SAXON are heading to MANCHESTER Nov 2 with some very special guests!

SAXON play Manchester – Ritz with special guests FASTWAY & GIRLSCHOOL on Wednesday 2nd November 2016

NWOBHM icons Saxon have announced 10 dates for the UK leg of their upcoming Battering Ram World Tour. They will be joined by  special guests Fastway and Girlschool for the much awaited shows, opening in Newcastle on 28th October. (all UK dates shown further below)

"Gonna be a great tour with Fastway and Girlschool” - said frontman Biff Byford. “I think this line up is unique, you don't wanna miss it.  Looking forward to battering some halls… Welcome to the metal church!”

Battering Ram, Saxon’s 21st studio album, was released in October 2015 reaching the UK Top 50 and #12 in Germany. It was described by frontman Biff Byford as “a natural progression from Sacrifice” with “a bit less rock’n’roll and a bit more ‘heavy’ on it”. Following its release Saxon hit Europe with Motorhead for their 40th Anniversary tour, accompanied by Girlschool. 

Sadly, the tragic passing of Lemmy in December put an early end to the tour, and the UK leg planned to begin on January 16th was cancelled - bar a Saxon headlining show in Brighton.

Joining Saxon and Girlschool on the new dates will be Fastway, the brainchild of ex-Motorhead guitarist Fast Eddie Clarke with UFO bassist Pete Way.  The current line up features Fast Eddie Clarke with Toby Jepson (Gun/Little Angels) on vocals, Steve Strange on drums and Mama’s Boys’ John McManus on bass.  More info on http://www.fastwayofficial.com


Saxon released their self-titled debut in 1979, followed by “Wheels of Steel” the following year, which reached #5 in the UK charts and gave fans two classics in the title track and “747”. They established themselves as one of the iconsof the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal throughout the 80s. Later the band tried to attack the US market taking a more melodic direction with release of “Destiny” in 1988, before going back to their original sound with 1991’s “Solid Balls of Rock” , reaffirming their influence on the European metal scene. They continued touring and recording enjoying renewed success and released their current album Battering Ram in 2015.   They also recently released a 9 Vinyl album box set Eagles and Dragons containing the bands nine studio albums recorded between 1991 and 2009.


Saxon saw album sales topping 15 million worldwide including 8 UK Top 40 albums across their career. They are considered a seminal NWOBHM act and are known to have inspired the likes of Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Motley Crue and plenty more.




Wednesday 2nd November              
MANCHESTER – Ritz
Box Office No: 0161 714 4140
Tickets are available from the following website – https://www.academymusicgroup.com/o2ritzmanchester/events/845214/saxon-tickets
Tickets - £26.00 Advance
Doors – 6.30pm

On 28.10.16	UK - Newcastle	Academy
On 29.10.16	UK - Glasgow	ABC
On 30.10.16	UK - Belfast	Limelight	Buy Ticket
On 01.11.16	IE - Dublin	Academy	Buy Ticket
On 02.11.16	UK - Manchester	O2 Ritz	Buy Ticket
On 03.11.16	UK - Bristol	O2 Academy	Buy Ticket
On 05.11.16	UK - London	O2 Shepherd´s Bush Empire	Buy Ticket
On 06.11.16	UK - Wolverhampton	Wulfrun Hall	Buy Ticket
On 08.11.16	UK - Sheffield	O2 Academy	Buy Ticket
On 09.11.16	UK - Nottingham	Rock City	Buy Ticket

   
  
 




For further information on SAXON, check out the following websites / social media links:

Website – http://www.saxon747.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/saxon

Twitter – https://twitter.com/SaxonOfficial
 https://twitter.com/SaxonOfficial



https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=36&v=2oLC0nOfWGc  - ‘Battering Ram’ Official Video



 Marilyn Michaels 2016. . 

Twitter : https://twitter.com/RadioGirlProds
                                  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarilynMichaelsRadioGirlProductions

Get 'on Bard' with Shakespeare Republic -bringing Shakespeare to modern audiences in a brilliant way!

If you have always been keen to explore the work of Shakespeare, but were perhaps put off by heavy dusty books in school, or perhaps teachers who did not make it interesting then  this is a fantastic  way to take a dip in the Shakespearean swimming pool (come on in, the water is lovely!) ... read on and be inspired to dive in! - Marilyn.
                          ~   ~     ~    ~ 

Shakespeare Republic was created to introduce Shakespeare to new audiences, performing delicious bite-sized chunks of his works in familiar 21st Century settings.

Built on the premise of taking a selection of Shakespeare monologues and making them more accessible to modern audiences by setting each piece in a contemporary situation, their first season in 2015 included Hamlet as Media Advisor to a Government Minister, Juliet as a gay man in a Skype conversation, Phoebe as an entitled Gen Y drunk texting, Macbeth as a politician about to metaphorically knife an opponent, and even a  female Hamlet weary from the corporate cut and thrust and a performance of Sonnet 18 as a eulogy.

