Upstairs at The Central – 18+.

We are delighted to announce a new tie-up between Music Live and Worldfest – the Tees Valley’s acclaimed celebration of music and culture from across the globe.

Expect anything from dub to flamenco, tabla drumming to latin jazz, plus headline sets from Robert Maseko and superstar guitarist Steven Wright, who has played with everyone from The Wailers to Steel Pulse.

Stephen has been at the forefront of international reggae scene for past 2 decades. This legendary guitarist has played with The Wailers, Steel Pulse and has a number of critically acclaimed albums in his own right.

We are over the moon to present his Middlesbrough Debut, headlining the Worldfest World Music Stage.

Robert Maseko is part of the new wave of Afro world master music creators, researching and re-interpreting. This is African hip-swinging music at its deepest roots.

With touches of reggae flamenco, zouk, salsa and cubano twisting into a new Afro-pop rumba soukous style. Maseko claims that in this all, the common denominator ingredient is the original “Congo Beat”, from the heart of Africa.

www.myspace.com/electroflamenko
A second set from the Latin project. Expect amazing guitar work, sublime vocals, explosive percussion and Visual DJs projecting ambient moods around the venue!

Winners of the electronica music composition of 2006, they have performed at the Hispanic and Lusophone International Festival, VAMOS! Festival and Headlined the Sage’s World Music Festival last year.

www.myspace.com/electroflamenko
Winners of the electronica music composition of 2006, they have performed at the Hispanic and Lusophone International Festival, VAMOS! Festival and Headlined the Sage’s World Music Festival last year.

A mixture of Mark’s own material and popular flamenco songs, with loads of improvisation and breathtaking, passionate musicianship from all the musicians involved. Double duelling flamenco guitars plus a twist – a cello!

With every festival like ours, it’s part and parcel of the whole thing that a few bands will pull out. Over the past few years, we’ve lost bands like The Fratellis and Foals, but this year luck certainly hasn’t been on our side as we’ve experienced more cancellations than ever before.

Here’s a list of all the bands that we had confirmed, who then for one reason or another, unfortunately had to pull out:

Alphabeat
Operator Please
Cartel
Friendly Fires
Tellison
Pnau
Noah and The Whale
Sam Isaac
Howling Bells

Gutted.

However, hopefully the bands that we’ve got to replace them all will more than exceeed your expectations!

OPEN MIC / ACOUSTIC STAGE
(Behind the main stage…)
 
An oasis of relative tranquillity with picnic rugs, its own bar, catering and coffee units. From noon this stage will feature our ultra-popular Open Mic session, a quick-fire succession of anything-goes 10 minute turns. From tea-time the stage will feature a series of longer sets from home-grown acoustic talent.

THE ACOUSTIC STAGE

SAL PARADISE
8.30PM

DAVID LIMMER
8.00PM – 8.20PM

JACK MILLICAN
7.30PM – 7.50PM

THE PRUNELLS
7.00PM – 7.20PM

STE SMITH
6.30PM – 8.50PM

BRADLEY JAMES
6.00PM – 6.20PM

SUZANNE ELIZABETH MARRON
5.30PM – 5.50PM

CARL EATON
5.00PM – 5.20PM

THE UNDERDOGS
4.30PM – 4.50PM

JB BUTTERFIELD
4.00PM – 4.50PM

THE OPEN MIC SESSIONS

JAMIE SAMPLE 3.45PM

CARL GREEN 3.30PM

CARL JACKSON 3.15PM

ROSE MARY ANN 3.00PM

BETH MILLER 2.30PM

STEVE OLDERSON 2.15PM

ELISS PLACE 2.00PM

THE BASS PLAYERS DAUGHTER 1.45PM

MARK BODEN 1.30PM

We’ve decided to try and keep this blog specifically for festival updates, so,to avoid clutter, all of the “band a day” blogs are now over on myspace – www.myspace.com/middlesbroughmusiclive – be sure to check them out!

Are you the next Bob Dylan? The reincarnation of Janis Joplin? Or simply a bit of whizz kid with a guitar or a cracking pair of lungs? If so, and you fancy doing a turn on the open mic stage at this years MML festival, get in touch! Whether you’re 8 or 80, boy or girl, blah or blah… just get in touch!

