Stiff Promotions at My Space
Details on upcoming gigs
Streamed tracks from upcoming artists
Further links to some of our favourite musicians

Check out the Stiff Space: www.myspace.com/stiffpromotions

Major Melon
Plus special guests God Send and In Like Flynn
The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth
Friday 25th July 8pm
£6.00/£7.00 advance/door

Formed in 2005 from members of the same family, Major Melon's delcious brand of hook-laden, pop-rock is all about good times and good songs no matter what the flavour!

With the recent tour support to The Frank & Walters under their belts the band return to The Cellars for their own headline show.

Check out Major Melon's music: www.myspace.com/majormelonspace

Check out God Send's music: www.myspace.com/godsendmusic

Check out In Like Flynn's music: www.myspace.com/inlikeflynnband

"Stayin' Out For The Summer"
Featuring Tiny Spark, Recreation and The Lonely Cardinals
The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth
Saturday 26th July 8pm
£6.00/£7.00 advance/door

Tiny Spark - surprise awaits... ;o)

Recreation are a four piece southern band produce raw indie/pop melodies stripped down to the core that will grab your heart and soul.

From acoustic jangly songs to up beat anthemic epics, these boys offer a diverse repertoire of songs that will grace any stage or cd collection.

The final line up was secured in March 2007 and since then have played most relevant venues in the South.

Have played The Carling Academy's up and down the country as well as a triumphent gig at the Shepherds Bush Empire.

Recreation are quite simply 'Recreation' Indie pop with a rocky edge with vocal similarities with Bono, Neil Diamond & Chris Martin. Big melodic songs with killer guitars.

"Keane with rocking guitars" (NME)

The Lonely Cardinals are two guys, two vocals, one loud drum kit, one dirty guitar and LOADS of superb, energetic blues/rock tunes!

Check out Tiny Spark's music: www.myspace.com/tinysparkmusic

Check out Recreation's music: www.myspace.com/recreationband

Check out The Lonely Cardinals' music: www.myspace.com/thelonelycardinals

Red Light Company
Plus special guests Loose Tongue
The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth
Sunday 27th July 8pm
£6.00/£7.00 advance/door

”Red Light Company storm into contention with an Arcade Fire-like blast of intense emotion.” (The Sunday Times)

Hotly tipped London based five-piece Red Light Company release a new single 'Meccano' on CD and two 7” vinyl singles through Lavolta Records on Monday 11th August.

Red Light Company released their debut EP 'With Lights Out' in May and had Zane Lowe from Radio One declaring RLC to be “a band everyone’s shouting about, so so good” in fact he liked them so much that he has booked them for a session to broadcast on Wednesday 13th August.

Jo Whiley also raved “a song that’s heads and shoulders above everything else, grabs your attention straight away… love it.”

With Lights Out' was also Rebel playlist winner on Steve Lamacq’s 6 Music Show and sold-out within days of going on sale, making it an instant collectors item.

Vocalist and guitarist Richard says of 'Meccano' “It‘s based around an imaginary conversation between two old friends and the distance growing between them as their lives go on. It’s about the regret of a passing friendship”.

Following support dates in Europe with Editors and Mobius Band and a headline tour of the UK earlier this year RLC have confirmed the shows and festivals in the UK and mainland Europe.

Check out Red Light Company's music: www.myspace.com/redlightcompany

Check out Loose Tongue's music: www.myspace.com/loosetongue

Watch Red Light Company on You Tube

Caimbo
Plus special guests The Levels, The Exits and Colonel Mustard
The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth
Wednesday 30th July 8pm
£6.00/£7.00 advance/door

Young British Rock band Caimbo who recently performed a successful set at the
prestigious Download Festival on June 13, look set to release their debut single, ‘Heart & Soul’ in late September.

Following a series of sold-out London shows at the Borderline and the Barfly, the band are putting the finishing touches to their first album, Electric Dreams, which is scheduled for release in early ‘09.

The album is being produced by Ben Mason (Arctic Monkeys, Razorlight, The Kooks) and mixed by Tim Palmer (U2, Pearl Jam, Robert Plant).

Caimbo are described by XFM as “R.O.C.K. in that old-school, big-hair, strutting and sweating way – a combination of cracking tunes, good looks, youth, and that inherent thing that makes some bands just spark and fizz on stage.”

Time Out predicts that Caimbo “could follow Razorlight into the charts"

Whilst Q states simply: “Hair Rock returns!”

Caimbo’s influences range from The Strokes and Kings Of Leon to The Rolling
Stones, U2 and The Police. “Our music is all about energy and vibe,” says 20 year-old frontman Leo Robarts, who formed the band in 2001 with three schoolmates: Piers Mortimer (guitar), Ali Sloane (bass) and Dave Cullen (drums). “We love playing live,” says Piers, “so to get a gig at Download before our first single is out is a fucking good effort!"

