AT LAST! A bit of news to kick off 2012! I wish there was more but there just isn’t I’m afraid! But if you’ve been missing the lads, fear not because tomorrow (Friday), Richard will be a guest on the Rock Show on Marlow FM. The show airs between 8 and 10pm and you can listen online at this link.

Stereophonics’ Christmas gift for Cwmaman Institute FC
BBC News

A village football club is to benefit from a seasonal gift from local heroes, the rock band Stereophonics.

Cwmaman Institute FC, of Welsh Football League Division 1, will receive an undisclosed percentage of the proceeds from the band’s pre-Christmas gigs.

President Howard Davies said the Cynon Valley club approached singer and former junior player Kelly Jones for a contribution towards running costs.

Mr Davies said the donation would do “an invaluable amount for the club”.

“We approached Kelly due to the fact that we are living in a Communities First area, a deprived area, and asked him whether he could help us with the escalating costs of providing football in the village at a junior and senior level,” said Mr Davies.

“Kelly has kindly agreed to do so. He will be making a financial donation to us towards our costs, transport, and day-to-day running of the football club.

“It’s a private figure, but it’s of major importance.”

The band have been recording a new album in Brussels, and played three festive concerts at the 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London.

At least two of the three founder members – singer and guitarist Kelly Jones and former drummer Stuart Cable, who died last year – turned out for the club, said Mr Davies.

After Cable’s death the club took part in a fundraising match against a Cardiff City XI in his memory.

“Kelly is an ex-player of ours,” said Mr Davies. “He played up to junior level. And Stuart Cable played up to senior level.

“We started out in the late 1960s as a local pub side, the Ivy Bush. Kelly’s father, known round the village as Oscar, used to play for us, so did Kelly’s brothers Kevin and Lee.”

The club beat Caerau (Ely) 5-0 in the run-up to Christmas to reach 10th in their 16-team division, but nevertheless Mr Davies said life in the league was proving tough.

“Costs have escalated,” he said. “There are clubs in the league which have considerable sponsorship or financial backing and, as a local village side, it’s difficult to compete.

“From our position within the league we are only a division away from European football, but in terms of the criteria needed to qualify to play in Europe, in terms of infrastructure, we are a million miles away.

“This donation will give us some leeway to make sure our bills are paid and will go towards the escalating costs of running football teams at all age levels.”

Cwmaman Institute FC’s ground is built on reclaimed land on the site of an old coal mine, explained Mr Davies, and the money would also help to upgrade the dressing rooms and the players’ area.

‘Breathing space’

He said the club hoped that Kelly Jones and bassist Richard Jones would be able to come and watch a game over the Christmas period.

“Kelly is a busy man,” said Mr Davies. “When he’s home he likes to spend time with his family.

“He enjoys the breathing space that he gets here in Cwmaman. He can go for a walk with his daughters and talk to people as if the Stereophonics didn’t exist.

“But hopefully we will be able to catch up with both Kelly and Richard some time over Christmas.

“They have always been people who have wanted to put something back into the local community.”

Found here.

Happy Christmas to all of our readers and contributors! Without you this site wouldn’t be possible so as we enter our sixth year as the premiere most-frequently updated Stereophonics website on the internet, I can promise you that over the next 12 months you’ll be making WGA your first stop when sitting down on a computer!

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas wherever you are and be sure to enjoy the Stereophonics Countdown to Christmas (click here) with exclusive videos, downloads and competitions, which will be open until the new year!

Have a great year, when the band release the next record… we’ll see you at the shows.

Always a pleasure, never a chore.
Duane

Found here.

The band kicked off their 3 Night Stand at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London earlier tonight with a memorable set similar to the warm up on Saturday night. Nice to see songs like Hurry Up & Wait and Step on My Old Size Nines getting another run out. Also glad to see Bank Holiday Monday, it made a few appearances last year which is rare for most Pull the Pin tracks but that one is a stonker live! Check out the full setlist below. If you have any photo’s or reviews be sure to email here.

Madame Helga
A Thousand Trees
More Life in a Tramp’s Vest
Stuck in a Rut
I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio
Maybe Tomorrow
She’s Alright
Superman
Handbags and Gladrags
Bank Holiday Monday
Hurry Up and Wait
Trouble
Traffic
Uppercut
Too Many Sandwiches
Step On My Old Size Nines
Mr Writer
Bright Red Star
Have a Nice Day
Pick a Part That’s New
Just Looking
Local Boy in the Photograph
—
The Bartender and the Thief
Vegas Two Times
Dakota

How Welsh stars will be spending Christmas
From WalesOnline by Simon Gaskell

As people across Wales make their final preparations for the big day, we asked Welsh stars from the worlds of music, stage, screen and more how they were planning to spend Christmas Day – and what they wanted in their stockings…

Cwmaman singer-songwriter Kelly Jones, 37, lead singer with the Stereophonics, said he would be spending the festive season with his family including girlfriend Jakki and his two daughters.

