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Band Biographies
Dr Feelgood biog
Formed on Canvey Island in Essex in the early 1970s Dr. Feelgood remains one of the most popular and
exciting live rhythm and blues acts in the world. The raw and uncompromising
style of their performance resulted in the album Stupidity that immediately went to the number one position in
the U.K. charts.
Dr. Feelgood have also enjoyed global success with a string of hit
singles including Roxette, Back in the Night, Milk and Alcohol, Down at the
Doctors, She Does it Right, Going Back Home and See You Later
Alligator – which gave the group their first gold record.
The last album to feature Lee Brilleaux – Down at the Doctors, was recorded
live at the Dr. Feelgood Music Bar on Canvey Island, (now the site of the
Oysterfleet Hotel) just two months before he died.
The current line up features the rhythm section Kevin Morris on
drums and Phil Mitchell on bass, approaching 27 years in the band and Steve
Walwyn on guitar who has been with the band for 20 years. Vocalist Robert Kane (formerly of the
Animals) is the most recent addition – joining in 1999.
In 2000 EMI records released Chess Masters, Dr. Feelgood’s
tribute to the Chess Label, home to many of the finest blues artists of the 20th
century and the first album to feature Robert on vocals and harmonica.
Recent releases include a DVD – Live in London and CD Repeat
Prescription – a collection of some of the bands most enduring songs but
with a fresh approach.
Julien Temple’s film Oil City Confidential released on 2nd February 2010 tells the story of
the bands formative years featuring the Wilko Johnson era.
The band continues to tour extensively throughout the World.
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The Beat biog
Formed in the working class suburbs of industrial Birmingham in England in 1978 The
Beat arose at a time of high unemployment and social upheaval. From the outset
the band offered messages of hope and peace with an insight into sociopolitical
topics would later alongside The Specials see them heralded as forerunners of
the whole 2-Tone Ska movement
Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling led with vocal duties while Andy Cox and David Steele
took guitar and bass duties with Everett Morton supplying the most distinctive
of drumming styles. Added to this mix was the renowned saxophonist Saxa, adding
the deliciously warm Jamaican ska instrumental flavour that is forever
associated with the bands sound. Having played saxophone with Prince Buster,
Laurel Aitken and Desmond Dekker in the first wave of ska The Beat on formation
seemed to immediately come of age.
The Beat’s first single was the infectious cover of Smokey Robinson’s ‘Tears of
A Clown’ which on release went straight into the National Top 10 at No.6.
The record, an effortless like fusion between a number of different musical
styles such as Ska, Punk, Pop, Soul and Reggae, immediately saw the band
finding themselves an overnight success.
Further hit singles from the first album included ‘Mirror In The Bathroom’, ‘Can’t
Get Used to Losing You’, ‘Hands Off… She’s Mine’ and ‘Best
Friend’, and with a catalogue such as this it was easy to see why the The
Beat would become one of the most popular recording and live acts in the UK.
Huge radio airplay followed in the US which saw The Beat head stateside and then
further with world tours alongside some of the biggest performing artists such
as The Clash, The Police, REM, Talking Heads, The Pretenders and
of course The Specials.
While The Beat could deliver with what almost seemed effortless ease songs of Love,
Peace and Unity. Songs such as ‘Stand Down Margaret’ saw them spearhead
a movement wanting real social change and multicultural inclusion. The
thousands that sang along in unison with the band at nuclear disarmament
marches bear testament to the uplifting feeling the band could evoke with their
musical swagger and genuine care for humanity.
After 3 Gold and Platinum top selling albums worldwide with ‘I Just Cant Stop It’,
‘Wh’appen’, and ‘Special Beat Service’ – The Beat’s musical
fluidity and openness, delivered in their explosive all encompassing live shows
allowed them to reach hundreds of thousands of fans across the world,
communicating positivity and freedom through not only their music, but their
actions and genuine commitment to causes.
