The Blubeat Arkestra present Hustle! III with Free School, Diura & 4 Oz of Groove

COME PARTY WITH THE BLUEBEAT ARKESTRA!

The sharply-dressed, Birmingham-based eclecto-maniacs return to The Hare & Hounds on Saturday 25^th February to bring you Hustle! III.
Building on the success of their previous club-nights The Bluebeat Arkestra are back, bringing with them all manner of music to lively up your Saturday night.

Hustle! III has a three band line-up plus a DJ set from the Arkestra themselves.  First on the bill are 4oz of Groove. These Wolves-based groovesters encompass the sounds of funk and reggae.  Acoustic licks glide over bass-propelled riddims, whilst impromptu guest performers mean that one 4oz set is never the same as the next.  If you like your donuts with jammin’ (geddit?) they’re the group for you!

For the remainder of the bill, Hustle! goes electric: Second up are Diura, a mysterious act whose ambient, European-flavoured electronica will leave you floating on a cloud of shimmering synths.

The final act Free School will draw you in, lift you up and then blow you away. This mask-wearing trio have created a huge name for themselves locally and are one of Bluebeat’s favourite acts.  With two fantastic EPs to their name (check ‘em on Spotify), Free School blend Boards of Canada ethereality with contemporary beats, creating hypnotic electro that’ll have you on the dance-floor without you even realising.
And that’s not all: Because the Bluebeat Arkestra love to party (and will fight for the right to do so), they’re also gonna spin their favourite tunes until the early hours – and dance and party and party and dance and dance and party some more – and they invite you to do the same.

They got it, so come get it and get yourselves HUSTLIN’!!!!

LEFTFOOT & FUNKBOX PRESENT…

DJ FORMAT & THE SIMONSOUND –

LIVE AUDIO/VISUAL SET

Date:  FRIDAY 16^TH MARCH

Time: 9pm – 3am

Venue: Hare & Hounds, 106 High St, Kings Heath, Birmingham, B14 7JZ

Tickets: £10 adv / MOTD from www.theticketsellers.co.uk / 0844 870 0000

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DJ Format  & The Simonsound will be joining us at the Hare and Hounds this March!  Playing a mixture of old DJ Format songs, songs from the new DJ Format LP ‘Statement of Intent’ and also songs from The Simonsound album ‘Reverse Engineering’ they made together.

DJ Format’s debut album “Music For The Mature B-Boy” was one of the slowburn success stories of 2003. An album of soulful, funk-fuelled Hip Hop packed with infectious beats and lyrical dexterity, it delivered the promise of his early releases for ‘Mo Wax and Bomb Hip Hop.  Received with quiet acclaim in the press it quickly became a word of mouth triumph, going on to establish itself as one of the most successful debut artist albums from the UK alternative/urban scene.

The campaign was successful for a number of reasons not least it’s supporting batch of three incredible music videos all directed by the then unknown Ruben Fleischer. The most famous of these being the rapping and breakdancing costumed animals of “We Know Something You Don’t Know” featuring the vocals of Chali 2na and Akil of Jurassic 5 – played out by a shark and tiger respectively on the big screen it is an unforgettable piece of feel good Hip Hop. “Music For The…” also led to Format supporting (alongside MC Abdominal) Jurassic 5 on their European tour, and through subsequent touring in 2003 establishing Format as one of the hottest live Hip Hop tickets in town culminating in triumphant appearances at the Reading & Leeds festivals of 2004 and worldwide touring taking place in the whole of Europe, North America and Australia.

His DJ sets are renowned for their  boundary-crossing selection of the funk, soul, rock & hip-hop and his fabric mix showed of a condensed version of the party set that he’s built  a solid reputation on. This was followed up in 2007 by another mix album, this time for the legendary Fania label, applying his signature b-boy style to the world’s foremost catalogue of latin music.

By 2008 he joined forces with old friend Simon James and together they formed The Simonsound. Inspired by music for film & TV ‘and 50s & ‘60s pioneering electronic music , they used Moog synthesizers,tape machines and other vintage studio equipment to create their debut album “Reverse Engineering’” released in 2010. The album was championed by Gilles Peterson but also received massive support in the Hip Hop community from the likes of DJ Spinna, Kenny Dope and Lord Finesse.

The new album “Statement Of Intent” sees vocal collaborations with Edan, Mr Lif and Phill Most Chill as well as the ever present Sureshot La Rock. Format also showcases his wide and varied musical tastes way beyond Hip Hop, exploring Jazz and Blues with The Nostalgia 77 Quintet, spaced-out Electronics with The Simonsound and offering more of his own trademark instrumentals in what is his best work yet.

Words can be no substitute for the aural experience, but if you will have words, The Simonsound’s first album, “Reverse Engineering”, offers an intriguing variety of sounds, including ’50s and ’60s-inspired space music, mood music for film and TV, haunting vocal tracks, and switched-on cover versions of classics realised on the Moog synthesiser.

The Simonsound is a sonic partnership… Having previously worked together on Matt’s DJ Format albums and with infinitely broader musical tastes than just hip hop and funk, they began working on The Simonsound as an outlet for their more experimental offerings. This is far from another DJ Format project.

