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Thursday 29 March 2012

Band Profile: Blue Origin

So we're on a bit of a roll with these interviews and band profiles at the moment, aren't we? We just figured it would be a nice way for all HippyHazers to get to know the bands a bit better and create a friendly relationship between our rock-stars and festival goers :) Speaking of friendliness, we really must let you know what happened when we sat down with Blue Origin as Tom and Nick are a couple of the most genuine lads we've had the pleasure of meeting...


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Tell me all about Blue Origin... 
Tom: Blue Origin is a five piece rock and metal act from the glorious town of Stoke-on-Trent! The band consists of Nick on Vocals, Mike on Guitar, Jim on Guitar, Danny on Bass, and me on Drums. We do have day jobs but the main focus has been and always will be our music and this band.
 

 

Good stuff, and how did you guys get started?
Nick: Blue Origin started about seven years ago when I met Tom. He was air drumming to Puddle of Mudd's She Hates Me at a party…

Tom: Blue Origin has been through a number of small line-up changes but the line up we have now is the strongest we've ever had!

Onwards and upwards :) Who writes the lyrics?

Nick: I write the lyrics for all of our songs. All of my writing starts off as short poems usually which I later bash into a song structure. This is kind of where my background as a writer comes in useful! I’ve been writing from such an early age I think I started around 12. I wasn't all that cool in high school!

Haha, well now you’re in an awesome rock-band... you don’t get much cooler than that! What do you base your lyrics on?
Nick: In terms of inspiration, I'm quite an introvert writer, usually writing about a lot of the things going on in my life when we wrote the song, though I'm trying to push towards a wider, more outward style at the moment. I never stop learning and changing how I write, nor should any writer. If you think you've got nothing to learn then you need a reality check!

That’s really cool to have a constantly evolving style. So who are your biggest influences?
Tom: Every single member of this band has different influences that they bring to the music we write, BUT if we were to say overall, we are greatly influenced by bands such as Shinedown, Black Stone Cherry, Alter Bridge and so many more.
 

And what's been your best gig so far? Or best rock star moment?
Tom: I don't really know what Nick thinks but for me I would say it was our big headliner at the Sugarmill at the beginning of 2011. The place was just rammed and the crowd was insane. We had an intro video shown through a load of broken TV's scattered around the stage. The crowd was insane and the energy on stage was absolutely immense!
 

Yes, I’d have to agree that sounds pretty cool. However, things don’t always go so good do they? What's been your worst moment as a band so far?
Tom: For me it was our slot supporting another band in a popular Stoke venue... The headliners were a great bunch of guys and they play what they play very well. The only issue was the crowd did not like us at all! The place was full of skinheads dressed in Doc martins and dungarees, like a scene from 'This is England' it was mental.

That sounds quite nerve-wracking. Onto more positive things, who are you excited about seeing at HippyHaze?
Tom: I am excited about seeing our good friends in Nameless, they put on a great show and are a fantastic bunch of guys. As well as them I am looking forward to seeing Sworn To Oath as I haven't been to a show of theirs in a while but the last one I went to was mental and I’m sure this one will be just as great. 
Nick: Yeah, for me Nameless are going to be fantastic! Those guys always put on a great show, and everyone thinks Josh (the singer) is Tom's son… It's a bit of a running joke really!


Haha, I see the resemblance with the lovely locks of long hair! Finally, just to wrap things up what's next for Blue Origin after HippyHaze?
Nick: Well HippyHaze will be the 5th gig on our 2K12 Spring Smashup UK Tour so it’s all busy, busy for us currently. Aside from that it's all about our Debut Album due for release later this year! We currently have a crowd funding campaign going on through pleasefund.us and we're offering all sorts of cool rewards for people helping us out with this. For example, do you want us playing a gig in your living room? Yeah, we can arrange that! Things are becoming very exciting for us here in Blue Origin and this is just the beginning... watch this space!

***

Getting to know all the great musical talent Staffordshire has to offer has been one of our favorite things about organizing HippyHaze, and Blue Origin are some lads we're hoping to stay in touch with long after the festival. If you'd like to give your ears a sweet sweet preview of their music then go check out their Myspace page. Then if you're feeling generous, go donate a bit of your spare dollar to their band at pleasefund.us. We're sure they'd greatly appreciate it, and if you're looking for a band to play in your living room hold them to Nick's promise! Blue Origin will be supporting Sworn To Oath at HippyHaze on the Saturday, so make sure you head over to their marquee during their set, because this is one band you don't want to miss.

