Happy Mothers Day to all Mum’s this week! While I can I want to remind everyone about the Introducing gig next Friday at Club 85 in Hitchin. The team will be down there with some special guests. It costs £5 to get in and you have to be over 16! See you down there!

The Pins played live this week and they performed two songs, ‘Me Me Me’ and ‘Out Tonight’ plus they also recorded a bonus track, ‘Upper Class Wannabe’, for the website so check that out! They have gigged all over the place both locally and in London They are doing a charity gig on the 1^st May at The University College London at their Student Union and a small festival in Bishops Stortford on 2^nd May. Find out more about The Pins at www.myspace.com/wearethepins

Band on a bike continued and this week it was the turn of The Pins. They got a time of 20.52 seconds which puts them sixth on the leader board!

Betaboy from Ampthill were first up in the studio and we first met them at the BBC Introducing…Beds Herts and Bucks Christmas gig where they were promoting their first ever gig. They have been gigging really hard over the last 4 months and have even picked up their own group of fans called ‘The Beta-Gang’. The guys are gigging locally on the 6^th May at The Horn in St Albans but if you want to see them earlier they are playing on the 7^th April in Camden. They are also in the running for Road To V. If they get enough fans they get to play at V Festival (I’m already a fan!). To find out more about these lovely guys check out their website www.myspace.com/betaboy

Dizzie Cheroot popped in to tell us about their new collaboration with The Turner Brothers who had been producing for years before joining Dizzie Cheroot. At gigs there can be up to 14 people on stage at once…amazing! To find out more check out www.myspace.com/dizziecheroot or www.myspace.com/theturnerbrothers

Tinker Jack from Bedford also came in to promote themselves. They currently have an EP out which self titled ‘Tinker Jack’. Its going to be up on iTunes eventually but at the moment you can purchase one by contacting them on MySpace. As for gigs, they are gigging on 3^rd April at Bedford Esquires and they’re headlining at The Stables in ..Milton Keynes.. on 25^th April. To find out more check out www.myspace.com/tinkerjack06

Finally Captain Love Guns came in for a pirate-y chat with Gareth. At the moment they are writing loads of new material and are preparing for a greatest hits show after only 3 gigs! To find out more about these crazy pirates check out www.myspace.com/captainloveguns

Kelly spoke to Lost Without Cause about a very exciting opportunity. They are also in Road To V and need your votes to enable them to play at V Fest. You need to register first at www.roadtov.com and then you can become a fan of as many of your favourite bands as you want! The band are gigging locally on 26^th March at The Harlow Square and 11^th April at The Railway Club in ..Watford... At the moment they are working on a load of new material and recording loads of new tracks. To find out more go on www.myspace.com/lostwithoutcause

Kel travelled to UBSU in ..Luton.. where the launch of Blinky the magazine was taking place. Kel spoke to Chris from Blinky Promotions who has been working on creating a magazine to help promote unsigned music across the ....UK..... On Friday night they had several bands playing including My Passion. Chris also announced there is another launch night on 3^rd April at Club 85 in Hitchin.

Next week at Club 85 in Hitchin is our second monthly BBC Introducing gig with performances from Guildean Gang, AT8, Folk N Ska Souls and Angels Standing By with DJ sets from ....Exit Avenue....! It costs £5 to get it and doors open at 7.30. It’s gonna be a great night…hopefully we’ll see you there!

This week we had music from Betaboy (www.myspace.com/betaboy), The Swanvesta Social Club (www.myspace.com/swanvestasocialclub), Muchuu (sent from Huw Stephens), Dizzie Cheroot (www.myspace.com/dizziecheroot), Tinker Jack (www.myspace.com/tinkerjack06) and Captain Love Guns (www.myspace.com/captainloveguns)

If for some strange reason you missed the show or you simply want to hear Gareth’s voice for a second time, you can listen to the show again by clicking on the ‘Listen Again’ button on the website.

Tune in next week to find out the latest time for Band On A Bike, where Kel is on his travels, all the gigs in the local area, who’s playing a live set in the Introducing room and what crazy things will be happening in the studio!

In the spirit of all things funny for money, Mike the Engineer decided it would be amusing to try to convince me that the team were dressing up for Comic Relief. I was all set with my costume after manically driving to my friend’s house to borrow some wings and boppers when I realised that this was Mike and anyone who knows Mike could tell you he has a reputation of being a joker. Anyway, after all that nonsense I turned up at the station and nobody was wearing a costume. I cannot tell you how glad I was that I didn’t turn up dressed like a bumble bee!

