When: 7.30pm on Thursday 29 November 2012
Where: The Castle Hotel, 66 Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LE

We’re delighted to be promoting the first Manchester show in five years for Philadelphia’s BC Camplight.

BC Camplight is the moniker of one of Philadelphia’s most beloved songsmiths, and ex-boxer, Brian Christinzio. BC Camplight has been a critics’ favourite since the release of his highly melodic, often lyrically deranged baroque-pop debut Hide, Run Away (One Little Indian) in 2005. The album’s addictive works – which combined summery melodies not too far removed from Harry Nilsson, The Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach with twisted classical arrangements and dark, sometimes frightening subject matter – helped land Hide. Run Away on many international publications’ year-end ‘Best of’ lists. TIME magazine called BC Camplight ‘a name to become synonymous with star quality ‘. Both Hide and his 2007 follow-up Blink of a Nihilist were five-star Albums of the Week in the Sunday Times..

BC camplight gained fans all over the world while touring virtually non-stop between 2005 and 2008 with his high energy, highly musical live performances. The New York Post called his 2008 set in Brooklyn ‘a genuine musical achievement‘.

In 2008, on the eve of recording his third record for One Little Indian, Christinzio suffered a psychiatric event and immediately retired from writing. Uncomfortable leaving Philadelphia, Christinzio put together a live line-up consisting of himself and several members of his hometown brethren The War On Drugs, and spent the next few years performing exclusively in Philadelphia. Some of these shows have become part of Philly music folklore. He also reverted back to his days as a highly coveted session pianist and performed on dozens of records – most notably Sharon Van Etten’s 2011 release Epic.

This year BC Camplight has moved to Manchester, and has finally recorded what he hopes will become his signature work. The record, entitled Grim Cinema, will be released early next year. Catch this unique musical personality this autumn playing on a UK stage for the first time in five years.

Main support comes from acoustic band Thugs On Wolves. From Greater Manchester, Thugs On Wolves are a four-piece band of brothers committed to providing interesting, convention-defying music. With thought-provoking lyrics and genre-spanning influences, expect them to transport you into a sonic wonder-world with their unique hypnagogic timbre. They’re one of the most exciting Manchester bands we’ve seen this year.

Opening the show is Douga, a Manchester-based band formed by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Johnny Winbolt-Lewis. The unique atmosphere that early recordings conjour is in part down to their recording – the tracks were laid down amid the eerie acoustics of Salford’s Sacred Trinity Church with producer George Atkins. The current live sound incorporates bass and keys by John Waddington and violin and drums played by DBH, alongside Johnny on guitar and vocals. The songs are brilliantly conceived, with pretty melodies and seductive chords and the beautiful washes of delayed noise and dreamy psych that bookend each song are the key ingredient that turn this band into the top-notch entertainers that they are.

Buy tickets now. Tickets are also available from the bar, Common (both no booking fee), Piccadilly Records, Vinyl Exchange, Seetickets.com, WeGotTickets.com, Ticketline.co.uk and on 0871 220 0260.

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