2 Tone Red (part 1)

2 Tone Red Blogging 


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2 Tone Red The Beginning

2 Tone Red was born from the ashes of a previous band put together by Mr Phil Scala, To effectively deliver his lyrically charged songs he needed the right people this time to make this happen. With Phil  from the old line up came the amazing Daniele Antenucci on drums, kick arse bass guitarist Mathias Berry and together this ensured the rhythm section was confidently in place, Mr James Betts lead guitarist  who offered to fill in during the transition period has since made his mark and is now part of the family. Through external factors and commitments the inital few months saw several changes in the line up with the departure of  the wonderful tones from Alex Keogh and Simon Lawson on Sax. The next big asset came with childhood friends Layla Holcombe and Ami Lloyd  who had spent their formative years growing up with their Musical families on the Spanish Costa. Performing and singing to these girls is as natural as brushing their teeth. With the Anglo Mediterranean influences running through the Veins of  2TR the Latin passion and sense of fun is evident in the songs and performances they bring to each show.

The reality of having a six piece band is that there is always the probability that one or more members may not be able to make every rehearsal or engagement. With this in mind it was decided from the outset to see if 2TR could perform the set stripped down and acoustic. An immediate opportunity to play a short set of songs at an acoustic event in a Putney bar was soon to provide the answer but also set a string of events off that put the band in the fast lane.

Sunday 12th June - venue : Brogans - Fulham Broadway

Two days before the acoustic event  it was thought prudent and pretty much essential to have a bit of a rehearsal, the songs were all very new to the singers so they decided to meet up, find a pub have a Sunday roast and then shoot off to have a full on rehearsal.  After the hearty lunch one drink led to another and as they had the guitar with them they thought why not rehearse quietly in a corner of the pub. This impromptu rehearsal got the attention of the management alright and based on what she had heard asked if 2TR would play as a full band at a  regular event in her pub, she also agreed to supply the drums and back line equipment for the rest of the band. How could they pass up on this offer so a date was fixed and the event was named ‘Live On Broadway’. 

2TR had not performed a gig yet either as a band or as a polished acoustic set  something was obviously working for them. The band had only rehearsed once as the complete outfit together, and they were now about to host their own  event   'Live on Broadway'  which was only several weeks away, there was a lot of work to do.

Tuesday 14th June - venue : The Putney Station Bar - Battle of the Acts.

The acoustic live competition night had quickly arrived, the bar was pretty full of people eating and drinking, the line up of the evening acts were chalked up on a board at the end of the room. 2TR decided to rename themselves 2TR Raw for occasions like this when they were acoustic and unplugged. 2TR Raw were on the board to play 5th spot out of 7 acts. The moment soon came to play, the girls were obviously a bit nervous, this being the first proper performance with these newly learnt songs, James on guitar was also a bit perplexed as he had just discovered from Phil that there was one song in the set he had never heard before let alone play. It was too late to do anything but get on and make some noise. Hopefully it would be noise that worked and that indeed it did, the set went down well the girls sounded great and James busked his way convincingly through the unknown song. At the end of the evening all the customers were given voting slips to vote on which was their favourite act, that act would win a bottle of champagne., the mark of how well 2TR Raw was received  came later with the arrival of the bottle of champers for the best act. Wow these endorsements over the first couple of days was a great start and boost for 2TR . 

Saturday 23rd July - 'Live On Broadway' The Debut Gig.

This would turn out to be a very memorable day for many reasons. Most of the band turned up mid afternoon at 'Brogans' on Fulham Broadway to set up and sound check for the evening. However news came in that the only underground service to Fulham Broadway was closed for the weekend for line maintenance. This would definitely make it difficult for many people to get to the venue and get home after. Then to cap off what should be a happy day came the very sad news that Amy Winehouse had passed away.

The signs were looking like 2TR's run on the good Karma train had ended. The likelihood would be them playing to a hand full of regulars and few local mates. 2TR were here and ready to play even if it was only playing to the bar staff.  The evening began and the invited guest acts Busker Rhymes, EdMan and LunaWax got the evening underway a steady flow of people started filling the pub, by the time 2TR took to the stage the turnout was  looking really good Brogans was filling up nicely.

