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“Especially the bottom end — the bass and drums, rhythm section”

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The Soul Sisters were an American soul duet consisting of Thresia Cleveland-Fitch and Ann Gissendanner, who recorded for Sue Records. They first toured Britain in 1964 and then returned in 1965 followed by three tours between late 1966 and late 1967.

Record Retailer and Music Industry News’ 3 September 1964 issue reports that Sue recording artistes The Soul Sisters will visit Britain on 10 November for a week of TV, radio and club dates. The music paper says the duo toured with Manfred Mann from 17-23 November and were backed by The Spencer Davis Group.

Melody Maker reports that The Soul Sisters arrived in Britain on 28 May 1965 for their second tour and were backed on all dates by The Brian Auger Trinity (there is a CD of recordings).

The following tour dates are incomplete

Tour dates:

28 May 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with Geno Washington & The Ram Jam Band (two sessions, including an all-nighter) (Melody Maker)

2 June 1965 – Bromel Club, Bromley Court Hotel, Bromley Hill, southeast London (Melody Maker)

5 June 1965 – Cromwellian, South Kensington, west London (Melody Maker)

5 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (two sessions including an all-nighter) (Melody Maker)

16 June 1965 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker) Says last London appearance

 

In late 1966, The Soul Sisters returned to Britain for their third tour, booked by promoter Roy Tempest.

It looks like Tempest used a number of bands to support the duo, including the Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia outfit, The Canadians who at the time comprised: Bobby Faulds (vocals); David Foster (keyboards/vocals); Mike Stymest (bass); Wes Chambers (sax); Rich England (sax); Billy Stewart (trumpet/trombone); and Barry Casson (drums).

During December, The Canadians backed The Original Drifters on a tour, so it’s not clear whether they would have been available for the first three London gigs and the Manchester show below.

The following tour dates are incomplete

Tour dates:

30 December 1966 – New All-Star Club, Artillery Passage, Bishopsgate, east London (Melody Maker)

30 December 1966 – Flamingo, Wardour Street, Soho, central London with The Broodly Hoo (Melody Maker)

30 December 1966 – Cue Club, Praed Street, Paddington, west London (Melody Maker)

31 December 1966 – Twisted Wheel, Manchester with The Alan Bown Set and Cock a Hoops (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle)

31 December 1966 – Cavern, Liverpool with The Prowlers, The Beechwoods, The Tatters, The States, The Klubs, The Kids, The Signs, The Times, The Hideaways, The Shades and The Canadians (Liverpool Echo) Most likely backed by The Canadians

 

1 January 1967 – Oasis, Manchester with Steve Aldo & The Fix (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Possibly backed by The Fix

1 January 1967 – Warmingham Grange Country Club, Warmingham, Cheshire (Chester Chronicle) Possibly backed by The Canadians

6 January 1967 – Princess Theatre, Chorlton, Greater Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Backed by The Statesiders (not the west London group)

6 January 1967 – Domino Club, Openshaw, Greater Manchester (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Backed by The Statesiders

7 January 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with Jimmy James & The Vagabonds (Lincolnshire Echo) Possibly backed by The Canadians

8 January 1967 – Kirklevington Country Club, Kirklevington, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough Evening Gazette) Backed by The Canadians

11 January 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker) Possibly backed by The Canadians

12 January 1967 – Carlton Ballroom, Erdington, West Midlands with Erskine The T (Birmingham Evening Mail) Possibly backed by The Statesiders

13 January 1967 – Il Rondo, Leicester with The Puppets (Leicester Mercury) Possibly backed by The Statesiders

14 January 1967 – Plebians, Cheapside, Halifax, West Yorkshire (Halifax Evening Courier & Guardian)

14 January 1967 – King Mojo, Sheffield, South Yorkshire (all-nighter) (www.kingmojostory.com)

15 January 1967 – Starlite Ballroom, Greenford, northwest London with Carl Douglas & The Big Stampede (Melody Maker)

 

The Newham & Stratford Express newspaper’s 28 April 1967 issue notes that The Trend are backing The Soul Sisters on a two-week tour (their fourth British tour), arranged by Roy Tempest. It’s most likely they provided backing on most of the tour although they did leave for West Germany before the tour ended.

At this point, The Trend comprised Norman Cummins (lead guitar/vocals); Michael Claxton (keyboards/vocals); Phil Duke (bass); and Frankie Morgan (drums).

It’s possible that west London group, The Sovereigns completed the tour after The Trend left Britain. An advert in the Nottingham Evening Post for The Sovereigns’ gig at the Dungeon in Nottingham on 16 July lists them as Soul Sisters’ backing group.

Originally from Hillingdon, The Sovereigns comprised Roy St John-Foster (vocals); Pip Williams (lead guitar); Mick Tomich (bass); Brian Johnston (keyboards); Freddie Tillyer (sax); and Keith Franklin (drums).

