Welcome to Madding Crowd
Bournemouth’s premiere live music venue.
Here’s a sneak peak into our new layout at the club
They call their music “Heavy Grass” and it deserves its own name: it’s what you might expect if Johnny Cash was on a boozy bender, picked up a banjo and plugged it through ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons amp. A double-bass topped with an Alligator skull, solid soul-thumping percussion backing up a front-end of driving slide guitar topped off with a banjo and lap steel. They’re a feast for eyes and ears, delivering home-grown music laced with spirit from every influence of the Deep South… Except it arrives through a veneer of very British humour. What’s not to love? Ask the biggest crowd ever pulled at Ramblin Man’s Rising Stage, or any of the audience from their repeat invitations at the Sheffield O2 because, from club-stage to festival-stage, their magic keeps on working. From their first outing on a Planet Rock stage they graced the same bills as The Darkness, Brothers Osbourne and supported Kris Barras on his 2018 UK tour.
They have just completed their debut album having released two EP’s and both of the previous offerings show what serious and precise musicians they are, but it’s live that they are a joy to behold – belting out their material interlaced with anecdotes and belly-laugh stories. It’s infectious fun. They’ll leave you with a sore foot from stamping, a sore face from grinning, and a devilish bit of outlaw in your blood.
Plus Backwards Creek
Backwards Creek - Support act “These guys are f*****g badass man, BADASS”. - Lewis Brice Heartland, Country, Rock 'n' Roll? Call them whatever you want. From the heart of London town, Backwoods Creek bring something to the table most choose to shy away from. Unashamedly ready to make you sing, laugh and cry, this quintet are picking up the broken pieces of the world and putting them back together, one show at a time. Since early 2017 the Creek have been carving out their own unique path playing multiple sold out shows and festivals (such as AEG’s Country2Country and Manchester’s own Buckle & Boots Festival) whilst also receiving countless nominations at various UK award shows - going on to win the BCMA “Video of the Year” award for their mid-2018 single - ‘When I Grow up’. In between their uncompromising tour schedule, the Creek Boys followed up on 2018’s ‘It’s About Time’ EP with this year's singles, ’Coulda Been You’ & 'On the Line', both of which were well received and featured regularly on BBC radio and Country Hits radio. Building on this success, the latest releases further establishes the band in the country rock scene, with their standout harder hitting sound. Quoted as being reminiscent of Zac Brown Band, Eagles and maybe just a hint of The Allman Brothers Band, Backwoods Creek are proving that you can be an authentic country rock outfit while being from the other side of the pond. The next six months proved challenging. The urge to play in front of their amazing followers fully evident, saw the band performing livestream shows, creating a host of new video experiences in their ‘Creek Cave Sessions’, and the release of the brand new single 'Better Days' (14/08/20)
Please click HERE to see seating plan.
For two nights only the Hoosiers will playing live at Madding Crowd, their first gig in Bournemouth since 2017. They will be stripping it back, and getting intimate with accoutic sets and pitch perfect vocals. No electronics, No flashing lights, just raw music.
Ticket holders can revel in this incredible opportunity at sitting only feet away from these iconic musicians.
The multi-platinum success of The Hoosiers 2007 debut album, “The Trick to Life”, and singles such as “Worried About Ray” and “Goodbye Mr. A”, raised huge expectations for its follow-up, not least at The Hoosiers’ record label. The prophetically titled “The Illusion of Safety” was, all the band agree, a troubled project from the start.
Irwin suggests, “The word ‘hit’ is substituted for ‘good’. There’s an art to writing under those conditions, but it wasn’t one that worked for us. It exacts a toll on too many writers. You give up too much if you do that.”
Such a negative experience of the creative process – the odd laugh aside – would have done for many bands, and there was indeed a period where The Hoosiers went their separate ways. “I remember getting to this point,” says Al, “where I said, ‘I need some space from this’. I think we all knew it. We needed to forget about it for a while.”
