Kevin Critchley Outfit plays the Masque Liverpool

Live With Choir And Extended String Section

Kevin Critchley Outfit

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Bird

Shy And The Fight

Deafen The Creatures

There is going to be a very exciting show at The Masque Theatre in Liverpool on Friday 21^st October.

Kevin Critchley Outfit will be performing with Sense Of Sound Singers and an extended string section in an ambitious live show on an unprecedented scale for an unsigned band.  The night will see KCO unveil their new band name and launch a limited edition EP containing live recordings and material from a forthcoming studio album. 

With a performance at Chester Rocks described as the “...highlight of the day...” (Liverpool Live) as the band “...stole the show...” (Radio City), KCOhave continued to up the ante with a support slot for Sharon Corr on the Liverpool leg of her UK tour.  Their line up - cello and violins alongside drums, piano, bass, guitar and vocals-  results in a truly original sound that blends film soundtrack, world music and energetic acoustic rock.  

Singing alongside KCO will be members of Sense of Sound Singers.  The choir have been previously involved in performances with Brian Eno, Damon Albarn and Massive Attack in support of Greenpeace, Seal and John Bon Jovi at The Royal Variety Show and grand finalists for BBC “Choir of the Year” competition.  

Amongst the special guests on stage with KCO are violinists Christoph Demetriou (Shrek 2/Counting Crows, Seal, Jessicas Ghost) and Greta Svabo Bech (Picture Book), as well as backing vocals from Norwegian singers Kaya and Grethe Børsum.

The night will also showcase three other diverse acts that KCO have chosen especially for this event.   Deafen The Creatures are an acoustic/electronic 4 piece whose singer Elle won MOJO’s “New Voice Award 2011”.  Shy & The Fight, from Chester and Wrexham, recently had airplay on BBC Radio 1and featured on the Jack Wills summer advertising campaign this year and whose more soulful nu-folk has made the band firm favourites with BBC Radio Wales.  Finally, Bird will be performing their unique brand of atmospheric folk, which fuses influences as broad as PJ Harvey, Portishead, Bat for Lashes and Kate Bush.

KCO have also had the pleasure of supporting artists as diverse as Seth Lakeman, Mark Morriss (Bluetones), Ian McNabb, Amsterdam and Mica Paris.   

www.KCOmusic.com

Tickets can be purchased from www.glasswerk.co.uk / www.ticketwerk.co.uk

Circus's Easter Party with Carl Cox Review

Circus brought a veritable DJ fest to the Masque on Easter Sunday, with different genres of dance music coming from every available room, if dance music is your thing then this was the place to be. In the main auditorium warming up for Carl Cox was Liverpool's very own Yousef, who brought an initially laid back set rising towards a crescendo of beats and bass with a smattering of the sounds of Ibiza thrown in for good measure, which the crowd were loving and gave them a chance to get their dancing muscles warmed up in preparation for the legendary return of the daddy of dance music, Carl Cox.

It's been six years since Carl Cox has played Circus and from the first track to hit the deck, you could see he meant business. With the relentless rhythmic beat exuding from the speakers and his legendary "oh yes, oh yes,oh yes" shout out, he had the crowd bouncing for all their worth, carrying the transition from one track to another with a seamless fluidity throughout the set. Just when you thought he had taken the crowd to the peak, he upped the anti again and was joining in and quite possibly exuded more energy than the crowd. I have never seen a DJ who looks so happy to be doing this, every inch of this man seems to live for Djing and loves to see the crowd having just as much fun as he is.

You can see why he has become a legend in his own right and afterR over 20 years in the business he still has an amazing zest for it. Although I personally will never be converted fully to the dance side, there is no denying the fact that Carl Cox is an amazing DJ and definitely knows how to work that crowd and keep them wanting more and more.

