NEWS
A thanks goes out to Ade Berry for his 19th August 2011 review
GIG LISTINGS
compiled by Andy Lowe
Advance prices shown, door prices may vary slightly - All doors 7pm.
TO BOOK TICKETS call our booking line on 020 7240 2622. During out of office hours, the phone is on answer-phone in which case please leave your name, the artist you want to see, the date of the show and your daytime contact number and we will return your call.
OFFICE NUMBER 020 7240 2120
ADVANCED BOOKING NUMBER 020 7240 2622
E-MAIL: 12barclub@btconnect.com
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Saturday 12th May MENACE + ANGRY AGENDA + 16 GUNS + RAGE DC + EMERGENCY BITTER + VIOLATION 69 £6 London Callin presents
Sunday 13th May JOHN MELDRUM + VIKTOR £5
John Meldrum will be playing new songs from his forthcoming album "Rock 'n Roll Heart" with young musicians living in London Ben Ruby bass and backing vocals and the amazing Nicolas Musset on the drums.
John MELDRUM is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. After winning second prize in the Billboard Song Contest with his instrumental piece "Samba del Mar" in 1989, he decided to settle in Paris.
In 1993/94, John wrote and recorded his first album "No Rules Here" (Melmuse). As suggested by the title, this album doesn't represent one particular style and John displays his talents in various musical styles like rock, pop, jazz and even classical guitar.
At the end of 1995, he founded the group "Zongo Ambassadors" and recorded "Ayijah" (Melmuse/Night and Day) with Highlife, pop and gospel influences.
His song "Brother, Brother" was then sung at UNESCO in Paris by 650 children singers coming from 27 countries.
John teaches singing and coaches workshops at the ATLA music school in Paris and his choir The Highlites is now in its 10th year!
Monday 14th May GER LANE + SISTER CHAIN & BROTHER JOHN + BROMIDE £5
Ger Lane is a music composer and performer, originally from Limerick, in Ireland, and now living in London. He has a new single, "Straight Forward Love Song" which he wants to share with the world. Veneer was the band name that Ger presented his songs under since previously, when He was fortunate to have worked with many of the best Limerick musicians under various line ups over the years. With Veneer on hold, he is now working on recordings of new songs for solo release.
www.gerlane.com
"Yes, yes and yes. And maybe. Basically the real question is, if Ger Lane didn't exist, would he need to be invented? All things considered, I think he probably would.
For Ger Lane is a singer-songwriter of rare power and intelligence.
Despite the street hype – he's been called 'the new Dylan', the 'new Van the Man' - he really is astounding; a five star fusion of Elvis, Dylan, Jonathan Richman and the boy next door. He's the one man around at the moment that you simply must see live" - Tough magazine
Berliner duo Sister Chain & Brother John now release their second album "The Androgyne Show". The parlour punk pioneers have added new flavours and new themes to their concept which has ripened since their debut into a full blown Victorian glam rock cabaret. Be prepared for wicked tales and compelling song craft.
"The Androgyne Show" is the first crowdfunded album by a Berlin band. It was fully financed by the band's loyal following via Inkubato.com. Like the debut album "Darkness To Warm Your Heart" (2008) the new album was recorded on 4-track tape and pressed on vinyl only. The analogue approach also extends to the mastering as well as the album artwork: photos shot with an 1860s camera and developed with cyanide on glass plates.
Victorian Perverts in Outer Space…
"The Androgyne Show" is a concept album of the Ziggy Stardust tradition, including the blurred sexuality and alien subject matter. The title song tells of an imaginary game show where you win a sex change operation while the losers are sold to slavery. However, the Victorian parlour motif of the debut album is still present in piano tracks like "The Last Room" - the song of the betrayed duchess - or the sonnet song "Modern Love" – a tribute to both poet George Meredith and the composer Beethoven. The lyrical universe of Sister Chain & Brother John also contains political songs (such as the apocalyptic "When At All Comes Down") as well as devotional ballads ("On The Roof") and the inevitable ride into the decadent underworld - before resurfacing at the gates of the lunatic asylum.
