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CHARLESTOWN
LAUNCH ACTIVITIES & EVEN MORE REVIEWS |
13th
October 2010 |
THE NEW ALBUM IS NOW IN STOCK AND READY TO BE SENT OUT
!!!!
There are a number of planned radio interviews & podcasts
being scheduled here in the UK, Canada & in the USA,
to coincide with the launch of the new MANNING album "CHARLESTOWN"
Details
on where / when to catch these
shows are found HERE!Some
shows are now published HERE! We
hope you can join us to celebrate the
culmination of another years hard slog!
Meanwhile, the very first reviews of the new album have
started to arrive...
Manning “Charlestown" by Tarcisio
Moura (Progressive Archives)
"Another
masterpiece
of progressive
music,
no less!
Guy Manning is definitly one of the most important songwriters
to appear on the new millenium and Charlestown is definitly
a must have for anyone who thinks they don´t do
great albums like they used to
do in the 70´s. Highly recommended to all music
lovers!"The
longer and more in depth version can be found HERE!
Manning “Charlestown” by
John Sealey (Progressive
Ears)
"I've
been playing this CD regularly
since it dropped through the
letter-box at the end of last
week. The title track is hugely
impressive and I envy anyone
attending the live show on Saturday. (23rd
Oct 2010 - Ed.)"Charlestown" (the
track) may be an "epic" but it's also
a stirring suite of well put together tunes which
flow excellently throughout the whole 30+ minutes.
The most pleasing thing for me is the that the
subject matter of the "story" and it's
lyrics fit so well with the musical themes. Guy
Manning, I think, is a composer who understands
the link between the poetry of the lyrical content
and the drama of the music. I can't see this being
anything other than a real "grower" for
me and I'd heartily recommend it to anyone who
has an interest in the written word as well as
the music played. Actually,
although I've so far concentrated more on the title
track (it's 35 minutes long, back in the day it's
what I was used to for a complete album!), the
other five songs on the CD are very good too! I'm
kind of saving them as the dessert when I'm getting
full of the main course. "Caliban
and Ariel" is a really gentle piece that,
again, fits the lyric beautifully. I suppose it
keeps the watery theme going too! "The Man
in the Mirror" is a tale that reflects that
sometimes life is just not full of happy endings,
delivered with real pathos, I think. I like this
song very much. "Clocks", another rather
gentle song with a beautiful and very wistful lyric,
may turn out to be a personal favourite for me
- only time will tell! In some ways it reminds
me of The Musical Box in it's sentiment, although
interpreted differently, of course. "T.I.C" takes
us into more uptempo territory with it's more blues-rock
feel - a bit of fun here I think and even a bit
of Wishbone Ash twin lead and some Tull flutes! "Finale" wraps
it all up with a full on instrumental coda rounding
up some of the themes from, I think, the title
track? The reworking here works superbly well and
provides a fitting end to a high quality album.
A little irony at the end really; an album so brilliantly
served in it's lyrical content ending with an intrumental.
I like that and it says a lot about the artist. There
you go, I've done the lot now. It's a pleasure
from start to finish - a highlight in what has
been a super year for the music I love. Now
.........back to my epic!! "
Manning “Charlestown” by
Keith (Aural Moon)
"The
title track is a veritable MASTERPIECE!!!!!!
Superb playing throughout.
You
won't be disappointed if you
get this I promise you."
Manning “Charlestown” by
Paul Baker (ARFm Soundscapes
Radio)
"The
11th
album
from
one of
England’s
best
kept
Prog
Rock
secrets; ‘Charlestown’ is
a splendid
blend
of modern
and classical
progressive
rock.
Epic
opener ‘Charlestown’ is
an amazing
musical
adventure
on the
high
seas
of imaginative
forward
looking
rock. ‘Caliban & Ariel’ is
a gentle
contrast
to the
drama
of the
title
track,
there
is also
a ‘what
was that?’ moment
when ‘T.I.C.’ takes
to the
air!
