MELTDOWN NEEDS YOU
Meltdown is a bunch of unpaid enthusiasts. If you’re enthusiastic, don’t want to be paid, and are (above all) reliable, we need help in the following areas.
PUBLICITY
helping spread posters and leaflets around
chasing up the media,
designing posters etc
COMPERING
Past Meltdown comperes have gone on to front Radio Wales Saturday Night Social (Euron Griffith), or be awarded Showbiz Journalist of the Year (Debbie Manley), or become reknowned street performers (Dave Id) or performance artists (Mr & Mrs Clark). Don’t let this put you off - most of us are comfortably obscure.
RECORDING/PHOTOGRAPHY
We want to keep an audio-visual record of Meltdown nights so any help welcomed. (Massive thanks to Mei Lewis for his contirbution on this score!)
RUNNING THE NIGHTS
We need people with some experience of running events. SOH and calmness under pressure essentia!
Contact Paul on 07906 007024
Meltdown began in the tiny downstairs bar at Chapter Arts Centre in 1986, and within months a bunch of wastrels and vagabonds styling themselves ‘Balls Up Jugglers’ started using our open stage to fling objects around - clubs, balls, beer glasses, knives ... Tables directly in front of the stage mysteriously emptied - just the odd tumbleweed rolling past. And then, as Meltdown experimented with gigs in the Theatre upstairs, the jugglers mounted unicycles, played with fire, mutated into No Fit State Circus and grew more and more ambitious and deluded. We’ll buy a giant circus tent, they thought. We’ll harness the skills of the whole community for ambitious circus and multi-media spectaculars. We’ll tour the world, to great acclaim, as an insanely innovative and creatively radical circus/theatre collective, winning awards and hearts wherever we go...
And now, 20 years later, we’re sharing a birthday. No Fit State Circus have grown from a bunch of jugglers into an insanely innovative and creatively radical circus/theatre collective who tour the world winning awards and hearts ... etc. Meltdown has expanded exponentially from a bunch of enthusiasts putting on weekly gigs melting down barriers between all forms of music and performance into a bunch of enthusiasts putting on monthly gigs melting down ... Ummm ... You know.
And so on Saturday November 25th 2006 at the Point , these two amazing South Wales cultural forces combine for an explosive gig celebrating their joint spirit of experiment, their roots in the community, and the astonishing talents they’ve both harnessed and supported over the years. No Fit State stars past and present will rub shoulders with Meltdown proteges from different genres and generations. Sian Evans - the voice of dance mega-band Kosheen, Internationally reknowned folk singer-songsmith Julie Murphy, acclaimed angular-indie quartet the Victorian English Gentlemen’s Club, will share the stage with local legends such as Chris Ridgeway and Captain Paranoid. And many major names and ‘new generation’ talents are still to be confirmed - all having in common the experience of using the Meltdown stage to learn their craft, experiment, collaborate and find an audience.
So WATCH THIS SPACE and in the coming weeks we’ll firm up the line-up and start waving tickets at you for what promises to be the biggest Meltdown ever, and the best gig of the year.
2006 was good. Now for some news::
NOISETTES TOUR
We’re supporting the Noisettes in January::
20th BOURNEMOUTH Mr Kyps
21st LEICESTER Charlotte
22nd OXFORD Zodiac
25th NOTTINGHAM Social
26th WAKEFIELD Escobar
27th YORK Fibbers
RADIO SESSIONS::
We’ve got sessions for a number of shows in the pipeline. Gideon Coe on 6 Music (17th Jan), John Kennedy on XFM, Mark Riley on 6 Music (21st Feb). Our session for Bethan and Huw on Radio 1 Wales will be broadcast on January 4th. Check website for details.
NEW RELEASES::
We’re in the process of recording for a new EP which will be out in the spring.
