Latest news with #SteveThornton
Belfast Telegraph
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Belfast Giants to learn Champions League opposition: ‘They're not going to walk all over us'
Long gone are the days where, after their first ever game in the competition six years ago, they were compared to the movie 'Slapshot' after stunning Czech side Bili Tygri Liberec. After winning three games two years ago and missing out on the Play-Offs by a point, the Giants are now competitive on the continent. Nobody expects them to win the CHL, that is asking a little bit much of the Elite League champions, but things have now progressed to the point where at Wednesday's pool stage draw in Stockholm they will be looking for winnable ties as opposed to just experiences. And not only that but, as head of hockey operations Steve Thornton outlines, the Giants themselves have become something of a plum draw for Europe's elite. "It's a different experience. They're not going to come in and walk all over us like possibly it was in the early days now. It's quite competitive," says Thornton. "We're playing against a big bunch of teams but we're holding our own, I think. I think there'll be a lot of teams at that draw that are hoping to get us for that kind of experience. And that's actually quite exciting. "I've been fortunate to be able to go to three or four draws now, where you're in the room mingling, and the number of people that are representing teams across here to come up to you with their fingers crossed to get you, because they want that experience, is incredible. "That says a lot about the reputation that we've built up over the last couple of decades for hockey in a country that just didn't have it before. So it's exciting. I've enjoyed it as well, I'm very proud of that." Six different teams from Europe's elite leagues - Austria, Czechia, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland - await the Giants when the group stage starts in August, three games played on the road and three at the SSE Arena. Although any team they face will be top quality opposition, of particular note are potential reunions with the likes of Swedish champions Luleå, Finnish side Lukko and Austrian heavyweights Salzburg, while Giants fans may hope for a match-up with German outfit Ingolstadt, who have former Belfast defenceman Sam Ruopp on their roster. Although they will be underdogs against just about every other team in the competition, that doesn't mean it's not worth the Giants' time being involved. "When we find out what our road trips are, we do what we can to pull as much out of it as possible," explains Thornton. "If there's something around there that allows us to see what is the best in current practise, being able to compare ourselves, seeing the experiences of some of these European venues, how they recruit, what they do in the locker rooms, things like that. We have no shame, really, in stealing ideas. "We don't want to reinvent the wheel, we just want to do what we can all the time to give ourselves the best chance to win. Sometimes it's those small little one per cents, little things you steal, that make the big difference in the end." The Giants are back in the CHL off the back of another superb season that saw them win a League and Challenge Cup double, taking their haul to ten trophies in the last seven years. "It was certainly stressful," grins Thornton. "But it says a lot about the quality of the League right now. There's quite a few teams that are going to be in the mix year upon year now, and everybody was beating everybody for a good portion of the season, and I think that says that hockey is healthy in the UK. "Any time you win, it makes the summer that much better. So I think, reflecting back on last year after about a month of getting your weekends back, it feels much more like we won a double rather than we lost a triple. And I think that's a good feeling, because it's not easy to win." The Giants were taken down to the final period of the final game by a combined comeback from the Sheffield Steelers and Nottingham Panthers in order to win the League title, a 4-3 overtime success in Nottingham clinching the crown, and that mental load resulted in their Grand Slam bid ending with a shut-out loss to the Cardiff Devils in the Play-Off Semi-Finals. But as much as that stung, Thornton sees it as a positive that the fans were initially upset by the way the season ended, rather than focusing on the rest of the campaign. "We sweated everything possible out of that it was crawling to the line almost to get it was so close to winning nothing. And then the fact that we won two, you look at that as incredible success," he continues. "We're just so fortunate that we've had a good run of five or six years with trophies in the bank. And I'm kind of proud of the fact that there are a lot of people that judge us by winning the wouldn't have said that seven or eight years ago. "So anytime you win something, it's a good season. And it just makes it a lot easier in terms of building a team for the next year, keeping that culture.
The Sun
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Local band Kaya on organising, playing first music festival
NOT too long ago, local band Kaya was an opening act for various artistes, sharing the stage with prominent acts such as Yuna, Steve Thornton, Zainal Abidin and Salam Musik. The band, which started out as a two-piece in 2010, has since solidified its presence, having won several competitions and launching its debut album On Toast in 2018 to a sold-out crowd at The Bee in Publika. Adding to that is its very own music festival. In celebration of its latest singles Go It Alone and Party All Night, the band recently organised and played its first music festival at JioSpace in Petaling Jaya. Titled Party All Night: A Kaya Experience, the band gathered a line-up of local artistes to share the stage, while celebrating how far Kaya has come through a medley of its best hits. Speaking to theSun, the band dishes on the experience of putting the festival together and priorities for this year. Did everything go according to plan? Honestly, seeing everything come together was surreal. As with any live event, there were a few curveballs but the energy that night made it all worth it. The crowd, the music, the vibes, it all just clicked in the best way possible. How long did it take to put everything together? The idea had been brewing for a while but things really picked up about two months out. It was a whirlwind of chaos and excitement, but we had an amazing team and some supportive partners who made it all possible. How did the idea for a festival first come about? Initially, we were thinking of a simple single launch. But a friend of ours from Team Sound & Light jumped in and pitched the idea of going bigger, such as a 1,200 pax festival kind of big. He saw the lack of platforms for upcoming indie artiste and wanted to do something real about it. So we came together and built 'A Kaya Experience' as a celebration of the local live music scene. A stage for any Malaysian artiste to work towards – big, loud and full of heart. What was the process of picking the line-up like? It was all organic. We reached out to artistes we have performed