The band will be undertaking a massive UK tour in September to coincide with the release of their debut single Heart & Soul. The song was recorded in Spring 2008 at Ray Davies’ London studio Konk, where The Kooks recorded their album of the same name. “We just knocked it out,” says Piers, “and it turned into this epic rock song.

It really sums up what this band is all about: it Rocks, it’s got catchy lyrics, great drumming, groovy bass… and of course a classic Piers’ guitar solo!”

The album, Electric Dreams, will follow in 2009. Initial tracks were recorded at The Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, and marks Ben Mason’s debut as a producer with Caimbo. Leo explains, “Ben is quite young, in his 20’s, so he gets us. He has a real feeling for what we do.” Tim Palmer mixed the album in Los Angeles.

His previous credits include U2’s ‘All That You Can Leave Behind’, Pearl Jam’s masterpiece ‘Ten’, Bowie’s ‘Tin Machine’ and Robert Plant’s ‘Now & Zen’.
Caimbo are naming the album Electric Dreams because, as Piers explains, “It captures the energy of our music.” And as for the name of the band itself: it’s Leo’s slang for the city of Cambridge, close to where the band grew up.

“Caimbo is a made-up word,” he says, “so therefore it has no obvious meaning, and people won’t have any preconceived ideas about the band. The name’s like a good tune, once you’ve heard it, it’s stuck in your brain.”

Here's some nice things other people have siad about Caimbo:

"Hair Rock Returns! This largely teenage quartet from Cambridge come on
like McFly tackling the Guns N’ Roses songbook" - Paul Rees, Q Magazine

"A bright breezy and energetic sound that combines honest hard
rock with the stadium pretensions of U2's louder moments" - Jerry Ewing, Classic Rock/Total Rock

"They are R.O.C.K. in that old school, big hair, strutting and
sweating way. The combination of cracking tunes, good looks, youth and
that inherent thing that makes some bands just spark and fizz onstage.
They played like it was Wembley and there were 90,000 fans singing all
the words. It's just a matter of time!” - Marsha Shandur, XFM Radio

"Young Cambridge rockers CAIMBO who sound incredibly accomplished
for their tender years and should follow Razorlight into the charts" - Time Out
MONSTERS OF ROCK! Meet CAIMBO our favourite new band…

Check out Caimbo's music: www.myspace.com/caimbo

Check out The Levels music: www.myspace.com/thelevels

Check out The Exits music: www.myspace.com/theexits

Check out Colonel Mustard's music: www.myspace.com/thelastlaughtheband

FreefallFelix
Plus special guests The White Coats and Splendid Eddie
The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth
Friday 15th August 8pm
£6.00/£7.00 advance/door

If you like ska... you're gonna LOVE this night!

Formed at the start of 2006, FreefallFelix spent their first two months together in the studio working on their debut self-released "The White Label EP".

Since their first show in March 2006 the hard work hasn't stopped for the band!! By September that year their bags were packed and they headed off around the UK for a month on their first headline tour - the aptly titled 'Take The Plunge tour'

December of their first year as a band then saw FreefallFelix support on dates of the very first 'Ska Is Dead' tour in the UK featuring Mustard Plug, Planet Smashers + Bomb The Music Industry.

Further writing came after that tour and then FreefallFelix went into the studio in January 2007 with Lester Woodward (Flood Of Red, Furthest Drive Home etc) at Ignition Studios in Finsbury Park to record the highly anticipated 'Meltdown' record.

'Meltdown' was released on May 4th with a sold out show in their hometown of Leicester and followed by another highly successful month long tour taking in most of the UK, which included prolific shows with bands such as Rx Bandits, Big D & The Kid's Table and Mad Caddies.

The band has also received airplay from Iron Maiden's vocalist Bruce Dickinson on his BBC6 radio show.

Check out Freefall Felix's music: www.myspace.com/freefallfelix

Check out The White Coats' music: www.myspace.com/thewhitecoatsmusic

Check out Splendid Eddie's music: www.myspace.com/splendideddie

Acoustix
Featuring Flis Pitman plus three other artists
The Square Brewery, Petersfield
Wednesday 27th August 8.00pm
Free Entry

Get an acoustic fix of original material from some of the area's developing artists and accomplished performers

Check out Flis Pitman's music: www.myspace.com/flispitman

Howard Jones
Rescheduled from Thu 12th June - existing tickets remain valid
For full refunds please contact point of purchase
The Studio@TPS, Petersfield
Tuesday 9th September 7.30pm
£18.50/£20.00 advance /door

There are few artists who came to prominence in the eighties who are as prolific and hard working as Howard Jones.

