Quick spring update

Hi there

This Thursday night, 22nd March, is the launch gig for our new release, the Halo EP, and we'd love it if you could be there to celebrate with us.

It's all taking place upstairs at The Black Heart, 2-3 Greenland Place, Camden Town, London NW1 0AP. The doors open at 8pm, and things kick off bigtime when THEE ORPHANS take to the stage, at around half-past. They used to be called These Animal Men, you know, and we're very pleased indeed to have them for the night.

After that, we'll be playing a specially extended live set, plus there's DJ action from leading lights of the new glam scene HEIDI HEELZ (GlamRacket, Life's A Gas) and DAVID RYDER PRANGLEY (Stay Beautiful, Glam Rock Youth Club) until midnight.

It'll cost you a fiver to get in, or just £4 if you turn up by the time Thee Orphans go on stage. We'll also have beautiful CD digipack copies of the Halo EP available to buy on the night for the special discount price of £3. Oh, and did you know that we now have T-shirts available as well? Merch-tastic. (Incidentally, we hope to be getting an online shop up and running shortly, for anyone who can't make it to the gigs due to an accident of geography.)

If you need further convincing, check out these reviews of the EP:

“A rarefied breed of glam pop that many thought extinct... New Breed of the Year 2012.” – Pure Rawk

“Finally some good music coming from the UK! Imagine if Brit-Pop never turned into something dull and boring...” – Veglam

“A quality slab of everything that was missing from British pop.” – Coming Through The Trees

“English songwriting at its best.” – AAA Music

“The kind of guitar solo that James Dean Bradfield used to perform.” – R*E*P*E*A*T

“Addictive pop hooks, electrifying guitar riffs.” – Sonic Shocks

..and that's just a sample. But you know that, right? You've seen the video already:

We hope to see you in Camden on Thursday!

Love

Jonny Cola & The A-Grades xxxxx

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Christmas, New Year's Eve & Beyond...

12 Dec 2011:

Hi there

Just a quick update for those of you who don't follow us on Facebook etc...

CHRISTMAS

If you haven't seen it yet, here's our video for All I Want For Christmas Is An Action Man. Many thanks to all those involved in its making. We think you'll agree that it's a festive delight - "an arms aloft lament to the heartbroken and disappointed", if you will (God Is In The TV). If you enjoy it, please support us by downloading the track from Corporate Records (pay what you like):

NEW YEAR'S EVE

We're delighted to have been asked to support David Devant & His Spirit Wife and Proxy Music at the 100 Club on New Year's Eve for an event called Out Of Body Experience. Tickets cost a not-atypical-for-the-last-night-of-the-year £25 from wegottickets, but we've got access to a limited number of £10 places. If you'd like one of these, get in touch asap.

AND BEYOND

If you're after a more modestly priced night out, our first London show of 2012 is at the Guided Missile club at the Buffalo Bar on Saturday 14th January. Looking beyond that, we're in Brighton on February 2nd, and we'll be back out on tour properly at the end of March, around the time of our next release, the Halo EP. More soon.

Take care, and don't put tinsel on your telly.

JC & the AGs x

Long time...

20 Oct 2011:

Hi there

Now that the Summer Of Hate is well and truly over, we thought you might be in need of a couple of things to bring you a little warmth...

SATURDAY 29TH OCTOBER
JONNY COLA & THE A-GRADES - LIVE AT THE WILMINGTON ARMS
69 Rosebery Ave, London EC1R 4RL (Tube: Farringdon/Angel/King's Cross) w/ Lucy's Diary, Barringtone (ex-Clor) and The Empty Gestures (feat. Paul Hawkins of The Awkward Silences)
On stage at 8.45pm
£3 entry before 8.30pm (£5 after)
Facebook Event

