NEWS:

BURY GETS MERRY FOR MUMFORDS MONDAY MAYHEM

This Monday, 4^th June, the streets of Bury St Edmunds will be teeming with life and throbbing with merriment; bunting will hang, flags will fly and old women will weep as inescapable chart-shattering alt-folkies Mumford & Sons make a Royal visit to the town.

The Mumfords will be playing at Bury enormo-venue The Apex ‘pon the Monday evening, but the festivities needn’t start nor finish there.  In the afternoon, Bury’s acoustic mecca the Masons Arms will be hosting a Jubilee knees up from 3pm, with a host of acoustic acts (featuring Simon Lucas-Hughes, Ben Sayer, Marco Cacchioli, Phase 8, Dial V for Victim, David Faitalla, Lewis Mokler, Curtis Cronin and Jack James) putting on a big free gig for your drinking pleasure. 

Tickets for the actual Mumford & Sons gig at the Apex have, of course, sold out, and probably could have done 10 times over.  However, splendid chaps that they doubtless are, the Mumfords have agreed to let the venue screen the event live in Charter Square, like they do at festivals.  So even if you don’t have a ticket, you can head down to the Apex and watch the gig live on big screens outside, although you will have to pay £10 for the privilege.  Which is the loveliest thing I’ve ever heard.  Seriously, I think I might cry big, horrible tears.

Then, later that night, those cheeky sorts at The LP are presenting an unabashedly unofficial Mumford & Sons Aftershow Party, with Norwich fivesome Crumbs For Comfort whipping up some sort of hoedown into the wee small hours. 

SO, to help you plan your day, it goes:

3pm-10pm     Masons Arms Jubilee Party feat. Simon Lucas-Hughes, Ben Sayer, Marco Cacchioli, Phase 8, Dial V for victim, David Faitalla, Lewis Mokler, Curtis Cronin and Jack James (free)

7.30-11pm     Mumford & Sons live at the Apex (gig sold out; live screening outside £10)

9pm-late         Unofficial Mumfords Aftershow Party at The LP feat. Crumbs For Comfort (£2)

And that’s all the weather.

(Don’t forget that Mumford & Sons will also be playing in Great Yarmouth on Tuesday, 5^th June.  There may or may not be any associated events taking place – if there are, no-one’s thought to tell us, most likely because under local bylaws, anyone in Great Yarmouth found to be able to read and/or write is routinely drowned as a witch in the log flume pool.) 

Photo: Mumford & Sons by AOL

NEWS:

BROOM WITH A VIEW

Sudbury-based chanteuse Abbie Broom hits the road today for a run of dates over the Jubilee weekend, which will see her playing two festivals in Cheshire in the same day, in an act of pure greed.

The full tourdates are:

Thursday 31^st May   Bedford Esquires (onstage 9.15pm)
Friday 1^st June        Liverpool Vinyl Bar (onstage 10pm)
Saturday 2^nd June   Audlem Festival, Cheshire (onstage 3pm)
Saturday 2^nd June   GUTC Festival, Cheshire (onstage 8pm)
Sunday 3^rd June      Leestock Festival, Sudbury (onstage 2pm)
Monday 4^th June      Bull Britannia @ Colchester Soundhouse (onstage 3.30pm)

Abbie’s new single, Battlefield, is due for release in June, with proceeds going to Help For Heroes and The Willow Foundation – keep ‘em peeled for the B-Side review.  In the meantime, you can follow Abbie without fear of arrest via her Facebook page.  

NEWS:

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO MOKLER, WE SALUTE YOU

Newmarket-spawned self-propelled singer-songwriting sensation Lewis Mokler will be launching his long-awaited debut album, Fingertips, with his biggest headline gig to date at the Apex in Bury St Edmunds on Friday 22^nd June. 

Clocking in with an epic 15 tracks, Fingertips was produced by Richard Clark (formerly of John Peel favourites The Vaults) at The Shrubbery Recording Studio and features guest appearances from pianist Danielle Scharpf, grime artist Azubuike, guitarist Seymour Quigley (from Ten City Nation/Miss Black America) and drummer Simon Glenister (of nu-folk legends Tunng).

Support at the Apex comes from Adam Moss, Tom Pearce, Nik Lowe and Gary Hellman.  You can get your hands on advance tickets (a measly £4) from The Apex and you can keep up with Lewis’ many movements over at www.lewismokler.co.uk  

Photo by Chris Stockings

News:

BURY BUSK HITS THE STREETS

Annual charity sing-a-thon Bury Busk hits the streets of Bury St Edmunds today (Saturday 26^th May), with a host of troubadours/troubadesses busking at various locations throughout the city.

So for precisely zero pounds, you can see Jon Hart, Ben Sayer, Dial V For Victim, Lewis Mokler, Nik Lowe, Minus Absolution, Ellie Jamison, Simon Lucas-Hughes, Abbie Broom, Shannon Cole and Adam Moss.  If you’re feeling generous, all donations will be donated to the Multiple Sclerosis Society. 

For announcements and updates, head over to www.facebook.com/burybusk

COMPETITION:

WIN! TICKETS FOR PLAYFEST CURTAIN RAISER THIS THURSDAY

This Thursday, 24^th May, the LP in Bury St Edmunds will host a Curtain Raiser for newly-legendary Norfolk weekender Playfest.  The line-up will feature four of the East Anglian bands playing this year’s festival, singled out by the organisers as being of particular excitement: Peterborough’s Whisky Jax (recently signed to V2 Records) and Norwich hotties/B-Side favourites Deers, while Cambridge is represented by both Model Staggs and the outstandingly-monickered Ill Murray. 

It’s £5 to get in on the night, but we’ve got two pairs of tickets to give away absolutely free.

To get in there and WIN, simply answer the following question:

Which of the following is NOT a real band name?

a)    Whisky Jax
b)    Basement Jaxx
c)    Dial N For Nutsaxxx

E-mail your answer to b-side@toonteenrecords.co.uk with the subject heading “Sweet Venkman”.

There’ll also be goodies galore being raffled off on the night, including free tickets for Playfest itself, which takes place over the weekend of 1^st-3^rd June and features headline sets from Ash and Feeder.  For more details, head over to www.playfest.co.uk

Entrants must be 16 or over.  Closing date for entries is 6pm on Wednesday, 23^rd May 2012.  Winners will be notified by e-mail.  The editor’s decision is final and he once reduced a young boy’s parents to smouldering rubble simply by hiding a lump of concentrated evil in their toaster.  Although in retrospect, that may actually be the end of Time Bandits and I may just be confused. 

Photo: Whisky Jax