THE DARKNESS Announce Intimate Show At 100 Club, London

THE DARKNESS

 ANNOUNCE INTIMATE SHOW AT LONDON’S 100 CLUB

To celebrate their imminent trip to Japan and UK tour THE DARKNESS have announced a very special intimate warm up show at the 100 Club in London. The band will limber up at their first ever appearance at the legendary venue on the 10^th October 2011 which promises to be the sweatiest night of the year, no matter what the weather brings. This will be an amazing night for the band and fans alike to take part in the beginning of THE DARKNESS’ much needed return to the UK and bring glamour, excitement and proper rawk to Oxford Street.

The original line up made their welcome return to the live scene earlier this year with a triumphant performance at Download Festival in June which saw them air the old favourites as well as unveil several news tracks from their forthcoming album. Several European festivals beckoned and they returned after the summer to finish recording and mixing, a sneak preview is rumoured to be imminent

10 October   LONDON, 100 CLUB

UK dates:

 8 November      LIVERPOOL, O2 Academy                                  

 9 November      EDINBURGH, HMV Picture House                     

10 November     GLASGOW, O2 Academy                                 

12 November     NEWCASTLE, O2 Academy                              

13 November     MANCHESTER, Academy                                 

14 November     BRISTOL, O2 Academy - Sold Out

16 November     BRIGHTON, Dome                                            

17 November     SOUTHAMPTON, Guildhall                                

18 November     BIRMINGHAM, O2 Academy                 

20 November     CAMBRIDGE, Corn Exchange               

21 November     SHEFFIELD, O2 Academy                                

22 November     NOTTINGHAM, Rock City                                  

24 November     NORWICH, UEA - Sold Out

25 November     LONDON, HMV Hammersmith Apollo     

4 December       DUBLIN, Olympia                                              

5 December       BELFAST, Ulster Hall                                        

For the avoidance of doubt, The Darkness remains :

Justin Hawkins, Dan Hawkins, Frankie Poullain, Ed Graham.

www.thedarknessareback.com

Tickets on sale now priced at £27.50 (subject to booking fee) and are available from www.livenation.co.uk

JLS Add More Dates To 2012 UK Arena Tour Due To Huge Demand

THE 4^TH DIMENSION UK ARENA TOUR

More Dates Added Due To Phenomenal Demand

Number 1 Single SHE MAKES ME WANNA out now

After announcing their brand new 2012 arena tour earlier this month and adding numerous extra dates within hours of going onsale an additional three shows have been added due to phenomenal demand in Manchester, London and Glasgow.

JLS’s success has been nothing short of staggering. Sold-out Arena and stadium tours. Five UK number one singles. Two multi-platinum albums.  Four MOBO Awards. Two 2010 BRIT trophies. JLS’s new arena tour follows their recent number one single She Makes Me Wanna and their soon to be released third album due out on 14^th November 2011. Aston, Marvin, JB and Oritse say:

“We can’t wait to headline our second arena tour. It’s been an incredible few years for us and the 4^th Dimension tour is going to be amazing. We’re really excited to perform tracks off our brand new album as well as fan favourites. We are working really hard to make this tour a huge experience for our fans. There will be some surprises in store!”

**NEW DATES ADDED**

Friday 20^th April           Manchester MEN Arena                 0844 847 8000  

Saturday 21^st April           London The O2 Arena                0844 856 0202

Tuesday 24^th April       Glasgow Braehead Arena                0844 499 9990   

**Tickets are onsale Friday 30^th September at 9am

March 2012

Wednesday 14^th Liverpool Echo Arena                      0844 8000 400

Thursday 15^th     Liverpool Echo Arena                      SOLD OUT

Friday 16^th          Birmingham LG Arena                     SOLD OUT

Saturday 17^th      Birmingham LG Arena                     0844 338 8000

Monday 19^th        Cardiff Motorpoint Arena                SOLD OUT

Tuesday 20^th       Cardiff Motorpoint Arena                SOLD OUT

Wednesday 21^st Cardiff Motorpoint Arena                 02920 224 488

Friday 23^rd          London The O2 Arena                     SOLD OUT

Saturday 24^th      London The O2 Arena                     SOLD OUT

Sunday 25^th       London The O2 Arena                     0844 856 0202

Tuesday 27^th       Nottingham Capital FM Arena        SOLD OUT

Wednesday 28^th  Sheffield Motorpoint Arena             SOLD OUT

Friday 30^th          Manchester MEN Arena                  SOLD OUT

Saturday 31^st      Manchester MEN Arena                   0844 847 8000

April 2012                                                  

Sunday 1^st           Newcastle Metro Radio Arena        0844 493 6666

Tuesday 3^rd         Aberdeen AECC                               SOLD OUT

Wednesday 4^th   Glasgow SECC                                  SOLD OUT

Thursday 5^th       Glasgow SECC                             0844 499 9990

Tuesday 17th      Birmingham LG Arena                  0844 338 8000

Wednesday 18th Nottingham Capital FM Arena      0844 4124 324

Friday 27th         Newcastle Metro Radio Arena       0844 493 6666

Saturday 28th    Sheffield Motorpoint Arena            0114 256 5656  

Tickets are £32.50 / £25 regional (£33.50 / £25 London) –

Available from our site - click the links for our affiliates over on the right.

