PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
2016 has been a pretty big year for Birmingham based Blues Rock band Broken Witt Rebels. The release of their second EP Georgia Pine has received some pretty amazing critical feedback. Their live status has been enhanced by becoming an award winning live act and the band have supported some of the biggest names in business, as well as featuring at some of the biggest and most prestigious festivals around.
Now they’re out on the road again, supporting King King on a curtailed initial leg of their tour of the UK, then supporting Whiskey Myers in December before rejoining the Scottish stars in January 2017 before supporting Joanne Shaw Taylor. In between there are appearances at Planet Rockstock in Porthcawl and the Rising Stars Finale.
Nope. Not bad … at all!
“To think that we have played so many festivals this year has been phenomenal and provided some real ‘pinch me’ moment to be honest,” says Danny Core, lead singer and all out front man.
“The Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany was pretty amazing and the whole thing surrounding the Isle of Wight Festival – getting the ferry over to an island totally devoted to music – were probably the two stand out moments. Joanne was playing at one point while we were there and The Stereophonics were playing the main stage, but the whole vibe of the place was just electric. Anyone who’s anyone were there.”
“The likes of The Who and Queen with Adam Lambert. It was just great to be a part of. We also played The Leeds Festival and to pull any kind of crowd at the same time as The Red Hot Chilli Peppers were on stage was just incredible. We were on the Jack Daniels stage and The Chilli’s were on the main and to have a full tent watching us was really unforgettable.”
“I should also say, as well, that we’ve only just hired a booking agent which is an absolutely massive thing for us. Apart from two shows, we as a band have arranged every gig we’ve played this year and finding a booking agent has been one of the hardest things we’ve achieved. So if you’re impressed with where we’ve played and who we’ve played with in 2016, I guarantee there’s a lot more to come next year. To have achieved what we have without a booking agent is great but we’re looking forward to next year even more now. ”
Broken Witt Rebels are undoubtedly a hard working bunch of lads. James Tranter (guitar), Luke Davis (bass), James Dudley (drums) and Danny certainly know that the more you put into something, the more likely you are to get something positive out of it; as proven in late October when Brocken Witt Rebels won Best Live Rock Act at the prestigious Unsigned Music Awards.
“To look back at the year we’ve had and the hard graft we’ve put in, winning the award was a really nice appreciation of what we want to be doing. Hopefully the award will help push us on to where we want to be and it’s a really nice sign off to what’s been a great year for us.”
“It’s so much nicer seeing the words ‘Award Winners’ rather than ‘Nominated’ after the band name now. It also adds a lot of credibility. Without wanting to sound cocky or anything, we’ve really grafted hard this year. We’ve given up a lot and I honestly think we deserve it this year. That doesn’t make us any less grateful though, particularly to everybody who comes and sees us play or buys the music.”
With everything being set up nicely, it shouldn’t be too long before a full Broken Witt Rebels album is out amongst us. “We’d love to do one and are currently in talks with a few labels. There’s one in particular that we’re very advanced with, but I can’t say who yet for legal reasons. We’ve discussed an album though and they know what we want, so it is pretty much just the legal side of things that need to be sorted out now.”
“We’ve got loads of material – like with Howlin’ and Georgia Pine – that we have put together as a band. We all contribute and if we’re not playing, we’re writing. I write the majority of the lyrics, but the music can come from drums or a bass line or a general jamming session. Then we’ll try and get a top line from it and strip the song down. Then I’ll try and come up with the lyrics or play around with the lyrics I’ve already written to see how we, as a band, can make them fit with what we have musically.”
In 2014, Broken Witt Rebels broke out – if you will – with their debut recording, Howlin’. Now, two years later, their second EP is with us, Georgia Pine. Although a critical success, two years remains something of a gap in this sometimes fickle, impatient, ever changing music industry we love so much.
“When we released Howlin’ we all had day jobs. In fact we’ve only really been full time as a band for the past seven months or so. At the time the first EP was released, though, we were still trying to work out what we wanted to do with our lives. Whether we could take the band forward and, if so, what we were prepared to risk to get it to be where we wanted it to be.”
“For example, our drummer at the time was working in an office and had just been offered a promotion, whereas I could barely hold down a job and was doing everything and anything to get paid. The first release also backed on to what was a really slow year for a number of reasons, but not least of which was planning things around our individual work schedules. It wasn’t that we weren’t being asked to play but more that we couldn’t play as much as we wanted to.”
