THE KENT’S
G I G GUIDE
NO. 1
FREE
E N T E R TA I N M E N T
MAGAZINE
PLUS: The Blockheads return to Kent Floors & Walls homecoming gig in Margate. The Astor Theatre see how it’s changed
Issue 17 | March - April www.the-gig-guide.co.uk
Deal’s friendly high-street music bar
MARCH
APRIL
4 – As Is Now
1st – Tapestry
5 – Martin Jonathan 11th – The Alleviators
2nd – Chris (from As Is Now)
12th – Charlie
16th – Martin Jonathan
13th – User Friendly
17th – Scandal
18th – Broken
22nd – Radio Riot
20th – Radio Riot
23rd – Charlie
25th - Strangely Addictive
24th – The Retrophonic Archive
26th – Without The Blue
30th – Without The Blue
th th
27th – Tony Johnson & The Flying Penguins
32 High Street, Deal, CT14 6HE Tel: 01304 369115
EDITOR’S LETTER
Gig Guide aited re-launch of The elcome to our long aw you may have noticed we As 1. 201 ril for March/Ap ine and nt shape for our magaz have gone for a differe e it away with you. We are tak to you hope this encourages cles in the ging you some great arti looking forward to brin e to delve deeper into comedy and next few months and hop reases. inc theatre as the demand my area Deal, e this time focusing on We’ve got a real local issu Theatre, but we also take a look at or and in particular the Ast venues, The Westcoast and some of r one of Margate’s premie March & April. I was lucky enough in up ing com s act big ir rke on her the or winner Alexandra Bu act X-F see to n dow to go 8. 200 g in first UK tour since winnin Gig Guide k at our review section with Don’t forget to have a loo interview with the legendeary an favourites The Flack and ut Jez catches up with Thanet boys Blockheads. Plus local sco ed quite a bit in this month. mm Floors & Walls! We’ve cra always make the new shape and as Let us know if you like at ine onl ut abo w kno sure to list any gigs you .uk www.the-gig-guide.co
W
Publishing Manager Bradley McManus
EDITOR’S LETTER E-mail: bradley.mcmanus@ thanet-publishing.co.uk Telephone: 01843 282528 Website: www.the-gig-guide.co.uk Myspace: www.myspace.com/kentgigguide Facebook: Search for ‘The Gig Guide Magazine’ Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheGigGuide Post: The Guide Guide, Thanet Publishing, Union Crescent, Margate, Kent, CT9 1NU For advertising enquiries, contact Bradley McManus Telephone: 01843 282528 E-mail: bradley.mcmanus@ thanet-publishing.co.uk
Printed in East Kent by Thanet Press Ltd www.thanet-press.co.uk
Publishing Manager: Bradley McManus Creative Director: Lorna Morris Writer: Jez Silcock Reviewer: Paul Savage Photographer: Emma Driscoll Managing Director: Phillip Moore
Alexandra Burke cover image © Beat Up Music Ltd The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Publisher. © Copyright 2011. All parts reserved. No part of The Gig Guide may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of th epublishers. The Gig Guide will make every effort to return picture material but it is sent at the owner’s risk. Due to the nature of printing processes, images can be subject to a variation and therefore the publishers cannot be held responsible for such variation.
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CONTENTS
CONTENTS FEATURES The Astor Theatre
6
Astor Events
8
The Blockheads interview
9
West Coast Bar
14
Floors and Walls
16
Sophie Morrish
18
The Flack
22
Alexandra Burke
24
REGULARS
4
Wordsearch
12
Competition
13
Music Reviews
30
Caught in the Act
32
Listings
35
DEAL HOY Your welcoming meeting place in Deal. Come to a traditional inn with a difference. Good beers, wines and food with live music and art exhibitions. A special atmosphere including the beer garden in Deal which has a nautical theme and unique outside kitchen. Live music every Wednesday from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. & every Sunday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Join our facebook group: www.facebook.com/pages/ The-Deal-Hoy/186559846057
GIG LISTINGS MARCH 2nd Ian Shawcross 6th The Tony Johnson Band 9th EK1 13th Salty Dogs 16th Without The Blue 20th Antiques Road Show 23rd The Retrophonic Archive 27th Andy Price Quartet 30th Geoff Everett Band
APRIL
3rd Kevin Iverson 6th Ian Shawcross 10th Meg Cavanaugh 13th The Electric Ladyband 17th Tapestry 20th The Outcome 24th Dejangles 27th Lola Soul
Art | Beers | Garden | Events Food | Live Music | Wines 16 Duke Street, Deal, Kent, CT14 6DU Telephone: 01304 363972
FEATURE
Astor
Community Theatre Words by Bradley McManus Pictures by The Astor Community Theatre The Astor Theatre in Deal has been a part of the community for as long as anyone can remember. If you stop people in the street and ask them about it they are sure to have fond memories. For me it was somewhere I used to go to see ‘Battle of the Bands’ around the year 2000, and they were great gigs. Bands like ‘Silent Minority’, ‘The Divide’ and Awkward; they were all I listened to. Somewhere me and my friends could relax and enjoy some curious kinds of music whilst running into each other and ‘moshing’ to the metal anthems belting out of the speaker system – what a night! That’s the magic of The Astor, it has always had the ability to be much bigger than a local theatre. If you ask anyone you discover all kinds of stories. It’s where they had their first kiss, where they performed in the eighties, where they had their 18th Birthday party or even somewhere they came every week just to listen to some great music. Last week I met up with James Tillitt, the Artistic Director at The Astor. We chatted for a bit about what goes on these days and how much effort his team have put into getting the Astor back on its feet. Then suddenly I realised that the relaxing coffee style bar we were sat in was the very same grimy bar I used to buy my drinks from at concerts! He showed me the theatre and I was stunned – it looks absolutely beautiful. If you haven’t been to the Astor for a year or so then when you next visit you will be 6
shocked. Thanks to the new management team there is a lot going on, with more diversity than you may realise. Did you know that The Astor hosts burlesque workshops? That last year the theatre became a mini-chocolate factory for a week. There’s a supernatural group are coming in to try and familiarise themselves with the resident ghost. Tea dances, school groups, adult education, creative writing, open mic acoustic sessionsthe list goes on! There is truly something for everyone - Folk, Heavy Metal, Pop/Indie, Rock & Roll and Classical Recitals. All of this is done solely off their own back with their only revenue coming from hiring out the venue, the bar and the box office. That’s it. The renovation was done in only 7 months but included laying a new floor, new electrics, new alarms, an entire repaint, new walls, furniture and more – an incredible feat. The commitment has meant that numbers have been steadily increasing and there is more interest in the building than there has been for some time. Next time you want a night out or something to do at the weekend make sure you check The Astor Theatre first. I wouldn’t say that The Astor was dying but it certainly needed some TLC and it seems that Deal has got its theatre back for good! Astor Community Theatre, Stanhope Road, Deal, Kent, CT14 6AB Telephone: 01304 370220 Email: info@theastor.org
FEATURE
BEFORE & AFTER
Check out the next page for some of the Astor’s big events coming up >>> 7
EVENTS
Astor Theatre Special Events Martin Turner's Wishbone Ash
those who see a chance to cash in on curious visitors.
