On Wednesday 28^th August Leftfoot are delighted & honoured to be bringing a true legend of Funk, Soul & Jazz music, Lonnie Liston Smith, to Hare & Hounds.

In a career that spans some 40 years, Lonnie Liston Smith has established himself as one of contemporary music’s most versatile musicians. Having been heard in a variety of contexts, featuring as a sideman for some of Jazz music’s most illustrious leaders,  it was in the Mid 70’s that he stepped up to reveal his own original concepts as a bandleader. 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.

After spending many years working alongside artist such as Miles Davis, Pharaoh Sanders, Gato Barbieri & Betty Carter in the late 60’s it wasn’t until 1975 that he broke into the big leagues as a worldwide leader with the release of his seminal record “Expansions”. The Album was a breath of fresh air, combining solid jazz playing with creative crossover elements that did not dilute the music. Check out the title track from the album below. He recorded several more albums in this vein, including “Visions of a New World” and “Renaissance” before he was approached by CBS.  Lonnie continued to make good records for them such as “Loveland”, “Exotic Mysteries”, “Song for the Children” and “Love Is The Answer”.

http://youtu.be/x7FmFoT8RwQ

In the 90’s, Lonnie got involved with “Guru Jazzmataz Volume One” (Rap meets Jazz) and was discovered by an all new young audience.  Lonnie also has had two hit singles with Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z . Mary J. Blige sampled Lonnie’s composition “A Garden of Peace” in her Grammy winning single, “Take Me As I Am” and Jay -Z also sampled, “A Garden of Peace” in his hit sample, “Dead Presidents”.

This really is a very rare opportunity to see one of the greats in the intimacy of our 250 live room. So don’t miss out on what is set to be a truly special event and get hold of your £15 advanced tickets by clicking here.

Skinny Lister is not your average English folk group. Not average in any way in fact. Borrowing the nickname from the Lister family, pioneers in the use of antiseptics, the band have grown naturally over the past three years and are now a main stage festival act around the world.

Recent dates have included Fuji Rock, Coachella Festival, Glastonbury and Bestival as well as a tour with folk-punk legends Flogging Molly. Described by one journalist as ‘like the Pogues, but with better teeth’, Skinny Lister is a force to be reckoned with and their live show is an experience you will never forget.

This autumn see’s the band touring the UK once again, taking in several new locations including Birmingham’s Hare & Hounds on Wed 13th November 2013.

“If you like your folk sprinkled with a dash of fun then look no further” – Drowned in Sound

Skinny Lister Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

SKINNY LISTER PLAY HARE & HOUNDS BIRMINGHAM ON WED 13TH NOVEMBER 2013. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Watch the video for ‘Rollin’ Over’ below:

http://youtu.be/BCgv6ruGCB4

Emerging around late 2011 in a wraithlike swirl of self-produced videos and etheric tracks, NO CEREMONY /// are a Manchester trio about which little is known. Without any fanfare or self promotion, their “HURTLOVE” demo got snapped up by Radio 1 and was selected by Diplo for his “Best of 2011” mixtape. A blogging frenzy quickly followed, as did radio sessions but through it all, the threesome stayed schtum.

Their eponymous debut LP, released in the autumn through their own NOC/// label, is a daring, boldly singular record that somehow pulls off the neat trick of pushing the parameters of pop music while also being brilliantly accessible. A gorgeous, haunting, and distinctive statement of intent which also happens to be filled with some of the most exquisite songs you’re likely to hear in a while and with the sorts of melodies which will lodge firmly in your head for days. Like any worthwhile pop band, they have a miraculous way of passing off the avant-garde as beautiful and making it seem purely accidental, creating instead a multi-platform experience that would become their debut LP.

“Epic electronic pop….a seamless combination of bass-driven beats and heartbreaking piano and vocals” – The Guardian

NO CEREMONY /// Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter

NO CEREMONY /// PLAY HARE & HOUNDS BIRMINGHAM ON SUN 15TH SEPTEMBER 2013. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Watch the video for ‘FEELSOLOW’ below:

http://youtu.be/NtyyO4NCqP4

To celebrate This Is Tmrw’s recent collaboration with Static Caravan to create a special limited edition cassette featuring some of Birmingham’s finest bands, including The Grafham Water Sailing Club, Victories at Sea and Greg Bird & Enterprize, This Is Tmrw will be hosting a night of  live music with some of the bands featured on the cassette.

