Bank Holiday Madness!
After a month off, Contraband are back with with a jam packed bank holiday weekend full of gigs galore. Starting off proceedings, we have been invited to warm the crowd up on Saturday at Boston's Fake Festival which is being heralded as this year's replacement to the annual Party In The Park Boston has become famous for. We are very much looking forward to this one! Then, after the gear has been packed away, we are heading off to Stickney to play at one of our favourite local venues, The Rising Sun. On the Sunday, we are playing in the afternoon from 5pm at the famous Punch Bowl in Spalding. So, if you have been feeling lost without your Contraband fix over the summer months, this weekend is for you!
Summer's here!!
Well what an amazing couple of gigs we've had over the past month! Firstly, a huge thanks to the people of Threekingham for coming out in their hundreds and joining in with us at the Threekingham Beer Festival. It felt and rained like playing Glastonbury and you all joined in like you were at Glastonbury. Knock out night!!
Secondly we played, for the second year running, on the massive stage at the Bourne Festival. Hot cannot describe the heat in that marquee but the energy on stage never dwindled and we played an absolute blinder! We went down that well that we've been promised an evening slot next year! Cannot wait!
Next gig is at our beloved Axe. Scott has a new toy to add to the mix and we have been working hard on both our own songs for The Feud which we may air in public for the first time, along with 4 other brand new covers. So, come and enjoy England's win over Algeria with a pint and a sing along! See you there!
LACK OF UPDATES
It's been a long time since we did an update from the land of Contraband. We've played some brilliant gigs at old and new places alike, we've branched out and created a new band (The Feud) to gig with our original songs and we've taken lots of bookings for the coming months. Thanks for all your continued support, it means everything to us. Next gig is another new venue, The Barge and Bottle in Sleaford. We love playing new places and this one is no exception. Hope to see as many people there as possible!
CD UNDER WAY!!!!!
A month into production, Contraband's first CD of original songs is well under way. So far we've recorded 3 songs and have began writing the 6 other songs to complete the CD. You can find the fruits of our efforts in their pre-CD demo format by clicking here! We are so pleased with how they are turning out and can't thank Ray and his recording studio enough. Let us know what you think!
October 2009
Three brilliant gigs this month. Two in the Axe where the crowd made the night for us, both times doing a pub sing off to Sex on Fire, and the other at Batemans Brewery in Wainfleet. We've also been busy in the studio. Update to follow...
The New Castle, Boston
We played a blinder at this gig. Everyone was on the best of their form and even though it was a relatively empty pub, everyone there seemed to love it. We even aired our latest Contraband track, Another Weekend, which went down a storm. Thanks for coming down!
Party In The Car Park, White Hart, Sibsey
Thanks to everyone that came down to the white hart on saturday. The mollgrips got the crowd going, ex The Damned drummer, Garrie Dreadful, joined us on the tubs for New Rose and the bad weather somehow steered clear of Sibsey for the night which led to a fantastic gig had by all...right up until that fateful split second of madness by our glorious (spelt D.A.F.T.) frontman who decided to make a 6 foot leap off the stage of the trailer onto an uneven gravel surface during the WooHoos! on Song 2 (a song which wasn't even in the setlist so I personally blame you lot for asking for more!) and smashing his heel in 3 places in the process.
Because of this, unfortunately Contraband are pulling out of all early August gigs and taking a break while we let the big guy get a much deserved rest. Sorry to anyone we are letting down during this period.
Our thoughts go out to Nok and we wish him a very speedy recovery.
Posted at 15:43pm on 21st July 2009 by Danny
The Axe & Cleaver, Boston
Many thanks to everyone who came down to the Axe Friday night - you all made it into a great night, and one of our best gigs yet!
Posted at 10:27pm on 7th July 2009 by Scott
The Punchbowl, Spalding
It was an extremely hot day in Spalding that brought out the crowds on a Sunday afternoon to the famous 'bowl. Fantastic venue, fantastic people and one of those days where it all went according to plan despite the searing heat. We were even serenaded by a couple of naked bucking bronco's which made Chasing Cars all that more interesting (for the ladies present at least!). Many thanks to Ben and the rest of the hosts for keeping us hydrated during the afternoon and giving us the opportunity to play. We cannot wait to come back!
