Finally Recovered...

Well hello there strangers!

It has been a while since our fantastic HippyHaze festival over Easter weekend, and this poor blog has been somewhat neglected. The reasons for this are as follows:

1) We were recovering from the exceptionally fun yet exceptionally exhausting weekend. A handful of The Hippy Hippy Shake Company staff spent the whole weekend working from dawn to... well, the dead of night, stewarding, making shakes, stage managing and just basically helping to pull off the event. We couldn't have done it without them.
2) We've had loads of brilliant local press coverage reviewing the event and the bands also, so we figured we could sit back here at the blog and bask in the luxury of having a bit of time off. If you're interested in seeing some of the great publicity we've had, check out the links at the bottom of this post.
3) We have been planning more fun things! Most of them are TOP SECRET at this point, but expect a blog post over the next couple of days regarding the one plan which we actually are allowed to share with you. And between us, you're going to want to be at this event because we once again have some fab performers lined up in an ideal venue for a very reasonable price. Exciting, right?

So anyway, as we say, we've had a lot of great press coverage and Lee and Dan from Radical's Rising at Six Towns local radio station took some super photos of the bands as they performed, so go check out their Saturday, Sunday and Monday pictures. Plus, they also managed to snap some great shots of the Silent Disco which feature a big old bunch of our festival goers, so go see if you can find yourself in the pics if you came! We at The Hippy Hippy Shake Company know how nice it is to piece together drunken nights, and thanks to Lee and Dan you may be able to do just that through their meticulous photographic documentation :)

Here are just a few of our favorite shots taken by a collection of people...

*Campsite filling up*

*We're just so effing happy to be here!!!*

*Silent disco antics*

*Girlsssss*

*Spot the local celebs...*

*Jo-Ee-T... 'nuff said*

*Love how orange-jumper-guy is kind of cuddling stripey-sweater-guy*

*Just a few of The Hippy Hippy Shake Company staff, blowing off some steam at the end of a sleepless weekend*

*Lead singer of Headgames decides he wants to dance with his partner... during his performance. Metal barrier? No problemo, Brother.*

*Pretty ladies taking shelter from the cold*

*We're going camping...*

*Playing cards in between bands, lapping up campsite-life*

*A literal knees-up during our only bluegrass band, The Slippery Hill Boys*

*Crowd, loving life.*

*Definitely one too many... you can't hide behind your clenched fist, Drunkard!*

So there you have it! 3 days, hundreds of guests, 42 acts, 15 The Hippy Shake Company staff and stewards, 4 fab photographers, 2 sound men, 1 team of security, 1 Foxfields Railway, a handful of stall holders, first aid volunteers and some very helpful local media people managed to make the first ever HippyHaze 2012 the benchmark for any future events we might be planning. Regardless of the fact that the weather was absolutely atrocious, our guests made the most of the weekend ensuring they had their beer jackets and smiles on at all times. In fact, some of our guests seemed to enjoy the event BECAUSE of the horrendous rain, as they decided mud-sliding was definitely the way to go... genius!

Thank you very much to everyone who was involved in the event, we're really grateful. If you want to check out any of the great review write ups, here are just three of the links we've been sent since:

Lee Barber's Reviews of Every Band from the HippyHaze Festival 2012

Lou Crane's HippyHaze 2012. Love Milkshake. Love Music

Will's Photoimaging HippyHaze - Saturday

If you have written a review of the event or done any kind of press coverage from HippyHaze 2012 that you think we should know about, then make sure you let us know on The Hippy Hippy Shake Company facebook page so we can big you up as much as you've hopefully done for us! Also, if you were a guest at HippyHaze who took some great photos, tag the group in your photos because we'd love to see them. Finally, if you are a band, stall-holder or media person who would like to work with us in the future, get in touch, we'll be nice, promise!

Keep an eye out for upcoming blog-posts revealing a very exciting new event which we're working on throwing together for you all now... Ooh the suspense!

What was the best thing about HippyHaze in your opinion? Who was your favorite band? HOW did you manage to stay alive and smiling during the icy temperatures?

Love and shakes

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company

x

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company Sits Down With... Jo-Ee-T!

This time in a couple of days we are likely to be running around like headless chickens, trying hard to put the finishing touches to HippyHaze 2012 in time for the next morning when our gates shall open bright and early. However, this week the pressure isn't on quite as much, so drinks and dinner at Frankie and Benny's with a certain Jo-Ee-T was definitely on the agenda! If you're not yet aware of the talent which is Joey, you're in for a real treat. Specializing in house music, this local DJ offers a breath of fresh air to the Stoke-on-Trent music scene. His laptop and a microphone is all this guy needs to blow our HippyHaze audience away big-time. Drinks ordered, pleasantries and greetings taken care of, and tushes planted firmly on the bar stools, we experienced the down-to-earth Jo-Ee-T for the first time in a none-performance setting. He didn't disappoint...

