Styckleback - WE'RE BACK!

Come and join us for our NEW YEARS EVE Bash down at The Roscoe. This will be our third year where we have been invited to play The Roscoe on New Years Eve and if the others are anything to go by it should be a belter, no tickets required this year as it will be a pay on the door gig. As per usual it will be fancy dress optional but theres nothing like getting into the spirit of things with a bit of dressing up, I know we will. Any suggestions are welcome as to what you want to see us dressed up as, just email them to me at kevin@printideas.co.uk or on Stycklebacks facebook .
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE FOR WHAT PROMISES TO BE A HELLUVA NIGHT

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year fom al the Styckleback boys and we would like to thank you all yet again for the fantastic support that you have always given us, We supply the music but you make the atmosphere which is such a pleasure to play in. We would love to see you all down at The Roscoe on New Years Eve but if you cant make that we are playing NEW YEARS DAY at THE BOOT and SHOE at Ackworth and then the following day at The Lion in Casleford.
Once again, have a great time, see you soon, Kev, Andy, Howard, Steve

This was to be our first time playing on the newly built stage at the Duck and our first concerns at the small size were unfounded as we had room to put the full PA up and all the lighting rig and the best part was it gave the crowd a much better view than the old arrangement, and what a crowd. The Duck is brilliant to play when it gets as full as this, loads of new and old faces to perform to with loads of great comments by the end of the night. We did manage to overload the pubs electrics twice but it all seemed to add to the madness of the night which didnt end till a quarter to one in the morning whic was appreciated by everyone other than the bar staff who were waiting to go home.
Forgot on the night to mention a birthday request, my apologies you can bollock me on our contact us page.

This weekend we are at MAGUIRES on Friday (18 Dec) and THE DUCK AND DRAKE on Saturday (19th Dec), it would be great to see everyone down at these pubs before our NEW YEARS EVE gig at THE ROSCOE

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We have added a couple more dates which are The Hanover in Wortley on Friday 11 Dec and The 3 Horseshoes at Headingley on Sunday 13th Dec making this a triple header because we are at The Fox on Saturday 12th Dec whuch as everyone knows is a gig not to be missed.

A welcome return to the Cross Keys where we are hoping for another big crowd to cheer us on and then the following day we head the van towards Preston to play at The Hayrick

O Donaghues is a pub we had played omly once before and that was 12 months ago so it was great to get a big crowd in to come and see us, thanks to the crowd that made it down from The Travellers to swell the numbers even more. We had a bit of a scare in the afternoon when Steve was suffering from chest pains and a last minute replacement had to be found and Cris from Stagefright filled in and with no rehearsals and songs he was not familiar with he did a fantastic job. Fortunately Steves pains were due to inflamed muscles and not heart problems as was first suspected but very painful nonetheless. All in all another top night, great landlord and landlady too, thanks again to everyone that came down.

We had a cracking gig on our debut appearance at O Donaghues in Wakefield so we are hoping for a mega time on Friday, hope you can come down to make it a night to remember.

Saturdays gig at Maguires has been cancelled and we are desparately trying to re arrange for the following week. We will keep you informed.

Styckleback will be playing at the Cross Keys in Morley for an Halloween Special gig. Howard and Lynne are decking out the pub big time and we have a few special effects up our sleeve so come along to what is expected to be a great night. Fancy Dress is optional but all the band are definately be dressed to match the occasion

This weekend sees us play two gigs with BSD from The Erics standing in for Howard on bass while he is up in Scotland. The first is on Friday at The Cross Keys in Morley and the second one is on Sunday at The Thornhill Arms Pudsey who are having a full weekend of music as part of their rock and bike show weekend.

Our first visit to the Coniston had us playing to a half full pub, the second time a full pub, but Saturdays gig at this venue was manic with every age group represented and the dance floor being used from the very first song and thats the way it kept all night promoting some great comments from all quarters. A big stage area allowed plenty of room for our full lighting rig and loads of room to rock out and with an audience that seemed to love every minute of the gig we had a ball blasting out one son after another only to be shouted back on for another 5 encores. Its always good to see everyone singing along, even the hard working barstaff and landlord were joining in. One helluva top night!

The Lion may not be the biggest of pubs but it certainley has its own unique atmosphere, so its always a pleasure to return here. A decent crowd was swelled even further by a good turn out of bikers for a birthday bash to make this another great gig. Many of the bikers know us from playing at their rallies but there was a lot of new faces that I hope we convinced to come and see us again. A big thanks to H for helping us out on the in house mixing desk, top man

A return visit to the 3 Horseshoes on Sunday 6th Sept had us play to a pub that was packed to the rafters making for a great night. Its always a pleasure to play here especially when its this full of people who just love their music spurring us on to give 110%. Even though we played till after 12 oclock the crowd stayed till the very end shouting us back on for 6 encores to end a brilliant night.

Following a full day of entertainment at Maguires, we went on last to end the days Charity Event and as per usual at these sort of gigs the timetable had got behind schedule which meant not going on till 10 oclock but we still managed to keep a reasonable crowd there until the end which was a miracle seein as every one had to be up for work the next day. 2 sets and five encores later we ended the night with a great drunken audience sing along to American Idiot, Im sure there would be some big hang overs the next day

On Sunday we reached a milestone in Styckleback history by playing our 400th gig at The Cross Keys in Morley and despite having to compete with a all day charity music fest just down the road we attracted an healthy sized crowd to play to. We were a bit dissapointed at the electrical gremlins and equiptment failure that seemed to marr the first 3 songs but soon got into our stride on this big stage which allowed us plenty of room to perform and to accomadate the full lighting rig which really made the stage look the biz. The comment on Rock of the North which said this was the best gig ever seen at th Keys just about sats it all. Heres to the next 400 gigs, onwards and upwards!

A welcome return to the Travellers at Stanley saw us playing in front of another packed house of enthuisiastic live music fans. The dance floor was used to good effect from the first song from a crowd that was well up for a good evening which is great for the band to feed off there energy. As per usual at this venue the punk songs seem to go down really well encouraging plenty to relive their youth and start a pogoing frenzy.After 2 long sets and plenty of encores we ended the night to plenty of positive comments, thanks to all that made the journey, see you all there next time at The Travs

Here's an invite for everyone to join us at The Cross Keys in Morley where we will be playing our 400th gig on Sunday 23rd Aug starting at 6.30pm.
Hope you can make it down to celebrate this milestone and make this one helluva night

The famous Duck and Drake re-opened its doors again last week and what a great return we had playing there last Sunday evening playing to a packed house. Few pubs can match the Duck for atmosphere and Sunday was no exception, after starting at 6.30 we were cheered on to play 3 sets finally coming off at 9.45 to complete a memorable night. There were lots of familiar faces there and loads that had come to watch us for the first time and by their reaction I think we will be seeing them for many gigs to come.

We always know that when we head the van towards the Fox at Thorpe Willoughby, we are going to be in for a good night but this gig was as busy as we had seen it for a long time. From the minute we took to the stage this crowd were really up for it and the body count made this an unbelievably hot gig. As per usual at this venue we did 3 sets then as many encores as the crowd want, so after starting at 9.30 we finally came off stage at a quarter past 2 totally knackered but what the hell when you have had such a great time playing to this enthuisiastic crowd its all been worth it. Was good to get ex styckledudes Jason Barry and Ann up to sing a couple of songs, all going down well with this fantastic audience. Cant wait to return to play this amazing pub

After our previous nights gig at Sheffield, the Red Lion gig was more of a home game and despite the low beamed ceiling we still managed to squeeze in our full light rig and our ever growing P.A. . Its always a pleasure to play here because of the enthusiam thats always shown by the regulars here.
Nice to meet Tony from The Johnny Storm band just back from there tour of Finland and the great comments you made were much appreciated. Theres never much dancing room left at this gig but somehow everyone does even if its on the tables and chairs. This is another pub that has a noise curfew but even so the Landlord let us squeeze in acouple more before having to end a fantastic night

On Fri we headed the vans towards Sheffield for our first visit to The Broadfield and what an enjoyable night this was witha crowd that were really into it from the start and didnt mind showing there appreciation, dont think we have met so many friendly people , thanks for all your good comments.Knowing that there was a strict noise curfew at 11 oclock we played 2 hours straight through but would have gone on longer if we had been allowed to.

