Recent Bella Unionsignings Penelope Islesare set to release their debut long player, Until The Tide Creeps In, on the label this Summer. Ahead of this the Brighton-based quartet of JackWolter, Lily Wolter, Becky Redford and Jack Sowton are hitting the road, playing a selection of dates which includes a stop at SXSWand a home-town show for the Wolters on the Isle of Man.
Along the way the band will be making a return visit to Portsmouth, where they played Dials Festival last year, to play a set at the city's newest venue The House of Rapture. Tickets for the Tuesday 2nd April gig, co-promoted by Dials, Strong Island Recordingsand Pie & Vinyl, are priced at a very reasonable £6 and available online via Billetto. Support on the night comes from local acts Barbudo, who recently released their new EP Sunshine, and the lo-fi soul of Ban Summers. The gig poster, below, has been conjured up by Chris Williamson and, disturbingly, reflects how I feel some Saturday mornings. No, really.
Southampton's legendary Joiners will host a Brighton band double-header in April, welcoming art-pop-rock ensemble LibraLibraand electro-punk noise merchants CLT DRP to its compact and bijou stage. Having encountered LibraLibraat Dialslast year I can guarantee that they're a live act you have to catch; raucous beats, arresting hooks and lead singer Beth Cannon's frankly jaw-dropping vocals, a stylised performance that lingers long in the memory. Recent release Skin and Bone is a prime example of the aural onslaught that awaits the discerning gig-goer (the AK/DK remix is pretty damn good too).
CLT DRP, three disparate travellers whose paths crossed on the South Coast, are a live unknown to me but on the strength of the tracks available online they bode well to deliver a raw set packed with pumping drums, feed-backed guitars, industrial beats and angry vocals.
Oh yes, this gig promises to be very much my bag of doughnuts; if it tickles your fancy then mark Wednesday 3rd April on your calendar. Tickets are available via the venue, priced at £5, with additional acts set to be added to the bill presently.
A few years ago at The Great Escape, in the pub on Brighton Pier, several hundred of us punters waited to catch Black Honey's headline set. However, before the local indie rockers took the stage, we were entertained by two acts whose sets bordered on performance art.
Whilst art-indie ensemble Drones Club employed masked dancers to interact with the crowd, with two juddering figures who moved around the room in a disquieting way, indie-pop chanteuseGirlichallenged the male contingent of the crowd to deal with menstruation, throwing sanitary pads into the crowd at the end of the set (at least, that's what I remember). Yes, Girli's set definitely stuck in my memory and, much like every new act I encounter at The Great Escape, the artist was added to my ever-growing Ones To Watch list.
New single Deal With It is three minutes of shouts, call-outs and catchy beats, a football chant interlaced with a driven, annoyingly repetitive, tune that drills into your brain whether you like it or not. Admittedly it's not, for me, quite as strong as previous single Day Month Second (which was, quite rightly, selected as a 6Music Recommends track by Lauren Laverne) but is still rather good if you like that kind of thing (which I do). At the very least I expect to hear this ditty played on the next series of Made In Chelsea (yes, there go my alternative muso credentials).
Deal With It is from Girli's forthcoming debut long player, Odd One Out, due for release in April.
Some call it the toilet circuit, some call it grassroots, whatever the term the venues it applies to are those small, grungy places that provide one of the lower rungs on the music biz ladder. They are at the heart of their music community, providing a stage for local bands to gain valuable gigging experience and giving new acts the chance to build a following. Tucked away on Middle Street in Brighton, a short walk from a Jazz club that I've yet to find open, Sticky Mike's Frog Bar is very much one of those venues.
Unfortunately modern life is hard for grassroots venues such as Sticky Mike's. A combination of problems, such as redevelopment (both of the venues themselves or their surrounding area), local councils who don't (or won't) recognize the cultural significance of such places, or the plain old issue of money have meant that, over the past few years, the number of small venues across the UK has decreased. To help counter the problems grassroots venues face, hopefully protecting and securing their the future, the Music Venue Trust was formed. The sterling effort of this charitable organisation has assisted many small venues across the country. The combined endeavours of the MVT, their partner organisations and their supporters, have this year successfully seen the introduction of agent of change protection into UK planning advice.
Sadly this protection has come to late for Sticky Mike's Frog Bar, and if you've not had the delight of venturing into the venue and down the stairs to the basement, your chances are finite. Today the venue announced that, due to "too many issues", it is to shut at the end of the year. After seven fun-packed years the doors will finally close as 2019 rolls in, with the venue saying goodbye with a series of parties and events before then. Frustratingly the announcement of Sticky Mike's closure comes within days of the Talking Heads in Southampton shuttering, and let's not forgot that Portsmouth has lost both The Cellars (now redeveloped for housing) and the RMA Tavern in recent years. When a venue closes it's sad, infuriating, annoying and upsetting, it leaves a hole in both the local community and its economy. Add the knock-on effect for the music business in general and you're left scratching your head at why things have got into the state they have. Do we blame The Man? Do we blame the government? Or do we blame ourselves for not going to gigs more? Whatever the reason, and there is no one cause to point the finger of blame at, when a venue is gone and the posters in the window replaced by Estate Agent boards we at least have the memories of the good times spent there. Not great I know but, unless we see more changes to support our important yet tiny venues, that might be all we're left with.
Fingers crossed I'll get a chance to take in one last gig (or two) at Sticky Mike's before it closes, if not then I'll take this chance to wish hearty thank you to all involved in the venue for all the blood, sweat and tears invested in keeping it up and running for as long as possible.