Friday 18th March 7.30pm £15 in advance, £17 on the door
Hazel O'Connor and The Bluja Project
2010 marked the 40th Anniversary of the formation of Wishbone Ash. With millions of album sales and concert attendances worldwide, Wishbone Ash's heritage as one of the most enduring and best loved British rock acts is assured. As lead vocalist and key creative force, Martin Turner was central to the critical and commercial success of Wishbone Ash with his passionate vocal delivery, song writing ability, keen melodic sense being a key ingredient in the definitive Wishbone Ash sound.
Saturday 2nd April 8pm £18 in advance, £20 on the door
Chalkfoot Theatre Arts presents “Queen Elizabeth’s Elephant” Saturday 19th March 7:45pm £9 in advance/ £10 on the door Chalkfoot's new comedy, based on a true historical account of Elizabeth's the First's visit to Queenborough Castle. It is June 1588 and the people of a small Kent town are nervously awaiting the arrival of unusual royal: an elephant. The town is split between those who fear the beast's arrival and 8
Award winning singer-songwriter Hazel O'Connor and her accomplished sisterin-arms and fellow performer’s virtuoso saxophonist Clare Hirst (Bellestars, Communards, David Bowie) and pianist and vocalist Sarah Fisher (Eurythmics, Sax in the City) perform an electric mix of O'Connor originals and timeless classics. This superb torch song trio will deliver a blend of voices and a sweet touch of class to their vibrant performance.
Julian Smith Saturday 9th April £14 in advance, £16 on the door The runner up in Britain's Got Talent plays live at the Astor. A hugely talented saxophonist who gained a higher profile from appearing on TV- He Has made appearances alongside artists such as Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet), and Gwen Dickey (Rose Royce). Some of his tracks also appear in the multi-platinum selling The Classic Chillout album series from Sony Music.
INTERVIEW
The Blockheads Interview by Bradley McManus I caught up with The Blockheads leading man Derek Hussey to ask him a few questions before their gig in Whitstable on the 30th April.
Is there anywhere else you would like to play close by? Walton-on-the-Naze would be interesting. …and if you could pick anywhere in the world? There is a gig in Africa in the middle of a dessert that sounds pretty neat. So what can we expect from your gig in Whitstable on 30th April? Expect your expectations to be explicated. The most common question we have been asked is: Can we expect a new album at any point? Nobody is complaining though, there’s a lot of love for ‘Staring Down the Barrell’. Not at the moment, an in house documentary has been mooted, early stages at present but on going.
How are The Blockheads doing? The blocks are all in the pink. Thank you for asking. How would you describe your music to anyone of our readers who somehow haven’t heard your music before? Rough verbals with a sophisticated funky groove. Funk/Rock! You were in Kent only last December and you have another gig at The Astor later on in the year, you must enjoy our audience? We dig Kent. England’s glory and all that! The White cliffs beat the crap out of the statue of liberty. 9
FEATURE
I have to mention the film! “Sex & Drugs & Rock n Roll,” is currently showing on Sky. How did you feel when you first saw Andy Serkis as Ian Dury? Amazing! He nailed it, he really had Ian down. He told me he wore the leg caliper for a couple on months before the shoot to get Ian’s gait right. So yea well done Andy you done him proud. How were you approached about the film? The director approached Chaz as co writer to look after the score. Anything else you would like to say to your fans? 10
Oi Oi! Are there any BLOCKHEADS out there? Well get down to the next gig! Just a token question to finish off. Who are your favourite artists? Jimmy Reed, Rev Gary Davis, Django, Sly Stone, Coltrane, Jimmy Page, Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan. Thanks Derek, we look forward to seeing you guys at the end of April. Cheers! Remember you can see The Blockheads at the East Quay on the 30th April.
INTERVIEW
Tickets are £15 and available from: www.wegottickets.com Hotel Continental, Beach Walk, Whitstable Gatefield Sounds, High Street, Whitstable Gatefield Sounds, High Street, Herne Bay Canterbury Rock, Whitstable Road, Canterbury Don’t forget you can also catch up with The Blockheads much later on in the year at The Astor Theatre in Deal. We’ll keep you posted!
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FUN
BRADLEY’S
MUSICAL WORDSEARCH
See how many you can find: • AlexandraBurke
• TheFlack
• TheAstor
• Tapestry
• Westcoast
• Overcome
• Blockheads
• GigGuide
• Floors
• England
• Walls
• Parade
• Weekend
• WinterGardens
• Warrior
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COMPETITION
In anticipation of Martin Turner’s Wishbone Ash coming to The Astor in Deal we’ve teamed up with the band and have some great prizes to giveaway. We have two top prizes of: A T-shirt, DVD & CD. And one runners-up prize of A DVD & a CD. All you have to do to enter the competition is answer the following question >>>
In 2010, what anniversary was it of the formation of Wishbone Ash?
