Tag: bands
Failed bands of my past: east London soul/funk hustlers, Apartment
Here’s another glimpse into one of the long and many ‘lean’ years of my music career. This time it’s June 1983, and I can be seen youthfully posing at the …
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From the Valleys to the Roxy: Welsh punk rock dreams from the 1970s
Here’s the story of how the punk revolution changed everything for this Welsh boy living in Cardiff in the 1970s, and how the dreams of rock’n’roll stardom took a blow when …
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North London music venue The Lexington launches crowdfunding campaign
It’s a brilliant venue – and one I’ve visited and performed at many times – but The Lexington in Islington is now struggling to stay afloat as the coronavirus lockdown …
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In photos: A drinking night out in Liverpool – Jimmy’s, The Grapes and the Motel Bar
On the weekend, I was back up in one of my favourite UK cities, with the Monochrome Set playing a show at Jimmy’s in Liverpool. Here’s some photos from my …
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In photos: Exarchia, Athens at night – street scenes, bars, street art and rooftop views
Last weekend, I was wandering around the Athens Exarchia neighbourhood late at night, enjoying some of the bars and taking in the sights. Here’s some photos from my nocturnal travels:
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On tour in America: road signs, street lights, snow, wires and traffic signs in 100 photos
Here’s a set of photos of road signs, street lights, wires and traffic signs from the east and west coasts of America. I grabbed the pictures as I toured with …
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Tour diary – The Monochrome Set on the west coast of the USA
In March this year, The Monochrome Set embarked on a breakneck USA tour, packing in nine gigs in ten days on both the East and West coasts of America. Merchmeister …
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Lost London: photos of The Astoria, 12 Bar Club, Denmark St and street scenes, Nov 2008
Here’s a selection of London scenes photographed over a decade ago. Above, you can see the much-missed Astoria Theatre which was cruelly flattened to make way for CrossRail. Read more …
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The Mrs Mills Experience party singalong band are back!
South London’s rowdy singalong tribute to the much-loved queen of the honky-tonk piano, Mrs Gladys Mills, have announced that they’ll be dusting off the party hats and playing some gigs …
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P’tit Faystival – where a tiny village in Belgium goes crazy for music, July 2018
Located in the tiny village of Petit-Fays, near Bièvre, in the south of the province of Namur in Belgium, the P’tit Faystival is one of the most unlikely places to stumble …
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The fabulous La Ferme Electrique festival, Tournan en Brie, France, with The Monochrome Set, Fri 6th July 2018
La Ferme Electrique is a fabulously friendly small musical festival in Tournan-en-Brie, some 25 minutes from Paris via train, that runs over two nights in July. Small scale, alternative, fiercely …
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Mainz in photos: architecture, tasty train meals, street scenes and The Monochrome Set, May 2018
Located on the River Rhine, Mainz was founded as a military post by the Romans in the late 1st century BC and is famous as the home of the movable-type printing …
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In photos: A night at the wonderful What’s Cookin’ club in Leytonstone, east London
Last night, I finally made it across to east London to visit the What’s Cookin‘ night held at the Leytonstone Ex-Servicemens Club, and enjoyed a splendid night in a striking venue.
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In photos: Lost Cavalry at the Folkroom music night, Harrison’s Bar, Kings Cross
On Wednesday, I popped along to the splendid Folkroom night at The Harrison bar to see the Lost Cavalry play a short acoustic set.
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In photos: Jazz, jamming, and pricey drinks at Ronnie Scott’s, London
Last week I paid a midweek visit to the esteemed Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in Frith Street, Soho. I went along with a crew of Brixton pals to see a …
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Boomtown 2017: a wander around the chilled out Whistlers Green on the top of the hill
Almost hidden in the woods at the top of the hill, the Whistlers Green area provided a relaxing alternative to the madness below, offering live music, food stalls and over 100 …
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Faces of Boomtown 2017: Seventy photos taken around the festival site
This year’s Boomtown Fair in Winchester, England, was once again a bloody amazing experience, and here’s the first batch of photos from the festival. Hopefully I’ve managed to document some …
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Green Gathering 2017 in Wales: Mixing it up in the wonderful 99% Bar – in photos
Here’s the second of four photo features from this year’s Green Gathering festival, which is set on a verdant hilltop in Chepstow, Wales. This time I’m focusing on my favourite part …
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Green Gathering 2017 in photos: musicians and performers, Chepstow, Wales, August 2017
I was lucky enough to be invited up to this year’s Green Gathering in Wales. Sadly commitments elsewhere meant it was something of a flying visit, but here’s the first …
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Boomtown Fair festival sells out in record time
It’s long been urban75’s favourite festival of the year, and we’re not surprised to see that all 60,000 tickets have sold out this year in record time.
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Boomtown releases first trailer for the 2017 festival
The organisers of the fabulous Boomtown festival have released their first video previewing this year’s festival, described as ‘Chapter 9: ‘Behind the Mask.’
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Photos: In the magical woods of Boomtown Festival 2016
Boomtown has several stages and sound systems in the woods around the festival and they can make magical places to escape to after dark. Here’s some photos taken in the …
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The Wild West at Boomtown: courtroom scenes, gunslingers and hoedowns
Located at the top end of the festival, the Wild West remains one of our favourite city districts, with no shortage of ad hoc street performances, bars and live venues to keep …
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The Park Hotel at Boomtown 2016: bands, beer, pool, Eva Lazarus and ping pong debauchery
The Park Hotel in uptown Mayfair has always been one of urban75’s favourite parts of Boomtown, and this year we spent a fair bit of time checking out its many …
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More faces of Boomtown Fair 2016 – in photos
Here’s our second instalment of photos taken around Boomtown Fair 2016. We’ve got loads more to come, so please check back regularly or visit our Boomtown home page for a …
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Faces of Boomtown Fair 2016 – photos of people at the UK’s greatest festival!
Over four glorious days of August sunshine, Boomtown Fair delivered another wonderful, crazy, fascinating mix of music, art, performance and general mayhem.
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