In closing, my abiding memory of Sticky Mike's is from The Great Escape several years ago, heading out of the sun and down into its low-ceilinged basement, to see the excellent Kassassin Streetdecimate
any and all remaining traces of the previous night's hangover. Damn,
that was a good gig (shame I took such a blurry photo, the pros and cons
of being down the front I guess). UPDATE: I've refreshed some of the text since first posted (as it was late when I posted and some bad grammar got the best of me). Also, if you've not yet seen it, it's worthwhile reading the Music Venue Trust's Facebook post on the subject (the paragraph pertaining to grants, subsidies and business rates is jaw-dropping to say the least).
Gosport trio Hooliget
their show on the road next month, taking their mellifluous blend of
indie-blues to four venues across the south. The three-piece have got good word of mouth on the live outings, scoring a good review of their Winchestival set from the excellent Mix It All Up blog. You can catch Hooli at the
following venues in September.. Latest Music Bar, Brighton - 10th SeptemberCANCELLED The Jolly Sailor, Portsmouth - 11th September BBC Introducing LIVE @ The Purple Turtle, Reading - 12th September Madding Crowd, Bournemouth - 13th September
..and be sure to check out their latest release, Cider Sue, via the Spotify embed:
Long Beach's favourite sons Ugly Duckling provided one of my most enjoyable gig experiences of last year, in a packed Drift In The City of all places. The Californian three piece delivered an uplifting set of beats and rhymes that got even a Pompey crowd moving and, after giving 100% on stage, the guys made the time and effort to meet and greet afterward.
Details of a new UK tour have now started to appear on the Yudee forum and amongst the dates listed so far is a return visit to Portsmouth and a stop in Brighton; Andy C, Dizzy Dustin and Young Einstein will be at The Highlight in Gunwharf on Monday 10th October and The Haunt in Brighton on Saturday 15th October.
Update:
The full list of dates has now been released by the band, in addition
to the two local dates listed above they've squeezed in a visit to Southampton's Orange Rooms on Sunday 16th October. Orange, squeezed.. See what I did there? Yeah, with material that good I should be on TV. Ahem.
I did have a full Christmas blurb prepared, extolling the myriad virtues of Mince Pies and the joys of bad jokes in Christmas crackers, but I feared the heady mix of bad festive puns might be a bit too much for some of you.
No, really I did. Honest.
*koff*
Moving swiftly on for the last time in 2008; here are the pick of the gigs coming our way, freshly selected from the back pages of this week's bumper Christmas edition NME:
Of Montreal @ Digital, Brighton - 24/01/2009 Sky Larkin and Pulled Apart By Horses @ Audio, Brighton - 30/01/2009 Emmy The Great @ Komedia, Brighton - 02/02/2009 The Twang @ The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth - 03/02/2009 Fighting With Wire @ iBar, Bournemouth - 04/02/2009 The Coast @ Audio, Brighton - 04/02/2009 Fighting With Wire @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 06/02/2009 Fighting With Wire @ Hamptons, Southampton - 07/02/2009 Stricken City @ The Freebutt, Brighton - 11/02/2009 Stricken City @ Lennons, Southampton - 14/02/2009 Alkaline Trio and The Audition @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 15/02/2009 Secret Machines @ Digital, Brighton - 17/02/2009 Hockney, Passion Pit and Bear Hands @ Audio, Brighton - 17/02/2009 Late Of The Pier and Micachu @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portmouth - 20/02/2009 The View @ Southampton University Student Union - 22/02/2009 General Fiasco @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 22/02/2009 The Spinto Band @ The Joiners, Southampton - 27/02/2009 School Of Seven Bells @ Audio, Brighton - 01/03/2009 The Ting Tings @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 05/03/2009 Fall Out Boy @ The Brighton Centre - 08/03/2008 Goldie Lookin' Chain @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 23/03/2009 Goldie Lookin' Chain @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 25/03/2009 Bat For Lashes @ The Corn Exchange, Brighton - 16/04/2009 65daysofstatic @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 25/04/2009
If you fear the outlaws may drive you mad over the Christmas period, or that you'll over-indulge with the Quality Street, or find you've watched The Great Escape that one time too many and are in dire need of leaving the house for an evening, then have no fear; I've perused the net and found the following gigs taking place during the forthcoming festivities...
19/12/2008 The Bog Rolling Stones @ The Brook, Southampton Rusty Sheriff @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Viatrophy, Gehenna VII VII VII and In Her Ruin @ The Joiners, Southampton The Visitors, Loz Bridge & The Box Social and Emily Barker @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Julian Nicholas' Heavy Plant Crossing @ Komedia, Brighton The Booze Brothers @ The Rifle Club, Portsmouth The Fabulous Rockman @ The Railway, Winchester Amy MacDonald @ The Guildhall, Southampton Zetan Spore @ The Fawcett Inn, Portsmouth Roadhouse @ The Firehouse, Southampton
20/12/2008 Installation, Hijera and Zoo Zero @ The Joiners, Southampton Perfect Alibi (Pink Floyd tribute) @ The Opera House, Bournemouth Steve Arnott @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton The Ben Waters Band and The Spike Drivers @ Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham Pencil Riot, The Bluescreen Of Death and Rosenkrantz @ The Hobbit, Southampton Chicago Nine @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth Rufus Stone @ The Brook, Southampton The Reason @ The Railway, Winchester Lynchpin @ The Firehouse, Southampton
21/12/2008 Speed The Collapse, Tigre Bite Tigre and Faireway @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth Furthest Drive Home, Out Of Sight and Skyline Heroes @ The Joiners, Southampton Jools Holland and His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra @ BIC (Windsor Hall), Bournemouth Brontide, Sion and Great Walls @ The Railway, Winchester Gentle Bren (DJ) @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Jezebell @ The Platform Tavern, Southampton The Damned @ Komedia, Brighton
