The festival, now in its fourth year, features 19 live musical acts over the two days and is being headlined by ska legend Neville Staple - one of the leading figures of the UK music scene in the early 1980s as a singer with The Specials and later Fun Boy Three. Staple will be backed by some of the UK’s top tribute acts including those to Paul Weller and The Jam, The Who, Oasis, Stone Roses, The Commitments and Pink. Original bands include The Mannequins (which recently signed its first record deal), Zeb Roots, Old Town Souls, Poesi, Lone Crows, Absolution and local acts Andy Hill and Oblivious.

In addition to the musical acts there will be a display of vintage scooters which took part in the closing ceremony of the London Olympics 2013. The award winning Growler Brewery is also staging a two-day beer festival at the event featuring a range of real ales. Day one of the festival will see 20 rare images of The Jam dating back to the early 1980s on display. The images range from pictures of the band on stage, rare session shots to photos for record sleeves. The images are the work of Jam fan and one time band photographer Derek D’Souza and were recently featured in the London exhibition Absolute Luck which brought plaudits from the band’s former Lead singer Paul Weller who said: “These pics bring back so many memories. It is great to see these pictures in print after all these years.” 

 The second day of the festival, which will see 10 main stage acts, includes a free children’s fun village featuring bouncy castles, bungy runs, mega slides, gladiator duels, Punch and Judy shows, a children’s entertainers and circus skills.

Richard Instance, one of the Live and Kicking organisers, said: “We are really excited about this year’s event it is certainly our biggest and best yet. The festival has always been popular locally but this time we have sold tickets far and wide. We really do have a fantastic line-up, of course Neville Staple is a huge coup for us, however we have something for everyone with acts from across the musical genres including rock, glam, punk, blues, pop, ska, reggae, indie and soul.”

BBC Radio presenter Stephen Foster and popular local author and entertainer Charlie Haylock will be comperes at the event, which takes place this weekend (Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23). Camping is available on a first come, first serve basis with full shower and breakfast facilities.

For more information on this year’s festival go to www.livekicking.co.uk or call the festival hotline on 07974 222 777.

Members of the media needing more information should contact Patrick Lowman of Patrick Lowman PR www.patricklowman.com on 07792 428555 or by email at patrick_lowman@sky.com

The band took to the stage in front of judges Will.i.am, Tom Jones, Jessie J and Danny O’Donoghue to play the single off their second album ‘BE’, which was released earlier this week.

Gallagher recently admitted that he thinks both Beady Eye and Oasis were terrible band names, saying to the NME: ''It was a shit name, but most band names are shit. Look at Beady Eye - shit fucking name. It wasn't just that [Swindon Oasis Leisure Centre] though. There was shop in the Manchester Arndale Market called Oasis that used to sell cool clothes too, and there was a taxi fucking rank round the corner called Oasis. It meant that we were out there, because we were different.''

The group are shortly embarking on a quick jaunt about the UK, starting with a show in Manchester on June 19 followed by a London gig on June 20 and a show in Glasgow on June 22.

Watch the band perform on The Voice here:

]]> London Newsdesk http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/liamgallagher/view/78726/ Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:41:33 +0100 http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/liamgallagher/view/78726/ Outspoken musician Liam Gallagher has slammed both his former and current bands for selecting such "s**t" names when they could have picked much cooler ones. 

Speaking to the NME, the star explained that at the time they probably liked the moniker Oasis, but it wasn't the best as there were several mundane things with the same name dotted around Manchester's city centre:

"There was shop in the Manchester Arndale Market called Oasis that used to sell cool clothes too, and there was a taxi fucking rank round the corner called Oasis. It meant that we were out there, because we were different."

Referring to Oasis, Gallagher added: "It was a s**t name, but most band names are s**t. Look at Beady Eye - s**t f***ing name."

Earlier this week, he hit out at Oasis fans and said they keep taking sides between his and his brother Noel's own musical projects: "I read stuff. It's divided, innit? And it's like, 'he's a d**k' and 'he's not a d**k'. Everyone should just wind their necks in."

