The Specials Tour Interview

The Specials


The Specials are back and here is an interview with Lynval Golding, Horace Panter and Roddy Byers from the Coventry Telegraph by2-Tone fan Pete Chambers. Tickets for The Specials UK Tour are on sale now and here is the interview talking about the upcoming reunion tour.

How does it feel to be a Special again?

LYNVAL: "It's been a really slow process, but we were intent on celebrating something we created 30 years ago. So we are finally here, and to get up there on stage again to play to the fans is going to be a real celebration. I have to stop and pinch myself, it's simply a lovely dream that I don't want to wake up from".

RODDY: "I hope it's less painful this time!"

Horace: "I think physically it will be more painful – I'm not 25 any more! Seriously, I think it's going to be a lot easier".

The Specials @ Bestival Festival in September

At Bestival (a festival the six of them played in the Isle of Wight in September) we basically got the first album, I presume the set-list this time will include the second album and Ghost Town?

HORACE: "For our dance hall shows in April/May we will be playing for 90 minutes, twice as long as we did on the Isle of Wight, so there's room for second album stuff and beyond".

When next year's tour was announced it all went mad, even I was surprised of the emotion people still had for The Specials, how was it for you?

HORACE: "It hasn't really sunk in yet".

Do you think we will see the stage invasions of 1979/80. Indeed has The Specials ethos changed in 30 years?

HORACE : "Thirty years ago I was always concerned that someone would get badly hurt during the stage invasions but the health and safety aspect of rock'n'roll shows has changed dramatically over the past 25 years. Whether our attitude has, remains to be seen".

Will you, as The Telegraph reported last week, be playing in Coventry?

STEVE BLACKWELL (Specials manager) : The answer to that is a great big YES. There is no big secret about it, the reason there is no news on the date as yet, is that it must be planned properly.

"The band are still working on plans for Coventry and no decision as to where or when have yet been made". I can assure everyone that the band want this to be a very Special gig for the people of Coventry!

Tour News and Views:

* The last time The Specials played in Coventry was at the Butts Stadium on Saturday June 20 1981, for the Rock Against Racism concert.

* A large percentage of latter-day Specials fans, are far too young to have ever seen them play. This is something the band are happy to rectify.

* The 'Where's the Coventry date' scenario, is nothing new. The Specials' first tour back in 1979 didn't include a Coventry date when originally announced either. That was also rectified before the tour was out.

* The tickets for the tour on sale priced at £32.50 in advance, except London £35. 24-hour Hotline: 0871 2200 260 / Online: www.gigsandtours.com

http://www.theenemy.eu/ - for the latest news on The Enemy

Tom Clarke: Why The Specials Still Matter

The Specials feature on the May cover of MOJO magazine and within the excellent article is an interview with The Enemy frontman, Tom Clarke. Here he talks about the lyrics and influence of The Specials:

"The Specials' lyrics were written in times of recession and disarray, when there wasn't much positive to speak about, so to realise that those lyrics are still relevant today is obviously quite sad. I didn't realise it, until it was pointed out to me, that the title track of our album, We'll Live And Die In These Towns, which is about the whole essence of a city that's full of culture but people just don't take notice of it - that it's a dead town - that it was clearly the same city that The Specials wrote about in Ghost Town. We also wrote a song, This Song Is About You, after a conversation with an old school friend who said all of our old school friends have got kids, which I couldn't believe, at our age, which is Too Much Too Young, isn't it?

It's clear how much society has changed since 20, 30 years ago, but with massively key elements that have stayed exactly the same. There's still fighting on the dancefloor, there's still young girls having babies and being forced to be a mother at an age before they've had a life. The Specials were ahead of their time in seeing how society was heading, and one of the first bands to comment on it in a blunt and straight forward way.

Besides Ghost Town, the other song that epitomises The Specials is Too Much Too Young. It's the no-nonsense lyrics and the energy. They were amazing, incredibly tight band. Listen to the drum fill at the start of that song. There's not even been any music played yet, it's just two drums being hit, but it's already a fucking surge of energy. You can see how much it got audiences jumping up and down in anticipation. The Specials used music as a form of escapism, but the music still sounds like a party. Not many bands combine that contrast. If you don't entwine your lyrics in riddles and metaphors, lots of people can relate to that straight away. That's what set a band like The Specials apart then, and still does today."

*The Full 11 page feature on Coventry band The Specials can be in the May issue of MOJO magazine.

visit: www.theenemy.eu - for the latest news on The Enemy

The Specials Are "Rehearsing Together"

The Specials

Neville Staple has revealed that the Specials have been back in the studio together rehearsing and may do a UK tour later this year. This backs up the story last week (as reported HERE), where Terry Hall said the Specials could do a "dignified" return, if they "were good enough".

NME and Music Week reported the story and Neville Staples is quoted as saying:

"A couple of months ago we (all) started talking, We had to talk first to see if we could get on, but we got past the talking stage. Then we said, 'Okay, let’s see what we're like in a room together rehearsing with instruments'."

