I LIKE TRAINS

LAST CHRISTMAS FREE DOWNLOAD ANNOUNCED + FULL TOUR

 

I LIKE TRAINS have released this wonderful festive FREE download, with their take on Wham's classic 'Last Christmas' Take a listen right now.

DOWNLOAD HERE- http://bit.ly/ILTChristmas

I LIKE TRAINS play their last show of 2010 with a sold out show in Paris on Friday 17th supporting White Lies and The Vaccines before embarking on a huge tour of their own in January and February with a newly announced show in London on March 10th. Full tour dates below.

12th Jan 2011 Comet Club – Berlin
13th Jan 2011 Perron 55 – Venlo
14th Jan 2011 Ekko – Utrecht
15th Jan 2011 Botanique Rotonde – Brussels
17th Jan 2011 Karlstorbahnhof – Heidelberg (support from Delay Trees)
18th Jan 2011 Gleis 22 – Munster (support from Delay Trees)
19th Jan 2011 Gebaude 9 – Cologne (support from Delay Trees)
21st Jan 2011 Knust – Hamburg (support from Delay Trees)
22nd Jan 2011 Beatpol – Dresden (support from Delay Trees)
23rd Jan 2011 Brotfabrik – Frankfurt (support from Delay Trees)
24th Jan 2011 Kranhalle – Munich (support from Delay Trees)
26th Jan 2011 Chelsea – Vienna
27th Jan 2011 Ligera – Milan
28th Jan 2011 Bronson – Ravenna
29th Jan 2011 Rote Fabrik – Zurich
30th Jan 2011 Rocking Chair – Vevey
31st Jan 2011 La Rocher Palmer – Bordeaux
2nd Feb 2011 The Hope – Brighton (support from Napoleon IIIrd)
3rd Feb 2011 Moles – Bath (support from Napoleon IIIrd)
5th Feb 2011 Norwich Arts Centre – Norwich (support from Napoleon IIIrd)
6th Feb 2011 The Jericho - Oxford (support from Napoleon IIIrd)
7th Feb 2011 Nottingham Bodega - Nottingham (support from Napoleon IIIrd)
9th Feb 2011 Fusion – Sheffield (support from Napoleon IIIrd)
10th Feb 2011 Shipping Forecast – Liverpool (support from Napoleon IIIrd)
11th Feb 2011 The Duchess – York (support from Napoleon IIIrd)
10th March 2011 Camden Barfly – London - XFM show

HE WHO SAW THE DEEP their second full length LP is out now.

Crimbo Crown of Lights

NEWSLETTER for the free Acoustic Nights, Band Nights and Summer Festivals

Click here to enter the website

Join our Simply click hereparty!

Ho!, Ho!, Ho!. Yes YGG, in the words of legendary dodger of good fashion, Noddy Holder - IT'S CHRIIIIIIISTMAAASS!! And just as you're all having office / school / support groups Chrimbo do's, so are we :) And we're doing it in real style with a line up of artists fit for a King's Christmas stocking. No fillers here though, strictly class acts all the way....

ANOTHER WASTED SUMMER are a Band Nights favourite from previous nights and this years festivals. These great local young muscians will kickstart the party into action for the bands with their unique, and very catchy brand of RAWK!!

Blister FactoryTHE BLISTER FACTORY hardly need any introduction around these parts. A massively popular band, they have a wealth of experience gained over many years playing all over the country. With a mixture of classic covers and their own instantly recognisable material, this is the perfect band for keeping the party going.

Finishing the night off in real style is one of the best bands on the local scene today. LITTLE VEGAS LIES is a band full of hugely gifted musicians who play a variety of styles, but with a very distinctive edge which is all their own. If stylish, well played, good old rock n roll is what you're after, these guys certainly deliver the goods !!

Now, we will also have the normal acoustic artist playing between bands, but JOHN MILLER can hardly be described as 'normal'. Usually to be found energetically fronting the highly acclaimed Gods of Rock - CREME BRULEE, John is a consummate entertainer, here to be seen in all of his unplugged glory! Who knows what the hell he'll play - last time he took requests and we got everything from U2, through Green Day to Lady Gaga !! (I'm gonna ask for Dizzie Rascal - that should foil him, muhaha!)

OK, as always entry is as free as sand from the desert, and the beer cheap and plentyful and Black Sheep now on long handle at just £2.20 a pint for the real ale fans! So, come down, get involved and get yersen in the mood for Chrimbletide in style !! Be there, or be somewhere absolutely pants in comparison instead ;o)

Luv'n'sloppy stuff

Pete xx

The Comrades Club
Regent Street
Heckmondwike
West Yorks WF16 0HD - 01924 403672 Doors open 7:30pm Free Entry!

I Value The Arts- make your voice heard!!