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT RAPIDLY NOW. MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO MUSIC MANIA OR THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY AND GET YOURS NOW. A COUPLE OF THE BANDS ARE STILL FLOGGING TICKETS, BUT THEY'RE RAPIDLY RUNNING OUT NOW SO GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN! £14 FOR A DAY PASS INCLUDING ONE NIGHT CAMPING AND JUST £33 FOR A THREE-NIGHT CAMPING TICKET. See you there :)

Love and milkshakes
The Hippy Hippy Shake Company


Band Profile: Sworn To Oath

Last Friday, two HippyHaze representatives moseyed along to The Sugarmill to see one of our headliners perform and we were absolutely blown away! Sworn To Oath will be headlining HippyHaze on the first night of the festival (the Saturday) and we can't think of a better way to start our Easter weekend. These lovely guys are sure to make your heads explode with their talent, so make sure you bring a mop to clean up the mess. Only joking, but they are super-duper cool. We managed to grab a couple of minutes with their guitarist, Dave Leese, and this is what he said...


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Thanks for your time! So could you please break down for us exactly who is Sworn To Oath?
Well we have Tom Shaw, 23, on bass guitar & lead vocals, me, 26, on guitar & vocals and then Al Junior, 23, on drums & vocals. 


Nice. And what do you do for a living?
Well, the band is our main focus and takes up most of our time, but we all have different part time jobs that we do when we're not on tour.

That's what we like to hear, a band committed to their music! So when did you guys get started?
Sworn to Oath has been going for just over three years but we've all known each other for a while and played in different bands together over the years so that's how we met. When we realised we all shared the same desire and work ethic as one another we got together to start a new project from scratch. There was a definite chemistry when the three of us jammed together for the first time, so we decided to make a go of it and take it seriously. We've never looked back!

Awh so sweet! Music is such an emotional thing... Who writes the lyrics and what inspires them?
We all write together, but lyrics-wise most of the themes in our songs could be inspired by any number of experiences or emotions: the loss of a loved one; past relationships; wanting to make a better life for yourself; not letting the different bulls**t that life constantly throws at you grind you down and more. 

You probably get asked this all the time, but who are your biggest influences?
We're all into so many different bands that we take influence from on a daily basis. If I had to name our 'main' influences they'd have to be Pantera, Black Sabbath, AC/DC. Then we also love some newer bands like Cancer Bats, Everytime I Die, As I Lay Dying and Architects.

Nice mix! I'm a huge AC/DC fan. Anyway, enough about me, more about your best band moment so far...
It would be tough to pick out one gig as our best so far, we've got some favourite places to play such as the Vault in Rugby, The Gasworks in Bradford, the Duchess in York, and obviously the Sugarmill in Stoke. They are all places where we have big, awesome audiences and crazy crowds of people that turn up to support us. Actually, our biggest 'rock-star' moment may have been when we supported Periphery at Academy 2 in Birmingham. We walked out on stage to a packed-out room and it was definitly the biggest crowd we've ever played to. Seeing that many people react to our songs all at once is the kind of thing you dream about as a kid and the reason why we get on stage time after time!

Sounds pretty awesome. On the flip side, what's the worst thing that can happen to a band like Sworn To Oat?
I'd say our worst moments have been when things go wrong with gear on stage. Its just the three of us up there and we all sing and play so when something breaks or doesnt work its tough to cover it up. We always find a way to get through it, but the reality is, when you play as often as we do and you're constantly using your gear it suffers from wear and tare. You can always guarantee that it will break on stage in front of an audience rather than in the rehearsal room!

That's rotten luck! What are you most looking forward to about HippyHaze?
I'm personally excited to see a field full of crazy people who are well up for having a great weekend watching some truely awesome and talented bands. 

I love how you guys thrive off your audiences and the atmosphere so much! So what's next for Sworth to Oath?
Well, HippyHaze is during a run of shows that we're playing around the country at the minute to promote our new single 'Stand Alone', so our next stop will be Manchester at Satans Hollow on April 8th. All other dates for our up coming shows can be found over at our Facebook page.

Nice little plug you got in there Dave, can never beat a bit of shameless self PR :) Thanks for your time, we can't wait to see you rocking HippyHaze!

