On December 6th 2011 we attended the 2011 Alfie Boe tour at Bristol Colston Hall. What an amazing event!

Regardless of whether or not you are a fan of classical music, you needn’t worry. Alfie delivers a wide range of songs to suit everyone and his astounding voice takes each one and makes it his own, in his beautiful and charming way.

I came along with my husband, mum and 8yr old daughter so I can definitely vouch that people from all age ranges will enjoy the show! Alfie has a natural, friendly and easy-going stage presence that instantly makes you feel right at home. Despite the venue being very large, things felt surprisingly intimate. There was much laughter as Alfie joked with the audience and the orchestra and everyone was certainly in high spirits all the way through the performance.

Alfie Boe has an instantly recognisable voice; it is simply breath-taking. It is shown off to its absolute best potential on well chosen tracks from both of his albums and of course a little treat for all the Les Mis fans out there.

Highlights of the show for us had to be the stunning ‘Bring Him Home’ which brought the whole audience to tears and to their feet for a rapturous standing ovation. We also loved ‘Tell me it’s not True’ and a very beautiful, festive rendition of ‘Have yourself a Merry little Christmas’ which really did get everyone into the Christmas spirit!

There was much singing, dancing and some audience participation at the end and somehow my 8yr old daughter even ended up on stage with another younger audience member during the final song. She got a hug and a kiss from Alfie (which made her whole night!) and danced along happily alongside him. What a guy!

In short, if you are looking for an evening of entertainment, a voice that will leave you absolutely blown away and a fantastic atmosphere then get yourself to one of the amazing Alfie Boe tour dates linked in full HERE . You WILL have a blast!

Follow Alfie on Twitter
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Find out more on the Official Alfie Boe Website

This new single, taken from Olly’s forthcoming second album (due out later this year), features hotly tipped Brighton duo Rizzle Kicks.

Olly said: “Heart Skips A Beat marks the start of the next chapter for me. The song has a new sound, and getting Rizzle Kicks to feature on it was the icing on the cake. Those guys are amazing!
The single will be released with the b-side ‘On My Cloud’, another new song co-written by Olly with Sam Preston and Mark Taylor.

Take That and Constantin Film/Impact Pictures jointly announced today that the new single from the group, ‘When We Were Young’ (taken from their No.1 album ‘Progressed’) will be the theme song of the upcoming feature film adaptationTHE THREE MUSKETEERS, Constantin Film/Impact Pictures’ highly anticipated 3D action-adventure that rolls into theatres this fall.

Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams were inspired to write the ballad after a private screening of the film in Los Angeles with the film’s director Paul W.S. Anderson, when asked about the new single Gary said: “The film is visually so rich and beautiful that our main challenge was to then match it musically. We’ve returned to guitars, real pianos and a conventional song structure to achieve this. We also thought that the Musketeers reminded us of ourselves.”

The release of ‘When We Were Young’, set to be the last single taken from the band’s Progress studio sessions, in conjunction with the hotly anticipated film, comes at a busy time for the super group, who are currently in the middle of their record breaking Progress Live Tour, which finishes at the end of July. The tour that will see them play to over 1.6 million people and will see them play eight nights at Wembley Stadium breaking Michael Jackson’s previous record for the Bad Tour in 1988. As well as the tour the boys also announced the release of a double disc album entitled‘Progressed’ which came out on June 13th through Polydor Records and went straight to the top of the UK album chart. The new tracks were released as a package alongside the band’s record-breaking album ‘Progress’ which is on a separate disc of this two CD set.

Take That’s Progress Live 2011 tour became the biggest tour in UK and Irish history when a record breaking 1.34 million tickets were snapped up in less than 24 hours of going on sale.  The band smashed their previous box office record set in 2008 with The Circus Live Tour, more than doubling their own record for sales in a single day.  850,000 tickets went on sale at 9am on October 29, 2010 and throughout the day the band added a further 11 dates to cope with demand. For those that didn’t manage to get a ticket, or if you did and want to relive the magic again, the band are releasing a DVD of one of the Wembley shows later this year.

