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Diary Dates
Alternativ Karaoke – Every Friday
The Shed
Get Friday night done right with Alternativ Karaoke! From 10pm – late you can take over The Vault stage at The Shed and jump around like your favourite rock star. Alternativ Karaoke is all about the big anthems, so whether you’re pop punk or hardcore, get warming up those vocal cords.
Holly Humberstone – Tuesday 12 March
O2 Academy
From uploading music to BBC Introducing to performing at festivals & shows around the UK, Holly has already caught the attention of Lewis Capaldi, who she is due to go on tour with this February.
Taking inspiration from Damien Rice, Lorde, Bon Iver, Phoebe Bridgers, HAIM and everyone in between, Holly’s style has an honest and conversational tone which immediately steals your attention, fusing the warmth of the acoustic music Holly grew up listening to with a darker, wonky electronic twist.
The Glass Hearts – Friday 15 March
The Big Difference
A band born from the collision of two rising musicians in their own right – Tommy Cobley (former frontman or Leicester band, Arcades, who in the past toured UK & Europe, playing festivals and supporting the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen), and Charlie Cole (previously lead guitarist in Stockport band Kashmere) combined their musical talents at the beginning of 2022 – the pair were quickly confirmed to support Miles Kane & Jamie Webster and The Glass Hearts were thrust into the world.
Dodgy – Friday 22 March
O2 Academy Leicester
The first time round, Dodgy were only together for seven years but in that time, they released three albums and enjoyed 12 Top 40 singles, including “Staying Out For The Summer” and the massive hit “Good Enough”. 2024 sees the 28th anniversary of Dodgy’s best-selling album, Free Peace Sweet – a fan favourite, spawning hits such as “In A Room”, “If You’re Thinking Of Me” and of course, “Good Enough”.
Support comes from special guest Chris Helme, lead singer and songwriter of The Seahorses, Chris will be performing Seahorses tracks alongside his excellent solo material.
Ocean Colour Scene – Friday 17 May
O2 Academy Leicester
Ocean Colour Scene’s rip-roaring live shows have long been one of the most extraordinary sights in modern rock, which boast the most life affirming sing-a-longs you’ll ever hear. They lit up the Britpop party, chalking up three Top five albums – Moseley Shoals, Marchin’ Already and 1999’s One From The Modern with a run of Top 20 single’s including the immortal “The Riverboat Song”.
James Walsh – Friday 17 May
The Soundhouse
AKA the frontman of indie troubadours Starsailor. Older, wiser – and a father – he’s looking forward to “doing something different for a while”, setting off in a different ship but touching people once again, which could include anything from writing more songs with Suzanne Vega or fulfilling a lifetime ambition to write with Shelby Lynne.
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PREVIEW: Sub Focus at O2 Academy Leicester
From his beginnings as a bedroom DJ, to headlining the Glade stage at Glastonbury, Nick Douwma, better known as Sub Focus, has become one of the most interesting, innovative and important voices working in British electronic music today.
There are songs that have become household favourites, undoubtedly ones you’ll all know. Amongst his back catalogue, Douwma has created compositions for Chase & Status (Flashing Lights) and Example (Kickstarts), sound familiar? He has remixed The Prodigy, Deadmau5 and Dizzee Rascal, while his own tracks (including Airplane, X-Ray, Rock It, Could This Be Real) have won Sub Focus fans in the form of Zane Lowe, Annie Mac, Grooverider and Mistajam.
Yes, over the course of his career, Nick Douwma has risen through the ranks of underground jungle to become a global dance music superstar. First building a reputation around air-punching, dancefloor-dismantling drum & bass, he now draws from all corners of the electronic landscape – epitomising the ‘anything goes’ mantra of today’s scene.
Douwma spent a number of few years perfecting his stunning, immersive live show, joining Pendulum on tour, wowing the bulging Glastonbury crowds and selling out Brixton Academy on two occasions. He has also linked up with a slew of international chart-toppers, including Rudimental, with the link-up leading to the stunning ‘Trouble’ with Chronixx and Maverick Sabre, and Chase & Status with the iconic ‘Flashing Lights’. Reaching the pinnacle of the drum & bass world, Douwma went on to become a mentor for the scene’s new school of exciting talent – forging boundary-pushing collaborations with the likes of Wilkinson and Dimension.
Releasing his 3rd solo album, Evolve, in 2023, the album won “Best Album” at the Drum and Bass Arena Awards in 2023 and now sees Sub Focus on tour throughout the UK in 2024.
You can catch him at O2 Academy Leicester on Saturday 9 March. Tickets are available HERE.
PLAYLIST
Check out the Sub Focus’ latest album, Evolve, right here then go and snap up those tickets to see him live.
