Three plus one

Two gigs in a day again on Saturday, we opened the day for We Shall Overcome xmas special for the second week running at The Station in Ashton-Under-Lyne, and then on to The Kings Arms in Salford for 'What's The Alternative...?' Those of you that were there will have noticed there were four of us...
Ann-Marie Crowley has supplied backing vocals on both sides of the new single and will be joining us live whenever she can. Its neat to have the original 1989 layout back again with dual vocals and also means we can reintroduce some female voiced songs from the old days. We're all pretty damn excited about this.
We'll be back live in the new year, but that's it for 2015 now. We're back in the studio tonight and still cracking on with recording for the new album. 

Set list 2pm:
I Can't Say
Checkered Land
Love
Day In Day Out
Shut All The Clubs
Girl On The Roof
Maid Of The Grey
Sit By The River
There's No One There


Set List 8pm

Uhrwerk

Chalk Circle

I See You Everywhere That I Go

Only Everything

Seen It All Before

I Can't Say
Checkered Land
Love
Day In Day Out
Shut All The Clubs
Girl On The Roof
Maid Of The Grey
Sit By The River
There's No One There

Black Sonic Revolver launched their 2nd album at 'WTA?...' and played a storming set too.

WTA? November

We're live again on Saturday (14Nov) with Killamonjambo as our What's The Alternative? guest, seven piece hot ska funk to wake up the night. Ignore the chill in the air outside as Killamonjambo bring their raging hot ska-funk to Manchester.  August 2014 saw the release of their debut studio album “Fiesta Moon Landing” which reached number 16 on iTunes reggae/ska album chart. 2014 saw their Glastonbury debut on the Avalon Café and Croissant Neuf stages following which they were hotly tipped by BBC Radio 2’s Jonny Walker.

And The Speed Of Sound start the next five live shows of the solar year.

Riotous assembly

The latest 'What's The Alternative?...' night saw The Jade Assembly play to an appreciative audience

at The Kings Arms, new sound man Andrew did a superb job.
We wheeled out a couple of still evolving songs again, we change things round, we play things differently, we improvise and explore them; doing that in rehearsal is very different from live, released into the wild is where they mature and take on lives of their own.

This was gig twelve for Paul, achieved in under four months and while he was unable to play for a four weeks of that. He's settled in now.

Real music for real people.

The Speed Of Sound set list:

Overlooked
The Changes
The Moment Is Now
Checkpoint Charlie
I Can't Say
Checkered Land
Only Everything
Maid Of The Grey
Day In Day Out
Shut All The Clubs
Love
Girl On The Roof
Sit By The River
There's No One There

Three sets in 15 hours

Thank you to Doncaster for dancing and getting what we we're doing on our first visit there - you were great, Scootfest is always a blast and was even bigger this year and we did something we haven't done for three years, we played a cover... Next its a 'home' gig at Kings Arms Salford with Nina Gerstenberger  and then with Chords UK at Ruby Lounge Manchester.

Doncaster setlist:

Glide On By
The War-game
Checkered Land
I See You Everywhere That I Go
Checkpoint Charlie
Substitute
Love
Seen It All Before
Sit By The River

and
the 2nd set:

I Can't Say
Chalk Circle
Only Everything
Girl On The Roof
Maid Of The Grey
Day In Day Out
Overlooked
Femme Fatal
Shut All The Clubs
Little Miss Restless
There's No One There
Uhrwerk

back home at 03:30 then out again to get to an 11:00am soundcheck at Haslingden... we did think about driving straight there.
There were cool sets from 5ft Fez and The Transmitters too

Scootfest setlist:
I Can't Say
Checkered Land
Chalk Circle
Checkpoint Charlie
Girl On The Roof
Maid Of The Grey
Shut All The Clubs
Day In Day Out
Love
Substitute
Little Miss Resltless
There's No One There

back in real time

We've finally caught up and are back where we were in September last year and the new album is starting to get beyond the demo stage at last. Dan Astles and Carrie Lawson with Aziz Ibrahim stepped in at the last moment - and massive thanks to them for doing so when The Remnants couldn't make the trip up north, we'll have another gig with them next year instead.
Set List :
I See You Everywhere That I Go
I Can't Say
Checkered Land
Chalk Circle
The War-game
Only Everything
Uhrwerk
Maid Of The Grey
Girl On The Roof
Love
Seen It All Before
There's No One There

September is a busy month, back in the studio recording and four gigs, stay tuned for updates
And big thanks to David Meyers for these live photographs.

