Win the chance to hear Naughty Rhythms

It's competition time again and I have a host of goodies for those of you who are eagerly awaiting the Naughty Rhythms tour which will hit Southend on December 4.

If you like the Hamsters, Eddie and the Hot Rods, Dr Feelgood and John Otway then you'll be delighted to hear I have two signed albums of each band ready and waiting, thanks to the kind and generous Dr Feelgood manager Chris Fenwick.

So, two lucky Live Music readers merely have to get this question right and you will be the proud owners of John Otway and the Big Band's "The Set Remains the Same", the Hamsters "Pet Sounds", Dr Feelgood's "Chess Masters" and Eddie and the Hot Rod's "Do Anything You Wanna Do".

And each is signed by the entire band so in years to come they will certainly become collectors items.

So, the question - John Otway played the biggest venue of his career last year in London. What was the name of that venue (and I have mentioned this place in previous articles, including the Naughty Rhythms tour review just last month, so no excuses about it being hard)?

Put your name and address on a postcard and send it to me, Carl Eve, at the Evening Echo, Naughty Rhythms competition, Chester Hall Lane, Basildon, Essex, SS14 3BL.

I'll then put them into a hat and pull out two cards in the very near future.

Urban blues in Leigh

Columbo - get some urban blues and northern soul into your heart when these top Leigh boys play their favourite venue (and mine).

The Grand Hotel in Broadway, Leigh will play host to the jolly chaps who knock out a top tune or ten, on Friday, November 3.

Their latest CD - That Shirt Looks Mighty Familiar - will be on sale at a snip of £3 or £5 for a special bundle including their first CD There's Just One Thing That Bothers Me. I would give you a review of them, but the lads were so tight they neglected to send me either of them.

Support will come from Waylon, so arrive early and make a night of it.

Fuel for your ears...

Diesel will be playing the Haystack Pub, Furtherwick Road on Canvey Island on Saturday November 4, their first in six months.

The delay is down to rehearsing and recording their second demo tape/CD entitled Wake Up And Smell The Coffee, which will include Thank You Friend, She Cries and It's Over.

Supporting will be new band Cyanide, playing a blend of dance and rock. Doors open at 8.30pm and tickets on the door are just £2.

Track down some soul...

The Soul Detectives are back investigating the Riga Music Bar, 228 London Road, Westcliff on Friday November 3.

The top tunesmiths always turn out a corking set and they've had a busy summer perfecting their eclectic mix of songs.

From the moment they're on stage you're just as likely to hear numbers by Kid Creole and the Coconuts or Hue and Cry as you are Mustang Sally or Knock on Wood. You should certainly expect plenty of soul, funk and latin.

The seven-piece have expanded to include two backing singers, Leanna Williams and Maria Jones, leaving lead singer Darren Davis to joke: "At last there will be someone attractive on stage rather than our ugly mugs!

The girls were great in rehearsal so Riga should be fun."

Admission is £5 and the doors open at 8.30pm.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.