The weeks seem to go by so quickly and the magazine continues to get bigger, as does our e-mail inbox, all fantastic stuff. Our Plan was to have the magazine read in excess of 10,000 times per issue by October. It is just 4 days since releasing Issue 3 on July 31st and I can report over 4,000 people have read the last issue. With 11 days to go until this issue goes live, we could well have already hit our target. Thank you all for your support and keep your e-mails, photos and comments coming. Happy Reading Front Page Psychohero
Page 17 Giggettes go Wild
Pages 28 and 29 Video Shoot—On Set with Vanilla Nightmare
Page 2 Contents Page 3 Sound Arc
Page 18 & 19 Our new Facebook friends
Pages 30 and 31 Scallywags
Page 4 Venue Review Page 5 Gig Guide Pages 6 & 7 Exit Avenue Pages 8 & 9 CD Review – In Remission Pages 10 & 11 Webscape Pages 12 & 13 Gadget Review Pages 14 & 15 Angry Badgers (Inset) Page 16 Modelling Contract to be won
Page 20 Sexy Nana answers your problems Page 21 Your stars for the fortnight Page 22 Cinema Listings and Fan Page Page 23 Classified Adverts
Pages 24 and 25 Psychohero Pages 26 Perception Radio Page27 DubStep Review
Back Page Restaurant Review The Green Man Offley
This week we visited Hitchin Studio, a new rehearsal and recording studio based in The Cam Centre, Wilbury Way. With no sound sensitive neighbours and the latest premier equipment, this facility really is a boon to all local bands. Refreshments and equipment are available, and extra room for performances are already being built. A comfortable and pleasant setting to ensure the creative juices flow freely.
Hitchin Studios New Rehearsal Studio In Hitchin ÂŁ10 per Hour Inc Full PA System and Mics with Martin Audio Speakers and Mackie Sub Premier Drum Kit inc Cymbals (Sabian etc) Marshall 100wGuitar and Trace Elliot 200w Bass Amps Digital Recording/ Mixing/ Mastering Studio Shop selling Sticks, Strings Pedals Etc Refreshments Cold Drinks, Snacks and FREE tea and Coffee
www.myspace.com/Hitchinstudios Or Call 01462 440044/ 07766 080119 8b Cam Centre, Wilbury Way, Hitchin SG4 0TW
Date
Venue
Appearing
Time
Cost
14th August
Club 85
Monster Monster
7.45
£5
14th August
The Venue Dub ‘n’ Step
8pm
Free
15th August
Club85
7.45pm
£6
Wed 19th
The Kings Arms
Many Things Untold Accoustic Set
8pm
Free
Thurs 20th Molly Malones
Accoustic Open Mic
8pm
Free
Friday 21st Club 85
1000 Sins
7.45
£5
Friday 21st The Venue Reggae Night
8pm
Free
Sat 22nd
Club 85
Redmaxx
7.45
£5
Sun 23rd
The Ivory
Accoustic
6pm
Free
For more Gig Listings www.hitchingigs.co.uk
We met with two of the band before their gig and found them to be wise beyond their years. They have made it their business to know all aspects of their trade and this shines through in their attitude and in their performance. I think we will rarely see a more polished performance than we saw from this band. They were professional in every sense. They had invited all their fans via Facebook to come to the gig dressed for a beach party and the huge crowd did just that ! There were beach balls flying through the air, the crowd jumping around and actually joining in and singing along ! They had their own sound check going on, a brilliant light show, extra dancers on stage, the full monty and it was all very, very impressive. However, the music was mostly cover versions of popular songs ! and I consider this to be nothing short of a sell out. A group of young men with as much talent as they obviously have, should not in my opinion be doing other peoples’ stuff. They should be writing and performing their own. I cannot really say that this bothered their fans, as I said they all had a great time and raved about the band and their performance. So we have mixed feelings here in the Hitchin Gigs office, we are divided by this band more so than any others we have seen. I would be interested in your opinion Dear Reader, is it right that live gig bands should perform cover versions ? or are we only interested in seeing original musical talent ? E Mail me please, I would love to hear your views. The boys do have some original tunes you can find them on www.myspace.com/exitavenue It is the most impressive My Space page we have seen !