22/12/2008 The Damned @ Komedia, Brighton Kodiak Jack @ Havana Bar, Southsea Lost On Landing, Not Advised and Burn The Fleet @ The Joiners, Southampton Sensational Alex Harvey Band @ Concorde 2, Brighton
23/12/2008 The Jamm (tribute) @ The Opera House, Bournemouth Inklings @ The Joiners, Southampton The Bog Rolling Stones @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Status Quo @ BIC (Windsor Hall), Bournemouth I See Sparks @ The Railway, Winchester Bad Manners @ Concorde 2, Brighton
24/12/2008 Stone Free, Dave Miatt and Joe Parker @ The Hobbit, Southampton Santa Gold (DJ) @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Rebel Yell (tribute)@ Chicago Rock Cafe, Fareham The Silver Beatles (tribute) @ The Brook, Southampton
27/12/2008 Autons, Shegotsick and Night Of Treason @ Moodeaze, Gosport Cream of Clapton (tribute) @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Stickee Ickee (DJ) @ The Hobbit, Southampton Great Pretender (Queen tribute) @ The Opera House, Bournemouth Red Indiewith Dr Watson (DJ) and Skidmark (DJ) @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth The Vegas @ The Joiners, Southampton Mary Jane @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth Timebomb @ The Brook, Southampton
28/12/2008 Clym Arnold & The Delta Breaks, The Lonely Cardinals and The B Of The Bang @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth White Knuckle Revolution, Deity and Minds Gone Blank @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth Crossfire, The Realists and Castillo @ The Joiners, Southampton Gentle Bren (DJ) @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth
29/12/2008 All New Comics @ The Joiners, Southampton Kojak's Revenge @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth Max Hayes @ The Hobbit, Southampton
30/12/2008 Remain Silenced, Typheous and Boilith @ The Joiners, Southampton Eric Prydz (DJ) @ The Opera House, Bournemouth Dragon Eye Morrison, Little London and Cut The Blue Wire @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
31/12/2008 Burn The Fleet, Science Of Eight Limbs and Venice Ahoy @ The Joiners, Southampton The Bog Rolling Stones @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth Valhalla @ The Firehouse, Southampton
...and here are gigs in the new year that you may want to add to your diary...
Miles From Anywhere, The White Coats and No Access @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 02/01/2009 Tiny Spark @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth - 03/01/2009 One Weird Fish @ The Square Brewery, Petersfield - 03/01/2009 Get Your Ass To Mars @ The Railway, Winchester - 03/01/2009 Mindless Self Indulgence, Bring Me The Horizon and Black Tide @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 18/01/2009 [spunge] @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 09/03/2009 You Me At Six @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 12/03/2009 And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 14/04/2009
Tonight Indie club night Waster will break out the snow machines for more winter mayhem at Liquid Envy, with Will Chump (Chaos) and PhilipHarvey (HKGC) of the Southsea Mafia DJs supplying the tunes. There'll be plenty of tinsel and sparkly lights as well, plus the chance for one lucky punter to win a fridge full of Kick energy drink (just the thing for a Christmas hangover). Doors open from 2200, with admission £2.20 before 2300, rising to £3.20 after. Further details can be found on the event's Facebook page.
The Wedgewoods Rooms goes back in time tomorrow night, Friday 19th December, when retro night It's A Sin fires into life. DJs Monsieur Dangerous and Carlos De Lemona will be raiding the vinyl under the stairs for a heady mix of oldies and goldies; doors open from 2300 and admission is FREE!
The Hong Kong Gardeners Club have lined up an evening of live music at Southsea's Havana Bar on Boxing Day, just the thing to cure the cure the post-Christmas blues. As well as sets from Joe Black, Thos Henley and Balk Fiction you'll also be able to savour the DJing skills of Myke Eales (Aspect) and Andy Summerly (from The Strange Death of Liberal England). Doors open from 2000, admission is £3 on the door.
Hipshaker hot-steps it into Christmas this Saturday, 20th December, with a seasonal offering of classic 60s funk and soul served up by the resident Hipshaker DJs plus live music from Pompey surf/punk outfit Emptifish. Doors open at The Wedgewood Rooms at 2130, admission is £5.
The Macabret will be taking over The Edge of The Wedge this Monday, 22nd December, for an winter's evening of burlesque entertainment in aid of All Saints Hostel. In addition to performances from Ms Honour Mission and Ms Ruby Red there'll also be live music from Joe Blackand Kelly Kemp. Admission is £4, doors from 2000-2330 and it's over 18s only.
Contact returns to South Parade Pier this New Year's Eve with sets from guest DJs Uberdruck, Chris Liberator, DJ X and A+D+A+M, plus residents Matt Handy, GavRavenous and Nathan D & Lanslide. Tickets are £25 in advance from from Ticketweb, doors open from 2100, with music through till 0400.
The Wedgewood Rooms hosts A Night For Joe Strummer on Tuesday, 23rd December, with all profits donated to Strummerville, the Joe Strummer Foundation for New Music. The line-up so far features The Racketeers, The Good Time Charlies, TFA and Archive 45, with further acts to be announced. Doors from 1930, tickets are £8 in advance.
Chaos will be celebrating Christmas in style this year, with two events at the The Wedgewood Rooms next week. First up is a cracker of a Christmas Eve special, featuring live music from Kill Kasper, Wyldside and Tricorn plus DJs Hev Stillet-Hoe and Ruby Soho. Then, if your liver has recovered from all the yuletide excess, Will Chump and DJ Lemon will be seeing in 2009 a few days early with The Alternative New Year Party on Saturday 27th December. Admission is £5 for either night; doors open from 2200 on the 27th, from 2100 on Christmas Eve.
