NEW MUSIC SHOW : TOPMAN CTRL MX: LAUNCHES ON CHANNEL 4 THIS FEBRUARY

CHECK OUT WWW.TOPMANCTRL.COM TO WIN TICKETS TO THE SHOW

Topman CTRL is back for 2011 with a brand spanking new Channel 4 music show Topman CTRL MX. Hosted by leading Radio1 DJ Huw Stephens, the series will take viewers on a musical voyage and will feature the crème de la crème of new and established acts. Each show will have an exclusive Controller, who will choose their favourite acts to appear, in true Topman CTRL style. Lined up in the CTRL hot seat in shows 1 to 3 are the ultimate Inbetweener, James Buckley, Misfit Iwan Rheon and music producer Mark Ronson.

With six weekly instalments taking place every Thursday, Topman CTRL MX kicks off on February 10th on Channel 4 and will air phenomenal performances from the hottest acts around, including Miles Kane, White Lies, The View, The Vaccines, Brother, Bright Eyes, The Joy Formidable, Lykke Li, and Gruff Rhys, to name a few.

Last year Topman CTRL enlisted the likes of Mystery Jets, Tim Burgess and We Are Scientists to curate momentous monthly gigs in cities up and down the country. Now Topman bring CTRL to the small screen, giving viewers the chance to see top acts do what they do best, in the company of some of the greatest musical minds around. Don’t miss out.

Every point of Topman CTRL MX will be soundtracked by new music, from pre-release tracks in the title sequence to live bands and acoustic performances in the unique North London studio space. Every week the emphasis will be on sharing new discoveries with viewers, from power pop to folk, dubstep to hip hop, each Topman CTRL MX show will feature a hand picked line-up of the very best music from around the globe, whatever the genre. CTRL MX isn’t just about live studio performances though as each week, the programme will shine a light on all aspects of the world of music in 2011, featuring short stories and highlighting influential bloggers, distinctive start-up labels, independent record stores and band-run fanzines.

Here is a taste of what’s to come…Watch this space we will be announcing the line up for shows 4 - 6 in the coming weeks…

SHOW ONE - In show one, Topman CTRL MX welcomes the services of James Buckley, the anti-hero of cult series The Inbetweeners. James has enlisted Miles Kane, The Vaccines and States of Emotion to join him.

SHOW TWO - Show two is in the hands of Misfit Iwan Rheon, who will host performances from the dynamic White Lies, plus Brother who has been the subject of much A&R heat and an acoustic session from Welsh hero Gruff Rhys.

SHOW THREE - The third instalment sees Controller Mark Ronson curate a show with one of the most exciting young Scottish bands around, The View alongside The Joy Formidable and Lykke Li.

Huw Stephens says, “I’m really excited about making these Topman CTRL MX shows. Hopefully it’ll be a chance for people to discover a lot of the bands that I’ve been championing over the last year or so and hear something new and exciting. I’m also really chuffed that my first Channel 4 telly show is a showcase for so much great music. There’s not a lot of live music on TV at the moment and I’m really proud of the fact that I – and the guest Controllers on the show – get to shine a light on brilliant music, whether it’s by bands who have just released their first single or ones releasing their third album. There’s so much great music being made; I’m excited for the series to start!”

Danielle Ford, Senior Marketing Manager, Topman says, “Topman CTRL is about bringing together passionate people from the bands, music fans and creative collaborators, to spark this unique kind of chemistry that leads to music discovery. CTRL MX means we get to bring all the latest stuff, which is being shared in the digital and live music space right now, to the Channel 4 audience. It’s exciting to think what can happen when Huw Stephens meets some of 2011’s hottest names and the cameras are rolling - we’re going to end up with something really dynamic, as these shows have been shaped by the music fans themselves.”

Neil McCallum, Head of T4 & Music, Channel 4, says, “With a longer, enhanced, half hour format, a brand new series host in Huw and a fixed London location, ‘Topman CTRL MX looks set to build on the success of the ‘Topman CTRL Student Tour’ of last year. This new series looks set to attract some A-List controllers and in turn those credible live acts that are already on their radars, along with the weird and wonderful things on the web.”

To win tickets to the show and sign up for all the latest news and exclusive info check out topmanctrl.com, or follow us on www.facebook.com/topmanctrl or www.twitter.com/topmanctrl.

CTRL MX was conceived by Series Producer and Director Kieran Evans and is produced by CC-Lab.

Cardiff born Huw Stephens was the youngest ever Radio1 presenter at when he joined the station in 1999. And since being given the opportunity to step in to the late night slot left by the late great John Peel in 2005. Huw has made the slot his own, proving himself more than capable of filling the big shoes that were left before him. So how does a Radio1 DJ get a chance to front his own show…….? ‘It’s quite boring really…I just said yes!….I knew the director who has done some amazing films and I’ve got massive respect for, so when he asked me I said yes.’

After the success of last year’s tours where the likes of Mystery Jets and We Are Scientists curated monthly gigs around the country. The Topman CTRL format has been transformed for a television audience, giving Huw and a different guest controller each week a chance to showcase the best established and up and coming young bands around. Showcasing and championing new talent is something that Huw has built a reputation on throughout his time on the nations airwaves. ‘I like music that captures the imagination, something that has a spark to it. I hate to say it but it really is about having the ‘x-factor’, but unfortunately that is a term that has been abused for personal gain’. From his position at Radio1, many see Stephens as a reliable source for uncovering the best new bands. Some would crack under such pressure, but not Stephens ‘I tell people about the the music i’m excited by, sometimes I play a band who go on to get a deal and sell a lot of records. And sometimes I play a band who I like just the same, and nothing comes of them.But often those bands tend to be the most exciting ones’, he added ‘But it all depends on what a band wants, some have a sound ready to sell records, whereas some don’t really care about breaking through’. It could be argued that it is this pressure which can sometimes lead bands to literally drowning in a sea of their own hype, facing an ongoing battle against the expectations placed on them by the media. Stephens however disagrees ‘Some bands may think like that, and i’m sure there are labels that keep their artists back. From my own perspective though, if I hear something amazing I want everyone else to hear it straight away’.

Huw has been involved with the project from the early stages and has had regular meetings with the production company giving him the chance to put forward his own ideas. Huw spoke in depth about the show with an understanding that was more than that of the face parachuted in to add respectability. ‘It’s filmed at this amazing place called Stoke Newington international airport and it has a real intimate feel about it’. He continued ‘The aim of the show will focus on different scenes going on in different towns. A snapshot of what is going on in the world of alternative music. Everyone wants eclectic music and this show will have it’.

Finally, we asked Huw about the huge amounts of demos he gets sent week by week by bands up and down the country. ‘I try to listen to every cd that is sent to me. But I also go on recommendations, so if more than one person has recommended something to me i’ll follow them up, that’s the trick really to uncovering ‘the next big thing’ it’s all about following recommendations’.

Original Huw interview at: http://www.subba-cultcha.com/