FREE DOGHOUSE at the Puzzle weekenderIt's here again. The puzzle will have re-opened, the new roof on the outdoor stage will be on, the sun will be shining, and we're gonna have a right ol time  August 23rd & 24th - Free entry - 3.30 to 10.00pmSaturday 23rd
Sunday 24th
DOGHOUSE SATURDAYTimes are approximate AIR CAV - 9.10pmWith triumphant supports of the likes of We Are Scientists, The Young Knives, Little Man Tate and Architecture in Helsinki as well as having debut single "Alliance" touted as one of Steve Lamacq's "5 Hottest Records in the World Right Now", Air Cav are making all the right noises. The four band members are inseparable, spending long, rainy, Mancunian
evenings writing songs, dreaming and performing the music they love
to people as much as they can. Drawing influnces from a shared passion
for all things aurally uplifting; from sixties garage to French sitar
music, the sound of the band is eclectic to say the least. Air Cav at Wychwood festival
DIRTY FAKIRS - 8.00pmDirty Fakirs are a 6 piece band from Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire who formed in August 2006 and have been winning audiences over ever since with their unique blend of funk/rock/blues/jazz. They create a sound which draws influence from a diverse range of musical genres and cannot be likened solely to one style. From their inauspicious beginnings - practicing above a local pub which was shut down the day after their début gig there - the band has amassed a large, loyal fan base rapidly built on their hard-earnt reputation for performing engaging material with energy, originality and talented musicianship. MURMOURS OF TENSION - 7.00pmTHE MURMURS OF TENSION formed one year ago in St.Helens, North West England. Made up of five good lads playing guitars, bass, organ, synth and drums. Their sound has been likened to that of 60's hammer horror, 70's diirty disko and 80's post punk. Luscious harmonies and science fiction lyrics narrate the battle of love and death. The band regularly play across the country and have played shows with the likes of Echo and the Bunnymen, Little Man Tate, John Power and The Enemy. Recently gigs have included sold out shows supporting comedy/folk outfit The Lancashire Hotpots. THE MURMURS OF TENSION are currently recording material for their forthcoming EP 'Awkward Aura' due for release to the end of the Summer. SPOKES - 5.50pmSpokes are originally from the rolling hills of North East England and their joyous indie noise is incredibly easy to fall in love with. Debut record, People Like People Like You, takes in elements of both post-rock and shoe-gaze, yet manages to defy mere pigeonholing in its blend of raucous folk and pure pop. Ruth Ilgunas’ sublime violin-playing adds an element of grace to the tumbling crescendos. Spokes seem to have an uncanny ability to make popular music challenge and defy the middle of the road. “It's incredibly easy to fall in love with this album whose richly textured instrumentation balances out grandiose gestures with quietly reflective passages, we're primed for singing praises to anyone who'll bother listening. Absolutely gorgeous stuff and a real find....” (‘Album of the week’, Boomkat.com) - “Given the right push Spokes have the potential to breach the mainstream; the potential is there for all to see on this record. Memories of your first experience of Broken Social Scene or even Arcade Fire are sure to come flooding back, as the five-piece tap into the celebratory nature of both revered Canadian acts.” (Angry Ape) - "The hushed beginnings of [Young People! All Together] slowly give way to a heady mixture of strings and propulsive drums that in turn catapult the resulting mini-symphony towards exhilarating heights. The emotional intensity and waves of melody heard in their songs sound like they come as naturally to the band as breathing." (Drowned In Sound) “Forging a similar path to Explosions In The Sky and Mogwai giants, [Spokes] create similarly gracious pieces of music with plenty of slow builds. Adding occasional vocals and nodding towards Arcade Fire style mini-symphonies, Spokes aren’t just riding the coat-tails of these other bands, but using them as inspiration for heading off in their own direction.” (Newcastle Metro) Rook and The Ravens - 4.45pmJoe Fay, James Fay, Dave Brodie and John Major are all time-served players who have worked with a succession of bands and artists in the past - some more successful than others. They joined together through a shared desire to return to the art of writing, recording and performing their own music, doing what they do best. Now they look set to become the axeslinging desperados they want to be, under the guidance of friends and mentors RATR have started well -numerous TV appearances, radio interviews and gigs have been 'flying' in and they've released their first proper