This was to be our first visit to The Old Vic and after a quietish first four songs Howard went into overdrive to get the crowd going and it wasnt long before the audience livened up to produce the sort of atmosphere we are used to playing in. A great gig and another raucus night where we won over many new supporters

Saturday saw us return to familiar stomping grounds which is the formidable Squires at Sherburn to play for The RUF Diamonds Motorcycle Club and as at all these events the bikers couldnt have been more helpful lifting all our gear to make this an easy set up.With sound engineer company from the previous weeks Roundhay event helping us we had a great sound. It was another warm evening on stage belting out 36 songs and then still being shouted back for more. All in all another great bikers bash.

A scorchig hot day tempted an estimated 10,000 people to Rounhay Park where we were playing an open ain gig in support of The Cancer Research Centre and despite a few officials who seemed hell bent on causing problems everyone was in a good mood to enjoy the day. Stage and sound had been organised by our very own Andy and what a great choice of companies he made, the sound was probably the best we have ever had and the sound engineers were superb to work with. The 40 foot stage was fantastic as were all the crew who put it together, all really top people. Playing through the 26,000 watt P.A seemed to be appreciated by everyone other than the Roundhay Park officials who said that we were too loud after our sound check, Im sure The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna etc etc didnt have the same complaints when they played Roundhay Park.
It was really good to get up there and look out over every one and still see loads of our regular supporters, each song got a great reaction and we were really up for it until officialdom stepped in to curtail our set early because of timetable problems, so with that we ended with American Idiot and included our now familiar crowd participatiion sig along in the middle of it which every one joined in which ended the day on high spirits

On Saturday 30th May we have been asked to play an open air event at Roundhay Park in aid of Yorkshire Cancer Research with an estimated crowd of 10.000 coming along during the day. We have a 1 hour slot starting at 2 o'clock before the brilliant Roxy Music Tribute band Roxyrama take to the stage for an hour at 3 o'clock. Stage and 26.000 watt sound system has been organised by Andy from Styckleback so no doubt hearing both bands in the Roundhay area will not be a problem. With the Red Devils Parachuting in, barbecues, trade stands, entertainments and beer tent it should be a great day.

This weekends gig at the Duck and Drake has been cancelled. The Duck has decided not to have bands playing on Friday nights and rearranging it to Saturday clashed with previously made arrangements.

It was great to see so many people turn up for our gig at Maguires to make it a very busy pub. Thought we were going to have a bit of a nightmare when the electrics went off twice due to being overloaded but we got over that crisis to play a very enjoyable gig. Thanks to all the new and old faces that turned up to make full use of the dance floor and to create the usual high octane atmosphere.

On 30th May we are to play a gig at Roundhay Park at an event organised by Yorkshire Cancer Research which should attract between 7 to 10 thousand people. Details to be announced shortly

After problems with updating the website we are now up and running again!, so whats been happening with us boys, well the last 4 gigs at The Boot, The Coniston, The Lion and The Fox were all mega busy with crowds that just wanted us to play on and on which resulted in 4 of the longest gigs that we have ever done, each one over 3 hours topped off by 3hours 45 minutes at The Fox, these people just didnt want to go home! The new songs are going down really well with another one to be added to the set list when we play Maguires tonight (Sat 16 May)
New bigger bass bins have been ordered to upgrade the P.A and should be with us soon so that we can rattle your ear drums a little more.

On Saturday we will be playing at The Black Bull in Horsforth for the first time and is a pub capable of holding 300 so we are anticipating this being a brilliant night.

Saturday saw us heading towards the Roscoe, Leeds to play for Styckleback follower Sue's birthday bash and what night we had playing to a large crowd that was swelled by the 70 guests that Sue had invited. This is a great stage to play on giving us loads of room to rock out. Sue even got up to sing an unrehearsed song with us which she did brilliantly and the off the cuff solo by Andy was a stroke of genius. I dont think we have ever had so many good comments after a gig, thanks for them all and hopefully we gained a few more Styckleback fans.

On Friday we made the short journey to the Cross Keys in Morley, scene of many a good night for us. Thanks to every one that came over from Pudsy to see us and to join the usual suspects from Morley who were up for a good night making full use of the dance floor and dancing on every available table till 1 oclock in the morning.TOP PEOPLE TOP NIGHT

After a short break we wil be retuning to The Cross Keys in Morley for another night of madness and then the following evening we will be at The Roscoe where we are booked to play to celebrate Styckleback fan and Roscoe regular Sue's birthday bash and everyone is invited and promises to be a busy night

Last Saturdays gig was a welcome return to The Red Lion at Shadwell to a pub that was packed to the rafters with a crowd that always know how to have a good time. There were so many familiar faces there and loads that were to see us for the first time and from the reaction we got hopefully converted them into coming and seeing us again. By the end of the night the pub was just a mass of people dancing and was only brought to halt because of the 12oclock noise curfew but if it hadnt have been for the restriction I think we would have played all night because we were enjoying ourselves so much. Top night top venue.

After the previous nights marathon 48 song gig at Halifax we headed out to The 3 Horseshoes at Headingley which is always a pleasure to play and all thoughts of tiredness were brushed aside as we went into what was to be a 35 song gig playing to a full pub that were really up for some Sunday night rock.

What a great time we had at the Bridge Rats Bikers gig and thanks to everyone ath the club for their hospitality and great organisation. Even after getting lost they sent a search party out to guide us back to the venue where we were greeted by an army of people that helped us in with all the gear which meant setting up was a breeze. Its always a bit worrying that our eclectic mix of songs might not go down well at bikers rallies but the enthusiastic reaction we were getting from the 300 strong crowd and the full dance floor put us at ease. The venue had a fantastic stage big enough to put the full lighting rig up and give us plenty of room to move about. After 2 sets we were the crowd were still wanting more so we went back on for a 3rd set which saw us belt out 48 songs in total to end a very enjoyable evening, thanks again to The Bridge Rats for all their help

Saturday sees us heading out to Halifax to play a bikers rally at the Siddall ex Servicemans Club where we hope to be playing to a 300+ crowd, we love playing these biker rallies so cant wait. Next day we are back at a favourite venue of ours which is the 3 Horseshoes in Headingley, Leeds for a 9 oclock evening start, always a good atmosphere in this great pub so try and get down for some Sunday evening live music

A mid week gig to celebrate St Patricks Day, again at the Roscoe was to prove a bit of a dissapointment on the turn out front. Where were all the Irish fraternity that was anticipated by the landlord, certainly not in this pub. If it hadnt been for our faithful followers this would have been a disaster night because for a band that feeds off the audience this was going to be an unusual experience but the people that were there made up for the lack of numbers by their vocal support and guest appearances of mates and ex Stycklebacks Jason and Damien went down really well and everyone that turned up had a good night, it was a shame though that we didnt play to a pub that should have been packed out with an Irish contingent celebrating their special day.

Friday night 6th of March was a brilliant night for us boys playing to as big a crowd that we have ever had at the Roscoe making for a great atmosphere and a full dance floor. The new songs went down really well and a guest appearance of JD Jay to do vocals on tubestation was warmly received and much appreciated by us. A big thanks to everyone that came down to make this another great Roscoe gig.

Next gig sees us back on home turf at The Roscoe and we are hoping for a mega crowd so hope to see you down there

We were really looking forward to being back on "home turf" at the Roscoe on Friday for a 9.30 start , and with all the gear set up and sound checked Howard nipped home and unfortunately had an accident on the way back. Things looked like we were going to have to cancel but a big big thanks to our mate and ex Styckleback Jay who had come to see us and offered to dep on bass, not his usual instrument of choice. Between us we managed to cobble together an hours worth of songs including ones we had never collectively played together and Jay did a fantastic job to get us through what proved to be a well received !st set. Just on cue Howard walked in after being delayed for 2 hours straight into a 2nd set of more familiar Styckleback songs finishing at 1 oclock in the morning. Can we just thank everyone there for their patience and for the vocal encouragement during the first set, you are the best.
To finish off the weekend we played an enjoyable private party at Selby on Saturday and a gig at Upton on Sunday afternoon to finish off one of the busiest schedules in Styckleback history leaving us looking forward to a weekend off next week.

