Ok ok, I shouldn’t be ungrateful. I am actually really looking forward to meeting this trio from NYC whose song ‘We Are Young’ follows me everywhere – in the car, in the shops, in the local watering hole, on t’telly. However, my interview is scheduled for 11am, which means a ten am start. I didn’t even think bands could talk before noon. This wouldn’t be so bad if was on the first day. But on the third, and after celebrating my pals big 30 the night before… Well, it’ll be a pass out and hope my makeup stays on jobby. Look out for the next Hotpress to see how I get on.

Day 2 of Willowman festival, I’m feeling sluggish, spaced out and (here comes the start of many conundrums) spitting feathers. No abundance of energy drinks, fizzy sweeties and copious amounts of coffee could trick my body into thinking it hadn’t been raving it up the morning after the night before. A hair of the dog hadn’t worked either.

Enter B<E<A<K. As they blasted onto the stage a blaze of colours, instruments, and slightly scary (in the Ronald McDonald when you were a kid kind of way) bird masks, my eyes were given one hell of a workout as they darted from creature to creature each ferociously attacking their instrument like a scene from THAT Alfred Hitchcock movie. But I have to insert here, in a great and impossible to stand still to manner.

They themselves are a talented gaggle of souls, and are ‘hatched from a musical nest in Sunderland back in 2005 as an experimental side project. The flock features members of Field Music, Razmatazz Lorry Excitement, Maximo Park, Coal Train & The Lake Poets, to name just a handful.’ Or should you say ‘wingful’ fellas?..

Their energy is contagious, their music is exhilarating, and the air of mystery and intrigue they create concealing their identities marks the crowd is whipped up into a feathered frenzy. And, gasp, their music is lyric less! Well, at least for now anyways.

I’m told that visuals usually accompany B<E<A<K’s sets, my curiosity with this mob continues. I’m still not sure what I witnessed, but I am sure I want to witness it again. Thank you Barry Hyde (The Futureheads/Hyde and Beast) for the heads up. My one complaint? It was all over too quickly. I suppose there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for this…
Time flies when you’re having fun.

Check out the next issue of Hotpress as I uncover the men behind the masks with an interview with two members from B<E<A<K
See what all the fuss is about:

Find out more and get a B<E<A<K freebie: http://beaktastic.bandcamp.com/

Hailing from the US of A you’d think these guys have been playing together for years and years and years. Umbelievably tight (insert all types of inuendos), I now know what would happen if you could breed the genes of James Brown, a young Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder… the result would be frontman Ty Taylor. Love love love LA’s funk, soul, blues group, join their mailing list for a free EP.

Here they are performing on Jools Holland: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsw4ipHcMvY

There simply are no words to express how rubbish I have been to neglect my poor blog on Hotpress.com for this long. 11 months and about 30 cities later, my faith in festivals has been restored. Has anyone heard of Willowman Festival? I hadn’t, neither had your man Neville Staple from the Specials, but only a few days ago, there we both where in the hills of Yorkshire lapping it up like a dog against a pea stained lamp post. The diversity and quality of acts that took place on the same weekend which was no doubt overshadowed by the Isle of White festival and Radio 1′s Hackney weekender (more fool you guys who missed out), was superb. What is lovely about this festival is that folks of all ages joined forces in the simple quest to celebrate great music and good times. A phone was lost after hours when we were all boogieing in the reggae tent, seconds later it had been handed in. Another thing that is fab about this festival is that it hasn’t been tainted yet with giant brands promoting all and sundry at every corner, and what it lacks in backstage bar area for industry peeps to get tanked up and swoon over artists in, it makes up for in group comaderee as the bands could be spotted observing their peers with the rest of the festival attendees. This festival which is in it’s third year, reminds me of what I perceive Glastonbury to have been like in it’s early days of the 70′s – when you paid a pound entry and got a free pint of milk from the farm, then could observe the wonderment of David Bowie or Led Zep. As Utah Saints proclaimed to everyone raving it up in the rain on Saturday night, and this included barstaff and security members, ’this is a festival with soul’. Check out following blog postings for some of my recommendations of the weekend, you can check out this week’s the XClusive on RTE’s 2XM for a Willowman festival special Sunday at 4pm, or listen here:http://www.mixcloud.com/gabbysanderson/rtes-the-xclusive-on-2xm-willowman-festival-special-with-beak-the-longsands-neville-staple/ and look out for next week’s Hotpress when you can hear all about my adventures with the bands at Willowman festival.

Here’s my tracklist for today’s Ibiza Rocks the Radio. Tune in 12-2pm (UK + Ireland) 1-3pm (UK) on www.ibizaglobalradio.com

This week’s show also has interviews with Example, Sub Focus and highlights from last week’s 2 Many DJ’s takeover.

