Coronavirus – Gig Update 3

So there we have it folks – the inevitable has happened. As of tonight, all pubs are officially closed. According to the government briefing, this will be reviewed monthly. As such, we obviously won’t be appearing in public until after 18th April at least. We are under contract for a show at the New Wellington in Brierley Hill for 16th May. Hypothetically, the government could lift the ban at any of 2 junctures before then – but this is unlikely, let’s face it.

Much better informed people than us are taking the decisions now, so all we can do is sit and wait for the ban to be lifted when their wisdom suggests it.

Be safe. Don’t hoard toilet paper. And wash your hands.

Pax amorque.

Coronavirus – Gig Update 2

Sadly, more places are officially closing and a couple of us are ill. Due to having to isolate for a couple of weeks, we’ve had to cancel another show.

Gig list

29th March – West Street Live (Sheffield) We’ve pulled out due to illness. If the venue remains open, it’s possible other bands will be on. Check the venue’s listings.

3rd April – Dirty Rockers (Dudley) Postponed as the headliner has had to pull out. The venue, however, remains open for the time being – check their listings for what’s still on.

18th April – Billesley Rock Club (Birmingham) We hadn’t announced it yet, but we’re supposed to be supporting Pyscho Dollz at this new venue. As far as we’re aware, this show is going ahead for now.

16th May – The New Wellington (Brierley Hill) We’ve not been told otherwise by promoter or venue, so this show is still going ahead at the time of writing.

23rd May – Boztock (Oldbury British Legion Club) The promoter has decided to postpone this show.

Coronavirus – Gig Update

Obviously things are changing day-by-day as far as the Official responses to coronavirus are concerned. As such, we’ll try to keep you in the loop regarding our activities.

While pubs are not officially closed, we will be honouring gigs unless

a) The venue cancels

b) One of us gets sick and has to self-isolate

Rob is currently ill and expects to be out of isolation near the end of this week.

Gig list

29th March – West Street Live (Sheffield) Still going ahead at the time of writing.

3rd April – Dirty Rockers (Dudley) Postponed as the headliner has had to pull out. The venue, however, remains open for the time being – check their listings for what’s still on.

18th April – Billesley Rock Club (Birmingham) We hadn’t announced it yet, but we’re supposed to be supporting Pyscho Dollz at this new venue. As far as we’re aware, this show is going ahead for now.

16th May – The New Wellington (Brierley Hill) We’ve not been told otherwise by promoter or venue, so this show is still going ahead at the time of writing.

23rd May – Boztock (Oldbury British Legion Club) The promoter has made public acknowledgement of the situation and is considering postponement. We don’t know as yet whether this show is going ahead.

New Drummer and Last Minute Gig

We’ve got two spectacular announcements for you tonight. First and foremost, we’re delighted to have a new member join us to bash the skins. Please welcome Alan Wulf. Alan may be familiar to some of you from his work with the Lambrettas, Hostile Witness and Sumo Giant. It’s a big coup for us to have the benefit of his experience.

When will you get to see him? Well, he’s already learned a good chunk of our material and we’re going to be debuting him at the O2 Academy 3 Birmingham on Saturday 7th March. We’ve been booked at the last minute as a support to the massive new Queen tribute Bulsara and His Queenies. Tickets are still available for this show, so come on and join us.

The O2 Academy is on Bristol Street, Birmingham B1 1DB.

 

Announcement: O2 Academy Birmingham

Despite Matt Whalen leaving us at short notice, we are going ahead with our support slow opening for Psycho Dollz at the O2 Academy Birmingham on 22nd February. We are pleased to announce that we will be joined on stage by a special guest drummer: Abbo Williams.

Abbo has a long pedigree in the West Midlands rock scene, having played with Medusa Rising, RKB, and his current band 77. His one-off appearance with us this weekend is a treat not to be missed.

Tickets are still available at https://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/psycho-dollz-birmingham-02-22-2020/event/1F0057959BCD1C6F

They can also be bought on the door. We’re on first, so do get in early to catch us.

Next week we will be announcing our new permanent drummer. Watch this space.

Spring Gigs

As the new year takes its first steps, we’re pleased to be able to announce more live appearances across 2020.

On 29th March we will be making our return to West Street Live in Sheffield. Details and other bands are still to be announced, but we can tell you that the show will be free entry and doors will open at 7pm with an after party until 4am. West Street Live is on West Street, Sheffield S1 4ES.

