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NEWS
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – The Cookie
Saturday 7 March 2020
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.
ROAM – The Vault at The Shed
Tuesday 4 February 2020
ROAM are in Leicester for Independent Venue Week as part of their tour playing some smaller than usual rooms. The five piece from Brighton deliver performances fizzing with energy and melodic pop punk brilliance. The band take their cues from the likes of New Found Glory, Blink-182, Sum 41 and Simple Plan, and will be celebrating their most recent record Smile Wide. TICKETS.
Katie Melua – De Montfort Hall
Thursday 12 December 2019
When Georgian-born Katie signed with Mike Batt’s Dramatico Records back in September 2002, no-one could have imagined that by the release of her third album, Pictures, she would be the biggest-selling UK-based, female artist in the world that year. Still going strong, her new tour announcement coincides with news of a ‘Live In Concert’ 2xCD album featuring Gori Women’s Choir, recorded at London’s Central Hall, Westminster, in December 2018. Tickets on sale on Friday 22 November.
Badly Drawn Boy & Guests – The Soundhouse
Sunday 1 December
Badly Drawn Boy and a stellar line-up including E-Street Band’s Vini Lopez descend on The Soundhouse for a fundraising event for Light of Day Foundation. The foundation raises money through music towards research into Parkinson’s and other illnesses. Tickets running low for what’s set to be a special night. TICKETS.
New acts added to Download Festival line-up
A host of new acts have been confirmed for the line-up at Donington Park’s Download Festival. Volbeat, Killswitch Engage, Babymetal, The Pretty Reckless, Airbourne and many more will join previously announced headliners Iron Maiden, Kiss and System of a Down. TICKETS.
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THIS WEEK
Open Mic – The Soundhouse
Tuesday 19 November (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. Discover some brilliant new acts. The Soundhouse is on Southampton Street in the Cultural Quarter.
Bubblegum Hypnosis – The Cookie
Tuesday 19 November
Bubblegum Hypnosis are a weird and wild force to be reckoned with. Genres are merely a barrier to creation for the Leicester-based outfit who encompass a range of styles, sounds and concepts from alternative rock to psych pop. The show is co-headlined by AVNT GARDS, combining the ethereal with the punchy, taking you from spirited highs to soulful lows. TICKETS.
Son of Town Hall – The Musician
Tuesday 19 November
As Son of Town Hall, Santa Fe’s David Berkeley and London’s Ben Parker present themselves as a duo born of the high seas, where they traveled together on a raft, crafting harmonies and writing songs about wonder and woe. Their sound is light and plucky, purposely timeless yet anachronistic, a sort of aural steampunk. TICKETS.
MSRY – The Shed
Wednesday 20 November
Hailing from the city of dreaming spires, Oxford, usually reserved for academics and purveyors of knowledge, MSRY plays exactly as the name suggests: misery infused hardcore. Comprised of 4 people who have a reckless abandon for their own well-being on stage and a need to rage harder and faster than anyone else. TICKETS.
Sarah McQuaid – The Musician
Wednesday 20 November
Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Ards International Guitar Festival. “Her subtle mastery onstage launches her straight into my fave shows ever.” — Huffington Post “Captivating, unorthodox songwriting … a gateway into a true innovator’s soul.” — PopMatters. TICKETS.
Frantic State – The Soundhouse
Thursday 21 November
Join hardcore heavyweights, Frantic State, for their EP release show. The band combine the sounds of gritty London and New York style HC with the flare and intensity of classic Thrash Metal. TICKETS.
Himalayas – The Cookie
Friday 22 November
Welsh Indie-Rock four-piece. Sonically Himalayas offer seductive guitar lines, hip bass parts that will groove you to the core all driven by an avalanche of drums. The songs are melodic and fresh with cheeky lyrics and hook lines so catchy you can hang your hat on them. TICKETS.
Wild Cat Strike – Firebug
Friday 22 November
Alt-rock four-piece from Brighton. Frontman, guitarist and songwriter Danny Byrom finds influences between Bright Eyes and Bukowski. The band bring a noisy but beautiful brand of alternative rock that is brimming with post-rock and folk influences. Support from Natalie Evans and Boarder. TICKETS.
Glastonbudget Auditions – The Soundhouse
Friday 22 November
Enjoy a number of great acts competing for their chance to book a slot at Glastonbudget 2020. Expect original material and some awesome covers. £5 on the door.
The Hoo Haaas – Queen of Bradgate
Friday 22 November
Pack your Friday night with your favourite indie and rock covers, from Arctic Monkeys to The Black Crowes and Radiohead. Free entry.
The Blues Duo – The Guildhall
Friday 22 November
Picture yourself walking down Maxwell Street, Chicago in the 1950s and on the corner you can see two guys delivering a driving sound, pumping out the songs of the day, to a gathered crowd. One man is beating out the drums with his feet whilst grooving out all kinds of rhythm and blues on his beat up guitar, while the other guy twists and turns out driving harp from his smoking amplifier. If you like your blues to be raw and real then check out The Blues Duo for a musical journey from the Mississippi back to Chicago sharing the music that gave birth rock n roll. Call 0116 2532569 for tickets.
