News
| Bez, Gary Whelan, Mark Day, Paul Davies, Paul Ryder, Rowetta and Shaun Ryder – the original line up of Happy Mondays are back together for the first time in over 19 years and will embark on an 11 date UK tour in May including a show at Birmingham O2 Academy.
Billed as the The Definitive Original Line Up UK Tour 2012 the shows will feature Special Guests Inspiral Carpets |
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Shaun Ryder says; ‘We all met up last week and some of the lads haven’t seen each other in over 10, 15 years. It’s as if we’ve never been apart – so good to all be in the same room again. We can’t wait now to get on tour and play the songs that made us famous.’
May 2012 Thursday 3rd Newcastle O2 Academy |
| Happy Mondays were first discovered by the legend Tony Wilson in the Hacienda and have become synonymous with the Manchester music scene.Since their first album Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out) which debuted in 1987 Happy Mondays followed up with two classic albums; Bummed in 1988, then Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches which went on to achieve platinum status in the UK alone. Expect to hear songs ‘Step On’, ‘Kinky Afro’, ‘Hallelujah’, ‘24 Hour Party People’ and many, many more.
For ticket sales please visit gigsandtours.com or ticketmaster.co.uk For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| Lostprophets have announced the release of their brand new album ‘Weapons’ and their first headline UK tour in two years. The new album is released on April 2nd and is followed by a 14 date tour of the UK and Ireland including a show at Birmingham O2 Academy.
Lostprophets is a band whose members have known each other since their school days in Pontypridd, South Wales, a group that were friends long before they became bandmates and colleagues. Through their four previous albums – 2000’s ‘fakesoundofprogress’, 2004’s ‘Start Something’, 2006’s number one ‘Liberation Transmission’ and last year’s ‘The Betrayed’ – the sextet have risen from the clubs of England to the stages of Wembley and other impressive arenas. |
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Almost by stealth, the band have grown, both in songwriting and success, stacking up a dozen or so top 40 singles and selling over 2 million albums worldwide. They have become one of the UK’s biggest rock bands without compromise or flirting with musical fashions, instead choosing to stick with what they believe in and constantly striving to do better, more creatively challenging things.
Lostprophets will be coming to the following venues this spring: April 2012 May 2012 |
| It’s been two years since the Welsh sextet released their fourth studio album, ‘The Betrayed’ (January 2010). Two very hectic years. After triumphant tours across the UK and Europe on which they played in front of tens of thousands of people, Kerrang! Magazine bestowed the prestigious ‘Classic Songwriters Award’ on the band, and it was time for Lostprophets to remind the world just how deserved that honour was.
Before the writing and recording process for fifth album, ‘Weapons’, could begin, 2010 needed to be closed out with a series of big experiences. As has become the norm, Lostprophets wowed the massive Reading and Leeds main stage crowd. They then went on to steal the show at Belfast’s Belsonic Festival and about a month later, were asked to participate in the opening ceremony for the Ryder Cup at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. Immediately following the Ryder Cup festivities, the band decamped to a private home in Norfolk for an initial round of writing. After Norfolk, Lostprophets moved back to the more familiar turf of Los Angeles to work on developing their existing ideas and creating even more monstrous ones. Studio work began in February 2011 at LA’s NRG Studios. Now, as 2012 kicks off, the band is ready to share their work with the world. For ticket sales please visit gigsandtours.com or ticketmaster.co.uk For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| Andy Kershaw, legendary Music Broadcaster, and one of the UK’s most decorated TV and Radio journalists, will be appearing in conversation about his life and widely acclaimed autobiography ‘No Off Switch’ at the Glee Club in Birmingham on March 13th | |
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Having already lived 10 lives to everyone else’s one, Andy Kershaw truly has no off switch. As a teenager he was promoting major rock gigs. He was Billy Bragg’s driver and roadie one day and presenting Whistle Test and Live Aid the next. Andy has won numerous awards throughout his career working for Radio 4 and for 15 years Radio 1, where he shared an office with John Peel. More recently a presenter on Radio 3, he has also worked for the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen. His record collection weighs seven tons!
A journalist at heart, he has often reinvented himself as a foreign correspondent for BBC radio news and occasionally made travel documentaries for Channel 4. He reported for the BBC from the midst of a volcanic eruption in Montserrat, where he had taken his partner for “a quiet Caribbean holiday” (the island blew up the day after they arrived) and, most memorably, from Rwanda during the horrors of 1994. |
| For ticket sales please visit Birmingham Glee Club or phone 0871 472 0400
For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| A new season featuring contemporary, jazz, folk, world and roots music from artists including Sierra Maestra, Laura Marling, The Portico Quartet, Jack Bruce, The Imagined Village and The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain amongst others is now on sale at Town Hall and Symphony Hall Birmingham
Between January and June 2012, the two world-class venues will present a programme of over 20 ticketed events and more than 40 free events spanning music from across the globe such as son Cubano, British trad-jazz, Irish folk, US country, Indian classical and many styles in between.. |
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Town Hall and Symphony Hall will also host performances from The Chris Barber Big Band and Acker Bilk and his Paramount Jazz Band, Martin Simpson Trio, Transatlantic Sessions, Demon Barbers: Time Gentlemen Please!, The Portico Quartet, Fairport Convention, Nanci Griffith, An Evening with Joan Baez, Caro Emerald, The Spaghetti Western Orchestra, The Dubliners, Charlie Landsborough, Roberto Fonseca + Ayanna, Kailash Kher with his band Kailasa, Don Williams and The Chieftains.