This is a five piece, hard core rock band from Clophill. They took part recently in The Battle of The Bands in Dunstable and won. No mean feat for a band who have only been together for just a year. We have listened to their most recent CD, there will be a new one out shortly and their music is stunning, very original. They describe their musc as “swimming around in multiple shades of metal”, all I can say is if you appreciate the music of such bands as My Passion, you will love these tguys ! Their music shows talent and imagination in abundance and I can’t wait to see the live performance. They promised us that their gigs are very audience targeted and more of a show than your average rock band ! Sounds like we need to see them as soon as possible. I expect great things of this band and hopefully we will see them at Club 85 in the very near future, we will certainly be letting you know when that will be. We will do a more in depth interview with them at that time. I have their CD to give away and all you have to do is answer this question; Where can you see In Remission on August 29th 2009 Answers to hitchingigs@live.co.uk Closing date August 27th 2009 6pm
The Fight for Gary McKinnon continues. The past fortnight has seen several of our Facebook friends reassert their support for Gary and we thought it was worth bringing to the attention of all of those who have not yet heard of him. Gary suffers from Aspergers syndrome, which is form of Autism, and as with many who deal with this condition, also lends itself to developing talents beyond the scope of most people
Gary’s particular talent is with computers, and his interests lay with discovering proof of extra-terrestrial life. In the pursuit of this he managed to hack into several United States of America military and secure networks, including the Pentagon, and NASA. His timing could not have been worse Late in 2001 shortly after the September 11th attack on the World Trade Centre, and the Bush announcement of their ‘War On Terror’, has now promoted this man from a misguided genius to enemy of the free world. Since 2002 Gary’s Legal Team have been fighting his extradition to America, stating he was in the UK at the time, therefore he should be tried here. Why would that be of concern? Well not only do medical experts believe the stress of a trial in a foreign country to be overwhelming for an Aspergers sufferer, but also where the sentence if found guilty in the UK is unlikely to be more than several months, the Americans are talking in terms of 50 years.
I don't think we are talking about the same type of justice, when murder or manslaughter would almost certainly carry a lesser sentence than the unauthorised viewing of a website. Many believe our extradition treaty with the US is one sided and we have allowed the Americans to dictate terms for too long. However the Home Secretary has the right to overturn an extradition application, Surprisingly the five people that have held the post since this started, have all failed to do so. We don’t think anyone should get away with criminal actions, but a humane and reasonable approach defines our society’s standing. To find out more about Gary’s case visit www.freegary.org.uk and if you feel so moved complete the form to urge the government to change their position.
www.documentsforyou.co.uk
Twitter and Facebook victim of cyber attack
Sites on Wednesday last week.
One of the more obscure stories to surface this week is of a Facebook blogger called George. George is heavily critical of the Russians and their handling of issue surrounding South Ossetia and this, he claims lead to a denial of service attack on Twitter and Facebook by the Russian Government. Most users would have had difficulty accessing the
Denial of service attacks are becoming quite common and many companies have suffered them in the past few years. When our computer contracts a virus or Malware, this can be used to turn your computer into a drone. When there are several drones this becomes known as a
botnet. These botnets can be used to attack certain sites. The sites themselves become so overwhelmed by the number of requests being received it simply stops working. Now I know the Russian Government is not the most open to receiving criticism, however in my heart I think George has delusions of grandeur, and the twitter attack was probably coincidental.
Visit www.hitchingigs.co.uk for details
opics. t s e u s s i this era, e r m a a c l a a u s with g s vi e n i n h o t h l l p a d ile lity n b a a o u s q a M r e e a c i C am p ar e or p r f m l a ve o e c h d l o l o ’ t Photos , e m g l w n i a re go m off ession a e f h e o t r w t p n e i a r r He an d e. lly p n a a i l r e r e n r m o e a v c d t e an we ne m s o a h a budge n t e a h them res. T e u r t a a h e s f n d an e ca w w o h t a look a Traditionally it has to be said that if you use your phone to take pictures you are going to get a grainy and slightly blurry picture. Perfectly good for using as an avatar on a social network site, but not the most valuable asset memory wise. Now however Samsung have released the Pixon 12. A touch screen phone with a whopping 12mega pixel camera. Most cheapish digital cameras available will give you 8 mega pixels and some good phones up to 5 mega pixels, so this really is jump in the definition you can achieve.
