Roxanne de Bastion shares new single and Announces EP and tour dates
Roxanne de Bastion
The new EP - Seeing You
September 22nd
Hidden Trail Records
Seeing You was recorded in London and produced by Ben Walker (radio 2 Folk Award Nominee).
The EP contains 4 new tracks of cutting and clever lyrics, delivered with what BBC6 producer Tom Whalley said to be “one of the most perfect voices [he's] ever heard”.
Roxanne de Bastion was born in Berlin and grew up both in England and Germany until she set out on her own, leaving Berlin for London, equipped only with her guitar and a one-way ticket. The young troubadour tours throughout the UK, mainland Europe and the United States, all on trains and busses. She self-released her debut album The Real Thing, produced by Gordon Raphael (The Strokes / Regina Spektor) in 2013 and has since then been invited to speak at music industry panels on the subjects of DIY music, copyright and the future of music, along side Fran Healy (Travis) and Ed O'Brien (Radiohead). She has already been championed by Tom Robinson on BBC6, John Kennedy on XFM, Ruth Barnes on Amazing Radio, as well as MTV and Radio Eins in Germany. With Seeing You, Roxanne de Bastion continues to forge her own style and a unique approach to a classic musical genre.
Musically, Roxanne's compositions are routed in the music of the 1960's, but the tone of voice is very much her own and the stories told are expressed in a way that could only be now. Her lyrics range from introspective journeys in Seeing You and Same Moon, through to observations on instant gratification and repetition (Rerun) and the tearing down of the East Side Gallery in Berlin, Roxanne's town of birth (Wasteland).
The Guitar Masters Strike a Chord at The Epstein Theatre Liverpool
Three of the world’s most accomplished acoustic guitarists will light up the Epstein stage on Wednesday 26th September. A unique experience for music fans to enjoy marquee virtuosity in a living room-concert setting and features internationally renowned musicians Andy McKee, Preston Reed and Jon Gomm in The Guitar Masters Tour. All three musical maestros are set to share an all-acoustic bill, playing their calling-card tunes and revealing their formative influences and signature guitar techniques.
Andy McKee is one of the world’s finest acoustic guitar soloists. Having shot to worldwide prominence with his technically astounding Drifting, he has since received over a staggering 200 million plays on YouTube alone and previously held the #1, #2 and #3 positions for their Top-Rated Videos of All Time. McKee’s online success is no gimmick; as a live musician he performs over 200 shows a year worldwide, has independently released five studio albums, was awarded the Acoustic Guitar Magazine worldwide silver medal award for fingerstyle. McKee’s live shows are a true testament to his stringsmanship and engaging repartee, appealing both to the everyday music fan and guitar aficionados alike. His deft talents give his music life through altered tunings, syncopated rhythm and guitar taps. Andy’s textural use of polyphonic tones and his unique multi-layering approach means whilst he alone plucks, strums, taps the strings and body, he creates the illusion of a full band accompaniment.
Blackpool’s very own Jon Gomm is a singer-songwriter who accompanies himself with polyrhythmic hitting-on-side-of-the-guitar drumming and who is known for his on-the-spot detuning to quickly access unavailable bass notes. Acoustic Magazine deemed Jon one ofthe world’s most successful, gifted and inspirational guitar players. His track Passionflower recently went viral after being tweeted by no less than Sir Stephen Fry. Since then it has received over 2 million views and Jon has appeared on BBC Breakfast, The One Show and been featured in numerous national newspapers.
The final artist is Preston Reed; a one-man revolution. Acclaimed as one of as the world’s most gifted guitarists by Total Guitar magazine the New York native tweaks the nose of musical convention, pokes the eye of accepted wisdom, and burns the rulebook of the past. His unique style is impossible, unfathomable, unthinkable, as with blurred hands he taps, tickles, slaps and soothes his instrument to create a sonic landscape.
The Guitar Masters Tour has clocked up an impressive 347 shows, and continues to combine technically masterful acoustic guitar performances with artist’s workshop accessibility for an engaging and participatory fan experience.
LISTING INFORMATION
GUITAR MASTERS TOUR
Date: Wed 26th September 2012
Show Start: 7:30pm (Doors open 7pm)
Ticket Prices: £17.50
The Epstein Theatre
Hanover House
85 Hanover Street
Liverpool
L1 3DZ
Marc Almond @ Philharmonic Hall Liverpool on September 22
Plus support Baby Dee Tickets £24.50, £30.50 - for details see www.liverpoolphil.com
With Soft Cell, in partnership with Dave Ball, Marc Almond achieved a string of international hits - biggest of all, their version of northern soul classic Tainted Love, while Memorabilia is cited as the first techno record ever.
10 million-plus worldwide record sales later, Soft Cell are a British icon, influencing generations of musicians - from Pulp, The Pet Shop Boys and Suede, to Goldfrapp and Antony and The Johnsons. This concert coincides with the release of Almond’s new greatest hits double album. On stage Almond comes alive, his songs too: whether they are synth-pop, 60s-inspired kitsch-arama, bare-naked acoustic ballads or orchestrated splendour, the experience is unique.
Soft Cell parted amicably in 1984 to pursue solo projects. Marc had already branched out with Marc and the Mambas, a loose collective of musicians, and recorded the innovative influential double album Torment and Toreros which Marc has called 'a nervous breakdown put to music'. Mambas shambolic and florid musical shows put Marc in a unique musical place that had one foot in mainstream and the other in the underground. Marc has always been one of very few artists able to comfortably move from one to the other. Torment and Toreros was influenced by Spanish Flamenco, Marc has always used World Music influences in his music from Turkish torch songs to Brazilian Macumba and Russian folk. The Mambas use of a full string section inspired a young Antony Hegarty later of Antony and the Johnsons. Antony has always openly cited Marc as the person that without whom it would not have been possible for him.
