When What Sat 16 December 2006: ZION TRAIN, DUBTERRAINIA & ROADS 8pm-1am, Exeter Phoenix, £11.50adv /£13door The awesome ZION TRAIN return to headline the FSOE Xmas party in style! Expect top-notch reggae-fusion which combines soaring vocals, conscious lyrics, high-energy dance beats and the fat sound of the Crispy Horns in a live dub-mix second-to-none. We bring Zion Train to the Phoenix once a year and it’s been eighteen months since their last exciting visit, so get ready to party-hard in a packed auditorium. This festive celebration also features two local bands each with a distinctive take on the reggae genre: DUBTERRAINIA present an eclectic world-dub vibe, while ROADS are an exciting white-reggae trio guaranteed to get you dancing. And FSOE DJs will be on the roots-mix too! In the bar: SELECTIV live. Sat 18 November 2006: PHIL HARTNOLL (ORBITAL), EAT STATIC, BANCO DE GAIA, MIRROR SYSTEM & more! 8pm-2am, Exeter Phoenix, £16adv/£14conc/£18door It's part two of the Future Sound of Exeter's tenth anniversary celebration, focusing on the electronic end of the local collective's activity with simply the best electronic music line-up the city's ever witnessed: PHIL HARTNOLL was half of the phenomenal Orbital and he'll lay down one of his special Orbital DJ sets; EAT STATIC always deliver fresh, frantic, funky and above-all, spacey live performances where ancient analogue equipment is dragged screaming and kick-drumming into the twenty-fifth century; BANCO DE GAIA presents a special new audio-visual set; and MIRROR SYSTEM is a live set from the new downtempo project of SYSTEM 7's Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy. If that wasn't enough, N-TROPIC and SUNFISH will perform live trance & techno in the bar, with FSOE DJs on deck duties to make this an extra-special night - complete with the release of the Future Sound of Exeter's eleventh album! Sat 4 November 2006: JAH WOBBLE, MELOSA & JERRY CAHILL 8pm-midnight, Exeter Phoenix, £12.50adv/£10.50conc/£14door It’s part one of the Future Sound of Exeter’s tenth anniversary celebration with the legendary JAH WOBBLE. Yes, it’s the original Public Image bass player who has played with anyone who’s anyone and who’s name has become a by-word for eclectic dub-innovation ranging from world grooves to spaced-out improvisation to English folk via William Blake and Celtic poets! This will be Wobble’s third visit to the Phoenix: the first was in his Deep Space incarnation; the second was with his English Roots Music band; and this will be his classic funky and dubby line-up so be prepared for a real Invasion of the Heart. Live support comes from the excellent MELOSA and the sublime JERRY CAHILL, who played at our first-ever St David’s Ambience Society session a decade ago, and FSOE DJs will keep the eclectic vibes flowing in all areas. Fri 13 October 2006: RONI SIZE, MC DYNAMITE, OBEDIENT BONE & more 9pm-2am, The Lemon Grove, Exeter University, £12adv/£14door RONI SIZE won the Mercury Music Prize with his incredible 'New Forms' CD and has never looked back. The drum'n'bass legend behind Reprazent and Full Cycle teams up with the eplosive MC DYNAMITE for a sonic tour de force which keeps pushing back those boundaries in terms of complex beats, phat basslines and a high-ernergy atmosphere. Support comes from Diesel Music Prize winners the unstoppable OBEDIENT BONE whose mix of vocals, guitars, electronics and that big, big bass adds up to an incredible live d'n'b feast. Kuhlmusik DJs will keep the rhythms rolling in all areas. Thu 21 September 2006: DUBBLEHEAD, NUALA & THE ALCHEMY QUARTET and more, FREE GIG to launch foryourarea.com Exeter Phoenix, FREE, Tel – 01392 667080 This event will feature demonstrations of the latest interactive projection technology and a collection for the Bobby Wright Cancer Fund. Support Djs include: LIZZY G, DIGGA & DRED STRIPE, BADGER STYLE, KATIE B, BOSTIN POWERS and MIKE JAMES. Sat 2 September 2006: TIM BLAKE, JEAN-PHILIPPE RYKIEL & guests Exeter Phoenix, 8.30pm, £15adv/£20door, Tel. 01392 667080 www.wegottickets.com TIM BLAKE was keyboards & synth wizzard with Gong and Hawkwind, and the man responsibile for the classic 'Crystal Machine' and 'Blake's New Jerusalem' albums. In 1979 he performed the amazing 'Waterfalls in Space' duo with blind keyboardist JEAN-PHILIPPE RYKIEL to an awestruck Glastonbury Festival crowd. This cosmic evening sees the two musicians reunited for the first time, plus