Academy Events & DMP Promotions present Toots and the Maytals

Tuesday 13^th August – Hatfield, The Forum Hertfordshire

Reggae legends Toots and The Maytals have announced their return to the UK with dates in London, Leicester, Birmingham, Hertfordshire and Newcastle in July and August. Bringing a fusion of ska, gospel, soul, rock and reggae, they are undoubtedly still one of the world’s best loved ska and reggae groups.

Having recently kicked off their 2013 World Tour in March at the infamous House of Blues, ‘Toots’ and the band will soon undertake an American ‘East Coast Acoustic Tour’ with Anders Osborn, perform at festivals including Hangout Festival (Alabama) concluding the final European phase of the tour in July, taking to the stage in multiple O₂ Academy venues.

Led by the charismatic ‘Toots’ Hibbert, The Maytals formed in Kingston, Jamaica in 1961. ‘Toots’ popularised the reggae sound with hits such as "Do The Reggay" (widely acknowledged as the first song ever to feature the word ‘Reggae’), "Pressure Drop", "54-46 (That's My Number)", "Sweet and Dandy", "Monkey Man", “Funky Kingston” and “Reggae Got Soul”.

Influencing countless artists including The Specials, The Clash to Amy Winehouse over the last five decades, ‘Toots’ has toured with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow and Los Lonely Boys.

Always recording when not touring, the band’s most recent record ‘Flip & Twist’ was released April 20^th 2010 on Toot’s own D & F Music label.

Don’t miss the irie vibes of Toots and The Maytals this summer… feel the ‘Pressure Drop’ and ‘Do The Reggay’!

For tickets to see Toots and the Maytals at the Forum Hertfordshire click here 

Sequel To The Prequel Tour

Autumn dates announced

Babyshambles have announced an autumn tour spanning two months. Heading out at Glasgow Barrowlands on September 4^th, and finishing at O2 Academy Bournemouth on 21^st October, the band will play London’s O2 Academy Brixton on 14^th September.  These are the first UK dates since the band played in November 2010. They have also announced they will play Le Zenith in Paris on 3^rd October.

“Just as sure as all men are born equal... A prequel to the sequel...”  Drew McConnell.

"I'm equally excited to get back on the road again as I am to see the fans' reaction to the new material.  Looking forward to it.” Mik Whitnall.

September

4th - Glasgow Barrowlands
5th – Newcastle, O2 Academy
6th – Leeds, O2 Academy
7th - Manchester Academy
9th – Liverpool, O2 Academy
10th - Lincoln Engine Shed
11th – Bristol, O2 Academy
13th – Oxford, O2 Academy
14th – London, O2 Academy Brixton 
15th - Cardiff University
16th - Norwich UEA
 
October

10th - Sheffield Leadmill
11th – Hatfield, The Forum Hertfordshire
12th - Leamington Spa Assembly
14th – Birmingham, O2 Academy
15th – Leicester, O2 Academy
17th - Cambridge Junction
18th - Folkestone Leas Cliff
20th - Exeter Great Hall
21st – Bournemouth, O2 Academy

The band are currently putting the finishing touches to their third album in a Paris studio and are looking forward to road testing the new tracks live in front of the fans.  Reports leaking from the locked down studio suggest their much anticipated return is a huge return to form.

Tickets for the Forum Hertfordshire show will be £23.00 advanced and will be on 02 Priority from the 1st May and on general sale from the Friday 3rd May, available at the Forum Box Office and online.     

www.albionrooms.com  www.twitter.com/babyshamblesuk  www.facebook.com/babyshambles

With the summer now just months away, we are thrilled to announce our line-up for this year’s Summer Ball taking place on Friday 24 May, 8pm - 4am!

The Forum Hertfordshire is bringing the best summer destination experience all in one place. We’ll take you on a trip from Ibiza to Mexico in one huge night of summer festivities.

Headlining this year is:
Mark Ronson (DJ Set)
Little Mix
Them and Us (feat. Killa Kela)
Clement Marfo & The Dixon Brothers
S Club All Stars
Funeral for a Friend (DJ Set)

Plus many more including your favourite resident club night DJs.

As well as these awesome rooms of live music, we have the outrageous ‘Lucha Britannia’ Mexican Cabaret Wrestling coming to town, a FREE Fun Fair as well as a Rio style Casino and Carnival. 

For full details on the biggest student event of the year visit our Summer Ball 2013 website! 