Share This:

Dear Friend,
 
I am so pleased that, like me, you are supporting I Value the Arts. The campaign aims to provide a voice for everyone who values the arts in their community and it has now received 16,430 pledges of support. This is great news, and a true reflection of how cultural services are an integral part of every community. However, in light of recent developments it is now more important than ever that everyone has the opportunity to sign up. I would like you to help raise the profile of the I Value the Arts campaign and get more people involved. It is vital that you get in touch with as many people as you can and ask them to pledge their support at www.ivaluethearts.org.uk

As you may know, the recent Comprehensive Spending Review left local councils facing an average cut of 28 per cent. The non-statutory status of local funding for cultural services has meant that the arts sector is left vulnerable to bear the brunt of these local authority cuts.

Unfortunately last month, Somerset County Council became the first local authority to announce that it was axing all of its arts funding. Not only has this signalled a cultural decline for the county itself, it has also set a precedent for other local authorities to follow suit.
 The arts are an easy target for cuts, and the repercussions of Somerset _ s decision are already being felt. Darlington Borough Council is preparing to withdraw the subsidy from Darlington Civic Theatre and the Darlington Arts Centre; which may lead to their closure, as it attempts to trim £22m from its £107m budget. The arts in Rochdale are also facing significant cuts, as budgets for all parts of the arts and heritage service are to be severely reduced, often by 50 per cent.

To prevent lasting damage being done to the arts, I Value the Arts has given supporters in affected areas relevant and useful information about plans for the arts in their community with practical suggestions about how they can make a difference. Of course, the more signatories we have, the more people there are to take action. So please, forward this email to as many people as you can and ask them to pledge their support at: www.ivaluethearts.org.uk

The more support we have the louder our voice and the louder we shout the more likely we are to be heard.

For more information about the campaign, go to www.ivaluethearts.org.uk or you can call the National Campaign for the Arts on 020 7287 3777

Thanks for your support

Kate Adie
Chair, National Campaign for the Arts

 

I Value the Arts is a campaign managed by:

National Campaign for the Arts

1 Kingly Street
London W1B 5PA
T: 020 7287 3777
F: 020 7287 4777
www.artscampaign.org.uk
Registered No. 1930446 (England)

The NCA is the UKs only independent campaigning organisation representing all the arts. We do not receive any core subsidy from the public or political purse and are funded by our members to carry out our vital lobbying and advocacy work. If you would like to learn more about NCA membership please visit our website to find out why people join and the benefits of becoming a member.  

GIG LISTING: BREW's 3rd Birthday 10th Dec 2010 with Damo Suzuki, That F*cking Tank & Humanfly - Brudenell, Leeds

Friday 10th December 2010 - Brudenell, Leeds

Damo Suzuki,
That F*cking Tank
Humanfly

Doors 7.30pm // 6 pounds in advance

The Brudenell Social Club
33 Queens Road
Hyde Park
Leeds
LS6 1NY
(0113 2752411)

Hi there, we are celebrating our 3rd birthday of daft rock concerts and record releases. Come on down, start a craze.

Friday 10th December - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds

Image
Poster: Pete Murgatroyd

This man needs no introduction, but i'll do it regardless. I am over the moon to announce this:

Damo Suzuki:

Damo Suzuki is a singer probably best known for his membership in German krautrock group Can.

Suzuki spent the late 1960s wandering around Europe, often busking, during which time he would only have been a teenager.

When Malcolm Mooney left Can after recording their first album Monster Movie, Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit encountered Suzuki singing on a street in Munich, Germany whilst the two were sitting outside at a street café. They invited him to join the group, and he did, performing with them that evening.

Suzuki was with Can from 1970 to 1973, recording a number of well-regarded albums such as Tago Mago and Ege Bamyasi. His freeform, often improvised lyrics, sung in no one particular language gelled with Can’s rolling, psychedelic sound.

Suzuki converted to the Jehovah’s Witness faith when he married his German girlfriend, who was also a Jehovah’s Witness, after the release of the album Future Days, and retired from music in 1974.

He returned to music in 1983, and currently leads what is known as Damo Suzuki’s Network - as he tours, he performs live improvisational music with various local musicians (so-called “Sound Carriers”) from around the world, thus building up a ‘network’ of musicians that he has and can collaborate with.

Sound Carrier’s for this special gig is non other than........

That F*cking Tank:

That Fucking Tank is a band that operates on DIY principles; booking gigs, recording records and making music in a way that contributes towards the creation of alternative spaces to the boring mechanisms of 'industry', and challenging the assumption that 'good' music has to be made 'professionally' (i.e as a job).

That Fucking Tank was formed in 2004 for a one-off performance by friends-since-school Andy Abbott and James Islip who met over an owl. Andy plays a specially tuned baritone guitar through guitar and bass amplifiers, James plays a minimal drum kit. Their novel name, energetic performances and manish volume saw them play all over Europe and the UK with brain-mangling regularity, sharing stages and tours with bands including Hella, Q and not U, Lungfish, Oxes, Unsane, Kid Commando, GI Joe, Chevreuil, Grabba Grabba Tape, Poltergroom, US Maple, Neptune, Whitehouse, AIDS Wolf, Vialka, Nervous Kid, Don Caballero, The Fucking Champs, Hoover and the like.