“I’d also finally got a decent job as a decorator, working alongside Luke our bassist. For once I was earning half decent money, but when the opportunity came around we both gave it up to take on the band full time. Up until the decorating job, I’d worked everywhere in shops and wherever and tried to make a go of things, but a career in music has only really ever been the one that’s appealed. Yes it’s a gamble to give up the security of a decent wage, and so far so good, but we need to dig in deep now and go for it. This is our bread and butter now, if you like, and we’re determined to make it work.”
Georgia Pine is unquestionably brilliant. From the EPs opening track Low to its closing Guns, Broken Witt Rebels have crammed into twenty minutes what many might fail to do on a double album. The richness of the musicianship, the poetry of the lyrics and the out-and-out prowess of Danny’s vocals are something of a law unto themselves, such is their power: a command Danny wasn’t too quick to recognise.
“I’d always seen myself as a guitarist, to be honest, and I suppose it was about three years ago when I started to take myself seriously as a vocalist. Like most people, up until then, my singing had been pretty much restricted to the shower and the odd stint on karaoke. Then, when I was playing guitar I thought I’d give it a whirl and people would come up saying they’d enjoyed what they’d heard.”
“That was pretty amazing to hear but even now, although I’m taking myself more seriously as a singer, I still feel as though I’m learning an instrument with my voice. I still don’t really look at myself as a straight down the line vocalist and there are lots of things I should do – like vocal warm ups, for instance – that I don’t, not really. Okay, I’m looking after my voice better now because of the amount of shows we’re playing, but it is still very much a learning curve for me. It’s constantly evolving and I think on Georgia Pine it is clear my voice is getting stronger and stronger. So seeing us live now is a whole different ball game.”
Danny Core had best take a leaf out of another hard working singer’s song book and look after what he has. Unfortunately, due to problems resulting in minor surgery having to take place on the King King vocalist’s Alan Nimmo’s vocal chords, the Scottish blues maestros scheduled tour with Broken Witt Rebels has had to be curtailed, with those shows missing out this time around being postponed until January.
Edinburgh Queen’s Hall kicks things off on Friday November 25th, with a sold out date in The Chester Live Rooms the following night, November 26th, The Clitheroe Grand – for which there remain a few tickets available – on Sunday 27th and The London Islington Assembly on Tuesday 29th.
Playing with King King, however, remains a significant milestone in the burgeoning career of Broken Witt Rebels. But, even with that said, it would be fair to say that there is just as much of a buzz surrounding King King’s special guests as well.
“We’re massive fans of King King, no two ways about it,” Danny says. “Luke and I would have their music on when we were working as decorators. We’ve always admired their work and would have them playing whenever we could. To be asked to support them this early in our own careers is a huge tick in the box, and to hear that a lot of people are not only coming to see such a great band but us as well is astonishing. It’s really great, too, that if some of King King’s fans can appreciate our music and some of our following get to appreciate their music more, it becomes a win/win situation for both of us. It’s all about everybody having a great night out at the end of the day.”
So what can an audience expect from a BWR gig? “We leave absolutely everything out on the stage and don’t hold back one little bit. We absolutely blast it all out and really, really sing for our suppers. It’s all we know. It’s the only way we know how to do it. It’s the only way we want to do it. A lot of people spend their hard earned money coming to see us, so the least we can do is give it our all. We can’t meet everyone who wants to meet us individually, so the least we can do is make their experience of seeing us live on stage memorable.”