Watch Beady Eye discuss their new album, entitled 'BE', below:

]]> London Newsdesk http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/patricklowmanpr/view/78488/ Thu, 13 Jun 2013 10:42:13 +0100 http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/patricklowmanpr/view/78488/

Despite playing at some of the world’s biggest venues and festivals – including Glastonbury as recently as 2011 – Neville says in many ways he prefers performing at the smaller events.

“You know what, they are all just gigs to me and I love them all big or small. I enjoy the smaller, more intimate events as you can build a better rapport with the crowd and really interact with them. I can’t wait to play in Sudbury, I hear there is a big ska following in the area and I am sure we are all going to have a great party,” he said.

In the unlikely event of anyone not being aware of the huge impact Neville –affectionately known as the ‘Original rude boy’ - has made on the UK music industry let’s regress.  As part of the legendry Specials - the leading act of the ‘2Tone’ scene which swept the nation in the early 1980s – and later as a founder member of Fun Boy Three Neville (along with bandmates Terry Hall and Lynval Golding) is credited with changing the face of UK pop music not once, but twice. Even after the highs of the eighties Neville has remained active and has toured all over the world and spent time living in America actively promoting the ska scene across the pond. He now tours relentlessly with his latest act The Neville Staple Band.

Neville’s packed programme for 2013 includes an appearance at Live and Kicking at the end of this month, so what can we expect when he takes to the stage in Suffolk.

“The set will be a real mixture of some of the hits from The Specials and Fun Boy Three with some of my own original songs. However, everything will have my own personal take on it, going very much back to the original ska roots with mixed tempos to get the crowd rocking. My set today is very much influenced by the music I grew up listening to such as Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff and The Upsetters.”

Today, Neville revels in doing his ‘own thing with his own band’ and openly admits that due to band politics and personalities it is highly unlikely the original  Specials line-up will ever perform together again;  however his time in the band is something he will forever cherish.

“It was a great time, I was just a working class lad from the street. I was originally a roadie but Jerry Dammers (the band’s founder and keyboard player) invited me on stage at a gig and I never looked back and I became a singer in the group. All of a sudden I was playing all over the country and flying off to places like America and Australia to perform, it was a dream come true for me,” he said.

After seven consecutive top 10 hits – including ska anthems Rudi, a Message to You and Gangsters – Jerry Dammers dissolved the Specials to pursue political activities, whilst Neville joined band mates Terry Hall and Lynval Golding to form the more ‘poppy’ Fun Boy Free. The new band enjoyed six further top twenty hits between 1981 and 1983, some in collaboration with the all girl trio Bananarama.

Although rightly proud of his musical successes Neville is equally as proud of the social impact his music has had, particularly via his involvement with the 2Tone record label. At its height the record label had all the UK’s leading ska acts on its books including Madness, The Beat, The Bodysnatchers, The Selector, Bad Manners and of course the Specials. In a time of recession, social disruption and racial tensions of the late 1970s early 1980s the 2Tone label is credited with brining black and white communities, particularly working class communities, together through a shared love of music.

“Jerry went to technical college but really The Specials were very much a working class band and we sang about life as we knew it and our experiences. We were never afraid to sing about the issues of the day, and we refused to shy away from a subject because it was controversial. For example Ghost Town was really about struggle, recession and depression when everything was closing down, whilst Too Much Too Young took an honest look at teenage pregnancy. We sang about issues people could relate to, particularly working class people who were actually living and experiencing the things we were singing about. It’s quite strange really as many of the social issues in the early 80s are very much the same now and perhaps that is one of the reasons why our music has had a massive revival in recent years.

