Hevy is extremely excited to be presenting their biggest event so far this August, featuring two of their favourite upcoming bands supporting Turin Brakes at the Leas Cliff Hall.
Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone Friday 8th August [year]2008[/year] (08/08/08) Doors 7:00pm Tickets 16.50 Box Office 0844 847 1776 hevy.co.uk leascliffhall.org.uk
TURIN BRAKES - Headlining
Turin Brakes last played in Kent back in [year]2003[/year] to a sell-out crowd at the Leas Cliff Hall, but they return this August for a one-off event organised by local promoters Hevy, supported by two of the UK's greatest upcoming bands.
The modern folk-pop duo comprising Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, met at a young age and spent much of their childhood together. With 500,000+ albums sold around the world and a US tour with David Gray, Turin Brakes have proven that they know their way round a robust pop melody. They are known for their elegant, acoustic guitar-driven ballads and spine-tingling vocal harmonies.
Since turning their schooldays friendship in South London into a full-time songwriting partnership, they have barely stopped. Their first batch of songs had quickly resulted in a seven-inch single released in the UK entitled "The Door EP" in [year]1999[/year]. By early [year]2000[/year], they quickly got down to the recording of a series of singles, EPs and "The Optimist LP" (released in May [year]2001[/year]). Their second album, "Ether Song", was a departure from the acoustic sound that had brought them success with their first album. Recorded in Los Angeles, California, it was popular enough to reach number 4 in the United Kingdom album charts upon its release in 2003. The album produced several hit singles, including "Long Distance" and "Pain Killer", their first Top 5 single in the UK. Their third album, "Jackinabox", was released to critical acclaim much like their prior efforts when it was released in early June [year]2005[/year]. The album was supported by the group's first full-band tour of the United States.
Following the success of Jackinabox and its subsequent tour, a download-only album, "Live at the Palladium", recorded in London was released in November of [year]2005[/year]. During the same tour the band also sold the "Red Moon EP". This acoustic EP featured a new version of "Red Moon", two new songs and the Red Hot Chili Peppers cover "Breaking The Girl". The band spent the first half of [year]2006[/year] writing new songs, occasionally performing both new and old work at small gigs across the UK.
In January [year]2007[/year] the band entered a small studio in London to record their 4th album with producer Ethan Johns. After three weeks the band took a break (on January 29th Gale's wife gave birth to a daughter), but the sessions were resumed several weeks later. On the last day of March [year]2007[/year] the band announced that they had finished the recording sessions, and recorded 17 songs. The new album, "Dark on Fire", was released in the UK in September [year]2007[/year]. Recording for the first time with their on-the-road band, the duo has captured the tensile beauty that has always run like a thread of steel through their songs, and set it off like a firework in the sky. The album has still got the duo's trademark lilt, but the deft melodies and dark, pin-sharp lyrics now come spliced to electric guitars, bare wires and a hefty swagger. "It's epic," says the album's producer Ethan Johns, the man responsible for putting the production fire into albums by acts ranging from Kings Of Leon to Ray LaMontagne. "It's a beautiful record with a lot of intent. They're writing about stuff that's important to them - really honest material - and it comes through. I think we have captured some extraordinarily truthful performances." The first single, "Stalker", is typical of the revitalised Turin Brakes approach. A tough, clanging guitar riff underpins a strangely sinister lyric which takes you inside the mind of a person nursing a creepy obsession. "Every single thing you say/I'll record, I'll replay", the pair sing in the chorus, a reminder that we live in an era when surveillance techniques are such that it has never been more tempting to play the role of a stalker. "Being in a band puts you on the fringes of that world," Paridjanian says. "You're seeking attention for your music. But to do that you're almost saying "Please stalk us - but only so far, and then you must stop"." "It's a simple idea, but with a hidden twist," Knights says. "I've always liked doing that. Pain Killer, which was a pretty big hit for us, sounded like a love song, but it was all about Catholic guilt and fellatio and stuff. It's great fun to hear that kind of thing blasting out of mainstream radio." The title track is perhaps the strongest statement on Dark on Fire. The image of setting the dark on fire popped into Knights's head as a visual metaphor for the process of creating music. "It's when you're alone in the dark and there is a point where you can either give up or you can make something spectacular happen. It was a real soul-searching moment. The phrase became a mantra for what this album is about. It's a leap of faith; the idea of truly believing that you have a special purpose in making this music."
Kid iD are an awesome new band from Leeds. Their current line-up of drums, bass, guitar, trumpet, trombone, djembe, percussion, violin, cello and a bucket load of vocals produce an exciting mix of Folk, Funk and Drum & Bass. Winners of the reputable Bright Young Things competition in Easter [year]2006[/year] and headlining the Cockpit at the start of [year]2007[/year], Kid iDs sound soon began working its way around the country, selling out shows from Camden to Glasgow.
Syd Arthur are an underground band from the historic City of Canterbury. Their original sound draws on influences from folk, funk, rock, jazz and world music, as well as the music of the Canterbury Sound. Formed in [year]2005[/year] the band have been honing their live performances and recording new material at their studio in Welling. Well known in their area, Syd Arthur have been spreading the groove at gigs, music festivals and parties; fusing a unique soundscape through their use of electric guitars, violin, bass and drums. Hailed as the "true heirs to the Canterbury sound", their infectious riffs and unique blend of phycadellic funk rock fusion make Syd Arthur one of the most exciting bands Kent has seen for years.
This is part of my site The Folkestone Gerald that I built in a fury of excitement when I first came to Folkestone in approximately '04. I'd been a frequent visitor for a while before that so I am technically one of those Down From Londons you get now. The site was a lot more dynamic with a calendar of events and voting for favourite places and stuff, and I know it was a handy resource for those who were thinking of moving to the area. Now I've moved out of Folkestone again (though only to Hythe) it doesn't get as much attention as it used to. Ironic really as The town is now becoming the exciting place we always thought it was just about to. My name is not Gerald by the way, the name comes from a pretend paper in an episode of The Day Today or something, the Portsmouth Gerald, and how there is a local newspaper here called the Folkestone Herald. Puns like this are great aren't they? Do contact me if you have anything to offer, email anythign @ this domain, or try @folkestone or @pauly on Twitter.