We’re pleased to announce that we have a pair of tickets for the fantastic earthy, bluesy singer-songwriter Jon Allen to give away! Jon’s fame has grown well over the last year having supported the likes of Damien Rice and KT Tunstall as well as appearing on the prestigious Later…with Jools Holland show on BBC 2 so this is really a great opportunity to see a rising star.

If you’re struggling, like me, it’s pronounced ‘Uhn Tay-uv Too-Hill’, (apparently), and is translated as ‘The Other Side’. The cult Irish underground radio show releases its third compilation record celebrating a decade of being on the air, showcasing what a lucky handful of music lovers in Ireland with their ears on the ground get to hear.

Officially this is our weekly edition of Bearded’s Spotitfy Top 5, but unofficially I’m calling this the ‘Sweating With Anticipation’ list. With quite a few events burning a steady hole in our calendar, we’re taking this opportunity to highlight some of them through the means of song.

Hailing from Oxford’s multicultural Cowley Road, Raggasaurus play an awesome blend of dub reggae and North African vocals (sung in Arabic). A fusion so simple and brilliant, it’s a tragedy they’re not signed!

You can now listen to several tracks from Magic Chairs, the forthcoming album from the Danish band, Efterklang. Head to the band’s website www.efterklang.net to hear ‘Modern Drift’, ‘Alike’ and ‘Full Moon’ before it’s official worldwide release on 22nd February.

As a former-Coventry bum myself, I feel something of an affinity to Stylusboy for the matter of geography alone, though after listening to Fingerprint EP it’s not entirely clear why.

The steampunk scene has been called “the first truly indigenous folk culture of the internet”. It combines a love of the mechanical inventions and aesthetics of the Industrial Revolution with a DIY ethos, a healthy shot of fantasy, a spirit of optimism regarding technology and human potential and a love of dressing up.

To an outsider the reverence surrounding Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra (in any of its incarnations) might seem a little bewildering. Songs that lack clear reference points labour against internal struggles between alt. pop and the avant-garde creating tense, lingering soundscapes. Yet if you endure, or dig a little deeper here is a band that creates magnificent, overblown soundscapes that transport the listener to a land where everything matters.

Manchester-based record label BabyBoom Records have announced that they’re teaming up with the organisers behind the city’s successful 2009 Free For Arts Festival for a monthly run of unique gigs.

It was a rare treat to catch the ‘Stablemates’ as one Irish radio DJ put it, signed to Ani Di Franco’s record label Righteous Babes, on their ten day tour of the UK and Ireland. Mitchell played first this evening to an enraptured audience. Her haunting vocals turn from hushed, husky hues to sonorous, carried across the venue like a bird in flight.