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NEWS
The Chameleons – O2 Academy
Wednesday 16 September
The Chameleons are back..! Original members Mark Burgess and Reg Smithies have reformed to celebrate the 35th anniversary of ‘What Does Anything Mean? Basically”. Catch them playing the album in full on Wednesday 16th September. Tickets on sale Friday 6 March.
Pearl Jam UK – O2 Academy 2
Saturday 14 November
The world’s greatest Pearl Jam tribute are back for a show at O2 Academy, following their packed out gig last year. TICKETS.
Texas – De Montfort Hall
Tuesday 3 November
Celebrating 30 years of their iconic album ‘Southside’, Texas will be at De Montfort Hall in November. They will play thier 1989 debut album in full, alongside all of their other hits. Tickets on sale on Friday 6 March.
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THIS WEEK
Open Mic – The Soundhouse
Tuesday 3 March (and every Tuesday)
The weekly open mic happens at The Soundhouse every Tuesday night from 7.30pm. The night is hosted by Rhett Barrow and acts are encouraged to arrive early if hoping to get a slot. Each week there’ll be a featured artist play from 9.30 – 10pm, so if you’re wanting to play a longer set then get your name down.
Acoustic Tuesdays – The Black Horse (Blaby)
Tuesday 3 March (and every Tuesday)
Every Tuesday at 8.30pm a friendly group of music lovers meet in the bar, to play, sing or just to listen to an informal acoustic session. FREE ENTRY.
Jeremy Tuplin Band – The Musician
Tuesday 3 March
Enjoy some Tuesday indie-pop, alt-folk and space-folk from Jeremy Tuplin Band. TICKETS.
Temples – O2 Academy Leicester
Wednesday 4 March
In support of their new album ‘Hot Motion’, Kettering’s Psychedelia outfit Temples return to the o2 Academy Leicester in March. Support comes from Bubblegum Hypnosis. TICKETS.
The Magpies – The Musician
Thursday 5 March
York-based singer and mandolinist, Polly Bolton and Bradford singer-songwriter, Bella Gaffney first jammed backstage after a show in York in the autumn of 2017 and the Magpies were hatched! A great musical friendship, they work collaboratively, arranging material led by powerful vocals and glittering instrumental collaboration. TICKETS.
Footwerk – Apres Lounge
Thursday 5 March
A night all things Disco/House and Techno every Thursday with some of the best up and coming DJs Leicester has to offer along with amazing drinks deals.
Highly Strung – West End Brewery
Thursday 5 March
Enjoy an acoustic Thursday with the Highly Strung duo at the West End Brewery. Free entry, music from 8pm.
Drinks & Jams – The Shed
Friday 6 March
Every Thursday it’s open mic night at The Shed as they host Drinks & Jams. It kicks off at 7.30pm but you can arrive from 7pm to sign up to play. Each week there is a featured act on at 9.15pm. Friendly atmosphere, drinks offers and a great way to start the week.
Fred Zeppelin – The Musician
Friday 6 March
2018 marked the band’s 25th year anniversary. During their time together they have had the honour of Led Zeppelin’s front-man Robert Plant attending three of their gigs and John Bonham’s son Jason even jammed with them on stage. TICKETS.
Mojohand – The Hunting Lodge
Friday 6 March
Come down to the Hunting Lodge to listen to Mojohand – Four piece rocking & boppin’ party band featuring Al Sansome on lead vocals joined by Clive Osbourne on tenor sax, Charlie Lewin on bass and vocals ans Tom Lane on drums. TICKETS.
The Fourmasons – The Bottle Garden
Friday 6 March
The Fourmasons trio return to The Bottle Garden for Jazz on A Friday evening! Start your weekend with a bright mix of swing, latin, ballads and amazing cocktails – an inimitably stylish setting. Music is from 6.30pm and admission is free.
Luther Vandross Celebration – Haymarket Theatre
Friday 6 March
The world’s premier show in celebration of ‘The Velvet Voice’ experience with all the hits from his amazing career. Culminating over 40 million album sales and eight Grammy awards, including many of the greatest dance anthems and love songs ever written, fronted by international Luther Vandross tribute Harry Cambridge and his 10 piece band. TICKETS.
Live Fridays – Natterjacks
Friday 6 March
Kick off your weekend with live music and 2 for 1 cocktails at Natterjacks. This week’s artist is Nicola Lovell followed by resident DJ.
The Jupiter Blues – The Soundhouse
Friday 6 March
The Jupiter Blues are an electrifying four-piece committed to bringing audiences the very best in blues-infused rock ‘n’ roll. In two years, the band has developed a formidable reputation as one of the liveliest and entertaining acts, thrilling audiences with their hard-rocking show up and down the country. TICKETS:
Kieran Towers and Charlotte Carrivick – Guildhall
Friday 6 March
Expanding on the tradition of fiddle/banjo duets, award winning multi instrumentalists Kieran and Charlotte combine their thorough knowledge of Appalachian folk music to create a new take on old time and contemporary string band styles. TICKETS.
