Strawberry Fields Festival 2012

In few weeks, the Strawberry Fields Festival will "re-open" his doors for a 3rd edition. I've been able to be at this festival last year, but unfortunately (and because of the day job), only for the Saturday, that's why I didn't review what I saw there BUT it was a brilliant and great festival. I know that here, we hear more about Glastonbury, V Festival or Reading but there's a lot of other great festivals and Strawberry Fields Festival is one of them! This festival is becoming bigger each year and this year, it has an even more amzing line_up than last year. 

By reading this blog, you know how the Leicestershire is important in my life and this festival has become the little point where I can have fun and see all my "lovers" sharing the stages! Oh yeah, they need to become more and more and more important and I know that maybe not next year, but soon, they will be named as one of the "NOT TO BE MISSED FESTIVAL".

At this year festival, you'll be please to see SuperEvolver , Modern Faces, MovE, Danny Greet's new band The Vanishing Point (I'll write soon about that new band), The Great KAV, The amazing Bibelots, Red 'n ' Pink, Raptusound, but also The Dash, KAROVA , By The River, Martha Makes Mistakes, Marner Brown, Buster Shuffles, FC-20, Preacher and The Bear, Young Knives, The Carpels, Kyla La Grange and Of course the legendary The Charlatans and Labrinth.

A new drummer for MovE!

Last week, MovE was pleased to introduce their new drummer. Yes after one year in the band and loads of gigs, our beloved Lewis choose to go into another direction.  So please, say Welcome to :

Dayle Smith

MovE is not the 1st band of Dayle as he's also playing drums for The Kinells but unfortunatelly, they haven't played for few months.

Dayle will play his first ever gig with MovE, this Friday 23rd December at the Donkey in Leicester . Early Xmas present for the band. 

An Interview with MovE!

As you have probably noticed, MovE! has become one of my favorite band from Leicester , with their energic music, you always feel the need to move your body. Guy, Bassist, has kindly answered to some questions. Wanna learn more about those 4 brilliants guys? Just read the following interview! :)

Picture by Neil Plumb

First of all, can you introduce the full band and say who play what? 
 MovE are J Kenna - Guitar/Vox,  Pockets - Guitar, Guy - Bass and Lewis - Drums

Can you tell us how did you all met? And how did you decided to make this band. 

 Well we are all good friends that know each other from various well-established local bands of days gone by, J wanted to have a go at the front man instead of being behind the drums, lewis was up for drumming so we went to have a jam through a few songs and it all kicked off, never looked back.

What's your past and experience in the music scene? so many bands between us all, i will have a think.

J: Deap People / Superevolver / Ego Armalade /

Wonder bus 

Pockets: Deap people / Orange Boodle / Lamp 

Guy: SundayClub / Five Green Bottles / Forgotten sun

/ Superevolver

Lewis:  Ego Armalade / Carnival Clowns

Why did you choose to name the band "MovE!"?  Is there an "homage" to the 60's band "The Move" in this name? 
 No we were thinking for ages, didnt even think about the band called The Move, we are more like "MOVE out the F****** way"

How would you describe your music? 
 Each individual member has contributed influences from different genres including blues, psychedelic and garage rock.

Ok, you know I discovered you cos your singer plays the drums in another band at the mo'. Are you all able to play others instruments? Could you once swap all the instruments for a "special gig"?
All of us can play most things if we have to. I am not going to sing tho.

The band is quite young but you already played quite a lot of gigs in Leicester, what kind of reaction sod you use to hear after each gigs? 
 The reaction has been so great, could of never expected this.

How did you decide one day to learn how to play an instrument and how did you choose the one that will became THE instrument?  
Not really sure, cant remember a day when music wasnt part of any of us, but we are all different, bands like oasis, blackcrowes, etc etc, made us really want it.

Are you writing the songs all together? Where do you find the inspiration? 
 All different, J writes some, Pockets writes lots of music, we can all put an input in, J is great at words tho.

Do you have some heros/idols who inspired you?  
1000's

And in the rest of the world of arts?  
To many to pick.

If you could do a cover, which song would you choose and why?
Er thats a hard one, cant pick at the min, maybe one day we might go there but at the min, it has never crossed our minds.

Is there a band/artist with who you would love to work with or even make a duet? 
 Chris Robinson - Blackcrowes

Do you have a special dream for the band? 
Just to be the best.

If you could give one of your song for a charity. Which kind of charity would you choose and which song would you pick up? (if this song is already written) 
 Don't think we have one at the min, but there is so many good charitys out there, we would gladly do one.

Give me, each of you, 3 words to describe your music and 3 words to describe the band.
Mega - dont need any more ha ha

Have you already choose which one of your songs will be the first EP? Will it be "It's Our Time"?
Cant say, its will be finished this month tho.

Is there a country/city were you would love to play several gigs? Have you an "american dream"? 
 It would be a dream to play everywhere.

You don't have an EP released yet BUT is there a director you'd love to have to film your first ever videoclip? 
 No not yet.

And do you have an idea of the type of video you'd love to have? 
 Yes one like Motley Crue.

We can hear several of your demos on your myspace, do you already have a favorite one? 
 We love all of them.

2 weeks ago, I saw you playing at the Strawberry Fields Fest. What was your feelings after playing in a festival? 
 Its such a great feeling, lots of people you have never seen before dancing to your songs, cant beat that.

Are you, all of you, interested in another art? (cinema, painting, etc...) 
 Pockets is great a graphics, he does all our posters.

What will you do if tomorrow music is banned from our life and you have to choose for another career? 
 Get sent to jail, could never stop sorry.