You can now enter on Twitter. Make sure you follow @thegigguide and mention us in a ‘tweet’ with the answer and the hash tag #wishboneash
Answer: Name: Address:
You can also cut out the coupon and post your answer to: Wishbone Ash Competition, The Gig Guide, Thanet Publishing, Union Crescent, Margate, Kent, CT9 1NU
Telephone: Email:
The lucky winners will be chosen at random from all entries received before 8th April 2011.
WIN! T&Cs Only official entry forms and correct ‘Tweets’ will be valid for entry into the competition. Competition not open to employees or their families of Thanet Publishing Ltd or any other company involved. No cash alternative to be given. The winner will contacted by The Gig Guide after the closing date to arrange delivery/ collection of prize(s).
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THE
FEATURE
westcoast
Words by Jez Silcock The Westcoast Bar in Margate has always strived to be one of the best local live music venues in the South East. A bold statement? Maybe, but with the ever increasing amount of local, national and international acts now using the venue as a tour stop and also for one off gigs, The Westcoast can now hold it’s head up high as the local destination for music lovers from all genres of an ever growing local music scene. Building on the success of such recent shows as The Bluetones, Inme, Fozzy, Sham 69 and Elliot Minor to name but a few, the venue now has a team of dedicated in-house promoters (Underground Music Productions) who are working in unison to bring some amazing acts to the area. This is a massive move forward for the local scene as it combines DTF, Sick Fish, Rumble In The Ghetto and Gig 4 Promotions in a collaboration which can only result bigger and better shows. And with guest promoters like Noise Dolls, TUSC and Craze Zine all bringing some belting shows to the venue too, the future looks very bright for the Westcoast. Now in its 9th year, The Westcoast has never stood still, forever changing and adapting to the needs of the local social scene and forging greater links with its local community. Underway at the moment is a refit to the venue, including a new stage, dressing rooms with direct onstage access, an island bar in the downstairs area, a new separate entrance to give the venue exclusivity from the upstairs bar, enhanced audience viewing plus loads of other tweaks and twiddles which will 14
ultimately create a venue to give ultimate customer satisfaction. Most of the restoration work being carried out at the moment is being done by unpaid volunteers who just want a better venue. This could not have been done without them so a big thank you to everyone who has helped. Not that the venue was bad before, as many touring bands have loved playing there in the past. The low ceilings create an intimate venue (the actually capacity is 300) with a superb atmosphere and more importantly, great acoustics. It’s just being enhanced in the areas that needed it most! It will still predominately be a live music venue so not a disco ball in sight! Having already hosted the Gay For Johnny Depp (US) / Computers and Tyrannosaurus Alan / BareFace / Captain Accident tours in February, the next couple of months shows are already getting tongues wagging in anticipation for some gut wrenching performances... UPCOMING EVENTS Friday 4th March Hostage Calm / Daylight / Basement / Third Place Victory / Loose Cannons / Gap Year US bands Hostage Calm and Daylight bring their pop punkiness to Margate backed up with some UK pop punk awesomeness! Saturday 12th March Vidina / Call Off The Search / A Boy Named Girl / ScreamDontWhisper! / Midnight Carnival / Pantomime Villains Harlow boy’s Vidina’s first Westcoast show. Expect ambient, melodic, groove metal.
FEATURE
Friday 25th March Sky:Lark / Alaska / Man Hands / Human Junk / Lich / Rough Comforts A six band hardcore show packed with more local talent than you can shake a (drum) stick at! Saturday 26th March Me Vs Hero / Summerlin / Call Off The Search / Third Place Victory / ScreamDontWhisper! An exclusive Kent tour date for pop punk heavyweights Me Vs Hero plus some amazing supports. Saturday 9th April Floors And Walls / Missing Andy / The Flack / A Thousand Lights The might of home grown Floors and Walls mixed with Sky One’s Must Be The Music finalists Missing Andy – If Carlsberg made shows....
Tuesday 12th April Pianos Become The Teeth / Suis La Lune / Jairus / Take Courage / Monarch Baltimore rock outfit Pianos Become The Teeth hit Margate as part of their European tour with Swedish screamo band Suis La Lune.
The Westcoast Bar, 3-5 King Street, Margate, Kent, CT9 1DD www.westcoastlive.co.uk
Monday 11th April Lethal Bizzle / Marvell Crew One of the pioneers of the UK grime/ hip hop scene, massive indie/urban artist Lethal Bizzle joins Marvell Crew & Face at The Westcoast. 15
INTERVIEW
Margate’s favourite band are BACK after what seems like ages ago! A melting pot of hard rock, MCing, melodic guitars and soulful, yet hard hitting lyrics, Floors and Walls are on the cutting edge of a new sound rising from the streets of Brighton. Interview – by Jez Silcock I caught up with the engine room of the band, awesome drummer Adam to chat about random shizzle.... Hey Adam, what’s happening? What’s new in the wonderful world of F + W? Well we’ve been really busy lately getting all of our new tunes together. We are all itching to get back on the road to show them
off. Hopefully everyone will enjoy listening to them as much as we have enjoyed writing them. You have a Margate show coming up on 9th April at The Westcoast Bar. What can people expect from the show, apart from the usual full on intense performances that we’ve witnessed in the past? The West Coast gig in Margate is going to be special. Expect the usual explosive performance! New tunes with some old classics thrown in for good measure. Either way we plan on tearing the roof down! Obviously all of you, except Ian, are originally from Thanet. It must be amazing to come home and play a local show? The Thanet shows are always important. Not only for showing all the old faces what we’ve been up to, but a good test for us to live up to expectations. These are the people that will always tell us the truth and we don’t aim to disappoint. We owe these people a lot as they have stuck by us. We’ve got a few treats in store...
