In the past few years the popularity of London’s New Year’s
Eve firework display has rocketed, and that's probably got
something to do with the spine-tingling spectacle we pulled
off in 2011 to welcome in the Olympic year.
These days, our prodigious pyrotechnics make most other
world cities’ look like damp squibs and crowds of thousands
line the Thames on Dec 31 to see the show live. So many
thousands, in fact, that this year's show will be ticketed. For
the very first time, the best firework viewing locations will
be cordoned off and made only available to ticket-holders.
But this isn't Borris spoiling the party for everyone – tickets
are priced at just £10 each (the cost goes towards safety
measures on the night), with amazing views of the display
guaranteed. Buying a ticket in advance also means you
won't have to set up camp somewhere along the Thames in
the cold at 4pm just to stake out your spot.
You can buy up to four tickets in one transaction
at www.seetickets.com, selecting one of three viewing areas
when you purchase. The three viewing areas are North Area
1, which is between Westminster Bridge and Embankment
Station; North Area 2, which is between Embankment and
Temple Stations, and South Area, which allows ticket-
holders access to the rear of the London Eye and on
Westminster Bridge.
The ever-awesome fireworks kick off at the turn of midnight,
but the celebrations don't end once the last banger has,
erm, banged. There will be a live DJ playing until 12.45am,
and all public transport services will be offering free journey
s (from 11.45pm) until 4.30am on New Year's Day. Thanks, TFL!
Fireworks Night Twines Folk and Pop Together for a
Sinuous, Dark-Edged Sound
Sometimes orchestral, sometimes full-on folk, and
sometimes a little bit chamber pop--London-based Fireworks
Night combines all these genres and a touch of rock as a
vehicle for both joy and tragedy. They excel at bringing the
audience along on a ride through all the peaks and lows,
augmented by sinuous violin and the resonance of an electric
guitar. You can always count on music from Fireworks Night
to evoke strong feelings, whether you're soaring with the strings or rocking to a driving pop-rock beat.
Schedule
Fireworks Night has played extensively throughout London
and the UK. Past venues include The Gladstone, The
Lexington, The Bull & Gate, and The Wheelbarrow--all in
London--and the End of the Road festival in North Dorset.
Some of the bands they've played with include Frog Eyes,
Sunset Rubdown, David Thomas Broughton, and Bleeding Heart Narrative.
Trivia
In an interview with SoundsXP.com, James Lesslie said that
the band's name was just a flippant suggestion that stuck. In
the same interview, two other band mates were asked which
type of firework the band best resembles. One responded
with, "The one that you light, and then it doesn't go off, and
you spend the rest of the evening a bit wary of going near it,
in case it goes off into your eye and you never see properly
again."
At one point almost everybody in the band had mid-length
curly hair. On another unusual note, the vocals to the song
"Long Time Healing" from the band's first album were
recorded while lying under a snooker table.
Band
Fireworks Night consists of front man James Lesslie on
guitar, Rhiannon Armstrong on violin, Ed Seed on
percussion, Tim Hancock on piano and organ, Neil Walsh on
viola and bass guitar, and Nick Gill on a variety of
instruments including guitar, banjo, ukulele and the musical
saw. Lesslie writes the song lyrics, chords and melody, Gill
does the string arrangements, and every member of the
band
contributes back-up vocals except for Lesslie, who sings
lead.
The band's structure for any given gig can vary from two to
six people, and they pride themselves on the fact that past
band mates have always made amicable departures.
Breakthrough
Fireworks Night have always considered themselves
primarily a live touring act, but they saw their greatest
exposure and widest tours starting in 2007 and 2008, the
years they released the album As Fools We Are and the six-
track EP A Mirror, a Ghost, respectively. Two tracks from A
Mirror, a Ghost--"You Holding" and "Echo's Swing"--remain
among the group's three most popular songs on MySpace.
Hit Albums
Fireworks Night's first album was Live on Resonance
FM, released in January of 2000. Two of their most popular
albums wereAs Fools We Are (2007) and A Mirror, a
Ghost (2008). "When We Fell Through the Ice" from As
Fools We Are received public acclaim for evoking a wealth
of feeling in the listener, and was also released as a part of a
two-song, 7-inch vinyl record in 2006.
Show Experience
Fireworks Night tickets will get you in to see a band that
excels at orchestrating complex drama into their live
experiences. They pull the audience with them as they range
from the mournful moan and slink of the strings to an impish
rock sensibility driven by the drums and guitar. Seasoned by
years of touring and playing intimate live gigs, one band
mate isn't afraid to step back and make room for the others.
Meanwhile, Lesslie's almost painfully sincere vocals weave
the lyrics, alternately hopeful and tinged with a dark edge,
into what truly should be called folk noir.
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