The Maccabees and Starsailor return to their roots

Gaymers Grassroots Gigs hits the screen again this summer as Channel 4 airs a new set of shows which see The Maccabees, Starsailor, The Holloways, The Rumble Strips, The Twang and The Zutons all revisit their roots. The six shows are a collaboration between Channel 4, Gaymers Cider and Warner Music Entertainment and feature exclusive, intimate footage along with live performances.

Each programme will follow a band as they head home to play a special Gaymers Grassroots Gig for an intimate crowd of local fans. The shows will feature interviews with the band in and around their old stomping ground as they recall the faces and places that shaped them. Interviews are interspersed with tracks from a buzzing live local performance in front of a packed crowd of fans.

The first programme, to air on Wednesday 3rd June, will get up close and personal with The Maccabees as they head back to Brighton and perform to a full to capacity Pavilion Theatre during the 2009 Great Escape Festival.

Subsequent programmes will be aired each week on Wednesdays at around midnight. The full line up includes Starsailor in Wigan on 10th June, The Holloways in London on 17th June, the Rumble Strips in Exeter on 24th June, The Twang in Birmingham on 1st July and The Zutons in Liverpool on 8th July.

Henry Clarke of The Rumble Strips, says: "Having spent most of the last year away from home, touring round Europe and The States and working on our new record with Mark Ronson in New York, we've really looked forward to getting back down to Devon and visiting some of our old haunts. As teenagers, playing in Exeter was a big deal for country boys like us, and The Cavern particularly, holds lots of great memories."

"The gigs are a fantastic window on the lives of some of the biggest bands on the UK music scene right now," added Colin Fay, executive producer of Gaymers Grassroots Gigs.
"It's great to be able to showcase behind-the-scenes footage of the bands as they go back to the places that really mean something to them, and each documentary offers a real insight into the individuality and characters of the musicians involved."

Repeats of last year's Gaymers Grassroots Gigs series will be broadcast on Saturday nights on Channel 4 from Saturday 16th May until Saturday 6th June 2009.