The mambas started Marc on his path as a chansonierre troubadour, a singer of the songs of others that he would make his own, Jacques Brel, Scott Walker, Lou Reed, Juliette Greco, Nico, Syd Barrett - all early influences of Marc. Marc has said that his style comes from Jacques Brel and Marc Bolan glam with a bit of Aznavour and Johnny Ray thrown in, add some 60's Joe Meek and Orchestral Pop and some 60's Northern soul, a pinch of Music Hall and you have something approaching Marc. It is this mix of styles that have made him hard to pigeonhole, but also totally unique. He has been called over the years The Judy Garland of the Garbage Heap, The Acid House Aznavour, Jim Reeves of the Bedsit Generation, Marc Bolan and Juliette Greco's love child and Britain's own Piaf.
Marc has enjoyed Many diverse collaborations during his career, Nick Cave, Siouxsie, Nico, Jools Holland, Bronski Beat, Rosenstolz, John Cale, David Johannson, Kelli Ali, Current 93, Coil, PsycicT.V, Antony and the Johnsons, Baby Dee, Little Annie, Matt Johnson, Jim Thirwell, Ferry Corsten, 60's icons Gene Pitney and P.J Proby who he produced an album for in 1998 entitled Legend. He has written many songs but prefers to sing songs by other writers and artists, saying it frees him from his own baggage allowing him to express the things he wants to, in sometimes a better way than he can write himself.
2011 saw the release of a new collaboration album with Berlin based musician Michael Cashmore entitled Feasting With Panthers.
Robbie Williams to play intimate O2 Academy Leeds show in September
Robbie Williams’ fans are used to seeing him perform in front of thousands at record-breaking stadium sized shows. Today, he announced that he’s giving his fans the rare opportunity to get up close and personal by playing a handful of small UK shows in September this year.
These one-off, very special club shows are a must for any Robbie Williams fan as he returns to play live in venues he played on his first tour as a solo artist in 1997.
Because of the limited number of tickets available, from Tuesday 28th August until midnight Sunday 2nd September fans will be able to enter their contact details via tickets.robbiewilliams.com for a chance to buy.
On Monday 3rd September, names will be selected at random using proven Ticketmaster ballot software to ensure fair allocation of tickets. All successful applicants will be notified that they are being given the chance to purchase tickets by midday on Tuesday 4th September.
For those fans not lucky enough to receive the chance to purchase tickets on this occasion, there will be future exclusive Robbie news and offers to all who registered their interest.
Dates / Venues:
September 11th Leeds O2 Academy
September 12th Glasgow Barrowland
September 16th Southend Cliffs Pavilion South End On Sea
Blind Wives to release self titled E.P this September
Having kept everything under wraps for the initial 3 months of their existence, Blind Wives are now set to release their debut self titled E.P on the 1st of September 2012 through Mountains of Records. To date they have largely kept their presence to whispers and rumours and are only just starting to tease potential fans with recordings, gigs and videos.
Inspiration for the bands name came from the 1920's silent film 'Blind Wives' while their musical influences consist of Reuben, Melvins, Queens of the Stone Age, Torche, Tool and Biffy Clyro (pre puzzle). Blind Wives debut release is a hard hitting, riff chugging, melodically quirky collection of grunge influenced alt-rock and it was completely produced by the band themselves (only the mastering was outsourced).
“A little like the first Doves record, it is therefore even
more of a surprise when they suddenly kick the whole
thing into a post-rock cacophony with skewed time
signatures, lacerating keyboard and industrial guitar.”
Manchestermusic.co.uk
“Their down tempo, dreamlike soundscapes provide an
excellent backdrop for interaction between melodic
guitar, keyboards and samples.”
Designer Magazine
“They’re welcome in my cellar any time!!”
Fred West
“All we want to be is blown away” Heat vs Light took this mantra into the making of their debut album, ‘Murderers’,never settling for anything less than stellar. Engineered by Miles Whittaker of cult experimental duo Demdike Stare,the album was recorded entirely live over the course of a week. The real triumph of ‘Murderers’ is that for all its ambi-tious scope and emotional reach, there is an earthy appeal that, while eschewing the obvious, imbues it with an energy which doesn’t diminish on repeated listening.
Their hometown of Burnley is a place where you’re only ever a few hundred yards away from either astounding natural beauty or bleak post-industrial disrepair. There are traces of the panoramic northern pathos of Elbow and The Chameleons to engage the heart, but they’ll often lead you into darker corners with angular post-rock and ingenious key changes.
Throughout this release, you’ll hear a band who know how to align penetrative melodies with diverting sonic ideas. It’s in the stunning anthem ‘Firewalk’, the way ‘The Air Tastes of Strange Things’ takes shoegaze fancy and turns it into something full of animation. Instrumental ‘I Love You Donna Ingham + I Miss You Both Loads’ (title taken from graffiti daubed on a bridge over the M65) blossoms from chiming prettiness, erupting into gloomy Jah Wobble skank. It’s followed up by the radiant ballad ‘We Miss Ourselves’, which seems to search for real sense in the accidental non-sequitur of its predecessor. Heart-rending trumpet provides ‘Rabbit’s tender coup de grâce, and ‘Like Stars’ journey from lighter-waving anthem into abrasive dissonance and back again is an exemplary finale.