What fun things did you get up to raising money for Comic Relief this year?

.. ..

The Measure were playing for us this week and they performed two songs live, ‘I Can’t Get High’ and ‘Gettin’ Me Down’ plus they also recorded a bonus track, ‘House’, for the website which is definitely worth a listen! They are playing at the Albion Arms on 21^st March and at the Sid Worth Memorial Gig at Esquires on 2^nd May. Find out more about the band at www.myspace.com/themeasureuk

.. ..

NEW BAND ON A BIKE RECORD!! But should it be allowed?? Ollie from The Measure was the competitor and got an impressive time of 12.49sec but he picked up the bike and ran with it. Now this is what The Comfort did and they were allowed at the top of the leader board so should The Measure be allowed to knock them off the top spot?

.. ..

The first guests in the studio were Side Of The Sky from ....Bedford..... They have recently been signed by Quick Time and are recording a new single which will be available soon. They are gigging at Esquires in ..Bedford.. on 10^th April and  The Horn in ..St Albans.. on 14^th April. To find out more about the band check out their MySpace, www.myspace.com/sideofthesky

.. ..

Rivalries from Welwyn Garden City popped in for a chat about all things musical! They are going on tour with Guildean Gang in May for about 9 dates and are gigging at the Stortford Music Festival on 2^nd May. To find out more about the band have a look on their MySpace, www.myspace.com/rivalries

.. ..

Dan from Pirate Radio came in to tell us about the bands new direction. The video for ‘If Your Feet Can Move Dance’ should be online soon so look out for that! The band are playing on 25^th March at Daja Vu (used to be The Well) in Luton On the 26^th March they are playing at The Horn in St Albans and on 11^th April at The Hertford Marquee. To find out more have a look at www.myspace.com/pirateradiouk

.. ..

Kristian Kiss (2K) also came in to talk to Gareth. He is working on an album called ‘Unborn Legacy’ which he is finishing off now as we speak! He is competing in Live and Unsigned in Bedford over the Easter weekend. Find out more about Kristian at www.myspace.com/kristiankiss

.. ..

Kelly caught up with The Friday Nights from Dunstable. They’ve been together for a year and have been supporting big bands throughout the whole year. They’ve just recorded 3 new tracks called ‘Holiday Romance’, ‘You Dance’ and ‘Divorce From Reality’. They are gigging at the Sno! Bar on 27^th March. To find out more visit www.myspace.com/thefridaynightsuk

.. ..

Kel was flying solo at The Hertford Marquee talking to Vagabond who are based in ....London..... They are supporting James Morrison on tour from next week and its their biggest achievement to date. There is also a feature on the band on The Sun website at the moment so have a look for that! Find out more at www.myspace.com/vagabond

.. ..

This week we had music from Side Of The Sky (www.myspace.com/sideofthesky), Laura Jeanne (www.myspace.com/laurajeanneuk), Mathematics (sent from Huw Stephens), Rivalries (www.myspace.com/rivalries), Pirate Radio (www.myspace.com/pirateradiouk) and Kristian Kiss (www.myspace.com/kristiankiss)

If for some strange reason you missed the show or you simply want to hear Gareth’s voice for a second time, you can listen to the show again by clicking on the ‘Listen Again’ button on the website.

Tune in next week to find out the latest time for Band On A Bike, where Kel is on his travels, all the gigs in the local area, who’s playing a live set in the Introducing room and what crazy things will be happening in the studio!

.. ..

Its only one week until Comic Relief 2009. So far there has been celebrities walking up ..Mount Kilimanjaro.. which everyone has heard about but what are YOU doing to help raise money for Red Nose Day?

.. ..

Playing live this week were The Scratch, a punk/rock band from ..St Albans.. who formed in 2001! They played two tracks live in the studio, ‘Numbers’ and ‘Against The Grain’ and recorded another bonus track for the website called ‘You Want The World’. They also gave Gareth the new single which is available on iTunes called ‘Destroyed By The Look Of Love’ from the 30^th March. They are gigging at The Horn in ..St Albans.. on 27^th March and they have a third album coming out around October time which they have promised to give Gareth the first copy of. To find out more about the band check out their MySpace www.myspace.com/thescratch

.. ..

