The first single.

‘Love Won’t Wait’, the first single from Ten Millennia’s second album of the same name, has been described as a ‘sun-soaked party song packed full of good vibes, with equal measures of soul and disco. A true dance floor filler.’

Taking inspiration from the band’s love of deep, funky grooves, you can hear echoes of their favourite artists – Rich’s love of Kool and the Gang and Chic shines through, as does Russell’s musical upbringing – he had a steady diet of Motown. Rosie cites funk supergroup Parliament as one of her favourite bands and Wayne has been listening to the cool, synth-heavy 80s retro sounds of Tame Impala. The single blends all of these influences and adds a dash of Northern soulfulness and an infectious party mood for good measure.

‘Love Won’t Wait’ was produced by the legendary Andy Wright, who has masterminded hits by Simply Red, Simple Minds, Jeff Beck, The KLF, Eurythmics, Luciano Pavarotti, Atomic Kitten and Natalie Imbruglia amongst others.

Rosie was a fashion model based in London before she fulfilled an ambition to become a singer. Her early career in front of the camera stood her in good stead in terms of being used to performing as well as appreciating fashion and creating her own style.

Growing up in Yorkshire, Rosie was introduced to the band as a backing singer. Initially reluctant to be in the spotlight, Rosie was encouraged to take centre stage by a friend and musician which gave her the confidence to overcome her inexperience. Lots of practise and further performances increased her stage skills and developed her style which has led her to realise the enjoyment and pleasure to be gained from singing the songs she loves to the general public.  She now enjoys the rapport with an audience and her role as front woman for the band.

Rosie has developed her talents to include song-writing and has co-written several of the songs for both of Ten Millennia’s albums. The first, eponymous album is available to buy now from the ‘shop’ section of this website, Amazon, HMV and a host of independent record stores. ‘Love Won’t Wait, the new album is due to be released on 17^th August 2018!

“I always enjoyed singing as a child, but as a teen I chose to go a different route – I became immersed in sport, and represented Yorkshire at county level. I was North of England Junior Champion at 800 meters but gave it all up at 15, much to my father’s great disappointment!

Later, I modelled for a long time so it’s exciting to embark on something like this, plus, I get to share my love of pop, soul funk and even fashion with the audience!  It’s a liberating experience and though I feel I’m new to the scene and have started late – it’s all very exhilarating.”

As a youngster, Wayne studied classical and jazz piano, and can now play pretty much any keyboard, and a bit of accordion, if the occasion demands it!

Wayne is an accomplished songwriter and performer. Some of his key musical achievements include supporting Take That on their Beautiful world tour, supporting The Stylistics, playing with Martha Reeves, Candi Staton, Roachford, Corinne Bailey Rae and working as Musical Director for Jane McDonald and Jaki Graham.

Writing music is a huge passion of Wayne’s – he writes most of the music for Ten Millennia and co-writes the lyrics with the lead singer, Rosie. He also arranged all of the original songs for the new album, ‘Love Won’t Wait’ (Due out on 17^th August 2018), as well as the first album, ‘Ten Millennia’ which is available to buy now.

“I love performing to an audience, big or small. The build-up, the adrenaline rush – it’s so exciting. I particularly enjoy performing in a band where you get to share your skills and create a great sound together.”

Wayne is a keen traveller and loves visiting new places, which is very handy, as life with Ten Millennia keeps him on the road, bringing the music to their public.

He enjoys walking in the countryside and is a keen photographer.

Richard has an innate skill that allows him to play a wide range of musical instruments. He has learnt the mandolin, the lap steel, the piano and the bass, but his favourite by far is the guitar, his instrument of choice while playing with Ten Millennia. He’s also a talented singer and songwriter.

Richard has played with some of the biggest names in the music industry, having performed with The Four Tops and The Temptations during their arena tour. He’s also recorded at the world-famous Abbey Road studios, played the O2 arena in London and has toured with The Three Degrees.

He has big ambitions for Ten Millennia – he hopes to spend as much time as possible with the band. He hopes that the second album ‘Love Won’t Wait’, charts even higher than the first.

It was one of Rich’s great ambitions to play at The Royal Albert Hall, a dream that is due to be fulfilled on 30^th November 2018, when the band support Jools Holland at this incredible, iconic venue!

“My main passion in life is music, whether it’s listening, watching, playing or writing. I love the time I spend with the band as I get to do all of these things. I get a huge kick out of practicing new ideas and harmonies with the rest of the gang and seeing all the hard work pay off when we see the excitement of our fans at our gigs is pure magic.”

In his spare time, Richard can often be found hill walking in the Lake District.  He’d also love a jam session with Steely Dan or The Zac Brown Band or to have some of his guitar idols guest star with Ten Millennia: John Mayer, Brent Mason or Vince Gill.

