Welsh, Awen rock band Holy Coves head out on tour at the end of this month. The band will headline nine cities and nine independent venues across the UK kicking off their full UK tour with Bristol and Liverpool in October, then on to Birmingham, Manchester, London, Glasgow and Aberdeen in November, with their final shows of the year taking place in Leeds and their North Wales homecoming show in Wrexham.
This will be Holy Coves first ever fully independent tour run by the band and their team. They will be joined by some of the UKs finest independent bands, The Heavy North, Hazy Sundays, Maze, Box Of Trash, Rivia, Little Juke, Chase The Wild, Monza Express, Transmission Suite, SickRichard, Dakota Avenue, Luke Jones, Healer, The Dassins, Tom Collins, Charlie George Dempsey, Paul Askew and Suns Of Rest.
Tour Dates 30th October – Exchange – Bristol 31st October – Kazimier Stockroom – Liverpool 1st November – Sunflower Lounge – Birmingham 14th November – 33 Oldham Street, Manchester 15th November – Troubadour – London 28th November – Nice n Sleazy – Glasgow 29th November – Tunnels – Aberdeen 12th December – Royal Park Cellars – Leeds 13th December – The Lab – Wrexham
Indie Revolution’s Album Of The Month is Liverpool blues-rock band The Heavy North with their fantastic debut live album ‘Fire In The Furnace’. The band did a hometown 12-piece band show at the Camp and Furnace in December 2023.
Formed in 2018, The Heavy North released their critically-acclaimed debut album ‘Electric Soul Machine’ in 2022 and last year’s follow-up album ‘Delta Shakedown’ marked the band’s first UK Official Charts release.
In recent years The Heavy North’s sound has caught the attention of BBC 6 Music, Radio X, Amazing Radio, BBC Introducing, Classic Rock Magazine and Tim’s Twitter Listening Party – alongside legendary actor and new music champion Robert Carlyle describing the band as “Absolutely brilliant!”
The band’s hometown show at the Camp and Furnace last year saw The Heavy North perform tracks from their two studio albums with a string quartet, a brass section and backing singers for their biggest show to date. It was a show to remember! And now it is recorded on an album for all to hear.
Liverpool blues rock band The Heavy North are set to release their first ever live album ‘Fire In The Furnace’ on Friday 2nd August recorded at the band’s hometown 12-piece band show at the Camp and Furnace in December 2023.
Formed in 2018, The Heavy North released their critically-acclaimed debut album ‘Electric Soul Machine’ in 2022 and last year’s follow-up album ‘Delta Shakedown’ marked the band’s first UK Official Charts release.
The band is made up of frontman Kenny Stuart, guitarist and producer Jose Ibanez, bass player Andrew Horrocks, guitarist Jack Birch, keyboard player Ste Penn and drummer Mark Rice.
In recent years The Heavy North’s sound has caught the attention of BBC 6 Music, Radio X, Amazing Radio, BBC Introducing, Classic Rock Magazine and Tim’s Twitter Listening Party – alongside legendary actor and new music champion Robert Carlyle describing the band as “Absolutely brilliant!”
The band’s hometown show at the Camp and Furnace last year saw The Heavy North perform tracks from their two studio albums with a string quartet, a brass section and backing singers for their biggest show to date.
As a preview to the upcoming live album and film, The Heavy North have already released two singles from the album in recent weeks – ‘The Genie (Live)’ and more recently ‘Don’t Need Money (Live)’.
“We’ve built a community of fans and followers who travel from all over the place to come to our gigs, a bit like the crowd we had at the Camp and Furnace show last year” said The Heavy North frontman Kenny Stuart.
“We’ve had a lot of friends recommending us to other people and saying ‘these sound great, but you need to see them live!’ so hopefully this live album will be a good introduction for new listeners”
The Heavy North have also announced the release of the full-length ‘Fire In The Furnace’ concert film to accompany the upcoming debut live album.