Almost in reaction to the height of their fame The Beat to the disbelief of many
disbanded with Ranking Roger and Dave Wakeling forming General Public with
Mickey Billingham of Dexys Midnight Runners and Andy Cox and David Steele
putting together the Fine Young Cannibals. Though both enjoyed phenomenal
success, no other artist has sounded like The Beat or indeed is ever likely
too. Ranking Roger also briefly joined Mick Jones’ post-Clash band Big Audio
Dynamite injecting his toasting and vocal style that to this day remains his
trademark.
After numerous offers to return to the stage The Beat returned in 2003 for a sell out
show at The Royal Festival Hall with the inclusion of Ranking Jnr taking vocal
duties to an accolade of critical acclaim. With Dave Wakeling heading to the US
Ranking Roger alongside Everett Morton, Ranking Jnr and Mickey Billingham
returned to their roots with deeper rhythms, a wall of sound that transcends
time and an unwavering dedication to real unity and love that leaves the future
still to be written, there can be no question…The Beat are back!
Fish biog
In 2011 Derek W Dick, better known as Fish, will rack up 30 years as a singer since joining Marillion in
Aylesbury in 1981. His powerful identifiable presence on and off stage was a
major factor in their worldwide success. He left them in ’88 to pursue a solo
career and return to live in his home country, establishing himself in
Haddington, East Lothian, and building his own recording studio where he still
lives today
This summer will see the writing and recording of his next studio album “A Feast of Consequences” and
this will coincide with his first countrywide tour of the UK in years. Some of
this new material will debut on the tour.
He returned to live performances last Summer with acoustic shows featuring his long term friends
and musicians Frank Usher on guitar and Foss Paterson on keyboards playing
stripped down acoustic versions of songs from throughout his career in preparation
for the writing sessions for his new studio album.
By the time he begins the tour he will have completed over 100 shows in a format which had originally intended to be a reintroduction to live work but which has captured the imagination of
his fans and taken him across Europe followed by rave reviews and a
re-examination of his work as a singer and writer as well as a consummate
performer whose act is both dramatic, comedic and hugely entertaining on all
levels
Backed by Frank and Foss , who have both played in John Martyn’s celebrated line ups, the deconstruction of songs from the Marillion era like “Fugazi” and Incubus” and “Jigsaw” stand well
together in an acoustic format with classics “Kayleigh” and “Lavender” while
the solo years are represented with “State of Mind”, ”A Gentleman’s Excuse Me”,
”Brother 52”, “Just Good Friends”, ”Zoe 25” and the epic “Vigil” in a set that
embraces a recording career which includes 13 studio albums.
The acoustic versions take on a new majesty and intimacy, shining a new light on his song writing talents
and, together with Fish’s stories and anecdotes, come together to make a fascinating
and rewarding evening of entertainment that shouldn’t be missed.
DODGY biog
worldwide, released three albums and 12 Top 40 singles, including 3 Top 10s and the Top 5 hit Good Enough, still a staple of the Radio 2 playlist; sold out the Brixton Academy for three nights in a row and were awarded an unprecedented 90-minute Saturday evening slot on the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival in 1997 just before Radiohead. Not bad, considering that they also partied harder than an Ewok.
signing to A&M Records, around the same time as they inked a publishing deal after they made two A&R men battle for their signatures in a pub video football competition. The partnership with A&M generated three albums of life affirming, beautifully crafted songs – The Dodgy Album (1993), Homegrown (1994) and Free Peace Sweet (1996).
and still does, working with troubled, “difficult” kids which the mainstream schooling system has almost given up on – bringing them into his studio, writing songs with them, finding out what they’re good at and trying to make them feel that they are not ‘worthless’.
into the set, slowly and surely building up enough songs for new album which they are recording in Malvern and getting mixed in Denton, Texas by Matt Pence who mixed the John Grant and Midlake albums, amongst others
last one… and that was brilliant. The fans deserve it, they’ve waited long enough, so they don’t mind waiting a bit longer”
choruses and stronger melodies, recorded mainly over the month of May in an old farmhouse in Malvern, the original members, Nigel Clark, Andy Miller and Mathew Priest have recorded their best work to date.
based on an old Malvern myth about a pissed off monk.
Records to coincide with the tour in Autumn.