www.jlsofficial.com 

TAKE THAT 'Progress Live' Tour To Be Released on DVD & Blu-Ray 21st November

The biggest tour in UK & Irish History…

Take That’s Progress Live

to be released on DVD & Blu-ray

Double disc package includes exclusive behind the scenes footage 

of life on the road with Take That

Release date 21 November 2011

This year Take That embarked on the biggest tour the UK and Ireland had ever seen breaking all previous records. The Progress Live Tour went through 29 UK stadiums and played to over 1.8 million people. Now everyone who went, as well as those who missed the most spectacular live show the UK has ever seen, can enjoy the show on double disc DVD and Blu-ray from November 21st.

Take That’s previous live DVDs have broken every record ever set in the UK music DVD market, with the last three going straight to No.1 and each outdoing the last in terms of speed of sales. Expect this to be a firm Christmas favourite.

Progress Live includes the band’s entire epic-live show and a bonus disc featuring exclusive behind the scenes footage, filmed across the 29 UK dates, giving a unique insight into life on the road of one of the most successful bands in UK history.

Named after the three-million-plus selling ‘Progress’ album that reunited them, the Progress Live 2011 tour, was one of the biggest and most anticipated reunions of the summer, with Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams, playing to massive sell-out audiences around the UK and Ireland.

This was the first time the band had toured together as a five-piece since 1995, and they played a monumental two and a half hour set filled with all the biggest hits from their incredible 20 year history. 

The huge production wowed audiences with a non-stop, jaw-dropping spectacle which included roller skating bees, a giant purple caterpillar, shaolin monks, dancing chess pieces, a massive 75 foot wall of water, scaled by acrobatic, gravity defying dancers, a huge 60 foot robot knick-named OM who moved down through the audience throughout the set. The entire set was presided over by the ‘big man’, a massive head and shoulder structure with lasers for eyes, 150 feet above, looking out over the crowds on the top of the stage.

Take That’s Progress Live 2011 tour became the biggest tour in UK and Irish history when a record breaking 1.34 million tickets were snapped up in less than 24 hours of going on sale.  The band smashed their previous box office record set in 2008 with The Circus Live Tour selling over 1.8 million tickets overall, more than doubling their own record for sales in a single day.

Take That Progress Live on DVD & Blu-ray released 21 November.

Track Listing:

Disc 1

Rule The World

Greatest Day

Hold Up A Light

Patience

Shine

Let Me Entertain You

Rock DJ

Come Undone

Feel

Angels

The Flood

SOS

Underground Machine

Kidz

Pretty Things

When They Were Young Medley *

Back For Good

Pray

Love Love

Never Forget

No Regrets/Relight My Fire

Eight Letters

*includes A Million Love Songs, Babe, Everything Changes

Disc 2

Making Progress Live

Review: Forty Years On - York Theatre Royal

The first full length stage play from Leeds born Alan Bennett, Forty Years On, doesn’t get to delight audiences all that often due to the size of the cast required. It is therefore great to see it produced in the York Theatre Royal’s current round configuration.

Audiences are welcomed in to the world of Albion House Public School on the last day of term, and the last day of the out going head master – and we are not mere onlookers as we are encouraged to stand and join in a rousing rendition of Jerusalem before proceedings can commence.

As the pupils and staff perform their traditional revue, in a less than traditional format thanks to head-in-waiting Franklin’s more modern direction compared to that of his predecessors, time frames shift from World War I, to the beginning of World War II, and of course the present time of the school.

In many ways this is not so much a linear play but more of a collection of sketches bound together by the overall narrative of war, Britain and Britishness. But whilst it jumps from one to another, it still remains coherent with the storyline progressing.

As this takes place, the headmaster tries to come to terms with his impending retirement and the fact that he is no longer in touch with the modern world – but then, who is? As the school revue descends in to areas he sees as less than good taste and not suitable for his sister who is (asleep) in the audience, he continues to battle with himself and his colleagues to maintain at least some level of decency and decorum.

The humour veers from clever and witty, to slightly crass via some deliberately terrible groaners as Bennett keeps the audience engaged.