Following early talks Staple said singer Terry Hall met up with the band and they held two rehearsals.

"We're just seeing how it goes," Staple told Music Week. "If it gels, it gels. If it doesn’t, you don't wanna go out there as some old geriatrics – not me. What we've got to do is make sure the music at least is right.

"So if it works, we'll do it. If not, well. I'm sorry lads and girls. But we're trying."

Neville Staple was back on stage this weekend performing a string of Specials classics in front of an 8,000 crowd at The Enemy gig in their hometown of Coventry. The band may be older but the sound is just as good now as it was back in the hey day of SKA music.


The Specials were last in the charts in 2001 when an expanded, remastered version of their self-titled 1979 debut album reached #22, The Specials album debuted at number 28 this week on sales of 6,271 copies of their CD/DVD combo package "The Best Of The Specials". The Enemy are also inside the Top 30 with their debut album, "We'll Live And Die In These Towns", which has already sold over 300,000 copies since it's release last July. This is possibly one of the only times Coventry have had two bands inside the Top 30 album chart on the same week!

Watch Neville Staples and the band performing at The Enemy gig: HERE




visit: www.theenemy.eu - all the latest news on The Enemy.

The Specials Bring Carnival To Coventry

The Specials returned to Coventry and turned the Ricoh Arena into one big carnival as 8,000 partied the night away to the sounds of SKA. An army of pork pie hats and two tone clothing bounced up and down to every tune belted out by The Specials in what has been described as 'one of the best gigs ever' by those who attended this historic homecoming by Coventry's most famous band.

Thirty years ago many in the audience would have been among those who would have been part of stage invasions or sporting a skin head haircut, but time had changed their appearance - the hair was now gone but not by choice! This time around the crowds were respectful and no invasions were needed, chants of 'rude boy' ecohed around the Jaguar Hall after each song as a carnival atmosphere filled the venue. Outside the rain poured down in Coventry and many inside may have been victims of the economic downturn but tonight everyone was able to forget their problems and indulge in teenage memories with The Specials taking centre stage.

The Specials delivered a memorable gig, proving Terry Hall and co had lost none of their magic even after decades apart. Lynval Golding told the adoring crowds, "It's good to be back home in Coventry", to which he received rapturous cheers. Coventry was glad their hero's had returned home - after all this was the city of two-tone, rich in cultural and musical history. Classic songs such as 'Blank Expression', 'Friday Night, Saturday Morning' and 'Doesn't Make It Alright' had everyone joining in - both dancing and singing in a carnival atmosphere. The Ripps provided apt support with a blend of SKA infused, socially aware music.

Check the videos from The Specials Coventry Ricoh gig below:

The Specials - Doesn't Make It Alright (Coventry Ricoh)

The Specials - Too Much Too Young / Skinhead Moonstomp (Coventry Ricoh)

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VIDEOS: The Specials @ Glastonbury 2009

Here are the collection of videos with The Specials at Glastonbury, recorded while I was in the thick of the crowds at the Pyramid stage. While the sound quality might not be perfect, they capture the feelings pretty well and made my Glastonbury Festival complete.


The Specials - A Message To You Rudy - Glastonbury 2009


The Specials - Blank Expression @ Glastonbury 2009


The Specials - Monkey Man @ Glastonbury 2009


The Specials - Doesn't Make It Alright @ Glastonbury 2009


The Specials - Hey Little Rich Girl - Glastonbury 2009


The Specials - It's Up to You - Glastonbury 2009



* view more pictures of The Specials from the Glastonbury 2009 Flickr set
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The Specials Bestival Videos

Coventry band The Specials at Bestival Festival on Saturday

*pic - PA Photos

The Specials are back and as these videos show, they have not lost any of their magic after a 27 year gap from performing together. As reported here The Specials performed a surprise set at the Isle of Wight's Bestival Festival at the weekend.

Fans were on hand to record the Coventry SKA band in action and the videos below were recorded by mike 1970c - available to view on YouTube:


The Specials @ Bestival - Too Much Too Young


The Specials @ Bestival - Rat Race


The Specials @ Bestival - Nite Club


The Specials @ Bestival - Do The Dog


The Specials @ Bestival - Dawning Of A New Era

visit: www.theenemy.eu for the latest news on The Enemy

Jerry Dammers - The Specials Reunion?

Jerry Dammers, the man behind The Specials success thirty years ago, is back in the news today as one of the performers at the Love Music Hate Racism event on May 30 at Stoke's Britannia Stadium.

He will be joined by some "very special guests", which is leading some to believe that the long awaited reunion with Jerry and the rest of The Specials could happen. Both Dammers and The Specials have long been campaigners for equality and spoken out against racism, having performed together at Coventry's Butts College at a similar event three decades prior.

The Specials and Dammers had been unable to agree about the way The Specials would return to celebrate thirty years of Two Tone SKA music, eventually leading to Jerry Dammers missing from the line-up during the tour which is currently taking place. Yet, Jerry and The Specials have both left the door open with the hope of being able to perform together on stage once again.

