Nikita Bassi has released the video for her new single ‘Rescue’, taken from her debut EP Satin out now. The video celebrates empowerment and features performances from Nikita and drag queen Santi Storm. It reflects the themes for the bold pop song, which tackle the intricate feelings behind a toxic relationship.

Regarding the video Nikita says, “When I’m feeling a bit nervous, I think of the Soho drag shows I’ve been to and how empowering I find them. The idea for the video was that I’m making this low-key DIY music video in my bedroom, feeling all over the place with a bed sheet falling on me, which genuinely just happened while I was recording, but that drag makes myself and so many others feel confident. It makes you feel you can celebrate your identity behind a kind of comfort blanket. I also don’t find that Bollywood and drag come together much and I love the fact that they do in this video. The song itself is a little bit mischievous and I knew Santi’s bold style would help to put that across.”

Nikita has worked with producer Cores (Solange, The Streets, Gorgon City) who built on her bedroom-produced tracks, to create the uniquely crafted Satin EP. Nikita adds, “They’re all love songs of some kind, but the tracks dive more into elements that can come along with it  - immaturity, toxicity, fear, comfort and caution.”

She will be performing live at London’s Vortex Jazz Club on October 13 in association with Oxjam and has more live dates to be announced soon.

Birmingham quintet Ivory Wave have already established a reputation as local heroes. Their exuberant, party-starting mix of swaggering indie attitude, dancefloor-filling beats and glistening synths inspires chaotic scenes wherever they go. Their songs speak of the experiences of youth across the country, but their gigs offer pure escapism with a sea of fans singing along as smoke-bombs amplify the hedonistic vibe.

Current single ‘Uptown’ has raised the game for the band, earning them Track of the Week on Radio X, plus further plays at BBC Introducing and Radio 1. They soon followed that by playing Birmingham’s most vital event of the summer, the all-star Legitimate Peaky Blinders Festival. Now Ivory Wave build towards an even bigger future by announcing that their debut EP, Dream Nights, will be released on November 8.

 ‘Dream Nights’ was produced by Matt Terry (The Prodigy, You Me At Six) and recorded at VADA Studios, Warwickshire. It was mixed by the Grammy Award-winner Adrian Bushby (Foo Fighters, Muse, Everything Everything).

“Three years of work have been saturated down into 25 minutes of pure Ivory Wave,” says frontman George Johnson. “It’s time for people to pay attention - this is the best Birmingham has sounded for years”

In addition, Ivory Wave have today shared a new video for ‘Uptown’. It’s about growing tired of endlessly living for the weekend - you spend all week planning a big night out only to wake up with a hangover and an empty wallet. The video captures that routine of spending every Sunday in lazy recovery mode, the only benefit of which is epic FIFA sessions on the Xbox. In fact, the band have been embraced by the football community, with adds to the Official Premier League playlist and Soccer AM’s New Music playlist plus match day plays at West Brom.

Ivory Wave are five long-term friends in their early twenties who share an eclectic range of influences – from The Stone Roses to Bowie, Sex Pistols and Human League. Based in a lock-up in Birmingham, their mission statement was to blend those influences into a modernist sound which would connect with their own generation.

The dates are:

NOVEMBER

15th - Shiiine On Weekender(main stage)

16th - Birmingham, O2 Institute 2(headline show - in association with This Feeling)

21st - Liverpool, Hanger 34 (supporting JAWS)

22nd - Edinburgh, The Mash House(supporting JAWS)

23rd - Newcastle, Riverside (supporting JAWS)

29th - Leeds, The Wardrobe(supporting JAWS)

30th - Coventry, The Empire (supporting JAWS)