I'm delighted to announce a very special addition to our (Billy Bottle & The Multiple) Autumn tour: On the 20th November we'll be playing at The Camden People's Theatre in London as part of the 'All The Right Notes' festival, (which features both music-driven theatre and music acts - such as ours - with a theatrical leaning). We're thrilled to be a part of this programme, and look forward to bringing 'The Other Place' to the heart of London (not too far from the 'other' Other Place).
So here's the full list of autumn venues as presented on our official tour poster, (beautifully designed by Rosie Harbottle):
Poster by Rosie Harbottle Illustration
If you've managed to miss prior updates regarding this show and my role within the band then please check back over the past few posts and become enlightened re: one of my major projects this year...
As always the most relevant and current gig info can be found on (surprise surprise) my Gig Page (here), which is regularly updated with the most up-to-date particulars and venue links. Please help us to spread the word, and hopefully come visit 'The Other Place' yourself :-)
Until then...
Lee
After our brief summer hiatus the band (Billy Bottle & The Multiple, of which I'm currently an active member - see my previous post) will soon be reconvening 'The Other Place' tour with a number of new dates across the South West and Southern England.
Band photo by Jack Gorman (edited by LF)
One or two further locations may yet be added, but the first seven dates are now confirmed: We'll be playing in Penzance, Falmouth, Redruth, Plymouth, Frome, Brighton and Margate, though not in that specific order! Please check my Gig Page for full details, including ticket links as and when they go live. (I regularly update the listings so it's worth checking back periodically). I hope we can announce a further date or two soon...
Incidentally, for those asking (and they are) we do aim to venture above the M4 corridor next year. Offers have already come in for potential Northern shows and we're looking at putting together a longer 2017 tour in order to cover more ground geographically, so "fingers crossed" and all that. It's likely that this show will stay active for at least the next year... But in the meantime, if you can possibly get to any of the current dates please do. Logistically it's quite a challenge taking this show on the road without a tour manager or external funding, etc. so we really do appreciate each and every person who makes the effort to come along and bring their energy to the performances! Thanks to all who have done so to date :-)
In related news, we plan to release a new single to coincide with the upcoming dates. I'm donning two hats for this, both as producer / arranger (an Unsung Production) and band member, which is a new twist on the working relationship I've had with previous incarnations of the band... There will most likely be an album eventually, however the show is primarily a live thing (with semi-improvisational elements and a strong narrative) so we're not in a hurry to take the bulk of the material into the studio. Barring the odd single, live is the way to experience it, for now.
Finally, in unrelated news, I'm also working on various other musical projects but here and now is neither the time nor place for those...
See you around!
Lee
So here's a thing... After working on and off with Billy Bottle & The Multiple as producer / mixer / contributor (and perhaps more importantly connecting with the core members on a personal level) I was invited to join a new 5-piece configuration of the band earlier this year with the intention of putting together a new show. Having consciously abandoned live performance *many* years ago in favour of studio work my inclination was to give a swift "thanks, but no thanks", yet the lure of working with good friends on something that would drag me out of my all-too-comfortable comfort zone was strong... So, without a good enough excuse to decline I quickly found myself attending band meetings and rehearsals as we worked-up new material in readiness for a series of summer and winter gigs.
'The Other Place: A Vox-Popera' is a suite of songs based on a journey to Westminster taken by Bill and Martine during the last seven days of the 2015 general election: Seven towns were visited per day, culminating in a milk float drive through London and the symbolic delivery of a bottle of milk in Parliament Square. These songs were essentially 'written' in real-time by the ordinary (and extraordinary) people they encountered along the way. Their views, stories and actual words formed the nucleus - As a band we merely filled in the colours... Jazz vocalist and painter Kate Westbrook describes the show as "A diary in four dimensions".
My musical role is primarily contributing electronics (synths / keys / soundscapes / beats), though I do bang on a few bits of wood and metal along the way ;-) It's entirely possible that I may (or may not) add Touch Guitar to my arsenal for the 2nd-wave winter shows, depending on how the material develops... The full band line-up is as follows:
Billy Bottle: Vocals, Keyboard, Guitar
Martine Waltier: Vocals, Violin, Guitar, Percussion
Vivien Goodwin-Darke: Flute, Vocals, Percussion
Roz Harding: Alto Sax, Recorder, Percussion
Lee Fletcher: Synths, Soundscapes, Percussion
(Incidentally three of my bandmates appear on recordings that will eventually form a future LF solo album...)
Band photos by Ed Harbottle (edited by LF)
Following a low-key but very well received preview show back in April we're taking 'The Other Place' to Exeter, Bristol, Southampton, Penzance, Falmouth and Brighton, with further stops (most likely including Plymouth, Canterbury, Whitstable and London) in the pipeline... Please check my Gig Page for details, including additions as and when they're confirmed. Incidentally, we aim to play further afield next year so if you have any location requests / suggestions don't be shy in coming forward.
We'd love to see you at these shows :-) Please try to come along, and if you do make sure you say "hi".
Lee
