The Brook, 466 Portswood Road, Portswood, Southampton SO17 3SD
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December 2009 @ The Brook

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The Rebs

Road To V Winners The Rebs are from Southampton. In mixing modern synth-pop with classic songwriting, they have created a unique and large sound with a stage presence to match. Just ask Carl Barât.
With the band taking their influences from good songs, not just hip artists, the results are unique and catchy tunes, inspired by real life stories. They don't sound like anyone else. When playing live the band shine, endearing any audience as they quickly get across what they are all about.

2007 saw them support major acts such as The Enemy, Tiny Dancers, John Power (Cast) and Five O'Clock Heroes, as well as lining-up with Supergrass and The Ordinary Boys at GuilFest.

2008 saw them open V Festival infront of thousands, sharing the stage with Kaiser Chiefs, The Zutons and Reverend and The Makers as winners of the Virgin Road To V competition, picked ahead of 2,500 bands by top industry judges such as The Libertines Carl Barât and NME's Marc Beaumont. They also came out as the favourites in the "Gig At GuilFest" competition judged by a panel including Charlotte Hatherley and EMI Studio Group. They performed on the massive Ents24 Stage at the 24,000 capacity festival.

2009 has seen them writing and recording their debut album, consisting mostly of brand new material. One of these new tracks, "Don't Fool Yourself" won "Best Pop Song" and "Best Overall Song" at the Exposure Music Awards in April, judged by a panel of music professionals including representatives from Sony/EMI and Virgin.

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Album: ‘The Best Of Dreadzone: The Good The Bad and The Dread' Label: Dubwiser Records Release Date: 16th May 2011

"Witty, inspired soundscapes'" The Guardian
"In the tradition of Lee Perry and Holger Czukay" The Times

On 16th May 2011 Dreadzone, the fervently followed British institution and original pioneers of UK bass culture present ‘The Good The Bad And The Dread' - a compendium of their excellent musical story so far.

Still going strong after seventeen years, Dreadzone have carved a large niche and cult following. Hit records, critical acclaim and a huge, devoted fan base are theirs, due in part to their utterly storming live shows. The all-killer-no-filler 16 tracks collate the many highlights of ‘the Zone's' output to date - a coherent and still fresh-sounding body of work.

Dreadzone deal in accessible yet credible club sounds with pop nous, referencing everyone from Woody Guthrie and Max Romeo to John Holt and classic films. They also like to wander into uncharted territory, melding Celtic, Jamaican and Asian influences to their riddims and samples, thus turning out unique, quirky gems like ‘Captain Dread' and ‘Little Britain'. The latter track is available here in its more rare vocal incarnation, which wasn't featured on the album Second Light (the instrumental was). Their dubwise beats and bottom end, often adorned with the unmistakably dulcet tones of Earl Sixteen are a product of the cut-and-paste magpie nature of the ever-morphing world of dance music. Other collaborators who've passed through the house of dread include cultural figurehead Don Letts, Melanie Blatt and Alison Goldfrapp.

Dreadzone originators Greg Dread and Leo Williamsare the drum and bass respectively in the seminal post-punk-electro-pop band Big Audio Dynamite. Tim Bran was also a founding father, still involved in shaping the Dread sound. Dreadzone was born from the duo's shared love for reggae, ska, dub, dancehall, hip hop, breakbeats and the burgeoning electronic music scene of the time.

Dubstep, UK funky, 2 step, jungle and the multitude of fangled sub genres have been born post Dreadzone, and whilst it maybe a sweeping statement to claim they've been
a direct influence on all such producers, they can definitely stake claim to a very large branch on the family tree of all things dance, quality and of black origin.

Dreadzone have released six artist albums: ‘360', ‘Second Light', ‘Biological Radio', ‘Sound', ‘Once Upon A Time' and last year's ‘Eye On the Horizon'. They delivered a storming set on Later with Jools Holland and ‘performed' their top-twenty hit ‘Little Britain' on Top Of The Pops. That single has since become ubiquitous, due to countless TV program syncs and generally being a much-loved anthem.

John Peel was a big fan of the band too. He included five Dreadzone tracks in his festive fifty and chose their 360 LP as one of his top ten albums of all time. Ironically that release hasn't been available since the closing of Alan McGee's iconic label Creation records, to which the they were signed. Dreadzone also DJ under the ‘Dreadzone Soundsystem' moniker, tearing up dancefloors worldwide in a fashion that's unmistakably their own.