special guests electric violinist CYNDEE LEE RULE from Philadelphia and SKY SOWND OMNIVERSITY DJs. Sat 8 July 2006: EXETER RESPECT 2006 ANNUAL WORLD MUSIC EXTRAVAGANZA 8pm-2am, Exeter Phoenix, £12adv(£10conc)/£14door, Tel - 01392 667080, www.wegottickets.com An amazing four-area show... Auditorium: TALVIN SINGH Mercury Music Prize, tabla & Asian dance legend; DUBDADDA feat. Crispy Horns (Zion Train, Love Grocer); DJ ABEL Native American UK debut; AYO (Baka Beyond); DJs Ambiessence & Radio Bush Telegraph. Marquee: PETE BENGRY Cornershop DJ set; BHUNDU BOY RISE KAGONA & CHAMPION DOUG VEITCH Afro-celt guitar fusion; KASAI MASAI Congolese Rhumba & Soukous band; DJs Mike James and Purple Rabbit. The Latin Quarter: DJs David R. Boland (Notting Hill Carnival's Bass By Any Means Necessary Soundsystem) & Ricardo (Worldbeat). GOB Global Village Gallery: MORENO (Buenos Aires), SELECTIV, TRIMORPHOUS and guests Artist Profiles: TALVIN SINGH needs no introduction as winner of the Mercury Music Prize and genius behind the legendary Anokha: Sound of the Asian Underground clubnights. He presents an amazing fusion of live tablas & percussion, classical Indian forms and massive dance beats which have thrilled audiences the World over. PETE BENGRY, founder member of nineties Asian pop sensations Cornershop, presents his awesome ‘Lighthouse Keeper’ DJ & percussion set spanning funk, reggae, hip-hop and international classics. RISE KAGONA was leader of Zimbabwe’s astounding Bhundu Boys, who opened for Madonna at Wembley and whose music “changed my life” for DJ Andy Kershaw. Today the other Bhundu Boys are dead, in jail or broke but Rise has joined Scots guitar legend ‘CHAMPION’ DOUG VEITCH, record-holder for having 6 NME disks of the week, to present an unmissable afro-celtic fusion. DJ ABEL is a Native American DJ making his UK debut for Exeter Respect! Hailing from the Navajo Reservation in Window Rock, Arizona. The Culture Shock 2000 DJ Champion and Linkin Park DJ Battle Finalist fuses rock, hip-hop and Native American freedom chants into a volatile mix. “A master of his art” - Native Tongue magazine. KASAI MASAI are 5-piece band playing Congolese Rhumba & soukous, uplifting African sounds guaranteed to get you on your feet. AYODELE SCOTT is master drummer with Baka Beyond and dancer with Sierra Leone National Dance Company. He’s assembled a top percussion troupe to open and close our very special night. Sat 10 June 2006: HERE & NOW and INSTANT FLIGHT 8pm-midnight, Exeter Phoenix, £10adv (+BF), £12door, Tel 01392 667080, www.wegottickets.com A truly psychedelic double-bill! The mighty HERE & NOW were one the first bands to combine the anarchic energy of punk with deep dub and ultra-spacey instrumental work-outs. Founder members Keith ‘the missile base’ Bailey and Steffie Sharpstrings continue to produce some of the fattest basslines around, overlaid with blistering guitar solos and cosmic glissando washes, while longstanding drummer Steve ‘one dread’ Cassidy lays down rhythms ranging from rapid-fire rock to lilting ska. The line-up is completed by special guest Joie Hinton, the keyboard and synth wizard who forms half of Eat Static – and you don’t get more spaced-out than Joie! INSTANT FLIGHT are the modern psychedelicists who backed the legendary Arthur Brown for his storming set at the Phoenix last year. We were so impressed we had no choice but to book them in their own right! Instant Flight successfully mix beautiful Beatles-esque close-harmony vocals with barnstorming prog-rock work-outs based around exciting interplay between charismatic guitarist Marco Magnani and stunning keyboard player Lucie Rejchrtova. Their songs are beautifully-crafted epics in which song-structures rooted in the late-sixties and early seventies are re-presented with twenty-first century precision and energy. SEMBALANCE lay down live space-vibes in the bar with The ICONOCLAST on the mix, while DJ AMBIESSENCE spins astral favourites in the auditorium. Sat 20 May 2006: THE EGG 8pm-midnight, Exeter Phoenix, £10adv (+BF), £12door, Tel. 01392 667080, www.wegottickets.com A very rare treat indeed! THE EGG have been stunning festival audiences for years with their clever blend of live instruments and electronics, described by Mojo as “post-dance liquid funk and psychedelic lushness”. Based around multi-instrumentalist, multi-talented identical twins Ned and Maff Scott, they have evolved into the biggest cult band in