The Amber Squad / The Sleepers

Event information

The two bands featured in this powerful new wave/power pop double header have both followed a similar path and timeline. The Sleepers (originating from Grimsby) and The Amber Squad (hailing from Rutland & Stamford) both started out in 1979, influenced and driven by the punk and pub rock bands of the time, including The Clash, The Damned, The Jam and Dr Feelgood to name but a few. Both bands served their apprenticeships playing in clubs and pubs up and down the country, and releasing acclaimed records on independent labels, including The Sleepers’ “Angel In A Raincoat” and The Amber Squad’s “I Can’t Put My Finger On You” and “Can We Go Dancing?” (all of which have been subsequently re-released in more recent times). Despite building up a substantial following, by the mid ‘80’s reality starts to bite for both bands and the need to pay the rent, the demands of work and relationships resulted in them crashing and burning and going on to focus on other pursuits, both musical and otherwise.
Fast forward to the mid 2010’s, however, and sustained and renewed interest in music from the post punk/new wave era, including the “Mod Revival” movement, has brought both bands’ music to the attention of a whole new audience, resulting in them playing with renewed vigour at gigs in the UK and Germany, including the famous Hope & Anchor Pub Rock venue in London, and the Wild at Heart Music Club in Berlin.
This exciting double header at Mama Liz’s Voodoo Lounge promises a high energy return to those heady times, with both bands guaranteeing a fast, no-nonsense collection of tunes, new and old. As Baz, lead vocalist/guitarist of The Sleepers puts it “Is it Punk? Is it Power Pop? Is it New Wave? Who cares as long as the audience loves it!”