LUSH the University of Leicester Student Radio Station

 

This was the University of Leicester Student Radio Station website for a number of years. When LUSH Radio became Galaxy Radio, broadcasting from the heart of the Percy Gee at the University of Leicester, a new website was created. Go to http://galaxymedia.org.uk/ for the latest news.The content below is from the site's archived pages.

From the heart of the Percy Gee: LUSH Radio Broadcasting from the heart of the Percy Gee, LUSH Radio is the University of Leicester Students Union Radio Station. With almost 100 shows, theres so much variation that youre certain to find something that you want to hear!
Since 1997, LUSH Radio has been run and presented by students, providing Leicester with an alternative to both the local and national radio stations that just aren't doing it for you.
LUSH is here to cater to you: Your songs, your sounds, your station.

About LUSH

Officially founded in 1996, LUSH Radio (formerly LUSH FM) is the radio station of the University of Leicester Students Union. It is run and presented exclusively by students and broadcasts a mixture of music, chat and the occasional spot of news, providing both Leicester students and residents with something to sweeten their day.
It is widely thought that the letter H in the acronym LUSH stands for Hits, making the official title Leicester University Student Hits Radio, although this title has been disputed, and alternative expressions have been assumed!
Presenter numbers vary, but are often in the region of between 80-150, presenting music styles from indie rock, R&B, house, dance, pop and metal, all the way through to bhangra and other internationally flavoured music.
In 2009, LUSH Radio introduced its first ever Chart Show, playing the Student Unions Top 10 tracks as voted for by students of the University.
The station broadcasts throughout most of the academic year via a dedicated webcast from their studio which is currently located on the top floor of the Percy Gee Building.

2014

 

Incoming: Tink- Tell the children (Prod Timbaland)

 08/12/2014 Noma Ndebele

Timbaland’s new prodigy rapper-singer Tink is on the uprising and has recently been building up a following. Following the events in America, especially the recent event of Michael’s Brown shooting which sparked a protest in Ferguson and London, The MMG (Mosley Music Group) signed artist and Timbaland have collaborated to make this touching record which addresses the situation.  “So now we living in fear, of the people here to protect us” she states on the record.


What to Watch: December 2014

 01/12/2014 Louis Roberts

Sticking around in Les-tah over the Christmas period? Fancy sneaking a few cheeky gigs in before you move out of halls? There’s plenty to whet one’s musical appetite this month as an eclectic mix of old, new and local acts are set to storm the stages of Leicester’s finest venues.

One of the biggest modern acts to visit Leicester in recent years makes its way to De Montfort Hall on the 3rd as Bombay Bicycle Club continue their huge tour in support of the number one album So Long, See You Tomorrow. Supported by up-and-coming indie-pop outfit Peace, the London band are currently on their biggest tour to date making this a must-see gig for Leicester based music fans.

A minute’s walk down the road and plenty more exciting acts from recent years can be found at our very own O2 Academy. ‘Lad rock’ aficionados still buzzing off recent gigs by Kasabian and The Courteeners will be well aware of the double headline tour featuring The Enemy and The Twang making its way to the Percy Gee on the 5th, whilst Embrace and China Drum will grace the stage on the 10th and 15th respectively.

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and The Skints will be heading to University Road on the 19th as part of the hugely anticipated Jagermeister Music Tour 2014, whilst The Musician plays host to Wilko Johnson’s legendary Dr. Feelgood on the same date. Guitar man Jersey Budd is set to visit The Cookie on the 6th, and those more dance music inclined will enjoy the selection of local DJs playing the free Overground Sessions Christmas party at Streetlife on the 9th. See some footage from the last Overground Sessions event below.

 
 

Be sure to get down to some of these shows if you can and remember that there are gigs on every night at other venues such as The Donkey, Firebug and The Exchange with plenty of promising local acts intent on developing Leicester’s highly ambitious music scene, as well as a variety of comedy performances and other arts projects.