What a weekend we have just had starting at The Cross Keys on Friday night playing to a superb crowd, all the usual suspects were there, nice to see Deano from the Rakkiteers, Snoopy from Bad Penny and Dave from The Erics giving us there support. Heres what Cross Keys music correspondent Keith wrote about the gig:
THE MOTHER OF ALL GIGS (THE SEQUEL)
Styckleback performed what must have been the most outstanding gig of the year. The band gave two high quality sets that you will find hard to surpass on the local live circuit, taking Styckleback up to the highest level of supurb bands the area is lucky to have in its midst.With a new powerhouse of a drummer at the rear of the band Styckleback seem to have endless energy to unleash on the rock scene public. After 7 encores and playing into the early hours of the morning this was by far the best, loudest and mental gig I have ever seen Styckleback perform. What a night to take with a sharp intake of breath at the finish.
NEXT NIGHT AT THE LION
After the previous nights marathon gig we headed the van towards Castleford to the infamous Lion and were really grateful that a large crowd came for us to play to, and they seemed to really enjoy the night. Thanks to H and Julie the Lion is equiped with great lights so we didnt have to set up our lighting rig which eased the workload after the previous tiring night. The Lion has not always been an easy one for us to crack but this time we were really pleased with the nights performance, 36 songs, thank you and goodnight. TOP NIGHT.
SUNDAY AT THE 3 HORSESHOES
Last gig of the weekend was at the Horseshoes in Headingley which has always been a very good one for us and this one was going to be no exception. A big thanks to Jay who helped us in with the gear and set up which made life much easier for us. Another cracking night where we won over a lot of new faces and we had support from our "faithfull" that came along after seeing our buddies The Erics gig at The Duck and Drake, you are priceless. We went the full 9 yards with this one equipment and lights wise but hell we like putting on the best show that we can. Another 37 song gig and then pack up for a well earned rest from this hectic weekend.

Friday 28th Nov sees on home territory at The Cross Keys Morley and after more air time on Real Radio we are hoping for a big crowd. Saturday we are over in Castleford at the infamous Lion and then Sunday we are at The 3 Horseshoes at Headingley where we will be on stage at 9 oclock.
Hope to see you at one of the gigs

KEV ANDY STEVE HOWARD

Photography by Lloyd Spencer

Last week we started a triple header at The Sportsman in Halifax and what a cracker it was despite our reservations about the small stage, this turned out to be really enjoyable gig that was made with reaction of a large appreciative crowd. With no room to set up our lighting rig we had to rely on 8 closely placed in house par cans which which through out so much heat that it was shirts off time by the 5th song and they almost gave us sunburn. We were told by the landlady to be off by 12 oclock but the atmosphere in the pub was so good she allowed us to keep on for another 9 encores.

The following night we headed to a new venue for us which was the Coniston in Bradford playing to a busy pub we soon had the dance floor full. The stage area was great giving enough room to let off the pyrotechnics and use the full lighting rig. 36 songs and a great night

Next day it was off to The Duck and Drake in Leeds which is a favourite of ours for a 5 oclock start and this must rate as one of the best we have done here. The pub was absolutly packed which created a great atmosphere and along with copious amounts of Jack Daniels prompted plenty of table hopping with our wireless guitars and the good comments afterward are much appreciated.

Ex Twin Lizzy Drummer Steve Wright has taken over drummimg duties from Damien and after just 2 hurried rehearsals did a fantastic job at his first gig at Maguires (review below)

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
Saturday night saw us down at Maguires in Leeds playing with new drummer to a great crowd who were really in a party mood and spurred us on to play until a quarter to one in the morning. This was one of those nights where we were on fire and gave it our all to a very appreciative crowd and the good comments they gave us after the gig were much appreciated. To introduce Steve we asked him to do a drum solo which left us and the crowd totally stunned and probably got the biggest cheer of the night, awesome!

After 5 years of drumming Damien and Styckleback have parted company we wish him all the best in whatever project he takes on next with his enviable drumming skills.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
Its been brought to our attention that we have been advertised by blooz promos and The Duck and Drake that we re playing there this Friday which is news to us because our next gig there is 23rd of November, but if you want to see us this weekend we are at Maguires on Saturday night, hope to see you there!

Our gig at The Fox turned out to be another long one, finishing at 1oclock in the morning, but it was worth it to play in front of this great crowd that never know when to go home. Thanks to all the Fox regulars for turning up yet again and to landlord Craig for your hospitality and enthusiasm, hope to see you again when we play down the road at Bar Vida in 3 weeks.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
On Saturday we will be heading out to our all time favourite venue, The Fox, at Thorpe Willoughby. Lets hope it is packed to the rafters as per usual which create the unique "Fox" atmosphere, hope you can make it down.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
Last Friday saw the Styckleback van heading west to play in Chorley where we won round some new supporters with a 32 song gig that brought a great response from the local crowd before we headed home in the wrong direction nearley sampling the delights of Blackpool, the joys of touring!

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
Fridays gig at The Roscoe was a real milestone for us playing our 300th gig and a great night it was too playing to a very busy pub, we thank everyone for coming down.A big thankyou to our friend and photographer Lloyd Spencer for capturing the night on his trusty camera. With more lights added to the stage it was bloody warm up there but we really enjoyed belting out 32 songs to complete a memorable evening

The following night we were in Shadwell to play The Red Lion where we have played twice before and had storming nights and this was to be no exception, playing to packed pub, the enthusiastic crowd really got into it to create a great atmosphere that we just love playing in.
We had to be finished by a quarter to twelve but the way we felt we would have played all night and had to leave with the crowd still shouting for more, another great night!

Another milestone is reached this Friday (26th Sept) at The Roscoe where we play our 300th gig so it would be great to have another full house for this special occasion, we cant wait. The following day we are at The Red Lion in Shadwell which has always been a mega gig for us, hope to see ya there. Sorry this site hasnt been updated or a while but we have had real problems getting it to upload

Saturday saw us at The Cross Keys in Morley playing to a full house yet again in this good venue. Thanks to everyone that came along for their patience after a few technical problems meant we didnt go on until a quarter to ten. This venue has improved no-end by the addition of the new stage which is big enough for any band to really perform and we really enjoyed the night and it was great to see a lot of faces we hadnt seen for a while. All in all another top night.

FIRST TIME AT THE STURDY LADS
The next night we headed out to Barnsley for our first visit to The Sturdy Lads at Monk Bretton, this was a last minute booking which meant the publicity was nil. We were greeted by the Landlord who told us things might be a bit quiet after the previous weeks Bank Holiday Drinking marathon which had left everyone skint, not the thing you like to hear has soon as you walk in. To be fair the turnout was reasonable and we were getting a good reaction, Once word gets about I think the pub will be packed when we return in November.

After our holidays we start our usual busy gig schedule at The Cross Keys in Morley where the crowds just seem to get bigger every time we play there. This is the first time we will play on the new stage and are looking forward to having enough space to really rock out.
Hope to see you there

KEV HOWARD DAMIEN ANDY

We interupted our holiday break at the weekend to play two fantastic gigs on the same day. Firstly we headed over to Squires at Sherburn after being invited to play The Yorkshire Rock and Bike Show, a superb out door Charity gig organised by The Satans Slave in aid of The Air Ambulance Service. We were due on at 5 oclock but a P.A failure meant we had a half hour wait and then had to go on with no sound check and relied on the expertise in the sound tent to get it right as we played.
This was a great stage to play on and a great large, appreciative audience to play to but our 1 hour alloted time seemed to come far too soon. Thanks to everyone who came along and for all the good comments,it's much appreciated.
The minute we had finished our gear was been taken off stage by an army of roadies and packed away and off we went to our second gig at The Boot and Shoe in Ackworth. We have played The Boot many times but this was as full as we had ever seen it with a crowd that are just brilliant and that just encouraged us to really give it our all and rattled off 36 songs coming off shortly after midnight to complete a very hectic day.
Thanks to everyone for your support and see you all at The Boot and Shoe on the 6th of Sept

After a 3 week break we are back to gigging again this weekend with two mega gigs, the first one being at The Boot and Shoe at Ackworth which has always been a good one for us and then the following day we are playing The Yorkshire Rock and Bike Show at Squires in Sherburn which will be a 5 o'clock start. Get ready to be Rocked!

We are just taking a short holiday break so our next gig will be on the 15th of August at the famous Boot and Shoe in Ackworth which will be a good warm up for the following days mega gig at The Yorkshire Rock and Bike Show in Sherburn where we are on at 5 o'clock. Howard is then flying out to New York but will be back for the 30th of August at the Cross Keys which is the start of an hectic run up to Christmas, check the gig guide as more dates have been added and I dare say there will be more to follow.

See ya soon

KEV HOWARD DAMIEN ANDY

Saturdays visit to Bar Vida in Selby saw us play to a full house, probably the biggest crowd we have ever played to at this top venue and what a hot and steamy one this was with the air conditioning only being switched on during the second set. Its always a pleasure to play Bar Vida with its great stage and nice surroundings and playing to the people of Selby who really know how to party.36 songs of pure enjoyment, we cant wait to return!