He seems to be constantly out on tour or creating diverse and superbly crafted albums in his studio in Somerset England.

In 2007 alone he released 3 albums and played over 60 concerts around the world including UK, USA, Australia, Denmark, Sweden, Italy and Dubai. 

In the early 80's Howard met David Stopps, promoter of the Friars Club in Aylesbury.

Stopps became his manager and he secured a residency at the legendary Marquee Club in London.

The rest as they say is history. Howard signed to WEA records and had a string of hits including 'New Song', 'What is Love', 'Hide and Seek', 'Like to Get To Know You Well', 'Pearl in the Shell', 'Things Can Only Get Better', 'Life in One Day', 'Look Mama', 'Everlasting Love' and 'No One is To Blame'. To date Howard has sold over eight million albums. 

Recently most of Howard's concerts are acoustic where he uses his superb ability as a songwriter combined with his well honed skills as a piano player to great effect.

Howard will be accompanied by Richard Boult.

Check out Howard's music: www.myspace.com/howardjonesmusic

Kirsty McGee & Mat Martin
Plus special guests
The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth
Wednesday 10th September 8pm
£8.00/£9.00 advance/door

A maker of delicate yet stubborn songs, an instinctive traveller, a human scrapbook.

Kirsty McGee’s songs show a depth and sensitivity, coupled with a dark, wry sense of humour that have earned her national daytime radio airplay and two BBC folk award nominations, not to mention a host of notable fans and collaborators such as Boo Hewerdine, Karine Polwart and Mike West.

Her ‘vaudebilly’ style combines traditional American instruments with a 1930s style sense of cabaret.

With this European tour which will take her to Belgium, Holland, Norway and Spain as well as the UK, Kirsty celebrates the release of ‘The Kansas Sessions’, her fourth studio album of original material, produced and recorded under a hard mid-west winter in Lawrence, Kansas, USA.

She will be appearing with long term collaborator and multi-instrumentalist Mat Martin.

Here's some nice words other people have written about Kirsty's music:

"Shivering, hollering, edgy, dark, delightful, disturbing, involving, beautifully phrased acoustic music' - The Living Tradition

"Perfect understatement - not an extraneous word or note" - Karine Polwart

"Absolutely superb, memorable... I love her songs, I love her way" - Bob Harris, BBC Radio 2

"A quiet triumph" - Folk Roots

Check out Kirsty McGee & Mat Martin's music: www.myspace.com/kirstymcgeeandmatmartin

Peter Conway
Plus special guest Rossco
Drift, Portsmouth
Wednesday 10th September 8pm
£6.00/£7.00 advance/door

Peter Conway is a smart figure of a man, immaculately dressed in suit and fedora, with a mischievous smile.

Peter Conway grew up, the youngest of four children, in Kilburn, north London.

His mother allowed him more than the usual freedoms when he was growing up and forging his career as a performer.

Music was not taught at Peter’s school but when he was 15 he felt compelled to pick up the guitar; the first chords he learnt were those to ‘House of the Rising Sun’ by the Animals.

For an entire year he played only this song, constantly experimenting with different sounds, rhythms and phrasing.

Not long after Peter started hearing his own music in his head, whole songs even, which lead him to begin writing. He played his first gig at the famous 12 Bar Club on Denmark Street in Soho, London.

Peter was ‘discovered’ sitting underneath a willow tree in North London strumming his guitar and singing his songs.

His soon-to-be manager’s wife wandered past and was so impressed by what she heard she went straight back home and told her husband. The rest, as they say, is…

In 2005 Peter and his manager set up Rainbow Hill Records and self-released the first Peter Conway EP ‘Consequence of Freedom’.

This pushed enough of the right buttons and after a deal with Sony/ATV, Peter signed through Rainbow Hill to Decca in 2008.

Anyone who has seen Peter Conway play live is a fan. His gritty, powerful vocals will make your hair stand on end and his passionate performances will leave you exhausted yet satisfied.

The tracks are rich with brass, organ and strings and yet his voice alone can fill the most expansive venue. His songs are a mixture of protest songs, personal battles and love stories. When you hear Peter perform you are left in no doubt that this is a man who lives his lyrics and means every breath of every word.

Peter Conway’s first EP under Decca/Rainbow Hill was released for download and on limited edition CD in June 2008.

Check out Peter Conway's music: www.myspace.com/peterconwaymusic

Check out Rossco's music: www.myspace.com/captainrossco

Amy Can Flyy
Plus special guests Minds Gone Blank
The Studio@TPS, Petersfield
Friday 12th September 7.00pm
£6.00/£7.00 advance /door

Four-piece, South Coast powerpop/electro band who are starting to turn some industry heads & ears.