The Milk Men – The Musician
Friday 22 November
The Milk Men is a band made up from the cream of British R’n’B talent and pedigree, bringing together members of legendary R’n’B band The Pirates, and British Blues Award nominated The Mustangs. The Milk Men have been tearing up venues all over the uk with their dynamic, white hot versions of classic R’n’B and blues tunes, alongside unforgettable originals. TICKETS.
Last Chance – The Vault
Saturday 23 November
Last Chance are a powerful hard hitting and melodic punk pop band from the UK with influences from the likes of Blink 182, Bowling for soup, and Greenday. Support comes from one of the most talked about underground bands of the moment, Slackrr. TICKETS.
UK Subs – The Soundhouse
Saturday 23 November
Formed in 1976, the mainstay of the band has been vocalist Charlie Harper, originally a singer in Britain’s R&B scene (now venerated as the godfather of UK punk) UK Subs have continued and thrived. 2010 marked the fifth decade in which the UK Subs had continually graced the punk rock scene, widely recognised as one of the most consistently and visibly successful punk bands – they maintain and pioneer the true spirit of punk rock, without the compromise and watering-down that has affected so many of their contemporaries. TICKETS.
Ruth Notman – The Guildhall
Saturday 23 November
Folk singer/songwriter, Ruth Notman, first came to prominence in 2006 when, aged just seventeen, she was a finalist in the BBC Young Folk Awards. In 2007, the Nottingham 18-year-old released a debut album Threads which, as BBC Radio 3’s Verity Sharp declared, “caused quite a stir” making the folk scene sit up and take notice of this young performer’s incredible voice. Threads went on to receive plaudits in The Independent, The Guardian and Mojo and in 2009, Notman released her second album The Life of Lilly to similar acclaim before taking a 10-year musical sabbatical to gain a degree in Medical Science. Ruth now returns to the UK folk scene with her clear, powerful vocals and the unique brand of acoustic folk which inspired a generation of young singers and musicians. Tickets are £10 and can be purchased by calling 0116 2532569.
DIIO – A Tribute to Ronnie James Dio
Saturday 23 November
DIIO (pronounced D20) is a tribute to the great Ronnie James Dio, formed of some of the UK’s top tribute musicians from bands including Sack Sabbath, Hi On Maiden and Hell Bent For Priest. Playing the very best of Dio, including all the greatest songs from his solo albums and the classics of Black Sabbath and Rainbow. TICKETS.
The Midnight Dogs – Duffy’s Bar
Saturday 23 November
The Midnight Dogs are taking over Duffy’s Bar on Saturday. The no frills approach to their songs, gives their sound a retro 70s edge when combined with their tight rhythms, catchy guitar riffs, killer bass lines and lyrical stories. They’re joined by London based power trio, Trident Waters. TICKETS.
Snow Patrol – De Montfort Hall
Saturday 23 November
Over a twenty-five year career, Snow Patrol have carved out a unique place for themselves. Now they’re back on the road performing reworked versions of their classic hits. SOLD OUT.
Botown The Soul Band of Bollywood – 2Funky Music Cafe
Saturday 23 November
Dubbed as Bollywood’s answer to The Commitments, Botown is a super-tight Asian soul funk band, performing Bollywood hits in a way you’ve never heard before! Featuring music from legends like RD Burman, James Brown, Prince, AR Rahman, Sly Stone, Kishore Kumar and original material, it’s an exciting culture-clash musical experience that takes you on a trip from Memphis to Mumbai. Imagine a legendary ’60’s Soul band playing Bollywood music… that’s Botown! TICKETS.
Definitely Might Be – O2 Academy 2
Saturday 23 November
As good as the real thing? They definitely might be… Hear all of your favourite Oasis songs reproduced live by one of their top tribute acts. TICKETS.
Demons of Ruby Mae – The Shed
Saturday 23 November
Born in Leicester and matured in Manchester, Demons of Ruby Mae are an eclectic two-piece who’ve garnered an impressive reputation thanks to a string of well-received releases and emotive live shows that have set the duo apart from their contemporaries since their inception in 2013. Four years on, multi-instrumentalists Jonny Gavin and Adam Rowley have retained that same sense of sonic exploration, while honing it down to the finely-tuned and utterly irresistible brand of alt-rock they deal in today. Support over the years has come from Clash, BBC 6 Music, Life of Best Fit, Radio 2 and more. TICKETS.
The Verzions – Mill Hill Cask & Coffee
Sunday 24 November
Enjoy a Sunday afternoon of live music as The Verzions take you through some soul, blues and rock n roll covers. From 4pm. Free entry.
China Bears – The Soundhouse
Sunday 24 November
China Bears have drawn influence from bands such as The National, Dry The River, Frightened Rabbit and Snow Patrol, to create misery-strewn indie anthems combining ambient guitars, choral vocals and raw lyric writing. The end result is a fantastically precise sound which takes the original emo loud / quiet template of, say, Death Cab For Cutie, but adds a stadium-sized sonic sucker punch. Support from Dark Bloom and Tin Pigeons. TICKETS.
