The Hippy Hippy Shake Company Sits Down With... Vellocet!

As ever, in the run up to Hippy Horror, our team have found themselves at a variety of gigs over the past few months. One such gig was that of psychedelic trip rock 'n' roll band, Vellocet at the Underground a few weeks back. Supporting 3's A Riot, the mighty Vellocet were the second band to perform and the crowd went wild for their different sound. As they are playing Hippy Horror on Sunday the 28th October, we absolutely had to grab a couple of minutes to get to know the boys a little better...

***

Vellocet! You guys were brilliant just now, thanks for taking the time to chat with us.
Ash: We're sorry we're such hairy sweaty men... apologies. It just gets really hot on stage.

Ooooh, that's quite alright, we'd probably be sweaty and hairy if we put as much time into something as you obviously do with your music. So where has your bassist rushed off to?
Jordan: It is Louis's birthday so hopefully he's off getting drinks bought for him by pretty girls.

Coming and playing a gig on his birthday, now THAT'S commitment! So tell us about the band...
Ash: Well, we started as a six piece and we were always selling out gigs for about 3 years and were headlining every three weeks.
Dewy: Then the singer quit...
Jordan: Yeah, I wasn't even the original singer!

No way. So how long have you been the band that you are today?
Dewy: Only since June 21st, the day before the Camden gig...
Ash: We saw the legendary Richard Buxton in Camden that day! It was mad we were just walking down the street and we asked if he knew where this pub was and he recognized us, it was weird.

So, if we were only going to see one band at Hippy Horror, why should Vellocet be that band?
Dewy: We're up and coming really. We're getting back on track.
Jordan: We've got quite a dirty dark sound which I don't think you hear that often. Its a different sound. Dirty Rock.
Ash: Every time we do a gig we try to push our limits and top what we did last time. Like our Fatboy Slim cover has been a challenge but it was worth it when it worked tonight. That will stay in our set for this year now.

Yes, it was a real crowd pleaser. Were you guys at Hippy Haze?
Ash: We were going to play but we actually lost our singer and our keyboardist not long before so we were a bit down in the dumps.
Jordan: Yeah, we were all working that weekend. Gutted we missed it though, we've heard such great things about it!

Well, we'll let you off if you perform at Hippy Horror as well as you did tonight... What Halloween costumes are you going to be wearing at Hippy Horror?
Jordan: Well, we usually do Clockwork Orange...
Dewy: Yeah but we might want to try something different... but we want to keep it a surprise.
Jordan: In fairness, us in tight white jeans probably isn't what most people want to see.
Ash: We've done Clockwork Orange twice now so we'll go for a surprise this time.
Jordan: We are mysterious and dark.

Awhhh you boys never let anything on! What has been your best ever gig?
Jordan: All the Young, definitely, at the King's Hall.
Dewy: We didn't have a huge crowd but it was just an incredible experience being able to play on a stage that big.
Ash: There was that one where we collaborated with the Rivalry and did a mashup of Baba O'Reilly with the Chemical Brothers over the top of that.
Dewy: We've got quite a few favourite gigs really.

Tell us about your worst gig ever...
Jordan: Fatcats.
Dewy: Fatcats.
Ash: Fatcats.
Jordan: We hadn't played in a while and we were trying to put as much new content into the gig as possible before the songs were even ready.
Ash: We even ended up doing our first song again as an encore because we hadn't prepared a proper one...
Jordan: It was embarrassing.
Ash: Oxjam was bad too. It sounds terrible because it was a charity gig but it was a terrible gig.
Jordan: We try to forget about gigs like that...

Yes, let's move on. So after Hippy Horror, what will be next for Vellocet? Do you have anything fun planned for the festive season?
Jordan: We've got Keele at the end of the year.
Dewy: We're playing a gig at Keele on the 23rd of December. It will have all the biggest bands in Stoke playing so that and Hippy Horror are going to be our two biggest of the year.

Is there anything we should know...
Ash: Look forward to next summer...
Jordan: Yesss we've got our EP out next year.

Well thanks once again for giving us an interview, we can't wait to see you perform.
Jordan: Thanks for having us :)

***

You heard it here first guys! Vellocet have got exciting things in the pipeline, so you'd really better catch them at Hippy Horror on Sunday the 28th before they disappear into a whirl-wind of everything they have planned for the next twelve months. This group of genuine lads work hard to develop with each and every gig they play, so even if you've seen them before you are definitely going to want to see them again at Hippy Horror because each performance is different. We're particularly excited about their cover potential, because the range of songs they've put their own spin on in the past is so varied, you never know what to expect! So buy your ticket, pack your bag, pitch your tent, grab your beer and stake out your spot in what is sure to be a heaving crowd, because Vellocet are ready to rock your socks off.