Here's some nice words from other people about the band:

"Amy Can Flyy mix Blink 182 punk sensibilities with computer games! It's sounds like a gameboy's been possessed by an emo guitar! This is unbelievably catchy, and we're liking it a lot" - Kerrang! Radio

"Just like the dozens of other bands that have broken on the Pod Music Countdown, i'm sure that Amy Can Flyy will go on to great success!"
- Chris Doelle, Pod Music Countdown

"If the band blew up BIG, and I mean top 40 big, it would not surprise me at all"
- Punktastic

"Its nice to see a Uk band who aren't just trying to be like the Libertines"
- James Smith (Hadouken)

Check out Amy Can Flyy's music: www.myspace.com/amycanflyy

Check out Minds Gone Blank's music: www.myspace.com/mindsgoneblankuk

Comedy - Chris Addison
Plus special guests Zoe Lyons and Jeff Whiting
New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth
Saturday 13th September 8.00pm
£15.00/£12.50/£10.00 dress circle/stalls/upper circle

Star of Bafta-winning comedy ‘The Thick of It’, his own sitcom ‘Lab Rats’, BBC Radio 4’s ‘The Department’, ‘Chris Addison’s Civilization’ and ‘The Ape that got Lucky’, Addison has twice been nominated for the Perrier Award.

Chris's polite brand of observational comedy charms and delights audiences across the country. Winner of the Northwest Comedian of the Year Award 1997, Chris swiftly followed by an appearance in the legendary Comedy Zone at the 1997 Edinburgh Festival and in 1998 was nominated for Perrier Best Newcomer Award.

‘An electrifying hour’ - The Guardian

Also on the bill:
Special Guest – Zoe Lyons:

Zoe takes a sideways view of life,to provide a kaleidoscope of voices and faces throughout the act.

Compère – Geoff Whiting:

‘Geoff Whiting takes the stage with consummate ease and works the audience like a miner at the coal face, digging out nuggets of information to fuel his comedy.’ Independent on Sunday

Check out Chris Addison's site: www.chrisaddison.com

The 70's Meets 80's Show
Featuring Saturday Night Beaver & Skool Daze
The Lakeside Country Club, Frimley Green
Saturday 13th September 8.00pm
£12.50/£15.00 advance /door

All the young guns will be lost in music when Skool Daze and Saturday Night

Beaver hit the stage at Lakeside Complex in Surrey on Saturday 13th September with their combined “The 70’s Meets The 80’s” show.

Eighties tribute band Skool Daze has been performing across the south since 2004, wowing crowds with stunning versions of eighties classics such as Blondie’s One Way or Another and Don Henley’s Boys of Summer.

Saturday Night Beaver formed in 2003 and has quickly gained a reputation as one of the top seventies tribute bands in the south.

With a set list long and diverse, the band plays all the seventies favourites with incredible ease.

From the groovy funk of KC and the Sunshine Band’s Give It Up to Donna Summer’s Never Can Say Goodbye, they are bound to keep you dancing all night.

The five-piece band has grown from small beginnings to impressing thousands at the International Festival of the Sea, Volvo Round the World Race and Global Challenge.

It is not hard to see why. All members are sought after session musicians of several years standing and have international touring experience.

As well as all that, they have music qualifications to fill more than enough sheets of manuscript paper!

So whether you’re the one who’s first on the dance floor or crazy for singing along to all those old school hits, make sure you don’t miss out!

Tickets are £12.50 advance, available from the Lakeside Complex box office on 01252 836464 or by email: boxoffice@lakesidecomplex.com

Discounts available for group bookings (please call Box Office for details)

Check out Saturday Night Beaver's music: www.myspace.com/saturdaynightbeaver

Fraser Anderson
Plus special guest Ben Pinwill
Drift, Portsmouth
Monday 15th September 8pm
£6.00/£7.00 advance/door

Fans of Damien Rice and Nick Drake have a new artist to add to their list of favoured listening.

Born in Edinburgh and now based in Paris, Fraser Anderson is a hidden talent.

Certainly in an era when you cant turn round for a new, major label-signed singer-songwriter busking on every street corner, his name deserves to be up there with the front-runners.

Anderson’s voice sounds refreshingly untreated and in the raw and it’s bittersweet but hopeful, whether backed by just a lone acoustic guitar, a soulful Rhodes piano-led arrangement or rich strings.

At times Anderson’s debt to Nick Drake is almost overpowering, but this is still a million miles more personal and affecting than James Blunt’s entire oeuvre.

