Full details of Le Grand Depart route can be found at http://letour.yorkshire.com/the-grand-depart-2014.

We have worked hard with our Italian partners and our programme in Genova is now a lot stronger. As well as our double-bill concert with Palconudo in October to open the season of La Claque theatre cafe, we will also be special guests at Via Del Campo 29 Rosso (the attraction devoted to the life and works of Fabrizio de Andre). We plan to perform an ‘anti-war’ set here and will also perform songs and an interview on Primo Canale (local television).

A daring initiative will see the trio perform songs at La Galata museum to accompany a guided tour around the exhibits – this will include the first performance of the specially written song ‘Coming Home’ that is inspired by the history of mass emigration through Genova to Argentina, America and many other countries.

Additional gigs have been confirmed at Rock Cafe ‘Senhor de Bonfim’ along the coast at Nervi and at Diavolorosso, a converted church ‘cultural centre’ in the countryside between Genova and Torino.

Lastly, we will be setting up discussions with Palconudo to perform together at Italian festivals in 2014.

Live Lounge will be submitting a re-edited version of Bantams Wonder (Bradford City’s Capital One Cup Wembley Final) in the video category – the story captured the imagination of many in the Houses of Parliament during their campaign and the video provides the link between the local MP (and Bantams fan) and the city where the team celebrated their final achievement. Judging will take place over the next two months and prizes include opportunities to perform on the terrace at the Houses of Parliament, gigs at other prestigious venues and festivals in London and across the UK, musical equipment, masterclasses and a single release and specially produced cover artwork.

The centre is the only major retail development opening in the UK this year and combines fashion retail, food court, film and much more under a beautiful glass roof and 1m sq ft of space!

Watch the new TV advert

Live Lounge will be appearing in two locations: between 1800 and 1900 at Albion Street and between 1930 and 2030 on Briggate near Debenhams

The trio then embarked on a two week period of fundraising for the Cash for Kids charity, including a bus station busking tour, an online auction and a benefit gig at Hirst’s Yard in Leeds. At the final count, Live Lounge raised over £2100 but were beaten by Kelly Kiara – a solo female singer, who wins the performance slot at Party in the Park later in the year.

The band enjoyed extensive press coverage for their bus station busking, Radio Aire exposure throughout the fortnight, and the specially produced video ‘One Day Like This’ played on the BBC Big Screen in Leeds for several weeks.

The fundraising period ended with a celebration final event at The Wardrobe in Leeds, where each act performed two songs to an invited audience.

The video was recorded at BCB studios with filming at various locations around the city, including Valley Parade, City Park and the Town Hall. Even before production and release, the video generated significant press interest, and the trio has been the ‘artist of the week’ for the BBC Radio Leeds Saturday breakfast show with Johnny I’Anson on 23rd of February.

The football song and video were picked up BBC Radio Leeds and the presenter Johnny I’Anson who presents three shows each weekend. Ths band visited the studios in Leeds on Wednesday 20th February and pre-recorded an interview and a live performance of Mr Brightside by The Killers.

Bantams Wonder was played during the Friday afternoon ‘drive time’ slot and then the Breakfast shows on Saturday and Sunday featured that song as well as the full interview and the live track. Johnny was clearly impressed with the sound, said that the feedback was great and promised the band would be invited back soon to do more.

Here is the link to the Johnny I’Anson programme on BBC Leeds from Saturday the 23rd. Live Lounge appear after 1 h and 17 mins (available til the 2nd of March).

Live Lounge have worked in partnership with Little Genie Media to record and produce a special music video for the fundraising. Based on the Elbow song “One Day Like This”, the 4 minute film highlights one of Cash for Kids’ major campaigns ‘Mission Christmas’. This project secures and delivers half a million pounds of presents to 14000 local children that would otherwise wake up on Christmas morning without gifts. The video ends with the words “one day like this a year would see me right” and the suggestion of Greg Lake’s ‘I Believe in Father Christmas’
The band’s personal website and giving page provides the opportunity to donate online or by text (Aire03 and the amount to 70070) as well as to view the video. Each band has been set a target of  five thousand pounds in the two weeks, and progress towards this target is visible on the giving page.
Live Lounge will also be collecting cash in person and encouraging members of the general public to text their donations. Fundraising events include:

• A Bus Station Busking Tour of 4 West Yorkshire bus stations in one day on Monday 25th February
• Networking and Social Media days – to make contact with as many people as possible and urge them to WATCH, GIVE and SHARE
• An online auction of goods and services donated by friends, family and Yorkshire businesses
• A benefit gig at Hirst’s Yard in Leeds on Tuesday 5th March 1830-2030
• Busking at Leeds Railway Station
• Mailing to all Bradford schools, urging them to support local children and their local band by fundraising on our behalf in the two week period

The fundraising closes at 1400 on Friday 8th March and the donations to each act will be totalled. The winner will be announced at the Grand Final event in a Leeds venue on Sunday 10th March, when all acts will perform two songs in a celebration of the competition. Radio Aire will then announce the winner publicly on Monday 11th March.

With their boldest initiative yet, Live Lounge have submitted a bid to the Arts Council of England and British Council for International Artists’ Development Funding. The project is an exciting proposal for Live Lounge to travel to Genova in Italy and perform several engagements and to bring top contemporary Italian band, Palconudo to Yorkshire to do the same. The bid has strong support from Italy, including Via del Campo 29 Rosso (the visitor attraction devoted to celebrating the life and works of Genovese legend Fabrizio de Andre) and a firm offer of a ‘double-bill’ concert with Palconudo at the famous theatre cafe La Claque.

In Yorkshire, Palconudo will play at Blues Bar Harrogate, a pure acoustic tribute to De Andre at Salvos Italian restaurant in Leeds and a showpiece gig with Live Lounge at a Leeds venue as part of the University of Leeds’ prestigious ‘LivItaly’ programme – bringing contemporary Italian artists to Yorkshire
The two bands will collaborate as part of the project and perform together in both England and Italy – Live Lounge are also writing a new song ‘Coming Home’, inspired by the city of Genova and Palconudo will host a talk and discussion with Italian students at the university as part of the LivItaly programme
The bid will be considered over the coming weeks and the outcome will be known by Friday 15th March. The visits are planned for October and November 2013.

The band are already working on some of Chris’ original compositions and they will be performing the first of these – the beautiful song, ‘Miss You’ in public this month (February) – lyrics of Miss You by Harriet Taylor. But Chris has taken on the ultimate challenge, and is hard at work composing a new song, specially written for the trio. ‘Coming Home’ is inspired by the history of mass emigration from Italy through the city of Genova and will receive its premiere in the city later this year. We have some exciting plans for further Live Lounge originals!