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Diary Dates
Hardwicke Circus – Friday 16 September
The Soundhouse
A rock ‘n’ roll band collective hailing from England, Scotland and Finland. They play indie rock with a confident swagger that somehow manages to channel the post Altamont malevolence of the Stones and broodiness of the Doors into a modern indie vibe, a-la Futureheads and Vampire Weekend.
The Xcerts – Saturday 17 September
The Shed
Searing Scottish indie band making heavy soul-fuelled rock influenced by the likes of The Smiths and The Clash. With a punky, psychedelic feel to their music, The Xcerts sound is both truly original and consistently passionate. Expect fervent live shows and arena-sized tunes.
Tricot – Saturday 17 September
Firebug
Tricot are made up of three female founding members: Ikkyu Nakajima (vocals and guitar), Motoko ‘Motifour’ Kida (guitar and backing vocals), and Hiromi ‘Hirohiro’ Sagane (bass and backing vocals). The band formed in the historical Japanese city of Kyoto in 2010. Their experimental music primarily consists of melodic post-rock-inspired sounds and complex rhythm reminiscent of math rock. Tricot’s live performances vibrant and intense and they have been highly praised by fans and media.
Laura Stevenson – Monday 19 September
Bishop Street Church
Laura Stevenson is known for her voice; fragile, ethereal, haunting – providing an apt vehicle for songs which betray a rare kind of honesty. Stevenson doesn’t shy away from wearing her heart on her sleeve in her songwriting, something fans tell her they appreciate. Inhabiting the space where catharsis meets redemption, this is music to break your heart….. or maybe to heal it.
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INTERVIEW: The Rolling People
Paying tribute to one of the 90s best loved albums, The Rolling People are back to celebrate 25 years of Urban Hymns at The Musician . They’ll be joined on the night by Fake Plastic Radiohead, celebrating the anniversary of another classic album, OK Computer. We caught up with them to find out what we can expect from the show.
It’s been 3 years since your last gig, what’s changed in that time?
Yes, it’s 3 years since our last full band gig in Leicester, mainly due to the lockdowns and restrictions we’ve all had to endure. Since then we have played a couple of stripped back gigs and we did play a cool festival in Norwich as a full band a few months back, but it will be great to play full band at The Musician on Saturday 24th September.
You’re celebrating 25 years of Urban Hymns, what’s your favourite thing about that album?
Well, it was The Verve’s most successful album, and obviously contains some huge tunes such as Bitter Sweet Symphony, The Drugs Don’t Work, Lucky Man and Sonnet. Although we’ll be playing a decent chunk of that album, don’t worry we will delve into material from the rest of their career too.
What is it about The Verve that inspired you to do this?
Originally it was meant to be a one-off gig 5 years ago to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Urban Hymns, but it went so well and we received such nice feedback that we decided to carry on. The thing is The Verve are so much more than those 4 big songs I mentioned earlier, so there’s a wealth of great material for us to sink our teeth into.
You’re also playing with Fake Plastic Radiohead, celebrating 25 years since OK Computer, what can fans of Radiohead expect from them?
This is only Fake Plastic Radiohead’s second gig, but you’ll no doubt be very impressed by the singer and a nice little selection of songs from OK Computer, plus a few others.
What’s your favourite thing about playing in Leicester?
Leicester’s our home city, so it’s always nice to play, which we do quite a bit in our different original projects. However, after 3 years it’s going to be a lot of fun playing these Verve tunes again.
What other bands inspire you besides The Verve?
A wide range, but personally I’m quite partial to The Stone Roses.
Where can people get tickets to the gig on 24 September?
Tickets are £11 advance or £13 on the door from: https://www.ticketweb.uk/event/the-rolling-people-fake-the-musician-tickets/12086825
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WEEKLY PLAYLIST
This week we’re having a listen to some of the acts you can see live in Leicester over the coming weeks.
Have a listen and get in touch to tell us which tracks you’re loving.