It’s that time of the year again when Cloth Cat runs its annual fundraiser at the legendary Brudenell Social Club. The Christmas tree will be down, the mince pie crumbs will all be hoovered up and new year’s resolutions will already be broken, but the party goes on! We’ll be bringing you an eclectic night of upbeat music with some of the best bands from the Leeds music scene to raise vital funds for the charity so that we can support some of the most vulnerable in society.

We will be allocating funds that are raised to ‘Beat The Blues’ again. This two year project aims to positively improve in-patients’ experience of clinical interventions in mental health services around Leeds by providing a series of musical workshops, fun activities, interactive musical performances, and a pathway to community based musical activities after being discharged from hospital.

On the bill for our 12th Hair Of The Dog are:

Fresh from a UK tour and recently voted one of the best ska/reggae/dub bands in the country, Zen Baseballbat are in demand and are now on their fourth album, ‘Better Ways To Love & Offend’. Mixing new wave riffs, industrious bass and luminous bursts of percussive melody to form sounds of dub, instrumental groove and disgruntled rhyme. Lyrically, they will take you through a whole series of emotions, lifting you up when you least expect it, at other times provoking anger, sadness, determination and the desire to stand up and be counted.
https://www.zenbaseballbat.com/

We’re so pleased to welcome back The Bluefoot Project. Formed in 1997 and sharing a variety of musical backgrounds, they fuse vocal-led, beat-driven, 21st century soulful funk with reggae, hip hop, gospel and leftfield. They signed with Yorkshire based label, Chocolate Fireguard, and following an amazing set at Glastonbury Festival 2000 and receiving rave reviews of their recorded material (“what a magnificent piece of work” Mary Anne Hobbs), they were being mentioned in the same breath as prestigious acts such as Massive Attack, Squarepusher, Lamb, Goldie, Stevie Wonder and King Tubby. Featuring the incredibly soulful vocals of Rachel Modest, who recently blew the judges away on The Voice, reaching the semi finals under the mentorship of Tom Jones. The band are back and we can’t wait to see them play again.
https://thebluefootproject.com/

Another band who are returning to the scene are the fabulous lounge/swing band and splendidly named Les Vegas & The International Playboys Of Rhythm, and who will be performing a set of pop classics from over the decades, but as you’ve never heard them before! This 10 piece band, including full brass section and led by the wonderfully named Gina Cortina, played at the very first Hair Of The Dog, and it is going to be so much fun to have them play for us once again.
https://www.facebook.com/…/Les-Vegas…/100063664386988/

The Banquets roared onto the music scene in 2019. Fans love their rambunctious energy and unique blend of country, blues, indie and rock. They have since gone from strength to strength, borne from humble beginnings, fast becoming a band to watch around the city, encapsulated by the passion and energy of lead singer Gemma. Their name has preceded them, and this has led to supporting artists such as the South (formerly The Beautiful South), and Toyah Wilcox. They won a place on the Introducing Stage at The Great British Folk Festival. After not being able to get them for last year’s HOTD we’re so pleased to have them for this one.
https://www.facebook.com/thebanquets

Lavender Gray, now playing with a full band, is an emotive pop singer-songwriter who tells personal stories with an engaging relatability. Influenced by a musical theatre background, she blends intimate lyrics with powerful vocals and first found her voice at a young age through a love of musical theatre. Her teen years were spent in bands at Rockschool UK, where she then found a new love of writing and performing with musicians as a vocalist and went on to hone her song writing talents at Leeds Conservatoire. Having played recently for Cloth Cat at The Pack Horse, they come highly recommended.
https://www.facebook.com/lavendergraymusic

And your compere for the evening as ever will be the majestic A Short Dark Stranger, bringing his unbridled energy and fun to the proceedings: https://www.facebook.com/ashortdarkstranger

Tickets: £7.00 plus booking fee in advance or £9.00 on the door

Doors open at 6.15pm

It’s always a special night so please come along, it should be incredible and you’ll be safe in the knowledge that you’ll be supporting a local charity.