Hope & Social Take Blue Jackets On Tour
The latest tour is set to hit Leeds this weekend, but the road to Brudenell has been far from smooth. Rachel Auty has been following the band’s antics on Twitter, and managed to catch up with frontman Simon Wainwright…
So the Hope and Social boys have been doing a fair bit of firefighting of late. Not literally you understand, but the analogy is particularly fitting here. For these hardworking, ever-busy fellas, what’s another UK tour and a few more ‘worst case scenarios’ between friends?
Yep the band is touring again following on from a relentless festival stint this summer. To date this tour has brought with it challenges that – if you know Hope & Social and their reputation for energy-filled mayhem – may even seem part of the act. On their Twitter page they declare “Today is classic Hope and Social.” I can practically see the eye roll and hear the groan that comes with this tweet.
So it’s all part of the fun? Maybe not.
First up, London and the challenge of being desperate for a wee whilst stuck in London traffic – “Seriously, I may sell tickets for this wee… #van #londontraffic #helpme” – @edhombre via Twitter.
Oh and then a having an unfit-for-gig poorly-sick piano upon arrival.
The icing on the cake? Accommodation so basic, it can’t even be described as ‘budget’. Oh and a lost key.
“15 years, 2000 gigs and we’re staying in a group dorm big enough for a single child. And we’ve lost the key under the bunk. #tasteofsuccess” – Via @hopeandsocial on twitter.
Ok so that’s gig #1.
Gig #2 in Brighton and the band van breaks down. A pain in the bum but these things happen, and so onto gig #3 in Manchester. Where the band come to realise that there is a new challenge to face:
“Van engine in pieces, with van, jackets and many instruments locked inside the garage. It’s skins today.” – Via @hopeandsocial on twitter
So, no trademark blue jackets for the Manchester audience @ Unconvention. Despite all this the performances are still brilliant and crowd-rousing, and the show *must* go on, especially as Hope & Social are set to hit Brudenell Social Club in Leeds this weekend.
I managed to catch up with Simon Wainwright for a brief insight from ‘behind the scenes’:
So, what’s the October tour all about?
“Well first and foremost it’s about playing music rather than doing admin! But I guess we’re focusing on our recent All Our Dancing Days album one more time, breathing some life into the tracks live. The album definitely has a sense of nostalgia about it and the title track is about reliving your disco days and shaking your stuff…so we’re asking fans to tell us their favourite song to dance to and we’re trying to drop some snippets into the set. See if we can get some 45 year olds sliding across the dance floor on their knees!”
I’ve been hearing the various anecdotes via Twitter, but what’s the most memorable moment of the tour so far for you?
“Oh it’s been the usual H&S stuff…broken gear, illness, tardiness, excess…all the standard fun! We got to do a nice long 2 hour set in London which was great.”
Hope & Social gigs are never dull! What’s in store for the Brudenell audience in Leeds this weekend?
“Aside from the usual nonsense we’ll be delivering something a little special to the room and throwing caution to the wind. Justin Timberlake better watch out because we’re after his mantle!”
You’ve got such a big following now. What happens after this tour for H&S?
“Barocca, repair and remedy. We’ve got loads of plans for the next 12 months…lots of ludicrous hopes which all depend on funding and if we can find a lion. A real one. But first off we’re doing the wonderful Bring the Happy show in Leeds for Christmas. It’s such a wonderful, positive and important project and it’s great to bring it back to Leeds. Oh, and another Crypt Cover with our hero Merz. I’m a bit nervous about that one!”
This weekend’s performance in Leeds will be the ‘home crowd’ gig. Not only a gig; an event. Not only an event, but they are making a day of it and filming a music video whilst they’re at it. Of course they are. It’s an extra dollop of Hope & Social-style pandemonium for good measure; a bit like sprinkling popping candy into a pint of Red Bull. And downing it in one.
True to form the band want their fans to be the stars of the show, and the plan is they will be taught a dance routine, eat bring-your-own cake, and then shoot.
Tickets are still available here: https://ourdancingday.eventbrite.co.uk/
And as that chunk of chaos ends and darkness falls, it’s fingers crossed for an all-goes-to-plan evening show. With their latest album titled ‘All Our Dancing Days’ this tour is all about ‘your very own dancing days’. As usual Hope & Social want to involve their audience in their doings, and as Simon mentioned the band is inviting fans to tell them the song that that makes them get up and dance, ‘every time, without fail.’ [“Y’know the one. The arms go aloft, the British reserve is tossed aside and you propel yourself into the ocean of groove. The song that transports you to the sweat-dripping indie night, the party to end all parties, that one you always did *The Robot* to.”]
Fans should tell them their song and which show(s) they’ll be at by leaving a comment on the blog: www.hopeandsocial.com/2013/09/19/all-your-dancing-days, on the relevant Facebook event(s): www.facebook.com/hopeandsocial/events, or by using the #allmydancingdays hashtag on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hopeandsocial. If they do they might just get to hear them belt out a few bars of their favourite tracks.
So, as 2013 gallops away with itself this could be the last chance this year to catch this band doing what they do best – taking their blue jackets to the stage [hopefully!] and spreading the feel-good factor like no other band can.
What could possibly go wrong?