All locations were donated for filming and all cast and crew volunteered their time. It was an experiment to see if their take on Shakespeare could find an audience and achieve what they were hoping to do: show that Shakespeare is just as relevant to us now as he was to audiences 400  years ago.

The response to the work on release was astounding.  They were 'gobsmacked and thrilled' at the way the work was received.

  Shakespeare Republic Season One has now been Officially Selected for twenty one film festivals internationally and is the recipient of seven awards:

• The Silver Gaddy Award for Best Mobisode or Web Short, Peak City International Film Festival (USA);
• Best Web Series, 12 Month Film Festival (Romania);
• Best Web/New Media, Los Angeles Cinefest (USA);
• Best Web Series, Indiepossible International Film Festival (USA)
• Best Director, Indiepossible International Film Festival (USA)
• Best Cinematographer, Indiepossible International Film Festival (USA); and
• Best Actor, Indiepossible International Film Festival (USA)

 The exciting and talented Season Two cast includes:   Dean Haglund (X-Files) Alan Fletcher (Neighbours), Nadine Garner (The Doctor Blake Mysteries),  Sally McLean (Utopia), Billy Smedley (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries),  and many more!  

 Directed and produced by Shakespeare Republic creator Sally McLean with the assistance of co-Producers, Billy Smedley, Shane Savage and Perri Cummings.Filmed by award-winning Cinematographer, Shaun Herbertson with a highly experienced crew with a total of over 170 professional credits to their names, Season Two is shaping up to be an innovative and exciting ride through the works of William Shakespeare and his contemporaries, featuring an international cast and a lot of love for the Bard.

To read all about the cast and crew, head to their official website: http://shakespearerepublic.com/cast-crew/ 

Shakespeare Republic are also crowd-funding and there are just  a few days left  to get involved.  For more details  on this and the perks they offer the fabulous funders please see https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/shakespeare-republic-lovethebard--2#/

They need to raise AU$4,500 to cover some additional production costs for the main block of filming from September 15-24.  They have already put in their own money, to cover items such as costumes, production design elements and most of the catering, and also raised some funds with an earlier crowdfunding campaign in May via the Australian Cultural Fund to cover basic production costs and the expenses of the 23 cast and crew, but there are still  a couple of holes in the budget that they need to fill - click here to find out more! After all, every bit helps! Currently  53% funded at the time of posting this so do help them get there!

If you are on Twitter you can connect with Shakespeare Republic  @ShakesRepublic or by clicking here:

(all info sourced and taken from the Shakespeare Republic website and crowd-funding page)

Marilyn Michaels -
Connect on TWITTER via @RadioGirl Prods
Facebook via MarilynMichaelsRadioGirlProductions

If Students Are The Future Why This Shocking Wastage ?

A concerned resident of a university city recently took to  social media to reveal shocking evidence of student wastage and  to voice  understandable disgust about it. .

 Shocking photo after photo showed  what many  students simply left behind and  dumped as they left  university. They threw it out  knowing it would be  destined for landfill.

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  It included  clothing, bedding, kitchen goods, appliances, electronic equipment and non-perishable food,  It is terrible to imagine this all wasted  while many go without.

Just one of the many images of shocking waste

With so many people having to use 'food-banks' , and so many people  struggling to afford clothes and home essentials, it stuns me that people could be so wasteful, and I wonder if this is the scene at   other colleges and universities too.

One would hope students, would know better than to be so wasteful when leaving  student accommodation. Knowing that this is just a fraction of the stuff that these students threw away without thought, leaves a bad taste in my mouth too. What was the scene at other universities I wonder?

With so many in need, these items could  be and should be put to good use and given to people in need of them , this  waste cannot be allowed to go on.

 The university , whilst not responsible for what their students throw away, should set a responsible example and get pro-active. So many new incoming new students could surely make use of these goods and clothes, as could many people  who are struggling to get by.

Perhaps  much of the clothes and bedding could be sent to refugee camps or homeless shelters? Heaven knows those unfortunate people certainly could do with some help.

I came across a fantastic blog from America, which addresses the issue  and explains about campus collection and redistribution programs that divert goods away from the landfill and into the hands of people who can use them. You can read it by clicking here

Wouldn't it be wonderful if  campuses around the world  did this?


In the meantime, please think about what you throw out,  we have drained so much of the Earth's resources as it is,  this throw-away society mentality  is a crying shame.

(c) Marilyn Michaels
Twitter :          www.twitter.com/RadioGirlProds
Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/MarilynMichaelsRadioGirlProductions

If Students Are The Future Why This Shocking Wastage ?

