The iconic singer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes – pop music’s ultimate “Girl Group” – will return to England, Scotland & Ireland for five live  dates in December, bringing with them the very first UK & Ireland appearance of the acclaimed multi–media show, Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes Best Christmas Party Ever!

“It’s hard to think of a more appealing angel to welcome the season than Ms. Spector” proclaims the New York Times. Ronnie is a self-confessed Christmas fanatic. An obsession that dates back to her childhood in New York’s Spanish Harlem where she would immerse herself in a world of sleigh rides, Santa Claus, fairy lights and festive song. She later recorded her own Christmas hits that help define the sound of the Christmas season.

This holiday extravaganza is a raucous, rocking, and intoxicating blend of Ronnie’s Christmas classics such as ‘Frosty the Snowman’, ‘I Saw Momma Kissing Santa Claus’ and ‘Sleigh Ride’ alongside timeless Ronettes hits like ‘Be My Baby’, ‘Baby I Love You’, ‘Walking In The Rain’ and ‘Do I Love You’. It’s a multi-media show with plenty of Ronnie’s inimitable off–the–cuff musings interjected with home video footage & anecdotes from her childhood Christmases in New York City. Backed by The Ronettes and one seriously tight band fronted by long-time musical director Jeremy Chatzky, a Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes live show is the ultimate audience feel-good experience. The voice that inspired Brian Wilson to write ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ is still instantly recognisable. Ronnie’s recent performances in the UK and Ireland have seen Ronnie and The Ronettes rock their way through London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Bristol, Glastonbury, Gateshead, Dublin, Glasgow, and Edinburgh to great acclaim.

These engagements will mark 55 years since The Ronettes’ first tour of the U.K. in January 1964 which famously saw them supported by The Rolling Stones and commenced Ronnie’s subsequent love affair with the UK. As a seminal force in Rock, Spector’s swagger, style and trademark voice defined an era. In the early ‘60s, Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes headlined over acts including The Rolling Stones, and Eric Clapton and The Yardbirds. In the years since, Spector has collaborated with Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, members of The Beatles, Patti Smith, Keith Richards and more. Billy Joel wrote ‘Say Goodbye to Hollywood’ as a tribute to Ronnie, and her duet with Eddie Money, ‘Take Me Home Tonight’, reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

At the start of 2019, Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes returned to the Billboard Top 40 chart for the first time in over 50 years with their immortal 1963 holiday song ‘Sleigh Ride’. Never one to sit on her laurels, Ronnie is currently in the studio applying the finishing touches to a new December 2019 Christmas single/duet, details of which will be announced shortly. Now in her sixth decade as a performer and style icon, Spector has reached a new level of cultural significance. Critical respect is at its peak, and she continues to thrill -- inspiring and empowering a new generation of fans as an enduring, transcendent figure, who has overcome adversity to build a career that is nothing short of remarkable.

RONNIE SPECTOR AND THE RONETTES DECEMBER 2019

December 14 The Helix Dublin, Ireland

December 17 Warwick Arts Centre Warwick, England

December 19 02 Shepherds Bush Empire London, England

December 20 The Sage Gateshead, England

December 23 Usher Hall Edinburgh, Scotland

Ahead of this years Franklin Fest (where did the last 12 months go?), our very own girl in the garage has managed to have a good old fashioned gossip with few of the participating acts. They'll be an article each day this week leading up to the opening night - Thursday 29th  - so you can look forward to intimate tête-à-tête's with MFC Chicken's Spencer Envoy, Chrome Reverse's Lili Zeller and Los Coyote Men's Sir Randy 'Captain Dynomite' Hornknocker! no-less.

Up first is Erin Van Rumble, front woman and bassist of Leeds pop-punksters Nervous Twitch.

DS: ようこそ Erin, please introduce yourself..

EVR: We've been together for about four or five years and after a few lineup changes etc. we are currently a three-piece. Myself, Erin, on bass and singing, Jay on guitar and Ash on drums.

DS: Okay, and how did Nervous Twitch evolve, and did you know each other beforehand?

EVR: Jay and I are a couple and we met through music and going to gigs. Jay was in a different band at the time, and has been in bands since he was a teenager. I originally came on board as a drummer and it was my first proper band! In our early days we made the decision for me to move to bass which vacated the drummer position which is where we're introduced to Ash through a friend.

DS: So what kind of music drives the band?

EVR: We are all fans of various types of music but I think what we all share is a love of a catchy pop song and playing punk rock... so I think that's how we get our sound. Music that inspires our writing is bands like The Ramones, Billy Childish, Nobunny, amongst many many others!

DS: Care to mention a couple of tunes that have inspired you?

EVR: I would find it hard to pinpoint inspiration down to a particular song but album wise Nobunny Love Visions/First Blood (or maybe the song 'Chuck Berry Holiday'!) Ramones Rocket To Russia, or maybe just them all! Billy Childish has A LOT of great songs and far tooooo mannnnyyy albums ha ha!

Also big fans of '60s girl groups like Shangri-las and The Ronettes and the Girls In The Garage comps which has inspired our songs such as "Johnny's Got A Gun" 

DS: You certainly can't go wrong with a bit of Mr Childish. Any particular incarnation of his that you prefer?

EVR: I personally love The Delmonas. Today we had Thatcher's Children byWild Billy Childish & The MBE's on the turntable, which is awesome. Also a fan of the Headcoats, Headcoatees, Milkshakes, so most of his music! He just has a great knack with writing songs!

DS: Turning to output, how many releases to date?

EVR: Two Albums: both released on Odd Box Records on cassette, and then the first one “Get Back In Line” re-released on Vinyl on Middle Ear Recordings and our second “Don’t Take My TV” re-released on Vinyl on Odd Box Records. We’ve also had two singles out on Punk Fox Records and various CD EP's along the way.

DS: ..and what are the band up to at the moment?

EVR: Just finished album Number three “I Won’t Hide” (which we are all very excited about!) which will be released in October on Odd Box Records, as well as a single on Punk Fox!

DS: Will this be the first time you've played in Edinburgh?

EVR: We played in Edinburgh when we toured spring 2016. Awesome gig, so much fun! So we’re all excited to be back!

DS: Are you sticking around for the whole weekend, and who are you looking forward to seeing?

EVR: We are, and can’t wait to see all of the bands really! Sad to be missing The Fnords on the Thursday (I will catch them one day!) but otherwise looking forward to MFC Chicken, Coyote Men, Das Clamps, and The Sensation Seekers.

Many thanks to Erin for taking the time out to chat.

You can catch Nervous Twitch on Friday evening at The Franklin Fest 17. More information about the band can be found here.