Simply send an email to openmic2008@live.com with a brief one line description of yourself and the style you play and we’ll get you on the bill! It’s first come first served, so don’t delay!

Oooh, and if you happen to be the offspring of Johnny Cooper, the inventor of the Parmesan or carry a gem of a story about yourself, then don’t forget to let us know about it… it all helps the bigger picture and we’re eager to get those journalist folks mouth’s watering this year! They love a good story.

LOCAL BANDS ANNOUNCED FOR MIDDLESBROUGH MUSIC LIVE!

Now in its ninth year, Middlesbrough Music Live, a free one-day festival organised and funded by Middlesbrough Council Cultural Services, takes place this year throughout the heart of Middlesbrough town centre on Sunday 1^st June 2008. With the likes of Ash, One Night Only, Delays, Black Kids, Sons and Daughters and Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip already confirmed across the four main stages, Ten Feet Tall, who co-ordinate the festival on behalf of Middlesbrough Council, are proud to announce details of the local bands for this year’s event.

Middlesbrough Music Live 2008 will see the launch of Homegrown, a two stage set up featuring Homegrown Open Air, showcasing the Tees Valley’s finest indie bands, and Homegrown Underground, which will showcase the best of the region’s alternative and leftfield acts.

“We put a couple of demo boxes in the local HMVs and the response was massive! We had almost 200 submissions and with only twenty-something slots to fill, it was an exciting yet heart-breaking task to choose the bill. It’s testament to the strength of our local music scene these days that we could have filled the two stages five times over!” said Phil Saunders from Ten Feet Tall.

Homegrown Open Air will take place in the spiritual home of Middlesbrough Music Live local band stages – outside Studio 64 (RIP) and Doctor Browns. Local superstars in the making, Billy The Kid, are confirmed to headline and joined by other hotly tipped Teesside’s such as Artrocker favourites The Chapman Family and Dirty Weekend, who have recently been confirmed for Glastonbury!

Billy The Kid – aka Mattie Chipchase (formerly of The Romance and The Hayze) – is backed by his Brothers Barbaylios (featuring members of The Lurios), and with a management deal with Ignition Management (Oasis!) already in place, as well as support slots with The Coral, Dirty Pretty Things and The Pigeon Detectives under their gritty urban folk belts, it’s no surprise that every A & R man worth his salt has been sampling Stockton’s finest night spots in recent months. This will be the ideal opportunity to see Teesside’s biggest hopefuls show us all what they’re capable off.

“We’re really happy to be able to provide such a wonderful platform for local bands this year. Having two stages showcasing the best in Teesside talent recognises how much the local music scene is thriving at the moment” said David Budd from Middlesbrough Council.

Homegrown Undergound will take place in The Purple Onion’s basement and unfortunately will be the only 18+ stage at this year’s festival. Topping the bill will be self-proclaimed “wrong pop” pioneers Das Wanderlust, whose debut album is released later this year following the release of a couple of critically acclaimed singles – including ‘Orange Shop’, which was BBC Radio legend Marc Riley’s single of the year! Joining them on a delightfully eclectic bill will be various acts including tech-metallers In A Furious Death Bed, electro nutters All Beak No Teeth, Hartlepool math-rockers Ankles and explosive thrash punks Lifeless.

HOMEGROWN OPEN AIR

(Outside Doctor Browns)

Billy The Kid

www.myspace.com/musicbillythekid

The Chapman Family

www.myspace.com/thechapmanfamily

Dirty Weekend

www.myspace.com/dirtyweekendtheband

Andy Jones

www.myspace.com/andyjonesband

The Outlaw

www.myspace.com/outlawband

Lazybaby

www.myspace.com/lazybabyland

Be Quiet Shout Loud

www.myspace.com/bequietshoutloud 

The Lexingtons

www.myspace.com/thelexingtons2007 

White Vinyl

www.myspace.com/whitevinylband

2 Many Units

www.myspace.com/2manyunits 

Modern Works

www.myspace.com/modernworks 

Such Great Heights

www.myspace.com/suchgreatheightsrock 

HOMEGROWN UNDERGROUND

(Purple Onion Basement 18+)

Das Wanderlust

www.myspace.com/daswanderlust 

In A Furious Deathbed

www.myspace.com/inafuriousdeathbed 

SECRET SPECIAL GUESTS!

