The Blog Sound of the year was set up as an alternative poll of emerging musical talent to look forward to in 2012, it was completely compiled through the recommendations of online bloggers alone(full list of which below). This exercise was in no way intended as a platform to criticise or disrespect the Beebs official Sound of , it was more an experiment to see if blogs can come up with some interesting alternatives.

As you can imagine the suggestions for this poll were very wide and varied reflecting the tremendous musical mix UK music blogs cover. Long may they all continue ! Here are the fifteen acts that make up our longlist, and as is traditional these will subsequently be narrowed down, and then later a winner will be crowned! 

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Houdini Dax performing at the Full Moon, Womanby Street during SWN festival 2011.

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Houdini Dax playing acoustically and being filmed as part of On-Par's Oxjam Street Sessions down Cardiff's very own Womanby Street, October 2nd 2011.

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Touring’s rolling along nicely for Houdini Dax. Since the last blog, they had their first Bristol gig, several London shows, a trip up to the lovely Nottingham, before coming back to lovely Cardiff once more. Thanks to everyone who’s made it out to the shows so far, and hope to see you all again soon!

The band sadly had to pull out of playing in Porth with our old friends The Broken Vinyl Club, after Owen in a state of Dumb and Dumberness (yes, that is a saying), stabbed himself in the thumb with a kitchen knife whilst trying to separate frozen burgers. However, after a few days recovery, and more bandages than a Mummy after an industrial accident, he was ready to face London.

Having the honour to play for the legendary Club Fandango night again, we luckily headlined the very same venue that we opened for in our first ever London gig, about 2 years ago! It was a great experience for the band, and thanks to everyone who came down, danced and sung along, the perfect reaction from a crowd! After that, it was off to Bristol for the band’s first ever show there, in the lovely Cooler. It was a great place to play, and we liked Bristol so much, we’re coming back next month! Check gig listing for details.

Even though the band spent the entire budget on Tesco Sushi, enough money was scraped together for petrol back to London, to play a nice intimate gig in Kingston. That night was spent in the world’s worst Travelodge (no sofa, bad shower, and some dodgy smells, although that was probably the band), however it was all worthwhile when the Dax made it up to Nottingham to not only find some great cheap shoes, but also a cracking crowd at the Bodega Social Club. Joined on stage by cohorts The Method, it was yet another place to add to our list of lovely cities.

The band are now back in Cardiff, and after playing an acoustic set for Oxjam, and playing alongside Cloud Control for a sold out Buffalo Bar gig, Houdini Dax will be playing one more show in their hometown before leaving you all once more (returning of course every night though because their house is here...). If you haven’t got tickets to Swn Festival yet, then you need to get your act together, because it’s probably the only time you’ll get to see all of the See Monkey Do Monkey acts alongside eachother, joined by former label mates The Broken Vinyl Club, Welsh surf legends Y Niwl, and fresh off their tour with Hard-Fi, Dirty Goods. All this in one venue, O’Neills, on Saturday 22nd October!

See Gigs Section for more information, see you all soon!

However; after a very tiring drive back down South, including a stop at apparently "The Hoff's favourite pub in Powys" for a pint and a shave, the boys are back in the House of Dax for several more gigs down South. Up next is a Newport gig in Le Pub with good friends and new Hard-Fi tourmates Dirty Goods on Friday 16th Sept. That is followed the next day with a gig in Porth at The Factory with fellow Mod mates The Broken Vinyl Club. After that it's another London headline gig at Buffalo Bar on the 20th, and our first Bristol gig at the Cooler on the 23rd!

So if you're the kind of person who prefers Blur to Oasis, pasties to pies, and find going "Mad for It' a rather strange request, you're probably Southern and you have no excuse not to make it to one of these gigs! Keep an eye on the Gigs Section for any new one's added, and hopefully see you there! Don't be afraid to say hello, you might end up staying in a bungalow with us and The Keys. It's happened before...

Fresh from playing the festival season and moving into a brand shiny new house together, Houdini Dax will be heading out on the road again to continue spreading the You Belong to Dax Darling vibes! Starting at the end of the August at the Miniature Music Press' triumphant return festival at Gwdihw, the boys will be traveling to venues around the country throughout September.

So if you've found yourself recently running low on Dax-ness, then fear not because they will be playing a gig near you very soon, just check the Upcoming Gigs section on the Home Page! Until you get to see them live, why not buy the album if you haven't already? Just follow the links on the website right here, and it'll be heading to you quicker than the AA to The Method on tour!

Adam Walton, Welsh music legend and the first man to pick up on Houdini Dax, has posted a very nice review that neatly sums up the band's career so far! Starting from our very first demo that he received, to the release of the new album, it's a great review of what's been done so far, and where the Dax are going from here!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/walesmusic/2011/07/houdini-dax-telfords-warehouse.shtml

Just confirmed - Houdini Dax added to Nozstock Festival Line-up! Playing the Orchard Stage on Saturday 30th July. Click the image for more info.

I really should have eaten something. Damn my weak constitution, bad time management and insatiable thirst for a well-poured stout! I got a little tipsy and pink-eyed at this gig. I mention this, not out of gormless braggadocio, but because moderate inebriation has made some of the details elusive. The whole night has a fuzzy, nebulous quality to it. Which is a shame because this will prove to be one of those gigs I'd most like to remember in my dotage, when these Dax boys are headlining the O2 Glastonbury Music Mall for the eighth time.

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