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INTERVIEW
I love the fact that you appeal to kids from loads of different genres. How would you describe your music to people that hadn’t heard you before? For all those who haven’t heard us before expect heavy beats with loud guitars that aims to make you dance. Quickfire rapping with sing-a-long choruses. It’s hard for me to even describe the sound we make! One thing is for sure and that is if we don’t have you at least bopping your head then we haven’t done our job. I really liked your last E.P. Especially “Run To The Sun” and “Straight Jacket”. The new songs seem to have more depth to them. Would you agree with that? The new songs have definitely grown in the right direction. Especially from a songwriting point of view.We wanted to make sure we were enjoying our songs and not trying to write them for anyone else.If we do this, then it will show in our performance and give everyone a better show to watch / album to listen to. Rest assured the ‘no holds barred’ attitude will always remain. And you haven’t played many shows recently. Have you been concentrating on writing / recording lately? You’re right, we haven’t played many shows of late. We felt that we owed all of the loyal fans a new set of songs that they can enjoy. We
have toured to death in the past and we felt that it was time to just pull the brakes a little bit and get some new tunes together. We are almost at a stage now where we feel we can give people a better show than before. A show with more substance, more sing-a-long’s and a better performance in general. We have been recording some demo’s and aim to get them recorded with a great producer over the coming months. For the last E.P. you all shot down to a farm in Devon right? For like a week, shut away from the outside world? It obviously works well for you? The writing seclusion in the south west was great. It definitely does work to cut yourself off from the outside world and indulge for a while. However this can’t always happen. We just have to make sure that we use our time wisely. We rehearse / write every week and are focussed on making each and every song work, no matter where we are! What’s the strangest thing that’s happened to you guys on stage, or the craziest thing you’ve done at a show? At our first performance at the Isle of Wight Festival a few years back Dom decided to climb the rafters up the side of the stage. He was a good 20 foot high! I’m guessing he was just ‘in the moment’ but it was pretty impressive actually! I suppose if all goes wrong he’s always got a career in rock climbing waiting for him. Thanks to Adam and be sure to check out the band when they play Margate’s Westcoast Bar with Missing Andy on 9th April. www.myspace.com/floorsandwalls
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INTERVIEW
Sophie Morrish Interview by Bradley McManus Sophie Morrish from Deal lets us know how she has found her self singing everything from chilled Acoustic cuts to modern hip-hop melodies! Tell us a little bit about yourself Hello! My name is Sophie Morrish and I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. I started performing at school and took up singing lessons to help strengthen and exercise my voice. My first experience of singing with a live band was whilst I was at school as one of the music teachers conducted a swing band and asked if I would like to come along and try a few numbers with them. Also, a brief television appearance on ‘Michael Barrymore’s My Kind Of People’ was a very exciting experience! After a few years with the swing band I decided to try something different and co wrote and recorded some tracks in London with a session musician, hoping to get a
Live music, function room available to hire for weddings, parties, conferences and meetings. Food served Friday to Sunday. Please call for details. 126 west Street, deal 01304 369349
record contract. I decided not to follow it through and I know some people would say that I must regret it bit but I don’t. That’s because I didn’t want to be a manufactured product and at that time there were a lot of young ‘pop’ artists of the same age and I had no desire to be one of them. I finished school and formed a duo with Fred Wells, whom I’d known since I was little and we started slow and gentle, gigging in restaurants so I could build up my confidence again. After a year or so we expanded to a trio with Damien Wells which gave us a fuller sound and the chance to start gigging in pubs around Deal. Since then we have introduced a drummer and have covered a range of songs from the ‘The Beatles to ‘Amy Winehouse’ to ‘Nirvana’. It’s great what we have, personal and cosy! Have you always wanted to perform? Perform? No, sing? Yes! I was never the all singing all dancing
type. I had friends who were part of dramatic societies and were dancers and singers but for me it was all about just opening my mouth and letting the sound come out. I was very insecure as a young girl and could never really find that inner confidence other people had. It’s like I never knew just how good I really was which I guess was a good thing as it kept me grounded. Yes things could have turned out differently if I had been more confident and out going but I feel that things happen when the time is right and it wasn’t right for me back then. I’ve now grown and matured and even though I’m not one for talking the talk on the microphone, I’m comfortable and relaxed when I’m on stage and just let my voice do the work. Who are your influences? I’ve had many through my life as all vocalists do, but my heart is
with soul music and blues. I love Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Muddy Waters, Gladys Knight, Ray Charles and that’s just a few! Modern influences are Amy Winehouse, Plan B, Beverly Knight. All these people have played a huge part in my life whether it was listening to them in my bedroom or dancing to their music in a club. How are things going with Tapestry? Tapestry have been together for roughly four years now and we have produced some brilliant covers which we have made our own and had great feedback from all our gigs. We also have many loyal followers! You know who you are! So tell us a little bit about your new project… I2I are a hip-hop group from Eastry, they consist of ‘Danja’ 19
INTERVIEW
(Joe Gibbons) ‘Eaga’ (Sam Gibbons) and their producer ‘JKD’ (Jamie Donnelly). The boys were producing drum and bass music at the time but had started to enter the hiphop scene. Sam knew I could sing and had suggested to his brother that I could record some vocals for some of their tracks. They turned up at a gig and were eager to work with me. So far we have produced about five tracks together which I wrote the vocals for. It takes me literally half an hour to come up with lyrics! We are all on the same page and they are a so passionate about what they do, I think it’s a very special project. For someone who has not heard your music, who would you compare yourselves to? I would rather not make any comparisons as once you do that, people compare you without really meaning to. I think if you like hip-hop and you like bars about real life and no ‘gangster wanna be’ rubbish, oh and a nice female vocal, you will like “I2I”. Finally, is there anything you would like to say to anyone reading? I would like to thank all our Tapestry followers as they always make the gigs great fun and are a fab crowd. Also my mum and dad for supporting everything I’ve done and every decision I’ve made, my partner Sam for encouraging me to pursue my music and my son
for keeping me inspired. Deal may be small but we have some amazing bands of all different styles and genres and I think we have some great talent so get out there and go have a listen because there is nothing better than the sound of live music. You can listen to Sophie’s music online at http://soundcloud. com/sophie-aka-the-voice and you can catch her current group Tapestry on the dates below.
