December was an exceptionally busy one here at the PRS Foundation, with the launch of a brand new type of funding on Monday 7th, followed by a deadline on Wednesday 9th and our lengthy decision panel on Friday 11th! After an intense but enjoyable few hours, the five recipients of the Flash Funding for vinyl were chosen and are announced as follows:

• Robocobra Quartet –  Belfast
• Weirds – Leeds
• The Pictish Trail – Isle of Eigg
• Barney Artist – London
• Marsicans – Leeds

On the panel were Amy Frenchum from Brownswood Recordings, Nigel Adams from Full Time Hobby, Julie Weir of Visible Noise, John Kennedy of Radio X, Pip Newby of Play It Again Sam, Tim Bevan of MODO Production and of course PRS Foundation staff too.  We received a huge amount of applications, from right across the UK, with 68% being first time applicants, and 69% from outside of London. Find out more about each artist and have a listen below. Congratulations to all five!

Robocobra Quartet:

Led by the howls and yelps of drumming vocalist, Belfast’s Robocobra Quartet are the product of equal influence from jazz, hardcore & hip-hop. They will be releasing 12″ EP in mid 2016, each track of which will be mixed by a different producer.

With the help of PRS for Music Foundation’s Flash Fund in association with MODO, we’ll now be able to put out our new record on particularly pretty piece of plastic!

Links:

Official site
Bandcamp
Facebook
Twitter

Weirds:

Hailing from Leeds, Weirds are a four piece noise rock outfit dealing in decimating sludgy riffs and manic vocals. Their live show is a primal, scorching and ritualistic sonic assault, gathering momentum around the UK. Their debut EP ‘Weird Sun’, written in a dingy basement, is about to surface through the PRS Foundation Flash Fund scheme.

The PRS Foundation Flash Fund is a great idea on many levels, its not only financially beneficial to new bands but it comes with a certain prestige, and we are proud to be a part of it.

Links:
Twitter: @Weirds_
Facebook: facebook.com/weirdsband
Instagram: @weirdstagram

The Pictish Trail:

From within the confines of a small caravan on the remote Hebridean island of Eigg, The Pictish Trail creates his own world of sun-warped folk-pop music.  Following on the heels of his lo-fi debut, Secret Soundz Vol. 1 & 2, over the past year he’s been recording a brand new album which is due for release in summer 2016.

Oooft! So chuffed to have been selected for this Flash Funding, and dead excited to work with PRS Foundation and MODO on the release of my new album. I’ve spent all year making it, and have literally just finished recording, so the timing couldn’t be better! Funding applications can often be quite daunting projects, and difficult to engage with – so it was refreshing to take part in something like this that processed so quickly. Thank you for selecting me!”

Links:
Official site
Lost Map page
Moshi Moshi page
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube

Barney Artist:

Barney Artist is a 24 year old rapper from Forest Gate, East London. His music fuses elements of jazz and hip-hop, with a nod to his grime roots, coupled with with social commentary and conscious rap.

His next release “Painting Sounds” is an amalgamation of thoughts and feelings revolved around his experiences growing up in East London. For this release, Barney collaborated with several talented peers and close friends, resulting in a very personal and eclectic body of work he is extremely proud of.

I’m really excited and grateful to be given this opportunity by PRS Foundation and MODO. As an independent artist, it’s difficult to reach a bigger demographic with innovative ways of selling music, so being given the opportunity to have this vinyl produced is an amazing way to do that.

Links:

Soundcloud
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
www.barneyartist.com

Marsicans:

Marsicans are an exciting prospect from a re-emerging Leeds indie scene, with a sound that combines upbeat indie and dirty pop with ’60s beat group and world music influences. After a busy 2015 which saw the official Record Store Day release of single Gone In A Second, Marsicans‘ first 7″ vinyl, the energetic four-piece are planning a string of releases in 2016, culminating in a 12″ EP.

We’re hugely grateful to the PRS for Music Foundation’s Flash Fund and to MODO for their help with our upcoming 12″ release, something that might not have happened for us without their support. It’s great that they’re willing to assist emerging UK talent with getting broader exposure.

Links:

Official website
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Soundcloud