Raw and Rambling Electric Troubadours.
Apart from the lonesome piano and the occasional circus drum, Sister Chain & Brother John remain faithful to their minimalist principals: one bass guitar or electric guitar, vocals and effects. But what else does one need in nineteenth century outer space? Or even on stage for a thrilling performance, for that matter? In the six years that have passed since their chance meeting, the British/Israeli couple have performed and excited audiences in hundreds of concerts in their respective homelands and all around Europe - anywhere from rock venues and festivals through proper theatres to churches and ships, illegal gambling houses, gothic weddings and warzone street corners.
Press
"Sister Chain and Brother John have taken the framework of the duo with all its limitations and used it to its full extent." - Thomas Mauch, Die Tageszeitung
"Subversive, interesting and unique. What more could you want?" - Gareth Owen, Electronic Beats Magazine
http://sopa.dk/sisterchainbrotherjohn
Bromide is london-based, essex-born, capri-owning, cat-worshiping, singer-songwriter simon berridge and anyone he can con (or persuade with money) into playing with him. tonight that'll be long-standing sticksman ed lush (he of postspacerockers'spork') and on bass nigel of bermondsey who also produced bromide's new record 'some electric sometime' out this june.
Along the way he's shared stages with vic chesnutt, mark eitzel, the fuzztones, darren hayman, ant, erlend oye, suzanne rhatigan, simon fisher turner, thee hypnotics, katy carr, the rocks, special needs, wet dog and spinmaster plantpot.
Bromide runs an independent label 'scratchy records' – more info at the website
www.theinternetatemysoul.co.uk
"ultra-catchy, jangly acoustic pop that reminds you of lloyd cole, teenage fanclub or american music club" - Soundsxp.com
"Romping, indie-pop blast with lyrics that recalls the heyday of The Only Ones: 'If you were dead I could let go / Not while you're still breathing though' " - The Times
"Mainman Simon Berridge has an ear for a canny tune and a keen lyrical eye for detail. Front that with his Ray-Davies-meets-Lloyd-Cole crooning and you're onto a winner" - The Big Issue
"An off-kilter look at the traumas, troubles, and triumphs of love Berridge has an air of a man at ease with his emotions, able to take the hits and still come back fighting for more. 'Looking For Aliens' would have even the most depressed student up on the dancefloor stretching their drainpipes.. whilst his take on GBV's 'Game Of Pricks' is worthy of the old dog's themselves." - Americana-uk.com
Tuesday 15th May DWPC + HANNAH HARRIS + DONOVAN WOODS £5
Like a super-robot powered by gasoline and vinyl, Mike, Matt and (for the duration of Sal's journey to the other side of the world) Arby combine in this 3-piece group to create rifftastic, soul-shaking, rock-and-mofo-roll. Sonic lasers surge through bones, urgent and unforgiving. Hot, slippery and high on YOU. Hide your daughters, lock up your sons, open your ears and set your soul alight... Come get your sleazy groove on with Dirty Words & Pictures Club.
www.myspace.com/dwpc
Raised from a baby on the stage of a folk band; a misspent youth listening to Bristol trip-hop and a final hook up with an alt-country loving, jazz playing guitarist, Hannah has been provided with a rich source of influence on which to draw. She has managed to glue this all together with beautiful lyrics, great hooks and a stunning voice. Drawing both from the dark and mundane Hannah has put together a sound that is in one part Massive Attack and one part Ray Lamontagne.
Hannah has gigged regularly in London and other major UK cities getting an excellent response from audiences and promoters alike. She has been featured several times on various BBC radio stations having had tracks broadcast, undertaken interviews and recorded live sessions.