SATURDAY 12TH NOVEMBER
JONNY COLA & THE A-GRADES - LIVE AT FEELING GLOOMY
O2 Academy 2, upstairs in the N1 Centre, Parkfield Street, London N1 0PS (Tube: Angel) w/ Dirty Fingernails, Paul Hawkins & The Awkward Silences and Strangedays
On stage 10pm
Facebook Event

And, in case you've forgotten what the A-Grades live spectacle is like, here are a couple of videos shot at our recent GlamRacket show:

The Party's Over
Marlborough Road

News coming soon of our next release! In the meantime, if you haven't got round to buying our last EP yet, you can still pick up the 10" vinyl or downloads from the usual outlets - for example:

Amazon
iTunes

Something is growing...

Summer Of Hate

19 July 2011:

Hello there

Thanks to everyone who came to see us supporting The Indelicates last week. There are some very nice pics of our show here with big thanks to A Secret Picnic. But the Summer Of Hate doesn't stop there. In fact, our gig sheet is fuller than ever...

First up, this Friday, 22nd July, we're playing The Enterprise, 2 Haverstock Hill, London NW3 2BL, just round the corner from Chalk Farm tube. We're on at 10.30pm, but we strongly recommend that you get there an hour or so earlier to catch our good friends Yeah And She Has Red Lips Too, er, too. The night is called Ace Motel and costs £5 or £3 with NUS.

Following that, we're playing the intriguing sounding Club For Losers on Friday 5th August. This takes place at the St Moritz club, right in the heart of Soho - the full address is 159 Wardour St, London W1F 8WL. We're on again at around 10.30pm, along with Eron Falbo and Choo Choo Trains, and it's a fiver to get in.

Stay tuned for information on several dates outside London - including Newcastle-under-Lyme, the birthplace of rock...

Oh, and if you haven't bought the Postcode Wars EP yet (available everywhere from HMV to Amazon to iTunes to Spotify), why not? Incendiary Magazine and Pure Rawk think you should.

Thanks for all your support!

Postcode Wars - OUT NOW!

20 Jun 2011:

Hello hello!

Well, it's here - the Postcode Wars EP is released today. Here's what some people have been saying:

"Budget glam rockers with a dancefloor sheen - think All The Young Dudes with the slick rhythms of Blondie, through an endearingly DIY filter... By the time the fuzzy solos are kicking in you'll be waving a feather boa over your head and grinning like a muppet." (Artrocker)

"Catchy as hell... Contrary to what they announced on the last single, the party, far from being “over”, seems to be in full-swing, celebrating with much hook-laden carnage and promising more to come... Highly recommended, these will be stuck in your head for days." (God Is In The TV)

"A refreshing mix of Oxfam glam and astute social commentary, imagine if Suede had read Marx - Groucho and Karl." (Von Pip Musical Express)

"Tight, economic songs with something to say, delivered with punch and precision." (Mudkiss)

The four tracks - Postcode Wars, Alpha Male, Summer Of Hate and If I Leave You Sitting In The Dark (Just Let Me Know) - are available from the following places, and more:

10" VINYL
Cargo, HMV, Amazon and Rhythm Online.

MP3 DOWNLOAD
iTunes, Amazon and CD Universe.

To have a listen to all four tracks in full before you buy, just head over to our Soundcloud.

Or, if you still haven't checked them out, there are videos for Postcode Wars and Alpha Male.

GIGS
Saturday's launch gig was a massive success, and we're following it up with a short residency at The Monarch in Chalk Farm. First, we're there for Club Fandango on Thursday 7th July. We're on at 9.15pm and it'll cost you just £3 to get in. Here's the Facebook event.

A week later, on Wednesday 13th, we're delighted to be supporting The Indelicates, whose album David Koresh Superstar is out now and really quite a thing to behold, at their End Of Tour Party. There will be tickets available for this soon, and we recommend you buy in advance for this one, as it's likely to sell out. Here's the Facebook event.

