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| Photo above from article in Ayrshire Post. Click here to view it. | Photo above from article in Ayrshire Post. Click here to view it. |
(Recordings by the Haze in MP3 Format) Hold On | To Absent Friends
AFTER
a little over four and a half years Andrew Simpson (lead vocals and guitar) is
leaving Maybole band The Haze to go and work in the real world. The band's last
gig together is this coming Friday July 18 in Harley's, Nile Court, Ayr and the
boys say it is certain to be an emotional experience and definitely not to be
missed. The remaining three members of he band, however, are sticking together
and already have gigs lined up in August. Lead guitarist David Galloway tells
us, "For all those who think the band won't survive without the Simpson charm,
don't worry. We've still got Jamie Simpson on Drums, who will be sharing the
lead vocal duties along with myself." The first outing for the new look Haze is
at a private birthday party for Christian, girlfriend of bass guitarist David
Goodwin, and then they are hoping to be playing 'outside at the Oval' (The
Spaceplace in Prestwick) on August 30. This event hosts up to ten local bands
and although not confirmed yet the new look Haze are hopeful that they will be
playing again this year. Their next gig is the following day on Sunday August
31. at The Cathouse in Glasgow when they will be sharing the stage with four
other new bands. (Ayrshire Post July 2003)
Maybole's own live rock band, The Haze, are a talented young four piece band who have been dubbed 'Ayrshire's top showband', and have performed in Ayrshire's top venues. All four of the band live in Maybole and the band rehearse regularly in the Carrick Sports Club in Maybole.
The band play mainly covers, ranging from The Beatles to The Mavericks, from The Eagles to The Stereophonics, but they are currently introducing their own material to their extensive repertoire.
The band believe they stand out from their rivals in several ways. Firstly, unlike most of their rivals, The Haze perform only live music, and do not use any backing tapes at all, relying purely on guitars, drums and vocals to complete their sound.
Secondly, The band believe in an honest, up-front approach to their business, and have proved 100% reliable since they began 18 months ago. They have never cancelled, or turned up late for a booking.
Thirdly, the band believe in giving the audience what they want. Said lead guitarist, David Galloway, "When we set out, we listened to what people had to say about other bands that they had heard, and the most common complaint we heard was that the bands were too loud.
"We play at volumes that are sensible for the size of the venue, and if we are asked to turn down the volume, it is not a big problem, as it can be with some bands."
As well as introducing their own music to their set, they are also keen to record their own music. Said singer, Andrew Simpson, "We had been practising our own music for a couple of months, and some of our songs were given their big debut at a party on 15 July.
"We had always shied away from playing our own music in public, as we though as no-one knew the words it wouldn't get a very good reception, but surprisingly, the songs went down very well and many people were dancing. We were even asked to play more of our own material later on that evening, so we now have more confidence in our songs.
"We are currently aiming to be back in the recording studio by the end of the year."
* David Galloway is 21 and plays lead guitar, as well as singing backing vocals. He is also studying in his final year at Auchincruive Agricultural College for a degree in Leisure Management.
* David Goodwin is 20 and he plays bass guitar and sings backing vocals. He is currently in his final year at Glasgow Caledonian University studying Civil Engineering.
* Andrew Simpson is 19. He plays rhythm guitar and sings lead vocals. Andrew is now in his second year, studying for a Masters Degree in English at the University of Glasgow.
* Jamie Simpson is 18, and is the brother of front man, Andrew. He plays drums and sings backing vocals and is currently finishing his highers at Carrick Academy.
The Haze can be contacted by e-mail at hazemusic@hotmail.com.