A major UK, TV station Channel 4 has recently approached Fraser to play on the launch of their new music show and Fraser has just recorded a session with Bob Harris, due to be broadcast in September.

Here's some nice words other people have written about Fraser:

"I was blown away by this album" - Bob Harris

"Simply one of the finest voices around". " - Pete Wishart (Runrig)

"Stunning" - The Scotsman

"Should be up with the front runners"  - The List

Check out Fraser Anderson's music: www.myspace.com/fraseranderson

Check out Ben Pinwill's music: www.myspace.com/benpinwill

Collapsing Cities
Plus special guests
The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth
Friday 19th September 8pm
£6.00/£7.00 advance/door

Collapsing Cities hail from Auckland, New Zealand where they’ve built a reputation with their brand of spiky indie post-punk guitar action.

The band’s debut single ‘Fear Of Opening My Mouth’ is a propulsive jaw-dropping proposition.

Collapsing Cities marry post-punk sensibility with great pop hooks and ‘Fear Of…’ reveals itself over several listens and is the first step in establishing Collapsing Cities as one of the most exciting new bands around.

Sharp lyrics and sharp tunes is what you get with Collapsing Cities.

The debut album ‘Elixir Always’ is due later this year. Those that have heard it can testify that this will be one of the debuts of the year.

‘Fear Of Opening My Mouth’ is released on Way Out West Records, the label that first brought artists such as Late Of The Pier, Cajun Dance Party, Laura Marling and Jamie T to prominence.

Check out Collapsing Cities' music: www.myspace.com/collapsingcities

Lupen Crook & The Murderbirds
Plus special guests The B of The Bang plus Loz Bridge & The Box Social
The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth
Sunday 21st September 8pm
£6.00/£7.00 advance/door

Usually, this is the bit where we humbly try to describe the artist's music.

But on this occasion, we're going to let you read through just a handful of the many plaudits from other nice people:

"Lupen Crook stands alone as one of the few artists around who seriously defies categorisation" – The Fly

"A bewitching talent" – Uncut

"Original and highly concentrated stuff" - Mojo

''To say the atmosphere of a gig rests on the proverbial knife’s edge is a rare statement indeed. For Lupen Crook and his band of ‘birds however, it illustrates just how captivating their agitated pop is and the stop start animation of the band can be visually seen to make its onlookers flinch with expectation'' - Artrocker

''Utterly compelling'' - NME

''Indisputible genius, sublime stuff'' - The Fly

"… an air of insanity and a genuine edge-of-the-seat brilliance" – The Sun

''Indie folk heroes'' - The Sun

''The most original and unexpected sound of the week'' - The Mirror

''Their energy and performances have been amazing. Its nice to see them come into the sidewalk on tour and just blast the doors down. Bravo. Check them out!'' - Graffiti Board, Sidewalk, New York

Check out Lupen Crook & The Murderbirds' music: www.myspace.com/lupencrook

Check out The B of The Bang's music: www.myspace.com/thebofthebang

Check out Loz Bridge and The Box Social's music: www.myspace.com/lozbridge

Brian Houston (band show)
Plus special guests
The Studio@TPS, Petersfield
Friday 26th September 7.30pm
£12.50/£15.00 advance /door

It’s true to say that the best musicians aren’t always the ones who sell millions of records.

Often the most talented and dedicated performers are to be found playing nightly in venues up and down the country, touring in vans, selling CD’s of their songs for cash to pay for hotel rooms and food.

The very best among them will build a reputation and a fan base, allowing them to return to towns and cities regularly to play for people who appreciate their music and hopefully pick up a few new fans each time.

Brian Houston stands out even among these most dedicated of singers and performers, always putting on a show of great toe tapping rock & roll punctuated by his often self-deprecating banter.

Most of all though, what sets Brian apart is that, like some kind of pied piper he can appear in a town, play a show and leave with a whole new group of fans spellbound by his songs and good humour, a band of followers that grows with every visit and will be out in force to see him play for the third time in a little over a year in Petersfield!

Born and raised in Belfast, Brian started his musical career in a band called Mighty Fall and coming time and again to within sniffing distance of the holy grail of young bands - a record deal!

When the band split Brian took a year out from music before starting to play his own shows and, with a small loan from a friend, recording a demo that led to a playwright using his songs as the basis of a play, repeated radio play in Ireland and tour support slots for Van Morrison and Elvis Costello.

Between gigs Brian locked himself away recording new music and learning how to publish and market his music himself.

In 2002 Brian was offered the chance to support a band from America as they toured England, despite the fact he would get no pay or expenses, the chance to play in new territory made him jump at the chance and, selling CD’s to earn himself money for food and somewhere to sleep he managed to break even on his first few tours.