The following tour dates are incomplete

Tour dates:

30 March 1967 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel) This date seems unlikely considering the gap between it and the second show

 

14 April 1967 – Harvest Moon Club, Guildford, Surrey (Aldershot News/Reading Evening Post) Most likely backed by The Trend

15 April 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The Symbols, Root and Jenny Jackson, The Hightimers and The Caribbean Steel Band (Nottingham Evening Post/Spalding Guardian) Most likely backed by The Trend

18 April 1967 – Dungeon, Nottingham with supporting group (Nottingham Evening Post) Most likely backed by The Trend

21 April 1967 – Tiles, Oxford Street, central London with The Love Affair (Newham & Stratford Express) Definitely backed by The Trend/confirmed by Michael Claxton’s picture of the band with the two singers at the club

22 April 1967 – Birdcage, Eastney, Portsmouth, Hampshire with The Bizarre (David Allen Research) Allen confirms The Trend were backing band but originally The Senate were billed

22 April 1967 – Speakeasy, Margaret Street, central London (Newham & Stratford Express) Backed by The Trend

26 April 1967 – Sibyllas, Swallow Street, central London (Newham & Stratford Express) Backed by The Trend

27 April 1967 – Golden Torch, Tunstall, Staffordshire with The Toggery and The Canadians (Evening Sentinel) Final gig backed by The Trend who drive to West Berlin after the show, according to Michael Claxton

28 April 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with Barry Noble & The Sapphires (Melody Maker/http://www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/) Possibly backed by The Sovereigns

29 April 1967 – Blue Moon, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire (Worcester News) Possibly backed by The Sovereigns

29 April 1967 – New All-Star Club, Artillery Passage, Bishopsgate, east London (Melody Maker) Possibly backed by The Sovereigns

30 April 1967 – Warmingham Grange Country Club, Warmingham, Cheshire with American backing band and Harry Brown Sound (Chester Chronicle/Crewe Chronicle) Possibly backed by The Sovereigns

 

For The Soul Sisters’ fifth British tour, it looks like The Clockwork Oranges, who’d previously backed The Fabulous Temptations (aka The Fantastics) and Garnet Mimms did most of the backing. However, The Trend did play some shows.

Pip Williams, guitarist with The Clockwork Oranges (previously The Sovereigns) confirms they backed The Soul Sisters.

By this point, The Clockwork Oranges comprised Roy St John-Foster (vocals); Pip Williams (lead guitar); Ron Thomas (bass); Brian Johnston (keyboards); Freddie Tillyer (sax); and Keith Franklin (drums)

At this stage, The Trend had also undergone some personnel changes. The line-up now comprised Norman Cummins (lead guitar/vocals); Cliff Reuter (keyboards); Pete Cole (bass/vocals); and Frankie Morgan (drums). It’s also possible that Bob Mather (sax) from The Senate may have joined by this point or during the tour.

The following tour dates are incomplete

Tour dates:

5 October 1967 – Skyline Ballroom, Hull, Humberside with Clockwork Orange, Duane Eddy, Bobby & The Rebels, Garnet Mimms and The Senate (Hull Daily Mail) Backed by The Clockwork Oranges

6 October 1967 – Paradise Club, Wigan, Lancashire with Earl Preston’s Reflections and The Millers (Liverpool Echo)

7 October 1967 – Royal Lido, Prestayn, Wales with The Raynes (Chester Chronicle)

7 October 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Manchester with The Clockwork Oranges (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Backed by The Clockwork Oranges

8 October 1967 – Vaudeville & Georgian, Salford, Greater Manchester with backing group (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) The Clockwork Oranges backed Garnet Mimms in Barnsley on this date

10 October 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire with The Silverstone Set (Evening Sentinel)

11 October 1967 – Nite Owl, Leicester with The Clockwork Orange (Leicester Mercury) Backed by The Clockwork Oranges

12 October 1967 – Whisky A Go Go, Wardour Street, Soho, central London (Melody Maker) Pip Williams confirms that The Clockwork Oranges backed the singers at this show

13 October 1967 – California Ballroom, Dunstable, Bedfordshire with The Crew (http://www.california-ballroom.info/gigs/)

14 October 1967 – Starlight Ballroom, Boston Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincolnshire with The Tages, The Amboy Dukes and The Clockwork Oranges (Lincolnshire Echo) Backed by The Clockwork Oranges

The John Peel Wiki page notes that The Soul Sisters backed by The Clockwork Orange(s) recorded a Peel session on 16 October, which was first broadcast on 22 October. The Clockwork Orange(s) cut two tracks separately: “Three Time Loser” and “Bring Me Home Love”. Five other tracks were cut with The Soul Sisters – “You Got ‘em Beat Baby”, “Hold On”, “Blueberry Hill”, “Soulful Dress” and “I Can’t Stand It”.