RADIO
We've been getting bits and pieces of radio play for the EP, from Q Radio in the UK to as far away as Chicago and Melbourne. On top of this, Jonny was on Resonance FM last Friday night performing a reading of a narrative version of the Postcode Wars video - and, much to his surprise, interviewing poet Nina Zivancevic about NYC underground artist Ira Cohen. If you fancy checking it out, it's available to listen online!

Finally, we're doing an acoustic session on Thursday 14th July on Phoenix FM - which is on 98FM in the West Essex area and online here. We should be on at about 8.30pm.

Thanks very much for your support. We hope to see you very sooooon....

Details for Saturday

14 Jun 2011:

Hi there

Well, it's T minus four days, and we have a few bits and pieces to tell you...

1) DIRECTIONS
From Old Street station, take the City Road (East side) exit, then Brunswick Place is the second right turn. Take a left into Corsham Street and Rooz is straight ahead of you, under a sign saying Matrix Logic.

2) KICKOFF
We're opening the doors at 8, and expect to start our first set at about 9.15pm. HOWEVER, earlycomers get a free shot of bourbon, so you may want to think seriously before playing it too cool...

3) PRODUCT
We will have a small number of 10" vinyl copies of the EP available for sale at a reduced price, and also some CD promos for those of you who can't play records but want something tangible. The CDs will not be available in the shops. You will also be able to win a signed 10" as part of some as-yet-unplanned raffle/competition type thing.

4) SETLIST
Currently, the three songs leading the poll, and therefore guaranteed to get played, are Disappearing Act, Alpha Male and Halo. Want to hear your favourite? Then vote here.

That'll do for now. See you all on Saturday!

Postcode Wars - coming soon

09 Jun 2011:

Well, it's now less than two weeks until the release of the Postcode Wars EP, and we have a few bits and pieces to tell you...

First, with the help of the excellent Daniel Cruickshank (who co-directed the vid to our debut single, We're All Going To Die), we've made a video for Alpha Male. The song, as you may recall, features on the EP alongside the title track, Summer Of Hate and If I Leave You Sitting In The Dark (Just Let Me Know). It's a bit of a counterpoint to the Postcode Wars vid, we think you'll agree, and you can watch it here. If you like it, please leave us a comment and pass on the link.

Second, plans for the launch gig on Saturday 18th June are coming together. As previously announced, we'll be playing a specially extended live set - but, on top of that, we're offering you the chance to pick that set. Well, some of it anyway. We've set up a poll on Facebook for you to vote for your favourite JC & the AGs song and we guarantee to play the three most popular tracks. If certain songs win, this is going to be quite a challenge... You can find the poll here. Currently, the joint front-runners are Alpha Male and, surprisingly, a new track called Halo.

We've also roped in Mr Kevin Reinhardt of the amazing Bingo Master's Breakout to compere the night and line up a couple of guest spots, plus we're offering the first 30 people through the door a free shot of bourbon. Oh, and the whole thing is PAY WHAT YOU LIKE, so it doesn't matter if you're skint. It kicks off from 8pm at Rooz Studios, 35 Corsham Street, London N1 6DR, just round the corner from Old Street station. Here's the Facebook event page.

Thirdly, Jonny Cola will be on Johny "Band Of Holy Joy" Brown's Mining For Gold show on London's Resonance FM from 11.30pm on Friday 17th June, performing a narrative version of the Postcode Wars video. Yes, really. No, we don't know what that's going to be like either, but we look forward to finding out. Resonance is on 104.4FM in Central London and http://resonancefm.com/ elsewhere.

Finally, the 10" vinyl format of the EP itself is now available to pre-order from Cargo. It's a limited edition, so don't leave it too long, eh. If you need any persuasion, this review over at God Is In the TV ought to help.

Hook-laden carnage indeed.

Thanks again for your support

Love

Jonny Cola & The A-Grades x

Hi There

16 May 2011:

We're pleased to announce details of the Postcode Wars EP Launch Party! And even more pleased to announce that you get to choose what you pay...