She is now currently in the studio recording new tracks in preparation for the release of a 6-track EP. From this she hopes to start to put a full band together in order to play festivals and bigger gigs.
www.hannahharris.co.uk
Donovan Woods is a Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.Born and raised in Sarnia, Ontario, Woods began playing guitar and writing songs as a teenager. His first album, "The Hold Up", was released in 2007.
Woods' song "Brand New Gun" was featured in the movie Numb starring Matthew Perry. His song "Wait and See" was featured on Degrassi: The Next Generation, and his song "My Cousin Has a Grey Cup Ring" was used in commercials for the Grey Cup. "Grey Cup Ring" was inspired by Woods' father, who is a cousin of former Montreal Alouettes player Glen Weir.
His second album, "The Widowmaker", was released in 2010. An EP, "Don't Get Too Grand", is scheduled for release in 2012.
Donovan Woods draws a listener in & asks you to take your coat off and stay awhile. Through tales of triumph, rejection & love, his songs display the commitment of family life, the understated romanticism of blue-collar towns & the brilliance of harsh realities. The "Widowmaker" eveals Woods to be not quite folk, not quite pop, but contains qualities of both to create a sound all his own.
www.bestsongwriterever.com
Wednesday 16th May JOHNNY MONACO & THE TRAITORS (ex-Enuff Z'Nuff) + MAGIC EIGHT BALL + YOUNG LUST + all star acoustic set featuring the performers £6
After graduating from Harper College guitarist/singer/songwriter Johnny Monaco moved to Hollywood, Ca where he attended and graduated from Musicians Institute. Shortly after Johnny was asked to join pop rockers Enuff Z'nuff as lead guitarist and eventually lead singer for the band. For the next twelve years Johnny toured extensively throughout the US, Europe & Japan.
After leaving this 12 year stint w/ Enuff Z'Nuff in 2008 Johnny Monaco continues to front his own pop band and released his debut solo CD, "Overrated". Edgy, sharp witted power pop for the 21st century with a flair for sugary choruses & the ultra catchy melody.
When he's not out performing live you'll find Johnny holed up in his Chicago home studio crafting the perfect pop/rock gems that combine elements of British Invasion song craft with today's latest studio trickery. Johnny's nonconformist approach to life & music has a familiarity to it, yet is all together his own. Songs about love, life, lust, boredom and suburbia sit side by side with songs of distant planet aliens & dream demons.
Johnny has also been very successful in the creative world of the pop-jingle business with TV/Radio clients including Coors, Budweiser, Michelob, L&M, Pall Mall, Army, KFC, Ivory, Jeep, Ford, Dodge & Nintendo and has appeared in many publications including Guitar World, Guitar Player, Young Guitar, Burn, Metal Edge, Classic Rock, Spin & Rolling Stone Magazine.
Today Johnny regularly performs throughout Chicago & the Midwest with his latest band Almost?Famous. Johnnys first all-instrumental guitar CD, "Kung-Fu You", is scheduled for a 2012 release. In Johnny's musical world, any subject is fair game, and he delivers with a style & swagger that is hard to resist.
www.johnnymonaco.com
Thursday 17th May TAURUS TRAKKER + HUNGRY DOG BRAND £6
Meet west London punk-blues duo Taurus Trakker, their recently released new album 'Building Ten' is raw, honest and adhering absolutely to the "rite what you know" principle as well as having the West London skyline looming over it and its roots literally buried beneath the Westway; because front-man Martin Muscatt is Mick Jones's cousin but rather than just the family connection Martin couldn't help but soak up and take on some of that same glory The Clash had about their music as he grew up closely with the band and their music.
The energy, realness and the ability to play head-on/exciting rock'n'roll comes from straight from the heart, both Martin (vocals, guitars) and Allison Phillips (drums) stride that line between classic late 70′s London and some thing that's totally their own, something fresh.