***

Sworn To Oath are one of the hardest working bands to come out of Stoke, and they've racked up hundreds of gigs since they first formed. We like to think of them as a well-oiled machine which will make for a fantastic performance at HippyHaze. Specializing in metal music, they're sure to blow you away so make sure you don't miss them! 

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT RAPIDLY NOW. MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO MUSIC MANIA OR THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY AND GET YOURS NOW. A COUPLE OF THE BANDS ARE STILL FLOGGING TICKETS, BUT THEY'RE RAPIDLY RUNNING OUT NOW SO GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN! £14 FOR A DAY PASS INCLUDING ONE NIGHT CAMPING AND JUST £33 FOR A THREE-NIGHT CAMPING TICKET. See you there :)

Love and milkshakes
The Hippy Hippy Shake Company

Tuesday 27 March 2012

What to Pack for HippyHaze...

Here at HippyHaze we know we’re going to be mixing lots of different age ranges together and not everyone who attends will have been to a festival before. But don’t worry, you know what we’re like with preparation, so this is just a quick guide to advise you what to pack and what not to pack, so you don’t end up without your essentials on the weekend...

DON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT

·         1) A tent with lines/poles/groundsheet/pegs. Of course this all depends on how comfortable you want to be during the weekend. Sleeping mats, sleeping bags, duvets and pillows also fall into this category.


·         2) Wellies or boots... The field at Foxfields generally isn’t swampy. However, we all know how unpredictable the Great British weather is! Plus, wellies are really on-trend for this Spring/Summer anyway, so you’ll be looking chic also. :) An anorak or water-proof coat wouldn’t go amiss either, preferably with a hood; the main bands will be playing under the cover of a marquee, but you may need to walk through rain in order to get there.
·         3) One change of clothes per day. A certain festival organizer’s daughter is having a nightmare about having to pack a ‘capsule’ wardrobe. However, we all must remember that this HippyHaze is a music festival, not a fashion show... no-one cares what you look like as long as you’re enjoying the bands!
·         4) Toiletries. This includes make-up remover wipes, hand towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, tampons (girls only :) unless you're into anything freaky)... , contact lenses and solution. On that note, don’t forget your specs or ear plugs and you can bring a mini-first aid kit too if you fancy, but we will have registered first aiders on site at all times. Don’t forget sunscreen too. Again, we never know what the weather will do, but you don’t want to spend the weekend lying on the floor in the portaloos naked because the cold floor feels nice against your red-raw back. If you regularly take medication you must bring that too.
·         5) Contraceptives. As much as we’d love for a happy couple to come into one of our shops in nine month’s time and tell us that their beautiful baby was conceived at the first ever HippyHaze, we would hate for anyone to come to us in one month’s time talking us how they managed to contract Chlamydia because they forgot their condoms. Just in case you do forget them, we have a Chlamydia-testing station where you’ll be able to grab a few freebies.
·         6) Torch. The campsite will be floodlit an hour before the last band finished until an hour after the silent disco. This leaves enough time for you guys to get back to your tent without falling into an unsuspecting sleeper’s tent. However, during the night, we will be in pitch black darkness so you might want a torch to guide you to the toilets for a midnight, alcohol-induced tinkle.
·         7) Electrics. Don’t forget your mobile phones and make sure they’re all charged up before the weekend starts as you won’t be able to do this at HippyHaze. Also, make sure you bring your cameras to capture all of those magical moments!
·         8) ID. You won’t be able to purchase alcohol at our bar without an over-18’s wrist band, for which you need to provide an over-18 ID. Sorry folks, but that’s the law :(


·         9) Your ticket!!! Without tickets you will not be able to get into HippyHaze. Even if you’ve bought a ticket but forgot it, unfortunately we can’t tell whether you’ve sold your ticket since purchasing and are just trying to pull the wool over our eyes, so you must have a valid ticket for the day you’re attending.
·         10) Money. Obviously this totally depends on how much you want to eat/drink/buy at the festival. You’re more than welcome to bring your own food into the festival, but we will have lots of places you can buy yummy stuff and we’d hate for you to go hungry so make sure you have enough cash to keep your tummies happy.
·         11) Warm comfy clothes. It may get cold during the night, so make sure you bring joggers, sweaters and thick socks for just in case.

