We recently spoke to local lads and Leftfoot favourites Troumaca about their up coming slot at the Leftfoot curated Friday at the Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival. You can read it here…

– To start could you just tell us a little bit about the band?

We are a five piece hailing from South Birmingham, we dabble in bass laced tropical sounds.   We get our name from a small town on the island of St. Vincent – Geoff’s family are from there – so we draw inspiration from that part of the world.  The sounds of the city also resonate through what we do.

– What can the audience expect to see from you at the Mostly Jazz this year, have you got anything special planned?

We are playing tracks from our forthcoming début album The Grace.  We’ll be playing Layou, which is the first single. We’re very excited about that.  We are also DJing at the Leftfoot after party with Sir Don Letts – is he a Sir? He should be.

– Is this your first time playing Mostly Jazz? What are your expectations?

No it isn’t.  We played last year and met Gilles Peterson and subsequently signed to his label Brownswood Recordings.  So Mostly Jazz has a place in Troumaca folk law now.

– Looking at the Leftfoot line-up is there anyone in particular you’re looking forward to seeing?

Obviously Bonobo! But I’m really looking forward to seeing Hiatus Kaiyote, I only found out about these when you guys announced the line-up – can’t wait to catch them.  The singer is amazing.

–  Have you ever played or been to a Leftfoot show before? If so any particular highlights for you?

Errrrrrr yeah! To be honest they are always great and the Silver Fox and the gang always look after us.  There’s a lot of chemistry, a lot of love you might say.  To be honest I can’t remember any particular shows, but there’s a warm feeling in my heart and a wry smile on my face thinking back and looking forward.

–  What have you got coming up for the rest of 2013, anything excited planned?

The Grace comes out  on August 26th with Layou our first single on August 12th.  We have a tour planned in the October – check the dates here please bredwins.  I’d like everyone reading this to etch this information into their minds. Safe.

–  If our readers want to find out more about you where should they head?

www.troumaca.co.uk 

Everything you need to know is on that website.

– For those who may not have heard of the band, which one track would you recommend they take the time to listen to that will best sum up the band and what you’re all about?

Layou.  Go take a swim.

http://youtu.be/7SIfvMm0UYc

The Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival kicks of with the Leftfoot curated Friday on July 5th. To grab your day or weekend ticket just click here. We’ve also got a limited amount of physical tickets  for the Leftfoot Friday behind the bar at the Hare and Hounds, just pop in and ask a member of staff to get hold of one.

On Sunday June 30th Leftfoot and Punch Records will be bringing Bilal to the Hare and Hounds for what is set to be a very special evening of live music from one of Neo-Soul’s greatest vocalists and performers.

Born in Philadelphia Bilal Oliver is a schooled musician and dynamic live performer whose artistry draws from jazz, soul, and hip-hop. With fans that includes Eryka Badu, Janelle Monae, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammed and featured spots with, among others, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Diddy and Common, Bilal made his major label debut with 2001’s First Born Second. The cd sold over 300,000 copies and announced that Bilal was an artist to watch. Bilal’s sophomore recording Love For Sale leaked to the internet before its official release and would enjoy over half a million downloads. 2010 saw Air Tight’s Revenge, which yielded the Grammy nominated “Little Ones”. Ask Bilal how he sees A Love Surreal and he replies without hesitation.

“I’ve always had a lot of information about what it is that I wanted to do but sometimes it would come off as obscure. This time I think I’ve set out what I meant to do.”

Watch Bilal perform ‘Tainted Love’ below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGKs6U8xdWM

This show also marks the closing party for the annual Bass Festival and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate another great season for the Punch Records team than with a true legend such as Bilal.

Providing support on the night will be Thabo & The Real Deal plus DJ E Double D. We highly recommend you get your tickets now to avoid disappointment on the night. You can find them here.

