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Diary Dates
Vega – Thursday 12 October
The Musician
British melodic hard rock band whose eclectic, off-kilter style of AOR made them stand out from the crowd from the moment they started. They were embraced by an audience that they seemed keen to distance themselves from.
The Moderators – Saturday 14 October
O2 Academy Leicester
Leicester eight-piece covering Mod and Ska classics. They hare a mutual love of The Jam, Specials and Madness, wearing Fred Perry’s and riding their Scooters. Today they have become a live act that demands your attention and your dancing shoes. The Moderators thrive on raw energy and love nothing more than seeing their huge array of followers skanking, bouncing and sweating along with them at their shows.
Birds in Row – Monday 16 October
The Big Difference
Birds in Row is an experimental hardcore punk/metal trio who write punitive, exasperated tunes with equisitite, dark textures. Their members maintain a level of anonymity to pin the focus on the music itself rather than those who create it. Birds in Row is committed to a true DIY ethic, placing all their efforts into the creation of a deep fan-to-artist connection.
Level 42 – Wednesday 18 October
De Montfort Hall
Level 42 will hit the road once more for the Living It Up UK tour, running October to November 2023. The band will be joined on all dates by Special Guests, The Christians.Frontman and bassist Mark King is a musician who has truly created a sound and style all of his own and is in constant demand, both from the fans and from his peers, along with founder member Mike Lindup who continues to provide the soundscape and vocals that are unmistakably Level 42. To date, the band and Mark have released 14 studio albums, seven live albums, the Sirens’ EP, six compilation albums, had 18 top 40 singles, including the era-defining Lessons in Love, Something About You, Leaving Me Now, Running in the Family, and Hot Water, sold out Wembley Arena for a total of 21 nights and sold in excess of 30 million albums worldwide. In short, they have proven to be one of the most successful British bands ever and it is clear they continue to set the benchmark for British Jazz Funk.
Henge – Thursday 19 October
O2 Academy Leicester
Extra-terrestrial joymongers – HENGE – have been delighting audiences in the UK and Europe since they landed on Planet Earth seven years ago. Their scintillating live performances earned them ‘Best Live Act’ at the Independent Festival Awards and they have since cemented their reputation with two acclaimed albums, numerous tours and regular main-stage festival appearances.
Jim Jones Allstars – Friday 20 October
The Musician
Front man Jim Jones’s distinctive recording history has spanned several incarnations including The Jim Jones Revue, Black Moses, Thee Hypnotics and The Righteous Mind. Now Jim has created a nine piece, blistering rhythm and blues meets rock n’ roll band!
Andrew Cushin – Thursday 26 October
O2 Academy Leicester
Andrew Cushin possesses a nuanced, multifaceted talent for songwriting. The words that he conjures are both immensely personal and reflective of modern social issues, but those serious themes are delivered through songs with huge, pints-in-the-air singalong appeal. It’s a talent that’s winning a growing army of admirers, most notably Noel Gallagher, who produced and performed on Andrew’s single ‘Where’s My Family Gone’.
Sleeper (unplugged) – Thursday 26 October
The Musician
Fronted by singer-turned-novelist Louise Wener, the band had eight UK top 40 singles between ’93-’97 including the breakthrough hit ‘Inbetweener’, accompanied by the classic supermarket promo video starring Dale Winton, and two top 10 singles with ‘Sale Of The Century’ and ‘Nice Guy Eddie’. They also covered Blondie’s ‘Atomic’ for the original Trainspotting film. As T2 hit cinema screens in 2017, Louise thought ‘what do I do now?’ and decided to reform the band.
Sunbirds – Friday 27 October
The Soundhouse
The Beautiful South’s Dave Hemingway is back and sounding better than ever. Together with erstwhile South colleague, guitarist/songwriter Phil Barton, new discovery singer/violinist Laura Wilcockson and top UK session drummer Marc Parnell, Dave has created Sunbirds. Although born and bred in England the band’s sound predominantly features the instrumentation of traditional American roots music combined with the occasional outburst of guitar heavy melody more associated with Seattle in the late 80s / early 90s.
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iNTERVIEW: Uncle Frank play album launch show at The Soundhouse
Leicester favourites, Uncle Frank, return to hometown performing this week as their new live show hits The Soundhouse on Friday 6 October (the same day the new album release). Whether you know Frank as part of Fun Lovin’ Criminals, or as an incredible performer in his own right, there’s no denying that where Uncle Frank is concerned, you’re in for one helluva show. We caught up with Frank Benbini to find out what’s in store for The Soundhouse show.
What has been happening with Uncle Frank since we last heard from you?
3 single releases with 3 amazing music video. The one we shot on Venice beach was an incredible time and now the new album Diablo is out this week, which is epic.
What can fans expect from the new show?
A bunch of new songs off the new album, alongside some of our favourites from our back catalogue
How does it differ for you from when you perform as part of Fun Lovin’ Criminals?
It’s different for sure. Uncle Frank is heavy music with melodic songwriting, pushing vocals with harmonies to build tunes that get into your head. With FLC it’s big beat hip hop and grooves, so a slightly different approach but a lot of fun.
How enjoyable are these hometown shows?
It’s been great playing back in Leicester, I don’t get to do it a lot. Plus playing an independent music venue like The Soundhouse brings me back to that feeling of a proper Leicester music scene.
For anyone who somehow doesn’t know Uncle Frank, who would you list in your “for fans of” section?
I think fans of real music. You know, real bands Like INXS, QUEEN, U2, Rival Sons, Lenny Kravitz etc. If you’re into them you will really enjoy us.
What else is coming up in 2023/24?
More tours. Festivals. More writing. More recording. And the big news is that we have a documentaryfFilm being released in 2024, so it’s set to be a big year.
Uncle Frank play The Roundhouse on Friday 6 October. Remaining tickets are on sale HERE.
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WEEKLY PLAYLIST
On this week’s playlist we’re bringing you Uncle Frank’s brand new album, Diablo.
Have a listen and get in touch to tell us which tracks you’re loving.