EP. They've also just finished a 15-date tour of Northern England. Rook and The Ravens have already played, and in the near future will continue to play, alongside a variety of established names. Having shared bills with The Futureheads, Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, 'Guitar' George Borowski and Terrorvision's Tony Wright, they are set to support Yeti in the coming weeks. www.myspace.com/rookandtheravens State of Error 3.30pmMarch 2008 saw the release of ‘Mirror Theory’, a four track EP. Recorded over three days at Soundstation Studio, Wakefield, State Of Error have taken all the best bits from classic old school punk bands such as The Buzzcocks & Stiff Little Fingers, blended this with sound of the best of the American punk/alternative rock bands (e.g. The Matches, +44 and Greenday) and added just a touch of hard and heavy rock music – think The Blackout, or Avenged Sevenfold, or both – to produce a sound that is all their own. ‘Mirror Theory’ is available to purchase from any of the bands live gigs, or from Revo Records & First Floor Music in Halifax. For any other info on the bands current activities, check out EL CAMPELLO SUNDAYIT’S A BUFFALO - 9.00pmIt's a buffalo is the sound of 4 young men. Ben Thorley sings and plays guitar. So does Steven Warburton. James Cole plucks his bass and Nigel Bennett bangs his drums. Sometimes they tune up and do this in time with each other. Ben and Steve found each other in 2001, then James popped around to their place and liked what he heard and Nigel fancied hitting things along with them. The boys then signed up to Manchester's very own Akoustik Anarkhy records. They released two singles, played a heroic amount of gigs, and have started recording a debut album. They have recently been on the road supporting The Courteeners all over Blighty. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gchQYxlXmf8 THE TRAGICS - 8.00pmThe Tragics came together in winter 2007. Andy and Jim, two mates in separate bands found they had Friday afternoons free for writing songs together in between lengthy tea and fag breaks. The combination of Andy's punk/folk sensibilities and Jim's driving guitar and clever harmonies was first aired in the eclectic musical environment of the Puzzle Hall, Sowerby Bridge where it was deemed to be 'sort of gothic country punk'. A band was quickly formed. Andy's brother Kev joined on drums, Wendy, a younger veteran of the local music scene, came in on keyboard, Dave, joined on bass and the final augmentation provided by renowned multi instrumentalist Martin Nuttall on lap steel and banjo. The music shaped up, fast, harmonic pop with a hard edged delivery and sardonic, downbeat lyrics. The Tragics are preparing to record their debut release. GARRON FRITH - 7.00pm“Really grows on you” - Net Rythms “Beautiful country rock gem of an album”- Sunday Express “One of the North West's best kept secrets - that is until now!”- Maverick “One of Manchester’s most underrated singer-songwriters”- Manchester Music “Understated joy of an record”- Leicester Bangs “A fine album”- Penny Black Music “Melodic, charming and catchy”- This is fake DIY “Highly enjoyable, Recommended”- Acoustic Magazine Website: www.garronfrith.co.uk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huYfV8vWwMo KATHRYN EDWARDS - 6.00pm23 year old Kathryn Edwards is a singer/songwriter based in Manchester. She's performed in and around the UK supporting Liam Frost and The Slowdown Family. She was the first act to play at Manchester's new casino Manchester 235 on the opening night, presented by Tess Daley. Kathryn also performed a charity gig at The Hilton supporting Lemar and recently supported Kathryn Williams. Kathryn is fast becoming a much talked of names on the Manchester music scene and it is not hard to see why after being compared to Joni Mitchell, Carol King and Martha Wainwright. Kathryn recently played on the second stage at Wychwood Festival and is one of the most requested acts at the doghouse/el campello. Kathryn Edwards was her usual charmingly intoxicating self, dolling out her subtly beautiful tunes and that stunning voice with simple style - Chris Long BBC Manchester www.myspace.com/kathrynedwards http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_U7HtdWg-k EDMUND COTTAM - 4.45pmEdmund Cottam creates gothic ballads, lounge slowcore and show tunes within a quintessentially English contexts. Recent comparisons include Scott Walker and Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and Tom Waits. We can assure you that he is something a little unique! http://www.myspace.com/ LOUIS SCOTT - 3.3OpmLouis must rank as the local find of the year. Nick Drake comparisons are a bit lazy but his delicate wistful songwriter is a joy to hear. With youth on his side, Louis has the potential to take his talent far beyond this valley. |