 “One aspect of being involved with the 2Tone scene I am particularly proud of is the bridges it built between black and white communities. There is no doubting there was a lot of racial tension in the late 70s and early 80s, but through this music we were brought together. You had bands made up of a mixture of black and white musicians, which was rare. It was the same with the crowds as you had black youths dancing alongside white youths without a hint of trouble, which was really a first and it is a legacy which has lasted. Jerry was the driving force behind both The Specials and the 2Tone label, he was determined to show black and white people together in harmony, even the famous 2Tone logo was made in black and white to depict racial unity. All of what happed with the 2Tone scene was the foresight of Jerry Dammers and he should be given a lot of credit for the positive social impact he created.”

Today, even at the sprightly age of 58, Neville has no plans to slow down. Despite being based back in his Coventry roots, Neville continues to tour far and wide with his band, including a recent tour in Australia. He is also in the studio cutting a new album which is due for release in early 2014.

“I may not be able to jump of speakers any more but I still love performing and making music, I have no plans to stop and I will go on for as long as I can,” he added.

The Live and Kicking Music Festival in being held over the weekend of June 22 and June 23 and includes 19 live musical acts. Staple is supported by a number of original acts and some of the UK’s top tributes including those to The Jam, The Who, Oasis, Stone Roses and Pink. The festival also features a display of vintage scooters which took part in the closing ceremony of the London Olympics 2012. There will also be a two day beer festival featuring award winning real ales and a giant children’s fun village on day two.

Live and Kicking - is now in its fourth year and is held at the state-of-the-art MEL Group Stadium and free camping is available. For more information on this year’s festival go to www.livekicking.co.uk or call the festival hotline on 07974 222 777.

Members of the media needing more information should contact Patrick Lowman of Patrick Lowman PR www.patricklowman.com on 07792 428555 or by email at patrick_lowman@sky.com

The festival, now in its fourth year, features 19 live musical acts over the two days and is being headlined by ska legend Neville Staple - one of the leading figures of the UK music scene in the early 1980s as a singer with The Specials and later Fun Boy Three. Staple will be backed by some of the UK’s top tribute acts including those to Paul Weller and The Jam, The Who, Oasis, Stone Roses, The Commitments and Pink. Original bands include The Mannequins (which recently signed its first record deal), Zeb Roots, Old Town Souls, Poesi, Lone Crows, Absolution and local acts Andy Hill and Oblivious.

In addition to the musical acts there will be a display of vintage scooters which took part in the closing ceremony of the London Olympics 2013. The award winning Growler Brewery is also staging a two-day beer festival at the event featuring a range of real ales. Day one of the festival will see 20 rare images of The Jam dating back to the early 1980s on display. The images range from pictures of the band on stage, rare session shots to photos for record sleeves. The images are the work of Jam fan and one time band photographer Derek D’Souza and were recently featured in the London exhibition Absolute Luck which brought plaudits from the band’s former Lead singer Paul Weller who said: “These pics bring back so many memories. It is great to see these pictures in print after all these years.” 

 The second day of the festival, which will see 10 main stage acts, includes a free children’s fun village featuring bouncy castles, bungy runs, mega slides, gladiator duels, Punch and Judy shows, a children’s entertainers and circus skills.

Richard Instance, one of the Live and Kicking organisers, said: “We are really excited about this year’s event it is certainly our biggest and best yet. The festival has always been popular locally but this time we have sold tickets far and wide. We really do have a fantastic line-up, of course Neville Staple is a huge coup for us, however we have something for everyone with acts from across the musical genres including rock, glam, punk, blues, pop, ska, reggae, indie and soul.”

BBC Radio presenter Stephen Foster and popular local author and entertainer Charlie Haylock will be comperes at the event, which takes place this weekend (Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23). Camping is available on a first come, first serve basis with full shower and breakfast facilities.

For more information on this year’s festival go to www.livekicking.co.uk or call the festival hotline on 07974 222 777.

