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2008
[April]
'Lazy, disaffected, absolute failure to update news' shocker rumbles on...
After another period of news blackouts, injunctions, D-notices and such, it's now 2008 and hey, curious people were starting to wonder what the hell was going on. "We'll try and keep this up from now on" said a rejuvenated Matt. "As I promised in 2007, this won't happen again..."
"In the short space of time since we last updated the world there's been a bit of water under the bridge. Firstly we parted company with Ian late last year, and have been trying to get another drummer since. I won't go into details of this as i'm not sure we have the webspace for me to say precisely what I think about the whole drummer recruitng process, but as any band who has ever gone through such a transition knows it's a total pain in the arse: there are approximately 10 billion singers, 30 billion guitarists, 5 billion bassists and of course as many bands, but when it comes to drummers there appear to be about 15, and 10 if you only include the good ones. Thankfully this has now been resolved with Mick Levick stepping back into the fold."
"Rest assured people, gigs will now be forthcoming!"
2007
[August]
Band in 'lazy, disaffected, absolute failure to update news' shocker
The band are painfully aware it's nearly a year since this page was written on, and for that we apologise. We'll try and get our archive up to date soon and transfer all those valuable, if fictitious, newspaper clippings and such to the column inches of this page as soon as we can. In the meantime might we suggest that for those with time to kill (especially those working in call centres), why not take a wry trip down memory lane and reminisce upon those former glories...
Matt
2006
[September]
Keeping It In The Family
Accompanying the launch of 'Life Class', a poetry anthology written by Michael Yates, the band played several short acoustic sets in the back room at Henry Boons on September 26th, in between readings. The event was attended by local writers, poets, bohemians and also a representative of 'Henry Boons acoustic' a new night set up via myspace which will run once a month at the pub. "It's been a productive night," said Dan during a quiet moment "We've played to an intimate and appreciative audience, and also maybe landed ourselves some acoustic gigs into the bargain. It's all about networking."
The band are also in talks with the Black Horse Poets to perform at their annual awards ceremony in November.
[August]
Libero now on Myspace
Band now officially has friends
You can now visit the following Myspace link as well as this site to listen to new tracks and find out what the band are up to. As Matt filled us in "anyone who is anyone, and also lots of people who aren't anyone, they're all on mypsace these days. We're hoping it'll help us reach new audiences who otherwise would be unaware of what they're missing out on. It's a sort of public service broadcasting, only with a view of gaining recognition and possible financial gain in the future."
[June]
DVD Edges 'Perilously Close' To Release Date
The cuts have finally been made in the editing suite and the DVD itself, if not the packaging, is now ready. "As with finding places to gig and recording the album, this has been a struggle but we're pleased to be in this position. Fans will be pleased to know The alert level has been changed from "don't hold your breath" to "get ready to start holding your breath quite soon".
[May]
Rocky Around The Jockey!
Patricia Hewitt Steers Clear of gig following consultation with politcal advisors...
Libero turned on the style for another marathon two hour gig last Friday delivering their unique combintaion of alternative rock to a large consortium of teachers, poets, pillars of the community, and a hen night. Back from some time in the gigging wilderness, the band were eager to prove they had lost none their zeal and brilliance in the face of a live audience.
It was a familiar format for the audience, with the band playing acousticy numbers in the first half, before stepping up the tempo and volume for the second. in spite of this the band were unable to compete wth the DJ's choices of punk and metal played during the intervals. "We can be heavy, but not that heavy," conceded Dan, "but as with any performance, you worry about what you're doing, and not about anyone else."
[April]
Jockey Gig Announced
After a somewhat long and drawn out process, Libero are "delighted and amazed" to have finally found a venue with "the guts, the glory, and crucially the availability" to stage their forthcoming gig. Wakefield's newly instated premier live venue The Jockey will play hosts to the band on the 26th of May 2006. "We're ready, willing and more than able" said Ian in a public address to the masses yesterday. To the spontaneous, rapturous applause, he added "There wil be no charge on the door, and the the venue serves a fine selection of beers, wines and spirits to accompany the feast in aural pleasure". The meaning of this was then clarified with the masses, in the interests of 'Health & Safety'.