"A most impressive album indeed"– Rich Deakin, Vive le Rock
" A masterful example of swamp-tinged classic rock" – David Ellis, Tour Times
www.taurustrakker.co.uk
"Hungry Dog Brand aka Martin Dowsing is a kindred spirit to the estimable lineage of confessional punk poets before him. Vic Godard, Ian Dury, Wreckless Eric, Bitter Springs, Band Of Holy Joy... If you like honest types bearing their English souls, this is the shit. If you are the sort who enjoys music as storytelling, then dive into Hungry Dog's wracked, ruined tales of life on the dole, never ending rainy days, and losers who never catch a decent break. It's all exceedingly English, and all pretty superb." Mike Pearlstein, Big Takeover magazine.
www.myspace.com/hungrydogbrand
Friday 18th May JS RAFAELI & THE REAL + THE EMPTY GESTURES + THE BIG FIBBERS + NIGEL BURCH + RICHARD LAMY'S A DISGRACE + NAT HAMMER + EMILY KRAEMER + HELLO BABIES + more tbc £6 AntiFolkUK Festival
7:45 Nat the Hammer
8.20 Nigel Burch
9:00 The Big Fibbers
9.40 TBC
10:20 JS Rafaeli & The Real
11.00 The Empty Gestures
11.40 Richard Lamy's a Disgrace
12:30 Emily Kraemer
1.20 TBC
2.00 Hello Babies
Saturday 19th May THE REBEL + EXTRADITION ORDER + SERGEANT BUZFUZ + POPULAR TYRE + SHEEPY + PETER BUCKLEY HILL + THE SNEEZY T's + THE LONE GROOVER + HELLO BABIES + more tbc £6 AntiFolkUK Festival
7:45 The Lone Groover
8.20 Peter Buckley Hill
9:00 Sheepy
9.40 Sergeant Buzfuz
10:20 Extradition Order
11.00 The Rebel
11.40 Popular Tyre
12:30 The Sneezy Ts
1.20 TBC
2.00 Hello Babies
Sunday 20th May EMILY-LEE + PHILIP MURRAY WARSON £3
Monday 21st May LUNGFISH + SUMMERTIME + ATLANTIC STRUTZ'S MAGICAL EURODANCE ROCK EXPERIENCE + THE ILLIAD + ADRENALINE + FIST BANG £free TECH showcase!
Tuesday 22nd SHADOWLANDS + HOUSE PARTY MASSACRE + NELLIE £5 Shed Records presents
Thursday 24th May VIVA LAS VEGAS + THE TED ARMY + THE DUEL + LES TOSSEURS with your hosts Natalia Breninko & Jose Silva £6
The 12 Bar Club hosts an alternative Eurovision Song Contest. Hosted by Natalia Bareninko and Jose Silva. Entries from as far a field as Ukraine, USA, France and the UK. Acts performing are Viva Las Vegas, The Ted Army, The Duel and Les Tosseurs.
Audience participation is encouraged!
http://lestosseurs.co.uk
Friday 25th May THE GREEN ROCK RIVER BAND + SANJURO + ALLEGRA SHOCK + THE ALVAREZ THEORY + more tbc £6 Juanita Moonshine Promotions present Bam-A-Lam
Saturday 26th May DEATH VALLEY SURFERS + THE BUFF DADDYS + SHOTGUN CLUB £6
Sunday 27th May open mic + featured acts tbc
Monday 28th May GENTRY MORRIS + LUKE SITTAL-SINGH £6
Tuesday 29th May BRETT HARRIS £6
Brett Harris is a pop musician from Durham, NC. In late 2007 Brett emerged on the scene with a collection of songs honed on a hand me down tape recorder and began playing shows throughout the Southeast. Along the way he was able to win over fans with engaging performances, memorable melodies, and unforgettable voice.
Following the release of two critically acclaimed EP's in 2008 ("Yesterday's News" and "Side Two") and a relentless touring schedule, Brett devoted most of 2009 to the making of his first full length album, Man of Few Words, released in the Spring of 2010. The album, recorded at Arbor Ridge Studios with producer/ collaborator Jeff Crawford, is a sprawling collection of finely honed pop tunes featuring contributions from some of the Triangle's finest musicians.
