Little Noise
News
Lily Allen Cancellation / 18.12.2009
Lily Allen is sad to announce that she will not be able to participate in Mencap's Big Noise Session this weekend. Lily has been diagnosed with a severe recurrent throat infection which has also led her to cancel two television shows this week. She deeply regrets having to cancel her appearance this weekend and hopes that fans will enjoy the rest of the amazing bill on the show and lend their support to the incredible work done by the learning disability charity, Mencap.
However, should anyone require a refund on their ticket due to Lily's withdrawal, refunds can be obtained by calling HMV ticket customer services on 0844 209 0332.
Coldplay ticket auction / 11.12.2009
Last chance to get tickets! Bid for a ticket via hmv's auction site. The auction kicks off at 2pm today and will end 12pm Friday 18 December. GO TO THE AUCTION WEBSITE
Thank you to all of you who subscribed to our backstage area / 09.12.2009
Presale tickets for Big Noise Sessions are now sold out, however if you were not successful in the presale, please come back to this website again from 9.30am on Friday 11 December when further tickets will be released. You do not need to subscribe for these tickets - just go to the 'Get tickets' section of this website and follow the links.
All of the money raised through the subscription fee will go to Mencap to help support people with a learning disability and their families and carers. FIND OUT HOW TO GET TICKETS
COLDPLAY, LILY ALLEN AND LA ROUX SET TO MAKE A BIG NOISE FOR MENCAP - 19TH DECEMBER, EXETER CASTLE
02.12.2009
Coldplay, Lily Allen and La Roux are set to descend upon Exeter Castle on 19th December for a new, very special event, Mencap's Big Noise Session. The night will mark a festive homecoming for Exeter born-and-bred Chris Martin and a spectacular treat for just 500 lucky fans, with all proceeds going to learning disability charity Mencap.
Tickets for this once in a lifetime gig are sure to sell out quickly so will be available from 8th December, subject to subscription, at www.littlenoisesessions.org.uk costing £50. Those living in Exeter will have an additional chance to buy tickets as a limited number will go on sale at HMV, 191 High Street, Exeter on 10th December before going on general release the next day.
The stunning Exeter Castle will serve as a backdrop for this unique event, which will be staged inside a marquee transformed into a Christmas winter wonderland. It will be in this festive, intimate setting that La Roux, Lily Allen and the mighty Coldplay will perform unique, stripped back sets ensuring the audience is in for an incredible treat as the decade draws to a close.
This spectacular Christmas present comes hot on the heels of last month's hugely successful Mencap’s Little Noise Sessions which, over 8 nights, saw artists including Editors, Alexandra Burke, Mika, Richard Hawley, Arctic Monkeys, Lostprophets, David Gray, Florence + the Machine and Newton Faulkner perform acoustic sets to a delighted crowd at Islington's Union Chapel. Now in their 4th year, the Little Noise Sessions are curated and hosted by the legendary DJ and Mencap ambassador Jo Whiley who, along with Coldplay's Chris Martin, has been the driving force behind this brand new event, Mencap’s Big Noise Session.
Tickets for Mencap’s Big Noise Session will go on pre-sale via www.littlenoisesessions.org.uk
Jo Whiley says “This gig has all the right ingredients... a beautiful location, Christmas spirit, one of the best bands in the world and special friends all in an intimate setting. Add mulled wine, mistletoe, candles and carols and this will be the ultimate winter warmer. I couldn't be more thrilled that Coldplay, Lily and La Roux want to make a big festive Noise for Mencap”.
Chris Martin says "I don't think there could be a better way to end the decade... La Roux, Lily Allen, Jo Whiley - what more can you ask for? We're proud to support Mencap and, for me, it's exciting to play my hometown. We haven't played there since 2000. It's going to be really, really special”.
Coldplay formed in 1998, and in less than a decade have become one of the world’s biggest bands with over 40 million record sales and an army of fans across the globe. Fronted by the enigmatic Chris Martin, the band have notched up a raft of hits including Yellow, Clocks, The Scientist, Fix You, Speed Of Sound, Violet Hill and Viva La Vida.
Lily Allen, at 23, is Britain's most consistently engaging pop star, as well as one of the most successful. Contrary, contradictory and compelling, Allen’s songwriting is honest and witty; her unique brand of music is always relevant. This month Q Magazine named the singer one of the 'Artists Of The Century’ highlighting those who have made an impact on the music industry over the last decade. Lily Allen has certainly done that!
Electropop band La Roux is made of up of singer Eleanor Jackson and synth player, co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Influenced by 1980’s synthpop, the duo burst on to the scene this year enjoying massive success with hits including In For The Kill, Bulletproof and Quicksand taken from their self titled debut album.
There are over 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK and they are some of the most excluded and disadvantaged people in society. Mencap works to change laws and services, challenge prejudice and directly support thousands of people to live their lives as they choose. FIND OUT HOW TO GET TICKETS
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