The Overtones Interview @ BT London Live

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On Friday August the 10th, BT London Live Olympics Festival in Hyde Park was in full swing; with glorious sunshine, phenomenal live music and – of course – three gold medals for team GB, to ensure smiles were on every face. The Overtones performed to several thousand Olympic-enthusiasts. Combining their unique sound with boundless energy, the lads soon had the entire audience on their feet and every Great Britain flag waving high in the air.

Shortly after their set, they joined me backstage for a quick chat. Band member Mike was chomping on a huge burger, so I opened the interview by addressing him directly.

SFG: So, Mike, with your mouth full of food. Whereabouts in the UK are you from?!

Mike: Bristol.

SFG: That’s near me, I’m from Plymouth.

Mike: Our tour ends in Plymouth.

SFG: I will definitely come along to watch! So whereabouts are you all from? You seem to have different accents.

Mike: We’re from all over. I’m from Bristol.

Mark: Manchester.

Timmy: I’m from Ireland!

Lachie: I’m from Sydney.

Darren: And I’m Mr Essex. I actually was Mr Essex one year.

SFG: Really?

Darren: No, that’s a lie.

SFG: Oh, I was going to say!

The boys laugh.

SFG: So how did you all meet up then? How did you get together?

Timmy: Well, the four of us had been singing together for six years without Lachie. We met while singing at open mic nights. I met Lachie several years ago, handing out leaflets for a famous department store. But I won’t mention the name, because he used to take lots of lunch breaks and put the leaflets in the bin!

SFG: We’ve all done it.

Timmy: I then heard his amazing bass voice and said ‘you have got to be in our band!’

SFG: Amazing! So how did you get involved in this Olympic festival?

Mike: This festival has just been amazing to us. We’re really lucky guys, they invited us along and we’ve just had an amazing time.

Timmy: Unreal crowd; everyone is in such good spirits. Not only is the weather great, but everyone is really getting into the whole Olympic atmousphere. Team GB have done so well.

Mike: It feels so patriotic at the moment it’s ridiculous. We’ve actually just come back from LA where we recorded or first video for the next album ‘Higher’, which is out on October 1st. Although we’ve been away, we’ve seen little bits of the coverage on US TV and it’s not the same. But coming back here, you just get right back into the spirit of things. I love this country!

Timmy: But you also learn to appreciate sports that you would never normally get to see. I’ve never enjoyed show-jumping so much in my life!

Mark: Can I just say, I’m really looking forward to Sunday because we’re all going to have a few drinks and watch the closing ceremony.

SFG: So you’ve all been following the Olympics from overseas?

Mark: No, I’m just looking forward to the party at the end of it! Of course, I’m joking, we’ve all been following it.

Darren: I enjoy the diving most. That really impresses me. Team GB did really well.

Lachie: He’s quick isn’t he, that Usain Bolt?

Darren: Yes, I’ll think he’ll win it.

SFG: So who does the choreography for your set? Because when I was watching, I couldn’t help but love your moves!

Timmy: (Jokes) Beyonce.

SFG: I knew it!

Timmy: Well, she gives us a hand. We’ve done most of it by ourselves in the past year, but now we’ve been getting people on board. It feels weirdly like we’re loosening the reigns with the shows. But we’re still involved in everything we do regarding style and choreography, so we always add our little Overtones moment. A bit of a click. A little toe-tap. It’s got to be done!

SFG: Is there a signature move that you do in every show?

Timmy: I have a little move. It’s called the Timmy Shimmy, so I do do that. And if there is Beyonce on, I will grind a little bit!

SFG: Steady on! So, did you come to London just for this gig?

Lachie: No, we live here.

Timmy: It’s where we’re based. We were lucky enough to perform at the Queen’s jubilee this year too. Gary Barlow asked us to be the warm-up act which was amazing. It was such a big thing to be a part of! We’ve been having a great year so far. Of course, we’re all looking forward to the album coming out as well and people hearing the new stuff we’ve been working on. It’s such an exciting time for us. We’ve worked our butts off for the last 8 months; living in the studio. It’ll be great for people to hear it, so check it out! ‘Higher’ is out on October 1st, baby!