Between them, Take That and Robbie Williams have sold over 80 million albums, had 14 number one albums, 18 number one singles, played to over 14.5 million people live, won 20 BRIT Awards, eight MTV awards and five Ivor Novello awards; and the list goes on. Their critically acclaimed 2010 album, Progress, has now sold in excess of two million copies.

The new single, ‘When We Were Young’ goes to radio on Monday July 11th and is available digitally now through Polydor Records.

The Feeling – who have sold over two million records in the UK and
established themselves as one of the UK’s foremost purveyors of exquisite
pop music – make a very welcome return with the release of their new
album, ‘Together We Were Made’, on June 13th through Island Records.

‘Together We Were Made’ is a Feeling record that sounds, unashamedly, like
The Feeling, but with a host of new twists and turns to explore.

Their third album was recorded in frontman Dan Gillespie Sells’ home (and
the band’s studio) – a converted East London pub decorated in glorious, post-
WW11, end-of-an-Empire style and rechristened The Dog House.

‘Set My World On Fire’ is the first single to be released from the album
(impact date June 13th), built around a shimmering calypso beat, it is both
intimate and epic.

The band worked alongside The Freemasons to produce the album, with the
Brighton dance duo adding “fairy-dust” to the these new tracks, including the
reggae-scented ‘Another Soldier’, which considers how it feels to have to fight
for things all the time. “You know that feeling when you’re not in control?” Dan
asks. “Horrible.”

The raucous ‘A Hundred Sinners (Come And Get It)’ was inspired by the
soundtrack to Bugsy Malone. “We have stupid parties here,” Dan says of the
Dog House. “The song is a nod to being completely stupid and jubilant and
decadent”.

‘Leave Me Out Of It’ is a heartfelt duet with Sophie Ellis-Bextor while the
band’s innate way with a ballad is well displayed on ‘Say No’, which has a
rich, Gospel edge.

‘Together We Were Made’ follows 2006’s multi-platinum selling ‘Twelve Stops
and Home’ and 2008’s Number One album ‘Join with Us’.

As well as the standard 13 track version of the album, the band’s fans are in
for a treat with the double album version which has a whole other disc of new
songs including the track ‘Virtually Art’ with guest vocals from none other than
Betty Boo.

www.thefeeling.com

In what stands as a major global music relief effort to benefit those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, over 30 of the biggest names in contemporary music have joined together for the worldwide release of “Songs for Japan,” an unprecedented compilation of 38 chart-topping hits and classic tracks…

available worldwide on the iTunes Store for $9.99 starting today (www.itunes.com/songsforjapan). Proceeds from the album’s sale will benefit the disaster relief efforts of the Japanese Red Cross Society.

The “Songs for Japan” track listing features an all-star lineup:

1.        John Lennon “Imagine”
2.        U2 “Walk On”
3.        Bob Dylan “Shelter From The Storm”
4.        Red Hot Chili Peppers “Around The World”
5.        Lady Gaga “Born This Way”
6.        Beyonce “Irreplaceable”
7.        Bruno Mars “Talking To The Moon”
8.        Katy Perry “Firework”
9.        Rihanna “Only Girl (In The World)”
10.        Justin Timberlake “Like I Love You”
11.        Madonna “Miles Away”
12.        David Guetta “When Love Takes Over”
13.        Eminem “Love The Way You Lie”
14.        Bruce Springsteen “Human Touch”
15.        Josh Groban “Awake”
16.        Keith Urban “Better Life”
17.        Black Eyed Peas “One Tribe”
18.        Pink “Sober”
19.        Cee Lo Green “It’s Ok”
20.        Lady Antebellum “I Run To You”
21.        Bon Jovi “What Do You Got?”
22.        Foo Fighters “My Hero”
23.        R.E.M. “Man On The Moon”
24.        Nicki Minaj “Save Me”
25.        Sade “By Your Side”
26.        Michael Buble “Hold On”
27.        Justin Bieber “Pray”
28.        Adele “Make You Feel My Love”
29.        Enya “If I Could Be Where You Are”
30.        Elton John “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”
31.        John Mayer “Waiting On The World To Change”
32.        Queen “Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)”
33.        Kings Of Leon “Use Somebody”
34.        Sting “Fragile”
35.        Leona Lewis “Better In Time”
36.        Ne-Yo “One In A Million”
37.        Shakira “Whenever, Wherever”
38.        Norah Jones “Sunrise”

Proceeds from “Songs for Japan” will be directed to the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) to support its disaster relief efforts. The society will use the funds for the ongoing provision of immediate relief and for eventual recovery support to the affected population. The artists participating on “Songs for Japan,” the music labels and music publishers have waived their royalties and proceeds from the worldwide sales of the album to ensure that the JRCS receives as much support as possible from this global initiative.  iTunes will also donate its proceeds from the album’s worldwide sales to the benefit of the JRCS, and has prominently featured the project throughout its stores worldwide.