Band On A Bike continued with The Scratch’s time of 20.26sec which puts them in third place! The back of the bike has broken but its ok I’m sure Mike the engineer can fix it!

.. ..

Horseman Shakes and the Draymen were first up in the studio. We kicked off the show with their track ‘Couldn’t Bite My Tongue’. They are taking part in the UK Live and Unsigned regional finals on the 12^th April (that’s Easter Sunday). It’s taking place at the Bedford Corn Exchange and its £6 to get in. You have to buy tickets in advance from the band themselves. Other gigs include The Ivory in Hitchin on 22^nd March and Charlie Brown’s on 3^rd April. To find out more gigs check out their website, www.myspace.com/horsemanshakesthedraymen.

.. ..

Tinlin popped in for a chat. They are gigging all year. They’re playing the Hobbles on the Cobbles Festival in Aylesbury on 23^rd August and at The Drawing Room in Chesham on 4^th April. All the information is on their MySpace www.myspace.com/tinlinmusic

.. ..

Louise Hirst also came in for a chat with Gareth. She has been gigging around ....London.... recently and is also in the Live and Unsigned competition like Horseman Shakes and the Draymen. Louise is gigging at The Constitution in Kings Cross on 13^th March. To find out more about Louise Hirst check out her MySpace www.myspace.com/louisehirst

.. ..

Finally in the studio were Stereotypical from Herts. They have an album out called Heaven and Hell and you can buy it from iTunes or you can get an actual physical copy from www.stereotypicalrock.com. They are at Stortford Music Festival in the Club Blub tent on 3^rd May. They are currently looking for gigs for get in touch with them! Check them out at www.myspace.com/stereotypicalrock

.. ..

Kelly caught up with Herts based band, UnderView. They are an indie/rock band from ..Hemel Hempstead.. who formed in 2005. They are through to the next round of the Surface Unsigned National Battle of the Bands which is in May. If they get through they will go to the regional semi-finals, finals and if all goes well they will play a national showcase in the London Indigo O2 which is in the O2 Arena! If you can’t make it to any of the rounds you can vote for the band by text. To do this text their unique number ....LONDON.... 6301 to 64343. Texts cost £1 and all the information can be found on their MySpace, www.myspace.com/underview. They also have an EP out at the moment which they are selling for £5 per CD at gigs. There are 4 tracks on the EP so for £5 it seems a bargain! One of the tracks, ‘What You Said’ is also available on iTunes. Don’t forget all the information about gigs and the battle of the bands competition can be found on their MySpace, www.myspace.com/underview

.. ..

Kel travelled to The Pits in ..Milton Keynes.. to talk to and find out about Eyelash. They have just been signed and have an album out called ‘Recession’ which you can buy in the shops. They are touring all around the country and were travelling to ....Birmingham.... on Saturday. In the future they would like to play in Europe or ..Asia.. and they even said they would take Kel with them (finally!). To find out more about Eyelash go on their website www.eyelashband.com!

.. ..

This week we had music from Horseman Shakes and the Draymen (www.myspace.com/horsemanshakesthedraymen), Jonno Maude (www.myspace.com/jonnomaude), Widgeykeff (sent from Huw Stephens), Tinlin (www.myspace.com/tinlinmusic), Louise Hirst (www.myspace.com/louisehirst) and  Stereotypical (www.myspace.com/stereotypicalrock)

If for some strange reason you missed the show or you simply want to hear Gareth’s voice for a second time, you can listen to the show again by clicking on the ‘Listen Again’ button on the website.

Tune in next week to find out the latest time for Band On A Bike, where Kel is on his travels, all the gigs in the local area, who’s playing a live set in the Introducing room and what crazy things will be happening in the studio!

.. ..

..6th February 2009..

Despite the weather, we still had a jam packed show so whether you were sat at home or stuck in your car we made sure you were entertained! I for one was sat at home listening to the show wishing I could be meeting all the fab bands that we had in the studio. No doubt the team missed me but no worries I’ll be back next week!

Everyone has heard of Babyshambles and this week we were very privileged to have the drummer, Adam Ficek playing live for us in the studio! He is currently working on his own material and has just finished his tour. He performed two songs for us ‘Bletchley Caught With Your Trousers Down’ and ‘Entroubled’ and recorded another song called ‘Sparkling Boots’ for our website. He’s releasing a new album later this year so look out for that! You can find out more about Adam on www.roseskingscastles.com.

