Never have I been more grateful to be out of town than when this was being filmed. Whilst it is pretty damn great to have a video on the label which involves George Bush and Tony Blair in knickers and suspenders, as well as a lingerie-clad David Cameron flicking the Vs at Alex Salmond, a lot of my pals were roped in to 'appear' in this one, and I was able to avoid this entirely by being in a different country. Phew. Anyhow, it's turned out brilliantly, so a massive thanks to the team who put it together. [...]

Murderopolis , the new Sparrow And The Workshop album is a gem, a persistent beggar, once it gets its claws into you it refuses to let go until you have succumbed to its many sonic charms. Is it folk? Is it indie? Is it some sort of 70s Black Sabbath inspired stoner's odyssey? Well, yes, yes and yes. Here is the latest single from it, The Faster You Spin is lovingly presented in visual (Tony Blair and George Bush holding hands in suspenders...) and aural formats for you. Watch it. Listen to [...]
Off the album Murderopolis coming soon on Song, By Toad Records.

By Rob Aldam May 22, 2013 There has always been a touch of the theatrical about Glasgow’s Sparrow and the Workshop . Their previous outings Crystals Fall and Spitting Daggers mixed playful folk with a sleazier rock side. The Irish/American, Welsh and Scottish trio seem to have grown into their sound since they began back in 2008. Murderopolis sees any tentativeness or uncertainty dissipate to be replaced by a strong sense of direction and focus. They seem to have finally shaken-off the shackles of nostalgic pining and [...]

Sparrow and the Workshop From: Glasgow, Scotland Listen up loyal readers I'm going to say this only once. BUY MURDEROPOLIS THE NEW ALBUM BY SPARROW AND THE WORKSHOP . Over and out. Go Try Go Visit [...]
May 20, 8:00am
DIY
Glaswegian trio Sparrow & The Workshop will release their new album ‘Murderopolis’ on 27th May, through Song By Toad Records. Their third full-length, it's preceded by single 'Shock Shock' and follows on from 2010's 'Crystals Fall' and 2011's 'Spitting Daggers'. Prior to its release next week, Jill O'Sullivan (vocals, guitar) talks us through the record, track by track - from opener 'Valley Of Death' to the closing notes of 'Autumn To Winter'. We've also an exclusive stream, so fans can have a sneak preview; check it out below. Valley Of Death [...]

Terzo album per Sparrow & The Workshop , a due anni di distanza da Spitting Daggers il trio di Glasgow sceglie una strada più decisa rispetto ai colori traditional del loro sound, virando verso un pop di acendenza fifties non dissimile da alcune cose a cui ci ha abituato recentemente Gemma Ray tanto che la track di apertura, Valley of death , porta con se i segni di una certa malinconia spectoriana che si trascina lungo altri episodi, come Shock Shock , Water won't fall , Avalanche [...]

What, no six week gap between freebies? Shocker. Adam Stafford There's a new album from long term blog fave Adam Stafford coming up in a couple of months. Smugly I'll now tell you that I've already heard it. It's brilliant. It'll be released by Song, by Toad Records in July, which is good, since it keeps up Adam's recent track record of releasing things with labels I really like, what with his last single having been on Gerry Loves Records and all. You can get a wee taster for [...]

What, no six week gap between freebies? Shocker. Adam Stafford There's a new album from long term blog fave Adam Stafford coming up in a couple of months. Smugly I'll now tell you that I've already heard it. It's brilliant. It'll be released by Song, by Toad Records in July, which is good, since it keeps up Adam's recent track record of releasing things with labels I really like, what with his last single having been on Gerry Loves Records and all. You can get a wee taster for [...]

Well the Sounds From the Other City headache has just about worn off, and I am back in my chair at Toad Hall staring at the internet and wondering what pearls of wisdom I can possibly add to its infinite pages of bounteous goodness this fine morning. Let's face it, if the internet doesn't already contain all the writing in the world, then it can't be bloody far off, can it. But hooray, here's more. For obvious reasons my focus will be on the two Sparrow and the Workshop album launches this week - on Wednesday [...]
The release of Sparrow and the Workshop's third album is still a good month or two away, but as anticipation builds to a near hysterical fever pitch* there are a few ways in which you can ease your anticipation, at least for the immediate future. For Southern types, the band will be playing two London shows around the album release. The first is a late-notice show at the Shacklewell Arms on Wednesday 10th . It's only a fiver in and there aren't that many tickets available, so if you intend going I recommend you [...]