Humanfly:

Musically, Humanfly is not constrained by genres of heavy music. Their ever expanding, Sabbath driven Floyd esq soundscapes builds their compositions from the ground up, making it as diverse and multi-layered as 3000 watts of orange amplification can create...and something that definitely needs to be experienced, or felt live.

Join the bands mailing list for a free download of ‘Stew for the Murder Minded’ here.

Tickets are only £6adv:

Direcly from us (no booking fee): http://www.brewrecords.bigcartel.com
Seetickets: http://www.seetickets.com/s.asp?a=damo+suzuki&p=6436
We Got Tickets: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/95711
Tickets also in Crash & Jumbo Records (Leeds).

Events:

Lastfm: http://www.last.fm/event/1584973
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=160680673950680

http://www.damosuzuki.de/
http://www.thatfuckingtank.com
http://www.myspace.com/humanfly

For up to date news, record releases and gig listings, join in:

http://brewrecords.net
http://brewrecords.bigcartel.com
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Brew/1 ... 038?ref=ts
http://www.myspace.com/brewrecords
http://www.last.fm/label/brew+records
http://twitter.com/brewrecords
http://www.flickr.com/brewrecords

FREE CONCERT THIS FRIDAY FOR WORTHY CAUSE!

Hello YGG

FREE CONCERT THIS FRIDAY FOR WORTHY CAUSE!
Shaun T Hunter aka Quiet Rebellion is staging a fundraising evening for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, (www.beatbloodcancers.org) but also for a very close friend of his Nigel Morris who has been a grass roots promoter for many years and only took a tiny commission from any band /act he booked. This being his only source of income, this felt like the least Shaun could do in putting together a night. Nigel is currently undergoing treatment for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Shauns father died of Leukaemia aged 29 when Shaun was only 1, Lymphoma has also affected his father in law for the past 8 years. Cancer as a whole has also taken another 4 members of his family between 2004 - 2009, so all in all it's a cause close to his heart. Like many who have suffered this disease in all its treacherous forms.

All acts are kindly giving their time for free on the night, QUIET REBELLION, CHRIS MARTIN, WILL RICHARDS BAND, THE TROUBADORS, JADE HELLIWELL...are all doing songs by dylan and springsteen.

As ever entry is FREE, the venue is FAMILY FRIENDLY and we hope to start around 7:30pm. Please tell your friends. It should be a very special evening. Reply if you want a poster emailing to you.

Regards

Raise Your Banners Events in November

Hi YGG

Raise Your Banners have a couple of events planned for November - details below - the fundraiser is for our 2011 festival - be grateful if you could promote these on your sites. I've provided all the info but please just use what fits best.

Cheers

Raise Your Banners Fundraising Concert

Friday 19 November

Manningham Mills Community Centre, Lilycroft Road, Bradford, BD9 5BD

Doors open 7pm, show starts 7.45pm

Tickets £8/£6 (unwaged) on the door or reserve at raiseyourbanners@gmail.com or phone 07779 147005

We have a great night in store and all profits will go to help make RYB 2011 the best yet! As well as the music there will be a bar and tasty food available from the Chaat Cafe, so why not come early and get something to eat first.

The Hall Brothers Big Band are a six piece band with a huge amount of energy who headlined the Sunday concert at the 2009 Festival to great acclaim. They are still in absolutely top form and are bound to send the audience home with a huge smile on its collective face!

Poyzer's Homeworld Darren Poyzer has a truly unique energy and gift for orchestrating live performance, armed as he is with a seemingly endless delivery of uplifting stories and images of passion, conflict, and the human condition. For this event he has assembled a musical collective of rare talent who cannot fail to enthral.

Gary Kaye has graced the stage a number of times at RYB events and has made new friends at every appearance. Gary is known for his dynamic performance style and his delivery of 'No Pasaran' is a wonder to behold.

If you don’t live near Bradford but this concert sounds unmissable (which it is!) email us for an accommodation list. And while you’re here, you could visit the Bradford Peace and Crafts Fair which takes place the next day at Victoria Hall in Saltaire.

A flyer for the fundraiser is attached.

Songs for Peace at Bradford Cenotaph

Sunday 14 November at 1pm

Followed by a fun singers, musicians and listeners session from 2pm at the Bradford Irish Club in Rebecca Street.

Free vegetable soup and a roll available at the Irish Club. 

Tea and coffee for sale. 

Full range of drinks available at the bar.

