Little Noise
News
Our Friends Acoustic USB wristband / 26.05.2010
Get your limited edition Best of Our Friends Acoustic 2010 USB wristband for just £15.
Content includes: live audio tracks from the show, exclusive artist images, biographies and links and information about Mencap.
Order at www.ourfriendsacousticstore.com
Our Friends Acoustic gallery update / 20.05.2010
See all the action from Our Friends Acoustic.
NEW GALLERY IMAGES UPDATED
CELEBRATING THE EIGHTIES UNPLUGGED / 17.03.2010
Tickets go on sale today for Our friends acoustic - a one-night only celebration organised by learning disability charity Mencap. Music heroes from the best of Britain’s golden age of pop and rock are coming together to host the mother of all reunions at London’s indigO2 at The O2 on 13 May 2010.
Forget the shoulder-padded sequin jackets and over-crimped, over-sprayed hair – just grab your party shoes and get your tickets to one of the biggest shindigs this year. Join your favourite artists - from Nik Kershaw to Andy Bell to Jimmy Somerville - as they rework some of their biggest hits acoustically. This is the sound of the 80s, stripped back and pure fun; a once in a lifetime chance to spend time with the singers and the songs that have played such an integral part in creating the soundtrack of our lives.
Our friends acoustic is brought to you by Mencap’s special events team, who bring you Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions. All proceeds raised form Our friends acoustic will help Mencap support the 1.5 million people with a learning disability, their families and carers. You know you’ve to get your ticket today.
Nik Kershaw said: “Our friends acoustic promises to be an exiting reunion with friends and fans. And we'll be helping raise money for Mencap, which we all know is a great cause. It's a one-off concert so everyone who loves music should get their ticket before they sell out.”
Tickets are priced at £25 and £50 VIP (concessions available) and are available from Ticketmaster. For more information about Our friends acoustic, please visit the website www.mencap.org.uk.
Previous acts
from previous years
Over the last three years we’ve been lucky enough to enjoy the support of some of the biggest bands and artists around. Here’s a trip down Little Noise memory lane, so you can see first-hand just how special the sessions are.
Saturday 8 November 2008
Glasvegas, White Lies, Cage the Elephant, with special guests The Killers
Sunday 9 November 2008
Razorlight, Florence and the Machine, Esser, Skint & Demoralised
Monday 10 November 2008
Stereophonics, Seasick Steve, Duke Special, General Fiasco
Tuesday 11 November 2008
Adele, special guest Damien Rice, Angus & Julia Stone
Wednesday 12 November 2008
Biffy Clyro, Friendly Fires, Frank Turner
Thursday 13 November 2008
James Morrison, Katy Perry, Sam Beeton, Dan Black
Friday 14 November 2008
Kasabian, Reverend and the Makers, The Hours
Saturday 15 November 2008
Keane, The Script, Bryn Christopher, Red Light Company, Absent Elk
Tuesday 18 November 2008
The Fratellis, Noah and the Whale, Ladyhawke, Sergeant
Tuesday 20 November 2007
Jack Penate, The Young Knives, Laura Marling, Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong
Wednesday 21 November 2007
Athlete, The Hoosiers, Palladium, Cass Lowe
Thursday 22 November 2007
Will Young, Newton Faulkner, Adele, David Jordan
Friday 23 November 2007
Biffy Clyro, We Are Scientists, The Courteeners, plus special guests U2
Saturday 24 November 2007
The Kooks, The Pigeon Detectives, The Metros, One Night Only
Sunday 25 November 2007
Snow Patrol, Declan O’Rourke, Cajun Dance Party, plus special guest Roisin Murphy
Monday 26 November 2007
Kate Nash, Robyn, The Ting Tings, special guests Billy Bragg and Razorlight
Tuesday 27 November 2007
The Enemy, The Wombats, Noah and the Whale
Wednesday 28 November 2007
Keane, Rilo Kiley, Duffy and special guests The Feeling
Sunday 19 November 2006
KT Tunstall, Congo Faith Healers, Ed Harcourt
Monday 20 November 2006
The Kooks, Plan B, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly,
Tuesday 21 November 2006
Paolo Nutini, M.Craft, The Pipettes, Mr Hudson
Wednesday 22 November 2006
The Guillemots, Mystery Jets, Jamie-T
Thursday 23 November 2006
The Fratellis, The View, Mohair, The Hours
Friday 24 November 2006
Amy Winehouse, Mika, Bat for Lashes
Sunday 26 November 2006
Noel Gallagher, Kasabian, Shack
Monday 27 November 2006
James Morrison, The Automatic, Lily Allen, Newton Faulkner, Chris Martin
What the
press said
“It was another great night at one of the live music highlights of the year. They (Kasabian) blew the roof off.”
