SOHO DAYS & CAMDEN NIGHTS with ANDY McLEOD
About this Event
SOHO DAYS & CAMDEN NIGHTS with ANDY McLEOD
A funny, bittersweet tale about ambition, identity and knowing when to change the record.
Andy is 27 years old and stuck in a dead-end admin job in Soho. His rockstar dreams are over, but luckily, he’s discovered the next big thing: a Norwegian three-piece who sound like ABBA-meets-Nirvana. Plan B is simple: live the dream vicariously by managing them. The only things standing in his way are a total lack of music-industry know-how, and a boss who disapproves of his extracurricular activities. Easy peasy, right?
Soho Days, Camden Nights is a coming-to-your-senses story set in the heyday of the late nineties London music scene that also charts the rise of one of the biggest bands and comedians of the modern era. Along the way, it asks an eternal question: does success come from talent and hard work – or is it mostly down to timing and luck? And more importantly – is it ever too late to pick up the plectrum and try again?
Praise for Andy's first book, Anoint My Head:
'Carries the magnificent bravado of youth that will hold generation X-ers and anyone nostalgically inclined in a state of happy reverie.' - Daily Telegraph
'All the fun and youthful dreams and the poignancy of disappointment - plus a remarkable A-list cameo. Magnificent.' - The Guardian
'Captures the time and the aspirations of a young band brilliantly.' - Steve Lamacq
Copies of Andy's book will be on sale at the Festival and there'll be a dedicated book signing afterwards.
About Andy:
Andy MacLeod is a London-based music promoter who puts on live shows, manages bands, and releases records. Over the years, he has promoted artists including Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, Keane, Fontaines D.C., and hundreds of others.
Before that, he was in an indie-pop band managed by a bloke called Ricky Gervais, though he’s not quite sure whatever happened to him.
When no one is looking, Andy likes to write. His first book is the memoir Anoint My Head – How I Failed to Make It as a Britpop Indie Rockstar. His second book, Soho Days, Camden Nights - The Chronicles of a Failed Indie Rockstar, is a sequel, though hopefully it also works as a standalone.
Andy also sings in The InCureables, a tribute band to The Cure, which might be providing material for a third book. In his downtime, he is a cold-water swimming enthusiast/bore, a Spurs fan, and a dad.
He lives in London with his wife, two children, and a cat called Muriel. He would like a dog.
About Ralph Dartford:
Ralph Dartford is a long time Louder contributor and a poet and writer hailing from Basildon in Essex. Ralph also tore around the streets of Soho and Camden in the early part of the century in search of fame and fortune but ended up managing the unofficial National Theatre of Comedy (AKA The Bloomsbury Theatre) and can tell his own tales of Ricky Gervais, Jimmy Carr, Stewart Lee and Sooty!
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 8.30 to GBP 11.55