Members of the media needing more information should contact Patrick Lowman of Patrick Lowman PR www.patricklowman.com on 07792 428555 or by email at patrick_lowman@sky.com

Speaking to the NME, the star explained that at the time they probably liked the moniker Oasis, but it wasn't the best as there were several mundane things with the same name dotted around Manchester's city centre:

"There was shop in the Manchester Arndale Market called Oasis that used to sell cool clothes too, and there was a taxi fucking rank round the corner called Oasis. It meant that we were out there, because we were different."

Referring to Oasis, Gallagher added: "It was a s**t name, but most band names are s**t. Look at Beady Eye - s**t f***ing name."

Earlier this week, he hit out at Oasis fans and said they keep taking sides between his and his brother Noel's own musical projects: "I read stuff. It's divided, innit? And it's like, 'he's a d**k' and 'he's not a d**k'. Everyone should just wind their necks in."

Watch Beady Eye discuss their new album, entitled 'BE', below:

]]> London Newsdesk http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/liamgallagher/view/78691/ Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:26:07 +0100 http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/liamgallagher/view/78691/ Beady Eye hitmaker Liam Gallagher has poked fun at rap superstar Kanye West during a new interview with GQ magazine. 

The musician was referring to an incident where West walked straight into a pole when trying to avoid the paparazzi recently and laughed at how silly the situation was, telling GQ: 

"Have you seen when he bumped his head? He's coming out of the gym with that bird [Kim Kardashian] and there are geezers taking pictures. You have to put your head up and carry on walking."

"He's gone and walked straight into a f**king pole. You hear it go 'dink' and him tell people to stop taking pictures. Put your head up so you know what you're doing! Smashed his head up. He's a f**king idiot."

Meanwhile, the 'Stronger' hitmaker has confessed that at the moment he's making it his personal mission to try and reverse the constant 'dumbing down of culture'. 

Watch a recent Beady Eye interview below:

]]> London Newsdesk http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/liamgallagher/view/78430/ Wed, 12 Jun 2013 20:54:30 +0100 http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/liamgallagher/view/78430/ Liam Gallagher has argued that Oasis fans need to stop taking sides between his own band Beady Eye and brother Noel’s solo career.

The 40-year-old, whose group is at No.2 in the midweeks with second album, ‘BE,’ told the Daily Record that people should judge the two acts on their music and nothing else:

"I read stuff. It's divided, innit? And it's like, 'he's a d**k' and 'he's not a d**k'. Everyone should just wind their necks in.

"I'm not saying you've got to go and buy our record, you only buy it if you like it. But there's a lot of hatred to certain members of bands, whether it's me or Noel, and I just think it's stupid.

"They don't have to act like d**ks just 'cause me and our kid are, they should just grow up."

Liam, who revealed today that he suffers from the same tinnitus condition as Noel, also refused to rule out an Oasis reunion in the future:

"I'm not against nothing, never say never, but right now this is where we're at."

The 1995 track came out trumps in a poll run by Australian radio station triple j, with more than 940,000 people registering their vote.

In second place on the list was the White Stripes' 'Seven Nation Army', whilst Jeff Buckley's 'Last Goodbye' grabbed the bronze medal.

At No.4 was Hilltop Hoods' 'The Nosebleed Section' and No.5 was The Verve's 'Bitter Sweet Symphony'.

More recent entries included Gotye's 'Somebody That I Used To Know' at No.6 and Mumford & Sons' 'Little Lion Man' at No.14.

The US meanwhile accounted for 42 tracks in the top 100, whilst Australia and the UK had 29 and 24 respectively.

Nirvana, Daft Punk and The Killers all had three entries in the list.

The Beady Eye frontman has been critical of the chart-topping boyband in the past, whilst his brother and former Oasis comrade Noel is no stranger to lashing out at the 'Kiss You' stars.

Gallagher says he has a certain amount of respect for Styles though as he always looks like he's having fun.

Speaking to The Sun's Fabulous magazine he said: “You want your rock ’n’ roll stars to have a good time. When I see Harry out and about having it I think, ‘Go on, lad’.