The Friday at this years Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival as many of you will know is curated by Leftfoot. There’s an array of local and international acts confirmed to play throughout the day across two stages in the beautiful surroundings of Moseley Park. In the run up to the festival we will be speaking to some of the acts to find out what you can expect to see from them come Friday 5th July. Last time round we spoke to Greg Bird, this week it’s the Alternative Dubstep Orchestra…

– To start could you just tell us a little bit about the band?

 ADO is a family of Birmingham musicians that evolved from what was meant to be a jam session at The Hare and Hounds. Our music has a dubstep foundation with ‘world music’ and ‘orchestral’ twists and turns. The sound has been described as heavyweight, but we like light and shade when it comes to music. We like taking the audience on a journey and the end destination is always completely rocking out hopefully.

 – What can the audience expect to see from you at the Mostly Jazz this year, have you got anything special planned?

We are planning to début a special arrangement we have been working on and to showcase a more mellow side to the ADO. You can still expect some heavy, basslines but we love playing gigs like this where we can get a little more orchestral.

 – Is this your first time playing Mostly Jazz? What are your expectations?

 Actually, we played a couple of years ago; we invited Brian Travers from UB40 and the legendary King G from The Dholblasters to play with us last time. We have very happy memories from last time and we’re hoping to bring some more surprises this year.

 – Looking at the Leftfoot line-up is there anyone in particular you’re looking forward to seeing?

We are all definitely looking forward to seeing Hypnotic Brass Ensemble again, who always knock it out of the park musically and Bonobo of course. 

 – Have you ever played or been to a Leftfoot show before? If so any particular highlights for you?

We played a Leftfoot night alongside Daddy G a couple of year’s ago, with Adam Regan also DJing. We’re all big fans of Leftfoot nights, particular highlights for us would be the Overproof Soundsystem gigs, oh…and we’re really looking forward to the forthcoming Jerry Dammers DJ set. We’re massive Specials fans and include an ADO version of Stereotype in our live shows quite often.

 – What have you got coming up for the rest of 2013, anything excited planned?

We are playing some festivals over the summer including Secret Garden Party. We also have some London gigs coming up and have recently recorded all our tracks analogue, so watch this space for new releases coming soon. As well as that we’re busy writing lots of new tracks and twisting some very old tracks on their heads. Our world is pretty full on at the moment but we’re enjoying every moment!

– If our readers want to find out more about you where should they head?

 You can find us on facebook here:

https://www.facebook.com/AlternativeDubstepOrchestra

 If you’re more of a tweeter you can find us here:

https://twitter.com/ADOcollective

– For those who may not have heard of the band, which one track would you recommend they take the time to listen to that will best sum up the band and what you’re all about?

We take lots of musical twists and turns so it is difficult to sum us up,with one track. Being as we released ‘Power’ as our début analogue to vinyl release this year, I guess this one would be the most apt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjwSLbz4-zc

The Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival kicks of with the Leftfoot curated Friday on July 5th. To grab your day or weekend ticket just click here. We’ve also got a limited amount of physical tickets  for the Leftfoot Friday behind the bar at the Hare and Hounds, just pop in and ask a member of staff to get hold of one.

Originally scheduled to play Birmingham on Wed 24th April 2013, Honey Ryder will now head to Hare & Hounds on 9th July to play their much-anticipated rescheduled date (original tickets remain valid).

When Honey Ryder started sketching ideas for their second album, Marleys Chains, they had no idea they were about to embark on a journey that would take them to a five star recording studio in Thailand and to Nashville to write with a host of Grammy Award-winning musicians. Were it not for the sumptuous, country and folk-fused pop songs they brought back to London, the trio would have to pinch themselves to be sure the past two years truly happened.

Formed by singer Lindsay O’Mahony and initially a duo, Honey Ryder self-released a debut album Rising Up in 2009. A rock record with folk influences, Rising Up received widespread critical acclaim and led to the band supporting Will Young on a 19 date theatre tour and Michael Bolton in UK arenas. The album spawned two Top 40 UK singles and saw the band flown to Austin, Texas and the south of France for performances at South By South West and Midem, respectively.

