Thursday, April 19, 2012

Wild Belle Join Tennis on North American Tour. Add European Tour Dates For Next Month



NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
            Tue Apr 24 - Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT*
            Thu Apr 26 - The Crocodile - Seattle, WA*
            Fri Apr 27- The Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver, BC*
            Sat Apr 28 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR*
            Mon Apr 30- The Independent - San Francisco, CA*
            Tue May 01 - Constellation Room - Santa Ana CA*
            Wed May 02 - Troubadour - Los Angeles CA*
*with Tennis

EUROPEAN TOUR DATES
Sat May 05 - Popadelica Festival - Huskvarna, Sweden
Wed May 09 - Electrowerkz - London, England
Fri May 11 - Horatio's NME Party - Great Escape - Brighton, England

Since releasing their debut single 'Keep You' on 12", Wild Belle aka Natalie and Elliot Bergman have gone from obscurity to being one of the most promising acts to break through in 2012. Having played a handful of shows at SXSW and the west coast this year, the Bergmans -- backed by bass, drums and guitar -- won over some of the toughest critics with their recent live performances.

The LA Times complimented Natalie's performance, voice and delivery with her “can't-put-one-over-on-me husk... appearing coolly dapper as she puts a realist spin on adult relationships. ‘I'm just another girl’, Bergman tried to claim in one song, but here's betting she's not anonymous for long."

Whilst Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot praised the band’s “sassiness, wit, subtlety and confidencedrawing on elements of Jamaican rock-steady, U.K. trip-hop and atmospheric balladry” andRolling Stone Magazine raved about the bands influences and musicianship as Elliot “switched effortlessly between keyboards and sax” and “Instead of looping voices, created an organic wall of sound by repeating their vocals without breaths.

  
The wit, sassiness and confidence in their music and lyrics could well derive from the fact that both Natalie and Elliot write, record and produce everything themselves. This winter the band entered the studio in Benton Harbor, Michigan to work on their debut album. In stark contrast to the harsh wintery nights that the mid-west so often endures, the Bergmans placed themselves behind the console (that once belonged to Sly & The Family Stone) and began to create a sound so rich and uplifting you can’t help but be whisked away to a brighter and sunnier place.

As the public now welcomes Wild Belle with arms open wide, the band prepare to unveil exclusive new tracks from the album on their North American and European tour this spring. While finishing their highly anticipated debut album, as well as joining Tom Tom Club in the studio this month, Wild Belle will be joining Denver based band Tennis on the road this spring, then will be heading to Europe for a handful of dates including Brighton's Great Escape Festival.


Watch Wild Belle Perform 'Keep You' at the Mulberry Parker Hotel Pool Party last weekend.




What some of the critics have said about Wild Belle...
"Write this name down: Wild Belle.
So far, the South by Southwest Music Conference belongs to them. The Bergmans makes deceptively breezy sounding pop music, drawing on elements of Jamaican rock-steady, U.K. trip-hop and atmospheric balladry. Clipped guitars play off Elliot Bergman's keyboards, and drums feed a steady stream of syncopated rhythm. The music arrives with a light, danceable touch that would seem to suit almost any setting." - Chicago Tribune (read more)

"There's touches of the blues and dips into reggae, but mentioning those genres runs the risk of giving the wrong impression. Wild Belle works a mood -- guitars are used so sparingly that when a few notes are struck it's memorable -- and keyboard trickles in to give the act an technological sheen. "I'm just another girl," Bergman tried to claim in one song, but here's betting she's not anonymous for long." - LA Times (read more)

"Instead of looping voices, they created an organic wall of sound by repeating their vocals without breaths. Of the new tracks played, the standout was "Twisted," a song inspired by the Seventies Zimbabwe psychedelia of bands like Green Arrows and Hallelujah Chicken Run Band."  - Rolling Stone (read more)

"The Chicago brother-sister duo took to the stage Friday night and confidently captivated the audience with their rhythmic, trippy space age sound. With Natalie slinkily crooning up front and Elliot strumming beside her, this genre-hopping pair is about to break out in a big way." - NYLON Magazine (read more)

"South By Southwest might normally be fuelled by an endless cache of free beer and super-strength skunk, but this year, one band bring something distinctly different to the table."  - NME


“A weird hybrid of skanking riddims and spacey synth-pop. The beat and gorgeous melody have the perky poignancy of Althea and Donna's Uptown Top Ranking or Dawn Penn's You Don't Love Me (No No No), only the whole thing seems to have been put through a special chill(wave) filter. Did someone say "Specials? Because the saxophone reminds us of our favourite 2 Tone band” - The Guardian

"Wild Belle, the Chicago-based brother and sister Indie pop duo, provided an inimitable ambiance with enough energy to stir up excitement for the rest of the weekend’s shows'. - ELLE

“You could call it pop-reggae, but at the same time the track recalls the chart sheen of Goldfrapp – albeit with a hugely stoned, icy edge sending it skywards.” - NME

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