The date for your diary is SATURDAY 18TH JUNE and the venue is Rooz Studios, 35 Corsham Street, London N1 6DR, just round the corner from Old Street tube.

Doors open at 8pm. We'll be playing a special long set - maybe even two sets, who knows? - at 9.30 or so, featuring all your favourites, and some of the others too! Either side of this, we'll be supplying the night's soundtrack, so you can rest assured the tunes will be spectacular all night long. There will be special guests doing things we haven't yet established (but they will be great things, oh yes) and, hell, we might even lay on a buffet. Oh, and obviously there's a fully licensed bar. Like, duh.

Most importantly, we've decided to make the night PAY WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD. We want everyone who wants to come to be able to come, basically. (Obviously, if you all put in 12p and an extra-strong mint, we're gonna make a massive loss and have to sell ourselves down the docks just to stay alive, but hey, that's a risk we're prepared to take for you.)

Anyway, more info as we have it. If you're on Facebook, here's the event page.

But before all this, we're playing another special gig a week tomorrow, TUESDAY 24TH MAY, at Nambucca, 596 Holloway Road, London N7 6LB. We're joined at this by the fantastic Dirty Fingernails (whose frontman, Sami, features in the video for The Party's Over) and Human Wave Attack, with special guest DJ Heidi Heelz of Glamracket notoriety. The doors open at 7 and we'll be on at 9.45pm, and it's all gonna set you back a mere fiver. I'm excited already.

Finally, just a quick reminder of the video for Postcode Wars: http://tinyurl.com/postcodewars. If you enjoy it, please leave a comment and pass it on!

Let Battle Commence

09 May 2011:

To celebrate the release of our forthcoming “Postcode Wars” EP, we’re playing two London shows – one in south London and one in north London! Who will come out on top? Will it be a draw? Come and find out! We'll be playing Brixton's legendary Windmill on Friday 13th May, at around 9.30pm, and then on Tuesday 24th May, Holloway Road's equally legendary Nambucca, onstage around 10pm.

At Nambucca we'll be joined by the mighty DIRTY FINGERNAILS, who we've been trying to share a bill with for ages, and also HUMAN WAVE ATTACK, who will be opening the show. Make sure you get down there early! Doors will be at 8pm.

We also have the amazing HEIDI HEELZ of GLAMRACKET notoriety as guest DJ for the night! Awesome tunes all night are, therefore, guaranteed.

Postcode Wars

27 Apr 2011:

Well hello there

We're very pleased to announce our next release. The Postcode Wars EP will be coming out on Monday 20th June on Scratchy Records. Alongside the title track, the digital release and 10" vinyl - yes, that's right, 10" bloody vinyl - will both feature a new version of Alpha Male (kind of more widescreen than the album version), Summer Of Hate (which, frankly, rocks) and a new song called If I Leave You Sitting In The Dark (Just Let Me Know). We're very excited. More details of launches etc to follow, but we suggest you keep Saturday 18th June free...

Meanwhile, to get you excited, we're also very pleased to unveil the video for Postcode Wars: http://tinyurl.com/postcodewars. Featuring a host of extras, including Johny Brown out of indie legends The Band Of Holy Joy, it's loosely based on 1979 NYC film The Warriors, at least in places. Thanks very much to everyone who helped in its production, especially Ian Brown. We hope you enjoy it - and, if you do, please comment on it and share the link around. Much obliged.

Finally, we're headlining a night called The Monkeyball Experiment this Saturday, 30th April, at the Wilmington Arms, 69 Rosebery Ave, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 4RL - about equidistant from Farringdon and Angel stations. The other bands are called Disciplin, Diaphragm Failure and The Body Electric, and you can read a bit more about them on the Facebook event page. It's a fiver to get in, or a mere £3 if you join this group by 5pm on Friday. We're on stage at 10.15pm. Do come. It'll be nice.