Album
closer, ‘Finale’ takes
some
themes
from
the epic
opening
track
and re-works
them
into
an absorbing
instrumental
extravaganza,
but don’t
expect
a straight
copy,
that
wouldn’t
be Manning!
Fans
of Jethro Tull, Yes, Gentle Giant, Genesis and
all the usual suspects should find a lot to like
on this album, but may be disappointed if they
expect an impersonation of their heroes, Manning
and Charlestown are much too adventurous and original
for that!"
The longer and more in depth version can be found HERE! |
CHARLESTOWN
ALBUM LAUNCH |
24th
September 2010 |
We
are happy to announce that the Official
CHARLESTOWN launch gig is to be held on
Sat. 23rd October 2010 at the Peel,
Kingston-upon-Thames, London.
Tel: 0208 8546 3516. Doors open 7:30pm
Our special guests will be
Dec Burke's Destroy All Monsters
This will be the first gig with our new drummer, John
Kennard.
Please come along and support him!
The album will on pre-sale and we will
be debutting some new material from it, but you
can now PRE-ORDER it
from this site plus there is
an edited snippet from the title track for you
to hear HERE!
We hope you can come and see us and
pick up your pre-release copy!Evening
dress is optional OR you can come
dressed as a sailor from the late 1700s to fit
in with the album theme.
NOTE:
Change to 3rd Dec 2010 concert:
Crimson Sky have had to pull out, but we have
managed to persuade the fabulous GODSTICKS to
take their place!!
|
CHARLESTOWN
- To be released on 25th October 2010
|
6th
July 2010 |
The
new album has been finally mastered and the artwork completed!
With a good headwind and weather, we are on course for our Autumn release
schedule. (OK, that's enough of the sailing imagery I think).
'Charlestown' is made up of six new recordings including the epic mulit-sectioned
title track. The album features the new band line-up (except Conor, who
arrived afterwards) and includes Dave Albone's last work with the band
before his retirement.
Once again, some extra guests have been drafted in to help add to that
unique sound which is MANNING music! (See our BIOGRAPHY section)
The front cover has been especially created by Rosie Manning (who also
did the 'Bilston House' artwork).
"Definitely
a more challenging listen this time around, lots of quirky
time signatures, stark light and shade plus more band ensemble
/ orchestral playing...I always liked albums that I maybe
did not get into right away, but kept coming back to time
after time to really appreciate...A Passion Play and Topographic
Oceans spring to mind...my first reaction was a 'what the
*?/*@!'...but now I love them dearly' (Guy
Manning).
Material from the new album will be featured in the late 2010 UK dates.
|
DOMICILE
Promotional Film |
5th
July 2010 |
Check
out the promotional file that Steve Dundon has put together
to accompany the track "DOMICILE" (taken from "THE
CURE" album).
It is now available on YouTube and Steve tells us that more are on the way!
Also now published are the 2 video blogs we filmed on our way to RoSFest 2010.
Sample international life on the road with the band
(on a very low budget)!
You
can get to all these via our PRESS pages.
More LIVE dates are being booked as we speak, so make sure you subscribe to
the MANNING Mailing List (see box above) for all the latest bulletins or check
back here regularly! |
Dave
Albone retires...and we welcome, Conor! |
20th
May 2010 |
Guy
Manning
“Following on from Manning’s triumphant appearance at RosFest 2010,
the band has to sadly announce the departure from the line-up of drummer/percussionist, Dave
Albone.”
Dave
Albone
“After
a fantastic 2 years working with Guy, I have taken
a very difficult decision to not only leave Manning,
but retire from any kind of regular live playing for
good. This decision includes a number of personal reasons,
the key one being gradually increasing problems with
pains in my elbow and wrist joints, making the physical
side of being a drummer very difficult – and
quite painful! The timing – after our highly
successful and hugely enjoyable trip to RosFest in
the USA – seemed right, going out on a massive
high.