Now back with a brand new record, Marleys Chains is a pop album with its feet in folk and country that sounds both classic and contemporary and fits to the current trend for a return to real music.

Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

HONEY RYDER PLAY HARE & HOUNDS ON TUES 9TH JULY 2013 WITH SUPPORT FROM TARA. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Watch the video for ‘You Can’t Say That’ below:

http://youtu.be/xTIIcEtw3AA

The Weeks are an indie rock band from Mississippi whose cathartic output of songs stems from the same root: their geography and disadvantaged youth. The sound of wind through the pines, bare feet brushing through leaves, snapping sticks like the spines of the weak. When The Weeks started they were small and strong at heart, five southern souls damned to speak the truth. But with this responsibility comes pain and loss.

This did not stop these brave soldiers of thought, keepers of truth. They were older now and their soft footsteps through the forest had grown louder and stronger. Like the dust filled hoof beats of a thousand wild horses, they layer sound like musket fire, their melodies bend and twist like train-tracks. A music shaped from the calloused hands and wrinkled faces of their fathers. They have walked through the fire wide-eyed and crazy, and came out enlightened. You cannot stop these men, your armies can’t cease their hands, dampen this thunder, or silence their tongues. They have trudged through the muddy swamps to freedom.

“While retaining their pop sensibility, the influence of country and soul shine through… their most ambitious and polished record to date” – You Hear This

Signed to Kings of Leon new boutique imprint Serpents and Snakes, The Weeks’ new album Dear Bo Jackson is available to buy now viaiTunes.

Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

THE WEEKS PLAY HARE & HOUNDS BIRMINGHAM ON THURS 11TH JULY 2013, WITH SUPPORT FROM CHINA RATS. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Watch the video for ‘Brother in the Night’ below:

http://youtu.be/0Azpm7_hjqM

This Thursday, the hotly-tipped London four-piece Night Engine take to the Hare & Hounds stage, along with local favourites Evil Alien and Club Phobia. We have an exclusive pair of tickets to give away to one lucky winner! To be in with a chance, just answer the following question:

Q. What is the name of Night Engine’s debut single?

Please email answers to raya {at} birminghampromoters.com by midday on Thurs 13th June 2013.

In October 2012, Night Engine uploaded their first track, ‘I’ll Make It Worth Your While’, to Soundcloud. In that same month, they played their debut London show at the Sebright arms. It was a total sell out and prompted Louder Than War to note that ‘Infallibly perfect bands don’t come around every day’ by way of explanation.

Even the Americans seemed to want to be in at the beginning with MTVHive.com declaring ‘This band is pretty awesome’. A single of the week on The Guardian music podcast and the bold assertion that ‘this is a swaggering, sexy hit waiting to happen’ made sure that, if you missed it, Night Engine were very firmly in the ones to watch category for 2013, a fact confirmed when The Guardian ran two pages on them in their Tips for 2013 issue.

Debut single ‘Seventeen’/‘Treat Me Like A Baby’ was released in February 2013 via Demand Vinyl, followed by a string of support slots with Kaiser Chiefs and Electric Guest. Now the band take to the road for their first headline UK tour in June 2013.

“Their sound is a kind of razor-sharp European art-pop – there’s an audibly huge Bowie influence, although you can hear shades of Talking Heads and Idiot-era Iggy Pop about their clipped synth-laden funk” – The Guardian

Night Engine Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

NIGHT ENGINE, EVIL ALIEN & CLUB PHOBIA PLAY HARE & HOUNDS BIRMINGHAM ON THURS 13TH JUNE 2013. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Our summer programme at H&H is coming together very nicely and we’ve just had some brilliant new shows confirm. You can find out all about them right here…[gallery columns="4" ids="20293,20296,20298,20299" orderby="rand"]

Saturday 20th July – Leftfoot & George Powell present DJ Derek – Bristol veteran and all round hero, DJ Derek is one of the longest standing supporters of Reggae, Ska, Roots, real RnB and beyond. He’s widely acknowledged as one of the best selectors in the business. Derek has stated that this could very well be his last year or DJing before he retires so don’t miss what is most likely going to be the  final opportunity to catch Derek in Brum. Tickets are only £8 and you can get them here.