Fans of the blues rock six-piece can watch the full 90-minute ‘Fire In The Furnace’ film at one of three special screening events scheduled at FACT in Liverpool on Wednesday 31st July (6pm & 8.15pm) and London’s Soho Screening Rooms on Thursday 1st August (7.30pm).
Discussing the accompanying ‘Fire In The Furnace’ film, Kenny said “We’re made up to be able to release the full-length video from the night too, and thanks to Jade and the team at Green Frog Productions for capturing the whole 90-minute show for us”
“The film screenings will be a chance for our fans to come together and listen to our debut live album ahead of the release whilst watching the tracks being performed on the big screen” added Kenny.
To celebrate the release of ‘Fire In The Furnace’ The Heavy North are also set to play two full band performances and album signings during release week.
The band will be hosting an album launch party at The Met in Bury with Wax and Beans Records on Friday 2nd August followed by a full-band performance at the Jacaranda Records Baltic in Liverpool on Saturday 3rd August.
The Heavy North’s ‘Fire In The Furnace’ live album launch week:
Monday 29th July FREE ‘Fire In The Furnace’ Listening Party Bandcamp Live online stream
Wednesday 31st July ‘Fire In The Furnace’ Film Screenings FACT, Liverpool. 6pm and 8pm
Thursday 1st August ‘Fire In The Furnace’ Film Screening Soho Screening Rooms, London. 7.30pm
Friday 2nd August ‘Fire In The Furnace’ Album Launch The Met (Wax and Beans), Bury. 7pm
Saturday 3rd August ‘Fire In The Furnace’ Album Launch Jacaranda Baltic (Jacaranda Records), Liverpool. 7pm
For tickets and more information visit theheavynorth.com.
‘Fire In The Furnace’ is available to pre-order on double 12″ gatefold splatter vinyl and double CD exclusively from Wax and Beans. For more information visit theheavynorth.com
‘Don’t Need Money (Live)’ is the second single taken from The Heavy North’s eagerly anticipated, upcoming debut live album ‘Fire In The Furnace’ which is scheduled for release on Friday 2nd August 2024
The live recording of ‘Don’t Need Money’ features guest musicians the Northern String Quartet, backing vocalists Rosalie Galvin and Molly Fryo, trumpet player Lozza Taylor and saxophonist Ste Powell who performed alongside The Heavy North at the Camp and Furnace, Liverpool on Friday 1st December 2023.
The Heavy North are a powerhouse on the live stage, extremely captivating and electrifying. ‘Don’t Need Money (Live)’ is out now across all streaming platforms.
3 months on from the band’s biggest show to date, Liverpool blues rock band The Heavy North have announced the release of ‘The Genie (Live)’ – the first single taken from their upcoming debut live album ‘Fire In The Furnace’ scheduled for release later this year.
Previously released as the opening track on the band’s critically acclaimed debut album ‘Electric Soul Machine’ album in 2022, upcoming single ‘The Genie (Live)’ was recorded at The Heavy North’s 12-piece band headline show at the Camp and Furnace in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle in December 2023 and produced by the band’s guitarist Jose Ibanez at 3rd Planet Recording Studios
The live recording of ‘The Genie’ features guest musicians the Northern String Quartet, backing vocalists Rosalie Galvin and Molly Fryo, trumpet player Lozza Taylor and saxophonist Ste Powell who performed alongside The Heavy North’s vocalist Kenny Stuart, guitarists Jose Ibanez and Jack Birch, bass player Andrew Horrocks, keys player Ste Penn and drummer Mark Rice.
The band’s live album ‘Fire In the Furnace’ features 20 original tracks from The Heavy North’s debut EP ‘Dive Bar Blues’ (2020), the band’s debut album ‘Electric Soul Machine’ (2022) and last year’s follow-up LP ‘Delta Shakedown’ (2023).
To coincide with the album release, The Heavy North have also confirmed the full feature-length ‘Fire In The Furnace’ concert film will be released later this year on selected streaming platforms and cinemas.
