Carpe Musica review Twisted Wheel's set at FOM Manchester 21/5/11

click HERE to view Carpe Musica web site

Twisted Wheel's set review and photos from Friends of Mine Festival, Manchester 21/05/11

The 2011 festival season kicked off in fine style this weekend, with a brand spanking newie - Friends of Mine, Manchester. Set in the beautiful grounds of Capesthorne Hall, just 14 miles south of Manchester. Very well organised with two arenas and plenty of stages, two camp sites (and nice toilets - with sufficient paper!!) a birthing pool (well it looked like it), a big wheel and plenty more -  to celebrate the best of the Manchester Scene (and beyond)

Saturday night and Twisted Wheel played the Lake Stage. The storm clouds had gathered but with the huge crowd of over 3,000 crammed infront of the stage they managed to generate enough heat to keep the rain at bay.
 With the chants of 'Wheel' eminating from everywhere, the lads finally took to the stage (a little later than advertised due to the previous bands taking a little longer to offload their gear than anticipated) and proceeded to set the festival on fire with 'Lucy The Castle', 'Racket', 'Shes a Weapon', 'One night on the Street' and 'Strife'. The newie 'New Boy' getting an excellent response due to the demon guitar solo.

 With Jonny suffering from a slight sore throat, the audience were only too glad to help by singing along, word for word, in perfect time, 'We Are Us', 'You Stole The Sun' and 'Oh What have you Done'

The crowd loving every drop and not wanting the lads to leave the stage, Jonny pleaded with the organisers to do one more, but it wasnt to be.

Neverthe less, it was a rip roaring set, with I guess many new Twisted Wheel fans being added to the ever growing list. 

# all words and visuals by Jane, if you want to use them feel free, but its only polite to ask!#

Photos from Twisted Wheel set PJs, Dunfermline 06/05/11

Photos by Steve Gunn

click HERE for Steve's website

Twisted Wheel gig review @ The Lamp, Hull 15/4/11 by Gerald Wiley

It is around a year since Twisted Wheel last played The Lamp in Hull and the atmosphere was alive with expectation for Liam and Noel’s favourite support band. Jonny Brown sauntered around the venue beforehand looking decidedly relaxed. Of the support acts, the undoubted favourites were local Hull band and “ones to watch” The Black Delta Movement. This four piece, play a mix of psyched out, 60’s tinged garage blues. A 25 minute set concluded with many of the crowd shouting for more. A short wait as the bands swapped gear onstage and the club was ready. As soon as Twisted Wheel took to the stage to the sound of Lucy The Castle, the wilder element of the crowd immediately invaded the stage and began the crowd surfing that continued throughout the performance. The last time Twisted Wheel played Hull they brought their own security; they ditched it this time deciding on a sound engineer instead. Something they probably regret with Jonny’s monitor being knocked out early on during their set. The set list was a mix of new songs from their up and coming album due later this year and the majority of their debut release. Listen out for “New Boy” “Better Man” and especially “UK Blues” The band rolled out the favourites “Bad Candy,” “She’s A Weapon,” “Oh, what have you done,” ”You Stole The Sun”and “Strife” amongst others. However, the new stuff sounds pretty good too – probably a little more melodic than their last release but with a spiky, punky feel. The energy of the band, the frantic playing of the Epiphone/Rickenbacker guitars and the sound they produce invoke the spirit of 1976 with a distinct punk / new wave feel to the evening’s proceedings. There are certainly elements of The Jam and The Clash in Twisted Wheel’s sound and stage performance. Notably, Jonny Browns singing and guitar playing. There was a definite feel of the chaos and excitement that surrounded ‘The Pogues’ during their heyday. It couldn’t have been easy for the band with continual stage invasions throughout their set, members of the audience intent on sharing their idols microphones and lights, monitors amongst other things being dragged down by stage divers. Jonny and the boys performed admirably, tearing through their set at 100mph. There were no encores tonight as the band closed with an extended “We Are Us” which was a definite highlight. The Lamp proved to be a great venue for the band, with its low ceiling and narrow room which certainly helped the atmosphere by ensuring the audience crowded into the small area to get the best view and sound. Having seen the band supporting Paul Weller and Oasis at larger venues it is obvious that their sound it more suited to the smaller venues. If the new album is successful this may be the last opportunity to see them perform in a small intimate venue The spirit of The Jam, The Clash and 1976 is alive with the Wheel. Catch them on this tour and sample the atmosphere! Another quintessentially English rock and roll band perfecting their craft. Hopefully, there are great things to come.

