23 Nov 2008

I've added a YouTube section to the website with selected videos of performances, interviews etc. Click on the YouTube link to the left to check them out.

Enjoy!

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17 Nov 2008

Just got back from a rehearsal for an upcoming gig:

I will be performing again at the Royal Albert Hall this year with the Ob-sessions gospel choir. This year we will be accompanying singer Leee John from the band "Imagination", who had a #1 in the 80s with the alarmingly catchy "Just An Illusion".

You can watch the (very 80s) music video on Youtube here. Be warned, I had the tune stuck in my head for days afterwards.

If you'd like to come, tickets are available from the Royal Albert Hall box office from £10.

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24 Dec 2007

It's Christmas Eve and I'm blogging to you from my brother's house in Birmingham, where I will be spending Christmas with my family after our final date on the Beautiful World tour.

In some ways it was a bit of a nightmare gig - I made the mistake of changing my strings about an hour before we went onstage, and evidently didn't stretch my strings enough. The result: my high-E string slipping out of tune in front of 20,000 people. You know that horrible feeling you get when you're stuck in a situation, wish you could go back 30 minutes and do one small thing to change the present situation?

Anyway - I'm really happy my parents got to see us perform on a huge stage, and I think they actually quite enjoyed the Take That show. Both of them seemed quite bemused by the screaming 20-something women in the audience around them hurling underwear at the four men onstage.

I've really enjoyed the tour, and working with such a great crew operating at such a high level... including the sound engineers, stage crew, backstage crew, catering staff and tour management. All of us in Brown:music are incredibly grateful to the Take That boys for what can only be described as a dream opportunity, and especially to our friend Jason for asking us to tour with them.

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4 Dec 2007

Best. Birthday. Present. Ever!

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30 Nov 2007

I've not been well this week, and when we arrived to soundcheck, I soon discovered that due to a miscommunication with the organisers, there was in fact no guitar amp (and I'd been told specifically not to bring one). Rats. Electric guitar just doesn't sound the same when you plug it straight into the mixer... not exactly the best start when you are about to play at the coolest venue ever!

Fortunately Ben (our keyboard player) told me I should plug into his Leslie cabinet, and the sound was monstrous! I even got to flick the rotors on for a couple tunes and got this huge vibey sound from my guitar.

The choir performance was very well received, and our two guest stars - Heather Peace and David Lonsdale - performed very well. Heather in particular delivered what can only be described as a world class performance (and David would be the first to acknowledge this). Our final tune "Oh Happy Day" literally brought the entire hall to its feet... definitely the sort of Royal Albert Hall debut I was hoping for! :)

Monday is my birthday and I will be playing with Nicki Rogers at The Bedford in Balham - it's a free gig, so come by to enjoy the music and say hello. Then on Tuesday is the best birthday present a musician could wish for... London O2, say hello to Brown:music!

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25 Nov 2007

Another amazing gig - this arena was wider than the NEC and almost as long so the feel was a little different. Glasgow was pretty chilly, although apparently during the time we were there, London was actually colder!

We got to watch Take That's set from a better vantage point this time... we were at the front-of-house sound desk as opposed to being towards the side of the stage at the Birmingham gig - awesome production once again. Can't believe we've already done two of these gigs now, with just two to go.

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20 Nov 2007

We had a fantastic time on the 17th Sept playing to more than 10,000 people... I don't think I'll ever forget walking out onto the stage for the first time and seeing a huge black sea of people, unseen apart from blue and green flashing glowsticks! There are already a few videos of our performance on Youtube (click here), and I also shot a "behind the scenes" clip during soundcheck which you can watch by clicking here. Look out for the enthusiastic cameo from our friend Jason from Take That!

Some pictures viewable now on our Facebook group - click here to visit. We'll be adding them to our Myspace soon and I'll try and throw a few up here at some point.

The Take That show was an almost ridiculously spectacular production, and it was a little surreal watching the boys perform in person when our school class used to listen to Take That about 12 years ago, and when we had opened the show. Surreal indeed! If you're lucky enough to have nabbed tickets to any of the Take That gigs this year, you're in for a heck of a show!

We're already really looking forward to the Glasgow gig this Friday, and the Royal Albert Hall gig is little more than a week away now...

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22 Oct 2007

I will be playing electric guitar with the "Ob-sessions" gospel choir at the Royal Albert Hall on 29th November 2007. I've dreamed of playing at the RAH since I first arrived to study at Imperial College (just across the road) nine years ago, so this is definitely a big deal for me. We will be performing a few carols in a gospel style, as well as accompanying two British stars from the world of showbusiness in aid of Leukaemia Research. I'm really looking forward to this one!

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5 Oct 2007

It's now official - Brownmusic is going to be supporting Take That on their sold-out upcoming UK tour promoting their latest studio album. We will be playing at the Birmingham NEC arena, the Glasgow SECC arena, the London O2 arena and Manchester's MEN arena, with a total capacity of over 60,000 people!
Read our press release on the Brown:music website.

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6 Sept 2007

Some very exciting news - subject to final confirmation, I will be playing gigs at some of the biggest venues in the UK with Brown:music (rebranded from Brownmusic), supporting one of the biggest bands in the UK at the moment. Watch this space!

In other news, the Artiste List has been updated with a few more names I have worked with over summer. I will be slowing down my gigging pace in the near future for at least the next 9 months. No, I'm not pregnant... I'm just shifting focus to a teaching qualification which will allow me to teach music in secondary schools and colleges.

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30 Dec 2006

Slightly modified website layout, with some new information and pictures. Check out the new, updated Artiste List page!

Enjoy.

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28 Dec 2006

Finally updated the website with some new music clips, and a brand new music player! Click the launchpad at the top left of this window to have a listen.

This year is going to be a big one - new band The Johann Collective, with debut EP expected in January, and gigs coming up later in the year. Also look forward to more gigs with Brownmusic, Kirsty, Julian Perretta and Aaron Short. Stay tuned...

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