Club night Kiss My Bass have planned the mother of all New Year's Eve parties at Southsea's Havana Bar, guaranteed to see 2009 in with a bang. DJs Charge and TomMayhem (Ricochet) will be joining residents Udy, Vol.1, Eratik Behaviour, Neil Doc and Fotza for an all-night session, with a live beatbox countdown to the New Year courtesy of Ochs. A new sound system and lighting rig are promised, plus the DJs have been told anything goes, so it's going to be large. Tickets are available in advance from the venue, or online from the Portsmouth page at http://www.dontstayin.com, priced at £8. The fun starts at 2100 and runs through to 0500. Oh lordy.
And that's it for the Gigwatcher for 2008; today I have mostly been listening to Pearl Jam, Museand Kodiak Jack (with the Bo SelectaProper Chrimbo tune on random for good measure). Thanks for putting up with my drivel landing in your inboxes or taking the time to read it on the blog, I hope Santa brings you all something very special (I've asked for Cheryl Tweedy again, fingers crossed) and not that CD by The Priests (which is a total rip off as it doesn't have My Lovely Horse on it). Be sure to join me in the New Year when I'll be breaking that resolution I foolishly made in a rare sober moment. :o)
Whatever next, Cliff Richard releasing a single with Slipknot?
[crosses fingers] *koff*
Moving swiftly on, here's the pick of the forthcoming gigs plucked from the back pages of this week's NME:
Little Joy @ Audio, Brighton - 15/01/2009 The Bookhouse Boys @ Audio, Brighton - 22/01/2009 Alkaline Trio @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 15/02/2009 Late Of The Pier @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 18/02/2009 Late Of The Pier @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 20/02/2009 The View @ Southampton University Student Union - 22/02/2009 Snow Patrol @ BIC, Bournemouth - 22/02/2009 SOLD OUT! Pure Reason Revolution @ The Joiners, Southampton - 07/03/2009 Fall Out Boy @ The Brighton Centre - 08/03/2009 Pure Reason Revolution @ Audio, Brighton - 16/03/2009 Lily Allen and La Roux @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 19/03/2009 Lily Allen and La Roux @ The Dome, Brighton - 20/03/2009
If I can peel myself away from my steaming mug of Horlicks and comfortable chair by the fire long enough I'll endeavour to update the SoMC Events Calendar with the gigs above. To be honest though, I get a bit sleepy after a hot cup of malty beverage, so I probably won't. Bless. To keep you going here's a selection of gigs coming your way over the next seven days...
04/12/2008 Will Young @ The Dome, Brighton SOLD OUT! Kirk Brandon and Wise Children @ The RMA Tavern, Winchester Kris Dollimore @ The Gun Room (The RMA Tavern), Portsmouth Julian Joseph @ Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton Red Snapper @ Concorde 2, Brighton CANCELLED! Blues Etc @ The Platform Tavern, Southampton The Holloways, Sam McCarthy and The Ramblings @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth The Rotted, Desolated and Driven By Devils @ The Joiners, Southampton The UK Chili Peppers @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Sharleen Spiteri @ The Soul Cellar, Southampton (tickets available via wave105fm) The Getaway Team, The Weather Committee and Midnight Embassy @ The Rifle Club, Portsmouth Portico Quartet, Caroline's Capuchin and Shona Foster @ The Talking Heads, Southampton
05/12/2008 One Weird Fish @ The Drum, Petersfield Luke Leighfield, Atlum Schema and Paperplane @ Hamptons, Southampton Heaven 17, The Human League and ABC @ The Brighton Centre Atlantico @ The Talking Heads, Southampton The Suicide Rooms, Freakpit and Press Any Key @ The Alma Arms, Portsmouth Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds @ The Brook, Southampton The Bog Rolling Stones (tribute) and The Small Fakers (tribute) @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Alice's Band @ The Soul Cellar, Southampton Attack! Attack!, 84MM and The Auteur @ The Freebutt, Brighton The Legendary Derek @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton Martyn Joseph @ The Studio at The Petersfield School The Van Jammers @ The Hobbit, Southampton Medallist and Incredible Weapons @ The RMA Tavern, Winchester Ardentes, Waiting For Sirens and Chemical Sunset @ The Joiners, Southampton Six Million Dollar Man Club (DJ) @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Legend @ The Firehouse, Southampton
06/12/2008 The Gran Torinos and Sunset Mission @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra @ The Brighton Centre Perfect Alibi (Pink Floyd tribute) @ The Brook, Southampton Uiscedwr @ Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham Flash Guns @ Unit, Southampton Simian Mobile Disco @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Nicotine Smile and Seven Day Weekend @ The RMA Tavern, Winchester Attack! Attack!, Not Advised and Dead Mile @ The Joiners, Southampton Adriano Adewale Group @ Salisbury Arts Centre Atomic Badger @ The Square Brewery, Petersfield Superfly @ The Red Lion, Stubbington Time For Action @ The Fawcett Inn, Portsmouth Powerplant @ The Pavilion, Brighton Ghoad @ The Firehouse, Southampton Heaven 17, The Human League and ABC @ BIC, Bournemouth The Zutons @ The Dome, Brighton Exit 10 and Glamour Of The Kill @ Hamptons, Southampton The Jelly Rollers @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth Neville Staple @ Concorde 2, Brighton CANCELLED! Scaramoose @ The Hobbit, Southampton
07/12/2008 Joan As Policewoman @ Concorde 2, Brighton The Velvet Hearts and Tremain @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Venice Ahoy, Colour and Joey Nightmare @ The Joiners, Southampton Gentle Bren (DJ) @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Johnny B & Denovo @ The Hobbit, Southampton Ade Cull and Peter Paul Parker @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth AOR (feat. Dave Sharp of The Alarm) and Time For Action @ The Talking Heads, Southampton Imelda May and Roxanne Johns @ The RMA Tavern, Winchester David Celia @ The Platform Tavern, Southampton
08/12/2008 Ben Ottewell (Gomez) and Little Gem @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth Caroline Nin @ Komedia, Brighton CANCELLED! Dead Like Harry @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Official Secrets Act, I See Sparks and The Inklings @ Hamptons, Southampton Digital Delay, Atlas and The Rivers Of Sound @ The Rifle Club, Portsmouth Paul Curreri and Danni Nichols @ Komedia, Brighton
09/12/2008 iliketrains, Jeniferever and The Strange Death Of Liberal England @ The Joiners, Southampton The Pigeon Detectives @ BIC, Bournemouth Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan and The Miserable Rich @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth St Agnes Fountain @ Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham Aitch, Doubleback Alley and Paddy Taylor @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth James @ The Dome, Brighton All Forgotten @ Hamptons, Southampton The Parlotones, Recreation and Beau Monde @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Suspiciously Elvis (tribute) @ Komedia, Brighton The Exits, Dan Rumsey and The Real Raj @ The Edge of The Wedge, Portsmouth The Fratellis @ The Guildhall, Southampton SOLD OUT!
