DESIGNER MAGAZINE & BAR AMP presents....Tom Hingley @ Bar Amp
Saturday 12th July- Doors 7.30pm
102 School Road, Sale, M33 7XB

Price: £5 on the door

Full support bands including:
1913 / Elgazelle / The Replicants / Mark & The Magic
www.myspace.com/baramp
TOM HINGLEY
Tom has completed an extensive solo, acoustic tour of the UK, Ireland and, Germany playing to over fifty thousand people. His style plays testament to twenty five years of singing, in church, and later as lead singer of Inspiral Carpets. 'I only play songs I like' says Tom, 'that's the only real criteria'. This logical approach resulted in a series of headlining and support dates, including most notably the new years eve celebrations supporting Ian brown in front of 20 000 revellers in Manchester , two Scottish dates with Shed Seven, and a major UK tour with Glenn Tilbrook.

He is still lead singer with the Inspirals where along with Shaun Ryder and Ian Brown he came to the fore as part of the late eighties Manchester music scene. As well as being the finest singer of that generation he also wrote many of the Inspirals hit singles.
The singing style incorporates Soul, R and B, and Jazz. His delivery is technically superior, and easily more emotive than many of his contemporaries. Celebrated artist Lenny Kravitz was moved to comment 'You should be singing on Broadway' after witnessing Hingley singing live at a television recording. Damon Gough (Badly Drawn Boy) , is another aficionado.
'Keep Britain Untidy' is Tom's debut album with no overdubs, just one guitar, one voice and 11 great songs. Few artists could carry such a minimalist approach , but Tom's unique talent makes him an all together different proposition. His vocal prowess is something to behold, and it is
almost impossible to convey the beauty and sheer power this man can produce with his La Scalla Larynx. It is surely tuned to his very heart and soul.

'Keep Britain Untidy' is a heavily personal anecdote charting Tom's recent marriage break up, perhaps most potently in 'Good bye to the Lord of my Life '. The lachrymose nature of this track is deep enough to crush a whale. 'Port In A Storm' is another highlight where he shows the full extent of his awesome vocal range. The haunting arpeggio intro recalls Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway', but the chorus lift establish the tune in its very own territory.

In many ways this material, despite the unmistakable voice, couldn't be any further away from the Inspiral's pop format. Tom seems to be tapping into ramshackle Blues, roving folk and Soul, the type which John Martyn made his name with his 70's albums 'Solid Air', and 'One World. This is roots music.

Ian Fortnam in his Music 365 review of Tom's 100 club concert in London said,

''Armed with only an acoustic guitar and sporting a Hilfiger lampooning 'Tommy Hilfiger T shirt, Tom Blasts out a series of denuded epics from his forthcoming debut album along with the stunningly forceful 'Straight Into Your Heart' (complete with spine-tingling falsetto climaxes), through the deliciously salacious 'Taste Of You' to the stunning Scott Walker-esque fire of 'What Can I Lose?' Hingley's self- penned material is by turns brooding, explosive and undeniably awesome.''

''Tom Hingley could always be counted upon to shatter lenses at fifty paces with his rare clarity, and heavens be praised, he's lost none of his power, In fact, it would seem that he's extended his range to a quite stratospheric level''.
www.tomhingley.co.uk

1913
Manchester is a city full of cool new bands and you’ve got to be special to stick out
- 1913 are special.

A mere three months into their existence and 1913 have arrived. Only their second gig showed a band fully formed with atmospheric guitars, sublime power and big anthems that electrified an eager crowd.

Bristling with songs and ideas the band are set to go into production with the Highway Stars team of Dave Tolan and Jim Spencer at The Charlatans’ Big Mushroom studios in Middlewich, Cheshire. Watch this space...

The south Manchester band have built up an enthusiastic fan base which came together when two arch rival bands merged. ‘It was easier than fighting each other’ they laugh.

Their gigs are wild affairs with a boisterous crew that follows them getting off on the band’s atmospheric guitar driven music that somehow manages to combine the dark dissonance of primetime Joy Division with a pure pop sensibility of Arcade Fire. Their demos are even better.

As we drive along the Mancunian Way the band crank up their latest tunes. I thought they were good, but not this good, within months 1913 could be sat there in the middle of a new Manchester wave that will thrill the city in 2008.

1913 are on a creative buzz with songs pouring out of them. Frontman Ian Lawton’s pop nous and stunning voice combines perfectly with the rest of the band’s more surly Mancunian guitar atmospherics. On paper it shouldn’t work but somehow it does.

Joe Wilson’s chiming guitar pyrotechnics hark back to Manchester’s rich vein of guitar history from The Chameleons to a touch of Johnny Marr but reinvented with a 21st century flavour that reflects a new modern Manchester. A city that sees itself firmly on the international stage and not the crumbling red brick Victoriana of the older bands.

This is a band that has no fear and sees no boundaries with a wild eyed confidence that fired all the city’s greatest bands to success. They enthuse about New Order’s ability to mash technology with rock and Elbow’s edgy and brilliant new album. Live they have the sweat and gristle of a prime time rock n roll band allied with that surly Manc swagger and cool. They have the smarts and they also look like a band with that carefree charisma, constantly finishing each other’s jokes underlining their strong chemistry.

1913 are thrilled by local outfit the Whip’s ability to get a dance floor moving and describe their own choruses as the sort that will have the same impact. When you look into their eyes you can see that they believe it. With songs like “Burning Alive”, “Heaven Help Me”, “Roll Into You”, “Can’t Move On” and “My Fear” already demoed, 1913 are underlining their ambition, utilising technology and recording classic new millennium rock. They are fast-forwarding to the future whilst keeping an eye on the tradition of great guitar music.

The potential here is awesome and its already being realised.

JOHN ROBB ( JOURNALIST, BROADCASTER )

1913 are set to release their first single in September 2008.