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Advance tickets available from www.theticketsellers.co.uk /  0844 870 0000

Info: 0121 444 2081 / info@hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

Links:

www.hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk

www.thesimonsound.com

www.djformat.com

Her brand new recording simply titled LUCY is her first full-length release and is well worth the wait. It is gorgeous. Backed by great musicians, (such as Steuart Smith (The Eagles) and David Mansfield (who has played with EVERYONE), produced by LWR and Stewart Lerman, the album features ten new terrific original songs and a cover of a classic Paul Simon song, plus a surprising bonus track which features Ira Glass. Her tales of life as seen from the road are masterfully told, she moves in and out of stories and song, creates a unique tapestry, weaving the ordinary into the magical, and she brings us all along with her.  Special guests singers include pals The Indigo Girls and Girlyman, also The Roches and Loudon Wainwright, and Kelly Hogan (from Neko Case’s band)

You won’t hear a false note from this shining star, she’s heartbreaking in a good way — and funny –Lucy’s a masterful performer.  Just give her a microphone and a guitar and watch an audience of complete strangers turn into her biggest fans. She’s a straight shooter, simple and direct, with loads of charm, but watch out, her hauntingly angelic voice and wickedly perceptive songs, will get you every time.

Supersonic Festival & Capsule present a night of blissed out, experimental psych

Teeth of the Sea is a psychedelic rock band from London. The group (Sam Barton, Mike Bourne, John Hirst and Jimmy Martin) were inspired to forge forth in search of oblivion unknown after experiencing an epiphany during a Wolf Eyes gig.

After the release of their January 2009 album ‘Orphaned By The Ocean’ on Rocket Recordings John Hirst left the band, to be replaced by Mat Colegate. After a tour with Oneida, an appearance at the Offset Festival, and November’s ‘Holy Trinity’ tour with Gnod and Thought Foms, Teeth Of The Sea released the twenty-four-minute-long ‘Hypnoticon’ EP in January 2010. and their second album, ‘Your Mercury’ was released in November 2010. 2011 saw them tour with British Sea Power, Esben & The Witch and Parts & Labor, as well as playing the Supersonic, Standon Calling and Supernormal Festivals, along with dates with Circle, Crippled Black Phoenix and Vessels. . A third album is planned for later in 2012, also to be released on Rocket Recordings.

http://www.myspace.com/thewrongjaws

Health & Efficiency

Their music traverses an encyclopaedia of influences; psych, folk, no wave noise and electronic perhaps being some of the more predominant. They utilise banjo, two basses, two guitars, synths, samplers and more effects and loop pedals than it’s reasonable for one band to need.

http://healthandefficiency.net/

Victories At Sea are an experimental 3 piece from the Midlands, citing influences as wide and diverse as Slowdive, Boards of Canada, and M83 through to more unadulterated alternatives such as Echo and The Bunnymen, New Order and mid 80’s Cure. By using various electronics and drum loops live, their traditional set up is enveloped by resonating layers of sound cast against the backdrop of the city at night.

http://victoriesatsea.co.uk/

Slow Club hail from Sheffield and are a sort of one man band, only with two people. Charles Watson strums guitar and sings while Rebecca Taylor plays drums and all sorts of weird instruments, like water-filled glass bottles, spoons and the back of a wooden chair. And sometimes an organ called Miles. Not something you get to see and hear every day, but it is preciously this engaging originality that has secured them a mass of followers and led to nationwide tours with likes of Fionn Regan, Noisettes, Hot Club de Paris, Tilly and the Wall, Jamie T and Jeremy Warmsley.

After giving the world such a joyous gift in the form of their debut album ‘Yean so’, Slow Club generously delivered yet another gem with their new album ‘Paradise’,  which was released at the end of last year to rave reviews.

“The rockabilly jangle pop tunes on ‘Yeah, So’ combine witty lyrics touching on heartbreak, death and despair with shiny harmonies, thundering percussion and folk guitars and the result is an album that manages to create a totally unique sense of riotous melancholy. The sheer scope and charming complexity of this record is hugely impressive.” – The Fly

Listen to Slow Club at their official site

Check out the video for ‘Two Cousins’:

…a night of burlesque/circus rock with:
Joanna Briggs & her band performing live
Special guest-Valerie Vegas (burlesque artist)
& Tara Chinn plus DJ.
Entry £4, Doors at 8pm

Joanna Briggs is an up and coming singer/songwriter from Birmingham, currently in the studio writing and recording songs for her debut album, which will be released early 2012.
Since being signed to LoveRock Records late last year, Joanna has written and recorded her debut EP’ Balloons’, which is on sale via iTunes.

The respective songwriting, performing and poetic talents of Martyn Joseph and Radio 4 presenter Stewart Henderson have attracted hugely impressive accolades. Their collaborative work on Martyn’s albums such as ‘Vegas’ and ‘Deep Blue’ and their sold out poetry and music album ‘Because We Can…’ sees their audience regard them as ‘essential for the heart and soul.’ Of the two, one is melodically tall and sings, the other is poetically shorter and doesn’t….much.
Expect an evening of belting songs, poignant verse you can whistle, plus mirthful ranting