Well, it’s the most wonderful time of year, and the Nottingham music scene never sleeps… but it does have a little rest every now and again, just like us. So, considering everyone’s out getting absolutely cranberried this next week or so, here are the best gigs going off over the next two weeks.
You can use pretty much any word to mean smashed can’t you?.. “absolutely Great Gatsbied”… “absolutely candlesticked”… okay, maybe not any word…
GIG ONE
Kickstarting the party on the festive gig front is The Maze hosting a bangin’ New Years Eve masquerade ball shindig! These cool cats have gone all out this year with Stuntgirl productions bringing you burlesque, angle grinding, magic, a fire show, a UV show, circus performers and cabaret… And to top it all off they have an all-star swagger-some line-up! So get on your dancing shoes and welcome in 2015 with their most outrageous party yet.
Opening the festive antics is profound rapper, beat box extraordinaire and overall hype man MOTORMOUF bringing his solo beatbox set and loop pedal to stage. Next up you can get your skank to Mr ASHMORE delivering a mash-up of Reggae, Dub, Hip Hop and some jolly elements of Gypsy-infused beats. Followed by the man dubbed the Jimmy Cliff of Nottz – BLESSING MAGORE who will be returning to The Maze with his supper happy and high-energy live band and Afro-Funk Reggae sound.
After an electric debut and raising The Maze’s roof at their Halloween Special, the awesomely crazy BENDIGO BAND return to deliver an explosion of sound once again. Get ready for an ear-gasm of musical mixes from Ragga to Breaks, Balkan to Jungle, Reggae to Drum n Bass!
Headlining is the band described as ‘having sailed the seven seas for many a long year’ – get ready for some outrageously catchy sounds of SEAS OF MIRTH. Bringing a set of sea shanties, tug of war battles, plank walking and giant sea creatures. What more could you possibly want to welcome in the new year on a high note!
Price: £12.50 ADV (More available on the door if not sold out)
Doors: 8pm
GIG TWO
The Canalhouse hosts a noisy New Years across two stages full of ace bands from the Alternative spectrum.
Stage one sees Gypsy Punk Rockers BIG RHINO take the stage at 9PM to bring infectious tunes with powerful rhythms to bring the room together, spanning numerous genres from Indie Pop to Surf Rock to kick off your New Years Eve. Following this will be the ace Bamalama… oh wait, they do covers… sorry, we don’t do covers here at Nusic!
MAMMOTHWING’s unique brand of ‘Doom Blues’ will echo through the upstairs room as they take to the stage at 9PM. Following this WHITE FINGER will fill the room with a furious and unhinged energy as their noise-punk rock fills the room at 10PM. At 11, JC DECAUX, the legendary Space-Grunge-Prog-Garage Rock band to see you through to 2015. Then at 12.30 KAGOULE will be the soundtrack to your new year with their blend of alternative grunge rock.
Tickets are available in advance so book, book, book to avoid disappointment!
Price: £15
Doors: 8pm
GIG THREE
And to top things off on the News Year gig front make sure all you Hip Hop heads get down to the Alley Cafe for I’m Not From Brooklyn. Featuring upcoming Rapper ELMZ who ‘won Def Jam’s national contest for songwriting aged just 16 years old’ and has continued to tear it up on the local scene – make sure to check out his debut album ‘Knight’. Up next is the unique KEYZ ATLANTIC described as the ‘rapper with sights set on greatness’ get ready for him to spit some bars to the heads this New Years. Glocks, Sebba Spr and Blubuk from THE RETHINK will deliver some Alt infused Hip Hop that speaks on real issues in the world today as they ask you to ‘open your eyes and set your mind free’.
Then make sure to check out the dude who’s ‘making a difference by making it different’ the awesome DUKE 01 bringing an explosion Oldschool and New Hip Hop styles and backed by the one and only FURIOUS P. Headlining is Nottingham’s much loved electronic Dub/Dancehall/Ragga collab ORIGIN ONE. With producer and multi-instrumentalist N30N delivering some bass-heavy tunes and PARISA, TREKKAH and BRU-C adding vocals you’ll be getting your skank on well into 2015!
Price: £10 OTD/ £7 ADV
Doors: 8.30pm
P.S If you just can’t wait for all this New Year action, we reccommend popping by to the Acoustic Rooms Xmas party on Monday 22nd. There’s a proper solid lineup, and it’s free!
Yours in Love of New Music,
Katey Dawson/James Murphy x