Groundculture and Black Coast – The Shed
Friday 6 March
Newcastle harcore five-piece. “Trust us, GroundCulture could be your new favourite band” – Rocksound. Also Black Coast will be there as UK hardcore/metal quintet, full of guts, tight riffing, razor-sharp vocals and breakdowns aplenty.
Arcades – HMV
Saturday 7 March
To celebrate the release of their EP, Arcades will be doing an in store performance at HMV on Saturday lunchtime (12.30pm). Free entry.
Acoustic Sessions – The King’s Head
Saturday 7 March
Head down to The King’s Head for another Saturday evening of the finest local acoustic talent. Music from 9pm.
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – The Cookie
Saturday 7 March
Known for their wild, energetic concerts, the American alternative rock band hail from Austin, Texas. The chief members of the band are Jason Reece and Conrad Keely, who both alternate between drumming, guitar and lead vocals, both on recordings and live shows. TICKETS.
The Big Dance – The Soundhouse
Saturday 7 March
Get ready for a big night full of some of Leicestershire’s most lively Ska, Brass, Rap, Rock, Pop and Funk acts all guaranteed to have you dancing till you drop! Line-up includes The Social Ignition, Groove & The Bathtub Pings and G & The Sound Tribe. Free entry.
The Ramonas – Duffy’s Bar
Saturday 7 March
The Ramonas on stage energy level is intense to put it mildly. For the last 10 years The Ramonas have been powering their way through the Ramones iconic albums at shows all over the UK & Europe. TICKETS.
The Della Grants – The Musician
Saturday 7 March
The Della Grants’ material cleverly bridges the gaps between several genres and if you’ve seen them live then you’ll know just how diverse their music really is. Expertly written songs all linked by a bluesy feel and delivered on stage, in an unapologetic, old fashioned rock and roll manner. TICKETS.
The Sensation Seekers – The Donkey
Saturday 7 March
Prepare to groove to the hammond-psyche-fuzz-beat of the Sensation Seekers; guaranteed to get any go-go party going with their patented prog-sploitation sounds! With their single ‘monkey paws’ setting BBC Radio 6 alight; this is their 1st time in Leicester so come and show them what an unstoppable dancing crowd we are! TICKETS.
Room For Afters – Manhattan34
Saturday 7 March
Enjoy some classic covers from Room After Afters. Free entry with music from 9pm.
Open Mic – The Western
Sunday 8 March
With 15 minutes per performer this is a brilliant chance to try out your new material. This month’s feature artist is Kelsey Shaw. Kelsey is the is the lead singer of Nottingham indie-rock/pop band Kelsey and the Embers, who’s songs have been described as including ‘the beaut acoustic-pop touches that Notts has come to love’, whilst putting an original spin on every cover added to her set.
Josienne Clarke – The Musician
Sunday 8 March
Rising through the ranks of the London folk revival movement, Josienne Clarke has now become one of the leading lights. Comparisons to June Tabor and Sandy Denny have been made, but not just due to her remarkable vocal and writing talent. TICKETS.
Bryan Ferry – De Montfort Hall
Monday 9 March
Bryan Ferry has taken his place as one of the most iconic and innovative artists in popular music. Ferry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a part of Roxy Music in 2019 and has collectively sold more than 30 million records worldwide. TICKETS.
Blue Rose Code – The Musician
Monday 9 March
Ross Wilson, known as Blue Rose Code, has been compared to John Martyn, Van Morrison and Tom Waits. Edinburgh born Ross spent his creative formative years in East London, then moved to South England “to be by the sea’s energy” but it is in his homecoming that he has found where his heart is. The Blue Rose Code game has certainly changed and they are heard regularly in session for the BBC (TV and Radio), STV, Alba, TG4, Virgin Radio. TICKETS.
Kid Kapichi – The Cookie
Monday 9 March
These rock heavyweights from Hastings stamped their name firmly onto the hide of the UK rock scene in 2018, after riding the wave of the release of their single ‘Puppet Strings’ and EP ‘Lucozade Dreams. Get down to The Cookie and have a chance to listen to their singles on Monday 9 March.TICKETS.
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DIARY DATES
Twin Atlantic – O2 Academy
Sunday 15 March 2020
The Glaswegian quartet are back with the charming style of vocalist Sam McTrustry and their much loved heavy rock anthems. They’ve also announced a new upcoming album as they release their first new material since 2016. TICKETS.
Circa Waves – O2 Academy
Tuesday 31 March
Known for their nervy, melodic indie rock, Circa Waves first gained buzz in the 2010’s with hooky singles like ‘Get Away’ and ‘Stuck in My Teeth’. Centered on lead singer/songwriter Kieran Shudall, the Liverpudlians earned favourable comparisons to the Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, and the Vaccines. They’re touring in support of their brand new album ‘Sad Happy’. TICKETS.
Battles – The Y Theatre
Tuesday 5 May
From Brooklyn, New York, Battles are an angular and highly experimental band who have garnered a reputation as some of the most skilled and innovative musicians of their time, helping them to garner a worldwide audience. Pushing the sonic limits of how conventional instruments and electronics meld, they’re coming to Leicester off the back of a tour support slot with Foals. TICKETS.
