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In addition to the PHONEYFEST, Empire Leisure will once again proudly be presenting several other great events through the summer of 2024, starring some legendary acts from the music scene.
NETLEY MARSH STEAM & CRAFT SHOW SHOW
Friday 19th July 2024 to Sunday 21st July 2024
Meadow Mead Farm at Netley Marsh will once again play host to the annual Steam & Craft Show, which includes live evening entertainment from Abba Rival, It Must Be Madness, Loonee Toons & Pure Queen. A fun-filled weekend for the whole family, which also features fairground attractions, stunt shows, children’s entertainers and of course the traditional displays of steam engines, tractors, classic cars, motorcycles and many more.
Please visit the website for ticket information: Netley Marsh Steam & Craft Show (nmscs.org.uk)
ABBA RIVAL’s 25th ANNIVERSARY SHOW
Sunday 21st July 2024 (THE DEAN & JAZZ FEST)
As difficult as it is to believe, 2024 sees our top tribute band ABBA RIVAL celebrating their 25th Anniversary Year as a touring band. Over the years, they have entertained audiences in Disneyland Paris, Cyprus Ampitheatres, the UK’s top holiday resorts including Butlins, Warner Leisure Hotels, Haven, Parkdean Resorts and Hoburne Holidays, countless Summer festivals and Christmas Parties, sharing the stages which legendary acts such as Boney M, Showaddywaddy, The Bay City Rollers, The Real Thing, Billy Ocean, Jocelyn Brown, Chesney Hawkes, Jason Donovan, Blue, Go West, Peter Andre and Gloria Gaynor, just to name a few. Frankie Dettori even hired them for his 30th Birthday Party!
The band will celebrate their 25th Anniversary year, by performing at THE DEAN & JAZZ FEST on Sunday 21st July 2024 at The Concorde, Eastleigh, which also sees two of the band members celebrating their own milestone birthdays at the same time!
Click here to book tickets: THE DEAN & JAZZ FEST – in our Garden & Marquee – The Concorde, Eastleigh (theconcordeclub.com)
TIFFANY HEADS FOR THE UK!
Sunday 4th August 2024
We are delighted to announce that we are bringing 80’s Pop Legend TIFFANY to the UK this Summer!
A legendary pop star, TIFFANY has earned two Number 1 Singles, “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Could’ve Been”, and set a record as the youngest female artist to top the Billboard Charts with her debut album. The single, “I Saw Him Standing There” followed and was also a Top Ten Hit for Tiffany. In 2000, Billboard Magazine described Tiffany’s album ‘THE COLOR OF SILENCE’ as “thoughtful, intelligent and full of grace”, and ranked it amongst the ‘TOP TEN BEST ALBUMS OF THE YEAR’. She has also sold over 15 Million Albums to date.
Tiffany obtained a long and storied career in a short amount of time, and today her goal is to continue writing songs for both herself and others, cementing her status in the industry as a powerhouse hit maker and go-to songwriter.
Her recent albums, ‘PIECES OF ME’ and ‘SHADOWS’, is her 10th are both examples of her best work ever. As a writer and co-producer, Tiffany brings us into her world and it’s clear to see her passion and vulnerability on this latest project. With rave reviews for her new pop/rock sound and recent live shows, Tiffany is committed to worldwide touring and is so excited to take this music to her fans everywhere.
In early 2024, TIFFANY also appeared on the UK’s “Masked Singer” TV Show, and following her unmasking performed her smash hit “I Think We’re Alone Now”.
Click here to book tickets: TIFFANY plus support from Nicola Marie & the 80s Show – Live in the Garden – The Concorde, Eastleigh (theconcordeclub.com)
ASWAD STILL SHINE!
Sunday 1st September 2024
After fifteen albums and two decades on the music scene, Aswad remains one of Britain’s best loved reggae bands. Originally led by the trio of Brinsley “Dan” Forde (on vocals and rhythm guitar), Angus “Drummie Zeb” Gaye (on vocals and drums), and Tony “Gad” Robinson (on bass), Aswad is renowned among reggae fans for their rich melodies and compelling harmonies, woven over hard rhythm tracks and inspired horn riffs.