Review by Alison Goggin

http://www.flickr.com/photos/musicmafiauk/sets/72157626449425211/

http://www.carlcox.com/

Heather Peace @ The Masque 08/04/11 Review

Heather Peace last night provided a laid back mellow set for an intimate crowd at Liverpool's The Masque.

Joined on stage by Jill Jackson and Lisa Tring, she played original songs and a couple of covers and they were all received with rapturous applause by the dedicated but rather obsessively fanatic crowd.

Heather admitted on stage that she wasn't meant to be performing due to vocal damage, but didn't want to let anyone down. If her voice wasn't on top form that night, I can only imagine how amazing it must be when she is at 100% as this woman has a voice that can go from hauntingly beautiful to vocals so powerful, she wouldn't go amiss singing at a rock concert and I can see why she has been compared to Eva Cassidy on occaisions.

Once the set had finished Heather came back on stage for a finale, with Jill Jackson accompanying on an accoustic guitar they sang a beautiful ballad that captivated the audience so much that you felt like they were holding there breath so as not to miss a single note. The finale ended with a more upbeat number with Lisa Tring rejoing them on stage once again on percussion.

If you want to listen to a genuinely talented singer/songwriter then I suggest you try to catch Heather Peace at one of her upcoming gigs in 2011.

Review by Alison Goggin 

http://heatherpeace.com/

Twisted Wheel @ The Masque, Liverpool

Last time we reviewed Twisted Wheel it was at the O2 Liverpool and for a different publication. This time around they are playing the Masque Theatre and a lot has changed since then.

As soon we headed into the auditorium in The Masque all you could hear was the crowd chanting “Wheel!! Wheel!! Wheel!!”as loud as they could in eager anticipation for their beloved Twisted Wheel to appear. The excitement from the crowd, mainly young and indie, was intense and the feeling of urgency was almost tangible.

Pretty soon they arrived on stage to thundering applause and from the 1st note both them and the crowd exuded so much energy it was difficult to decide who to watch.

The band themselves were once again on their finest rock form as they blasted out “You Stole the Sun”, “She’s A Weapon” and “Lucy The Castle” with the crowd singing along to every word. This reminded me of the reaction to Oasis back in their hey day. These guys maybe young but have a maturity that is beyond their years but when it comes to a live gig they definitely know how to work up a crowd into a bouncing near mosh pit frenzy. Crowd surfing and dancing along side the band was not enough for this crowd and on their final song " Oh What Have You Done" the young fans stormed the stage and engulfed lead singer Jonny Brown in a sea of hormones so much so that he vanished from the stage leaving only the drummer belting out the beat and the crowd still singing along as they sang and bounced along.

Leaving with that image and the lyrics of Twisted Wheel songs going round my head has only strengthened my belief that this band are on the verge of great things and not before time.

Review by: Alison Goggin

http://www.thetwistedwheel.co.uk/

ELECTRIC REINDEER - Joyeux Noel Party

Harvest Sun Promotions presents...

ELECTRIC REINDEER

'Joyeux Noel Party'

with

THE TEA STREET BAND

RUN TOTO RUN

PICTURE BOOK

DJ'S BERNIE CONNOR AND STE BRENNAN


'A FESTIVE FUELLED DISCO FOR PARTY PEOPLE'

8.30 'til LATE Saturday 11 December @ The Masque, Liverpool

The Tea Street Band
From the ashes of The Maybes to the flames of the burning sun. The Tea Street Band blend europhia with energetic dance to bring you a positivity not seen this side of the Mersey since the berth of Dance culture. Having already played Creamfields and The Mathew St Festival this year, The Tea Street Band are ready to drop the bomb in peoples minds and hearts.

Run Toto Run
Run toto Run are a Manchester Electro three-piece who since day one have caused a fuss in local and national press. They have played everyone's favourite festival three times and have supported the likes of Everything Everything, Neon Indian & James Yuill. These are our Christmas pudding and we're going to feast on it!