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
This Saturday we are retuning to a favourite venue of ours, Bar Vida in Selby, which has always been a mega gig,great crowd.
Hope that all our friends from The Fox at Thorpe Willoughby can make it down, it will be good to see you all again.
Get yourselves down to this cool bar, see ya there

ANDY DAMIEN HOWARD KEV

This was our first visit to The Spencers in Barnsley and what an enjoyable gig this turned out to be playing in front of an enthuisastic crowd that included our good friends from The Rakkiteers . We were all pretty knackered from the Travs gig the night before but the great atmosphere in this pub soon livened us up to do 32 songs and all thoughts of the previous nights Jack Daniels fest were forgotten. Another good gig at a good venue.

On Saturday we headed out to Stanley for our first visit to The Travellers and were pleased to find a good sized raised stage area for us. This was a satisfying gig where the crowd didnt know what to expect but we had the pleasure of winning them over and despite a few electrical gremlins we had a ball.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
We are visiting two venues that we have not played before, on Saturday we are at The Travellers in Stanley for a 9.00pm start and on Sunday we have a 5 oclock start at The Spencers Arms in Baugh Green, Barnsley.

Last Friday saw us return to The Cross Keys in Morley and we were hoping for a big crowd for this well publicised gig including a bit of air time on Real Radio. Landlord Howard kindly let us set up on the dance floor to give us more room to rock out and it certainley improves the overall sound. By half past eight were set up and sound checked and were really wondering if the big anticipated crowd were going to turn up, we shouldn't have worried because 45 minutes later the place was packed to the rafters with new and old faces of every age group who seemed hell bent on having a good night which created the sort of atmosphere we love playing in. This was another one of those gigs that just flew by even though we ended up playing 34 songs including 5 encores to a crowd that were really up for it and were totally manic by the end and made this one hell of a gig.

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
This weekends gig at The Old Oak as been cancelled after talks with the new management at this pub.

Photography Lloyd Spencer
We are really looking forward to returning to The Cross Keys in Morley this Friday (4th July), it promises to be a busy gig, with Styckleback follower Gary having his birthday bash down here and a bit of air time again on Real Radio, thanks to DJ Dave Rhodes, we are hoping for a great night.

Hope to see you there

KEV DAMIEN HOWARD ANDY

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
Last weekends triple header started on Friday night with our first visit to The Roscoe this year where we played to a 200+ crowd who seemed to enjoy every minute of this 34 song gig where the dance floor was full for most of the night, it's always a pleasure to play on this big stage that really gives you the space to rock out. Things nearly came to an abrupt end when Damien had chest pains but after a short break felt he had recovered enough to carry on and put it down to cramp after his non stop night of strenuous drumming.
Next day we headed out to Bolton to play Barnstormers where they are really trying to get the live music scene off the ground, this is a good venue run by a landlord and landlady that couldnt have been more helpful. This is a pub that gets busy later in the evening so we decided to not go on till half ten, even so, by the time we went on the pub was only reasonably busy but after a few songs we noticed the pub was filling with a very appreciative crowd. Another 33 songs later we came off to enjoy pizzas with the Landlord and barstaff to finish off a very enjoyable night.
We finished the weekend by playing a teatime gig at The Duck and Drake in Leeds which has always been a favourite of ours. Panic set in in the afternoon when Damien fell ill but a quick call to Jim who had only ever drummed with us once before, stepped in and did an amazing job to get us through the gig, top man! We were all a bit knackered from this busy weekend but this great crowd lifted us to play our hearts out to ply 2 sets and 9 encores before we packed up and went for a well earned Naffees curry.

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
A busy weekend lies ahead and starts on Friday with our first visit to The Roscoe since New Years Eve and we hoping for a big crowd to play to at this great venue. On Saturday we are travelling to Bolton for a gig at Barnstormers and back to The Duck and Drake for a teatime gig. It would be great to see you at one of the gigs.

HOWARD DAMIEN ANDY KEV

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
Andy has now been with us for six weeks and the way he has fitted in you would have thought he had been with us from the start, great guitarist and all round good guy, get to see him in action at one of our next gigs!

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
We are having a weekend off this week but are back with avegence the following week with gigs on Friday 27th at The Roscoe, Saturday 28th at Barnstormers in Bolton then Sunday 29th at The Duck and Drake in Leeds City centre, we're looking forward to seeing you at one of the gigs.

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
On Friday (13th June) we headed out to the Three Horseshoes in Otley for our second visit to this venue and like last time a big thankyou to everyone that travelled here to swell the numbers. This is a decent enough pub but it's popularity seems to be on the wain so for a band that feeds off the audience its probably never going to set us on fire.
Two sets, Three encores, Thank you and good night and off to bed just about sums it up, I think we will give this venue a miss in future.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

Photography: Lloyd Spencer
This was to be our first visit to The Crown and Anchor in Rodley and slightly tired from the previous nights gig in Otley we started to set up and soon had the stage area looking the biz. As the pub started to fill up we just got the feeling that this was going to be a good one and all thoughts of tiredness were forgotten as we ripped into the first numbers that got the sort of reaction from a full pub that we are more accustomed to and set the tone for the rest of the night, the atmosphere was brilliant.Nice to see that a lot of people that had seen us at a previous Rodley gig had come to this pub to check us out again
With all thre guitars now being wireless we all went "walkabout" table hopping during Damiens great drumming/singing performance of "Are you gonna be my Girl" which really went down well with this enthusiastic crowd. We had to be off by half eleven due to this pub being in a residential area but we still managed to belt out 36 songs to end a very enjoyable night.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
Saturday night saw us back at our favourite venue, The Fox in Thorpe Willoughby which is always good one for us. Arriving early so we could enjoy a meal at The Fox was a great way to start the evening before we got down to setting all the gear up and sound checking to a pub that was not as busy as it usually is but as usual that was all to change once we started playing.The first set of 14 songs flew by and the inclusion of a couple of new ones were well received by everyone but it wasn't until the second set that the atmosphere rose to a typical Fox level as the pub became packed and we were giving it our all. Good to see all the usual suspects and new faces enjoying the night where Andy was having his first "Fox Experience". This is a venue where playing only two sets is never on the cards, we just want it to go on as long as possible so on we went for a third set which took us into the early hours of the morning as per usual and we enjoyed every minute of it and the crowd participation in American Idiot was just brilliant. Looking forward to doing all again in October where we we will be armed with plenty of new songs to unleash on this fantastic crowd. Thanks again for all your support.

KEV ANDY HOWARD DAMIEN

Photography : Lloyd Spencer
This Saturday we are back at our favourite venue, the Fox, in Thorpe Willoughby near Selby, where we have played some mega gigs to the best crowd that we have ever come across, and its the scene of many a 50 song gig for us. This will be the first time we will have played here since Andy joined us and we cant wait to show the new Styckleback line up to this brilliant audience. Dont let the half hour drive put you off, this really is one to see, miss it at your peril

See you there ANDY DAMIEN HOWARD KEV

Our weekend gigs started at The Lion in Cas on Friday night and it was one of those nights that was plagued by P.A problems. We played to a reasonable sized crowd and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves but the sound problems which we were experiencing made it very difficult on stage at times and we went home a bit gutted.Least said the better.

Sunday night saw us at the 3 Horseshoes in Headingley and we were desparate to eradicate memories of Friday nights gig and I can safely say we did it in style. Playing to a good enthusiastic crowd we belted it out with attitude, the first 4 songs were played with no stops between them which got us off to a brilliant start and set the tone for the rest of the evening and it soon got the dancers up on their feet.This is a favourite venue for us with a great atmosphere, plenty of stage area, and fantastic landlord and landlady in Barry and Jan. We were enjoying every minute of this gig and Im sure it showed in our performance which was captured on camera by our friend and top photographer Lloyd Spencer, we cant wait to see the results which will be used to illustrate this site. By the time we had finished we had belted out 30 songs but were still shouted back on and did 5 encores to end a fantastic night.

Tonight (30th May) we are at The Lion in Castleford and Sunday sees us playing the 3 Horseshoes in Headingley which will be a 9.00pm start, hope to see you at one of the gigs

KEV ANDY DAMIEN HOWARD

Whilst other pubs reported poor turnouts we were lucky enough to attract a good sized crowd at the Boot and Shoe in Ackworth. This has always been a good one for us and this was to be no exception and with Andy playing his first gig on familiar Styckleback ground it was great to show off the new line up. This is the first time we had managed to squeeze in our full lighting set up and coupled with the already impressive lights at the Boot the stage looked awesome.It wasnt long before we got the dance floor full of regular supporters and a large crowd of andy's friends that had come along to see us in action.We did two full sets then got called back for 6 encores and then went back on for 2 more, this was turning into another boot marathon.Two old songs were revived and two new ones were slipped in which went down really well, lots of new songs will be added as we progress.Its really pleasing to us that the momentum of Styckleback carried on uninterupted by the line up change and the way that Andy has fitted in has ensured that, as Jay said "he is no shrinking violet", and that suits us fine!