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SPOTLIGHT
Leicester artists unite for Australia
Following the devastating fires in Australia, the local music scene has come together to curate the Leicester Artists Relief for Australia, which is taking place across the city on Sunday 22 March. They’ve chosen 2 special independent charities to raise funds for so your donations and ticket money can really have a big impact in helping them recover. Taking place across multiple venues, the line-up has been curated to suit a range of tastes. We caught up with The Brandy Thieves’ Andrea Kenny, who kick started the project, to find out more.
How did the initial idea for the event come together?
I saw quite a few online fundraisers where you can click a button a donate… mostly for the major charities to do with the Australian bush fires that were getting a lot of media attention. I went ahead a donated to one of these but thought, hang on, I can do more then this! I’m a musician myself and I have a following, which can maybe mobilise people in Leicester to come together to create a bigger impact. I also wanted to support the smaller more independent charities/sanctuaries who would have gone under the media radar. I used to live in Australia so its very close to my heart and my partner lives there at the moment. It was just breaking me seeing the devastation to wildlife and communities so I knew I had to do more.
The response I got to my initial post was immense and just so heart warming ! I knew Leicester had it in her! Within 2 hours I had 200 comments of acts offering to donate their time, people wanting to volunteer and I thought, “wow, this could be big!”
Then my good friend Matt Kirk from Firebug & Duffy’s got in touch and pledged his guidance and venues. It’s grown from there. We have an amazing, diversely talented and generous team together and now we have 6 venues and over 40 acts!
Tell us a little about how you chose the charities you’ll be fundraising for?
We wanted to reach out to smaller independent sanctuaries that have been pretty much wiped out by the fires. Many have lost infrastructures and lost whole eco systems of animals. We realised for a lot of these places who mostly are family run that they would be literally still fighting fires and may not be able to get back to us very quickly. We heard from Goongerah Wombat Orphanage and Cobargo Wildlife Sanctuary who welcomed our help and we are happy to support such great organisations.
One of our other aims is to find an arts or music based independent business that have been hit by the fires and help them directly with funds for repairs or to replace lost equipment etc. I’m going over to Australia and will be visiting Goongerah Wombat Sanctuary to see first hand the support they need and to show people back in Leicester exactly where the funds will be going.
Through choosing these charities we will be able to have a greater and more direct impact it also builds that connection between those who have given their time and talents and those who have brought tickets or donated. It gives them a chance to see a direct effect of how they have helped.
How did you choose the venues and acts appearing at the event?
From being in The Brandy Thieves for 8 years I know the local scene very well and I’m well known by the scene so I did a call out and the response was pretty instant! People were keen to jump on board and help! I think what’s happened has touched a lot if hearts and minds.
Matt Kirk pledged a total Firebug take over upstairs and down and also Duffy’s, I then asked Vijay at 2Funky Music and Yasin from HQ familia to curate a line to offer a more diverse music policy. Jack Franklin, Martin and Sue at The Soundhouse were also super supportive and they will be catering to the more alternative scene with their line-up. There will also be a mix of music and spoken word acts at The Cookie
We knew in order to raise our target of £10,000 we had to have some bigger named acts on the bill. Someone suggested Uncle Frank and I’ve known him around the scene for years, he’s a local and international legend not just in his own right but, of course, he’s also the drummer for Fun Lovin Criminals! I thought well it wont hurt to ask and he said yes almost straight away! He’s been amazingly supportive throughout the process.
The rest of the line up is made from Leicester favourites from across all genres – Jersey Budd, The Whiskey Rebellion, Harrison Gent, Gu-Ru, Social Ignition, Elysian, Ann Duggan and so many many more!
How will ticket money go towards helping these charities?
It will help to repair homes and structures, help replenish destroyed animal feed, help with vets bills, drugs and rehab, help the people and families who work at and run these places. Of course these are their homes too!
Can you tell people a little more about the acts appearing for anyone who isn’t familiar?
We’ve tried to cater to almost every taste in order to get as much interest for the event so people come! I think this means people will come not only to help raise funds but because the line-up is great and the music scene and its supporters in Leicester are incredibly supportive and always have been.
Among the line-up we have…
Groove soul infused rock with Uncle Frank (saw his band live last week and it blew me away!)
The crazy sweaty booze infused gypsy pirates The Whiskey Rebellion
Psychedelic funk trippers GU-RU
Blue grassed tinged folk with Ann Duggan
Melodic female fronted metal with Gallows High
Alternative faves EARLS
I could go on and on…. you will all just have to come and enjoy!
How much are tickets and when are they on sale?
This is the best part! its a total BARGAIN! over 40 acts across 6 venues….just for £15!! (plus booking fee) wristband access to all venues all day…with auctions, raffles and loads of other fun stuff going on too! They are on sale NOW.
How can people support in advance of the event?
Please spread the word and buy tickets. Also please follow our Facebook page for updates.
We are also looking for volunteers on the day and during the run up to help with promo so if people are interested in helping they can get in touch on our website.
Thank you in advance to everyone who has shown support and all who buys a ticket and donates to this. It will make such a difference to so many animals and those amazing souls who’ve been spending their lives helping them.
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MORE MUSIC NEWS NEXT WEEK