Real Music for Real People

It was an immensely pleasurable 'What's The Alternative?...' gig on Saturday, and great to be able to say "It will be Chris Pope on after us" fantastic to have him here again after such a long gap (1980).

set list:

Seeing It All Before
Checkered Land
Love
The Wargame
Little Miss Restless
Only Everything
Chalk Circle
Uhrwerk
Girl On The Roof
Maid Of The Grey
Day In Day Out
I Can't Say
Checkpoint Charlie
Sit By The River
There's no One There

Chris did a mixture of Chords/Pope/Solo and NEW songs, starting off with Something's Missing and ending on Maybe Tomorrow... and dedicated one to TSOS "playing real music for real people" - thanks! all fantastically intimate and I'm still smiling. Brilliant stuff.

Indian Independence Day 'may' have been celebrated after the gig with curry.

We're back again for more on 22nd with The Remnants and their dirty garage fuzz.

What's The Alternative?...August

Two August What's The Alternative gigs: 15th is Chris Pope in his first Manchester/Salford appearance for 35 years playing a solo set ranging from The Chords, to Pope and Chords UK then 22nd has pure dirty garage punk from The Remnants making their northern debut.
The Speed Of Sound have been working on some new and reanimated material too so there'll be new stuff a go-go, and with Paul the new drummer everything is sounding new anyway.

 

back to the Fringe

Our second Greater Manchester Fringe gig of July had Millie Manders (between Tramlines on Friday and Blackthorn Festival on Sunday) and The See No Evils (two days after supporting The Sonics) and our second gig with new drummer Paul. Thanks to Fringe (and to the Kings Arms) as it draws to a close for another year.

set list:
Uhrwerk
Checkered Land
Sit By The River
I Can't Say
Girl On The Roof
Maid Of The Grey
Love
Day In Day Out
Seen It All Before
There's No One There


The See No Evils:

Millie Manders:

Next? Chris Pope on 15 August

ici Paris; ici Manchester

Paul made his Speed Of Sound debut drumming at our gig with French Boutik on Saturday, the next two gigs are acoustic so he will miss out on those and we'll be back loud again at the end of July. Massive thanks to Gabriela, Serge, Jean-Marc and Zelda (Icky couldn't make the trip) for coming over from Paris and filling the evening with Parisian smoothness, thanks to the Kings Arms and thanks to the audience that made it extra special.        

Set List:
I See You Everywhere That I Go
The Changes
Checkered Land
Sit By The River
Maid Of The Grey
Seen It All Before
Only Everything
Day In Day Out
Chalk Circle
Love
Girl On The Roof
There's No One There
French Boutik played a full set including their cover of The Clash's City Of The Dead , and the Kings Arms managed to look like the TopOfThePops studio for the night.

June visitors

Paris chic comes to Manchester as the undeniably cool and classy French Boutik make their NW UK debut at 'What's The Alternative?...' on 19th June. Fresh from a tour of Germany and bound for Dublin, Paris, Russia and Canada this is a special treat for music lovers in and around Greater Manchester. Plus; its the debut gig for The Speed Of Sound's new drummer so once again everything changes, we like to evolve. And thanks to French Boutik's label for giving us another mention in their newsletter in the 'Niters, Gigs And Other Do's I'd Like To Go Or Hang Around' section:

A preview in the Manchester Evening News:

 http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/event/what-s-the-alternative-this-is-june-guest-artist-french-boutik/

two years on

Raoul took up the sticks two years since last playing with us at a happy reunion on Saturday. Les BOF! made the trip down from Edinburgh to be May's guest band and garaged it up in a superb set including classics Brand New Cadillac, Jezebelle and Leaving' Here as well as a big chunk of their album. Thanks to Kings Arms and to Richard for doing the sound again, trickier than normal as some one had made off with their mic stands and thanks to everyone that turned out to a spectacular night.

set list:
Glide On By
The Wargame
Checkered Land
I Can't Say
Sit By The River
Uhrwerk
Love
Maid Of The Grey
Chalk Circle
Girl On The Roof
There's No One There

Les BOF! whipped everyone up beyond a frenzy - fantastic.