Posted at 09:30pm on 29th June 2009 by Danny
Party In The Ark, Kirton
Party In The Ark went really well. The whole gig was recorded for Endeavour Radio so we should should get some decent live tracks from it, which will hopefully be uploaded soon - and we helped save some cats!
Many thanks to Adi Green for filling in for Dan on the drums.
Posted at 09:26am on 29th June 2009 by Scott
Bourne and Boston Rugby Club
With Contraband all back together again after the hiatus, the summer really kicked off on Saturday at the Bourne Festival. The stage was huge, the sound engineers fantastic and it seemed like we'd never been away. Many thanks to Shakeel for his hard work in capturing the day on his very expensive camera, and thanks to everyone that came down and supported us, both new and old. We had a brilliant afternoon!
Unfortunately, we couldn't stay long at Bourne because we had to pack straight up and head off to the Princess Royal Arena in Boston for the Boston Rugby Club Beer and Bands night (such is the hectic life of a rock star!) where we were playing alongside the show band, Something for the weekend. There weren't many people in but what were ended up having a fantastic night and Nok and Scott showed off their showmanship in rallying everyone onto the dance floor, with Scott doing guitar solos among the dancers while Nok passed the mic around the audience. Another brilliant gig done! Thanks to Deborah for organising this one.
So, where next? We are headlining a charity event, Party In The Ark, in Kirton on Father's day, 21st June. Endeavour radio are going to be there so hopefully we will get some play time in the near future! See you all there and it's great to be back!
Posted at 12:34pm on 8th June 2009 by Danny
Gig update
It's been a while since the last update so here is a quick rundown of what has been happening in the land of Contraband of late. We have played some of our best gigs in recent history. Danny has become a dad for the second time to future rock drummer, Freddie, and Neil is off backpacking around New Zealand during May. Because of this, ex-Noasis and current Temallica rhythm section, Adi Green and Mark Delaine Smith, have stepped into our rhythm section for April/May. Their first gig at The White Hart on Saturday night went down an absolute storm and they have done wonders in learning the set in such a short space of time. Thanks guys very much for your commitment!
In other exciting news, we are scheduled to play the Bourne Festival on June 6th going on stage at 4:45pm for a 45 minute set, followed by a quick pack up and leave to headline at Boston Rugby Club's band night which is being touted as the replacement to the sadly, and unforgivably, cancelled Party In The Park this year. Following that, we have been asked to headline a large charity event in Kirton on the 21st of June so it is going to be a month of big stage gigs for us which we always enjoy doing in the summer months. These invites must mean we are doing something right which can't be a bad thing!
The next gig is at The Black Bull in Kirton, where Mark and Adi will again be taking up their new roles. This will probably be the last chance to see that line up so please try to make it down to offer your support.
Brennans Bar, Spalding - 13th February 09
We knew this was going to be a tough gig. In all my years of frequenting Brennans and watching bands there I have never seen the Spalding crowd really get into a band. Somehow, something magic happened, and halfway through the night the place exploded - testament itself to how good our front man is at getting a crowd going. The cramped room seemed to somehow get larger as the pub got more and more packed out and by the end of the night the whole place was a resounding wall of chanting and singing. Thanks to everyone that came down to see us for the first time. We had a blast and cannot wait to invade Spalding again! Next gig is at the Rising Sun in Stickney. Another cramped one, but another great one. See you there!
The Star, Sibsey - 31st January 09
What a great start to the new year. Thanks to everyone that came down to The Star. Plenty of new faces as well as plenty of the faithful. Great night!
Xmas party weekend - 19th/20th December
Apart from two minor issues, Friday at the Axe and Saturday at The Coach House were brilliant nights and along with a side order of incredible videos recorded by Brad at The Axe (many thanks for this!), rounded off an incredible 2008 for Contraband. Thank you to everyone who has hired us to play, who have followed us from gig to gig and those who have commented both positively and, more importantly, in a critical manner which has made us work harder to get that sound just right. After debuting our first "own" song on Saturday night and it being so well received we have not only checked off a large part of our wishlists for the band but also now have the bug to create more and more of our own sounds, as well as continuing with what we think we do best, plagiarising other people's hard work!