More followed and at some stage, due to the help of the promoter who’d brought him over in the first place, Brian’s CD found it’s way to Bob Harris’ desk and Brian found himself being played on Radio 2.

From here on things began to pick up, with Brian landing gigs in bigger venues and met the producer Nigel Stonier, with whom he created the album ‘Sugar Queen’ which would feature acclaimed artists Thea Gilmore and Robbie McIntosh.

It quickly became Brian’s best selling album and picked up rave reviews in a number of top publications, Uncut magazine called Brian “A writer of considerable warmth and wit” while Mojo wrote that “Sugar Queen is bristling with hope joy love and fabulous songs”.

Now with the release of his new live CD/DVD Brian finds himself touring once again, earning new fans and playing to those who’ve already fallen in love with this unique musician.

Come and see for yourself just what they love about Brian and before you know it you’ll be singing along, tapping your toes and wondering just how soon he’ll be back again!

Here's some nice words other poeple have written about Brian Houston:

A great voice …… amazing songs…stunning title track, a great guitar style…..unique song writing voice not to mention wry touches of humour…this album should make Brian Houston a household name - Classic Rock Society

Sugar Queen is bristling with hope joy love and fabulous songs - Mojo ****

A writer of considerable warmth and wit - Uncut ***

Sugar Queen is an album filled with fantastic acoustic propelled songs – and excellent it is too! - Acoustic Magazine

Another immaculate example of Houston's conversational pop songcraft! - Belfast Telegraph.

An Irish treasure waiting to happen…..Houston’s brand of lively and passionate folk rock demonstrates his finely  tuned melodic sense and clever, astutely commercial writer’s ear…his shear exuberance as a performer…Houston is a natural communicator….an extremely unpretentious artist…..far from being a cheerful but vacuous crowd-pleaser…Houston ensures that there is heartfelt lyrical substance behind every song… a glimpse of his easy humorous rapport with an audience…ensures that a spin of this well crafted album invariable ends in a smile.  - Maverick Magazine ****

Check out Brian Houston's music: www.myspace.com/brianhouston

Spiers & Boden
Plus special guest Chris Ricketts
The Studio@TPS, Petersfield
Saturday 27th September 7.30pm
£12.50/£15.00 advance /door

Described by The Guardian as “the finest instrumental duo on the traditional scene” and twice winners of the BBC Radio 2 folk award for Best Duo, Spiers and Boden have made the genre of spontaneous, punky English folk very much their own stomping ground.

Loud, proud, and with just a few acoustic instruments, they create a multitude of textures upon which they present traditional stories and dance music which are as much at home on the main stage of Cambridge Folk Festival as they are in a lock-in at the local pub.

"Technically they stand head to head with the best of their generation...Jon Boden plays fiddle with an earthy vigour that's utterly compelling and sings in a frantic breathless manner as if the hounds of hell are taking lumps out of his backside, while John Spiers harmonises and plays urgent driving melodeon to a very high standard indeed...halfway to reinventing the style without even realising it…"  fRoots Magazine.

"Strong vocals, excellent musicianship, dynamics, drive and passion"BBC Radio 2 folk website.

John Spiers and Jon Boden have been consistently wowing audiences up and down the country for the last 5 years with their unique blend of traditional English folk song with a contemporary twist and hi-octane dance tunes which get everyone dancing.  Spiers & Boden now find themselves at the forefront of the new folk revival.

Their 5th album, Vagabond, is due for release via Navigator May 26th  2008 and the 11 tracks focus on the role of the itinerant and outsider, a theme prominent in a lot of traditional material, from ‘Robin Hood’ to the ‘Beggar Boy’.

Winners of the Best Duo category at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in both 2004 and 2006, and a Critic’s choice nomination at the BBC World Music Awards, John & Jon are also founding members of the wildly ambitious 11 piece Big-Band folk phenomenon, Bellowhead (Best Live Act in 2005, 2007, 2008, Observer Top 20 albums of 2007).

They have enjoyed a long-term collaboration with Eliza Carthy as The Rat catchers and performed on one of her Nationwide Mercury Prize nominated albums, Anglicana.

Jon Boden even managed to find time to release his own, self-penned album of contemporary indie rock songs, ‘Painted Lady’.

Jon Boden (singer, fiddle, guitar, stomp-box) follows in the footsteps of many of the great folk-singers with his theatrical style.

 At the same time Jon plays fiddle “with an earthy vigour that’s utterly compelling”. Jon was born in 1977 in Chicago, but grew up in Winchester.

He graduated in Medieval Studies from Durham and Composition for Theatre from the London College of Music.