The Love Music Hate Racism would be the perfect opportunity for the whole band to reunite under the umbrella of racial harmony. Could the 'very special guests' appearing on stage with Dammers be the original Specials? Watch this space for more updates....................

The Specials Interview

The Specials: Lynval Golding, Terry Hall and John Bradbury

*Picture: Martin Godwin *Source: Guardian

The Specials are in a buoyant mood ahead of their 30th Anniversary Tour as

Alexis Petridis from The Guardian found out when he met up with Terry Hall, guitarist Lynval Golding and drummer John Bradbury and interviewed them about life in The Specials back then and since reforming last year.

John Bradbury summed up his feelings by saying, "I've never had so much fun as I've been having since the Specials reformed." A feeling backed up by Terry Hall, "We haven't changed that much, we still take the piss out of each other." Lynval Golding said "Being in the Specials is wonderful." Adding further proof the lads are enjoying time together ahead of their sell-out tour, which starts on April 22nd in Newcastle.

The Guardian interview discusses the demise of The Specials back in 1981 at the Top of the Pops dressing room and their relationship with Jerry Dammers but John Bradbury remained upbeat saying;

"I've got to admit, this time around I feel a lot more at ease with the other people in the band, but I thought the first time around was absolutely brilliant, needless to say, a lot of people look for the downside more than the fun side, in terms of journalism. A lot of the good side never got discussed."

To read the full interview: The Guardian

The Specials To Reform

The Specials are to reform officially for some gigs at the end of the year, according to former front man Terry Hall, speaking to the BBC. It was almost 30 years ago the Coventry band made SKA music big in the UK with hits like "A Message To You Rudy" and "Ghost Town". Even though the Specials have transformed over the years, it would be the first time they have reformed with Terry Hall. Many reunion stories have circulated over the years, now the reality has been confirmed by Terry Hall, who said:

"Well we're still trying to put dates together, but hopefully
September/ October time. We need to spend the Summer rehearsing... I think
it's taken me 30 years to realise we could do it really well."

Terry Hall and Lynval Golding made surprise appearances at last year's Glastonbury Festival. The pair appeared onstage with Lily Allen to perform "Gangsters", and later on a different stage, with Damon Albarn on piano and a beat boxer, performing "A Message To You, Rudy". Neville Staple had appeared onstage in Coventry a few months prior, with the up and coming Coventarian band, The Enemy.

*EMI have released a CD/DVD featuring most of the Specials tracks today, entitled "Best of the Specials" and is available for just £8.99 from HMV online.

* For a detailed look at the history of the Specials visit: www.thespecials.com

Updates on The Enemy @ www.theenemy.eu

The Specials Perform at Bestival Festival

Terry Hall and Lynval Golding on stage with The Specials

*pic by: simonse15's

The Specials were surprise performers at this years Bestival Festival in the Isle of Wight during the weekend. The Coventry SKA band put on a lively set. According to The Times, "the organisers excelled themselves with Jones and a reconstituted lineup of ska-pop veterans the Specials. Newly reunited with singer Terry Hall, the band played a bouncy and rapturously received greatest hits set. "

Lynval's daughter wrote, "They went down a storm, in the rain to a sea of multicoloured umbrellas bouncing up and down to songs including 'Message to you' 'Gangsters' and 'Nightclub'Lynval introduced A Message to you with a strong message about when he was stabbed 25 yrs ago, '...I will never pick up a knife' said Lynval.

As reported here on robmacca's entertainment news in June, The Specials are back together and hoping to go on tour. But it looks like we are going to have to wait until 2009 for a full tour, according to Lynval Golding. The Specials recently won a Mojo Award and appeared on stage for the first time together after more than 20 years.

Neville Staple

*pic by: simonse15's

*visit: www.theenemy.eu - for the latest news on The Enemy

Amy Winehouse Joins The Specials At V Festival

Amy Winehouse made her UK stage comeback with The Specials at V Festival with an appearance that NME.COM described as the 'most energetic performance of the day'.

The surprise appearance of Amy Winehouse during 'You're Wondering Now' was greeted with cheers from the massive V Festival crowd. She looked well and waved happily at the crowd as she made her live comeback in the UK.



Amy stayed on stage for the final track 'Ghost Town', before encouraging the crowd to clap The Specials offstage in a performance that went down a storm with the festival crowd. Both The Specials and Amy Winehouse will be a memorable highlight from the festival weekend.

The Specials played:

'Do The Dog'
'Too Much Too Young'
'It's Up To You'
'Gangsters'
'Rat Race'
'Monkey Man'
'Blank Expression'
'Doesn't Make It Alright'
'Concrete Jungle'
'Stereotypes'
'Man At C&A'
'A Message To You Rudy'
'Do Nothing'
'Little Bitch'
'Nite Club'
'You're Wondering Now' - feat. Amy Winehouse
'Ghost Town'- feat. Amy Winehouse

*Visit NME.COM for all the news on the V Festival.