Performances are strong throughout. From the professional cast to the young locals who make up the nose-picking school boys, there are wonderful performances wherever you turn.

That said, Robert Pickavance’s headmaster deserves special mention. After a wonderful performance as Hook in the theatre’s recent production of Peter Pan, Pickavance has stepped up yet another level with a memorising performance with fantastic comic timing as the headmaster goes from rambling monologues and prayers, to despair with the depravity taking place in his school.

The school hall set works well, though some may find the onstage stage difficult to see from some seats, and the action is punctuated with bursts of organ music which sits nicely with the Albion House setting.

There are many laugh-out-loud moments but this is not just a light hearted comedy so remember to take your brain with you; you’ll need it to keep up with it all. Buy your tickets now – or it may be another 40 years on before you get the chance again.



Forty Years On continues at York Theatre Royal until Saturday 15th October 2011.

Review by James Eaglesfield

BENJAMIN FRANCIS LEFTWICH Announces New Single 'Shine' & London Shepherds Bush Empire Gig in 2012

Benjamin Francis Leftwich

To release new single on November 7th

‘Shine’

Following the release of his critically acclaimed debut album 'Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm' Benjamin Francis Leftwich prepares to release his third single ‘Shine’ on November 7th.

'Shine' is available to listen to on SoundCloud - 

http://soundcloud.com/dirtyhit/benjamin-francis-leftwich-shine

Delicate yet upbeat, ‘Shine’ perfectly balances Ben’s subtle guitar with his soft and unique voice. With layered hand-claps combining with aching harmonies, this is three minutes of pure positive elegance, further proving that the excitement surrounding Ben as one of the most compelling new prospects of the year is justified. 

The single follows in the wake of the acclaim that has been building since the release of his 2010 EP 'A Million Miles Out'. Ben’s debut album 'Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm' was recently Album of the Week on Radio 1 and XFM as well as Album of the Day on BBC 6 Music. His debut single 'Box Of Stones' was also awarded the coveted Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record In The World, adding to a list of honours including multiple Radio 1 Record Of The Weeks and a Maida Vale session with Fleet Foxes. Ben’s cover of Arcade Fire’s 'Rebellion' from the Dermot O’Leary Sessions for Radio 2 has been downloaded over 45,000 times, with 'Atlas Hands' from the 'Million Miles Out' EP being chosen as one of Jo Whiley’s tracks of 2010.

Following on from a summer of festival-storming sets, Ben is currently embarking on a huge October tour that will see him perform at 28 venues across the country with his first show kicking off in Stockton’s Georgian Theatre on September 30th. The tour will head to the capital on October 26th where Ben will perform a sold-out show at Islington’s legendary Union Chapel, before coming to a close in Belfast on November 3rd.

Ben follows his Autumn UK tour by announcing a new London show for 2012, which takes place at Shepherd's Bush Empire on February 22nd; a huge step up from his sold-out Union Chapel show this October.

SEPTEMBER

30 - Stockton, The Georgian Theatre 

OCTOBER

01 - Sheffield, Leadmill 

02 - Lincoln, Tokyo

03 - Norwich, Arts Centre

04 - Nottingham, Glee Club

05 - Hull, Adelphi

07 - Newcastle, Riverside

08 - Aberdeen, The Tunnels

09 - Glasgow, Oran Mor

10 - Edinburgh, Cabaret Voltaire

14 - Leeds, Brudenell

15 - Manchester, The Ruby Lounge

16 - Leicester, Musician

17 - Cambridge, University - ARU

18 - Oxford, O2 Academy2

20 - Bristol , Fleece

21 - Exeter, The Cavern

22 - Cardiff, Chapter Arts Centre - SWN

23 - Southampton, Talking Heads

24 - Brighton, Komedia studio room

26 - London, Union Chapel

27 - Birmingham, Library

28 - Preston, 53 Degrees

29 - York, National Centre For Early Music

30 - Lancaster, Library

NOVEMBER

01 - Liverpool, Mojo - Music Week

02 - Dublin, Sugar Club

03 - Belfast, Stiff Kitten

FEBRUARY 2012

22 - London, O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire

JESSIE J To Release New SIngle 'Who You Are' on 7th November - Tours UK Next Month

JESSIE J

NEW SINGLE

“WHO YOU ARE”

Out on 7^th November

It’s been a phenomenal year for British superstar Jessie J; since winning the acclaimed BBC Sound Polls of 2010 and Brits Critics Choice for 2011, Jessie has racked up 16 global #1 hits, selling over 2 million albums and 5 million singles worldwide, confirmed to appear on the X Factor as Tulisa’s aid at the judges houses (airing Saturday 1^st October) AND stormed across the live music scene with 2 sell-out tours and a string of acclaimed festival performances at the likes of Glastonbury, Bestival and V Festival!