Paul Keene, Director of Programming at Town Hall and Symphony Hall, said, “2012 sees Birmingham’s internationally acclaimed Symphony Hall begin its 21st Anniversary celebrations alongside our continuing commitment to developing Town Hall as a world-class venue for wonderful and distinctive music-making. We’re doubly thrilled, therefore, to be delivering another season of exciting concerts featuring outstanding artists both new and established, whether it’s Laura Marling and Portico Quartet at the cutting edge of cool, or legendary musicians like Joan Baez and Jack Bruce.” In addition to ticketed events, music fans can get their fix of jazz, folk and world music for free at the weekly Rush Hour Blues and monthly Mid-day Mantra, Folk For Free and Sax in the City sessions in the Symphony Hall Cafe Bar. |
| For ticket sales and information on all events please visit www.thsh.co.uk or call the Town Hall and Symphony Hall Box Office on 0121 780 3333
For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| Metal icons, KOЯN have announced a string of UK shows for March 2012.
The band’s genre-pushing new album, ‘The Path of Totality’ was released earlier this month and sees the band collaborating with a laundry list of different dubstep artists and producers, to create a whole new sound for the band. The video for current single, ‘Narcissistic Cannibal’ (which is currently on the BBC Radio 1 playlist), can be viewed here. |
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2012 Dates include
MARCH 25 London O2 Academy Brixton APRIL Tickets go on sale at 9am on Wed 21st Dec from box offices, all usual agents and online at www.gigsandtours.com or www.ticketmaster.ie. You can also buy via the credit card hotlines on 0844 811 0051 |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| The Staves will be playing at Birmingham’s Glee Club on November 28th
The folk trio (all sisters) hail from Hertfordshire and will release The debut album is set to release next summer and it’s going to be |
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January 2012 23rd November – London Enterprise 24th November – Manchester Sacred Trinity Church 25th November – Belfast The Stiff Kitten 26th November – Dublin Academy 2 28th November – Birmingham Glee Club 29th November – Glasgow Stereo 30th November – Edinburgh Sneaky Petes 1st December – Leeds Nation of Shopkeepers 3rd December – Nottingham The Navigation 4th December – Bristol Start The Bus 5th December – Brighton The Hope |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| Ahead of the release of their new studio album ‘Fallen Empires’, Snow Patrol announce details of their 2012 UK Arena Tour, which runs through January and February next year.
Containing the hit single ‘Called Out In The Dark’ and current single ‘This Isn’t Everything You Are’, ‘Fallen Empires’ is released on 14th November on Fiction Records. Snow Patrol are singer Gary Lightbody, guitarist Nathan Connolly, bassist Paul Wilson, drummer Jonny Quinn, and keyboardist Tom Simpson. |
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January 2012 Fri 20th - The O2, Dublin Sat 21st - The O2, Dublin Mon 23rd - The Odyssey Arena, Belfast Tue 24th - The Odyssey Arena, Belfast Wed 25th - The Odyssey Arena, Belfast Fri 27th - Glasgow SECC Mon 30th - Aberdeen AECC Tues 31st - Liverpool Echo Arena February 2012 Weds 1st - Nottingham Capital FM Arena Fri 3rd - Manchester MEN Arena Sat 4th - Birmingham LG Arena Sun 5th - Newcastle Metro Radio Arena Tues 7th - Sheffield Motorpoint Arena Wed 8th - Bournemouth BIC Fri 10th - London The O2 Arena Tickets onsale Friday 11th November at 9am |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| The Naked And Famous will embark on a major UK tour in November.
Formed in New Zealand, in various Auckland bedrooms by David Beadle, Thom Powers, Aaron Short, Jesse Wood and Alisa Xayalith, The Naked & Famous took the DIY approach, writing and recording the majority of their music in those very same suburban houses. The New Zealanders picked up the Philip Hall Radar Award at the Shockwaves NME Awards in February as well as a place on the BBC Sound of 2011 longlist. |
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Their album Passive Me Aggressive You (Fiction) has received rave reviews as have their recent sell-out shows around the country. The Naked And Famous will continue their ascent after a full summer of festival action with a return to the UK for the following shows.
Wed 9th Nov - University Anson Rooms, Bristol |
| Tickets are £14 on all shows apart from London which is £16.50.