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The Specials: Tour - Latest Updates

*The dates for the upcoming tour have been announced, see the topic: Click>>>>>

The Specials are back, as reported here back in March, and things have been progressing towards a nationwide tour at the end of the year.

Although Terry Hall has been struggling to remember the lyrics from over 25 years ago, he is looking forward to getting back on the road with his former band mates. The Specials have turned down big sums of money to play in big arenas in favour of theatre-sized venues. Speaking about the tour, Terry Hall said: "That's the kind of venue where we started. I don't like arena dates, at all. They're just soulless."

Although it looked impossible that The Specials would ever reform, Terry confessed: "I really wasn't up for it at first," he says. "But when we got in the rehearsal room and started playing together again it felt really good. Odd, but really good. Now we can't wait to get back on the road again. We just want to play all our favourite Specials songs again."

"It has taken us three years to get it together enough for all seven of us to be in the same rehearsal room," he laughs. Now the Coventry SKA band are almost ready to bring their two tone tunes back to the British public at a time when the nation seems to be heading for a recession and a new generation discovers life in a Ghost Town.

visit: www.theenemy.eu - for the latest news on The Enemy

The Specials To Play Glastonbury?

The Specials have been heavily rumoured to be one of the bands who will be performing at this year's Glastonbury Festival, according to NME.COM. As news that the 2009 festival has now sold out, Coventry SKA legends The Specials were one of the four headline acts tipped to perform.

The recently reformed band could be headlining Glastonbury with another iconic band - Blur, who also reformed this year. Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young are the other two big acts expected to be announced nearer to the June festival.


Meanwhile The Specials Neville Staple will be joining SKA 'super group' Special Beat for a tour of Australia in April, just before embarking on The Specials UK tour. He will be joining Pauline Black from Selector and ‘Ranking’ Roger from The Beat for the five date tour.

The Australian Tour Dates:

April 12, Brisbane, The Step Inn

April 13, Byron Bay, East Coast Blues and Roots Festival

April 16, Sydney, The Forum

April 17, Melbourne, Prince Of Wales

April 18, Perth, West Coast Blues and Roots Festival

www.theenemy.eu - for the latest news on The Enemy

The Enemy: Guardian Interview

The Enemy have been as busy as ever recently as they promoted their single "You're Not Alone" and Iain Aitch from The Guardian newspaper interviewed Tom Clarke, Andy Hopkins and Liam Watts.

'We are not politicians, we are a band," says Tom
Clarke, the singer-guitarist with The Enemy, denying
any position as a spokesman for disaffected teens. "I don't want to be a
part of pointless politics. So many of the problems in England could be easily
resolved. All these blokes in suits with their degrees and God knows what, but
they can't see simple solutions.
"It's like Asbos - that is the
most useless bit of legislation. It is not solving a problem, it is just
labelling someone."

Though Clarke doesn't see himself as a spokesman, his band has a taste for
uncomfortable social issues, which has prompted comparisons to the likes of The Jam and The Specials (a Coventry band,
like The Enemy).
The Enemy's No 1 debut album, We'll
Live and Die in These Towns, deals with unemployment, Friday-night brawls
and social exclusion. Clarke also says that "one of the first songs we wrote
was It's Not Okay, which was the week that Peugeot closed two factories in
Coventry. That is a society thing. What you see at the end of the day is a table
with your mates sitting around it who have got no money because they have no
jobs."

Clarke is talking to me just after the Enemy have played a gig for
inmates at the chapel of Pentonville prison in north London, in support of the Wasted Youth campaign, which raises awareness of the high
suicide rate among young British men. This is a particular problem in prisons
(67 inmates took their lives last year; 59 had already done so this year by the
time the Enemy came to Pentonville).

"The statistics are shocking," says Clarke. "For every
person who dies from taking an E, there are 88 young men who commit suicide, and
suicide is at its highest in prison."
"You can't really appreciate what it's
like until you've been in the cells," says the Enemy's drummer, Liam Watts, who has taken a tour of the prison, which included
being banged up, albeit briefly, with a burly, shaven-headed man - the band's
manager. "That was dead weird," he says.

So how did The Enemy get to the point where they are
considered suitably big names to play awareness-raising gigs for charities (even
if Dirty Pretty Things are headlining)? After all, all three members are still
only 19.

"I think we expected success," says Clarke, who speaks from
the heart rather than from a manifesto. He's like an off-message Billy Bragg or
a Paul Weller less pernickety about his clothes.

"There are a lot of ways of going about success. You can start
wearing trendy clothes and getting yourself in magazines or things like that,
which I would never do. Or you can just go and gig your arse off, which is the
old-fashioned way of doing it. We have pretty much been on tour since October 26
last year. You can prove your worth on the tour circuit."

The tour circuit, this year alone, has taken The Enemy
from the toilet venues, via the summer festivals, to supporting the Rolling Stones the night before they visit Pentonville. The
band have grown in profile to the point where they will be headlining the
5,000-capacity Brixton Academy next month.