Saturday 27th July – Circles present Roni Size – Bristol native Roni Size is one of the U.K. jungle scene’s most respected names, with production credits spanning dozens of labels, projects and releases. Size’s influence as a producer, label owner, and committed underground magnate figured him as one of the emerging sound’s true pioneers. We can’t empahsise enough what an incredible opportunity this is to catch a true legend in the intimate settings of our club space. It’s limited to 250 people, as expected tickets are selling fast. Don’t miss out, grab yours here.  

Tuesday 20th August – This is Tmrw present Merchandise – Merchandise is a band fighting against the easy categorization reserved for abbreviated biographies. The project is equal parts punk misanthropy, maudlin balladeering, fine art, low humour, classical study, psychedelic space-casing, mad science and pop genius. 2013 will see the band releasing a new 12″ on Iowa City’s excellent Night People label and touring extensively throughout America and Europe. Tickets are only £8 in advance and you can find them here. Check out the video for their single “Time” below…

http://youtu.be/A-tFixmh-wo

Sunday 25th August – Leftfoot Bank Holiday Special with Jerry Dammers (DJ Set) – Jeremy David Hounsell “Jerry” Dammers is a British musician who is a founder, keyboard player and primary songwriter of the Coventry, England based ska revival band The Specials, The Special A.K.A. and The Spatial AKA Orchestra. His influence is felt widely and he is regarded as one of the UK’s most important songwriters. Jerry will be joining Leftfoot for a rare evening of Ska, Reggae, Roots, Soul & Funk. Tickets are only £10 and you can find them here.

Wednesday 28th August – Leftfoot present Lonnie Liston Smith – The Great Lonnie Liston Smith is one of contemporary music’s most versatile musicians. In a career that spans some 40 years, he has been heard in a variety of context as a featured side-man for some of Jazz music’s most illustrious leaders before stepping out to reveal his own original concepts as a band-leader in the mid 70’s.  He is a keyboardist of the first rank and has influenced a generation of young players that have acknowledged his rhythmic urgency (swing), harmonic acumen and composing skills. This is a very rare opportunity to see one of the greats in the intimacy of our 250 live room. Tickets are £15 in advance and available here.

At this years Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival Leftfoot will be curating the entire Friday line-up with Bonobo confirmed as main headline. The day will also see an array of different acts and DJs play across two stages in Moseley Park. In the run up to the festival we’ll be speaking to some of the acts to find out exactly what you can expect come Friday 5th July. First up is local lad and Leftfoot favourite Greg Bird & Flamingo Flame…

– To start could you just tell us a little bit about yourself and the band?

Greg Bird & Flamingo Flame is a project I’ve been working on slowly but surely since 2010. I started off doing a sort of lo-fi dreampop vs 80s disco hybrid for an EP called Shruburbia, and more recently went on a bit of an early 90’s house and New Jack Swing tip for an EP called Black Tableaux. I have pals who help me out with the live situation, but I’m now looking to get more serious with it and hope to launch two separate bands from that material, to cover the two extremes of what I like to do; the gothy side and the souly side. I want these to be real bands in the long run too, as it get’s a bit dull doing everything on your own for too long.

– What can the audience expect to see from you at Mostly Jazz this year, have you got anything special planned?