I’m
not leaving music behind entirely – my first instrument
was actually piano and I will be reviving my interest
in this later in the year – purely for personal
pleasure though!
I’d
like to say a massive thanks to Manning – to Guy
for giving me the opportunity to do some really good
things in my last 2 years of playing (Cambridge Rock
Festival, RosFest USA, recording the new album); to Julie
for feeding me every Tuesday rehearsal night; to Kev,
Kris, Chris, Steve, and Tim for being excellent companions
and such top notch dedicated musicians – it’s
been a privilege. I’m very proud to have been involved
in what Manning has achieved in the last 2 years.
Big thanks also to anyone who has ever supported me or attended a gig I’ve
done over the last 36 years of playing – from rough houses in Manchester
to The Royal Albert Hall, I’ve had a ball. And finally – a
colossal and heartfelt thanks to my long suffering wife Christine – she
has quietly supported me, put up with many absences, late nights and grumpy
mornings and never, ever once asked me to give it up.
I wish Guy and the rest of Manning all the very best for the future – I’m
sure they’ll now go on to build on the success of Cambridge and RosFest
and get the wider recognition that the music deserves.
Anyone
want to buy a drum kit!” |
The
Cure electronic release |
18th
May 2010 |
We
are pleased to announce that The
Cure (originally released in 2000) will be released onto
itunes worldwide, Amazon mp3 and Napster in early June. Release
dates vary but it should be online at all stores by 8th June.
The
Cure is one of the four albums also re-released as 10th Anniversary
editions, which currently are only available to buy on this
site, via Festival Music (F2) or at our gigs.
Finally,
we have the RoSfest
(April) Manning Newsletter online. This was originally
going to be produced and distributed at RoSfest, but due
to the volcanic ash cloud preventing us sending any airmail
just before the event,
we had to abandon those plans. However, you can now view, download and
print your own copy of this combined newsletter and RoSfest programme. |
RoSfest
photos and a new e-mailing list |
16th
May 2010 |
We
have our first block of RoSfest
photos online. None of us onstage as yet, but these will
follow soon.
With
all the new fans from RoSfest wanting to be kept up to date
and our clunky old system failing rapidly, we have decided
to update our mailing list and are now using those lovely
chaps at Aardvark
Mailing Lists to manage this for us.
We
promsie that we won't spam you or pass on your details to
anyone else and you can unsubscribe at any time.
If
you do decide to subscribe, you'll find the link at the top
right of this page... so why not go along there now and get
the latest Manning news delivered into your inbox? |
Guy
Manning & The Tangent |
11th
May 2010 |
After
much discussion and soul searching, it has been mutually
decided that Guy will no longer be partaking in future
Tangent activities. Both Guy & Andy (Tillison) would
like it to be known that this decision has been reached
amicably.
The
reasons are simply the fact that Guy's band MANNING and
The TANGENT are both working hard on projects (both on
stage and in the studio) and over the past two years,
progress for both bands has been halted as a result of
intense activity by one or the other.
This leaves Guy free to focus entirely on his own music and for the Tangent's
new four piece lineup augmented where possible by Theo Travis, to arrange
gigs and recording sessions equally independantly.
Both Guy and Andy are sure that this will not be the end of musical collaborations
between them.
They are parting company in just ONE respect, i.e The Tangent.
Both
MANNING and The TANGENT have recently had successful
and very well received performances at major festivals
and the future looks good for both parties.
On
a personal note, Guy and Andy would like to add that
their work together in the Tangent has been very rewarding
and also a lot of fun! They both feel very proud of what
the band has produced/achieved.
Best wishes from both. |
RoSfest
Triumph! |
9th
May 2010 |
We
are now back from our amazing visit to the Rites of
Spring festival in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, USA and
are preparing to knuckle down and finish the new album
Charlestown, but before all that we thought we would
share a message and some memories of our experience
with you.
