Orange Gives Back – Orange Amps

Strawberry Fields Bandstand dedicated to Cliff Cooper

The Salvation Army’s iconic Strawberry Field attraction in Liverpool has dedicated its new bandstand to its benefactor, music icon and founder of Orange amps, Cliff Cooper, in a ceremony to officially mark its opening attended by commissioner Anthony Cotterill, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army.

Cliff Cooper in front of the Strawberry Field Bandstand.
(Photo Credit: David Phillips)

Strawberry Field’s eye-catching bandstand is a striking new addition to the south Liverpool visitor attraction, shaped as a giant bass drum inspired by The Beatles’ iconic album cover, ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, and referencing The Salvation Army and its marching bands. The bandstand’s floor is covered by a circular mosaic inspired by the ‘Imagine’ mosaic in Central Park’s Strawberry Fields in New York, with its interior walls decorated by a large mural by renowned pop artist, James Wilkinson, depicting the legacy and importance of The Salvation Army’s work, John Lennon and the legendary song, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.’

Mural and imagine mosaic inside the Strawberry Field Bandstand.

The Strawberry Field Bandstand was built thanks to the generosity of Cliff Cooper, CEO and founder of Orange Amps, who is an honorary patron of Strawberry Field. Cliff founded Orange Amps in 1968, and its range of bright orange guitar amps marked a revolution in guitar amplifier design and sound technology, endorsed by music legends such as Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden.

Strawberry Field Bandstand.
(Photo Credit: Dextra Group)

At the dedication on September 2, Cliff was joined by The Salvation Army’s Territorial Commander, Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, and the Liverpool Walton Salvation Army Band for a special celebration. The Liverpool Walton band have a long history of playing at Strawberry Field and used to perform at The Salvation Army children’s home garden parties in the days when John Lennon visited the grounds.

Cliff Cooper with Recognition of exceptional service certificate.
(Photo Credit: David Phillips)

Major Kathleen Versfeld, Mission Director at Strawberry Field, said:

“Thanks to Cliff and his generous donation, live music in the Strawberry Field gardens – the place where John Lennon once sought sanctuary and experienced one of his earliest musical moments hearing The Salvation Army band play – has been taken to a whole new level, on a bandstand that is like no other in the world. This is a new platform for emerging talent to shine and established artists to support our good work, building on both the legacy of John Lennon and The Salvation Army at this special place.”

Cliff Cooper, CEO of Orange Amps and honorary patron of the Strawberry Field, said:

“As a patron, I thought of ideas of how I could help, and how building a bandstand would bring music back to Strawberry Field – the place where John had some of his first musical experiences. It took three years to build and already the bandstand is bringing much joy to visitors of all ages.”

“I look forward to seeing the continuance of John Lennon’s legacy, promoting peace and love in the world, an ethos which also reflects the selfless dedication of The Salvation Army, whose people devote their lives to helping others who are in need and less fortunate than ourselves.”

Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army in the UK and Ireland, said:

“Many people will think of a Salvation Army dedication service as a way to give thanks to God for the birth of a new baby. This dedication is about giving thanks to God for the generosity of our Strawberry Field patron, Cliff Cooper, who gave birth to the idea of the bandstand, and has managed the project to create what is now a unique visitor attraction.”

“We ask that God blesses all who have contributed to the Bandstand, the visitors old and new who will enjoy this new addition to Strawberry Field, and our staff who tirelessly work to help young people with significant barriers to employment to find and stay in work.”

Strawberry Field plaque
(Photo Credit: David Phillips)

Strawberry Field is a visitor attraction in Liverpool, located at the iconic site immortalised by John Lennon in The Beatles’ hit, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’. Telling the story of The Salvation Army’s children home which opened here in 1936 and the connection to John Lennon’s childhood, as well as the writing and recording of the iconic song, the attraction is home to an interactive visitor exhibition which includes the actual ‘Imagine piano’, the original red gates, and the peaceful gardens where John played, climbed trees and dreamed as a child.

