The Brook, 466 Portswood Road, Portswood, Southampton SO17 3SD
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June 2008

Tickets On Sale When Price is Shown

EX-Moody Blues member and co-founder of Wings Denny Laine brings his band to The Brook

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The songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is best known for his roles as former guitarist and lead singer of the Moody Blues and, later, co-founder with Paul McCartney of Wings. But the Birmingham-born musician is still going strong and after a colourful career now performs solo.

Denny will be on stage alongside Jeff Allen on drums and Alan Thompson on bass.

His prolific career began as a boy when influenced by jazz legend Django Reinhardt, Denny took up the guitar.

At 12 years old, he did his first solo performance and went on to front Denny and the Diplomats, which also included future Electric Light Orchestra drummer Bev Bevan.

In 1964, Laine left The Diplomats to join Mike Pinder in the Moody Blues and sang their first big hit, Go Now. Other hits included From The Bottom Of My Heart, Can't Nobody Love You and Bye Bye Bird.

However, he quit the band in 1966 and formed the Electric String Band. They made two singles and in June 1967 shared a bill with the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Procol Harum at the Saville Theatre in London.

But the band soon split up and Denny went on to appear in Balls and Ginger Baker's Air Force before hooking up with Paul McCartney in 1971 to form Wings.

He stayed with the group for ten years until they officially disbanded in 1981. Denny provided lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, bass, writing and co-writing skills, as well as being a solid solo performer.

Together with Paul and his wife, the late Linda, they formed the nucleus of the band and it was with Wings that Denny enjoyed the biggest commercial and critical successes of his career, including co-writing the smash hit Mull of Kintyre. But by 1981 the group had gone their separate ways and Denny went on to launch a solo career.

Although he produced a large amount of records and received a certain amount of success, by the mid-Eighties Denny had allegedly filed for Bankruptcy after selling his lucrative co-publishing rights to Mull of Kintyre to co-author McCartney.

Today he is still making new music and performing his extensive back catalogue live at venues throughout the country.

Article by Rebecca Peppiatt
http://www.echonews.co.uk/

60's Supergroup

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The Strawbs have had a rich history since they were formed around forty years ago. Originally named The Strawberry Hill Boys, they started out as a duo comprising Dave Cousins and Tony Hooper playing bluegrass music. Bass player Ron Chesterman then joined them and they recorded an album with Sandy Denny which was released several years later.

Sandy then joined Fairport Convention and keyboard player Rick Wakeman, bassist John Ford and drummer Richard Hudson joined The Strawbs in 1970. This line-up lasted for two albums until Wakeman left in 1971 to be replaced by Blue Weaver, formerly of Amen Corner. The album "Grave New World" followed in 1972, after which Tony Hooper departed and Dave Lambert joined. The next album contained two hit singles, "Lay Down" and "Part of the Union" which was written by Hudson and Ford. Hudson and Ford left the band and formed a moderately successful duo as Hudson Ford producing a handful of hit singles. Blue Weaver also left to join the Bee Gees, so three new members were drafted in; Chas Cronk on Bass, Rod Coombes on Drums and John Hawken on keyboards. Two albums, "Hero and Heroine" and "Ghosts" were recorded with this line-up before Hawken left the band. The quartet of Cousins, Lambert, Cronk and Coombes produced a further three albums, "Nomadness," " Deep Cuts" and "Burning For You" followed by "Deadlines" on which Tony Fernandez replaced Coombes on drums.

Dave Cousins then accepted a job as programme controller at Radio Tees, effectively spelling the end of the band, despite the addition of Brian Willoughby on guitar. Occasional line-ups performed during the '80s and '90s i"ncluding the Dave Cousins and Brian Willoughby duo which released two albums, Old School Songs and "The Bridge."

The 30th anniversary concert at Chiswick in 1998 brought together nearly all the past members of the band for a musical feast and since then The Strawbs have been touring, either as a six-piece electric or a three-piece acoustic band. 2001 saw them release a new acoustic album, "Baroque and Roll."