SFG: And finally, who do you think would win in a fight out of all of you combined, and one female welterweight Olympic boxer?

Timmy: I have to mention Katie Taylor because she’s flying the flag for female boxing at the moment.

Lachie: I think she’d kick our ass.

Darren: She wouldn’t.

Lachie: She would.

Timmy: Have you seen her fight?!

Darren: Yeah, she’s good, but against five guys?!

Lachie: Darren, take the shame. She’d win.

Timmy: We’d let her win!

Lachie: Although we could stop her with a wall of harmonics. (Sings) GET BAAAACCCK!

SFG: On that wonderful note, it’s been an absolute pleasure talking to you! Best of luck with the new album, and thank you for coming to speak to me today.

All: Thank you!

By Rachael Broadhurst

Behemoth @ Bloodstock 2012 Review

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Finishing the Friday of Bloodstock this year are one of the most renowned Blackened Death Metal bands around; Behemoth. With their Vocalist Nergal having only recently recovered from Leukaemia this set is one of their first major festival appearances and their chance to show the world that they fit and ready to play again. Following on from such acts today as Watain, Sepultura, Iced Earth and Grand Magus they had a challenge against them to pull out the best show of the day!

Behemoth rose to this challenge soared showed everyone here and all those watching on the live stream why they were headlining. The whole set had an excellent light show, as well as plenty of fire jets to add to the atmosphere too! Their set props included their trademark custom made microphone stands depicting their symbols. The band all had excellent stage presence, especially Nergal who made sure the crowd kept revved up and wanting more. With horns being thrown, lots of roars, crowd surfers and even a Polish flag nearing half the length of the stage being held aloft by the crowd it was obvious who everyone was out to see tonight. As well as getting the crowd revved up via a great stage presence, Nergal also broke up the set to talk to the crowd, acknowledging the great honour it was to play here, with last time they were booked to be at Bloodstock having to be cancelled due to his illness this set obviously meant a lot to the newly recovered frontman. Part  way through the set the band set alight to 2 inverted crosses on the side of the stage, adding more to the already thick and intense atmosphere they had created on stage with their pyrotechnics and lighting. As a band with a huge discography they had plenty of songs to draw from, including such tracks as Demi God, The Left Hand Of God, Slaves Shall Serve and Conquer All.

Behemoth

The set finished with a culmination of all their stage tools, with the lights blazing, fog machines working at full capacity and jets of fire shooting up the stage, the ending of this set was signified by the firing of huge amounts of glitter across the crowd  which span across the smoke filled and impenetrable sight of the stage. As the music drew to a close so did the light as the fog slowly creeped back to show their amazing set had come to the end.

This Friday night has set a high bench mark for the following headliners Machine Head and Alice Cooper of this festival to try and outdo, Hail Satan for the triumphant return of Behemoth!

Standon Calling 2012 Review

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It’s difficult to tell if it was the festival theme and fancy dress, the smaller size of the festival, the setting, the mix of music, or a combination of all of these factors, but Standon Calling 2012 had an amazing atmosphere! It was certainly easy to feel right at home at this really friendly festival.

Well the theme was ‘Journey to the Ends of the Earth’ and organisers had created a great setting at Standon Lordship which was amplified even more on the Saturday when everyone donned their fancy dress outfits. There were costumes of all kinds to be seen including traditional explorers, Wizard of Oz characters, characters from Up, native Indians and much more, some of which words cannot begin to describe!

Although this festival is smaller than many, this helps contribute to the friendly atmosphere as you encounter the same people multiple times throughout the weekend. The setting and multiple stages of Standon Calling are certainly at the level of much larger festivals though – and how many festivals do you go to where there’s a swimming pool?!

Standon Calling

The music at Standon Calling 2012 was definitely a key factor in generating its amazing atmosphere. The 3 days of the festival were packed days with live music which catered for everyone as there was practically every type of music you can think of – rock, dance, drum and bass, folk, reggae, ska – a complete mix. From small unknown bands to Standon Calling regulars right through to Beardyman – there was a lot to take in.

