Friday 29 March 2013

Tonight at The Musician: Original Bands Showcase 2013: Heat 6


Original Bands Showcase 2013: Heat 6
Friday 29th March
£5 w/flyer
Featuring: Titan, The Incidents, The Fallows, The Dedbeats and Brandy Thieves

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Pink Floyd album inspires Sir Tom Stoppard radio play


The 40th anniversary of Pink Floyd's 1973 Dark Side of the Moon album is to marked on BBC Radio 2 by an hour-long audio drama by Sir Tom Stoppard.

Dark Side, to air on 26 August, will incorporate music from the album as part of its "fantastical and psychedelic" story.

Bill Nighy and Rufus Sewell will be in a "stellar cast" headed by Misfits star Iwan Rheon and Amaka Okafor.

Floyd member David Gilmour said he had found Sir Tom's script "fascinating".

"I can't think of a better way to celebrate The Dark Side of the Moon's 40-year anniversary," said the guitarist and vocalist.

According to the BBC, Floyd fan Sir Tom was first approached with the suggestion of writing a play based on the album in 1973.

The 75-year-old welcomed the suggestion but had "no idea" how to approach it until recently.

Jeff Smith, Radio 2's head of music, said the play would be a "dramatic examination" of the album's themes, "conflict, greed and madness" among them.

The Dark Side of the Moon has sold an estimated 50 million copies and was recently admitted into the US Library of Congress as part of its National Recording Registry.

Sir Tom's many stage plays include The Real Thing, Arcadia and the Hamlet-inspired Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.

He shared an Oscar in 1999 for the screenplay he co-wrote for Shakespeare in Love and penned BBC Two's 2012 drama Parade's End.

Source: BBC

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Thursday 28 March 2013

Cambridge Folk Festival 2013: more names announced‏


Cambridge Folk Festival

MORE NAMES ANNOUNCED:
The Waterboys (Sun) 
Shelby Lynne (Sat)
BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet (Sat/Sun)
Patty Griffin (Fri)
Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick (Sun) 
Breabach (Sat/Sun) 
John Hegley (Sun)
Korrontzi (Fri/Sat)
Sketch (Sun)
State Of The Union (Sat)
English String Band (Fri)
Rusty Shackle (Thurs)
The Brass Funkeys (Thurs) 
Peter Buckley Hill (Sun)

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED NAMES:
The Mavericks (Sat) 
Bellowhead (Fri) 
KT Tunstall (Sat) 
Levellers (Fri)
Liam O’Flynn, Andy Irvine, Paddy Glackin & Dónal Lunny aka LAPD (Fri)
Capercaillie (Sun) 
Heritage Blues Orchestra (Sat) 
Lucy Rose (Thurs)
Martin Simpson (Sat/Sun) 
Le Vent du Nord  (Sat/Sun)
Mud Morganfield Band (Sun)
Mokoomba (Sat) 
Willy Mason (Thurs) 
The Bombay Royale (Fri) 
Bella Hardy & The Midnight Watch (Sat)
Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman (Thurs)
Frigg (Fri/Sat) 
Jim Moray’s Silent Ceilidh (Sat) 
Brian McNeill (Fri/Sat)
We Banjo 3 (Sat/Sun) 
Larkin Poe

www.cambridgefolkfestival.co.uk

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Fire Records to reissue two classic punk albums by The Boys


Fire Records Reissue two classic punk albums by The Boys
The Boys and Alternative Chartbusters
3rd June

Listen to classic tracks from each album:

"First Time" from The Boys

"Brickfield Nights" from Alternative Chartbusters

You can also watch the original video for "Brickfield Nights" here:

Along with the Sex Pistols, Clash and the Damned, The Boys were part of the first wave of the mid-1970’s UK punk explosion. Armed with an arsenal of killer Steel/Dangerfield songs The Boys became the first UK punk band to sign an album deal in January 1977 and subsequently released two albums, their self-titled debut and the follow-up “Alternative Chartbusters” in quick succession. Highly regarded by the music press and their contemporaries, their well-crafted songs, together with Steel and Dangerfield’s layered harmonies, even led to them being described as ‘The Beatles of Punk’, but they could (and should) just as deservedly have been heralded as the English Ramones – fast, alternately brattish and tongue-in-cheek, and gloriously anthemic.