Dreadzone are:
Greg Dread (beats and electronics), Leo Williams (bass), MC Spee (MC), Earl 16 (vocals), Chris Compton on (guitar) and Chris Oldfield (technology).

The Best Of Dreadzone: The Good, The Bad & The Dread Tracklisting
Zion Youth (Dreadzone Mix), Little Britain (Vocal Version, Ali Baba Captain Dread (Single Edit, Iron Shirt, Digital Mastermind Biological Radio (Edit), House Of Dread, Life Love & Unity (‘96 Mix), Fight The Power (‘95), Return Of The Dread Gangster, I Know, The Good The Bad & The Dread, Different Planets, American Dread

Subsource

In 2005, a Cambridge educated British-Chinese science prodigy started to jam with a Malawian hip hop crew. They're joined by a Norwegian born multi instrumentalist from the famous Brazilian club Guanabara on guitar and synths. You know, the usual way a band forms.

"All we need is a double bass player of Spanish heritage from a Nu-School Jazz Breaks background. Ideally one who has worked with a d'n'b drummer from an Abba tribute band on a remix of 'Monkey Magic' for the DVD release of the classic Kung-Fu show."

They said.
Probably.

But that's the way it happened. And so it came to pass that this bizarre collection of international musicians with even more bizarre and diverse backgrounds formed a band called Subsource in the unlikeliest of suburban towns – Guildford.

Lead vocalist and electric double bass player Stu Henshall.
African superstar rapper Kimba Mutanda.
Guitar and synths pouter Paul Frazer.
The classically trained Dennis Ng on keyboards and percussion.
And the intricate yet ear splitting drummer Neil Shervell.

A series of successful and highly improvised live shows took place cementing the band as the live electro/breaks/d'n'b band. Tracks were commissioned for computer games such as Moto GP, Juiced and errr...Crazy Frog! The live favourite 'This Town' was picked up by Spin Out Records and along with a Hook & Sling remix of the tune was released to critical acclaim and sold thousands internationally following regular plays by the likes of The Chemical Brothers and Plump DJ's. The source of the sub was beginning to growl...

The growl made some waves culminating in Subsource lead singer Stu Henshall working with The Prodigy's Liam Howlett on pre 'Invaders Must Die' writing sessions. Then Far Too Loud requested his services on their single 'You Know The Sound'. Meanwhile Subsource began to develop a harder edge to their noise as they wowed festival crowds in 2007 at Glastonbury and Secret Garden Party and remixed tunes for Datarock, Parka and GoodBooks.

The following twelve months saw Subsource play with the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Hexstatic, The Egg and Ebony Bones and travel to Berlin and Paris to play 1000 capacity venues. More festivals in 2008 at V and Isle Of Wight brought further media attention to the band and garnered support from influential XFM DJ's Eddy Temple Morris and John Kennedy, the music magazine The Fly and K-Mag, the Metro newspaper and Radio 1's Nihal.

Ridley Scott's US TV show Numb3rs requested the use of an early track called 'Parasite' while Sky Sports used the body shaking, dance infused anthem 'Disarm' as the title music to their coverage of the World Freerun Championships.
This inspired a slew of new tracks with writing and recording taking place individually at each band member's home studio and collectively at Subsource's spiritual home: their very own studio, The Trench.

Tracks such as future album closer 'Beats and Bandages' and a song which morphed into a dubstep pounder called 'Dark Is The New Light' gave an indication of the melodic fusion of sharp punk break-beats Subsource were capable of.

A new edge was found for the sure-fire hit 'Street Soul Music' and Adi Winman, the producer who mixed the album helped Subsource move to a new level with the epic, tense tracks 'The Ides' and 'Charge Me'. And then the icing on the cake – a re-written version of 'Parasite' entitled 'The Reason' began to make the summer 2009 festival crowds go crazy: insatiable fans ate glow sticks at Glastonbury, ADD kids started mosh pits in the Rock Sound stage at Guilfest and indie-folk fans chose Subsource over fellow headliner Laura Marling at Blissfields. The source of the sub had growled for long enough and was now throbbing with menace and intent.