On the prominent lyrical themes of ‘Murderers’, frontman JP Keenan remarks: “The album name is not supposed to conjure up images of the Yorkshire Ripper or Fred West, it’s really more about irrational fears, its an album about twisted love and paranoia but there’s always a thread of grace, or serenity if you like and a sense of triumph. This contrast seems to be in everything we do, even the band name. The cover image was one of my recurring dreams.”
‘Murderers’ is a powerful debut with songs that captivate and draw you into their world, whatever the setting.
The band are currently booking gigs in support of this release. The album will be available to download at all the usual digital outlets but the band are planning to do a pre-release campaign where fans get the album for free if they are willing to share it via facebook/twitter/email, etc.
Wet Paint returns to the O2 Academy Liverpool this September
WET PAINT
O2 Academy Liverpool
“A no-rules trash-up for queers, straights, and everyone in between”
Saturday 1st September 2012
Saturday 6th September 2012
O2 Academy Liverpool
Doors 11.00pm - 4.00am (over 18s only)
Tickets £4.00 adv + STBF
Tickets available from ticketweb.co.uk or 0844 477 2000 or venue box office
Thursday 9th August 2012: Brand new for 2012, Wet Paint returns to O2 Academy Liverpool in September, a ‘no rules trash- up for queers, straights and everyone in between’, Wet paint is the ultimate new club night in the heart of the birthplace of The Beatles and one of Europe’s most exciting Cities.
Launching recently with the Liverpool Pride 2012 Celebrations in August, attracting people from across the country looking to experience the diverse culture on offer; Wet Paint will once again be playing the most eclectic mix of tracks, showcasing all musical genres and breaking free from the somewhat tiresome ‘indie’ and ‘gay’ club nights currently on offer.
O2 Academy Liverpool’s resident DJ’s will once again be taking to the stage recently owned by ‘glam squad’ Scissor Sisters, blasting tracks from the likes of Dr Dre, Prince, Nirvana, Aaliyah and Sonic Youth until 4am; we did say ‘no rules’ didn’t we?
Perhaps there is just one, ‘throw some glitter on it Honey and go dancing!’ If you missed it during Pride 2012 Weekend, get yourself down to the only night in Liverpool that could follow a Spice Girls hit with Animal Collective!
Saturday 1 September 201210 till 4am - £10 Tickets,door 0151-236 9994
Farley and Heller take control alongside Andy Carroll and Rob Harnetty. " We are really excited to working with Eric's and bringing two of the most respected DJs and remixers in the music industry to our launch event. Their Junior Boys Own label is one of the respected labels in the industry and Terry Farley and Pete Heller the London based DJs are delighted to be playing their distinctive sound in Liverpool expect an evening of pure House music of the highest quality" says Mestura promoter Derek Hazell.
Although prominent house DJs and producers individually, London-based remixers Terry Farley and Pete Heller enjoyed their greatest notoriety working as a duo. They first surfaced in the early '90s as part of Andrew Weatherall's Boy's Own collective, making their debut with a hugely popular remix of the Farm's Groovy Train; hits for Espiritu ‘Francisca’, Sunscreem ‘Perfect Motion’, K Klass ‘Don't Stop’ and Secret Life ‘As Always’ followed.
Farley and Heller also earned wide renown when their mix of M People's ‘Open Your Heart’ topped Billboard's club charts in 1995. A year later they reunited to assemble a two-disc entry into the Journeys by DJs beatmix series, with their own ‘Ultra Flava’ 12-inch appearing at much the same time. In addition to working under the own names, Farley and Heller additionally recorded as Roach Motel, an outlet for their more underground projects; they also joined producer Gary Wilkinson in the lush garage techno trio Fire Island, as well as teaming with Weatherall and Hugo Nicholson in Bocca Juniors. Their other pop remix projects include work with U2, New Order, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Kylie and Pet Shop Boys.
FORMER Oasis star Noel Gallagher is to play the ECHO arena Liverpool in 2012
Due to high demand Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have added an additional seven new dates across the UK, including Liverpool on September 6 2012.
Noel has strong links to the city from early collaborations with the Real People and Digsy to later work with The Coral, Howard Eliott Payne and Sixteen Tonnes.
He’ll be playing songs from his new album, also called Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.
Noel said: “My manager asked me who the High Flying Birds are. They aren’t anyone in particular. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds is me and whoever is around at the time of whatever it is that I’m doing, a loose collective kind of thing.”
After the great success of Junes DIY gig in London http://musicmafiauk.blogspot.com/2011/06/london-singersongwriter-peter-walter.html our good friend Pete Walter is back with another London gig. This time it's on the Battersea Barge on Wednesday 28th September. He has booked another singer/songwriter appearing that night called Amalia who is a lot of fun and her band is packed with great musicians. They will also have some comedy and possibly even a self-indulgent rock based quiz.
Junes gig was a huge success and this one promises to be just as good if not even better. Link to buy tickets for the event is below. These are unique gigs and bring together promoters and musicians in an arena that is more about quality than profit.
6 Day Riot… Elsie… The Kleptones…The Draymin…Paris Riots
…Pegasus Bridge…Dirty Jemz
THE Woolfstock Festival takes place on Saturday 3rd September 2011, located on a stunning rural site just outside Newbury, Hampshire, which inspired the book Watership Down. Joining headliners British Sea Power on the bill are 6 Day Riot, Elsie, The Kleptones, The Draymin, Paris Riots, Pegasus Bridge and Dirty Jemz
“We’re really looking forward to playing at such a beautiful location and festival” says British Sea Power singer and guitarist, Yan Scott Wilkinson.
