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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
ARTICLES
GIG OF THE MONTH
BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE, WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, PORTSMOUTH –
JUNE 20
 The
Brian Jonestown Massacre from California have had about forty different members
since forming in San Francisco in1990, but their mainstay has been the
ever-present Anton Newcombe, who will front the band when they play the
Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth on Saturday June 28.
Named in tribute to the legendary Rolling Stones guitarist the late Brian Jones,
and his influence in introducing Eastern culture and music into the world of
Western rock and roll, the original lineup of lead singer and guitarist Anton,
bassist Matt Hollywood, guitarist Dean Taylor, organist Mara Regal, accordionist
Dawn Thomas, drummer Brian Glaze and Spokesman for the Revolution Joel Gion
recorded the Massacre's 1995 shoegazer-influenced debut album “Methodrone.”
A collection of early recordings, “Spacegirl and Other Favorites,” followed on
the band's own Tangible label in early 1996, and was the first of four Brian
Jonestown Massacre albums to appear that year. Next up was “Their Satanic
Majesties' Second Request,” a full-blown homage to the Stones' glorious
psychedelic-era excesses. Recorded live in the studio, the grittier “Take It
From the Man!” found the band exploring even broader territory. Finally, the
year ended with the release of “Thank God for Mental Illness,” a strong country
and blues showcase. In 1997, the BJM -- now consisting of Newcombe, Hollywood,
Gion, Taylor, guitarists Jeff Davies and Peter Hayes, and drummer Brad Artley --
resurfaced with “Give It Back!” Upon signing to TVT, they released “Strung Out
Ln Heaven” the following year, but the band and Newcombe's eccentricities kept
them from staying on the label. After a few scattered EPs, they resurfaced in
2001 with “Bravery Repetition and Noise,” distributed by Bomp. “And This Is Our
Music” followed in 2003.
Despite a continued lack of major distribution, the Brian Jonestown Massacre
earned the largest profile of its career in 2004, when it became the unlikely
focus of an award-winning documentary, “DIG!” which charted the trials of
Newcombe and those of his rival, Courtney Taylor, leader of the Dandy Warhols.
“We Are the Radio: The Mini Album followed in August 2005.”
DANI WILDE, BLUES ON THE FARM,
PUMPBOTTOM FARM, APPLEDRAM, NR CHICHESTER – FRIDAY JUNE 20
 This
eagerly awaited annual blues festival goes on in the big top from Thursday 19 to
Sunday June 22nd. A host of great acts are appearing including The Hamsters,
Innes Sibun, Aynsley Lister and Errol Linton, but we’re going to focus on a
young lady called Dani Wilde who is developing into one of the UK’s finest blues
guitarists and vocalists.
As a child, Danni was exposed to a range of music genres, ranging from 60s and
70s Motown and Stax records, to blues, and was encouraged by her father to take
up acoustic guitar. Dani's first break came when she was asked to sing backing
vocals for famous 1960s British folk singer Maddie Prior. Maddie was so stunned
that she asked Dani to support her at The Wyvern Theatre, Swindon. The concert
sold out and the audience were more than impressed by Dani's passionate vocal
delivery and finger picking blues guitar style.
2003 saw Dani arrive in Brighton where she spent four years establishing herself
in the South of England and worked towards a 1st Class BA honours Degree. Within
her first year here, Dani played large venues such as The Concorde 2 and by
2004, Dani's success had further increased, headlining at the Brighton Live
Festival, where she caught the attention of a scout from Island Universal. Rave
reviews followed the gigs in the national press, including The Times. One of
these reviews followed a sold out performance at the Birmingham ICC
(International Conference Centre).
In November 2004, preceded by an interview, Dani performed on BBC Southern
Counties FM. The slot went so well that the station printed an article on the
BBC website, and have since invited her back many times appearing on various BBC
presenters shows. Last year Dani gigged with her younger brother Will
'Harmonica' Wilde, Alan Taylor (drums) and George Baldwin (bass) at venues
throughout the UK. Dani and Will have together also performed at some bigger
venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, supporting Jools Holland and Vibes in The
Vines Festival with Gary Moore. In September of last year Dani signed a record
deal with the worlds best international blues label Ruf Records.