We welcome Dave and company to The Brook with their full electric set for this gig.

Preview by Peter Ashton

Get ya hair on and watch some classic 70's Funk - Anyone fancy some fancy dress?

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Phat Funk is a rare combination of some of the finest musical talent to have emerged from the Southampton scene. This is a tribute act with a difference, the focus here is on an era of music rather than a band, who's primary function is to pack the dance floor with people grooving to those Disco classics of the seventies.

If you have fond memories of those heady nights at the Top Rank, The Royal Pier, Fridays, The Birds Nest to name but a few, and the burger van "after hours club"! you will love Phat Funk. If you danced round your handbag, wore flares that are bigger than your waist size, or reached for the stars on a set of platforms then this is the band for you. The musical excellence of this band cannot be disputed and there are no pre-Madonna's here, just hard working boys that want to 'play that funky music' and see the dance floor filled with grooving sweating bodies.

So if you want to "Bump", do the "Chicken in a basket", Strut your funky stuff or just look cool in your Oxford Bags then go and listen to the sounds of Kool and the Gang, Barry White, KC and the Sunshine band, James Brown to name but a few…let's bring back the good times and educate the next generation on what was hip! So if you wanna "Keep on Truckin" be there or be square. Groovy Tip: You know what fun fancy dress parties are, why not dig out your old seventies gear and dress up with the band.

Government Health Warning: This 2 Hr groove requires a high level of Physical Fitness to keep up. Weeds should not attempt to strut without medical assistance.

 

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No need to Fear the Reaper, when these guys make a welcome return to The Brook

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Blue Öyster Cult

Spanning three decades, Blue Öyster Cult has a long and storied history. The band got its start in the late '60s on Long Island, New York, as the Soft White Underbelly, but each member had been involved in bands previously in high school and college, before ending up in the "right place at the right time" to create the beginnings of Blue Öyster Cult.

In the late '90s, BÖC secured a contract with CMC records, and in 1998 released "Heaven Forbid," their first record in 10 years. "Heaven Forbid" was well received by both critics and fans, and brought the band back into the music aficionado's conciousness. A good portion of the lyrics for the album were provided by sci-fi writer and (BÖC fan) John Shirley.

For the last 30 plus years, Blue Öyster Cult has been following their own unique path, and as of this writing are in the studio again to record their (-teenth) studio album. Their motto "On Tour Forever" still holds, as the band plays over 100 dates per year. Most fans feel the band sounds better than ever--that the musical maturity and skill combined with over three decades of playing together has made BÖC a prime example of rock and roll at its best.

 

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Mick Slacker & Co's tounge in cheek tribute act just gets better and better.

The BOG ROLLING STONES have earned a reputation as one of the most authentic sounding tribute acts around. Satisfaction's always guaranteed when these long haired boys come home to the Brook!

Their tongue in cheek humour, wigs, stripy trousers and boundless energy make them an act not to be missed. The question is.....would you let your daughter go???

Classic 8 Piece Soul Band

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Time to dance the night away with the band who make every gig a party night! Those that have followed the band will know that the Rufus Stone Soul Band, based in their home town of Southampton, has been around in many guises since their start in late 1984. After all this time you would expect that some of the sparkle would have gone, not a bit. They still have the same distinctive sound, which ensures that they get the maximum involvement from their audience.

Over the years they have built a loyal following and it is this support that has kept the band not only on the road but still as soulful as when they started. The music is authentic soul with selections from The Blues Brothers and The Commitments, but the bulk of the set comes from the soul greats such as Otis Redding, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Joe Tex and many others.

During their time together there have been a number of highlights that include support to some of the top soul artists like Jimmy Ruffin, Edwin Starr, Curtis Mayfield, Geno Washington, Ben E King, and Gloria Gaynor.

(Fleetwood Mac Tribute)

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FLEETWOOD BAC are the world's first and best Fleetwood Mac Tribute Band, endorsed by Mick Fleetwood himself, and raved about by Peter Green's biographer, the only Mac tribute band to authentically replicate the classic Stevie/Lindsey/Christine/John/Mick 'Rumours' line-up.