10/12/2008 Wilko Johnson and The Riotous Brothers @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth The Rezillos @ The Brook, Southampton Shona Foster and Cordelia Fellowes & Co @ Komedia, Brighton The Redwalls and The Broken Hearts @ Hamptons, Southampton Atomic Jones (tribute) @ Chicago Rock Cafe, Fareham The Trevor John Band @ Havant Arts Centre Paul Jones & Dave Kelly @ The Studio at The Petersfield School Never Back Down, Pancake Eating Freaks and Canada Water @ The Joiners, Southampton Suspiciously Elvis (tribute) @ Komedia, Brighton Five By Five and Doghouse @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth Jackson & The Spangles, Jazica and Zoe Croune @ The RMA Tavern, Winchester Apocalyptica @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth John Otway @ The Soul Cellar, Southampton Fritz @ The Square Brewery, Petersfield
...and here are some others you may want to add to your diary...
Richard Thompson @ The City Hall, Salisbury - 05/02/2009 The Spinto Band @ The Joiners, Southampton - 27/02/2009 Noah & The Whale @ St George's Church, Brighton - 07/03/2009 Same Difference @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 12/03/2009 Starsailor @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 04/04/2009
This week's Waster features live music from funkers Blue Alert and electro outfit Lighthouses, with Will Chump and DJ Lemon of the Southsea Mafia pumping out the finest indiepunkelectroraverock in town afterward. Doors from 2200-0230, with admission £2.20 before 2300 (£3.20 after); details of how to blag your way in for less can be found on the event's Facebook page.
The chaps at Kiss My Basslaunch their new 'genre clash' night, Ugly Beats, at the Havana Bar this Saturday, 6th December. Joining Ugly Beats residents Dirtbox and Darkfloor will be guest DJs Tom Mayhem and (one half of) Hated In The Face. Admission is FREE, doors from 2100, music through till 0100.
Santa will be getting on his good foot at The Wedgewood Rooms this Saturday, 6th December, when Funkt-If-Ino hold their Christmas Extravaganza. Resident DJs DarthFader and Chewbazza will be dishing up a hot helping of festive helping of disco, funk and soul to get you in the festive mood. Admission is £5, doors from 2200.
The Talking Heads hosts Southampton singer-songwriter Ben Dlugokecki's 6th Annual Xmas Xtravaganza this Saturday, 6th December. The line-up for this year features local bands The Warm, The Bizets and The Reservoirs, plus Ben's band Dlugokecki(who will have learned some special Christmas covers for the occasion). The first band will be onstage at 1930, tickets are £5 in advance and £7 on the night.
Fareham based popster Joe Ward and Portsmouth indie four-piece Sunset Mission will be the musical guests at Roger Courtney's Open Mike Club tomorrow, Thursday 4th December. As usual, there'll be FREE admission to The Barn at The Milton Arms, with doors open at 1900 and live music from 2000. The regular Open Mike session will follow from 2200 through till Midnight. More information can be found on Facebook.
And that about wraps it up for this week; today I have mostly been listening to a couple of compilations I knocked up awhile back and some assorted 80's pop. Be sure to join me next week when I'll be throttling back the flange manifold.
So, hands up who's bought their tickets for Britney Spears' London gigs next year?
[counts hands]
Oh dear. Oh dear me.
*koff*
Eyes down for a full house; here are pick of the gigs coming our way soon, lifted fresh from the back pages of this week's NME:
Findlay Brown @ Joogleberry Theatre, Brighton - 07/12/2008 Ben Ottewell (Gomez) @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 08/12/2008 The Redwalls @ Hamptons, Southampton - 10/12/2008 People In Planes @ Hamptons, Southampton - 13/12/2008 The Levellers and Frank Turner @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 14/12/2008 Swanton Bombs and Threatmantics @ Prince Albert, Brighton - 28/01/2009 Mongrel @ Coalition, Brighton - 13/02/2009 Yo Majesty @ Audio, Brighton - 22/03/2009
Now, I could furnish you with some excuse as to why I won't quite get around to adding the above gigs onto the SoMC Events Calendar this weekend, but something tells me you wouldn't believe me. If only I spent as much time updating the damn thing as I do dreaming up excuses for why I never quite get around to it. Oh well. Moving swiftly on, here's a selection of local gigs to look for over the next seven days...