A Manchester debut for Les BOF!

Les BOF! make their Manchester Debut at What's The Alternative on 9th May, The guest band for May is Edinburgh’s Les Bof! Fronted by Laurent Mombel of Marseilles accompanied by three ex-Thanes; their album Nous Sommes… was described as “a damn fine collection of snotty rock’n’roll” by Shindig! “wailing harp, searing guitar licks and groovy organ… the heart-pounding rhythms and spine-tingling guitar runs will have Dr Feelgood and Hamburg-era Beatles fans alike drooling for more”

A first visit to Manchester for Les Bof! - a Scottish quartet playing French garage-punk on a German label, Les Bof! “sound like a psychedelic, trippy blend of The Kinks swapping chat-up lines on a cultural school exchange with Jacque Dutronc.” The List (Edinburgh)

“Look no further to satisfy your 1960s French language garage-rock needs than this sharply attired combo from Edinburgh, fronted by the super suave Laurent Mombel and featuring members of the cult beat revivalists The Thanes and Preston Pfanz & the Seaton Sands.” Their debut album “recorded in their own custom-built studio for that authentic period fuzz, is le dernier cri in distorted guitars, groovy go-go dance, percussive safari, crunchy mod stomp and 13^th Floor Elevatoresqu bluesy psych.” The Scotsman

“Scotland’s premier Francophone retro-garage outfit the full pelt sounds will delight admirers of The Kinks early work and Billy Childish’s oeuvre as well as those that just like to get their yé-yé’s out” Mojo

‘BOF!’ literally translates as `don’t care!' or `not interested!' but this is not a group without interest, but a group universally rejected by the established order - a situation, we are sure, you all know too well and with which you can only sympathize.

seeing stars

Rock and Roll slick and glam The Electric Stars did their thing they shook some new songs out of the tune bag and kicked off their series of gigs culminating in their new album expected in the summer. Their first show since September was for 'What's The Alternative?...' Ace stuff, hot and groovy.
Top to see so many cool people turn out for them too. Turner made a guest appearance stepping out of the audience and grabbing a mic to add backing vocals. Much more than a gig; its a happening.

Total disregarders of comfort zones that we are, we added a brand new song into the set that John & Kevin had only played through twice before and Jonny (massive thanks for sitting in on our drum stool again, much appreciated) hadn't played at all. It went good. Shut All The Clubs is about cultural vandalism ripping the heart out of city centres replacing pubs and clubs with glass fronted gym's and business opporunities. It will be coming out again.
Set List:

Only Everything
Shut All The Clubs
Girl On The Roof
Checkered Land
Sit By The River
Love
Maid Of The Grey
Day In Day Out
The Wargame
There's No One There

What's Next? Les Bof! on 9th May
http://www.lesbof.fr/

Electric Easter

Easter Saturday sees the next 'What's The Alternative?...' as The Electric Stars visit, and play their first gig of the year, they will be unleashing a selection of new songs for their second album so this is an exclusive, a chance to hear them first.

and, if you want to hear a preview there's a radio interview and session here

Live with Bone Box and a borrowed drummer

it was a Fab gig with Bone Box on Saturday, as their frontman Jay Taylor said "we had a blast". Great sound from KingsArms again and MASSIVE Thanks to Jonathan French of The Electric Stars for sitting in on drums for us while we're looking for a new drummer. He did a superb job.

Set List:

The Wargame
Uhrwerk
Checkered Land
Sit by The River
Girl On The Roof
Love
Maid Of The Grey
Day In Day Out
There's No One There

Bone Box did a terrific set, a seven piece band with brass too, ace to see them in such an intimate setting - big thanks to them and to everyone that was there; we're back in three weeks with The Electric stars as our next guest. Catch us if you can

Live with Little Sparrow

What's The Alaternative?...THIS IS! with Little Sparrow adding some other worldly vocals to Day In Day Out, before playing her own shimmering set.
The Speed Of Sound set was:
Only Everything
Chalk Circle
Checkered Land
I Can't Say
Maid Of The Grey
Girl On The Roof
Seen It All Before
Love
Day In Day Out (with Little Sparrow)
There's No One There