The Alleycats (University of St Andrews)

The Alleycats are a mixed-voice contemporary a cappella group from the University of St Andrews, Scotland. The group was founded in 2001 and is thus the oldest a cappella group from the university. The group has since been instrumental in the rise of collegiate a cappella in Scotland. Originally an all-male group, in 2007 girls were permitted to audition, and today the group consists of roughly half males and half females.

Contents

History

2001-07: Formation and Early Years

The group was formed in 2001 by two students during an alcohol fuelled evening. In the following years, the group set about increasing their reputation around the university, performing at several gigs around the university town.

They recorded four albums before 2008, the titles of which played on the feline name of the group : Their debut album, The Cat Pack; More Than A Feline; Cat Fight and Platinum Chat.

2008: Meow, That's What I Call Music and Last Choir Standing

The group released their fifth studio album in 2008, entitled Meow, That's What I Call Music. That year, they applied to be on the BBC's primetime show, Last Choir Standing, where they progressed to the final 15. However, they were eliminated in Heat 1.[1][2]

2009: Press Paws

In March 2009, the group entered the inaugural Voice Festival UK competition at the semifinal stage, held in St Andrews. In the semifinal, they won the award for 'Outstanding Performance' for their mash-up of Dance Wiv Me, Lovestoned and Billie Jean, and progressed to the final in London.[3]

In August 2009 they performed at Fringe By The Sea, an extension of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe held in North Berwick.

That year, they also released their sixth studio album, Press Paws, which included tracks they had performed during Last Choir Standing.

2010: Cat Touch This and Edinburgh Fringe debut

In March 2010, the group competed in the Voice Festival for the second time and progressed to the final again, winning the award for 'Outstanding Performance' for their overall set in the final.[3]

From 16 to 21 August of that year, the group debuted in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2010 and were given an official Sell-Out Show award.

Current members

The members of the group can change every year as old students graduate and new students enroll.

Soprano Alto Tenor Bass
Steph Bown Lizzie Weintz Philip de winter Shaw Cameron Dobbie
Rebecca Tindal Caril Worsley Emma Wilson Brendan McDonald Andrew Adam
Annie Faichney Heather Robertson Freddie Edmunds Toby Marsh
Thomas Ziolkowski

Albums

Cat Touch This (2010)

  1. Good Girls Go Bad (Cobra Starship)
  2. Any Way You Want It (Journey/Roy Orbison)
  3. Breathe (Sean Paul ft Blu Cantrell)
  4. Use Somebody (Kings of Leon)
  5. Starlight (Muse)
  6. Whatcha Say (Jason Derulo)
  7. Stuck In The Middle With You

Press Paws (2009)

  1. Dance Wiv Me/Lovestoned/Billie Jean (Dizzee Rascal/Justin Timberlake/Michael Jackson)
  2. With a Little Help from My Friends (Joe Cocker)
  3. Violet Hill (Coldplay)
  4. I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ (Scissor Sisters)
  5. About You Now (Sugababes)
  6. Freedom/Valerie/Faith (Wham!/Amy Winehouse/George Michael)
  7. I Wanna Be The Only One (Eternal)
  8. Heartbeats (Jose Gonzalez)
  9. Circle of Life (Elton John)
  10. Bonus Track!: Love Machine (Girls Aloud)

Meow, That's What I Call Music (2008)

  1. Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours (Stevie Wonder)
  2. Flathead (The Fratellis)
  3. Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)
  4. Shine (Take That)
  5. Queen Medley
  6. Teardrop (Massive Attack)
  7. Valerie (The Zutons / Amy Winehouse)
  8. Ready or Not (Fugees)

Platinum Chat

  1. Young at Heart (Bananarama)
  2. The Long and Winding Road (The Beatles)
  3. My Girl (The Temptations)
  4. Grace Kelly (Mika)
  5. Be My Yoko Ono (Barenaked Ladies)
  6. The Star FM Jingle
  7. In The Still of The Nite (The Five Satins)
  8. Happy Days (Jimmy Haas)
  9. All Time Love (Will Young)
  10. Can You Feel The Love Tonight? (Elton John)
  11. Mandy (Barry Manilow)
  12. Zombie Jamboree (Kingston Trio)
  13. Ready or Not (Fugees)

Cat Fight

  1. I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song) (The Jungle Book)
  2. In The Still of the Nite (Five Satins)
  3. Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
  4. Drift Away (John Henry Kurtz)
  5. Coney Island Baby (Les Appleton)
  6. Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd)
  7. Back For Good (Take That)
  8. Runaround Sue (Dion)
  9. Dreaming Of You (The Coral)
  10. Lovely Day (Bill Withers)

More Than A Feline

  1. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive (The Pied Pipers)
  2. Stay (Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs)
  3. What's My Age again? (Blink-182)
  4. The Night Santa Went Crazy (Weird Al Yankovic)
  5. Up on the Roof (The Drifters)
  6. All I Have to Do Is Dream (Everly Brothers)
  7. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby? (Louis Jordan)
  8. Smooth Criminal (Michael Jackson)
  9. Good Old A Cappella (The Persuasions)
  10. Lost in Space (Electrasy)
  11. Since You've Been Gone (Weird Al Yankovic)
  12. Just My Imagination (The Temptations)
  13. Short People (Randy Newman)
  14. Hard to Say I'm Sorry (Az Yet)
  15. Sitting on the Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding)
  16. Gummy Bears
  17. Georgia on My Mind(live) (H. Carmichael / Ray Charles)
  18. Backstreet Boys Medley

The Cat Pack

  1. The Longest Time (Billy Joel)
  2. Faith (George Michael)
  3. Under The Boardwalk (The Drifters)
  4. Sixty Minute Man (The Dominoes)
  5. Blue Moon (R. Rodgers & L. Hart)
  6. Earth Angel (The Penguins)
  7. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (Neil Sedaka)
  8. The Lion Sleeps Tonight (The Tokens)
  9. It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday (Cooley High)
  10. Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye (Steam / Bananarama)
  11. Only You (And You Alone) (The Platters)
  12. Duke of Earl (Gene Chandler)
  13. Zombie Jamboree (The Kingston Trio)
  14. Wonderful World (Sam Cooke)
  15. George Jones (Thank you song)

References

  1. ^ "The Alleycats". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/lastchoirstanding/choirs/alleycats/. Retrieved 12 July 2011. 
  2. ^ "Myleene's Blog - Heat 1". BBC. 21 July 2008. http://www.bbc.co.uk/lastchoirstanding/news/presenter_blogs/myleene_blog_show3.shtml. Retrieved 12 July 2011. 
  3. ^ a b Voice Festival UK Results, Retrieved 12 July 2011