Overall Standon Calling 2012 was a great festival with an amazing, super friendly atmosphere with a lot of music and fun for your money!

Click here to see photos from Friday at Standon Calling
Click here to see photos from Saturday at Standon Calling
Click here to see photos from Sunday at Standon Calling

BT London Live – McFly and Saint Etienne Review – 4th August

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Hyde Park was heaving as the sun shone down on what turned out to be ‘Super Saturday’.

Musical entertainment was provided by Rusty Shackle and The Asps on the Bandstand stage and pop sensations McFly and electronic stars Saint Etienne on the Main Stage amongst others.

Alongside the music, the giant screens televising various live Olympic sports kept the crowds entertained.  There were also guest appearances from Team GB Olympic medal winning stars Bradley Wiggins, Gemma Gibbons and Karina Bryant.

To kick off the live music on the Main Stage, Tenors of Rock entertained the crowd with covers of popular chart songs ‘Price Tag’ by Jessie J, ‘Walk This Way’ by Aerosmith and ‘Grenade’ by Bruno Mars, adding their own quirky rock twist.

Up next were McFly.  They opened their set with ‘Nowhere left to Run’, the boys also played some of their greatest hits including ‘Obviously’, ‘Star Girl’, ‘5 Colours In Her Hair’ and ‘All About You’.  The crowd danced and cheered as they covered two well known British hits, ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen and The Beetles hit song ‘Twist and Shout’.  They also performed a cover medley consisting of Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’, One Direction’s ‘What Makes you Beautiful’ and Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’.  To round off their performance, they congratulated Team GB and all the athletes on their success and dedicated their single ‘Shine A Light’ to them.   McFly certainly enhanced the ‘Olympic Super Saturday’ atmosphere and left the crowd psyched for the upcoming athletics medals finals.

Between acts the crowd gathered round the Main Stage’s big screen, to witness some of Britain’s proudest Olympic moments so far.  The atmosphere was electric, second only to being at the stadium itself, when Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and Greg Rutherford all won gold medals within the space of three-quarters of an hour!

To round off the evening, headlining act, British electronica trio, Saint Etienne took to the stage.  The audience enjoyed a late night boogie to a mix of their greatest hits ‘He’s On the Phone’ and ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’ along with a selection of material from their latest album ‘Words and Music’, with hits including ‘Tonight’ and ‘I’ve Got Your Music’.  Saint Etienne certainly didn’t disappoint and kept the party atmosphere going right through to the end of the night.

However, a word of warning… there is airport style security on the gates with no food or liquids permitted through the barriers, so you have no choice but to buy in the venue, which can turn out to be very expensive.  Also seating is limited so make sure you take a picnic blanket at the very least.

Click here to view more photos from BT London Live – 4th August

Lineup revealed for Undercover From Virgin Media stage at V Festival 2012

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Headlining will be the renowned Propaganda DJs and Australian Pink Floyd with the likes of The Milk, Devlin, Delilah, Josh Osho, Conor Maynard, The Voice’s Bo Bruce and Aiden Grimshaw also taking to the stage across the weekend.

Following the recent announcement of Tim Minchin‘s set in The Glee Club Comedy Tent, the comedian has now moved across to the Undercover From Virgin Media stage where he will be treating fans to a fantastic full set along with his band.

Other upcoming artists and ‘ones-to-watch’ who will be joining these crowd favourites at both Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire include Niki And The Dove, Ren Harvieu, All The Young, Dot Rotten, Minus The Bear, Marlon Roudette, Gentlemans Dub Club, Gabrielle Alpin, Random Impulse, Juan Zelada, Mull Historical Society, Selah Sue, Lonsdale Boys Club, NNEKA and Josh Kumra.

Richard Larcombe, director of advertising and sponsorship at Virgin Media, said: “The line-up for this year’s Undercover From Virgin Media stage is an eclectic mix of music and comedy artists, which demonstrates how festival-goers are now expecting to be surprised and entertained by a variety of different acts. Virgin Media continues to champion undiscovered talent across a number of initiatives, and the Undercover From Virgin Media stage is a perfect extension of this.”

