It's behind you!
Barely has the year begun and already the contest to pick who's going to be Next Big Thing 2008 is in overdrive. This week's NME features a raft of bands that only readers of the NME or denizens of Myspace will have heard of, all whom could be huge this year (but, let's face it, they probably won't be). Alternatively you could check out the BBC's tips for the top, at first glance similar to the NME's take on what to keep an eye out on but with a few more interesting choices. The Beeb knows its stuff to; last year they correctly tipped Mika for great things.
Umm.
*koff*
Moving swiftly on, here are the tidy morsels plucked from the back pages of this week's rather thin and weedy edition of the NME:
Yeti @ Pressure Point, Brighton - 11/02/2008
Dropkick Murphys @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 11/02/2008
Yeti @ The Joiners, Southampton - 12/02/2008
Johnny Foreigner [supporting Los Campesinos!] @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 23/02/2008
Glasvegas @ The Boiler Room, Guildford - 24/02/2008
The above gigs will be thrust majestically onto the SoMC Events Calendar as and when I get the time; to be honest I've been neglecting it lately, but it's my New Year resolution to get it up together and keep it up to date (or at least it would be if I believed in New Year's resolutions). Once it's updated the Events Calendar is a most useful tool for the idle gig ferret, full of many many wonderful gigs, like these:
BigTopp, Spendid Eddie and Hung Up @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 09/01/2008
No Influence, Ardentes and Still Frame @ The Joiners, Southampton - 09/01/2008
New Rope String Band @ Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham - 10/01/2008
Bury Tomorrow, Driven By Suffering and Only Heroes @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 10/01/2008
Super Tonic, Stencils and Willy Boyle @ The Railway, Winchester - 10/01/2008
Pancake Eating Freaks, Bob Fletcher and Bad Sign @ The Joiners, Southampton - 10/01/2008
Sinner Boy and Larry Miller @ The Brook, Southampton - 11/01/2008
Switch Transmission, Alternative Carpark, Big Squirrel and Contra @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 11/01/2008
Kumiss, Flies Are Spies From Hell and The B of The Bang @ The Joiners, Southampton - 11/01/2008
All Schools Are Strange and Norcsalordie @ The Hobbit, Southampton - 11/01/2008
The Jellyrollers @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 12/01/2008
Legend (Bob Marley tribute) @ The Brook, Southampton - 12/01/2008
Maddison Heights @ The Railway, Winchester - 12/01/2008
The Plymouths @ The Joiners, Southampton - 12/01/2008
The Mustangs @ The Square Brewery, Petersfield - 12/01/2008
Godsend, Life With Max and Escape Story @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 13/01/2008
Iris, Moral Sense and Alzir @ The Joiners, Southampton - 13/01/2008
Hardly Heroes @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 13/01/2008
The Teapot Junkies @ The Hobbit, Southampton - 13/01/2008
Tim Cheatle, Paul Vinten and Zoofy & The Spoonfruits @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth - 13/01/2008
Hundred Reasons @ Student Union, Southampton University - 14/01/2008
White Light Parade, The Operators and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels @ The Joiners, Southampton - 14/01/2008
Rox, Rusty Strings and First Fight Nerves @ The Joiners, Southampton - 15/01/2008
Scarlet Soho, Capital X and The Row @ The Railway, Winchester - 22/01/2008
Spear of Destiny @ The Railway, Winchester - 31/01/2008
Great White @ The Brook, Southampton - 01/02/2008
Sum41 @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 24/02/2008
UNKLE @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 29/02/2008
Stiff Little Fingers @ The Brook, Southampton - 10/03/2008
Sandi Thom @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 10/03/2008
Turisas @ The Brook, Southampton - 12/03/2008
David Gray @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 14/03/2008
Paramore's gig at The Guildhall, Portsmouth, originally listed for Friday 8th February, has been rescheduled to Tuesday 26th February. Existing tickets remain valid for the new date, those unable to attend the new date should their contact point of purchase for a refund.
Legendary club night Hipshaker have joined forces with the Right Track Scooter Club to present a special Ready Steady Go themed evening at The Wedgewood Rooms this Saturday, 12th January. Joining the regular Hipshaker DJs will be Dace Bignall (RTSC) and Donna (Wack Wack Club), plus a live set from Small Faces tribute act the Small Fakers. Tickets are £5 in advance.
Local promoters Bumblechook have organised an evening at The Wedgewood Rooms in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital on Tuesday 15th January. The line-up includes Kids Can't Fly, Joe Black, Pancake Eating Freaks, Sheilatakeabow and Luke Ferre. Tickets are £5 in advance with all profits going to the GOSH appeal.
Next month The Wedgewood Rooms plays host to two low key gigs by bands who could quite easily fill much larger venues (even if neither bother the charts as much as the used to these days). Amiable Scottish rockers Travis pitch up their stall at the Wedge on Friday 9th February; unsurprisingly tickets for this gig sold out within days. Tickets for acoustic duo Turin Brakes' gig on Tuesday 19th February are still available however.
Despite 2008 being only a couple of weeks old this year's Red Stripe Music Awards campaign is starting in earnest. The competition is open to unsigned bands, with regional heats being held throughout the UK from January through to March. The southern heat this month takes place at The Providence in Brighton on Friday 25th January. The eventual winners of the contest will have the opportunity to play TWO major Summer festivals, and win a decked out tour bus too. More information on the competition is available on the Red Stripe website or Myspace.
Roger Courtney's Open Mike Club tomorrow night features performances from Ade Cull and Sam Browse. As usual the action takes place at The Barn at The Milton Arms in Portsmouth, with the stage open to all comers after the musical guests (please note there's a two song limit). Admission is FREE and the doors open at 1900.
And that's it for this week, this afternoon I was mostly listening to Radiohead and Jimmy Eat World. Join me next week when I'll be channelling sprits in a Derek Acorah-stylee.
:o)
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