Playing live on Saturday 21st September will be Wide Eyed, Victories at Sea and Babypink  whilst The Grafham Water Sailing Club & the This Is Tmrw DJ’s will be seeing you through to the early hours after the bands. Tickets are now on sale for the bargain price of £5, you can find them here. It all kicks off at 9pm  and you’ll also be able to grab a copy of the cassette on the night.

Check out Wide Eyed’s single Still below:

https://soundcloud.com/ydyed/still

More info from http://www.thisistmrw.co.uk

This is Tmrw continue their tradition of bringing some of the finest alternative bands around to Birmingham with the booking of Florida based Merchandise on the 20th August, right here at Hare & Hounds.

Merchandise are described, rather confusingly, as a band fighting against the easy categorization reserved for abbreviated biographies. The project is equal parts punk misanthropy, maudlin balladeering, fine art, low humor, classical study, psychedelic spacecasing, mad science and pop genius. To get a grasp of what this sounds like, check out the video for their brilliant single ‘Time’ below:

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

Formed as a trio in Tampa, Florida in 2008, the band has undergone ceaseless revision and reinvention. After putting out numerous records and tapes on independent punk labels and touring the underground, the band truly hit its stride with the release of their second LP “Children of Desire” in April 2012. In addition to a very warm reception from fans, the record received praise from the likes of Pitchfork, NME, Spin, and numerous other critics and journals.

2013 will see the band releasing a new 12″ on Iowa City’s excellent Night People label and touring extensively throughout America and Europe.

Advanced tickets are now on sale, at the bargain price of £8. Make sure you grab yours now by clicking here.

The Local and Chemikal Underground Records are pleased to announce an extensive UK tour from RM Hubbert in celebration of both winning the Scottish Album of the Year Award with Thirteen Lost & Found and the imminent release of his follow up album. The tour will stop by Birmingham’s Hare & Hounds on Sun 6th October.

Hubby has released two albums to date. The first of which was First & Last in 2011, which comprises of 9 solo instrumental guitar pieces. Heavily influenced by flamenco rhythms and techniques, First & Last was written to help Hubby deal with the death of his parents and return of chronic depression. It’s not as depressing as that last sentence may suggest.

Thirteen Lost & Found (released is 2012) was conceived as a way for Hubby to reconnect with old friends after losing touch over ten years. It features collaborations with many very talented Scottish musicians such as Aidan Moffat (Arab Strap), Emma Pollock (The Delgados), Alasdair Roberts, Luke Sutherland (Long Fin Killie, Mogwai) and Hanna Tuulikki (Nalle, Two Wings). The album was produced by Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand), a long time collaborator and friend.

The as yet to be announced third album for Chemikal Underground will be released on September 27th 2013 and comprises of five instrumental guitar pieces and five vocal songs exploring the idea of letting go, moving on and acceptance. A prolific live artist, Hubby has toured extensively over the last three years, both as headline and in support to artists such as Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, The Twilight Sad, Franz Ferdinand, Bill Wells, Aidan Moffat, King Creosote and many others.

RM Hubbert Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

RM HUBBERT PLAYS THE HARE & HOUNDS BIRMINGHAM ON SUN 6TH OCTOBER 2013. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Watch RM Hubbert performing for Bands In Transit below:

http://youtu.be/CYIdMFe_7RA

On Friday 9^th August Leftfoot will be joining forces with Under The Counter Productions to bring DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn, two legends of the Chicago Juke music scene, to the Hare & Hounds main room. To celebrate hosting such a special event we have decided to release an exclusive ‘Buy 2 get a 3rd Free’ ticket code for mailing list subscribers only.

For those in the know, DJ Rashad has been instrumental to the creation and evolution of Chicago Juke music and has been lifelong friends with other key players on the scene, such as Paul Johnson, DJ Gant-Man, DJ Spinn, DJ Godfather, and Jammin Gerald. He has the ability to blend elements of house, ghetto house, disco, juke, and ghettotech together with a knack for creating sparse, snappy tracks that manage to convey a physicality and funk with a spectacular precision.