Guests can enjoy free camping, free parking, posh loos and stalls serving up scrumptious treats, from paella to pancakes, courtesy of award-winning organic food and beverages suppliers such as Laverstoke Farm.
There will be plenty of festival antics, from adventures in the woods, to fun fair rides, a quaint afternoon Tea Party, and fortunes told in the gypsy caravan. The stage converts into a Dance Arena after midnight, so revellers can boogie late into the night with a special DJ set from The Kleptones.
Tickets are priced £50 for the day, student tickets at £35 and details of special rate family tickets, full line-up, event information can be found athttp://www.woolfstockfestivals.com/. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21.
Woolfstock may just sneak it as the musical highlight of the British summer. Kicking off at noon on Saturday 3rd September, this ‘small festival with a big sound’ contains all the essential ingredients for a top musical gathering in Britain’s great outdoors.
With an intimate 2,000 capacity, this 24 hour event will feel more like stepping in to your very own private festival. “It’s the perfect antidote to a glut of large, impersonal corporate sponsored festivals, Woolfstock boasts a killer musical line-up headlined by critically acclaimed indie rockers British Sea Power, a stunning festival site and the finest festival fodder and antics on offer.” Says Festival Director Jeremy Woolfenden.
Now in its second year, Woolfstock’s eclectic line-up is one that major event programmers would be proud of. Alongside BSP, on a stage that comes straight out of Reading Festival, will be pop folk sensation 6 Day Riot, Scotland’s finest The Draymin, masters of the mash-up The Kleptones, the melodic Paris Riots, and Tom Jones’ backing singer Elsie with her blend of Blondie-esque pop. This is also likely to be Pegasus Bridge’s penultimate gig.
British Sea Power (www.britishseapower.co.uk) headline at Woolfstock. The band members hail from different corners of the UK and are renowned for their epic, guitar led sounds and innovative live shows that take place in museums, libraries and anywhere else that takes their fancy.
6 Day Riot (www.6dayriot.co.uk) were dubbed by NME as ‘the next big thing’, bursting on to the scene with their unique folk pop blend. The band has graced the stage at The Green Man and the iTunes best album list for the last two years.
The Draymin (www.thedraymin.co.uk) are one of Scotland’s best bands. They are described as “Equal parts indie pop, melodic dance, and stadium band.” Their high energy, guitar-led live performances are polished and crowd-pleasing.
Paris Riots (www.myspace.com/theparisriotsmusic) have a distinctive and deeply melodic sound veering between the raw and the beautiful. The band is feted in the same breath as Kasabian, Doves and Mumford & Sons, with their songs described as “the sound of a riot rock revolution”
The Kleptones (www.kleptones.com) are a Brighton born outfit fusing rock and r'n'b with rap and pop, taking the art of mash-up to a new level. They will be performing both a live performance and DJ set.
Pegasus Bridge (www.pegasusbridge.co.uk) originate from a sleepy suburb in Manchester and have been steadily making a name for themselves across the globe. The buzz for 'Ribena' has generated over 200,000 YouTube hits, and they are adored by Radio One's Huw Stephens and Zane Lowe, as well as 6Music's Lauren Laverne.
Elsie (www.elsiemusic.com) is unleashing her Blondie-inspired sound on the world. Tom Jones’ lead vocalist is working on her debut album, which contains catchy riffs and disco-rock bass lines about bad men, broken hearts, naughty nights out and those girls you just can’t trust.
Dirty Jemz is a local music producer and DJ who has stunned revellers at the Ministry of Sound with his own eclectic mix of electro fidget. His original electro fidget sound will take the festival in to the small hours.
Tickets are priced £50 for the day, student tickets at £35 and special rate family tickets are available from http://www.woolfstockfestivals.com/ and the following HMV stores; Brighton Churchill, Bristol Broadmead, London Islington, London Oxford Circus, London Trocadero, London Westfield, Oxford, Reading, Basingstoke and Newbury
Full line-up, event information can be found at http://www.woolfstockfestivals.com/. All children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21.
August was a busy month for Designer Magazine (in fact one of the busiest in 7 years of Designer Magazine gigs) and yet again in early September Designer Magazine are providing plenty of musical thrills for those who love Rock & Roll even when the students aren't here.
SEPTEMBER
* September 1st @ Dry Bar - 7pm Doors - £5 (14+)
Always Awake
ILoveColour
+ more TBA
Always Awake play by their own musical rules. Inventive, emotive and anthemic - a perfect blend of smooth sophistication and Mancunian grit.
* September 2nd @ Dry Bar - 7pm Doors - £5 (14+)
The Versions
Reigning Magpie
Rescue The Eskimo
Robot House
Rescue the Eskimo recently opened up Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Sundae in Manchester alongside the likes Of Ocean Colour Scene, Ash and Maximo Park. Their folk pop is infectious
* September 3rd @ The Roadhouse - 7pm Doors - £5 (18+)
Silence Rises
The Madding Crowd
Sam J Smith
Suzie Does It
Huddersfields Silence Rises have just been on a short tour with The Wedding Present. With musical influences as diverse as the Smiths through to Mogwai and Ennio Morricone through to Death Cab for Cutie.
These influences are apparent in the genre crossing musical styles and technically adept live performances.
