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Dates for your diary:

31st May - Wychwood Fesival, Cheltenham Big Top!!

18th June - New York
Film screening @ disTHIS, The Firehouse
87 Lafayette St (between Walker & White) 6pm
Gig at Arlene's Grocery, 95 Stanton Street 10pm
Support from 4 Wheel City 9pm





24th July - Ocean Rooms, Brighton Benefit gig

25th July - Brit Docs Festival, Oxford.
Screening and gig.


News:

23rd June - First TV showing in USA on IFC

The Guardian, Society - Wednesday, 5th March

The Brink Review - by our original bass player Paul H

Hill Country News - SXSW review

10th March - 'Heavy Load' the movie received its world premiere at the prestigious South By Southwest film and music festival in Austin, Texas. (!!!!!)

IFC interview with Jerry and Paul @ SXSW

Movie website - check it out, it's flash!!... and you can see the trailer, and find out how the band started, and who was hanging on our bedroom walls...
www.heavyloadthemovie.com

New album, "Shut It" - soon to be released. All songs written by the band, featuring cover artwork by Lester Magoogan. A monster psychadelic wig-out!! Tracks include, "Is Bruce Forsyth Dead?", "Flashing Lights", "Counting Screws"," (We're all going to the) USA", "We love George Michael".

Wild Things Compilation - soon to be released. In 2007 we toured the country promoting our Stay Up Late campaign and met loads of really talented people with learning disabilities who were writing and performing fantastic music.
We wanted as many people as possible to find out more about some of this music so we came up with the idea of putting out this CD.
There was only one rule - it must be your own song.
This is volume 1, and we'll be looking for artists for volume 2!! All proceeds to fund and raise awareness of the Stay Up Late campaign.

New badge designs - set of 5, collectable, essential.
visit the shop

Radio 4, Stay Up Late on You and Yours. Postponed.
And until we're back on the programming schedule, will be otherwise known as "Up You and Yours".
"Too Hardcore for Radio 4"


Reviews:

Trafalgar Square, London 1st September

Despite first degree nerves and a touch of vertigo, we pulled off a cracker - even with Nelson and all that history looming down on us!

A great event that challenged people's perception of disabilities. Me and Jim got lost up in mental health poetry corner, where upon entry we were asked, "How normal do you think you are?". My answer won a peanut, but Jim managed to get a banana out of them...

We've conquered the festivals, made history in the Square... bring on the Americans!


Wychwood Festival, Cheltenham, 1st June

Our first gig at a big mainstream festival and our first night together in a tent - It was fantastic!! (the gig that is...)

We'd managed to fill the tent we were playing in, and we couldn't have asked for a better crowd - they were totally up for The Load experience...
On the cue of Kylie's "Can't get you out of my head", a shed load of beach balls were released for the 'world's biggest beach ball fight'. Our singer Simon was more interested in the fight than our set, but it was all part of the mayhem that followed...
We were cooking on gas, and I can't remember having more fun at a gig.

Thanks for having us Wychwood, and lots of Heavy love to our lovely neighbours in the field.
We'd also like to say thanks to the APT film crew for the last 2 years. They've been stalking us at every opportunity, and now.. "it's a wrap". We can't wait to see the finished documentary next year. An amazing record of what we've done - we love you Loads.

ps Keep sending the fan mail!



Stay Up Late with Heavy Load, Brighton Fringe
Komedia Brighton 16th May

A huge success for the band, managing to fill the venue and play one of our best gigs ever...

The evening was kicked off by the bravehearts of the pop world, The Xcerts. They played a storming, tight, tight, tight set with untold energy. So much so that Heavy Load drummer Michael instructed his guitarists to get some more energy into their own performances...

The evening was supremely hosted by comedian, actor and cage fighter Mat Fraser, AKA The Thalidomide Ninja. He was just the person we needed to get the Stay Up Late message across - challenging and unapologetic, anarchic and hilarious!!!

The Load were on form; with Michael finding the tank in him again and the group riding on a wave of optimism - bring on the hippies!

We stopped the proceedings briefly to read out a letter to the crowd:

Dear Heavy Load,

Thank you so much for sending me all your information and your version of 'Can't get you out of my head'. I love what you've done to it.
Good luck for the future,
Love and kisses,

Kylie
xxx

We aired a couple of new tracks: '(We're all going to the) USA' and 'Farty Animals' ....nice.

The evening was perfectly finished off by the Stiff punk legend that is Wreckless Eric. Eric played a sweaty, committed solo set. Unfortunately, much of the crowd had gone home and Eric was justifyably pissed off, but thanks Eric for your rant on camera at the shameful exodus that we often experience.

Thanks also to the Brothers Dim for a fantastic DJ set into the wonderful world of their punk record collection.

Despite Paul being close to a coronary and Mick losing more hair, The Load are already thinking about a return to the Komedia... Thanks everyone for supporting us!


Rockin Roadrunner, Northampton 14th May

We'd been looking forward to this gig - reports on the opening night had been awesome, and the club had already become legendary.

Promoted and supported by the whole family, but fronted by sister DJ's Francis and Jo Whiley, this was how to put on a club night. Jugglers and groovers on stilts, MC's and stage dancers - you could squeeze the vibe!!

The Load really played a blinder, thanks in part to a great sound from the techies at The Roadmender. Well worth the trip beyond Watford, and we now have a couple of new celeb friends, to boot! (It was a master class in shmoozing...)


More Load news...

We've recently been recognised for our awesomeness, and awarded a grant from the Lottery. Here's some of our plans for the year ahead:

"Stay Up Late" website to keep you up to date with the campaign, and to give you the chance to have a say. We want to hear what your experiences are. Can you do the things you want to do in your life? If you're a member of staff, what do you think of our campaign? www.stayuplate.org

Touring and promoting the campaign and single.

Club nights with live bands, DJ's and celebs to appeal to ALL.

Pop Promo DVD with learning disabled director.

Compilation album with bands with learning disabilities. Working title "Wild Things".

Top 40 single!!! Watch this space - we reckon, with your help, and the new download rules, we could get in the charts. How fantastic would that be? The first learning disabled chart success!


* My Space *

Have a look at our My Space page. Not only can you hear a selection of our tunes, but you can also meet our strange friends from all over the world. It's a strange world, isn't it....?

www.myspace.com/heavyloaduk