Early Bird Offer - £5 Off Full Price Ticket

Get your Summer Ball tickets for just £35 online, that’s a £5 saving on the full ticket price! But hurry this offer is only available until the 22 March! Click here for tickets

Keep Up To Date!

Be the first to know! Join us on Facebook for all the latest info on this year’s Summer Ball at the Forum Hertfordshire. Click here to go to Facebook

UK’S BIGGEST INDEPENDENT ALTERNATIVE FESTIVAL

JUST GOT BETTER! - THIRTEEN BANDS ADDED TO THE FESTIVAL LINE-UP

Slam Dunk are thrilled to announce a further 13 additions to this year’s Festival, continuing to shape up a killer line-up with something for everybody!

Kicking off this next announcement is one of the UK’s most well loved rock bands Kids In Glass Houses, who will make a grand return having taken time out of touring since the festival stint last summer. Currently in the process of recording their fourth album, we are thrilled that the rock outfit will be exclusively airing this new material at Slam Dunk Festival! Check the video Here: KIGH VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENT

Having made such a huge impact last year, Slam Dunk are very pleased to announce that Canada’s, Cancer Bats will be back to play this year, tearing up the Festival with their almighty performance, playing crowd favourites from their back catalogue of exceptional material. Already announced to be playing over in Ireland and at such popular demand, Slam Dunk are also excited to confirm that Bury Tomorrow are additionally added to all three Slam Dunk Festival main dates. Also flying the flag for new British metal and hardcore, Slam Dunk have confirmed the outstanding, Heights and Heart In Hand.

Slam Dunk Festival will be welcoming an Aussie invasion with open arms, bringing over three of the biggest names from down under. First of the three is Tonight Alive, who have recently smashed the Kerrang! Tour and received an incredible reception. Heroes For Hire, will be flying over for their first ever UK performance and we cannot wait for that to be at this year’s Festival, adding to the hottest pop punk line-up this year! Last but not least of our Aussie trio is another favourite House VS Hurricane, who will be bringing their progressive post-hardcore back over to the UK for an explosive performance.

Following the international vibe that seeps through the Festival this year, Slam Dunk are pleased to announced that Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! will be the first ever French band to perform at the three day spectacular. Having made a brief visit over to the UK before, the quintet will be making their first major appearance this year at the Festival.

After previously announcing that ska punk heroes King Prawn are reforming to play at the Festival, Slam Dunk thought what better than to welcome along one of the band’s touring partners…. that’s right, confirmed for this year are ska punk classics [Spunge]!

Hotly tipped up and coming British outfits Blitz Kids and Gnarwolves are further additions to the Festival, with Slam Dunk extremely keen to support the British music scene with some of the hottest acts emerging from the country over the past year. Also keen to support up and coming acts from across the globe, Slam Dunk are pleased to confirm that their final addition to this magnificent announcement is The American Scene.

Saturday 25th May: Slam Dunk Festival North. Leeds University

Sunday 26th May: Slam Dunk Festival South. The Forum, Hatfield

Monday 27th May: Slam Dunk Festival Midlands. Wolverhampton Civic

New Additions: Kids In Glass Houses, Cancer Bats, Bury Tomorrow, Heights, Heart In Hand, Tonight Alive, Heroes For Hire, House VS Hurricane, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, [Spunge], Blitz Kids, Gnarwolves & The American Scene.

Previously announced: All Time Low, Deaf Havana, Four Year Strong, Sleeping With Sirens, The Skints, Pierce The Veil, The Early November, Allister, We Are The Ocean, The Wonder Years, Memphis May Fire, King Prawn, Streetlight Manifesto, Andrew McMahon, Senses Fail, Woe Is Me, The Word Alive, Polar Bear Club, Yashin, Man Overboard, The Summer Set, Transit, Mallory Knox, MC Lars, Jonny Craig, Me Vs Hero, Fireworks, The Story So Far, Handguns, Hands Like Houses, Our Last Night.

Tickets for Slam Dunk Festival are £34 or £38 including the infamous aftershow party (please note aftershow party is 18+). For details go to www.slamdunkmusic.com

For tickets to Slam Dunk Festival South on 26th May, please click on one of the links below:

Slam Dunk Festival South tickets

Slam Dunk Festival South + After Party tickets

Oh No…It’s The Wonder Stuff (Double Album Release 25/03/13. Label-IRL.)

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are delighted to announce that after seven years since the release of their last album, The Wonder Stuff have a new collection of original material ready to go!