with before, as well as those we have admired from afar. The goal was to create a line-up that captured the diversity and soul of the local sound. Raw, real and uniquely ours. It was not just about the headliners. It was about celebrating homegrown talent in every form. What are some memories from the festival that you will carry with you? Too many to count! The crowd sang every word back to us, the energy during our finale when everyone had their hands in the air and the impromptu jam sessions backstage. But above all, just witnessing the community come together for the love of music is something we will never forget. Will there be more festivals in the future? Absolutely! The response was a clear sign that there is a hunger for this kind of space. We could not have done it without our crew and the incredible crowd that showed up with love. If you are an artiste who would like to be part of the next one, drop us a DM – we are always listening. The festival was in celebration of your recent singles Go It Alone and Party All Night, could you elaborate on what those songs are about? Go It Alone is a love song but delivered in a kind of cool and nonchalant way. It is 'I love you but I am going to play it chill', although deep down, it is only ever about you. Party All Night, on the other hand, is a straight-up funk anthem meant for dancing, vibing and letting go. It is a feel-good energy, pure and simple. How would you like the latest singles to present you to new and longtime listeners? We hope these songs show our range. We have always enjoyed bending genres, breaking a few rules and staying honest with our lyrics. These tracks are just a glimpse of where we are headed – a little evolution, a lot of heart. Will this release inspire a potential album? Or do you already have one planned? Let us just say we are cooking. Whether it is an album or something else, there is definitely more coming. The creative momentum is strong right now, so stay tuned. What do you hope to achieve this year? We want to keep building. Tour more, create more and reach new audiences. Most of all, we want to keep growing, as artistes and collaborators in this community. The band is known for its genre-blending sounds. Are there things you did in 2024 that you would never want to do again? Nothing we regret, but we have definitely drawn a line when it comes to saying 'yes' to shows that underpay or do not value the artiste. We are done with that and we hope more musicians feel empowered to do the same. The scene can only thrive if we start respecting our worth.
The Sun
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Local band Kaya on organising, playing Party All Night: A Kaya Experience
NOT too long ago, local band Kaya was an opening act for various artistes, sharing the stage with prominent acts such as Yuna, Steve Thornton, Zainal Abidin and Salam Musik. The band, which started out as a two-piece in 2010, has since solidified its presence, having won several competitions and launching its debut album On Toast in 2018 to a sold-out crowd at The Bee in Publika. Adding to that is its very own music festival. In celebration of its latest singles Go It Alone and Party All Night, the band recently organised and played its first music festival at JioSpace in Petaling Jaya. Titled Party All Night: A Kaya Experience, the band gathered a line-up of local artistes to share the stage, while celebrating how far Kaya has come through a medley of its best hits. Speaking to theSun, the band dishes on the experience of putting the festival together and priorities for this year. Did everything go according to plan? Honestly, seeing everything come together was surreal. As with any live event, there were a few curveballs but the energy that night made it all worth it. The crowd, the music, the vibes, it all just clicked in the best way possible. How long did it take to put everything together? The idea had been brewing for a while but things really picked up about two months out. It was a whirlwind of chaos and excitement, but we had an amazing team and some supportive partners who made it all possible. How did the idea for a festival first come about? Initially, we were thinking of a simple single launch. But a friend of ours from Team Sound & Light jumped in and pitched the idea of going bigger, such as a 1,200 pax festival kind of big. He saw the lack of platforms for upcoming indie artiste and wanted to do something real about it. So we came together and built 'A Kaya Experience' as a celebration of the local live music scene. A stage for any Malaysian artiste to work towards – big, loud and full of heart. What was the process of picking the line-up like? It was all organic. We reached out to artistes we have performed with before, as well as those we have admired from afar. The goal was to create a line-up that captured the diversity and soul of the local sound. Raw, real and uniquely ours. It was not just about the headliners. It was about celebrating homegrown talent in every form. What are some memories from the festival that you will carry with you? Too many to count! The crowd sang every word back to us, the energy during our finale when everyone had their hands in the air and the impromptu jam sessions backstage. But above all, just witnessing the community come together for the love of music is something we will never forget. Will there be more festivals in the future? Absolutely! The response was a clear sign that there is a hunger for this kind of space. We could not have done it without our crew and the incredible crowd that showed up with love. If you are an artiste who would like to be part of the next one, drop us a DM – we are always listening. The festival was in celebration of your recent singles Go It Alone and Party All Night, could you elaborate on what those songs are about? Go It Alone is a love song but delivered in a kind of cool and nonchalant way. It is 'I love you but I am going to play it chill', although deep down, it is only ever about you. Party All Night, on the other hand, is a straight-up funk anthem meant for dancing, vibing and letting go. It is a feel-good energy, pure and simple. How would you like the latest singles to present you to new and longtime listeners? We hope these songs show our range. We have always enjoyed bending genres, breaking a few rules and staying honest with our lyrics. These tracks are just a glimpse of where we are headed – a little evolution, a lot of heart. Will this release inspire a potential album? Or do you already have one planned? Let us just say we are cooking. Whether it is an album or something else, there is definitely more coming. The creative momentum is strong right now, so stay tuned. What do you hope to achieve this year? We want to keep building. Tour more, create more and reach new audiences. Most of all, we want to keep growing, as artistes and collaborators in this community. Are there things you did in 2024 that you would never want to do again? Nothing we regret, but we have definitely drawn a line when it comes to saying 'yes' to shows that underpay or do not value the artiste. We are done with that and we hope more musicians feel empowered to do the same. The scene can only thrive if we start respecting our worth.