Michelle Shocked biography
Michelle Shocked was born Michelle Johnston in Dallas, TX, in 1962, where she spent her early childhood traveling around army bases. In 1977, she ran away from her Mormon fundamentalist mother to live with her father, who introduced
her to country bluesmen Big Bill Broonzy and Leadbelly, as well as contemporary songwriters Guy Clark and Randy
Newman. She spent the next several yearsexploring the folk underground, spending the early ’80s in Austin, where she
began honing her own songwriting skills. After dropping out of the University of Texas, she moved to San Francisco, where she quickly embraced the city’s punk scene. When she returned home, her mother had her committed to a psychiatric hospital. She was released when her insurance ran out. Her treatment included electric shocks hence the adoption of her stage name. Shocked left Texas in 1983, travelled throughout the U.S., and became an activist in the squatter’s movement in New York. In 1984, she moved to Amsterdam.
In 1986, Shocked returned to the U.S. and, while volunteering at the KerrvilleFolk Festival, English producer Pete Lawrence was impressed by her campfire-side playing and recorded her on his Sony Walkman. The recordings surfaced in the fall of that year as The Texas Campfire Tapes on Cooking Vinyl Records and became a surprise hit in England, eventually topping the independent charts. The success led to her signing with Mercury Records in 1988. Short Sharp Shocked, produced by Pete Anderson in 1988, displayed even more talent, combining the informal, tradition-rooted folkiness of The Texas Campfire Tapes with a strong postmodern feminist perspective and punk attitude. The album quickly earned her respect among the alternative community and critics. In an unexpected move, Shocked returned in 1989 with Captain
Swing, a ’40s-style big band swing outing that surprised her fans initially but had no shortage of strong material. In
1992, she took something of a step back with Arkansas Traveler, a rootsy collection of songs based on the blackface minstrelsy that covered all forms of early American, homegrown music. In 1993, Mercury finally became fed up with her confusing style jumping
and refused to release her proposed gospel album. She then left on a solo tour, selling her newly recorded, independently produced (with Tony Berg) Kind Hearted Woman. Late in 1995, Shocked began legal action against Mercury Records to break her contract.
By 1996, Shocked was released from Mercury and embarked on the First Annual Underground Test Site Tour, with Fianchna O’Braonain. Another independent release, Artists Make Lousy Slaves, was sold at the shows. Kind Hearted Woman was picked up for commercial re-release by Private Music in 1996, and as a condition of her release from Mercury, her old label released a “best-of” compilation, Mercury Poise: 1988-1995, the same year. After laying low for several years, in 2002 Shocked re-emerged with a new album, the gospel-influenced Deep
Natural, and her own record label, Mighty Sound. In addition to releasing new work from Shocked, Mighty Sound began a program of expanded reissues of her back catalogue, which she gained control of following her release from Mercury. In mid-2005, Shocked audaciously released a new trilogy of very different albums all on the same day, June 7: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Mexican Standoff, and Got No Strings. Mighty Sound also made the three albums available as a set called Threesome. To Heaven U Ride, a collection of covers and originals recorded live from Shocked‘s 2003 performance at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, appeared in 2007, followed by Soul of My Soul, an all-new set of originals in 2009. 2010 saw the launch of her ROADWORKS project - a 5 year touring project which curates
audience’s favourite songs while developing new, unreleased material.
The Blockheads biography
In 2009, The Blockheads – one of punk and new wave’s best loved bands, returned to the studio to record a brand new album “Staring Down The Barrel” for EMI Records.
Originally known as Ian Dury & The Blockheads – the current line-up, consisting of four of the original members; Chaz Jankel (piano, guitar), Mick Gallagher (keyboards), Norman Watt-Roy (bass) and John Turnbull (guitar), are joined by Derek Hussey (vocals), Dylan Howe (drums) and Gilad Atzmon (sax)
With music written by Jankel (who wrote the music for the hit singles, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, and Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick), the lyrics are penned by new Blockheads vocalist, Derek Hussey (aka Derek The Draw), Dury’s personal minder from 1990-2000.
