The Shop All major credit cards accepted!!       Download us on iTunes

Dates for your diary:

Brighton and London in April?
Scotland in May?
Festivals?
Germany in August?
... nothing confirmed yet, so watch this space

**** AWARDS AWARDS AWARDS!!! ****

The Load pick up Broadcast Now Diversity Award for the film "Heavy Load" (presented to Met Films)


Alan Carr gets some Heavy Love...


.. and Paul and the misses do some serious ligging

AND... we also won a
DADA Community Arts Award (presented to the band)



DaDa are a fantastic and innovative disability arts organisation based in the North West of England - we were lucky enough to play at the DADA Fest 2008 in Liverpool. This is amazing for us, and great recognition to win this award.

Thanks to everyone for voting for us - we're over the moon!!


Wild Things Volume 2 - OUT NOW!!



Following the success of last year’s CD ‘Wild Things – sounds of the disabled underground Vol.1’ we’ve decided to bring out Volume 2. This time it's a double CD and features artists from all over the world. We're really excited about this one - some incredible tunes!
This release is again on our own ‘Get In Or Get Out’ record label, and all proceeds will go towards furthering the work of our Stay Up Late campaign (please see www.stayuplate.org for more details). Greenbelt Festival have helped to sponsor this release through the Trust Greenbelt initiative.

BUY YOUR COPY HERE FOR JUST £10 (DOUBLE CD)

Disability On-Line Review by Colin Hambrook (many thanks)

Have a listen to the music and join the party:

http://wild-things-music.com/

Check out this great radio podcast from Shut Up And Listen featuring loads of Wild Things artists:

****** Brand New Stay Up Late website *******



The Stay Up Late campaign is really gathering momentum and international support - click the logo and check what's happening in your area, and find out how you can get involved. If you want to Stay Up Late, get in touch with us - we've got loads of leaflets and green cards you can use to tell your support staff when you're planning your next big night out.


Get Us...

Rosetti sponsors Heavy Load with Adam Black guitars

JJ Hudson sponsors Heavy Load with catwalk T Shirts

...rock!







Cinema run:







Reviews:

Brentwood Theatre, Brentwood, 15 Nov.



Great gig, great crowd, great merch sales... made even greater by Craig's "Praise the Load" tattoo (see above!)

Follow this link to see review and photos:

Phoenix FM / Heavy Load page

Thanks Mike and all at Phoenix FM


No Limits Festival, Berlin, 25 Oct.



The Load in Berlin... how amazing is that!?! We got to our hotel on the Friday so we had the whole weekend to enjoy the city. We were in Mitte, in the old East Berlin, just round the corner from the festival, and in a very cool area with loads of cafes, interesting shops and a flea market to explore.... and every morning we were treated to a harp player over breakfast.... nice!

Our first job for the weekend, after staying up very late and enjoying 'The Freak and The Showgirl', was a photo shoot outside the Reichstag holding up the Stay Up Late banner with our guitars. Great shots from Morgan, and a new Jim/burlesque inspired tune composed on the steps - "Lovely Ladies"... nice. The next day we found an accordian at the local flea market going for a song, and the perfect sound for our new tune...

Some more shows, some more bars and some more beers, and it was our turn to do some work. Our gig was the end of festival party, and everyone there was up for a big night. There was definately something in the air - I think we all had a feeling it was going to be a wild one, but it went way beyond. Simon spent most of the gig singing amongst the crowd and being sprayed in true punk style with beer and water. The dance floor turned into an ice rink and he was on his back sliding up and down with mic in hand - You can't get more punk!!! Mat and Julie joined us for 'I Fought the Law', and more beer spraying, and by the time it came to finish, the crowd wouldn't let us get off the stage. Friendly complaints came later from the organisers - apparently we hadn't played very long, and they were used to bands playing till dawn. I quickly pointed out they had just got our best ever performance, so 'Shut It'. Si's support worker, Mark, said it was THE best gig he had ever been to, and was later telling everyone, "I support him!" Michael saved the day an hour or so later, and did an impromptu drum solo, and earned himself a solo(!)gig with Mat Fraser and Julie Atlas Muz - apparently they're going to do a drum-off with some added burlesque routines.... god help us!

Said it before, but... can it get any better than this?

Thanks Mark and Claire for joining in the fun, and get well soon Palmer.


Keswick Film Festival, 13th Feb

On our way up the M6 heading for Cumbria, in the middle of winter in the back of a freezing cold van, I'm thinking to myself, "It better be worth it"....

We'd never seen so many cushions in a holiday cottage - we were certainly going to be comfortable! And Anne and everyone at the Film Festival got the beers in... so far so good!

Good crowd for the film - would anyone come to the gig at the rugby club?....

It was packed! Filling a venue so far away from home where we didn't know anyone was incredible - we felt like indie legends! People had come up from Liverpool and down from Scotland just to see us, all totally up for it. And we played a great gig too - airing for the first time a new track called "Shut It" (listing in true Heavy Load style everyone we think really ought to shut their faces) also the beginnings of a new one called "Sexy Film" came about during the sound check... ooh sexy, sexy film.

Was it worth it?... TOTALLY


ICA, London 1st October

flashback... arriving in the lobby to see our incredible yellow film poster... Paul on the edge, imploding and tearing a calf muscle... press calls... Channel 4 News interview... huge applause... Q&A's... Simon out amongst the audience, "What do you want to ask me?"... friends and family... and Sham 69... hugs and warmth in the bar... Luminous Frenzy, very dark, very big, immense... The Load taking to the stage... huge crowd... huge encore... huge fun!... Jim cooler than cool... Simon on cockroach duty... Michael salutes the crowd... Sham 69... legends of the punk era... a storming set... and us joining them on stage for "If the kids are united"... Paul waving his crutch... me, Si and Michael on the mic... Can it get any better than this?...