Today's gig at Pentonville, however, is rather different. Security is
understandably tight; guests have to present their passports as ID, and mobile
phones are confiscated. As we pass through a series of sliding doors, Clarke
jokes that the security is nearly as extreme as it was backstage at the previous
night's Rolling Stones show.

Walking into the high-ceilinged chapel, we are greeted by rows of
seated prisoners, with prison officers strategically placed around the room.
Media and guests aside, the audience numbers around 100, favouring a mix of
green-and-yellow overalls, prison-issue shirts and box-white Reeboks over skinny
jeans and Converse. A good 40% of the audience is black, and most of the white
inmates sport a number-one crop.

After a brief introduction from the prison's governor, Nick
Leader, The Enemy begin their set with 40 Days and 40
Nights, to a muted response. Given that most of the audience were inside
before the band was formed, it's hardly surprising they don't know the words.
But by halfway through the second chorus, heads are bobbing and feet are
tapping, and at the end of the hit single Away from Here, there are
whoops, yells and applause.
That song was written on the shop floor of the Co-op where Clarke worked as a TV salesman, and its wantaway
sentiments strike a chord. By the end of a breakneck rendition of Had
Enough, the inmates are on their feet.

Backstage, the band are all smiles while Dirty Pretty
Things set up their equipment. "That was easily one of the most
rewarding gigs we have done," says Clarke.
Later, as the band sit and
talk about music, it's not surprising to hear the names that get referenced.

"I discovered the Jam and the Clash through my mum listening to the
same tape over and over when driving me to school," says bassist Andy Hopkins (another former TV salesman). "I have the tape
in my car now. It has The Specials on it, which I didn't
realise I was listening to at the time."


Clarke reckons a key moment for him was finding a box of his parents'
old vinyl in the loft, among which nestled a copy of Led Zeppelin II. There was
something else up there, as well. "I found this old thing that looked like a
big tape player," he says. "I plugged some speakers in and turned it
on. The reel-to-reel tape on there was Sgt Pepper's."

That link to the music of the band's parents' generation means a fair
few forty somethings can be seen standing and nodding at the back of The
Enemy's gigs, including some rather unlikely fans.
"We turned
up to an HMV signing ,and we walked in and the manager goes, 'There's a
policeman in the dressing room waiting to see you,'" says Clarke.

"I thought, 'What the fuck have we done?' So we walk in and
there is this copper there and he takes his hat off and says: 'I was at the
Leicester gig last night, I was crowd surfing.'"
"He's got a few lads at
work wearing the Enemy badges," adds Hopkins. "They're wearing them
underneath their police badges."

In the event that The Enemy find themselves back in
Pentonville for all the wrong reasons, at least they'll have a
get-out-of-jail-free card.

The Enemy's single You're Not Alone is out now. For more on Wasted Youth, see wastedyouthlive.co.uk . Interview from The Guardian.

robmacca random stuff

The Specials to Reform?

Coventry Two Tone group, The Specials could well be back with something new in the days to come. Although it's not certain, Terry Hall has spoken on BBC 6 Music saying:

"People keep offering us money all the time, and you try and be polite but you have to say no matter how much money you've got that won't make us do it. We'll only do something if we feel its right. I mean this is the closest we've been in 25 years to maybe doing something but maybe not what's expected - I don't know."

The band put Coventry on the map when they scored a #1 hit with "Ghost Town" and helped influence such groups like Blur and The Ordinary Boys. From The Specials we also had the Fun Boy Three and the Special AKA, so lets wait and see if a Specials revival happens this time around.

For those who want to see a selection of excellent pictures of The Specials performing, then visit:
http://www.newwavephotos.com/Specials.htm

*Picture in this post is from the website mentioned above.

PICTURES: The Specials @ Glastonbury 2009

Here are the pictures of The Specials from Glastonbury 2009, taken while I was in the crowds enjoying their memorable performance on the Pyramid Stage. The Specials were the one band I really wanted to see at Glastonbury Festival and so getting as far front as I could meant I could enjoy it even more. I took a few videos and pictures yet still wanted to make sure I sung along and danced without spoiling it for anyone.

The Specials played:

'Do The Dog'
'Gangsters'
'It's Up To You'
'Rat Race'
'Monkey Man'
'Blank Expression'
'Too Hot'
'Doesn't Make It Alright'
'Concrete Jungle'
'Friday Night Saturday Morning'
'Man At C&A'
'A Message To You Rudy'
'Do Nothing'
'Hey Little Rich Girl'
'Nite Klub'
'Little Bitch'
'Too Much Too Young'
'You're Wondering Now'
'Ghost Town'

Watch some videos of The Specials: HERE

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Glastonbury 2009: Full Festival Line-Up

The full Glastonbury 2009 line-up has finally been revealed and The Specials and Blur are two reformed acts that will make up part of the lineup. With Lily Allan, Maximo Park, The Ting Tings, Rolf Harris, Kasabian, Dizzee Rascal,Florence And The Machine and Tom Jones being just a few names from the vast list.