The Subsource debut album 'Tales From The Doombox' was finished and just needed the skills and ears of mastering engineer John Davis (The Prodigy, Pendulum) to conclude what could be the album of 2010.

QUOTES

"Bionic Breakbeat Punks have the dance-floor squirming with their jaw-dropping power, soul and perception"
- The Fly

"Those who know me well know that breakbeats give me the raging horn but so do some bands... this is so up my street."
- Eddy Temple-Morris (XFM)

"The best cyberpunk riot since The Prodigy"
- The Metro

"A live electronica dance band who are loved by those who know and are about to be adored by those who don't"
- BBC Online

"This is a band that truly demands a larger setting - the main stage at Glastonbury comes to mind. Subsource make Pendulum look like the f**king Carpenters"
- LTD Magazine

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"tremendous, joyous, remarkable..." Rolling Stone

A long-awaited album arrived on April 23rd.

Once the bad boys of folk and rock, Oysterband have grown over the past five years into the role of musical custodians and godfathers of folk. Collaborative tours with rising young stars under the banner of The Big Session; a Big Session "live" album with June Tabor, Eliza Carthy, The Handsome Family, Show Of Hands and more; and finally a Big Session festival, now in its third year, which hasn't yet failed to sell out. And there have been gongs, awards, nominations...

The 'house band' role Oysterband played for part of these years drew on the group's formidable musical skills, rather as The Last Waltz did once upon a time for The Band. And it made them re-evaluate themselves. "We had to go back to the essential impulse that's kept the band kicking for almost 30 years - making new songs for ourselves," says Ian Telfer. "We put a PA system in a village hall on the Welsh border and got down to some serious playing. It's the doing it together that unlocks it for us," he insists. "It's the only way the songs can grow and breathe, of course. But also, we've always believed that creativity is a collective thing, and that's helped shape the band's politics. Not that we agree about everything, by a long chalk...but hey, that's the spark."

Once new song structures were licked into shape, Oysterband took the best ideas to The Premises in Hackney ("Europe's first solar-powered studio") to work on the voices and acoustic instruments. Some late ideas were added in Brighton and at cellist Chopper's house in Sweden.

"I think the long, sustained preparation has enhanced Meet You There enormously," says Telfer. "The singing - everybody's singing - is better than it's ever been. The raw rush that used to take us out on tour with The Pogues etc has evolved into something more measured, more powerful. We listened to it all back when we'd finished and we all thought: 'Yes! Strong. Rooted.' (And then: 'Cop that!') Literally, it's been refreshing - it's renewed our self-belief."

Meet You There certainly delivers a fresh perspective on 'folk'. Check out the lovely mbira introduction by Chopper to the opening song Over The Water, and the stinging rockabilly guitar beat of Someone Somewhere for contrast. For the singing, check out Over The Water again, Where The World Divides, The Boy's Still Running, the dreamy anthemic Dancing As Fast As I Can. For the politics, the acid, knowing take on globalisation (over a cheery jugband backing) on Here Comes The Flood.

"We were lucky to work with a really intuitive photographer too, Judith Burrows. Not only did she get us some very strong shots for the packaging, she got the whole mood and idea of what we were doing from listening to the tracks. In a funny way, doing the shoot helped us crystallise our feelings about what we'd written."

"Meet You There is the most consistent thing we've done as a grown-up band," says Telfer. "It has what I like to think of as Oyster trademarks - a folk ear for a great vocal tune; strong lyrics; wry politics; and a sort of deep-down musicality that can afford to take itself fairly lightly. It's essentially acoustic, essentially folk-based I suppose. But we try to put it over with big dynamics and a sense of musical theatre."

30 years' experience really shows.

Previous years' Big Session Festivals have featured new-wave stars such as Seth Lakeman, Eliza Carthy and Boden & Spiers alongside great folk artists like June Tabor and rock-people-in-a-surprising-context like New Model Army's Justin Sullivan.

The 2007 Big Session will take place on June 15-17 at De Montfort Hall & Gardens, Leicester. This year's strange brew will include Tunng and Kris Drever as well as Waterson:Carthy, The Mekons on their 30th anniversary reunion, and Alabama 3 unplugged. And many more. And, of course, Oysterband.