Our next gig is at The Boot and Shoe which has always been a great gig for us and we are hoping for a big crowd for Andy's first gig on familiar ground.Voted Rock pub of the Year, The Boot is a great venue with big stage in-house PA and Lights and last but not least Landlord, promoter and all round good guy and friend Les Thompson who's enthusiasm for live music and copious amounts of falling down water is to be applauded
Hope you can get down to this special gig
See ya there ANDY HOWARD DAMIEN KEV

Well, after all the euphoria of the previous night we had to get back to business as usual with the much anticipated debut of Andy at a new venue to us which was The Clarence at Huddersfield. We arrived at 6.30 and set up in a good sized room and soon had it looking the part with our black drapes full lighting rig, new lazer, flash bombs etc, we were going to give it the full works. We had done all the rehearsals now we just wanted to get up on stage and show everyone the new Styckleback. By 9.15 the pub was only a quarter full but we went on and started with 20th Century Boy and set off the flash bombs and went straight in to Born to be Wild, amazing how quickly a pub can fill up The idea was to bombard them with songs with minimal pauses and it seemed to work and the first set was over before we could catch our breath. Andy just settled in like a pro and enjoyed evey minute of it and we didnt tell anyone that this was his first gig because he was so good there was no need to. It was only half time but we had turned a small apathetic crowd into a large enthusiastic one which fired us up to go back on for a repeat performance which was a signal for everyone to get up and dance. The punk numbers were going down great but just giving every song a bit of attitude seemed to bring a good reponse so much so that we were shouted back on for another 6 encores. The feedback from the crowd after the gig was brilliant and the landlord couldn't praise us enough offering us more gigs at his other pubs in Lancashire as well as a revisit to Huddersfield. Last word is for Andy, with only the minimal of rehearsals you were brilliant, we are going to have great times ahead.

Saturday night at The Miners was the venue for Jays last gig and the place was heaving with well wishers, musos and our loyal faithful to give him a send off to remember. Thanks to Tracey, Chris and Diane for all the party accesssories and effort you put in to make this a top night. Jay would like to thank everyone for the cards, Gill for the engraved tankard and Chris and Diane for the bottle of JD which he opened and kept him company throughout the evening.
The first set was kicked off with Vertigo which resulted in a fantastic response from the packed crowd and that set up the atmosphere for the rest of the night, MANIC! As Jay said on myspace, on the second set the dance floor turned into a mosh pit and we had to ask dancers to move back to avoid falling over the monitors and mike stands. We gave our new laser a blast and it looked brilliant and is going to be a great edition to future gigs.
The night was flying by, Jay was being fuelled by J.D to the point where he daubed I Love U Guys on his chest aimed at the band and audience unfortunately I had drunk a few sherberts as well and when I first read it I thought it said " I Love Guys" lol.
During the second set Andy was introduced to the audience and did Buck Rogers and Ever Fallen in Love as though he had been in the band years and it certainly gave him a taste of whats to come. Jay came back up to finish off the night in style, what a brilliant send off this has been .
Jays contribution to Styckleback extends far beyond the time we spend on stage and his leadership in the rehearsal room got many of our songs into the set in quick time.
Its been a great 5 years and 270 gigs, we have had some great experiences, great laughs, we have had highs and lows, tears and tantrums and reached heights that we wouldnt have thought possible when we first started, it will seem strange you not being up there on stage, we wish you all the best from KEV, HOWARD, DAMIEN.

The warm weather and a good a big crowd made Maguires one of the warmest gigs we had played for a long time, prompting the shirts to come off early. We wanted to deliver a good gig tonight for everyone that had come to see Jasons last gig in Leeds and Im sure no one went home dissapointed apart from a girl who had 5 pints of lager spilled on to her £120.00 shoes when Howard did his table walking routine and got it slightly wrong, table,beer, glasses and wine everywhere. Apart from that this was a gig that went really well and was a fitting last gig in Leeds for this present line up.Thanks to everyone that travelled to make it a memorable evening.

On Saturday 10th May we will be playing at Maguires and this will be the last time we will be playing in Leeds with this line up so get yourselves down to give Jason a good send off, this is going to be a great night!

So, whats going on in Styckland, well, rehearsals with Andy are going well and are on schedule for his 17th May debut at The Clarence in Huddersfield and he is chomping at the bit to get gigging.We now have a week off playing and rehearsing whilst Damien is on holiday in Rhodes, but it will give Andy a chance to learn his last few lyrics.
The new line up will be using our bigger pa system which has had a few improvements made to it, more lights to light up the drum kit and a lazer are also on the cards in the near future.
The last two gigs with Jay are looming fast so get it in your diary to come and see us at Maguires on the 10th May and The Miners on the 16th May to give him a send off to remember

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
We have always had a good time playing at Bar Vida in Selby so we were looking forward to this gig. We arrived to set up at 6.30 and were ready and sound checked by 8.15 by which time the bar was beginning to fill up, I went out for half an hour and when I came back the place was heaving including many who had made their way over from The Fox at Thorpe Willoughby, we thank you. We kicked off at 9.15 and it was great to look over a crowd who were in dance mode making the sort of atmosphere we have become used to at Bar Vida. With the heat of the lights and a full house the temparature in the room was the warmest we had played in for a long time and by the end of the first set we were gasping for fresh air and a drink.
20 minutes later we were back on and picked up where we left off and it carried on like that for the rest of the evening right up to the end of our 7 song encore. A big thank you to everyone that came to see us a make it brilliant night, we really enjoyed it.

Next gig is on home turf at Maguires in Leeds so try to get down to this one which is Jason's penultimate gig, should be a stormer.

One of the new Cross Keys gigs was put on our gig guide for the 4th of May, it should read 4th of July, sorry my mistake, I will be shot at dawn!

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
We were back in action on Saturday to play at Stycklechick Emma's birthday bash and what a great night it turned out to be with a big crowd and great atmosphere. The venue was Gildersome Conservative Club, where they are not used to having bands play, but its small stage made a perfect drum riser which still left us acres of room to rock out and the acoustics were superb. Everyone was up dancing from the first song encouraged by Howard as only he can do, I dont think the regular club goers had seen anything like it but everyone seemed to be enjoying it, even the older end that had wandered in. We had to be off by half eleven by which time we had belted out 34 songs on a thoroughly enjoyable night, thanks Emma, the crowd you invited were fantastic, hope you had a great night.

I think everyone knows by now that Jason has decided to hang up his guitar to persuit other interests and give him more time for family life. After being with Styckleback for 5 years and 265 gigs we are sad to see him leave and it will seem strange him not being up there with us. Jason still has 4 gigs left before he leaves so it would be great if you could get down to one of them to catch him for the last time, especially his last gig which will be at The Miners Arms in Morley on Friday 16th of May where it promies to be packed out and we are going to have one hell of a send off, tell everyone you know to get themselves down!

SO, WHO WILL FILL JAYS SIZE 10s
After weeks of searching we have struck gold with Stycklebacks new member-to-be , Andy Jackson, and if rehearsals are anything to go by, the band have a bright future. Andy's first gig will be at The Clarence in Huddersfield on 17th May.

Styckleback Photography by Lloyd Spencer
Even though this gig at The Miners had only been booked 3 days earlier word must have got around because this was one very busy pub, a big thanks to everyone that turned up. It was another one of those feel good gigs with an enthusiastic crowd dancing on chairs and tables as well as the dance floor, fantastic. We kept it to two sets and 5 encores because we knew we had another gig the following day in Barnsley, not a lot more to report other than this was another typical Styckleback gig.

This Fridays gig which was due to be played at The Roscoe has had to be changed to The Miners Arms in Morley due to a mix up at The Roscoe which had another band down to be playing that night even though we had booked this gig months ago. With only 3 days notice the chances of getting another booking were slim so a big thankyou to Peter at The Miners for taking a booking at short notice. I hope everyone that was going to make i down to The Roscoe can come down to The Miners, we have had some fantastic nights at this venue.
Sorry for all the confusion, Hope you can make it down.