The Cess Allen band came in for a chat with Gareth. The Cess Allen Band is made up of one person, Nick Read. He plays all of his music himself using multi-track. He is looking for people to join The Cess Allen Band so if you’re interested the best place to contact him is on MySpace which is www.myspace.com/thecessallanband!

Last week rock ‘n’ roll band The Pins were supposed to come in and talk to Gareth about themselves and their music. Unfortunately they got stuck in traffic and didn’t make it in time. But because Kelly is so lovely, she interviewed them after the show instead. They have made an EP which features 4 of their favourite tracks and is called ‘The Ballroom Biographies’. They are going to be selling it at their gigs or if you want to buy it and can’t make it to one of their gigs, you contact them on their MySpace, www.myspace.com/wearethepins. The Pins are playing at The Water Rats in Kings Cross on the 15^th February and a charity gig on the 21^st February in Bishops Stortford. To find out more about The Pins and where all of their upcoming gigs are check out their MySpace!
 

James from the Sunflies gave us a call to tell us about what they have been doing since we last saw them. They have been recording some new material and we had an exclusive play of one of the new tracks called ‘Trust Games’. Sunflies are playing gigs at The Marquee in Hertford on 28^th February and The Horn in ..St Albans.. on 27^th March. Find out more about Sunflies at www.myspace.com/sunfliesband

Black Polaris joined Gareth in the studio for a natter about all things musical! They have recently recorded an EP which is available to buy on iTunes, Napster, Amazon and many other digital media websites! Check out Black Polaris at www.myspace.com/blackpolaris

Jessie Grace also popped in to tell us about her music and her new EP which she recorded herself and will be released in about 6-8 weeks so look out for that one! She is also gigging at The Cobden Club in London on 24^th February. To find out more about Jessie go on her MySpace, www.myspace.com/jesiegrace

This week we had music from The Cess Allan Band (www.myspace.com/thecessallanband), Storm Runner (www.myspace.com/stormrunnerband), Mancini and the Creepers (sent from Huw Stephens), Sunflies (www.myspace.com/sunfliesband), Black Polaris (www.myspace.com/blackpolaris) and Jessie Grace (www.myspace.com/jesiegrace)

If for some strange reason you missed the show or you simply want to hear Gareth’s voice for a second time, you can listen to the show again by clicking on the ‘Listen Again’ button on the website.

Tune in next week to see the return of Band On A Bike, all the gigs in the local area, who’s playing live in the Introducing room and the return of me to the studio (and that’s a good enough reason for anyone to tune in! 

..13th February 2009..

Another Friday night brings another packed show for the BBC Introducing team and this week Kirstie was back from ..Liverpool..! It was so nice to have her back!

This week we had new wave rock band Re-Writing Destiny from Milton Keynes playing live in the Introducing room. They played two tracks ‘Not The Same’ and ‘What You’re Looking For’ and recorded a bonus track for the website called ‘You’re The One’. They normally gig in and around Milton Keynes but have also been performing in Leicester and London Gareth started fishing for gossip to find out who Katie’s ‘one’ was but none of them would tell him! You can find out more about the band at www.myspace.com/rewritingdestiny

Band On A Bike was back! Charlotte from Re-Writing Destiny was the latest band member to compete. She didn’t realise it was going out live on the radio but still she managed to get a time of 37.26sec putting her in 16^th place. What will happen next week??

First in the studio we had Micaelia Baptiste from Baldock, Herts. She has been in music from a very young age and has experience in musical theatre. Her track, ‘Make Up Your Mind’ is going to be released on iTunes, Napster and all other download sites on 25^th April. For a physical copy you will have to wait until the summer. You can find out more about Micaelia on www.myspace.com/micaeliasmusic

Rod Thomas spoke to Gareth over the phone about his music. Rod was lucky enough to support Duffy in December. He is fundraising for South By Southwest and has a mini-album out on the 2^nd March. He is going to be performing in David’s Music in Letchworth. You can pre-order the mini-album at www.rodthomasmusic.com/untilsomethingfits. To find out more about Rod Thomas, visit his MySpace, www.myspace.com/rodthomasmusic

Layton popped in for a chat. They’ve just finished their EP and are selling them at gigs. They’re hoping to finish their album by the summer. They are playing The Carling Academy in Islington very soon and also in London. You can find out more about Layton by going on www.myspace.com.laytonofficial.