An angry and concerned resident of a university city in  England,  recently took to Facebook to reveal shocking evidence of student wastage and  to voice  understandable disgust about it. .

 Shocking photo after photo showed  what many  students simply left behind and  dumped as they left  university. They threw it out  knowing it would be  destined for landfill.  As much as possibly could  be rescued was salvaged,  so much that one could fill a shop with it. Yet it was just a fraction of what the students had left behind

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''My partner and I  spent money for an electric van, drivers, workbenches, shelving, bags, the rental of three garages, to stop this being wasted' -   (Photo via FaceBook)

The concerned resident who wishes to remain anonymous   described  it as ''Outrageously decadent waste of resources . These and so much more were destined for landfill.''

 
Alongside the shocking photos it was stated :'' Tons of non-perishable food, clothing, bedding, kitchen goods and appliances, electronic equipment etc etc  wasted.  Even money thrown away. While many go without. Obscene, insane, sickening.''

''These are what students  threw out when they left. Multiply this by what globally gets wasted and it is horrific.''  . (Photo via Facebook)

Photo via Facebook

''Tons of non-perishable food, clothing, bedding, kitchen goods and appliances, electronic equipment etc etc  wasted.  Even money thrown away. While many go without. Obscene, insane, sickening'' - (photo via Facebook) 

''These were thrown out, into bags destined for landfill. What we,  managed to collect is a microcosm of what is perfectly good, even brand new, yet gets thrown out globally. It's not just clothing but non-perishable food, electronics, bedding, kitchen stuff, furnishings and money etc etc.'' -  (Photo via Facebook)

They rented 3 garages to try and rescue as much as possible, to avoid it going to landfill sites. (Photo via Facebook)

                                     

With so many people having to use 'food-banks' , and so many people  struggling to afford clothes and home essentials, it stuns me that people could be so wasteful, and I wonder if this is the scene at   other colleges and universities too.

One would hope students, would know better than to be so wasteful when leaving  student accommodation. Knowing that this is just a fraction of the stuff that these students threw away without thought, leaves a bad taste in my mouth too. What was the scene at other universities I wonder?

Whilst I am sure the salvaged goods will be put to good use and given to people in need of them , this  waste cannot be allowed to go on.

 The university , whilst not responsible for what their students throw away, should set a responsible example and get pro-active. So many new incoming new students could surely make use of these goods and clothes, as could many people  who are struggling to get by.

Perhaps  much of the clothes and bedding could be sent to refugee camps or homeless shelters? Heaven knows those unfortunate people certainly could do with some help.

In the meantime, please think about what you throw out,  we have drained so much of the Earth's resources as it is,  this throw-away society mentality  is a crying shame.

The big question is, is this just happening in UK? Is it happening in your town too? No matter where in the world you are - let me know if you have seen this occur there too. Comment is free! 

(c) Marilyn Michaels
Twitter :          www.twitter.com/RadioGirlProds
Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/MarilynMichaelsRadioGirlProductions

Saskia Hampele's 'Gift Box' - a bloody worthy cause

(update 27.6.16:  $28,056 raised so far please keep pledging, it must reach 45k!! Only 63 hours left!!!)

(update 1.7.16)  They did it! 706 backers pledged $45,862 to help bring this project to life.)
                      -------------------------------------
For my Australian readers and those worldwide with a big heart and a good dose of empathy, I urge you to please get behind this worthy cause.

Two years ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Saskia  Hampele on the Neighbours  set (she played Georgia Brooks but left Neighbours in early 2015 to move to Los Angeles to pursue new acting opportunities) 

Saskia & I

She struck me as a very caring and warm person , in fact it radiated from her , but  that is hardly surprising as she qualified as a social worker and also worked as a counsellor . Gritty jobs that require a caring nature.

So I was not surprised to recently learn about her Gift Box project - ( a project I would like to see happening around the world I hasten to add, which they hope will eventually happen.)

Now   sit down, because I am going to  use two words this radio girl has never used here before,  they may surprise you/shock you/amuse you (tick whichever apply)  are you ready? PERIODS and TAMPONS .
Yes you read correctly.  Pick yourselves up from the floor  please! 

Women already know what a bloody pain periods can be. Men may think that tampons make handy faux white mice or even cool ear plugs for when their significant other is harping on about the  cramps, bloating, sore boobs  or the fact that in many countries tampons  are  even taxed. (hmphhh since when is  a tampon a luxury?!) Yes periods are a pain in more ways than one,  and even embarrassing for us girls, personally I cringe when some tv advert comes on telling me how I can jump from a plane, climb Everest or abseil from a tall building during my period as long as I use some famous brand tampon or pad.. or the one that says ''Have a happy period!'' Happy?? Pffft!! Get real, all I want to do in that time is jump into warm bath/shower and climb into bed with a wheatbag . 