The full Glastonbury line-up is:

THURSDAY JUNE 25

Queen's Head Stage:

Metronomy
Kap Bambino
Ebony Bones
Golden Silvers
Alessi's Ark
Liz Green
The Gentle Good
Charlene Soraia
Stornoway
We Have Band
Maximo Park

FRIDAY JUNE 26

Pyramid Stage:

Neil Young
The Specials
Lily Allen
Fleet Foxes
Special Guests
Regina Spektor
Gabrielle Cilmi
Bjorn Again

Other Stage:

Bloc Party
The Ting Tings
Lady GaGa
Friendly Fires
White Lies
The View
The Maccabees
The Rakes
The Whip
Mr Hudson

John Peel Stage:

Doves
Jamie T
Jack Penate
Little Boots
Metronomy
VV Brown
The Virgins
Fucked Up
Rumble Strips
Dan Black
General Fiasco

Jazz/World Stage:

Q Tip
The Streets
Steel Pulse
Lamb
Hot 8 Brass Band
Stephanie Mckay
Speed Caravan
The Perceptions
Rolf Harris
Warsaw Village Band

Acoustic Stage:

Ray Davies
Fairport Convention
Jason Mraz
Scott Matthews
No Crows
Hugh Cornwall
Ben Taylor
Sean Taylor
Alyssa Bonagura
John Smith

The Park Stage

Animal Collective
The Horrors
Noah And The Whale
Special Guests
Emiliana Torrini
Special Guests
James Hunter
Golden Silvers
Bishi
Lay Low

Queen's Head Stage:

Jason Mraz
The Big Pink
The Rakes
Rumble Strips
The Virgins
Dan Le Sac Vs Scoobius Pip
Tommy Sparks
The Low Anthem
Team Waterpolo
Hope And Social
Dead Like Harry
Yr Ods
City Stereo
The Mojo Fins
Maura Kincaid
The Slips
Sub Universe
Smash n' Grab

East Dance

David Guetta
Layo and Bushwacka!
Easy Star Allstars
Iration Steppas ft Mark Iration
Dreadzone
Tom Middleton
The Egg
Paul Woolford
Pama International

West Dance

Erol Alkan
Crookers
The Whip
Annie Mac
Skream And Benga
Whomadewho
Joe Goddard (Hot Chip)
DeepGroove
Nathan Detroit

Avalon Stage:

The Blockheads
British Sea Power
Michael McGoldrick, Iain Fletcher and Andy Dinan
The Puppini Sisters
3 Daft Monkeys
Baskery
The Mandibles

The Glade:

Tom Real
Beardyman with The Bays
James Monro
Banco de Gaia
Pathaan
Outmode
Mum Suleiman
Clive Craske

SATURDAY JUNE 27

Pyramid Stage:

Bruce Springsteen
Kasabian
Crosby, Stills & Nash
Dizzee Rascal
Spinal Tap
Eagles Of Death Metal
Tinariwen
VV Brown

Other Stage:

Franz Ferdinand
Pendulum
Maximo Park
Paolo Nutini
Peter Doherty
The Script
Jason Mraz
Metric
Peter, Bjorn and John
Broken Family Band

John Peel Stage:

Jarvis Cocker
White Lies
White Lies
Florence And The Machine
Passion Pit
Gaslight Anthem
Hockey
The Temper Trap
Esser
The Big Pink
Baddies
The Nightingales

Jazz/World Stage:

Playing For Change
Baaba Maal
Lonnie Liston Smith
Jamie Cullum
Rokia Traore
Erik Truffaz

Acoustic Stage:

Kilfenorca Ceili Band
Tindersticks
Newton Faulkner
Lisa Hannigan
Gary Louris and Mark Olson
Lunasa
Bap Kennedy
Hope And Social
Stornoway
Cora Smyth Band

The Park Stage:

Bon Iver
M Ward
Special Guests
Shlomo and Guests
Horace Andy
Easy Star Allstars
The Memory Band
Bombay Bicycle Club
The Low Anthem
First Aid Kit

Queen's Head Stage:

Guilty Pleasures
Dan Black
The King Blues
The Shortwave Set
Special Guest
The Wombats
Official Secrets Act
Noah And The Whale
Emmy The Great
Broken Records
Special Guest
Peggy Sue and the Pirates
Marina and the Diamonds
Theoretical Girl
Blue Roses
The Glitterati

East Dance:

2ManyDJs
Deadmau5
Pete Tong
La Roux
Wiley
Tinchy Stryder
Eric Prydz
Heartbreak
We Have Band

West Dance:

Josh Wink
Yoda
DJ Food
Qemists
Timo Maas
Japanese Popstars
Hudson Mohawke
NAPT
Emperors Machine
Jam The Channel

Avalon Stage:

