facebook event click here

Buy Tickets

SOUL REBELS 2nd BIRTHDAY PARTY featuring THE HAGGIS HORNS & FRIENDS (John McCallum, Nia Saw, John Turrell) + Cleveland Freckelton & The ATA Records Band + Soul Rebels DJs.

After a long summer break, Leeds’ quality live soul/jazz/hiphop/funk/global beats session Soul Rebels returns to The Wardrobe for it’s autumnseason and comes back with a huge 2nd Birthday Party.

Another mouth watering Soul Rebels double bill featuring the UK’s favourite funk band plus some extra special guest vocalists and a Leeds soul/funk/blues legend backed by the house band from the city’s new soul/jazz record label. Read on….

With a career spanning 15 years, The Haggis Horns need no introduction to anyone in the UK who loves funk and soul. Their musicians have worked with some of the biggest names in popular music over the years including Amy Winehouse, Corinne Bailey Rae, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Lou Donaldson, The Cinematic Orchestra, Roots Manuva, Finley Quaye, Nightmares On Wax, Jamiroquai, Estelle, KT Tunstall to name a few. As a horn section they made their recording debut on the “Keb Darge Presents The New Mastersounds” album of 1999 and as the band, they have released 2 albums and host a singles on First Words Records since 2007.

Tonight, they are previewing material from the nearly finished third album and the regular 7 piece band (Ben Barker guitar, Malcolm Strachan trumpet, Atholl Ransome saxes/flute, Rob Mitchell saxes, Dan Goldman keys, Luke Flowers drums, Kenny Higgins bass) are joined onstage by three special guest vocalists who will feature on the next release. John McCallum (Corinne Bailey Rae band) has been a floating member of The Haggis Horns since the beginning, recording their funk anthem “Hot Damn” back in 2007. Nia Saw (ex-Zap Mama) featured on the second Haggis Horns album “Keep On Moving” released in 2010. Great to have both of them back! Joining them will be northeastern soul boy and lead singer/bandleader of Craig Charles favourites Smoove & Turrell, John Turrell himself! A very special one-off event not to be missed celebrating Soul Rebels 2nd Birthday!

Support comes from some old faces on the Leeds music scene who are beginning a brand new and exciting venture – a new Leeds soul/jazz record label featuring analogue sound recordings and dedicated to vinyl called ATA Records (All Things Analogue). Guitarist/saxophonist Pete Williams and bassist Neil Innes are the driving force behind Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra, Leeds very own afrobeat warriors. For over 18 months now, they’ve been working hard at Neil’s ATA Recording Studio in the city putting down dozens of tracks with a house band of musicians and special guest artists. The result is the debut compilation album out in September on ATA Records/Here & Now called “An Introduction To ATA Records”.

Launching the album tonight will be the label’s in-house group The ATA Records Band, fronted by Leeds soul/funk/blues legend Cleveland Freckelton. The longtime bandleader of his own Chunky Butt Funky Band plus formerly guest vocalist with The New Mastersounds has recorded a single and album for ATA Records and will be featuring these new gut-bucket soul and rhythm & blues original songs tonight backed by the 8 piece studio band.

DJ support as always comes from Soul Rebels resident DJs Lubi and Chris Welch. The Soul Rebels soundtrack is broad and takes in everything from electronic soul to Cuban rhythms, underground hiphop to samba-rock, afrobeat to left-field jazz. For tonight, it’s birthay party time so expect it to be more jump-up funk, soul and boogie with a dash of classic hiphop and reggae…..

It’s been a great two years so far for Soul Rebels with some amazing bands featured live at this legendary Leeds music venue! These include Jose James, Riot Jazz Brass Band, The Abstract Orchestra, Omar, Ikestra, Thabo & The Real Deal, TY, The Mouse Outfit, Ariya Astrobeat Arkestra, Nubiyan Twist, Fayth Hope, London Afrobeat Collective, Jungle Fire, Noyah Rao Project, JD73, Bugalu Foundation, Homecut, Ed Motta, Extra Curricular, Wara, Wonky Logic, Stop Motion Trio and the African Reggae Band. Check Lubi’s website www.djlubi.com for a full list of artist and some great photos to give you a flavour of the session. Happy 2nd birthday and here’s to the next few years….

Doors 9pm, Bands 10pm-12.30am. Clubnight to 3am.
Info – www.thewardrobe.co.uk

Tickets £10 plus booking fee advance from seetickets.com , jumborecords.co.uk , crashrecords.co.uk , lunatickets.co.uk and the venue bar. More on the door.