Anton Barbeau is as busy as ever, spreading his pre-apocalyptic psychedelic pop far and wide. California-born, but now residing in Berlin, Barbeau has toured the UK from tip to tail, and has confused and amused audiences from Istanbul to Liverpool with his mind-bending stage show and auto-neurotic humour. He's supported a crazy range of other artists, from Julian Cope to Robyn Hitchcock to Weezer, and is as awkwardly comfy in a smoke-and-feedback drenched village farmhouse as he is in a Parisian piano bar. His latest release for Pink Hedgehog, Plastic Guitar, features a variety of styles, from 60's-vibed classic pop to laptop bleep-bop and electro-kraut grooves!

The Bitter Little Cider Apples are another band that proves there is something genuinely unique about the West Country music scene in the UK. They have been together for years, and during that time they have been writing and performing some of the finest pop music to come out of the area, or indeed anywhere! Incredibly hard to categorize, they could be The Monkees for the 21st century. One minute they're pure garage pop (XTC or R.E.M.), next thing you know they've mutated into The Cure, before evolving again into Crazy Horse.

The Black Watch are from Los Angeles and are the musical vehicle for John Andrew Fredrick, who writes "witty, literate, unpretentious songs in the vein of Robyn Hitchcock". Together with his band, he successfully draws inspiration from classic British pop like The Beatles and the lyrical genius of Bob Dylan, to arrive at his own brooding and mesmerising brand of dreamy pop! We are very proud to have released their first ever UK pressings which started with The Innercity Garden EP and was immediately followed by the amazing full length album called The Hypnotizing Sea.

Cheese are fronted by the incredibly talented Marco Rossi, also known for his role as guitarist in the highly respected Scottish outfit The Kevin McDermott Orchestra and lounge-core wizards Gothic Chicken. Listening to Marco's songs you can easily hear where he's coming from; The Beatles, Television, Big Star and Badfinger are all influences. It's not surprising then, that someone with such good taste in music would come up with so many strong and intelligent pop classics of his own. Their debut album, Let it Brie, was the first proper release for Pink Hedgehog and is now out of print and considered highly collectable!

Electrasy was formed by combining Electric and Ecstasy. Back in the late 90s they recorded some songs (including one called 'Morning Afterglow') in PJ Harvey's home near Bridport, which led to a major record deal with MCA/Universal and eventually their debut album Beautiful Insane in 1998. Following TV appearances and a Top 20 hit in the UK they walked away from the label and a new deal was made with Arista and their second album, In Here We Fall was released. The record did well and they were asked to record a third album which they called Wired For Dreaming but Electrasy parted company with Arista and it looked like it would remain unreleased, until now!

Eye are three English musicians who write and record alternative pop and psychedelia. They last appeared on a Pink Hedgehog release back in 1999 when their gorgeous song 'Plastic' featured on the Ear Candy compilation. Since that early preview of things to come, chief songwriter and frontman Richard Hammond, (now sadly passed away) together with Simon Swarbrick and Andy Trim, spent a long time putting the finishing touches to the debut album called Don’t Sleep. It’s a truly mesmerising piece of work which brings to mind the music of Radiohead, Elbow and other intelligent artists of that calibre.

Simon Felton has been singing and playing bass guitar with indie-pop stalwarts Garfields Birthday since the mid 90s. He finally got around to releasing his first proper solo album, Failing in Biology, in 2009 with the expert assistance of Californian pop guru Anton Barbeau and psych-pop legend Alan Strawbridge from the Bristol-based outfit Schnauser. The sequel, recorded with the same line-up, is called Surrender, Dorothy! and was released in 2011. He also runs the label Pink Hedgehog Records and enjoys reading books by Evelyn Waugh and P.G. Wodehouse. Simon is a vegetarian and has a dog called Frodo (who isn't) and has been called, amongst other things, "a true renaissance man of power pop"!

The Freaks broke onto the live music scene way back in 2000, quickly establishing a fervent fan base with their highly energetic performances, the likes of which are seldom seen in sleepy seaside resorts on the south coast of England! The Dorset Echo have described their songs as "robustly melodic”, “twisted pop gems” and “real live punk rock for the new millennium". But our favourite quote is “It's like being present at a punk master class: Buzzcocks accessibility married to the guitar sound of early Wire, topped off with the surf ‘n' scurf aesthetic of The Ramones. Best of all, Freak Circus can boast a wry, dark sense of humour - a commodity which is in sadly short supply on the pop music front these days". Catch them if you can!