The Wonder Stuff
Edward II
Eliza Carthy
Badly Drawn Boy
Solas
The King Blues
The Lancashire Hotpots
Wheeler Street
The Martin Harley Band

The Glade:

Stereo MCs
Stanton Warriors
DJ Fresh
Dub Pistols
Don Letts
Dr Meaker
Tayo
Rusko
Sancho Panza
Nairobi
Jinx

SUNDAY JUNE 28

Pyramid Stage:

Blur
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
Madness
Tom Jones
Amadou Et Mariam
Tony Christie
Status Quo
Easy Star AllStars

Other Stage:

Prodigy
Glasvegas
Bon Iver
Bat For Lashes
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Enter Shikari
Brand New
Art Brut
Boxer Rebellion
In Case Of Fire

John Peet Stage:

Echo And The Bunnymen
The Wombats
Noisettes
Ladyhawke
The Soft Pack
Just Jack
Emmy The Great
Twisted Wheel
We Have Band
Wave Machines
Good Books

Jazz/World Stage:

Black Eyed Peas
Manu Dibango
Roots Manuva
Khaled
Orquesta Aragon
Linda Lewis
Abdullah Chhadeh And Syriana

Acoustic Stage:

Georgie Fame
Roger McGuinn
Sharon Corr
London Community Gospel Choir
Beth Rowley
Imelda May
Penguin Café Orchestra
Kate Walsh
Martin Harley Band
Lucy Wainwright Roche

The Park Stage:

Seun Kuti and Fela's Egypt 80
Cold War Kids
Tunng and Tinariwen
Alela Diane
Terry Reid
The Rockingbirds
Alberta Cross
Chief
Micachu and the Shapes
Bristol Community Choir

Queen's Head Stage:

Robyn Hitchcock
The Aliens
Magic Numbers
Bombay Bicycle Club
Joe Gideon And The Shark
Vagabond
Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong
Fight Like Apes
The Capitol Years
Soft Toy Emergency
Priscilla Ahn
Jersey Budd
Two Door Cinema Club
Major Major

East Dance:

Calvin Harris
Mr Scruff
VV Brown
Rob Da Bank
Frankmusik
Wonky Pop DJs
Kissy Sellout
Wonky Pop DJs
Ou Est
Chris Coco

West Dance:

Peaches
Jodie Harsh
Beat Torrent
Freq Nasty
Dirty Vegas
Quiver
Filthy Dukes
Don Diablo
Goldfish
Stuart Wilkinson
Transformer

Avalon Stage:

Peatbog Fairies
Seth Lakeman
Dodgy
Will Young
Teddy Thompson
The Mummers
The Destroyers
6 Day Riot
Stornoway

The Glade:

Gong Sunday
Steve Hillage Band
Eatstatic
Richard 'Kid' Strange and the Party
Second Class Citizen
Back to the Planet
3 Daft Monkeys
Hybrid Cinematic Set
Breakfast with Howard Marks

MONDAY JUNE 29

Queen's Head Stage:

Motown 50th Birthday


*EXTRA BLOG - more from the world of robmacca

The Specials To Perform At Oxegen Festival

The Specials have been confirmed for another summer festival, this time the reformed Coventry SKA band will be heading over to Ireland on July 10 - 12 for this years Oxegen Festival at Punchestown Racecourse. As reported earlier The Specials will also be performing at the V Festival in August.

Tickets for Oxegen go on sale March 6 at 8am and will include a new stage, full details can be found on the official website: www.oxegen.ie/2009/ The price has been frozen at 2008 prices, costing 224.50 Euro (incl. booking fee) for 3 day including camping ticket.

The confirmed Oxegen line up so far:

Bloc Party
Blur
The Killers
Lily Allen
The Specials
Keane
Paolo Nutini
Digitalism
The Mars Volta
Wallis Bird
Swedish House Mafia
Miss Kittin and The hacker
Crookers
Hockey
Elbow
Fight Like Apes
Katy Perry
Kings of Leon
Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
Pendulum
Pete Doherty
Razorlight
Snow Patrol
The Script
The Ting Tings
White Lies
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Squeeze
Manic Street Preachers
Foals
Lady GaGa
TV On The Radio
The Game
Florence And The Machine
Of Montreal
Friendly Fires
Squeeze
Crookers
Jason Mraz

Coventry Night Club Launches New Live Music Event

At a time when many venues have either closed down or stopped playing live music in Coventry, one night club is bucking the trend as it launches a brand new live music event. S7VEN will be hosting 'Friday Night Live' on Friday 10th August 2012 in a bid to showcase local bands and keep live music alive in the city centre.

Coventry musician Daniel Connolly is spearheading the event and I caught up with him to ask him why S7VEN were launching 'Friday Night Live'. It was clear his passion for live music is real as he said, "We're launching the night to try and get the point across that live music isn't as dead as people say and that a venue like S7VEN is extremely diverse. Going from, house nights, to garage and to now indie!" 

