas
Thursday 20th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

After truly epic shows opening up the main stage at this years’ Download Festival and Metal Hammer’s Golden God Awards, these Finnish Viking warriors are outstanding performers.

PolarBear
Thursday 20th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

PolarBear is not a bear at all, but a twenty-something Brummie with a fine line in lyrical story-poems and his roots in the rhythms of hip-hop. Don’t miss spoken word and musical performance courtesy of PolarBear, plus special guests John Berkavitch, RT, LCB, Evoke, Roxanne, Decifer, AFROBEAR and DJ Rossco Dubz.

Toy Dolls + TV Smith (Acoustic Set)
Friday 21st September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

Formed in the North East in October 1979, The Toy Dolls are a punk rock trio centered around guitarist Michael “Olga” Algar. Rarely seem without their trademark rectangular sunglasses, the band have long been a cult attraction, their hyperactive anthems continuing to earn them a dedicated following across the world.

Catapult Club presents... The Rebellion, The Policy, Senses, Long Nines
Friday 21st September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Catapult Club showcases the best bands on the Birmingham music scene with a four band line-up every week.

Milburn + Model Radio
Saturday 22nd September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

Milburn possess as much passion and charisma to rival any of their contemporaries. Their no frills indie rock is peppered with spiky guitar riffs and melodic vocals packed with attitude. Look out for their forthcoming second album, due out later this year.

Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Saturday 22nd September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Does It Offend You, Yeah? arrived last year armed only with a fistful of demos and the obligatory myspace page. But their mad indie Playstation take on Daft Punk caught the ear of both Zane Lowe and Pete Tong, not to mention a brace of A&Rs ripping each other's limited edition Supreme sweatshirts in the frenzy to sign Does It Offend You, Yeah?'s raw fusion of indie electronica. Following their first official 7" Weird Science and a forthcoming album set to be mixed by Franz Ferdinand producer Rich Costey, it's time for the trio of Dan and James, and their elusive 3rd member, to tear up the dancefloors and festivals of a grateful nation

Kill Hannah + I Was A Cub Scout + Saving Aimee
Sunday 23rd September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

An album title could not be more appropriate... 'Until There's Nothing Left Of Us,' the latest offering from Chicago's Kill Hannah, defines the blue-collar work ethic of this unique band, whose American spin on British modern rock reaches it's peak on their sensational new release.

Fast Reaction + 3 Storeys High
Sunday 23rd September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Since 2002 Fast Reaction has toured up and down the country, importing The No One (Italy) for support on their first UK tour. After large scale internet exposure, Japanese record label Kick Rock Music signed an exclusive contract with them to release the first self titled EP nationwide across Japan. Currently still unsigned in the United Kingdom, hopes for interest to rise in the coming months are present.

I AM X
Monday 24th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

Some musicians are meant to be heard and not seen - merely an auditory experience and nothing more. Berlin's IAMX, on the other hand, isn't merely a band... it's an event - a full on aural and visual attack with the dynamic and inimitable Chris Corner (of Sneaker Pimps) leading the charge.

Manchester Orchestra
Monday 24th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

This young quintet has crafted an album that sounds more aware and travelled than many of its more aged peers, and have already shared stages with Kings Of Leon and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

Reuben + Kill Kenada + Enjoy Destroy
Tuesday 25th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

This band are making 2007 their own as they release their third album, 'In Nothing We Trust', a DVD and hit the road in September for a full UK tour. From the outset Reuben have grown a steady, fiercely loyal fan base through constant touring and various releases and this tour looks set to make them even more friends!

Lost Alone + Serpico + Seven Stories Forward
Tuesday 25th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Already commanding stages at Brixton Academy, The Brighton Centre, and Manchester Apollo as part of the massive international Taste Of Chaos tour, Lost Alone have completed two UK tours with Electric Eel Shock and Skin, and also played support slots for Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Kooks and Wolfmother, picking up new fans at all these shows, rapidly growing a dedicated fanbase. With the bombast of stadium rock and dizzying emotion, Lost Alone are a British band almost too big for their boots and definitely too big for just our little island.

Alabama 3
Wednesday 26th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

They have been called, amongst other things, "the best live band in Britain." Their music has graced everything from The Sopranos to The Simpsons, and celebrity fans include Irvine Welsh and the world's biggest selling author, Stephen King. Their heady combination of techno and C&W, alongside a proclivity for rock 'n' roll decadence and an acute social conscience means that they are effectively a unique entity in modern music.

Akala
Wednesday 26th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Back to promote his highly anticipated second album, Akala burst forward in 2006 with his critically acclaimed debut It's Not a Rumour - 4* The Times, 4* Blues & Soul, 8/10 NME - allowing him to establish himself as one of the up and coming acts in British rap and grime. Beating heavyweights like The Game and 50 Cent to the coveted Mobo Award for Best Hip-Hop Artist in 2006, Akala has a sound that echoes Jay Z, Curtis Mayfield and Naughty By Nature, and carries with it a distinctive rock edge recalling Public Enemy and Anthrax, Run DMC and Aerosmith, and the Chili Peppers.

Motion City Soundtrack
Thursday 27th September: Carling Academy Birmingham

Critically acclaimed pop-rockers Motion City Soundtrack recently finished recording their third album for Epitaph, titled 'Even If It Kills Me'. Their new record, scheduled for release on September 18th, is the follow up to their sophomore album 'Commit This To Memory' which has gone on to sell more than 260,000 copies.

Catapult Club presents... The Lionhearts + New Street Adventure + DIGO + Shoot Panda?!
Thursday 27th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Catapult Club showcases the best bands on the Birmingham music scene with a four band line-up every week.

Madina Lake
Friday 28th September: Carling Academy Birmingham

Most artists claim they would suffer for their art. The founding members of Chicago's Madina Lake gamely faced death for theirs - crawling through trenches, munching on cow parts, ingesting maggots and eventually being hospitalized, all in the name of rock'n'roll. Don't miss them when they hit the UK once more.

Catapult Club presents... The Brascoes + The Daykings + Octane Ok + The Beachmonks
Friday 28th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Catapult Club showcases the best bands on the Birmingham music scene with a four band line-up every week.

Cascada
Saturday 29th September: Carling Academy Birmingham

Cascada's smash hit 'Everytime We Touch' has taken the world by storm; she's sold 3.5 million records and had three UK Top Ten singles. Her debut album reached #2 in the UK charts and its continued success makes it one of the most successful dance artist albums of the past 15 years.

Catapult Club presents... HMV/Kerrang! FM Showcase ft. Mr. Bones & The Dreamers + Grand Union Revival + The Last Bullets + Sweetcure
Saturday 29th September: Bar Academy Birmingham

Catapult Club showcases the best bands on the Birmingham music scene with a four band line-up every week.

Amp Fiddler
Sunday 30th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

Amp Fiddler has shared stages and studios with everyone from Prince and George Clinton to Primal Scream and Corinne Bailey Rae. His music takes stylistic clues from all these encounters, but emerges as earthy and rooted in the funk and soul that Amp feels most connected to.

Ska Trek
Sunday 30th September: Carling Academy 2 Birmingham

Ska Trek: The Next Generation is three of the UK's up-and-coming bands, each with their own take on the ska-punk genre, mixing it up and avoiding arrest around the UK. Introducing Grown At Home, Random Hand and The JB Conspiracy!