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT FAST SO MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE, HANLEY OR STAFFORD, MUSIC MANIA, OR HARASS THE BANDS AND GET YOURS NOW. £6 FOR FRIDAY NIGHT INCLUDING CAMPING, £14 FOR SATURDAY OR SUNDAY DAY-PASS INCLUDING CAMPING AND JUST £26 FOR A THREE-DAY CAMPING TICKET. 

Love and shakes

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company

Currently Recruiting... Artists Needed!

Right guys, we need y'all to get yo' creative bonnets on!

We (The Hippy Hippy Shake Company) are currently recruiting art nerds in order to get some absolutely INSANE decorations put together in preparation for Hippy Horror. No qualifications required, all you need to do is send a private message via facebook to me (Gabriella Sofia Buxton) or my lovely father (Richard Buxton) and get us to add you to the list. We're hoping to recruit about ten artsy folk and all we ask is that you come to our first meeting (which will hopefully be held within the next couple of weeks) full of ideas and ready to get creative.

So what is in it for you?

Well...

• We plan on meeting once a week to do our arty-farty thing, and as we'll be meeting in our Newcastle store, it would only be fair if we would give each of you a milkshake for free, now would it?
• Whatever decorations you create can be kept at the end of Hippy Horror to put towards any art coursework you may need. You're also welcome to keep our creepy work at your own home after the event or give it away to friends.
• You get to be a big part of the creative process of a local music festival. Sounds clever for your CV doesn't it?
• You'll get to meet nine other creative-types and all get excited about Hippy Horror together :)
• This is all about going crazy and being weird and twisted and making stuff that will terrify your mates. It will be a laugh!

So what are you waiting for, creatives? Send us a facebook message as soon as you can because we'd like to have a meeting to discuss your ideas and make a shopping list of materials we will need for the next meeting.

Love and shakes

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company 

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company Sits Down With... Emilio Pinchi!

That's right. The Hippy Hippy Shake Company got to interview the handsome, talented, and (if his recent A-Level results are anything to go by) intelligent local acoustic genius, Emilio Pinchi. And what's better, he's agreed to open the show on Saturday the 27th at our Hippy Horror Halloween festival! After his fab performance at HippyHaze over Easter and recent acceptance into Paul McCartney's Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (informally known as LIPA) we felt ever so slightly star-struck watching Emilio perform effortlessly for a room full of eagerly listening fans. We felt even more fantastic when he agreed to a quick interview not five minutes after he came off the Sugarmill stage on the 17th August in spite of the fact everyone was pulling him in about a million different directions...

***

Emilio! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us. What's the name, what's the deal, where are you from, what are you about?
I'm half Italian, hence the name... Then what is Emilio Pinchi about? Haha, well I've been in bands since I was about fifteen so for three years. But then when I was between bands, I decided to start playing some acoustic stuff, writing my own music, booking gigs and it took off from there really.

Wow, our very own Italian stallion! So how much time do you actually invest into your music?
Pretty much all I do is writing music, playing, thinking up ideas. Like I'll be out and I'll have an idea and have to put it into my phone. I'm like, 'Everybody stop. I've had an idea.' So really most of my time goes into my music and producing it, promoting it and performing it.

And you've just finished your A-Levels right?
Yes... I did music, music tech, geography and media and I got one A and three B's. I'm amazed about media... I was not confident coming out of that exam. I've never sat an exam before and thought, 'I've failed' before but I did with that. Can't believe it! And now I'm heading off to Paul McCartney's LIPA in September. I move in around the start of September and it all starts from there. I'm so excited to be moving to the centre of Liverpool.

But we're going to lose you! 
Don't worry, I'm coming back to play Hippy Horror remember, so don't worry!

Phew. Thank God for that, eh? Are you going to wear a Halloween costume for Hippy Horror. You have to.
I think I do have to don't I? Well, I'm performing on the Saturday and I think that is Dead Celebrities day so I've got something up my sleeve but its a secret. Its one of my heroes. You'll just have to wait and see...

Keeping us in suspense. It had better be worth it! Tell me who some of your heroes are then.
Radiohead are my biggest influence really. Elliot Smith is really good. I always write better when I've just been listening to Radiohead. It puts me in the mood for it. I love Nirvana too. I don't write many happy songs... those guys inspire me to write dark songs. Who wants to listen to happy songs anyway?

So since your songs are so dark and twisty, where do you come up with the inspiration to write them?
The usual stuff. I have a couple of songs which I've written for people. There is one actually which I've written for someone and I've never played it live because it would just be too hard.

Awh! Is it for a girl?
It is! I'm between girlfriends like I'm between bands...

That's sad. But I've noticed that most of your fans are girls so maybe you could just pick one...
Haha, this is true my fanbase is mostly girls. I don't know why! I've never really thought about who my fanbase is made up of before. I just want anyone that gets me to come to my show and enjoy the music. It makes me happy, But I don't know why they are mostly girls.