Do you have a song that could be your guilty pleasure? And one that you love but should be ashame of?
Not saying. (*cheateeeeerr!!)

What was the 1st ever gig you went to? And what was the 1st ever cd/vinyl you bought with your own money?  
Cant remember, oh mine was salt and pepa.

You're from Leicester where, I think, there is a real "nest" of great music and new bands. Do you have some names to give us, some bands/artists we don't know yet but who should become big? 
Er, you would have to come to our shows, as we always get the other bands to play with us, but there are a lot, Leicester sounds great at the min.

Do you have a special place/venue where you loved to play in Leicester?
Yes, enjoy the firebug

Final question: Do you have a message for your fans/supporters?  

2012 will be massive people. Big things are going down.

MovE for Halloween

As announced here before MovE played a gig for Halloween on October the 28th at the Firebug  in Leicester, I couldn't be there but some great persons were and nicely accepted to let me use one of their pictures here and some videos ...

Picture taken by Charlie Jones (singer of Charlie and the Martyrs)

Now you can have a look at this videos (taken from the Youtube of Guy Jolley, Bassist of MovE!)

MovE! live For Halloween

If you are in Leicester or around Leicester for Halloween, you should go to The Firebug on Millstone Lane to see the wonderful MovE! playing the on the 28th of October and if you're coming in fancy dress, you'll have a disount on the ticket's price!!! :O

Flyer by 'Pockets' aka MovE!'s guitarist! 

Alice Grist 's Book Launch- The High Heeled Guide To Spiritual Living-

On the very last weekend of July, in the city of Leicester, the author Alice Grist, launched her new book "The High Guide To Spiritual Living" at The Entropy.

I was there, I booked this weekend for this event even before Alice's had finished to write the book!

On this evening, everybody was welcome to come along and have a chat with all the people around till 1am. There was Free Champagne (courtesy of Haunted Magazine) , a barbecue outside, a full table was ready with a lot of tombola prices, Cupcakes home made by Alice's friend, some lucky Balloons with "inside" a price or a quotation from THHGTSL. All the prices on the table have been kindly given by some charitable and spirituals souls. Alice Grist was of course there to sign the book and she was surrounded the whole evening by every persons around. 

All the profits of the evening sales (including Tombola's tickets, cupcakes and all the books that have been purchased on this evening) have been given to The Harley Staples Cancer Trust and 300£ have been raised on this evening of joy.

Apart from that part of the evening, in the garden of the restaurant, there also was some gigs. The 1st one was from Ben Hartmann, a young singer from Leicester who played several songs alone with his guitar and his stool.

Followed by the excellent band MovE and on this special evening and because the stage was quite small, the drummer was on the roof!!!!! They played 9 songs plus an intro. They were quite happy to be there and the atmosphere in the small crowd was absolutely great. Everybody seems to be happy to be there and this was absolutely marvelous for Alice and the association.

The 3rd and last band was the mighty SuperEvolver which is the band of Alice's husband! It's was not my 1st gig of that band but the 1st with John on the drums and this was absolutely insane! In a good way of course! James Mabbett and John Kenna were in a kind of nice battle for the jams and Tom Bradshaw is luckily an excellent bassist and could 
follow them. During the set, James's mum decided that it was time for her to leave the party, and she naturally asked to say bye to her son while he was playing and asked him where was her daughter in law still during the song.  This was absolutely crazy but so funny and so into the "family spirit" of the evening.

The set list was :                Wicker Vicar 

Who Needs Love?

Ivy

1.13

Nymph Pink Angel

Cartoon Killers

9 Lives

 

That gig was the final point of the launch, people begun to leave the restaurant after the end of the last set, there was still some crazies (like us) who stayed till the end, and finished the cupcakes!

The Awesome and Pretty Alice and I

My friend Marion, me, Gorgeous Alice.

 
That was a brilliant and lovely night, full of happiness, spirituality, musics and love.

MovE!

MovE! is a very young band from Leicester, by very young I mean they formed in 2010 but have already a quite famous name in the city and shire!

 

MovE! is:

John  at the lead voice and Guitar

"Pockets" at the Guitar
Lewis at the Drums
Guy at the Bass

How do I know them? Well, I discovered this band through John, the singer, who was, also, the (new) drummer for SuperEvolver.  I disocvered someone with a perfect skill to play the drums! John is really an excellent musician, and one day, he has posted a link about the gig of this band MovE!, I then understood that it was his "other" band and I had to have a listen to the 1st song....... Which I loved!!!!! When you're like me, really into rock , pop rock and psychedelic rock then you will LOVE them!!!! when you'll listen to "It's Our Time", you can easily imagine yourself in a 70s living-room surrounding by huge Lava Lamps!!!! (I know I've got some strange image(s) when I listen to music but that my feelings!). 

I never been able to see them live until they finally played at the book launch party of Alice Grist few weeks ago ( a post about this evening wil follow), and I can say that even in live they're excellent! 

I don't know if I made a good promotion for the band but yes they're a bunch of great guys and that band deserve to be huge and Im sure they will! (I can see you shaking your heads and thinking that I won't promote a band/singer if I don't like the music but imagine that their next single is not as good, well I will still promote them but I'll have to tell you the truth cos all those artists are NOT all from my friends (Im not that lucky sorry!!!)). They keep on playing gigs in their town and they will, Im sure, play in several other English towns... Oh and yes of course, I wish they would come and play in Paris.... And they are their own promoter and they're quite good at it!!! 

You can find them on their  Official Facebook Fanpage , Myspace page, Twitter, and their Youtube Channel.

"pockets", Lewis, John, Guy