Former star of The Voice, Bo Bruce comments: “I’m feeling very honoured to be part of such an epic line up. I can’t wait to get up there”

Delilah comments: “I love the crowd at V. I have performed there for the last two years with Chase & Status so I’m really excited to be returning to perform my own music”

The acts on the Undercover From Virgin Media will be joining an already star studded line up over the weekend include the likes of The Stone Roses, The Killers, Nicki Minaj, Tinie Tempah, Example, Olly Murs, Professor Green and Ed Sheeran

Unfortunately due to illness, LMFAO will no longer be performing at V Festival 2012.

Introducing the newest festival – Mint Festival

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The 10,000 capacity all day festival will feature four stages carefully curated by leading local club nights including System, Jungle Jam, Bitch, Flux, Bigger Than Barry and more. The line-up itself boasts a diverse array of the biggest DJs and live acts in house, techno, disco, drum and bass and mainstream dance.

Located just 13 miles from Leeds City Centre, Lotherton Hall is one of the UK's leading boutique festival sites having previously hostedhuge dance and University events in its impressive Edwardian grounds. Importantly, each stage will be covered so the weather can’t get in the way of the fun.

Given the reputations of anything to which the Mint team puts its name, this is sure to be a fantastically boutique opportunity to catch some of the finest electronic artists of the day in the lush grounds and impressive old architecture of Lotherton Hall.

[System & Flux]
Wolf & Lamb
Soul Clap
Jamie Jones
Seth Troxler
Reboot
Annie Errez
Aartekt / Jonny Cade

[Black Light]
Surgeon
Ben Klock
Adam Beyer
Sandwell District
Speedy J

[BITCH]
Eddie Halliwell
Michael Woods
Danny Howard
Third Party
Kryder 
D.O.D
Felix Leiter
B3
Dale Castell 
Mickey Nelson
& VERY SPECIAL GUEST TBA

[Jungle Jam & Bigger Than Barry]
Marky + Stamina MC
Joker
Hype + IC3 
Coki + Blacks
Drumsound & Bassline Smith
Hatcha
Adam F
Sigma

Tickets

Tickets are currently available from Ticket Arena. More online outlets + paper tickets will be available soon

Tickets for this event include a shuttle bus service from Leeds City Centre to Lotherton Hall plus return. More info on specific pick up points will be available soon.

1st Release: £27.50 *SOLD OUT*
2nd Release: £32.50
3rd Release: £37.50

Buy tickets now from Ticket Arena.

http://www.ticketarena.co.uk/leeds/lotherton-hall/mint-festival

 

Bloodstock Open Air to stream on Dailymotion

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The annual event, staged at Catton Park, Derbyshire in the UK, is one of the leading outdoor metal music festivals in the summer calendar. Bloodstock will feature performances by artists and bands such as Alice Cooper, Machine Head, Sepultura, Paradise Lost, Anvil, Orange Goblin and Dreamcatcher.
The festival has been running since 2001, originating from an indoor festival. It now boasts three stages of cutting edge metal performance, with an attending audience of over 10,000.
Building on a diverse range of entertainment screened live, Dailymotion’s streaming of BOA will allow thousands of metal music fans to watch all the action from the comfort of their armchairs for the first time.
Daniel Adams, VP International Content at Dailymotion, commented: “We’re keen to showcase a variety of live music gigs and festivals to ensure we’re catering for the widest possible audience. Bloodstock Open Air is a well respected metal music event and we’re delighted to be able to screen it live for those unable to make the event in person.”
Dailymotion’s live feed of Bloodstock Open Air can be viewed athttp://www.dailymotion.com/video/xsj4h5_bloodstock-festival-2012_music

BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2012 takes place at Catton Hall August 9th – 12th. VIP Tickets are now all sold out, but regular weekend and day tickets are still available from www.bloodstock.uk.com

Free drinks and breakfast at Reading & Leeds Festival 2012

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Vouchers for the food will be sent out with the tickets from today, Monday 6th August, which festival goers can present to vendors in designated locations in the campsite until midday on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. One food voucher will be valid for each day, so nobody has an excuse for missing breakfast (the most important meal of the day!) and setting yourself up for a weekend of musical magic. Beer (proof of age will be required) or soft drinks can be collected once through wristband exchange.