Walcott 'not signed up'
The Band have moved to distance themselves from rumours that Arsenal £12m prodigy Theo Walcott will be in the band for the forthcoming Jockey gig. The as yet untried youngster was touted as being the suprise package at the gig after Arsene Wenger endorsed his guitar skills to band manager Nick Matthews, citing his excellent performances in recent rehearsals.
"So, zey tel me you play footbol as well as ze gitarre, yez?" - Arsene quizzes his new signing
Album Scandal Continues To Dog Band...
Matt has also spoken out to make clear the situation on the recorded album tracks fiasco. After it had previously thought that all tracks that were incorrect had been 'deleted and completely removed' in accordance with government guidelines it emerged that certain tracks had merely been 'stored' in error, and it has been suggested that up to and possibly over a thousand invalid takes we're 'lost' somewhere within the Roland VS1880 recording system, allowing them to 'remain unchecked' within the recording process, and that this had been known since the beginning of the recording process in February 2005. A tabloid frenzy ensued with front page headlines emerging such as "So how many out-take tracks are loose, Mr Yates?", "Kick bogus tracks out NOW!!!" "Incorrect bass track 'Given Council House' fiasco", culminating in Matt offering his resignation to the band, then doing a complete U-turn, reassuring the public as that as he had made this cock-up in the first place he was "ideally positioned to resolve the situation".
[February]
Guns n' Liberoses!
Guns n' Roses drummer has libero CD!!
The dust had barely settled at the 'Snooty' since Libero's legendary October gig, but guitarist Dan Yates was back at the venue, this tine on the other side of the crash barrier as part of the audience to see original 'Gunner' Stephen Adler and his new band 'Adler's Appetite'. Adler plays on the first two Guns n' Roses albums, including the classic 'Appetite for destruction' which spawned the hit singles Welcome to the Jungle, Paradise City and Sweet Child o' Mine.
"Not a bad crowd you get here!" - Dan backstage shares a moment with Steven
His new band seemed to be at the venue primarily to record a DVD but luckily Dan managed to meet Stephen after the show and give him a Libero CD. Dan says 'Stephen was great and really down to earth considering he was once part of the greatest Rock band ever. It also great that someone who has sold 40 million plus albums now has a Libero CD in his collection.'
In other
news, the ongoing slog to get the full album and dvd completed has been stepped
up in order to "avoid one of those Def Leppard situations", but no
formal release dates have been announced. Watch this space...
2005
[November]
Horse-Play at Boons
With scant regard as to whether the headlines being written were getting progressively worse, Libero provided musical accompaniment to an awards night put on by the Black Horse Poets at Henry Boons, attended by none other than current Mayor of Wakefield, David Hopkins, and former local MP Walter Harrison. However it emerged early on that the subject of politics was to be avoided, which in turn helped avoid any friction between Dan and Matt. "It's an easy night for us to play and enjoy, it's good to get creative people together for the sake of their art..." said Dan, casually inserting the band's fee in his shirt pocket.
First Glimpse of DVD "Amazing"
It's been all smiles in the Libero camp recently as they were for the first time given an accurate perspective on how they look and sound whilst performing. "Up until now we've only seen ouselves through confused photo stills, video images that are at best grainy and often look like they've been filmed either during a power cut or nuclear fallout, and audio so distorted you can't even make out Matt's falsettos." said Tracey. "Obviously, the greatest tragedy about being in a band as good as this is that we can never get to see and hear ourselves play live - so having the DVD to watch is something of a bonus."
[October]
Libero Storm Snooty!
- Only casualty reported is guitar string...
Billed as the 'gig of the year' by its promoters, the band had much to deliver when they went on stage at The Snooty Fox on the 10th October to an expectant and exuberant crowd. Opening with little known song 'The Way We Know', the band proceeded to play two hour long sets, constantly building up a crescendo to the finale of 'Short Termer'. "It's been a great gig" said Matt. "The fans have come out in force and I hope we've given them a night to remember. The two sets were quite knackering to play, let alone sing, but I think it worked and it gave us the platform we needed to demonstrate our versatility, to show the punters what we can do, that we're as much about ballsy rock as ballads - like a teddy bear with an upside down cross burnt into his forehead, if you will. We've also filmed the show so it was important for us to play well, but also for the crowd to play their part, which they did fantastically. Hopefully once we've got the concert packaged, released and competitively priced, people will be able to look back at themselves in the comfort of their living rooms and pick out their voices or spot themselves amongst the crowd".