The band returned in 2001 with their best line-up yet, and in the last 2 years the response has been amazing. Rave reviews in 'The Stage', The Fireflies and Go Your Own Way (the U.K.s leading Fleetwood Mac fansites); an endorsement from The Nicks Fix (the official Stevie Nicks website); and ecstatic audiences wherever the band played, including wowing an audience of 10,000 at the H.O.G. festival in St. Tropez, and very successful recent shows in the Cayman Islands. The band has also recently been rated by The Times as one of the U.K.'s leading tributes, alongside The Bootleg Beatles, Bjorn Again and the Counterfeit Stones.

The sound, the look, the mystical atmosphere and on-stage chemistry are all portrayed with the passion and energy that got the seal of approval from 'Big Daddy' Mick, and built up an excellent reputation amongst Mac fans through numerous tours, festival appearances, corporate events and TV and radio slots all over the U.K. and Europe.

Fans include original Mac bassist and biographer Bob Brunning, who has joined the band several times on stage for great versions of 'Need Your Love So Bad', and Peter Green's official biographer Martin Celmins.

The Fleetwood Bac show focuses on the Stevie Nicks/ Lindsey Buckingham/ Christine McVie 'Rumours' era of the band (still the 5th biggest-selling album of all time). It also features several songs from the Peter Green days, plus some of Stevie's biggest solo hits, in a theatrical two-hour show, including costume-changes and an acoustic section.

Songs featured include: Dreams, Don't Stop, Go Your Own Way, You Make Loving Fun, Tusk, Gypsy, Everywhere, Oh Well, Rhiannon, Little Lies, Black Magic Woman, Seven Wonders, Say You Love Me, Big Love, Oh Diane, Stop Draggin' My Heart Around, Albatross, Sara, Man Of The World, Hold Me, Green Manalishi and Need Your Love So Bad.

Fleetwood Mac fans are also raving about seeing and hearing favourites like: Gold Dust Woman, The Chain, 2nd Hand News, Silver Springs, I'm So Afraid, Songbird, Sisters Of The Moon, Isn't It Midnight, Leather And Lace, Oh Daddy, Monday Morning, Landslide, I Don't Want To Know, Beautiful Child, Over My Head, Never Going Back Again, World Turning, Blue Letter, Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You, Eyes Of The World etc.

Exceptional Mod Band

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"The best sixties covers band in the world" with a massive tribute to...

"The Who" and nobody plays it better than this band says time out !!! "Small Faces" "The Kinks" "The Yardbirds" "Desmond Dekker" "Spencer Davis" "The Animals" and many more. Up to 2 hours of devastating energy and fun. A truly brilliant unforgettable nights entertainment. Fresh from last years headlining at the isle of wight scooter rally and the small faces convention and Butlins sixties weekenders plus countless gigs the band are eager to meet and play to as many like minded fans of the greatest era of music and bands of the sixties and all heard in one night.

Guitarist Steve Byrd started as a young 18 year old protege in Zzebra in the mid seventies before joining Gillan, Holly Johnstone and Kim Wilde. Still one of the top session guitarists in this country/

Bass guitarist Steve Barnacle has played in Rick Wakemans band, Spear Of Destiny, Visage, Tina Turner, Pete Townsend used him on Face To Face, Fish and probably the biggest band so far apart from Rod Stewart.....Queen in New York at the rock n roll hall of fame depping for John Deacon

Drums Johnny Marter actually met Jimi Hendrix as a very young lad in a band signed to Chas Chandler before joining and having big success with Mr Big, then Voyager, Micky Moody, a spell with Marillion and then tours with Fish and is the resident Sas Band drummer

Keyboards Mickey Simmonds another child virtuoso joined Mike Oldfield's band for almost 10 years, and then successful tours with Joan Armourtrading, Paul Young's band, Camel and most recently md for the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band

Vocals Johnny Warman started the mods 5 years ago to pay homage to the music he grew up through and what turned him onto being a musician. Johnny has worked with Maria Callas, Tito Gobbi, Ringo Starr, Peter Gabriel, Asia, Cheap Trick, House Of Lords, Humble Pie and has had a very successful solo career making 4 albums. 

