January 2026 Newsletter
- The Premises Studios
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“Maybe if you did just one thing, eventually you’d say to yourself, ‘I’ve got to take a vacation and get away from this.’ I never feel burnt out. To me, I’m on perpetual vacation. I’m very fortunate.” Tony Bennett, on keeping work fun
Yes, we’ve been having fun and working hard to host the best in the music biz for 40 long years! And to celebrate, we’re going to have a big Wing Ding Hootenanny this summer, to celebrate our longevity in the biz, though we are mere saplings compared to the likes of the oldest musos still gigging and recording.
These include Marshall Allen (101), Willie Nelson (92), Ringo Starr (85), Bob Dylan (84), funkmaster George Clinton (84), Paul McCartney (84), Jagger and Richards neck and neck at 82, Patti LaBelle (81) Gladys Knight (81), Patti Smith (78) and so many others who refuse to do the dog and slippers by the fire thing, in their country piles.
Probably none of them will come to our party (sponsored by Sanatogen and Horlicks) but you never know. Meanwhile...…
... Viv Broughton, who’s almost as old and has run the gaff since 1996, says :
‘We’re going to mark the anniversary all this year by gathering together as many old photos of The Premises as possible plus memorable tales, exciting moments and scandalous episodes involving some of the thousands of great names who’ve passed through these doors.’
So dig deep in your old files and memory banks for juicy anecdotes or fascinating photos like the one above perhaps. We’ll carry one of each in our monthly newsletters and create an archive of them on our website.
Email whatever you can find to: michele@premiseseducation.org
NIKKI YEOH’S REFRESHER COURSE IS SOLD OUT
Goodness, gracious us! We had a mahoosive response to Nikki Yeoh’s piano refresher course running from 30 Jan to 1 Feb. What a keen lot you are!
This is really to brush up your skills and be with like-minded people who believe that New Year’s resolutions are not so much about giving stuff up, but taking on new challenges. There is rather a long waiting list at the mo but if you are still interested in doing splendid things in your piano playing “journey”(sorry, I’m a Yank, we say things like this) I suggest you put your name forward for early notice of our May live piano course where you’ll be gigging with a band, and our summer piano recording week, where you’ll get to record a jazz classic with an A-list rhythm section in our state of the art Studio A.
HALF TERM VOICE JAM: 16TH - 19TH FEB
And this one for those on the younger end of the musical spectrum, who want the experience of singing and recording in Hackney’s premier rehearsal and recording studio, with the great choir leader Clive Brown.
This is open to all Hackney and Harringay secondary school students ( or home schooled, or otherwise) who would like to sing in a group setting and record two songs (choice by vote) in our superb studio.
One of Clive’s special techniques is getting the youngsters to sing all the different parts, which are then engineered together with spectacular effects.
Raps and freestyling welcomed, if it fits the song.
If you know of or have an interested youngster who would like to participate (no auditions required, just enthusiasm and a willingness to learn) please email me at michele@premiseseducation.org
WHO’S BEEN IN?
Though many people were at least getting into ‘down tools’ mode, we still had many of you hard-working lot in to rehearse for gigs, tours, world domination…. these included: Anais, Triggerfish; Chloe Qisha, Paris Paloma, Hackney Community Orchestra, The Life and Death, Face Soul, Duke St Big Band, The London Voice Academy, Cath March, Anthony Mason, Ruby Paul, Wendy James, Lust Ritual, Love and AfroBeats Orchestra, Jane Street, Sid Power, Jaz Karis, Rossana, Laura Carvallio, Folded Wing, Horrifix, Anthony Kavanaugh, Theo London, MJ Cole, The Duke Spirit, Alistair Newton, Mr. Green, Guff Palace, Fossils, The Jam, Junior Spence, Helena Walsh, Do It With Soul, Lea Gatt, Syrup, Mulaa Jones, English Teacher, Georgia Wilkinson, The Live 45s, Evergreen, Rupert Hunt,Tungz, Beverley Knight, Metro Camel, Perhaps Contraption, Tom Brunt, Vasilli, Nate James, The Loveless, The King Westwood, Art Terry, Baluji Music Foundation, David Ola, Dylan Mark, Remetik, Savannah Ministry, London New Wind Festival, Dan Oates, James Smith, The Irene Taylor Trust, Charlie Clark, Sunscars, Vula Malinga, Wealth Union, Kneeslide, Mike Marlin, Brett Warren, Mica Paris, Isobel Doyle, Why Not Productions, Celebration Church….. and at this point we usually say, ‘and many others’ but we can’t cos we closed on the 23rd to buy our last minute pressies.
WHILE YOU’VE BEEN AWAY…
We’ve been doing tons of DIY to make everything nice and tidy and sparkling for when you next come in. Wipe your feet though or Oscar the cat may have to pee in your guitar case (as our dear departed Reverb did to David Gray many years ago!)
AND FINALLY...
