The International is your opportunity to find out a little more about some of the international acts we can’t get enough of on the Amazing Radio airwaves.

This week we’re [hypothetically] taking a trip to the French capital of Paris to chat to Pierre of electro outfit Signal (formerly LFP).

Signal

The French two piece are inspired by a love of British trip hop, such as Massive Attack and Portishead, as well as French dance kings Justice. These influences are clear to see in their use of lingering melodies and intensive beats.

They also play DJ sets in their native land, but are hoping to hop across the pond to see us some time in the near future! (We’ll get the lily pads ready to go guys!)

Hear our Frenchman Pierre on The Afternoon Show from 3pm today.

This week we took on the mission of matching Glen Anderson with an emerging act from amazingtunes.com.

Glen’s chosen three acts were U2, Madness and Bon Jovi. We decided that Glen needed to look towards new music and therefore went for a radical choice in the form of Yorkshire’s Catch-it Kebabs.

Chris McManus, of amazingtunes.com thought that the ska act’s track My Little White Friend would be perfect for moving Glen’s musical tastes into the modern world as it’s “upbeat, catchy and has a bit of that ’speak-singing’”.

Glen, we hope you fall in musical love!

Catch Glen’s Matchmaker experience from 3pm today, on Amazing Radio.

We love music. That’s basically our main reason for being, working and paying for www.eyeseesound.tv.

Thing is, it appears the music business is less enamoured with music. It’s more about ‘product’ and ‘demographics’ and ‘exploiting markets’ or ‘creating new markets’ etc… They’re wrong. It’s about music… and people’s connection with an artform that matters and inspires.

We grew tired of what was being peddled in the mainstream press. Even a lot of what was talked about in the ‘independent’ music press. It was tired. Derivative. PR pushed ‘product’ aimed at capitalising upon an established user base formed through the exploitation of (usually) one good song, or a creative hey day now long since gone.

So we started what we do, with our remit being to find and feature great independent bands/artists, be they signed to small indies, DIYers or just unsigned. Genre didn’t matter, but they had to be doing something good, something a little different or adventurous, not sound like a wagon chasing A&R man’s idea of ‘cool’, and have a small profile. And we had to like them.

Eyeseesound.tv

The site is utterly subjective… it is, after all, ours! It is also utterly honest. There’s nothing that goes on there to do someone a favour, or to get us a freebie (in fact we end up buying a fair few of the bands’ albums we feature, rather than trying to blag them), or to keep someone sweet in case we need an interview with one of their roster, or even because perception suggests ‘the kids’ want to hear about A, or B, or Z.

The site is about us presenting stuff you won’t have heard of, and you deciding if you like it. You all have minds, tastes, can and will ‘feel’ something when it’s right for you. Close your ears for a bit from The Machine that shouts ‘like this, and this, and this this this’ and start finding stuff that really means something to you.

On a more boring and pragmatic level, the site contains:

A webTV show (The Show) which is a music magazine style show with irreverent comedy.

Live Sessions: done rather stylishly and artistically by us and featuring some rather special bands.

Mix Tapes: online only, 7 songs from 7 bands that work together as a single mix

HeadsUp: which is bite-sizedTV, offering up 3 bands in 6 minutes.

Cinematica: which is like HeadsUp but for short film and animation.

We also have a blog where we stick some music videos, shorts and a CD recommendation of the week. And we’ve just opened a forum, but it is like being on the moon at the moment, so if you fancy carving out a community space for yourselves where it’s about real DIY music makers and lovers, then we’ll take you with open arms.

The whole site is free to use and we try and put up 2 or 3 new pieces of content a week.

Anyway, that’s our waffle over. We like music. We believe in the DIY scene and independent music being made for the love of music. And we don’t just pay lip service to this, but walk the walk (much to the annoyance of our small but perfectly formed PR company who keep suggesting we need to features bands with bigger profiles…). So stop by, and discover some amazing bands.

Ta.

Ta guys! Hear Julian chatting about Eyeseesound.tv on The Afternoon Show from 3pm today, on Amazing Radio.

The festival will celebrate it’s second year of music on the bonnie Balloch waters of Loch Lomond on the 25th and 26th September. The festival venue will be the beautiful Maid of the Loch, which quite possibly rules out the ability to camp on site!

Jim and Alex go sailing

The festival, which estimates visiting numbers of 600, will be raising money to fund vital repairs of the Maid of the Loch. The paddle steamer boat requires restoration to the tune of £2.9 million due to over one hundred years of loyal service. In 2004, She officially became a historic ship, being placed on the UK “Designated Vessels List” which recognizes vessels of “substantial heritage merit with regional and local significance”.