On 7^th November, Jessie J is set to unleash her next single, the highly anticipated power-anthem, ‘Who You Are’ on to the world, a song which showcases Jessie J’s remarkable multi-octave vocal and song-writing finesse.

As the title-track from her highly praised debut album, ‘Who You Are’ is a song Jessie J feels close to her heart; with lyrics set to inspire a generation, Jessie wrote the song at the end of a 3 month writing trip to LA before she was a popstar and 20, working her way through various studios with producers to write songs.

With Jessie J’s broken foot on the mend, she is also embarking on a UK tour in October;

Tour Dates:

Mon 17^th October               Birmingham             O2 Academy           

Tues 18^th October               Birmingham             O2 Academy           

Wed 19^th October               Doncaster                Dome

Fri 21^st October                 Manchester              O2 Apollo               

Sat 22^nd October                Liverpool                 Su Mountford Hall    

Sun 23^rd October                Bournemouth BIC

Tues 25^th October               Edinburgh                Usher Hall              

Wed 26^th October               Bridlington               Spa

Thurs 27^th October             Plymouth                 Pavilions

Sat 28^th October                 Cardiff                   Motorpoint Arena

Sun 30^th October                Leeds                     O2 Academy           

Tues 1^st November             London                   Hammersmith Apollo

Wed 2^nd November             London                   Hammersmith Apollo

Thurs 3^rd November            Brighton                  Brighton Centre

JAGUAR SKILLS Confirms Winter Tour 2011

The award-winning Jaguar Skills’ HoooOOO Winter Tour 2011

 Following the success of his sell-out Revenge of The Ninja tour earlier this year, Jaguar Skills has announced that he will return to the road in October 2011 with the ‘HoooOOO! Tour’. The Radio 1 mixologist brings his lightning-quick mixing andmash-up skills to Twelve of the UK’s finest venues, and will be joined by a veritable feast of artists such as Brookes Brothers, DJ @War, Kamuki, DJ Zinc and Flux Pavillion.

Jaguar Skills has also just released his first ever mix compilation for the legendary series Toolroom Knights. Delivering an aural assault of every tempo and style; from House to Drum & Bass, Dub Step to Hip Hop, and everything in-between, the latest mixtakes you on a foray through all the colours of the musical spectrum!

This, along side his legendary festival sets at sites across the UK and beyond means Jaguar Skills is in demand now more than ever. Reports from the likes of Isle of Wight,L.E.D presents Deadmau5, Escape In The Park, and Global Gathering Ukraine all confirm that Jaguar Skills is a master-craftsman when it comes to a hosting a party.

Tickets are on sale now. Make sure you get yours ninja-quick!

Tour dates: 7th October - Oxford 02 Academy w/ DJ Zinc, DJ@War, MC Skibadee 8th October - London Scala  w/ Brookes Brothers, DJ@War ,MC Skibadee 13th October - Southampton Cube w/ DJ@War 14th October - Newcastle University w/ MC Skibadee, Kamuki 15th October - Birmingham HMV Institute w/MC Skibadee, Kamuki 21st October - Manchester Sankeys w/ Flux Pavillion, MC Skibadee, DJ@War 24th October - Sheffield Plug w/ DJ @ War    28th October - Norwich Waterfront w/Flux Pavillion MC Skibadee, DJ@War 29th October - Bournemouth Firestation w/DJ @ War 2nd November - Bristol Thelka w/ DJ @ War 4th November - Nottingham Rescue Rooms w/ DJ @ War 5th November  - Liverpool Masque w/DJ at War

Extra Tickets Released For TINIE TEMPAH UK Arena Tour - Full Supports Announced

BLACKBERRY PRESENTS 

‘TINIE TEMPAH UK ARENA TOUR’

FULL SUPPORTS ANNOUNCED AND EXTRA TICKETS RELEASED

"His approach has spoken to a generation louder than any other British musician has in years... [and] what we get is an unashamed pop show, powered by choruses and charisma." NME

Wednesday 27^th September 2011 -  Due to phenomenal demand, extra tickets have been released for the ‘Blackberry presents Tinie Tempah’ tour. The award winning artist has also announced his full supporting line up, which will change from city to city, but will include previously announced J. Cole and Nero and newly added Redlight and Labrinth *please see below for full line up for each show

Tinie Tempah’s number one, debut album ‘Disc-overy’ has achieved double platinum sales in the UK. 

On top of the 2 Brit Awards he won at this year’s ceremony - one for Best Single for track ‘Pass Out’ and the other for Best Breakthrough Artist, he's won an Ivor Novello for Best Contemporary Song, he was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, he won Best Solo Act at the GQ Awards and has been nominated for the Best Male Solo at the Q Awards 2011 held in October, he is also appearing on the cover of this month’s Q as no. 1 of 25 anniversary covers. On top of all this, he’s the first British Hip Hop Artist to sell a million copies of his debut single in America.