The album’s release coincided with the 30th Anniversary of “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick” that reached No.1 in the UK singles chart in 1979, selling in excess of 1 million copies.
Classics from the band’s repertoire, such as “Clevor Trever”, “Sweet Gene Vincent”, “What A Waste”, and “Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 3” feature in the band’s set lists to this day, and have most recently been aired at Glastonbury. Other festivals have included The Big Chill, Cornbury Festival, Madstock at Victoria Park, Rewind Festival in Henley, Retrofest in Ayrshire and the De Montfort Hall’s award winning Summer Sundae Festival.
The unconventional film biopic about the iconic Ian Dury, entitled “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” starring Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings) as Ian Dury, and also Ray Winstone, Mackenzie Crook and Naomie Harris, was released on January 8 2010. Jankel was the music producer and The Blockheads recorded tracks for the film soundtrack. The film, along with an award winning Radio 2 documentary about the band, and a new biography about Ian by Will Birch, tied in with the 10th anniversary of Ian Dury’s passing.
Ian Dury owed his brilliance to no one. But he owed his stardom to The Blockheads The Word
Staring Down The Barrel is a great, adult album full of good tunes, witty lyrics, steaming great grooves bbc.co.uk
Given the times, those ancient Blockheads sound more here-and-now than anyone Uncut
It sounds like vintage Blockheads Record Collector
Dury would be proud Mojo
THE BAD SHEPHERDS Biography
‘Punk songs on folk instruments – genius’
The Bad Shepherds are:
ADRIAN EDMONDSON (Vocals, ‘thrash mandolin’)
Ade is best known as a comedian in The Young Ones, Bottom, and The Comic Strip Presents. Though he’s no stranger to the music world having played the Monsters of Rock and Reading Festivals with Bad News, the Hootenanny with Jools Holland, Hyde Park with The Who, and he’s toured with The Bonzo Dog Doo-dah Band. He’s also had a No 1 single with Cliff Richard! And as a director he made lots of music videos in the 80’s for the likes of The Pogues, Squeeze, Elvis Costello and 10,000 Maniacs.
TROY DONOCKLEY (Uillean pipes, cittern, whistles, vocals)
Troy has built up a formidable reputation as both a Composer/Arranger/ Musician/Performer and as a leading virtuoso of the Uilleann Pipes. He’s released three critically acclaimed solo albums, is a member of Iona, and also finds time to record and tour with the likes of Maddy Prior (he has co-produced four albums), Barbara Dickson (produced two albums) Maire Brennan (Clannad), Midge Ure, Nightwish, Lesley Garrett , Roy Harper, Status Quo, Alan Stivell, Del Amitri and many more…
ANDY DINAN (Fiddle)
Andy won the All-Ireland Fiddle Championship… twice. He’s best known for playing with Toss the Feathers and Mike McGoldrick, but he’s also supported Dervish, Lunasa, Capercaillie and solo artists Martin Hayes and Liz Carroll. He recently performed at the Armagh Pipers club Festival with Mike and Ian Fletcher with a new project involving Portuguese, Brazilian and Irish music.
WHAT ARE THE BAD SHEPHERDS?
The Bad Shepherds play punk songs on folk instruments. Not as a gag, but because they really like the noise. They think the songs are better than people remember. They love folk instruments. It works. They do songs by The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Stranglers, The Jam, Sham 69, The Undertones, The Ramones, The Buzzcocks, The Specials, Talking Heads, Squeeze and others, even Kraftwerk! Alright, they’re not all punk, but they come from roughly the same era. They’ve mostly given the songs a kind of Celtic feel, and they’ve stuck in the odd reel and jig here and there. But occasionally they just thrash! They’ve always thought the excitement of a reel taking off is the nearest thing to the excitement of watching punk live in the 70′s.
HOW THE BAD SHEPHERDS CAME TO BE…
Adrian Edmondson was a teenager when punk arrived. The songs of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Jam and The Stranglers were the soundtrack to his life through the late 70’s and early 80’s, and like a lot of people of his generation he was fond of playing these songs to himself at home on his acoustic guitar.