It will be a totally new line-up to previous performances, with totally new songs. I was really happy when Flamingo Flame were asked to play this year, but felt really uneasy about playing my current material, which is quite camp, all dressed up in goth make-up and leather gloves on a potentially sunny day at a respected Jazz festival! I had an idea for a more straight up soul project already, so this gave me a target/deadline to work towards. Musically, it’s a natural progression from what I’ve done, but it coming out a lot more chilled, lots of pianos and crooning, like Marvin Gaye if produced by Pharrell Williams in 2003, and then remixed by someone like Toro Y Moi today.

– Is this your first time playing Mostly Jazz, What are your expectations?

I played last year, singing for my pals Free School, who are more of an synth-molesting post-rock electronica duo. They’ve really helped me develop my voice over the past year, I’m learning how to play to my strengths now and can’t wait to unleash the tracks I’ve been working on. I’m quite nervous though, I won’t have a sheep mask to hide behind this year and it’s all in my name, so I’m feeling the pressure. The crowd were lovely though so I’m sure it’ll be a pleasant experience whatever happens.

– Looking at the Leftfoot line-up is there anyone in particular you’re looking forward to seeing?

Hypnotic Brass are an absolute beast of a live act, so I can’t wait to get down the front for them and just party. Troumaca are probably my favourite Birmingham band ever right now as well, a truly original band with tons of melody. They were brilliant last year, so it’ll be great to see them play higher up on the bill this time around, hopefully they’re getting the sunset? And Bonobo should be pretty damned epic too, if their new album is anything to go by.

– Have you ever played or been to a Leftfoot show before? If so any particular highlights for you?

I’ve never performed for Leftfoot, but I’ve had some DJ sets alongside my pal Matthew Beck and fluked into opening for one of my heroes Theo Parrish on my own last year, which was a life-changing experience… Quite literally, as on hearing me play a bad mp3 rip of a rare disco tune, he gave me a good talking to and I subsequently went all vinyl! I’ve been to most of the shows Leftfoot have put on for the past two years, including their boat party with Eglo Records in Croatia last year, which was another phenomenal moment for me musically, as the selection was so vast, but all essentially brilliant, soulful party music… I think more than anything else, Leftfoot have been a major influence for the past year, from the legendary DJs they bring over here, and the way house music has therefore affected the way I compose music, to the extra-special soul performances from the likes of Jose James…. I decided that I was no longer focused on any particular zany musical concepts and instead just wanted to make great, soulful songs with solid grooves and vibes, no matter the style, and now suddenly the songs are just pouring out. I owe much of that thinking to Leftfoot.

– What have you got coming up for the rest of 2013, anything excited planned?

This show is the test for me really, and what I’ve been working towards for a while. If I manage to pull off exactly what I’ve got in mind, I’ll be looking at nailing down a solid band, recording an album properly in a studio – no more bedroom recordings –  and then teasing out some material for Autumn/Winter with a mind to take over the world in 2014.  If I fail, I’ll still be around – For me, music is for life, not just your 20s.

– If our readers want to find out more about you where should they head?

My ‘Greg Bird’ Facebook page is probably the best place to go right now, and also keep an eye out for my house music antics with Matthew Beck via ‘Beck & Bird’ :

https://www.facebook.com/GregBirdFlamingoFlame

https://www.facebook.com/beckandbird

– And finally for those who may not have heard of the band, which one track would you recommend they listen to that will best sum up the band and what you’re all about?

From my most recent release I’d recommend a track that I’m very proud of named ‘Moon Bone’. I decided I wanted to make a gothed-up tribute to the New Jack Swing RnB style, and with the help of a very talented guitarist named Danny Rowe, I think we achieved exactly that. The new material isn’t quite the same, but I think you get a good idea of my sense of melody, rhythm and atmospherics here.

http://youtu.be/WadSRD6DuU0

The Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival kicks of with the Leftfoot curated Friday on July 5th. To grab your day or weekend ticket just click here. We’ve also got a limited amount of physical tickets  for the Leftfoot Friday behind the bar at the Hare and Hounds, just pop in and ask a member of staff to get hold of one.