About Me
~ C E L E B R A T E ~ S U M M E R ~
We've set up a few live appearances, here and there, to play to you.
The first of the bunch is at The HIVE, on Wednesday June 18th. The newly renamed venue for creative excellence in Shrewsbury. Previously known as the Belmont Arts Centre it's a great place to see bands. Not only for the room itself - a proper high ceilinged theatre studio, where spectators can watch immersed in floppy sofas, should the urge take them - but also because of the sound and vision facilities. The wall behind the stage area becomes a huge cinema screen where psychedelically enhanced images are projected to augment the musicians playing beneath. We think this will suit the Neotopian experience perfectly.
Next up, on Saturday 28th June, we're playing at a party for some friends in their huge beautiful gardens, out in the middle of nowhere, where no buildings or roads can be seen. Nothing but hills and trees for as far as the eye can see. Divine. Perfect and pure utopia. Neotopian utopia, that is. It's out in Shropshire, near Church Stretton. If the weather doesn't play fair then there is a large barn, as a plan B contingency. Several friends have already contacted us, expressing an interest in tagging along. We don't want to put the address up here on our site, but are letting it slip out on request.
The following day (June 29th) sees the first of the gigs where we'll need to travel a bit further afield. We're off playing at the Buffalo Bar in Cardiff. None of us have visited this venue before, but the promoter, who we befriended via this wonderful MySpace network, seems a nice chap. Word from other MySpace friends have given it a very positive thumbs up, with messages confirming that they are adamant that they are coming to see us play there and are bringing a few friends each, with whom to share the experience. We're really looking forward to this adventure - and indeed meeting you all!
Next up, in our Summer schedule, is London. On Saturday June 5th, the very next day after Carolina's Workhouse Festival set, we'll be playing at The Inn On The Green, in Ladbroke Grove. This is one of the regular 'Fused' evenings hosted by the people who run a great website for artists and art-lovers called Eclectic Fusion. Expect DJs and bands who will thoroughly engage the creative side of your brain. Again in a splendid environment. The are plans afoot that this one is to be filmed.
Then come our festival dates. The excitement that we all felt on being offered a slot at Nozstock Festival in Herefordshire still hasn't subsided since that original email! However, the night before that we're now down to play a smaller more community based affair, just across the border in Wales. On Friday 18th July we're playing on the main stage at Gro Gathering Festival in Rhayader. Please send vibes skywards that the weather goes supernova sunfest for that entire weekend, as lots of friends have already committed to buying Nozstock tickets. They will have already enjoyed the first evening of the festival by the time we arrive to play a midnight set on the Bandstand Stage on Saturday 19th July. There's a link to the Nozstock site below, btw. It looks like we'll be soaking up some groovy vibes well into the wee hours.
So,get your tent out of the attic... Then, click the logo below to be taken to the rather fab Nozstock website, where you can book your tickets and read about all the other artistes and areas. We're all gonna have one very special weekend.
We're in discussion with promoters for a couple more shows in Wales.
Keep an eye on our gig diary! Talks have resumed about recording again. let's hope something comes of it, this time.
Nick
The tunes currently playing on this site are just taken from our jam sessions down in the cellar, on a single microphone - either on our old, battered cassette player or a MiniDisc player. They're very live and unmixed.
The songs don't even have proper arrangements, more a set of loose guidelines, I suppose. Still, we are rather fond of that raw 'of-the-moment' improvised element and we wouldn't have bothered sticking them up here were we ashamed of them. There are plenty of fluffs as in most cases the recording is of the song's first run-through. LOL.
The idea is that we keep replacing the recordings whenever possible.
Anybody want Neotopia to play at their party?
Keep your ear to the ground. There's some great music being made everywhere. And it wasn't better back in your college years, or whenever you hear people reminiscing about. No. That's just someone trying to justify their laziness.
Great cutting edge bands are playing in venues right on your doorstep at venues of all sizes, right now! It's not on TV - until someone puts it there. And even then, music on television and radio is only representative of what filters through - and is generally a poor snapshot of the breadth and sheer variety of what's really happening out there. It's often only being broadcast into your home in the first place because somebody pulled a few strings or employed an overzealous marketing company, eager to help record companies shift units. Of course, a lot of genuinely good stuff does get through, from time to time.
The real music is best experienced where it happens. And it doesn't happen on your sofa, with a pizza on your lap. All you need to do is go and find it. So put on something nice for the evening and off you toddle.