England, with a large following ready to celebrate their many incarnations. Their latest album, ‘Forward’ was greeted with glowing comments from diverse reviewers which show the breadth of their widespread and well-deserved appeal: “Rock-tronica, brimming psychedelic warmth and upbeat funky grooves which make The Egg a band for our times” – BBCi; “We all love it!” - DJ Magazine; “so far away with the fairies they should be living in Neverland, but so charming that few would begrudge them another big success” - The Guardian. Live support comes from the mighty TRIMORPHOUS, with DJ AMBIESSENCE on the mix and MINOR PLANET in the bar. Sat 22 April 2006: THE SOOTHSAYERS and THREE DAFT MONKEYS 8pm-midnight, Exeter Phoenix, £10adv (+BF), £12door, Tel. 01392 667080, www.wegottickets.com THE SOOTHSAYERS are an amazing 7-piece nu-afrobeat band who take their inspiration from performers such as the legendary Fela Kuti but extend his powerful influence with contemporary urban styles including funk, reggae, jazz and hip-hop. The result has been described by Echoes Magazine as “an impressive mosaic of afrobeat, dub and funky fusion with dynamic volleys of call and response, cascading horn riffs and melodies. Their two albums, ‘Lost City’ and ‘Tangled Roots’ have received rave reviews in both the music press and the quality papers: The Times commented that: “Now and again an album comes apparently out of nowhere that hits you straight between the ears” and The Guardian described “thrilling harmonies, seriously infectious dancefloor oriented grooves and goosebump-inducing vocals.” The Soothsayers alone make for a top night, but we’ve gone a step further and added the fabulous THREE DAFT MONKEYS to the bill! This acclaimed Cornish acoustic trio combine folk styles from around the world into their high-energy, self-penned, quirky, groovy and extremely danceable sets. Folk Roots describe them as “a magic carpet ride into a mad world peopled by off-the-walls ideas, made for smiles of all kinds.” MR ONIONS is on deck-duty in the auditorium line-up with THE RETROBATES & GUESTS live in the bar. Fri 7 April 2006: HAWKWIND 8pm-midnight, Exeter Phoenix, £17adv (+BF) £20door, Tel – 01392 667080 www.wegottickets.com The undisputed Masters of the Universe are back for an exclusive night in our very own Hall of the Mountain Grill! HAWKWIND are about to embark on an extensive tour of mainland Europe to promote their umpteenth new album and we’ve managed to do an exclusive south west show before leaving English shores. Veterans of a thousand psychic wars Dave Brock, Alan Davey and Richard Chadwick are joined by keyboard wizard Jason Stewart to once again roam In Search of Space. When it comes to full-on space-rock with all the frills and thrills, no-one comes close: monster riffs, the spaciest of noises, stunning lights and projections, lyrca-clad alien dancers and a set of classic tracks culled from a massive back-catalogue most bands would die for. Even Lemmy readily admits his debt to Dave Brock’s legendary band – so come and pay homage to the Lords of Light! FSOE space-cadets will be on hand to ensure the journey into hyperspace and back will be a smooth one, with AMBIESSENCE, BOSTIN POWERS and SEMBALANCE at the controls. Fri 3 March 2006: SOFT MACHINE Plus the MARCUS CHANEY BAND and jazz-rock DJs Exeter Phoenix, 8-12pm, £14adv (£12conc) +BF, £16 door, Tel - 01392 667080 www.wegottickets.com What an amazing coup for the Vibraphonic Festival opening night! Re-formed with a brand new album in the shops in February the avant-jazz-rockers ride again with a classic line-up: guitar virtuoso John Ethridge, spellbinding bassist Hugh Hopper, alto sax, saxello and Fender Rhodes electric piano specialist Elton Deane, and, of course, mercurial drummer John Marshall. Soft Machine combine great ears for melody with heroic improvisation and the ability to rock out with the best of 'em. The result is a driving, hypnotic musical force rarely equalled for vision and originality. Cited as key influences by musicians the world over, SOFT MACHINE members are always appearing in star-studded jazz and rock combos, but not since the seventies have we witnessed a line-up this strong - yes, they're back and they're on form, the real SOFT MACHINE! The excellent MARCUS CHANEY BAND provide funky jazz-rock support with DJs AMBIESSENCE and BOSTIN POWERS spinning fusion in the auditorium and bar. Click here to return to the gigs menu