Tapestry’s Upcoming Gigs: March 25th - The Admiral Keppel, Deal April 1st - The New Inn, Deal April 3rd - The Clarendon, Deal April 17th - The Deal Hoy, Deal
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FEATURE
Words & Pictures by Bradley McManus Indie rockers ‘The Flack’ launched their debut album on the 18th February and we were lucky enough to be there to see the event unfold. Doors opened at 7:30pm and people poured in even though the first support was not due on till 8:45pm. The bands were relaxing with the fans and were making sure everyone was hyped enough for what was to come. First on stage was James Easton AKA, ‘RBN’ who provided some in demand grime covers of artists like ‘Tinie Tempah’ and ‘Ellie Goulding’. He recently supported Deviln
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early in February and the crowd definitely warmed to this guy who got the evening off to a great start with some great interaction. He turned the sceptical indie crowd round in only five songs. We hope to hear more from him soon! The next support cam from Dover based act ‘A Thousand Lights’. These lads were on form and really made the crowd their own with original material and covers of classic tunes from ‘The Buzzcocks’ and ‘The Beatles’! The use influences from the 70s punk scene and more modern licks from bands like ‘Lostprophets’ and ‘Red Hot Chilli Peppers’. There are some epic bass lines from these guys which makes them immediate crowd pleasers.
FEATURE
See them live to appreciate them fully, I certainly will be. The Flack wasted no time after their support came off. It felt like a few minutes before they burst into their first song which their fans sang along to. The guys were so keen and energetic they forgot about their set list which appeared after the guys had played their first song out of sequence – not that anyone cared! They played songs from their new album including Still Intoxicated and When You Want Me.
to be there. With an album out now from (available from Soundhouse in Deal) the guys have really staked a claim for local music. They have also broken records with the biggest crowd that has even been seen at The Astor. They certainly have the following, only time will tell how far these guys can go – give them the support they deserve. Good luck to them!
Also, there were pretty unique covers including a rocked up version of The Girls by ‘Calvin Harris’ which had everyone dancing. More ska influences came out in some of their other tracks which sounded more like ‘The Specials’ or ‘The Ordinary Boys’. The guys encore was Weekend Warrior (the title track from their album) which had the crowd jumping around and clearly loving the performance. They play a real mix of tempo ska, modern rock and indie melodies in their music with ease. A fantastic gig that really captured the crowd it was good 23
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Thanet Publishing Union Crescent, Margate, Kent, CT9 1NU 01843 282500 www.thanet-publishing.co.uk
FEATURE
Words by Bradley McManus Pictures by Emma Driscoll On February 16th one of the UK’s hottest music acts came to Margate to perform at The Winter Gardens as part of her, ‘All Night Long,’ tour – her first since winning ‘The X-Factor’ in 2008. >>> 25
FEATURE
I arrived at The Winter Gardens at 7pm for a 7:30pm start and from the queue of people you would’ve thought I was late! Some of her fans had clearly been there for a couple of hours who were so desperate to get prime positions on the front barrier. As I made my way into the venue I took a step towards the back of the room to check I had everything I needed and when I looked up, the room was completely packed! The crowd weren’t waiting long when Parade came on stage. A five piece girl band (that were covered from head to toe in sequins) sang a few songs as they prepare for their new single Louder which they told us is available soon! The girls put on a tight show with some good choreography that was clearly influenced from street dance. I think their music still has time to grow (influenced by groups like The Saturdays
& Sugababes) but the girls are certainly getting there. They came off stage and immediately started signing posters and photos – the fans loved it. Alexandra’s second support came from solo artist Carrie Mac from Scotland. She started effortlessly belting out powerful pop tunes and chatted to the crowd like she was singing in her local pub. When I closed my eyes she sounded like our very own version on Taylor Swift until she picked up her guitar and took on an acoustic sound similar to James Morrison. A very well done to Carrie, she had the crowd in the palm of her hand with a sound that was actually quite different to Alexandra Burke. The lights came up for ‘a short interval’ and the crowds came closer. I was about 4 or 5 people from the front of the barrier and the space was getting very tight. The pressure was cranking up and every time the speakers stopped playing the generic songs the crowd were desperate for the main event. Now forgive me for sounding dramatic but the lights went dark, the stage lit up behind a see through curtain, the bass started to shake the floor and the crowd were screaming. Cue the start of Broken Heels and Alexandra walked onto the stage in a silver gladiator outfit – the night had truly begun. Alex was joined by four male dancers for her second song and she started her first of many energetic dance routines. The five of them together were very tight and you could see that they must have rehearsed time and time again – they were flawless. The boys even got their own song to do some street dance while Alex got changed into her next outfit. Her set moved from a fast tempo to a much slower
26
FEATURE
affair – on stage Alex was joined by an acoustic guitarist where she sang Perfect followed by Overcome. Two powerful ballads that show what a fantastic signer she is. She also did a cover of Ne-Yo’s Closer. She ended this interlude with her first number one, Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Alex came back on stage in her skimpiest number yet and she asked the crowd if there were any Destiny’s Child fans in the building. She then covered a medley of songs including Independent Woman and Bootylicious. She really is Britain’s answer to Beyoncé and she does her songs proud. You could feel Alexandra winding up her gig and people were waiting for her hit singles. When I heard the first chords of All Night Long I had to take a step back or risk getting pulled into the mass of people dancing, the room was bouncing and Alex was doing the very same back. She finished her set with The Silence with an effortless flourish – though when she walked off stage the majority of people did not move at all. Where was her platinum hit Bad Boys?