This really now means that one product will do the job of camera and phone. The draw backs ? well not many, the obscure Samsung menu is not my favourite, but it reacts quickly and the touch screen is quite accurate. The high resolution gives great shots which will survive being enlarged, however currently this phone is exclusively available through Phones for You on a £35 per month contract with a choice of airtime suppliers. When you compare that with paying less than £100 for 12mp purpose built camera and keeping your own phone
another 3 months, the product maybe loses some of its appeal. Obviously if you are or hold ambition to be a professional photographer then it would be doubtful if any of these cameras would suffice. For decent variation in lenses, speeds, filters and decent flashes you need to be looking to spend in excess of £500. However 12 mega pixels is still the level of resolution at this range.
Version for just under £100.
With nearly every person now owning a phone that has a camera, you’d think we’d be spending fortunes on ink and paper printing them out and hanging them on the wall. Whereas instead, we tend to leave them to take up room on our hard drive. For under £10 you can now buy a digital photograph key ring, you can upload about 10 photos and the battery will last about 3 days. A nice novelty gift maybe. Larger Frames to display photos in more traditional settings can be bought for about £30-£50, and a Wifi
For some of us using social networks such as Facebook is how we share our photos and once we’ve struggled with Photo Bucket or FLKER we upload our pictures for people to share. But here’s the rub, Facebooks new terms and conditions allows them , and third parties to use your photos
The chances are that they aren't even aware that their photo is being used. It is however easily fixed, just visit the settings and permission screens on the homepage and restrict the access. Or you could buy that printer you’ve had your eye on, some glossy paper, and the 10 ink cartridges you’ll need and go back to printing hard copies.
So when you see a message that one of your friends is using a certain application, together with their profile picture, don’t automatically think they are endorsing this product.
MY PASSION CD DOWNLOAD WWW.HITCHINGIGS.CO.UK/DOWNLOADS.ASPX
Like being kicked in the crutch by a basketball player in a gimp mask !!!! This is how Dave, the guitarist for Angry Badgers, describes their sound. John, who takes drums, says it’s more like a pleasant assault, like a shiatsu massage. Rob, on bass and Phil, vocals and guitar, complete the foursome, who in their current line up have been performing together since February this year. As a band the Angry Badgers have been formed since 2005 and have earned the distinction of winning a heat of Battle of the Bands at The Horn in St Albans. They have been featured on Three Counties Radio and have been interviewed by Chris Evans on Radio Two. Despite these claims to fame, the band have no ambitions for fame and fortune, instead describing their work as a hobby and escapism. They are currently recording a new album, but do not yet have a release date. We saw them at Club 85 and they attracted a good crowd of enthusiastic followers. I thought the set started slowly, to be honest and given the way they described themselves, I was a little surprised ! However, my disappointment was short lived. They burst into life on the third tune of the set and very definitely went insane for the rest of it ! This band is nitty gritty hard rock, with some very funky undertones.
A great performance by all, John on drums did not disappoint, always looking out for great drummers and he certainly is ! The vocals were loud and proud, matching the guitars perfectly. No screeching ! Just great lyrics sung superbly. I enjoyed them, they make you want to jump around and that’s always good stuff.
We have an EP CD of theirs to give away and all you have to do is answer this question; Which song on their MySpace profile has had the most plays ? Answers to hitchingigs@live.co.uk Closing Date : August 27th 2009 6pm You can find them at www.myspace.com/angrybadgerbanduk
A great gig guys, look forward to seeing you all again in the near future. All you Promoters out there — get this band on your lists ! We have no Hitchin Gigs for this band to tell you about, but rest assured, as soon as they are back in the area we will let you know.
Are You Hitchin’s Next Top Model? In Association with
U and U Promotions We are running a
Modelling Competition for some lucky young lady to become the face of this music promotion company.
To qualify to enter you will need to be over 16, however under 18’s will require parental consent. In the first instance e-mail Hitchingigs@live.co.uk With a selection of photos,your name and contact details. The entrants will be judged and a small group selected to attend a photo shoot on location in Hitchin. These photos will be posted on our site and the readership will be asked to vote. The three with the most votes will then be judged by U and U Promotions who will decide the winner. U and U Promotions are offering the winner a modelling contract. Terms and conditions apply. The Judges Decision is final and although the intent of modelling contract to be offered to the winner is there, there is no guarantee of this. So if you fancy being a model and a recognised face in North Herts, send us your photos. Good Luck.
Hitchin Gigs reader Amelia decided to make her own compilation CD of all her favourite bands and has kindly sent it to us.
