Supporters of 6 Music are to hold a second demonstration outside BBC Broadcasting House this Saturday 22nd May to show their opposition to plans to close the station.

The protest will take place from 12 noon until 2pm. Supporters will gather outside Broadcasting House in central London to make their feelings known about the BBC Trust’s plans to axe 6 Music. Live performers and speakers are lined up to appear.

A previous demonstration, on March 27, attracted an audience in its hundreds, including several 6 Music DJs.

Organisers, who are also behind the Save 6 Music Facebook group, say that evidence is mounting that the BBC Executive needs to reconsider its proposed closure of 6 Music.

It cites three pieces of evidence to support this view:

• Recently-published figures show that online listeners to 6 Music have increased by more than 50% in the past twelve months

• 6 Music won two Sony Radio Academy Gold Awards.

• Rajar figures released today show that the number of listeners to 6 Music has increased to more than one million in the past three months, an increase of 50%.

"What the BBC proposes is unacceptable. We believe BBC 6 Music should retained as a station in its own right - broadcasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, not as a sister station to any other BBC station or lost altogether,” says Georgina Rodgers, co-founder of the Save BBC 6 Music organising committee.

Ahead of his highly anticipated new album, Micah P. Hinson gives us an insight into some of the tracks currently gracing his hi-fi...

1. ‘Walk Away Renee’ – The Left Banke
2. ‘Who’s Sorry Now?’ – Connie Francis
3. ‘Disintegration’ – The Ready Men
4. ‘Runaway’ – Del Shannon
5. ‘Remember (Walkin’ In The Sand)’ – The Shangri-las

Listen to these and some of Micah’s own offerings here and below:

‘Walk Away Renee’ – The Left Banke:

‘Remember Walking Away In The Sand’ – The Shangri-Las:

The Save 6 Music Facebook group is to stage a protest outside BBC Broadcasting House on Saturday March 27 at 12pm to voice its opposition to plans to close the digital radio station.

Organisers say they have lined up “some well-known speakers and live performances to create an air of festivity” in what is intended to be a celebration of 6 Music.

“What the BBC proposes is unacceptable,” they add. “6 Music is the only place that caters for our diverse tastes; the only station where you will hear Howling Bells played back to back with Seasick Steve; The Isley Brothers leading into dEUS, Delphic, Yeasayer and all topped off with dash of Half Man Half Biscuit.

Organisers urge people to “come along to show your solidarity and support; bring a flask of tea and have a sing-along all in the name of saving 6Music”.

The Facebook group has almost 160,000 members.

Meanwhile, the BBC has reportedly received just under 8,000 complaints about its plans to close 6 Music.

We at Full Time Hobby are saddened by the decision to recommend closure of 6Music by current BBC Director General Mark Thompson. 6Music has always strongly supported FTH releases and it is a haven for the development of new acts and above all the place to hear new, imaginative and original music outside of the homogenous world of commercial radio. 6Music stands for everything the BBC should be about and fits in perfectly with what the BBC as an entity sets out to do in their charter.

We believe it can still be saved if there is enough of a response against 6Music’s closure – this is what you should do if you feel the same way:

What You Should Do:

1. Click the link below to complete the BBC Strategy Review Online Survey - tell them how important 6Music is!

http://consultations.external.bbc.co.uk/departments/bbc/bbc-strategy-review/consultation/consult_view

2. Email the BBC Trust: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

3. Sign the petitions:

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/BBCcuts
http://www.petition.fm/petitions/6musicasiannet/1000/

4. Join the Facebook group to Save 6Music: http://www.bit.ly/aJ04tq

5. Show your support by listening to 6Music on the iplayer: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/playlive/bbc_6music/

6. Forward this message or send the links to all of your colleagues, artists, friends and family, and post the links on Twitter (use tag #savebbc6music), Facebook, Myspace etc.

The BBC will take note if enough people take action, so spread the word!

The great people over at Norman Records have written a lovely review of the self-titled Erland & The Carnival album.  Take a look...

I had one of those moments the other day where I was at home listening to this CD &, whilst brewing a cup of tea, this vocal hit me and I nearly started crying, in a really happy way. I felt really touched that a band could actually make a consistent modern British psychedelic pop/rock record with no irony or contrivance. Erland & the Carnival are a 3 piece counting a mystical Orcadian called Erland & Pete Tong (sic) out of T' Verve. Oh, and another chappie. On their S/T debut, they've kind of mined a similar furrow to The Coral, writing skewed, swirling & energised psych-pop nuggets from another time zone, sounding well 60s but also really fresh & timeless. And the great songs keep coming from start to end, they hang off you for a few minutes, kissing your ears then jump off and another one just replaces it, like a cute paisley limpet! There's an earthy simplicity to these tunes that initially doesn't have that much impact, until about a third of the way through when you realise you're getting little shivers up your spine & you suddenly hear all the fine details & loving touches sprinkled liberally all over the place. A wonderful album with total across-the-board appeal. It's OK, they can be your little secret if you want, I can't see them seriously bothering the charts, they're far too good for a start....... CD only, the release shared by two seemingly incestuous imprints - Full Time Hobby & Static Caravan.

Malcolm Middleton just posted this, hopefully it will help staunch the stream of misquotes that he's giving up on music etc etc. 

http://www.malcolmmiddleton.co.uk/diary.htm

The End Is Not Nigh!

Dear Diary,

Listen...

I am not giving up music, retiring, dying, stopping song-writing, becoming optimistic, content or anything else along these lines. All I've said is that I'd like to try some other musical projects before I return to doing more solo albums in the future. I fancy a change and I need something new. My comment has been taken, stretched and glorified and now it looks like this is my last album and that I'll never play live again. This isn't true. I'm extremely proud of Waxing Gibbous and I think it's a good album and I'll be touring it live as much as I'm able, at least until the end of this year. After that who knows. I want to do an instrumental acoustic guitar album, some electronic music, some collaborations, maybe start a new band, produce etc etc etc. The only reason I'm stating this here is because most of the reviews I've seen so far look more like obituaries and it's beginning to piss me off. I may just be shouting into a vacuum here but if you're interested, this is what the deal is.

Just letting you know.

MM/02.06.09

A great write up and film to sum up last weeks SXSW: 

http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2009/03/post_46.html

http://www.dazeddigital.com/Music/article/2774/1/SXSW_2009_-_Video_Madness