Picture Book
The story of Picture Book and Seymour Stein is now legendary. When you hear Picture Book you can see clearly why the Music mogul took an instant liking to the band. Picture Book deliver and weave a high energy, tribal electronic dance beat that brings you a natural high rarely seen nowadays. Picture Book are riding on a crest of a wave at the moment. Let them lift your spirit!


Thanks


Have a nice day,


Harvest Sun Promotions

More details:

www.myspace.com/harvestsunpromotions
Facebook: Harvest Sun
Facebook Group: Harvest Sun Promotions
Twitter: Harvest_Sun

Matt Berry @ The Masque Theatre Liverpool

Fans of the IT Crowd, Dark Places and of the man himself gathered in the Masque Theatre to witness a one off unique event. Matt Berry had come to woo them with his silky vocal talents and his unique brand of musical entertainment, and he didn’t disappoint. Entering on stage like Elvis Presley after a 3 minute build u, holding onto a Jack Daniels bottle which was almost as big as him, Matt went straight into the first number. That all too familiar voice bellowing out over the musicians.

With such classics as snuff box and Witchcraft the crowd lapped up both the humorous lyrics and Matt’s laid back attitude. In between songs the banter between him and the crowd was almost as if it was scripted and as soon as “One Track Lover” was played the obvious Garth Merenghi fans applauded and sang along.

The musicians themselves were faultless. The guitar player in particular was something to behold. Looking like Rodney Trotter with a curly wig on, he played like a man possessed by the ghost of Jimi Hendrix. The music itself varied from “reggae” to out and out funk-a-delic that would make George Clinton and Prince happy men. The Musicians were tight and played to Matt’s outlandish behaviour.

The encore itself was truly a masterpiece of invention. Singing “Jesus Christ Superstar” Matt left no doubt to his pre-conceived notions of himself and to be honest they were well deserved.

My only complaint to the whole night was the lack lustre crowd that had turned up to see Matt Berry. I think even at times during the end Matt seemed to be getting tired of trying to get some sort of interaction with the majority of the crowd and quite rightly so. But apart from that, this was a tremendous gig. Full of enthusiasm, humour and barrel loads of laughs. This has to be seen to be believed and as Matt Berry himself says...”Liverpool...you’re clever.....I LIKE THAT”

Mitchell Museum @ The Masque Liverpool

“Tiger Heartbeat”

Electra French Records on 4^th October 2010

“Giddy-making sonic kaleidoscopes. A wonderful new band” – Sunday Times

“Wonderfully tuneful, dream-pop racket” – The Guardian

“Summer’s soundtrack has arrived right on time” - Uncut

“Dense rhythms that invoke Mercury Rev’s busiest psych-pop” - Q

Mitchell Museum release their new single, ‘Tiger Heartbeat’ on the 4^th October 2010 through Electra French Records. It is taken from their forthcoming debut album, ‘The Peters Port Memorial Service’ on the 18^th October 2010.

Scottish oddball pop maestros Mitchell Museum have quickly become a much-touted young act. Introducing themselves in the early Summer with the leftfield and frenetic ‘Warning Bells’ single, it marked an exciting introduction to these youngsters who have since gone on to headline the new band’s tent at T In The Park.

Shirking the advancing chequebooks of both the major labels and larger indies in order to do it themselves with the help of edgy, independent t-shirt designers Electra French, these fiercely independent young Glaswegians are determined to do things exactly how they want to.

Living together in a cramped, dank flat above Glasgow’s Nice N Sleazy venue, Mitchell Museum create and nurture their technicolour magic, oblivious to the mundane daily grind that occurs behind the net curtains facing onto Sauchiehall Street.

Tiger Heartbeat is another melody heavy pop song that provides another fitting introduction to the forthcoming debut album ‘The Peters Port Memorial Service’. The album’s title derives from the town on the Isle of Benebecula in Scotland where vocalist Cammy was shipped out to live as a kid by his parents, and was treated for ‘losing his mind’. Although close friends, he and brother Raindeer count those lost years as monumental in bonding their relationship, and the band has become an extension of that bond.