Cut forward to 2007: after a rather boozy pre-Christmas lunch in Soho, Adrian stumbled along Denmark Street, home of many alluring musical instrument shops, and whilst slightly inebriated, ‘accidentally’ bought a mandolin. Surprised to see it sitting there on his kitchen table the following morning he nevertheless picked it up, worked out a few chords, and started playing the same songs with a mandolin accompaniment – it sounded really interesting.
Adrian was touring with the Bonzos at the time and he took his mandolin along, and with Neil Innes on acoustic guitar, they had a go at London Calling in the dressing room. It sounded good, but Neil said ‘What you need are some shit-hot folk musicians.’
Adrian had seen Troy Donockley playing and had fallen in love with the sound of his Uillean pipes. He scratched around and got hold of Troy’s number. It seemed a bit bold, but after a couple of days of being worried how Troy might react Adrian gave him a ring. ‘Hi, this is Ade Edmondson, I’ve got this idea for playing punk songs on folk instruments…’ Slight pause. ‘That’s a brilliant idea, I’m in,’ said Troy. They talked for over an hour.
They agreed to meet for a couple of days to mess about with the idea. If it didn’t work they could just walk away. But within the first hour they knew they were onto something. In the two days they drank numerous beers, ate 2 curries and arranged 8 songs – and the band was born. The band has been through a few line up changes as Adrian and Troy sought the exact sound they were after, but Andy Dinan was a real find, and the three of them now form the core of the band with occasional guest musicians.
After a short tour in 2008 they made an album,‘Yan Tyan Tethera Methera!’ which was released in April 2009. It was a critical and a commercial success – the signing queue after their appearance at Cropredy in August 2009 was two hours long!
“…not just the hit of this festival [Leicester Big Session], but every other Festival this summer”
fRoots
BIOGRAPHY: Kings of Lyon
The Kings of Lyon are the definitive tribute to the Kings of Leon. Widely known as the best, the Kings of Lyon are astonishingly accurate and vibrant…
“The Kings of Lyon are the number 1 tribute to the Kings”
Stage 2009
“Four extremely talented musicians playing the best from ‘Youth and Young Manhood’ to ‘Only By The Night’ as only the Kings themselves could”
Belfast Empire
The Kings of Lyon played their debut gig in February 2009 at a venue called Rehab in Harrogate. The gig was a huge success, filling the venue to its capacity, and the enraptured crowd recalled the band for several encores. The band then played to a sell out crowd at a new 650 capacity music venue in Hull. The band took four bookings from this night alone for venues in Newcastle and Lincolnshire and received subsequent bookings for Universities in Canterbury, East Anglia and nightclubs in Essex and Norfolk. In 2010, the band is now selling out venues throughout Europe and the UK, performing an exciting live set encompassing all the hits and fans’ favourites from the Kings of Leon’s last four albums.
BIOGRAPHY: Coldplace
Coldplace are a Coldplay tribute band whose quality and experience on the tribute scene are second to none. With over 250 gigs across the length and breadth of the UK and in countries such as Malta, Dominican Republic, Netherlands and Ireland, and with reviews on SkyNews and the BBC, their reputation is rapidly spreading as the best and most authentic tribute to Coldplay.
Formed in 2003, Coldplace have an unnerving likeness to the real thing, especially in front man Shane Crofts whose look, sound and on stage movement and charisma bear an uncanny resemblance to Chris Martin himself. Thanks to this incredible accuracy, the musicianship, dedication and passion for Coldplay’s music, the band was quickly on the tribute circuit. Highlights include performing on the main stage at The Liverpool Street Festival to an estimated crowd of 30,000, two visits to the Caribbean, Huntenpop – one of the Netherland’s largest tribute festivals and numerous performances in Malta, including a support slot for Sir Bob Geldof. They have also had the great privilege of performing for England’s rugby world cup winning squad as part of Will Greenwoods testimonial, a fabulous night hosted by Sir Trevor Macdonald.
Their aim, as a tribute to one of the world’s biggest bands, is to capture the feeling of a live Coldplay performance, the music, the visuals, the energy and the atmosphere.