Aswad have the distinction of being the first Reggae Band in the UK to be signed to an International label ie. Island Records in the 1970’s
Their album ‘LIVE & DIRECT’ – is one of the NME’s critically acclaimed albums of the 20th century. They crossed over from being Reggae royalty to a member of the pop dynasty with their smash hit album ‘DISTANT THUNDER’ which spawned the number 1 International hit ‘Don’t Turn Around’ & ‘Give a Little Love’ but still keeping their political edge at the time with the chart hit ‘Set Them Free’ – which was part of the Free Nelson Mandela campaign. Aswad’s many hits include, Shine, On and ON, Smoky Blues, Best of my Love & many more
Aswad are still very relevant in the 21st century as can be seen by the many festivals they appear on both in the UK and around the world. Sit back & look forward to a night of nice enjoyable pop reggae ONE LOVE.
Aswad, after more than 25 years, are still the purveyors of the UK reggae scene and will continue to be way into the next millennium.
Click here to book tickets: ASWAD – The Concorde, Eastleigh (theconcordeclub.com)
MAXI PRIEST TO DEBUT AT THE CONCORDE
Sunday 8th September 2024
Music insiders would have you believe that there are a variety of musical genres and categories, and that common ground is few and far between. However, the bottom line is that people embrace music and rhythms that mean something to them, no matter what their background. As Maxi Priest knows, music is universal. Over the course of 10 albums and countless live performances all over the globe, Maxi has unleashed a one-world music that heals, rejuvenates and uplifts…
The second youngest of nine children, Maxi’s parents had moved to London, England from Jamaica. His father was a steelworker in a factory, while his mother devoted her life to Christianity; she was a missionary at a Pentecostal Church and lead singer for the church choir, and as a youngster Maxi grew up listening to gospel, reggae, R&B, as well as pop music.
While working as a carpenter, building speaker boxes for a local reggae sound-system, Maxi Priest began singing over the mic at live dancehall sessions with artists such as Smiley Culture.
In 1984 Maxi made a bit of history after he and Paul “Barry Boom ” Robinson produced Philip Levi’s “Mi God Mi King”, .. the first UK reggae tune to reach Number One in Jamaica. His 1988 album, Maxi, was recorded in Jamaica with legendary musicians Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, and Willie Londo, and was released in America by Virgin Records. With “Some Guys Have All the Luck”, a cover of Cat Stevens classic “Wild World” that gave Maxi his first U.S. smash hit, and roots tracks like his duet with Beres Hammond, ..”How Can We Ease The Pain..”, Maxi’s music was taken to an entirely new level, gaining him worldwide recognition.
Two years later, Maxi released Bonafide, which achieved gold status, and the single ..”Close To You”.. hit Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and Number Two on the Hot R&B Singles chart.
In 1991, Maxi’s collaborations with Roberta Flack, “Set The Night To Music”, and with Shabba Ranks “Housecall” again took Maxi to the highest chart echelons, and he capped off the year by releasing Best Of Me, a powerful compilation of hits from his four previous albums. By the early to Mid 90’s, Maxi was critically acclaimed for his skills in balancing hard-core reggae vibes with more mainstream pop sensibilities and that approach added to his growing popularity as both a recording and touring artist.
In 1996, Maxi released the hit CD Man With The Fun, which contained the crossover single “That Girl”.. a duet with Shaggy. ..That Girl.. became a Grammy Nominated track and the accompanying Hype Williams-directed video became an MTV staple. CombiNation, released in 1999, is a sexy and soulful album embracing reggae, hip-hop, R&B, rock, jazz, pop and rhythms, containing production and songwriting work by Sly & Robbie, Robert Livingston, Simon Law, and Joe. The album contains “Mary’s Got A Baby” .. featuring a sizzling rap from Beenie Man; pumped up electro-dancehall beats on the fierce and furious “She Wants To Dance”. featuring toasters Degree and Red Rat; an uplifting track, “We Tomorrow’s People”, a collaboration with the acclaimed acid jazz band INCOGNITO; the smoothed out old-school R&B Donny Hathaway/Roberta Flack cover of “Back Together Again”featuring Elisha La Verne; and the righteous reggaefied take on Stevie Wonder’s classic “Golden Lady”.
Since his 1988 debut, Maxi has enjoyed tremendous success as a singer with popularity and recognition around the world. In fact, he is the most successful reggae solo artist in the world, second only to legend Bob Marley. He has enjoyed numerous worldwide hits as well as a Number one pop chart smash and is widely credited with helping spread the gospel of reggae and Caribbean music.
The summer of 2024 will see UK Tour Dates for Maxi Priest at venues including Boisdale (Canary Wharf), The Jam House (Birmingham), The Jazz Café (London) and also a debut appearance at The Concorde (Eastleigh).
Click Here to Book Tickets: MAXI PRIEST – full band show afternoon show – The Concorde, Eastleigh (theconcordeclub.com)