Along with his teammates DJ Spinn and DJ Gant-Man, DJ Rashad has become notorious for making juke anthems that have made fans outside the world of Chicago mix CDs. He’s DJ’d across Europe and released records on Juke Trax and Databass records earlier on in his career with some big remixes and collaborations in the pipeline.

Support on the night comes in the form of Jon Furst (UTC), Sam Redmore (Leftfoot) & W.Wolfe (Le Lieu). In addition to this UTC have asked their good friend & footwork fanatic Hertz Couture to put together an exclusive mix of Chicago sounds to get you in the mood. Check it out below:

https://soundcloud.com/utc-recordings/utc-x-leftfoot-present-dj

If you like what you hear and want to secure a place at this special night then make sure you take advantage of this exclusive ticket offer. All you need to do is click the link below and enter ‘footwork’ into the promo box to reveal the secret link.

BUY TWO GET A THIRD FREE TICKET

Next Wednesday 7th August The Souljazz Orchestra return to headline H&H and we couldn’t be more excited, you can see why from the video below:

http://youtu.be/9BlTjKCC9OU

SJO are easily one of the best bands we’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing at Hare & Hounds. So to celebrate we’ve decided to give away two guest-list spaces to one lucky person.

All you need to do to be in for a chance to win is answer this very simple question…

Which country do The Souljazz Orchestra call home?

To enter all you need to do is email your answer to Tom@leftfootvenues.co.uk by 12pm on Tuesday 5th August, a winner will be selected and contacted via email not long after. Please DO NOT post your answer as comment, it will not be counted as an entry.

If you don’t fancy leaving seeing The Souljazz Orchestra to chance than make sure you grab  your £8 advanced tickets by clicking here.

Birmingham Promoters are super excited to be welcoming the mindblowing 65daysofstatic to Birmingham for an intimate show at the Hare & Hounds on Thurs 29th August 2013!

Since their last ‘usual’ record, 2010’s ‘We Were Exploding Anyway’,65daysofstatic have taken their sound to places bands don’t always get to go and are showing no signs of slowing down. A mixture of touring, soundtracking, more touring, remixing and collaborations with artists, scientists and dancers has opened up a world of possibilities for them, and 2012 saw them doing what they do best – writing a new studio record that they can take back out on the road.

65’s early years marked them as a band impossible to define. In a certain light, sure, they were a ‘post-rock’ band, sharing stages and a mastery of dynamics with stalwarts like Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky. 2007 brought a back- of-the-van tour of America with post-hardcore bands. A year later they returned as an ‘arena band’, opening up for The Cure for months, playing to hundreds of thousands of people. They carved themselves out an unclassifiable brand of noise that appealed on a fundamental level across the board, allowing them to conduct punk-rock stage-invasions at festivals like Dour, mould abrasive noise into unlikely anthems on a huge scale at mega- festivals like Summersonic, and create tents full of glitchy, angular dancing at Glade Festival with equal success.

65DAYSOFSTATOC PLAY HARE & HOUNDS BIRMINGHAM ON THURS 29TH AUGUST 2013, WITH SUPPORT FROM THE PHYSICS HOUSE BAND. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Check out this recent live session for BeatCast:

http://youtu.be/TInTWrwCCBo

After a SXSW that resulted in national coverage on NBC Rock Center, Fuse News, and Rolling Stone, a US tour with Alabama Shakes as well as three sold-out headline London shows earlier this year, Houndmouth released their much-anticipated debut album, From the Hills Below the City, via Rough Trade.

The albums twelve songs are packed with tales of down-on-their-luck drug runners, casinos, riverboats, recession-era scraping, and more. All members of Houndmouth sing, “leading with individual character and harmonizing in saloon-choir empathy,” writes Rolling Stone’s David Fricke, and their songs have a loose-limbed swing, anchored by a sturdy rhythm and a cagey melodic sensibility.

Now Houndmouth are set to embark on a string of UK dates in September 2013, including Birmingham’s Hare & Hounds on Sun 8th.

Houndmouth Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter

HOUNDMOUTH PLAY HARE & HOUNDS BIRMINGHAM ON SUN 8TH SEPTEMBER 2013. TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE.

Watch the video for ‘On the Road’ below:

http://youtu.be/fN8Y3lo-Tao