Jason Damien Howard Kev

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
At Sundays gig at The 3 Horseshoes we were lucky enough to have brilliant photographer Lloyd Spencer come down and take some "live" shots of us and the results are fantastic. I have been back in touch with Lloyd to do more live sessions, rehearsal shots and some promo photo's which we will use to illustrate the Styckleback website.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
This weekend saw us playing two gigs, the first one was on Saturday at The Old Oak in Liversidge, venue we have played twice before. We started at 9.30 to reasonable sized audience but after 5 songs we had almost turned into a human juke box because the reaction from the crowd was minimal but after that the applause got louder and louder with each song that passed and by the break we had one this crowd round. There were encouraging comments at half time from a crowd that really were made up of every age group and musical preference. By the time we came back on for the 2nd set the pub had filled up and truly woken up with each song getting the sort of reaction we are more accustomed to. By the time we had finished the last song the crowd were cheering for more which we duly obliged doing another six and then we were shouted back to do another two after that.
I cant say we enjoyed the quiet start but it does make it satisfying to turn an audience round.

Photography by Lloyd Spencer
The next day we headed out to The 3 Horseshoes at Headingley where a previous visit saw us playing to a packed out manic pub.
On arrival things looked like it was going to be a quiet night with only a handful of people in the pub. With the stated 8.30 start time fast approaching there were a few people in but nothing like we had expected so we delayed till 8.45 which saw a slight increase in the body count so we went on and the reaction we got wasn' t as quiet as the night before but it was still "reserved". Just like the previous night things got better as the night wore on and the pub filled up until eventually everyone was singing and dancing and the shout for more once again rung out at the end of the gig so back on we went for another 8 encores. The only thing we can say about both these gigs is "alls well that ends well"

After not playing The Duck and Drake for 18 months, it was great to play here on Friday night to a full pub made up of a lot of our faithful and a lot of new faces. The "Duck" is not the biggest of pubs but it does make up for it with it's great atmosphere, people were dancing where there was no room to dance! The good comments we received from the "new faces" in the audience were much appreciated especially seeing as stage space was at a minimum restricting us from putting on our usual energetic performance, but all in all it was a great night.

Sunday saw us back at the Boot and Shoe at Ackworth for a half past six start playing to a decent sized crowd which included RotN "celebs" such as Tony from Optic Nerve, Dave and Jean from coAst, Gravedigger Bri and our friends from the Rakkiteers who got up to do "Basketcase" which went down really well. Unlike Fridays gig we had plenty of room on stage to move about and give it our all for 3 sets which encouraged Baz of Skella to make a comment on the Rock of the North site which read "Another cracking performance at The Boot by Styckleback, these lads wouldn't know how to put on a bad performance if their lives depended on it". It's comments like that, that make all the hard work worth it and we will try to recreate the performance again this coming weekend on the 1st March at The Old Oak in Liversidge and then the 2nd March at The Three Horseshoes in Headingley and what a great gig that was the last time we played there!

Other gigs have been added this week which are The Clarence in Huddersfield, and two gigs at The Crown and Anchor in Rodley. Please check gig guide as a few of the existing dates have been shuffled about to squeeze in other gigs.

Friday 22nd February sees us returning to play The Duck and Drake in Leeds City centre for the first time in 18 months and if previous visits are anything to go by it should be a belter. Probably one of the smallest pubs we play, but dont let that put you off, the atmosphere is great, the venue is serious about it's music and has loads of different hand pulled beers making this a gig not to be missed we want this one to be packed out!
On Sunday 24th Feb we complete our double header weekend by playing in Ackworth at the infamous Boot and Shoe where last time we were cheered on so much that we ended up playing on and on and on, for three hours 20 minutes to be exact. Hope you can make it down to one of these gigs.

SEE YA SOON! JASON DAMIEN HOWARD KEV.

Stycklebacks name must have travelled far this week with offers of gigs coming in from Middlesborough, Bolton, Wigan and an enquiry about doing a few gigs on the Costa del Sol next year.

What another great night we had at the Fox (Sat 9th Feb) which must have been one of our best blasting out 50 songs with no repeats to a packed crowd that kept the pub buzzin all night long. The usual Fox regulars were out in force and their numbers were swelled by loads of new faces for us to win over. We started at a quarter past nine and each song was met with a loud applause that we have come to associate with The Fox's enthusiastic locals who were really up for it and making it yet another night to remember. This was going to be 4 set gig so we revived some old songs that we hadnt done for a while and Damien got to sing another couple of songs all of which went down well. Jason has already mentioned on myspace that his highlight of the night was "I Predict a Riot" and I have got to agree with him the atmosphere in an already manic pub suddenly went up another notch and pretty much carried on like that right up to our last song with the time fast approaching 1o'clock. By the end of the night we had played for 3 hours and twenty minutes and were knackered, sweaty and exhausted but hopefully will repeat the night the next time we are back at this fantastic pub

The Fox gig needs no introduction to regular Styckleback followers, it is quite simply the most enjoyable gig that we do because of the fantastic crowd there that just want us to play on and on and on. How can we refuse.
SEE YA THERE FOR ANOTHER EPIC NIGHT

HOWARD KEV JASON DAMIEN

Saturday saw us down at the Cross Keys in Morley and after a bit of exposure on Real Radio we were hoping for a big crowd and we were not dissapointed, The Keys was packed.As well as our faithful followers there were loads of new faces who had travelled to see us to make a fantastic atmosphere which we revelled in performing in, we were giving it our all and the first set just flew by. We picked up the pace again from the very first song of the 2nd set, the dance floor was heaving, tables and chairs were being danced on, everybody was in a party mood, this was gigging at its best. It was nice to get Bruce from Rooster up to join us for a song must do that more often! The night finally ended with the audience participation version of American Idiot then the lighters were out for Dont Look Back in Anger and then bowing out to Alright Now which got to anthemic proportions with everyone singing along.
We were really pleased for Howard and Lynne, with customers 6 deep at the bar they never stopped serving all night. Good to see Keith (Mav) and Bev enjoying the sort of night that we hope The Keys will enjoy every week when the stage and band lighting finally get put in.
A big thankyou to everyone that came to make this a very special gig and a special mention to Shaz, Vicky, Ann, Baz, Stan, Tracey, Janette, Andrea, Claire, all the birthday posse, Burk, Julie, Judith, Bruce, Andy, Chris Diane, Emma, Boz, Sim, Linda, Paul and friends for your never ending support.
As Jason said this was a MEGA MEGA MEGA gig!

Saturday night saw us at Maguires and what a great crowd we got especially seen has the mighty Prowlers were playing at the other side of the road at The Roscoe. We were all fired up to play our first Leeds gig of the year and from the crowd reaction we didnt dissapoint, it was a great atmosphere to play in created by all the usual Styckleback suspects and a lot of new faces who we hope we convinced to come and see us again, your kind comments are much appreciated. This was a great gig to kick start the year and hopefully we will carry on where we left at the next gig at The Cross Keys in Morley, hope you can make it.

Our first gig of the year saw us playing at a new venue to us, The Three Horseshoes in Otley. January is a notoriously quiet time due to people spending up at Xmas and this venue was to be no exception but by the time we started our second set we were playing to a reasonable sized crowd who were in a dancing mood and really started to get into the music. We finished to a mass of cheers and chants for "more" which we obliged with 3 encores finishing off with American Idiot with everyone joining in singing, then the booking agent Captain Capstick got on the mic to sing our praises and asked us to do another 2, it was an offer we couldn't refuse.

2008 has started off well with an invite to play at the prestigious Yorkshire Rock and Bike Show on August 16th at Sherburn, full details to follow.