Whilst Dani was doing her Music Degree, she established a charity project
raising money for County Primary School in Embu Kenya. By hosting regular
concerts in the South of England Dani raised enough money to provide the
underprivileged school music education (70 descant recorders to form a large
recorder group) and also to renovate two delapidated classrooms. This
fundraising project is ongoing and Dani hopes to visit Kenya again this year.
TINY TIN LADY – THE LIGHTS, ANDOVER,
WEDS JUNE 18 / FOREST ARTS CENTRE, NEW MILTON – FRI JUNE 20 / ASHCROFT ARTS
CENTRE, FAREHAM – SAT JUNE 21
 Tiny
Tin Lady have been together since 2004 and, in just three short years, have
become one of the most talked about bands on the acoustic scene, stunning
audiences everywhere with their blend of brilliant, original songs, superb
musicianship and spine-tingling harmonies.
Bandleader Danni Gibbins, at just 21, has drawn praise from such great
songwriters as Ralph McTell and Richard Thomson for her work and is being tipped
to become a major songwriter. Her guitar work is brilliant, a percussive and
complex style reminiscent of Davy Graham or Bert Jansch, driving and exciting in
its’ intensity. Her voice is a warm, expressive presence, drawing her audience
into her private world of acoustic intimacy.
Beth Reed-Gibbins is 15 and the possessor of a voice of awesome technique, power
and passion. The sheer emotive power of this young girl’s voice can move
audiences to spontaneous outpourings of applause mid-song. When she sang Sandy
Denny’s “Who Knows Where The Time Goes” with Fairport Convention on their 40th
Anniversary tour, she received ovations everywhere and Fairport described her as
“Simply incredible, an amazing voice,” Beth plays guitar and writes excellent
songs too.
21 year old Kat Gilmore, joined the band in August 2006 and her brilliant fiddle
playing and pure, folk, harmonies fitted in perfectly. Kat is a musician of the
highest quality and her superb interplay with Danni’s lead guitar weaves a web
of gossamer delicacy behind the band’s thrilling harmonies.
Helen Holmes is 21 and plays a funky, rootsy and jazzy bass, providing a solid
ground for the others to build on. Her technique has drawn admiring comments
from such four-string maestros as Fairport’s Dave Pegg and Jah Wobble. She can
shake and groove with the best and is recognised as one of the best female
bassists in the UK.
The band has performed at over 30 festivals in the last three years including
Glastonbury, Cropredy, Wickerman, Big Session, Beautiful Days, Bedford Rhythm
Festival and The Acoustic Festival of Great Britain. They toured with Fairport
Convention in 2007 and have also toured with Jah Wobble, Midge Ure and The Dylan
Project. Their debut album, “The Sound of Requiem” received great reviews with
Mojo calling it “A triumph for talent over fake X-factor garbage” and The Daily
Telegraph predicting “A bright, rosy, future”.
CHASE LONG BEACH, THE JOINERS,
SOUTHAMPTON – MONDAY JUNE 23
 Fancy
a bit of ska punk from the USA? You’ve got your chance later this month when
California-based 8-piece Chase Long Beach play a gig at The Joiners.
Chase Long Beach were formed in 2002 and have worked hard to create their own
original style, combining interesting lyrics which are deeper and more
introspective than your typical ska band, although they do have a few more jokey
songs in their repertoire. They have made a name for themselves in the States by
pure hard work, playing over 500 shows in their home state and venturing further
afield for tours of Scotland, England and Wales.
In their six years together, they've released two EPs and one full-length album,
"Lebec" (2007). They're now busy writing their second full-length album which
they will be featuring on their current tour which also takes in the USA and
Canada.