Here are some of the songs on her CD ; Burn by Alkaline Trio
Miss You Amelia is 17, loves music, by Blink—182 hates spiders, liars and Off The Heezay by when people are sad. Bring Me The Horizon Her favourite reading includes Nikki Sixx’s Heroin Sweetness by Jimmy Eat World Diaries and of course Hitchin Gigs ! Big Casino by Jimmy Eat World Happy Birthday Bermuda Triangle by Kill The Arcade Skins Theme by Fat Segal Clutch Edit by Fat Segal Feeling Good by Muse The rest of the tunes on Amelias CD are listed on the Hitchin Gigs website If you have any news or thoughts to share, please E Mail us at hitchingigs@live.co.uk or Contact Us on the website
Hitchin Gigs and Gadgets reader Holly has sent us some of the photos she took whilst at Sonisphere. Holly says; “Despite the terrible weather, everyone was in great spirits and seemed to be having the time of their lives. My main reason for going was to see Linkin Park as they are my best favourite band ever ! All I can say is that they were awesome and I want Chester sooooooo bad ! It was great fun and | can’t wait for the next festival, I so love going to gigs with my friends and making new ones.” Cheers to Holly for getting in touch and for the great photos, I feel like I was there ! Anyone can send in a gig report and photos, we will try to include as many as we can. Simply go to www.hitchingigs.co.uk and Contact Us
They are described as “an electro filth band” on their website and having listened to the track ‘Lovesick Bloodlust’ I think I would have to agree. This band is not for the faint hearted, they are raunchy and harsh and I know that there are some of you out there who will adore them, I did ! Find them on www,Myspace.com/tashafightstigers
www.Myspace.com/brucehamiltonmusic
Bruce Hamilton is a blues guitarist and more recently a sitar player. His life experiences are fascinating, but far too extensive for this column ! His wealth of experience and knowledge of the music business may be of benefit to you budding young musicians and maybe some of you oldies ! Do visit his website, it is full of interesting musical facts.
Lots of you are now friends of ours on Facebook and this includes Bands and Band Members. We get lots of E.Mails and messages from bands asking us to include them in the magazine, so here goes. I have chosen four for this Issue and will try to do them justice. Remember, I have not met these guys in person, this is simply to bring them to your attention. Hopefully, you will give them your time and we will see some talent rising to the top. If you want the chance to be in the magazine just E mail me at
hitchingigs@live.co.uk Look forward to hearing from you
Mark Garvey is an independent film maker, artist and videographer. His main works include the Nothing Men comic, various music videos, a short film collection, Pallet and a feature film, Bucket. To see more of Mark’s work, or to contact him please go to
http://Markgarvey.co.uk
This is a four piece rock band from Herts and Beds. They have been described as having a retro-rock feel and a melancholy British rock sound. They started gigging in 2008 and have played major venues in the Herts and Beds area. They have been featured on Hertbeat FM and have recently recorded a three track CD. You can listen to their music on www.Myspace.com/cosmicblaze1
Some of you may already know Sexy Nanna from her involvement with radio station Perception. If you have any problems you need to share, simply E Mail Sexy Nanna at HitchinGigs@live.co.uk and she will do her best to help you. If you would like to know more about Sexy Nanna and Perception Radio please click www.myspace.com/perceptionfm
Dear Sexy Nanna,
Dear Sexy Nanna,
Dear Sexy Nanna,
I have a wonderful boyfriend, he is kind, caring and attentive almost all the time. My problem is going to sound like nothing compared with women who have uncaring slobs for partners, but it’s driving me mad. When we make love he spends hours, literally, on foreplay and to be honest, although I’m flattered, I am going to end up screaming at him, but not in a good way ! Help ! Fiona
I have been involved in a very bad car accident and it has left me horribly disfigured. The accident happened almost 18 months ago and I have been through the various therapies until bodily I am not too bad. My face, however, is ugly and deformed now and I am so miserable. My friends and parents are kind, but nothing they say seems to help me get over the self loathing I feel. Can you advise me ? Ann
I have met a man on the Internet and I think I am in love with him. He wants to meet me, but all my friends say I am mad to go and meet a complete stranger and that he might not be what I expect, or even a man ! Surely life is for living and no fun without some risk ? What do you think Nanna ? Beverly
There are many women out there who would love a man who is not selfish in giving their partners the attention that you say is too much for you. Try not to explode ! and explain to your partner that although you appreciate what he is doing, it is tearing you apart and it is possible this relationship will break down. I advise you to let him know in a nice way, but unless you tell him he is not going to understand. You must give him a chance to put things right.