Raindeer met guitarist Dougie at music college in Glasgow. The pair were lectured to by Ted McKenna from The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, who had a habit of recounting his old rock’n’roll stories to the class. Raindeer and Dougie were thrown out of the class during one such tedious diatribe for attempting to drown him out by playing the theme tune to The A-Team on a £1 keyboard from Cash Convertors. Meanwhile, bassist Kris was discovered at a house party, drinking whisky-infused coffee by the pint glass. A mutual appreciation of US college bands WHY? and Menomena was mused upon, and Mitchell Museum were formed.

Splattering the more instantaneous moments of Animal Collective, Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse Pollock-style onto a fluorescent canvas, and capped by a healthy dose of hyperactivity. It’s a sunshine sound that cult US acts achieve so cleverly, but with their distinctly British twist of wry lyricism, Mitchell Museum have pitched up with a sound all of their own.

Mitchell Museum are:

Vocals/Keyboard: Cammy MacFarlane, Guitar: Dougie Kennedy, Bass: Kris Ferguson, Drums/Vocals: Raindeer

Mitchell Museum Live Dates:

Aug 11: The Edge Festival: Electric Circus - Edinburgh

Oct 21: The Cockpit - Leeds

Oct 22: Koko - London (Club NME)

Oct 23: SWN Festival - Cardiff

Oct 25: Bungalows & Bears - Sheffield

Oct 26: Little Civic - Wolverhampton

Oct 28: The Masque - Liverpool

Oct 29: Head of Steam - Newcastle

Oct 30: Saki Bar - Manchester (with Kid Canaveral)

Nov 3: King Tuts - Glasgow

Dec 3: The Arches - Glasgow (with Menomena)

www.mitchellmuseum.co.uk - www.myspace.com/mitchellmuseum

The Sugar Hill Gang @ The Masque Liverpool

Iconic. Original. Groundbreaking. Probably only some of the words that have described The Sugar Hill Gang over the years and they are gracing the venue of The Masque in Liverpool which probably has to be one of the biggest coups of the year for any music venue and the people who have paid to come and see the gang are plentiful so, they too, must know how much of a unique event this is. Being supported by the excellent Elementals isn’t too bad either. But more of them at a later date as tonight belongs to the Sugar Hill Gang and from the moment they enter the stage you know you are going to be in for a great gig and they do not disappoint. Playing to the Liverpool crowd, they manage to whip the excited punters into frenzy. Ok, maybe Wonder Mike singing “I’ll buy you a diamond ring my friend” constantly between breaks in the songs eventually gets a tad annoying, but that’s probably the only criticism you can have. Even the bands new material seems fresh, young and vibrant and goes down a storm but obviously the song Apache drives the crowd insane along with Rappers Delight, which obviously, we have to wait till the end of the set to hear but surprisingly was just another great song in a whole line of songs performed during the night. The Sugar Hill Gang seemed to be having just as much fun, if not more, than the crowd themselves and for a group that have been around for 30 years you cannot go away thinking “that was one great gig! How come people half their age can’t do that?”

Phenomenal Handclap Band @ The Masque Liverpool

The Phenomenal handclap band is quite a mouthful indeed and pretty difficult to pronounce after a few beverages, but lets put that’s aside for now and focus on the music. Hailing from Manhattan and Brooklyn this 8 piece are as tight as any 3 piece band could hope to be.

Taking to the stage at the Masque in Liverpool is an event in itself. Moody and intense sounds emanating from the speakers. The Handclap Band enters amidst neon of red light and silently take their places and then suddenly the music kicks in.

If you can imagine a fusion of music from the 50’s,through the hippy era of the 60’s, passing directly through the disco era of the 70’s and landing in the hedonist 80’s then you will have a brief insight into the musical sound the Handclap play.