Best Wishes
Joe Grint

http://www.myspace.com/raiseyourbanners2009

In Echoes at the Comrades Club Heckmondwy- Sunday 24th October

Crown of Lights Free Music Events, based in Heckmondwike, have secured the last gig from the popular Halifax indie band In Echoes, formally Theclectix, before their current drummer departs to Los Angeles. After headlining one of Heckmondwike's summer festivals and taking the crowd by storm, In Echoes have agreed to play the 250 seater Comrades Club in the town. The band will be performing all their own songs from their forthcoming album 'Memorabilia' as well as a wide selection of popular covers from the likes of The Killers, Kasabian and Kings of Leon. For the first time ever they will be performing a special acoustic set in between their two main performances.

 

EPs, normally costing £2, with three tracks from the new album will be given away free at the event. For more on the band visit www.inechoes.com. The club is family friendly and the two hour show starts at 7pm on Sunday 24th October. Comrades Club, Regent St, Heckmondwike. Doors 6pm. Free entry.

 

__________

 

Pictures attached
Video link from festival - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7dN7qCG8ro
Website / recordings - http://www.inechoes.com/
Contact - Donal 07957 765573

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Brainwash Festival- 22nd October- 24th- Oct

BRAINWASH FESTIVAL

Brainwash Festival will be celebrating its 5th birthday on 22nd-24th October 2010; it’ll be a weekend of the usual ace bands of all shapes, sizes and sounds across the Brudenell Social Club and Royal Park Cellars. Having previously hosted Oceansize, Efterklang, iLiKETRAiNS, Clark, Youthmovies, Handsome Furs, Adem and many more over the last couple of years the festival is an important part of the yorkshire gig calendar and an integral part of the Leeds music community.

Poster Web | Poster Hi Res
This is of course just the start of around 40 bands who’ll be playing over the course of the weekend but as an early announcement we have:
MELT BANANA
Noisy Japanese lot; incredibly frantic, one hell of a yelp, good times indeed right here:

Myspace
SHINING
Incredibly excited about this one, the album title ‘Blackjazz’ kind of sums them up, but listen here for some delightful heaviness all the way from Norway:

Myspace
65DAYSOFSTATIC (DJ SET) Myspace

CHICKENHAWK Myspace

GLISSANDO Myspace

THE PLIGHT Myspace

TWEAK BIRD Myspace

Also confirmed:
DOSH (Anticon) Myspace
HOLY STATE Myspace
BLACKLISTERS Myspace
JUFFAGE Myspace
Tickets go on sale Friday 6th August 2010.
For all press inquiries please contact: tom[@]ilikepress.co.uk
A statement from the organizer’s:
This year we’re celebrating our 5th birthday, so thought this would be an appropriate time to figure out for ourselves, and explain to the uninitiated, just what this small music festival is all about.
Brainwash began life as a three-day event across the Brudenell Social Club and Royal Park Cellars in 2006; the idea being that the venues’ close proximity to one another would create a flow of eager music-lovers across a small patch of Leeds’s much beloved LS6 area. Key to the ethos of the festival was, and is still, diversity: a mish-mash of genres loosely based around rock/indie/metal music but stretching from its confines into anything from folk to jazz to electronica; people don’t like just one type of music and they certainly don’t want to see the same band 40 times over a weekend…
We’ve had the mathy patterns of Japanese instrumentalists Lite (not forgetting their snot wielding tour buddies 54-71); the soft tones and subtle ingenuity of Adem; the epic rock progressions of Oceansize; the brutal noise of US legends Unsane; the neo-classical motions of Olafur Arnalds; we’ve even managed to somehow take Norway’s Jaga Jazzist from the majesty of London’s Barbican Hall one night into the modesty of a backstreet social club in Leeds the next. And that’s before you even consider the wealth of local talent, indeed the bedrock of an event like this, provided by the likes of Humanfly, Fran Rodgers, Vessels, Forward Russia, Pulled Apart By Horses, Glissando, Paul “Lone Wolf” Marshall and many more.
We’ve also had a charity element to the festival each year, raising money for the likes of Oxfam and Sheffield Children’s Hospital in the past few years. This year we’re in the process of setting up a teaching program with local musicians, aiming to provide free music lessons to those young people who would normally struggle to get any.
For many people, however, the ‘serious’ stuff doesn’t matter too much, and that’s totally fine – Brainwash is hopefully just an excuse to see a load of ace bands, discover someone you’ve never heard of and drink the very reasonably priced Brudenell bar dry…

I Value The Arts

Dear I Value the Arts Pioneer,

9,822 supporters so far, but we need more - Tell your friends to tell their friends to pledge their support!

Thanks for being one of the first to pledge your support to our campaign.  We have had an incredible first month, but we need many, many more people to sign up all around the UK.

It is estimated that three-quarters of adults and a far higher proportion of young people take part in the arts every year.  If your friends and family value the arts in their community, they need to make their voice be heard too. 

Please forward this email to everyone you know who values the arts and encourage them to sign up at www.ivaluethearts.org.uk

We will keep you informed by email of any threats to arts provision both nationally and in your area. Also, if an arts organisation near you is under threat, we want to hear about it. Please let us know by emailing: info@ivaluethearts.org.uk.