The Friday Nights popped in to tell us about everything that they’re gonna be up to in the coming months. On 26^th February they’re recording new demos and two days after, 28^th February, they are playing at The Top Bell in Leighton Buzzard. They’re headlining at Bar Chameleon in Dunstable on 15^th March and at 27^th March they’re playing at the Sno! Bar. Find out more about The Friday Nights on www.myspace.com/thefridaynightsuk

Rieser were talking to us from ..Scotland.. and they are playing a gig at Buckingham University on the 17^th February. They will be selling their EP at this gig so definitely pop along to the Uni to check them out! To find out more about the band check out www.myspace.com/riesermusic

Mark from Vanilla Nightmare was telling Gareth about their album launch which was actually on the Sunday after the show at Club 85. They are also shooting a video which they are hoping will go on MTV! The album they have recorded is called ‘Do The Same Hours’ which they took from a lyric. To find out more about the guys have a look at their MySpace, www.myspace.com/vanillanightmare

Kel was out and about again this week and made his presence known at Club 85 in Hitchin. First he spoke to Jump The Lights who have been together for about a year. They play electronic/pop/rock and you can check them out on www.myspace.com/jumpthelights. Then he spoke to The Broadcast who are all local lads. They are a pop/rock band and are supporting Amy Studt in Milton Keynes, Camden and Cheshire in March. To find out more about the band have a nosy at their MySpace, www.myspace.com/thebroadcast5
 

This week we had music from Micaelia Baptiste (www.myspace.com/micaeliasmusic), Matt Tinsley (www.myspace.com/155737931), Gold Panda (sent from Huw Stephens), Rod Thomas (www.myspace.com/rodthomasmusic), The Friday Nights (www.myspace.com/thefridaynightsuk) and Vanilla Nightmare (www.myspace.com/vanillanightmare)

If for some strange reason you missed the show or you simply want to hear Gareth’s voice for a second time, you can listen to the show again by clicking on the ‘Listen Again’ button on the website.

Tune in next week to see the latest time for Band On A Bike, all the gigs in the local area, who’s playing a live set in the Introducing room and where the loveable weirdo (aka Kel) will be!

..20th February 2009..

Fresh, diverse, distinct. Three words which describe the music we play on our show and this week it was no different! From rock to indie to electro to metal we’ve got it all! Have a peek a my blog to find out all the juicy details!

This week playing live in the studio was Exit Avenue who we can exclusively reveal are headlining on our stage at Rhythms Of The World on Sunday 5^th July! They played two songs for us, ‘Gotta Get Out Of Here’ and ‘Waiting’. They also recorded a bonus track for our website called ‘Monster’. They have an EP out called ‘A Thousand Odd Lines’ which is available on iTunes which is definitely worth a listen. They are also putting a music video together for their track ‘Waiting’ which is going to be combination of live performances. They’ve got a single coming out in August/September which they are releasing and promoting themselves which they have promised us the first play! Find out more about the band on www.myspace.com/exitavenue

Nick took part in Band On A Bike and got an impressive time of 22.85 seconds, the quickest time for quite a while and they didn’t cheat! Very impressive.

Pretty Little Mutiny were first up in the studio. They popped in to talk about all things musical! They have a 3 track EP out now which you can purchase from David’s Music in Letchworth for £3. You can have a listen to the EP on their MySpace which is www.myspace.com/prettylittlemutiny. They’ve got quite a few gigs coming up as well. On the 5^th March they are playing at Arena Tavern in Letchworth Garden City and on 22^nd March they are playing in Luton at Castle Tavern.

