Nick Hemming
Christian Hardy
Helen Whitaker
William Calderbank
Michael Siddell
Sebastian Hankins
Darren Bonehill
CONTACT: Radio/TV: Prudence - info@rocketpr.co.uk
Press: Steve - steve@bigmouthpublicity.co.uk
Online Press: Debbie - debbie@createspark.co.uk
Booking: Neil - neil@neilobrienentertainment.com
Label: Ryan - ryan@fulltimehobby.co.uk
Press
****
"Wonderful"
OBSERVER MUSIC MONTHLY
****
"An autumnal mist of British Bank Holiday ennui surrounds Nick Hemming's literate meditations."
THE TIMES
****
"Beautifully pastoral debut."
MOJO
****
"As intimate as Leonard Cohen and as mysterious as Love. Resets the goal posts."
ARTROCKER
"Magical... shimmers with loveliness"
WORD
"Unflinching clarity and a sense of longing...a uniquely British take on Americana; almost as if Scott Walker or Nick Drake had 'gone country', making music for coalminers rather than cowboys."
INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
"Fragile, beautifully orchestrated and restrained."
THE GUARDIAN
"Album of the week : A perfect and timeless album of wintry romanticism that will warm your soul."
ROUGH TRADE
*****
"A classic from start to finish...a near perfect debut."
MUSIC NEWS
*****
"Transcendant... a Mercury Prize nomination perhaps awaits."
SUBBA CULTCHA
*****
"This isn't just a debut that promises big things for the future, it's one that delivers greatness already."
THE LIST
****
"Music to cuddle up to, music to clutch yourself to, music that is, as Jimmy Webb might say, necessary. This is a band that could well be the sound of 2009."
MAVERICK MAGAZINE
****
"A lovingly crafted, tender folk record that will secure them as a named brand on the shelves of pop. The love affair begins."
RAGGED WORDS
"This is a record of extraordinary depth that stays with you long after the final notes have faded."
NOTION
"One of 2009's great albums"
MUSICOMH
85%
"Stunning...an awe-inspiring musical adventure."
THE LINE OF BEST FIT
9/10
"As moving as Elbow, as stirring as The Delgados, it's wholly magical."
TELETEXT
Beach Boys, Beatles, Elliott Smith, Calexico, Sufjan Stevens, Howie Beck, The Band, Ali, Bob Dylan, David Attenborough, Jaws, Louis Theroux, Bill Murray, Simon Schama, P G Wodehouse, The Fountainhead, The Kinks, The Who, The Jam, Charlie Chaplin, Hangovers & Heartache, Tom Waits, Sideways, Paul Thomas Anderson, Weezer, Neil Young, The Divine Comedy, Charles Bukowski, Arrested Development, travelling by train, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Nick Drake, The Beta Band, Big Wednesday, Adam & the Ants, Love, Joni Mitchell, The Shins, Italian Food, Richard Hell, Bruce Robinson, Bill Hicks, Dave Brubeck, Horace Silver, The Cure, The Coen Brothers, Spike Milligan, Wes Anderson, Russ Mayer, The Earlies, Peep Show, Lalo Schifrin, The Red Hand Gang theme tune, Jules Verne.... & just about everything I've seen, heard, touched & tasted.
The story of the Leisure Society began in Burton-Upon-Trent when Nick Hemming formed a band with Shane Meadows, Paddy Considine and Rich Eaton. Meadows and Considine would later go on to successful careers in film while Nick, in his own words, would spend a few years ‘working to support a music habit.’
After having contributed a couple of scores for Meadows’s films (A Room For Romeo Brass & Dead Man’s Shoes) under The Leisure Society moniker and a stint in The Telescopes, Nick found himself in London where he ended up sharing a flat with fellow Burton exile Christian Hardy.
The pair began writing together and playing in a number of bands – Nick would join Brighton bands Sons of Noel and Adrian and Shoreline and both would play in Christian’s band Christian Silva. It was through Nick’s Brighton connections that they met and began working with the Willkommen Collective, a loose collection of Brighton based musicians promoters and artists - it was from this collective that they drew the musicians who formed the permanent line-up of the band – Mike Siddell, Will Calderbank, Helen Whitaker, Bas Hankins & Darren Bonehill.
By the end of 2008 the pair had written and recorded almost 30 songs, 11 of which would end up on their debut album, The Sleeper. Produced and mixed by Christian and Nick, the record was initially self-released through the collective's own Willkommen Records. The first couple of singles from the album, The Last Of The Melting Snow & A Matter Of Time, picked up considerable radio support from the likes of Radcliffe and Maconie (where both were voted ‘record of the week’), Zane Lowe, Marc Riley, Lauren Laverne, Dermot O’Leary, Bob Harris and Elbow's Guy Garvey.
In April 2009 The Last Of The Melting Snow was nominated for an Ivor Novello award. Guy Garvey named it his favourite song of 2008.
Now signed to Full Time Hobby, they have just re-recorded album track Save it For Someone Who Cares, which will be released as a single and included on a special bonus EP accompanying the re-released album in October.
Thanks for your concert in Paris, it was a really beautiful moment... and stay longer at the Pop In next time you come, we sang some Beatles tunes on piano 'til closing time ;)
Thanks for the add and the great album you made. "The sleeper" is a hit! "Last of the melting snow", "We were wasted" and "A short weekend starts with longing" are so brilliant music to sing along! Thanks a lot!
I would have love to come to your gig in Paris, but I've got exams the all week, so I've got to study at least a bit... But, please, come back soon, so I would be able to come and see you that time !
"Save It For Someone Who Cares" by The Leisure Society on my radio show, The British Breakfast on WRIR 97.3FM Richmond, Virginia USA and streamed live on www.wrir.org this Saturday between 9-11AM mytime which is 2-4PM UK time.Cheers, Gene Pembleton
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