She reappeared a couple of minutes later in her fourth costume of the evening and gave her best performance of the night. I would later learn that she was suffering from an ankle injury but you would not have know from watching her on stage with her dancers moving around like she was with JLS back in their X-Factor days – what a way to finish! Alexandra can be very proud of her performance just as Margate can be proud of the Winter Gardens. It proved to be a fantastic venue for one of the countries leading artists. Alexandra showed her thanks by signing autographs and speaking with some of her committed fans who hung around at the end of the show, a consummate professional. Thank you Alex – we hope to see you soon!
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REVIEW
ALBUM Reviews .
by Paul Savage from Soundhouse
The Flack “Weekend Warrior” Deal based band The Flack are a ska/indie band that just make you want to see them live after listening to the CD. The opening track “The things you do to me” is a specials/beat influenced song that makes you want to jump up and down. The title track is a more Indie based anthem with some great guitar. Other stand out tracks are “Chinese whispers” and “Too many people”. This is a well produced and vibrant CD, play before going out to get you in the mood for a good night out! The main thing about the Flack is they can produce this sound live so go check em’out! 8/10
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REVIEW
PJ Harvey “Let England Shake” PJ Harvey’s new CD was recorded in a 19th Century church in Dorset, on a cliff top overlooking the sea. There are some of the usual suspects appearing such as John Parish & Mick Harvey. However, this is PJ Harvey as you haven’t heard before. It’s more of an indie and folk influenced album which evokes troubled times (as the album title suggests). The magnificent, “The Glory Land,” has the sound of a bugle rallying the troops for England and America in an ‘unjust war’ in Iraq! This is an album of protest songs but not in a Billy Bragg style. The more you play the album the better it gets, sinking into your sub conscious, an album for a new protest generation! 9/10
“One of only around 200 indie record shops left in Britain”
SOUND HOUSE 112 High Street, Deal, Kent. CT14 6EE 01304 381134
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CAUGHT IN THE ACT
Caught in the Act RBN e - The Astor Theatr
The Outcome - The Clarendon
30
CAUGHT IN THE ACT
- Sons of One Chaz & Jamie Mount - Band Practice
Josh Glover - A Th ousand Lights - The Astor Theatr e
Kevin Iverson Street - Folkestone High
31
FEATURE
THE PORT ARMS
MARCH
APRIL
6th EK1
3rd The Outcome
13th Suspects
10th Tony Johnson
20th TBC
17th Suspects
27th Heroes
24th EK1
10 Beach Street, Deal, Kent, CT14 7AH 32
(01304) 373598
FEATURE
GIG LISTINGS Your guide to all things entertainment in Kent this March and April...
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LISTINGS
Wednesday 2nd March 2011 MUSIC Ian Shawcross The Deal Hoy, Deal
Thursday 3rd March 2011 MUSIC Riskee and the Ridicule The Leaf Lounge, Ashford
Friday 4th March 2011 MUSIC Deal Music Festival Astor Community Theatre, Deal ELO Experience Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone ORFC Electric “Open Mic” Orpington Rugby Club, Orpington Kent Rumblefish Sundrige Park WMC, Bromley Kingsdown Band The Clarendon Hotel, Deal Peter Cater - Big Band The Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury As_Is_Now The New_Inn, Deal YOUR SHOUT The Park Inn, Dover The Retrophonic Archive The Rising Sun, Kingsdown Hostage Calm The West Coast Bar, Margate Daylight The West Coast Bar, Margate Basement The West Coast Bar, Margate Third Place Victory The West Coast Bar, Margate Loose Cannons The West Coast Bar, Margate Gap Year The West Coast Bar, Margate VIVID NATION The White Lion, Streatham
Saturday 5th March 2011 MUSIC VIVID NATION Barnaby Rudge, Broadstairs DIRTY DC The Forum, The Common, Tunbridge Wells The Retrophonic Archive The Long Hop, Sittingbourne Martin Jonathan The New_Inn, Deal The Scalextrics The Ypres Tavern, Sittingbourne Neville Staple and His Band and The Beat Winter Gardens, Margate
Saturday 5th March 2011 MUSIC The Vintage Corporation Astor Community Theatre, Deal
Sunday 6th March 2011 MUSIC The Hot Potato Syncopators Quarterhouse, Folkestone The Retrophonic Archive The Anchor Inn, Faversham The Tony Johnson Band The Deal Hoy, Deal Latin Funktion The Hole in the Roof, Deal EK1 The Port Arms, Deal
Tuesday 8th March 2011 MUSIC RBN The Attic @ UKC, Canterbury
Wednesday 9th March 2011 MUSIC EK1 The Deal Hoy, Deal
Don’t forget live music at The Port Arms, Deal. 34
LISTINGS
Friday 11th March 2011 MUSIC craig sheridan B.A.S.E, Deal A Thousand Lights B.A.S.E, Deal City Lights B.A.S.E, Deal The Four Chapters From Hell! Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone King Hammond Quarterhouse, Folkestone YOUR SHOUT The Alma Freehouse, Deal RBN The Castle Inn, Dover The Flack The Castle Inn, Dover The Slug Pixies The Frenchman, Folkestone Interceptors The Hole in the Roof, Deal The Alleviators The New_Inn, Deal
Friday 11th March 2011 MUSIC The Bon Jovi Experience Winter Gardens, Margate
Saturday 12th March 2011 MUSIC YOUR SHOUT BOARS HEAD, DOVER Jamie Moore Pizza Express Music Room, Maidstone Steve Harley Quarterhouse, Folkestone Kathryn Tickell Band The Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury Goodbye Eric The New Troc, Gravesend Charlie The New_Inn, Deal VIVID NATION