We'd
really like to thank George Roldan and all the team
at RoSfest, the backstage crew, drivers, roadies, technicians,
noise boys, lampies, venue crew, bar staff, and the
people who loaned us keyboards and other gear to help
us perform our set at RoSfest. We mean it when we say
without you lot it wouldn't have happened.
We'd
also like to say a big thanks to all the other bands,
and the people who bought the tickets and supported
what is one of the best festivals on the prog calendar...
without people buying tickets these things don't happen.
And
finally - a massive Hi to Connie... who served us disproportionately
large numbers of beers and entertained us with stories
and anecdotes in the bar of the Eisenhower Hotel.
Thanks
to all the band members - but the man of the festival
is of course Tim Leadbeater,
whose fine sense of balance and excellent composure
allowed him to finish the gig even when his seating
arrangements failed him, although an honourable mention
must also also go to Chris "I
don't know that one" Catling whose knowledge
of Lynyrd Skynyrd's Free Bird is uncanny.
We're
sure photos will be rolling onto the internet over
the next few weeks and months, and if we find any photos,
videos or reviews we will share them with you. We are
also currently compiling a RoSfest blog video which
we hope to release online on the Official
Manning Youtube sometime in the near future. A
few band photos have made it online on Kris's Picasa
for you to see...
And now... back to Charlestown... |
|
Welcome...
Tim Leadbeater on Keyboards |
29th
November 2009 |
Manning
are pleased to announce the completion of the line-up
with our new keyboard player Tim
Leadbeater. Tim is the final member in our line-up
and you will be able to meet him at one of our performances
for the Classic
Rock Society in March and at RoSfest in
Gettysburg, PA in May 2010. We are currently scheduling
even more gigs for next year and you'll see the news
here first.
We
also have good news that the Manning album Number
Ten has been nominated for the Fourth
Edition of Progawards.
Finally,
we can announce that our Classic Rock Society date
is being re-scheduled and will most likely be on 20th
March 2010 at The Wesley Centre, Maltby, Rotherham. |
New
TANGENT album is released |
22nd
November 2009 |
The
new album by The Tangent, "Down and Out in Paris
and London" is now released. Please visit the Tangent
Website for details and ordering.
Guys' "A LIFE IN MUSIC" page, accessed via his Biography page
has been updated.
|
A
little post-bonfire night update |
8th
November 2009 |
You
can now buy Songs from
the Bilston House on itunes, Napster and Amazon
MP3 downloads, priced at a rather modest £7.99
for UK itunes customers. Should you fancy a shiny boxed
version, we still have those available although, we
can now advise that we are running very low on Tall
Stories for Small Children, One Small Step... and The
Cure.
On
a slightly sadder note, the keyboardist situation has
forced us to postpone the XMAS 12th December gig at
the Classic Rock Socety until the end of March 2010,
however, we are pleased to announce that we are now
in the process of shortlisting and should be able to
announce very soon who the 8th member of Manning is!
Work
on the new album is progressing very nicely; it's currently
been given the provisional title of "Number 11",
but we should have its name rounded up shortly and
you'll see the news here first.
The centrepiece track of the new album is a 36 minute seafaring epic!! |
Introducing...
Chris Catling on Lead Guitar |
21st
October 2009 |
Manning
are pleased to announce that our new lead guitarist
is Chris Catling.
After
an amazing response to adverts posted both on this
site and on the various musician's sites, and after
some real tough auditions and an even tougher decision
for the band, Chris was chosen as the replacement for
Dave Million to take Manning to the next level.
Finally,
we have a few updates around the site including an interview
with Guy printed in the dutch magazine IOpages
(sorry we haven't had it translated yet). |
Releases Page Updated |
19th
September 2009 |
We
have another new presspack online for your downloading
pleasure - Songs from the
Bilston House - as well as Lost in Play available
for you to download.
