April 16thVENUE : The OLDE COCK, Halifax : Halifax - 8.30 onwards Bar open till 3, YES 3 : £5/£4 (Frequent Doggers)/£3 Students HOPE & SOCIAL + The Window Right + StrayhortsHope & SocialWho are Hope And Social? “possibly the most complete band ever” (Tim Hornsby – Duchess/Fibbers). Inventive and curious; in turns restive or fired with passion; fiendishly hard to categorise yet perfect for any record collection in the land. “They talked of Springsteen and Arcade Fire. They talked of Astral Weeks and Bowie. And they talked about making something that matters. Distilling the sound of classic albums thirty years ago brought bang up-to date; part call-to-arms, part lament: dark but exalted - brutally frank guitars married with soaring and honest vocals. Add an ancient 'knees-up' piano and a '73 Rhodes, and you're getting close. We've seen the new H&S; still unmistakable but with more depth, and more spark, more calm and more storm. One of those bands you should see before you die.” – The Duchess, York ......life, for Hope And Social, started one drunken night in the Grove pub in Leeds in April 2007; a place indicative of modern England: a traditional pub hemmed in on all sides by Leeds’ garish glass giants and the cement palaces of new-wealth. Hope And Social wanted to create something to reflect this, something more than just a set of songs but a statement on English culture. Singer Simon Wainwright reflects: “Sieved from the malaise of many a drunken rant we had some kind of idea of what we wanted to talk about: of Englishness and home and what it means to we five. Of simplicity and customs, and of God. ‘If it feels good turn it up’ / Fender Champ / a long list of drum fills / a child's accordion... All these things were thrown in the pot and we melded a selection of songs that I have never felt so excited about. They are real and they are us.” The Story So Far… Since forming, they have recorded and released their debut EP, and album, played key dates around the UK. Played twice at Glastonbury; at the Acoustic Stage and selected from 1000’s of entries to headline Q Magazine’s “Emerging Talent” slots at Glastonbury’s Queen’s Head stage. Hope and Social have also played the illustrious JD Set at the Luminaire in London this year and have been invited to play NXNE in Toronto. The band are happy also to have garnered “Album of the Week” status from www.themusicmagazine.co.uk and numerous plays on 6 Music as Hope and Social have become a regular feature on Tom Robinson. Channel M TV in Manchester also featured Hope and Social, devoting a full 30 minute show, a “Hope and Social Special” to the band. See it here: Hope And Social’s debut album is available as a pay what you want download and CD from www.hopeandsocial.com The Window RightStrayhortsStrayhorts cut their teeth in 2005 on Blur, Iggy and The Beatles before writing their own songs and performing their first gig in 2007. Since then they have performed regularly in West Yorkshire pubs and clubs and nurtured a loyal army of followers who have helped to make the Strayhort set fast-paced, exciting and memorable. Taking strong influences from REM, The Killers and Placebo, Strayhorts’ repertoire consists of hook-heavy pop/rock tunes, soaring choruses and 'Slash-esque' solos. They are a versatile band with songs to suit all occasions. If you’re sad they’ll touch your heart, if you’re up they’ll take you higher-and if there’s a roof, they’ll raise it! Strayhorts are touring this summer and hope this gig will inspire others to follow the Strayhorts Manifesto as laid out in their feel-good hit of the summer-any summer!! ‘Dance if you wanna dance, sing if you wanna sing, shout if you wanna shout, think what you wanna think… Do what you wanna do!’ |