Oh yeah, we wonder too (*insert sarcastic stare*)... What has been the best gig that you remember playing?
I really enjoyed tonight, that was good. During one of my songs there was like, TOTAL SILENCE which was really eerie but cool. Its nice seeing people listening so intently at a gig. At one of my gigs a lady gave me £20 for my EP and wouldn't take change from me! I guess she really enjoyed the performance but that was so generous of her. That was one of my best gigs. 

How about the worst gig? Have you ever done anything embarrassing on stage?

I'm dead clumsy in real life so I've tripped over on stage when I've been in bands so many times. Worst gig ever was quite recently when I showed up to play and there was literally not a single person there. I played to the bar staff. Having said that I don't mind playing to an empty room because gigging is all about practice as well as getting your sound out there. Getting to hear yourself through a PA rather than just in your bedroom is worth it. Plus, bar staff are still people aren't they?

They are! So finally, what's your favorite The Hippy Hippy Shake Company milkshake?
The one named after me. One of the specials at the moment is called the 'Emilio Pinchi' and it has Jaffa Cake, Fruit and Nut, Toffee Sauce and Whipped Cream. It is so good! Everyone should get one!

They should! Well thank you for the interview Mr Pinchi, we thoroughly enjoyed your performance tonight.
Thank you for coming :D

***

And with that, Emilio breezed back into his friendship group as if he isn't one of the most promising musicians that Stoke-on-Trent has to offer. As if it wasn't nice enough that Emilio used his post-performance buzz to provide us with a fun and energetic interview, he also handed us a complementary copy of his current EP. It's all we've been listening to for the past couple of days and we can honestly say that we can't wait to be swaying along in the Hippy Horror tent to Slow Down and Sunday Night. He's like our very own version of an Ed Sheeran/Noel Gallagher combo, but better and we absolutely love it. Check out his SoundCloud page and send him a Tweet for a copy of the EP at @@EmilioPinchi This guy is going places. See him at Hippy Horror on the 27th October at 11am before he blows up into a world-wide super-star...

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT FAST SO MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY, MUSIC MANIA, OR HARASS THE BANDS AND GET YOURS NOW. £6 FOR FRIDAY NIGHT INCLUDING CAMPING, £14 FOR SATURDAY OR SUNDAY DAY-PASS INCLUDING CAMPING AND JUST £26 FOR A THREE-DAY CAMPING TICKET. 

Love and milkshakes

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company Sits Down With... Sea Based Turtles!

On the 17th August, The Hippy Hippy Shake Company checked out who would be playing at the Sugarmill and we were pleasantly surprised to see that one of our favorite Stafford-based bands was headlining the night. We are of course talking about Sea Based Turtles. We discovered this band for the first time a few months back and were automatically hooked. We were super happy to have them agree to perform at HippyHaze back in Easter and after their fantastic performance (which included two broken guitar strings, a big old bunch of energy and a cover of the Gorillaz Clint Eastwood) we were just dying to ask them to perform for us again.

It may please you HippyHazers to know that Sea Based Turtles have agreed to return and play for us at our Hippy Horror Halloween event! So we moseyed on down to their Sugarmill gig the other night and grabbed five minutes with the Joe S (bassist), Joe R (Drummer) and Sam (Guitarist) pre-performance. Here's what we found out...

***

Thanks for giving us a few minutes before you perform! Where are the others?
Sam: Missing.
Joe R: They're not here. They've nipped off... They've gone somewhere. *Slightly nervous look*
Sam: They should really be here. We're performing in ten minutes and we are two band members down. Standard.

Oh... ok, well I'm sure they'll get here in time. Meanwhile, let's find out a little about Sea Based Turtles, eh? Let's start with a simple question. Where did you guys come from? Bar 'the sea.' Obviously.
Sam: We started at university. We just started jamming together and before we knew it, Sea Based Turtles were born. It was Joe S that came up with the random name... We're still not sure why. It was interesting when we started out really because we all have such different influences that we weren't sure for a while how our music would sound. Eventually we found our voice though.

Ok, so speaking of influences, who are your biggest?
Joe R: Block Party, Foals and Chilli Peppers for me.
Sam: Anything funky. Jimi Hendrix.
Joe S: James Brown.

Did you enjoy performing at HippyHaze?
Joe R: We loved it.
Sam: We wish we'd stayed and camped for the whole thing. We've just heard so many rave reviews about it.
Joe S: It's just so nice seeing so many local bands getting together with different types of music.
Sam: We were suprised at having such a big crowd because we're from a bit out of the area as we're all Stafford uni students. We had a great time. We can't wait for Hippy Horror!


Speaking of Hippy Horror, as it is a Halloween event, you MUST dress in Halloween costumes...
Joe R: Yes definitely. I want to go as V for Vendetta.
Joe S: Well, we did a music video a while back called Dracula where we were all dressed like vampires so we might have to crack those back out again...

Oooh, like on Twilight?
Sam: NO. My skin will not be sparkling, I'll tell you that right now.