Can You Hear The Drums, Fandango?

24 March 2011:

Apologies for the subject line.

Just a quick email about our next gig on Wednesday, 30th March.

We're playing at 229, which is found at 229 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PN, right opposite Great Portland Street tube and very close to the probably-rather-more-useful Warren Street and Regent's Park stations. We're on stage at 9.15pm, supporting MJ Cyr (who we think we've heard of, although we're not sure why) and after Kitdafos and Cashier No.9 (who we haven't heard of but who we're sure are lovely). It'll cost you £6, or a fiver with a flyer, which you can get from www.clubfandango.co.uk. You can also get advance tickets from that site, should you be particularly keen. If you haven't yet experienced the new A-Grades lineup, come down and see what you've been missing.

Right, that's it for now. More news very soon about our next release. We're working very hard on it and we're sure it'll be worth the wait...

Hi There

02 March 2011:

Many thanks to everyone who came along on Saturday to what was arguably our best gig to date. We're not resting on our laurels though - in the days since, we've been shooting a video for our next single (Postcode Wars), and now we've got a duo of live dates coming up this weekend.

On Friday, we'll be playing an acoustic set at a night called Vote Pedro, at The Library, 235 Upper Street, Islington, London N1. We've never done an acoustic gig before so we're quite excited, but obviously in an unamplified way. We're on at about 9.15pm. Full details are on the Facebook event.

Then, come Saturday, you'll find us fully amped up at GlamRacket, which takes place upstairs at The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Road, also in Islington. We're on at 10.15pm, supported by Tragic City Thieves and the night goes on till 4am, with a playlist taking in Roxy Music, Suzi Quatro, Iggy Pop, Sparks and Jobriath. Wear something special. Full details for this one (including a link for cheaper advance tickets) are right here.

Hope to see you at the weekend!

Hot Fizz

19 February 2011:

Hello there

As previously mentioned, we're supporting Brit-flick actor Paddy Considine next Saturday night at Feeling Gloomy. This morosely popular club night, as you're probably aware by now, takes place at the O2 Academy 2, upstairs in the N1 Centre, Parkfield Street, Islington, London N1. We're on at 8.45pm or so, after Remodel and before Mr Considine's lot, who go by the name of Riding The Low. The night goes on til 3am.

To get in for a fiver, either click Attending on the Facebook event or send us an email. Otherwise it's £6 on the door, or you can even pre-book tickets, if you're exceptionally keen.

This will be the first "big concert" for our new and thoroughly exciting line-up. Those of you who came to the warm-up at the Dublin Castle will already have had a sneak preview, and you can check out a few pictures taken before the show on our Facebook page. Many thanks to Steve Brummell (A Secret Picnic) for doing the lens-based honours.

More gig and release news coming soon...

Hope to see you on Saturday!

JC & the AGs x

Hi there, and a Happy New Year to you!

12 January 2011:

2011 is shaping up to be an exciting year, so here's a quick rundown of what we're up to in the next few weeks...

Tomorrow night, All I Want For Christmas Is An Action Man will be getting an airing on The Painter's Radio Show, which broadcasts between 6pm and 8pm on http://www.xstreameast.co.uk. Put your feet up and relive those memories of Christmas 2010 in the comfort of your own home. Here's more information on the show.

On Friday night (14th), we're doing a live acoustic session on London's Resonance FM, available on 104.4 if you're in the capital or online at http://resonancefm.com/. The show is Mining For Gold, the brainchild of Johny Brown, frontman of underground legends The Band Of Holy Joy, and we're very much looking forward to it.

Onto next Friday (21st), and we'll be found performing a short karaoke set of our own songs at "London's premier poetry karaoke bingo night", Bingo Master's Breakout. We're as intrigued and confused as you are. This takes place at St Aloysius Social Club, near Euston Station, and we're led to believe that it's free entry, with a free buffet for earlycomers. You can find out more by joining the Facebook group.