John Spiers (melodeon, concertina) has taken the traditional squeezebox styles and blended them with his knowledge of contemporary dance music to create an infectious acoustic groove which sounds like folk music but has an amazing effect on the uninitiated.

Born in Birmingham, John grew up in Abingdon (home to one of the few truly traditional morris sides) with a morris dancing father who designed batteries and later did pioneering work in the Solar panel industry, and with a mother who was a big fan of Nic Jones and Martin Carthy.

He has a Masters degree in Natural Sciences from King's College Cambridge (Genetics), 4 A levels and a swimming certificate.

His other notable achievements  (ahem..) include appearing on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (playing the melodeon with Stephen Gately from Boyzone !) and being a finalist on the Young Krypton Factor.

“Anyone who needs convincing that the current folk revival is becoming as intriguing, varied and experimental as it was back in the 1960s should check out the remarkable career of John Spiers and Jon Boden. In just a few years, they have established themselves as the finest instrumental duo on the traditional scene, and the contemporary equivalent of Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick….”- The Guardian

Check out Spiers and Boden's music: www.myspace.com/spiersandboden

Hot Club de Paris
Plus special guests Hardly Heroes
The Studio@TPS, Petersfield
Thursday 2nd October 7.00pm
£7.50/£8.00 advance /door

Brothers Matthew and Alasdair Smith collided with Paul Rafferty sometime during the middle of 2003 whilst otherwise busy working shitty temp jobs and dicking about in a number of local bands.

They traded mix-tapes, played stake-raising games of record swapping (featuring bands like Owls, Storm&Stress, Pavement, Don Caballero, Joan of Arc, Les Savy Fav, Minutemen, Black Flag, XTC and Talking Heads etc) and found that their musical thoughts seemed be headed in similar directions.

By the time the autumn was upon them, they’d already formed a band called Hot Club de Paris (named after a well known bargain-bucket/service station Jazz CD compiled from the music of Django Rheindhart and Stefan Grapelli) and had set about writing their first set in a cold, damp room they had discovered sitting unused at the bottom of a rickety old warehouse.

Their songs were finally unveiled in their hometown of Liverpool in April 2004.

Early performances poked fun at the performances of the local bands they’d grown bored of watching and their approach gently mocked the usual po-faced execution of so called ‘experimental’ bands.

Their wonky free-jazz workouts were punctuated with 300mph wobbly prog-punk blasts and were met with either unfaltering admiration or downright distaste.

One journalist felt so unlucky to have witnessed their first show that he felt compelled to use the word ‘pretentious’ eleven times in his review.

Hot Club de Paris spent the rest of 2004 and 2005 honing their skewif pop punk songs and developing their experimental arranging style further.

They toured the country in the hours they could get off work, made shows happen in Liverpool and gathered momentum until the music industry decided that they might be a financially viable prospect, despite initially being put off by their rigorous DIY ethic and hands-on approach.

After a strew of A+R men passed through their rehearsal room and live shows, they signed with the London-based Moshi Moshi Records and finally recorded their long-awaited debut at Elevator Studios, Liverpool in early 2006.

After spending only 10 days recording the 15 songs that appeared on the record, the album was intended to be a document that captured the energy and fun of their live shows.

They plugged in and played and came out with an album packed full of short, smart and spiky time signature-laden pop songs.

Their first 7” single ‘sometimesitsbetternottostickbitsofeachotherineachotherforeachother’ sold out completely during the first week and their debut record ‘Drop It ‘til It Pops’ was met with critical acclaim in the UK and across Europe when it was released in October 2006.

During 2006 and 2007, Hot Club de Paris toured with bands such as Maximo Park, Jamie T and Dirty Pretty Things as well as numerous headline tours where they constructed bills that introduced their favourite bands from British DIY (That Fucking Tank, Safetyword, Johnny Foreigner, DARTZ!, goFASTER>>, Elle S’appelle etc) to their new growing audiences.

The album was toured extensively across the world. Highlights included performing shows in India as part of an initiative organised by the British Arts Council in Mumbai, selling out the Scala in London on their first headline tour of the UK and a drunken sell-out fortnight in Germany.

The spring and summer of 2007 saw the band finally arrive home in Liverpool to begin work on the follow-up to Drop It Til It Pops.

The ideas came thick and fast. The music pouring out of their new rehearsal room at Elevator studios was technical and mathy but retained all the pop song sing-a-long refrains of their previous record.

Their uses of time signatures became more complex and challenging but were far less jerky and jarring than those used in their previous material.

The astute lyrics continued to span their usual vast breadth of subject matter covering topics from dead lakes where life refuses to live to haunted houses and good parties gone bad.