For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| Anna Calvi will be appearing at The Library, HMV Institute, on 4th November with support from Halloween Alaska | |
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Many see Anna Calvi’s muse drawing both eccentrically and eclectically on such diverse influences as Scott Walker, Gypsy Swing and French Post-Impressionist composers Debussy and Ravel.
So, it’s hardly surprising she attracts overwhelming critical acclaim and loyalty for both her eponymous debut album and bewitching live concerts. Bewitching indeed, for her dazzling, enchanting Siren songs, are complimented by her striking features and are sure to cast a spell over forthcoming, and increasingly sell-out, international venues. With a compact live backing combo comprising guitar/percussion/harmonium & drums, those already captivated by the album, and keenly clutching their golden tickets, can certainly anticipate an evening’s sweet surrender to enchanting musical imaginings and conspiracies of romantic, emotional blackmail. Expect her latest single, the haunting, Arabian spiced dronal ‘Desire’ to raise a storm, check it now on youtube |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| The Feeling - who have sold over two million records in the UK and established themselves as one of the UK’s foremost purveyors of exquisite pop music, will tour the UK in October | |
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The band make a very welcome return with the release of their new album, ‘Together We Were Made’, out now.
Their third album was recorded in frontman Dan Gillespie Sells’ home (and the band’s studio) – a converted East London pub decorated in glorious, post-WW11, end-of-an-Empire style and rechristened The Dog House. ‘Together We Were Made’ follows 2006’s multi-platinum selling ‘Twelve Stops and Home’ and 2008’s Number One album ‘Join with Us’. October tour: |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| One of the classic guitar bands, Manchester’s Puressence, will play at the Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton on 4th February
Puressence have always been about the emotion. Rollercoaster emotion, from the fragile to the euphoric. For years, they’ve been slaying fans with their songs, the best of which were included on their 2009 compilation ‘Sharpen Up The Knives’, which drew on the band’s Island Records years between 1996 and 2002 Their new album ‘Solid State Recital’ is Puressence, knives sharpened, back to their brilliant best. The album’s emotional intensity never lets up, from the anthemic artillery of ‘Raise Me To The Ground’ and ‘Our Number’s Oracle’ to the Motown-style pounding of ‘Solid State’ and the soaring slowburn of ‘Burma’ and ‘In Harm’s Way’. |
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Puressence have had more than their share of diehard fans. Those with the same life-and-death commitment shown to bands like The Smiths. But when the fan is a luminous American folk-rock legend, with over 50 years in the business of music, that’s something else. Step forward Judy Collins. And what exactly seduced such a venerated goddess? To begin with, frontman James Mudriczki.
“Where did he learn to sing like that?” she wonders. “His voice is an instrument of such clarity and purity and flexibility, it just does you in. He’s got a range that just goes forever. And I love that Manchester sound! They’re such a moving experience.” “The biggest compliment we can have is that our songs move people,” James underlines the band’s game plan. “If you don’t strive for that emotional sweet spot, then you should give up.” |
| Tickets priced £12.00 are available from Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at www.wolvescivic.co.uk.
For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| To coincide with the release of their new single Stay Gold, The Big Pink announce their return to the live circuit with their first UK tour in over a year
Happening this November, they will be headlining nine shows with support coming from tipped London duo 2:54 (all dates except Leeds. |
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The Big Pink recently confirmed that their long-awaited second album, Future This, is to be released in January 2012. Last week saw the first single, ‘Stay Gold’, being given its world premiere on ZaneLowe’s Radio 1 show with the accompanying video then being aired from the band’s website, www.musicfromthebigpink.com.
Dates include: November Mon 14-Nov-2011 - Manchester Academy 3 – 0161 832 1111 Tickets are on sale Friday 23 September 2011 @ 9am |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| Rapidly becoming known for being Birmingham’s best new band I Spy Strangers will be embarking on a headline tour this September | |
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From self releasing the EP ‘Set Your Sights On The Sky,’ to having played numerous gigs around the UK and sharing the stage with some of the UK’s finest acts. They have honed their craft in a big way and released their debut album ‘The Kind of Dirty You Can’t Wash Off’ in May 2011 on Second City Sinners Records. The album is 12-tracks of storming rock tunes, filled with huge choruses that will grab you on the first listen.
The band is hitting the road this September for their headline tour. Dates as follows: 01.09.11 Camden Barfly, London 16.09.11 The Pool, Neath 17.09.11 Man On The Moon, Cambridge 18.09.11 The Well, Leeds 19.09.11 Soundhouse, Leicester 21.09.11 Stereo, York 22.09.11 The Flapper, Birmingham 02.10.11 Retro Bar, Manchester Doors at 7pm. Tickets available at www.ticketweb.co.uk |
| As the summer comes to an end folks at Birmingham Live are spreading our wings to cover live music in all sorts of places from Holmfirth to Leicester and Northampton. For full details of these and our usual local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all reviews and comment | |
| Shambala are pleased to announce a tantalizing taster of the stellar music line up for 2011:
Lamb. Johnny Clarke, The Bollywood Brass Band, The Correspondents, Red Snapper, Engine Earz Experiment, Congo Natty featuring Tenor Fly, Nick Harper, Beth Rowley, Willy Mason, The 17 Hippies are all now confirmed, giving an idea of must-see musicians taking to the Shambala stages this year. |
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Small, yet perfectly formed- Shambala Festival has blended music, art, creativity and participation into perfect, bite size chunks of brilliance for well over a decade.