***

It's so nice to finally meet the famous Jo-Ee-T I've heard so much about!

Argghhh don't, I'm just Joey. Haha.

Awhh I'm going to tease you throughout now like you're a huge rock-star because I know it bugs you :) Let's get on shall we? Do you work Joey?

I do have a job in Newcastle but really I spend most of my time mixing tracks. I'm really passionate about it, so nothing really distracts me. Like, I prefer to go mix rather than watch the telly even!

As if! I love the telly. Although it's great that you're so passionate about what you do. So, tell us about Jo-Ee-T as an act...

Well, basically it's just me all on my own! At HippyHaze I'm playing a two and a half hour set, some of it will be DJ-ing and some just me live so it should be good. I make the music myself although sometimes I feature other artists like Sian Matthews (of Heritage and Faux Feet, also playing HippyHaze). I spend lots of time on my mixes and then I just use my laptop and beach balls when I'm performing them!

Beach balls?

Yeah, at Rugfest I brought beach balls for the audience to play with.

Amazing! How did you get into DJ-ing then? It's not really something they teach in school...

No it isn't. Well, my dad and my uncle have been DJ-ing for ages so I've grown up around it really. They're my idols to be honest.

Ok, so do they inspire your music?

Definitely. My dad is my biggest inspiration. He's my hero! But there are so many artists who I love too. In my own genre I think Daft Punk is fantastic. Then I also have a handful of other influences who are completely different. Like, I think Stevie Wonder is awesome and Prince is my ultimate favorite. 

They're legends. Have you ever performed with your dad?

Actually, one of my best experiences was performing with my dad a little while ago at The Basement in Hanley on one of their maGic nights. There were hundreds of people in there and it was amazing to be handing the decks over once I'd done to my hero. My other favorite gig would have to be when I performed at Mark Askew's last gig at The Underground. 

That sounds amazing, bet you were chuffed to get that gig!

Well, yeah it was a huge honour to be invited along. Obviously the room was packed out with about 350 people, then on top of that there were people trying to sneak into the venue from the smoking area. I'll never forget it. The lights were dim so I could set up, then once I was done the lights clicked on and the audience screamed. At the end of the performance I put my hands in the air as if to say, 'That's it... I'm done' and the audience went nuts screaming and shouting. I loved it.

I bet the adrenalin is amazing at a gig like that! Do you ever get nervous?

Oh God, once my nerves were so bad. It was a gig at The Full Moon in Newcastle and for some bizarre reason my confidence just plummeted when I was on stage. It was weird. I started panicking and doing everything wrong. I mean, after the gig different people in the audience came and told me they'd enjoyed the set but I was just in shock. It was a very weird experience...

No way! Well, there'll be no need for that at HippyHaze as you'll be performing for friends :) That's how we like to look at it as we'll be cheering you on the whole time. Who will you be cheering of at the festival?

Oh I can't wait to see Sea-Based Turtles and The Get Alongs. Also, it will be nice to see Heritage and Faux Feet because I've worked with their singer, Sian, on quite a few different projects. 

Just to round off the interview, I want to know, what's next for Jo-Ee-T?

Dancing and cuddles. Plus me and my dad are hoping to do some more gigs at The Basement like maGic because it was just the best. And then I'm working on a very exciting project with The Sugarmill at the moment although it may be a secret, so I can't tell you anymore... You'll just have to wait and see! All will be revealed this summer...

Oh Jo-Ee-T, you are a man of many mysteries and I love it. I speak on behalf of HippyHaze and we couldn't be happier to have you on board :)

***

If a more genuine guy than Joey exists, we'd love to meet him. We probably never will though, because it's physically impossible to be more laid-back, down-to-earth and lovely than him. If you like throwing your body around pulling wild-dance shapes then you're not going to want to miss his set. In the meantime, if you'd like to treat your ears to some real musical candy, head over to his facebook page and have a wee listen. You won't be disappointed. Jo-Ee-T will be playing on the evening of Easter Sunday just after The Get Alongs, yet another must-see act at HippyHaze. 

If you haven't grabbed your tickets yet, then you'd better beg, steal and borrow the money to buy one because they're flying out! 

HEAD INTO MUSIC MANIA OR THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY AND GET YOURS NOW. A COUPLE OF THE BANDS ARE STILL FLOGGING TICKETS, BUT THEY'RE RAPIDLY RUNNING OUT NOW SO GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN! £14 FOR A DAY PASS INCLUDING ONE NIGHT CAMPING AND JUST £33 FOR A THREE-NIGHT CAMPING TICKET. See you there :)

Love and milkshakes

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company