In the mean time, if you have a twitter account, please encourage your followers to join the campaign. You can also spread the word in other ways, to find out how, visit the campaign website: www.ivaluethearts.org.uk

Together we can make a difference.

Many thanks

Louise

Louise de Winter

Director,

National Campaign for the Arts

Wuthering Heights -Review. Hull Truck Theatre October 7th -23rd

Gaynor Faye & Rupert Hill  Karl Andre Photography

Glimpses into the past can be fascinating and Jane Thornton’s adaptation of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights directed by John Godber at the Hull Truck Theatre, provides a faithful energetic view of this historic novel. This play is full of the drama and the despair of the lives and loves of Cathy and Heathcliff. The opening scene sets the tone and evokes the brutality of the times. The less than perfect lives are spewed out with a loathing which brings a chill to the audience. The scene is compelling and abrupt and does not put the audience at ease.
 Love stories have intimacy, tenderness and caring; Cathy and Heathcliffe lacked any of these. Perhaps this is because it is such a big story in the Novel where Heathcliffe and Cathy’s emotional humanness could be empathised with. This was lost perhaps in the narrative shortness of the play. Most of my feelings went towards the people who were used by them. Poor Edgar Linton used by Cathy to provide the lifestyle she sought and even worse their children forced into marriage to perpetuate Heathcliffe’s unrequited love
The story is hurtled along with powerful narrative delivered by each of the characters. This gives an interesting interplay to the roles of each character. From the outset Cathy hissed her life story then slipped into the present and each character followed a similar path. The constant setting of the timeline took a little getting used to; by halfway through the first half I let the chapters unfold.

Gaynor Faye & Rupert Hill  Karl Andre Photography

I am sure that Stuart Wade revelled in the darkness of the characters he played because he performed them so well. Stuart played a convincing Hindley turned by the tragic events in his life. Continuing this tragic theme is Heathcliffe, played by Rupert Hill- yes he did look and act broody and it must be every girls dream to be wanted by him -good casting.  Cathy what were you thinking letting him go? I really empathised with your torture. Gayner Faye took the part of Cathy voice, body and soul although she did lose the Yorkshire accent as the play progressed. Poor Edgar played by Frazer Hammill who gave a heart rending performance when he lost his love. The desperation in his voice and expression made him the character I felt compassion for most of all.  Fiona Wass moved through the different characters as Francis, Nelly and Isabella. These were cleverly done through body language and a headscarf. I particularly enjoyed her portrayal of an indulgent new wife. I applaud all the actors for their team work the play had a lot of dialogue and quick changes which they pulled off.
Seamlessly the plot developed; constraints of passing time were cleverly managed through dialogue under the direction of John Godber. Each actor moved effortlessly synchronised from moment to moment switching between each scene, which unfolded like the closing and opening of chapters in a book.
Graham Kirks clever use of lighting and scenery also allowed the play to continue without any halts for changing scenery. It was a pleasure to see the moorland backdrop so much that I didn’t want to go indoors. The lighting and set design by Pip Leckenby from the opening scene, which was chilling, and throughout the play enhanced and evoked moodiness. Appropriate music and sound also created changing moods and ambience throughout the performance. Each and every word was clear even the amusing creak of the door vocals provided by Stuart Wade.
Be prepared for narrative story telling with sudden dramatic bursts of action. Good play- go see it

Eve Winterburn
YGG

http://www.hulltruck.co.uk/

Crown of Light Band Nights are Back!!

Hello YGG

WE'RE BACK!! Oh yes, with a new season of Band Nights :) We've packed away all of the wires, speakers, deck chairs and sleeveless shirts from this years spectacular summer festivals and are back up 'n' at em for the return of the monthly Band Nights at the Comrades.

Our first Band Night back will not disappoint. We're paying homage to this year's triumphant festivals by showing off three of the bands who played storming sets at the two date event. We have also managed to pull off a bit of a coup by securing the services of one of the most spellbinding and respected performers in the acoustic scene today to play between bands. More about that later....

The first band to hit the stage will be the very young, but very talented The Kitschen. They opened the second of our summer festivals in spectacular style with their own blend of fresh and funky jams (their words not mine - though I am, of course, cool, street and down with the kids enough to have made that up myself!)

Next up will be festival sweethearts Cherry Picasso, sporting their sparklingly new bassist and front person (I think that's correct, PC wise). They electrified the assembled crowd at this year's festival resulting in yours truly being literally stampeded by fans demanding to get their hands on the free CD's the band had on offer. They certainly seem to have hit the mark with this new lineup.

Next up will be Band Night newcomers, Mother Of The Gold - a three piece Folk/Rock band with vocals reminiscent of the Black Crowes, Rod Stewart and The Quireboys. Mother Of the Gold are an energetic band with a lot to offer the audience in terms of entertainment. We've heard a lot about this band and are thoroughly moistened in anticipation of their debut here.