Of OYSTERBAND BIG SESSION Vol 1 CD (Westpark Music 87105), the UK media said:

"The joyful spontaneity of these informal and seemingly haphazard unions have been admirably captured...a powerful album." MOJO Folk Album Of The Month ****

"No other folk-rock band has the magnetism and verve of the Oysters live" DAILY TELEGRAPH:

"Energetic, joyful set of performances...capturing that anything-could-happen session vibe." TIME OUT

"A great credit to all involved.... Volume 1 sets a standard that'll be hard to beat." fROOTS

Spacey Rocksters need no introduction

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LIMEHOUSE LIZZY - THE GREATEST HITS OF PHIL LYNOTT & THIN LIZZY

Renowned for an action-packed pyrothechnic-fuelled explosion of a show, Limehouse Lizzy continue to keep the spirit of Celtic rock icon Philip Lynott and his band Thin Lizzy alive, well and dominating stages worldwide.

Attention to detail, playful audience interaction and that all important X-factor that leaves you with the feeling of witnessing the real thing have led to their performance being described as "beyond tribute", by both audience and critics alike.

Following the enormous success of their ˜Live & Dangerous" & ˜Dedication" tours, the band embarked upon their "Into the Limelight" 2008 tour to tie in with their appearance on an episode of BBC2's 'Arena' documentary series of the same name. The tour travelled as far as a headline slot at the Rhodes Rock festival in Greece, and the Virgin Atlantic Music festival in Barbados. The band appeared alongside diverse world music acts, and played a Thin Lizzy set representing the celtic rock genre.

Their latest tour continues to explore and celebrate the artistic and musical legacy of the hard-living, hard-rocking, yet at times surprisingly tender and romantic artist that was Philip Lynott.

Expect Celtic influenced tracks like "Whisky in the Jar" and "Black Rose", amongst the usual razzamatazz and classic tracks "The Boys are Back in Town", "Sarah" and many others we've come to expect from one of the most highly rated acts on the circuit.

QUOTES

"Limehouse Lizzy's Wayne Ellis, an uncanny ringer for Phil Lynott..."
The Guardian

"entertainment for more than a decade…fantastic live music"
Arena BBC2

"if you're sceptical about tribute acts, you won't be after seeing Limehouse Lizzy"
Radio Times

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Lee Memphis King saw one of Elvis's films - 'Roustabout' - when he was only a few years old and has loved the man and his music from that day on. Even as a child he found himself imitating Elvis's voice and as he grew up this became an overwhelming obsession to perfect Elvis's voice and to recreate the excitement and passion that Elvis himself put into every performance. He says: "To me Elvis was the greatest performer and vocalist of the last century and I constantly strive for perfection when I perform his songs."

Lee Memphis King is a true Elvis fan and it is this genuine long felt love and respect for Elvis and his commitment to perform the closest tribute to the real thing which has led to his phenomenal success and which is reflected in the stunning performances that Lee Memphis King delivers. He pays meticulous attention to the way Elvis sings, to adopting the attitude and passion that Elvis expresses when performing and interpreting a song. Elvis's performances are lovingly and respectfully brought to life in every detail.

Lee 'Memphis' King was officially declared the best Elvis Tribute Artist in the world at the prestigious 2005 Collingwood Elvis Festival held annually in Canada. This is attended by the top Elvis tribute artists from around the world and the judges' criteria for awarding this prestigious title are based on the authenticity of the voice, stage performance, appearance and adopting Elvis's personality and passion on stage. The ultimate accolade!

In 2004 Memphis King played several UK Theatres including the London Palladium to critical acclaim and now, in this latest production, he portrays the entire performing career of Elvis.

Lee Memphis King is the producer and director of a serious production and tribute to the greatest entertainer of the last century, Elvis Presley.

In this latest production, Lee Memphis King portrays the entire performing career of Elvis Presley.:

The show starts with the exciting early Rock 'n' Roll years which started in 1954 at Sun Records led by the legendary Sam Phillips. During this time with Sun Records and later with RCA, Elvis recorded and performed famous hit songs like 'Blue Suede Shoes, 'Hound Dog' and 'One Night' which Lee Memphis King sings with the same energy and passion of his idol.