X Factor finalist Mary Byrne is the latest music star to appear on QVC performing a selection of tracks from her new album ‘Mine & Yours’ exclusively for QVC viewers yesterday morning.

During the show, pre-orders of her debut album (out on the 28th March) smashed predicted targets with sales soaring through the roof and doubling what was expected.  Since Mary proved to be such a massive hit with QVC viewers, she has been booked to return to the show on the 29th March so anyone who missed out on her first performance has the chance to see her again.

QVC UK Director of Marketing Sue Leeson said, “We were absolutely thrilled that Mary chose QVC for her first live performance since appearing on the X Factor.  Clearly our viewers loved her songs and the fact that pre-order sales of her album doubled our targets prove she is going to be a huge success this year.”

Mary said, “It’s a fantastic feeling, it’s been a great experience and I have to say I would do it ten times over.”

Bring Him Home, the showstopper from Les Miserables, was the first song tenor Alfie Boe ever performed on stage – at the age of 14. Little did he know then that one day he would be singing it to adoring fans in a tour covering nine of Britain’s finest concert halls. These eagerly anticipated concerts follow in the wake of a hugely successful album which has stormed the UK Album Charts, reaching No.9 and going Gold within weeks. The title of the album? Bring Him Home.

Now that Alfie’s admirers, and indeed all vocal aficionados, have seen his incredibly moving performances on the TV broadcast of The Royal Variety Show, and a string of other high profile programmes, everyone will be thrilled to have the chance to see him in the flesh.

The tour truly will be “bringing him home” as the penultimate destination, Blackpool, is not only Boe’s birth place, but the city in which it all began. It was here that a teenage Alfie worked as an apprentice car mechanic at a sports car factory and would often sing to entertain his colleagues. One day he was overheard by a customer who was so impressed he suggested Boe take it further . . .

And so many are thankful that he did. What better way to bring Alfie Boe’s most successful year to date to a close than by doing what he does best: using his glorious, ringing tenor voice to make the magic of the musicals ever more enchanting?

Tuesday 6 December 2011   Bristol Colston Hall    0117 922 3686

Wednesday 7 December 2011  London Royal Festival Hall  0844 847 9910

Thursday 8 December 2011  Brighton Dome   01273 709709

Monday 12 December 2011  Cardiff St David’s Hall   029 2087 8444

Tuesday 13 December 2011  Birmingham Symphony Hall  0121 780 3333

Wednesday 14 December 2011 Liverpool Philharmonic Hall  0151 709 3789

Friday 16 December 2011    Gateshead Sage   0191 443 4661

Saturday 17 December 2011    Blackpool Opera House  0844 811 0051

Sunday 18 December 2011    Nottingham Royal Concert Hall  0115 989 5555

Tickets onsale now!

Buy online: www.gigsandtours.com / 24hr cc hotline: 0844 811 0051

Ticket prices are as follows:
Regional – £35 / £25 / £20
London – £55 / £35 / £25 / £20

Who is Alfie Boe? If you haven’t yet heard of this amazing singer then you really need to get all the gossip from us right here! Recently having starred in the 25th Anniversary edition of Les Miserables seems to have propelled Alfie into the spotlight more than ever for 2011 and we find out all about the man himself, his career and his new album ‘Bring Him Home’ featuring songs from Les Mis, Alfie singing some of his own favourite songs and many exciting duets.