Finishing the night off in style will be the ever popular Band Night favourites, Tuesday's Secret. I have travelled far and wide to see this band do their thing (well, as far as Batley at least). Their skillfully delivered, infectious pop punk tunage will have you dancing in the isles and singing in the taxi on the way home. A perfect way to finish the night off.

Now then, between bands, we usually treat you to some of the best acoustic artists in the region (and therefore the country!), but we are proper proud to be able to present something really very special indeedy for this first band night of the season. Mesmorising us with his magical melodies between bands will be none other than the legendary and very unique Shaun T Hunter aka Quiet Rebellion. One of the most consistently critically acclaimed performers in the industry, Shaun's incredibly powerful songs, coupled with his spellbinding stage presence will delight both young and old.

Now, we do know that there are many other pretty good gigs on this Friday throughout the area but, as you can see, the Band Night is surely the place to be ! See you there :) (and do your friends a favour and pass this message on!)

Doors open 7:30pm. Free Entry!

The Comrades Club
Regent Street
Heckmondwike
West Yorks WF16 0HD - 01924 403672

PETE

http://www.crownoflights.org.uk/band_nights.html

Letter From Hannah, Lucie Huddstock Organiser- An opportunity for Local bands

Dear YGG
So, as it goes, weather you know or not, I work for Kirkwood Hospice as one of the retail managers.
Recently it was decided by the trustees (after a 2 year battle with PRS) that we could no longer play music in the shops we have due to the huge cost implications.
Now as we currently have 15 shops, I realised a few major things needed to happen so I looked into the PRS laws & guidelines...
Long and short was, if a band or artist has not been signed to a label, AND has not copywritten their materials yet, that we could, by law, download and play them in our shops if granted by the artist(s).
So, a little more research (which sounds obvious really), led me to facts like, customers are 40% more likely to make a purchase, if background music is played, this being down to the more comfortable atmosphere provided and, the time they will then spend brousing! (no-brainer really!)
So as a fellow promoter / music fan & shop manager, I realised, not only could this be a great opportunity to have artists heard by a huge new audience, but, with some careful planning, it may be possible to sell their cd's in our 15 shops too.
At present we are only allowed to play music by composers who have been dead over 80 years (Beethoven etc). Now our bosses are not so bothered as the licence is around £1000 per shop and they dont actually have to work there! So I have taken this challenge upon myself to try to gain around 100 songs of local artists that we can legally play in our shops.
I guess you probably know more than me about the legal PRS bits, but, with a little help, If I can compose 10 cd's say, to play in our shops, I reckon I have a great chance of putting a proposal together to the Kirkwood trustees to sell cd's on bands behalf. Thus benefitting all parties.
Obviously, as a charitable group, a percentagage would probably have to be negociated, but I do have a lot of backiing in our retail sector and I think a fair fee could be easily agreed.
So lets say for instance, a fairly unknown artist/band was willing to accept this offer, they could provide us with just 3 albums per shop (produced by them) we sell at say £6 per cd, take half for the hospice.
In return they would gain 'air'play to our kirklees-wide customer base of around 200,000 customers locally. Now after semi-pilotting this in my shop alone, with only 3 albums, we have had vast comments and enquiries as to who is being played and where their albums could be bought.
For your information, we, as a retail group, turned over more than 1.2million pounds in 2009, all from donated goods.
Not only do we have a huge support network and customer base but also massive local support and fantastic media links.
This really could be a win win situation!
Now I'm not asking for hours of your time or donations of cash, but if you could forward this email to anyone you think may be able to help us and benefit from this opportunity, I only ask that they send a cover letter & (non-explicite) demo cd to;
The Retail Manager, Kirkwood Hospice, 46 Market Street, Milnsbridge, Huddersfield, HD3 4HY.
They MUST include;
Full name, telephone number and a postal address for the artist/band,
A brief biog,
rough date established
recent gig dates & venues
& why they would like to get involved in this promotion.
If any of the above information is not sent, we would not be able to consider for album sales so please include as much information as possible when submitting cd's.
Pat, if you can help, I'd be very very greatful.
Kind thanks & much respect,
Hannah xxx
P.s - feel free to forward this message to anyone who you think may be able to benefit from this opportunity, x

http://www.myspace.com/HuddstockFestival

Lions look presents- New Vinyl and Arthur Rigby and the Baskervilles at the Well; review

A big industrial old place full of atmosphere the Well – but what a great place for bands with stage lighting
and sound.On stage was New Vinyl, a good solid sound and super stage presence holding the audience the whole time in foot tapping and head bobbing to new Vinyl’s masterly handling of heavy beats. With left handed guitar and bass and a giant captain like figure on double keyboards in a storm of music. Lead singer in a trance of vocal ecstasy in clear powerful song.
Arthur Rigby and the Baskervylles, a 9 piece combo band was next up. From the first note I was smitten. Good strong vocals superbly interlinking with the various instruments. They were absolutely awesome man this is just the sort of group I would pay a lot of money to go and see. Lead singer god like on stage, a magical mix of vocal styles, rich and earthy full of expressive undertones. His voice bounced off each instrument in a magical harmonic mix. Brilliant backing vocals from the rest of the band with precise timing complimented and wrapped an otherwise unnoticed void. Enthusiasm shone through the whole group, consisting of 2 violins, sax, trombone, trumpet, keyboards and drums making a truly awesome sound.

