Kokova Magazine

The 8th London International Tattoo Convention, which has evolved into the biggest, best, most significant, and utterly awesome convention in the world, has been confirmed for the weekend of September 28th/29th/30th 2012 at Tobacco Dock, 50 Porters Walk, Wapping, E1W 2SF.

This year, the Tattoo Life Magazine event organisers have gone all the way to add even more attractions, amazing alternative entertainers, inspirational exhibitions, bands and musical acts at this inexorably expanding, world record breaking, mega event.

Even more of the UK and world's most famous tattoo artists will be practising their art in public than ever before, working in every style of the art form under the sun in the thirteen sterile halls dedicated to tattooing.

Over 300 elite tattoo artists have already been confirmed and there is a waiting list of more than 1,000 big names still hoping to be accredited.

Miami Ink / NYC Ink star Ami James and Miami Ink / Inkmaster star Chris Nunez, will come to the London Tattoo Convention for the first time.

A whole host of hot musical acts have already been booked for the London International Tattoo Convention 2012.

The Neville Staples Band, Larry Miller, The Brothers Grimm, Vince Ray and The Bone Shakers, and Henry's Funeral Shoe are all confirmed to play live in Vince Ray's Voodoo Crypt - with many more to be added.

Neville Staples, the original Rude Boy, and his foot stompin' band will headline the Voodoo Crypt stage on Saturday 29th September.

Neville Staples is a founder member of Coventry's The Specials, who spearheaded the ska revival Two Tone movement in the late Seventies, released two top ten albums and scored huge hit singles with such anthems as ‘'Too Much Too Young', 'Ghost Town', 'A Message To You Rudy', 'Gangsters' and 'Rat Race'.

He then formed Fun Boy Three, (with Terry Hall and Lynval Golding after the Specials split up), who notched up even more hit singles with the likes of 'The Lunatics (have Taken Over The Asylum)', 'The Telephone Always Rings', 'Summertime', 'The Tunnel Of Love', plus 'It Ain't What You Do…' (with Bananarama) and 'Really Saying Something' (with Bananarama).

In the 90's he worked with Rancid, No Doubt and Unwritten Law in California, before returning to the UK in the Noughties to form The Neville Staple Band.

Sensational Blues Rock Guitarist Larry Miller and his band are confirmed to play an explosive set on Saturday evening. Undeniably one of the must see blues/rock acts, famous for his exciting, mesmerising guitar playing and rip roaring shows, Larry is a unique, electrifying showman.

He holds the record for the most encores at The Cambridge Rock Festival (in 2009), returning the following year to a capacity crowd and a standing ovation. Larry Miller has released 6 albums since 1997, all of which have had great critical acclaim.

The latest, 2012's 'Unfinished Business' won a 5/5 review in Classic Rock magazine who stated that "He's the fieriest, fruitiest, ballsiest blues rock guitarist you'll ever likely to hear".

Back by enormous popular demand, garage blues duo Henry's Funeral Shoe whose new album, 'Donkey Jacket', has just been released to rave reviews, are also confirmed to play live on Saturday.

Mojo's Andy Fyfe proclaimed in his review of 'Donkey Jacket' that: -

...there's much to admire on Welsh brothers Aled and Brennig Clifford's second album…A mixture of White Stripes simplicity and crunching Black Keys boogie, the brothers distinguish themselves by entering at the ZZ Top end of the blues spectrum, and even Billy Gibbons might doff his sequinned sombrero to Aled's berserker riffing. The unreconstructed titles - 'Love Is A Fever', 'Anvil & Chains', 'Heart On Fire', 'Gimme Back My Morphine' - also match the unreconstructed whisky'n'slide blues within, so it's no surprise to hear the occasional harp being blown or piano tinkled as they burrow through a world that may have been born in the Delta but has now found a raucous home in the Valleys.

Henry's Funeral Shoe have just returned from a very successful week long US tour, which culminated with a headline slot at Minnesota's Deep Blues Festival on July 1st.

Legendary Blues Brothers tribute band The Brothers Grimm, who reformed to play their first gig in eleven years at the Bulldog Bash in 2010, are set to get back together again to star on the Voodoo Crypt stage on Friday.

Voodoo Crypt compere / host Vince Ray, (also an artist renowned for his unique record covers, T-shirts and tattoo designs), and his band The Bone Shakers will play multiple sets all over the weekend.

The Bone Shakers, a classic rockabilly/punk trio with guitar, double bass and drums, who sound 'Like Eddie Cochran colliding with Motorhead', are an unmissable, truly organic rock beast, whose songs are the sonic equivalent of Vince's artwork -all about foxy femme fatales, hell-bent hot rods and ghoulish grave-robbing greasers.

Legendary Soul DJ Tony Class will be spinning Northern Soul Classics from 8pm till late on both Friday and Saturday evenings in the Jamaica Inn Soul Bar. Tickets are available priced at £20 for Friday, £30 for Saturday, £25 for Sunday, or £55 for a weekend pass.

For more info go to www.thelondontattooconvention.com