News

Date: February 17th, 2010 3:07:18 a.m.

OFFICIAL EV VOXGATE, LONDON 2010

Wednesday, 17 February 2010

So. What's the big announcement?

Something very special. For the pre-show Voxgate for the London Hammersmith concert on the 11th April, we've booked the prestigious music venue The 100 Club in Central London from late afternoon to early evening, and we have two fantastic bands coming to help us with the day.

Official Extreme Voice 'Return to Eden Part II' Voxgate - London 2010

With Messengers and Party Fears Three

Time: 3pm - 7pm, Sunday 11th April 2010
Where: The 100 Club, 100 Oxford Street, London W1D 1LL
Advance Tickets: £9.00
From: www.wegottickets.com/event/72547
Tickets on the door: £12.00

What?! You're kidding us, right?

Nope, you read correctly. And we're very pleased to finally be able to tell you about it.

Why this venue and not somewhere closer to Hammersmith?

Last year was fun, but at the time we considered it a genuine one-off and promised ourselves we'd never do one of these events again. But by a happy set of events, speculatively asking some questions, and the people we asked them to coming back quickly with such positive answers, we thought 'Well, why not? Why not put on another last hurrah!?...'.

When we first discussed hosting another 'Official Voxgate' in December 2009, our intention was for it to be at the same venue as last year; but with Messengers agreeing to come and play for us, we discussed the practicalities of going back to The Grove. Although it's a wonderful eatery and meeting place, we spoke to the members of Monument who played for us last year and the consensus was that because this year is something special, a proper venue set up would work better for our plans. We organised last year without necessarily considering how it would be for a band upstairs. With the room so small, the sound levels were incredibly loud and as there was no proper staging, it limited the view that people actually had and that was a bit dependent on where they were able to stand. From our perspective, because the venue was on split levels and also had an outdoors area, it was difficult to know whether everyone was an EV-er or not, and to organise everyone at the right times to make sure they were taking the opportunity to see the band. This year, we think there will be huge interest when people learn of our plans and that many will want to see and hear these particular bands in a setting that befits proper music.

Why the admission charge?

Last year, the three of us (and our respective partners) put up all the costs for the venue hire and the bands transport costs ourselves. It cost us a fair amount of money, and although we were happy to do so, we did so believing it would be a one off event. We run EV in our own time and, for the most part, our own resources; this much is known already and we're not going to make a big issue of that here. However, for this year's Voxgate, there are larger expenses needed to be paid to put the event on and we need to try and recoup as much of that as we can through your support of buying tickets. The 100 Club, unsurprisingly, has a lot of benefits against the hiring of a room over what is essentially a pub. It's licensed to hold 300 people (so we believe there will be enough room to accommodate people wanting to attend), it's located centrally and is easy for anyone to find who are visiting the capital that day. It also means people will be able to hear the music through a proper club speaker system. If Messengers and Party Fears Three are travelling from Scotland to play for us, we reason that we'd like them to have as enjoyable a day and experience playing in this venue as we believe everyone will all have watching.

Why the need for ticketing?

It took lot of our time and effort trying to organise ticket allocations last year (and we learned some valuable lessons of the 'no matter what you do for people or how helpful you try to be, some will always query your actions, complain or comment that your decisions are not fair' variety). This time around the number of tickets available is precise and are available online through this link:

www.wegottickets.com/event/72547

Entry to the event is strictly by ticket only. By taking this approach, people wanting to attend have the choice on purchase and whether or not to attend. It also means the three of us are not put in the impossible position of having to choose one person over another, as became the case last year.

'WeGotTickets' are based in Oxford and we believe them to one of the fairer ticket agencies, with only a standard booking fee of 10% to additional to the face value of your tickets being applied. There are no other charges (visible or hidden) for using different types of credit card, which makes for easier administration for us and the venue on event day.

In the event of an unsold online ticket allocation becoming available, on the day purchase will also be an option at the venue and we will notify people of this through a news item on the EV homepage on Saturday 10th April 2010.

What if I'm dragging Auntie Gladys along and it seems a bit steep to make her pay when all she's doing is humouring my obsession with music and giving me a bed for the night? And will my 11 year old quintuplets be safe waiting on Oxford Street while I go in to the party - I don't want to have to pay fifty quid just to bring them in?

We are aware that people will have differing circumstances and arrangements for coming to London, and we don't want anyone to be put off coming due to the ticket price. However, we do not think £10 (including booking fee) is unreasonable for people to contribute and to make the event a success. However, if you think you may be a special case, please contact the email address voxgate100club@yahoo.co.uk and we'll see what we can do for your relatives / kids / minders. But as we are bearing the entire financial risk of this personally, we do reserve the right to decide each case on its merits and our decision is final.

Is there an age limit?

Yes, the club has a strict over 18s policy, although because the Voxgate is effectively a private event, they have agreed to allow some under 18s entry as long as they are accompanied by an adult and are supervised at all times. However, we do need to be aware of how many under 18s are attending, and so if you are planning on bringing someone who falls into this age category along, please drop us a line at voxgate100club@yahoo.co.uk so that we can keep a list and be aware of numbers. By letting us know in advance, it means we can make the venue aware of numbers on the day if tickets have been purchased in advance and ensure that people will not be turned away at the door. If you have any questions on this, please contact us at the email address. From our perspective, we would welcome younger visitors attending - age should not be a barrier to experiencing good live music.

Is there a dress code for the club?

Bad clothing should also not be a barrier to experiencing good live music. Everyone with a valid ticket is welcome and there is no dress code.

If I choose to attend, will I need ID?

'WeGotTickets' operates as a paperless ticket delivery service and when booking you will be given a unique reference with an e-mail confirming this sent to you shortly after your order has gone through. This booking reference along with formal ID will need to be presented at the venue in order to gain entry to the event. You will also need proof of age or concessionary status, where applicable.

How do I get to the venue?

The 100 Club is located on Oxford Street, a few minutes' walk from Tottenham Court Road Underground station and next to the Plaza shopping centre.

Bus routes that stop directly outside the Club are:
7 - Brunel Road, Acton to Russell Square Station
8 - Bow Church to Holles Street
25 - Hainault Street, Ilford, to Oxford Circus
55 - Lea Bridge Road / Bakers Arms, Leyton to Oxford Circus
98 - Pound Lane / Willesden Bus Garage to Red Lion Square, Bloomsbury

Buses that stop 30 metres away are:
10 - Hammersmith Bus Station to York Way/Kings Cross Station
73 - Seven Sisters Station to Victoria Station
176 - Pawleyne Arms, Penge to Tottenham Court Road Station

A map of the venue location can be found through this link.
www.visitlondon.com/attractions/detail/256861

Will there be food available?

Unfortunately the club is not able to offer food at the moment. However, there are many restaurants to choose from offering all types of food located in the area close to the venue.

Are there bar facilities?

Yes. From our experience, the prices are reasonable and less than some pub prices in the West End in many instances.

Will I be able to buy a souvenir?

Yes, we are planning to produce some T-shirts and suchlike, any profits from which will be split equally with Messengers and Party Fears Three. You will be able to buy these from EV's online store, but not at the venue on the night.

Where is EV's online store?

Our online store will be changing in a week's time from ShirtCity to Zazzle. It's still being set up at the moment, but we'll announce the link as soon as it is available. Zazzle offer excellent quality, embroidered rather than printed items if you'd like, quicker turnaround times and up to 2XL on most items and up to 3XL and 6XL on selected items such as the Basic Shirt. Size has been an issue with ShirtCity, so hopefully switching to Zazzle will resolve this.

I'm attending the Ultravox Hammersmith Apollo show and am worried I will not be able to get to the venue before Showtime. What are the timings of the day going to be?

We have exclusive use of the venue from 3pm until 7pm, which we believe will allow everyone attending time to reach Hammersmith Apollo by the time the show starts. Timings at this stage are planned to be:

3:00pm Doors Open
3:45pm Party Fears Three
4:30pm Interval
5:00pm Messengers
6:00pm (Music Finishes)
7:00pm Curfew and exit from club

By tube, the journey from Tottenham Court Road to Hammersmith (District and Piccadilly lines) Station is approximately 25 minutes. Projected travel timing for the day can be seen in the accompanying Tube Times PDF and Route PlannerPDF.

About the acts...

Messengers are comprised of Danny Mitchell (instrumentation) and Colin King (vocals).
Formed from the ashes of Modern Man in 1981, following the acclaimed album Concrete Scheme (produced by Midge Ure), the duo were to keep close to the Ultravox machine for the next few years. After the recording of some demos, Messengers were offered the support slot for Ultravox, where they would not only open up unsuspecting Ultravox fans to their music but would also augment the live line-up of the main act. Midge Ure produced a further three singles for Messengers (I Turn In (To You), Great Institutions and Frontiers), all of which are remembered fondly by fans. Sadly, the band lost momentum around 1984/1985 and an album deal never materialised, although this didn't stop their Ultravox connection - Danny was incorporated into Midge Ure's 1985 live band for his solo The Gift Tour and Colin in 1986/87 on Ultravox's U-Vox Tour. Additionally, the pair have had writing partnerships with Midge Ure over many years, with Danny co-writing the hits If I Was, That Certain Smile and Wastelands and both members co-writing the song Call Of The Wild.

In 2004, Messengers completed and recorded the album, It's Been Twenty Years, Let's Try Turning Up the Volume which is available exclusively from www.ultravox.org.uk. With Danny and Colin expressing their delight at being asked to perform at The 100 Club as “a total bolt out of the blue!”, Extreme Voice is thrilled to host Messengers' first live appearance since 2002.

Party Fears Three are a covers band with a subtle twist. Using a combination of modern technology, vintage instrumentation and repurposed sound sources, they provide authentic, yet updated, versions of some of the finest songs from the 80s genre.

Formed in Edinburgh in late 2008 by Steve Adam (Keyboards, Vocals, Audio and Visual elements), Mike Lyden (Guitars and Vocals) and Don Thomson (Keyboards), they have quickly developed an impressive reputation through performing a clutch of well received live shows, including support slots with established eighties acts The Beat and Bad Manners. As Steve Adam has commented, “Our aim is to produce shows that in terms of sound and visuals strongly evoke the bands whose work we cover, but that are also stamped with our own identity. By doing this, we are hopefully making them an interesting and appealing prospect for anyone that has an affinity for the great music of this era and, at the same time, something a little different from what you might expect from conventional tribute bands.”

Extreme Voice is delighted to offer Party Fears Three the opportunity to perform at the Official Extreme Voice 'Return to Eden Part II' London 2010 Voxgate.

Official website: www.partyfearsthree.co.uk

About the venue...

Located discreetly on London's famous Oxford Street, The 100 Club is one of the most celebrated live music venues in in the world and has been promoting live music on the same premises since 1942. Originally a restaurant called Mack's, live music was first played here when British jazz drummer Victor Feldman's father hired the venue regularly on a Sunday night to showcase the talents of his jazz loving sons and their band. Its longevity is due to an open minded music policy which has seen many different musical styles performed at this venue over its long history.

The Club's heritage is legendary and has seen performances from acts as diverse as Glen Miller, Louis Armstrong, Roxy Music, Youssou N'Dour, Georgie Fame, The Sex Pistols, Muddy Waters, Hugh Masekela, B. B. King, Bo Diddley, Jackie Wilson, The Jam, Oasis, Lonnie Donnegan, Jimmy McGriff, Travis, Muse, Sinead O'Conner, Nico, Chris Barber, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, The Animals, Stephane Grappelli, Metallica, The Who, The Kinks, The Pretty Things, The Spencer Davis Group, The Clash, The White Stripes and Beverly Knight to name but a few. Likewise, artists such as The Rolling Stones, Joe Strummer, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Paul Weller, have performed here long after becoming established.

EV is excited to have secured this iconic and prestigious venue for the Official Extreme Voice 'Return to Eden Part II' London Voxgate.

Official website: www.the100club.co.uk

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