Soul II Soul announce Liverpool event at the Olympia

THE Eventim Olympia show is to he held from:- 7pm, on:- Friday, 17 November 2023. Formed in 1988 Soul II Soul and Jazzie B in their community in North London. Soul II Soul's dances had been reflecting what was occurring naturally in London; kids of all races had grown up together and were now raving together. By the mid 1980s the warehouse scene was in full swing, vibrant and underground, removed from the constraints of the mainstream; a natural fit for Soul II Soul's creativity.

Nothing summed them and their crowd up better than their regular Sunday night spot at the now legendary Africa Centre in London's Covent Garden. The Africa Centre was a game changer for Soul II Soul; for British black music; and for the nation's youth culture in general. It caught the attention of Virgin Records, who signed them as an act in 1988, catapulting them into a tornado of success.

There were the resident club nights all over the world; live concert tours; radio and TV appearances; Jazzie had his own show on London's Kiss FM and there was even an Adventures of the Funki Dreds comic book. And, of course, Soul II Soul enjoyed the type of chart success; notably with:- 'Keep On Movin' and 'Back To Life,' that made them household names all over the world.



To date Soul II Soul have sold over 10 million albums in over 35 territories worldwide and have product on over 200 compilation CDs while Jazzie has accreditation on over 35 million albums in over 100 territories. They've performed in over 20 countries, and appeared at some of the most famous venues in the world including:- Wembley and New York's Universal Ample Theatre. America embraced Soul II Soul to such a degree, in 1990 they picked up two Grammy's. Jazzie was given the keys to seven cities in the US, including:- LA and New York, and the NAACP has honoured him.

Tickets are now on sale from:- Eventim-Light.Com. For further information on SOUL II SOUL, check out the shows website or follow them on social media links:- Facebook, Twitter.com, Instagram, and YouTube.Com.
 

Scouting For Girls to release new album ahead to huge arena tour

SCOUTING For Girls' unforgettable indie pop anthems such as:- 'She's So Lovely.' 'This Ain't A Love Song' and 'Heartbeat' set them on a path to phenomenal success which included four Top 10 singles, four Top 10 albums, 2 million sales and more than a billion streams; plus four BRIT Awards and an Ivor Novello.

After so many highlights, the trio questioned where to go next as they planned their 7th studio album. The solution? To return to their roots back when they were three unknown musicians in Ruislip, west London, and reconnect with the reasons that they started a band in the 1st place. As a result, Scouting For Girls are back to their best with their new album:- 'The Place We Used To Meet.' which will be released on October 13th. Today they also announce details of a major UK headline tour this autumn which concludes with a London show at the Roundhouse.

'The Place We Used To Meet' was written and recorded in the same way that they recorded their debut single:- 'She's So Lovely' in 2007. It's an album full of the instantly memorable, life affirming, singalong indie pop with which they made their name, with songs that resonate with stories of longing and loss. The band still consists of its original line up:- Roy Stride, Greg Churchouse and Peter Ellard.

Roy says:- "As the name suggests, it's an album about going back to our roots and starting again. Falling back in love with music. Loving every aspect of the process: the recording, the writing, playing live and, most importantly, just hanging out as friends. There was no great plan, no overthinking beyond just writing and recording the best songs that we could. Heartbreaking, anthemic, fun and pop, indie and serious, anything went as long as we loved it. It's the best collection of songs we've ever had, and I've loved every minute of making it."

While Scouting For Girls are in their best place in years, circumstances leading up to this new album proved to be especially challenging. After losing 18 months of touring; their favourite part of being in a band; they were eager to hit the road after Covid restrictions were lifted. Their return was the biggest party imaginable… until it wasn't. As the months passed, Roy's life unravelled and he realised he had to make a change and on New Year's Eve of 2021 he sank his final drink before dedicating the start of 2022 to recovery.

During this process he questioned whether he would still want to play live and make music. But gradually he discovered that it completely revitalised his love for being in a band. The trio spent more time together, the shows became a celebratory experience of reconnecting with their fans, and new songs emerged at a rapid pace. His inspiration also continued with fresh co-writes for other artists, such as Jax Jones and Calum Scott's current Top 20 hit 'Whistle.'

Back in the studio, they worked with a variety trusted collaborators, with Roy producing many of the new songs alongside:- Jon Mags (Calum Scott, Kodaline) and Alex Oldroyd (Kaiser Chiefs, Seafret), while the band also wrote and produced a track alongside their new touring guitarist Nick Tsang (Ed Sheeran, Jess Glynne, Busted). The 1st half of the record features the best songs they've written in a decade or more, while the 2nd half flows together like a continuous suite of music.

'The Place We Used To Meet' is now available to pre-order. In addition to digital / streaming, the band's official store offers signed CDs and vinyl, a Deluxe CD with a bonus disc. Amazon stock a signed CD and standard black vinyl, while HMV and select indie stores offer an exclusive orange vinyl format.

Fans who pre-order the album HERE before:- 5pm, on:- Tuesday, 18 April 2023, will receive a code to access an exclusive pre-sale for tour tickets. The pre-sale will open, at:- 10 am, on:- Wednesday, 19 April 2023, and will remain live until tickets go on general sale, from:- 10 am, on:- Friday, 21 April 2023.

Scouting For Girls' 'The Place We Used To Meet' headline tour dates are as follows...

Full list of dates and locations:-

November 2023...

•  3 November, at:- Edinburgh, La Belle Angele.
   

•  4 November, at:- Aberdeen, Lemon Tree.
   

•  5 November, at:- Glasgow, SWG3 Galvanisers.
   

•  7 November, at:- Liverpool, O2 Academy.
   

•  8 November, at:- Manchester, Academy.
   

•  10 November, at:- York, Barbican.
   

•  11 November, at:- Newcastle, Northumbria University.
   

•  13 November, at:- Reading, Hexagon.
   

•  14 November, at:- Bristol, O2 Academy.
   

•  15 November, at:- Brighton, Dome.
   

•  17 November, at:- Nottingham, Rock City.
   

•  18 November, at:- Cambridge, Corn Exchange.
   

•  20 November, at:- Exeter, University - Great Hall.
   

•  21 November, at:- Leicester, O2 Academy.
   

•  23 November, at:- Leeds, O2 Academy.
   

•  24 November, at:- Sheffield, O2 Academy.
   

•  25 November, at:- Birmingham, O2 Academy.
   

•  27 November, at:- Northampton, Roadmenders.
   

•  28 November, at:- Norwich, UEA.
   

•  29 November, at:- Guildford, G Live.

December 2023...

•  1 December, at:- Bournemouth, O2 Academy.
   

• 2 December, at:- London, Roundhouse.

They will also play 2 runs of shows as very special guests to:- Olly Murs' arena tour and a 2nd run of outdoor and arena dates later in the summer. They also have a busy festival schedule which includes:- Isle of Wight, Camp Bestival and the Neighbourhood Weekender.

For more information please visit:- ScoutingForGirls.Com.