Fame – Dave Bowie Remix (innerpartysystem)

The Bay – Metronomy

Fools Gold – Stone Roses

Woman – Wolfmother (Mstrkrft Remix)

Shuffle – Bombay Bicycle Club

Strike It Up – Blackbox

Enter Sandman – Metallica (Herve Remix)

Bodyrock- Moby

Getting Nowhere (Feat. John Legend) – Magnetic Man

A Message to You Rudy – The Specials

Words – Chicks on Speed

This Orient – Foals

Black Gloves – Goose

Satisfaction/Benny Bennasi – 2 Many DJs

Divebomb – The Whip

I Aint Saying my Goodbyes – Tom Vek

This is What I Said – Cloud Control

Jupiter Room – Digitalism

Down with the Trumpets – Rizzle Kicks

Dreaming of You – The Coral

Bear Hug – 2 Bears

I Need You Tonight (Feat. Ed Drewett) – Professor Green

Hustler – Simian Mobile Disco

Common People – Pulp

Chemical Brothers – Hey Boy, Hey Girl

The Humpty Dance – Digital Underground

Morning Parade who supported Biffy Clyro for Ibiza and Mallorca Rocks back in July are a generous bunch! And yes, if you read my I’m with the Band in Hotpress last month, I am talking about the same group I ended up soaked and in a bath with… Fully clothed I may add for those of you with imaginations running wild right now!

So btw, the Essex boys are doing a feature with Gigwise streaming an exclusive track from their forthcoming album each week for the next five weeks. Every Monday, for one week only, a new and never before heard before song will be available to stream until the September 26th, when all five tracks will be available.

I’m personally rather partial, after seeing them in action for Ibiza Rocks; I know they’re on to a winner. For more info and to download their freebies go to:www.gigwise.com/morningparade

I have to say I am still positively reeling from all the fun from having my two amazing pals Dave and Stef Dewaele, aka 2 Many DJ’s come in to DJ and co host Ibiza Rocks the Radio with me last Wednesday. I know they don’t have the time to do this kind of thing much, and did it as a personal favour, and I love them very dearly for it.  The boy’s were supposed to just do the first hour but as we were having such a laugh they stayed for the whole thing! We got pretty darn cheeky, and were giggling and joking throughout. I won’t give too much away now as I’m going to write an I’m with the Band Under the Covers special in next fortnight’s Hotpress.

But if you can’t wait till then, or fancy hearing all the magic for yourselves, you can listen to 2 Many DJ’s up close and very personal and as you will never have heard them before. I’ve condensed the show into less than an hour of highlights which you can listen to and/or download for free via iTunes… one to listen to getting ready for work, play or just for a good giggle! Search Ibiza Rocks Podcasts 2011 and in the series channel the show’s called ’2 Many DJ’s Under the Covers Radio Special’, or follow this link which will also take you to the channel:

Ibiza Rocks Podcasts 2011

Or, you can listen via youtube:

Ibiza Rocks the Radio – Radio Soulwax takeover with 2 Many DJ\’s

But what with the buffering and quality not being as good I’d got for the iTunes option…

I have two words – RADIO SOULWAX. For those of you who didn’t manage to catch last Wednesday’s Ibiza Rocks the Radio show, I made a rather special announcement. And here it is again. Deep breath. 2 Many DJ’s will be joining me LIVE ONAIR on Ibiza Global Radio for a very special Ibiza Rocks the Radio/Radio Soulwax takeover this Wednesday. Excited does not even come remotely close to how I feel about our special guests! David and Stephan Dewaele have performed every year for Ibiza Rocks, usually as part of their super band Soulwax. This year they have something momentous planned – 2 Many DJs, Under the Covers. I won’t give too much away now, you need to tune in to Wednesday’s radio show at the special time of 4-6pm if listening from Ireland and the UK (5-7pm in Spain) on www.ibizaglobalradio.com

Here’s teaser for what I have in store: Ibiza Rocks the Radio/Radio Soulwax takeover PREVIEW

This week I’m all about the radio…

Radio Soulwax is a ground breaking new musical development that Dave and Stef Dewaele aka 2 Many DJ’s have spent the last two and a half years feverously working on. Containing 24, 1 hour mixes accompanied by visuals, each hour is themed and if you tune in online (www.radiosoulwax.com) you can check out the schedule to see which hour airs when. One word – GENIUS! Not only that, it’s available as a free download app so you can choose which show you want to listen to and watch whenever you like. Once you’ve downloaded the app you don’t even need to be on the internet to listen and watch, how handy is that?!

Much more to come on this subject…

God DAMN it! The original Footloose film was one of my main inspirations to become the kind of dancer that performed with and toured for Harmar Superstar, Fischerspooner, Electric 6… and led me to my head dancer and choreographer title for Ibiza Rocks and Manumission (yes I do still miss the days)… Seriously, my VHS’s of Footloose, Flashdance, and Dirty Dancing would be constantly on the rewind to learn all the moves in-between dance classes – they didn’t teach the kind of maneuvers I was practising in the school I went to! And of course I’d fantasize about Kevin Bacon step ball changing into my small town to bring rock and roll and sexy dancing to the masses (what can I say, sheltered, small village upbringing, I think it makes you rebel). So why, why, oh why have they chosen to do a re-adaptation of a perfectly perfect film?! Check out the trailer, you might want to have a sick bucket to hand: Footloose 2011 trailer