Songs from the Bilston House will be available to download
from itunes, Amazon and Napster on 5th November (Guy Fawkes
Night in the UK). |
Tall Stories for Small Children released on itunes today |
7th
September 2009 |
It's
good news today for all you ipod and iphone fans (as well
as the many other MP3 players out there) as Tall
Stories for Small Children gets it's release on itunes
and Napster worldwide.
Available
for £7.99 in the UK in the itunes
store, and at comparable prices worldwide - now is the
chance to update and complete your collection. The album
is also available to play on demand or to purchase for
you Napster users.
The
remainder of the back catalogue will be released over
the coming months with Songs From The Bilston House getting
it's release on November 5th (Guy Fawkes Night in the
UK). |
Releases Page Updated |
5th
September 2009 |
The
first of the new Press Packs is online now on the Number
Ten microsite. You can now download as a PDF
a full set of lyrics for the album.
We
also have Ships online as an MP3 for you to listen to
on the same page. |
Manning recruiting new members |
29th
August 2009 |
Following
the departure of Dave Million and Phil Wilkes, Manning
currently has vacancies for a keyboards player and a guitarist:
We
are an 8 piece band formed around a Leeds based prodigiously
talented singer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist with
an impressive record of releasing ten studio albums in
ten years! The band produces an eclectic mix of music
which broadly falls within the progressive
genre, but in reality spans many different musical forms
from beautiful ballads and folk-tinged songs through to
awesome all-out rock workouts and true progressive epics
no two songs sound the same!
The
band is currently experiencing a surge of interest and
support, with nominations for Album of the Year by the
Classic Rock Society (CRS) and a series of storming headline
gigs in support of the latest and critically acclaimed
new album.
Highlights
of the bands tenth anniversary year are a very successful
appearance at the 2009 Cambridge Rock Festival and the
planned recording of a live album later in the year. 2010
will see the band is making an appearance at the prestigious
RoSfest festival in Gettysburg, PA..
We
are now looking for two versatile and accomplished musicians
to take us to the next level in terms of musical professionalism.
Able to play in a variety of styles, and integrate very
quickly into an 8 piece line-up, you will be experienced
in live work, as well as recording, have a good sense
of humour, your own transport, equipment and a desire
to continuously improve what you do.
Lead
guitar: You must have the ability to adapt your playing
style to the mood and nature of each song. Tuneful solos
and sensitive lead passages are often required, as well
as standard rock patterns and riffs. You will be equally
at home playing acoustic as well as electric guitars.
Keyboards:
You will have a natural pianistic style, as there
are many open passages where the piano is exposed and
required to accompany the lead vocals. Contrasting with
that are large passages requiring tasteful orchestral
beds, organ and piano solos as well as the more traditional
synth solo. Sensitivity and timing are key
and a natural musical awareness of what is required.
The
nature of the band is semi-professional everyone
has a day job. However, the ambition and approach is completely
professional. These are not positions for anyone wanting
to earn money the band is wholly dedicated to bringing
the recordings to life and seeing where that takes us.
If this sounds interesting to you let us know.
Contact
details for more information : krishudsonlee@googlemail.com |
Manning Line-up Changes |
26th
August 2009 |
Guy
Manning
"Following
on from the milestone that was the bands triumphant appearance
at the Cambridge Rock Festival, the band are to make some
line up changes.
Getting
the band to the point at which MANNING could sustain 2
separate shows (ELEKTRIK and AKOUSTIK) took a vast amount
of dedication and effort on behalf of the players and
I am eternally grateful that they did not disappoint myself
or the fans (new and old).
Having
said that, in the aftermath of the festival, we were able
to objectively look at the point we were at and the known
future activities (possible new Studio album, a live album,
UK and worldwide dates). Each member of the band reviewed
their own position and did some soul searching.
At
this point, we can formally state that Phil Wilkes and
David Million will not be continuing on as a part of the
MANNING band line ups.
I
wish to personally thank them for all the time and effort
they have put into getting the band to where it is today.
It would not have happened without you both.
All
the best with your new projects and deserved time off!"
