Taking the Underground west.

British Underground is to take its events west to LA as it scales up the exposure of British artists in the US around SXSW `08

The profile of UK music at South by South West is to enjoy an extra boost this year as British Underground, which organises the British Bootleg BBQ, Brush Square BBQ and New York's Live From London events, seeks to grow its activity across the US.

For the first time the organisation is to host events across a trio of US cities taking in New York, Austin and Los Angeles where a line-up of British acts will perform at famed venue The Roxy on Monday, March 17. The West Coast expansion follows the success of the Live From London events in New York for the past three years where showcases for British talent have been held over the two days ahead of South by South West, setting up British activity in Austin and providing UK acts with another access point to the US music industry and media.

Live From London has also been rebranded for 2008 and the peripheral events will now take place under the Rock Over London umbrella, trading on the radio show of the same name. At its peak in the Seventies and Eighties, Rock Over London provided British rock and alternative artists with a platform to reach American audiences and was syndicated by Westwood One in the US.

"The New York activity is hugely important [to what we do]," says British Underground general manager Crispin Parry. "The Rock Over London campaign in the US is becoming a kitemark of British quality and those acts participating in the event arrive in Austin with new opportunities, a buzz and momentum that gives them a much-needed head start."

In previous years, New York showcases at Piano's, the Mercury Lounge and Bowery Ballroom have boosted the US profiles of The Pipettes, The Young Knives, Boy Kill Boy and, perhaps most famously, Amy Winehouse, who headlined the Bowery Ballroom event in New York last year. The success of the show springboarded her activity in Austin, where her South by South West performances were some of the event's hottest tickets.

"It was due to the success of our 2007 campaign that we have been invited to extend the showcase to LA," says Parry.