 


Live Review: Jack White, Leeds, 17th Nov 14

 29/11/2014 James Fenney

LUSHs James Fenney went to see how the White Stripes man would fare in front of a roaring Yorkshire crowd.

The musical mad scientist that is Jack White has been a juggernaut of rock music for a good few years now. Both with The White Stripes and with his side projects, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, he has written some of the most memorable riffs of a generation, composed crazy, artistic and innovative songs with equally amazing videos and has spearheaded the revival of the blues all whilst acting like an over-the-top Johnny Depp character.  So with the recent tour supporting his latest solo effort Lazaretto, I headed down to a gig in Gods own county to see whether or not he still had the magic touch.

After a few minutes of confusion, wondering why they chose to play hip-hop over the PA, the opening act Lucius took centre stage. Its as though First Aid Kit and Arcade Fire decided to team up and steal the entire percussion section from their local music shop. Gentle, psychedelic guitars were interwoven with haunting harmonies and each member had extra drums and tambourines to add a little extra oomph when necessary. Clearly the music store heist was a good move as their songs had some great upbeat moments and didnt get too dragged down with indie style meanderings.

The violins, synths and steel guitars effortlessly added to songs, making them sound brand new

Jack eventually took the stage, which was laid out in a suitably eccentric way with Theremins and Predicta TVs. He doesnt make music so much as restrain chaos, and tonight he was on top form. His vocals and guitar solos were wild and frantic but without ever losing control. He blasted through the highlights of the latest album and some choice cuts from The White Stripes back catalogue. Although the venue was pretty warm, he wore a Batman branded hoodie with the hood up for the first few minutes. I've heard before that he is an avid Batman fan so this wasn't too much of a surprise. But I'm sure the beads of sweat on his face were signs that he might have regretted the hoodie, Batman not withstanding. I had worried that all the extra instruments, all the violins, synths and steel guitars, would make the latter sound a bit convoluted but they effortlessly added to the songs and filled them out to make them sound brand new. All of Jack Whites previous bands have had him as the focal point, but strangely here on his solo tour he was surrounded by some excellent musicians who played together like a well oiled machine.

He certainly knew the right buttons to push to get his audience going. He mentioned how his next gig was in Scotland and said how the North should be next to try for independence. I think Northern pride added to the crowds exuberance, which was at full force during the snaking synths and thundering riff of Icky Thump and the staccato bursts of Steady As She Goes. My only major criticism of the night is that the crowd was rather too manic for my liking, there were certainly times where I wished some of them would calm down and enjoy the music.

After finally playing Seven Nation Army to close the show I had two thoughts. The first was relief at not being trampled, the second was the fact that in the face of some criticism about his current musical direction, Jack White proved that he is still a force to be reckoned with. The only things thats missing from the glory days of The White Stripes is the colour red.

 


Live Review: The Kooks @ O2 Academy Leicester, 6th Nov 2014

 24/11/2014 Meg Brankowski

Meg Brankowski saw the indie-pop four piece visit Leicester to play older classics alongside new material.

Eight years since Inside In/Inside Out, the brit-popish band that take influence from the sixties excelled with their first tour date for their new album at the O2. They proved to the sold out Leicester venue that they are still a modish and current band. The Kooks got the tour underway in great style, kicking off with Around Town from their new album Listen –  a song that includes hand clapping and groove guitar  - a winning combination with the crowd. Supporting act Walking on Cars – a five part indie pop rock band from Dingle in County Kerry, Ireland set the tone of the gig outright with their soon to be released single Always Be With You out on 8 December.

The Kooks’ mix of old and new songs was well considered. Old favourites like lead singer Luke Pritchard’s fantastic acoustically styled Seaside equated with the more recent piano driven See Me Now balanced well and were my personal favourites of the night in terms of emotion, tone and control. The extent of how up-to-date the band aim to be is proven with song lyrics that comment upon contemporary issues such as the London riots.  It Was London is an affecting and involving song but was perhaps a little over done in terms of background graphics that tended to act as a distraction and message which felt a tad forced. The performance of Down seemed more likeable however since crowd participation in call and answer repetitions of Louder is essential to the song and its definitive R&B influence made it danceable.