Discussing the new single and upcoming live album, The Heavy North frontman Kenny Stuart said “For anyone who attended our headline show at the Camp and Furnace back in December, we hope you’ll agree it was a boss night – and we can’t wait to share the live recordings with everyone. It was great to perform so many of our original tracks with a string quartet, a brass section and backing singers, and it’s something not a lot of bands are able to do”.
“Thanks to everyone who helped make the Camp and Furnace show a success and to everyone who came along, and me and the lads hope our live album captures the atmosphere and the energy of the night” said Kenny.
The Heavy North guitarist and producer Jose Ibanez added “We would also like to thank our friends at Adlib Audio and Green Frog Productions for recording the show, and a special thanks to Martin Kuchta at Roughgrain for mastering all of our tracks – including our upcoming single The Genie”
“By releasing the full live album and concert film we hope to give everyone the opportunity to experience The Heavy North’s live performance from the show and hear some of our tracks performed in a different way” said Jose.
The Heavy North’s new single ‘The Genie (Live)’ will be available from Friday 15th March 2024 on all download and streaming platforms.
The Heavy North’s debut live album ‘Fire In The Furnace’ is available to pre-order now on double 12” gatefold colour vinyl and double CD exclusively from Bury-based independent record store Wax and Beans Records. For more information please visit www.theheavynorth.com.
Just two months on from the band’s biggest show to date at the Camp and Furnace in Liverpool, blues rockers The Heavy North will return to the newly reopened Arts Club on Friday 2nd February 2024 as part of Independent Venue Week.
The Heavy North’s critically acclaimed second album ‘Delta Shakedown’ was released in October last year and marked the band’s first release to climb into the Official UK Charts – peaking at #10 in the Independent Album Breakers Chart.
The band’s Independent Venue Week show on Friday 2nd February is part of the UK’s annual 7-day celebration of independent music venues and the people that own, run and work in them. The first edition of Independent Venue Week took place in 2014 and since then, more than a million tickets have been sold for IVW events.
Over the years Arts Club building has been a series of venues from Barfly, through to the Masque Theatre, and the Seel Street venue closed in late 2022 before relaunching in November last year with two sold out hometown shows with The Wombats. The venue is currently independently operated by Tokyo Industries, the Manchester-based team behind Gorilla, The Deaf Institute and Factory251.
The Heavy North will be joined at the Arts Club by Liverpool singer-songwriter MT Jones and Yorkshire-based blues rock duo The Hazy Janes.
“This is a mammoth album of the best futuristic hip hop you’ve ever heard, knocking everyone else out of the park.” – Louder Than War
2. The Heavy North – Delta Shakedown
“This is an album that will be talked about for years, it’s a true blues explosion of sound yet there is more to it, far more. The blues/rock vibe acts as a supporting foundation for other elements to be introduced, elements of funk, punk, classical, gospel and everything in between blend seamlessly with their trademark garage blues ethos.” – Upcoming Bands
3. The Shed Project – Our Fear Is Their Power
“The Shed Project show their talents and growth with their new album. Each track goes from strength to strength, hooking you all the way in. The quality in production and song writing is refined, Roy’s vocals are heartfelt and real and their sound has matured.” – Music Scene Wales
4. CVC – Get Real
“Channelling 60’s California, this Welsh six-piece charm with classy psych-pop made for long summer evenings” – The Guardian
5. Apollo Junction – Here We Are
“Apollo Junction are set to take their hallmark anthemic sound to inspiring new heights and a wider audience with their third album Here We Are”. – Louder Than War
6. Trampolene – Rules of Love & War
“Excellently crafted indie guitar pop or whatever you want to label it…a real earworm” – RPM Online