So what's a typical Sea Based Turtles fan like... only, we've noticed there are a lot of girls in your crowd?
Sam: A dancer!
Joe R: A nutter.
Joe S: Anyone really, anyone. We don't want to pigeon-hole things too much because we think anyone can like our music really.

What have you been working on since HippyHaze?
Sam: Our album will be out in time Hippy Horror so we've just been working on getting that finished up.


What has been you best ever gig? Apart from HippyHaze of course!
Joe S: The best gig we probably did was a small gig at the Grapes in Stafford and it was absolutely rammed. It was a really good gig, so packed!



Have you ever had a terrible terrible terrible gig?
Joe R: Well, Hippy Haze was amazing, but Sam broke TWO strings on stage which was a bit of a nightmare.
Joe S: Oh and at one gig, both me and Sam forgot our guitar straps so we had to sit on chairs and play the whole set like that.


Oh no! So square. Aside from your Twilight-directed animosity, you guys are cool. Like really cool. I bet you get lots of attention from the ladies. Would you ever snog a fan?

Joe R: Ooooh that's a difficult one...
Joe S: Which fan?
Joe R: Yeah, it totally depends on the fan really!


So, you wouldn't rule it out? Just checking... Anyway, let's wrap this up with what your favorite The Hippy Hippy Shake Company milkshakes are...
Joe R: I had a Kinder Bueno once. *Pulls an 'Oh-yes-it-was-well-peng' face*
Sam: I had our Sea Based Turtles special back at HippyHaze as well which was so cool. It tasted so good. I might have to ask Rich to bring it back for Hippy Horror, especially for me...

Well, I'd better let you go and get on stage! Thanks for giving me the time of day :) Good luck!
Sam: Thanks :) *Rushes off with the rest of the band*

***

Let us tell you, Sea Based Turtles aren't just an extremely likeable group of boys but they are extremely talented entertainers too. Think a cross between Reel Big Fish, Gorillaz and nothing you've ever heard before and you have Sea Based Turtles. There's no doubt about it, we'll be dancing away in front of the stage. Make sure you join us on the Sunday at Hippy Horror because its going to be a performance you're not going to want to miss! Meanwhile, hit up Sea Based Turtles's Soundcloud. Our favourite song is Real Resonation. What is yours?

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT FAST SO MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY, MUSIC MANIA, OR HARASS THE BANDS AND GET YOURS NOW. £6 FOR FRIDAY NIGHT INCLUDING CAMPING, £14 FOR SATURDAY OR SUNDAY DAY-PASS INCLUDING CAMPING AND JUST £26 FOR A THREE-DAY CAMPING TICKET. 

Love and milkshakes

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company

We Couldn't Wait Until Next Easter... Our Next Event is Halloween!

That's right, The Hippy Hippy Shake Company is so addicted to putting on events following the success of HippyHaze over Easter and the Summer Nights this summer, that we couldn't possibly wait until next Easter to organize another biggie! So, Halloween it is.

We're calling it HippyHorror and the event will be quite as jam-packed with fantastic local bands as HippyHaze, if you don't believe us, just check out the provisional event flyer...

So those are the initial details! As you can see, back by popular demand, The Get Alongs will be headlining the first night, so once you've finished school, college, uni, work and just generally dossing around for half-term, head straight over to Foxfields Railway to enjoy our three-day-long Halloween party. 

The second night we have The Hippy Hippy Shake Company Events virgins, The Control topping the bill which is very exciting... Wrapping us up on the Sunday night will be The Rivalry, yet another fantastic local group. With such talented headliners, we're spoiling you guys big-time by having a huge group of brilliant supporting acts from returners such as 3's A Riot, Jo-Ee-T and Moral Panics, plus a variety of first-timers including Dirt Box Disco, Twinkle and the Sluts and Troops of the Mafeking, ready to pop their The Hippy Hippy Shake Company  Events cherries.

So please come along and support your local music scene and you absolutely won't be disappointed. As it will be Halloween, we have a few well-planned tricks up our sleeves which will be worth the bargain-a-licious £26 weekend ticket fee alone. Plus, don't forget, although this is a three-day-Halloween-party, you are more than welcome to camp in the field for the duration of the event. This means you don't have to watch how much you drink because you know you'll be heading home to your disapproving parents. You don't have to pay for a taxi back home after the bands have finished. You don't have to miss out on the after-band excitement because you and your tent will be right in the middle of all the fun. 

And don't forget, since we're going the whole hog with Halloween theming, we want you guys to get into the spirit too! This means costumes, pumpkin carving, alcoholic bobbing for apples, ghost story drinking games and fighting over sweets and treats which will be available at various locations over the weekend. Can you commit to that?

Do you have any other Halloween ideas we should include? Who are you most excited about seeing? What costume ideas do you have so far?