ALFIE BOE BIO

Not many teenage boys in the fishing port of Fleetwood, Lancashire, dreamed of a career as a singer. But not many teenage boys in Fleetwood grew up with a Dad who played his favourite operatic arias to his nine children during the family Sunday lunch.
ALFIE BOE preferred football, girls and rock music. But something must have rubbed off from those afternoons around the dining room table because today, at the age of 37, Boe is Britain’s favourite singer.

Growing up the youngest in a large Catholic family in the British seaside town of Fleetwood near Blackpool, Alfie was encouraged at school to get a trade. “At school my options were limited to just the armed forces, or engineering”, he recalls. “A lot of my friends joined the army or went to work on the oil rigs.”  At the age of 11, Alfie took a Saturday job at the local garage to earn extra pocket money, not because his family struggled, but because he was eager to work from an early age. “We never wanted for anything,” he stresses. “We always had food on the table and my Father worked hard for his family.”

At 14, he joined a local amateur operatic company, encouraged not so much by the chance to sing, as his sister’s promise that it would be “a good way to meet girls”. He had never seen a live musical show until he starred in one, singing tunes from the big West End shows. His first one – the showstopper from Les Miserables that forms the title of his new album: Bring Him Home.  At 16, having sung his way through the shows, he joined the chorus of amateur productions of Carmen and Il Trovatore in Preston. Already, locals with an ear for talent began to suggest that the talented teenage tenor might even go professional. “I really wanted to,” says Alfie. “But I didn’t know how.”  Instead, at 17 he began work as an apprentice mechanic in the local TVR car factory, where he spray-painted cars as they came off the production line. To relieve the boredom, he would often sing along to the radio, for some of his work mates, while at weekends he performed on the club circuit, singing ballads, show tunes and pop standards. “I even entered a few competitions”.

At the time Alfie had no idea where his musical future, might lie. “It could have been pop,” he admits, “or even musical theatre. I had no idea I could possibly become an opera singer – probably because of my background.”
Yet that’s exactly what happened, thanks to a customer at the TVR factory who worked in the music industry and heard Alfie’s already-impressive tenor. The mystery man – who Alfie has never yet managed to track down since that day – told him the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company was auditioning for a tour and that he should apply.

The apprentice mechanic bought himself a copy of The Stage and Television newspaper for further details and made the journey to London to join other hopefuls – and got the job. For 12 months he toured the country singing Gilbert & Sullivan, before winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London.

Supporting himself with jobs that included a stint doing security at London rock venue, the Shepherds Bush Empire, Alfie graduated and continued his training at the elite finishing school of the National Opera Studio before taking an odd detour into rock’n'roll, teaming up with Lancashire band The Clint Boon Experience as “Opera Dude” on their acclaimed albums.  But he was soon drawn back to the classical world, and returned to his operatic studies by enrolling on the Royal Opera House’s Young Artists Programme. Six months into the two-year course, which required its students to attend every performance at Covent Garden, came the moment that defined his career.  He heard that Oscar-nominated film maker Baz Luhrmann, director of the film “Moulin Rouge” was holding a London audition for his New York production of La Boheme. “I was at a five-hour Wagner production at the Royal Opera House and I sneaked off during the forty minute interval and literally ran across Waterloo Bridge to the audition,” he recalls. “Then I ran back afterwards – and got back into my seat ten minutes into the second half.”

His decision to leave the course to star on Broadway did not go down well with the opera establishment and was a difficult decision to make. After the nine-month Broadway run finished, Alfie decided to stay on in America and tour with Boston Pops, singing musical theatre songs from the Thirties and Forties. Travelling the length and breadth of the USA, he discovered the country.

In 2006 Alfie released his debut album, Classic FM Presents Alfie Boe. It was followed in 2007 by two more albums, Onward, featuring works by British composers John Rutter and Karl Jenkins, and La Passione, an album of his favourite Neapolitan songs. The same busy year, Alfie toured the UK with the Fron Male Voice Choir and was nominated for a Classical Brit, where he lost out to Paul McCartney.

In 2008 he embarked on his first solo tour of the UK, was nominated for two more Classical Brits, and returned to the Coliseum, where he had already appeared in Midsummer Night’s Dream and Kismet, in The Merry Widow and Der Rosenkavalier, before a going back to the Royal Opera House in Elektra. In 2009 he released his fourth album, dedicated to his late father’s favourite composer, Franz Lehar: Love Was A Dream, and made festival appearances all over the world. He also starred in a WNO revival of La Traviata and reprised his role as Rodolfo in Sir Jonathan Miller’s ENO production of La Boheme.

