THE C SIDES PROJECT + Z MACHINE + MONKEYTRIAL: An afternoon of Prog and Psych from Wales

Name: THE C SIDES PROJECT + Z MACHINE + MONKEYTRIAL: An afternoon of Prog and Psych from Wales
Start: 2025-04-13T13:00:00+01:00
Location: Camden Club

Schedule

Sun, 13 Apr, 2025 at 01:00 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Camden Club | London, EN

London Prog Gigs are pleased to announce an afternoon of Prog and Psych bands from Wales (mostly). Arrive for lunch (optional) at the Camden Club – an intimate cabaret-seated venue in North London - and spend the afternoon with us watching the three excellent bands, ending around 6pm.
The CSides Project : Each member of the band brings something to the mix. Between Sian and Alan the dual vocals have harmony, depth, range and emotion, and all songs have a completeness which is largely down to well written lyrics by Alan McCarthy. The guitar work is fluid, accurate and creative, capturing the mood of the lyrics by providing rhythm and melody in exactly the right places. Supporting the melody on most of the albums and live, Kevin’s keys complete the band’s sound delighting the ear and adding extra dimensions to the movements. The tight locked-in drumming drives the sound, adding definition to the arrangements and delighting the ear with in-song changes to time signature and feel. The bass guitar completes the rhythm section and compliments the music, providing contrapuntal melody lines within the arrangements while at the same time adding depth and girth to the overall sound.
They continue on their musical journey, their innovative form of progressive rock nodding to the classic prog bands of the 1970’s while at the same time finding new and surprising ways of using rhythm and melody to create a kaleidoscope of sound that is all their own. The band is made up of competent musicians that are able to tell wondrous stories in music and lyrics that transports the imagination to wherever they will take you. Their writing is fresh and imaginative with every new recording seeing the band’s style develop in new and ever-expanding forms.
Z Machine were formed in Swansea just before the pandemic hit in 2020, after a chance encounter brought together Gareth Piper and Owen Rosser on guitars, and Rob on saxophone. Kristian Rees, bass-playing school friend of Owen, was next to join - being a perfect fit and possessing the chops needed to pull it off. Finally, after a long search, our drummer Lester Greenhalgh shared our love of a variety of jazz fusion and prog bands, and with much experience playing in various jazz bands, slotted in perfectly. After a brilliant four-year stint with us, Kris unfortunately had to move on to pastures new, but we have been very lucky to find bass-wizard Maddy K in our locality, who has the skills and drive to fill Kris’s rather large shoes.
Our music is free and without bounds; heavily influenced by the prog giants of the 70s, the jazz fusion pioneers, and all the music weirdos in between. We try and create fresh and exciting music limited only by our instrumentation, pushing the boundaries of our imaginations to bring audiences something that they perhaps have never heard before…
We spent our first couple of years writing material and learning it ready for rehearsal, and played our first gig in 2021. Since then we have been playing as many gigs as we can, and released our debut album in 2023 which has received great reviews from the underground prog press!
MonkeyTrial create music best described as "Soundscapes for imaginary places" a melding of improvised progressive electronica and ambient live music. A duo comprising Clive Mollart on synths and theremin and Shaun Bailey on guitars, MonkeyTrial actually formed sometime in the late 1990s, with their debut album being released in 1998. However, it wasn’t until early 2010 that a fresh incentive inspired a reboot and a new, more focused album was released. By 2018 they’d found themselves being invited to join the bills of many festivals and events more regularly, the duo had clearly gained a reputation for creating cinematic ambient electronica music with infectious grooves. People clearly liked the combination of styles and instrumentation.
Over the last few years they have played at many venues and festivals including HRH Prog, Kozfest, Glastonbury 'Psychfest' and Danfest. After many appearances on the festival circuit MonkeyTrial have gained a reputation for creating cinematic ambient electronica music with infectious groves.
"If you’re a lover of any era of Tangerine Dream, or even the more electronic space-rock excursions of Hawkwind or Gong, and if you can appreciate the polarising work Steve Hillage has done with the oft-dismissed but excellent System 7, then there will be a lot for you to enjoy here" - Steve Pilkington, Velvet Thunder.
MonkeyTrial replace the originally-advertised Sendelica at this event, who have unfortunately had to withdraw owing to the ill-health of a band member. We wish him a full and speedy recovery.
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THE CAMDEN CLUB is one of London's newest and most exciting venue (opposite The Roundhouse in Camden/Chalk Farm). Cabaret-style seating with gourmet 'Burger Bites' table service - please support the venue by buying food and drinks as this keeps venue hire prices down, enabling bands to play here.
Entrance is via a flight of steps up from street level and then a flight of steps down to floor level. Please contact the organisers if you need to use the accessible (step-free) entrance.