DON’T EVEN CONSIDER BRINGING
  • Guns. Only joking, we know most people don’t have access to guns in the UK. However, anything which could be considered as a ‘dangerous weapon’ will be confiscated upon arrival. Unfortunately this includes metal cutlery, as some warped individuals have been known to stab others with these otherwise innocent appliances and have ruined it for the rest of us. Spoil-sports.

·         Glass bottles. We understand that some forms of alcohol are only usually sold in glass. However, these bottles can be used to hit people with and smashed glass isn’t a good idea in any place where people may trip and fall or be barefoot. So try decanting your vodka/whiskey/rum/alcopops into a big plastic Coca-Cola bottle, or buying boxes of wine instead of bottles. Cans are allowed.


·         Pets. As much as we’d love to coo over how cute your pet turtle is, it’s just not practical.
·         Anything (except for matches and lighters) which involves fire. So no fireworks, sparklers, barbecues etc.
·         Sound systems. We will have music playing as loudly as we’re allowed until we’re no longer allowed to play it by sound-pollution laws. At that point we will have a silent disco running on for a couple more hours. However, after we stop playing music, noise pollution in any kind of extreme and disruptive manner will not be condoned. In order to enforce that rule, we are not allowing any PA systems, iPod speakers or ‘boom boxes’ as they were known in the good ol’ 90’s under any circumstances.


Make sure you’re only bringing your essentials as you will have to carry them across the field! Also, try only to bring things that you’re able to take back home with you as we’d like to leave Foxfields as clean as possible once we’re finished and don’t want things left behind!

We hope this guide has helped you out in terms of planning what to bring. We’re hoping to have a generally friendly bunch of guests too, so if you’re in a mess having forgotten something someone will sort you out. Don’t forget we have clothes stalls, food stalls, a cigarette stall, a bar and like I said we even have a Chlamydia testing van where you’ll be able to grab a cheeky condom if you find yourself in such a position as you need one. We’ve got you covered :)

Can’t wait, not long to go now!  

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT RAPIDLY NOW. MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO MUSIC MANIA OR THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY AND GET YOURS NOW. A COUPLE OF THE BANDS ARE STILL FLOGGING TICKETS, BUT THEY'RE RAPIDLY RUNNING OUT NOW SO GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN! £14 FOR A DAY PASS INCLUDING ONE NIGHT CAMPING AND JUST £33 FOR A THREE-NIGHT CAMPING TICKET. See you there :)

Love and milkshakes
The Hippy Hippy Shake Company

Monday 26 March 2012

Band Profile: Dirty Money No 5

In two weeks, HippyHaze will be rocking its final evening and we'll be throwing ourselves around the marquee to the lovely sounds of Sherry Counsellors, Six Towns and Already Gone. And perhaps most importantly for this post, we will have just experienced the magic that is Dirty Money no5.


Dirty Money No 5 


Now, as things have been sickeningly busy for us recently, we didn't quite have time to sit down with the boys and run and full length interview. However, Dirty Money no5 very kindly made time to answer a couple of our questions and this is what we got...


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So, who is Dirty Money no5?
Dirty Money no5 are Marcus on guitar and vocals, Steve (Doon) Dunn on lead guitar, Carl (Vinnie) Jones on decks, Tom Carter on drums and Geordie Nic McCarthy on bass guitar.

 

And without being extremely nosy... how old are you guys?
If you add our total ages and then divide it by the members of the band it totals 36... It is a good job Tom's in the band otherwise the average would be a lot higher... That's all we're saying on that matter!

Oooh mysterious, we like it :) So, aside from Dirty Money no5 do you guys have day jobs?
Our day jobs consist of a student mentor, a live music venue manager, a couple of graphic designers and a production manager at a well known heavy plant company.

Hard workers! Tell us in a nutshell, how did Dirty Money no5 begin?
Myself (Geordie) and Marcus used to be in a band called Mysteriously Cultured many moons ago and myself and Doon have worked together on various musical projects in the past. After Mysteriously Cultured split up in 2000 myself and Marcus formed Dirty Money along with Vinnie and Doon in 2001. We had also had a female co vocalist back then (Samantha Cope) who now is the editor of the Sunday People magazine! After 6 years of gigging, recording and gaining quite a large following Sam moved to London and the drummer left the band so we decided to split up. Marcus Doon and myself worked on other musical projects. Doon was in Jug of Punch a folk band and I was in Senseless a hardcore punk band. In 2010 I got a phone call from Marcus asking if I wanted to have a jam session with him and Doon as they had been doing some acoustic stuff along with Vinnie... The out-come was Dirty Money. The no5 part came about because we couldn't get just Dirty Money as our Facebook page because some other band had nicked our name while we had had our sabbatical. So technically we are really called Dirty Money!