Million record seller Sandi debuts The Brook

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When your debut single is number one in seven different countries and your album goes on to sell more than 700,000 copies, you get to choose where you record the follow-up. And having made her first album on a miniscule budget in a freezing barn in Cheshire, you might think Sandi Thom would want to go a bit more upmarket this time. But Sandi tends to do things her own way, no matter how unconventional that may be. Which is why she recorded the whole of her second album, 'The Pink & The Lily' in the basement of her flat in Tooting.

"I like my own surroundings," she smiles. "And I like being in control. For me it's about being comfortable, being able to relax and not be intimidated. In fact I probably did most of my vocals in my pyjamas – I'd get out of bed, make a cup of tea, go downstairs and just do it! And it was great having that freedom."

Sandi famously came to the world's attention in that same tiny basement with her '21 nights in Tooting' tour – three weeks of concerts that she sent out to audiences worldwide via the Internet. Her first single had already been released via the small independent label Viking Legacy and she had an album ready to go, but suddenly the media picked up on her story and all the majors were queuing up in her kitchen to sign her. And when 'I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker' was re-released on her new label RCA, it went straight to number one in the UK and went on to be a hit world-wide. In Australia alone, it topped the charts for a record-breaking 12 weeks.

Sung mainly a capella with just handclaps and the most basic percussion behind her, the song was one of the stand-out tracks of 2006, showcasing Sandi's strong, soulful voice and establishing her as a major new songwriting talent. The album that followed proved that she was no one-hit wonder. 'Smile.. It Confuses People' has the same raw, rootsy feel, is packed with strong songs, and also shows her to be an accomplished musician.

Voted UK's Best Tribute Act by the BBC. About as close to the music of T-Rex as you're likely to get.  Usually sells out so get em early of you want to go. 

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To watch T.Rextasy in concert not only demands stamina, but also a healthy pair of lungs to sing along to the rocking numbers that made Bolan the leading force of Glam Rock. After the initial impact of T.Rextasy's stage presence, and the lead singer's uncanny resemblance in voice and looks to Marc Bolan, you know that you're in for an evening's worth of Bolanic hits, played to perfection and with incredible enthusiasm.

T.Rextasy play for their audience, and most of them obviously want to hear songs they know and love. Therefore, the band always include T.Rex's Top 20 hits such as: Metal Guru, Jeepster, Telegram Sam, Hot Love, Children of the Revolution, Ride a White Swan, Get it On, I Love to Boogie, New York City, The Groover, Solid Gold Easy Action, and 20th Century Boy. T.Rextasy are more than just a tribute band, they are ultimately the definitive T.Rex experience of the 21st Century.

"The most entertaining and exciting Queen tribute band"

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The Queens perform a show packed with the hits,  anthems and live favourites from the world's most majestic rock 'n' roll band.  With great attention to detail, they bring you the look, sound, raw energy and  showmanship of Queens' most memorable live gigs, faithfully recreating  highlights of their Live Killers Tour '79, Montreal '81, Milton Keynes Bowl  '82 and Wembley '86.

The band have rocked many large audiences, from  hardcore Queen fans at the Official International Queen Fan Club Convention,  to a 6,000 strong crowd at Cowes week. With an energetic stageshow and  outrageous costume changes, The Queens are the closest you'll get to  experiencing Queen perform live.

"They were very impressive, great  sound and show!" Jackie Smith, Official International Queen Fan Club  Convention.

The show includes such classics as Fat Bottomed Girls,  Killer Queen, Another One Bites the Dust, Bohemian Rhapsody, We are the  Champions and many more.

Singer of Ultravox

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An artist who has recieved Ivor Novello, Grammy, BASCAP awards along with a flotilla of gold and platinum records, really needs very little introduction.