Bethnal Green Community Festival, London 6th Sept Supporting The Blockheads!

This review captures everything that we're about -
thanks Alexis:

Alexis Petridis meets Heavy Load
The Guardian, Saturday September 13


Dada Fest "Sideshow", Liverpool 4th Sept

Disability on-line review by Colin Hambrook

This band have touched the zeitgeist taking punk rock full circle. They embody the fun, give it a go and piss in the face of convention, mentality of the movement that took the 1970s by storm. They keep it real because of who they are. Punk started with the Ramones and other
bands who exploited the idea of doing a parody of learning disabled people. And now we have a learning disabled band parodying the Ramones. They do a song about going to the USA which is a direct steal.

Heavy Load are going from strength to strength - launching their film at the ICA and being asked to support The Blockheads. Way to go!

Colin Hambrook, Disability Arts


The film wins The Audience Award @ BritDocs!! and The Load play a blinder....



You know you've arrived when your band's personal assistant introduces herself as you pull up at the venue. The only thing missing was the blue smarties and the crate of Jack...

The film got a massive cheer at the screening, and the Q&A's had all the randomness that comes with The Load. It was looking good for the awards that night...

We'd never seen Jerry looking so intense as we all sat waiting for the results. And then there he is, collecting the Audience Award from Larry Charles, the guy who directed Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Fantasic!! We're all feeling really proud, and it's not even our film! Thanks for everything Jerry and Al - it's amazing what's happened.

The gig at the bar went down a treat - full of mad women in the mosh pit. Simon joined them at one point, and was later boasting about getting a snog off someone... High point was Jerry and Al joining us on backing vocals for "We're in a film".

Thanks for having us BritDocs! And a special thanks to Hanna and Amelia.


18th June - New York
Film screening @ disTHIS

Gig at Arlene's Grocery
Support from 4 Wheel City




Where do you start? This was always going to be an amazing trip, but it went way beyond our expectations...

It started at T5 in Heathrow and a sighting of Duran Duran Duran Duran's Mr Le Bon. Simon asked him if he wanted an autograph, but he feined disinterest...

Barker wasted no time on the flight and got chatting up the BA stewardesses. One 'lovely lady' asked what we were all up to, so we told her, and Simon says, "You can throw your knickers at me!". From that point on we were treated like the superstars that we are. I got a hard time because a 'lovely gentleman' took a shine. Who cares? It's nice that anyone fancies you, isn't it... and I got a shed load of gin miniatures!!

Dumped our bags at the hotel and headed downtown to find where we'd be playing the next night; Arlene's Grocery is everything you'd want from a sweaty NY grunge club - we couldn't wait! In fact it was so cool we stopped there, had some beers and stayed up late.

The film was really well received at the screening at DisThis the next day, and it was followed by a Q&A session with us and Jerry. It was starting to sink in... here we were, in NY, holding up our Stay Up Late USA banner at a full house, getting 'psychoed up' for the gig at Arlene's...

The gig was wild man! 4 Wheel City kicked things off with a killin' Hip Hop set about the reality of guns, adjusting to life in a wheelchair and falling in love with your care assistant. Major cool dudes who love their Moms.

We did our usual stuff... but we were on fire, inspired by our journey so far and the warmth of everybody we've met. We were "demons", "pumas", and we were playing our set with the energy and passion that can only come from a true punk band. Simon was stripped to the waiste, anarchic and very sweaty; Jim looked like he'd stepped out of the Velvet Underground with his newly aquired fly sunglasses, and he couldn't stop smiling! Michael was serious man, and hit those muthas with untold power. Paul... solid, happy. Me? VERY happy!

Thanks Lawrence from DisThis and Catherine for helping to make this all come true!! We love you.

The barmaid loved our set, and helped get us on our way... after that it got very messy....

Next morning we were at WBAI Radio giving an interview and playing some of our tracks off the new album. Each of us had something to say, can't remember what we said, but we were relieved to leave the building without a huge fine for any profanities. Thank god for 5 second delays and mute buttons... Mr Barker!

The 'lovely ladies' at IFC, Christine and Electra, treated us to to a slap-up lunch in front of BIG screens for the Germany V Portugal match... heaven! Followed by a tour of Manhatten in a BIG white limo. Some of life's memories will sadly be lost in the ether of time, but not these... Brooklyn Bridge to the sound of "Farty Animals" (hefartlastnight, hefartlastnight), Morgan's musical limo chairs...

Thanks IFC, and Loads of love to Christine.

Sightseeing and photo-calls in Times Square, standing next to the mural of Joe Strummer, getting off the plane with our guitars, staggering home with Michael (it's always the drummer isn't it?)...

Morgan, we love having you 'round man - thanks for being with us and bringing your camera!!!

Big New York medals of honnor to the bravest support workers we've had the pleasure to have known... Chris, Ian and Laura..... Now pull your fingers out and do some work.

www.babelgum.com - the Load take Manhatten (video)

LA Times Review

New York Times Review

The Brink Review - by our original bass player Paul H

Hesterglock's 'Shut It' Review

Pop Muse Review

The Guardian, Society - Wednesday, 5th March

* My Space *

Have a look at our My Space page. Not only can you hear a selection of our tunes, but you can also meet our strange friends from all over the world. It's a strange world, isn't it....?

www.myspace.com/heavyloaduk