The White Swan Belper

2007-11-21T22:52:00.000Z

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VIDA - Thursday the 13th

2006-07-06T13:58:00.000Z

VIDA

Live at the Swan - Thursday the 13th

Late Bar - Admission - FREE

'Click' here to see/hear them

Gig Review

The opinion expressed by Big Buddha is totally independent and does not necessarily reflect the opinion held by the White Swan management.

Cactus Jack - Thursday the 6th

2006-07-06T13:43:00.000Z

Cactus Jack

Live at the Swan - Thursday the 28th

Late Bar - Admission - FREE

Gig Review

If you're a fan of R&B you will not have been dissapointed, Cactus Jack are a talented three piece band and a firm favorite at the Swan. Their set consists of mainly rock classics played with conviction, the great guitar work was backed up with a pounding bass and some classy drumming. The Animals House of the Rising Sun was done with Catcus Jacks own unique arrangement and was a crowd pleaser. The night finished with another classic (Radar Love) given the Cactus Jack treatment, which despite being well past the usual finishing time, still had the crowd yelling for more....... great night. BB

Junction - Thursday the 28th

2006-07-06T13:25:00.000Z

Junction

Live at the Swan - Thursday the 28th

Late Bar - Admission - FREE

Gig Review

What can I say? I loved this band, they took me back to the glorious days of the 'monsters of rock' concerts at Donnington Park. For a three piece band they punched out a remarkable full on sound, there's no half measures with this crew. If you like your rock loud, go see them.

Blues Basement - Thursday the 22nd

2006-06-16T14:10:00.000Z

Blues Basement

Live at the Swan - Thursday the 22nd

Late Bar - Admission - FREE

'Click' here to see/hear them
Gig Review

Blues Basement play an unusual mixture of soft rock and blues, occasionally drifting into delta blues and at times venturing into jazz. They certainly went down well with the usuall Swan crowd and if I'm not mistaken attracted quite a few new faces. For me however, they were a bit too bluesy for my taste, but if blues is your thing you would have loved them, they're a great bunch of guys. BB

James Warner - Thursday the 15th

2006-06-09T12:37:00.000Z

The James Warner Prophecies

Live at the Swan - Thursday the 15th

Late Bar - Admission - FREE

'Click' here to see/hear them
Gig Review

It’s hard to accurately describe the music this band plays, it’s not rock, it’s not folk, it’s not jazz and it’s not pop, it‘s more of a fusion containing elements of them all, sometimes in the same song! This 5 piece band are undoubtedly fine musicians and singers much to the delight of their audience, so much so, they were reluctant to let them leave the stage at the end of the gig, resulting in many encores. If this sounds like your sort of music, go see them, you won’t be disappointed, they’re good. BB

The opinion expressed by Big Buddha is totally independent and does not necessarily reflect the opinion held by the White Swan management.

Tilted Smile - Thursday the 8th

2006-06-06T10:52:00.000Z

Tilted Smile

Live at the Swan - Thursday the 8th
Late Bar - Admission - FREE
'Click' here to see/hear them

Gig Review

What can I say? the only thing that springs to mind after being in the presence of Tilted Smile for the last couple of hours is 'I need to lie down' I'm drained. I'm in awe of these guys, especially the drummer, what’s he on? I want some, the energy flying round the room tonight could have lit a city for a week! For the last year or so, I’ve been telling anyone who cared to listen, that this band was going places, and for once, I'm delighted to say I’ve been proven right. The band have just won the 'Jack Daniels' battle of the bands contest, and next month they are being flown out to Tennessee to play in prime stateside venues, to our friends across the pond. I hope this leads on to bigger things for the guys, they deserve it! But please don't forget your supporters when you're making the headlines, a few free tickets will go down a treat. Rock On. BB

The opinion expressed by Big Buddha is totally independent and does not necessarily reflect the opinion held by the White Swan management.

Element 104 - Saturday the 3rd

2006-06-04T18:03:00.000Z

ELEMENT 104

Live at the Swan - Saturday the 3rd

Late Bar - Admission - FREE

click' here for web site

Gig Review

To say Element 104 is a young band, is like proclaiming the Pope to be a catholic, but don't let their lack of years fool you, these guys are a very creditable rock band in every sense. Their set consisted of covers of hits by bands including Green Day, Offspring, Franz Ferdinand, Queens of the Stone Age, The Arctic monkeys, and Razorlight, as well as original songs written by the band themselves. The amount of energy and commitment coming from these 5 guys was astonishing, it had the audience on their feet and dancing all night. It wasn't the most polished performance I have ever seen, but when did you last see a polished punk rock band? Their fans loved them and that's what really matters, they're the ones who buy the music, I think this band have the potential to develop into something special, keep your eye on them! BB

The opinion expressed by Big Buddha is totally independent and does not necessarily reflect the opinion held by the White Swan management.

Loaded Dice Thursday the 1st

2006-05-26T21:15:00.000Z

LOADED DICE

Live at the Swan - Thursday the 1st

Late Bar - Admission - FREE

Gig Review

Loaded Dice are a competent 3 piece band playing the pub circuits, I genuinely liked them, but I can't imagine them hitting the 'Big Time'. Having said that, while ever they want to work they will find the gigs, They are good at what they do, but, IMO, need to develop their act to progress to the next level. The set consisted of mainly covers from the 60's, 70's and 80's with a few current hits included for good measure. It all went down well with the crowd, I especially liked the fact that many of the numbers they did, are not in every bands play list. All in all it was a very enjoyable night, a good band, great atmosphere and cold beer, what more can you ask? BB

The opinion expressed by Big Buddha is totally independent and does not necessarily reflect the opinion held by the White Swan management.