BROKEN WITT REBELS ON TOUR
With King King
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EDINBURGH QUEEN’S HALL
FRIDAY 25 NOVEMBER
TICKETS: £20 / 24 HOUR BOX OFFICE: 0844 478 0898
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VENUE BOX OFFICE: 0131 668 2019
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85-89 CLERK STREET, EDINBURGH, EH8 9JG
www.thequeenshall.net
CHESTER LIVE ROOMS
SATURDAY 26 NOVEMBER
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HOMER HOUSE, 1 STATION ROAD, CHESTER, CHESHIRE, CH1 3DR
www.theliverooms.com
CLITHEROE GRAND
SUNDAY 27 NOVEMBER
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18 YORK STREET, CLITHEROE, LANCASHIRE, BB7 2DL
www.thegrandvenue.co.uk
LONDON ISLINGTON ASSEMBLY
TUESDAY 29 NOVEMBER
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UPPER STREET, LONDON, N1 2UD
www.islington.gov.uk
PLANET ROCKSTOCK, TRECCO BAY
THURSDAY 1 DECEMBER 2016
ST. JOHN’S DRIVE, PORTHCAWL, WALES, CF36 5NG
SPECIAL GUESTS ON WHISKEY MYERS DECEMBER TOUR
BIRMINGHAM O2 INSTITUTE
FRIDAY 2 DECEMBER 2016
TICKETS: Ticketmaster.co.uk
78 Digbeth High Street, Birmingham, B5 6DY
MANCHESTER RUBY LOUNGE
MONDAY 5 DECEMBER 2016
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28-34 High Street, Manchester, M4 1QB
GLASGOW ST. LUKES
TUESDAY 6 DECEMBER 2016
TICKETS: Ticketmaster.co.uk
17 Bain Street, Glasgow, G40 2JZ
TIME OUT
PRESENTS
RISING STARS FINALE
BROKEN WITT REBELS, ALEX FRANCIS, JIM & SAM,
NATLIE SHAY, JACKAMAN, NUALA
229 THE VENUE
TUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2016
TICKETS: £10 / £15 VIP
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VENUE BOX OFFICE: 020 7323 7229
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229 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 5PN
www.229thevenue.com
RE-SCHEDULED KING KING – 2017 UK TOUR DATES
CARDIFF THE GLOBE
FRIDAY 13 JANUARY 2017
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VENUE TEL: 07590 471 888, EMAIL: enquiries@themjrgroup.com
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125 ALBANY ROAD, CARDIFF, SOUTH GLAMORGAN, CF24 3NS
THE GLOBE: OFFICIAL WEBSITE
FROME CHEESE & GRAIN
SATURDAY 14 JANUARY 2017
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VENUE BOX OFFICE: 01373 455420
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MARKET YARD, FROME, SOMERSET, BA11 1BE
www.cheeseandgrain.com
EXETER PHOENIX
THURSDAY 2 FEBRUARY 2017
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BRADNINCH PLACE, GANDY STREET, EXETER, EX4 3LS
www.exeterphoenix.org.uk
NORWICH WATERFRONT
FRIDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2017
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UEA BOX OFFICE: 01603 508 050 / VENUE TEL: 01603 632 717
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139-141 KING STREET, NORWICH, NR1 1QH
http://waterfrontnorwich.webflow.io/
SOUTHAMPTON 1865
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 4 2017
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VENUE TEL: 023 80 222 605 / EMAIL: book@the1865.com
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BRUNSWICK SQUARE, SOUTHAMPTON, SO14 3AR
www.the1865.com
BRIGHTON OLD MARKET
FRIDAY 3 MARCH 2017
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VENUE BOX OFFICE: 01273 201 801
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11-A UPPER MARKET STREET, HOVE, BN3 1AS
http://theoldmarket.com/whats-on/
BILSTON ROBIN 2
SATURDAY 4 MARCH 2017
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20-28 MOUNT PLEASANT, BILSTON, WOLVERHAMPTON, WV14 7LJ
www.therobin.co.uk
ABERDEEN LEMON TREE
SUNDAY 14 MAY 2017
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VENUE BOX OFFICE: 01224 641 122
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5 WEST NORTH STREET, ABERDEEN, AB24 5AT
www.aberdeenperformingarts.com
SPECIAL GUESTS ON JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR’S
JANUARY 2017 UK TOUR
ORDER TICKETS FROM THE 24 HOUR BOX: OFFICE 0844 478 0898
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SAGE GATESHEAD
THURSDAY 19 JANUARY 2017
GLASGOW O2 ABC – CELTIC CONNECTIONS FESTIVAL
FRIDAY 20 JANUARY 2017
MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2
SATURDAY 21 JANUARY 2017
NORWICH WATERFRONT
WEDNESDAY 25 JANUARY 2017
SHEFFIELD CITY HALL
THURSDAY 26 JANUARY 2017
LONDON SHEPHERD BUSH EMPIRE
FRIDAY 27 JANUARY 2017
BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL
SATURDAY 28 JANUARY 2017