One of the bands greatest achievements that came across at the gig was how different the new album’s songs sound from what has come before, but that still have the Kooks’ signature sing-along style, with the venue loving songs from all four albums such as She Moves In Her Own Way, Sway, Junk of the Heart and Bad Habit. You could tell that the Kooks were thrilled to be on tour again, and with the standard of songs that they have behind them they should hopefully step in trend again, keep making songs that are distinctive and continue to be a characteristic live act.

 

Have You Heard: Boy Bear

 17/11/2014 Liz Macie

If you have an interest in indie rock dabbling into the folk genre, Boy & Bear may be a band you should look into. Unknown by many, but appreciated by those aware of them, Boy & Bear are still not given the credit their music deserves. The mixture of acoustic and electric guitar in their music gives the usual indie rock a hypnotic and enchanting undertone, providing an electric ambient sound.

Their lyrics are focused towards dream-like surrealism and growth from experiencing both ends of the pain and love spectrum. David Hosking is a phenomenal poetic writer with a soulful, thick, and expressive voice.  have had a previous experience seeing them live in my hometown Buffalo, New York, where they performed for the Canalside free concert series. The band was the first to perform and the crowd was immensely small (approximately 30 people) for a band I thought to deserve a full audience. Their stage performance was upbeat, enthusiastic, and the band members were genuinely happy for even the smallest fan base in their crowd.

Boy & Bear has a much larger fan base in Australia, being their home country, with shows already being sold out for both Sydney, Albany, and even in New Zealand for their current tour. They are making their way through England this week before journeying back home, so if you fancy a band with an impeccable stage presence, head to one of their shows! Or you can just listen to them on repeat on Spotify, because we all know how much money artists get from Spotify after the whole Taylor Swift scandal. Just be sure to prepare yourself for some addictive melodies in advance.

One of their most popular music videos is from their newest album “Harlequin Dream”. Have a look!

 

 

Foy Vance

Live Review: Foy Vances intimate London show, 1st Nov 2014

 03/11/2014 James Fenney

LUSH contributor James Fenney made it to Bush Hall, London to see the Irish singer joined by biggest fan Ed Sheeran. If youd have asked me who I most wanted to see live, after much deliberation I would probably have said Foy Vance. He is a Northern Irish song-smith with a golden voice and a […]

 


What to Watch: November 2014

 31/10/2014 Louis Roberts

LUSH Radio previews some of the music shows and events coming to Leicester this month. Since the closing of classic toilet circuit venue The Charlotte, hard times have fallen on Leicester musically, with tribute acts and has-beens representing a high proportion of artists visiting the city. However recent months have been kinder on good old Les-tah, not least […]

 


Incoming: Chip- Chiraq remix (Fright night freestyle)

 31/10/2014 Noma Ndebele

North London MC Chip has been quiet for a while but he is back with a new Halloween special freestyle over the hard Chiraq beat. If l do a cover, everyone run for cover he drops, along with stating that his upcoming project titled Believe and Achieve a 2 part project, will be released in […]

 

 

labrinth

Incoming: Labrinth drops video for new single Jealous

 31/10/2014 Noma Ndebele

British singer/songwriter and producer Labrinth has done it again. He dropped the video to his new single Jealous, with a soulful sound, great vocals and emotional, heartfelt lyrics; you fall in love with it at first listen. The video, very simplistic but captivating, speaks volumes does a good job of embodying the song itself. As Labrinth gets ready […]

 

Young Fathers

Music News: Young Fathers defy odds to scoop Mercury Prize

 30/10/2014 Louis Roberts

The experimental hip-hop trio beat off competition from FKA Twigs and Damon Albarn. This years installment of over hyped, self-congratulatory show biz indulgence that is the Mercury Prize reared its ever increasingly irrelevant head last night, with Edinburgh outfit Young Fathers claiming the award for their debut album Dead. The record received immense critical praise upon its […]

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