Nice bit of trivia there! Who writes the lyrics and who are your influences?
Marcus writes the lyrics. They mainly come from every day observations and life experiences. As for our influences, they range widely, from from Ska, Reggae , Punk, Folk, Jazz, Funk and Hip Hop. Everyone from Bob  Marley, to Grand Master Flash via The Clash, James Taylor, Bootsy Collins Massive Attack and about a 1001 other musicians are our inspiration. When anyone asks us what we sound like or what type of band we are, we usually say, 'Come and listen and you tell us.' We couldn't tell you really, because we try not to copy anyone else. I know it sounds cliched but it is really true for us!

I love Dirty Money no5... Its true, I've never heard anything like you before, you're so unique! Tell us about your best and worst gigs...
Since reforming, two gigs stand out as the best. The first was supporting The King Blues at a sold out show last year. We won the crowd over which is quiet hard to achieve when they just want to see the headliners. The pressure's on even more when the headliner is a band as big as The King Blues! Also playing at the Night for Joey G earlier this year was outstanding, an event full of great bands. The atmosphere was amazing and all for a worth while cause.

Ahh I popped my Dirty Money no5 cherry at the night for Joey G! It really was a fantastic night and a cause quite close to our Hippy Hippy hearts.
Yeah, Joey was a great guy and sadly missed.

And your worst gig?
Last year we were booked to play a Birmingham venue with an American band. We confirmed everything and double-checked with the venue tons of times, spoke about sound checks and even had a conversation with the venue manager on the day about load-in at the place. When we arrived for sound check we were told by staff at the club that the manager had cancelled the show thirty minutes before. They hadn't even told the touring band that they had cancelled the gig. It cost us a lot of money as we had payed out for transport fuel and a driver to do the gig. The American group were even worse off as they were stranded in Birmingham for the night without any money or a place to stay for the night!

That's horrendous! I guess you'll never play there again... Let's talk about a fantastic musical establishment instead... who are you looking forward to catching at HippyHaze?
Unfortunately due to work commitments I can't make the first couple of days so I'm going to miss Sea Based Turtles, Nameless (a great young band), Sworn to Oath and The Hiding Place on Saturday. As for the Sunday I would have liked to see Faux Feet, Moral Panics, In the Cards and The Get Alongs. Luckily, on the Monday I'll be able to get along to see Jim Mcshee and the Sherry Counsellors!

Awhh we'll be missing you on the first couple of days, but we'll let you off :) So finally, what's next for Dirty Money No 5?
Well, after Hippy Haze we are going to be writing some new material and getting the rest of the album recorded. We need to get a video made then get back out play lots of live gigs in the summer. Hopefully we'll do a few more festivals after HippyHaze... I think we have a great sound for a warm sunny day!

Thank you very much for your time Geordie :) Can't wait to see you guys perform!

***

Dirty Money No 5 have a really different sound which is like nothing you've heard before. Go check out their Soundcloud and listen to Old England... It's our favorite song and a certain festival organizer's daughter is dying to hear it at HippyHaze. The boys will not disappoint! We absolutely can't wait to see them perform on the Monday of the festival and they're a definite 'can't miss' act, so...

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT RAPIDLY NOW. MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO MUSIC MANIA OR THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY AND GET YOURS NOW. A COUPLE OF THE BANDS ARE STILL FLOGGING TICKETS, BUT THEY'RE RAPIDLY RUNNING OUT NOW SO GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN! £14 FOR A DAY PASS INCLUDING ONE NIGHT CAMPING AND JUST £33 FOR A THREE-NIGHT CAMPING TICKET. See you there :)

Love and milkshakes
The Hippy Hippy Shake Company

Monday 19 March 2012

Radio Interviews, Band Gigs and Final Preparations...

What have we been up to over the past week or so I hear you ask? Well, with less than three weeks left to go adrenalin is pumping, excitement building and admittedly, nerves are churning somewhat. And who could blame us? We're only throwing together one of the biggest musical events Stoke-on-Trent has ever seen! Anyway, just a short post to give you a quick update on all things HippyHaze...