Twisted Wheel apologies, The 12 Bar, in Swindon gig tonight (30/4/11)  has been cancelled due to ill health, the gig will be rescheduled - tickets will still be valid for rescheduled gig

 or can be refunded

Southampton Soul Cellar gig photos 23/4/11

From the quiet backwater of Hemel Hempstead, the lads made their way down to the southcoast for their next gig over the Easter weekend, at the Soul Cellar in Southampton which is just a stones throw away from the Guildhall where they played supporting The Enemy a couple of years ago. A lot has changed since then.

The sun was beaming down, and the attraction of the sea was too strong for some people..... a real holiday atmosphere, with seaweed between the toes, a spot of footie and a couple of St Georges (without a dragon in sight) complete with chain mail turned up at the gig!

With 12 Dirty Bullets supporting, you just knew it was gonna be a belter.

10.30pm and Twisted Wheel took to the stage and the venue turned into a (good natured) riot. 'Shes A Weapon',  'Lucy The Castle', 'One Night on the Street' and all the old classics went down a storm. Newies 'New Boy' and 'UK Blues' had the crowd baying for more. People dancin, on each others shoulders and trying to get Jonny to shake their hands. The lads performed a rip roaring set, 50 mins long & the crowd loved every second of it. Undoubtedly, Twisted Wheel WILL return.

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++ ALL WORDS AND VISUALS ARE MOULDED BY ME, IF YOU WANT TO USE THEM FEEL FREE, BUT ITS NICE TO BE ASKED (because I ask permission - its polite!!) ++

Twisted Wheel interview with Dunfermline Press 11/04/11

Twisted Wheel rocking and rolling over chart 'dross'

LIAM Gallagher says they are a "breath of fresh air" and Paul Weller is also a big fan, attending their gigs and asking them to play support.

Twisted Wheel are the band in question and singer Jonny Brown has been telling the Press that they are ready to take on the "dross" in the charts and on the radiowaves with their new album.

The Oldham trio - who supported Oasis in front of a 70,000 crowd at Heaton Park in 2009 - are coming PJs in Dunfermline next month and when we spoke to Jonny earlier this week he had just returned home from a jaunt north to play the Liquid Rooms, Edinburgh.

"It's always good for us in Scotland. We seem to do down well when we play there. Get a good crowd. It was our first gig for about three or four months so I'll tell you what, it took it out of me.
"It's so much energy you've got to put into it, it's so fast and furious."
However, Jonny wasn't taking things easy on getting home. He said, "I'm smashing a house to bits at the minute, renovating it in my spare time."

The band are working on a new album due out later in the summer and Jonny's also looking forward to getting out on the road.
"I can't wait. We played Dunfermline before, a couple of years back didn't we?

We're going to rock out. It's about time we got some proper rock n roll back again.

"You get bands like The Vaccines coming along and they say this is punk but that's just pop music. Eventually rock and roll will break through again. It's bound to and our second album will be at the front of it.

"The album will be out about August. We've got all the songs for it but there may be more added. We're still writing songs, still recording demos and experimenting and in late May we'll go in and record the album. It sounds sh** hot man. Full-blown punk rock and roll music."

What was it like to have the backing of rock and roll giants like Weller and Gallagher?
"Yeah, well any band, any band in the world would be privileged to hear a good word from people like that.
"We just appreciate the fact they actually listen to us. There's so many bands that get mentioned to them so the fact they listen to us and they're into it means a lot.
"And then beyond that, supporting them and playing with them is just an honour.
"Also it's great because supporting them they get to play to their crowd, you play to new people with your new rock and roll music so it's works well both ways, I think.

The band have also proved a big hit in Japan. "They're mad for it over there. I think they're dying for some hard core punk rock and roll music just the same as in Scotland or England. They want some furious rock and roll."

