AWOL are a classic rock covers band based in Stoke-on-Trent.
AWOL’s lead singer, Mac, has a sultry voice, perfectly suited to the rock classics that you will enjoy but may not have heard for a long time. From the Bonzo Dog Doodah Band, Jethro Tull, to the Beatles and Roxy Music. Famed for their version of the classic Chris Isaak song, ‘Wicked Games’, they are often referred to as Staffordshire’s most popular rock band.
AWOL are a pub band that have been told their strength is their choice of material, just that bit different from other classic cover bands…
This is a free gig. 9ish start.
The Lambrettas came into being in the late 70s. Doug Sanders and Jez Bird were playing in a band called Shakedown and were looking for direction in keeping with their musical tastes, so decided to start something new. Both could sing and play guitar and set about writing. They were soon joined by like minded drummer Paul Wincer and bassist Mark Ellis. Doug says: “There were only a few Mods locally in Brighton and Hastings and we had no idea there would be a revival on the scale that it grew into. That’s when we decided to call the band The Lambrettas to make it as obvious as possible, so that people would know what we were about.”
Their first gig was on Hastings Pier with 4 other bands, and promoter Peter Haines offered them management. After a few months of gigs they were signed to Elton John’s Rocket Records and released their first single Go Steady. This got them some airplay and soon they were gigging more regularly. T he mod revival had now grown, and clothes that they used to fight for in the charity shops were now on sale in the High Street. Their second single was Poison Ivy, the song they are most remembered for, as it spent a long time in the charts. Soon after, their album Beat Boys in the Jet Age was released and also spent several months in the charts.
After 8 singles, 2 albums and gigging for 3 years, they called it a day for a while….. Fast forward to the mid 90s and their back catalogue was re-released on CD, and they did a slot on C4s Big Breakfast and a few UK gigs….. Leap forward once again to 2007. Doug and Jez met up and discussed getting back together, but sadly soon after Jez became ill and lost a battle against cancer.
2009 saw the anniversary of Quadrophenia, and legendary mod Dave Wyburn asked Doug and Paul if the band would get together to do a short set at a Modrophenia event in Brighton. They initially thought it might be a bit weird without Jez, but were persuaded to give it a go.
The phone started ringing, and they are now playing gigs up and down the UK and Ireland. The current set includes songs from the Beat Boys album, singles and a couple of homages. The music is as energetic and fresh as if they’ve never been gone.
+ Ska Face
Formed from the desire to return to the classic sounds of our youth, Ska Face contain ten individual members with a combined age of over 450 years between them. Old enough to know better but young and foolish enough to attempt to re-write the rule book and enjoy music with the passion and honesty that it was designed for. An antidote to the mass meritocracy that is played across the country in a world dominated by media hype, spin and untruths. Ska Face keep it real and enjoy every minute with an infectious stage show of power, energy and damn good tunes that you just have to dance to. There is no better remedy to a stressful week than a few cheeky drinks and dancing like a loon… and that is just the band!
Fronted by the enigmatic Tony Montana and featuring a phenomenal four-piece brass section, Ska Face pack a punch from the first note. With a rhythm section as tight as Alberto’s wallet and lead licks that compliment the music perfectly, the legendary Rico Rodriguez praised the ‘heavy riddim section’ when first performing with the guys back in 2011. Specials guitarist Roddy Radiation has accompanied the boys on stage regularly since the same year and 2 Tone Records founder member and former Special Jerry Dammers was highly impressed with the energy and authenticity of the Ska Face performance when he joined them for a gig in June 2013. In 2014, the band has evolved another level, with bookings as support for both The Selecter and Bad Manners.
Revitalising the Ska and 2 Tone classics of The Specials, Madness, The Selecter, The Beat and Bad Manners plus many others from the late 70s and early 80s, Ska Face sparked a 2 Tone revival across the north of England. Not content with just playing the songs of their contemporaries, the boys have been writing songs of their own as well as adapting a select number of recordings for the purist. Their debut and aptly titled ‘That Difficult First Album’ was launched to wide acclaim in May 2012 and followed up the following year with a re-working of The Beat’s ‘Psychedelic Rockers’ for the Specialised 2 double compilation album, raising funds for The Teenage Cancer Trust. Currently busy writing and recording original material for their second album, Ska Face are keen to capture their onstage energy and fun in the studio, which is due for release in 2014.
Ska Face regularly travel up and down the country, delivering their message to venues across the UK from Blackpool to Batley, Preston to Pontefract and Coventry to Camden with everywhere in between. There are a number of Ska bands out there, but very few share the energy and drive of Ska Face. Avoid disappointment and beware of cheap imitations, if you want authentic Ska and 2 Tone, then you would be hard pressed to beat the Ska Face experience.
£12.50
ReVamp are a five piece covers band from Cheshire. The line up is Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Sax and Drums.
The current line up came together in January 2014. All the band members are experienced musicians having played in other bands before. At the start of the year Claire joined the band having moved from York to Chester and at the same time Tracey decided to join as though she had played in big bands she had not played in a "rock n roll" band. Claire is a great singer and with the support of Tracey providing backing vocals and sax, the band was really able to think about playing covers in their own style. T he emphasis being to try to find music that was good to dance to and also good to listen to and to avoid too many cliche numbers. With the tight guitar work of Nick, solid drums of Martin, and steady bass of Keith the new Revamp has started making its mark and have been well received with their mixture of funky rock and blues.
This is a free gig. 9pm start.
