So, I had my first night off in about three months last night, and a Saturday as well, so what did I do? Went out to see some bands of course. In Leicester city, in my favourite venue - The Cookie. And exactly 2 weeks before my own birthday shin-dig it was nice to see the place packed out, why? Because Casino Empire were playing, that's why.
A very different atmosphere to the Matt Henshaw Peace, Love & Tea sessions but as I sat at the back perched up high watching the lads do their thing and whip the crowd into frenzy it was some spectacle to behold.
Advancing at a rapid pace beyond their years from when I first saw them a few months ago, new songs, smarter shirts - enough paisley on show to make sartorial swine like myself a very happy man - and a whole package that coming together very nicely.
Front man, and past guest on Tea & Toast with Matt Henshaw & Stu Crown, Tommy Cobley follows and fits into the rock'n'roll mould that's gone before him, effortlessly too, Ian Brown, Liam Gallagher, Richard Ashcroft, Tom Meighan ... Tommy Cobley. And it's no nonsense rock'n'roll in the Noel Gallagher lexicon all the way.
The Stone Roses, Oasis and fellow homegrown boys Kasabian pervades everything these chaps do, but when it's done genuinely, convincingly and passionately, there's absolutely nothing wrong in that. 'Shine On' and 'She Loves' have the potential, and you know the next batch of songs will get more and more anthemic, more so than what Beady Eye are currently churning out.
And so, it's with their penultimate song, a sterling rendition of the Burnage boys 'Rock & Roll Star' that spells out the whole philosophy, 20 years ago this week that tune came out charting the course of the first Oasis record, and hitting number one on my 7th birthday (Sunday 10th September, 1994) and changed my life forever, and it's still doing so today, the lads on the stage, and half the crowd weren't even born !!
Now's the time for these lads to take that ethos far and wide, rock'n'roll stars in Leicester, and this kind of show travels around the world, and translates into any language as a ruddy rollicking good time !!
So, hopefully I'll see you all down the Cookie in two weeks time, I know the boys in the band will be there, enjoyed a slightly more quaint and refined evening than their barnstorming rock'n'roll show, but all the same, it's all Peace, Love & Tea and that's what matters, Spread The Love Leicester !! MHx
Elizabeth Cornish
The Strangler Figs
Sky Valley Mistress
Jesse Wright
Siobhan Mazzei
Georgie Rose
Tapestry
The De Montfort University Gospel Choir
By The Rivers
Martin Luke Brown
Joy Mumford
Three Girl Rhumba
MotorMouf
Samuel Idwal
Abandon Her
Stef Baker
Emily Carr
Becky Edwards
Mahalia
Mia & The Moon
Rosa-Leigh
AJA
Kate Rendell
Esther Van Leuven
East Midlands Girls
Ones to Watch for 2014
The Bobcats
Savanna Bones
Mattayoux
Matt Zara
The Simpletones
Charlotte Carpenter
Leah Sinead
Matt Henshaw Recommends ...
---===DOWNLOAD LINKS===---
DOWNLOAD & STREAM 'ALWAYS IN THE WAY' NOW !!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/always-in-the-way-ep/id875188981
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/always-in-the-way-ep
https://play.spotify.com/user/ilsonowl/playlist/2tHGjyz7EpEZpvgc8HpuRm
DEBUT 'IT AIN'T EASY/MY LIFE - EP' !!!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/id814589358
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aint-Easy-My-Life-EP/dp/B00I8ZDJZC/
https://play.spotify.com/album/733AAcf7c2KcZ75SUFlpi3
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.emusic.com/album/matt-henshaw/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/14753983/
http://www.7digital.com/artist/matt-henshaw/release/it-aint-easy-my-life
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.napster.co.uk/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
Top photo by Olly Stabler Photography