Love and shakes

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company

x

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

Band Profile: Swim into Scarlet

So it's crunch time... The marquee has gone up, our toilets have arrived and it's time for our last Band Profile for this HippyHaze! We can honestly say we've had a fantastic time watching bands, interviewing them and (ahem) drinking with them too and it's been great to learn what the Staffordshire music scene really has to offer. For our last Band Profile, we have Swim into Scarlet who will be playing on the Monday of HippyHaze. These boys were recruited not long ago in order to replace another band who were unable to perform... We can honestly say it was a huge error on our part not to ask them to perform in the first place as they really are one of a kind! Swim into Scarlet is all about talent, fun and most importantly working hard on their music and that's why we love them. Check out what they had to say about themselves...

***

Who is Swim into Scarlet? 
Swim into Scarlet is me, Aidan Razzall and I'm on guitar,keys and vocals. Then there's Zachary Thomas on guitar and vocals, Matthew Vaughan on bass, synth and vocals and David Nash on drums and vocals. We also have an occasional live member Sam Robertson, who plays saxophone. 

Wow, you're a very vocal group! And what do you get up to when you're not gigging and practicing? 

We are all college students and have varying degrees of part-time work including everything from bar jobs to working at printing firms in our native Nantwich.

Busy bees. So did you meet at college? How did you get started?
Well, we formed in the autumn of 2009 after spending the summer deliberating over whether our primitive jams from the summer prior to that were worth honing into songs. None of us can actually really remember why we decided to become a band, but it seemed to be natural progression from our experimentation in practise rooms in the latter of half of that year.

Like, fate conspired to make you into a band? Haha, so who writes the lyrics and what are the words inspired by?
I write the lyrics for the most part, but some songs have contributions from other members, the chorus of ‘Trophy’, for example. I suppose my lyrics are inspired by glimpses of moments, observations and thievery from conversation. I try to create lyrics which are cinematic and visual and present a place within a song, as if it’s a snow globe to be peered into. I admire Matt Berninger from The National's lyrics, the simplicity is effortless. I like Keats, too, he chooses such vivid language to create his microcosmic worlds yet conveyed his poetry in a very direct way.

Wow, I'm an English student and even I don't know the meanings of a big bunch of those words! You must be really clever! Who are your biggest influences?
In terms of music our tastes vary in the band from ambient house to 70’s prog and psychadelia, to contemporary alternative music and heavier stuff. We find that when we write, what comes naturally through experimentation is the material that works, rather than consciously deciding on how we can integrate our influences into a song. A lot of the music we listen to also doesn’t actually reflect in our work itself, our latest single ‘The Promised Land’ for example, doesn’t sound like anything we normally enjoy!

That's cool, like you want to be inspired but not a copy-cat. What's been your best gig so far? Or best rock star moment...

Our best gig so far has probably been the Stoke Sounds Festival last year, it was our first time on an outdoor stage and we relished the opportunity. It’s a strange one to choose because we have had some brilliant gigs in Manchester and London, but we played one of our best sets and felt a brilliant connection with the crowd. Our best rock star moment has probably been when our drummer David clambered off the stage to place one of our t shirts in between a wall of death at one of our shows, inducing mass gladiatorial combat. You can see it here...

Oh wow, that looks pretty crazy! So what's been your worst band moment?
Being described as a female fronted pop punk outfit on a gig flyer in Camden.

Ouchey... let's not dwell on that, eh? Who are you excited about seeing at HippyHaze?
We are friends with Sian Matthews and have enjoyed her work with Faux Feet and Heritage, so catching their opening set on the Monday will be great. Unfortunately we’re missing Aaron Mobberley’s performance, but we’ve definitely planned to drink with him after our set.

We like it when the performers are all friends :) What's next for Swim into Scarlet after HippyHaze?
We are playing The Dirty Dozen Festival on April 21st, and continuing recording our new single in Leeds in preparation for its release later on this year!

Sounds great! Well, good luck with it and we can't wait to see you perform!

***

We told you they're lovely! And how clever does Aidan sound??? Haha, they're on of our most promising acts so if you want a taster of the excitement to come, head over to youtube to see a couple of Swim into Scarlet's recent gigs. Looks like a lot of fun! They'll be playing on the Monday at HippyHaze so make sure you get yourself in the marquee in time... it should be packed out for these lads.

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

Band Profile: Blue Origin

So we're on a bit of a roll with these interviews and band profiles at the moment, aren't we? We just figured it would be a nice way for all HippyHazers to get to know the bands a bit better and create a friendly relationship between our rock-stars and festival goers :) Speaking of friendliness, we really must let you know what happened when we sat down with Blue Origin as Tom and Nick are a couple of the most genuine lads we've had the pleasure of meeting...

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Tell me all about Blue Origin... 
Tom: Blue Origin is a five piece rock and metal act from the glorious town of Stoke-on-Trent! The band consists of Nick on Vocals, Mike on Guitar, Jim on Guitar, Danny on Bass, and me on Drums. We do have day jobs but the main focus has been and always will be our music and this band. 