STREET/E TEAMS WANTED::
If you and a mate fancy getting into one our shows for free in return for a spot of flyering for any upcoming shows on the tour, drop a line. Or if you would prefer to do online postings etc, drop us a line. Your help would be much appreciated by us all and it will be good fun too.
MIX ALBUM EXCHANGE::
Make us your mix album, and we'll give you ours. Bring it to a gig, or post it to us.
The Rules
1: Tracklisting must be included
2: It has to be a cd (no tape player in the van).
3: We'll like you more if you put pictures on it.
Thanks for all the one you've sent us already. We're going to unveil our favourites very soon.
So long for now, with much love from
Adam, Emma and Louise xxx
The Victorian English Gentlemens Club
DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOW
http://www.thevictorianenglishgentlemensclub.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/thevictorianenglishgentlemensclub
http://www.fantasticplasticrecords.com
thevictorianenglishgentlemensclub@ho
VICTORIAN ENGLISH GENTLEMEN’S CLUB
CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
NEWS IN BRIEFS
SODA MEN SUPPORT NEW JERSEY LEGENDS
That's right....the long-time Meltdown faves are supporting Southside Johnny and the Ashbury Dukes on Tuesday the 24th of October at the Coal Exchange in Cardiff. Tickets are £18 in advance and are available from Ticketline UK or from Spillers. Should be a good night. Come along if you can!
RIVERSIDE MARKET BAKE FOR MELTDOWN
Riverside Market will be providing the Meltdown/No Fit State Birthday gig with a celebratory cake, baked by the appropriately named ‘Bake my Cake’.
CAKEHOLE PRESLEY HIT No 1
The online radio station Revolution Radio has seen recent Meltdown headliners Cakehole Presley rise from 5 to 3 to 1 in their unsigned band chart over the last month. The Presleys are also still in Chris Moyles top 24 faves on his unsigned bands page, and are getting hits on their myspace page from all over the world (see the nifty little map thing on www.myspace/cakeholepresley).
BUZZ ABOUT MELTDOWN
Buzz magazine will be helping us plug theamazing Meltdown Birthday bash with feature coverage and a free ad. We’d tell you all to rush out and buy copies, but they’re free! So advertise in them instead.
HANDS ON ON BOARD FOR BIRTHDAY
Brand new media outfit ‘Hands On’ will be capturing the thrills and spills of Meltdown’s birthday party having already captured footage of the legendary Lesbians on Ecstacy Meltdown Ladyfest benefit.
GET YOUR HANDS ON NEW peppermintpatti DVD
the wonderful HANDS ON have been filming Peppermintpatti's since February 2006 - including the legendary Meltdown-peppermintpatti benefit for Ladyfest featuring Lebians on Ecstacy!. The DVD will be on sale soon in SPILLERS and HMV. All money goes to HANDS ON who are great and have been doing all the filming for FREE, so buy it so that they can film some more and all the bands can get some exposure etc...
‘Rock Skool’
Community Music Wales has launched an innovative new ‘Rock Skool’ aimed at kick-starting the careers of talented young female musicians and singers living in and around the county borough of Bridgend.
The pioneering ‘Girlz Rock’ project will offer budding ‘Meg Whites’ (White Stripes drummer and vocalist) and ‘Amy Lees’ (Evanescence vocalist) the opportunity to attend a series of informative and hands-on music workshops at the Berwyn Centre in Nantymoel between Monday 19th February and 23rd February (10am – 5pm).
Local girl Victoria Jenkins is lead singer with ’Influence’. They took part in the ’Gathering’ battle of the bands earleir this year. Victoria says "Girlz Rock will provide a great opportunity for local female musicians, bands and vocalists to meet up with other like minded people and to gain support and access to what is traditionally a male dominated music scene.”
Anyone interested in attending the ‘Rock Skool’ workshops must be aged over 16 and can either register online at http://www.muzone.org.uk or through contacting Andre on 0777 59 10 989 or vanwya@bridgend.gov.uk before the deadline of December 15th.