Have a fantastic xmas and a wonderful new year and thanks to everyone again for making 2008 so very special.
Finally on a personal note, a million thanks to Nok and Neil for giving me the chance to get behind the kit again and to my very old and special friends, Jam and Scott, for joining the band and allowing us to play these more complex songs we now are. You are all top of your games musically and a pleasure to be on stage with.
Danny, on behalf of Contraband
2008....DONE!
The Railway - 6th December
We enjoyed another cracking gig at The Railway on Saturday. The heating was on full blast, as was Jam, so we knew we all sounded on form. Scott had a turn on the drums, Nok had a turn on the guitar and the lovely Lisa filled in the vocal duties. Danny now feels he can leave the band safe in the knowledge that he is replaceable. Thanks to everyone who attended. You never cease to amaze with your dedication - how anyone can listen to Dakota so many times and still enjoy it is beyond me! :)
The next gig, and the final public gig of the year, is at the mighty Axe & Cleaver on the 19th December. What a lovely way to round a fantastic band year off. Hopefully see you all there!
Gig of the year - 8th November
They say you're only ever as good as your crowd and that's exactly what Saturday night was all about. We all had a brilliant time at the White Hart which set a new precedent for Contraband gigs. Thanks ever so much to everyone that attended. Danny for his top notch singing on Had Enough, Leona for giving Danny a break on the drum kit (and doing a more than admirable job with the beat! He did take notes for future reference on time keeping! :)), the Stickney faithful and everyone else that went home with half a voice from all the crowd singing participation. If only they were all like that, we'd constantly be (Sex) on fire.
The next gig is at the Railway. Another brilliant one forthcoming!!! See you all soon and many thanks again for a great night.
All at Contraband
The Black Swan - 11th Octover
The gig was cancelled due to lack of advertising. Shame. Anyway, we are really looking forward to the next gig at the White Hart in Sibsey for Lee's birthday bash. Loads of new stuff to play which we can't wait for. See you all there!
The Black Bull - 27th September
Unfortunately, Jam couldn't make it for this gig as he was raising money for the S.O.P.H.I.E. charity with his other half and gig regular, Ange.
However, with Scott taking on the reigns of lead and rhythm we played an absolute blinder of a gig under the circumstances. Danny didn't drop a stick and the extended solo on 20th Century Boy was a real treat (for us playing anyway!). Nok was on fine form and Neil played his heart out.
Next gig is at The Black Swan in Donington. A small venue but another good one! See you there
BMF Tailend - 20th September
The BMF Tailend gig was altogether a resounding success! The sun came out in full force for the day and although the Battle Of The Bands event was held inside this year, the sound system carried far to the audience outside. It's always great to be able to move around on stage and the venue for the BOTB didn't disappoint: Big event, big stage, and an even bigger sound system - and we'd like to think we rose to the occasion and played one of our best shows yet.
Unfortunately we didn't win. That accolade went to the mighty Badland who performed before us but we came 3rd out of the 8 bands that played over the weekend so we are all very pleased with ourselves.
The Axe - 12th September
Thanks to everyone that turned out for the Axe gig. The sound needs some work on it but overall we had a good night. Next gig is the BMF rally where we urgently need your support! See you there if you can make it.
Party In The Car Park - 23rd August
With the help of the weather turning good, Tom doing a brilliant job behind the sound desk and a full crowd, we played a blinder on Saturday night in Sibsey. Thanks to everyone who attended and joined in the fun. Mr. Brightside was a blast to play and is definitely going to become another Contraband classic. Our next public gig will be at the Axe on the 12th of September. We can't wait!
Woodstick - 02nd August
Beautiful weather, beautiful location and some excellent bands on the bill made for a great day overall. Due to sound issues, we had to ditch some guitar effects, but we played extremely well and the crowd appeared to enjoy it.
Special thanks to Tony for standing in at short notice for Neil who wasn't able to make it.
