"Subtone is the ideal venue for jazz. Small, intimate and blessed with a
great sound system, it consistently brings quality musicians to Cheltenham" - Gloucestershire Echo.

Thursday 8th May

Clocks & Hosts

FREE GIG - On Stage at 11pm

+ After the Band 'Inferno' with DJ Darren Price a mix of 90's, Alt Rock & Chart music.

Clocks are four young men who formed their band at the turn of the 21st Century in the sleepy London satellite town of Epsom (obviously not a renowned rock'n'roll Valhalla) – think of the commuter-belt lifestyle that a young Paul Weller so eloquently caricatured in The Jam's seminal 'Mr Clean' and you wouldn't be far wrong...

With a determination to escape their South-East confines and with an unbreakable bond that can only exist amongst a band who have known each other since their schooldays, Clocks set about writing and rehearsing relentlessly, honing a set of great songs that had both fans and industry bods who witnessed their initial live gigs practically wetting themselves with excitement.

Vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tom Hewitt bought his first guitar using the birthday money he received just after finishing his GCSEs, and together with the other members of Clocks set about building up a remarkably strong repertoire of great tunes, strongly influenced by the band members' collective love of acts such as The La's, Love (Arthur Lee RIP), Oasis, Shack, Teenage Fanclub, The Kinks and The Beatles.

In 2005, with a proper manager in tow, the band were packed off to record demo tracks with hip producer Liam Watson (The White Stripes), followed by further studio sessions with producer Nick Southwood at The Exchange Studios in January 2006.

To date, Clocks have released one strictly-limited 7" single, That Much Better b/w In My Arms, on London independent label Hungry Kid Records in August 2006, but that was enough to convince a suitably impressed Island Records who snapped the band up to a major record deal that same week.

The band have recorded their debut album with Eliot James (Bloc Party, Fields, Little Man Tate), due out summer 2008. For the sunshine. (Taken from MySpace)

Check out the Bands MySpace for Tracks & More Info

www.myspace.com/clocks

Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis is an American saxophonist, composer and arranger. He was an important member of James Brown's band in the 1960s and appeared on many of Brown's most notable recordings. He also worked closely with Van Morrison.
In 1949 Ellis's family moved to Lubbock, Texas, where he was given his nickname "Pee Wee". He gave his first public performance in 1954 at Dunbar Junior High School. In 1955 he moved with his family to Rochester, New York. While attending Madison High School he played professionally with jazz musicians like Ron Carter and Chuck Mangione. In 1957 he moved to New York City, where he attended Manhattan School of Music and had regular lessons with Sonny Rollins. In 1960 he moved back to Florida working as a bandleader, musical director and writer.
Ellis played with the James Brown Revue from 1965 to 1969. While with Brown he arranged and co-wrote hits like "Cold Sweat" and "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud". In 1969 he returned to New York City. He worked as an arranger and musical director for CTI Records' Kudu label, collaborating with artists like George Benson, Hank Crawford and Esther Phillips. In the late 1970s he moved to San Francisco and formed a band with former Miles Davis sideman David Liebman. Between 1979 and 1985 he worked with Van Morrison's band as an arranger and musical director.
In the late 1980s Pee Wee regrouped with some musicians he worked with during his time with James Brown to form the JB Horns. With Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker he recorded a number of albums that defined a distinctive brand of jazz-funk. The group also toured in Europe.
In 1992 Pee Wee resumed his solo recording career.
Ellis's composition "The Chicken" was made famous by the electric bass player Jaco Pastorius, who recorded it on his album Invitation.