Not only has he cemented his place at the top of the charts, he’s also achieved huge critical acclaim in the live arena, having played to huge crowds at several of the UK’s biggest festivals over the summer.

‘It is a lovely moment for all concerned when a performer such as this enters his pomp.’ The Times

Miss your chance to see one of the UK’s brightest super stars at your peril.

TINIE TEMPAH

* OCTOBER 2011

MONDAY          31         LIVERPOOL ECHO ARENA - J Cole + Redlight

NOVEMBER 2011

TUESDAY          1          NEWCASTLE METRO RADIO ARENA – J Cole + Redlight

WEDNESDAY   2          GLASGOW SECC – Nero + Redlight

FRIDAY             4          LONDON O2 ARENA - J Cole + Redlight

SATURDAY      5          BOURNEMOUTH BIC - J Cole + Redlight

SUNDAY            6          BIRMINGHAM LG ARENA - J Cole + Redlight

MONDAY          7          MANCHESTER MEN - J Cole + Redlight

TUESDAY         8          CARDIFF MOTORPOINT ARENA - J Cole + Redlight

THURSDAY    10         WEMBLEY ARENA - Nero + Labrinth

FRIDAY           11         NOTTINGHAM ARENA - Labrinth

SUNDAY          13         ABERDEEN AECC - Nero + Redlight

MONDAY        14         GLASGOW SECC - Nero + Redlight

Tickets on sale now priced at £21.50 Regional / £23.50 London (subject to booking fee) and available via our site... click the links over on the right.

SHED SEVEN Add 2nd York Date To Tour - Download Free Acoustic Version of 'Chasing Rainbows'

Shed Seven

 “Maximum Hits and Maximum Highs” 2011 Tour

Second York Show Added.

Specially Recorded Version of ‘Chasing Rainbows’ Available To Download Now.

Brass Section Announced For Tour.

Shed Seven will embark on their Maximum Hits and Maximum Highs tour later this year and to coincide with the dates the band are releasing a new version of Chasing Rainbows  which they recorded as part of a recent anniversary acoustic session.  The track is available here for free and marks 15 years since the single’s release. 

Also to celebrate the release and due to popular demand, a second hometown show at York Barbican has been added for Wednesday 21^st December.  This will be the last date added to the tour.

Horns featured heavily on the platinum-selling “A Maximum High” and for the first time ever on a  live tour live the band will be reproducing that sound using a three-piece brass section.

Following the huge success of their last two sell-out tours, Shed Seven are returning to the road to play a selection of their hit singles whilst also celebrating the 15^th anniversary of their platinum selling album “A Maximum High” by revisiting several of the tracks from that album. A Maximum High spawned 4 of the record 5 top 40 singles the band notched up in 1996, which included Going for Gold and Getting Better, and saw them break into the Britpop big league. The album went top 10 in the UK and the band toured it around the world.

Lead singer Rick Witter said “It’s fantastic to be getting back on the road again. I can’t believe 15 years have passed since A Maximum High and it will be good to revisit one or two songs that have been untouched for many years. We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve for this tour; we want to be doing something a bit different each time we go out. We’ll also be playing the hits you’d expect to hear, it wouldn’t be a Shed gig without Chasing Rainbows would it?!”

The dates are as follows:

MAXIMUM HITS & MAXIMUM HIGHS TOUR

NOVEMBER 2011

Sat 26^th                Bournemouth Academy               0844 477 2000

Sun 27th              Bristol 02 Academy                       0844 477 2000

Tue 29th              Aberdeen Music Hall                    0844 4999 990

DECEMBER 2011

Thu 1st              Edinburgh HMV Picture House  0844 4999 990                

Friday 02           Glasgow Barrowland                   0844 4999 990

Saturday 03       Newcastle O₂ Academy                0844 477 2000

Monday 05        Liverpool O₂ Academy                0844 477 2000

Tuesday 06       Cambridge Junction                     01223 511 511

Thursday 08      Sheffield O₂ Academy                  0844 477 2000

Friday 09           Manchester Academy                  0161 832 1111

Saturday 10      Manchester Academy                    0161 832 1111

Sunday 11        Nottingham Rock City                  0845 413 4444

Tuesday 13      Leamington Spa Assembly            0844 811 0051

Wednesday 14 Norwich UEA                                 01603 508 050

Friday 16         Birmingham O₂ Academy              0844 477 2000

Saturday 17     London O₂ Shepherds Bush Empire   0844 477 2000

Sunday 18        London O₂ Shepherds Bush Empire  0844 477 2000

Tuesday 20      Leeds O₂ Academy                       0844 477 2000

Wednesday 21 York Barbican                              0844 854 2757 – *new show added*

Thursday 22    York Barbican                              0844 854 2757

Tickets for the second York show are £18.50 and on sale Friday 30^th September 2011 @ 9am

TICKETS for all other shows ON SALE Now

Buy online: click our affiliate links over on the right!