Artists playing for the Maid’s salvation include former Jim Gellatly guest Pearl, of Pearl & the Puppets, alongside Amazing Radio favourites Charly Coombes and the New Breed and The Girobabies.

Tickets for the worthy event can be found here.

You can catch Jim and Alex having a chinwag at 3pm today, or catch the show again when it’s repeated at 6pm on Tuesday and 1pm on Thursday.

For our final presenter profile we’re talking to Charlie Ashcroft who with two shows to his name is Amazing Radio’s most prolific presenter.

Charlie Ashcroft

Hello! Who are you?

Hello you. I’m Charlie Ashcroft. Some people call me Lord Ashcroft, in error.

How did you find out about Amazing Radio?

A colleague at my previous workplace came in one morning and said that DAB’s Birdsong channel had been replaced by “something more lively”.

Before we plucked you from relative obscurity and plonked you on the Amazing airwaves, what did you do?

I was a “voice of the roads” on various BBC stations around the West Country. You know that bloke who interrupts your in-car music/radio station with a loud, frantic traffic report? That was me, sorry. It’s left me with an encyclopedic knowledge of the roads around Swindon, Salisbury and Shepton Mallet.

Lord Ashcroft on his yacht

Tell us about your show please!

I’ve got two. Greedy. The Amazing Radio Chart is a rundown of the Top 20 most popular tracks on amazingtunes.com and Amazing Radio. It’s broadcast on Sundays at 5pm and Mondays from midday. Then there’s Audition, which contains a rip-roaring cross-section of the newest tracks uploaded to amazingtunes.com. That goes out on a Tuesday lunchtime at 1pm, every Thursday evening at 6pm and Saturday teatime at 5pm.

Why should we listen?

Listen to The Amazing Radio Chart for sheer, unadulterated drama. It’s arguably the freshest countdown in the UK, giving new and unsigned artists an idea of how they’re faring with Amazing Radio listeners and the amazingtunes.com community. We’ve got new entries, climbers, fallers, non-movers and bleeps.

As for Audition, it’s the best way for listeners to be introduced to the lashings of new stuff being uploaded to amazingtunes.com on a week-by-week basis. If you want to be kept up-to-date with just how good the ‘New Releases’ section of the site is, tune in. It’s an invigorating hour.

Aside from your own fabulous show, have you got any other favourite Amazing Radio shows?

Mark Ryan’s Amazing Beats is a belter. It’s all well and good having tons of quality dance music on the site, but you still need someone to guide you through it. He’s the man. I also recommend tuning into Greg & Burtt and the Saturday Show’s Colin & Matt for weekend-related lolathons. And with my biased producer hat on, it needs saying that It’s Amazing with Trevor Dann is essential listening. It has great guests aplenty, and some rampant musical debate.

We thought we'd treat you to a bonus picture. Like a cakey treat.

Finally, what makes Amazing so, well, amazing!?

No other station does “mainstream underground” like we do. What I mean by that is we’re dedicated to new, often undiscovered music, but doing it on a national platform 24/7, which is very exciting. If you’re an up-and-coming musician, you should take comfort from the fact that you don’t have to fork out for a radio plugger any more. Not now we’re here. Onwards and upwards as they say!

Hear Charlie Ashcroft presenting Audition from 1pm Tuesdays, 6pm Thursdays and 5pm Saturdays. Charlie will also be here from 5pm Sundays and 12pm Mondays to give you the nail biting Amazing Chart Show rundown.

Hi everyone! Producer Frankie here!

We’ve had a rather hectic week exploring Sheffield, but I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s been well worth the effort!

On Monday we spoke to Andy from Sheffield Unsigned Bands (SUB), an organization that helps and promotes gigs for bands at a grassroots level. We found SUB through Sheffield Music Scene, a magazine that reviews and promotes music events in and around the Sheffield area. We spoke to Shane from Sheffield Music Scene on Wednesday.

Silent Film Project (Thanks to www.rpgphoto.com)

On Tuesday we spoke to Silent Film Project, who’ve been making their mark on Amazing Radio with their track Two Days. Thursday saw Kyle heading to The Leadmill, a prestigious Sheffield venue, where the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Coldplay first made their considerably large marks on the live scene.

Today we’ll be chatting to pop rockers The Rookie League. The band’s track Sinking the Friendship earned the approval of Charlie Ashcroft’s Audition show so they were more than happy to agree to a chat about their home turf.