And, if you're in London and aching to see the new Jonny Cola & The A-Grades lineup in all its live full-band glory, you'll want to stick the following dates in your diary: Sunday 13th February at the Dublin Castle and Saturday 26th February at Feeling Gloomy.

More news as we get it. Or a bit later, when we get round to putting it in an email. Take care, and pass the sausage rolls...

JC & the AGs x

"Viciously glamorous battle songs" - In Debt album OUT NOW

25 October 2010:

We won't beat around the bush. Our debut album proper, In Debt, is now available to download from the Corporate Records site, via this here link.

You can choose what you want to pay, or download it for free by overtyping the amount with zero. So you've really got no excuse. (Oh, and incidentally the first track is actually called Fireworks/Gunshots, not Fireworks_Gunshots. The website just can't handle the slash.)

For those of you who can't shake the desire for physical product, we have a small number of special CD promos, complete with full artwork and lyrics. They're very pretty. If you're interested, drop us a line.

Here's what some people have said about the album so far:

"In Debt is stuffed with sparkling, strutting glam-Britpop. Imagine that Britpop hadn’t become a sorry, degraded thing. That the initial shine and shiver had led to euphoric epiphanies and perfectly puckered pop kisses in a starburst universe where guitars scrawled and caterwauled like alleycats. That kind of thing... It’s an album that delivers viciously glamorous battle songs for fighting back against the gloom. A useful arsenal in these dark times." (Kitten Painting)

"Where The Yellow Mini dripped with Suedette androgyny, In Debt has a harder edge, a more masculine feel. It's indebted to early 70s Bowie, prime time Pulp and Denim with the odd Brett Anderson harmony thrown in for good measure." (The Devil Has The Best Tuna)

"You’re swept through every emotion possible as you listen to each song, one minute brooding and thinking about how drab your life is, then dancing from elation." (Inclination)

"A band of glamshackle romantics who can produce music full of fire, passion and heart. In these unrelentingly grim times you could well feel indebted to JC and the A Grades for providing sanctuary and adding a splash of colourful rebellion to this apathetic, monochrome age of conformity." (Von Pip Musical Express)

Which is all very nice. We hope you feel similarly once you've downloaded.

Love
Jonny Cola & The A-Grades x

THE PARTY'S OVER AND OUT...NOW!

21 September 2010:

We're proud to present our new single, out now over at the Corporate Records site:

1. THE PARTY'S OVER
written by Cola/Venegas/Sommer/Bukowski
produced by Brian O'Shaughnessy
taken from the forthcoming album In Debt

2. MAURO'S IN PERU
written by Cola/Leather/Sommer/Bukowski
produced by Jez Leather & Jonny Cola

Both tracks are available right here:
Corporate Records
Should you so wish, you can download them for free. Alternatively, you can give us some cash. The choice is literally yours. The modern world, eh? Crazy.

IN DEBT

7 September 2010:

Well hello there...

We've made a video for our song The Party's Over, and we think you might like it. It's to be found right here: http://tinyurl.com/colaparty

The vid was shot by Ian Brown and directed by Jez Leather, Ian Brown and Jonny Cola. We couldn't have done it without our wonderful extras - Julia Justice, Henning Kohler, Jas Chahal, Sami Salo, Caz Hellbent and Becka White. We very much hope you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it.

The song will be available to download as a digital single at some point in the next few weeks, ahead of the long-awaited (by us, at least) release of our full-length debut album, In Debt. More details on both releases when we have it all finalised.

In the meantime, our next live show is just a week away. Here's what you need to know:

Thursday 9th September
Club Fabulous at Camden Rock, 18 Kentish Town Road, London, NW1 9NX
on stage at 9.30pm
£5

Some other bands are playing too. We can't promise these other bands will be fabulous, but we're pretty damn confident that WE will be. If you're about, please do come along. Things are just starting to get exciting.