Phil
Wilkes
After
18 months with Manning, during which time the
band has
seen increasing support and success, I have reached the
difficult decision to leave the band. I feel that
the
time is right for me to focus on completing a personal
music project and pursue other interests that
would conflict
with the growing commitment required for Manning to achieve
the next levels of its success. I am delighted
to have
been part of the bands continuing story and proud
of the contribution I have been able to make.
David
Million
"Being
a part of the Manning band has been a great experience
and it has been very satisfying to watch the band gain
more respect for their recorded work, live shows and so
be offered more prestigious gigs worldwide.
For
my own part, work and family commitments are proving hard
to give the band the level of involvement it needs, especially
meeting the rehearsal and live show schedules.
Couple
this with a desire to pursue my own material (which I
have been working on in parallel), I therefore feel it
is a good point in time to concentrate more on the 'home'
front and leave the live band line-ups.
The
future is not set in stone however and my involvement
with Guy will continue in some capacity, I am sure.
I
want to wish Guy and the band all the best with their
next ventures, which will be brilliant I am sure!" |
Releases Page Updated |
23rd
August 2009 |
A
few more website updates today - this time the Releases
page has been updated to include details of all 10 available
albums including track listing and members. |
Tall Stories for Small Children itunes release in September |
15th
August 2009 |
September
is the start of a major release cycle for Manning as the
back catalogue starts to appear on itunes, starting with
Tall Stories for Small Children (have a listen to a couple
of tracks now in the player on this page).
Number
Ten is expected to be released on itunes, along with The
Cure in December 2009. |
Website Updates |
15th
August 2009 |
Another
website update today - improved graphical appearance,
better functionality of the forums and blog and some other
cosmetic improvements. Manning Music Player added to website...
keep checking back as more songs get added. |
Manning at the CRF |
9th
August 2009 |
We
are pleased to announce that the Cambridge Rock Festival
gig on Saturday 8th was a complete success!
We
sold rather a lot of CD's (including reducing the remaining
stock of the older deleted CD's quite dramatically), and
made a lot of new friends.
For
those of you who missed it, we played A Strange Place;
The Dream; Antares; Ships; Holy Ireland (parts 3 and 4);
Silent Man; The House on the Hill and to wrap things up
(and to great requests) Lost in Play.
Photos
et all will follow shortly, but in the meantime you can
discuss this and all things Manning at our Forum. |
Manning announced to play RoSfest 2010 |
31st
July 2009 |
RoSfest
is pleased to announce Manning this eight piece band led
by maestro Guy Manning will be playing the second slot
on Saturday May 1st.
The
band Manning has been around since 1999, formed around
the prodigiously talented singer / songwriter / multi-instrumentalist
Guy Manning. Having previously been an associate of prog.
legends Parallel or 90 Degrees and being a founder member
of the internationally respected, The Tangent, Guy has
an impressive record of releasing ten studio albums in
ten years!
Manning
produce an eclectic mix of music which broadly falls within
the progressive genre, but in reality spans
many different musical forms from beautiful ballads and
folk-tinged songs through to awesome all-out rock workouts
and true progressive epics no two songs sound the
same!
The
band is currently experiencing a surge of interest and
support, with the previous album Songs From The
Bilston House having been nominated for Album of
the Year by the Classic
Rock Society (CRS) and a series of storming headline
gigs in support of the latest and critically acclaimed
album Number Ten. |
Manning to play Cambridge Rock Festival |
1st
May 2009 |
Manning
will be the pre-headline slot at the Cambridge
Rock Festival on Saturday August 8th 2009 along with
Solstice, Tinyfish, DeeExpus and many other bands.
Tickets
are currently available from the CRF website and the band
are expected to take to the stage at approximately 7:15pm
on Stage 2 (the CRS Stage).
Meanwhile,
our gig at The Wesley Centre was totally successful and
we would like to thank all those who attended. We will
be returning to The Wesley in December. |
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