Fire Garden Thursday the 25th

2006-05-19T15:10:00.000Z

FIRE GARDEN

Cancelled at short notice. :(

Live at the Swan - Thursday the 25th
Late Bar - Admission - FREE

Gig Review

After being let down by Fire Garden for the second time, our thanks go out to Cactus Jack for stepping in at short notice to provide the evenings entertainment. If you're a fan of R&B you would not have been dissapointed, Cactus Jack are a talented three piece band and a firm favorite at the Swan. Their set consisted of mainly rock classics played with conviction, the great guitar work was backed up with a pounding bass and some classy drumming. The Animals House of the Rising Sun was done with Catcus Jacks own unique arrangement and was a crowd pleaser. The night finished with another classic (Whiter Shade of Pale) given the Cactus Jack treatment, which left the crowd yelling MOOORE...MOOORE....... great night. BB

VIDA Thursday the 18th

2006-05-12T00:19:00.000Z

VIDA

Live at the Swan - Thursday the 18th

Late Bar - Admission - FREE

'Click' here to see/hear them

Gig Review

It's a very long time since I saw a band the quality of VIDA for free, and believe me, I've seen a lot of class acts before they hit the 'Big time', including the likes of Fleetwood Mac and Thin Lizzy to name but two. I don't impress easily, but these guys certainly made an impression on me, they possess that rare magic that can turn a good working band into potential headliners. They have musical ability in abundance, charisma by the bucket full, and most of all, the pure energy and stage presence to get the audience on it's feet, singing, dancing and shouting for more. The only thing standing between VIDA and stardom is that elusive hit song to put them on the map. If you're a fan of live pop/rock music go see them, you won’t regret it. If you operate a venue, then book them while you can still afford them. If you've written a great song and need someone to perform it, talk to them, and if you're involved in the music industry, promoting young, talented bands, go take a look at them, they're good, very good, and will get better. VIDA is a class act waiting to be noticed, go see them. BB

The opinion expressed by Big Buddha is totally independent and does not necessarily reflect the opinion held by the White Swan management.

Ruf & Reddy Thursday the 11th.

2006-05-07T18:14:00.000Z

Ruf & Reddy

Live at the SWAN - Thursday 11th May

Late Bar - Admission FREE

'Click' here to see/hear them

Gig Review

The Ruf & Reddy band have been playing together for quite some time now, and it shows, their professionalism shone through. This was a good strong performance by a trio of talented musicians and it went down a bomb with the audience. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this band to lovers of Rock and Blues played with attitude. The amazing guitar work was complemented with a powerful, solid bass and the whole set held together by some skilful drumming. If you get a chance to see them, take it. I like this band a lot, my only word of criticism, is that I wish they would shorten the 'drum solo' spot to a more ear friendly couple of minuets. BB

The opinion expressed by Big Buddha is totally independent and does not necessarily reflect the opinion held by the White Swan management.

Gig Guide 2006 at a glance

2006-05-07T02:57:00.000Z

Welcome to the White Swan gig guide 2006

We endevour to keep the list up to date and accurate but ocasionally bands cancel at short notice, we usually able to fill the slot, but if you are travelling a long distance, call us on 01773 823267 to confirm.

MAY
Thursday the 4th - GRAFT
Saturday the 6th - X it
Thursday the 11th - RUF & REDDY - See & Hear them
Thursday the 18th - VIDA - See & Hear them
Thursday the 25th - FIRE GARDEN

JUNE
Thursday the 1st - LOADED DICE
Saturday the 3rd - ELEMENT 104
Thursday the 8th - TILTED SMILE - Web Site
Thursday the 15th - THE JAMES WARNER PROPHCIES - Hear them
Thursday the 22nd - BLUES BASEMENT - See & Hear them
Thursday the 28th - JUNCTION

JULY
Saturday the 1st - STRANGLEHOLD
Thursday the 6th - CACTUS JACK
Thursday the 13th - VIDA - See & Hear them
Thursday the 20th - TFX - See & Hear them
Thursday the 27th - TRANSFORMER Hear them

AUGUST
Thursday the 3rd - BLUES DEVILS
Saturday the 6th - THE JAMES WARNER PROPHCIES - Hear Them
Thursday the 10th - REMEDIES - See & Hear them
Thursday the 17th - WRITTEN APOLOGY
Thursday the 24th - DRIVING SOUTH
Thursday the 31st - TILTED SMILE - Web Site

SEPTEMBER
Saturday the 2nd - ARMARDA - See & Hear them
Thursday the 7th - CRUSADE
Thursday the 14th - IDLE HANDS - See & Hear them
Thursday the 21st - CACTUS JACK
Thursday the 28th - to be confirmed

OCTOBER
Thursday the 5th - THREE WHEEL DRIVE
Saturday the 7th - to be confirmed
Thursday the 12th - HUMMING BIRDS - See & Hear them
Thursday the 19th - VIDA - See & Hear them
Thursday the 26th - TFX - See & Hear them