Long Division Fringe Gig – 3rd June
We’re really quite chuffed to be curating a stage at the Long Division Festival Fringe on Sunday 3rd June, downstairs at The Hop, Wakefield. From 2pm until 4pm we’ll be nice and acoustic, then from 4:15pm we’re stepping it up a notch with some fab ear-bending electricness. On the bill are:
ANTONIO LULIC: A rock-folk singer-songwriter from England’s fashionably impoverished North East. His deep and gravel-throated vocals combine with a powerful yet intimate lyrical style to deliver torrents of rootsy, passionate and uniquely soulful music. (Website)
PROPANE PENNY: Making seamless transitions between Blink-182-esque punchy, pop-punk riffs, and swimming, melodic passages reminiscent of Dire Straits seem effortless and natural, they produce a diversity and dynamic which seems to incorporate influence from every positive aspect of contemporary rock. (Website)
ULTRAXINE: Powerpoppunkrock for the masses! Ultraxine play feisty girl-fronted pop-punk with a definite snarl – “dirty-mouthed poprockpunk with a huge dollop of sweet stuff” (Website)
ALICE AT LAST: A four piece with an aggressively powerful sound, occasionally combined with subtle Chili Pepper-esque riffs are known for their catchy choruses and energetic live performances. (Website)
FREEDOM OF THE CITY: A four piece Indie/Pop/Rock band hailing from the birthplace of Indie: Manchester. Catchy guitar riffs, lock-groove drum beats, soaring vocal hooks, pint-in-the-air chorus melodies and a dirty raw guitar sound! (Website)
Free in! Come down, have a beer, listen to some really very splendid bands and come down from Saturday’s full Long Division (and what a line-up, go see their site for more info!).
(There’s also a Facebook Event for the Fringe gig…)
Tomorrow: Young Band Showcase at Clarence
With the lovely sunny weather due this weekend we’ve got three indie/rock/punk bands on at Clarence Bandstand! From 2pm on Saturday 12th May we’ll be throwing the bandstand doors open so come and have a beer on the hill and get your ears around noise from three upcoming Wakefield acts who are guaranteed to shake the foundations:
2:15pm: SAVING SATURDAY kick things off with indie-rock. They’ve recently been hitting Open Mic nights and pubs in the local area playing a mix of popular rock covers and are increasingly in demand. (FB link)
3:30pm: RED LIGHT RIOT come highly recommended by the founders of The Collective. They’re a 4-piece hard rock/skank band and have quite a following. (FB link)
4:45pm: I R HERO rocked the Wharfside Festival last year and describe themselves as ’3 sexy people who actually play their own instruments and write kick ass songs’. ‘Nuff said. Get it on. (FB link)
Bring a can, come plonk yourself on the hill or get down in front of the stage. Weather’s looking good for it, what’s stopping you? See you there, rockstars.
Coming Up In May & June
We’ve got a pile of new stuff coming up in May and June in the run-up to Clarence 2012.
First off, from Saturday 5th May we’ll be putting on Saturday afternoon acoustic acts in Wakefield Theatre Royal & Opera House Café. These will feature solo artists and acoustic groups from the local area and beyond – kick back and relax with a latté while being entertained, in the chilled surroundings of the Theatre’s recently refurbished café. More details available here soon.
On Saturday 12th May we’re pleased to be hosting Wakefield Young Band Showcase at Clarence Park from 2pm-6pm, featuring bands I R Hero, Saving Saturday and Red Light Riot. All three are indie bands and guaranteed to rock. A good sunny day on the hill and a few beers will set the day off nicely!
Then on Sunday 3rd June we’re curating an afternoon of music downstairs at The Hop, Wakefield as part of the Long Division Festival Fringe. From 2pm-7pm we’ll have a variety of acts including Propane Penny, Ultraxine and Antonio Lulić with the full lineup to follow closer to the event. The Hop’s also child-friendly until 7pm so feel free to bring your little’uns down and hopefully it’ll be nice for a sit-down in the beer garden.
In the midst of all of this of course there’s KT’s PURE nights at The Hop every Thursday and a couple of brass bands in the park to tickle your fancy: check our events guide for the latest dates and what we’ve got going on!
KT’s PURE NIGHT – new acts added
Start your weekend on thursday night, by going The HOP and visiting KT’s PURE Night.