What a great time we have had over the Christmas break, not only playing, but going to see some great bands as well. We were well pleased at the size of the crowd that turned up to see us at our 250th gig party at the Roscoe on the Saturday before Christmas, estimated at 170+ , nice that the The Rakkiteers came down to see us too and joined us on stage for Basketcase.
Next up was a Boxing Day gig at the Boot and Shoe where we played in a 100 foot fully carpeted marquee attached to the pub complete with its own stage and bar, unfortunately the stage was too small for all our gear so we set up on the floor, and that gave us the chance to use our full lighting rig which as well as looking good provided us with a bit of heat on a chilly December night. It was nice to play to a full marquee of people who were singing and dancing and to see a lot of familiar faces among the crowd. A great night was had by all and thanks for all the great comments, we appreciate them.
The last gig of the year was the New Years Eve bash at The Roscoe where we had a succesful night playing to 250 people. Dave from The Erics was on bass duties for the night and despite only having two rehearsals together due to heavy gigging commitments we managed to pull the songs off really well. The spirit of the night was kept up by the amount of people who turned up in fancy dress including the band, Damien and Jay turned up as a very convincing Andy and Lou from Little Britain, Dave was Bravefart and Kev was Jack Sparrow, a big thankyou to everyone who made the effort.
If anyone took any pictures, could you email them to us so that we can get them on this site.
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS AND ALL THE BEST FOR 2008
KEVIN JASON DAMIEN HOWARD

We would just like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and thank you for the tremendous support you have given us in 2007
which has been one of the best ever having been invited to play at Bootfest, then being asked to play the Rock of the North convention and then on Saturday we will be playing our 250th gig in 4 years. The support you have shown us, travelling far and wide, has made all the difference to our gigs because we feed off the audiences reaction and your loyalty hasn't gone unoticed by other bands and members of the RotN community, we are very lucky to have you.

We might not be able to update this site until the New Year so if we don't see you at one of our gigs have a great Christmas and New Year
All the best
KEVIN DAMIEN JASON HOWARD

The first 39 gigs for 2008 have been posted on our gig page, keep checking, plenty more to follow

TICKETS ARE ON SALE AT THE ROSCOE NOW, OR PAY AT THE DOOR
ALSO AVAILABLE AT ANY OF OUR GIGS

This is a gig that has always been good for us and Saturday night was no exception with a packed pub that stayed that way all night, and I mean ALL night. We started at 1/2 past nine and finished at a 1/4 to 2 taking only three 15 minute breaks, thats a three hours and fifteen minutes marathon applauded all the way by a crowd that never want to go home, they were fantastic yet again. We had to revive some old songs that we hadn't played for a while, which was great to do and then we flew by the seat of our pants by playing 2 songs that we had individually learned at home but had never played together which went down really well. Well done to Damien who despite feeling terrible did a great job drumming for so long.
Thanks to everyone that travelled to see us I hope we made the journey worthwhile, we can't wait to play here again next year when we should have a lot of new songs to blast out till 2 in the morning.
Next up is The Old Oak at Liversidge on Friday, then it's the big one, our 250th gig which will be at The Roscoe on Saturday. Really hope you can celebrate it with us.

What a great weekend we have had starting off on Friday night at The Cross Keys. Problems we have had in the past were overcome by us playing on the dance floor which improved not only the on stage sound but gave us much more room to move. A good crowd was made up of a lot of familiar faces and some that hadn't been for a while plus quite a few that had come to check us out for the first time ,also Ann and Barry were there on short visit from Portugal.
Two energetic sets and half a dozen encores kept the crowd up and dancing, we really enjoyed playing to a full pub and from their reaction, everyone there seemed to be having a great time which was good news for Howard and Lynne who have had some quiet band nights recently.

Next day we were at the Red Lion in Shadwell where last summer we had a fantastic gig playing to a big crowd who were really really up for it and knew that it would take some beating. As we were setting up a steady stream of people were coming in and by 9.15 the place was packed and straight from the first song they were up and dancing, even on the seats at the back of the room, this was turning into another one of the best gigs of 2007, AWESOME! Ann and Barry were catching us for the last time before returning to Portugal so we got them up in the encores to do Country Girl which went down a storm. After two sets and 8 encores we came away from a gig that even surpassed last years and as a bonus the members of the Dambusters Bikers Club who were there asked us to play at their Rally next year.
Next up we are at The Fox which has always been a good one for us, lets keep up the tradition, expect 3 sets and then some of high octane Styckleback.

Hope to see you there! KEV HOWARD JASON DAMIEN

Photography by Gloria Mitchell www.southwalesbands.tk
Last night we started rehearsing for our New Years Eve gig at The Roscoe with Big Sexy Dave from the Erics who will be guesting on bass for the evening due to Howard not being available and we enjoyed every minute of it. With a few Erics numbers thrown in and a couple of old Styckleback songs being revived and Damien taking on extra singing duties plus us all in Fancy dress we think New Years Eve is going to be a blast.
TICKETS ARE ON SALE FROM 7th DEC. TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT ALL OUR GIGS STARTING AT THE CROSS KEYS ON FRIDAY OR FROM BEHIND THE BAR AT THE ROSCOE PRICED AT £5.00. THIS GIG HAS A BEEN LIMITED TO A 250 CAPACITY SO TICKETS ARE GOING TO GO QUICKLY. The £5.00 ticket includes entry into a prize draw.

Photography by www.southwalesbands.tk
Our busy December schedule carries on this weekend with another double header starting on Friday night at The Cross Keys in Morley where we are hoping for a big crowd and to see some of our old friends that are coming over from Featherstone and it will be good to see our buds Mav and Bev who do a great job promoting The Keys as a live music venue.
The next day we pay a second visit to The Red Lion at Shadwell, the first time was an absolute stormer and we are hoping to recreate that atmosphere again.

Photography by Gloria Mitchell www.southwalesbands.tk
We had two gigs this weekend starting off at The Miners in Morley, this was a gig that we changed from Saturday to Friday not knowing it would clash with our buds The Erics gig at The Carriers where a lot of our faithful had arranged to go for Julie's birthday. All the gear had been set up, sound checked and start time was fast approaching with only a few people in the main room where normally it has been heaving but we still went on at 9.30 which at least brought a few more people in from the other rooms and got a good enthusiastic reaction after every song and we were enjoying ourselves. With half time approaching our faithful followers were filtering back in from The Carriers and swelled the modest audience to a size that we are more accustomed to. The second set was started with I bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor which was the signal for everyone to get up fill the dancefloor, this was party time yet again and carried on that way for the rest of the gig.
The following night we were at The Boot and Shoe at Ackworth to play especially for Landlord Les's better half Marie where we did our usual 3 sets to the local crowd yet again swelled by an army of Styckledudes/chicks who had also brought with them friends from down South and from South Africa.
Yet another good night in The Boot and a long one finally getting home at half two in the morning, Rock and Roll!

Photography by Gloria Mitchell www.southwalesbands.tk
A busy weekend was started at The Bar Vida in Selby, a venue where we have played before and it has always been a great night and this was to be no exception playing in this very busy bar. Thanks to everyone that made the trip out from the The Fox at nearby Thorpe Willoughby, it's always good to see you all and your support is appreciated by us, didn't seem to get much time to talk to you all but hopefully we will when we are back at The Fox on the 15th Dec.
From the first song everyone was up and singing and stopped that way pretty much all night long, Selby people certainly know how to party and were still wanting more after we had finished 5 encores but knowing we had another gig the next day we reluctantly came off. Another top night.

Photography by Gloria Mitchell www.southwalesbands.tk
This was our first time at The Hammer and Anvil so it was nice to have a good sized playing area and an easy lift for all the gear. This was one of those gigs where you had to win the audience round, we slowly built up enthusiasm throughout the evening until by the end everyone was shouting so loud for more that we thought "sod it" and went back on and did a third set, it was going to be another long night! Nice to see some of the Rock of the North community in the shape of Carl, Julie and"Rockette" and also to Chris and Diane for making the journey.
Great pub, Great Landlord, Great crowd, We will be back!

After announcing that this Sundays gig at The Hammer and Anvil had been cancelled we have been asked if we can still do it, so if you can get down and give us some support then we would love to see you. We will be on at 6.00pm not 5 as originally planned. Sorry for all the confusion!

The gig at the Miners Arms that was originally to be played on the Sat 1st Dec has now been changed to Fri 30th Nov.
We are now playing The Boot and Shoe on Sat 1st Dec. We have added a Boxing Day afternoon gig also at the Boot and Shoe, details to be announced.

Photography by Gloria Mitchell www.southwalesbands.tk
It was nice to see a full house of new and old faces at Maguires on Saturday night, it made for a great atmosphere. We started at 9.30 with I Fought the Law with the full flash bomb treatment, the smoke produced isn't good for singing in but what the hell it looks good, sorry Jay. 4 songs in, Sharons hen party rolls in and suddenly we are in full party mode and the night just seems to fly by and before we know it we are playing the last song "American Idiot" that gets every one singing along, the song ends with more flash bombs and off we come only to be shouted back on for 5 encores.
We will be doing it all over again for Sharon on Monday night at her wedding reception which is great cos the happy couple first met at one of our gigs, hope we round off a fantastic day for you both!
TOP NIGHT AT MAGUIRES.