It is early days yet, believe me you will regain your self confidence, as have the many people cruelly disfigured in wars and fires. A great inspiration to us all is the war hero Simon Weston. Please be patient, time heals everything. It sounds like you have very good and supportive friends who will stand by you during this awful time. Please let us know from time to time, how you are getting on.
Whatever you do I advise you to tread carefully. Don’t let your heart run away with you and of course it is always exiting to meet someone new. You have not told me how long you have been talking to this person, or your age. However, if you are keen to meet this person I would suggest you meet in an open, public place and take someone with you and let your parents or a friend know where you are going. Remember, the most important thing is to look after yourself, make sure you are safe.
Leo
Sagittarius
Aries
You are making monumental efforts at the moment to get things right, but your strict attention to detail and insistence on perfection, are driving others around you to distraction. Maybe it’s time to ease up a little, take it easy, you don’t have to be perfect all the time.
How do you know when you are doing the right thing ? When you get the right result, but for the wrong reason ? Be careful of your decisions, they could affect others more than you realise, you are in danger of securing your own happiness at the expense of someone close to you.
You feel like you are trying to tunnel out of your current situation with a spoon, all hard work and no results. You will be entering into a situation that may take some getting used to. It is also fair to say that luck is not on your side at the moment. Keep your chin up, it won’t last forever.
Virgo
Capricorn
Taurus
You should not be rushing around at the moment, it would be prudent to slow down and pay more attention to the people around you, but more importantly a certain situation. You will receive some well meaning suggestions that you would be better off ignoring.
You do not need any adversaries or opponents at the moment, you are your own worst enemy. If you can find the ability to treat yourself with some respect, you will overcome all your problems. Look after yourself.
The time for being used as a doormat is definitely over for you. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off, it’s time for some positive thinking and some definite action. Now is your time make the most of it.
Libra
Aquarius
Gemini
If you are feeling tense and tired it is hardly surprising, as this is a very busy time for you. Luckily, it is a time where your efforts will achieve results. Expect to feel inspired, but then to realise things are not going to be as easy as you thought they would be.
There is a need for you to raise your game at this time, you are not seeing what is right under your nose. A gesture of kindness will go a long way towards repairing a long standing damage to a relationship. You may think you are right, but you are not.
Now is the time for you to leave the past behind and embrace the future. You can sleep soundly, with a clear conscience, everything is on the up for you now. It’s been a bleak spell, but the summer is here at last, enjoy it !
Scorpio
Pisces
Cancer
This is a positive phase for you. You will feel that you have the Midas touch, nothing can go wrong, no unexpected trouble on the horizon. Or is there ? Remember the old saying, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is !
The time is ticking away, you know where you should be but you resist, you cannot do this for ever. We all have responsibilities in life, it is time for you to step up to yours. You know you can run, but you also know you cannot hide.
Maybe you need a holiday, Or maybe you just need a few more things to go your way. Although your hearts desire is still a long way off, it will be possible to achieve some lesser goals in the very near future.
The Ugly Truth
15
X
X
Adam
12A
X
Orphan
15
X
Coco Before Chanel
12A
X
G-Force
PG
x
X
Ice Age 3
U
X
X
Harry Potter
12A
X
X
Land Of The Lost
12A
X
X
X
Aliens In The Attic
PG
X
X
G.I Joe
12A
X
X
Bandslam
PG
X
X
The Taking of Pelham 123 15
X
Bruno
18
X
My Sisters Keepers
12A
X
The Proposal
12A
X
A Perfect Getaway
15
X
KEY
R= Rating S= Showing in Stevenage L= Showing in Letchworth Www.broadway-cinema.com www.cineworld.co.uk
My Passion Competition Results Thanks to everyone who entered the My Passion Competition last Issue. The correct answer to the question, what is The last song on the album? Was ‘Vultures are people’ The Signed CD was won by Hannah May Congratulations
Download tunes from My Passion, Scar My Eyes and Lost Without Cause, from the Hitchin Gigs website now ! www.hitchingigs.co.uk/downloads.aspx
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This band are awesome ! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to speak to them to find out any personal details, but I did get to see their set and they were incredible. You can listen to some of their stuff on www.myspace.com/phsychohero
and it is well worth a listen. There are five songs, Every Inch The Rock Star Money Is Just Numbers Let Me In Devil In The Towers Different Rainbows
I loved all of these tracks and I can’t wait to see this band again. Johnny is on lead guitar, Rich is vocals and base, Tommy is vocals and rhythm and The Brute takes the drums. This drummer is well named by the way, he really is ! Always love a good drummer ! The vocal from Rich (pictured) is mind tingling and the other two, Johnny and Tommy are the long hair shaking good looking sort of guitarists we all want to see ! A fabulous gig all round, but these guys stood head and shoulders above the rest for me. Do not miss the chance to see them the next time they are in town, they are at The Venue on August 22nd. Happy Gigging !
