The Royal Vauxhall Tavern

When Amber Taylor-Groves and Ed Cox formed Heads.Hearts, they had no idea how the music would come out. Amber had always sung soul. Ed had always written pop songs and loved synths. The resulting sound was a mix of all three. The live, raw vocal you get with a band, the edge and energy of dance music and the catchy hooks of pop music.

Like Metronomy or Basement Jaxx, it’s a sound that’s just at home in indie clubs and as it is on dancefloors. And it took 8 months of solid writing and recording in Ed’s studio to get it right.

Amber sung in her pyjamas until the wee hours in Ed’s wardrobe for the perfect sound and Ed came up with song after song, switching from keyboards - which he’s played since he was 6 – to drum machines, sequencers, guitars, bass and even the harmonica to get the right feel.

The fuzzed-up bass lines and guitars sit with fresh sharp synthesisers, samplers, electronic drums and of course, Amber’s soulful voice. Coupled with ambiguous lyrics – some hopeful and some dark – the result is an honest, darker and dirtier take on electronic music. More heartfelt and real than the current trend for sparkly disposable 80’s influenced synth-pop.

The emotion in Amber’s voice has the ability to make venues fall silent. But the band’s song writing and versatility is just as much of a strength. They switch from stripped-down acoustic songs that give Amber’s voice room to soar straight into hard-hitting floor-filling dance tunes. Like Groove Armada (who Ed played session keys for on Soundboy Rock) Heads.Hearts can do downbeat and up-tempo. And you’ll come away remembering the songs.

The Water Rats gave Heads.Hearts a headline slot on only their 5th show after their site got an unusually high number of hits. They sent tracks into gay weekly QX Magazine and were immediately featured in the Young Fresh & New section. Music Medication marked them as ones to watch in the coming year. And there’s still so much more to come.

Andi ended the year with a No.1 tour of Dael Orlandersmith’s Pulitzer Prize nominated play, Yellowman, receiving rave reviews throughout its eight week run. Andi’s TV work includes high-end BBC dramas such as Sea Of Souls and Waking The Dead as well as more popular serials such as Casualty, Eastenders and Footballers Wives.

In a short space of time, Andi has made a big impression on the comedy circuit, reaching the final of five major new talent competitions (Nivea Funny Women, Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year, Hackney Empire New Act of the Year, Laughing Horse New Act Competition and Amused Moose Laugh Off). After four months and just 40 gigs she won The Nivea Funny Women Award.

Since then, she has gone from strength to strength performing at top comedy venues including The Comedy Store, The Comedy Café, The Pleasance Dome, Jongleurs and The Hackney Empire and appeared on TV Comedy Shows such as Russell Brand and Friends, Comedy Lab and FAQ U.

Andi’s most recent work, The Andi O-Show, a sketch show pilot aired on E4 in August 08. She is also developing sitcom, CSI:Nigeria with writing partner, Israel Oyelumade.

Andi has been a major contributor in several devised theatre pieces including Qabuka (a study on Zimbabwean refugees) and Ten Suitcases and The Tunnel for innovative children’s theatre company, Kazzum. In 2003 she co-devised C Theatre’s popular franchise, Shakespeare For Breakfast for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Andi has writing three full-length plays and received special commendation for her piece, The Thirteenth Bar from the Verity Bargate Award (Soho Theatre).

In 2006 she was short-listed to be a writer-in-residence for Parliament’s Commemoration of the Abolition of the Slave Trade.

In June 2008 Andi premiered her collaborative World War Two piece, Up The Café De Paris at the Pulse Festival in Ipswich with her innovative theatre company, Three Beyond The Sea.

Andi is a founder member of new writing group, Scriptonite and an associate artist at the Playground Studio.

Andi is also a contributor on non-fiction programming and has appeared in several broken comedy projects including Channel 4’s FAQ U as a panellist, More4’s The Last Word as a reporter and as a “talking head” on Most Annoying People… and Most Annoying Couples… In addition, she has presented several prestigious corporate projects for various clients, among them, advertising agency JWT.

Most recently, Andi co-presented Channel 4’s new talent initiative Tonightly with Jason Manford, a daily late night comedy show with guests, sketches and interviews.

After a long stint on London's alternative
cabaret circuit she worked with Julian Clary and many others before
establishing a worldwide reputation as Britain's foremost song
stylist. Her new Naim CD release 'The Men I Love' has been garnering 4
star reviews and radio play.

Hoyle publicly killed off this character in 2000 and put his career on hold to cope with a nervous breakdown. After many years as a recluse, David began to make occasional appearances as he says he finds his artistic expression "therapeutic and cathartic".

His two series of shows, Magazine and Magazine the Reprint, in London have played to capacity audiences. In a recent episode of Magazine the Reprint, David Hoyle raised the issue of HIV and AIDS, presenting a film of his own HIV test, taken earlier that day.

His most notable acting role to date was in the comedy Nathan Barley (Channel 4), although he also gave a brilliant cameo in Todd Haynes's film Velvet Goldmine, playing a member of Brian Slade's entourage. He also appeared prominently in the music video for Faith No More's cover of I Started a Joke. Hoyle is currently performing in ensemble theatre piece For All The Wrong Reasons, a collaboration with Contact Theatre (Manchester) & Victoria Theatre Co. (Belgium) alongside other work. From November 2007, David wrote a column for Gay Times magazine, called "David's Debateables"

In October and November 2009 David will be presenting two new pieces of work - On The Couch with David Hoyle and David Hoyle's Theatre of Therapy - at Chelsea Theatre as part of their SACRED season.

Dave's Drop In in 2009 he collaborated with Nathan Evans creating an inventive series of 6 shows to raise funds for Peter Tatchell's Human Rights campaign at the historic Royal Vauxhall Tavern titled "Dave's Drop In". This was styled on a psychiatric drop-in centre complete with assistants in white coats in attendance. David Hoyle was billed as the Program Leader and Nathan Evans as the Centre Director. Special guests from the cabaret, art and performance world featured each week. A large scale painting was done by David during the show, and then auctioned on e-bay for a charitable cause. On one of the weeks it was done in his own blood, which had been extracted live on stage into a champagne glass. The evenings would commence with short films made by Nathan Evans featuring or about David Hoyle, sometimes in character and sometimes as his everyday persona. The production was Arts Council and Lottery Funded, and filmed by Heathcliff Blair of The Media Music Company. A DVD may be produced from the series.