Iv'e just been sent these two superb photo's from Gloria Mitchell who travelled from South Wales to the Rock of the North Convention last Saturday and she is very kindly sending a disc free of charge to us with the rest of the photo's on, can't wait. On stage photography can be incredibly difficult with ever changing low lighting conditions and moving performers but Gloria has overcome them to get these powerful shots.
Anyone wanting to get in touch, her details are: Gloria Mitchell www.southwalesbands.tk

Photography by Gloria Mitchell www.southwalesbands.tk

"Must be the most energetic band around and really put everyone in an advanced state of euphoria."

Tony of Cas


"Styckleback were superb, they were tight, energetic and kept the dance floor full throughout there set"
There performance side of things has developed resulting in a cracking overall package.

Dave from The Erics


"The much anticipated Styckleback hit us right between the eyes playing a great mixture of rock over the ages with energy and skill"

Steve Lally (Rock of the North Supremo)



"Really enjoyed there energetic set"

Brian Glover (Godfather of the Bradford music scene)

After all the excitement of playing at the RotN convention last week we are back to our regular gigs starting at Maguires in Leeds on Saturday 17th Nov(9.15 start). It would be nice to get a good crowd down here cos when its full its a brilliant venue.

This New Years Eve we will be playing at The Roscoe which should be prove to be a great evening, Howard is not able to play this gig so our bud BSD of the Erics will be standing in on bass duties which we are really looking forward to. Tickets to the gig are £5.00 and we will announce more details as we get them.

Saturday saw us heading out to Squires at Sherburn to play at the Rock of the North Convention and what a surprisingly big venue this is.
We arrived 4 hours before going on so that we could watch the other bands and say hello to many of the RotN community, putting faces to names.
The Rakkiteers were on stage belting out a great set on the well lit smoke filled stage complete with drum riser and playing to reasonable sized audience, 2 other great bands followed, Sumdys Dad and Red Mosquito both doin a great job. Our "faithful" supporters did not let us down, around 60 of you made it down, a big thank you to you all. We opened with 20th Century Boy and the dance floor just filled up and stayed that way throughout the 1 hour set, which just flew by.Pity we couldn't squeeze in our final song "American Idiot", with it's audience participation, but we were running to a fairly strict time table, off we came to be able to relax with our friends and supporters to watch the brilliant Blueflies and then our good buddies The Erics finished the night off as only the Erics can do.
Congratulations must go out to Steve and the rest of the RotN team for all the hard work and organisation that goes into putting on an event like this, we are proud of being invited to play.
The final word must yet again go to our friends and loyal supporters of Styckleback, you keep the party atmosphere going.
Hope you all managed to get hold of the Styckleback badges and wear them down at our next gig at Maguires next Saturday.

Hope to see ya all again at Maguires

JASON DAMIEN HOWARD KEV

This Saturday see's us playing at the prestigious Rock of the North Convention at Squires at Sherburn, we are on stage at 7.30 pm but the event starts at 2.00pm with 7 bands playing throughout the day. A coach is leaving from Leeds and another one from Featherstone so should be around 60 people coming to support us and thats not including an invite to all the Beer Monsters bike club members who might swell the numbers even more.
It would be fantastic to get all our friends and supporters down to Squires Bar to create a great Styckleback atmosphere.

See you all at Squires

KEV JASON DAMIEN HOWARD

What a great time we had last night playing at The Waterside in Knottingley, to a good appreciative crowd, on this the inaugural night for Live bands on a Thursday.Landlord Paul had been busy making a raised stage and his enthusiasm to promote live music is to be applauded.
We kicked off at 9.15 for the first of two sets and received a good response throughout the evening from a crowd who, by the last song, were shouting for more of which we duly obliged but being a mid week gig we made sure we were off by 1/4 to 12. Nice to see and talk to Dave from coAst , top man from a top band and of course the night wouldn't be complete without Chris and Diane being there and everyone else that travelled to see us.
Im sure we will be back to play here again, lets hope Thursday Live Band nights are a great success for Paul and Julie.

Friday nights gig at The Lion in Cas Vegas was a blast, got to meet up with loads of the Rock of the North community and ended up playing to a decent crowd with plenty of muso's down there including members from The Tourettes, Riff Raff, Heavy Load, Black/Dio Rising, True Brit and The Rakkiteers.
With our drummer problems sorted out we relaxed and just enjoyed the gig.Top night

Damien has decided to stay with Styckleback instead of persuing a career with his originals band "Boycott", which we are well chuffed about because besides being a fantastic drummer who keeps this band tight, he is also a good friend, and on both counts would be hard to replace.
The rollercoaster ride can now carry on uninterupted so that we can concentrate on getting new songs in to the set. Its great to keep the " family" together, Styckleback are JASON DAMIEN HOWARD KEV.

Sundays gig was a teatime start at the infamous Boot and Shoe at Ackworth, always a pleasure to play there on that great stage and its an easy one having its own in-house P.A and lighting which is "driven" by knob widdler, concert promoter, landlord and all round good guy Les Thompson. We all love Les but when he wrestles the mixing desk it can get a little fraught, but I must say the sound was spot on without anyone shedding tears, even hooking up our own monitors to the in house system which is the usual cause of many a hair pulling session was sorted out by Jason in no time.
With the stage filled with haze and lights we kicked off at quarter to 6 to a fairly sparse audience but that soon changed and in no time at all we were playing to a packed pub with a busy dance floor. By the 2nd set the shirts were off which prompted Les to shed his shirt and join us on stage and start dancing like a madman, not a pretty sight, but funny nonetheless, If you got a photo of his antics could you email them to us. By this time things were going pretty well and the crowd wanted more so we kept playing on and on and on, in fact so much so that we didn't come off till half past nine to complete a marathon 3 hour+ gig with only a couple of short breaks. Its great to get such a good reaction but to get it in the Boot and Shoe makes it twice as good cos the audiences here are very knowledgeable, being fed a constant stream of top bands. Last word goes to our regular followers who we must thank yet again for your support, you are are all brilliant.

Saturday saw us in York to play The Acorn Rugby Club, we arrived to noisy crowd that were watching Leeds giving St Helens a thumping which made for a happy audience for us to play to. The management at the club couldn't have been more helpfull which always makes the job of setting up a lot easier. Damien was drumming with his originals band so Jim filled the drum seat and after only two rehearsals with us he did a really good job.
This was one gig that we had to stick to two 45 minute sets plus a couple of encores which was a good thing knowing we were playing at The Boot and Shoe the following day. Playing to a busy club and getting a good reaction and plenty of praise on this our first visit, was all that we could ask for.

This is a gig we always love because we have had so many incredible nights playing here and whilst the pub was reasonably full it wasn't packed to the rafters as per normal which left it feeling a bit more subdued than normal. That aside we rattled off over 50 songs finishing at half past one in the morning to a crowd still wanting us to play on.

We really enjoyed Friday playing nights gig at The New Inn in Churwell to crowd a that were already in a good mood after a great Rhino's win, nice to see the place full. An enforced late start and an early finish saw us whipping through 32 songs with just the shortest of intervals between sets to an enthusiastic crowd.

We had a great time this weekend playing at a new venue to us, The Old Oak in Liversidge where the locals really got into the music and gave us a good response. A big thankyou to land lord\owner Peter for going out of his way to make sure that we wanted for nothing.
The pub might not have been built with live music in mind but after a bit of furniture removing and then hanging our black stage curtaining we were left with a cool looking stage area. We kicked off the set at 9.30pm to a very appreciative local crowd aided and abetted by our faithful travelling support , the half time break felt like it came around too soon. 20 minutes later we were back on to complete our 32 song set only to be shouted back on for another 6 encores to end a fantastic night and hopefully winning over a few more supporters. Nice to speak to Chris from the UK Buzzards after the gig must get to see you guys play soon. Thanks again to everyone who turned up, SEE YA SOON
KEV HOWARD JASON DAMIEN

Thank god it didnt rain for our last outdoor gig of the year which was held behind The Commercial in Cleckheaton, in fact it was a warm evening which must have been a relief to the large crowd that had come to see us play, many having travelled as far away as Essex to celebrate our good friend Ians birthday, owner of The Commercial and all round Mr Nice Guy. Ian who is one of our staunchest supporters, made sure of a great night putting on a BBQ,pub food and enough outside heaters to keep the chill off just in case the temperature dropped.
We had a fantastic raised stage in the form of the largest curtainsider that you've ever seen and from there we belted out 37 songs only to be cheered back on for another 6 encores. I think we would have gone on all night if we could but the outside music license depicted that we were off by 11.45. A REALLY TOP NIGHT, HAPPY BIRTHDAY IAN.