 

Good stuff, and how did you guys get started?
Nick: Blue Origin started about seven years ago when I met Tom. He was air drumming to Puddle of Mudd's She Hates Me at a party…

Tom: Blue Origin has been through a number of small line-up changes but the line up we have now is the strongest we've ever had!

Onwards and upwards :) Who writes the lyrics?
Nick: I write the lyrics for all of our songs. All of my writing starts off as short poems usually which I later bash into a song structure. This is kind of where my background as a writer comes in useful! I’ve been writing from such an early age I think I started around 12. I wasn't all that cool in high school!

Haha, well now you’re in an awesome rock-band... you don’t get much cooler than that! What do you base your lyrics on?

Nick: In terms of inspiration, I'm quite an introvert writer, usually writing about a lot of the things going on in my life when we wrote the song, though I'm trying to push towards a wider, more outward style at the moment. I never stop learning and changing how I write, nor should any writer. If you think you've got nothing to learn then you need a reality check!

That’s really cool to have a constantly evolving style. So who are your biggest influences?
Tom: Every single member of this band has different influences that they bring to the music we write, BUT if we were to say overall, we are greatly influenced by bands such as Shinedown, Black Stone Cherry, Alter Bridge and so many more. 

And what's been your best gig so far? Or best rock star moment?
Tom: I don't really know what Nick thinks but for me I would say it was our big headliner at the Sugarmill at the beginning of 2011. The place was just rammed and the crowd was insane. We had an intro video shown through a load of broken TV's scattered around the stage. The crowd was insane and the energy on stage was absolutely immense! 

Yes, I’d have to agree that sounds pretty cool. However, things don’t always go so good do they? What's been your worst moment as a band so far?
Tom: For me it was our slot supporting another band in a popular Stoke venue... The headliners were a great bunch of guys and they play what they play very well. The only issue was the crowd did not like us at all! The place was full of skinheads dressed in Doc martins and dungarees, like a scene from 'This is England' it was mental.

That sounds quite nerve-wracking. Onto more positive things, who are you excited about seeing at HippyHaze?
Tom: I am excited about seeing our good friends in Nameless, they put on a great show and are a fantastic bunch of guys. As well as them I am looking forward to seeing Sworn To Oath as I haven't been to a show of theirs in a while but the last one I went to was mental and I’m sure this one will be just as great. 
Nick: Yeah, for me Nameless are going to be fantastic! Those guys always put on a great show, and everyone thinks Josh (the singer) is Tom's son… It's a bit of a running joke really!

Haha, I see the resemblance with the lovely locks of long hair! Finally, just to wrap things up what's next for Blue Origin after HippyHaze?

Nick: Well HippyHaze will be the 5th gig on our 2K12 Spring Smashup UK Tour so it’s all busy, busy for us currently. Aside from that it's all about our Debut Album due for release later this year! We currently have a crowd funding campaign going on through pleasefund.us and we're offering all sorts of cool rewards for people helping us out with this. For example, do you want us playing a gig in your living room? Yeah, we can arrange that! Things are becoming very exciting for us here in Blue Origin and this is just the beginning... watch this space!

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Getting to know all the great musical talent Staffordshire has to offer has been one of our favorite things about organizing HippyHaze, and Blue Origin are some lads we're hoping to stay in touch with long after the festival. If you'd like to give your ears a sweet sweet preview of their music then go check out their Myspace page. Then if you're feeling generous, go donate a bit of your spare dollar to their band at pleasefund.us. We're sure they'd greatly appreciate it, and if you're looking for a band to play in your living room hold them to Nick's promise! Blue Origin will be supporting Sworn To Oath at HippyHaze on the Saturday, so make sure you head over to their marquee during their set, because this is one band you don't want to miss.

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT RAPIDLY NOW. MAKE SURE YOU 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

Band Profile: Dirty Money No 5

In two weeks, HippyHaze will be rocking its final evening and we'll be throwing ourselves around the marquee to the lovely sounds of Sherry Counsellors, Six Towns and Already Gone. And perhaps most importantly for this post, we will have just experienced the magic that is Dirty Money no5.

 

Now, as things have been sickeningly busy for us recently, we didn't quite have time to sit down with the boys and run and full length interview. However, Dirty Money no5 very kindly made time to answer a couple of our questions and this is what we got...

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So, who is Dirty Money no5?

Dirty Money no5 are Marcus on guitar and vocals, Steve (Doon) Dunn on lead guitar, Carl (Vinnie) Jones on decks, Tom Carter on drums and Geordie Nic McCarthy on bass guitar.

 

And without being extremely nosy... how old are you guys?

If you add our total ages and then divide it by the members of the band it totals 36... It is a good job Tom's in the band otherwise the average would be a lot higher... That's all we're saying on that matter!

