Jamey’s House Of Music

Philadelphia gig to be broadcast live

This Friday we’re headlining at Jamey’s House Of Music in Philadelphia, and the show will be streamed live on the internet in high-definition video and hi-fi audio.

Click here to visit the streaming website.

If the time difference makes the live broadcast impractical for you, it looks like the recording will be online for quite some time after the event, so you can catch up whenever’s convenient.

Jamey’s looks like a truly unique little place, combining – rather unusually – a ‘living room’ feel with state-of-the-art facilities. Seating just sixty, the House Of Music has been described variously as a “house concert on steroids”, “the ultimate man-cave” and “the music mansion”.

Tickets for the show are available here.

Don’t miss us in the States!

If you haven’t bought tickets for our US shows yet, don’t delay! You can buy in advance for Jamey’s and the Riverton Circle Of Friends – links listed below. Our other two shows, at Astoria Park (New York) and Burlington Amphitheater (New Jersey) are free to attend. Woo-hoo!

Thursday 15 August: Astoria Park, New York (FREE SHOW!)
Friday 16 August: Jamey’s House Of Music, Philadelphia PA (BUY TICKETS)
Saturday 17 August: Circle Of Friends, Riverton NJ (BUY TICKETS)
Sunday 18 August: Burlington Amphitheatre, Westampton NJ (FREE SHOW!)

Full details for our 2013 USA tour can be found on our GIGS page.

Philly’s The Ticket covers upcoming US tour

Philadelphia’s The Ticket magazine (the entertainment section of the Montgomery News) has published an interview with Lightyears’ pianist Chris in this week’s issue.

Click here to read the full piece.

Journalist David Kleinman covers various topics over the course of the article, including the time we performed in a Belgian cow shed, the time we accidentally headlined a crèche in Peterborough and the story behind why we started writing songs in the first place.

Other American press on The Lightyears

This year we’ve also been featured on – would you believe it – a golfing blog in the New Jersey. Inbetween (presumably) lining up holes-in-one and buffing putters, Golfing Jersey Girl took the time to run this article on our 2013 trip to the States.

Buy tickets for the upcoming tour

We’re playing two free shows and two ticketed shows while in America this summer. For full details of all dates, visit the GIGS page. Here’s the basic rundown with quick links to buy tickets:

Thursday 15 August: Astoria Park, New York (FREE SHOW!)
Friday 16 August: Jamey’s House Of Music, Philadelphia PA (BUY TICKETS)
Saturday 17 August: Circle Of Friends, Riverton NJ (BUY TICKETS)
Sunday 18 August: Burlington Amphitheatre, Westampton NJ (FREE SHOW!)

Get your hands on new LYs merchandise

We’re currently having some brand-new LYs t-shirts and guitar picks pressed by the rather tremendous folk over at Philly Band Merch. For more details on what we’ll be hawking at our USA gigs this year, click here.

British bands in America: our USA highlights

British bands in America have, if I’m honest, a bit of an easy time of it. The fabulously successful exports of our forebears (chiefly The Beatles, who basically did all the hard work for us) mean we are always greeted with open arms when we land Stateside, and as a result we have many happy memories of our time gigging around the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia area.

We’ve been touring to the United States since 2006 and it’s always been an absolute blast. In celebration of our 2013 USA tour kicking off in one month, here – in no particular order – are our Top Five American Tour highlights:

1. Two gigs, two continents, one day

In 2009 we played a gig in Southampton in the early hours of Sunday morning, then flew to America and played Union Square in New York less than twenty hours later. It was ruddy mental, and possibly one of the greatest days of my life.

Read about this in Chris’ USA tour diary

2. Starbucks, Fifth Avenue

In 2007 we won Best Pop/Rock Act at the UK Indy Awards. At the time we were on tour in the States; specifically, knocking back a round of lattes at Starbucks on Fifth Avenue. We exploded with rapturous joy at the news, and somewhat confused a roomful of New York businessmen. ‘I’m sorry,’ said Tony, by way of explanation – ‘We’re British’.

Read about this in Chris’ USA tour diary

3. Signing the WXPN wall of fame

We were lucky enough a few years back to perform live on Philadelphia’s WXPN radio station, and afterwards were invited to autograph their rather splendid wall of fame, leaving our scribbled signatures next-door to the many dazzling musical luminaries who had come before us. Marvellous.

4. Astoria Park, New York

On our last trip to America, we headlined New York’s Astoria Park for the first time. It was a magical evening, set against the backdrop of the East River, and we were lucky enough to play to a 2,000-strong crowd. Can’t wait to get back there in a month’s time!

Read our New York Daily News press coverage

5. Sandwichageddon at Wawa

We don’t really go to America for the music. Not really. It would be disingenuous of me to suggest that we do. No, The Lightyears fly to America every year or so to eat ourselves to death on the extraordinary comestible wonders of the Wawa Food Hut. (I’d also like to enter ancillary votes here for Taco Bell and Wendy’s, both of which make me weep with their beauty.)

Read about this in Chris’ USA tour diary

Chris Lightyear

Click here for more details on The Lightyears’ 2013 USA Tour 

Click to buy tickets for Jamey’s House Of Music (Philadelphia) and Riverton Circle Of Friends (NJ). All other shows are free entry.