Next up were Rotating Leslie who were a bit low on numbers but never fear…Greg called the studio to make up the numbers! This weekend they recorded the performance part of their music video for their track ‘Send In The Lines’. The other half has already been recorded in front of green screens. The video should be out in May so look out for that! They are also recording an album in a couple of months so keep your eyes peeled! Check out their MySpace, www.myspace.com/rotatingleslie

The lovely Kilto Take popped in who are playing at our gig on Thursday at The Function Rooms. They have also just been signed to Medical Records. They’ve recorded their debut EP ‘The Origins Of Science’ which they have released a double ‘A’ side single from. You can buy the single from a website (link from their MySpace). The track is free to download but every download contributes 20p to Kidney Research. Alternatively, you can purchase the single for a price of your choice and then all of the money will be donated to charity. What lovely guys! At the SnoBar, ..Milton Keynes.. on 28^th March, they are playing a gig which is encouraging bands to play with them. The guys are picking the line-up and then there is a possible signing to the record label. Also on 28^th February they are headlining at Esquires so that is definitely one to go to! To get in contact with Kilto Take visit their MySpace www.myspace.com/kiltotake

Miller from Imicus was our final guest of the evening. He came in to tell us about the Hellfire Festival which took place this weekend, 20^th-22^nd February. To find out all about their experiences at Hellfire Festival, check out www.myspace.com/imicus

Kelly told us all about the Juicebox promotions gig in Hemel Hempstead at The Function Rooms on 26^th February! It’s £5 entry, doors open at 8 and you’re first drink is free, yes FREE, when you buy tickets in advance. So who is playing?? The Raid are headlining the gig with support acts Phantom Sound, Kilto Take and The October Game. The Introducing team will be down there as well so we’ll hope to see you all having a wicked time!

Kel was at the Hat Factory in Luton this week and was speaking to Outcry Collective who were playing at the Hat Factory for the first time. They have just been signed by Visible Noise Records which is all very exciting! Find out more about Outcry Collective at www.myspace.com/outcrycollective

This week we had music from Pretty Little Mutiny (www.myspace.com/prettylittlemutiny), Sarah Hamlin (www.myspace.com/sarahhamlinmusic), Joker (sent from Huw Stephens), Rotating Leslie (www.myspace.com/rotatingleslie), Kilto Take (www.myspace.com/kiltotake) and Imicus (www.myspace.com/imicus)

If for some strange reason you missed the show or you simply want to hear Gareth’s voice for a second time, you can listen to the show again by clicking on the ‘Listen Again’ button on the website.

Tune in next week to see the latest time for Band On A Bike, all the gigs in the local area, who’s playing a live set in the Introducing room and what crazy things will be happening in the studio! 

..27th February 2009..

With the first of our new monthly BBC Introducing gigs having come to a close, we decided to make this weeks show absolutely jam-packed with the hottest music and bands from across the three counties. And we definitely didn’t disappoint!

Playing live in the Introducing was The Raid and who better to be performing live in the studio then the headliners of the Introducing gig? They played two tracks, ‘Find Your Soul’ and ‘Rags To Robes’ and recorded a bonus track called ‘The Rival’. Find out more about The Raid at www.myspace.com/wearetheraid

Mark competed in Band On A Bike and got an impressive time of 21.17 seconds putting them in fourth place on the leader board!....

Nicknamed ‘the posh boys from Tring’, another brilliant band who played on Thursday night were Phantom Sound and they were first up in the studio to have a chat with Gareth. They have just finished supporting The Twang and next month are heading off to Hertfordshire. They’re stopping off at Watford, Hertford, Harlow, Bishop’s Stortford then over to ..London.. and back to ..Luton.. again. For the rest of the year they are finishing off their album and releasing it which we have been promised the first play of!  If you were in any doubt about these guys, ‘The Fly Magazine’ has named them the band to watch for 2009, so make sure you follow these guys closely! To find out more about Phantom Sound check out their MySpace, www.myspace.com/phantomsound1 or www.phantomsound.co.uk.

Next up were This Part Is Us who are a 5 piece band from Hertfordshire. At the moment they are gigging and in May are going to record 2 more songs in Reading. To find out more about these guys and to hear their recorded tracks in May, check out www.myspace.com/thispartisus

Gareth was speaking to Amy from Amy Lee and the Integrals who were supporting The Foxes at Bedford Esquires. Gareth was fishing for all the gossip as always and finding about crazy fan encounters. All the band’s gigs can be found on their website, www.myspace.com/amieleemusic

Next in was Essay Like Nephew who are an indie/rock band from Bucks. They describe their music as some guitars, catchy melodies and keyboard solos. They’ve also been compared to Blur. Their website is www.myspace.com/essaylikenephew and on there you can find all their latest gigs and tracks.