Oooh mysterious, we like it :) So, aside from Dirty Money no5 do you guys have day jobs?

Our day jobs consist of a student mentor, a live music venue manager, a couple of graphic designers and a production manager at a well known heavy plant company.

Hard workers! Tell us in a nutshell, how did Dirty Money no5 begin?

Myself (Geordie) and Marcus used to be in a band called Mysteriously Cultured many moons ago and myself and Doon have worked together on various musical projects in the past. After Mysteriously Cultured split up in 2000 myself and Marcus formed Dirty Money along with Vinnie and Doon in 2001. We had also had a female co vocalist back then (Samantha Cope) who now is the editor of the Sunday People magazine! After 6 years of gigging, recording and gaining quite a large following Sam moved to London and the drummer left the band so we decided to split up. Marcus Doon and myself worked on other musical projects. Doon was in Jug of Punch a folk band and I was in Senseless a hardcore punk band. In 2010 I got a phone call from Marcus asking if I wanted to have a jam session with him and Doon as they had been doing some acoustic stuff along with Vinnie... The out-come was Dirty Money. The no5 part came about because we couldn't get just Dirty Money as our Facebook page because some other band had nicked our name while we had had our sabbatical. So technically we are really called Dirty Money!

Nice bit of trivia there! Who writes the lyrics and who are your influences?

Marcus writes the lyrics. They mainly come from every day observations and life experiences. As for our influences, they range widely, from from Ska, Reggae , Punk, Folk, Jazz, Funk and Hip Hop. Everyone from Bob  Marley, to Grand Master Flash via The Clash, James Taylor, Bootsy Collins Massive Attack and about a 1001 other musicians are our inspiration. When anyone asks us what we sound like or what type of band we are, we usually say, 'Come and listen and you tell us.' We couldn't tell you really, because we try not to copy anyone else. I know it sounds cliched but it is really true for us!

I love Dirty Money no5... Its true, I've never heard anything like you before, you're so unique! Tell us about your best and worst gigs...

Since reforming, two gigs stand out as the best. The first was supporting The King Blues at a sold out show last year. We won the crowd over which is quiet hard to achieve when they just want to see the headliners. The pressure's on even more when the headliner is a band as big as The King Blues! Also playing at the Night for Joey G earlier this year was outstanding, an event full of great bands. The atmosphere was amazing and all for a worth while cause.

Ahh I popped my Dirty Money no5 cherry at the night for Joey G! It really was a fantastic night and a cause quite close to our Hippy Hippy hearts.

Yeah, Joey was a great guy and sadly missed.

And your worst gig?

Last year we were booked to play a Birmingham venue with an American band. We confirmed everything and double-checked with the venue tons of times, spoke about sound checks and even had a conversation with the venue manager on the day about load-in at the place. When we arrived for sound check we were told by staff at the club that the manager had cancelled the show thirty minutes before. They hadn't even told the touring band that they had cancelled the gig. It cost us a lot of money as we had payed out for transport fuel and a driver to do the gig. The American group were even worse off as they were stranded in Birmingham for the night without any money or a place to stay for the night!

That's horrendous! I guess you'll never play there again... Let's talk about a fantastic musical establishment instead... who are you looking forward to catching at HippyHaze?

Unfortunately due to work commitments I can't make the first couple of days so I'm going to miss Sea Based Turtles, Nameless (a great young band), Sworn to Oath and The Hiding Place on Saturday. As for the Sunday I would have liked to see Faux Feet, Moral Panics, In the Cards and The Get Alongs. Luckily, on the Monday I'll be able to get along to see Jim Mcshee and the Sherry Counsellors!

Awhh we'll be missing you on the first couple of days, but we'll let you off :) So finally, what's next for Dirty Money No 5?

Well, after Hippy Haze we are going to be writing some new material and getting the rest of the album recorded. We need to get a video made then get back out play lots of live gigs in the summer. Hopefully we'll do a few more festivals after HippyHaze... I think we have a great sound for a warm sunny day!

Thank you very much for your time Geordie :) Can't wait to see you guys perform!

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Dirty Money No 5 have a really different sound which is like nothing you've heard before. Go check out their Soundcloud and listen to Old England... It's our favorite song and a certain festival organizer's daughter is dying to hear it at HippyHaze. The boys will not disappoint! We absolutely can't wait to see them perform on the Monday of the festival and they're a definite 'can't miss' act, so...

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT RAPIDLY NOW. MAKE SURE YOU 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

More than Just the Music...

So of course most people with an interest in the local music scene will be aware that HippyHaze 2012 is a 'who's who' of the Stoke scene. With forty local bands spanning a variety of genres (yes, we threw country and folk in with indie and heavy rock... sue us!) HippyHaze will be an excellent opportunity to hear some raw talent, meet a bunch of new people and escape from the real world for three whole days. Well, as if that's not enough, we've also thrown together a nice chunk of retail and refreshment stalls in order to make sure that you're never hungry or naked. Unless of course you want to be, and you're in the privacy of your own tent. Or someone else's in a consensual tryst... We digress.

