Following their recent sell-out US tour and appearances at the SXSW Music Festival in Texas, Groove Armada, Lovebox Weekender, Cambridge Folk Festival, Standon Calling and the Secret Garden Festival, Hey Negrita have released their second album 'The Buzz Above'. Having already gained strong support from both national and regional press, radio and TV, and having been playlisted on numerous radio stations in the US, Europe and Australia, as well as being remixed by the likes of Chris Coco and Lemon Jelly, this London four-piece is rapidly building a dedicated fan-base both in the UK and abroad.

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Hey Negrita - Biog

After the band’s debut album ‘We Are Catfish’ crossed over the Atlantic, gaining strong support from key radio stations across the US, Hey Negrita signed with US booking agency, PGA.

Hey Negrita is a product of the aftermath of a five-year, drug-induced nightmare, endured by Felix, the singer and songwriter of the band. It was his excursions into the bitter depths of addiction that inspired much of this groundbreaking album, nearly killing him in the process.

After the deaths of two close friends it became clear which way Felix was heading, so he made the inspired decision to pack up and leave for the States to kick the poisons once and for all.

Felix wrote a large portion of the album whilst living in Florida, where he spent his nights jamming with one of Ray Charles’ backing singers and a fifty-five year-old cowboy junky who had worked with Gram Parsons and Little Feat. Within a few months of arriving in Delray Beach, Felix secured a residency at the bohemian Da Da Lounge. The rest of the album was written on Felix’s return to London, with many of the songs focusing on the complex challenges of dealing with a post-heroin relationship whilst trying to come to terms with the death of his uncle, Captain Lou, who had lived on a boat in Florida. It was Lou who convinced Felix to move to the States to get clean, and the two became closer than ever, with Felix supporting Lou through the mayhem left by his second divorce, and Lou carrying Felix through the trials and tribulations of early sobriety. Lou passed away in September 2003 of a heart attack.

Having left London with nothing but the clothes on his back and his record collection, consisting mainly of Stones, Animals and Pretty Things, Felix returned from the States clean, determined and armed to the teeth with the music of The Band, Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers and over fifty original songs.

As soon as he arrived in London, Felix teamed up with his old partner in crime, the multi-instrumentalist Hugo ‘3 Horse’ Heimann, and Hey Negrita was born. Hugo’s skill on almost any instrument and, more importantly, his ability to dive deep inside a tune and reconfigure its inner workings with a note, a chord or a simple sound, enabled him to colour-in the black and white sketches that Felix presented him with. In the studio Hugo takes on the role of an entire band, playing keys, guitars, bass and banjo.

Drummer Neil Findlay joined the band in April 2005. Neil moved to London from Aberdeen aged 19, after a chance encounter with soul legend James Brown inspired him to turn pro. Having already played with a number of high-profile artists including Skye Edwards from Morcheeba, as well as supporting The Libertines, Neil has brought a wealth of experience and professionalism to the band.

In January 2006 multi-instrumentalist Gus Glen completed the group’s line-up. Having played the London circuit as a solo artist and with numerous bands, Gus’ skills on guitars, banjo, mandolin and lap steel, as well as his rich vocal harmonies have added depth and maturity to the band’s live performances.

The result of this catalytic combination of talent and extreme life experience produced a very distinctive sound - as though Keith Richards had recorded in Nashville, injecting half an ounce of china white straight into the acetate. With echoes of Tom Waits, Lou Reed and Johnny Cash, blended with slithers of The Band and The Pogues, ‘The Buzz Above’ truly is a magical album.

‘The Buzz Above’ is one of the most diverse collections of truly inspired songs to have surfaced in years: a quiet menagerie of heartfelt words, potent stories, delicious melodies and intoxicating soundscapes that tease the mind and captivate the soul.