Angels Standing By popped in for a chat with Gareth. They have influences of Incubus and Nirvana with some from old R‘n’B. They’ve recorded some tracks with SoundArk and are gigging on Friday at the Hat Factory. They are also playing at the next Introducing gig on 27^th March at Club 85 in Hitchin which we are staging with help from The Peel Club! If you like the sound of Angels Standing By, check out their website, www.myspace.com/angelsstandingby

Kel was at Remix in Hitchin talking to Panda Police. Their main selling point is the drummer apparently so look out for him! They also get their influences from rock ‘n’ roll bands and naked calendars. If you missed them at Remix you can see them at Rhythms Of The World in the summer. To find out all their other gigs go to their MySpace, www.myspace.com/pandapolicemusic 

This week we had music from Phantom Sound (www.myspace.com/phantomsound1), Jon Mann-Smith (www.myspace.com/jonmannsmith), Akira Kiteshi (sent from Huw Stephens), This Part Is Us (www.myspace.com/thispartisus), Amy Lee And The Integrals (www.myspace.com/amieleemusic), Essay Like Nephew (www.myspace.com/essaylikenephew) and Angels Standing By (www.myspace.com/angelsstandingby)

If for some strange reason you missed the show or you simply want to hear Gareth’s voice for a second time, you can listen to the show again by clicking on the ‘Listen Again’ button on the website.

Tune in next week to see the latest time for Band On A Bike, all the gigs in the local area, who’s playing a live set in the Introducing room and what crazy things will be happening in the studio!

..Charley's Final Words..

February has been hectic with the first monthly gig taking place and being a huge success (thank you to everyone who came and enjoyed the local talent!) and four fantastic bands playing live in the Introducing room (Adam Ficek, Re-Writing Destiny, Exit Avenue and The Raid) plus the introduction of loads of new, fresh talent in the Three Counties!
 

Here's to hoping that March will prove to be just as good, maybe even better.....

So much to say in so little time…so what happened this week?

Hekz were this week’s live band. They started out 6 years ago and are mainly gigging around Herts Beds and Bucks. They played two tracks live for us, ‘Breakout’ and ‘Dead Of Night’’ and recorded a bonus track for the website so make sure you check that out. They have an EP coming out soon which will be available on an iTunes near you around February, so look out for that one! Check out their website www.hekz.co.uk

Danny competed in Band On A Bike and got an impressive time of 28.69sec! Its good but its still not good enough to knock The Comfort off the top spot. Will anyone ever beat them??

Underview were first up in the studio. They are competing in a Battle Of The Bands on 8^th February and they need your votes! You can vote by texting ....LONDON.... 6301 to 64343. Let’s hope they go far and fly the flag for all bands in ..Hemel Hempstead..! To find out all the latest gossip on Underview check out their website, www.myspace.com/underview

Kelly was out and about reporting about Live And Unsigned where the likes of Brigante and Louise Hurst all got through the first Bedford leg. Kelly was talking to KayT Boyle who is a singer songwriter from Luton She plays the piano and uses a computer programme called Logic to make her music. KayT likes to put emotions into songs and writes about her experiences and her friends experiences. The next stage of the competition is on 12^th April. Katy has 25 tickets to sell and they are £6 each. You can find out more about KayT and her music at www.myspace.com/kaytboyle

Steve from Rhythms Of The World popped in for a chat and was filling us in on all the latest gossip. There is still going to be 3 main stages and then lots of little ones dotted around. Shirobon has just been confirmed to be back again this year and he has recently signed a record deal (www.myspace.com/shirobonmusic).

Steve also runs Peel Club when he’s not busy with Rhythms! The next Peel Club gig is on 9^th February at Club 85 in Hitchin and The XCerts, Copy Haho, Lindas Nephew, Scholars and Look See Proof DJ’s are all playing. If you want to find out more about Peel Club check out their website, www.myspace.com/thepeelclub

Firetype came in for a chat. They have recently been signed by Clan Stamp Records. They are also recording 2 tracks which will be released as a double A side and will be available from iTunes and www.firetype.co.uk on the 16^th February. At Bedford Esquires on Friday 13^th February there is a pre-release party with supporting acts Buick McKane and New Cassettes. To find out more about their exciting journey check out www.myspace.com/firetype.

Kel was at Bedford Esquire’s again this week! He was reporting about the Red Stripe Battle Of The Bands ’09. Playing on Friday night were Tinker Jack (www.myspace.com/tinkerjack06), Nimblewits (www.myspace.com/thenimblewits), Wolflaw (www.myspace.com/wolflawuk), Rouge Radio www.myspace.com/rogueradiowaves) and Kilto Take (www.myspace.com/kiltotake).