Radio Interviews

 
Not sure whether you guys managed to catch the dulcet tones of HippyHaze organizer Richard Buxton and daughter Gabriella on BBC Introducing from Stoke, but it happened! Getting together once again with the lush lads from 3's A Riot, we sat super-cool (as if radio interviews are something we're used to) in the 'studio' and began to cringe as we imagined the sounds of our own voices being broadcast city-wide. The lovely Rob Adock made us feel immediately at home, asking lots of questions about the festival and getting us even more excited as he listed the fantastic bands we'll have playing. If you missed the interview NEVER FEAR you can still listen in on the show for the next few days. Just click here.

Can't get enough of listening to our excitement? Don't worry, we're going to be on Crewe and Nantwich Radio's This is the Cat on Tuesday the 27th of March between 7pm and 9pm so keep your ears open!

Band Gigs...

     
 

Being the party animals that we are, we've been making a big point of supporting HippyHaze bands recently, and since they're all so goddamn talented they've been gigging all over the shop. Bands that we've been loving the past two weeks include Sea Based Turtles, Six Towns, Fools Paradise, The Get Alongs, The Slippery Hill Boys, Neomantix AND Clockwork Owls. It's been pretty crazy, but you know we love it. That's why next week will hopefully be just as busy as we're going to see Nameless, Sworn To Oath, as well as The Get Alongs, 3's A Riot and Fools Paradise again! Feel free to go check them out and buy tickets for any of their gigs, you might just see us there :)

Final Preparations...

So HippyHaze is essentially organized by one man. And one man doesn't have unlimited time constraints, energy and brain power... However, having planned HippyHaze for nearly a year, our very own Richard Buxton is finally down to tying up the loose ends and putting the final preparations into place in order to make the event as good as it possibly can be. Wristbands? Secured. The Hippy Hippy Shake Company milkshake tent? Sorted. Band merch and Joe Gilligan Trust tent? Organised. Bins? Security? Other dull logistics? NOT A PROBLEM. 
To-Do this Week... 1) Finalize the silent disco 2) Photoshoot and interview with The Sentinel 3) Get a hair cut. All fundamental for HippyHaze as you can imagine...

We hope you're all really excited because we are literally buzzing at the moment waiting for our lives to begin! HippyHaze is going to be a big one. Just picture it; you and your best friends, camping in a field, getting to know some great new bands, partying until the early hours in the silent disco, pigging out on cupcakes, burgers, paninis and more, and most important, getting tipsy on naughty alcohol-infused milkshakes and smoothies. We can't think of a better way to spend our Easter weekend (don't tell Jesus...) so what are you waiting for? Hustle up the last few of your friends that still haven't bought their tickets and make sure they do now, because if they're not careful they'll be spending their weekend crying into their chocolate eggs whilst we're raving away at HippyHaze!

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT RAPIDLY NOW. MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO MUSIC MANIA OR THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY AND GET YOURS NOW. £14 FOR A DAY PASS INCLUDING ONE NIGHT CAMPING AND JUST £33 FOR A THREE-NIGHT CAMPING TICKET. See you there :)

Love and milkshakes
The Hippy Hippy Shake Company

Saturday 17 March 2012

More than Just the Music...

So of course most people with an interest in the local music scene will be aware that HippyHaze 2012 is a 'who's who' of the Stoke scene. With forty local bands spanning a variety of genres (yes, we threw country and folk in with indie and heavy rock... sue us!) HippyHaze will be an excellent opportunity to hear some raw talent, meet a bunch of new people and escape from the real world for three whole days. Well, as if that's not enough, we've also thrown together a nice chunk of retail and refreshment stalls in order to make sure that you're never hungry or naked. Unless of course you want to be, and you're in the privacy of your own tent. Or someone else's in a consensual tryst... We digress.

We thought we'd write this quick post in order to let you know about some great local businesses that HippyHaze 2012 will be supporting over the Easter weekend. Let's start with the food, shall we? We know that's what we'll be hunting down all weekend!

