Music fans, we’re here with your weekly Leicester music guide featuring news and interviews from across the local scene.
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NEWS
Grace Petrie’s new album on track for chart position
New album, ‘Connectivity’, is out this week and is the follow-up to 2018’s critically acclaimed album ‘Queer As Folk’. This new chapter for Grace Petrie looks to be the most exciting yet, as this ever-evolving artist is here to both entertain and cover key issues that many are afraid to tackle. Expect tender, fearless songwriting, unforgivably catchy melodies, and clever heart-warming humour.
DIARY DATES
Miss Bowie and The New Killer Stars – Friday 8 October
The Shed
Formed in early 2017, Miss Bowie & The New Killer Stars found each other through their mutual love of David Bowie’s music. Their collective artistic interpretations of Bowie’s work, and a mutual understanding of the direction they want to take, has produced a distinctive exegesis of the genius of his music. This band provide a unique take on Bowie’s music by respecting his original versions while adding musical, vocal, and performance twists, not least by having female lead vocals. TICKETS.
Chris Helme – Saturday 9 October
The Musician
Chris Helme first rose to prominence as the front man of John Squire’s post-Stone Roses band ‘The Seahorses’. Still rightfully remembered for the anthemic Britpop classics ‘Love Is The Law’ and ‘Blinded By The Sun’ – songs that evoked everything the 90’s stood for, the excitement, the culture and the bands that provided a voice in a period of political and social imbalance. TICKETS.
The Skints – Monday 11 October
O2 Academy
Incredible East London Ska and reggae band. They earned their formidable reputation live with their first album and their follow up, ‘Part & Parcel’, mixed Jamaican styles with pop hooks, grimey raps, filthy basslines and a punk rock work ethic. creating a sound familiar to newcomers, yet unique below the surface. TICKETS.
Echobelly – Monday 11 October
Firebug
With a few line-up changes over the years and even a temporary name change (sometimes performing as Calm Of Zero), Sonya Madan and Glenn Johansson remain at the core of Echobelly. Still giving us plenty of ‘great things’ from their Britpop heyday, plus new material. TICKETS.
Holy Moly & The Crackers – Wednesday 13 October
International Arts Centre
Holy Moly & The Crackers make riotous party music for the masses. Expect a concise, passionate take on folk, blues and indie rock. The sound of a band who have been searching and experimenting for several years; arriving at a place where they can say “this who we are and this is where we want to go”. TICKETS.
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INTERVIEW – OLI FROM SEA GIRLS
Following the huge success of their top 3 debut album in 2020, one of the UK’s most exciting guitar bands, Sea Girls, kick off their UK tour at Leicester’s O2 Academy this week ahead of the release of their second album in January. Drummer, Oli, is from here in Leicestershire so we caught up with him to find out about the band and what’s next.
How has the journey been to the upcoming album release?
Making our second album, Homesick, set for release in January 2022 has been a very fragmented process. It’s basically spanned the entirety of the coronavirus lockdowns from writing it to finishing the recording. There’s been lots of zoom calls and trial and error but we’ve definitely reached something we’re very happy with. Releasing ‘Sick’ felt very cathartic, we’ve been playing it at our recent shows and loved hearing fans singing it back to us full volume!
Like so many others many of your live shows have been delayed due to Covid, what impact has that had on how you’ve prepared for the tour?
We’re definitely tighter and more in tune with each other than we’ve ever been. Because we didn’t know when the shows were going to end up we’ve been practising constantly just in case they were coming up! It’s meant that we’ve been able to take our time to familiarise ourselves more with the songs from our debut album, Open Up Your Head, many of which were finished in lockdown and only had their live debut this year. We’ve also been aware how special these shows are going to be for people, this UK tour will be most of our fans first shows back so there’s definitely a hunger from us not to disappoint anyone and put on the best show we can muster!
How would you describe Sea Girls to someone who’s never heard you before?
Energetic guitar music with soul searching and confessional lyrics that’s bound to get at least one toe tapping.
You actually have connections to Leicestershire – tell us about your favourite memories of the city and the live scene here
One of the first ever gigs I went to was one big Sunday in Victoria Park, I hadn’t quite grasped the concept of gigs before that. The idea that *the* Busted were on that little stage in the distance was mind blowing. One of my favourite gig memories is wandering in and discovering Frightened Rabbit at Summer Sundae, I had never heard of them and was absolutely blown away – they’re still one of my favourite bands. Those kinds of magical moments are rare and I’m very grateful to have experienced it.
Which 3 bands would you list in your “for fans of” section?
The Killers, Bastille and The Beatles.
What are your favourite tunes to listen to on the tour bus?
We like listening to some moody classics. A favourite at the moment is Seventeen by Sharon Van Etten, we’re all big fans!
In Leicester, you’ve gone from playing The Cookie, to O2 Academy 2 to now playing the main room at the O2 Academy, how has that journey been as a band to see the live audiences growing rapidly?
It’s been such a privilege. We’ve just played a run of small rescheduled Records Store shows for our first album and it’s amazing to see how excited people are for the return of live music. Leicester didn’t even have an O2 Academy when I was around so this wasn’t even something I’d dreamed of! We really appreciate how many people have joined us on this journey and love spending every night rocking out with them.
What’s the dream for 2022?
Our second album Homesick is out in January so our dream is to keep playing to bigger audiences and connect with as many people as possible. If our songs continue to resonate with people we’ll be very happy, it really is a dream job!
Where can people hear more from you?
The Internet!
Last remaining tickets to Sea Girls at the O2 Academy Leicester are on sale now.
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WEEKLY PLAYLIST
This week in our latest playlist we’re showcasing some of the acts you can see live in Leicester over the coming weeks. Get listening and buy some tickets.
Have a listen and get in touch to tell us which tracks you’re loving.
MORE MUSIC NEWS NEXT WEEK