The incredible '68 Comeback Special,' a landmark in Elvis's career, is recreated faithfully and respectfully by Lee Memphis King and his incredible band. He recreates the opening songs of the 'Special' to the famous 'sit down' and finishes with an incredible rendition of 'If I Can Dream' to close the first half of the show

The second half of the show is dedicated entirely to the 'Vegas Years' when Elvis would perform in Las Vegas and tour throughout the US and Canada - the definitive record of these performances are contained in his films 'Elvis - That's the Way It Is', 'Elvis On Tour' the 'Aloha from Hawaii' concert and 'Elvis in Concert'

Accompanied by his top level orchestra and singers and wearing costumes which are accurate in every detail, Lee 'Memphis' King recreates it all with stunning authenticity - the voice and equally important for Lee, the passion and energy that Elvis put into his songs. He leaves audiences in no doubt that they are witnessing the world's No 1 Elvis Tribute Artist. Pure entertainment and Pure Presley.

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LEGEND are seven great musicians and singers dedicated to the life and music of the late, great Bob Marley

This dynamic band, led by the charismatic Michael Anton Phillips (Cheesy) has a pedigree second to none, whose members have worked with such reggae greats as:

The Mighty Diamonds, The Original Wailers, Dennis Brown, Rankin Roger, The Beat, Burning Spear, Apache Indian, Errol Dunkley, George and Desmond Decker, Musical Youth plus many more.

Legend's two hour show covers the very best of Bob Marley and The Wailers timeless classics: These are just a few of his million selling hits brought to you in this fantastic two hour tribute to the acknowledged the King of reggae. The musicianship is flawless, with that irresistible reggae groove compelling you to move and the presence of Bob Marley him self invoked in the skilled and respectful portrayal by Michael and the Band.

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"The best band you have never heard"

Since forming back in 1996, British rock outfit Mostly Autumn have garnered themselves a name for their relentless touring schedule and outstanding live shows. And this Autumn, the York based outfit are set to hammer this home with the upcoming 'Go Well Diamond Heart' tour of the UK,  Holland and Belgium.

They have built a loyal and cult following since their first album twelve years ago and in that time such luminaries as the late Richard Wright of Pink Floyd, Deep Purple's Jon Lord and the BBC's own Bob Harris are amongst its many fans.  
Mostly Autumn has also toured as an invited support act to Blackmore's Night, Uriah Heep and Jethro Tull, as well as being special guests at Bryan Adam's Murrayfield Stadium gig three years ago. That alone should give some indication as to the calibre of the band. 

Their musical palette is diverse and while they draw on influences from the golden age of seventies' rock, they have developed their own unique sound and style that both captures some of the essence of that heady era and yet looks forward into the future. 

 Bryan Josh is that rare beast – a hugely talented guitarist who knows how to play with feeling and for the song.  His soaring guitar, always drenched in pure emotion, at times recall the golden era of guitar heroes such as David Gilmour but never outstays its welcome, always leaving the listener wanting a little more. Lead vocalist Olivia Sparnenn is a true talent, the range and beauty of her voice is world class.  The magnificence of Iain Jennings on keyboards, complimented by a rock solid yet fluid rhythm section - Andy Smith (bass), Gavin Griffiths (drums), Liam Davison (rhythm guitar) and the delightful vocals and multi instruments of Anne-Marie Helder make Mostly Autumn a band that will enthrall you and awaken memories of what real music is really about.

"one of the best and brightest guitar heroes performing in the world today" Classic Rock magazine

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Up until 2002, Oli Brown had never picked up a guitar, yet by 2006 (at just 16) he had toured in America, TWICE, opening for  Blues royalty such as Buddy Guy, Koko Taylor, Taj Mahal, shared UK stages with Walter Trout, Paul Jones, Buddy Whittington and even the Godfather of British Blues, John Mayall.

Such hallowed connections only serve to reaffirm the belief, that for many, Oli is the most promising Blues man to emerge from Britain in a long time. Not only a guitar prodigy but also a singer, songwriter and consummate performer. This is a  young man who shows total dedication to the genre he loves.

In late 2006, whilst playing at jam sessions, Oli met Simon Dring, a superb drummer and Fred Hollis, a highly talented bass player. It was during these sessions, finding that not only did they get on well musically, but also as friends,  that Oli asked both Fred and Simon to join him in The Oli Brown Band. March 2007 was the start of their live gigs.