Sit yer sen down, or stand up if you like 
and enjoy the wide range of free music on offer. From Blues to Folk and everything inbetween, its the perfect way to usher in the weekend.
Shedload Of Blues Jam Night – Thurs 12 April
This coming Thursday 12th April sees the welcome return of Mick and Terry’s regular Shedload Of Blues jam night at Wakefield Labour Club (aka The Red Shed) on Vicarage Street.
Starting at 8:30pm, it’s a chance for like-minded blues musicians to show up and jam… or if you don’t want to perform, just spectate! Bring your guitar, Hammond, harp, whether you want to meet and jam with musicians you haven’t met yet, renew old acquaintances, or bring your band to try a few new numbers then this is the night for you. We’ve had some young lions and old tigers over the past few months and everyone’s welcome.
The Red Shed is a well-known CAMRA haunt and always has a good selection of ales on. Beer and booze – a great combination.
From The Vaults: Wakefield’s Past Bands
Over on Facebook, long-standing stalwart of the Wakefield music scene Des Lines has put together Wakefield Bands Gone But Not Forgotten inviting reminiscences of old Wakefield bands who have shuffled off their coil and gone to the great gig in the sky. It’s worth a look, with names such as Cherry Bus Pass, Fear Of Jazz, Jeremy Beadle’s Hand et al stirring (possibly fond) memories.
It’s also pretty well-timed: with it being the 21st anniversary of Clarence Music Festival this year, we’ve decided to put out a series of podcasts celebrating past Clarence acts. We’ve already had a pretty good response from bandmates who still have copies of demos or a 7″ single hanging around (including the Twice Wi’ Scraps compilation) but if you have recordings hanging around from a band who appeared at Clarence (here’s a list to jog your memory) please drop us a line. We’ll take care of your precious things of course and return them safely!
And now, since we’re talking about old bands, here’s the original Brick Supply version of ‘Not So Manic Now’ which was used by 90s act Dubstar…
(If you want an overview of the whole Yorkshire music scene over the years, you could do a lot worse than acquire yourself a copy of I’ll Go to T’foot of Our Stage: The Story of Yorkshire Pop Music by Craig Ferguson which is a fun look at all sorts of bands from the 1950s onwards.)
Stay tuned to find out when the first podcast is released – it’ll be over on iTunes and available for download here.
Easter Sunday At The Bandstand: Chris Hanks
Fancy a bit of acoustic blues this Sunday? Disappointed we didn’t have an act on at The Bandstand? Trouble not, because you’re in luck!
Chris Hanks, blues guitarist will be performing at Clarence Park Bandstand on Easter Sunday from 2pm.
Chris is a familiar face at our KT PURE nights at The Hop (most recently performing with Tony Foster Band and The Wires) and is just the ticket for a relaxing Sunday. We’ve heard he might be performing alongside some other members of The Wires too…
Come join us! 2pm, Clarence Park Bandstand, Easter Sunday!
Clarence 2012 Apps Closed
That’s it! Applications to play Clarence 2012 are now officially closed. We’re already going through all the packs to pick out some of the more splendid acts and will be announcing who’s playing at the beginning of May both online and at a special launch party.
Final Day For Clarence 2012 Entries
Today (Saturday 31st March) is the final day for entries for Clarence Music Festival 2012, but if you’ve still not put a pack in then there are a couple of ways you can do it today. However, they must be received by the end of the day!
You can either:
- Leave your pack at Fernandes Brewery Tap (the pub on Avison Yard, just off Kirkgate roundabout), c/o Becky.
- Leave your pack at Trad Music c/o Mick.
After today, we will not be able to receive any further applications. We’ve had a phenomenal response already, the standard is pretty damn good this year.
We will be starting the final selection process next week, when we hope to start announcing the acts which are playing.
Final Week For Clarence 2012 Applications
There’s barely a week left for your band or act to get an application in to play Clarence Park Music Festival 2012! If you fancy getting on the bandstand in Wakefield to play to a couple of thousand people over the course of the weekend (more if it’s sunny) you should get an application in – the closing date is 31st March 2012 and we cannot accept any more applications after this date.
As a reminder, you need to send us a CD with a couple of tracks on, a short bio and some contact details. You can find out more about how to apply by clicking here – but hurry!