This spring also sees our debut appearance at Dirty Rockers in Dudley. On 3rd April we will be supporting Paramore GB, the UK’s #1 Paramore tribute. Tickets will be £8 in advance or £10 on the door. Advance tickets can be bought here. Dirty Rockers is a relatively new venue that is fast gaining a reputation for its live music. It’s at 100 Dock Lane, Dudley DY1 1SN.

First Show of the Year

We’re back with a gentle warm up to begin 2020. On 16th January we’ll be joining Back to the Border for the regular band showcase in Shrewsbury. With a new venue for a new year, this will be at the Bagley Sports & Social Club, CAMRA club of the year. The bands will be playing half hour sets in the function room, finishing off with a blues jam. All welcome for a relaxing night of live music. Bands on stage from 8-11pm.

Bagley Sports & Social Club is at Greenfields Gardens, Shrewsbury SY1 2RP

Fifth track announcement

It’s that weird time between Christmas and New Year. You may or may not have been to work. You may or may not have done bugger all at the office in the name of presenteeism. You may or may not be tipsy and full of sandwiches made of Christmas leftovers. So let us bring you some cheer ahead of the weekend with a couple of announcements.

Firstly, it’s official: we’ve hinted at it, and we can now confirm that we’re running with our original working title for the album. Our debut will be called We’ve Been Expecting You.

In that spirit, let us give you another (random, in no particular order) track that you can expect to hear on it when it’s finally released. Like every song on this release, it’s one you’ll have heard live, although in a slightly different form from what we’ll be presenting in 2020.

In 2018 we began work on a song that has changed beyond recognition from the first time we jammed it. Mike’s initial riff for this song was originally intended to play through the verse to a fast drum beat. We picked up the demo to flesh it out for inclusion on the album, and as we worked on it a new verse riff appeared. The drum beat became slower and heavier. And we decided that we would use these changes to do something different from our usual three-verse pop rock format. As we prepared to play it live, this musical odyssey (or should that be “oddity”?) became Flush. The lyrics Rob wrote for it were something of a gamble, but frankly a little crappy. The consensus among the band was that the song deserved lyrics that had a little more gravitas. As such, Rob began work on what is being recorded as The Soldier and the Spider’s Web. It’s a short piece about the medieval Scottish king Robert the Bruce. We hope you enjoy our little historical saga.

This is not a drill

Hot on the heels of our first gig announcement for 2020, we’re able to give you another date for your diaries – and this one’s a corker!

Ovation present an evening of the finest glam and sleaze rock in the Midlands today – and Harlequin’s Kiss are on the bill. We join the legendary Psycho Dollz along with other special guests Todd Michaels & the Screamin’ Hearts, 4Q, and The Original Wanted for a Saturday night rock ‘n’ roll show you’d be crazy to miss. It’s at the O2 Academy Birmingham at 6.45pm on 22nd February. And tickets can be yours for a mere £6.

Yes, you read that right. 5 bands of undisputed pedigree and calibre for £6. Oh, and reduced drinks prices.

Where can you get tickets? Well, we the bands will be selling them – email harlequinskiss.band@gmail.com, message us on facebook, or buy them in person when we play The New Wellington in Brierley Hill on 1st February. You can also buy them online – O2 Priority from Saturday 28th December and general sale via ticketmaster from Monday 30th December. Booking fees apply.

The O2 Academy Birmingham is at 16-18 Horse Fair, Birmingham B1 1DB

2020 Live Shows

As the year draws to a close, we’d like to thank everyone who has managed to come out to our live gigs this year. The Three Kings Tour was a big success, and we enjoyed the various other shows we performed across the year immensely. It’s you guys that make it for us, and we will continue to entertain in 2020.

As such, we’re pleased to announce that we already have some bookings in place for next year. Thanks to Upfront Entertainment, we’ll be doing some shows for the New Wellington Inn in Brierley Hill across the year. These are Saturday 1st February, Saturday 16th May, and Saturday 26th September. Further details will follow as we get them.

Secondly, we can confirm we’ll be joining the 2020 line-up for Bozstock on Sunday 24th May. This is a long-standing charity event taking place at a new venue for the coming year – the Oldbury Royal British Legion. The show will be supporting the Royal British Legion and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

More shows will be announced as they are confirmed. Merry Christmas to you all, and we hope to see you in the new year.