The Pincushion - 26th July
It was a hot night in Wyberton and Contraband made it even hotter by playing a blinder. The new line up is gelling together well and getting tighter each time they play. Big thanks to Shane for allowing us to play his big 4-0.
The Railway - 19th July
I personally have never had as much fun playing a gig as I did on Saturday night. Yeah, we weren't tight. Yeah, the sound needs sorting out. Yeah, I should never drum standing up ever again, but the key word I, and I hope everyone that came to see us play with our new guitarists took away with them was that 3 letter word, FUN.
Rarely did I see someone without a smile on their face. Rarely have I ever seen people laughing openly ALONG with a band rather than at them. And rarely have I felt so many goosebumps from either hearing an added guitar lick here and there, or from a packed crowd singing at the tops of their voices. Thankyou to everyone that attended and made Scott and Jam feel so welcome for their first proper gig with the band. For them to have learnt and played 13 songs in one week and then play them for the 2nd time in their lives as part of the band without stopping, or ever showing signs that it was too big for them is credit to both their commitment and their talent. It can only get better from hereon in but if that is the standard set after only a week's rehearsal...Exciting times ahead.
Private party next week and then Woodstick the week later. See you all very soon!!!
Member change
As some of you are now aware, we have had a member change in the band. We are sorry to see Adam leave us and we wish him all the best for his future endeavours. He made Contraband what it is today and we all saw him grow into a virtuoso on the guitar over the past 2 years. Scott and Jam have now joined the band full time to help fill out the sound and to give us the chance to play some songs that couldn't be achieved with a single guitarist (although Adam always did an amazing job of filling the sound out. Something we are all astounded with). So, another new start and another new era. We'll add some bios for Scott and Jam soon so you can see what they're all about.
A sincere thank you to Adam for his commitments over the past 2 years - All at Contraband
Party In The Park - 12th July
Well, the weather held off, the crowd was huge and were up for a singalong, everyone played their hearts out and we know we did ourselves extremely proud. Thanks to Scott and Jam for their efforts in making it happen. Party In The Park 2008 - Done.
Next gig is at The Railway on Saturday 19th. We hope to see some old and maybe new faces there.
A very contended Contraband.
The Axe & Cleaver - 7th June
What started off as a very slow night in the Axe (the pub seemed empty when we went on stage) turned out to be a corker by the end of it. We weren't playing our best in the first set but by the end of the night the pub was absolutely rammed and we were all playing to perfection. Thanks to everyone that turned out to the new look Axe (loving that tangerine orange paint!) and made it a special night.
The next gig is the big one for the year. Party in the Park on the 12th July at 6pm. Unfortunately, Adam is on holiday on that day so we have two replacement guitarists, Scott and Jam, stepping in to help us rock Boston to its foundations. DON'T MISS IT!
Scooter Rally & The Black Bull - 24th & 25th May
You know, the Rock & Roll lifestyle is a double edged sword. One night you're sitting in your own dressing room, chatting with a band that you know is about to hit the big time and have the pleasure and honour of supporting. Your time comes and you walk out on a huge stage with a floor rammed with people. The nerves are well and truly kicked in but you see the friendly smile of the sound engineer who earlier somehow made you sound like you could also make it big anytime soon. The lights go up, the playing starts edgily, unsure of the crowds reaction and then it happens. It's at that very moment that you truly get what all this is about; the hard work, the politics, 4 people who met by chance only because they share that same dream every single person has had at least once in their lives. You realise we're living that dream, BIG time. Knowing that, for a pub cover band, we're experiencing something not even all recording contracts get to experience....
The next night you're grounded in reality again and you're sorting out your own sound desk, playing in the corner of a cramped pub and running the gamut of the huge setlist we have adopted and grown over the years. The air conditioning you felt on your back the night before is a distant memory as the sweat makes you feel like you're drumming in a sauna.
But I, for one, would not change a bloody thing about that. Last night was just as enjoyable as the night before. No matter what the venue, what the crowd, we're still doing the same thing we got together for in the first place; to perform our chosen art and to entertain in the best way we know how. And long may it continue.
Thanks to everyone that came down both Saturday and Sunday. A massive thanks to Paul, Phil, Pete and everybody that looked after us and treated us like royalty on Saturday night - you made the night for us. Thanks to The Displacements for being such lovely, down to earth lads who I know will be big this year.
