Sweeping The Nation
@sweepingthenation
Relapsed music blogger: Leicester Indiepop Alldayer promoter: Don't DM us for the time being, try stnpresents(at)gmail(dot)com
You know the Chart Show, and the fact boxes that would come up mid-song? Been watching a 1993 edition which features a Saint Etienne exclusive, and in the middle we're told this. Now... *what*?
Leicesterval 2026, then. Apologies to everyone we gave second hand anxiety to on Saturday night, but it all worked out very well in the end. Thank you to all the bands, everyone who came, to Nik on sound and everyone at Firebug. Leicesterval 2027 is in the books for February 27th & 28th...
Leicesterval news: unfortunately Schande have had to pull out through illness. The Marlinas, another Riotous Collective graduate, step in as openers. A few other notes on our other socials, but the key one is TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE (as they will be on the door both days) wegottickets.com/f/16033
Four days away from Leicesterval now, so here are the all important stage times. We expect to finish at latest around 10.30pm on Saturday and (in terms of live music) 8.30pm on Sunday. Right now there are sixteen Saturday/weekend tickets and too many Sunday tickets left. wegottickets.com/f/16033
We promised a while back that we'd be posting more on here about favoured new music, and then didn't. So here's a rough list of the tracks we've most enjoyed in the last few weeks.
With nine days to go there are at time of writing EIGHTEEN Saturday/weekend tickets for Leicesterval left (would also appreciate more Sunday sales, ta) wegottickets.com/f/16033 Also, please welcome Coventry slacker indie-rock trio Trust Club to open Saturday.
Loose Articles have supported the Foo Fighters, New Order and Gang Of Four, and now they're headlining the Sunday of Leicesterval. Ticket link (live music ends before 9pm on the Sunday): wegottickets.com/f/16033 @bugeyemusic.bsky.social @thecosmicsomething.bsky.social @knittingcircle.bsky.social
@jetstreampony.bsky.social's 'schrammelig' luminous take on power-pop and post-punk headlines the Saturday of Leicesterval 2026 in less than four weeks' time. Also featuring @jyotimishra.bsky.social @junkwhaletheband.bsky.social 28 Saturday/weekend tickets remain: wegottickets.com/f/16033
Time for our annual project listing the most played old Christmas songs of Christmas week across UK radio, as per the airplay chart compiled by Radiomonitor, and seeing how they compare to their position in the same chart this time last year.
Confirming @jetstreampony.bsky.social as our Saturday headliner to complete the Leicesterval line-up. wegottickets.com/event/676095
Here's Leicesterval 2026 in near-full! Day and weekend tickets: wegottickets.com/event/676095
Here's your first set of names for Leicesterval 2026. And there's much more to come - in a few weeks we'll tell you the other half of the line-up. WEEKEND AND DAY TICKETS, with nearly half the weekend/Saturday allocation gone already: wegottickets.com/event/676095
Tonight! Tickets on the door or for cheaper via wegottickets.com/event/662426 (but before 5pm if you could)
Select magazine, July 1999. Let's not be hasty, it could be any rock-obsessed twins from Wakefield called Ryan and Gary. (Unless they mention it in a podcast this isn't documented anywhere online by the way, it's even been missed by that Select scans site)
I first saw and fell for Panic Shack in 2019 on their third gig when they didn't have enough of their own songs for a half hour set. Five and a bit more than a half years later their debut album is number 11 in the midweeks. Something feels quite weird about that.
Pleased to say with a day short of two months to go that Alldayer alumni Virginia's Wolves have been added to our @fortitudevalley.bsky.social gig at Duffy's, Leicester on 11th September. wegottickets.com/event/662426
Safely assuming nothing new is going to be surprise released today or tomorrow, STN's thirty favourite albums of the first half of 2025.
Sweeping The Nation presents... FORTITUDE VALLEY @fortitudevalley.bsky.social DIY power-pop supergroup (Tigercats, Martha, Fast Blood) supporting their upcoming second album With The Marlinas & 1 TBC Duffy's Bar, Leicester Thursday 11th September 2025 Tickets: wegottickets.com/event/662426
As the Libertines didn't put it, there are few more distressing sights than that of Steve Lamacq in a baseball cap.
And @focuswales.bsky.social Saturday, with @gruffrhys.bsky.social, Sahra Halgan, Mowbird and Sister Wives
@focuswales.bsky.social Friday, with Panic Shack, Tara Bandito, The Pill and Anna Erhard
@focuswales.bsky.social Thursday, with Mclusky, Seazoo, Diary and @campfiresocial.bsky.social
You know how years ago before the effects of climate change became apparent there was a school of thought that the earth could have been approaching a new ice age?