Paul Jones saw and heard the potential and invited The Oli Brown Band, to do a live session for his BBC Radio 2 show. The session was aired May 14 2007 and received rave reviews.

Oli went back to play in the States during July and August of 2007 (guesting with the American Blues band, Blinddog Smokin') there he hit the Mid West with his young British Blues and built up his reputation even more.

In November 2007, The Oli Brown Band was selected by "Blues in Britain" to perform at the 24th International Blues Convention in Memphis, Tennessee. Oli and his band were the ONLY UK act to be chosen to represent Britain at this prestigious event !! 

In February 2008, Oli  was invited to record at Ardent Studios, Memphis, by John Fry himself, not only to cut a couple of tracks, but also to have The Oli Brown Band  record a live session for their "Ardent Session" (a weekly radio transmission). An honour indeed and not taken for granted. It is worth pointing out that The Oli Brown Band live session had over 1.4 million hits (YES ! 1.4 million !) in three weeks !

Oli signed to the major Blues label, Ruf Records, in January 2008  and went into the studio (with Fred and Simon) in March 2008 to cut  the tracks for his first official album "OPEN ROAD"(consisting of 8 original tracks and 3 great covers), it was released in  June 2008 and has received excellent reviews.

Here are just a few of the UK reviews for "Open Road"

"has the Blues under his fingernails" Classic Rock
"a debut that lives up to expectations" Mojo
"the future of the Blues is evidently bright" Guitarist
"definitely one for the present as well as the future" Guitar and Bass
"a sparkling debut" Sunday Express

2008 had The Oli Brown Band gigging extensively and included supporting artists such as Johnny Winter, Robben Ford, Walter Trout, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Devon Allman's Honeytribe, Jon Cleary and Buddy Whittington.

Oli spent the month of August gigging in America, alongside Sherman Robertson, Miss Blues, Billy Branch and Blinddog Smokin'.

In 2008 Oli secured endorsements from Hofner, Fender, Vanquish and Ernie Ball.

Ecstatic reviews here, Europe  and in America, only go to show that this young British singer, songwriter and musician has a great future ahead of him.

Haven't seen Oli perform ? Here are some comments from people that have,

"a great talent" John Mayall
"Oli is MY hero" Walter Trout
"one of the best and brightest guitar heroes performing in the world today" Classic Rock
"a great band, the BEST we have worked with" Devon Allman (son of Greg Allman)
"East Anglian whiz kid not to be missed" Paul Jones (Manfred Mann, The Blues Band, BBC Radio 2 )
"Blues prodigy set to shake the British scene out of its slumber" Classic Rock
"Oli is the most promising Blues man to emerge from Britain for a long time" Blues Matters magazine
"a lot of fire and passion" Aynsley Lister
"he PLAYS the Blues" Otis Grand
"more soulful and rhythmically creative than a Zulu war drummer !" Elmore (American music magazine.)
"the real deal" Blues in Britain magazine
"we would like Oli for future shows with Johnny Winter" Paul Nelson, Johnny Winter's manager.
"let's do it again !" The Fabulous Thunderbirds

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Legendary recording artists, singing their greatest hits and session musicians from the Who's Who of Rock and Pop, join Queen's musical director and keyboard player Spike Edney for a night of fun and explosive music.

In addition to being Queen's Musical Director and keyboard player since 1984, SAS bandleader, Spike Edney has toured and recorded with the living and late legends of our time and has played with some of the world's finest musicians (see Spike's bio attached). It is through this extensive network of close musicians friends, that Spike founded The SAS Band.

Since The SAS Band's debut, Spike and his band have made television appearances and performed at select private, public and major corporate events around the world. The SAS Band's previous corporate appearances include performances for companies such as Mercedes, Microsoft, Harley Davidson and the Super Yacht Cup, to name a few and as Rod Steward, Paul McCartney, Brian May, Phil Collins and the Stones choose this band to play at their private parties, you can be sure you won't be disappointed!