A rainy night forgot I was glad to be at Lions Look Presents at the Well.  Kuz the organiser greeted me warmly, introduced me to the bands and kindly gave the Yorkshire Gig Guide an interview (see film clip below). Kuz’s enthusiasm and commitment for furthering new and upcoming musicians thus giving them a chance to showcase their talents fired through.
          During the break I entered into conversation with Eden the sound engineer who along with Tom (not at this gig) engineers most of the gigs at The Well. Eden is self-taught and owes much to his mentor Phil (Flux Acoustics). Eden has worked in many venues including The Cockpit, the Basement and then The Well from 1997. He was also deputy sound manager at the Leeds Grand Theatre for 7 years. He thoroughly enjoys his work and said "Where else can you get to see great bands every night" Eden also plays in the Punk group Abrasive Wheels.
A fabulous night was had by all, unfortunately the evening ended all too soon as this reporter could have listened to both bands for a lot longer. Arthur Rigby and the Baskervylles I beg, nay implore  you, to catch this marvellous band.  New Vinyl are a band worth travelling to see too, so don't miss out if either of these bands are anywhere near you. You will not be disappointed.
Thanks to Lions Look and Kus for this experience
Denis YGG

New Vinyl Myspace page click here
Arthur Rigby and the Baskervylles Myspace page click here

Mt. Desolation & The Staves At Brudenell Social Club 24/09/10 by Helen Parton

As I had never been to the Brudenell Social Club in Hyde Park, Leeds I had no idea what to expect. Once inside I found that it provided an intimate atmosphere, perfect for the fans.

Me my Mum, Tim and my Mum's friend.

The Staves, a trio of young girls opened the night. They had very good harmonies and their voices all complimented each other very well, especially in the song 'Mexico' which was my personal favourite performed by them. In one particular song, the use of the Ukelele and the Guitar worked really well together. They explained they have been touring with Mt. Desolation and spent the last ten days in Scotland visiting places such as Inverness and the Isle of Mull. They finished their folk rock set with their cover of an Irish folk song called 'The Silver Dagger' which was excellent and I thought they were a really good band to set the mood of the night. To listen to some of their songs and for information about The Staves go to their website: http://www.myspace.com/thestavesmusic
Mt. Desolation are a recently formed band created by two members from popular rock band Keane, Tim Rice-Oxley; keyboardist, song writer and vocals and Jesse Quinn who provides the main vocals and guitar to this nouveau Country and Western band. The rest of the band members consist of members from The Long Winters, Mumford & Sons, The Killers, Noah & The Whale and The Staves.


What I noticed as Tim started playing the intro to the first song was that it has an essence of Keane embedded in it which I thought was a good touch. Jesse made a good front-man, the upbeat song really got the crowd going. Jessica Stavely-Taylor, one of the members of The Staves is also part of Mt. Desolation and provided a good contrast to Jesse's strong masculine voice as their harmonies worked really well together.
'Bitter Pill' was lead by Tim's powerful vocals with Jesse and Jessica as back up vocalists. This song was more rocky with a folk undertone to it and I think it really worked as a song.
The songs performed were both a mixture of blues and feel-good music. These got the crowd dancing and clapping along. The use of the fiddle in certain songs really heightened the emotion of the song, especially one that Tim explained was about regret.
"This is another soppy love song." Jesse stated and then began to play the mouth organ which I found to be very reminiscent of Bob Dylan. The room fell silent however once finished, a sea of cheers and applauses filled the room.
The gig came to an end as they finished with 'Your Kind Of Life' which was another upbeat track and I thought was a brilliant song to end an extremely enjoyable gig.
I managed to speak to Tim as they began packing their equipment, I complimented him and said how much I enjoyed the night to which he was so genuinely grateful. I asked him whether they were going to do any more tours once their album is released to which he replied this wouldn't probably happen as they are busy working on their latest Keane album which is still in the making. He even posed for a photo with my mum, her friend and myself.


The self titled album by Mt. Desolation is out on the 18th of October and is available for pre-order from their website: http://www.mtdesolation.com/

ACOUSTIC NIGHT THIS FRIDAY- 1st October, Comrades Club 7.30pm

Hi Andrew

ACOUSTIC NIGHT THIS FRIDAY

A brand new season of candle lit Acoustic Nights start again this Friday and every 1st Friday of the month through until July 2011!