The Semitoadcast is not an erection joke, it is so named because there are four tracks on this one by Song, by Toad Records bands. Two - the Yusuf Azak and Lil Daggers tunes - are not actually on the label, and two - Sparrow and the Workshop and Plastic Animals - are. One of the others was just an experiment which Yusuf fired up on Facebook the other week, but happens to be ace, and the other is a freebie on this compilation by Miami magazine Pure Honey. So not quite Toad Records releases as [...]

Sparrow and the Workshop From: Glasgow, United Kingdom Sparrow and the Workshop proving that a band in the hand is worth two in the bush Shock Shock the new track from the consistently excellent Sparrow and the Workshop (first featured on the Devil's [...]

Yawwwwwwn, streeetch... ahhh, the residual jetlag still hasn't quite evaporated yet, but Mrs. Toad and I are basically back in the swing of things by now. I still got that 7pm MUST SLEEP crash last night just before football training, which was unfortunate, and woke up rather too early this morning, but this is just the tail end. Anyhow, there will be a little more self-promotion than usual on this week's Fives, simply because we have quite a few things on the immediate horizon and, frankly, shit is getting exciting! So have a [...]

Here are some facts about Vigo Thieves that you may or may not already know: In February, they became the first unsigned band to sell out two consecutive gigs at King Tut's in the Glasgow venue's 23-year history; the promo video for Ghosts features John Leslie in the lead role, singing karaoke; their new EP, Heart & Soul Part II , is out now; Heartbeats was one of the best songs of 2012. Okay, that last one is an opinion, but draw your own [...]
While we bake in the Texas sun, here are some videos to enjoy! Fresh from our 5:1 Interview ( click here ), Sparrow And The Workshop have given us this new video for the excellent single Shock Shock . Meanwhile Dingus Khan's insane video for live favourite Knifey Spoony is worth watching for the swan impersonation alone, not to mention being sick in an ashtray and spoon inflicted carnage at the end. Check out our stream of another track, Plank too. Electric folk duo Scrimshander have [...]

Every day, Daily Downloads offers 10 free and legal mp3 downloads, plus free and legal live sets from around the internet. Today's free and legal mp3 downloads: Clint Michigan released its second album, Coeur d'Alene , in October, and on March 22nd the band will release a free three song remix EP on Bandcamp featuring reworkings of the title track. The first remix on the EP was produced by Her Little Sister , [...]

This week you've earned yourself the positive delight of listening to singles from Soap & Skin, Sparrow and the Workshop, Dangerous Ponies, Huey Lewis and the News and Talking Heads. Don't waste any time, pick through these bones, leave your comments at the bottom. Soap & Skin - Sugarbread [Single of the Week] The intro to this song sounds like Xiu Xiu during the goddamn apocalypse. It's completely insane and I adore it. Although as it's completely impossible for [...]
The Sparrow and the Workshop announced themselves with the excellent Crystals Falls album, and consolidated their increasing reputation with a second album, Spitting Daggers , which further enhanced their talent for twisting the tabernacles of folk rock until it turned white with shock. Drawing comparisons as diverse as Jefferson Airplane, PJ Harvey and the Pixies on the one hand, and being labelled as surf rockers, folk rockers and post rockers on the other simply indicated the difficulties reviewers have had in pinning them down. No surprise then that forthcoming album [...]

The VPME Jess Roberts & The Silver Rays Jess Roberts is one of those rare singers whose blues soaked smoke stained honey cracked voice sounds as if it comes from the depths of her soul. She gives the impression that she and her band, The Silver Rays were brought up beside the Cahulawassee River and spent their days singing the blues, drinking moonshine and occasionally challenging ‘city boys’ to duals via the medium of the banjo. Yet here is a remix of their song "Money (I like You Better) " that [...]