Set across 4 days on the August Bank Holiday weekend, the variety and quality of entertainment on offer is staggering for a festival of its size. With over 200 diverse musical acts across 12 live stages, world-class cabaret, stand-up comedy, inspirational talks and debates, jaw dropping circus and acrobatics, interactive theater and nationally acclaimed poetry all housed in beautifully crafted venues. |
| The complete line up is kept under wraps, but a few gems included in this year’s program of world class acts include; LAMB, with material from their new album “5”; Jamaican roots reggae legend JOHNNY CLARKE; the infectious party spirit of THE BOLLYWOOD BRASS BAND; the relentless energy of Shambala favourites, THE CORRESPONDENTS; RED SNAPPER, who have just dropped their first album in 11 years; the Asian infused dub-step vibes of the ENGINE EARZ EXPERIMENT; and Junglist legends CONGO NATTY feat. TENOR FLY.
Location:Kelmarsh Hall Event Site, Kelmarsh, Northants. Tickets from their web site: Adult Full Price £119.00 As the summer comes to an end folks at Birmingham Live are spreading our wings to cover live music in all sorts of places from Holmfirth to Leicester and Northampton. For full details of these and our usual local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all reviews and comment |
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| More names announced for The Alternative Stage at this years Reading & Leeds festivals | |
 Photographer: Hans-Peter Van Velthoven |
One of the most popular places to be at Reading & Leeds Festival is The Alternative Stage. The place to laugh, listen and let your hair down – this is the destination for the eclectic side of the festival. More names have been announced to join the likes of Mark Thomas, Russell Kane, Tim Minchin, Henry Rollins, Lee Nelson, Mark Watson, Rubberbandits and Andrew O’Neill.
There’s music from the hotly tipped DRY THE RIVER and PETE AND THE PIRATES, spoken word fused with hip hop from DIZRAELI and film with FUTURE CINEMA in collaboration with THE GUILLEMOTS amongst many other names. Just some of the artists confirmed for this year’s festival - which takes place on on Friday 26th to Sunday 28th August at Little John’s Farm in Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds - include: MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, THE STROKES, PULP, MUSE, BEADY EYE, JANE’S ADDICTION, 2MANYDJS, THE STREETS, UNKLE Sounds, SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO, MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES, DESCENDENTS, PETER DOHERTY, THE HORRORS, and THE MIDNIGHT BEAST. TICKETING INFO Weekend tickets £192.50 plus booking fees • Day tickets Fri, Sat, Sun £82.50 plus booking fee • Early entry permits £15 • Weekend ticket prices include camping. Credit Card line: 0870 060 3775 or online at: |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| A selection of global music stars will help raise the temperature to scorching at Birmingham’s Hare and Hounds this July and August, promising summer sounds, tropical beats, feel-good live experiences with plenty of funk, reggae, soul, jazz, hip-hop, disco, Afrobeat, Latin and Caribbean music on the menu, presented by Leftfoot.
Massive Attack co-founder and trip-hop pioneer Daddy G headlines a show with Birmingham’s rising Alternative Dubstep Orchestra, US hip-hop producer Pete Rock joins ‘Everybody Loves the Sunshine’ star Roy Ayers, Latin funkster and musicologist Quantic and his Combo Barbaro, and premier reggae collective Easy Star All-Stars will all perform at the independent music venue this coming July and August. |
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Grant ‘Daddy G’ Marshall (left), co-founder of influential UK group Massive Attack, was partly responsible for shaping the distinct, atmospheric and beat heavy sound of trip-hop in the early 1990’s, drawing inspiration from Jamaican sound-system culture whilst pushing the boundaries of vocals, instrumentation and music technology.
Following the success of Massive Attack’s fifth and well received studio album Heligoland, the producer and musician returns to the Hare & Hounds on Friday 22 July for a live show featuring local collective the Alternative Dubstep Orchestra who mesh dub, dhol drumming, ska, tabla, brass and much more, showcasing the very best of musical styles Birmingham has to offer. On 24 July, US soulful hip-hop producer Pete Rock will join legendary vibraphonist Roy Ayers and his band for a ground-breaking band, DJ and MC experience that will feature live sampling, beats and rhymes alongside performances of tracks from Ayers’ celebrated back catalogue. |
| Will Holland, aka Quantic, who plays at the Hare & Hounds with his Columbian jazz band Combo Barbaro on Friday 5 August, is one of the world’s foremost proponents of Latin, Caribbean and African flavoured dance music. The group’s recent album Transition in Tradition is a multi-cultural patchwork of cumbia, deep funk, tropical dub and many styles in between. In 2007 Holland moved to Cali, Colombia’s third largest city, to pursue his passion for both unearthing lost treasures from Colombia’s musical past and making new music with the golden array of talent available today. Now in 2011, in partnership with the city’s Soul Food Project Soundsystem, Quantic brings his heady mix of good time grooves to Birmingham, promising a night of rare sounds and infectious rhythms at the height of summer.
Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Beatles fans may already be familiar with the reggae collective Easy Star All-Stars, following the release of their best selling and critically acclaimed albums Dub Side of the Moon (2003), Radiodread (2006) and Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band (2009), the latter being the first reggae album to break the Billboard top 200 twice in twenty years. The New York based band, who have a rotating roster of musicians, released their first album of original material earlier this year. Support for their appearance at the Hare & Hounds on 10 August comes from Brian Travers (UB40) and Dubber. Fresh from working with Mostly Jazz and hosting three festival after parties featuring BBC R1 DJ Gilles Peterson, musician Matthew Herbert and BBC 6 Music presenter Craig Charles, Leftfoot continue to do what they do best in the city, following their 2010 celebration of 10 years presenting the best live global beat experiences in Birmingham. Listings: DADDY G (MASSIVE ATTACK) AND ALTERNATIVE DUBSTEP ORCHESTRA ROY AYERS & PETE ROCK QUANTIC AND HIS COMBO BARBARO EASY STAR ALL-STARS PLUS SUPPORT FROM BRIAN TRAVERS (UB40) AND DUBBER For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| The Wulfrun Hall will welcome back electronic pioneer Gary Numan to Wolverhampton on September 18th – in the same month that he releases his new album ‘Dead Son Rising’… | |
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As the well known English singer, composer, musician and electropop pioneer he is widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hit “Cars”. Numan’s signature style combines gloomy themes of depersonalization and alienation accompanied by energetic synthesizer work.
Continuing a recording career that began in the 1970s he’s set to release a new album Dead Son Rising followed by a 7 date UK Tour. He’s also recently collaborated on new album by Battles (on the track, ‘My Machines’) and South Central (‘Crawl’). On 10 December Numan will perform at the Nightmare Before Christmas festival curated by Battles. Then in 2012, he’s set to release another new album Splinter. Over the last decade, Numan has continued to mine a rich artistic vein with heavy, electronic rock albums such as 2000’s Pure, described by Kerrang! as a ‘dark and dysfunctional industrial album - if you like your melancholia dense and dynamic you won’t want Pure to end.’ Three years later he scored his biggest hit in years with ‘Crazier’, a collaboration with alternative artist Rico which was taken from his critically acclaimed Hybrid album. He’s also played a part in three massive worldwide singles - Armand Van Helden’s ‘Cars’-sampling ‘Koochy’; ‘Where’s Your Head At’ by Basement Jaxx (containing samples of two Numan tracks, ‘M.E.’ and ‘This Wreckage’) and ‘Freak Like Me’ by Sugababes, which utilises a huge chunk of ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ and became a UK Number 1 single. He continues to be namechecked as an influence, most recently by Magnetic Man, Wu-Tang Clan and Matthew Dear. As The Guardian recently concluded, ‘Gary Numan’s transformation from electro-clown into respected, still relevant pioneer is startling. It’s Numan’s overall sound that counts and for the most part that sound remains edgy and genuinely exciting.’ |
| Tickets priced £21.00 will be available from Friday 3rd June at Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at www.wolvescivic.co.uk
For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| The enduringly credible Magazine have anounced a pre-festival warm-up appearance at The Slade Rooms on June 30th. | |
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Magazine have always been the connoisseur’s choice and frequently name checked by some of the most gifted musicians of recent years including Radiohead, Morrissey, Jarvis Cocker & U2…
Magazine’s front man, Howard Devoto co-formed Buzzcocks with Pete Shelley after the pair had seen The Sex Pistols in early 1976 and promoted the now legendary Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall gigs. Devoto left in 1977, after the seminal ‘Spiral Scratch’ EP had been released, and created Magazine. Their first record was the post-Punk anthem ‘Shot By Both Sides’. Four ground breaking albums later and the band had parted company, leaving behind an influential body of work which was re-mastered & released by Virgin EMI in 2008. In February 2009 Magazine reformed to play a handful of concerts across the UK. It was the first time Magazine had played live together since 1980. The ‘Real Life + Thereafter’ shows quickly sold out and received widespread critical acclaim. In summer 2009, Magazine played ‘The Soap Show: Episode 2009’ at the Royal Festival Hall and Manchester Bridgewater Hall. They also played selected European festivals including Benicassim and Latitude. The band rounded off the year’s activities with appearances on BBC TV’s ‘Later… with Jools Holland’, ‘The BBC Electric Proms’ and released a live DVD/CD entitled ‘Real Life + Thereafter: Live at Manchester Academy 17.02.09’. 2011 sees Magazine return to the studio with an album and tour expected in the autumn. |
| Tickets priced £16.00 are available from Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at www.wolvescivic.co.uk
For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| Lou Reed, the legendary front man of The Velvet Underground heads to the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Friday 1st July for a must-see night of solo material… | |
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New York’s finest and one of the founding fathers of punk music. With The Velvet Underground, Reed and his cohorts broke of mould of underground music, re-fashioning it with his own style and panache. A highly influential and respected musician and composer, which such classics as Perfect Day and Take A Walk On The Wild Side to his name.
