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Chrome Hoof are an experimental orchestra based in London, England. The group was formed in 2000 by Cathedral bassist Leo Smee and his brother Milo Smee. Initially performing as a duo, their music was mostly electronic. Since the start, however, the group have continuously recruited new members playing various instruments. As of 2007, the group had about ten members and instruments such as saxophone, trumpet, bassoon, violin, guitars, bass and drums. Being a large orchestra, Chrome Hoof’s music spans several diverse music genres such as metal, electro, funk, jazz, disco and chamber music. Their music has been described as progressive, futuristic and psychedelic.

http://www.facebook.com/chromehoof

BO NINGEN

“They’re a mesmerising sight, and you can hardly ignore their sound. It’s a squall with shape, albeit of the inchoate variety: Can meets Sabbath is one way of describing their, not melange, no, that’s way too polite – charnel house of charged riffs, funk with a mathematically improbable rhythm (is that a 24/6 beat we can hear?)” Paul Lester- Guardian

http://www.myspace.com/boningen

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CANCELLED

Chrome Hoof outing postponed: Sunday 1st May: Hare & Hounds

“Sadly this Chrome Hoof performance has to be postponed as another show that due to take place on the same weekend was cancelled by the promoter. This late cancellation leaves Chrome Hoof unable financially to make the trip. A rescheduled date will be announced soon and they look forward to playing Birmingham in the VERY near future. We offer sincere apologies to those who bought tickets and to Capsule who organised the show”

Doom metal, disco, acid house and Donna Summer had a car crash on the highway to oblivion. Chrome Hoof emerged from the wreckage, grooving. London is multi-faceted and contradictory. It is chaotic, magical, glamorous, cold, terrifying, apocalyptic, exciting, mundane, ordered and unhinged all at the same time. Chrome Hoof is the first band ever to capture this reality. A combination of primal feeling, virtuosity, theatre, brooding menace, late 70s glamour and large monsters made out of chromed titanium, Chrome Hoof should not really make any sense whatsoever — but they do.

Chrome Hoof have somewhere between 10 and 14 members, depending on who turns up. Singer Lola Olafisoye is reminiscent of both Grace Jones at her stylish best and a New Orleans witch queen who took the wrong turn entering the spirit world and ended up in Zone 2 by mistake. Brothers Leo and Milo Smee have opposing musical backgrounds — doom metal and acid house respectively — but rather than compromise and meet in the middle, the brothers simply bring both styles to the same band. A sweet-faced trumpet player called Emma Sullivan lets out the most blood-curdling scream imaginable. Violinist Sarah and bassoonist Chloe bend their classical training towards making the perfect soundtrack to any forthcoming apocalypses we might be having. The entire band wear metallic monksʼ robes, and are sometimes joined on stage by an enormous monster with a goatʼs head and flashing eyes.
http://www.myspace.com/chromehoof

Youves
Having beavered away for a couple of years on their local midlands scene, these self-proclaimed ‘baby-faced as-sass-ins’ have recently taken things up a notch with plaudits from The Klaxons amongst other luminaries. If The Rapture had been hardcore kids in their youth they may have produced something as musically thrilling as Youves
http://www.myspace.com/youves

Poster by Ben Javens