“The News From Nowhere”, released in 2014, was an astonishing return to form. “Doing it on our own terms,” says Irwin, “and actually having a proper say in it, felt wonderful. We had nothing to lose, but a lot to prove.”
Shattering their previous run of an album every three to four years, 2015's "The Secret Service" – only a year after their third album – reveals a band hitting their stride through a purple patch; improving as they discover they have more to say than ever.
Tension, creativity, democracy, arguments, time apart, coming back together, and then songs. Lots of them. Gone is the self-consciousness of the dog days around their second album; gone, too, the self-doubt. In their place is a deeply rooted – and hard-won – confidence, and a determination to lock back in to the freedom and joy of the early days.
Key former Hawkwind members Harvey Bainbridge (synths & vocals) and Jerry Richards (guitar & vocals) alongside Dave Pearce (drums) and Tom Ashurst (bass & vocals) will be joined by legendary 'God-father of space-rock' and founder member of Hawkwind, Nik Turner for a string of dates which include two sold out shows for the 2019 HRH Prog Festival at Sheffield O2 Academy and at London's O2 Shepherds Bush Empire.
Turner was a key driving force in the creation and success of legendary British stoner band Hawkwind back in 1969, throughout the 1970s and beyond, so expect a choice selection of classic and contemporary songs, poetry, a retina-reducing psychedelic light-show and a maelstrom of mind-blowing music from these Masters of the Universe as they celebrate 50 years of British space-rock.
The band will also be performing songs from their 2018 hit album, "Brave New World" which debuted at number 12 in The Official UK Top 40 Rock & Metal Chart, alongside material from their latest studio album "Heaven's Gate". Their 8th studio release in as many years.
This is one hard working and hot rocking act at the peak of its powers: Don't miss them on this very special and unique tour.
See you 'out there'...
More details can be found here: www.facebook.com/TheHawklords
For 3 decades The Wildhearts have remained at the forefront of the British rock
scene. From their classic debut album ‘Earth Vs’ (voted number one album of the
year in Kerrang! back in 1993, and number 20 in the best rock albums of all time in
a Kerrang! Special in 2006), through to now with the release of ‘Renaissance Men’,
their first full-length studio album in 10 years, their creative output and legendary
live shows have been second to none.
Although the 90’s saw the band covered like a living soap opera in the press with
tales of sex, drugs, bust ups, fights (both with labels and themselves), splits, more
drugs and a lot more controversy (one such incident including entering and then
proceeding to trash the Kerrang! Offices!), the recent years have seen the band
more focused than ever before and firing on all cylinders.
The Wildhearts and their incendiary shows have cemented their reputation and
legacy as one of the best bands the UK has ever produced.
Welcoming back their long-time bandmate and brother Danny McCormack on bass;
Ginger and CJ on guitars and vocals, with Ritch Battersby on drums released their
new album ‘Renaissance Men’ on May 3rd to critical acclaim.
“It’s The Wildhearts remembering what they do best” - 9 out 10, hailed Classic
Rock, with Metal Hammer saying Renaissance Men is “the best thing they’ve made
since their genius / batshit crazy debut, Earth Vs The Wildhearts, back in 1993.
Actually, thats not true. It might be better.” While Kerrang! gave the album 4Ks,
Planet Rock 5 stars and Vive Le Rock 10 out 10!
The Wildhearts’ classic line up recorded the energetic and diverse ‘Renaissance
Men’ at the Treehouse Studio with Jim Pinder. It finds The Wildhearts at their full
creative tilt delivering hard-hitting, retooled classic rock with a modern and urgent
twist. Bristling riffs and jagged, riotous hooks are their poison and the 10 songs are
the perfect manifestation of the band’s immutable wit, charm and righteous anger.
Eliran Kantor (Testament, Iced Earth, Sodom) painted the exceptional album cover
for ‘Renaissance Men’ and this honest and irresistible new album is an unequivocal
triumph, which encapsulates and distills perfectly The Wildhearts’ live energy.