On the 35th anniversary of the original release of “Alternative Chartbusters” these two classic albums have been given a special edition deluxe release on both CD & vinyl by Fire Records. Both albums have been digitally remastered to the highest quality (personally overseen by Dangerfield) and feature sleeve notes by Dave Henderson of Mojo along with song listing notes by Dangerfield. The albums also come with bonus CDs featuring previously unreleased material including Dangerfield’s original home demo of “Brickfield Nights” and Plain’s first vocal outing on “It Only Hurts When I Cry”.

“The Boys” eponymously titled debut album, produced by Dangerfield & Steel, was released on 23 September 1977 and entered the UK charts the following week. In the intervening years, the history of punk rock has been written and re-written and a whole heap of bands have been sidelined. The Boys’ debut album, re-mastered here some 35 years later still sounds as fresh and immediate as it did back then and it also includes two classic punk rock singles in ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘First Time’ (the latter, along with The Undertones "Teenage Kicks", the ultimate punk anthem of teenage romance and adolescent angst). The album ("The Boys") was filled with the pop punk gems, the kind of immediate salvos that would elevate Buzzcocks into the charts.

A mere six months later on 17 March 1978 their second album “Alternative Chartbusters” followed – once again produced by Dangerfield & Steel. But, as the AllMusic site now recognizes, “Alternative Chartbusters” was way ahead of its time, a buried treasure that only got dusted off much later: “Condemned at the time for offering up little more than a straight carbon copy of its predecessor, the second Boys’ album has since ascended to the pantheon of power pop greats, a combination of the band's own inestimable position at the forefront of what, by early 1978, was already a burgeoning movement, and their seemingly effortless grasp of the rudiments of, indeed, a great pop song.”

And people were still noticing many years later. Take this from Amazon in 2004: “If this album was released today, The Boys would be as big as The Strokes.”  The Boys remain a timeless concept, a flash of short, sharp angst, a fleeting Beatles-esque harmony, a crunching but melodic set of chords that it’s hard not to be excited by.
  
More info:

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Review: Vibrolux – Mountain


Vibrolux – Mountain (Independent)
You might think that you’ve never heard Vibrolux, but if you own a TV, then chances are they’ve crossed your path, probably without you knowing it. Their music is regularly featured in films and shows like Flashpoint, House and Californication, and adverts, too. In fact “Spread Your Love”, a track from their 2007 “Ride On” album, is featured on a Dove Men’s advert, currently airing in the UK.

It must me quite a money spinner for the Canadian group, and almost certainly helps finance their myriad recordings, of which “Mountain” is their ninth or tenth, depending whether you count their “Greatest Hits” collection released in 2010. Their latest long player continues their reputation as retro rock ‘n’ rollers with a love of early ‘70s Stones’ records, New York Dolls, classic guitar pop and garage psychedelia. All good things, I’m sure you’ll agree, and Vibrolux bring some fine songs to the project, which is the key to “Mountain” sounding so fresh and vibrant.

Highlights come thick and fast; opener “My Thing” is gloriously brash and intense, with more than a hint of the White Stripes in its execution. The almost instrumental “Drifter” stomps out of the speakers in big silver boots and “Glitter Blues” combines the two with trashy abandon. “Without You” might best be described as indie pop, and is wholly charming, and final cut “You're My Superstar” brings to mind the icy space rock Spacemen 3 used to do so well.
Phil S.


Vibrolux: Mountain

Tim Barry dates (inc. Leicester)


Tim Barry

Video for the track ‘Shed Song’ http://bit.ly/15PanXq

JUNE 2013
11 EXETER CAVERN
21 SOUTHAMPTON JOINERS
22 CARDIFF BUFFALO BAR
23 BRISTOL CROFT
25 LEEDS BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB
26 NEWCASTLE CLUNY
27 MANCHESTER ALTEREGO
28 GLASGOW 13TH NOTE
29 CAMBRIDGE CORNERHOUSE
30 LEICESTER FIREBUG
JULY 2013
2 LONDON OLD BLUE LAST
3 KINGSTON CRICKETERS

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Phildel to stage Virtual Easter Egg Hunt direct from her living room this Friday 29th March


Do you miss the thrill of Easter Egg Hunts but feel, as an adult, you can no longer participate!?

In the run up to the release of her debut album 'The Disappearance of the Girl', singer-songwriter Phildel will run a Virtual Easter Egg Hunt live from her home this Friday 29th March. Given a view of her living room, online spectators will be invited to message in real-time where they think the eggs are hiding - and Phildel will search in their suggested places. Best of all, no matter where they are in the world - viewers will be sent the eggs they find! Phildel will also perform one song live on air for her audience.

