M.O.T.H, which stands for Memorable Order of Tin Hats, is a support network for ex-servicepeople, founded in South Africa in 1927. This network subsequently spread across continents over time, leading to the formation of MOTH Club in Hackney back in 1972. Though for the last ten years, MOTH Club has operated as a live entertainment venue, under the programming of LNZRT, hosting music and comedy gigs, film nights and club events. It’s hosted massive names such as Lady Gaga, Dave Grohl and Jarvis Cocker, as well as artists from a wide range of genres, including King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, IDLES, Caroline Polachek and many more. They also support emerging artists and entertainers.

The issue emerged in September last year, where Hackney Borough Council announced plans to build a block of flats next to the venue on Morning Lane, which prompted MOTH create a petition in protest and reach out to social media for support, fearing noise complaints from the new residents of these flats would cause MOTH’s closure. In November, a second building planning application was passed, again beside the venue, with balconies directly overlooking MOTH’s smoking area.

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In an interview with the BBC, MOTH’s general manager Edie Kench-Andrews discussed in further detail the importance of venues like MOTH and the impact these developments might have. She said: “Without venues like the Moth Club, and many others like us, bands wouldn’t lift off the way that they do.” She added: “A building like that getting built next to us will cast such a shadow over everything that we have worked for.

“If we were to get shut down, it would be a monumental difference for the community.

“Without places like us you wouldn’t be listening to half the bands you’re listening to.”

MOTH Club reposted the petition again last Monday, 7 July, urging fans to “keep the pressure on”. They wrote in a caption on Instagram: “Despite the overwhelming public response, Hackney Council has yet to respond to our concerns raised about the two separate planning proposals threatening MOTH Club’s future.”

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As of today, 9 July, the petition has over 19,000 signatures and an outpouring of support across music-lovers and ex-servicepeople alike. One comment by Mark Ian on the petition’s website reads: “I am one of the MOTH’s of the MOTH Club (MOTH Club Member). We are still an old soldiers club of which we still hold regular meetings in our room in the upstairs of the club which is out of bounds of the general public

There are very few places veterans can meet and socialise in Hackney […] There is no club like it in London and maybe unique in England.”

Click here to read the petition.

In their Instagram post, the duo said: “We play two intimate live shows at London’s MOTH club, Apr 6 & 7. We’re performing as a part-acoustic part-electronic duo accompanied by Rex Horan on double bass. No club bangers, no huge arena, just a chilled folk-tronic vibe. Two sets with an interval. Songs from both our solo and duo years.”

 

 

 

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Formed in 1982 in Hull, England, Everything But The Girl initially gained attention with their jazz-influenced pop sound. Over the years, they evolved to incorporate electronic and trip-hop elements, achieving significant acclaim in the 1990s. Their most notable hit, ‘Missing’, remixed by Todd Terry, reached number three on the UK Singles Chart in November 1995 and number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1996.The upcoming shows mark a significant return for the duo, who last performed publicly at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2000. The concerts are described as “part-acoustic, part-electronic”, featuring songs from both their collaborative and solo careers.

Tickets, initially offered to UK mailing list subscribers, sold out instantly, reflecting enduring interest in their music. Fans can currently join the wait list on DICE in case more tickets become available through resale. These intimate perfomances could signal the beginning of more live appearances from Everything But The Girl in the future.

Due to production issues, @GillaBand have had to cancel their o2 Forum show and have announced a residency of shows around London. First is at @WindmillBrixton next Friday (16th). TICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW 10am!! – https://t.co/XV2Z2tiIax pic.twitter.com/RPLHB6UIWi

— RoughTradeRecs (@RoughTradeRecs) September 8, 2022

The band will play The Windmill Brixton on September 9^th, Peckham Audio on October 8^th, Moth Club on October 21^st and Studio 9294 on November 9^th. Tickets for the Windmill show go on sale tomorrow at 10 am; tickets are available here. Tickets for the rest of the shows will be available on Tuesday 13^th September at 10 am.

We are changing our band name. We are also playing some shows in Dublin in January. pic.twitter.com/PNhZ19dL2m — Gilla Band (@GillaBand) November 16, 2021

Gilla Band, formerly Girl Band, changed their name last November, apologising to anyone who may have been hurt by the band’s original name. The four Irish men released a statement via Twitter at the time, stating: “We will no longer be performing or releasing records under the name Girl Band. We apologise for choosing a misgendered name in the first place and to anyone who has been hurt or affected by it.” 