A DVD release of the gig is anticipated in the shop in the New Year
[August]
Trailer Bash!
High And Dry... The Band 'onstage' - note the bottle of water by Matt's feet, in stark contrast to the traditional two or three pints...
Fresh from their gig at Emley, the band performed a half hour set at The Black Labrador In Hanging Heaton. The annual fundraiser for Kirkwood Hospice, run by the affable former landlord John, showcased local talent in a "Battle Of The Bands" competition, held in the back of a truck. Holding back from their more edgy rock style, the band went for the more acoustic option, playing We're Still Young, Valentine, Lover's Song, Amber Lane plus two crowd pleasing covers, the Stones' The Last Time, and Radiohead's High & Dry.
Friends, family and locals dug deep into their pockets to support the band (oh, and of course the charity...) resulting in a top three placing for the band, buoyed all the more by the assertive tin rattling skills of Gwen and Helen (pictured below), who approached anyone with in a 50 yard radius of the pub, apparently making them "an offer they couldn't refuse...". Totals were counted up which saw the band having raised £103 and fifty new pence for the appeal.
Gwen and Helen, the self styled charity bailiffs...
Sunny weather, a bank holiday, a shedload of beer, a crowd looking to party, and a truckload of bands made this event one to remember for all concerned.
Smokin' At Emley
For the third consecutive year the band played the annual barbecue and booze up at the newly christened Arqiva Tower along with other Emley stalwarts, Tequila Sheila. Playing for around an hour and a half to an audience of around two-hundred gave the band the opportunity to experiment with some covers in addition to their normal repertoire. "It's always a pleasure to perform here, the sound is always exceptional..." said Ian, pausing to digest a piping hot beefburger and an ice cold beer. "Better still it's only a stone's throw from my house so it has the advantages of accessibility too."
Opening with Valentine, the band then took the audience through their own material interspersed with covers, including U2's 'One', Radiohead's 'High & Dry' , before wrapping up with Heartbreaker, Afire, Short-Termer, and finally another Radiohead number, 'Street Spirit', as the sunlight poured through the smattering of clouds onto the Emley green...
Check out the Rogues Gallery to see some photos of the event....
Home Bass
Recording of the bass parts for the forthcoming and as yet untitled album has commenced. Several sessions at Forest Studios have so far resulted in the completion of the majority of tracks, with Tracey strumming and Matt recording. After several initially experimental attempts at generating a warm solid sound, there came the Churchillian cry of "give us the tools and we will finish the job", resulting in several trips to Sound Control and a brief visit to Stewart Parker of Commissar Records to collect a decent effects box. From this moment on the words "compression" and "gate" would never be used frivolously in the studio again...
[July]
New Libero, New Bretton
A packed tap room at the Village Hall in West Bretton, Yorkshire, bore witness on Friday to a blistering set as Libero unleashed what is being described in some circles as "a torrent of of aural brilliance". Opening the set with we're still young, the band quickly and ably demonstrated their ability to tailor their set to the acoustics of the venue. The band played using acoustics and tom-toms, reminiscent of many an MTV unplugged gig, but naturally much better. As Tracey told our roving reporter "we enjoy playing this way and it gives the fans an alternative insight into what we are capable of. It was good to get back into performing, and we were well received by those who came. My only regret is that we didn't charge on the door, seeing as the place was full..."
"and.....a-one, two, three, four!" - Tracey and Dan strut their stuff
To unplug or not to unplug?
After an initial confusion and query from an audience member as to whether this could indeed be classified as an unplugged gig in light of some installments, namely the bass, being plugged in, a full stewards enquiry was carried out, overseen by the local ombudsman, and the green light was given for the gig to continue. The band followed the opener with Leaver's song, before entertaining the audience with the soon to be classics 'a girl like you', 'heartbreaker', 'girl in a corner' and then 'valentine' to take the gig up to the intermission, the bands own personal homage to 80's cinema outings. Following the quaffing of an ale the band were back up, playing 'lover's song' State of the Nation and Amber Lane, before rounding off the evening with a selection of cover versions from the likes of Oasis, Radiohead, the Traveling Wilburys and the Rolling Stones.