- The Sun, 17 Nov 2008
“An intimate venue heaving with fans delighted to have secured tickets and a big band at ease with both themselves and recasting their music in a different setting usually means nothing can go wrong. It didn’t.”
- Evening Standard, 17 Nov 2008
“Hallelujah for all things peculiar! For Heston Blumenthal’s snail porridge, comedian Noel Fielding’s garrulous moon and for chart toppers playing cosy, acoustic, Christmas-time gigs to 600 listeners in church. Since 2006, Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions have caused joyful hullabaloos, mostly because raucous rockers (coaxed from stadiums by curator DJ Jo Whiley) playing soothing, stripped down concerts is so dashed incongruous. This year’s superb ten-day season has included Glasvegas, Biffy Clyro, Kasabian and The Killers, all more familiar with crowds throwing shapes and lager rather than polite, pew-originated applause.”
- London Lite, 17 Nov 2008
“The great thing about these gigs is they take bands out of their comfort zone and force them to present a rawer, purer sound. It certainly felt like those in the crowd were witnessing something very special indeed.”
- The Independent, 11 November 2008
“The gigs are one of the highlights of the live music calendar.”
- The Sun, 11 Nov 2008
“Rapidly becoming some of the most sought-after tickets in London, The Little Noise Sessions stage their annual feast of fabulous music this month… Both this year’s line-up and the plans for the proceeds are impressive.”
- Clash Magazine, 10 Nov 2008
“An annual series of charity gigs where even the seating is stripped down to basics. Sometimes simplicity is the best policy…”
- Evening Standard
“Line-ups like this cement this series as a highlight of London’s music calendar.”
- London Lite
What the
bands said
“We’ve got something really special planned – it won’t be the usual sort of lager-on-stage-going-mad thing but its going to be the most beautiful song you’ve ever seen The Enemy perform.”
- Tom Clarke, The Enemy
“We were kindly asked by Jo Whiley to come and play at her now kind of legendary series of shows for Mencap and we’re delighted to be asked. It’s such a beautiful setting. You know anything we could do to help Mencap in any way is incredible and to be a part of such a great occasion is [incredible].”
- Simon, Biffy Clyro
“I think this is a great, great charity and my mum used to do the same kind of thing so I appreciate other people trying to help people out. And it’s a lovely venue as well, so it’s amazing. I’d love to play here again.”
- Adele
“I couldn’t make the gigs last year and I really wanted to do something for Mencap so that’s the reason I’m here tonight. And I hope we raise loads of money.”
- Will Young
“We've done acoustic shows a couple of times before and none of them have ever been that good, but it was great to play a show like this with a bit of spontaneity and have a proper drum kit. I really enjoyed it. It was good – it was cool. We never really knew it was gonna be acoustic in that sort of vibe and nobody knew it was gonna be in a church. I was swearing a bit at the beginning of some of the tunes and didn't realise I was in a church and then I changed some of the lyrics to double-Dutch so I could make myself feel better ha ha.”
- Kyle, The View
“It was great to play Little Noise Sessions and a totally different atmosphere than what we're used to, because we were able to sing songs and not get caught up in the excitement of a gig when people are cuddling each other. Normally we play quicker and sing the songs a bit less and shout them a bit more. Tonight playing in a chapel was bizarre but it was ******* good fun. We got off the train at 4pm and sound-checked and we didn't even know what we were gonna do – so it was very spontaneous. But if we can do something for a good cause then, Jesus, we're not gonna say no.”
- Jon, The Fratellis
“It's really nice to play such a nice venue. We usually play grubby venues in Stoke on Trent.”
- Sam, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
“Just because you're in a church, doesn't mean you can't dance... feel free to boogie.”
- Blaine, Mystery Jets
“When I was younger I went to catholic school. I was always told to keep the noise down. Now we're here (The Union Chapel) and we're making the noise!”
- Luke, The Kooks