To celebrate the release of ‘Renaissance Men’ The Wildhearts played an intimate 8
date UK headline tour, alongside packed HMV signing sessions and have further
live plans throughout the year including festivals, short runs internationally and tiny
warm-ups across the UK.
Creatively brilliant, The Wildhearts helped change the landscape of British rock
through the 90’s, and to this day they haven’t shown any sign of slowing down.
Here’s to the next decade.
https://twitter.com/thewildhearts / https://www.facebook.com/TheWildhearts
http://www.thewildhearts.com
So quickly did they begin to win over their live audiences that soon they were invited to support almost every rock band that came to Belfast or Dublin . By this time, the brothers had released their first self financed album called “The Official Bootleg”. It was really just a demo that had been pressed onto vinyl and sold at their gigs. The first pressing of only 1000 (which had 10 tracks) sold so quickly that it had to be repressed time and time again (this time however with only 8 tracks). The album got the band noticed in England and in 1981 Mamas Boys were invited to tour the U.K. with Hawkwind. In 1982 the band released their second self financed album “Plug It In” which gained great reviews and spurned the hit single “Needle in The Groove”. Record labels were by now fighting over the band and this saw “Plug it in” repackaged and re-released in the U.K. by Ultranoise and by Virgin in France . Apart from headlining their own shows the band toured with Wishbone Ash and in 1983 they released their third album Turn it Up. By now the band were so popular that Phil Lynott personally asked them if they would be his support band on Thin Lizzys’ farewell tour which also included a slot at Reading Rock.
In the summer of 1984 singer Steve Overland and his brother, guitarist Chris (both
formerly of Wildlife) teamed up with drummer Pete Jupp (ex Wildlife and Samson)
and bassist Merv Goldsworthy (ex Diamond Head and Samson) to form FM. Joined
by the keyboard talents of Didge Digital, by December that year they had secured a
recording contract with CBS/Portrait and the band headed to Germany for a run of
dates with Meat Loaf.
Further tours with Tina Turner, Foreigner and Gary Moore built up the momentum. On
8 September 1986 FM released their debut album INDISCREET (featuring the hugely
popular single "Frozen Heart") to great critical acclaim and the year ended on a high
with FM supporting the white-hot Bon Jovi on their "Slippery When Wet" tour.
For the next nine years FM consolidated their position at the forefront of British
melodic rock, touring extensively as headliners and also joining bands such as Status
Quo and Whitesnake on tours to promote releases such as 1989's TOUGH IT OUT
album; TAKIN' IT TO THE STREETS released in 1991 (with Andy Barnett on guitar
replacing the now-departed Chris Overland); APHRODISIAC in 1992 and what was
to be their 'final' album, 1995's DEAD MAN'S SHOES with new recruit Jem Davis
(Tobruk, UFO) on keyboards.
In 2007 - after a 12 year sabbatical - FM were persuaded to return to the stage for a
'one-off' headline performance at a sold-out Firefest IV at Nottingham Rock City.
The rapturous reception from the fans at Firefest led to FM quickly making the
decision to record a new album and following a return to Firefest in 2009, in March
2010 FM released their much-anticipated sixth studio album METROPOLIS with Jim
Kirkpatrick replacing Andy Barnett on lead guitar.
FM haven't stopped since… Headline tours both in the UK and overseas, Special Guest
slots touring with Foreigner, Journey, Thin Lizzy, Heart, Saxon and Skid Row; festival
appearances including Download, Planet Rockstock, Sweden Rock, Graspop,
Steelhouse Festival, Frontiers Rock Festival, Hard Rock Hell and Ramblin' Man Fair,
and in 2018 their first-ever live show in the US at Melodic Rock Fest 5.
When not touring, FM have been busy in the studio and since their 2010 'comeback'
album they have released 2013's double helping of ROCKVILLE and ROCKVILLE II;
HEROES AND VILLAINS in 2015 and ATOMIC GENERATION in 2018 along with
INDISCREET 30 - a new 2016 recording of FM's classic debut album to celebrate the
30th anniversary of its release - and THE ITALIAN JOB live DVD/CD.