The Park Inn, Dover Vidina The West Coast Bar, Margate Call Off The Search The West Coast Bar, Margate A Boy Named Girl The West Coast Bar, Margate ScreamDontWhisper The West Coast Bar, Margate Midnight Carnival The West Coast Bar, Margate Pantomime Villains The West Coast Bar, Margate The Four Chapters From Hell! Winter Gardens, Margate
Sunday 13th March 2011 MUSIC Sunday Classics Astor Community Theatre, Deal The Tony Johnson Band Old Brewery Tavern, Canterbury Jeff Barker Band The Clarendon Hotel, Deal Salty Dogs The Deal Hoy, Deal The Retrophonic Archive The Hole in the Roof, Deal User Friendly The New_Inn, Deal Suspects The Port Arms, Deal The All Stars Band Winter Gardens, Margate
Wednesday 16th March 2011 MUSIC Without The Blue The Deal Hoy, Deal
Thursday 17th March 2011 MUSIC 10cc Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone Cellar 39 The Carpenters Arms, Eastling, Faversham
Don’t forget live music at The Port Arms, Deal. 35
LISTINGS Alan Price Set The Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury
Friday 18th March 2011 MUSIC Wishbone Ash Astor Community Theatre, Deal Goodbye Eric Earls, Maidstone Knocksville Quarterhouse, Folkestone Cellar 39 The Fountain Public House, Sittingbourne Dockland Rocks The Hole in the Roof, Deal The Tony Johnson Band The Kings Head, Deal BROKEN The New_Inn, Deal The Rat Pack is Back Winter Gardens, Margate
Saturday 19th March 2011 MUSIC Queen Elizabeth’s Elephant Astor Community Theatre, Deal YOUR SHOUT Barnaby Rudge, Broadstairs Rumblefish Jolly millers, Dartford The Outcome [5 piece pop/rock band The Bradstow Mill, Broadstairs Pierre Vincent The Green Berry, Walmer Goodbye Eric The Louis Armstrong, Dover Cellar 39 The Spitfire, West Malling Rendezvous Dance Club Winter Gardens, Margate
Sunday 20th March 2011 MUSIC Counterfeit Notes
The Clarendon Hotel, Deal Antiques Road Show The Deal Hoy, Deal Radio Riot The New_Inn, Deal
Monday 21st March 2011 MUSIC Jimmy Carr Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone Wednesday 23rd March 2011 MUSIC The Retrophonic Archive The Deal Hoy, Deal Thursday 24th March 2011 MUSIC VIVID NATION Beer Cart Arms, Canterbury Joe Brown in Concert Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone The Slug Pixies The Carpenters Arms, Eastling, Faversham
Friday 25th March 2011 MUSIC Joe Zaradin Astor Community Theatre, Deal Big Time American Wrestling Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone Dreadzone Quarterhouse, Folkestone The Slug Pixies The Fountain Public House, Sittingbourne Undercover The Hole in the Roof, Deal Strangely Addictive The New_Inn, Deal Sky:Lark The West Coast Bar, Margate Alaska The West Coast Bar, Margate Man Hands The West Coast Bar, Margate Human Jink The West Coast Bar, Margate
Don’t forget live music at The Port Arms, Deal. 36
LISTINGS Lich The West Coast Bar, Margate Rough Comforts The West Coast Bar, Margate Goodbye Eric The Windmill Inn, Ashford Chas ‘n’ Dave Winter Gardens, Margate YOUR SHOUT Yew Tree Inn, Deal
Saturday 26th March 2011 MUSIC RAW DEAL Astor Community Theatre, Deal YOUR SHOUT Dover Sea Angling Association, Dover Rumblefish Gravesend Boat, Gravesend Disco Inferno Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone The Scalextrics Man of Kent, Ashford Feed The Rhino Quarterhouse, Folkestone Without The Blue The New_Inn, Deal Me vs. Hero The West Coast Bar, Margate Summerlin The West Coast Bar, Margate Call Off The Search The West Coast Bar, Margate Third Place Victory The West Coast Bar, Margate ScreamDontWhisper The West Coast Bar, Margate Sally Morgan Winter Gardens, Margate
Sunday 27th March 2011 MUSIC Southern Culture The Clarendon Hotel, Deal Andy Price Quartet
The Deal Hoy, Deal EK1 The Hole in the Roof, Deal The Tony Johnson Band The New_Inn, Deal Heroes The Port Arms, Deal The Ballet Cinderella Winter Gardens, Margate
Wednesday 30th March 2011 MUSIC Essence of Ireland Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone The Geoff Everett Band The Deal Hoy, Deal
Thursday 31st March 2011 MUSIC G*Mania Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone The 69 Eyes Quarterhouse, Folkestone The Retrophonic Archive The Walnut Tree, East Farleigh, Maidstone
Friday 1st April 2011 MUSIC Gilbert & Sullivan Extravaganza Astor Community Theatre, Deal Tapestry The New_Inn, Deal The Outcome [5 piece pop/rock band The Railway Pub, Deal The Slug Pixies The Royal Norfolk Hotel, Folkestone Strictly Come Rotary Dance Spectacular Winter Gardens, Margate
Don’t forget live music at The Port Arms, Deal. 37
LISTINGS
Saturday 2nd April 2011 MUSIC Hazel O’Connor Astor Community Theatre, Deal Drumchasers Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone The Outcome [5 piece pop/rock band The Archer, Whitfield, Dover Rumblefish The Bear & Ragged Staff, Crayford, Dartford The Slug Pixies The Beauty of Bath, Sittingbourne Steeleye Span The Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury Chris from As Is Now The New_Inn, Deal
Sunday 3rd April 2011 MUSIC The Tony Johnson Band The Clarendon Hotel, Deal Kevin Iverson The Deal Hoy, Deal Midlife Crises The Hole in the Roof, Deal The Outcome [5 piece pop/rock band The Port Arms, Deal
Wednesday 6th April 2011 MUSIC Ian Shawcross The Deal Hoy, Deal