27/11/2008 Laura White (from X Factor) @ Chicago Rock Cafe, Fareham Gordon Giltrap @ The Forge, Basingstoke SOLD OUT! Limehouse Lizzy (tribute) @ The Brook, Southampton Peter Tork @ Komedia, Brighton CANCELLED! Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes @ South Parade Pier, Southsea The Morphic Fields, Kelevra and Fly Monkeys Fly @ The Talking Heads, Southampton The Complete Stone Roses (tribute) @ Concorde 2, Brighton The Nat Martin Band @ The Platform Tavern, Southampton Selfish ****, The Broken Hearts and My Hollow Tree @ The Railway, Winchester The Nineninetynines, Castillo and Medison @ Havant Arts Centre Shels and Remain Silenced @ The Joiners, Southampton
28/11/2008 The Jamm (tribute) and Split Sixty @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth SOLD OUT! Chris Newman & Máire Ní Chathasaigh @ Ashcroft Arts Centre, Fareham Pendulum @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth Leonard Cohen @ The Brighton Centre Bug Central, Claypigeon, Lucky Ones Die First and Youth Decay @ The Nell Gwynne, Portsmouth Hi On Maiden (tribute) @ The Brook, Southampton Thea Gilmore @ Tower Arts Centre, Winchester Rusty Sheriff @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth UK Subs @ The Talking Heads, Southampton Orange Street @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Git Some @ The Joiners, Southampton Fipron and Misty's Big Adventure @ Concorde 2, Brighton CANCELLED! Creep @ The Firehouse, Southampton One Weird Fish @ The Colonial Bar, Horndean Jazica and Pacer @ The Railway, Winchester Nicotine Smile @ The Soul Cellar, Southampton Smokin' Guns, The Nick Shepherd Band and LCD @ The Hobbit, Southampton The Small Fakers (tribute) @ Komedia, Brighton CANCELLED!
29/11/2008 Cantaloop @ The Soul Cellar, Southampton The Kooks @ The Brighton Centre Oysterband @ The City Hall, Salisbury Lucien @ The Hobbit, Southampton Cool Banana, Bubbledubble, Bemis and Psychomachia (DJ) @ The Barn at The Milton Arms, Portsmouth Smerins Anti-Social Club, Yes Sir Boss!!! and The Uplifter (DJ) @ The Brook, Southampton Whimwise, Eat Lights Become Lights and Kumiss @ The Hope, Chichester The White Knuckle Blues Band @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth The Legendary Derek @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton Pete & The Pirates @ Concorde 2, Brighton [spunge] and Last Man Standing @ The Talking Heads, Southampton Does It Offend You Yeah? (DJ set) @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Soma High, Fearne and Underdog Academy @ The Joiners, Southampton Spears & Boden with The Tacet Ensemble @ Komedia, Brighton Imperial Leisure @ Lennons, Southampton Jay et Al @ The Railway, Winchester
30/11/2008 Billy Bragg @ The Guildhall, Southampton Daniel O'Donnell @ The Brighton Centre New Adventures @ The Joiners, Southampton Gentle Bren (DJ) @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Alabama 3 @ The Brook, Southampton SOLD OUT! James & Denovo @ The Hobbit, Southampton The Zed Men, Crossfire and Run Of The Mill @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth Polly Wood & Steve Picken @ Drift, Southsea Pete Harris Blues Band @ The Platform Tavern, Southampton Will Young and Honey Ryder @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth
01/12/2008 Kings of Leon @ The Brighton Centre Streetlight Manifesto @ The Brook, Southampton Little Lost David, Ben Pinwill and James Tippins @ Drift, Portsmouth The Bootleg Beatles @ The Dome, Brighton The Zutons @ BIC (Solent Hall), Bournemouth Midnight Embassy, Speed The Collapse, Castillo and The Skylies @ The Rifle Club, Portsmouth Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds @ Komedia, Brighton CANCELLED! Git Some, Attack! Vipers!, Pump Shark and Wooden Bullets @ The Fawcett Inn, Portsmouth Anavan and Amy Can Flyy @ The Joiners, Southampton
02/12/2008 Primal Scream @ The Dome, Brighton The Saw Doctors and The Noelie McDonnell Band @ The Brook, Southampton Tim Eveleigh, Peter Leonard and Luke Streeter @ The Edge of The Wedge, Portsmouth The B Of The Bang and Christopher Robin @ Hamptons, Southampton Feeder @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth Jamie Woon @ The Joiners, Southampton Alabama 3 @ Concorde 2, Brighton
03/12/2008 Fujiya & Miyagi @ The Pavilion, Brighton Discharge @ The Talking Heads, Southampton The Wedding Present and The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth I See Sparks, The Zone and The Marcellus @ The Railway, Winchester The Aynsley Lister Band @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Randy Crawford & The Joe Sample Trio @ The Dome, Brighton Stone Free @ The Hobbit, Southampton Rang A Tang @ Chicago Rock Cafe, Fareham Alabama 3 @ Concorde 2, Brighton
...and here are some others of note that you may want to add to your diary...
Kirk Brandon @ The Railway, Winchester - 04/12/2008 Portico Quartet @ The Talking Heads, Southampton - 04/12/2008 Superfly @ The Red Lion, Stubbington - 06/12/2008 The Gaslight Anthem @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 02/02/2009 The Gaslight Anthem @ Concorde 2, Brighton - 06/02/2009 Rhydian @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth - 05/05/2009 Jeff Beck @ The Guildhall, Southampton - 03/07/2009
Waster unleashes its own brand of Thursday night mayhem tomorrow at Portsmouth'sLiquid Envynightclub, with Will Chump and Udy of the Southsea Mafia DJs pumping out the finest selection of indiepunkelectroraverock in town. Doors from 2200-0230, entrance is £2.20 before 2300 (£3.20 after), and more information can be found on the event's Facebook page.
Funkt-If-Ino descends on Driftin Southsea this Saturday, 29th November, for an evening of funk, disco, soul and hip hop with residents DarthFader and Chewbazza. Doors from 2100-0300; admission is £3 before 2300, £5 after. Further details can be found on Facebook.