Next week we’ll be heading further north to Leeds, so get your recommendations in! Leave us a comment now…

You can hear Kyle and Frankie chatting Region of the Week from 3pm today, on Amazing Radio.

Read on for an exclusive chat with our brand new Amazing Breakfast presenter Georgie Rogers.

Georgie Rogers

Hello! Who are you?

I’m Georgie Rogers, presenter of the Amazing Breakfast show.

How did you find out about Amazing Radio?

Initially I spotted it on the old Facebook mini-feed ages ago when Greg (of Greg and Burtt) was plugging his show. Later I saw an advert on Media UK calling for new presenters so sent in my demo.

Before we plucked you from relative obscurity and plonked you on the Amazing airwaves, what did you do?

After a load of work experience and some presenting in Jersey on Channel 103 in the six months after graduating from the University of Birmingham with an English and Drama degree, I ended up working in the online team at Xfm, writing news articles and interviewing bands.

After XFM I got a lucky break and went to BBC 6 Music, where for the past two and a bit years I’ve developed skills as a music reporter. My work there has involved meeting some of my absolute heroes, covering more festivals and gigs than I can remember, including Glastonbury and Coachella in the US, writing and reading music news bulletins live on the 6 airwaves, making packages, podcasts and writing articles for the website and BBC Entertainment online. It was a blast and I still freelance there, but after doing the Breakfast Show on Brighton Festival Radio earlier this year, I decided I wanted to do more presenting.

Tell us about your show please!

It’s nice and early, between 7-10am, to accompany your tea and toast to in the morning. It’s all about the music with some light-hearted banter and music-related topical chat.  Any funny stories that I hear on my travels will no doubt make an appearance too.  Each week we feature an artist from amazingtunes.com get them on, as well as a comedian.  We also highlight a gig each day that we think you should go to and pick a track of the week, which we get to play five times in a row… Result.

Georgie Rogers: Making breakfast beautiful!

Why should we listen?

Simple; because it’s all new music and you’ll be surprised at how much is fabulous.

Aside from your own fabulous show, have you got any other favourite Amazing Radio shows?

Tough one as I’m the ‘new girl’ and I think they’re all great, so want to say everyone!

As you might tell from Amazing Breakfast and my glee at getting to play big tunes by Absorb Vs Sequel and Moscow Youth Cult at 8.30 in the morning every now and then, I’m a big fan of dance music, so Mark Ryan’s Amazing Beats Friday night marathon is right up my street.

Also, I totally dig the Are You More Rock and Roll than Kevin Read? feature on Kyle Wilkinson’s Afternoon Show with the lovely Producer Frankie, as Kevin Read is one of the funniest men in the north. Fact.

Finally, what makes Amazing so, well, amazing!?

There’s nothing else on the radio that is solely dedicated, 24 hours a day, to nurturing emerging talent.  The UK is blessed with a fruitful music scene and it’s up to showcase all the smashing acts before they get snapped up by the big boys.

You can hear the wonderful spoken words of Georgie Rogers between 7 and 10 every weekday morning on Amazing Breakfast.

This time we’re talking to Rock Show DJ Aaron Phillips.

Aaron Phillips

Hello! Who are you?

Well, Hello to you! I go by the name of Aaron Phillips…most of the time!

How did you find out about Amazing Radio?

Purely by chance! To be honest, it was only after I applied to work here!

Before we plucked you from relative obscurity and plonked you on the Amazing airwaves, what did you do?

A whole plethora of mediocre jobs, mixed in with writing for Powerplay [a rock music mag], drumming in my band, and generally being a nuisance!

Tell us about your show please!

I play the finest Rock/Metal, and Indie tracks currently available on amazingtunes.com. It’s as simple as that! Of course, there’s my witty charm to add in, along with occasional band interviews, the  gig guide, and my track of the week… (quite a bit really then!)

Why should we listen?

What else is there to do on a Saturday teatime?! No seriously, I carefully pick  the music to play you, to bring you the newest, original, and exciting tracks that you hear before anyone else. I also love being able to share something new and exciting that I’ve discovered.

Aaron Phillips

Aside from your own fabulous show, have you got any other favourite Amazing Radio shows?

I do enjoy Charlie Ashcroft’s shows [Audition and the Amazing Radio Chart Show]. I like his presenting style and interview technique. He also plays some rather good tunes!

Finally, what makes Amazing so, well, amazing!?