We thought we'd write this quick post in order to let you know about some great local businesses that HippyHaze 2012 will be supporting over the Easter weekend. Let's start with the food, shall we? We know that's what we'll be hunting down all weekend!

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The Hippy Hippy Shake Company Milkshakes...

 

Shameless plug we know, but when The Hippy Hippy Shake Company presents a music festival it would be somewhat bizarre if we weren't serving our delicious beverages throughout the event. Now, we know our shakes are yummy enough as they are what with chocolate bars and sweeties all blended up inside. Plus, we've also got breakfast covered with our refreshing frozen fruit smoothies. However, we've decided to 'mix things up' a bit (did you see what we did there?) So for the first time in Hippy Hippy History, we're making our shakes crazier than ever by pouring one or two cheeky shots into our blenders and seeing what comes out. Our absolute favorites include Terry's Chocolate Orange with Cointreau, Nutella with Bailey's and Strawberry Fields with Smirnoff. Bet you're salivating right now. We'll also be serving paninis, nachos and waffles. AND ice lollies and our signature ice-cream sundaes. Nomnomnom.

Sprinkles and Twinkles Cupcakes

 

You know how The Hippy Hippy Shake Company loves anything that is super-duper sweet? Well, this local cupcake business is right up our alley. Think creamy-thick icing, soft-moist sponge and bright-beautiful colours. Then imagine how happy your belly will be after eating five. What are you waiting for? What's that? You can't wait until HippyHaze for these yummy-scrummy bites of heaven? Never fear, if you head into our Newcastle shop you can get your mitts on a sneak-preview which will definitely have you coming back for more!

Mr Simm's Olde Sweet Shoppe

 

Candy is so much cooler when it's in old-school plastic baggies. We rapidly came to this realization after our first Mr Simm's experience which allowed us to see that vintage sweeties are still as indulgent as they were in our childhoods! Sugar mice, herbal tablets, barley sugar, rhubarb and custards, kop kops, bon bons and more... Our teeth will rot and it will be worth it.  

Food

Burgers, hot dogs, bacon sandwiches, chips and tons more. Head over to the food tent to grab some decent grub!

Donut Van

Speaks for itself :) Covered in sugar. Yes.

Dirty Slut Clothing

 

Let's face it, when we're away from our parents for three days it's highly likely that without the use of clothes washing facilities, we will walk around for days on end with milkshake and ketchup down our shirts if we have a spillage. However, thanks to Dirty Slut Clothing, you will be able to buy an emergency replacement T-shirt within minutes of virtually any stain-causing (wink wink) alcohol-inducing embarrassment. Winner. 

The Hippy Hippy Shake Company Gift-Wares

 

We feel so bad for all of your friends that may not be able to make it that we've chosen a selection of the gift-wares that we sell in our Hanley store so that you can take them a piece of the magic! Isn't that sweet of us :) We'll have hand-bags, incense sticks, essential oils, candles, sun catchers, oil burners and way more cool stuff so make sure you come check us out.

Krafty J's Gift-Wares

 

If you're after cute and unique jewelry then Krafty J's is the stall you want to be hitting up. Brightly-coloured strings with heart-shaped pendents, pretty wall plaques and dream catchers are what this local company is all about so you're definitely going to want to check it out for a couple of HippyHaze souvenirs.

The 'Cigarette Man'

That's right, we've really got you covered on all fronts, to the extent where even if the smokers out there forget or run out of their cigs they have a one-stop-shop for all their smoking needs. Great success.

Band Merch

Heard a great band and want to hear more? Thinking Aaron Mobberly is so talented you want your loser-mate who missed out on tickets to share your passion? Lusting after the lead singer of The Get Alongs and want to listen to him in your bedroom? Well, whilst it's actually against the law to kidnap Shaneth, you might be able to grab a CD or some other band merchandise over in our imaginatively named 'Band Merch' tent. Plus, if you head over to this tent you might actually get to meet some of your local music heroes! 

Joe Gilligan Trust

 

Easter is a time for giving. Whether you're religious or not, there is no better time to support a charity than when you're having the time of your life. So how about buying a T-shirt or wrist-band from the one charity in Stoke-On-Trent which not only improves the lives of young people fighting cancer, but also provides support for young musicians like many of those performing over the weekend? The Joe Gilligan Trust is a charity which has always been close to The Hippy Hippy Shake Company's heart so we'd really love for our festival-goers to mosey on over to the Band Merch tent and get giving! 

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So, what are you waiting for? A lot of time and effort has gone into organizing HippyHaze so that everyone can have a great time without a care in the world!

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT RAPIDLY NOW. MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO MUSIC MANIA OR THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY AND GET YOURS NOW. £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