JOEY the Lips are back for their long anticipated annual show at The Wharf on Friday, December 8.

The band sees their gigs as a show rather than simply a rendition of the music they play. They have now clocked up a whopping 20 years on the road and more than 1,000 gigs throughout the UK and Europe across a huge number of venues.

Joey the Lips have certainly accomplished a lot, from chat shows to headlining at music festivals with audiences of 10,000 people. They’ve also supported Will Young, Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats, Toyah, Heaven 17, The Real Thins and Edwin Starr.

Not many bands can boast they have performed at the British Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone and celebrity weddings for the likes of Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford!

They originally formed in 1994 and were soon booked for a tour spot with American soul legend Edwin Starr, followed by the release of their debut album Soul Fiction in 1997. This followed in 2000 when they performed a live medley on BBC One with Atomic Kitten and Martine McCutcheon for Children in Need.

A year later they were resident band on the Langsford Late TV show, a series of eight chat shows with Ruth Langsford. In between, the band performed and recorded a promotional video on the set of Noel’s House Party at the BBC before finishing work on several projects including a recording of Midnight House with another American soulster, Gino Washington.

A remarkable ensemble of guests has joined the band on stage too, including Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet, M People, Eurythmics, Lisa Stansfield andn saxophonist Snake Davis.

Although originally formed as a soul outfit the band has since diversified and whilst soul is still the staple diet they now describe the show as a ‘funky soul, blues and disco review’.

Their set nowadays is very diverse with songs like Gimme Some Lovin’ by the Spencer Davis Group to Beyonce’s Crazy in Love to Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now and not forgetting the band’s storming finale of the B52’s Love Shack — with a heavy metal medley thrown in!