Hair Of The Dog 2023

It’s that time of the year again when Cloth Cat runs its annual fundraiser at the legendary Brudenell Social Club. The Christmas tree will be down, the mince pie crumbs will all be hoovered up and new year’s resolutions will already be broken, but the party goes on! We’ll be bringing you an eclectic night of upbeat music with some of the best bands from the Leeds music scene to raise vital funds for the charity so that we can support some of the most vulnerable in society.
On the bill for our 12th Hair Of The Dog are:

Zen Baseballbat
Fresh from a UK tour and recently voted one of the best ska/reggae/dub bands in the country, Zen Baseballbat are in demand and are now on their fourth album, ‘Better Ways To Love & Offend’. Mixing new wave riffs, industrious bass and luminous bursts of percussive melody to form sounds of dub, instrumental groove and disgruntled rhyme. Lyrically, they will take you through a whole series of emotions, lifting you up when you least expect it, at other times provoking anger, sadness, determination and the desire to stand up and be counted.
https://www.zenbaseballbat.com/

The Bluefoot Project
We’re so pleased to welcome back The Bluefoot Project. Formed in 1997 and sharing a variety of musical backgrounds, they fuse vocal-led, beat-driven, 21st century soulful funk with reggae, hip hop, gospel and leftfield. They signed with Yorkshire based label, Chocolate Fireguard, and following an amazing set at Glastonbury Festival 2000 and receiving rave reviews of their recorded material (“what a magnificent piece of work” Mary Anne Hobbs), they were being mentioned in the same breath as prestigious acts such as Massive Attack, Squarepusher, Lamb, Goldie, Stevie Wonder and King Tubby. Featuring the incredibly soulful vocals of Rachel Modest, who recently blew the judges away on The Voice, reaching the semi finals under the mentorship of Tom Jones. The band are back and we can’t wait to see them play again.
https://thebluefootproject.com/

Les Vegas & The International Playboys Of Rhythm
Another band who are returning to the scene are the fabulous lounge/swing band and splendidly named Les Vegas & The International Playboys Of Rhythm, and who will be performing  a set of pop classics from over the decades, but as you’ve never heard them before! This 10 piece band, including full brass section and led by the wonderfully named Gina Cortina, played at the very first Hair Of The Dog, and it is going to be so much fun to have them play for us once again.
https://www.facebook.com/people/Les-Vegas-and-The-International-Playboys-of-Rhythm/100063664386988/

The Banquets
The Banquets roared onto the music scene in 2019. Fans love their rambunctious energy and unique blend of country, blues, indie and rock. They have since gone from strength to strength, borne from humble beginnings, fast becoming a band to watch around the city, encapsulated by the passion and energy of lead singer Gemma. Their name has preceded them, and this has led to supporting artists such as the South (formerly The Beautiful South), and Toyah Wilcox. They won a place on the Introducing Stage at The Great British Folk Festival. After not being able to get them for last year’s HOTD we’re so pleased to have them for this one.
https://www.facebook.com/thebanquets

Lavender Gray
Lavender Gray, now playing with a full band, is an emotive pop singer-songwriter who tells personal stories with an engaging relatability. Influenced by a musical theatre background, she blends intimate lyrics with powerful vocals and first found her voice at a young age through a love of musical theatre. Her teen years were spent in bands at Rockschool UK, where she then found a new love of writing and performing with musicians as a vocalist and went on to hone her song writing talents at Leeds Conservatoire. Having played recently for Cloth Cat at The Pack Horse, they come highly recommended.
https://www.facebook.com/lavendergraymusic

And your compere for the evening as ever will be the majestic A Short Dark Stranger, bringing his unbridled energy and fun to the proceedings: https://www.facebook.com/ashortdarkstranger

Tickets: £7.00 plus booking fee in advance or £9.00 on the door

About Cloth Cat:
We’re a Leeds based charity which works around the city to harness the power of music to create community, build potential and transform people’s mental health and well-being. We run courses, projects and events which
●            Improve people’s resilience and confidence to enable them to gain more control over their lives
●            Reduce isolation by bringing people together and providing opportunities to socialise and form friendships
●            Improve mood and mental well-being 
●            Increase co-operation with grassroots organisations for the common good of individuals and communities

Find us at: www.clothcatleeds.org.uk