Phildel comments "Although I'm into my twenties - I've always loved Easter Egg Hunts and every year, I organise one for my friends. This year, I really wanted to be able to include my online friends and supporters around the world. So this is what I've created. It's ambitious and I'm slightly concerned about the costs - but the ticket price will help towards the postage!"

The Hunt will be live streamed through stageit.com at both 1pm and then again at 11pm UK-time and tickets are £1.

Hyperlink for the 1pm UK show: HERE

Hyperlink for the 11pm UK show: HERE

LIVE:
April 25th - St Pancras Old Church (sold out).
15th May - Bush Hall
25-28 July - Secret Garden Party

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Preview: Martyn Joseph at The Musician, 11th April


Martyn Joseph
Thuesday 11th April
£15adv £17door
plus Luke Jackson
www.lukepauljackson.co.uk
Martyn Joseph is as performer like no other. Touring in support of a brand new studio album “Songs for the Coming Home”, shades of Springsteen, John Mayer, Bruce Cockburn and Dave Matthews there may be – but he stands in his own right, built on a reputation for giving what thousands have described as the best live music experience of their lives.

There is a versatility to Martyn’s music that is hard to categorise. Many have tried, resulting in labels such as Folk, Rock, Soul, Folk Funk and Americana; all of which somehow miss the mark. But sometimes music doesn’t need a defining genre and with the ability to articulate a sense of the bigger picture, Martyn’s songs are pictures, and stories, and feelings all put to music and delivered by a master craftsman.

“Britain's best kept secret… a challenging songwriter and a compelling courageous live performer” - **** MoJo

Martyn is one of our most intelligent writers. He gets better and better like the finest of wines”Bob Harris

“One of the most charismatic and electrifying performers in Britain today” - Tom Robinson, BBC 6

Support comes from BBC Radio 2 Folk Award double nominee Luke Jackson, an emerging young roots singer songwriter from Canterbury.

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Tonight at The Cookie Jar: Jazz at the Jar featuring NFQ


Jazz at the Jar featuring NFQ
Another Jazz at the Jar that is sure to be as popular as last months’ Jam at the Jar.
This month we have the brilliant NFQ so get there early to avoid not getting a seat

Date/Time
28 March 2013
All Day
Price
£3 OTD
Tickets/More Information
Click here

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Legendary gig venue destroyed in Birmingham Kings Heath fire


A building which hosted British music legends such as The Beatles and The Who in their 1960s heyday has partially collapsed after a fire.

Part of Kings Heath High Street in the Birmingham suburb was closed for hours after the fire at the building, which is now a Cash Converters store.

The building in York Road was formerly the Ritz Ballroom, which also hosted The Rolling Stones in the 1960s.

Officers said they were treating the fire as suspicious. No-one was hurt.

The road, one of the main routes into Birmingham, was closed for several hours between Popular Road and Silver Street, but has now reopened.

The blaze started at about 05:00 GMT and, at its height, up to 40 firefighters were called to tackle the flames. Fire officers remain at the site.

Structural engineers will now examine the remains of the building to decide how stable it is, but about 70% of it has collapsed.

Music historian Jez Collins, who runs the online Birmingham Music Archive, said it was "very sad" to lose the building.

Stones anniversary

"In Birmingham we've lost so much of our musical history," he said.

"If you compare it to other cities like Liverpool and Manchester, which have really made something of their famous venues, we've lost a lot.

"It's the memories that are attached them - people remember going to the Ritz to see The Beatles, The Stones, The Animals, Pink Floyd and all the big names of the time.

"People met their husbands and wives there and now that building's gone."

The venue shut in the 1970s and the building has been occupied by various shops since.

Celebrations had been planned for September in Kings Heath to mark the 50th anniversary in September of the Rolling Stones playing at the venue.

A Kings Heath Walk of Fame, honouring the area's musical and comedy heritage, had also been planned to start outside the building with a star marking singer Toyah Wilcox.

Local 'landmark'

Dave Janes, from the fire service, said the collapse of the building was likely to hamper the investigation into how the fire started.

Businesses in York Road are shut but those on the High Street were open as normal.

Kate Smart, Kings Heath town centre manager, said some of the surrounding buildings had been damaged by smoke.

She added the area was a "close-knit community" and that they were "devastated" to lose such a "landmark property".

Source: BBC

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