Garfields Birthday are from Weymouth, a seaside town on the south coast of England. Formed in 1995 by James Laming and Simon Felton after being inspired by contemporary British bands like Teenage Fanclub and classic power-pop acts including Big Star and XTC. They spent the next few years building a small but loyal fanbase, recording a wealth of demos and appearing on various compilations. A gig at the legendary Cavern Club in Liverpool, prompted them into action once again; with the Mr Newton EP in 2005 and the album, Let Them Eat Cake, following in 2008. Add successful tours of Germany in 2009 and 2011, and with the latest album being declared their best yet, it appears there is still plenty to smile about!

Hamfatter are three thoroughbred musicians from Cambridge. After a three year pause to recover from the shock of appearing on BBC series Dragon’s Den, and the strange times which soon followed, they were back in 2011 with a fantastic new album paid for by investor Peter Jones. Cassiopeia was a long time in the making, but it took that long for the band to find their way again after being plucked from cult-stardom and the indie wilderness. They signed to Pink Hedgehog back in 2003 and spent several happy years recording albums on a shoe-string budget and touring Europe. Their single, Sziget (We Get Wrecked), gave Pink Hedgehog our first (and only) chart success, reaching number 54 in the official UK singles chart!

From North London, The Inexperienced are an act led and produced by Alex Meadows. Their debut album was recorded with three simple rules in mind; 1) No corporate interference, 2) Try not to disappear up one’s own arse, 3) Have as much fun as possible. The results speak for themselves. Alex was recently part of the touring band for Sir Tom Jones, playing bass and a bit of guitar and even less keyboards. In the past he was a member of Arista recording artist Electrasy, as bass player and writer, and can also be heard on Jamiroquai’s Dynamite album playing bass. Alex has also survived two world tours with Simon Cowell’s creation Il Divo, playing almost no music at all, and more recently can be heard all over the radio, providing the low notes for Will Young!

Si Jubb set a new benchmark for the standard of composition in Dorset and beyond with his old band The Dirty Sleeves. Si and his dirty sleeves have since parted company, but both sides continue to make vital visceral music. Si released his solo Demonstration EP back in 2008 and it fair crackled with immediacy and urgency. On the face of it the most cogent comparison seems to be with Billy Bragg, as Si dispatches his songs with a similar passion and pride. He sings with blunt honesty and witt, perhaps making Jarvis Cocker another good reference point. However, as a songwriter Si's voice is very much his own. He also devotes much of his time to his role of DJ and champion of vinyl!

Peter's music is often compared to that of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys, sharing a similar ear for harmonies and lush musical arrangements; and also to Paul McCartney’s early work, with it's strength of melody and warm homespun production. However, with each new album, he is establishing himself as a highly talented artist in his own right. Peter has collaborated with celebrated songwriter and poet Stephen John Kalinich, on their album South Downs Way, and again more recently on We are the Sand, together with David Beard (Endless Summer Quarterly). Amazingly, this is Peter's seventh album release for Pink Hedgehog!

Pictured: Peter Lacey, Stevie Kalinich

Somebody loved Marlowe and so did we. Marlowe is no more and Mondo Jet Set have taken their place. MJS are Mark Robins, the tall statesmanlike guitarist who shops well and writes and produces; and James Laming is the other one. He has long hair and sings and writes the songs with the obvious chord changes. He used to be in a band called Garfields Birthday. Their latest album, Ha Ha Ha, is a huge leap forward for them, both in terms of the songs and the production.

Schnauser is the brainchild and musical vehicle for songwriter, producer and musician Alan Strawbridge. Al has previously recorded three albums with The Lucky Bishops, touring Spain and the United States; he recorded two albums and played occasional great gigs with power-poppers Cheese; played drums and produced an album with The Bitter Little Cider Apples; and toured extensively as a member of Orange (signed to Chrysalis) recording a UK chart single in Abbey Road Studios. He currently plays, writes and is recording an album of psychedelic music with psych-pop outfit Gothic Chicken, fronted by musician and music writer Marco Rossi. Schnauser have since evolved into a fully formed and functioning band, having relocated to Bristol, and are very near to finishing their third album!

Steve Wilson took all his experiences, from busking on the streets of Germany, playing in an orchestra and literally hundreds of gigs with his old band The Little Green Men, and channeled them into his first solo album Steppin’ it up a Notch. It is this wide variety of influences that makes Steve's music so engaging. He can also call on world class musicians to join him, as is wonderfully demonstrated on his last album Sideshows and Fairytales. The integrity, quiet passion and gentle nature of his songs are all innate. They go with the territory, in the same modest but endlessly satisfying way that night follows day. A new album is promised!

Pictured: Si Jubb, Steve Wilson, Simon Felton