Up they all went and plugged in, Layla and Ami looked great as they rocked up in their new suicide shoes, a few sound glitches with the amplification at the outset were sorted out pretty quick 2 Tone Red were cooking, rocking through the set, Layla and Ami were born to perform and this was evident as they captured the audience song after song and even had them joining in and singing along by the end. The night was a success  2 Tone Red were officially off the starting blocks.

Sunday 31st July 2011 - The Most Wanted Talent

2TR were next invited to perform at the launch party of  ‘The Most Wanted Talent’.  Mat (Bass Guitarist) was away working at the Womad festival Drums were also not allowed at the venue in Clapham so Daniele (Drummer) was left with just a Cajon box drum to play. It was such a lovely Sunday afternoon that it was suggested to play totally unplugged on the terrace. With James and Phil on acoustic guitars, Daniele on his Box and Simon on sax the question was could Layla and Ami cut it without microphones.The band performed never more fittingly under the monica of ‘2 Tone Red Raw’. The one thing you can count on is that Layla and Ami will rise to the challenge and this they did to great and deserved applause.

2 Tone Red

Being a band it is important that you have objectives to work to especially if you an original band. What makes  2TR  different is that not only are they original but no one can put them in a category. After each gig they would ask how would you describe  2TR  as a genre and still to date there has not been a clear definition. Now this is a great achievement until you have to describe your music to promoters who set about getting you booked to be put on a bill with bands that are like yours.

One of the objectives was to get out and play as many live gigs as possible, For the few months left in the rest of the year they took every booking available and played pubs and clubs including the Duke on the Green,Tower Tavern, Piccadilly Comedy Pub, Anothe Live on Broadway at Brogans, The Cavendish Arms, Kiss the Sky bar, Putney Station Bar, The Workshop, The Bedford Arms,The Wheatsheaf and acoustic sessions in bars and private parties. The interesting fact is that on this journey 2TR shared various bills with Heavy metal bands, hip hop, rap, classical, indie pop bands, and many other styles with their very discerning audiences and hard core fans but on every occasion 2TR  has managed to win over the audience.  

Recording started almost immediately getting an EP together is as important as gigging for any band. Four tracks were recorded in Putney with Pav in his Sonic Surgery studio and another four tracks were recorded at the rehearsal rooms with a certain gentleman who shall be Known as Mr Swizzle Tricks. Mr Swizzle Tricks had a an indulgence in certain smoking paraphernalia which is OK until recording sessions were lost and recordings didn't turn out as they should. He would take an hour to plug in a mic and a set of head phones , feed his dog empty the trash and charge us for it as set up time. Fortunately all our eggs were not in one basket and Pavs recordings saved the day.  It was while recording 'Wake Up' at Pav's Sonic Surgery that the first Bite Size video was born, an idea to document behind the scenes moments and events as they unfolded. These little 2/ 3 minute clips proved to be very popular sometimes embarrassing but always fun.  (Keep checking in on our website as there is always more back stage bite size stuff going up www.2tonered.com ).     

2012 - Ju Ju Man - 

 2011 ended  with  a slap up home made pizza night band piss up and  a welcome rest  with the Christmas  holidays,  however 2012 would soon start with the foot on the accelerator again and with the launch of The Ju Ju Man video.

The video is an essential part of a bands PR kit and this was now desperately needed to promote the band. With budgets being tight it was  decided to shoot a video in the studio where they rehearsed and so November saw the first 2 Tone Red video being made. 

The video  was shot   with one light and cost the price of the tape and two pairs of ripped tights.  The Creativity in  2TR  isn't confined  with just  the Music  maybe out of necessity  and some  natural ability the video filming and editing,  make up,  photography,  wardrobe and creative ideas  are all skills that were drawn upon from within  the band. The video turned out better than expected and gives a hint to one of many side s and characters of  2TR . It may be coincidence but as soon as the video went live the emails started arriving offering gigs.

2012 was here and  2 Tone Red  were once again ready to Rock.

                Chapter 2 (2012)  coming soon