Strong Island Co

13/02/2025

✍️ Hannah Victoria Kenyon

The eleventh Icebreaker Festival was an unforgettable celebration of music and community, featuring an impressive line-up of over 100 bands across 8 unique venues.

The vibrant atmosphere was further enhanced by the distinctive brews from Makemake. Brewery, creating a perfect setting for memorable experiences.

Overall, the festival successfully captured the essence of the music community and left music lovers eagerly anticipating the next event!

Check out the full review...

The 11th Icebreaker Festival was an unforgettable celebration of music and community held on February 1st, featuring an impressive line-up of over 100 bands across 8 unique venues. The vibrant atmosphere was further enhanced by the distinctive brews from Makemake Brewery, creating a perfect setting....

12/02/2025

This Sunday at The Edge of the Wedge, Strong Island Recordings bring Bristol psych-garage rock outfit Dreamwave back to the city. If you're fans of King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, Oh Sees or Melody's Echo Chamber, these will be for you.

Support comes from fudu, playing their debut show and features members of Mystic Peach plus new outfit Slow Century, featuring former members of Horseflies and You're All Smiling Now But We'll All Turn Into Demons.

Tickets can be purchased in advance below

https://www.wedgewood-rooms.co.uk/events/2025-02-16-dreamwave-the-wedgewood-rooms

17/01/2025

✍ Hannah Victoria Kenyon

With the new year comes the much-awaited Icebreaker Festival. A chance to shake off those winter blues and dive into the rhythm and energy of what the independent music scene has to offer. The festival is back for its much-awaited 2025 edition, and you won’t want to miss it!

Mark your calendars for 1st February because this fantastic celebration of music is set to be a highlight of the year, featuring a great lineup of local based artists and bands.

Read more...

With the new year comes the much-awaited Icebreaker Festival. A chance to shake off those winter blues and dive into the rhythm and energy of what the independent music scene has to offer. The festival is back for its much-awaited 2025 edition, and you won’t want to miss it! Mark your calendars fo...

14/01/2025

I have a new community film project with Hampshire Cultural Trust starting in February. It is a series of free workshops for young people (in or near Gosport) to help promote positive mental health through filmmaking. Info on the attached flyer images. - Paul

26/12/2024

2016!!

15/12/2024

It's the last Strong Island Recordings show of the year this evening, taking place at Sebright Arms in London.

Oxford/ London dreampop outfit Lost Lyra will be headlining, with support coming from SIR family being Isle of Wight grunge-pop outfit ugly ozo & Brighton psych-folk maestro Freddie J Watts (and band). Free entry.

03/12/2024

I don't think that there can be any debate, this is the best Victorious Festival line up in the history of the event. Queens of the Stone Age, Vampire Weekend and Kings Of Leon. 🤩

There is so much more to unpack, find out more ↘️ https://www.strongisland.co/2024/12/03/victorious-festival-2025-announcement/

18/11/2024

✍️ Stu Barker

We’ve reached that time of year again—the days feel short, with darkness greeting many as they leave for work and return home. But it’s not all doom and gloom! This weekend, Portsmouth will light up with the return of We Shine Portsmouth.

Instead of hibernating at home, embrace the season! Wrap yourself in scarves and beanies, and get ready to explore all the magic this event has to offer.

We’ve reached that time of year again—the days feel short, with darkness greeting many as they leave for work and return home. But it’s not all doom and gloom! This weekend, Portsmouth will light up with the return of We Shine Portsmouth.

11/11/2024

Tomorrow night, Strong Island Recordings and ABH Promotions bring Isle of Wight grunge-pop outfit ugly ozo to Edge of the Wedge. Support comes from the excellent Tash and Hypsoline.

Tickets:
https://www.wedgewood-rooms.co.uk/events/2024-11-12-the-wedgewood-rooms

04/11/2024

One week tomorrow, our little label, Strong Island Recordings team up with ABH Promotions to bring Isle of Wight 'doomgaze' Strong Island label family ugly ozo to Edge of the Wedge. Support comes from the excellent Tash and Hypsoline.

Advance tickets can be found below:
https://linktr.ee/strongislandrec

28/10/2024

A very nice 2 million-plus views for Los Bitchos' first KEXP live session, featuring 'Bugs Bunny' released via Strong Island Recordings!

The outfit return to Hampshire tomorrow, playing The 1865, with support from Faux Real, for Strong Island Recordings' biggest standalone show, yet.

Los Bitchos' first ever out of London show was actually also at the 50-capacity Bar 56 (now Back to the Belgrave) in Southsea for our little label. The outfit have come a long way since then!

Tickets for tomorrow's show are available below:
losbitchos.com/tour

https://youtu.be/iPp2fdHMxTM?feature=shared

http://KEXP.ORG presents Bitchos performing live at the La Chapelle by le Studio in Rennes, France, during Trans Musicales 2019. Recorded December 6, 2019.So...

28/10/2024

2025 CALENDAR / PRE-ORDER ONLY: Our premium 2025 Calendar (and 12th annual edition) is now available online for pre-order to guarantee your copy. As always this is a limited print run and we sell out before Christmas so please be quick to avoid disappointment.

This years calendar was once again quite the challenge, working around a busy lifestyle with family and a jam packed printing schedule. So it’s a good job for me then that the photo submissions are always amazing and in abundance, delivery an awesome photographic representation of Portsmouth & Southsea through the lens.

Our 2025 Calendar features a broad range of professional and amateur photographers, with many of the selected photos being shot on phones. We encourage you all to get out there and tag us online with for our 2026 Calendar.

Our 2025 Calendar features photographs from the following people:

Gemma Butterworth -
John Parke -
Maddalena Rea - .jade
Martin S Ross -
Paul Scott -
Sarah Marston -
Matthew Ponsford -
Jo Fairwood -
Vicky Brown -
Jon Tyrrell -
Andrew Malbon -
Jack Williamson -
Petulas Perspective -
Louis Stacey -

21/10/2024

The Interstellar Food Drive in Support of Portsmouth Food Bank returns this Saturday at The Dockyard Club from 2pm, in support of Portsmouth Food Bank.

Hosted by Strong Island Recordings, Mark Kellett Art, Vol Promo, Crocodile Nightmares and Velvet Candy - entry for the event itself is a donation of non-perishable goods that go to Portsmouth Food Bank.

There's lots of great bands eho will be joining the day, and there's also a mega raffle with prizes including tickets to Victorious Festival, Wanderlust Festival and a signed Portsmouth shirt and lots more.

15/10/2024

09/10/2024

Still tickets available for the biggest and heaviest show Strong Island Recordings (with So Young and Honeymooner) has ever put on, featuring label family Los Bitchos 🙌🏻

09/10/2024

📅Save the date 📅 Portsmouth Open Studios Event (P.O.S.E) takes place over the weekend of 25 - 27 October. More than 80 artists at 30+ locations around the city will be throwing open their doors for a peek into their artistic process and studios. Read more in our article in the comments below ⬇️

City Arts Portsmouth | Pogo.stencils | Roo Abrook Art | Casemates Studios & Cafe | The Corner Collective | Folkartmother | Alice Crowe Ceramics | Ahoy dare | icanseethesea.com | the Mildred Trouble shop | Portsmouth Creates