Highlights of 2010 include two operas for ENO – The Pearl Fishers and Katya Kabanova and Romeo et Juliette at Covent Garden. In October, at the request of Sir Cameron Mackintosh, he took on the lead role of Jean Valjean in the sold-out 25th anniversary concert performance of Les Miserables at the O2 Arena in London.

Alfie and his actress wife, Sarah, live in London with their two-year-old daughter Grace.

‘BRING HIM HOME’ – TRACK BY TRACK WITH ALFIE!

1. Bring Him Home (from Les Miserables) – This is the big iconic song from Les Miserables and a close one to me. It’s the first song that I ever sang in public when I was a 14-years-old in an amateur company in my home town of Fleetwood. Three years ago I sang it at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.
2. Pure Imagination (from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) – This is the song when Willy Wonka walks into the chocolate factory and lets everyone go wild. I think it would be really cool to start off a concert with this song.
3. Come What May (from Moulin Rouge) – I chose this because of my connection with Baz Luhrman, and because it was a good opportunity to sing a duet with Kerry Ellis who has a beautiful voice.
4. On The Street Where You Live (from My Fair Lady) – Everybody loves this! It’s an iconic musical theatre song and I used to sing it when I was a teenage boy. It’s the scene where Freddy has spotted Eliza Doolittle at the race track and waits for her outside Henry Higgins’s house.
5. We Have All The Time In The World – This is from the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. It’s incredibly sad because it comes just after Bond’s new bride, Diana Rigg, dies after being shot in the Aston Martin. We chose it because we were looking for something different: a song that was not musical theatre and had a different angle.
6. The Impossible Dream (from Man Of La Mancha) – This is my big moment with Matt Lucas! It’s a great song from a musical about Don Quixote that’s been used in commercials quite a lot. I don’t think it’s been done as a duet before but it works really well.
7. Hushabye Mountain (from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) – This is the other song I chose for my daughter Grace, it’s a beautiful lullaby.
8. Tell Me It’s Not True (from Blood Brothers) – This is actually a female song but I was determined not to let that stop me covering it because it’s a wonderful song from a great show. It comes at a very sad point at the end, so it’s very emotional, with a choral feel.
9. Some Enchanted Evening (from South Pacific) – This is from another of my favourite musicals. I’ve loved it ever since I saw the film as a kid and I think the score is incredible. I’d like to dedicate it to Sir Cameron Mackintosh, because I know it’s one of his favourite shows too.
10. As If We Never Said Goodbye (from Sunset Boulevard) – This is another female song, sung by the Norma Desmond character who was played onstage in the West End and on Broadway by Elaine Page. But It’s an incredible song and I don’t think it’s been sung by many male performers
11. If I Loved You (from Carousel) – This is from yet another of my favourite shows! I’m such a big fan of this area of musical theatre and it is a wonderful song to sing and very classically orchestrated.
12. If I Ruled The world (from Pickwick) – I think people associate this song with Harry Secombe who did a very good version of this which was a hit for him in 1963 and a great song.

Girlie Gossip Exclusive, Quickfire Interview With Alfie Boe!

1) Hi Alfie, thanks for taking the time to answer some of our questions. A lot of our readers will probably now have seen you in the latest Les Mis 25th Anniversary DVD playing the lead role of Jean Valjean, but how and when did your operatic career actually come about, and was singing a career path you’d always wanted to persue?

ALFIE: Glad you all enjoyed the Les Miserables DVD it was a great concert and a wonderful evening to be a part of.

My career as a singer started back when I was Nineteen years old when I auditioned for a company called the D’oyly Carte after taking advice from friends and a customer who’s car I was working on when I worked as a mechanic. He overheard me sing and said i had a good voice and that I should try and make it in the music world. You never know who’s going to be listening.

2) Did you do anything specifically to prepare to the role of Valjean?

ALFIE: Read the Victor Hugo novel and grew a beard.

3) You have just released an album ‘Alfie Boe – Bring Him Home’ what are your personal favourite tracks and why?