The artists that have graced the stage with The SAS Band to date are part of an ever-growing collection of some of the world's greatest Rock and Pop performers and have included the likes of Roger Taylor of Queen, Roger Daltrey of The Who, The Sugababes, Roy Wood, Annie Lennox, Josh Groban, Beyonce´, Tony Hadley, Gary Brooker, Paul Rodgers, Madeline Bell (Blue Mink), Graham Gouldman (10cc), Brian May, Leo Sayer, Kiki Dee, Paul Young, Chris Thompson (Manfred Mann's Earth Band), Fish (Marilllion), Bob Geldof, Midge Ure and more recently Amy Winehouse, Queen Latifah, Aretha Franklin, Gloria Gaynor, Cyndi Lauper, Alicia Keys and Leona Lewis, when as Nelson Mandela's 46664's Musical Director, Spike was asked to bring The SAS House Band to back an array of stars for Mandela's 90th and 91st Birthday Concerts in Hyde Park, London and Radio City Music Hall NY.

The debut SAS album features artists who collectively have appeared on many (many) number one hit songs, including: Chris Thompson, Tony Hadley, Kiki Dee, Roger Chapman, Roger Taylor, and Madeline Bell. Featured musicians include Ian Anderson, John Deacon, Peter Green, Cozy Powell, Jamie Moses & Charlie Morgan. Tracks were recorded at Black Barn Studios in Ripley over a two year period, where the complex process of melding the prolific array of talent into an album was finally completed in April 1998. The album is based on a 'half original/half cover' format. Originals include the writers version of Chris Thompson's classic composition 'You're the voice', already a hit for John Farnham, and 'Original sin'. Covers include epic arrangements of classic songs like 'That's the way god planned it', 'The Name of the Game', and 'Didn't I blow your mind this time.'

Exceptional Mod Band doing their "Mods & Rockers" Set

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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. 

Expect hit after hit after hit! Funky Disco Kings!

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Delays have long been British rock's best kept secret. A heady concoction of angelic harmonies, beat-group hauteur and groove-based hedonism, they belong to British pop's most regal bloodline: (early) Floyd, The Smiths, The Stone Roses. The bands 4th album is scheduled for release in 2010.

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Delays return to The Brook to play their hometown Christmas show. Its always a special night when the band are back in town and this night will surely kick off your Christmas weekend.  

Southampton's very own ‘Delays' burst onto the scene in 2004 with the release of their debut album ‘Faded Seaside Glamour' on Rough Trade Records. It charted top 20 and became one of the most critically acclaimed albums of that year... "First band in a decade to lay serious claim to the Stone Roses throne" The Guardian, "Heavenly pop glory" Q. ‘Nearer Than Heaven'- One of the finest pop singles of the year- NME

To date the band have released 3 further critically acclaimed albums, each one achieving notable chart success.  Delays soar above – NME 5* you wont hear a better album all year -The Sun. Valentine- Best comeback single of 2006-NME. Pop song mastery uniquely honed to perfection - The Fly ‘Right now in British rock the Delays are the ultimate high' David Fricke Rolling Stone

Consistently touring throughout the world the bands live shows are always acclaimed as stunning and celebratory. Be sure to join them for this must see hometown Christmas spectacular!

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"...Cover bands are big business these days, but this quartet are clearly a cut above most with suits, mop-tops and jerking stage manoeuvres all in place as they blast out 'From Me To You', 'Roll Over Beethoven' and 'Please, Please Me' with note-perfect aplomb."

The Daily Telegraph.

There seems to be two different methods employed by tribute bands in copying their heroes. One is to immerse themselves totally in character, become the band. The other is to still do this, but do it with tongue very much in cheek. So how to interpret the greatest pop group of all time? The Silver Beatles go for option B, not taking themselves too seriously and this approach definitely works for them. They indulge in banter among themselves and with the crowd, making the most out of the fact that every Beatle is instantly recognisable. The first half of the gig is the young Beatles, suits and mop tops, covering all the early hits; 'Saw her standing there, Can't buy me love' among others before finishing on 'Twist and Shout'. Then it's a quick break and costume change where they miraculously transform into the older, hippie era Beatles; the period where they wrote some of their finest songs. Just point non-believers to songs like 'In my life' and 'Let it be' which show, more so than the early years, why the Beatles are still held in such esteem. Not that anyone here needed convincing. The 500 plus crowd, arms held aloft, nah-nah-nah-ing during the encore of 'Hey Jude'. Nope, no non-believers were present.

Review by Thomas Christie

Door £

Door £

Never mind your Wigan Casino, Rufus Stone at the Brook is where it's at.

Door £

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.