Apart from me, I love the fact that you can hear new music before anyone else. You could be listening to the next big thing, before anyone else. It’s a great idea, and a excellent platform for new band’s to get exposure, national airplay, and a whole new fan base.

I actually am privileged to be a part of Amazing radio, and long may it continue! Rock!

Tune into Amazing Radio from 6pm on Saturdays and Mondays to hear Aaron Phillips in all his Rock Show glory!

This week Amazing Live’s Rich Brant is taking on the K-Train challenge, and he’s nervous. Not that he’d admit he’s nervous of course, but you can quite clearly see it in his eyes…

Rich Brant

Rich claims that, despite his shifty eyes, he’s actually ‘big on the continent’, having previous performed on air duties as a radio presenter in Luxembourg. This role required Rich to socialize with both celebrity and rock star, and therefore Rich feels that he is more than qualified to cite his own rock and roll credentials.

Kev, meanwhile, has had great fun compiling a list of ‘comedy aliases’ for Little Lord Brantleboy. He’s fully aware that Emily Brante is going to pull out a continental back story and is digging deep into his personal rock history to bring on the defeat.

The K Train gets 'listy'

We’re pretty hopeful for Brant – quite possibly because no one else will take him seriously. (Just look at that picture of innocence!) But you never know, he might surprise us. After all, his girlfriend has family from Darlington, and apparently that means something. We’re not sure what…

If you’re also wondering who won the mighty rock off between Amazing Breakfast’s  Georgie Rogers and Kevin Read last week, we can now reveal that Georgie took the crown with an astonishing 100% of the vote! Now that’s hardcore!

Catch Mister Brantybombastic laying down the rock and roll gauntlet from 3pm today, on Amazing Radio.

This time we’re talking to one of our newest presenters, Amazing Live’s Rich Brant.

Rich Brant

Hello! Who are you?

I’m Rich Brant, but if you were to walk in to the Amazing Towers I’d probably be nearing about 50 nicknames by now! (Little Lord Brantleroy, Brantabulous, Brantosaurus, Charlotte, etc…)

How did you find out about Amazing Radio?

I actually worked with Amazing’s very own beats expert Mark Ryan not so long ago in a short stint at BBC 6 Music. I then saw that a few more presenters were needed and jumped at the chance to get involved in a station the sought to be at the cutting edge in new music.

Before we plucked you from relative obscurity and plonked you on the Amazing airwaves, what did you do?

(I take exception to that… everyone knows who I am down my local pub!)

I’ve been involved in radio in a full time sense ever since I left university. I had been involved in hospital radio, uni radio and when I finished my degree at Loughborough I decided to send a demo off to one of the first adverts I saw for a presenter. The job happened to be in Luxembourg (tiny country in the middle of Europe) and they hired me pretty quickly. Before I knew it I was finding a flat and opening bank accounts in the Grand Duchy, and generally sh****g myself about the whole thing.

Like David Hasslehoff in Germany, I’m huge in Luxembourg!

Tell us about your show please!

The show is all about letting the ludicrously handsome Amazing Radio listeners know all about where they can catch the best unsigned artists (or artists without a traditional record deal) out and about Live. Simple as that.

Each week we try (I say we, I mean me and my fantastic producer Dani Charlton) to ensure we have interviews with industry folk, such as promoters, venue owners, festival organizers, managers, labels etc. so we get different perspectives on how to get ahead in a pretty turbulent industry and get music listened to on the live circuit. We also try to make sure we speak to bands established or new to hear their advice to new bands, and generally what they’ve been getting up to.

Little Lord Brantleroy

Why should we listen?

Because it’s awesome! Like Amazing Radio in general, the show focuses on the grass roots of music and gives a platform to those bands that deserve the limelight but lack the attention of already established acts. It’s a great way to find out where you can see these great bands in intimate venues before they inevitably get picked up and become huge.

Aside from your own fabulous show, have you got any other favourite Amazing Radio shows?

It’s always quite exciting to see how the amazingtunes.com community feel about the music we play, so the Amazing Chart Show with Charlie Ashcroft is always a good one. I also find the musings of the many expert opinions on the Trevor Dann fronted It’s Amazing good fun

Finally, what makes Amazing so, well, amazing!?
A radio station that concentrates on the grass roots of music and exposes thousands of unsigned gems? That’s pretty amazing. Is that a cheesy line? Yeah probably… but I’ve said it now, so get over it and go enjoy the music!

You can hear Rich presenting Amazing Live every Friday at 1pm.