Musical success is seldom measured in time spans of more than a few years, if not Andy Warhol's oft quoted "fifteen minutes", so the fact that by the time Midge's single "If I Was" went to No1 in 1985 he had already crammed several musical lifetimes into a 10 year professional career speaks volumes - Slik, The Rich Kids, Thin Lizzy, Visage, Ultravox and of course the most famous one off group in musical history Band Aid had by then all had the guiding hand of his musical navigation.

Then you have to take account of Midge's musical directorship of a series of rock concerts for The Prince's Trust, Wicked Women for Breakthrough and in honour of Nelson Mandela; a Lord Provost award for services to Scottish music; record production for Phil Lynott, Steve Harley and countless others; his video direction of memorable hits by the Fun Boy Three, Bananarama and others, or a whole swathe of landmark singles by Ultravox; TV, theatre and film music credits ranging from 'Max Headroom' to stage and big screen.

His musical roots were playing and learning the records of the Small Faces and other rockers who did things very much their own way, Midge appeared to the wider public in a moment of heady teen success with Slik. Their sway-along Bell single 'Forever And Ever' took over at No.1 in the UK from Abba's 'Mamma Mia' on Valentine's Day 1976. Soon outgrowing Slik's pop dimensions, Midge was snapped up by ex-Sex Pistol Glen Matlock the following year for his new outfit, the Rich Kids, who charted amid an avalanche of press with a self-titled EMI single early in 1978. By April '79, with his name being added to many musicians' contact book, Ure had been asked by Billy Currie, Chris Cross and Warren Cann to become the new frontman in Ultravox.

The band was a major influence on the new romantic and electro-pop movements of the early '80s and many an open-minded studio and bedroom experimentalist since. Their successful trademark was combining Midge's powerful guitar riffs with sweeping synthesiser motifs, enigmatic imagery and state-of-the-art visuals. Throughout the first half of the '80s, they brilliantly combined the responsibilities of top 10 chartmakers and innovative style-makers.

As interest in the 1980s rises again to a new peak in 2004, courtesy of Duran Duran's massive success, Ultravox's chart catalogue rewards merits new scrutiny. Tracks like 'Reap the Wild Wind', 'Dancing With Tears in My Eyes', 'Love's Great Adventure' and 1981's timeless 'Vienna' were all massive hits the world over as they charted with awesome regularity, not only on single, but with seven consecutive top ten albums in just six years.

Then came November 25, 1984, a historic day for Midge and all of pop music, as 36 artists by the collective name Band Aid gathered at SARM Studios in west London under Ure's production. They recorded 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' a song he had just written with Bob Geldof as the industry's heartfelt and eloquent contribution to Ethiopian famine relief. 600,000 copies sold in its first week in the UK alone was only the beginning: 800,000 more were bought in the second week, more than three million world-wide, and the unstoppable emotion engendered by the project led to Live Aid, the summer 1985 global concert that, all exaggeration aside, spoke for a generation.

Within months, a staggering £8 million had been raised for the starving in Africa, and Geldof said that without Ure's initial enthusiasm for the idea, not to mention his rapidly penned sketch for the single, neither Band Aid nor Live Aid could have happened. Midge is still to this day a Band Aid Trustee. Just two months after Live Aid, Midge was back at No.1 in Britain, this time under his own name, with 'If I Was', and by the autumn he had a No.2 solo album to accompany it, entitled 'The Gift'. In 1993, that chart-topper was to lend itself to the retrospective album 'If I Was'. After an initial solo outing to the Oxford Debating Society where his response to "What song would you write for Take That" was met with the characteristically witty retort of "An instrumental!" broke the ice, he supported the album's release with a 22-date 'Out Alone' tour of Britain, armed only with a couple of guitars and a keyboard.

"Uncovered" is his latest live incarnation. Combining his own classic hits with a selection of songs that have been a major influence on him along with a smattering of personal reflections, all done in an acoustic format, it should certainly provide an entertaining evening! But then that's nothing new for Mr Ure!