Tickets priced £35.00 will be available from 9.00am on Thursday 19th May at Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at Please note for all you who like leaping up and down this is an all-seated show. |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| Following his critically acclaimed new album “Thank You Mr Churchill”, Grammy® winning guitarist and songwriter Peter Frampton will tour the UK this November in celebration of his multi-platinum-selling live album “Frampton Comes Alive!”
The tour will see Frampton perform the legendary double live album in its entirety. Tickets for the highly anticipated UK concerts will go on general sale Thursday May 5th at 10am. |
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 Photo Credit: © Denis O’Regan |
The 3-hour show will feature a complete performance of Frampton Comes Alive! including the singles Baby, I Love Your Way, Do You Feel Like We Do and Show Me The Way, along with highlights from Frampton’s extensive album catalogue.
Originally released in January 1976, Frampton Comes Alive! is one of the best-selling live albums in chart history. It spent a total of 10 weeks at the top of the American Billboard 200 and sold over 17 million copies worldwide. Dates include: - Manchester Bridgewater Hall (Friday 11th November), |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| In what will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of 2011, Kasabian announce an intimate UK warm up Tour in June ahead of festival season…
As part of this tour the band will appear at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Tuesday 7th June |
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The multi – platinum, award winning, Kasabian are:
Sergio Pizzorno (Songwriter, Guitar, Vocals), The band have been recording their untitled new record in San Francisco and LA which will be released later this year. Their last acclaimed No.1 album ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’ has already sold over 1 million records worldwide! Kasabian are back, don’t miss these incredible live shows, in these intimate settings for this festival headline act. Full details are: - |
| Tickets priced £30.00 will be available from 9.00am on Friday 6th May (strictly limited to 4 tickets per person) at Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at www.wolvescivic.co.uk
For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| Blink 182 have announced the total rescheduling of their 2011 summer tour, along with the addition of three new dates.
The Band’s appearance at the Birmingham NIA will now take place on 7th June 2012 and the LG Arena date will now be 16th June 2012. All tickets from the original dates remain valid |
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FROM MARK, TOM AND TRAVIS: It is with heavy hearts that we have to announce our planned 2011 European Summer tour has been rescheduled. When we booked the tour last year, we were confident that we would have the new album out before the Summer. Turns out we were mistaken as the album is taking longer than we thought and won’t be out till later this year. We hoped we would have some new songs to play rather than do another ‘greatest hits tour’ which you all saw last Summer. As much as we know our fans would be cool with that, we feel that we owe you guys something new when you spend your money to come see us. Frankly, it’s what needs to continue for us to remain vital. The three of us are working very hard to do what we set out to do when we re-formed…get a new blink-182 album recorded. Apologies to all of our fans who have bought tickets and were looking forward to the Summer shows but we’ll be back soon with the rescheduled dates in Summer 2012, have a new album out and be able to play new songs for you all. Thanks for all of the continued support and understanding.
New UK details are: - Thursday 07 June 2012 - Birmingham NIA |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| After wowing crowds at last year’s High Voltage Festival, Foreigner, one of the most popular rock acts in the world, return to the UK and Ireland to play 7 arena shows in June 2011, including an appearance at the LG Arena on 5th June
Led by founding songwriter/lead guitarist Mick Jones, with the electrifying Kelly Hansen on vocals, Foreigner will join Journey and Styx, to bring an incredible must-see live show to the UK and Ireland. This is a rare opportunity to see three of the biggest names in Classic Rock in the same place at the same time! |
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More than 30 years after releasing their first multi-platinum album, Foreigner’s music resonates globally across generations, thanks to an impressive run of 14 Top 20 Billboard Chart hits, including worldwide number one hit “I Want To Know What Love Is”, “Waiting For A Girl Like You”, “Cold As Ice”, “Urgent”, “Double Vision”, “Feels Like The First Time”, “Dirty White Boy”, “Head Games” and video game staples such as “Hot Blooded” and “Juke Box Hero”, together with album sales that exceed 70 million.
Full tour details are: June |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx will release “This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx”, a follow up to his New York Times bestseller, “The Heroin Diaries” in April | |
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The book, part photo chronicle and part journal, will be accompanied by the release of an original soundtrack from SIXX: A.M., an 11-track companion piece to the book, which will be available from May 2nd.