ALFIE: Pretty much all of the songs on my new album are my favourites but if I had to choose one, I think it would be Bring Him Home as this song means so much to me and has made such an impact to my career.

4) You and Matt Lucas seem to have struck up a firm friendship, with him even appearing on your album. Can we expect any further collaborations from the two of you?

ALFIE: I know Matt and I  are going to be friends for life and who knows what ideas and trouble we can get up to.

5) When you’re not busy singing and playing the lead in hit musicals, what do you like to do in your free time?

ALFIE: I’m a bit of a family man and spend most of my time being tormented by my daughter Gracie, she’s two years old now and has me wrapped around her little finger but she’s my little belle!

6) Is there anyone you would like to duet with or work alongside that you haven’t yet been able to?

ALFIE: There are many people in this business that I would love to collaborate with on an album, eventually I would like to try my hand at writing some of my own stuff and to work alongside someone else who’s known for their writing would be a wonderful opportunity. I’m a huge fan of Classical Rock Music so to duet or to collaborate with someone like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin fame would be fantastic.

7) Can you share any other exciting projects, plans or updates that we can expect to see from you this year?

ALFIE: Well we are at present trying to fit in the diary some surprise performances to showcase my album live. We are trying to make it work for April or May this will fit nicely in the diary just before I start back in Les Miserables in June. There are other things on cards at the moment but can’t say too much just yet.

8) Lastly, we are very pleased to hear that you will be reprising the role of Jean Valjean in the West End during 2011! Can you give us any more information on this? Good luck and we’ll be sure to come along and watch one of your performances and report back to readers later this year!

ALFIE: Yes I will be going back into Les Miserables in June for a six month run so book your tickets now. I just want to thank all my beautiful fans for all your support over the years and to all those that have just started to follow me, welcome and I hope you enjoy my music and performances because it’s for you my fans that I do this. Alfie xx

Thanks so much to Alfie Boe for taking time out of his busy schedule to chat to us. We hope that you all enjoyed his answers! Please note, this interview is © Girlie Gossip.Com -  Retransmission, modification and usage of any kind should be approved by Girlie Gossip editors and the appropriate credit given. Thankyou for reading!

Girlie Gossip Review ‘Bring Him Home’ the new album by Alfie Boe.

Last but by no means least, we give our thoughts on Alfie Boe’s new album – Bring Him Home. As fans of Les Mis and musical theatre ourselves, we must say, you are in for a treat if you are yet to listen to this fantastic album!

You can find the track listings above, outlined by Alfie.

We’ll cut straight to the chase and say that the first time we had heard of Alfie Boe was when we saw him perform at the 02 for Les Mis 25th Anniversary.  The performance was mesmerising, heart felt and utterly brilliant and since then we have become Alfie Boe fanatics here at GG HQ!

The album contains a wonderful mix of songs from musical theatre, movies and some good classics, meaning that it really does hold something for everyone. Personal highlights for us, of course had to be the title track ‘Bring Him Home’ but also ‘Come what may’ featuring the amazing Kerry Ellis. There is not a bad song on the whole CD and each note is delivered with passion and perfection, as fans have come to expect!

Highly recommended as one of the best albums of 2011 and Alfie is definitely one to watch this year, mark our words!!

Get the album HERE and from all major stockists.
Follow Alfie on Twitter HERE.
Visit the Official Alfie Boe Website HERE.

Boyce Avenue are a Florida based band, popular for its strong acoustic roots and melodic rock sound. They consist of the three brothers Alejandro, Fabian, and Daniel Manzano. Here at Girlie Gossip we’re huge fans of this band and are pleased to report that they’re on their way to the UK this November!

Keep reading below for an an introduction to the band, some of our all time favourite Boyce Avenue youtube videos mixed in and a full list of the UK and Europe tour dates where you can catch the boys in action!

The brothers first came together as a band in 2004 when Alejandro (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Fabian (guitar, vocals), and their older brother Daniel (bass, percussion, vocals) reconnected after pursuing their respective educational goals. While music was always a part of their lives and ultimately their collective goal, pursuing a higher education was also important to the brothers. So, after graduating from Harvard Law School, Daniel moved back to Florida, to join his brothers Fabian and Alejandro, who were both attending classes at the University of Florida. It was there that the brothers continued to write music and to perform local shows, and took their most formative steps toward becoming a band.