Thursday 7th April 2011 MUSIC Charlie Landsborough Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone Spring Extravaganza Winter Gardens, Margate
The Pub Landlord’s 138th Banquet & Ball Winter Gardens, Margate
Friday 8th April 2011 MUSIC VIVID NATION Arch 635 Bar, Clapham The Retrophonic Archive The Fountain Public House, Sittingbourne YOUR SHOUT The Louis Armstrong, Dover
Saturday 9th April 2011 MUSIC Julian Smith Astor Community Theatre, Deal The Retrophonic Archive BOARS HEAD, DOVER YOUR SHOUT Deal & Betteshanger RFC, Deal Tribute to Abba - Forever Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone Floors & Walls The West Coast Bar, Margate Missing Andy The West Coast Bar, Margate The Flack The West Coast Bar, Margate A Thousand Lights The West Coast Bar, Margate Moulin Rouge Winter Gardens, Margate
Sunday 10th April 2011 MUSIC Sunday Classics Astor Community Theatre, Deal The Interceptors The Clarendon Hotel, Deal Meg Cavanaugh The Deal Hoy, Deal Kai McKenzie
Don’t forget live music at The Port Arms, Deal. 38
LISTINGS The Hole in the Roof, Deal The Tony Johnson Band The Port Arms, Deal
Monday 11th April 2011 MUSIC VIVID NATION The Lanterns, Folkestone Lethal Bizzle The West Coast Bar, Margate Marvell Crew The West Coast Bar, Margate Tuesday 12th April 2011 MUSIC Pianos Become The Teeth The West Coast Bar, Margate Suis La Lune The West Coast Bar, Margate Jairus The West Coast Bar, Margate Take Courage The West Coast Bar, Margate Monarch The West Coast Bar, Margate N-Dubz Winter Gardens, Margate
Friday 15th April 2011 MUSIC Solid Silver 60s Show Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone Left of The Dial The Hole in the Roof, Deal YOUR SHOUT The Rising Sun, Kingsdown
Saturday 16th April 2011 MUSIC Private Widdle Social Club Astor Community Theatre, Deal The Outcome [5 piece pop/rock band Folkestone Railway Club, Folkestone Army Of Freshmen Quarterhouse, Folkestone Martin Jonathan The New_Inn, Deal Goodbye Eric The Star, Ashford
Sunday 17th April 2011 Wednesday 13th April 2011 MUSIC Milton Jones Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone The Electric Ladyband The Deal Hoy, Deal
Thursday 14th April 2011 MUSIC Dan Clark Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams The Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury
MUSIC RMA Concert Band Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone EK1 The Clarendon Hotel, Deal Tapestry The Deal Hoy, Deal Scandal The New_Inn, Deal Suspects The Port Arms, Deal
Wednesday 20th April 2011 MUSIC The Outcome The Deal Hoy, Deal
Don’t forget live music at The Port Arms, Deal. 39
LISTINGS
Thursday 21st April 2011 MUSIC The Ballet Cinderella Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone The Retrophonic Archive The Carpenters Arms, Eastling, Faversham Stacey Kent The Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury
Friday 22nd April 2011 MUSIC Groanbox Astor Community Theatre, Deal Kingsdown Band The Hole in the Roof, Deal Radio Riot The New_Inn, Deal The Retrophonic Archive Winter Gardens, Margate
Saturday 23rd April 2011 MUSIC Charlie The New_Inn, Deal The Slug Pixies The Red Lion, Ramsgate VIVID NATION Walmer Castle, 4 South Street Deal Kent ct147aw
Sunday 24th April 2011 MUSIC The Alleviators The Clarendon Hotel, Deal Dejangles The Deal Hoy, Deal Get Ape The Hole in the Roof, Deal The Retrophonic Archive The New_Inn, Deal EK1 The Port Arms, Deal
Wednesday 27th April 2011 MUSIC Lola Soul The Deal Hoy, Deal
Friday 29th April 2011 MUSIC The Scalextrics Alexandra Hotel, Chatham, Chatham Bob Dury Astor Community Theatre, Deal Cellar 39 The Beauty of Bath, Sittingbourne The Tony Johnson Band The Kings Head, Deal Olly Murs Winter Gardens, Margate
Saturday 30th April 2011 MUSIC VIVID NATION Barnaby Rudge, Broadstairs The Scalextrics The Clarendon Hotel, Deal The Scalextrics The Clarendon Hotel, Deal The Searchers The Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury Without The Blue The New_Inn, Deal
Don’t forget live music at The Port Arms, Deal. 40
FEATURE
In issue 18 of The Gig Guide...
& Don’t forget live music at The Port Arms, Deal. 41
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ADVERTISING OPPORTUNIT FEATURE
Live Music @ The Clarendon Hotel, Deal Every Sunday afternoon from 4pm
March 4th – Kingsdown Band 13th – The Jeff Barker Band 20th – Counterfeit Notes 27th – Southern Culture April 10th - The Interceptors 17th - EK1 24th - The Alleviators 30th – The Scalectrix PLEASE CALL FOR THE LATEST EVENT INFORMATION.
51/55 Beach Street, Deal, Kent, CT14 6HY Telephone: 01304 374748 Fax: 01304 371116 Email: admin@clarendonhoteldeal.co.uk
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Hole in the Roof
FEATURE
The Soul Bar
Hotel - Cafe - Bar
Live music events at The Hole in the Roof (6pm Sunday & 9pm Friday) •
Situated only a 5-minute walk away from Deal seafront and town centre
•
Traditional homecooked food
•
Three course specials
•
Function room for hire
•
Comfortable accomodation
MARCH
APRIL
6th Latin Funktion
3rd Mid Life Crises
11th Interceptors
10th Kai McKenzie
13th The Retrophonic Archive
15th Left of The Dial
18th Dockland Rocks
22nd The Kingsdown Band
25th Undercover
24th Get Ape
27th EK1
42 Queen Street, Deal, CT14 6EY Tel: 01304 374839 www.holeintheroofhotel.co.uk holeintheroof@btconnect.com
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