“This Is Gonna Hurt” is a collection of compelling snapshots and stories that capture the rage, love, optimism, darkness, and determination that shape his work. Told with the raw authenticity that defined his New York Times bestseller “The Heroin Diaries”, the book chronicles Sixx’s experience, from references to his early years filled with toxic waste to his success with Mötley Crüe, his death from an OD and rebirth to his addictions to music, photography, and love along with the journey of photographing these images over the past couple of years. The accompanying soundtrack from SIXX: A.M., which consists of Sixx, Dj Ashba and James Michael, is a chilling, heavy take on the concept of the book and photography. Including dozens of Nikki’s images and comprising the first public viewing of his photography, the book and soundtrack both incorporate the stories behind the pictures and how they came to be, including interviews with the subjects so readers can see “what life is like for those whom society has labeled as freaks.” The first single from Sixx:AM - “Lies of the Beautiful People,” will be released in April, the video can be viewed here: SixxSense.com |
| “This is Gonna Hurt” the book, will be released through Harper Collins imprint William Morrow and the accompanying soundtrack through Eleven Seven Music.
For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| Ocean Colour Scene, the legendary four-piece band from Birmingham, have released a deluxe version of their classic Moseley Shoals album and will appear in Wolverhampton to play this senial album in its entirety. | |
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1996. The year football was coming home. Brit Pop was at its most triumphant. The Beatles were back in the charts. Take That had split, Oasis were sewing everything up and Ocean Colour Scene, released Moseley Shoals, one of Brit Pop’s defining records – now the band are playing their classic album live from start to finish at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Friday 9th December.
The new version has 2 CDs featuring all the b-sides from the album’s four consecutive Top 20 singles, including fan favourite Robin Hood and an incendiary cover of Day Tripper from the Electric Ballroom, London in 1996 featuring Noel and Liam Gallagher. Housed in a digipack packed with rare photos, it also features a booklet with brand new sleeve notes and contributions from Paul Weller, producer Brendan Lynch, Gary Crowley and Mani, amongst others. The album will also be available digitally, and the iTunes version will include the videos from the 4 singles plus a digital booklet. |
| Tickets priced £24.50 will be available from 9.00am on Monday 7th March at Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at www.wolvescivic.co.uk
For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| Summer Sundae Weekender 2011″> has announced the first additions to this year’s line-up after the resounding success of last year’s sold out weekend, making the festival once again an essential date in the summer music calendar.
The Line up will include: THE MACCABEES / GRAHAM COXON / NEWTON FAULKNER / THE BEES / BELLOWHEAD / THE CUBAN BROTHERS / WILKO JOHNSON / JOHN COOPER CLARKE / LITTLE COMETS / CW STONEKING / LIAM BAILEY / BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH / MAMA ROSIN / RAGHU DIXIT / SKINNY LISTER / THE BLACK ATLANTIC / DIZRAELI AND THE SMALL GODS / VARIOUS CRUELTIES |
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Since its inauguration in 2001 Summer Sundae Weekender has rapidly expanded to a 3 day, 6-stage festival, with over a hundred acts. With a holistic approach to planning it has consciously retained the same boutique/bijou atmosphere and laid back cadence as the 1 day, 2 stage event 9 years ago. 2010 saw the festival celebrate its 10th year and what a year it was, with sell-out dates and the finest and most eclectic of line-ups being enjoyed by more than 6,000 people.
Year on year Summer Sundae Weekender has delivered a broad spectrum of emerging and established artists from the field of music and comedy. In 2010 headliners included arguably the ‘Band of the Year’ Mumford & Sons, chart-topper Tinchy Stryder and rambunctious blues-god Seasick Steve. Past headliners have included Belle and Sebastian, Patti Smith, The Charlatans and Elbow. Summer Sundae also always has its finger firmly on the pulse of what’s fresh, new and earmarked. In years gone by Amy Winehouse, Eliza Doolittle, Mr. Hudson, Kate Nash, Jamie T, Hot Chip, Editors and Kasabian have all appeared on the Summer Sundae Weekender stage, just on the cusp of their mainstream success. |
| The Festival will take place at De Monfort Hall And Gardens, Leicester on 12th 13th 14th August. Early bird tickets are available until 4th April via the Festival Website For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| Following last year’s sell-out show, The Slade Rooms welcome back indie legends The Wedding Present on Friday 20th May
“The boy Gedge has written some of the best love songs of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Era. You may dispute this, but I’m right and you’re wrong!” John Peel. |
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The Wedding Present have had eighteen UK Top 40 hit singles… not bad for a band that has, from its inception, stubbornly refused to play the record industry’s game. In 1985 David Lewis Gedge boarded a National Express coach in London with 500 records packed into a pair of his mother’s suitcases and, in this fashion, the band’s debut single GO OUT AND GET ‘EM BOY! was delivered to the distribution company, and The Wedding Present was born. That pioneering spirit has been at the core of the band’s philosophy ever since. From GEORGE BEST, “an unmitigated delight” [NME], the first full-length release on their own Reception Records onwards, the band has charted an appealing, if often eccentric, course of its very own. |
| Tickets priced £14.00 are available from Midland Box Office: 0870 320 7000 or online at www.wolvescivic.co.uk
For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| The Life Of Birds Tour 2011, featuring David Rotheray, Jim Causley and Bella Hardy will fly in to Birmingham’s Glee Club on 25th March
David Rotheray, the creator and mastermind behind this beautiful album, will be joined by some of Britain’s most talented vocalists including Jim Causley and Bella Hardy who feature on the album and who will provide vocals for all the dates on the tour. Guest support will come from Irish singer/songwriter Eleanor McEvoy who also features on the album. |
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Following its acclaimed release in 2010 ‘The Life Of Birds’ will be resonating from venues across the UK in March 2011 at these intimate performances of beautiful and inspiring songs.