After endless deliberation over the choice of producer, they settled with Chicago resident Brian Deck.

Previously working with Modest Mouse, Ugly Cassanova, Iron and Wine, Sea and Cake, Chin Up Chin Up, Mr Deck was no stranger to making records with pop bands with experimental tendencies.

The band boarded the plane in October 2007 and spent 7 weeks at Engine Studios, Chicago recording the songs they had written that previous summer. They came home with a record showcasing the organism that Hot Club de Paris had developed into over the last few years.

The resulting record is called Live at Dead Lake and came out in June 2008 on Moshi Moshi Records.

Check out Hot Club de Paris music: www.myspace.com/hotclubdeparis

Check out Hardly Heroes music: www.myspace.com/hardlyheroes06

Martin Simpson
Plus special guest support Will McNicol
The Studio@TPS, Petersfield
Friday 3rd October 7.30pm
£15.00/£17.50 advance /door

MARTIN Simpson’s mantelpiece must be groaning under the weight of major awards.

He’s a multiple winner of BBC Radio 2 folk awards, bagged an Indie award for his album Cool and Unusual and a lifetime achievement award from an international guitar festival.

He was heavily influenced by Martin Carthy, Davey Graham and Richard Thompson growing up during the folk revival of the 60s.

Simpson is now widely recognised as one of the finest acoustic finger style and slide guitar players in the world.

Check out Martin's music: www.myspace.com/martinsimpson1

Check out Will McNicol's music: www.myspace.com/willmcnicol

Watch Martin Simpson on You Tube

Ezio
Plus special guests
The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth
Saturday 22nd November 8pm
£10.00/£12.00 advance/door

When a band can sell out a venue like the Shepherds Bush Empire without need of either management or a record label, relying on word of mouth and a fervent fan following, you know they must be something special!

In fact they were so proud of what they achieved that they recorded a live album in celebration.

When Ezio Lunedi and Mark ‘Booga’ Fowell joined forces in Cambridge, meeting at a music contest, they worked their way through every pub, club and even shopping centre they could find, playing to security guards and secretaries at record company headquarters’ in a bid to be noticed.

Ezio have come to the Cellars time and again and each time they play the tickets are snapped up, the crowd pack themselves in like sardines and they bear witness to one of the very best live bands plying their trade in the UK!

So good in fact that last year they played two nights back to back and the tickets sold out even quicker than normal!

Check out Ezio's music: www.myspace.com/eziouk

Watch Ezio on You Tube

Paul Jones and Dave Kelly
Plus special guest support
The Studio@TPS, Petersfield
Wednesday 10th December 7.30pm
£17.50/£20.50 advance /door

These long standing co-vocalists with The Blues Band get a big buzz out of taking things down a level, simplifying the music a little, and plying their trade as a duo, thus imbuing their very own personal and individual approaches to a dynamic,  rootsy and exhilarating set of Country Blues. 

Paul’s pedigree is unquestionable, having fronted Manfred Mann, followed by a successful solo career, forming The Blues Band and still touring with The Manfreds.  

Similarly, Dave has long been regarded as the best in the UK, achieving many accolades for his guitar work and vocals. 

He was voted Acoustic Artist of the Year in 1992, '94, '96, '97 and '98 by the British Blues Connection.  

Venues large and small have been hushed and then enraptured by the sense of ‘old times’ in the Mississippi Delta they create.

Check out Paul Jones's website: www.thebluesband.com

Watch Paul Jones and Dave Kelly on You Tube

Wilko Johnson
Plus special guests
The Cellars at Eastney, Portsmouth
Wednesday 10th December 8pm
£13.50/£15.00 advance/door

Please note: each of the three previous Wilko Johnson shows at The Cellars have sold out in advance

Rhythm and blues guitarist Wilko Johnson’s notoriously manic live performances have been 30 years in the making.

His unique style and dress sense - black suit and pudding bowl haircut - first hit the headlines as a founder member of 1970s pub rock pioneers Dr Feelgood.

The on-stage mania continued in Ian Dury’s Blockheads and since the early 80s his choppy guitar style and intense presence have fronted his own trio - the Wilko Johnson band.

The pudding bowl hairstyle has long gone but Johnson’s on stage antics still captivate audiences.

Canvey Island-born Johnson formed Dr Feelgood shortly after finishing university in Newcastle.

The band became a mainstay of the 70s pub rock movement and their live LP Stupidity hit number one.

The Wilko Johnson band features fellow Blockhead Norman Watt Roy on bass and former Curve and Jesus and Mary Chain drummer Monti.

Check out Wilko Johnson's: www.myspace.com/wilkojohnson

Watch Wilko Johnson on You Tube

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