Day
Time
DJ
Style
Mon
20:00 –22:00
Chris Wilkinson
House
Mon
22:00– 00:00
Danny G
Drum and Bass
Tue
16:00– 20:00
Sweet T
Hip Hop/ RnB
Tue
20:00-00:00
Toy Boys
Hip Hop
Wed
16:00-20:00
Sheejay Passionelle
House
Wed
20:00-22:00
DJ Freedom
Freedom
Wed
22:00-00:00
RockSteady
UK Garage
Thu
20:00 22:00
Simon Chimes Ricky Smirnoff
House
Thu
22:00-00:00
Krysoze
Mix It Up
Fri
16:00-20:00
3 Degrees
Mix It Up
Fri
20:00-22:00
Gravity and Burner
Drum and Bass
Fri
22:00– 00:00
Freedom
House
Sat
0800:12:00
Rasta
Reggae
Sat
14:00-16:00
DJ Twista MC Dappa
UK Funky
Sun
10:00-12:00
DJ Shivar
UK Garage
Sun
12:00-14:00
Toy Boy
Hip Hop/RnB
Sun
14:00-16:00
Super Rago Crew Mix It Up
Sun
16:00-18:00
JM Mike and Champion
Bashment
Sun
18:00-20:00
DJ Redz & Munchie
Drum and Bass
Sun
20:00-22:00
DJ Kriss Kutt
UK Funky
Sun
22:00-00:00
DJ T
Dubstep
Our very own independent radio station perception fm has now gone on the web. Offering weekday streaming and podcasts from Itunes our local station provides even more ways to enjoy good music on the move. For all these services visit www.perceptionfm.info .
But all this extra broadcasting has put a strain on the existing team, so Perception FM are now on the look out for budding DJ’s of any genre. If that describes you, then get in touch through the website.
A DAY TO PROCLAIM THE UNIQUE DIVERSITY OF HITCHIN'S INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES. A SHOWCASE OF HITCHIN'S FABULOUS INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES IN THE HEART OF HITCHIN'S MARKET PLACE. DISCOVER THE GREAT RANGE OF GOODS AND SERVICES IN OUR TOWN. COME AND JOIN THE FUN! AUGUST 2009 11 AM - 4 PM HITCHIN MARKET PLACE SUPPORTED BY HITCHIN BID INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES INVOLVED FOR AUGUST EDITION K & VENUS @ K. HELEN ROCHFORT. DRINKS STOP. POTS OF ART. HARVEY’S SANDWICH BAR. MAYSONS. HARVEST MOON. CHILLI BANANA. JOLLY BROWN. TREASURE CHEST. DEL BASSO BROS. HAWKINS. FROCKS AND FRIPPERY. THE GIFT GALLERY. SOMETHING THAT SPARKLES. REFLECTIONS OF INFINITY. RUBARB. DUBHE. ARBORIO. PAPILLON. SWEET MAYHEM. CHARLES WILSON CARPETS. PETER B JONES. RAJ DOUTH. DOVETAIL. REMIX. ROSITA LOLLIPOP. CYCLEDEALIA. ERIC T MOORE BOOKS. A CAT IN GLOVES. JEWELLERY BY DESIGN. TIM’S ART SUPPLIES. ESPADRILLE. DANCE. SMART CARTRIDGE. KANG’S BARBERSHOP.
ALL THE ABOVE BUSINESSES ARE PART OF AND WITHIN THE HITCHIN BID BOUNDARY. THOSE INDEPENDENTS (IN THE BID AREA) NOT INCLUDED THIS TIME WILL GET A CHANCE FOR THE NEXT EDITION.