To download special acoustic cover of ‘Chasing Rainbows’ 

Chasing Rainbows Acoustic mix by GigsAndTours

www.shedseven.com

DAPPY Announces UK December Tour 2011

Watch Out - Dappy Is Coming To A Town Near You

Fresh from the massive success of his debut solo single 'No Regrets', which entered the charts this week at No.1, Dappy announces a string of live dates across the UK this December.

The ten date tour will see Dappy making stops at various key venues around the country, including the Manchester Academy and the Birmingham HMV Institute. The tour will climax with a show at Indigo O2 in London; Dappy’s hometown.

Dappy has achieved unprecedented success as part of N-Dubz, without question one of the most culturally significant groups in contemporary British pop music. Their albums ‘Uncle B,’ ‘Against All Odds’ and ‘Love.Live.Life’ have to-date sold over 1.5 million copies in the UK alone. With over 100 million views on YouTube, 1.3million friends on Facebook, four MOBO awards and 250,000 followers on Twitter Dappy and N-Dubz are among the most powerful names in music.

Earlier this year N-Dubz completed their first UK arena tour; the first UK urban act to embark on such major venues. The sell out Love.Live.Life 10-date tour saw  the band play to their biggest audiences ever, taking in every part of the country and climaxing with a huge show at London’s huge O2 Arena.

Dappy will be performing at the following venues:

Friday 9th December Saturday 10th December Sunday 11th December Monday 12th December Tuesday 13th December Thursday 15th December  Friday 16th December Saturday 17th December Sunday 18th December Monday 19th December

Norwich UEA Birmingham HMV Institute Manchester Academy Sheffield Plug Liverpool O2 Academy Glasgow O2 ABC Bristol O2 Academy Oxford O2 Academy Cambridge Junction London Indigo O2

Tickets are £15 and go on sale Friday 30th September at 9.00am via our site - click the links over on the right!

or gigsandtours.com / 0844 811 0051.

West End Sensation WICKED Celebrates 5th Birthday On Tues 27th Sept

WEST END SENSATION WICKED CELEBRATES LANDMARK 5^TH BIRTHDAY

TOMORROW NIGHT - TUESDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2011

WICKED, the smash hit musical that tells the untold story of the Witches of Oz, will celebrate its landmark 5^th birthday tomorrow night (Tuesday 27 September 2011) at London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre.

Jasmine Kerr

Acclaimed as “a phenomenon” (Sky News) and “the biggest thing in musicals since The Phantom of the Opera opened” (The Times), WICKED has become one of the West End’s most popular and successful musicals of all time, breaking countless Box Office records and winning multiple awards since its West End premiere in 2006. Amongst the production’s many notable accomplishments are:

·      Grossing an incredible £145 million at the UK Box Office to date.

·      Being the first, and so far only, West End show to gross over £1 million in a single week - taking £1,002,885 during w/c 27 December 2010.

·      Sustaining unprecedented year-on-year financial growth at the Box Office. The show is currently £2 million up on the same period in 2010.

·      Playing over 2000 performances, with standing ovations at every performance, and attracting almost 4 million theatregoers to date. The 4 millionth theatregoer is currently forecast to attend in November 2011.

·      Being twice voted by theatregoers as London’s ‘Best West End Show’ (Whatsonstage.com Awards in 2011 and 2010) and winner of the 2010 Oliver Audience Award for ‘Most Popular Show’.

·      Now being one of the 10 longest running musicals currently playing in the West End and one of the 20 longest running West End musicals of all time.

·      Developing ongoing relationships with national charities (including The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, The Woodland Trust, St John Ambulance and Mousetrap Theatre Projects) through its FOR GOOD programme, which champions and supports a range of causes born out of the themes of the show. The musical also created the WICKED Young Writers’ Award in 2010, chaired by author Michael Morpurgo with patronage from HRH The Duchess of Cornwall.

UK Executive Producer Michael McCabe commented: “This is an incredible landmark for all of us involved in Wicked and we couldn’t be more delighted to have become such a popular, long-running hit. We are also proud that our continued success has enabled us to support so many charitable projects though our on-going ‘For Good’ programme. Our heartfelt thanks go to every single person who is part of this extraordinary production and to the millions of theatregoers who have been so supportive of the show since our very first performance five years ago.”

Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1LG

Official UK website, video trailer and online booking: www.WickedTheMusical.co.uk

Pilot Theatre & York Theatre Royal Present David Harrower's Award Winning Play 'BLACKBIRD'

This October York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre present Blackbird, David Harrower’s awarding winning play, in York’s intimate and atmospheric Studio theatre.

Directed by Katie Posner (Parlour Song, Romeo & Juliet, The Fever Chart), Blackbird is an unflinching portrait of two people trying to make sense of their difficult past. It was the winner of the 2007 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play.

He was 40. She was 12. It wasn’t right, but despite what they said he was never ‘one of those’. Ray has done his time. Now, 15 years later he just wants to get on with his life. But today she has come and found him again.

Performed by George Costigan (Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Rita, Sue and Bob Too) as Ray and Charlie Covell (Inbetweeners, Whitechapel) as Una, the play is uncomfortable, tragic and filled with tension, as these two lost souls find themselves thrown together again after 15 years. Join them in the staff room of Ray’s workplace as the audience are invited to form their own opinions on a subject that Harrower deals with in a balanced and non-judgemental way.

“Neither condoning nor condemning, Harrower has produced a fine, thought-provoking piece on a taboo subject.” The Independent (original production)

This play demands everything from its cast, with strong writing and a subject matter that will have an impact on everyone who sees it. Performed in York Theatre Royal’s Studio Theatre this drama is an unmissable part of the theatre’s Ensemble Season. To book your tickets call Box Office on 01904 623568 or online at www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. There will also be an after show discussion with the cast and director on Wed 9 Nov which is a great chance for audiences to debate the issues raised in this thought provoking play.

Listings Information:

Cast: George Costigan as Ray, Charlie Covell as Una

Produced by Pilot Theatre and York Theatre Royal

Directed by Katie Posner

Written by David Harrower

Designed by Lydia Denno

Dates: Thu 20 Oct – Sat 12 Nov

Times: 7.45pm with 2p, (sat), 2.30pm (Thu) matinees

Location: Studio

Tickets: £12, £7 students, u25s, £10 concs.

After show discussion: Wed 9 Nov

SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA Announce Shows At Madison Square Garden & Milton Keynes Bowl

SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA

Make History & Announce ‘One Night Stand’ Shows at

Madison Square Garden on 16^th December 2011

& Milton Keynes National Bowl on 14^th July 2012

Also Announce Details of a Live Album!

Genre-defining, boundary-pushing electronic outfit Swedish House Mafia will complete a historic first next Summer when they headline a gargantuan ‘One Night Stand’ show in front of 65,000 people at the Milton Keynes National Bowl on July 14th 2012. Highlights of this incredible event will be recorded by BBC Radio 1 for a future broadcast.

This announcement comes hot on the heels of confirmation that they will play another landmark ‘One Night Stand’ show at New York’s Madison Square Garden on December 16th 2011. This will see Swedish House Mafia - Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso - make history when they become the first dance act to have headlined both venues. These shows, once again, reaffirm their status as global superstars.

Swedish House Mafia will join an enviable list of music legends who have headlined the National Bowl including Oasis, Green Day, Metallica, Eminem and Foo Fighters. The list of artists who have played Madison Square Garden reads like a veritable who’s who of music dating from the late sixties to the present day.

The band are also set to release a live album (date tbc) taken from the road this year. The album will feature their much sought-after, previously unavailable Coldplay Vs Swedish House Mafia ‘Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall’ plus ‘Antidote’, their new collaboration with Knife Party (Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen).

The announcement finally confirms what Swedish House Mafia’s army of fans have spent the last few weeks trying to work out!  The band launched a special website in August after their storming headline set at Creamfields.  The specially designed site included a code which fans had to try and crack which would have informed them on what was to come!  And though they spent weeks exchanging possibilities, and they came very close, they didn’t quite come close enough!

The Swedes have already enjoyed phenomenal success to date. Not only did their recent UK tour sell out in minutes which saw a second night added at London’s Alexandra Palace, but they sold over a million singles in 2010 alone, saw their album ‘Until One’ reach Gold status, co-headlined Radio One’s Big Weekend and played major festival including Creamfields, T in the Park and Oxegen. Internationally, their infamous Masquerade Motel events sold out in Miami, Las Vegas and Ibiza where they enjoyed a sixteen week residency.

Tickets for the National Bowl show (doors open at 2pm and closes at 11pm) are £45.00 and go on general sale from Friday 30th September at 9am.  They’ll be available from:

www.seetickets.com / 0844 811 0051

www.gigsandtours.com / 0844 811 0051

www.ticketmaster.co.uk / 0844 826 2826

However from 9am on Wednesday 28th September until 9am on the 30th, SHM Originals (ticket holders to the very first Brixton shows by the band) will have exclusive access to tickets before anyone else.   These fans will be mailed on Saturday 24th September with a unique code as a thank you for their continued support.    