Now however, imagine you were trying to cope with them whilst homeless.  (Remember that a moment ago I asked 'since when were tampons a luxury...' well to a homeless woman they certainly are!)

Whilst we ladies complain about the cost of  periods, in Australia  alone  around 46,000  women are without a bed and  are thus sleeping rough,   they are without access to  warm bath or shower and a comforting wheatbag or hot water bottle, they are without access to the very sanitary products that you and I take for granted no matter how grudgingly we buy them. 

  So then there is an idea... what if  for every box of tampons or pads we  bought, another box would be donated to one of these women?  Great idea right?

Well Saskia not only thought it was a great idea but she jumped into action - she is  attempting to make that idea into a reality with her Kickstarter campaign, "Gift Box".

''So rather than buying your next box from a big corporation, choose Gift Box instead and help a sister out.'' 

"Having access to feminine hygiene seems like such an easy piece of that puzzle to solve and a way to take away that stress -- amongst all of the other stresses -- that come with being homeless" 

' '' Gift Box is about creating a sustainable support program, so for every tampon and pad purchased, we will donate one to a less fortunate woman in Australia, and eventually worldwide.
The concept of 'GIFT BOX' is a tongue-in-cheek take on literally just that: a gift for your box. We have sourced the highest quality 100% organic cotton tampons from a certified organic manufacturer in Europe - so we haven't compromised on quality. They will be shipped to and packed in Australia using recycled kraft paper boxes, ensuring all aspects of the product are ethical and fair-trade. '' (from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/653063473/gift-box-tampons-giving-one-for-one )

By the end of June, Saskia needs to have  raised AU$45,000 to get the first shipment of her organic tampon line off the ground, (The fact that they are organic is also wonderful! ) Well the end of June is not that far away and at the current time of writing they are  at  AU$13,497  with 10 days to go to make it to the magical 45k.  It has to reach that goal or else it cannot happen, we can't let such an inspirational and worthy project fail so I'm asking you for a call to action, pledge, share, tweet, post!! Help Saskia make this a reality.

'' We still have over $30K to make of our $45K goal. This is the minimum it will cost to get the initiative off the ground. After that, it funds itself. '' 

So come on folk,  let's help make this happen. It doesn't matter where in the world you are. It doesn't matter what your gender is. It just matters that you have a heart and empathy.   Look at your female friends, your sisters, daughters, mothers, granny - how would you feel if they were in the  terrible situation  of being homeless, struggling to keep and feel clean.  Please support this. Have a heart and take part. It can be your good deed/mitzvah, for the day.

For more information here come those  all important links (click on them to get there) 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/653063473/gift-box-tampons-giving-one-for-one
  
Twitter:   https://twitter.com/giftboxorganic        

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GiftBoxOrganic

 Follow Saskia via https://twitter.com/SaskiaHampele     

My lovely friend Alan Fletcher (Dr Karl Kennedy) getting in on it too. Good on ya Fletch!

I'm supporting...will you?

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Find me via:   https://twitter.com/RadioGirlProds                    https://www.facebook.com/MarilynMichaelsRadioGirlProductions/

THE UNDERTONES play CHESTER – Live Rooms on Friday 17th June 2016!

2016 is the 40th Anniversary of The Undertones and they are delighted to announce that they will be celebrating this anniversary with national and international live shows and some exciting releases.

The Undertones emerged from Derry in 1976, the result of five friends learning how to play basic rock and roll. Even by the standards of that decade Derry was not the rock and roll capital of anywhere. With no live bands worth watching, they learned by listening to mail order records, reading one of the few copies of NME that made it to Derry but most of all from listening to John Peel’s wonderful show on BBC Radio One. Practicing in their bedrooms eventually led to the band recording  Teenage Kicks E.P.  in 1978 on Terri Hooley's Good Vibrations label in Belfast.

The legendary DJ John Peel received a copy and like it so much he played it twice in a row on his radio show.
The Undertones signed with Sire Records and ‘Teenage Kicks’ was released followed by  further punk pop gems such as `Here Comes The Summer`, Jimmy Jimmy`, `My Perfect Cousin`, `You’ve Got My Number (Why Don’t You Use It)’ and four LPs.

Tickets for the CHESTER – Live Rooms show are available from the following:

Friday 17th June 2016
THE UNDERTONES
CHESTER – Live Rooms
Box Office No: 0871 220 0260
Website - https://www.theliverooms.com/event/the-undertones/
Doors: 7.00pm
Tickets - £20.00 (advance)




For more information on THE UNDERTONES, check out the following website / social media links:
Website - http://www.theundertones.com
Facebook – www.facebook.com/OfficialTheUndertones
The Udertones BBC 4 Documentary - You Tube Link -   www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxTOMcPax6k