Audience participation
After
the traditional crescendo of applause half way through high and dry, the audience
was given the opportunity to join in in their own inimitable
style during the stones' classic the last time. There may not have been room
to swing a cat, but there was plenty of room for tambourines, maracas
shakers and such, and all and sundry rose to the occasion, notably the substantial
contingent of public sector workers, whose presence helped round
off the gig with style and panache. If this is the shape of things to come then
things are looking up!
First Summer gigs announced
Libero have announced they are to play two gigs in July and August, the first being at Bretton Village Hall on 15th July. "This is to be a stripped down performance as this best suits the size of the venue" Dan told his people yesterday. "In terms of gigs we're hoping this will be the first of many. We're currently in negotiation with several venues in the Wakefield area and feel the time is right to build our reputation prior to the release of our debut album."
The unplugged gig will be followed by a return to the Arqiva tower (last year's 'ntl: tower'), Emley Moor, in August, on a double bill with 'Tequila Sheila', another local band who have lauded themselves with critical acclaim. Libero will perform an hour long set, which they hope to be "...a blazing set in blazing heat..."
For full gig details, please click here. Alternatively, if you're this way inclined, to get the warts and all account of the whole Arqiva renaming journey, click here.
[May]
Libero Aim To Make Their Mark
"This decade will be remembered for these few things: Abramohvic's revolution at Chelsea; an unprecedented third term for a Labour Government; the far reaching cultural and social influence of the global economy; but most of all it will be remembered as the decade where Libero redefined the sonic boundaries and above all reclaimed music for music lovers from the clutches of the faceless corporations..." - Tony Blair in his resignation speech to the House of Commons, May 2007.
Many thought that in an era where the term popstar has become something of a joke, that music was to be left to the endless stable of R&B 'artists' to sing about keeping it real in the neighbourhoods they never grew up in, harping on endlessly about the size of either their guns or their diamonds, and often basing their songs upon a regurgitated sample of last months pop success. Not to mention those ridiculous white shell suits and the vast array of gold which on occasions would have been enough to make Mr. T. blush...
[April]
A New Era Arrives
After something of a lull in Libero-esque activity, owing to housemoves, songwriting and such, the band have recently begun recording their as yet to be titled debut album. At the beginning of April Ian and Matt returned to Pro-Two to lay down the drum tracks for the forthcoming record. Matt took time away from his enormously busy schedule of public appearances (namely at Emley Moor and at night) to end speculation upon everyone's lips about how things were going. "On Saturday we had pizza and on Sunday we had potato wedges, in between recording the drum tracks for the album. As yet we are not officially endorsing any supermarkets or brands so that's all I can say on that front. But we have the percussive fundamentals down for 9 songs. It's been an enduring time, as most people in the business know the only problem with creating rock n' roll history is that it takes six hours to set the drums up...But we got there in the end."
Ian prepares to drop another beat...
Leaks
Matt moved quickly to distance himself from an alleged list which had been widely circulated in the media as to which songs have been recorded. The list is said to include many more recent live offerings, including Short-Termer, Vineeta and Girl In A Corner. "Until the final cut, it's unwise for me to fuel arguments over what may and what may not appear on the final release - but I can assure fans they will not be disappointed, and the cover versions of the Black Lace classic 'Agadoo' and Boyzone's 'Love Me For A Reason' are our finest work to date." Black Lace of course were pioneers of the Wakefield music scene during it's heyday in the 80's, which may explain the bands artistic nod in that direction...Boyzone, of course, need no introduction, let alone any songs...
[March]
More Free Downloads
The full Radio 2 sold on song version of Valentine now graces the free downloads page. "We felt it important to keep generating interest in our activities, and it's been a quiet time for us recently, and so decided it best to offer the fans something fresh", Tracey told a seasoned hack. "The quality is not the same standard as the Defined & Refined EP and so we figured we'd give it away. We know some of our fans will be disappointed in the fact that they're unable to make some financial contribution for this most exceptional work of art, but we promise to issue something which can be paid for in the near future. If we get enough complaints, we'll consider setting up a trust fund for ourselves to which over eager fans can contribute."
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