Milky’s Music Matters

MILKYS MUSIC MATTERS MATTERS

FRANCIS OF DELIRIUM + SLOE NOON – Thur 26th Jan – Esquires

The project Francis of Delirium was created by 19-year-old Jana Bahrich (Vancouver) who invited drummer/producer, Chris Hewett (Seattle) to form an indie rock band who would be based in Luxembourg! With a sound that mixes nineties grunge and shoegaze, Francis of Delirium have to date released 2 EPs to widespread and worldwide acclaim.

‘…the blueprint of something grand’ – Pitchfork ‘One of the best new bands of 2021’ – Stereogum ‘They meld genres spanning generations with ease’ – The Line of Best Fit

Most recent release ‘All Love’ was mixed by Jolyon Thomas (Royal Blood, Slaves) and mastered by Joe Lambert (Sharon Van Etten, The National) and Jana’s impassioned vocals and guitar chops has seen the band compared to Courtney Barnett and The Smashing Pumpkins.

Already confi rmed to play the Shaky Knees festival in Atlanta with Nine Inch Nails and Chvrches, we are convinced 2023 will be a massive year for Francis of Delirium. To quote one of their most memorable songs, ‘Quit F*cking Around’ and come and see them before they inevitably blow up…

Tickets £8 in advance from all the usual places.

HUEY MORGAN’S NYC BLOCK PARTY – Sat 28th Jan – Esquires

DJ, raconteur, author, producer, broadcaster and fun lovin’ criminal, Huey Morgan – a modern day rock’n’roll Renaissance man – is many things to many people.

As the whiskey soaked Lower East Side voice of 6 Music and Radio 2, he’s the man who joins the dots between funk, soul, disco, classic hip hop and rock’n’roll. As a broadcaster, he’s the man who tells laugh-out-loud stories and talks to the listener as if pulled up on a bar stool next to them. And as a musician, he’s the frontman of legendary 90s outfi t Fun Lovin’ Criminals, a funk-fried indie outfi t that broke big worldwide selling over 10 million records, recently celebrating their 20th anniversary.

ESQUIRES

Fri 6th Jan The Ouse Valley Singles Club + Duzzy Avocado Sat 7th Jan Hear the drummer get Wicked (live percussion + DJ) Sat 14th Jan Noasis Sat 21st Jan Firefall Sat 28th Jan Huey Morgan’s NYC Block Party Thur 26th Jan Francis of Delirium + Sloe Noon Wed 1st Feb Trampolene + The Rills Thur 2nd Feb Sprints Fri 3rd Feb Anti Nowhere League Sat 4th Feb Sick Joy Thur 9th Feb Opus Kink Fri 10th Feb Ben Ottewell (Gomez)

+ many more, check listings at bedfordesquires.com for details or facebook.com/bedfordesquires Tickets available from Esquires, Slide Record Shop and online at seetickets.com

imagine Huey soundtracking cult Netfl ix show The Get Down, and you’re close, as funk, soul, disco and hip hop jams get thrown into the mix battle style. Yet another creative outlet for Britain’s favourite New York cousin.

Support comes from simply the fi nest DJ this town has produced in many years, warming you up nicely will be MASS C.

INDEPENDENT VENUE WEEK – 4 gigs @ Esquires

Independent Venue Week (IVW) is the UK’s annual 7-day celebration of independent music & arts venues and the people that own, run and work in them. During the week, independent venues come together with artists, promoters, agents, record labels and media to create a unique series of special live events across the U.K. to highlight on the work these venues do year-round. By doing so, local communities come together and celebrate these special places with thousands of artists playing hundreds of shows in villages, towns and cities all around the UK. Working with valued long term partners including Arts Council England and See Tickets as well as BBC 6 Music as o cial broadcast partner, IVW is also championed by a di erent Ambassador every year, which have included Colin Greenwood (Radiohead), Arlo Parks, Anna Calvi, Adrian Utley (Portishead), Nadine Shah, Wolf Alice, Wet Leg and many more.

This year Esquires has 4 brilliant shows starting on Wednesday the 1st of February when Welsh indie rockers Trampolene visit supported by hotly tipped Lincoln gang The Rills. This gig is for those who love Arctic Monkeys and The Libertines. Sprints then arrive on the 2nd, everything that goes into the band’s cathartic punk battle-cries can be seen as something of a call-to-arms: an attempt to silence the internal doubting voices and to fi ght against the outdated social tropes that box in individuality. Punk legends Anti Nowhere League headline the Friday (3rd) then its over to the high energy grungey rock of Sick Joy on the 4th Feb.

COMING UP, COMING UP

Catch them before they move to bigger venues

Trampolene, The Rills, Sprints Lucky to see them still in smaller venue – Opus Kink, Ben Ottewell Grungey rock – Sick Joy Legends – Huey Morgan Punk – Anti Nowhere League Electronica – Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan