SLADY – all female Slade tribute band! and one of the first acts we just had to have back in the Dublin once Covid restrictions were lifted, the unbeatable SLADY, Bugbear’s favourite tribute band bar none, because what’s on offer exceeds all expectations from what you might call a mere ‘tribute’…it’s a not to be missed crazee luv’d up skweeze me pleeze me fest to delight all fans of top drawer ’70s glam and classy Brit Rock. A celebration of one of the greatest bands of all time indeed. Gobby – Singer/Guitarist, Jem Lea – Bass, Donna Powell – Drummer, Davina Hill – Lead Guitar/Singer…  C’mon Feel The Noize… The first journalist to champion Slade in the 1970’s in the Derby Evening Telegraph was Richard Cox, here’s what he had to say about the last time Bugbear hosted SLADY in the DC, Valentine’s Night 2020 with Slady at The Dublin Castle- ‘Slady are unique. They are, on paper, a traditional tribute band with the big difference being they’re female, young and attractive, but listen and look. These girls are not simply mimicking stars of yesteryear: each is a musician in her own right. My memories go back 50 years this December when I first saw Noddy Holder, Jim Lea, Don Powell and Dave Hill, whose individual personalities were based on four Black Country lads having a blast and playing great rock music. Slady leave me with the same impression. Before the gig, they were with the fans; when the support act, Tuppenny Bunters, were on, Slady were in the audience mingling, then in the bar and ‘When The Lights went Out’ at the end of the gig they were with us oldies feeling the justified adulation… Gobby has made the commanding stage presence of Noddy her own; she rules those boards with a mirror top hat, platform shoes, and a powerful voice, just like the man did. Jem, like Jim Lea, is an accomplished musician who uses the bass as if it’s a musical baton to conduct the band’s drive. Donna tucks herself away behind the drum kit, and produces a stand-out, strong beat, much in the style of the ‘big man’ Don Powell. Like Don, she seems happiest letting her sticks and skins steal the limelight. Finally, Davina. Last year I felt she was the shy, retiring type hiding behind her guitar; this time she was in total control: picking out and soaring lead riffs that brought great songs to life.  Slady are not a ‘close your eyes and you’ll think you’re in the presence of the originals’ tribute band. Open your eyes: these girls are simply loving the music they play. It just so happens that Holder, Lea and Powell (the original Slade) wrote the songs the girls like to sing. It’s music that gets right into the soul’… ​David Woodcock And The Fixtures – Upbeat and lyrically sharp pop with a nod to Ray Davies and Jarvis Cocker, and also tapping in to theatreland show tunes, The Velvet Underground, Richard Hawley and The Divine Comedy.  David’s songs are steeped in the classic British song writing tradition epitomised by the likes of Ray Davies, Steve Harley and Ian Dury. Lyrics filled with humour, pathos, wry observations and a riotous energy – in David’s music there’s certainly an air of Ian Hunter rockin’ it up with Mott The Hoople, Vivian Stanshall as a drunken Harry Nilsson, Pete Doherty with a clean bill of health or Damon Albarn in young, cocky scamp mode. Live, David works the room to the max. He gives us tales of lost love, lust, jealousy, memories, regrets and of living life to its messy limits and all the consequences that entails. On record the energy remains. David’s superb eponymous debut appeared a few years ago on Blow Up Records, and he recently released the excellent follow up ‘Normal Life’, a cavalcade of wonderful self effacing pop gems crying out for a stage, and lo!….we have one!

Gary Clail Soundsystem – Our 2020 last Friday in the month residencies with the legend that is Gary Clail got sadly curtailed just two shows in thanks to Covid 19, just when we were really hitting our stride, but he’s back! The Brizzle roofer turned magical, mercurial MC cum radical and righteous sound system manipulator is back in the DC once more and then some. With fellow Bristolian legend brass and woodwind man Tony Wrafter (Tricky, Glaxo Babies, Maximum Joy etc) as his musical right hand man there’s a deep resonance at play with his fabulous new material, still hot on social comment but head warpingly good to dance to too. Gary will be MCing, live mixing, DJing and generally mashing up the area.  Pink Diamond Revue – Largely instrumental psychedelic trance/dance electro rock, with some vimmy vocal samples and other arousing sounds part buried in the mix.. Revolting Cocks via Trans Am perhaps. Artful and invigorating. Do a wonderful ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ where Shirley B sounds like she’s flying on a microdot or two. Get it on. Dismembered Sound Booth – ‘ A collection of musicians, social misfits, artists, photographers, film makers, poets, ready to change the way the world thinks…’ As prolific as they are mind bending. Their first album, All Are Friends Our Dead, contained 25 songs. Their second album, Extinction Party, contained 24 songs. And now, their new album, Music For Addicts, contains 23 songs. ‘Dismembered Sound Booth are fighting an artistic battle for quality over quantity. It is their plan that their 25th album will contain only one song but that it will be so sublimely beautiful that it will be physically dangerous to listen to, possibly even fatal’… DJ Lord Zonka (Big Audio Dynamite) –  back in the day, doing  mix tapes parties led to the young Michael Custance spinning the ‘wheels of steel’ back in 1985, when he jumped up into the ‘booth’ at the Queens Head, Hackney, impressing the owner so much that LZ was immediately offered a residency. A journey ensued through Acid House/Balearic beats, and the Zonka Sound turned some heads, including, in 1990, the lovely bonce of one Mick Jones, (ex Clash) who asked him to join his latest band Big Audio Dynamite ll as their DJ. He toured the world both with B.A.D and set up the Big Audio Dynamite Soundsystem, which had residencies at groundbreaking clubs such as The Gallery at Turnmills, as well as BAD Soundsystem’s legendary own night ‘Maximum’… Lord Zonka is back, based in London, and in the studio working on his own material and also djing around the UK, and he’s a fantastic addition to tonight’s bill, gonna nice you up all night long.

The Satellites- Unabashed big bollocked Punk-Rock band from Acton, West London. Formed in 1977 on October 4th, twenty years to the day that the Russians launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite. Ya see?! Singer Derek Gibbs took on an early mantle of punk rock fame as the model on the front of the infamous 1977 ‘New Wave’ compilation album…every young punker had one, and admired Del’s beer flobbing antics before they ever heard his sonorous singing. They supported Gary Numan’s Tubeway Army on their first ever gig in that sainted year of ’77, and have played with all the great and the good of punk in the ensuing years….proper punk… and tonite they play with… DamageUK – Brian Damage outta Nuffin‘s new band, bringing his cousin Paul Flynn from those top geezers on bass, plus Reg Charles on drums. So think post Nuffin, post punk, think 1979 and the riffing has slowed down and it’s gotten a tad more dare I say new wave- like the difference between early Lurkers and the stuff they did later- or any of them bands come to mention it. Songs echo Clash circa London Calling, plus some nice Joy Division-ish guitar figures…dynamic stuff.

The Collective A.K.A- Magnificent mod/2 Tone/punk and new wave covers act who switch effortlessly between the likes of The Specials, The Jam, Madness, The Beat, The Who, The Clash, Small Faces and more modernist marvels , all done with musical chops to die for and a whole lotta soulful attention to detail. Top Ranking, No Full Stop! Bring yer dancing loafers/hush puppies/monkey boots/DMs!  Sharp Class – superb high energy young mod band.

The Dekkertones – Playing authentic ska, although a lickle more emphasis on yer  rudeboy reggae really- skinhead reggae, boss reggae, whatever you prefer! Male singer, female singer, juxtaposing beautifully, full brass front line and a nicely skanking rocksteady vibe. ‘Sweet Soul Music’….’Hurts So Good’…’Everything I Own’ etc. Got the look. Do it super sweetly, nuff vibes… Jack The Lad –  playing classic Punk,Ska and Oi from the past-covering Sparrer, Blitz, Ruts, Specials to name just a few – for your total satisfaction and indulgence.

Blue Orchids, as a post punk psychedelic adjunct to Fall -world are well established in the music enthusiast’s consciousness, and yes, Martin Bramah was a founding father of The Fall, and as expressed recently might have reasonable grounds to even call himself  The Fall, well, why not…but then he’s not daft. Perhaps people could do with reconnecting with Martin’s  oeuvre a little more deeply than obsessing over the ex Fall schtick, specially what with the recent albums being a succession of magik pop psych masterpieces choc stock (oh yes) with fabulous gems full of rich, resonant sounds and stinging, esoteric lyrics. 2018’s “Righteous Harmony Fist” was a total triumph, one of them stick to the turntable type records you used to know and love in the seventies and eighties.  2019’s ‘The Magical Record Of Blue Orchids’ psych and garage covers record was another gem. And the accompanying live shows were remarkable. A definite air of the ‘wow man we’re not worthy’ was rife amidst the awestruck punters in the Dublin Castle three years ago as they shook the embers of harmonic feedback off their clothing and made off into the night. That was a superb Blue Orchids show. Well at long last here’s your chance to enjoy the Blue Orchids experience again… Buy the records, attend the gigs, appreciate the illusive magic of  Blue Orchids. A very special group. Oldfield Youth Club – Formed in Autumn 2018 OYC is made up of 3/4 of critically acclaimed 1980’s pop group The Last Party (2 Peel Sessions & Melody Maker Single of the Week with their debut single ‘Mr Hurst’). Featuring Simon Rivers (Bitter Springs)…

Irish singer-songwriter Rory & The Island has just released his brand new single ‘Miss This’ – writes The Journal Of Music… ‘Miss This’ explores the basic little joys we all miss during this crazy situation, and has become a firm favourite during Rory & The Island’s successful weekly Facebook Live broadcasts which have built up something of a cult following with an average of 30,000 weekly views over the past year. Rory & The Island has had 12 Top 20 iTunes singles in Ireland in the past decade. His most recent single ‘When The Lights Go Down (Valhalla)’ reached Number 1 in early November 2020 and raised a few eyebrows when it kept Miley Cyrus, Lizzo and Dermot Kennedy off the top spot for the weekend. The single also climbed to Number 8 in the UK iTunes Songwriters chart. Rory’s journey began as lead singer of indie-rock band The Revs, who alongside being hotly tipped by the likes of U2, found themselves topping the Irish charts with two top 5 albums and a string of successful tours that made waves throughout Ireland, Europe and even reached Australia with a top 30 single – as well as beating Damien Rice, Relish and Six to take both the Meteor IRMA award and the Hot Press Award for Best Newcomer. After the bands split in 2007, Rory moved to a remote island in the Canaries where he opened a live music venue ‘The Island Bar’. It was there the Donegal songwriter performed weekly residency shows building up a following of people from all over the world that would travel to the island to come and see him perform. It was also here that Rory & The Island was born – with Rory Gallagher beginning his solo project under the name to avoid any confusion with the Ballyshannon/Cork Blues Legend. Two albums later, Rory & The Island independently earned himself 8 top 30s, 2 top 10s and a Number 1 single in the Irish Charts alongside performing all over the UK and Ireland supporting the likes of Ocean Colour Scene, Feeder and Alabama 3. 2019 saw Rory leave the island, return back to Ireland and extensively tour, filling out rooms around the UK and Ireland with his London show at The Dublin Castle selling out within 48 hours of going on sale. ‘Miss This’ the brand new single from Rory & The Island is out now across all digital platforms.

Irish singer-songwriter Rory & The Island has just released his brand new single ‘Miss This’ – writes The Journal Of Music… ‘Miss This’ explores the basic little joys we all miss during this crazy situation, and has become a firm favourite during Rory & The Island’s successful weekly Facebook Live broadcasts which have built up something of a cult following with an average of 30,000 weekly views over the past year. Rory & The Island has had 12 Top 20 iTunes singles in Ireland in the past decade. His most recent single ‘When The Lights Go Down (Valhalla)’ reached Number 1 in early November 2020 and raised a few eyebrows when it kept Miley Cyrus, Lizzo and Dermot Kennedy off the top spot for the weekend. The single also climbed to Number 8 in the UK iTunes Songwriters chart. Rory’s journey began as lead singer of indie-rock band The Revs, who alongside being hotly tipped by the likes of U2, found themselves topping the Irish charts with two top 5 albums and a string of successful tours that made waves throughout Ireland, Europe and even reached Australia with a top 30 single – as well as beating Damien Rice, Relish and Six to take both the Meteor IRMA award and the Hot Press Award for Best Newcomer. After the bands split in 2007, Rory moved to a remote island in the Canaries where he opened a live music venue ‘The Island Bar’. It was there the Donegal songwriter performed weekly residency shows building up a following of people from all over the world that would travel to the island to come and see him perform. It was also here that Rory & The Island was born – with Rory Gallagher beginning his solo project under the name to avoid any confusion with the Ballyshannon/Cork Blues Legend. Two albums later, Rory & The Island independently earned himself 8 top 30s, 2 top 10s and a Number 1 single in the Irish Charts alongside performing all over the UK and Ireland supporting the likes of Ocean Colour Scene, Feeder and Alabama 3. 2019 saw Rory leave the island, return back to Ireland and extensively tour, filling out rooms around the UK and Ireland with his London show at The Dublin Castle selling out within 48 hours of going on sale. ‘Miss This’ the brand new single from Rory & The Island is out now across all digital platforms.

The Bracknall- Long awaited London appearance by the soulful rocknroll combo  who specialize in skuzzed up bluesey indie rock, with reverberations of The Libertines, King Blues and trace elements of Jamie T.

Fu Fighters – This is indeed a call…the premier Foo Fighters tribute band hit Camden Town, which you might think is The Long Road To Ruin hoho but no in Times Like These these Stacked Actors are Making A Fire that will no doubt be The Best Of You… Copperhead – classic rock covers act taking in Thin Lizzy, Hendrix, Cream, Small Faces and Led Zep and more….brilliant.

Back in February of last year, just before everything went tits up, we had one of the finest ska and rudeboy reggae nights imaginable when Bugbear get on board with not only Ball Of Fire but also Coast To Coast ….And we’re very pleased to say we’re doing it again…Starring The Estimators and their joyful and peerless brand of brass imbued authentic ska and rudeboy reggae and ably supported by The Bighead, North Hants purveyors of prime pop reggae. And between the bands and right til the end of the night in the wee wee hours it’s fabulous to welcome DJ Cello on the decks playing reggae, ska, latin and soul. Unmissable.

Growing up listening to The Jam has lead Ben McKelvey to also be influenced by the likes of Bruce Springsteen , Noel Gallagher’ s High Flying Birds , Johnny Cash and Frank Turner . This collection of legendary inspirations is evident in his music, as Ben’s rich melodies and musical storytelling will easily find it’s home with any fan of more contemporary artists like George Ezra , Vance Joy or Mumford & Sons . Produced by Jake Robbins ( Natives ), Ben McKelvey ’s energetic ‘ Wild Child ’ is an uplifting fast-paced album about freedom, believing in your dreams and ultimately regret. The lyrical content starts out as being about the teenage dreams of aspiring musicians, but right at the end, it is tinged with a sense of sadness as regret comes creeping up; thinking about a life that could have been. Driving drums, swooping guitar solos and hypnotic bass lines all work together in perfect harmony as Ben ’s vocal delivery effortlessly portrays his storytelling talent.