‘Oh No... it's The Wonder Stuff’ is a double album package, CD1 is a back to Stuffies form, bouncy new crowd stomping tunes with the instantly recognisable Wonder Stuff trademark. Front man Miles Hunt says about the release;

'When I started writing the songs for this album I was aware of the fact that I had seriously learned something from The Wonder Stuff's audience while we were playing the 20th anniversary shows for 'The Eight Legged Groove Machine', 'HUP' and 'Never Loved Elvis' during the preceding couple of years. I learned what it is that a Wonder Stuff audience wants from us and consequently what it is that I want from our music also. We're at our best when it's up tempo, when we hit the chorus during the first 60 seconds of the song and when that chorus is one that we can all sing along to.'

As if that wasn’t enough, CD2 is the long awaited ‘From The Midlands With Love’ album, a collection of songs originally written and performed by Midlands artists during the past five decades now reinterpreted by The Wonder Stuff.  Artists covered include The Move, Duran Duran, Beverley Knight, Slade, The Beat UB40 and Dexy’s Midnight Runners.

By way of explanation for the cover versions, Miles offered the following. “Being a natural born son of the Midlands I sometimes can’t help but feel that, while not always but certainly often enough to grind my gears, the rich musical output of our area doesn't achieve the respect, nationally, that I feel it deserves. I have a theory that goes some way to explain why this might be; it has something to do with the self-deprecating sense of humour shared by many Midlands natives. Either way, we just thought we’d have a crack at bringing a little extra attention to some great songs.”

Throughout the past 25 years The Wonder Stuff have remained at the top of their game and perform with more passion and attitude than most bands could dream of.  Within the past few years they have headlined festivals and toured the world but in April they return to their roots and play 10 intimate club shows around the UK.  Catch them at the Forum Hertfordshire on Tuesday 16th April. Click here for tickets.

If the name Ben Montague sounds familiar, that would be because you heard his debut single ‘Haunted’ which became a major radio hit two years ago. At the time Ben didn’t have a record deal or an album to his name. Fast forward to 2012 and Ben, with a label behind him, is ready to launch his debut album ‘Tales Of Flying and Falling.’

Recorded at Rockfield with producer Dave Eringa (Manic Street Preachers, Idlewild, Kylie) ‘Tales Of Flying And Falling’ is a set of songs that make sense together; that document a relationship that was right, went wrong, then came right again. It’s an album that will make his fans fall for him all over again. “This was always my dream – to make an album with one producer, in one studio,” says Ben. “To take my time and make sure every song sounded as good as it could. Working with Dave was amazing. He’s a rock guy; I write pop songs. We bonded over old-school desks and old-school mics and a love of authentic, epic music.”

‘Tales of Flying and Falling’ was released on 2st January and was immediately made Radio 2’s Album of the Week.

Ben, who was recently the main support for The Wanted on their UK Arena Tour, will be relentlessly hitting the road this year to showcase songs from his forthcoming album. The full list of dates and more information are at www.benmontague.co.uk.

See Ben Montague at the Forum Hertfordshire on Saturday 6th April. Click here for tickets 

Slam Dunk are pleased to announce some very exciting additions to the Festival and as always there is something there for everyone!

First up, there is the announcement of probably the top upcoming rock band in the UK at the moment… Deaf Havana.  Slam Dunk Festival will see the first UK full live performance of the band in 2013 and will be one of only a handful of festival performances of the summer.

"We are really excited to get back to Slam Dunk, we kind of made a promise to not do much whilst writing and recording our new album but we always have an amazing time at Slam Dunk, and with the added Wolves show we are cannot wait.  Plus - the after show, well...bit of fun isn't it" says the band.

The band will use these shows to exclusively air new material from the album they are currently away recording.

Ska Punk will always stay close to the heart of Slam Dunk Festival and continuing a yearly theme the festival is excited to announce another special reunion. Titans of the UK scene King Prawn will be playing their first show in 10 years at Slam Dunk Festival 2013.

The band have released the following statement!  "We hope you'll join us in sharing a leisurely stroll through some of our finest material both old and older in a set jam packed with firm favourites the whole family can enjoy."  

Already boasting one of the best pop punk lineups ever assembled Slam Dunk will be taking things one step even further. Chicago Drive Thru heroes Allister will not only be coming over to play the festival but for the 10th anniversary of its UK release they will be playing their seminal album ‘Last Stop Suburbia’ in full. Expect to hear one of the biggest sing alongs of the festival to one of the best pop punk anthems ever …. ‘Somewhere On Fullerton’

Not stopping even there, Slam Dunk is proud to see the return of US pop punk band Transit and probably the biggest true pop punk band in the UK…. Me Vs Hero.