Colin’s versatility and passion for all styles of music have seen him involved in projects spanning many genres, as well as being a senior lecturer in pop music at Leeds College of Music.  He has toured with a show featuring Jaki Graham and Gwen Dickey (Rose Royce) performing soul/Motown greats and has done session/writing work for BBC television, Channel 4 and Universal Records.

One of his proudest moments was making it to the Radio 1 playlist with previous band, Black Diamond Bay.  He played most of the big UK festivals with them, including Leeds, Reading, The Big Chill, Kendal Calling, as well as key festivals across Europe.

 Colin’s all-time favourite song choices also span an eclectic mix: From ‘Love Rears Its Ugly Head’ by Living Colour to ‘Jeremy’ by Pearl Jam and ‘Hejira’ by Joni Mitchell. “Mainly because of the inspiring bass work of Jaco Pastorius” he adds.

“I have many passions in life, primarily music and literature.  I’m obsessed with Thomas Pynchon and Italo Calvino and more recently ‘The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl’ from Marvel Comics has become a big favourite.  My taste in literature usually echoes my eclectic tastes in music.

I’m thoroughly enjoying being part of the band and I’m looking forward to realising the stunning potential of it with our new album, Love Won’t Wait.”

Colin loves cake! He can often be seen at Edward Street Bakery in Saltaire, enjoying the wares of the extremely talented baking crew.  Video games also take up a fair amount of his time, a remnant from his childhood, spent treading the arcades on Southend seafront.

Russell has a boundless fascination and aptitude for everything to do with music.

He is a talented saxophonist and also loves to play the guitar, bass and piano.   As well as playing saxophone for Ten Millennia, Russell lectures at Leeds College of Music on their pop and jazz courses.

Russell finds it difficult to stick to one particular musical genre.  He was raised on Motown, yet loves to listen to jazz, modern alternative rock and pop.  He is passionate about artists such as Unknown Mortal Orchestra, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, early 20th century composers such as Bartok and Stravinsky, technical polymetric metal band, Meshuggah, and funk and soul including Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and The Meters.

Recently, Russell toured with Martha and the Vandellas.  He describes it as an incredible experience to play music with the original artists.  He has known those songs since he was a wee boy and was delighted to learn that Martha knows all the arrangements inside out and she loves to interact and improvise with the rest of the musicians on stage.

“The sax is more like a tool I use to contribute to a piece of music.  I believe that the whole point of music is that you never learn everything.

I would describe myself as a fellow student who is slightly further down the path than those I teach. I love working with Ten Millennia, because my fellow band members are completely open to experimentation. We just love playing music together and are happy to learn from each other.”

Russell’s activities when away from the band are just as diverse as his musical tastes. He enjoys activities such as walking, mountain biking, snooker, cooking, cars, travelling – particularly exploring the UK – DIY and snowboarding. He thrives on variety!

Julian first took an interest in drumming in 2005, when he saw a postcard in a shop window in Pocklington, saying ‘Ageing rock and rollers required.’  He was intrigued and immediately phoned ‘Derek’, the man who placed the ad, who became a great friend, until he passed away in March 2018.

Sadly, Derek suffered from a debilitating illness and only managed to play for a few years, but out of respect, Ten Millennia’s music has always been dedicated to him.

For Julian, it was downhill all the way after that, with the list of great names he hasn’t played with being literally endless. His first band — a jazz trio — fired him which was doubly insulting because he wasn’t even being paid.

His musical credentials would struggle to fill a postage stamp, although he has had a couple of lessons from his mate, Benny, which he claims have made a difference.

That said, Julian does have some saving graces, which have given his bandmates solace: he manages Ten Millennia — a role he took on originally because he felt it would be harder for them to get rid of him. He’s pulled in some fantastic gigs with audiences growing over the years from a low of eight at the Carpenters Arms in Fangfoss to a more impressive 8,000 supporting The Corrs in Kew Gardens, plus quite a few shows supporting Jools Holland thrown in for good measure, including The Royal Albert Hall! Although his musical timing can leave a bit to be desired, he’s made sure that Ten Millennia has never started one of their 400+ gigs late.

His other quality is his infectious enthusiasm on stage. Not realising that it’s not entirely cool to look as if you are actually enjoying yourself when playing, he usually sits behind his kit grinning at the fact that he gets to spend time doing what he loves. “I do really love drumming. I hope one day to become credible in my own right as a musician.”

You might think he’d love listening to great drummers, but this tends to make him depressed. He does enjoy organising things and his dedication to making lists is endless, so while the band is going places, they’re sticking with him.