***


 

Shameless plug we know, but when The Hippy Hippy Shake Company presents a music festival it would be somewhat bizarre if we weren't serving our delicious beverages throughout the event. Now, we know our shakes are yummy enough as they are what with chocolate bars and sweeties all blended up inside. Plus, we've also got breakfast covered with our refreshing frozen fruit smoothies. However, we've decided to 'mix things up' a bit (did you see what we did there?) So for the first time in Hippy Hippy History, we're making our shakes crazier than ever by pouring one or two cheeky shots into our blenders and seeing what comes out. Our absolute favorites include Terry's Chocolate Orange with Cointreau, Nutella with Bailey's and Strawberry Fields with Smirnoff. Bet you're salivating right now. We'll also be serving paninis, nachos and waffles. AND ice lollies and our signature ice-cream sundaes. Nomnomnom.

Sprinkles and Twinkles Cupcakes

 

You know how The Hippy Hippy Shake Company loves anything that is super-duper sweet? Well, this local cupcake business is right up our alley. Think creamy-thick icing, soft-moist sponge and bright-beautiful colours. Then imagine how happy your belly will be after eating five. What are you waiting for? What's that? You can't wait until HippyHaze for these yummy-scrummy bites of heaven? Never fear, if you head into our Newcastle shop you can get your mitts on a sneak-preview which will definitely have you coming back for more!


 

Candy is so much cooler when it's in old-school plastic baggies. We rapidly came to this realization after our first Mr Simm's experience which allowed us to see that vintage sweeties are still as indulgent as they were in our childhoods! Sugar mice, herbal tablets, barley sugar, rhubarb and custards, kop kops, bon bons and more... Our teeth will rot and it will be worth it.  

Food

Burgers, hot dogs, bacon sandwiches, chips and tons more. Head over to the food tent to grab some decent grub!

Donut Van

Speaks for itself :) Covered in sugar. Yes.


 

Let's face it, when we're away from our parents for three days it's highly likely that without the use of clothes washing facilities, we will walk around for days on end with milkshake and ketchup down our shirts if we have a spillage. However, thanks to Dirty Slut Clothing, you will be able to buy an emergency replacement T-shirt within minutes of virtually any stain-causing (wink wink) alcohol-inducing embarrassment. Winner. 


 

We feel so bad for all of your friends that may not be able to make it that we've chosen a selection of the gift-wares that we sell in our Hanley store so that you can take them a piece of the magic! Isn't that sweet of us :) We'll have hand-bags, incense sticks, essential oils, candles, sun catchers, oil burners and way more cool stuff so make sure you come check us out.


 

If you're after cute and unique jewelry then Krafty J's is the stall you want to be hitting up. Brightly-coloured strings with heart-shaped pendents, pretty wall plaques and dream catchers are what this local company is all about so you're definitely going to want to check it out for a couple of HippyHaze souvenirs.

The 'Cigarette Man'

That's right, we've really got you covered on all fronts, to the extent where even if the smokers out there forget or run out of their cigs they have a one-stop-shop for all their smoking needs. Great success.

Band Merch

Heard a great band and want to hear more? Thinking Aaron Mobberly is so talented you want your loser-mate who missed out on tickets to share your passion? Lusting after the lead singer of The Get Alongs and want to listen to him in your bedroom? Well, whilst it's actually against the law to kidnap Shaneth, you might be able to grab a CD or some other band merchandise over in our imaginatively named 'Band Merch' tent. Plus, if you head over to this tent you might actually get to meet some of your local music heroes! 


 

Easter is a time for giving. Whether you're religious or not, there is no better time to support a charity than when you're having the time of your life. So how about buying a T-shirt or wrist-band from the one charity in Stoke-On-Trent which not only improves the lives of young people fighting cancer, but also provides support for young musicians like many of those performing over the weekend? The Joe Gilligan Trust is a charity which has always been close to The Hippy Hippy Shake Company's heart so we'd really love for our festival-goers to mosey on over to the Band Merch tent and get giving! 

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So, what are you waiting for? A lot of time and effort has gone into organizing HippyHaze so that everyone can have a great time without a care in the world!

TICKETS ARE SELLING OUT RAPIDLY NOW. MAKE SURE YOU HEAD INTO MUSIC MANIA OR THE HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE COMPANY IN NEWCASTLE OR HANLEY AND GET YOURS NOW. £14 FOR A DAY PASS INCLUDING ONE NIGHT CAMPING AND JUST £33 FOR A THREE-NIGHT CAMPING TICKET. See you there :)

Love and milkshakes
The Hippy Hippy Shake Company