Daniel wants to see not only local bands perform, he has plans for UK acts to come to Coventry's 'Friday Night Live' over the coming months, "people can expect not only the best local acts but the best acts from all over the UK. Big things are going to happen with this new night and S7VEN will be put on the map for being a diverse, energetic and warming venue." 
The music scene in Coventry will welcome this new venture and as a young musician himself, Daniel was keen to say why music is so important to him, "music is my life, I love writing and playing music. Being in a band myself I know how hard it is for the local live music scene, but we are going to make this happen, and people will know about us here at Friday Night Live - S7VEN."

The Old Fire Station in Hale Street has been transformed in recent years from the disused fire station to the swanky S7VEN night club, it was put on the map when Coventry chart toppers The Enemy recorded their 'Gimme The Sign' video back in February 2012. The band have been zealous in promoting new unsigned bands and Daniel wants to follow in those footsteps, "with hosting The Enemy and Pint Shot Riot and other acts like Reverend and the Makers, S7VEN have a lot to offer. We will be giving local bands the opportunity to support big names and offering them a fresh new venue to perform in."

The launch night has a great line up, featuring the cream of local talent. Daniel is hoping to continue Friday Night Live as a regular live music slot in Coventry, giving young people a chance to perform and get the party weekend off to a flying start. He said, "Friday Night live is hopefully going to take off after the launch night, we will be announcing some big names towards the end of 2012,start of 2013. Things are going to look up - it's going to be all about Club S7VEN more than it is at the moment!"

Coventry band The Fallows will take to the stage as they continue their successful year, having been BBC Coventry and Warwickshire's 'Band of the Month' and were booked for the main stage at Godiva Festival (the weather meant a venue change with  some cracking pictures by Redwood Photography). Like the venue, The Fallows are quality with a rich sound that music lovers will enjoy. Check out their folk pop music and  head down to 'Friday Night Live' at S7VEN.

Another exciting Coventry band are This Modern Youth, they were the only Cov band to be featured on the Teenage Cancer Trust tribute to The Specials recently and have been in the studio with Matt Terry, who has produced for The Enemy. The video below gives you a flavour of the sound you can expect at 'Friday Night Live', with TMY  bursting with energy and a rock 'n' roll stage presence that earned them a place in MTV's Unsigned Band UK final.

Since Daniel Connolly is launching 'Friday Night Live' at S7VEN then it only seemed natural that The Espadrilles should be there for big night. The five piece hail from Coventry and Bedworth and will be sure to kick your weekend off to a foot stomping start. The lads formed last year and hope their love of music will result in tunes that people can sing-a-long too. Have a listen below, then come and see The Espadrilles perform their set with Daniel Connolly on drums.

The Old Fire Station venue will also be host to four local lads The Charmers, described by Front magazine (I could only find a website that has lots of  boob pictures!) as an 'baby faced' indie rock band. Their sound is anything but childish, as fans of The Ripps found out when The Charmers supported their album launch in May. With a voice that comes straight out of The Kooks, this up and coming band has a great future that Coventry should get behind and support.

Get yourself down to the launch of 'Friday Night Live' @ S7VEN in Coventry for an evening of live music and then stay for the after party to get your weekend off to a flying start.

The Specials Announce Tour Dates For 2009

The Specials @ Mojo Awards

Coventry band, The Specials have announced a tour for 2009, as we predicted here, with dates announced for April and May. The popular SKA band performed at this year's Bestival Festival in the Isle of Wight in early September and fans have been checking this website daily for the news as to when The Specials would be going on tour.

The tickets go on sale on Thursday 11th December, but details about a home coming Coventry date have yet to be announced. The original line up of Terry Hall, Lynval Golding, Neville Staple, Roddy Byers, Horace Panter and John Bradbury will be performing on the UK tour, it was revealed today.

Terry Hall said in a previous interview that he was in favour of theatre-sized venues. Speaking about the tour, Terry Hall said: "That's the kind of venue where we started. I don't like arena dates, at all. They're just soulless." We will update you with more news about any more dates.

The tour will visit:

Newcastle Academy - 22 April

Sheffield Academy - 23 April

Birmingham Academy - 25 & 26 April

Glasgow Academy - 28 April

Manchester Apollo - 3 May

London Brixton Academy - 6 & 7 May

Ticket Telephone Numbers:

22 April NEWCASTLE, Academy 0844 477 2000 *
23 April SHEFFIELD, Academy 0844 477 2000 *
25 April BIRMINGHAM, Academy 0844 477 2000 **
26 April BIRMINGHAM, Academy 0844 477 2000
28 April GLASGOW, Academy 08444 999 990
3 May MANCHESTER, Apollo 08444 777 677
6 May LONDON, Brixton Academy 0844 477 2000
7 May LONDON, Brixton Academy 0844 477 2000


Tickets go on sale 9am Thursday 11th December priced £32.50 in advance except London £35.
24 hr CC Hotline: 0871 2200 260 / online: www.gigsandtours.com
Doors 7pm except * tbc and ** 6pm.

*http://www.theenemy.eu/ - for the latest news on The Enemy