17 October 1967 – The Place, Hanley, Staffordshire (Evening Sentinel)

20 October 1967 – Princess Theatre, Chorlton, Greater Manchester with The Trend, The Isley Brothers and Clockwork Oranges (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Backed by The Trend unless they backed Isley Brothers

20 October 1967 – Domino Club, Openshaw, Greater Manchester with The Trend, The Isley Brothers and Clockwork Oranges (Manchester Evening News & Chronicle) Backed by The Trend unless they backed Isley Brothers

21 October 1967 – Upper Cut, Forest Gate, east London with Ben E King (Melody Maker) Backed by The Trend unless The Clockwork Oranges backed both Ben E King and The Soul Sisters

22 October 1967 – The Hub, Barnsley, West Yorkshire with The Pitiful Souls (Barnsley Chronicle & South Yorkshire News) Backed by The House of Orange (aka The Clockwork Oranges)

22 October 1967 – The Place, Wakefield, West Yorkshire (Barnsley Chronicle & South Yorkshire News) Backed by The House of Orange (aka The Clockwork Oranges)

We’d welcome any further information that readers can provide in the comments below

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Nashville’s John Hollier explains why he changes guitar strings after every show and why he disgrees with a mentor’s advice.

Poison The Well had a hand in establishing metalcore and its surge of popularity back in the early noughties. Though they never truly got their flowers or reached the same heights as some of their genre peers, their influence on its growth and the bands that it produced is undeniable. They’ve been gone a long time, their last full length ‘Versions’ dropping in 2007 and officially throwing in the towel in 2009. Fast forward to 2026 and they’ve returned with the mighty ‘Peace In Place’, a stunning ten track offering that sounds just as raw, rabid and innovative as the records that put them on the map.

It might have taken a long time for ‘Peace In Place’ to materialise – almost twenty years – but the wait has been more than worth it. If anything, the wait has made the record more special and impactful. Poison The Well are one of those bands from the most precious era of metalcore who have continued to blossom, even during their time away. Some bands call it a day and their records simply become a nostalgia trip, a fond moment in time. Poison The Well called it a day and their absence widened as time passed, the thoughtfulness and unpredictability of their output becoming a prime example of how genre boundaries can be stretched. Their music has an identity, and it’s very much intact here.

Opener ‘Wax Mask’ immediately sets the tone, a barbed bruiser with eerie melodic flourishes. It’s almost a nod to fan favourite ‘Botchla’, opening with distant feedback as vocalist Jeff Moreira softly sings “I’ll change my colours and show myself out” before erupting into dark chaos. It’s a statement; they’re back, and they’ve not lost any of their bite. They keep the intensity up with ‘Primal Bloom’, driven by a hardcore energy and bookended by an earth-shattering breakdown, following it with the enormous ‘Thoroughbreds’ which puts the band’s creativity and boundary pushing nature front and centre. 

In classic Poison The Well fashion, this record isn’t afraid to switch gears and it keeps the record exciting and attention-grabbing from front to back. ‘Everything Hurts’ serves as a pit-rager in ballad clothing. ‘Drifting Without End’ is a dark slow burner, underpinned by an incredibly dense and ominous atmosphere. ‘Bad Bodies’ is a pure pulveriser, designed for one thing and one thing only; bedlam. They manage to create this incredibly unique sensation as you listen; the songs themselves feel unstable and unpredictable at times, but the pace of the record feels so carefully curated that you’re almost ready for the sudden turns.

The one-two punch that closes the record out is magical, further showing that the band have somehow managed to become more imaginative and creative with time. The structure of ‘Melted’ describes how the song structure feels, seeing elements of hardcore, grunge, metalcore, shoegaze and more merge together to create a varied and hefty punch. It perfectly tees up the album closer ‘Plague Them The Most’, closing things out with the most chaotic and furious song of their return. Littered with breakdowns, delicate interludes, blast beats, ominous melodies and more, it’s a three minute-long roller coaster ride that sums up the entire record. Ambitious, imaginative, adrenaline-fuelled bliss.

‘Peace In Place’ is more than just a return for Poison The Well. It’s a continuation of their legacy. The quality and critical acclaim of their past music set a seriously high bar for this record to leap over and, unsurprisingly, they’ve gracefully leapt over it without even grazing it. This is sure to be welcomed with open arms by their fanbase, serving as an incredibly powerful reminder of their uniqueness. For anyone yet to be initiated – the younger generations, the new breed of heavy music fans – this is going to be the perfect introduction to one of the most consistent discographies in metalcore. Say hello to your new favourite band. Again.

DAVE STEWART

Supergroup featuring members of Every Time I Die, The Acacia Strain and more plotting short run of dates.

The post ATOMIC RULE (Ex-EVERY TIME I DIE, Etc.) Announce Midwest Shows appeared first on Metal Injection.

Tanya Donelly and Chris Brokaw are both Boston alt-rock lifers. Donelly leads Belly and had hugely important early stints in Throwing Muses and the Breeders. Brokaw played drums in Codeine and guitar in Come. Next month the two of them will release The Undone Is Done Again, an extremely cool new EP. The Undone Is…

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Dennis Atlas, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and keyboardist for Toto, has released his intimate new single ‘Different World‘, offering a deeply personal preview of his upcoming solo album ‘Principle‘, set for global release on May 15th, 2026. The album will be available on all digital platforms, as well as CD and vinyl, and features an impressive […]

The post Toto’s Keyboardist Dennis Atlas Shares Intimate New Single ‘Different World’ appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM!.

His first all-new release in 16 years features Graham Nash, Sheryl Crow, Tom Morello, Benmont Tench and others. Continue reading…