Continuing: “When we were starting off it was chosen without much thought. From a place of naivety and ignorance. We had no grasp of the weight of it at the time and in the past few years have found it impossible to justify or explain.”

They went on: “Regardless of our intention the effect of the name has been damaging to individuals. To try and negate any unfortunate role we’ve played in propagating a culture of non-inclusivity in music or otherwise. We have decided to change it.”

Finishing with: “Thank you to those who spoke up about it and educated us on this. Either directly or indirectly. Moving forward we will be performing and releasing records under the name Gilla Band. Gilla being a given name taken from old Irish.”

Gilla Band will be releasing their new record, Most Normal on October 7^th via Rough Trade Records. Earlier this summer the band released the second single off the album. The track titled “Backwash” was available as a Big Love exclusive 7’, limited to 120 copies and a video animated by Mortis Studios accompanied the release. You can watch the video below.

Speaking to Hot Press singer Dara Kiely revealed the inspiration behind the song: “The initial idea for the whole album was that it would loosely sound like a dream. We didn’t really stick to the brief but it lead us down different sonic avenues. ‘Backwash’ is one of the few tracks where the words represent a dream-like circumstance. The lyrics are from a stream of consciousness rant, weird imagery and all that. The track is about attraction – fancying someone and not knowing what to say exactly. It’s an indirect love song, knowing you like someone but can’t quite articulate it. Thinking that you have already expressed your feelings, but like waking up from a dream you’ve forgotten what you actually have said or felt.”

London residency dates:

16/09/2022 – The Windmill Brixton – London
08/10 – Peckham Audio – London
21/10 – Moth Club – London
09/11 – Studio 9294 – London

Supergroup is absolutely the right term for the combined talent of Miles Kane (The Last Shadow Puppets) and Nic Cester (Jet) as joint frontmen, Graham Coxon (Blur) and Jamie Davis playing guitar, Matt Bellamy (Muse) on bass and Sean Payne (the Zutons) as the drummer. Sometimes Abi Harding (The Zutons) joins them on the saxophone. Musically, they are as fantastic as you’d hope – Kane and Cester have different but extremely powerful voices, and the rest of the band make their instruments look and sound like a natural extension of themselves.

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OCTOBER 2ND. PRE-ORDER NOW YouveAlwaysBeenHere link in bio.

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Currently, we’ve only seen the group publish covers – mainly incredible, stripped back, guitar-based versions of Northern soul classics. There is rumour of original music, and they play all sorts at their infamous live shows, but it doesn’t look like any of this will feature on their debut album. For now, having the band re-invigorate Northern soul classics is more than good enough! The singles they’ve released in 2020 include versions of ‘Reach Out I’ll Be There’ (July), ‘This Love Starved Heart of Mine (It’s Killing Me)’ (April) and short little version of ‘We’ll Meet Again’, sung by Matt Bellamy.

Regarding their newest track, Kane called it: “‘Love’s Gone Bad’, a rare northern soul stomper that we dug from the underground. We beefed it up and gave it golden wings with matching loafers! Be prepared to dance!” 

The video is so cool – it’s all in black and white, set in London’s Moth Club, and Matt Bellamy is wearing heart-shaped sunglasses. It’ll have you dancing, spinning, and probably online shopping for loafers and corduroy trousers. Mainly it’s Kane dancing with a partner. The other band members do show up though, playing their instruments while Kane and his partner leap about, spectacularly in time with each other. Although, of course, The Jaded Hearts Club offer a rock-based take on Northern soul, the video is very much in the spirit of the 1960s dancehalls where the genre really took off.

The group formed in 2017. According to Rough Trade, Davis wanted a Beatles band to play for his birthday, and he’s quoted as saying: “I knew a bunch of 1/2 decent musician friends so I asked if they’d form an early ‘60s Beatles band. Everyone had such a good time that we decided to do it again.” In 2019 they recorded a live album at London’s iconic ‘The 100 Club’. Their website declares that they “have been described as the ultimate Beatles cover band.”

It’s not so long to wait for their album now – but you should know that the 12” version, on marble patterned vinyl, is already sold out for pre-orders! The Jaded Hearts Club are so fantastically energetic, even these three-minute videos feel like a true taste of what they’re like live. Hopefully there will be more of that to come, following the release of You’ve Always Been Here.