Tour Dates: Saturday 19th March The Stables, Milton Keynes All tickets available at: www.ents24.com |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| Following their knockout performances at 2010’s iTunes and Sonisphere Festivals, Swedish rockers Europe will embark on their nationwide “Balls and Banners” UK tour in February 2011.They will appear at the O2 Academy on 18th February and support on all dates will come from Voodoo Johnson
Best known for their 1986 smash anthem “The Final Countdown,” the Swedish rockers received unanimous praise for a heavier bluesy, hip-shaking metal sound, and recently performed at festivals around the globe during the summer of 2010. |
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Full dates include:Glasgow 02 ABC (Feb 17) Birmingham 02 Academy (Feb 18) London 02 Shepherds Bush Empire (Feb 19) Oxford 02 Academy (Feb 21) Bournemouth 02 Academy (Feb 22) Bristol 02 Academy (Feb 23) Manchester Academy 2 (Feb 25) Leeds 02 Academy (Feb 26) and Newcastle 02 Academy (Feb 27) Tickets, priced at £17.50 regionally and at £18 in London, are available from 0844 477 2000, www.ticketweb.co.uk and www.tixdaq.com. |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| After a long absence from the live performance arena in the UK, British rock legends, Duran Duran, will return to their home market for a series of highly anticipated concerts in May 2011 including an appearance at the LG Arena.
The shows will mark the band’s first European performances in support of their critically acclaimed, new album ‘ALL YOU NEED IS NOW’ (produced by Mark Ronson), and the start of a world tour that will last well into 2012. A nine track version of Duran Duran’s latest studio record was first released exclusively on iTunes on December 21, 2010 and hit the #1 spot on download charts in 15 countries (including the UK). An expanded version of the new record will be released in late March – in both digital and physical formats. |
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The original line up of SIMON LE BON, NICK RHODES, JOHN TAYLOR and ROGER TAYLOR will perform to over 150,000 fans in 11 arena concerts throughout the UK in May. The band will showcase material from their new record, along with classic hits from across their 30 year career. The UK leg of the tour will kick off on Wednesday 18th May at the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena and will end on Saturday 4th June at Sheffield Motorpoint Arena.
The full dates are as follows: Wednesday 18th May 2011 Newcastle Metro Radio Arena |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
| Beady Eye have announced a UK tour for April 2011 which will follow the release of their debut album ‘DIFFERENT GEAR, STILL SPEEDING’
The band had previously announced shows in Glasgow, Manchester and London for March (which sold out immediately) but this will see them travel the country and play their first dates in Ireland. Their Midlands appearance will be at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on 24th April |
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Their debut single ‘THE ROLLER’ is out 21st February and is receiving significant attention from radio, and the video has received almost 400,000 plays on YouTube to date. This follows tracks ‘Bring The Light’ and ‘Four Letter Word’ which have both been made available over the last few months for fans. Ten other brand new tracks will be available on the album which is one of the most eagerly anticipated of 2011.The band will also play at the sold out Isle of Wight festival on the 12th June 2011.
BEADY EYE ON TOUR IN April 2011: 11 April NOTTINGHAM, Rock City |
| Tickets go on sale Friday 28th January at 10am and restricted to four per person.Buy online: www.beadyeyemusic.com / www.gigsandtours.com / www.ticketmaster.co.uk
24h CC hotline: 0844 811 0051 / 0844 826 2826 For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment |
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| Hotly tipped for a major breakthrough in 2011, Spark will appear a succession of special shows including Rugby Library on 8th March
Spark’s ascension continues to build momentum as the release of the single ‘Crave’ approaches on March 14th. The single represents Spark’s first release as part of a new deal with 679 / Warner Bros. Records |
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Spark has also made major inroads in the live arena since her debut tour with Marina and the Diamonds. She subsequently supported Janelle Monae and Pete Wentz’s Black Cards, and also played at NME’s In The City show. February and March will see Spark reaching a bigger audience than ever.
She will play: February 9th – London, Relentless Garage – HMV Next Big Thing show (supported by Ed Drewett and Heart Kill Giant) March – Get It Loud In Libraries tour with The Good Natured 4th – Edinburgh, Library |
| For full details of this and other local dates visit our Birmingham Gig Guide and Birmingham Live for all local reviews and comment | |