The set builds up then comes back down. With Hendrix licks on the guitar and Prince grooves on the keyboard you can’t help but start moving and swaying to the funk-a-delic rhythm. This is almost like an old school rave, apart from the fact that there are 8 talents musicians on stage and not 1 guy with a glow stick and a Casio keyboard. The audience embrace the music and by the end of the set are yelling for more of the same but alas the set has to come to an untimely end even though you get the feeling they could have stayed up there all night.

One thing is for sure, if you go to see this band, phenomenal they are and hand clapping you will be

http://www.phenomenalhandclapband.com/

SugarHill Gang Competition

"Godfathers of Hip Hop"

"30 years of Rappers Delight tour"

*30 years of Hip Hop, Rappers Delight and pure Old School Nostalgia*

The godfathers, the first Hip Hop superstars and one of Hip Hop’s most revered icons attained superstardom with the first and biggest Hip Hop hit record of all time “Rappers Delight” (celebrating over 30 years!!!!) The legends are back in Europe for what should be one of this year's top tours!

And to Celebrate this momentous event we are giving away a pair of tickets to see the guys themselves on the 27th May at the Masque Liverpool.

Simply ask the question below.

Where do the members of the Sugar Hill Gang Come from?

Send your answers and name to musicmafiauk@gmail.com


Winners will be notified the day before the event!

Good Luck!!

THE SUGAR HILL GANG @ Liverpool Masque

The Masque is proud to announce THE SUGAR HILL GANG

Thursday 27th May, 2010. £17.50 adv.

"Godfathers of Hip Hop"

"30 years of Rappers Delight tour"

*30 years of Hip Hop, Rappers Delight and pure Old School Nostalgia*

The godfathers, the first Hip Hop superstars and one of Hip Hop’s most revered icons attained superstardom with the first and biggest Hip Hop hit record of all time “Rappers Delight” (celebrating over 30 years!!!!) The legends are back in Europe for what should be one of this year's top tours!

The SUGAR HILL GANG’s brand new stage show will feature hit after hit spanning the group's entire career, belting out the chart topping classic “Rappers Delight” and the latest hit record "La La Song", with a stunning live show featuring each band member on instruments and the incredible singer Rob Temple (the very first recording artist on Jive Records!!!), new songs from the new album!! incl. a crowd-pleasing Michael Jackson tribute and much more!!

The SUGAR HILL GANG's Wonder Mike, Master Gee and Big Bank Hank (now replaced by Hen Dog) scored the first and most popular Hip Hop single of all time in 1979: "Rappers Delight" !!

It single-handedly influenced and inspired the Rap and Hip-Hop movements, opening the doors to one of the most powerful and popular styles of popular music EVER. "Rappers Delight" was the first Rap song to be played on the radio & TV, exposing millions of people to a new and exciting style of music which originated in the Bronx, becoming one of the biggest hits in music history. It sold 60 000 units daily in 1979 and with over 8 million units sold the Sugar Hill Gang scored the biggest selling single of all time. This truly revolutionary release is still selling today and remains a timeless party anthem.

Support comes from Liverpool's finest hip hop boys: Nicky Talent & Innuendo who won the Masque's competition to support the legendary Sugar Hill Gang. The night will also feature DJ sets from Santero as well as a special appearance from PeteBox. This will make for a hip hop night to remember.

Sugar Hill Gang videos:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaXyboA1Ef0 (Sugar Hill Gang live on CNN)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB1RutFp0Cc&feature=fvsr (Bob Sinclar feat Sugar Hill Gang „La La Song” )
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHsaE89AYU4 (Rappers Delight)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP9enUD9yHE (Apache)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqJ_3OjRUKc (live in Utrecht, NL)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmDMWlKPYvM (live in Marseille)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD4g7kxUxd8 (Bestival festival 08, UK)

Tickets Available Via - http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_northwest&query=detail&event=385356