Nells Jazz & Blues•3 North End Crescent•London•UK

COMING UP AT NELL'S

THURSDAY 4TH MAY 2017 - KAT & CO

With family traditions rooted in the cotton fields of rural Tennessee, Kathleen Pearson is the real deal. But it’s in the heart of London that she went looking for the Blues of the 21st Century and under the Kat&Co. flag, this eclectic quintet set out to reshape the sound of urban-blues. Since their debut in 2013, they collaborated and shared stage with some of the biggest names in the industry, from Grammy Awards nominees Joe Louis Walker and Lurrie Bell to Hall of Fame inductees Mud Morganfiled, Paul Lamb and Lil Jimmy Reed.

Four years after the release of their first ground-breaking album, they are now back with a new compelling work that goes by the title of Blues Is the New Cool…and once again the reviews are coming in HOT. The night is the official Album launch for BLUES IS THE NEW COOL and every guest will receive a complimentary copy of the CD. Signing station will be available at the end of the performance. 

“Blues is indeed the new cool in the hands of this tightly-knit band of excellent, multinational musicians.This album delivers on its title’s promise BIG TIME!!!” G. Burnett - DOWN AT THE CROSSROAD (IRL)

"Kat & Co. produced what I would describe as "nightclub blues"....it is smokey, it is sassy and it is very classy" BLUES MATTERS MAGAZINE (UK)

“I like my father’s style, my own style and Kat’s style. I am crazy about that kind of stuff” MUD MORGANFIELD (eldest son of Muddy Waters) - Classic Rock Blues

“Kat&Co serves up a version of blues that is unique from what I have heard before, but is still unmistakably the blues” BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE (USA)

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FRIDAY 5TH MAY 2017 - THE BOHEMIANS - CELEBRATION OF QUEEN

"The Worlds most exciting Queen Tribute"

Internationally renowned Queen Tribute band The Bohemians take you on a high energy roller coaster ride of a concert, featuring the back catalogue of one of the world’s most popular and iconic rock acts of all time.

Right from the beginning you will be gripped by a bombastic, authentic audiovisual representation of Queen’s iconic Wembley ‘86 performance as the Bohemians burst onto the stage to the strains of One Vision and A Kind of Magic. So many fabulous hits to be covered but they’re all here, from the early piano and harmony heavy wonders of Killer Queen and Don’t Stop Me Now, to the later, catchy pop anthems of the eighties.

The second Hour concentrates on the later hits and once again there are so many to choose from.

The stunning, Breakthru provides both the introduction and the costume presentation for this part of the set which includes a new feature of the Bohemians stage show, a slick rendering of classics from the late eighties and early nineties era. I Want it all, The Show must go on and the haunting, Days of our Lives are just some of those featured.

Next up it’s the sights and sounds of the famous Live Aid performance and of course, the awesome Bohemian Rhapsody. Then it’s back to Wembley ‘86 for a suitably rousing finale when The Bohemians will have you on your feet, singing, dancing and clapping along to the likes of We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions. The appropriate climax to a truly memorable live re-enactment of the world’s greatest Rock Band.

www.thebohemians.com/

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SATURDAY 6TH MAY -  UNCLE FUNK & THE BOOGIE WONDERBAND 

THE UK's NUMBER 1 LIVE DISCO BAND!

Uncle Funk & The Boogie Wonderband's musical perfection is matched with their outrageous costumes, slick dance moves and energetic show that will put smiles on faces and keep feet firmly on the dancefloor.

Uncle Funk & The Boogie Wonderband play a winning set of disco classics – think "The Greatest Hits Of Disco Volume 1" and you have an idea! Every song in the set has been chosen with the dancefloor in mind – nothing indulgent, nothing obscure, just the dicso hits.

The quality and showmanship is such that Uncle Funk & The Boogie Wonderband have been booked to play many major UK festivals including Glastonbury (booked to headline a stage in 2015, 2016 and 2017), Standon Calling (main stage) & Shambala (headlining a stage). 

Uncle Funk & The Boogie Wonderband have the experience, showmanship and musical dexterity to guarantee your guests are on the dancefloor all night having the time of their lives!

“Support comes from London jazz artist Fiona Ross, who will be showcasing songs from her a new double-album ‘Just Me (and Sometimes Someone Else)’. Packed with songs ranging from Latin Jazz to stripped-back acoustic Soul, Fiona’s set will feature the kind of musical mastery you might expect from the former Head of the British Academy of New Music, where she was responsible for the training of some of Britain’s biggest music stars, including Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora and Jess Glynne.” www.fionaross.co.uk 

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MONDAY 8TH MAY 2017 - TAMIKREST

The London Jukebox presents Tamikrest.  Tamikrest means  ‘crossing’  in the language of the Kel Tamashek, a traditionally nomadic Saharan people that are commonly referred to as the Tuareg. It is an apt name for a band that so successfully merges the values of their timeless culture, with the sounds and visions they have encountered on a headlong journey to the concert stages and ipods of the world.

Echoes of dub, blues, psychedelia, funk and even art-rock are seamlessly weaved into Tamikrest’s increasingly individual take on the Tuareg musical tradition. Since the band has emerged onto the international scene in 2006 with their debut album ‘Adagh‘, they have been in constant motion, moving between the Sahara and Europe as though these places were next-door neighbours.

All the while, during this same time period, their homeland has suffered increasingly profound and catastrophic events. Originally hailing from Kidal, in the northeast of Mali, most of the band now lives in exile in Algeria as a result of ongoing war, persecution and political collapse.

These last years have been intensely vivid for Tamikrest, with tragic sadness (families and friends turned refugees, the brutal imposition of Sharia law in their hometown) and collective growth (their musical dreams building one upon another).