* September 9th @ The Roadhouse - 7pm Doors - £5 (18+)
Hellbound Hearts (ex Terrorvision)
The Goddamn Electric
Morphine Ghost
Well Kept Secret
Hellbound Hearts feature ex Terrorvision members and deliver a storming heavy rock set. Backed up in Manchester by the high energy set of The Goddamn Electric following their support with Forever August
As Rock Radio in Manchester prepares to change hands we deliver a rocktastic Manchester set
* September 15th @ Dry Bar - 7pm Doors - £5 (14+)
Hora Douse
Disfunktional
Ivy Road
+ more TBC
Hora Douse are taking a break before recording their debut EP, but before they go into hibernation they've put together a bill of their favourite local bands including Ivy Road and Disfunktional
Previously playing In The City Fringe gigs and our own Xmas gigs Hora Douse deliver energetic punk rock
* September 24th @ Dry Bar - 6.30pm doors - £6 (14+)
The Headstart
Hope.Break.Legend
So Called Friends
Charge Of The 1337 Brigade
+ 1 more TBC
The Headstart last played Manchester at Academy 2 supporting Framing Hanley and My Passion and had 700 people bouncing with their engergetic punk-pop. This Leeds quartet are going to go far so get in early
while you can see them in venues like this
* Sept 29th @ Dry Bar - 7pm doors - £5 (14+)Jakil + special guests TBC
Back home in Scotland, Jakil have played some massive supports to the likes of Olly Murs and JLS and are fast becoming one of Scotlands biggest bands. Playing sell out shows the band are due to headline the
EH1 Music Festival in September alongside the Dykeenies
“THE BEST YOUNG BAND IN SCOTLAND” – The Scotsman
“This band will sell five million records” – Vic Galloway, BBC Radio 1
***Saturday 10th September 2011 4.00PM to 11.00PM***
STEVE HARLEY & COCKNEY REBEL
plus very special guests
TOMMY SCOTT & THE RED SCARE
(ex Space - playing hits includingFemale of the Species, Avenging Angels)
THE WICKED WHISPERS
&
THE DIRTY WORDS
plus
Comedy Stage & Acoustic Lounge & Bars & Food
THE Harpole Scarecrow Festival is proud to announce a special concert at The Bowls Club on Saturday 10th September 2011. The line- up includes 70’s legends Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, ex Space frontman -Tommy Scott and The Red Scare, hotly tipped Liverpool band The Wicked Whispers and Northampton’s very own rockers, The Dirty Words. There will also be a comedy stage and an acoustic lounge as well as an excellent selection of food and bars. Tickets are priced at £24.50 (subject to booking fee) and are available from Harpole Village Store and both the 2Seasons stores in town (Grosvenor Centre and Wellingborough Rd). Credit card hotline 01909 512 534.
“As you may have heard this year the Festival will ROCK!!It’s with great pleasure that for the 14th Harpole Scarecrow Festival we have announced a very special concert, with a line-up that includes the fantastic, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, along with a full supporting cast of bands, comedians and introducing The Acoustic Lounge.” Said Harpole Scarecrow Festival Chairman, David Walker- Collins. English rock band, Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel,first made their name in the early 1970s. Their music covers a range of styles from pop to progressive rock. Over the years they have had five albums in the UK Albums Chart and twelve singles in the UK Singles Chart. Much-loved British rocker Steve Harley has been touring consistently for over 30 years and shows no sign of slowing down. “It’s going to be a fantastic festival and we’re really excited to be a part of it.” Said Steve Harley. A prolific songwriter and renowned lyricist, Steve’s set-list is packed with all his big songs; Judy Teen; Mr Soft; Here Comes The Sun; Mr Raffles (Man, It Was Mean); Sebastian and, of course, the smash hit Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me).
Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) reached number one in 1975 in the UK and many European countries and is regularly voted among the top singles in the history of the charts, which covers six decades of releases. The Performing Rights Society has confirmed MAKE ME SMILE one of the most played records in British broadcasting.
Last year Steve released Stranger Comes To Town, his first new studio album in five years.
Special guests are Tommy Scott and The Red Scare. Tommy was lead singer in Liverpool band Space. Space came to prominence in the mid 1990’s with hit singles such as Female of the Species, Neighbourhood, Avenging Angels and The Ballad of Tom Jones. They also performed with Tom Jones and Cerys Matthews. Tommy will be singing new material as well as the Space classics. ‘We’re all really looking forward to playing the festival as it’s such a different gig for us’ says Tommy.
The Wicked Whispers are one of the most hotly-tipped acts emerging from new music scene in Liverpool. Taking inspiration from the psychedelic West Coast explosion of circa 1967-1969 along with overtones of country, soul and 60s French pop, The Wicked Whispers bring a dark twist to the combining genres creating something altogether new and unique. In June they released their critically acclaimed debut EP this summer 'The Dark Delights of The Wicked Whispers.'
The Dirty Words are a Northampton based blues and rock band. Originally founded in the early part of 2010 by Jim Manning (Vox & Guitar) and Andy Clayton (Guitar & Vox) who got together to do what they do best which is write and make music. A few months into the proceedings they were joined by Brendan Walsh (Drums) then closely followed by Tom Nigthingale (Bass Guitar).
Taking there influences from an array of musical genres including such bands as Eric Clapton, Biffy Clyro, Jimi Hendrix, Kings Of Leon, Mostly Autumn and Seasick Steve, they are definitely a band not to be missed.
