Hit Squad
Lesley McLaren runs the 'Hit Squad' providing drum lessons to all ages. She teaches her students how to read drum music and trains them to keep time by encouraging them to play along to their favourite songs while reading drum scores. She also prepares pupils for high school exams and has an excellent success rate.
"Lesley McLaren is a first rate percussion teacher whose teaching methods, motivation and rapport with her pupils is very impressive. I have been presenting some of Lesley's pupils for SQA exams for a few years and her pupils have always been prepared to a high standard and have also shown versatility in their playing. Enjoyment is key and Lesley's own love of playing, in turn, motivates her pupils. I highly recommend "The Hit Squad" to anyone, young or old who may want to release their drummer within"
Val Forsyth - PT Music, Gourock High School
The Hedrons
Lesley, or Soup is she is otherwise known, has had an amazing journey with The Hedrons, a punk/rock band that formed in 2005 in Glasgow
Commercial Releases
The Hedrons released three singles on the Glasgow based label, Measured Records. Two singles went top 5 and one went top 20 in the Scottish Chart. Their debut album One More Won't Kill Us was released on 5 February 2007.
Live & Tours
Lesley has played at several UK music festivals including Download Festival, T in the Park and Isle of Wight. She has also has numerous UK tours under her belt. She toured America three times also appearing at SXSW, Canadian Music Week and Quebec City Music Festival. In 2007 she toured with The Hedrons in Germany alongside the Pigeon Detectives and The Wombats. In California, she toured with Social Distortion playing sold out shows at House of Blues venues across the state and Las Vegas. During her stay in America she was part of a series of Club NME gigs and featured in an article in NME (UK) written by music mogul Alan McGee. She also appeared on the catwalk at Dressed to Kilt in New York in 2007 with her band mates.
Support Slots
The Hedrons have been special guest openers for bands such as Sex Pistols, Rolling Stones and Alice in Chains.
TV & Radio Appearances
Lesley appeared on Tubridy Tonight in Ireland with The Hedrons playing out the show and also on a Channel 4 documentary about Isle of Wight Festival. The Hedrons music videos have received numerous plays on MTV.
She was interviewed prior to playing a live session on the Janice Long Show on BBC Radio 2 and has been interviewed live many times on Xfm and other national radio stations. She featured on BBC Radio 1 with The Hedrons as part of Steve Lamaq's show.
Awards
In September 2007 The Hedrons were nominated for a BT Digital Music Award and found themselves in the same category as Dave Gilmour, Robbie Williams, Stereophonics and The Rakes. Their feat as the first ever European band to play a live gig in the virtual world, Second Life earned them the nomination. Other bands Lesley is currently working with:
The Scimitars - rock n roll
www.thescimitars.co.uk
Button Up - Drummer in mod/soul band 2011 to present
www.buttonuprecords.com/buttonup.html
Altered Images - session drummer from 2012 onwards
Publications
Lesley has featured in 2 books about rock n roll history that document the success of The Hedrons:
Minstrels, Poets & Vagabonds by Robert Fields (2009)
Rock and Roll Tourist by Graham Forbes (2009)