What a brilliant weekend!
Next gig is at The Axe & Cleaver on Saturday 7th June - Another good one! See you there. Danny on behalf of Contraband
The Coach House - 26th April
Due to an illness in the band, we had to cancel the gig on Saturday night - much to everyone's dismay. However, Trader came back to Boston to do a fantastic acoustic set (many thanks to John for travelling all that way) and Nok sang to some backing tracks. It was well received and we're looking forward to the next gig which is Emma's (Danny's wife) 30th birthday party in the White Hart on Saturday 3rd May. The pub will still be open to all so don't feel left out. Hope to see you all there.
As promised, here is the news about Party In The Park 2008. We are to be playing on Saturday 12th July with a brilliant time slot of 6pm-6:45pm. We are all very excited about this one!
The Black Swan - 12th April
Excellent gig at the Swan in Donington. Shame we didn't have a very good turnout but this was the first gig where we all really gelled as a unit. Thanks to everyone who attended.
The next gig is at The Coach House in East Keal which is always a good night. See you all there
In other news - Contraband are confirmed to be playing this year's Party in the Park in Boston. More details to follow...
The Railway - 29th March
Good turn out at The Railway, a venue known for it's entertainment. Some of the regulars had gone to a party in town but a few of our faithful followers came down to support us which is always good to see, thankyou as always. The gig itself went very well; Adam got some great comments from people - he was on top form, Nok only forgot the the lyrics to two songs (so it was a good night for him), Danny was juggling with the whisky cans which kept falling from above (no doubt from the vibration off the bass drum) and Neil was as ever, cool ,calm and relaxed.
Contraband have put in for 'Party In The Park' this year. A decision will be made in the next couple of weeks, so fingers crossed, especially after last years disappointment when it was cancelled due to the British summer of rain.
Axe & Cleaver - 14th March
Not a bad turn out for a Friday night in The Axe, thanks for coming down and showing us your support, a good night had by all, we mixed the set round quite a bit, we missed out The Foo Fighters numbers cause Nok had a voice like Bonnie Tyler and was finding it hard to get the screaming numbers out and in tune (not that he normally cares if he's in tune or not !), Danny, Adam and Neil were on song as usual and we even got three new numbers in which seemed to go down well. There was a bit of trouble towards the end of the night which spoilt a good night and i've heard the cops were in looking for Contraband which people were smoking, (if only they'd looked on the stage). Anyway,thats about it, just to let you know that our next gig is at The Railway on Saturday 29th March, it's always a good gig in there ans there's usually a good turn out, so if your out n about we'll see you down there, bye for now.
Polish Strictly Come Dancing - 1st March, The Black Bull, Kirton
Saturday night was a strange gig. Danny had fully blown manflu, people were rocking to the music while eating their Steak & Kidney pies and the lovely Polish community danced their national dances to Chasing Cars - all rather surreal! But we all thoroughly enjoyed the night and it didn't go completely to the dogs like half of the regular crowd at the Black Bull decided to. Thanks, as always, to everyone that attended. We're all hoping to be back to full fitness for our next gig which is another big one, Friday 14th March at the Axe & Cleaver where we PROMISE to have some new material we've been working on. Take care and hope to see you all next Friday.
Saturday 2nd February - The White Hart, Sibsey
Well, that went well, didn't it? Thanks ever so much for the massive turnout on Saturday night for Danny's first gig with the band. It was a very enjoyable night had by all and the feedback was astonishingly good. Nok was on top form, Adam played his heart out and Neil was a force to be reckoned with on the bass. With a new, heavier sound and an ever growing setlist of anthemic songs, Contraband are entering their new era with a bang. So, where to next? The next public gig is on Saturday 1st March at the Black Bull in Kirton. It's always a great turn out at that venue and Contraband have always loved playing there.
We will keep banging away at some new tunes and watch out for the new website appearing VERY soon, with a gig listing, proper message board, an area to vote for song choices and an image/sound gallery. Take it easy everyone, and thank you so much again for Danny's very warm welcome.