Brett is currently recording a collection of new songs at Arbor Ridge.
www.brettharrismusic.com
Thursday 31st May KING OF SPAIN + SWINES + BELLA McKENDREE + late set THE SWALBR THREE £6 Hieronymous Bisch Bosch presents
Friday 1st June ATV + SHAG NASTY + THE PUKES £6 London Callin presents
Saturday 2nd June CRIMES + more tbc £6
Sunday 3rd June VINCE RAY & THE BONESHAKERS + supports £6
Tuesday 5th June FLYNN BROTHERS £5
Wednesday 6th June THE FALLEN LEAVES + guest artists £6
"This valve amp, treble-to-the-max rave-up would have had the mid-'60s Who or Pretty Things bricking it backstage at the Embassy Club" - Mark Paytress (Mojo)
"This sharp, angular, melodic garage-pop will doubtless appeal to the same authenticity-starved youngsters who have made Billy Childish their king" - Stewart Lee (Sunday Times)
"a confrontational cacophony of clashing rock'n'roll destroyed and reassembled with strange and awkward angles. The same, but different" - Plan B
Thursday 7th June amphibic £6
Friday 8th June THE WITCHDOKTORS + more tba £6 Bonnie & Clyde's Renegade Rendezvous presents
Saturday 9th June TV SMITH + THE GARDEN GANG + THE BLEACH BOYS + EASTFIELD £6 London Callin presents
Wednesday 13th June DANNY & THE CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD + JASON McNIFF + DANNI NICHOLLS £6 Nashville Babylon
We're very excited to announce the return of London's finest country clubnight – Nashville Babylon! And what better place to host it than back at the 12 Bar.
Friday 15th June CROSSFIRE + WATERSHED + DEAD EYE MARINERS + THE LYKES OF YEW + YIPPIE KI YAY + FORTLINE £6 Enterprise Studios presents
Saturday 16th June HELL CATS + THE DROWNING SORROWS + STEVE & THE RAISE £6 Bad Luck Saloon
Bad Luck Saloon is a new night of psychobilly, rockabilly and good old fashioned rock n roll. So grab a beer and leave your worries at the door.
Sunday 17th June NATIONAL SNACK
Tuesday 19th June MIKE BRIGHTLEY £6
Thursday 21st JAZZ MORLEY + JAMIE ABBOTT + ROXANNE DE BASTION £6
Friday 22nd June MARJORIES DEAD + THE POPULAR BEAT COMBO + CITY SURRENDER + CRASHING FLOWERS + LAURENT SHOWCASE £6 Enterprise Studios presents
Saturday 23rd June MISTY'S BIG ADVENTURE + SARAH MAGUIRE + PARVA HINTON + THE VALKARYS + EMILY CAPELL £6 Blang presents
Monday 25th June CARA LUFT + YVONNE LYON + LUKE SITTAL-SINGH £6 Hieronymous Bisch Bosch presents
Tuesday 26th June RICHARD DE BASTION £6
Thursday 28th June acts tbc £6
Friday 29th June acts tbc £6 Bam-A-Lam
Saturday 30th June acts tbc £6 London Callin
Tuesday 3rd July BOB RAFKIN + FLYNN BROTHERS £6
Wednesday 4th July THE FALLEN LEAVES London Callin'
Friday 6th July PTAR + THE TONY CANNAM SET + EAST ROAD + WORKHOUSE + LOS INTROS £6 Enterprise Studios presents
Saturday 7th July TBC Rucktion
Saturday 9th June TV SMITH £6 London Callin presents
Friday 13th July THE WITCHDOKTORS Bonnie & Clyde
Friday 20th July VIVA LAS VEGAS + THE SPACE WASTERS + LES TOSSEURS London Callin'
Saturday 28th July AUNTIE PUS + MANuS London Callin'
Tuesday 31st July London Callin'