The Misled Heroes

www.myspace.com/themisledheroes 

All Beak No Teeth

www.myspace.com/allbeaknoteeth 

Ankles

www.myspace.com/anklesband

Project Alpha

www.myspace.com/projectalphaband 

Lifeless

www.myspace.com/lifelessboro

Sundown

www.myspace.com/sundownmiddlesbrough

The Master Colony

www.myspace.com/themastercolony

So… how about this for a line up!? It’s looking like a bit of a beauty really isn’t it?

The line up so far looks like this:

MAIN STAGE (Centre Square):

Ash
www.myspace.com/ash

One Night Only
www.myspace.com/onenightonlyonline

Delays
www.myspace.com/delays

Infadels
www.myspace.com/infadels

Wildcats All-star Jam
www.myspace.com/wildcatsofkilkenny06

Natty
www.myspace.com/natty4d

Team Waterpolo
www.myspace.com/teamwaterpolo

The Anomalies
www.myspace.com/theanomalies

THE MALL NEW MUSIC STAGE (Middlesbrough Town Hall):

Black Kids
www.myspace.com/blackkidsrock

Late Of the Pier
www.myspace.com/lateofthepier

Friendly Fires
www.myspace.com/friendlyfires

Ladyhawke
www.myspace.com/ladyhawkerock

Florence And The Machine
www.myspace.com/florenceandthemachinemusic

Esser
www.myspace.com/esserhq

Ipso Facto
www.myspace.com/ipsofactomyspace

Pnau
www.myspace.com/pnaupnau

The Joy Formidable
www.myspace.com/thejoyformidable

Parka
www.myspace.com/parkamusic

SUMO ROCK STAGE (Middlesbrough Town Hall Courtyard):
 
You Me At Six
www.myspace.com/youmeatsix

Cartel
www.myspace.com/cartel

Future Of the Left
www.myspace.com/futureoftheleft

Rolo Tomassi
www.myspace.com/rolotomassi

Slaves To Gravity
www.myspace.com/slavestogravityofficial

The Hot Melts
www.myspace.com/thehotmelts

Glamour Of The Kill
www.myspace.com/glamourofthekill

Outcry Collective
www.myspace.com/outcrycollective

Beyond This Oath
www.myspace.com/beyondthisoath

METROPOLIS: GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH STAGE (The Empire):
 
Sons And Daughters
www.myspace.com/sonsanddaughters

Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip
www.myspace.com/lesacvspip

Noah & The Whale
www.myspace.com/noahandthewhale

The Bookhouse Boys
www.myspace.com/thebookhouseboysofficial

Sam Isaac
www.myspace.com/samisaac

Hijak Oscar
www.myspace.com/hijakoscar

More bands to be announced soon – keep watching this space!

It’s typical isn’t it? The only band I’ve posted a blog about so far have had to pull out. Clearly my fault for being excited about seeing them!

But yes, unfortunately Alphabeat have had to pull out of Music Live due to television commitments. Last year Foals pulled out for the same reason; TV has a lot to answer for.

HOWEVER!

Replacing Alphabeat on the main stage will be The Delays. Switswoo!

So, I was just checking my emails and who’d have thought it; Middlesbrough Music Live confirmees Alphabeat are MSN’s featured band today…

http://entertainment.uk.msn.com/music/first-look/article.aspx?cp-documentid=8063927

“The finest purveyors of pure pop pleasure since Wham…” apparently, but don’t let that put you off! Check out the video to their debut UK single ‘Fascination’ which reached number five in the singles chart:

So yeah, we’ve announced the headliner. ISN’T THAT EXCITING!?

Read all about it here:

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/2008/04/15/ash-to-headline-middlesbrough-music-live-2008-84229-20765800/

For more rumours, gossip and truths, check out the MML forum.

http://www.tenfeettall.proboards105.com/index.cgi