In 2007, in an effort to share their music and ideas with the world, the band decided to start filming and posting videos on YouTube of their own songs and some of their favorite songs by other artists. Some of the first few videos they posted included acoustic versions of songs such as Justin Timberlake’s “LoveStoned”, Rihanna’s “Umbrella”, and Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida”, among many others. The videos began to resonate instantly with YouTube viewers. And over the course of 2007 and 2008, the band amassed millions of views and over 100,000 subscribers to their YouTube channel. To date, the band has accumulated over 165,000,000 views on YouTube, with the total number of subscribers approaching 300,000, making their channel one of the most frequented worldwide on YouTube. During this time, the band continued to record and produce original music for what would eventually become their full-length debut album, but also took aim at expanding the scope and reach of their live performances. Believing firmly in the strength of their online fans, the band booked a stand-alone show in New York City in January of 2009, for their first ever performance in the city. Surprising label and industry folks alike, the show – perceived by others as a gamble – was an enormous sellout and success. Since then, the band has been steadily touring the world over with similar results.

In early 2009, the band performed for an estimated total of 25,000 fans over four headline shows in the Philippines. On the heels of its whirlwind success in the Philippines, the band returned to the United States to commence its first U.S. headline tour. The tour saw sold out shows in such major markets as Boston,

Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, with other shows near capacity. And the rabid fan base that the band had developed online proved not to be intangible. On the strength of its U.S. and Philippines tours, the band embarked on its first European headline tour in the fall of 2009. The band’s loyal international following was evident again as the band sold out shows in multiple territories, including Germany and the United Kingdom. Most recently, the band returned to the Philippines in early 2010 to play festival shows with Kris Allen and the Jabbawockeez, playing to an estimated 18,000 people in two nights. And the band’s Spring 2010 European tour has already seen the band playing to larger rooms in all territories, with several shows sold-out in advance.

As of the end of 2009, the band had finished recording a full album of original music, had produced and financed the entire project on its own, and had developed a plan to release the album independently through its own label, 3 Peace Records. At that time, they were approached by Universal Republic Records to partner in the release of the album. The band, impressed with Republic’s excitement about the music and the band’s wanting to remain extremely hands on with their music, videos, and websites, signed with Universal Republic Records (Jack Johnson, 3 Doors Down, Taylor Swift, Colbie Caillat) in November of 2009. The band’s major label debut album, All We Have Left, will be released on June 15, 2010, featuring “Every Breath,” the first single off the album. The music video for the song was shot by acclaimed director Zach Merch (Blue October, Safetysuit) in Los Angeles, and was a collaborative effort that grew from a treatment written by the band.

Currently, the band is touring Europe and preparing its next nationwide headline tour of the United States. Launching with this U.S. summer tour, the band will remain on the road through the end of the year, with repeat touring in Europe, and plans to enter new international territories, including Canada, South America, Asia, and Australia. While Boyce Avenue initiated and built the foundation of its fan base through its online efforts, it has been through successfully touring internationally and delivering its music live to the fans that the band has really separated itself from its developing peers.

The Tour!

Here’s a full tour list for Boyce Avenue! We’ve highlighted some of the UK and Europe dates so that readers can get to them. Check out Ticketmaster to buy by clicking HERE!

