BristolBands.com has had a special relationship with legendary music venue THE FLEECE since April 2007, with almost 150 gigs put on by ourselves there. That relationship will continue now that THE BLUE AEROPLANES have taken over the operating Lease.
We are always on the lookout for great music. We are looking for the best touring and visiting bands as well as the best of the emerging local talent. We hope you will be amazed and delighted with what we have planned for 2010 and beyond.
Our now-legendary local showcase events feature three top bands, handpicked by Bristolbands.com, each playing a 30-40 minute set. Some you may know and others you will never have heard of, but either way, we hope you'll have a great time on the night and even start supporting these bands in the future. We use these events to find the best local bands to support the tours.
The Fleece also has a good sized stage and arguably the best sound system in Bristol. The sound, lighting, bar and dressing rooms will be progressively upgraded as 2010 progresses.
Doors at 8 pm. We've signed up with SeeTickets, and Bristol Ticket Shop so you can guarantee a space in these amazing gigs in advance.
IMPORTANT - THE FLEECE IS STRICTLY AN 18+ VENUE AND HAS A 'CHALLENGE 25' POLICY. THIS IS TO PROTECT THEIR LICENSE.
IF YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO LOOK UNDER 25 YOU WILL NEED TO BRING SOME PHOTO ID.
HAZEL MILLS ( Psychedelic / Concrete / Alternative) from Bristol
Hazel Mills - Piano, organ, vocals & electronics TJ Allen - Guitar, laptop and electronics Greg Stoddard - Bass, lapsteel, accordian Jim Davey - Drums
Amid an angular web of bubble wrap and bottle cap beats, Bristol musician and former student of the classical avant-garde, Hazel Mills, plays her looper like a beloved old parlour piano, fluidly flexing across its array of dials, faders and footswitches. Her immaculate poise and posture is only outshone by the beguiling layers of vintage organ tones, wonky pianos, junk shop percussion and haunting vocal loops she creates. Whether playing solo or with her band, her live shows leave audiences mesmerised.
Her forthcoming mini-album, White Rabbit (Xpress Records), melds the darker side of 60's psychedelia, 50's sci-fi electronics and spaghetti western fuzz with her soaring vocals and layered loops, sounding like the bastard spawn of Grace Slick and the BBC's Radiophonic Workshop. The follow up to her 2007 debut, Butterfly , also produced and co-written by TJ Allen (AKA Aesoteric ), was recorded in the sweeping hills of the Welsh countryside at Rockfield Studios and mastered at the legendary Abbey Road during summer 2009 with engineer Michael Boddy, bassist Bradley Hemsell (Brenda, Olmec Diagram), drummer Jim Davey (ex-Halo) and multi-instrumentalist Greg Stoddard.
With her debut album 'Quaintrelle' out in the spring of 2010, elements of folk, swing, rock, grunge, synth-pop, dub, Latin and African music swirl in the mix along with Lenny's original love for all things acoustical.
But 'Quaintrelle' isn't an acoustic album, oh no. It's exactly how she wants it – wildly expressive, blindingly sincere, scintillatingly sensual and, ultimately, never less than confusingly fascinating.
"With her strong and melancholic vocals, and deeply personal folk rock songs. Lenny is a striking presence on stage. She can captivate you with a glance and holds audiences hostage with her songs of life and love. Wise and wonderful, she's got it all." Xpress Records.
After two critically acclaimed records, Luis has enriched his musical world with drums, piano and various experimentations such as sampling and human beat box, which all add to the songwriter's vocabulary while extending his musical terrain (Red Handed).
When listening to his melodies, one thinks of Nick Drake, Ken Stringellow and even the Beatles (Black Lemonade). His lyrics are subtle and poetical, leading to a rich universe, peopled by strange animals, childhood memories and the ups and downs of Luis' world.
DRAW ME STORIES (
Indie / Folk Rock / Alternative) - from Cardiff (via Cambridge, Strasbourg and Birmingham)
Despite being steeped in tradition, their music pulls you down gloomy side streets, astrewn with thumping drums, haunting guitars and quivering voices.
The name is an apt one too – pictures and colours pulsate from every song and the stories beneath them, each different, stretch and unfold as they are played. Press your ears to the walls, your feet to the floorboards, and feel the boom in your chest as ‘Draw Me Stories' draw near.
"Hopping from unplugged folkiness to mains-powered ragged rock, Cardiff's Draw Me Stories put a little soul into all they do. Updated traditionals with some powerful hollering attached." - Swn