Chase Long beach have shared the stage with loads of well-known bands including
Reel Big Fish, HelloGoodbye, The Plain White Ts, Big D & The Kids Table,
Suburban Legends, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Mr. Shiraz, The Toasters, Buck-o-Nine,
Mustard Plug, The Aggrolites, GoGo 13, Los Kung Fu Monkeys, The Skeletones, The
Phenomenauts, Starpool, Authority Zero, Go Jimmy Go, I Hate Kate, Against All
Authority, Fandangle, The Johnstones and many more.
The band will line up at The Joiners (advance tickets £6) with three vocalists,
bass and lead guitarists, two trumpeters, one trombonist and one drummer. You
can see some great footage of this energetic band on their MySpace entry – have
a look at
www.myspace.com/chaselongbeach .
SENSER. TALKING HEADS, SOUTHAMPTON –
FRI JUNE 13
 Since
1989 Senser have produced a unique fusion of rock, metal, hiphop and alternative
electronica. They became known for their political lyrics and a huge live sound
which gained headline slots at most of the major UK festivals, including
Glastonbury. The band achieved worldwide success with “Stacked UP” in 1995 and
subsequently split up having toured half the planet.
One half of the band remained to release “Asylum” in 1998 and the other half
started Lodestar and released the album of the same name. In 2001 the band met
up for a festival date to promote a compilation of the first two albums and
decided to reform. “Schematic” was released in May 2004 and was a big success
with fans. Drawing on their own personal styles, experiences and influences, the
work represented a broad musical development from their previous releases’
Becoming disenchanted with the marketing support provided by independent record
companies the band decided to develop their own music company, Imprint Music,
headed up by their manager. Encouraged by a strong network of fans, accessible
through online channels and unafraid of the changing music business environment
Senser wrote and recorded their fourth studio album working with producers Neil
McLellan who previously produced The Prodigy albums, and New York hip hop
producer Scott Harding. The first single taken from the album is “End Of The
World Show.” Mixes of the album are still being finalized and it is scheduled
for release in early summer this year.
BLUE OYSTER CULT, THE BROOK,
SOUTHAMPTON – SUN JUNE 8
 Spanning
three decades Blue Oyster Cult has a long and storied history from their origins
in Long Island, New York in the late 1960s. Originally known as Soft White
Underbelly, the name inspired by a quote by Sir Winston Churchill, the band
members had all been in different high school bands, before meeting up in “the
right place, the right time” to form BOC.
In the late 1990s the band were signed by CMS Records and in 1998 released
“Heaven Forbid,” their first record for ten years. Well received by both critics
and fans, it brought the band back into public consciousness. A good portion of
the lyrics were provided by a great fan of the band, science fiction writer John
Shirley.
Many years earlier BOC had a huge hit with “Don’t Fear The Reaper” and also had
success with “Burnin’ For You” and “Godzilla.” BOC have sold over 14 million
albums worldwide. There have been many lineup changes along the way. The current
lineup is Eric Bloom on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards, Buck Dharma on lead
guitar and vocals, Allen Lanier on keyboards and guitar, Joe Bouchard on bass
and vocals and Albert Bouchard on drums and vocals. Eric and Buck are the only
remaining members who were in the original lineup, but the band remain true to
their heavy metal history. They have also been called “the thinking man’s rock
n’ roll band!”
Advance tickets for the gig are £22 (£24 on the door) available through 02380
555366 or online through
www.the-brook.com
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BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE, WEDGEWOOD ROOMS,
PORTSMOUTH
JUNE 20
DANI WILDE,
BLUES ON THE FARM, PUMPBOTTOM FARM, APPLEDRAM, NR CHICHESTER FRIDAY JUNE 20.
TINY TIN LADY
THE LIGHTS, ANDOVER,
WEDS JUNE 18 FOREST ARTS CENTRE,
NEW MILTON
FRI JUNE 20 ASHCROFT ARTS,
FAREHAM
SAT JUNE 21
CHASE LONG BEACH,
THE JOINERS, SOUTHAMPTON MONDAY JUNE 23
SENSER.
TALKING HEADS, SOUTHAMPTON
FRI JUNE 13
BLUE OYSTER CULT, THE
BROOK, SOUTHAMPTON
SUN JUNE 8 |
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