Making a Promotional Video
Vanilla Nightmare New Single Lover Local band
Vanilla Nightmare got together with friends and fans to make their new promotional video to accompany their latest single
Lover What a laugh ! It was more like a party, but I cannot detract from the hard work that went into this shoot by everyone concerned. I don’t want to give too much away about the plot ! but as you can see there were zombies involved, I’m not quite sure what the plastic aprons signify, but apparently it was quite essential to have one ! There was also some offerings to Sun Gods going on, but to see what that was about you’ll have to go to the site and discover for yourselves ! This was superb fun, as I have said and it was all performed and recorded at Club 85, where there is plenty of space and sound equipment to accommodate aspiring artistes.
If you are thinking of making your own music video, I can totally recommend the Club 85 for your venue, simply contact them on their website
www.Club85.co.uk and they will sort you out.
This video was choreographed and directed by Liam “Tobes� Scarlino and the photographer is Cooper. They can be contacted by searching on Facebook. I am advised that everyone in the support cast for the video was invited via Facebook and my recommendation to you all would be that if you ever spot such an open invitation, do try to get there. You will really enjoy yourselves, but you have to be prepared to give up a full day and be able to take the whole process seriously, particularly during filming. A great job guys, appreciate being allowed to see the technical side of the process and to be able to join the fun of the day. Look forward to the release of the single, which is brilliant by the way ! and we will review it when it is released to us. See Vanilla Nightmare on www.Myspace.comvanillanightmare
The Scallywags Molly Malones Sat Aug 1st
If you weren’t there, then you missed a great night ! This was pub entertainment as it should be. Friendly interaction with the audience a good across the board selection of tunes, a bit of comedy, some friendly Banter, but most important of all a great musical performance. They opened with an old Rolling Stones cover and followed on with Oasis. Throughout the set they went from midstream pop to old Irish tunes, always popular in Molly’s and thus played something for everyone. The band are all Hitchin boys and many of the crowd knew them of old. This was reflected in the clapping and cheering and general enthusiastic crowd participation that was going on. It’s been a long time since I saw a pub crowd have this much innocent and unadulterated fun ! I spoke to Kev, the lead singer/guitar and he assures me that they have produced material of their own, but had decided not to include any for this particular gig. Shame really, I always prefer to hear something original, however, there is going to be a three day festival at Club 85 later this year and The Scallywags are one of the bands. Hopefully, this will give us all the opportunity to hear some original stuff from them.
The lead vocal and guitar are taken by Kevin. A lovely big bouncing man, who despite his bulk does not mind leaping around the room, using the furniture for props, getting into the crowd, joking with them and occasionally winding them up !
He has a good strong vocal and his pleasant personality is carried over in it. I am looking forward to seeing him in more of a “gig” setting, to see how much he can really let himself go, I feel this was only the tip of the iceberg for Kev. Guy takes keyboards and a good job he does too. Particularly in his solo breaks. It’s always difficult to shine as a keyboard player, as there is no opportunity for physical movement and therefore it is difficult to project personality. Not so much for Guy, he smiles and sings his way through the set and a great deal of charm comes across. John plays the drums, but unfortunately we did not see him at his best here, as he has only recently joined the band and had not had much rehearsal with them, but a credible performance nonetheless. Catch this band if you can, I think they will be a band to watch for the future, but we must see more original tunes boys !
This is a beautiful olde world pub set in the countryside of the village of Offley. Offley is off the A505, as you leave Hitchin towards Luton, only 20 minutes drive from Hitchin. There is a huge conservatory built on the back of the pub, which leads on to a peaceful garden with the most fabulous views of the countryside. The conservatory is filled with farmhouse style furniture and the setting and atmosphere is warm and comfy. The menu offers a wide variety of food. Traditional English Fayre, as well as some Cajun, Moroccan. Indonesian or Japanese options. On Sunday there is of course the traditional Sunday Lunch menu which is priced at £8.45, but this is only for the main course.
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There are other choices of meal deals on the main menu, £6.95 for two value courses, or £10 for two larger portion courses or £12 for three courses. Good value we thought. The service was excellent and the food was very well presented, hot and enjoyable.
www.hitchingigs.co.uk and Contact Us E Mail hitchingigs@live.co.uk
Children are welcome here and bookings are taken Monday to Friday, but not at the weekend, it’s strictly first come first served. This is a lovely venue and it is perfect for a birthday or anniversary treat, or simply a meal out with friends.
For more information and special offers go to WWW.pub-restaurant.co.uk and search for Offley Telephone: 01462 768256