On Thursday 29th September there will be a 24 hour fan presale through Swedish House Mafia’s Facebook.  Madison Square Garden on-sale information is listed on the band’s website.

http://www.swedishhousemafia.com

http://www.facebook.com/swedishhousemafia

http://twitter.com/swedishousemfia

SIR PAUL McCARTNEY Teams Up With New York City Ballet For World Premiere Of 'Ocean's Kingdom'

Sir Paul McCartney & Peter Martins 

collaborate on world premiere ballet

New York City Ballet, Sir Paul McCartney and NYCB's Ballet Master in Chief Peter Martins have collaborated on a World Premiere ballet for the Company’s 2011/2012 season.

The new ballet, which will premiere at NYCB’s Fall Gala performance tonight - September 22nd 2011, marks the first time that Sir Paul has written an original orchestral score for dance. In making the announcement, Martins said that he and Sir Paul met at the School of American Ballet’s Winter Gala in 2010 and shortly thereafter began discussing the possibility of working together on a ballet. 

"Like the rest of my generation, I grew up being a huge fan of The Beatles so I was thrilled to meet him," said Martins. "After I got to know him a bit, and knowing of his great love of composing classical music, I asked if he might be interested in doing something for New York City Ballet, and I am ecstatic that he has agreed to write a score for us."

Paul said: "I am always interested in new directions that I haven’t worked in before. So I became very excited about the idea. When I got back to England after meeting Peter I started writing music and am now in the very final stages of the orchestral score."   He continued, "What was interesting was writing music that meant something expressively rather than just writing a song. Trying to write something that expressed an emotion – so you have fear, love, anger, sadness to play with and I found that exciting and challenging."

The September 22nd Fall Gala performance will also include George Balanchine’s Union Jack, the extravagant tribute to Britain that features nearly all of NYCB’s dancers. "We are so honored to have Paul working with us that I thought we would pay tribute to this extraordinary man by performing Union Jack on the same program" said Martins.

Following the World Premiere performance of 'Ocean's Kingdom' on September 22nd, NYCB will give additional performances of the new McCartney/Martins ballet during the 2011/2012 season. 

The 'Ocean's Kingdom' orchestral score is released on Decca on October 3rd 2011 on CD, vinyl and digital download. Conducted by John Wilson, and produced by John Fraser, the score is performed by The London Classical Orchestra. 

'Ocean's Kingdom' is an hour long score featuring four stunning movements – Ocean’s Kingdom, Hall of Dance, Imprisonment and Moonrise – the ballet tells of a love story within the story of an underwater world whose people are threatened by the humans of Earth. A potently expressive and richly varied work, the score is Paul’s most challenging and emotionally complex yet. 

Review: Avril Lavigne - Black Star World Tour - HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London

Photo by Steve Stubbs

Wednesday 21st September: A sold out Hammersmith Apollo eagerly awaited Avril Lavigne's appearance last night for the UK leg of her Black Star World Tour, she was due on stage at 9pm but an incident had happened and she was on her way... Finally making it to the stage at 9.40pm.

Photo by Steve Stubbs

And it was worth the wait, Avril was fantastic!
Wearing black leather trousers and a long black top, Avril opened the show with Black Star and What The Hell.
With a five piece band, drums, keys, bass and two guitars, they went through a great setlist, the crowd going mad for the big hit Sk8er Boi complimented with some nice blue and pink lighting. Avril even did a somersault at the end of the song.

Airplanes was a moment for the crowd to sing along,  and during I Always Get What I Want, a grand piano was brought on stage by the crew ready for the rest of the show.
Avril sat on the piano for Alice and When You're Gone, and did a lovely cover version of Coldplay's Fix You.

The biggest sing along of the night was for I'm With You, the band in silence, and the audience pounding out the lyrics.

Photo by Steve Stubbs

With an encore of Complicated, Avril wrapped up a great set and was on stage for an hour and twenty minutes.
Avril owned the stage, and the audience were delighted.
Not only did Avril look good, she sounded excellent, with her vocals in fine voice on the night.
With support from Lawson, this was a great night out.
Welcome to the UK Ms Lavigne.

Avril plays another night at the Hammersmith Apollo tonight (Thurs 22nd Sept), followed by O2 Apollo Manchester on Friday 23rd Sept.

www.avrillavigne.com

Set List:
Black Star
What The Hell
Smile
Sk8er Boi
He Wasn't
Airplanes / My Happy Ending
I Always Get What I Want
Alice
When You're Gone
Fix You
Wish You Were Here
Unwanted / Musical Piece
Girlfriend
Don't Tell Me
I'm With You
Encore - Complicated