“Close your eyes and you’ll think it was Coldplay”
“Fix You brought a tear to my eye”
“Wow – they are brilliant. Absolutely faultless performance – really powerful.”
BIOGRAPHY: Letz Zep
Letz Zep is not an exercise in nostalgia, but of revolt against time, a heart rendering shout against mediocrity and forgetfulness, faithfully recreating the sights and sounds of Led Zeppelin at their awesome best and bringing the music of Led Zep to new generations.
Letz Zep is a band formed by talented, experienced and respected musicians who are all true Zep fans with a strong musical pedigree.Its members have toured with artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Roger Daltrey, Steve Hackett, Dr Feelgood and Uriah Heep – to name but a few.
All four members possess the considerable musical ability required to produce a completely convincing recreation of Led Zeppelin in their prime, complete with the “tight but loose” raw excitement which was the trademark of a Led Zeppelin concert.
Letz Zep are a touring force in the UK and Europe, where they play to packed houses and rave reviews, recently selling out the prestigious Madrid Heinekin Arena and The Melkweg Amsterdam, as well as a sell out night at Plaza Del Toro (The Bullring) in Madrid. Letz Zep are a popular act on festivals throughout the summer, having already appeared on over 20 Euro festivals, in places like Spain, Greece, France, Russia, Belgium, Holland and Ireland, as well as Venezuela.
“That was excellent! I’ve been hearing a lot about your band, we have a lot of mutual friends so stay in touch, I’d like to come to one of your gigs”
Jimmy Page
“Letz Zep are truly astonishing and are masters of the art of delivering live music the way it should be done, with feeling, integrity and talent”
Peterborough Herald and Post
“I walked in, I Saw Me!!!”
Robert Plant
“I’ve heard of you, you’re the band Robert went to see! Keep up the good work, and good luck with it”
John Paul Jones
“No Matter how little Led Zeppelin you may have listened too, this concert is one not to miss. Not just for the music, but for the excitement, the atmosphere and the whole aura surrounding those excellent performers onstage”
The Daily Telegraph
‘You can’t have too much of a good thing…here’s Letz Zep’
Jeremy Paxman BBC2 Newsnight
‘Plant may have turned his back on umpteen millions to reform Led Zeppelin, but he is not adverse to the odd moment of nostalgia. He’s personally checked out Letz Zep in concert. They’re a tribute act who were once threatened with legal action over using a photo of Plant on posters, before management relaised it was a picture of Letz Zep’s own singer Billy Kulke’
Virgin Media News
“…The Best tribute to Led Zeppelin”
BBC Newsnight
“Better than a Led Zeppelin re-union”
Kerrang!
“If you want to get the ‘Led out’ and Page and Plant are otherwise engaged, then the only real option you’ve got is; Letz Zep! Billy Plant and the boyz will take you through a roller coaster ride of all the classics like you have never heard them before and are unlikely to ever hear again, if Bob and Jim don’t start talking to each other soon, but that’s another story. If you can’t get the real brew, then this is the closest to the real thing that you are ever likely to see and hear, the playing is impeccable and the Band rocks just like the real thing. Brilliant!”
Janick Gers… Iron Maiden
“The closest you will get to the real thing”
BBC1 London News
“If you closed your eyes you really could imagine that it was Plant and Page up there. And if you opened them again the illusion didn’t really go away. The lead singer even seemed to have a length of authentic hosepipe down his trousers”
Jeremy Clarkson The Sunday Times
‘I’ve heard so many good things about your band, I have to come to your next gig’
Fearne Cotton TV presenter
“There’s a band on tour at the moment called Letz Zep They’re fantastic and I recommend you go see them”
Jonathan Ross BBC Radio 2
“You’re still the best”
Nikki Chapman – Judge Pop Idol
“Hey Man, that’s some f****ng voice you got there, you must be on f*****ng helium to get that f*****ng high”
Ozzy Osbourne
“Sounds amazin’”
Steve Winwood
“When I first heard the music of Plant and Page, I was disappointed that there would be no chance of seeing these legendary artists perform again, but I think that now I may have seen the next best thing”
Peterborough Telegraph