There are a number of new events during the Scarecrow festival this year, including children’s art activities, poem recitals, real ale stall, music and crafts. And not forgetting the things that have made this event so special, the popular open top bus rides, art show, refreshment areas and cake stalls.
This year visitors to the village to follow a “Harpole trail.” This will be designed to ensure most areas of the village are visited during the weekend and to test our visitors, and possibly also your, knowledge of the village.
Since its inception fourteen years ago the Harpole Scarecrow Festival has raised over £30,000 for the organisations and community in Harpole.
The Harpole Scarecrow Festival was started in 1997 to raise funds for All Saints Church in Harpole. The continuing success of this endearing village tradition means that it has been possible to carry out a number of vital church projects and repairs over the past few years.
In 2007, a new village committee was established made up of representatives from Harpole village charities, and thankfully it includes members of the old church committee who have stayed around to pass on their expertise. Since then the money raised has been distributed to help a wide range of local community projects.
The spirit of Harpole's Scarecrow festival is all about our community working together to provide a weekend of simple family fun and creativity, whilst raising funds for the benefit of a wide variety of village projects and charitable causes.
The Harpole Scarecrow Festival raises funds for a variety of village charities and community projects. We aim to provide residents and visitors with a weekend of simple traditional entertainment, which can be enjoyed by the whole family. Some visitors return year after year to see our scarecrow displays and many other activities.
Village residents are encouraged to create and display scarecrows of all shapes and sizes in their gardens and visitors can spend a delightful day meandering around our charming village – you will be amazed at the creativity of Harpole residents!
Tickets are priced at £24.50 (subject to booking fee) and are available from Harople Stores and both 2Seasons stores in Northampton (Grosvenor centre and Wellingborough Rd). Credit card hotline 01909 512534)
From Northampton: From Sixfields head towards Daventry (i.e. towards the M1 Junction 16); Straight over the roundabout and past the Total garage on your left;
Turn right into Harpole shortly after the garage, just before The Turnpike, Beefeater Inn
From the M1: Come off at J16 (Daventry) and head towards Northampton
Turn first left (approx 1 mile) into Harpole immediately after The Turnpike, Beefeater Inn
Debut solo album Numb Mouth Eat Waste due for release 12th September 2011.
A Certain Ratio were one of the first bands signed to Factory Records, making some of the most out there funked up music that label bore witness to. Jez Kerr their lead singer with his magnificent debut solo album out 12 Sept. on Higuera Records.
Jez Kerr is bass guitarist, songwriter and vocalist of A Certain Ratio, the band he formed in Manchester in 1977 with three friends - Simon Topping, Peter Terrell and Martin Moscrop - who bonded over a shared love of Northern soul, Kraftwerk and Brian Eno, taking their name from a line in the Eno song A True Wheel. Signed for pretty much all their career to Factory and then Rob’s Records, their repertoire includes classics like “Shack Up”, “Won’t Stop Loving You”, “Good Together” and “27 Forever”. ACR’s cult following and appeal has never dimmed with Soul Jazz Recordings re-issuing ACR’s early albums in the Noughties.
However, Kerr is the only member who remains a full-time musician. This has prompted a collection of songs written based on Jez’s earlier influences and, for the first time in 30 years, without ACR in mind. A digital-only single, Play Sumthing Fast, was released by Welsh valleys-based indie Higuera Records earlier this year, and another, Rip You Right Back came out at the end of May, with his debut solo album Numb Mouth Eat Waste due for release 12th September.
The singles sound distinctly Mancunian; Kerr's vocals are gentle verging on tentative, the rhythmic drive of the songs is almost a throwback to early Joy Division, the guitars grind and mesh in a way that echoes the very earliest ACR records, yet everything manages to sound much brighter and more upbeat than the sum of its parts might suggest. Kraftwerk meets the Buzzcocks.
He's recently performed his first ever London solo show with a band that featured ex-Fall and Ian Brown drummer Simon Wolstonecroft, former Hacienda and New Order DJ Tintin on keyboards, and Treatment’s Keo Martin on guitar, as well as sold out gigs in Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and North wales. He has an extensive Nationwide tour arranged in September, when his solo album is released, and a tour of the U.S, where ACR are still cult favourites, is set for October. A well received session for Marc Riley’s Radio 6 Music show early in January saw 4 tracks broadcast across the national network which in turn brought critical nods and acclaim.
The Williamson Tunnels, Liverpool Saturday 10th September @ 8pm
£8 - Tickets: Probe Records (School Lane, Bluecoat Building) / Seetickets.com / Ticketline.co.uk
Vic Godard has forged his own unique trajectory since emerging from the 100 Club punk scene of 76 where Subway Sect debuted alongside contemporaries The Clash and Sex Pistols. Their garage sound and sense of melody set them apart from the usual run of the mill punk acts that joined the conveyor belt that year. Indeed, by the time their debut album ‘What’s The Matter Boy?’ was released, Godard and the Sect had tempered their sound to a more pop based (but nevertheless still edgy) mix.
The 1980s saw Vic Godard experiment with swing and Motown. However, it is his association with Orange Juice and Fire Engines (of the Scottish label Postcard) which defined the Subway Sect as purveyors of abrasive, catchy melodic punk pop. Indeed, the great Edwyn Collins has long championed the musical genius of Godard, producing three albums for him Long term Side Effects and In Trouble again in 1998 and End of the Surrey People in 1993) and inviting him on board to provide backing vocals on the classic Collins hit ‘Girl Like You’ in 1994.