The RedHills – The Musician
Sunday 24 November
The RedHills proudly describe their sound as Volkrock – a mix of folk, rock, campervans and chicken sheds. Expect old songs, ballads and dance tunes from all round the British Isles, played loud for a real party. TICKETS.
Open Mic – The Grand Union
Sunday 24 November
Join the hosts Carter & Hartmann for the regular open mic at Leicester’s newest venue, The Grand Union on New Walk. From 7pm, plenty of drinks offers.
Electric Six – O2 Academy 2
Monday 25 November
They want to take you to a ‘Gay Bar’! Formerly known as The Wildbunch, Electric 6’s change of name certainly paid dividends after they success on the back of first single ‘Danger High Voltage’. With musical influences ranging from new romantic to nu-metal with some disco thrown in for good measure, Electric 6 are one of the best live acts you’ll see this year. TICKETS.
Drinks & Jams – The Shed
Monday 25 November 
Every Monday 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.
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DIARY DATES
Amy – A Tribute presents The Story of Amy Winehouse – The Y Theatre
Monday 23 December
Amy Winehouse was one of, if not the finest female jazz and soul singer the UK has produced in a generation, whose career was all too tragically short. A legendary figure in popular music, her three albums, collaborations and self-penned hits touched the world, and this theatre show tells that story through performance, narration, imagery and video, featuring a fantastic 8 piece live band with full horn section and backing vocals, styledon the infamous ‘BBC Sessions’. TICKETS.
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.
Razorlight – O2 Academy Leicester
Friday 6 December
Formed in 2002 around lead singer Johnny Borrell, Razorlight quickly became one of the key bands of the new millennia, selling 4 million albums, winning the 2005 NME New Band Award, nominated for two BRIT Awards and two NME Awards ‘Best Band’ and ‘Best Album’ in 2007. They’re heading out on a short tour before their support slot on the Kaiser Chiefs arena tour early next year. TICKETS.
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SPOTLIGHT
Party into 2020 with Johnny & The Goodtime Boys
Can you remember the 60s and 70s? Johnny & The Goodtime Boys are bringing the ultimate disco and soul sounds back! One of Leicester’s very best party bands they guarantee a good time and have just announced their New Years Eve extravaganza as they bring Downtown Vegas to the Mercure Hotel. Lead singer, “Johnny”, is said to be the love child of Charles Bradley and Chaka Khan and we caught up with him to find out about what the band have planned!
Johnny & The Goodtime Boys have earned a reputation as one of Leicester’s best party bands, what is it about the band that makes them so unique?
We just do what we do and that’s show people how to have a good time! I guess there isn’t any other band like us around in our second home that is Leicester (my first being Puerto Rico obvs!). We are all young sexy people playing the music of legends, dressed to impress and making sure that not one person isn’t shaking their booty!
Give us a bit of info on the background of the band?
Well where do I start? My adopted father, El Campo, was an elderly blind street musician, he always told me that I was the love child of two musical legends, Charles Bradley and Chaka Khan so music is in my blood. Fast forward a few years and I went to see One Direction in my home town in Puerto Rico where I snook into the back of their tour bus and hid there until it we hit the U.K. I didn’t know where I was.
Cissy Cass (female lead vocals) found herself here from Columbia, she ran away from her 3rd husband after he tried to introduce swinging into their relationship, she wasn’t keen.
Hector our guitarist was originally from Mexico but he came to the U.K in search of his true love, she didn’t exist and he ended up on the TV show Catfish.
When I got to the U.K, I knew I wanted to play the Soul music that was bred into me from such a young age so I searched for the best band I could put together but I couldn’t afford their wages so it left me with no option to lower my standards. Lo and Behold, Johnny & The Goodtime Boys were born. The best party band this side of the Atlantic!
What have been some of your most memorable performances?
Most of our performances tend to be private shows, celebrity parties, weddings etc. Contractually I can not say who’s party it was I’m afriad. In terms of public performances, aside from secret gigs at Glastonbury and Cochella, Leicester has been great to us over the years and we always love playing to the people of Leicester. We headlined the Christmas lights switch on to tens of thousands of people, we played the huge Abbey Park fire works show to around 20,000 people which was great, cold but great.
Kasabian also asked us to support them at their Victoria Park show in 2020, but we kindly had to decline due to artistic differences.
The band are playing at the Downtown Vegas New Years Eve event at the Mercure – what are you New Years resolutions for the band?
For me personally, I could really do with learning the lyrics to the songs we play.
Who are some of your other favourite local acts at the moment?
Our favourite local acts don’t tend to play much these days. Englebert doesn’t play much anymore. We asked him to support us on tour, but we couldn’t afford his fee to come out of retirement. Erm…who else? Showwaddywaddy, Mark Morrison, Cornershop, H ’two’ O. Somebody should arrange a big Leicester reunion for these guys to play.
Don’t miss seeing in 2020 at the ultimate New Years Eve party with Johnny & The Goodtime Boys at the Mercure Hotel. Tickets are on sale now.
MORE MUSIC NEWS NEXT WEEK
