Reggae Special – Friday 3rd May 2024 – 8 till late – support from Raggamuffin Selector
Earlybird tickets SOLD OUT. Limited availability General Admission at £14 plus booking fee – get them before they’re gone! WeGotTickets link here: https://www.wegottickets.com/event/609581
Dandelion & The Drop are a 9-piece band with full horns, percussion and dubs……melding jump up grooves, down and dirty bass, epic walls of sound and clever lyricism….
The band, whose spiritual home is Reading, have appeared at numerous UK & International festivals over the last few years and have released several EPs, singles & re-mixes and a debut album featuring the late great Lee Scratch Perry.
Read more about the band’s history:
The roots of the band Dandelion & the Drop lie in Cemetery Junction – an area of Reading. Some time around 2005 founding members, Ed, Leon & Chaz got together to jam hip hop grooves in what was then known as Impact studios. A short time later & they’d been invited by Ben Phaze, Techno John & Binge to play at Reading’s regular Hip Hop event ‘Beat Feast‘ as the in-house Jam band. The band was named ‘Works In Progress’ by Techno John, and comprised of Ed West on drums, Leon King on guitar, Chaz Blinstrub on bass, Dj Savage Henry on the turntables & Johnny Virgo as their vocalist, sometimes accompanied by his brother Mighty Man.
The band Works in Progress (the WIP) performed at many events as this line up – later with the addition of James Ingham on sax, Phillip Ashwood and Ryan Stanford on keys. They were Beat Feast regulars & played many more gigs around the south of the UK.
A few years later around 2008, Jonny Virgo decided to move on with other projects & at their last show with him at Camden’s Purple Turtle, the band met Dandelion.
Dan had seen the band play some reggae grooves as an intro to the set, and had realised that the band were losing their current vocalist. He approached them after the gig and The Drop was born!
With their first EP recorded at Load Medias Key Note studios by Umair Chaudhry, the band took on a repertoire of Dandelion’s songs and added their own sound which became popular on the festival scene thanks to Chai Wallahs who had the band play on their stage a few summers in a row. It was through Chai Wallahs that they met John Hendicotte and recorded their second EP which included one of their best-known songs to date ‘Looking to the sky’.
The band went on to record even more music, notably through support of the Red Bull Music academy with whom they recorded ‘Takeover’ which gained the support of David Rodigan.
Reading resident, Jason Ballard joined the band on percussion at around this time.
A little while later, Chaz who had introduced Ed to Leon was diagnosed with leukemia and sadly died in February 2012. Chaz lived on College road in Reading and was a dedicated Reading football club fan. His laid-back bass sound was a vital part of what brought the band their initial success. Just listen to how laid back and controlled the bass groove on Takeover is. The band went on to record their debut album with Nick Mannaseh and Dan Boyle at Konk studios in London and dedicated the album in Chaz’s name.
20 years after Ed, Leon & Chaz first started Jamming, Dandelion and the Drop are now ready to release their second studio album recorded just outside Reading near Wallingford at the Brownhouse studio formally known as Henwood studios. The current lineup consists of Dan Collier aka Dandelion on vocals, Leon King on guitar, Ed West on drums, Steve Ryan on bass, Andy Grimshaw on trumpet, Dougal Caston on saxophone, Jason Ballard on percussion, Julian Vicary on keys, and Kyle Blackburn as live sound & Dub engineer.
“The Drop create a mesmeric stage show, captivating the audience from the first track to the reluctant last.”
“UK Reggae at its best” (David Rodigan, BBC 1Xtra)
NOT TO BE MISSED!! See the band LIVE in Reading at the Butler’s live room, The Left Wing on Friday 3rd May with support from Raggamuffin Selector. Doors 8pm til Late. 18+
Earlybird tickets SOLD OUT. Limited availability General Admission at £14 plus booking fee – get them before they’re gone! WeGotTickets.com https://www.wegottickets.com/event/609581
The Butler, 85-91 Chatham Street, Reading RG1 7DS
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