The successful release of ‘1978 Now’ in 2007, the second on Overground Records (the first in 1996 was We Oppose all Rock and Roll), saw Godard and Subway Sect return to their initial punk sound deconstructing the earliest songs to their initial primitive roots.’
Vic is currently playing the best music of his career with a superb line of musicians and his last album We Come as Aliens was released last year.
“The songs from the album have been evolving since the mid 1990’s, with the exception of Francoise Hardy’s ‘Et Meme’, which I have wanted to record since ’77. Some of the tracks have been included in live sets over the years with the various Sects, the oldest being Ne’er which I used to do when Bitter Springs were masquerading as Subway Sect. Takeover, Best Album, Et Meme and That Train have been part of the live set for a while now.”
“A couple of years ago I recorded a demo of Et Meme and That Train with the Wet Dog Sect, nothing came of it because the line up changed a couple of times but once I had Mark, Kev and Gary on board I knew I had the group to record 2009- we agreed a vinyl deal and started recording at One Cat Studios. Disaster struck 5 tracks in when Gary’s back went but then a stroke of luck- Paul Cook was available and willing to finish the album with us, for which I am very grateful. We haven’t listed which tracks Gary and Paul play on as their styles are so distinctive, which is part of what gives this album its unique sound” says Goddard.
About the music-
Our sound on this album is based around the beats of Gary Ainge , who loves Northern Soul and 70s music and Paul Cook, the inimitable West London drummer, whose instantly recognisable style defines the tracks he plays on.. Mark Braby, our multi talented bass and acoustic guitar player brings a wide range of musical influences and talents to the mix- he is currently our live drummer. You can hear that Kevin Younger, who plays guitar, organ and piano, is mad on garage music especially of the sixties variety, (he is also adept at playing obscure theme tunes when least expected). Simon Rivers adds another dimension to the tracks he appears on with his distinctive vocal sound., he also conjured up a superb guitar solo on Back in the Community. Since’ 76 the Sect has been committed to set discords and melodies to beats, so I am sure it has been a lot of work for all those concerned. We would not have the ‘Best Album’ that we set out to make were it not for Jon Clayton of One Cat Studios, who not only recorded, mixed and helped produce We Come as Aliens but also played percussion and keyboard on a few tracks. The songs are a cross section of material we have been working on at Survival Studios over the last two years, in between rehearsing for gigs. Musical influences come thick and fast- Rotten and Thunders, Chuck and Bo, Ray Charles and Mose Allison, while lyrically this must be the best Subway Sect collection yet.
Friday 23rd September 2011 Tickets £20 - www.ticketweb.co.uk
"Horn player Trombone Shorty is at the vanguard of a young generation breathing life back into the blues tradition of New Orleans"
The Telegraph, June 2011
RARE indeed is the artist with the virtuosity to draw the unqualified respect of some of the most iconic legends in jazz and the ability to deliver a high-energy funk rock show capable of mesmerizing international rock stars. Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews is one such artist - and there is no one else like him.
Andrews hails from the Tremé neighborhood in New Orleans' 6th Ward, getting his nickname at four years old when he was observed by his older brother James marching in a street parade wielding a trombone twice as long as the kid was high. Troy started early, learning how to play drums and what he remembers as "the world's smallest trumpet" at the age of three.
By the time he reached six, this prodigy was playing trumpet and trombone in a jazz band led by his older brother James, himself a trumpet player of local renown who has been called "Satchmo of the Ghetto."
During a visit to a small New Orleans club, Bono and the Edge saw the 12-year-old trombone player."We walked in and the place was jumping. There was this little funk band, but they were all playing brass instruments, which is something I'd never heard of or seen before," The Edge recalled "We were just mesmerized by him. I ended up with Bono, after a few tequilas, dancing with a bunch of girls on the top of the bar. It was one of those sort of nights."
Andrews follows his Grammy nominated Backatown‚ CD with For True to be released Sept 13 on Verve Forecast. For True‚ features Andrews' band, Orleans Avenue, as well as a string of legendary performers with whom he recently shared the stage, including Jeff Beck, Kid Rock, Lenny Kravitz, Ledisi, Warren Haynes, Ivan and Cyril Neville, The Rebirth Brass Band and more. Troy wrote or co-wrote all 14 tracks on the new album including co-writes with Ledisi, Kid Rock, the legendary Lamont Dozier and more. The CD was produced and engineered by Ben Ellman (except "The Craziest Thing" produced by George Drakoulias).
The singer/songwriter/multi-
instrumentalist has earned unanimous raves on 5 continents in the past year alone with his patented high energy 'SUPAFUNKROCK' sound. Following the 2010 release of Backatown, which spent 10 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Chart and still reigns in the top 10 over a year after its release.
"There was excitement from everywhere," says Andrews (who's now 25) of the experience on the road and how it fed into the creation of For True. "We did over 200 shows in the last year and a half, and every night we allowed the music to take us over. Musically and creatively, we wanted to shoot for some different things."
"We never sat down and really thought about concepts and what we wanted our music to sound like," Andrews explains. "It's just that, over the years, we allowed each one of the band members to bring their influences and taste in music into our music. Anything we hear or are influenced by, it naturally comes out in what we're trying to do. It's just our sound, and it happened naturally."
Andrews wrote or co-wrote all 14 tracks on the new album, including collaborating with the legendary Lamont Dozier on "Encore," while this time playing as much trumpet as trombone, as well as organ, drums, piano, keys, synth bass and percussion. Indeed, he played every part on the swaying, Latin-tinged "Unc." He's also come into his own as a singer, honoring the hallowed legacy of the great soul men of the 1960s and '70s. Like its predecessor, the new album turns on a rare combination of virtuosity and high-energy, party-down intensity.