Now for some a little heavier… Scottish pop metallers Yashin who announced last week they would be playing the new Irish Slam Dunk last week, can now confirm they will be joining the bill for the main 3 festivals.

After being one of the hottest new bands of last year, The Word Alive will be tearing things up for the second year in a row but this time will be bringing Epitaph’s Our Last Night with them.

And finally after last playing Slam Dunk Festival with Dance Gavin Dance, the always controversial but one of the best voices in rock Jonny Craig will no doubt bring an army of loyal fans to hear songs from his previous bands and new solo material.

For tickets to Slam Dunk Festival South on 26th May, please click on one of the links below:

Slam Dunk Festival South tickets

Slam Dunk Festival South + After Party tickets

Janet Devlin's performance at the Forum Hertfordshire on Wednesday 3rd April has been pushed back to September due to album commitments. We will make an announcement regarding the rescheduled date in due course.

All tickets purchased will be valid for the rescheduled date. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

After a jaw-dropping initial announcement, Slam Dunk Festival reveal their second set of bands, shaping this year’s line up into one that’s difficult to compete with.

Kicking off this new announcement, Slam Dunk is thrilled to announce that the hottest band in rock, Sleeping With Sirens, are including the festival as part of their first ever UK headline tour. Rock Sound have recently claimed that 2013 will belong to SWS, and with their tour dates selling out rapidly and subsequently being upgraded across the country, this band will definitely be ones to watch at SDF13. Adding another member of the Rise Records family, Slam Dunk also proudly welcomes metalcore outfit Memphis May Fire over to the UK. After recent success on tour with Of Mice & Men and huge acclaim for new album ‘Challenger’, MMF have been on the lips of metalcore fans everywhere ever since.

Slam Dunk are delighted to have New Jersey favourites Man Overboard play at the festival this year, having made a huge mark on the pop punk scene in the past two years with their extensive touring across the UK and relentless work ethic. Another exceptional announcement for the festival is Andrew McMahon (Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin), who heads over to the UK for his first solo tour. Hailed as a hero in the scene for his emotive and heartfelt song writing, fans will be lucky enough to hear material from both of his band’s catalogues.   

Not shy to the festival and revisiting after his exceptional performances in the past, Slam Dunk Festival favourite MC Lars returns for his third year to drop his unique brand of punk inspired, self-styled ‘laptop-rap’ over the course of the weekend. Pop rockers The Summer Set return to the UK for the festival after successful support slots with Mayday Parade and We Are The In Crowd, along with supporting SDF13 headliner’s All Time Low next month on their UK tour. Slam Dunk are also pleased to announce that Mallory Knox will play at this year’s festival, another band who are set for a big year, having now been included on BBC Radio 1 playlists and the release of their debut full-length ‘Signals’ imminent.

For tickets to Slam Dunk Festival South on 26th May, please click on one of the links below:

Slam Dunk Festival South tickets

Slam Dunk Festival South + after party tickets

Here is some important information regarding the JLS DJ Set and Meet & Greet on the 22nd December.

The schedule for the night is as follows:

• Doors: 6pm
• Resident DJ: 6pm-8pm
• JLS DJ Set: 8pm-9pm
• Resident DJ: 9pm-10pm
• JLS Meet & Greet: 9pm-10pm

Any ticketholders under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult.

Any over 18’s wishing to purchase alcohol must hold a valid photo ID (Passport/Driving License or UH ID Card).

As doors will be opening at 6pm, we would strongly recommend that you don’t arrive too early as the temperature will more than likely be below freezing.  The Forum Hertfordshire accepts no responsibility for the welfare of any persons queuing outside the venue earlier than 5pm, and accepts no responsibility for any guests possessions.

Meet & Greet

You will be told on the day, after JLS have finished their DJ set, where the meet and greet will take place and directed accordingly.  Safety is our number one priority and as such we ask that there is no running, pushing or aggressive behaviour throughout the evening.

As stated on tickets and promotional material – There is NO GUARANTEE that all ticket holders will get to meet JLS.  The venue and artists will endeavour to meet as many ticket holders as possible within the allocated time (60 minutes).

In order for this to happen, there will be no signings and no photographs to be taken on any personal cameras or mobile devices.  The Forum Hertfordshire will be providing a professional photographer to take photos of each group with JLS which will later be posted on Facebook (facebook.com/forumhertfordshire) for all to see and download.

We hope you have a great night!