He said: “This year I will be in London having Christmas with Jakki Bootsy and Misty, ripping presents open and eating turkey.

“We’ll be watching Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life and Toy Story, drinking red wine and eating chocolates.

“Ho ho ho.”

Found here.

Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones could find his tribute to Gary Speed the Christmas No.1 if Wales fans have their way
From WalesOnline by Simon Gaskell

STEREOPHONICS frontman Kelly Jones may be in Brussels recording the band’s next album but he could find himself at the UK’s Christmas number one spot if fans of his tribute to Gary Speed have their way.

Jones’ acoustic version of the Andy Williams classic Can’t Take My Eyes Off You formed part of a BBC tribute to the tragic Wales coach before then being used at Speed’s funeral on Friday.

The song was poignant because it became an adopted anthem of Welsh football during the 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign – when Wales narrowly missed out on a place in the tournament.

Fans have embraced Jones’ version of the song so much that it is now being touted for release into the charts and on download with the idea being that any proceeds raised from sales would go to charity.

Half a dozen Facebook groups petitioning for the song to be released as a single have been set up while on Twitter the movement is even stronger with hundreds of people asking for it to happen.

One user called Josh Hughes said: “#RIPGary Speed really hope Kelly Jones tribute song gets to number one for Gary Speed.” Another called Dafydd Evans tweeted: “Kelly Jones tribute song for Gary Speed… not sure if he’s released it as a single though! but he should!”

And when Premier League footballer Joey Barton pledged his support for a separate single sung by a military wives choir he was swamped by tweets suggesting Jones should also release his similarly charitable song.

When Wales on Sunday contacted Jones’ management they refused to be drawn on whether the song would be put out.

But Jones – an avid fan of Leeds United, who Speed won the league title with under manager Howard Wilkinson in the early ’90s – did admit he was honoured to have made the tribute.

He said: “I was with my two daughters at the Millennium Stadium after the Wales v England international. We were waiting at the lift and Gary ended his phone conversation and shook my hand.

“We had a chat about the game and shared the lift to the ground floor. He was a very nice man. Good-looking fella.

“I was consumed the whole day when I heard the news. I couldn’t get my head around it.

“Then the BBC approached me to record the song. It’s a 10-minute job but I hope it’s fitting for the tribute on the show.”

Meanwhile Jones has shown his support for grass roots causes after also revealing that a percentage of the band’s fee from upcoming shows at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire will go to fund hometown club FC Cwmaman’s costs next season.

“We really didn’t want to cheese anyone off back home by not playing any Welsh dates – or anyone in Scotland and Ireland for that matter,” he said.

“But when we originally booked the gigs we did so on the basis that the venue was just a 100 yard walk from our new Stereophonics HQ, so if we were still in the middle of making the record we could just pop in and out without causing too much disruption.”

Prior to those shows, the Stereophonics had enjoyed a hiatus from live gigs for the first time in nearly 15 years.

“I’ve just been utilising my time a lot better, and it’s surprising how much you can get done when you’re not rushing around airports or hanging about in hotel rooms, all the nonsense that comes with life on the road,” he said.

“It’s been strange, mind, getting into a new routine but I’ve been loving it – that said, it doesn’t feel so great when my daughters come and wake me up at stupid o’clock by using my bed as a trampoline.

“But then I’ll make them breakfast, calm them down and take them to school before spending the day in the studio.”

Found here.

Kelly Jones recorded a special acoustic performance of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, a song used for the Wales football teams 1994 World Cup Qualifying campaign in which Gary played.

Also, a group has been set up to try and get the song released for charity and make it to the Xmas #1, all you have to do is press like below!

Adam was a guest on Kerrang Radio this morning following the announcement that the band will be on the bill for the free ArtsFest this September in Birmingham and while in the studio he confirmed that the band have been signed to a record deal and will be releasing a single in September and an album early next year!

Stay tuned to WGA for more news! Follow us on Twitter for everything quick and easy @wgaorg

Guinness have announced on their website for the annual “Arthur’s Day” celebration in Ireland that Stereophonics will indeed be returning to Ireland for the first time since 2008.

The day-long event which takes place on September 22nd this year, is held all over the country features a long list of bands and celebrity appearances celebrating the birthday of Arthur Guinness.

No word on venue has been released yet, but the larger bands do normally get the capital spot so I’d bank on Dublin but of course don’t make travel plans until a venue is confirmed by either Guinness or the band themselves. Of course, stick with WGA and we’ll be sure to update once we have the news.

Stereophonics last played a headline gig in Ireland in November 2008 at the Academy in Dublin as a warm up before the Decade in the Sun tour, to find the bands last full tour date here you’d need to go back a year before when they closed the UK & Ireland leg of their Pull the Pin tour in Dublin’s RDS arena. They have made appearances at the Oxegen festival in recent years and also a performance in Northern Ireland in 2010.

Tickets go on sale August 4th and venues are usually small so be quick!

More info here.