St. Helens Music

Collective News: guess what...

Posted: 24 Mar 2008 by Will - Why not discuss this news story in the forum?

Gig News: February Collective Showcase

Posted: 18 Feb 2008 by Will - Why not discuss this news story in the forum?

Gig News: January Collective Showcase

Posted: 23 Jan 2008 by Will - Why not discuss this news story in the forum?

Gig News: Safari Hari @ The Rendezvous, 12th January 2008

Safari Hari presenté: Indica Ritual, Giant Root Attack and Total Victory.

Indica Ritual are seriously great. For fans of Devo, with even spazzier tendencies. They have guaranteed partytime funtime yeah yeah yeah! Click the link and listen to 'Tradeteam'.

Giant Root Attack are St. Helens's most singalongable popsters, and shall be sprinkling their magic in the middle position of the night. DJ Marc Riley (aka Lard) says "Pure genius! Everyone needs to hear Robots... it should be the official England song for Euro 2008!!"

Total Victory is former Corinthians vocalist Dan Thomas's new band. Claiming to be influenced by "Misfortune, frustration, laughter, good anecdotes, civic enterprise vs. the soul of the community", they open the night with "a non-specific loudness".

So... three fabulous bands and "all the best in Fucktronica/Pieskronk/Brokecore spun in between", for a mere three of your sterling pounds. How can you possibly refuse? Sat 12th January at at The Rendezvous, from 8:30pm. Be there!

Posted: 04 Jan 2008 by Will - Why not discuss this news story in the forum?

Collective News: Christmas special!

As the grim inevitability of New Year’s Eve looms large, come and relight your yuletide fire in the company of a veritable Feast-of-Stephen of bands that have lit up the St.Helens Musicians Collective stage at the Rendezvous to most startling effect throughout 2007:

Murmurs of Tension
2008 is shaping up to be quite a year for these trippy St.Helens psyche-heads. After a glorious XFM appearance and sell out shows throughout 2007, the, Murmurs will emerge from the studio to take their own brand of “psychedelic tropical pop” on the road across Europe. Think early Floyd, Hendrix, Beatles etc. But more importantly think of an awesomely original band. Catch ‘em while you can.

Mark Wilson
The globe-trotting troubadour is back to raise a glass to his hometown. After an amazing 2007 that has seen gigs worldwide to a massive amount of that thing they call “acclaim”, the next twelve months could be big for this local gravel-voiced acoustic song-smith. Think Tim Buckley, Tom Waits and the like. Oh yeah and he also bangs his guitar for percussion…so essentially he’s the much-less-annoying Newton Faulkner with better songs, a better voice and, crucially, better hair.

Billy England
Referred to by one enthusiastic local as “the best band I’ve ever seen in St.Helens”, at their last Collective performance back in May, this unlikely foursome from up the road in that there Liverpool, return along with their brand of high-energy indie rock. Thinking about Interpol, Modest Mouse, early Trail of Dead and a sprinkling of QOTSA could be useful, but dancing to the pulsating rhythms and hard-edged guitar action belted out by what looks like four Library Assistants, is probably more so. They’re from Liverpool and they don’t sound like The Zutons. Interesting…..

The Hang Project
Three lads foraging round a junk shop in Amsterdam. What could possibly go wrong? Whatever, the result is on display here. For the uninitiated, a “hang” is kind of like a steel drum played by the hands, picked up in this instance in the aforementioned junk shop. Set this within a three piece with a bass and minimal percussion, you get Asian-infused ambient soundtracks – and not a sequencer in sight. Comparisons are pointless as they’re probably about the most original musical artists in St.Helens at the moment and possibly ever. Good music to drink mulled wine to….maybe on a mountain side in Nepal.

Driving At 30
Belying their fresh faces and tender years, “the 30s” or the “Drives” as we’ll call them, have graced the Collective stage a few times through 2007 playing to increasingly appreciative crowds. You may say the sound is fairly eclectic. And you’d be right. It’s female fronted acoustic / electric rock which in this instance is definitely a good thing. Shades of 70s Fleetwood Mac make these one of St.Helens’ best kept secrets. Oh and their drummer’s middle name is “The Animal”. Nuff said.

The Nihilites
Acoustic two piece also from Liverpool (there’s a theme developing here)….and they don’t sound like The Zutons either (what are the chances of that?!) It’s all about the Bobs here. Marley and a bit of Dylan. Kind of heavily raggae influenced folk. Which makes sense. Great voices, great guitar playing. Just great.

It all starts about 6pm on Saturday 29th and costs the usual £3. For seven bands! Must be Christmas.

Posted: 23 Dec 2007 by Will - Why not discuss this news story in the forum?

Gig News: Collective Christmas Special

Posted: 20 Dec 2007 by Will - Why not discuss this news story in the forum?

Gig News: Bands wanted for charity gig in January

If anyone's interested in playing a gig in aid of the NSPCC at Haydock United Reform Church on 12th January 2008 then please email Neil Boardman at neil@neilboardman.co.uk.

Posted: 21 Nov 2007 by Will - Why not discuss this news story in the forum?

Gig News: DAMO SUZUKI (ex-CAN) returns to St. Helens

www.myspace.com/safarihari

Posted: 12 Nov 2007 by Thom - Why not discuss this news story in the forum?

Gig News: Gringo Star and The Loungs @ The Zoo Bar, 20th November

All the way from Atlanta, Georgia come Gringo Star, who make nice 60s-inflected popmusik. This is their fourth visit to St. Helens, I think, and they'll be rocking the hizzay again. This time they will be joining forces with St. Helens's very own The Loungs, who have recently released their third single on Manchester's Akoustik Anarkhy label.

Click "read more" to see a video of Gringo Star. ...read more

Posted: 11 Nov 2007 by Will - Why not discuss this news story in the forum?

Gig News: Ned Evett @ The Zoo Bar, 13th November

Fretless guitar maestro Ned Evett returns to the Zoo Bar next Tuesday. He is good. Griff says you should go. Let's copy and paste a press release...

Ned Evett burns brightly on his trademark glass-fingerboard fretless guitars. Guitar Player Magazine refers to him as the world's first fretless guitar rockstar.

It's been over fifteen years since Evett gave his first fretless performance. His continuing history includes over 700 concerts performed in the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, France, Italy, and Australia on eighteen solo tours.

Ned Evett has drawn a catalogue of critical acclaim from such major national publications as USA Today, who recently extolled, "Ned Evett is the perfectly sane, and vastly entertaining master of the fretless glass-necked guitar."

Evett first made waves in 2000 with the groundbreaking release, An Introduction to Fretless Guitar. That album, along with two other successful albums, Circus Liquor, and iStole, led to the band's widespread success in Europe, while also kick-starting the beginning of an intensely loyal fan following in the U.S.

To see Ned Evett live is to see the propulsive engine that drives mile high tunes and a working band playing as hard as they can.

Posted: 07 Nov 2007 by Will - Why not discuss this news story in the forum?