Jonny runs through some of the music that influenced him as a youngster. "The Clash, The Jam, even bands like the Small Faces, The Faces, I loved The Animals, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, obviously Oasis, Stone Roses, Joy Division, The Undertones, The Buzzcocks.
"I don't get bored with those bands. I listen to those bands every single day. I never get bored with them and I never will either."
It's obvious that the music has to have a message for Jonny.
"Yeah definitely. There's too many songs that are just nonsense. I put the radio on and it's just nonsense.
"It's like people are just writing little jingles. They hope it'll stick in someone's head and they'll make a song out of it.
"It's good to have catchy songs but nobody's thinking and there's no meaning with these bands around today.
"It's just dross. No-one's saying anything, no-one means it, no-one's singing from their heart, no-one's passionate. It's just half-hearted f***** money making s****.
"But you know what I'm not bothered me. I'll just keep writing songs and doing gigs.
"I know that we've got a fan base and no matter how many people are into the populist, popular music there will also be people looking for the stuff we're doing. That keeps us going and we'll keep going and going and eventually we'll break through."

Link to dunfermlinepress.com - Twisted Wheel interview by Gary Fitzpatrick

Jonny Brown's Acoustic set in Oldham 19/03/11

The Wheel lads were on hand to judge Oldham's Battle of the Bands on Saturday night. Always on the look out to help the local musical talent, they gave up their saturday night, to sit on the panel. This years venue was Oldham's Library, and NO ONE was gonna get chucked out for being too noisey (and drinking the odd can of beer!)

Before the Under 16s took to the stage, Jonny performed one of his rare acoustic sets, featuring 'Bouncing Bomb', 'Bang of the Beat' and 'You Stole The Sun'. The audience loved it, some even sung along.

 Straight after Jonny's performance it was down to work, judging the under 16s. This proved to be quite something, as there were obviously some very talented young musicians playing who really impressed the lads. From the fantastic grunge metal band, to a young band playing a Bon Jovi cover.

 The eventual winners of the under 16s were metal band Unholy Messiah, while the over 16s title went to Urban Empire.

~~ONCE AGAIN ALL WORDS AND VISUALS BY ME~~

Twisted Wheel are set to play Friends of Mine Festival

Capesthorne Hall

Cheshire

(a 25 min train trip from Manchester's Piccadilly)

21st/22nd May

other artists confirmed are: The Charlatans, The Buzzcocks, & many more

click HERE for tickets

Twisted Wheel will be playing at the Napa Forum 16th June 2011 @ 11pm 

click HERE for tickets

Small music venues documentary video featuring Jonny Brown & the 'We Are Us' video

Jonny is featured in a documentary about the music industry's small venues.

 It also features the video of 'We Are Us'.

click HERE to view the video by Joe Wilson

http://www.flickr.com/photos/powbiffprod/sets

Liverpool Masque Theatre

Last time we reviewed Twisted Wheel it was at the O2 Liverpool and for a different publication. This time around they are playing the Masque Theatre and a lot has changed since then.

As soon we headed into the auditorium in The Masque all you could hear was the crowd chanting “Wheel!! Wheel!! Wheel!!”as loud as they could in eager anticipation for their beloved Twisted Wheel to appear.

The excitement from the crowd, mainly young and indie, was intense and the feeling of urgency was almost tangible. Pretty soon they arrived on stage to thundering applause and from the 1st note both them and the crowd exuded so much energy it was difficult to decide who to watch. The band themselves were once again on their finest rock form as they blasted out “You Stole the Sun”, “She’s A Weapon” and “Lucy The Castle” with the crowd singing along to every word. This reminded me of the reaction to Oasis back in their hey day.

These guys maybe young but have a maturity that is beyond their years but when it comes to a live gig they definitely know how to work up a crowd into a bouncing near mosh pit frenzy. Crowd surfing and dancing along side the band was not enough for this crowd and on their final song " Oh What Have You Done" the young fans stormed the stage and engulfed lead singer Jonny Brown in a sea of hormones so much so that he vanished from the stage leaving only the drummer belting out the beat and the crowd still singing along as they sang and bounced along.

 Leaving with that image and the lyrics of Twisted Wheel songs going round my head has only strengthened my belief that this band are on the verge of great things and not before time. Review by: Alison Goggin

musicmafiauk.blogspot.com

Photos by Ryan Moore

STAGE INVASION !!!!

SheffieldScenester - Twisted Wheel @ The Leadmill, Sheffield 19/11/10

www.thesheffieldscenester.co.uk