Chaos reigns at The Wedgewood Rooms this Saturday, 29th November, with DJs Will Chump and Lemon taking charge of the Main Room and Marky Marc in the Chaos Lounge. Admission is £5 on the door, with entry from 2200; the sounds go through to 0300, with last admission at 0100. If you're in need of a warm up the Edge of The Wedge will be hosting Edge of Chaos, with Tom Dangerous and Rusty Sheriff, from 1930 till 2300, and admission is FREE!
Karl Lost (Phatndurty) and Ignition (Out-break) are the guest DJs at Kiss My Bass this month, joining residents Udy, Vol.1, Eratik Behaviour and Fotza at Southsea's Havana Bar this Saturday, 29th November, for another large portion of beats, breaks and electro goodness. From 2000-0100, with admission FREE before 2200 (£2 after). A selection of mixes, from both resident and guest DJs, can be downloaded from the KMB website.
Portsmouth trance night Deltawave will be celebrating its 11th birthday this Friday, 28th November, with a night of trippy tunes at The Fawcett Inn. Doors from 2000.
Club promoters Contact have organised a reunion weekender for legendary club Sterns this weekend, featuring many of the DJs from the original rave era. Amongst the DJs listed as appearing are Lenny D, Altern8, Bamo, Kelly Wainwright, Simon Bassline, Jackmaster, DJ Vibes, Dezert Rat, Skinny, Timmi Magic, Dreem Teem, Kenny Ken, Loomsey and Dr S Gachet. The music starts on Friday 28th November, running through till Sunday 30th, at Mill Rythe Holiday Resort on Hayling Island. Tickets are available in advance, via the promoters, priced at £30 (24 hour pass), £50 (48 hour pass) or £95 (full weekend pass, with accommodation). For more information, including a complete list of DJs appearing, check out the event's Facebook page.
The guest artists at Roger Courtney's Open Mike Club this week are local singer-songwriterLeigh Mary Stokes and acoustic folkster Pete Christie. The doors of The Barn at The Milton Arms will be open from 1900 tomorrow night, Thursday 27th November, with music from 2000. The Open Mike session follows from 2200 through till 2330. Admission is FREE, further details can be found on Facebook.
Put a fork in me, I'm done; today I have mostly been listening to St Vincent, Guillemots(who were rather good at The Pyramids on Friday) and Sigur Ros. Be sure to join me next week when I'll be poking it with a stick.
Moving swiftly on, here is the (albeit slim) pick of the forthcoming gigs from the back pages of this week's NME:
Ten Bears @ Boileroom, Guildford - 05/12/2008 Official Secrets Act @ Hamptons, Southampton - 08/12/2008 The Pigeon Detectives @ BIC (Solent Hall), Bournemouth - 09/12/2008 Dashboard Confessional and The Spill Canvas @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth - 17/12/2008
Unless I'm otherwise engaged imbibing ales in a seedy hostelry in Pompey, idly tapping my foot along to the beat whilst trying to attract the barkeep's attention for a refill, I'll try and find some time to populate the forlorn looking SoMC Events Calendar with the above gigs (honestly, you'd think I'd have run out of lame excuses by now, wouldn't you?). To keep you going here are a selection of events occurring here and abouts over the next seven days...
20/11/2008 John Otway & The Big Band @ Komedia, Brighton Big Squirrel, The Reactor Core Is Beautiful and Tortoiseshell Male @ The Fat Fox, Portsmouth Gentleman Tim & The Contenders @ The Platform Tavern, Southampton Hayley Westenra @ BIC (Pavilion), Bournemouth POSTPONED! (now 04/03/2009) Show Of Hands, Miranda Sykes and Ruarri Joseph @ The Brook, Southampton The Bays and The Heritage Orchestra @ The Anvil, Basingstoke Dave Hawkins @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth James Morrison @ The Guildhall, Southampton SOLD OUT! Autokratz, Punks Jump Up and Benni @ Concorde 2, Brighton Good Time Charlies, The Reaktors and Eat The Document @ The Joiners, Southampton Bad For Lazarus, Fox Cubs and The Have It Your Own Ways @ The Railway, Winchester The Light Divided, Idiot 3 and Todays Eden @ The Talking Heads, Southampton Dreadzone @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth Roddy Frame @ Komedia, Brighton
21/11/2008 The Quarry, Screwed Up Flyer, Livers & Lungs and Olive Anne @ The Fawcett Inn, Portsmouth The Queens (tribute) @ The Brook, Southampton The Old Boys Network @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Recluse @ The Firehouse, Southampton The Kills @ Concorde 2, Brighton SOLD OUT! Gary Myles @ The Frog & Frigate, Southampton Phat'n'Dirty with Tom Mayhem (DJ), Eratik Behaviour (DJ) and Mitzy (DJ) @ The Edge of The Wedge, Portsmouth The Alistair Goodwin Band @ The Hobbit, Southampton Osibisa @ Salisbury Arts Centre Guillemots @ The Pyramids, Portsmouth White Lies, Hold Fast and Medison @ The Joiners, Southampton Gentle Bren (DJ) @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Peggy Sue, Alessi's Ark and Esben & The Witch @ Hamptons, Southampton The Bays and The Heritage Orchestra @ The Dome, Brighton Extreme, Hot Leg and The Duvals @ The Guildhall, Southampton Dreadzone and Subgiant @ The Opera House, Bournemouth Big Red @ The Talking Heads, Southampton To The Bones and Great Walls @ The Railway, Winchester