2020 brings FM's first Australian tour in March followed by the release of the band's
twelfth studio album SYNCHRONIZED on 10 April via Frontiers Music S.r.l. and UK
tour dates.
Band line-up:
Steve Overland (vocals, guitar) / Merv Goldsworthy (bass) / Pete Jupp (drums)
Jem Davis (keyboards) / Jim Kirkpatrick (guitar)
What’s in a name? Well, quite a lot as it happens.
The Tygers of Pan Tang were an essential part of the movement that became known as New Wave of British Heavy Metal(NWOBHM). Signed to M.C.A records they recorded 4 albums in 3 years, toured the UK and Europe extensively, outsold ‘name’bands in Japan and had an ‘almost’ hit single with their outstanding arrangement of The Clovers ‘Love Potion Number 9’. They weathered the mini storm of theirfirst vocalist leavingafter one album andreplaced him with the toweringfigure ofJon Deverill. Against theirrecord companies wishes they employed an additionalguitarist, the mercurial John Sykes, who......well that’s another story.On the brink of following Def Leppard and Iron Maiden who had softenedup the USA, the bandimploded spectacularlywhen the Los Angeles based MCA refused to provide thesupport necessary to cross the pond and, without a doubt, cement their growing reputation stateside.And that could well have been the end of the story had it not been for Robb Weir,who had founded the original Tygers and continued to ‘believe’. Recruiting a set of musicianswho could not only perform the old tunes with the necessary reverence, but who could also carry the Tygers torch forward and make new music suitably fitting of the name Tygers of Pan Tang,he set about rebuilding their reputation.And the results? Well, employing the vocal talents of a singer from Italy (Iacopo Jack Meille) who has been able to command the respect of Tygers fans old and new (and there are plenty of new ones) a rhythm section (Gav Gray and Craig Ellis bass and drums respectively) who are schooled in providing the necessary propulsion to drive the music from stage to audience and yet another guitarist of unnerving ability and an intuitive feel for the Tygers music (Micky Crystal) , the Tygers star has begun to rise again.That reputation was cemented recently when they were awarded a gold album by their record company for sales and downloads of their most recent, self-titled, albumreleased just over two years ago. In support of that album the band have played South America, North America, Japan and throughout Europe. The Tygers have just finished recording their next albumto be releasedworldwidein October 2019. They will then begin a two year world tour.
Band website http://www.tygersofpantang.com/official/
Management Tom Noble sparechaynge1@gmail.com
Agency Ludy Wetzl ludy@eternalrock-musicagency.com
In addition to releasing seventeen studio albums as the original singer of Queensryche and as a solo artist Geoff has released several live albums and has been nominated for a grammy four times. He has sold over 25 million records and performed in more than 46 countries.
Rage For Order was more progressive than the band's previous releases, with a layered and complex musical structure that employs a two-guitar approach, but also brought keyboards forward in the mix. Lyrically, the album explored social/personal, political and technological themes, among others highlighting the dangers of artificial intelligence and government intrusion.
Empire is the fourth full-length studio album by the American heavy metal band Queensrÿche, released on August 20, 1990. The album stands as Queensrÿche's most commercially successful release, reaching triple-platinum status[7] and the primary single, the power ballad "Silent Lucidity", reached number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Silent Lucidity" was also nominated for the Grammy Awards of 1992 in the categories Best Rock Song and Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
Geoff Tate rose to fame with the progressive metal band Queensrÿche, who had commercial success with their 1988 album Operation: Mindcrime and 1990 album Empire. Tate is ranked fourteenth on Hit Parader's list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time. He was voted No. 2 on That Metal Show's top 5 hard rock vocalists the 1980s. In 2012, he won the Vegas Rocks! Magazine Music Award for "Voice in Progressive Heavy Metal". In 2015, he placed ninth on OC Weekly's list of the 10 Best High-Pitched Metal Singers. After his farewell tour as Queensrÿche, he renamed his band Operation: Mindcrime, after the Queensrÿche album of the same name
