April Gigs

Decided against doing a Gig of the Month post as there's so much happening in April that I couldn't possibly pick just one.


The extended Easter weekend means that there's a ridiculous amount of nights out to choose from to suit all musical tastes. Here's my pick of the best...


Tonight I'm off to the theatre (how cultured) to see Sister Act (ok so maybe not!) which has been running in the West End for a while now but has ventured up north for a few weeks. After that I'll be heading to the opening of new Leeds venue Arch 4 where house producers Waite and Armani will be kicking off the proceedings. Danny and Eddie as they are better know to me were responsible for this awesome remix of the Lana Del Rey smash Video Games.

If you've got tomorrow off I'd head down to the Leeds Warehouse where Lee Foss will be headlining the Jackathon. Lee is signed to Jamie Jones' label Hot Natured and produced one of my favourite tracks of last year Forward Motion. He'll be playing at 12:30am-2:30am and be joined by Watergate resident Heidi. This one will be great... if I'm still standing by then!

If these don't float your boat there's The Futureheads at  The Wardrobe and Emile Sande at the Leeds O2 Acadamy, where electronica legends Orbital will be playing tomorrow night.

Later this month you've got another two great gigs both at the Warehouse again - Art Department will be playing Back to Basics on 21st April, and the legendary Speedqueen returns on 28th April - tickets for this one sold out on the website in 3 minutes so hopefully see you there if you managed to get a ticket. Check out a mix from resident Tintin on my previous Weekend Hot Mix.

I like loads of different styles of music and aside from the the club nights there's a couple of live gigs I'm looking forward to later this month. Miles Kane is playing at the O2 Academy on 25th April - I caught him supporting Arctic Monkeys last year and can't wait to see a full set from him. The following night I'll be checking out Kwes, featured in my Track of the Week, at Brudenell Social Club.

Sorry if you don't live in or near Leeds... just wanted to share which gigs I'll be heading to this month!

If you live in London my recommendation for the month is The Roots at Basing House on April 12th. The night was started by Bushwacker (a favourite of mine since a very untraditional hen party last year at a dirty club in Greenwich!) and Richie Fingers and is all about playing original house music. The line "Everything you hear now. This is where it came from ..." explains what they are about and the DJ's will be showcasing some of the finest house music from a 25,000 record vinyl collection! This is the second monthly party they've thrown and I'd love to be there! You can find the facebook event page here.

Which night's out are you looking forward to in April?

Lindsey

March Gig of the Month

Its been a tough call this month with so many great bookings but I've nearly settled on my gig of the month for March (yes I know its the 14th already!)

For those of you lucky enough not to work tomorrow or hardcore enough to rock up to work after three hours sleep, I'm going to suggest Flux at the Beaverworks in Leeds. I've still not made it down to one of these nights yet but I'm always tempted as they showcase some brilliant DJ and production talent and not always the most obvious names. Previous line ups include Bulgarian producer Kink and tonight features Vincenzo and Roberto Rodriguez and all for under a tenner.

If that's not enough to persuade you than have a listen to my the track that introduced me to Roberto Rodriguez:

Not heard this for ages and it still sounds bloody brilliant!

For the rest of us that like a solid 8 hours on a school night then its definitely something for the weekend. Afro Coalition are celebrating their 1st birthday down at the Wardrobe in Leeds with an impressive line up of house music veterans Karizma and Atjazz and JD73 live. With talent like this in the same room, trust me this one is going to be special! Prior to the gig, there is also an opportunity to meet Karizma and check out the artwork to his latest album as he is hosting a masterclass and Q&A session, however this is invite only so you will need to purchase a ticket in advance.

On a completely unrelated note to the usual beauty and music topics, but another love of mine nonetheless, I have to mention here another event I'm massively excited about. On Monday 19th March, my favourite tequila bar Neon Cactus (Call Lane, Leeds) is hosting London's Godfather of Burgers, Meat Liquor for one night only. You can't book tables but they will be serving from 5pm so get down there and queue - you'll find me waiting patiently at the bar with a Tommy's Margarita or two. What was I saying about not going out on a week night?

You can find Facebook details for all of the events at the following links:

• Flux
• Afro Coalition
• Meat Liquor

Lindsey

Gig of the Month - Franck Roger

You can't imagine my excitement earlier to find out that one of my favourite producers would be playing in Leeds this weekend. French DJ, producer and founder of Real Tone Records, Franck Roger will be doing his thing down at Wire in Leeds for a night called In:Vision.


Franck Roger is responsible for my personal favourite tune to come out of last year - Life is Too Short.



I've ben looking to see this guy live for a while and excited to get the opportunity in my home town in such an intimate venue. Tickets are an absolute steal at £7.

Event is Friday 17th February, doors open 11pm-5am.

Venue: Wire, 2-8 Call Lane, Leeds LS1 6DN.

Gig review to follow. If you like this sound, check out this week's new Hot Mix back on my blog on Friday...

Lindsey

Gig of the Month - Jocelyn Brown

On 13th January I went to see Jocelyn Brown at the Jazz Cafe in Camden. Four years ago, I heard Chris Moyles talk about how he'd seen her at the Jazz Cafe and I instantly wanted to go. I got my chance in 2010 and again in 2011 and despite being the second week in January, completely skint and supposedly on a detox/health kick, there was no way I could miss this show.

Now I'm a massive fan of the Jazz Cafe, its an intimate venue which means you get a great view from wherever you stand and there's also the option to have dinner while you sit on the balcony. They pull in some good line ups, perhaps slightly more niche acts like Belleruche (who I'd love to see but I'm away skiing) and Loick Essien on this weekend. 

Once again Jocelyn Brown didn't disappoint. She kicked off with medley of Keep on Jumpin', Enough is Enough, Moment of My Life, Ain't No Mountain High Enough to name a few (you forget how many anthems she's contributed to!). Supported by her band and backing vocalists including her daughter, she continued with some new gospel material before closing of course with Somebody Else's Guy.

Set list I stole from the drummer

Its a pleasure to hear all the big tracks but my highlight of the gig was Jocelyn's rendition of Close To You by the Carpenters. It was perfection, goosebumps, a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye... give it a listen for yourself:

Along with the new material and the track above making this the best time I've seen her yet, I also got to say hello after the show...

Meeting Jocelyn Brown

See you there next year!

Website for Jazz Cafe London
Jocelyn Brown Facebook Page


Lindsey