Sweeties and radio and campfires, OH MY!

Hello Shakers!

So Hippy Horror is less than a week away and boy, oh, boy are we excited??? The marquee is going in tomorrow, the stage will be erected (teehee) on Wednesday and the sound rig is going in on Thursday so we are busy busy bees right about now. And yet, we still thought we'd set aside time to fill you in on our latest updates and man we've really out-done ourselves this time! Here's just a little flavour of what is in store for this weekend...

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Sweetie Time!

Obviously with it being Halloween (and Halloween being one of our favorite times of  the year...) it would only be fair if we reward those of you Hippy Shakers with a few treats in exchange for dressing up nice and creepy for us. Some of the best sounding costumes include Zombie Barbie, V for Vendetta and even a giant penis (SUPER SCARY). Select bands will be throwing sweeties into the audience so look alive (or dead, depending on your costume) and collect the goods that will rot your teeth :) Furthermore, throughout the weekend, we'll be having different mini-competitions and games in which you can win a variety of sweet snacks. Nomgobble. 

BBC Radio Stoke AND Radical's Rising All At One Festival???

That's right, you heard it! BBC Stoke's BBC Introducing show will be recorded live from Hippy Horror, so if you're lucky (and not too horrifically dog-face wasted) you may be chosen for an interview with the lovely presenter Rob Adcock on the Friday night. As if that isn't good enough, you'll be entertained by Six Towns' own Lee Barber in between bands. The Radical's Rising show will be recorded live from the festival on the Sunday, so practice your radio voice and GET INVOLVED.

The Joe Gilligan Trust Campfire

We're not completely delusional... we know that October evenings are generally a little nippy. Never fear, we've thought ahead and set up a campfire area, complete with acoustic musicians, hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows, which will be ready and waiting for you at 2am when the marquee closes for the night. What do we want in return for this treat? Just a £2 donation which will go straight into the deserving pocket of the Joe Gilligan Trust. If you don't know much about this charity, all you need to know is that it supports youngsters suffering with cancer and young musicians like those who will be performing on our stage all weekend. The Joe Gilligan Trust Campfire will accommodate just 50 people per night and will be burning on Friday and Saturday. To purchase your tickets for the JGTC just ask in the Control Tent when you pick up your wristbands and they'll get you sorted.

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So those are just three of the most exciting things going on at Hippy Horror...

What are you going as? Which band are you most excited about? How dog-face wasted will you be on a scale of 1 to passedoutbesidethestage?

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
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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...

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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 :)

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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 

Stall-Holder Profile: Andy Gannon of Dirty Slut Clothing

As we all know, The Hippy Hippy Shake Company doesn't just chuck a few bands on stage and call their events 'festivals'. We like to give all you clever people who have invested in tickets a little something extra, to make your spend EVEN MORE worthwhile. So, as at HippyHaze, Hippy Horror will be packed full of mouth-watering food vendors, activity stalls and local clothing and jewellery collections so that if you lose your T-shirt or need some extra nourishment, you can be sure to find a new (much cooler) one and grab a bite to eat.

At the Emilio Pinchi gig we recently attended, imagine our surprise when we bumped into Andy Gannon of Dirty Slut Clothing. If this names means nothing to you just yet, it will soon because Andy's clothing label is about to take Hippy Horror by storm... much like it did at HippyHaze in fact! 

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Fancy seeing you here, Andy Gannon CEO and Head Honcho of Dirty Slut Clothing!

Well, what can I say, I'm a big Emilio Pinchi fan!

Got to love a bit of bromance! So tell us a little about what you'll be doing at Hippy Horror...

Like at HippyHaze, I've invested in a little store on which to sell my wares... Dirty Slut Clothing is an alternative clothing label which was started in Staffordshire in 2012, inspired by a combination of the unsigned band and skating scenes.

And how did you get into deciding to design your own clothing label?
Well, I've always been into art and the music scene and skate clothes. So I started out designing logos for bands, but then a clothing company came to me and offered me some money to do a few designs for them and it all took off from there really.

Sounds exciting, so who buys your clothes then?

Well, we offer unisex items so both men and women tend to enjoy shopping at Dirty Slut. They are probably for the more casual person as at the moment our main items are T-shirts and vests and we're thinking of soon moving into jackets, hoodies and crew necks.

And your items are quite cheap too aren't they? So all ages and background can afford pieces from your collection.

Yes, I try to keep things as affordable as possible. My shirts are set at about £10 or £15 at the moment although I'm looking into a better quality option which will obviously be a bit more expensive. However, I wouldn't want to become inaccessible to people from less wealthy backgrounds so there will always be an option.

So tell me exactly what you do for Dirty Slut, since it is a one-man-band (so to speak) we expect you're often very busy?

I try to involve myself in the process as much as possible. I design the artwork, choose the products which they are printed onto, run the online shop and facebook account. It is really mad, being busy all the time but I like being involved in all areas because that way I can keep an eye on everything and make sure everything is going as it should. If you trust other people things can work out differently than you imagined them, and sometimes other people don't always have your best interests at heart.

Jeez. That sound like all your energy goes into the brand then?

Definitely. Pretty much any free time I have is spent on Dirty Slut Clothing. I'm always drawing designs even though I don't use them all because its nice having a band of work I can go to and choose what I like and don't like and keep improving. 

Not that we'd understand how you find time, but do you have a day job as well as the label?

I actually go to Keele University. I'm in my second year in September and I study Philosophy and Music. I'm also in a band but we're mostly working on writing stuff at the moment.

Its good to know that you're into the music scene because obviously the whole HippyHaze and Hippy Horror thing is right up your alley!

It is!

And how has business been received since you first started out?

At first it didn't get off the ground at all. We only had two designs and it was hard to get people to look at them because people tend to prefer mainstream retailers. But since HippyHaze business has been amazing. After HippyHaze we went up to 600 likes on facebook which was incredible! I'm always getting bands calling me now asking to work with me which is really cool. I'm working with Emilio Pinchi and Moral Panics at the moment, but hopefully even more will hop on board soon!

We bet you'll meet loads of people who will be interested after Hippy Horror. Now, I've got to ask. What do you imagine a Dirty Slut shopper to look like?

*Laughs* I try not to pigeon-hole people because anyone that wants to wear my clothes is fine by me. I know at the moment there are some people who deliberately WON'T buy my clothes purely because they say 'Dirty Slut' all over them, so I'm adapting to that and working on some designs which aren't so clearly branded. Some people might like my designs but might not like the name so it is all about supply and demand. If they demand clothes without the word 'slut' on them, I'll consider supplying that.

Ok, we like that you're not super-stubborn about that! So just out of interest, why did you call the brand Dirty Slut?

Well, at the end of the day there are tonnes of clothing labels out there and the branding is going to be what stands out. Having something controversial works for the scene which I'm mostly selling to, so I called it Dirty Slut to catch people's eyes and show them that this is one label that doesn't mind breaking the rules. I did once get told I was going to hell by a Christian because of my label's name...

Hopefully not... Are you looking forward to Hippy Horror?

Of course! It will actually be my birthday on the Saturday so I'm very excited. I haven't decided what Halloween costume to wear just yet though...

Ahh we'll be sure to give you a shout-out on the Saturday and hopefully everyone will buy you a drink or ten!

That would be very cool.

Well thank you Andy, we look forward to seeing your designs at Halloween!

Thank you :)

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We can't wait to pick up a couple of Dirty Slut T-shirts at Hippy Horror, which design will you get? Are there any requests for stalls we should have? What are you looking forward to most at Hippy Horror apart from the music?

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

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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

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