This week we had music from Underview (www.myspace.com/underview), The Television Talks (www.myspace.com/thetelevisiontalks), Mariana And The Diamonds (sent from Huw Stephens) and Firetype (www.myspace.com/firetype).

If for some strange reason you missed the show or you simply want to hear Gareth’s voice for a second time, you can listen to the show again by clicking on the ‘Listen Again’ button on the website.

Tune in next week to find out if a new fastest time can be set on Band On A Bike, where Kel will be, who we have visiting us in the studio and who will be performing live in the Introducing room…

Charley x

After last week I thought it couldn’t get any busier. How wrong was I? We had a total of 5 bands in the studio this week which meant it was hectic, crowded but lots and lots of fun!

This week The Ruby Shoes were playing live on the show! They played 2 songs, ‘Gimme Your Love’ and a new track called ‘Slow Burn’. They also recorded a bonus track for the website called ‘Blood Brother’ so if you’re a fan you should definitely have a listen to that! They are looking to recruit bands for an up-coming gig on 27^th February at St Mary’s Catholic Chuch

Steve the drummer also competed in Band On A Bike on the brand new bike and got a time of 27.65sec making them 8^th on the leader board. It did seem very quick when it was taking place and both Brendan and the engineers, Mike and Tommy, were out of breath after running around the track behind the bike!!

E-Hustle was in the studio and Gareth was learning all about Hip-Hop! E-Hustle currently has an EP called Hustle Mania which is getting lots of positive feedback in the Herts area. Where can you hear E-Hustle? Check him out at the ....University.. of ..Hertfordshire.... on Monday 26^th January from 10pm – 1am or alternatively visit his MySpace on www.myspace.com/ehimself

We heard about the October Game’s music nights called Fuzzy Face. This is a multi-arts events and in the past they have had music, theatre and puppetry all in one evening! The events are held at The Sun Hotel in Hitchin and the next one is going to be on the 30^th January. To find out more information you can visit www.myspace.com/theoctobergame or www.myspace.com/fuzzyfacenight

Next up were Pretty Little Mutiny. They came in to tell us about their event at Club 85 in Hitchin which was on Saturday 24^th January. The event was created to raise money for Caldwell Children which is a charity that deals with getting equipment for terminally ill children. Chris Phillips, Firetone, Pretty Little Mutiny themselves, Backline and Cooper were all playing at the event! To find out more about Pretty Little Mutiny visit their website www.myspace.com/prettylittlemutiny

Milton Keynes.. based Final Clearance came into the studio to tell us all about themselves. They are about to release their album which they started recording in August 2006 but it is finally finished! On 7th February they are playing at The Pemberton in Rushden and The Fly in .London on 13^th February. Check them out on www.myspace.com/finalclearance

Finally The Measure popped in for a chat. They have finished their album and the official launch is on Friday 30^th January. The iTunes account is also in the running. They are playing in Bedford at The Crown on the 22^nd February and they are coming in to play for us live in March! To keep updated on all the information about The Measure, visit their website www.myspace.com/themeasureuk

Kel did a fantastic interview at Bedford Esquires where the atmosphere seemed to be electric he was talking to Folk And Ska Souls (www.myspace.com/folkandskasouls) and Side Of The Sky (www.myspace.com/sideofthesky) Then he spoke to the headliners, Exit Avenue! Exit Avenue are actually making a music video which is going to be recorded at their gigs so if you want to be slightly famous definitely check them out! If you want to find out where they are gigging all the information is on their MySpace, www.myspace.com/exitavenue

This week we played music from E-Hustle (www.myspace.com/ehimself), Comic Boy (www.myspace.com/comicboyuk), PortaSound (from Huw Stephens), Pretty Little Mutiny (www.myspace.com/prettylittlemutiny), Final Clearance (www.myspace.com/finalclearance) and The Measure (www.myspace.com/themeasureuk)

If for some strange reason you missed the show or you simply want to hear Gareth’s voice for a second time, you can listen to the show again by clicking on the ‘Listen Again’ button on the website.

Tune in next week to see where Kel will be, if the Band On A Bike will stay in one piece, all the gigs in the local area and who is playing live in the Introducing room…