Managing Director of Festival Republic, Melvin Benn explains:

“Beer and Burger (B&B) has become Beer and Breakfast Bap (B&BB). 

“Of course it was never intended to be only beer as soft drinks were always going to be on offer and that will remain.

“The mechanics are simple. For the food element every weekend ticket holder will receive their food vouchers at the same time as their ticket, with a per day voucher that can be redeemed at specially created ‘Food for Campers’ locations in the campsite, offering either a bacon, sausage or a scrambled egg and mushroom bap. The breakfast bap will be available between 7am and 12 noon Friday, Saturday and Sunday and only the voucher for that specific day can be redeemed. Although no sponsor has come forward to support this in any real way our pals at Heinz have been kind enough to donate enough sauce to make us all very happy!

“The beer is even easier! As you walk out of wristband exchange for the first time a team of festival volunteers will be waiting to give every weekend wristband holder a bag with three cans of beer or soft drinks, one for each of the music days. What's even better is that the bag is a recycling bag, which you can fill with empty cans to get even more free beer!

“It’s on us so I hope you enjoy it!”

Headliners The Cure, Kasabian and Foo Fighters take to the stage, alongside many more artists including: The Black Keys, Paramore, Florence + the Machine, Kaiser Chiefs, Bombay Bicycle Club,The Vaccines, Justice, The Maccabees, At The Drive-In, Less Than Jake, Metronomy, Sleigh Bells, The View, Social Distortion, Reginald D Hunter, Lee Nelson and Jason Byrne who are just some of the bands and acts performing at this year’s festival over seven stages.

 

BT London Live – Victoria Park Review

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As part of the London 2012 Olympic celebrations, BT London Live offers free all day events that have everything you could need for a great summer day out.

In Victoria Park (near Mile End tube station), you can expect live music, three big screens bringing you the latest from the Olympic events, free activities and even a few bars and places to eat. Table Tennis tables are free to use, along with tennis serve speedometers, and aim practice targets. There are classes throughout the day where you can learn Basketball, Judo and other sports. For the more adventurous, there are other activities such as zorbing, a huge zip line, and a big wheel; which are among the only activities that you need to pay for. Prices start at around £5.

There is a wide range of free live music throughout the day, from local talent Community Music, classic rock songs from Tenors of Rock, and Britain’s got Talent finalists Jive Aces. Plus loads more big acts yet to come over the next few weeks of the event. I also managed to see the Pearly Kings and Queens performing a rendition of the British National Anthem, a bit of London’s tradition and history right there.

So you’d think this was going to be one packed out event, right?

I did too, especially when my way into the park I was greeted by a number of really helpful Olympic volunteers, all in place for the crowds they were expecting, and who get me through the security process in a flash.

Although there was some turn out at the park, it clearly was nowhere near the volume that was to be expected, and I’m really surprised when I arrive at the lack of crowds.

What’s the reason for this?

Well, talking to a few of the visitors, and a handful of my Londoner friends, it quickly becomes clear that those who live in London have been so frequently warned to stay at home to ease congestion, that that’s exactly what they are doing.

To add to this, those not living within immediate surroundings of Victoria Park don’t seem to know this event is taking place. Maybe it’s all just a lack of advertising?

BT London Live

One drawback about the event, and one that is brought up to me quite often, is that you cannot picnic in the park, and therefore all food is confiscated before you can enter the park. There are, however, many options for food inside the park, all ranging between £5-10, and free water stations. So surely this can’t be the sole reason behind the lack of participation.

If you happen to live anywhere near Victoria Park, within tubing distance, or are just visiting London with some time on your hands, I really would urge you to take the trip and make the most of this event.

Whether you just fancy a laze around outside watching the Olympics on the big screen, enjoy a bit of live music, or want a day out to entertain the family BT London Live is catering for everyone. This is a great way to get into the Olympic spirit (especially if, like me, you couldn’t get tickets), and to get involved with part of London’s celebrations!

Click here to see photos from BT London Live Victoria Park