In March 2017 Tamikrest will return from the desert with their 4th album ‘Kidal‘, which perfectly balances their rocking and meditative elements. The recordings took place in Bamako (Mali) with Mark Mulholland from Tony Allen’s Afro-Haitian Experimental Orchestra producing. It was mixed by David Odlum, who won a Grammy for his work with Tinariwen.

Tamikrest are at the top of their game and show again that their reputation as one of West Africa’s most innovative bands is well-deserved. World tour to follow… 

"One of the best blues bands to come out of the Sahara"

Watch:

http://thequietus.com/articles/21704-new-tamikrest-video 

http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/third-uncut-playlist-2017-98956  

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FRIDAY 12TH MAY 2017 - DAVY KNOWLES

Davy Knowles announces his new album Three Miles From Avalon. This collection of new songs sees Davy returning to his roots, and the sounds that first ignited his passion for music.

Recorded exclusively in his adopted hometown of Chicago, the capital of electric blues provided Knowles with a landscape steeped in legend, inspiring him to creatively explore the genre of music he’s always loved – energetic, guitar driven blues-rock.

Knowles began the recording process for Three Miles From Avalon with a fresh approach, one that has resulted in a dynamic, gutsy sound: “I wanted to go back to the basics. The band and myself have racked up a lot of playing time together, and we have really started to gel. I wanted to capture that ‘live’ feel in the studio.

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SATURDAY 13TH MAY 2017 - PADDY CASEY

Paddy Casey has been the forefront of the the Irish music scene since his debut album Amen (So Be It) in 1999, while his second release Living became the biggest seller in Ireland out-selling U2. 

After a five year hiatus, Paddy Casey returned last year with his fourth album The Secret Life Of.  It was recorded, produced and mixed at home in Paddy’s kitchen by Paddy and Pat Donne. Pat worked on the first album Amen (So Be It), as well as on the demos for all the other albums. 

“The best thing about this album is that I veered off in any direction the wind carried me.

I let my mind wander around and had fun, I suppose I had no one looking over my shoulder or watching the clock. In some ways it was like going back to the start, when I used to experiment lots on a four track making any kind of music I felt like on the day.  If there is a theme it’s definitely something to do with freedom…

“I am driven to record and write songs, I always have been...I've been recording bits and pieces since I was 9 or 10. I always thought that musicians were my politicians, teachers, religious leaders etc. I don't even have to wonder about it, it’s like breathing, it’s not really something I can switch off”  - Paddy Casey 2012

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WEDNESDAY 17TH MAY 2017 - MICK FLANNERY

Mick Flannery releases his stunning third single ‘How High’, from his fifth studio album ‘I Own You’ which is Out Now

The album ‘I Own You’, released in November 2016, entered the Irish Charts at #3. It features some of Mick’s finest material to date and includes the two previous singles ‘One of the Good Ones’ and the title track ‘I Own You’.

‘I Own You’ is an album that is more socially aware, less self-involved and contains a social commentary – something that Mick himself acknowledges ‘that was new to me, if a little scary, something different to my previous releases. One of the songs [One Of The Good Ones] was inspired by wealth inequality in capitalist societies; it was also informed by the Baltimore riots. I hoped the song would portray the anger felt by disenfranchised, powerless people. I was also listening to a lot of Kendrick Lamar, and for a long time it was just Christian Best [producer] and I in the studio – him on drums and me warbling – so the beat became more important than any guitar or piano parts, more hip-hop based, the reason it sounds a little bit more modern.”

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THURSDAY 18TH MAY 2017 - SUBMOTION ORCHESTRA

Submotion Orchestra make some of the most interesting and exciting music from the UK today: A kaleidoscope of

electronic bass music, entrancing vocals, ambient, jazz and dub that sits somewhere on an axis between Bonobo and

London Grammar. Their unique music is at once delicate and heavy, spacious and dense, highly atmospheric but

firmly rooted. Earth-shaking bass and drums combine with lush keyboard and trumpet textures to create the perfect

backdrop for the fragile beauty of Ruby Wood’s vocals, and the celestial effects of producer Ruckspin.

Formed in Leeds in 2009, the band quickly made a splash on the wider scene. Their live gigs left audiences openmouthed,

and their debut EP on Ranking Records drew a rave reaction from Gilles Peterson. Their now-legendary

weekly residency at the tiny Hukaz Bar in Leeds gave fans the unique opportunity to see the band create new material

up-close and personal.

Submotion went on to release their first full-length album, Finest Hour. The record became an instant classic, receiving

critical acclaim from around the world, and strong support from DJs such as 6 Music's Mista Jam and Trevor Nelson,

who personally invited the band to record a live Radio 2 session. Sell out tours followed across Europe, and the band

were quickly booked for some of Europe’s biggest festivals, including Glastonbury, Bestival, The Big Chill, Pohoda

and Outlook.

The band's second album Fragments followed in 2012, receiving heated enthusiasm from fans and critics alike for the

variety of its sound. Radio support came from such diverse presenters as Pete Tong, Huey, Lauren Laverne and Don

Letts, demonstrating Submotion’s unique cross-genre appeal. Fragments spent a week at number 1 in the iTunes

charts, and the supporting tour climaxed with a sold out show at London’s legendary venue Koko.

Demand for the band had never been greater, as their reputation for staging one of the most exciting shows around

grew with each appearance they made. 2013 saw them release the 1968 EP on Circus Records, which saw their

champions grow to include i-D, Noisey, and Clash. The band also performed for international fans in France, Poland,

Germany, Turkey, Croatia, and the Netherlands, as well as in the UK. Somehow - perhaps inspired by the whirlwind of

energy around them – they found time to write their third album.

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FRIDAY 19TH MAY 2017 - FLEETWOOD BAC