He added: “The music’s sh*t, but at least he’s living it. It’s equally important as writing a good song. If you write a good song and you’re just a stiff and a square then you can just f*** off in my book. At least Harry is having a good time, right?”

Gallagher recently spoke out about One Direction - also comprising Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne.

He said: "I'm not into their music. [But] fair play to them, man, they got lucky - like we all do, I guess - and they're just going for it. That's what it's all about, innit? It's all going to end at some point. And when it ends, you want to make sure you've ticked all the boxes."

The popular Mancunians disbanded in 2009 after brotherly went sour and Liam and Noel fell out.

Liam went on to form Beady Eye whilst Noel Gallagher started his High Flying Birds solo group.

Speaking to NME, Liam Gallagher admitted that he may be willing to resolve their differences and reunite Oasis to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the seminal album 'Definitely Maybe' in 2014. He said:

"There's unfinished business there. People ask would I get Oasis back together. I'd do it for nowt, but if someone's going to drop a load of f**king money, I'd do it for that too." 

Gallagher added: "If we do, it'd be nice to do that f**king thing that's coming up [the 20th anniversary]. I'd be up for that. But I'd still go back to Beady Eye and Noel would go back to his thing. We could bury the hatchet for a quick lap of honour."

However, it would only be a short-lived affair, with Liam stating that he wouldn't want to record another album with Oasis.

Beady Eye are relasing their second album 'BE' on Monday (June 10) - but it has received mixed reviews, with Drowned In Sound giving it 0/10.

The band’s second album and follow-up to their debut, ‘Different Gear, Still Speeding’, isn’t officially released until June 10, but if you have iTunes you can preview it now here.

The album was produced by TV On the Radio's Dave Sitek and its release will be marked with a special instore gig at London’s Rough Trade East on June 10.

In response to hearing about Oasis fans planning to boycott the record, Liam Gallagher told The Quietus recently: "We've made a great rock and roll album but sometimes I feel there's a lot of people just fucking boycotting what Beady Eye do just for some stupid fucking reason. 'We'll boycott that shit no matter what they do because it ain't Oasis and we want Oasis' and all that kind of thing. Well fuck you! We've experimented or whatever it is, what more do you fucking want?"

Check out the video for ‘Second Bite of the Apple’ off the new album below:

]]> London Newsdesk http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/liamgallagher/view/76946/ Tue, 28 May 2013 07:28:07 +0100 http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/liamgallagher/view/76946/ Liam Gallagher says One Direction are "mad for it" - despite calling them his "biggest competition".

The Beady Eye singer has been critical of the boyband in the past, whilst his brother and former Oasis comrade Noel is no stranger to lashing out at the 'Kiss You' stars.

Speaking to the BBC, Liam Gallagher said that he believes Harry Styles and co. are his band's top competition.

However, he seemed to praise the gung-ho spirit of the group, saying:

"I'm not into their music. [But] fair play to them, man, they got lucky - like we all do, I guess - and they're just going for it. That's what it's all about, innit? It's all going to end at some point. And when it ends, you want to make sure you've ticked all the boxes."

Beady Eye's second album 'BE' meanwhile is due to be released on June 10.

It appears that the former Oasis frontman has admitted the viewing figures are just too good an opportunity to pass up, even though he has called the show “fucking annoying”.

In an interview with The Mirror, Gallagher said: “We’re doing ‘X Factor’, I think it’s to be on one of the live shows. I don’t care man, we’re rock and roll stars and you can’t argue that’s a huge audience. You have to take that opportunity.”

The singer also commented about the talent contests most famous sons, One Direction, saying:  “I mean, they’re not rock stars are they? Harry’s alright though. I met him at the Olympics and I just said to him, ‘Keep on keeping on’.

“He knows what’s happening, but he’s nothing like me. I’m a proper rock and roll star.”

Check out an interview with Gallagher from 2009 where he discusses the Oasis split and ‘The X Factor’ here:

]]> London Newsdesk