22/11/2008 Ezio and Polly Wood & Steve Pickens @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Dennis Rollins' Badbone & Co @ The Brook, Southampton This Way Up @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth Clare Teal @ Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton Go:Audio @ Concorde 2, Brighton SOLD OUT! Minus IQ and Exoterik @ The Hobbit, Southampton Night Of Treason @ The Fawcett Inn, Portsmouth Creep @ The Firehouse, Southampton Red Indie with Dr Watson (DJ) and Skidmark (DJ) @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Crystal Arcade, The Getaway Team and Lady & The Lost Boys @ The Joiners, Southampton Bang Bang Boogie with Pimpernel Jones (DJ) @ The Fat Fox, Portsmouth Nell Brydon @ Komedia, Brighton Jay Jay Pistolet, James St James and Thos. Henley @ Hamptons, Southampton Moscow Flyer, Capital X and Endless Dissent @ The Railway, Winchester Ryan Adams & The Cardinals @ The Guildhall, Southampton The Sensational Johnny Deps @ The Square Brewery, Petersfield The Fast, Delboy French, Installation and Science Of 8 Limbs @ The Talking Heads, Southampton Finch, Hexes and Shadows Chasing Ghosts @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
23/11/2008 Scouting For Girls @ The Guildhall, Portsmouth SOLD OUT! Ladytron @ Concorde 2, Brighton Kim Richey @ The Forge, Basingstoke Army Of Freshmen @ The Talking Heads, Southampton The Big Chris Barber Band @ The Anvil, Basingstoke Caimbo, The Vintones and Jo Webb & The Dirty Hands @ Boileroom, Guildford Miles Hunt & Erica Nockalls (The Wonder Stuff) and Loose Tongue @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Not Advised, Paige and Waiting For Sirens @ The Joiners, Southampton Champ Of The Day, Two Fingers Of Firewater and Wooden Bullets @ The RMA Tavern, Portsmouth James & Denovo @ The Hobbit, Southampton Gentle Bren (DJ) @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Claude Bourbon @ The Platform Tavern, Southampton Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds @ The Brighton Centre Gogol Bordello @ The Guildhall, Southampton
24/11/2008 Guns On The Roof, Sidecar46 and Capricorn Sister @ The Joiners, Southampton Nouvelle Vague @ The Corn Exchange, Brighton CANCELLED! Paul Gilbert @ The Brook, Southampton The Rifles @ Concorde 2, Brighton Primal Scream @ The Guildhall, Southampton Go:Audio, Sherwood and Tonight Is Goodbye @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth Shearwater and Radar Bros. @ Komedia, Brighton
25/11/2008 Rosalie Deighton & The Dirty Storys, Helen Andrews and Aitch @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Paul Gilbert @ Concorde 2, Brighton Ray Gun & The Adjitators @ Drift, Southsea Nick Tann, Slow Down Charlie and Dave Wheat @ The Edge of The Wedge, Portsmouth Alice Russell @ Komedia, Brighton Stu & Denovo @ The Hobbit, Southampton Lost On Landing, Mimi Soya, Splendid Eddie and Chubby Mother @ The Rifle Club, Portsmouth Soweto Kinch @ Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton This Year's Crisis, Rosenkrantz and Bandits @ The Railway, Winchester Ungodly Sacrifice, Alternative Carpark, Sinuism and Dred @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth Boy Will Drown, The Eyes Of A Traitor and Crestfallen @ The Guildhall, Southampton Allison Lickley @ Little Johnny Russell's, Portsmouth Tony Cox & Ryan Le Blanc @ Komedia, Brighton
26/11/2008 New Found Glory @ The Guildhall, Southampton I'm From Barcelona @ Concorde 2, Brighton Buddy Whittington @ The Brook, Southampton Keith James & Rick Foot @ The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth Stephen Fretwell @ Komedia, Brighton Brant Bjork & The Bros @ The Talking Heads, Southampton Dragon Eye Morrison, Insinerate and Hexagram @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth Lizzy Parks and Jamie Woon @ Komedia, Brighton
...and here are some others of note that you may want to add to your diary...
Sharleen Spiteri @ The Soul Cellar, Southampton - 04/12/2008 (tickets available from Wave105) The Bees @ Ryde Theatre, IOW - 07/12/2008 iliketrains, Jeniferever and The Strange Death Of Liberal England @ The Joiners, Southampton 09/12/2008 Red Letter Day and The Adamseed @ The Nell Gwynne, Portsmouth - 13/12/2008 Duke Special @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 13/01/2009 Late Of The Pier @ The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth - 20/02/2009
As well as the usual fine selection of tunes from Will Chump and Spikey Mark of the Southsea Mafia DJs, this week Waster also features live music from punkabilly outfit Radio City Riotand ska-punks The White Coats. If that wasn't enough then Chaos regular Ruby Soho will be spinning a set as well. Admission is £2.20 before 2300 (£3.20 after) via the main doors at Portsmouth's Liquid nightclub. Details of how to add yourself to the guest list (i.e. get in cheaper) can be on Facebook.
Havant Arts Centre again hosts Pure Acoustic, a showcase for local singer/songwriters, next Tuesday, 25th November. Artists interested in performing should contact the promoter, Jane Mack, whose details are available on the venue's website. Admission is £3 (£1.50 for performers) on the door, from 2000.
iLLuMIDanCe descends on Portsmouth's Guildhall Walk this Friday, 21st November, for another pounding evening of hard trance at the Venus Vodka Bar. DJs Coincidence, PGB and Tone will be joining resident DJ Cabin Boy, with music from 2100 through till 0200. Admission is £1 on the door; no ID, no entry.
Reggae rocker Son Of Man and local rock duo The Ex Patriots will be the guest artists at Roger Courtney's Open Mike Club at The Barn at The Milton Arms tomorrow night, Thursday 20th November. Doors open at 1900, with music from 2000 and the regular Open Mike session following from 2200 through till midnight. Admission is FREE, further details can be found on Facebook.
And the clock on the wall is telling me that's all I have time for this week; today I have mostly been listening to some classic Pearl Jam, Jimmy Eat World's latest and the new Kodiak Jack EP. Be sure to join me next week when I'll be teaching dogs to look up.