"On the last record, we just basically did it with my band," Andrews points out, "but we've got a lot of New Orleans people on this new record - the music just called for it. The Rebirth Brass Band, these are all people that helped me grow in my career and teach me different things. And 5th Ward Weebie, who's one of the lead voices in the bounce community, we're like brothers. I'm excited to have those people on there, because they bring a taste of where I come from and where I'm going."
The album also bears the fruit of more recent relationships Lenny Kravitz (who plays bass on "Roses"), has the longest-standing bond with Andrews, discovering the then-teenage prodigy in 2005 and taking him on tour with his band. Calling Andrews "a genius player," Kravitz says, "He's got nothing but personality, he plays his ass off and he's a beautiful human being." Kid Rock (whose vocal is featured on "Mrs. Orleans") came out to see Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue at an outdoor show early this year in NOLA, and a month later Troy joined the star onstage at Jazz Fest. Andrews played with Warren Haynes (whose eruptive solo further heats up "Encore") at his annual benefit and again at the guitarist's Mahalia Jackson Theatre all-star event during this year's Jazz Fest. Ledisi (who sings on "Then There Was You"), met Troy at the 2010 Grammys, later came out to see him in New Orleans and was later featured in a segment for the landmark "Red Hot + New Orleans" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, for which Andrews served as musical director.
His relationship with Jeff Beck (check out his blistering solo on "Do to Me") has blossomed since the guitar legend came to Troy's late-night post-Jazz Fest show at Tipitina's in 2010. "I was completely blown away," Beck said of his Tip's epiphany in Mojo magazine's "The Best Thing I've Heard All Year" special feature in January. "The crowd went wild. Troy and his band have just supported me on some U.K. dates. A sensational group of musicians. Trombone Shorty is one to watch." That led Beck to ask Andrews to play on Jeff Beck's "Rock 'N' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul," and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue joined Beck for his U.K. tour last year.
"I'm fans of all those people," says Andrews. "I met them over the last year or two of touring, and I've been wanting to work with all of those guys and Ledisi. It's like this musical community. It's not like I reached out to them because I needed some big names on the record. I'm really interested in their music and their talents. So for me it's a dream come true to work with some of my favorite artists. Whatever they need me to do, I'll be there."
Since Backatown's release, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue have toured nonstop in North America, the U.K., Brazil, Japan, Europe and Australia. Last December, Andrews drew accolades as musical director of "Red Hot + New Orleans" at BAM. The sensational two-night run inspired The New York Times senior music critic Jon Pareles to assert, "Trombone Shorty had clearly set out to present New Orleans as a city whose glory days aren't over... it was a signal that the city's music would push ahead."
Yes, Andrews has made quite an impression on the critics. "Trombone Shorty is so ready for his close-up," The New York Times reviewer Nate Chinen wrote, describing the young virtuoso as "a native prodigy destined for breakout success." The San Francisco Chronicle's Joel Selvinhailed him as "New Orleans' brightest new star in a generation." Rolling Stone's Will Hermesraved that "Backatown is both deeply rooted and culturally omnivorous." And the Washington Post's Mike Joyce described one live performance as "a near-deafening, funk-charged blast of percussion, brass, reeds and guitar distortion that might have knocked the crowd sideways had there been any room to move."
TSOA's performances at and during the New Orleans Jazz Fest are legendary. This year, in one day, Troy sat in for a set of free jazz honoring a recently passed mentor. From there he sat in with Kid Rock. Then to the Gospel Tent for a featured slot with cousin Glenn David Andrewsbefore literally running back to the main stage to close the Festival as a special guest of the Neville Brothers.
His respect across a broad spectrum and his musical versatility is further evidenced by his performance resumé, playing at events as diverse as Bonnaroo, the Playboy Jazz Festival at Hollywood Bowl, the Montreal, Montreux and Monterey jazz fests, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in San Francisco, Austin City Limits, Fuji Rock in Japan, Philadelphia Folk Fest, Jam Cruise, assorted Blues Festivals and even a Reggae Festival in Germany. The band spent the month of July crisscrossing Europe to perform at festivals from Spain to Slovakia. Andrews has also done a ton of TV, appearing on The Late Show With David Letterman, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Good Morning America, Tavis Smiley, NFL Kickoff (joining Dave Matthews Band) and a recurring role on the hit HBO seriesTremé, on which he played himself in a recurring role. Along with appearing on Beck's Les Paul tribute, he's been a featured guest musician on the latest releases from Eric Clapton, Kravitz, Galactic and Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars.
Not long afterward, Troy formed his own band with some other musically inclined kids from Tremé, including current band mate Williams, and they became regulars at Jackson Square, with dreams of following in the footsteps of his brother James and Rebirth Brass Band, learning and carrying on the New Orleans tradition.
While not only carrying on that tradition and expanding its boundaries, Troy has lent a generous helping hand to the next generation as well, having given longstanding support to the city's renowned Roots of Music program. Troy was also recently honored by being named the youngest member of the NOCCA Foundation board - the foundation behind New Orleans' Center for the Creative Arts where Troy and several of his band members studied and began collaborating. He's also finalizing plans for his own new foundation aimed at making sure that talented younger players with limited resources can get quality instruments to play. Starting in September, he'll be delivering Trombone Shorty trumpets and trombones to talented young musicians across the city.
