26 | March 20, 2014 | cambridge-news.co.uk | Cambridge News The critical list: more hot tickets Follow us on Twitter @CamWhatsOn How would you describe what you guys do? We like to think of ourselves as taking the New Orleans brass band aesthetic and filtering it through our British musical tastes, which are pretty diverse; hopefully sounding like a 21st century colliery band at a rave. At times we’re quite punky and free, sometimes we go for that tight hip-hop sound, but other times we try to have the warmth and depth of much more traditional brass music. While our main aim is to get people partying, we don’t just set off on one groove and sit on that all night, we like to mix it up, blending some seriously booty-shaking originals with what I think are often quite surprising cover choices. Do you feel you owe a lot to traditional British brass bands? Increasingly so, actually. Some of us have backgrounds playing in that kind of band, and there’s something really visceral and timeless about a lot of bits of twisted plumbing making a beautiful racket. Is touring just like one big party? Does the fun ever get out of hand? Yes and no really. It’s certainly not all glamorous; the band room is as often a broom cupboard or corridor as it is a plush room full of premium booze. But yeah, there are worse ways of earning a living. One highlight was gigging for the opening of a great new club in Hamburg. We were looked after almost too well, with an apparently self-refilling fridge and an endless supply of fancy drinks from the bar. For some reason we spent about three hours singing happy birthday to everyone who came into the green room. It was one of those things that started out as pretty funny, then rapidly moved to being annoying (even for us), but then 1.5 hours in broke back through into being really funny. Oddly we’ve not yet been invited back . . . What do you think DJ Huey Morgan (of BBC Radio 6/Fun Lovin’ Criminals) will add to your Cambridge gig? Huey’s been a great supporter of ours, to the extent that when we’ve been on his show it’s almost awkward as he’s singing our praises perhaps too much! He’s got really good taste (well, we would say that), and he’ll be pumping out some great tracks and getting the crowd nicely hyped for our set. What’s been your favourite collaboration to date? The moment Amy Winehouse joined us on stage was crazy. It was in the early days of the band while we were still finding our feet, but she was into the band and came down to check out a gig at the Jazz Cafe. I don’t think it was her, or our, best performance ever, but given what happened, it was particularly special. In an ideal world, who would you really love to collaborate with? Sufjan Stevens. His incredible magpie approach to musical genres and fusing catchy pop melodies with complex musical language, never mind his mind-blowing and uplifting live shows, are a true inspiration and it’d be a dream come true to work with him. Do you have a career highlight? We’ve done some pretty interesting shows over the years including, of course, playing a 45-minute set at the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. But to be honest, although that was a pretty unique gig, our favourite gigs are always those where we really engage with the audience. On that score, I think it would have to be playing to a large packed-out venue in Kosovo. They don’t get many bands touring, and there was an IF you fancy a rowdy night of heavy metal shot through with hilarity and 80s posturing, Steel Panther are definitely for you. The cultish LA musicians quite possibly have the best names ever: there’s Michael Starr on vocals, Satchel on guitar, bassist Lexxi Foxx and drummer Stix Zadinia, and together they parody the loudest, brashest hair metal from the era that brought you Cher in fishnets. Awesome, no? They are visiting Cambridge Corn Exchange with their Spreading The Disease (S.T.D.) tour (lovely), promoting new album All You Can Eat, which is out on April 1. First forming on the sunset strip in the early noughties, the four-piece changed their name from Metal Skool to Steel Panther in 2008, and, while they might look like a bit of a joke, their last album, 2011’s Balls Out, was actually critically acclaimed and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Comedy Chart – so, there. Aerosmith’s haggard Steve Tyler has even gotten up on stage with them, as has Paul Stanley of Kiss, Corey Taylor of Slipknot, Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, Chester Bennington of Linkin Park and Green Day. Their lyrics are packed with non- family friendly swears and silliness, topped off with leather trousers and animal print bandannas. Sadly the gig has already sold out, but here’s hoping more tickets get released. On the night they’ll be joined by underground indie rockers, The Cringe. B EST known for presenting Family Fortunes, Les Dennis gets a touch more murderous in this adaptation of crime novelist Peter James’s story. Former scriptwriter James has merrily sold more than 15 million books (in 36 languages no less), including the Inspector Roy Grace series. But this is the first time his characters have been hewn into theatre-style shape. Courtesy of award-winning writer Shaun McKenna, and directed by Olivier winner Ian Talbot, The Perfect Murder sees Victor Smiley (Dennis) and his wife Joan (Claire Goose, her off Waking the Dead and Casualty), wrangling their way through a Forming in East London in 2008, the Hackney Colliery Band is a nine-man team of brass players, with a knack for off-the-wall covers, ruffling the feathers of traditional jazz and starting a full-on party wherever they go. ELLA WALKER found out more from trumpet and melodica player Steve Pretty. ᔡ Steel Panther plus The Cringe, Cambridge Corn Exchange, Saturday, March 22, at 7.30pm. SOLD OUT. Music Theatre The Perfect Hackney Colliery & Huey Morgan Steel Panther Music ᔡ Hackney Colliery Band & Huey Morgan, The Guildhall, Cambridge, Saturday, March 22, at 7.30pm. Tickets £12.50 from (01223) 357851 or cornex. co.uk. ᔡ The Perfect Murder, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Monday, March 24 – Saturday, March 29 at 7.45pm. Tickets £15-£30 from (01223)