10/27/2010     Bielefeld, DE     Ringlokschuppen

10/28/2010     Amsterdam, NL     Sugar Factory

10/29/2010     Köln, DE     EssigFabrik

10/31/2010     København, DK     Little Vega

11/2/2010     Hamburg, DE     Uebel & Gefaehrlich

11/3/2010     Berlin, DE     Columbia Club

11/5/2010     Warszawa, PL     Hydrozagadka

11/6/2010     Praha, CZ     Lucerna Music Bar

11/8/2010     Frankfurt, DE     St. Peter

11/9/2010     München, DE     Backstage Halle

11/10/2010     Wien, AT     Szene

11/11/2010     Milan, IT     La Salumeria della Musica

11/13/2010     Strasbourg, FR     Laiterie

11/14/2010     Paris, FR     Trabendo

11/16/2010     London, GB     Scala

11/17/2010     Birmingham, GB     Academy 2

11/18/2010     Manchester, GB     Academy 3

11/19/2010     Glasgow, GB     Oran Mor

11/21/2010     Edinburgh, GB     Cabaret Voltaire

11/22/2010     Belfast, GB     Limelight

11/23/2010     Dublin, IE     The Academy Dublin

We’ll be making our way to the Birmingham show so look out for a full review to follow, next month! In the meantime you can check out the bands official youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/boyceavenue and the official Boyce Avenue website: http://www.boyceavenue.com/

Every now and again an artist comes along and after one play of their record you find yourself completely hooked. Joshua Radin is exactly this kind of artist. An American singer/songwriter with a cool, calming voice, beautiful lyrics and mesmerising melodies make him a pleasure to listen to and he is currently taking the UK by storm!

Girlie Gossip were lucky enough to get to see him live at an intimate Bristol gig and were left absolutely astounded by his performance.

Before we go into too much detail we’d also like to take a minute to mention Joshua’s support act Meiko who came on before the man himself. We’ll be brutally honest and say we had no idea who she was at first, but within minutes of her walking onto the stage and taking her place at the mic she had the audience hanging on her every word. Meiko’s warm, friendly and completely natural stage presence was wonderful to take in and her voice is simply amazing. In short we were blown away! Our favourite Meiko song of the evening was ‘Boys With Girlfriends’ and we loved the explanation behind the song. Funny, talented, beautiful and completely wonderful, we hope to see Meiko get her own headlining tour in the UK soon, we’ll be there!

After a few fantastic songs, Meiko left the stage to rapturous applause for her performance and everyone waited eagerly for the man himself. I should probably mention that when I say the Bristol venue was intimate, I really do mean it. We were crammed like sardines in the bar area and the stage was set literally a few feet in front of us, granted it was a little warm (in fact, lets not gloss over it, it was bloody boiling and at least one girl fainted and had to be carried out) but despite the sweltering heat, the crowd were upbeat, positive and keen to hear the music we’d all been waiting for.

Joshua walked on stage after sound checks had been performed for his set, instantly beaming at the crowd and winning us all over from the start (Girls, he is even more handsome in the flesh, we kid you not) armed with his guitar, very talented band and beer in hand he started his performance, treating us to some classics such as Closer (My favourite!) Winter and One of those days. We also got to hear some brand new songs written in rainy old England which was really exciting!

Joshua engaged completely with the crowd, constantly checking the people at the back of the room could hear whenever he had to turn the sound down a little and making every single person in the room feel as though he were performing just for them. He gave us detailed descriptions of why he wrote each song and the meaning behind them, which for me as a huge fan was really interesting, it was also great to see some of his personality shine through in the way he openly chatted in-between songs.

After he returned for the encore (much to the crowd’s delight) and finished his set completely the chatter amongst the crowd was immense with everyone turning around to the person they were stood next to (friend or complete stranger) and saying how brilliant an evening it had been. A real experience that none of us will forget. Many thanks to Joshua, Meiko and the staff at the O2 Academy Bristol for making the evening a complete success and a joy to attend! I can’t wait for the next UK show! We’ll be sure to keep you posted with details of where you can catch Joshua Radin or Meiko in the UK next, so keep checking back!

On a personal note, if anyone is still reading this far down the page:

I would like to give a special personal thanks to Joshua, his music has pulled me through some of the hardest times of my life. Regular readers of the website will know that I suffered a stillbirth a couple of years ago, and music plays a huge part in healing the heart. Joshua Radin’s music in particular has been on repeat on my itunes on more occasions than I can remember and it is with thanks that I say how thought provoking and truly wonderful it has been listening to your songs over the years. Looking forward to more albums in the future and can’t wait for the new stuff to be released!

Becky Bowden – Owner/Editor Girlie Gossip UK.

Check out Joshua Radin on:

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/joshuaradin
Twitter: http://twitter.com/joshuaradin
Joshua Radin Official Website: http://www.joshuaradin.com/

Check out Meiko here: http://www.myspace.com/meiko