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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.

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INTERVIEW: Heartland Roots Band

The Heartland Roots band are back this weekend with a show at The Shed on Friday 9 September. We caught up with them to find out what they’ve been up to.

What have the Heartland Roots Band been up to since we last spoke?

Since Covid we spent 10 months writing and recording our latest album ‘Something Better’ which was released at the end of July 2022 and shot straight to number 4 in the iTunes Charts. So far it’s had the most fantastic reviews. We’re really proud of it. A long string of high profile Festivals in 2022 (supporting ‘Del Amitri’, The Christians’, Billy Ocean’, ‘Cast’, 10cc and ‘Lulu’) has kept the band very busy and 2023 is already looking busier. We’re getting loads of radio airplay worldwide on very prestigious stations and we’re appearing on TV next Monday 12/9/22 in the USA. Band life is very busy too with all the interviews in between.

What can people expect from your live show?

We’re very proud of our live shows. We try our hardest to replicate what we achieve in our studio recordings. This means a high energy performance hitting every note and beat so that everything is spot on. Expect a fantastic lead vocal with tight harmonies in support, intricate guitar lines with top notch solos, wrap around keys and a thumping rhythm section. You won’t be disappointed!

Which 3 bands would be listed in your For fans of section?

That’s a really tough question because we feel that our sound is unique. No other current band seems to be putting music out there that is similar to ours. However, it would be cop out for me to simply say ‘listen to us and tell us who you think we sound like’! So, if we had to list 3 artists in a ‘for fans of’ section, then we’d put Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde and Carrie Underwood. All great artists.

What’s your favourite thing about the Leicester music scene?

The Leicester music scene is slowly, but very fortunately,  becoming more vibrant post-Covid. The Leicester eclectic feel seems to have been revived and it’s superb that there remains a choice of venues for music lovers to choose from. The music coming out of Leicester is varied too, so whether it’s ‘The Heartland Roots Band’, ‘Kasabian’ or ‘Easy Life’, that takes your fancy, there appears to be something to suit everyone.

You’re playing at The Shed on Friday, what makes the venue special?

I’ve mentioned above about our very busy Festival schedule in 2022 so it’s been difficult to play many local smaller gigs. Having played two Festivals in a day on 13/8/22 we were able to pull in a bash at ‘The Donkey’ music venue on Sunday 14/8/22. Our videographer is part of the management set up at ‘The Shed’ and discovered that we were free this Friday 9/9/22. So we’ve agreed to do a 60 mins set of bangers at this intimate but special venue. Most of the new album will be played along with some of our previous chart singles. It’s been a while since HRB played at ‘The Shed’ so we’re all looking forward to seeing everyone down there and saying ‘Hi’.

What else do you have planned in 2022?

We seemed to have broken the back of the band diary for 2022 now, as the Festival season draws to a close. However, our last Festivals for 2022 are at the ‘Lubbesthorpe Festival’ on Saturday 17/9/22 where we’ll be performing from 3-4pm. We’re then headlining the ‘Country Music Social Media Festival’ on Saturday 15/10/22 in Stoke on Trent, before we take a well earned little break. It will then be back to writing new material so that we keep on top of our trend of releasing a new single every quarter.

Where can people keep up to date with your plans?

Everyone can keep up with all things HRB through the usual Social Media platforms and our website. Please see the links below:

All of the band’s chart singles with their accompanying videos can be accessed via the links below too.

https://linktr.ee/heartlandrootsband

www.theheartlandrootsband.co.uk

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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.