7. Laurie Wright – Get On The End Of It!
“A force of nature possessing a raw and genuine talent that many can only dream of” – Music Scene Wales
8. The Royston Club – Shaking Hips and Crashing Cars
“The whole piece is an awesome medley of sick strings, relatable life experiences and very singable lyrics. Here is your wake up call…get those hips shaking – try to avoid the car crashing though”. – No Extra Source
9. Skindred – Smile
“Ragga-metal mainstays Skindred crank the attitude and stack up a few more anthems on irrepressible eighth album Smile.” – Kerrang
10. Rogue Jones – Dos Bebés
“Strides confidently and boldly, full of great songs built and presented with excellent musicianship and production.” – Wales Arts Review
11. The Lottery Winners – Anxiety Replacement Therapy
12. Lewca – Boombap for Boomers
13. The Lathums – From Nothing To A Little Bit More
14. The Reytons – What’s Rock And Roll?
15. DMA’s – How Many Dreams?
16. Mr Phormula – A.W.D.L
17. boygenius – The Record
18. Himalayas – From Hell To Here
19. Declan Welsh and the Decadent West – 2
20. Godsticks – This Is What A Winner Looks Like
21. Mark Sharp & The Bicycle Thieves – Unmask The Circus
Mike from Welsh Connections chats with Kenny Stuart, the charismatic frontman for The Heavy North about the band’s latest album ‘Delta Shakedown’. The show contains tracks from the new album plus songs from their back catalogue.
In this candid interview find out the origins of the name, how the guys create and record their songs plus their plans for the future.
The Liverpool six-piece play their biggest headline show to-date THIS FRIDAY (1st December) to celebrate the release of the band’s second studio album ‘Delta Shakedown’.
Following the success of last year’s sold-out headline show at the Arts Club Liverpool, the blues rock band will be performing at the Camp and Furnace in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle as a 12-piece band featuring the Northern String Quartet, backing singers Rosalie Galvin and Molly Fryo, trumpet player Lozza Taylor and saxophone player Ste Powell.
The Heavy North will also be joined by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jay Lewis (Cast, The Zutons, The La’s, Cracatilla), as well as Wirral 4-piece Ambedo Blue and local folk singer-songwriter Ellis Murphy.
This year has seen The Heavy North embark on a UK tour, perform overseas in Spain and Gibraltar, as well as an appearance at the sold-out Kendal Calling Festival in The Lake District.
The band’s recent singles ‘Where Are You Now?’, ‘Round Again’ and ‘Give A Little Love’ have attracted regular airplay from BBC Radio 2’s The Rock Show, Radio X and BBC Introducing, as well as the band’s sound being described as “absolutely brilliant” by legendary actor and new music champion Robert Carlyle MBE.
Formed in 2018, The Heavy North released their debut 4-track EP ‘Dive Bar Blues’ in December 2020 followed by the critically acclaimed debut album ‘Electric Soul Machine’ in April 2022. The band feature Kenny Stuart (singer), Jose Ibanez (producer and guitarist), Andrew Horrock (bass player), Ste Penn (keys player), Mark Rice (drummer) and Jack Birch (guitarist).
The Heavy North’s show kicks off a month-long festive programme of Christmas events at the Camp and Furnace in the heart of the Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle.
Tickets for Friday’s show are available from SeeTickets, Ticketweb and Skiddle. Alternatively please visit www.theheavynorth.com for more information.
In a brand new monthly piece, Music Scene Wales will feature a brand new album of the month chosen from the best on the independent music scene by the Indie Revolution team, those being Music Scene Wales, Yr Wyddfa Records, This Is The Music, Upcoming Bands, Wax and Beans Record Shop and In Your Ears Music.
This months chosen Album Of The Month is Liverpool’s finest, The Heavy North’s fantastic new album ‘Delta Shakedown’
“This is a master craft of songwriting and a band at the very top of their game. It oozes class and experience.” – Music Scene Wales
‘Delta Shakedown’ is OUT NOW on 12” gatefold colour vinyl, CD and all download and streaming platforms. Visit www.theheavynorth.com for more information.
Tickets for The Heavy North’s Camp and Furnace show on Friday 1st December are ON SALE NOW. Visit www.theheavynorth.com for more information.
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