I am delighted to announce that I’ll be playing percussion in a live orchestral performance for The Pisces Rising – a popular YouTube channel which re-orchestrates well-known theme tunes into large, epic-sounding masterpieces – at this year’s Summer In The City YouTube festival at the ExCel in London.
The performance will be on the main stage at half-past-five this Saturday, 11th August.
I have played drums for Ultra ’90s almost since the show’s inception in 2008 – and more recently, I have played percussion with the new Ultra ’90s Fresh lineup as well. However, with the popularity of Ultra ’90s expanding quicker than ever, I am very excited to have been offered the chance to take on a new role, leading yet another lineup as an MD, keys player and vocalist.
So despite playing hundreds of Ultra ’90s gigs on drums, I am spending four days this week at Thatspace in Rochdale with Chris and Kelly from PX Productions, relearning the set on keys and programming my synth rig with the correct sounds and samples – plus developing new skills, including working in Chamsys to patch and programme lights, and rapping!
The rehearsals are long days – there is a lot to get through in a ninety-minute show packed with high-energy ’90s dance classics – but I am relishing the chance to push myself to be better and become and more versatile, more well-rounded musician with a plethora of skills to offer.
I will still being gigging with Ultra ’90s and Ultra ’90s Fresh as a drummer and percussionist this coming year as well, but I am enjoying seeing the show from a new angle, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to gig a set I know well in a totally different way.
Just announced that Witchers will be playing at Peripheral Festival, Narborough, Norfolk on Saturday 28th May. Visit the Ideal Surreal website for tickets, more details, etc.
Well, I’m finally able to announce that the long-awaited debut Witchers album will be released on Monday 11th May 2015 – and we will be playing a headline show at The Waterfront Studio in Norwich to celebrate the album’s release on Thursday 7th May 2015.
It will be three years since we began work on the album, and almost two years since we last played live, so we’re very excited about getting on stage again and playing our music for you all!
I hope to see lots of you there on 7th May to celebrate the launch of the album with us – tickets are available from any of the band members, or online.
Listen to a track from the album now here.
On Wednesday 30th July, the Sistema In Norwich Martineau Chamber Orchestra will be performing at the Royal Sandringham Estate in front of HRH The Prince Of Wales, Prince Charles, as part of the 133rd Sandringham Flower Show.
The Martineau Chamber Orchestra will perform a specially-written new piece of music for the Prince Of Wales as part of a brand new tropically-designed garden, as well as various other favourite pieces of repertoire.
I am proud to have been asked to compose and produce part of the soundtrack to a new original play at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. A FullFuse Theatre production, Sochi 2014 deals with Russian cultural and political attitudes towards gay rights through the prism of the recent Winter Olympics in Russia, and will feature clips of my music during several scenes.
The play runs from 1st – 10th August and from 12 – 21st August at 12:50pm each day at Bunker One of the Pleasance Courtyard in the centre of Edinburgh. Tickets can be purchased from the official Edinburgh Fringe Festival Box Office website.
A few pictures from the first couple of months with the new Jamie Roe Band line-up, recording some tracks and playing our first live show at The Rivergarden:
Catch us live next at Carlfest, Lowestoft (23rd August) and Ferryfest, Reedham (14th September).
I am delighted to have been invited back to Pellafort Press this coming Wednesday (20th November) to play the piano at the opening night of a brand new exhibition – ‘Explosive‘ – by London-based Russian painter Natalia Avdeeva.
The exhibition itself will run for two weeks (20th November – 5th December). As well as being a showcase for Natalia’s wonderful paintings, the display will feature a short video about Natalia and her personal approach to creating her artwork. In collaboration with Natalia and videographer Sophie Shaw, I have contributed an all-original soundtrack for this video, written to capture the energy and vitality of Natalia’s way of working, and her passion and vibrance as an artist.
For access to the opening evening of the exhibition on 20th November, please see details here.
I shall be performing with with my good friend Jimmy Roe in his famous Jimmy Roe Trio at VicFest in Martham (Norfolk), in the first live performance with the brand new Trio line-up at 2:30pm on Saturday 3rd August.
A few days later, we shall be recording a live video with the Trio at EPIC Studios in Norwich, featuring some of the latest new material on which we have been working. Stay tuned for a link to these when they are online!
I’m really enjoying working with Jimmy again, and can’t wait for you all to see and hear the new tracks.
Witchers will be taking a break from finishing up work on the forthcoming album to make an appearance at the Cambridge Rock Festival on Friday 2nd August in a rare ‘back-to-the-roots’ set as a four-piece.
Our set is at midday on 2nd August, for forty minutes. I’m really looking forward to playing live with Witchers again, and getting back into the festival scene.
If you want to come along, we have some tickets available from the band – you can get in touch with me here, or contact us through the Witchers Facebook Page.
