Page 8 - LION YEAR MAG 2017_FS_R_Neat

Again it comes, the drip, drip, drip of Christmas - Mad Haven continue to gig
bandn i g h t the annual wave of good-natured banality that heavily all over North Wales
can only be briefly saved by the occasional - look out for them at a
trampolining badger and the promise of new music venue near you.
pants. At least that’s what is happening in my
head, the head of a dyed-in-wool scrooge, but In addition, Mad
there is one glimmer of festive light in my Haven’s track
otherwise cold heart - the St David’s Christmas
‘Runnin Far’ from
concert. Every year, without fail I stand aghast as
their EP ‘Sound Of
pupil after pupil exceeds my expectations, and
once again this year they exceeded even that. The Music’ was
played on BBC
The range of music on offer is unlikely to be Radio Wales’ Adam
found anywhere else; this year alone we had The
Walton Show for three
Clash, Miles Davies, Adele, Kansas, Gnarls
consecutive weeks as part
Barkley, Average White Band and much more
of ‘BBC Introducing.’
besides. The highlights included Yumita’s
incredible take on Joe Strummer’s southern
To read a review of their EP, go to:
invective in London Calling and Kiani and Bea’s
www.chesyrockreviews.com. Copies of the EP are
soft but powerful reworking of Crazy. Mad
Haven were, as ever, on scintillating form but available from the lads themselves and at all their live
were, perhaps, even better when reunited with shows for only £4.50 each
Aiden in the 6th Form Band.

The choral work was as complex and intricate as
ever, the choir expressing an impressive range in
its current configuration. Jade took the brave
decision to perform her own work and was .
rewarded with a very well received guitar piece.

The jazz band have been going from strength to
strength, the junior version impressed at the
start, and the seniors closed the concert with
Pick Up the Pieces complete with a show i

stealing drum solo from Alex that had to be seen Words and P ctures: Luke Pettitt
to be believed (footage is available).
Another year, another triumph and even I left
the building with slightly less seasonal nihilism
that I had entered with. Slightly less.

Mad Haven first hit the headlines when they were invited to audition for ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent back in November
2013, subsequently getting through to the second round of the show. They have been together writing and
recording since September 2011. Mad Haven are Tom Rogowski (guitar & vocals), Joe Fisher (bass & backing vocals)
and Alex Rogowski (drums & backing vocals). Since their BGT audition in 2013, the boys, who are now aged 15, 16
and 17, have auditioned against 34 other bands to take part in a new TV series called ‘Thunder Valley Rocks’. They
performed four of their original songs and fought off the competition to perform with five other bands at the first
live show of Thunder Valley Rocks, which is planned for Sky Arts. Last year, they were invited to open at
‘Corporation’, in addition to the O2 Academy in Sheffield for Sheffield based band North of The Fall, whom they met
at the ‘Thunder Valley Rocks’ auditions. As well as supporting Bad Touch, Massive and The Kut at Chester’s ‘The Live
Rooms’, Mad Haven also opened for Toseland in a sold out show at the same venue in October last year.

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