New faces include TIM MANNING of BLIND RIVER SCARE from Newport Wales and the TRITONES from Dewsbury. Local lad PHILIP COCKERHAM makes his first solo appearance for us following an incredible set he did in July with Dave Bowie and Tom Bliss. Returning from Nottingham after their fantastic debut performance last May are STARSCREEN. Add to this 'The Man In The Hat' CHRIS MARTIN, FINOLA & JASMINE KENNEDY and you have the entire evening jam-packed with excellent talent.

Please bring some extra cash so you can buy CDs from the artists at special prices!

Links to the artists at http://www.crownoflights.org.uk/gig_dates.html

As ever entry is entirely FREE, the venue is FAMILY FRIENDLY and we hope to start around 7:30pm. Friday 1st October. Doors 7pm.

Cheers
Donal

Romeo and Juliet at the Theatre Royal in York: 14th September 2010 – A Review

Pilot Theatre's tour of Romeo and Juliet now at York Theatre Royal is enjoyable and well worth seeing. Marcus Romer and Katie Posner as co-directors do an excellent job of keeping this teenage love story fresh up to date and relevant to modern young people, and they and the whole team are to be congratulated for this. It is action-packed, visually exciting, and with a contemporary sound track throughout.  The themes of the play are as relevant to an audience today as they were when it was first performed.
Chloe Lamford’s set design is beautiful and simple, with the many silk flowers used throughout to comic effect.
Rachel Spicer as Juliet is a revelation, and she really catches the eye as the teenager whose life is to take a tragic turn following a chance meeting with Romeo (Oliver Wilson).  Oliver Wilson as Romeo and his Montague family are fantastic together, and for me, are the highlight of this production, as they interact seamlessly together as playful, boisterous cousins and for this, Bryn Holding as Benvolio and Chris Lindon as Mercutio/Paris deserve a lot of credit.
Lousia Eyo as “Nurse” steals every scene she’s in. William Travis as Capulet is excellent, and his “Dad dancing” is very funny and worth the ticket price itself!

This production kept me entertained, and if this cast and creative team can keep me, a Shakespeare sceptic, entertained, then it must be good.  They didn’t change my mind entirely about Shakespeare, but this excellent production made it very enjoyable for me, and that’s a damn good start.


Luke Winterburn
YGG

Romeo & Juliet at York Theatre Royal 10th Sept to Sat 25th Sept
see http://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/
Box Office 01904 623568

A Passionate Woman at the Hull Truck Theatre- Review

A poignant drama, funny and tender by the Playwright and actress Kate Mellor, ‘A Passionate Woman’ lands at the Hull Truck Theatre skilfully guided by Director Gareth Tudor Price, and after Tuesdays quality, witty and hilarious performance should become a modern classic.

Kay Mellor. Picture by Louise Buckby.

The stage is set as the interior view of an attic; a smorgasbord of discarded paraphernalia. Suddenly an elegant hat appears through the floor closely followed by its wearer, instantly greeted by a great cheer of recognition from the audience.

Kay Mellor, playing Betty took command of the stage and engaged superbly with the audience regaling a tale about her trip to the supermarket. She is joined by her son Mark (played by Anthony Lewis) soon to be married and already dressed in his wedding finery. 

Kay Mellor and Stuart Manning. Picture by Louise Buckby.

It is Mark’s wedding day but the story unfolds around Betty and her memories of a romance early into her marriage to Donald with a young Polish neighbour Craze (Stuart Manning). Craze appears as a ghost and the romance of the past is recreated in a dance scene which transformed the feeling of the whole theatre into a 1950s dance hall complete with dancers on the floor and the audience drawn into the scene round the edges of the room. Witty dialogue and action between Betty, Mark and Craze was masterfully choreographed by Julie Venton.

Anthony Lewis and Andrew Dunn. Picture by Louise Buckby.

The second act begins in the same attic but with Mark and his father Donald (Andrew Dunn). Both are concerned that the wedding is now only a short time away and Betty is showing no signs of going to the church. They suddenly realise she is not in the attic and could not have passed them downstairs. The action moves onto the roof of the house.
Humour, pathos and farce combine in this play timed to perfection. Betty recounts poignant moments from her life, provoking a wave of empathy from the audience moving visibly forward in their seats and nodding in agreement.  At the very end we briefly meet the poor bride (well portrayed by Emma Potter from the Hull Truck Youth Theatre) who has left the church to find out what has happened to her future husband.

Kay Mellor and Stuart Manning. Picture by Louise Buckby.

A quality play which I predict will join the modern classics such as Abigail’s Party and Shirley Valentine. Brilliantly portrayed under the direction of Gareth Tudor Price this play was well cast, cleverly lighted by Graham Kirk and the stage set and costumes very appropriately designed by Foxton. Julie Venton choreographed the proceedings emphasising the actors timing to a Tee. 

As we left to wend our way home we felt that this is how theatre should be. Congratulations to Hull Truck Theatre for this outstanding production.
Denis and Alison for YGG.


A Passionate Woman at the Hull Truck Theatre from Sept 10th - Oct 2nd

For Tickets see http://www.hulltruck.co.uk/ 

Box office- 01482 323638