Strawberry Field Bandstand at night.
(Photo Credit: Dextra Group)

by Harry Plant

Articles, Orange Embassy, Orange Gives Back, Real World

Grand Opening of Strawberry Field Bandstand, Liverpool

The official grand opening of the Strawberry Field Forever Bandstand took place in Liverpool on 2nd May 2023. The Bandstand has been donated by Honorary Patron, Cliff Cooper, CEO of Orange Amplification.

It sits in the original Strawberry Field garden in Liverpool where John Lennon, as a child, used to jump over the wall into the grounds of the children’s home and listen to the Salvation Army band play. Written by Lennon, the song ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ featured on the double A-side single with Penny Lane.

Designed to be one of the most technologically advanced bandstands in the world it features cutting edge computer lighting and sound equipment with facilities for broadcasting, multi-track recording, streaming and full internet use. It also incorporates Bluetooth technology which allows visitors to enjoy performances via wireless headphones.

The new Strawberry Field Forever Bandstand is based on the drum featured on Peter Blake and Jann Haworth cover of the iconic Sgt. Pepper album sleeve – a concept conceived and developed by Mick Dines. The interior is decorated with artwork by famous Paintpop artist James Wilkinson https://www.paintpop.com/ . The Bandstand floor features a black and white mosaic similar to the John Lennon Imagine memorial laid in Strawberry Fields, Central Park, New York but three times larger. The mosaic is made from more than 390,000 carefully selected and cut pieces of marble imported from the USA, specially hand made for the floor of the bandstand.

Strawberry Fields has been in the care of the Salvation Army since the 1930’s and today is a centre where young people can join the organisation’s Steps to Work programme. The Salvation Army is a cause close to Cooper as a result of the help the organisation gave his late father when he returned from the First World War helping him find work.

All money raised for events on the bandstand helps support the Salvation Army’s ‘Steps at Strawberry Field’, a series of programmes which provide employability skills training and valuable work placements for adults with learning difficulties and other barriers to employment.

Cooper was at the official opening of the new Strawberry Field Bandstand along with Vice Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Robert Owen, High Sheriff of Merseyside, Dr Ruth Hussey, CB OBE and other dignitaries including the Lord Mayor of Liverpool cllr Roy Gladden, Julia Baird, John Lennon’s sister and Major David Taylor, the Salvation Army’s divisional leader for the North West. Performing on stage were Ruby J, Brooke Combe and Logan Paul Murphy.

by Charlie

Articles, Opinion, Orange Embassy, Orange Gives Back

Comments from WishGranted 2021 Winners

This year, Orange granted 100 wishes to fans around the world over the course of 12 days. We asked ‘What gear/merch do you want from Orange this Christmas?’ and you guys answered – we received well over 100,000 entries! It didn’t matter where that person was, we made it our mission to make sure everyone aroud the world had a good chance of having their wish granted. Here’s the list of countries we sent gear and merch to this year:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Ukraine, United States

This year, we granted over £16,000 [$21,000 USD] worth of gear and merch. As we work hard to get the wishes to the winners, we’ll be covering delivery and custom fee’s so there’s no cost to the winner.

Some of the winners we reached out to, shared messages about their wish/win so with their permission we’ve included them here below for you to read:

Jeremy Baker	TremLord 30	I’ve always wanted an Orange amplifier after seeing a pretty legendary photo of the late-great BB King. The tones coming out of these amps in addition to the looks are something of dreams. The TremLord 30 has features that should make anyone drool.
Louise Lawlor	Cadet Hat	Delighted to win something for my fabulous husband from Orange Amps. Wish granted 😊🎸🤘
Harry	A belt?	I wanted something to complement my guitar merchandise collection from orange :)
Glen Bailey	T Shirt	I don’t own any Orange products so any product I will receive is appreciated I will be wearing this t shirt to support Orange until I purchase gear planning to get gear next year
Serban Claudiu	T-Shirt	I am a big fan of Orange and getting free merch from them is a dream come true. This is actually the first time i actually win something in a giveaway.
Predrag	Bandana	Nice to have in these Covid times :)
Luis Blanco	Pedal Baby 100	I’m trying to combine analog and digital and I thought this could be the perfect platform for that :)
Braian	CR120 Combo	I’m a begginner musician and I don’t have so much money. I already have a Crush 12 Combo, and then saw this oportunity on Orange instagram, so a take the ride and here I am, being one of the winners :D PS: Sorry for the bad english, my mother language is the Spanish (Español).
Stefano Giuli	Orange Terror Stamp	I’m already warming up the engine to start touring Italian clubs with the Orange Terror Stamp, I can’t wait to plug it to pull down all the walls!!!
Veronica Jakobsson	CREST EDITION HEADPHONES	Because me and my daughter have been intressed of your products now when she started to play guitar . She watches to a lot of youtube videos and now she can listen to them and practise whithout disturbing others . The headphones are really good looking . A great Christmas gift 🎁
Alina Hackett	Crest Edition Wireless Headphones	I wanted these headphones as it’s a perfect way for me to tune out the noise of my neighbours and just focus on music.
Billy Hubbard	Orange Brown Belt	Thanks! My pants will be held up in style while I rock out on my Oranges!
Robert Freudenberg	Crest Headphone	I‘m very happy to use the Crest headphone for daily listening of Rock Music in bus and train, when I am traveling to work or anywhere else.
Tyler Haulenbeek	Crest Headphones	Thank you Orange! Looking forward to a serious upgrade to my studio headphones.
Robert Parfitt	Dual Terror	I’ve used small orange amps at home and loved the tone I can now use the dial terror for small gigs
Kelly Sironen	Orange Crest Edition Headphones	Really love the look of these earphones, can’t wait to try them out
luca miranda y bauer	Crest Edition Headphones	Finally some good headphones, thank you so much!!
Yianni Grivas	An Orange mug	I made many entries hoping to win anything , a mug will come in handy since I drink a lot of coffee on a daily basis, and I’m sure it’ll be better with an orange mug. It will also fit my PPC412 nicely
Tim Patout	A orange Guitar Strap	I’m so glad to be able to represent Orange with their guitar strap and it’s going to be the perfect fit with my orange colored guitar.
Jeff Yee	OB1-300	Love Orange amps
Nate Filewood	Rocker 32	This is amazing! I’ll be using this to make some sweet new tunes. Playing guitar always helps my mental health and I can’t wait to get into it.
Chrisremy Berrefjord	brown belt	cool belt:)
Marco Fanizza	T shirt (kindly note my size is Large)	Thank you so much! I will probably wear this t-shirt to every gig with my band!
Tom Brown,	Terror Stamp	Thank you so much #wishgranted. You people are the best. Look forward to my new Terror Stamp.
Nino Bogaard	Orange Crest Edition wireless headphones	I’ve been in need for a new pair of headphones for some time and the Orange Crest edition was my first choice, but financially it was not meant to be yet. So this granted wish of a pair of crest edition headphones is amazing. Loving my Orange cr120h and overall brand, it’s an amazing Christmas already, thank you everyone at Orange!
Billy Hubbard	Brown belt	My pants will be held up in style while I jam on my Oranges !
Manuel Fischer	Orange Mug	Coffe with a slice of orange:)
Nathan Filewood	Rocker 32 Amplifier	I can’t believe it! I’ll be using my Rocker 32 to make some new (loud) tunes! Playing guitar and making new sounds is therapy for me so I can’t wait to sink into my first ever amp!
Danny Plunkette	OBC112	This cab will go great with the Orange products I already have!!!
Danny Plunkette	OBC112	This will go great with my terror 500 combo!
Mike Brobeck	Orange TremLord 30 combo amplifier	I love that Orange tone and I love vintage amp tremelo. I will be using the TremLord 30 with my original rockabilly/western swing/60s garage band for rehearsals and live shows.
Anthony Blancas	Orange crest edition headphones 🎧	I wish a crest edition orange Headphones cuz i love the music , and I want to enjoy it with the quality and technology that always orange amps offers, I’m going to hear and enjoy my music with this ones ! Thanks cliff , and thanks orange amps!
André Goulart	T-shirt	I love Orange, the products and brand, and i’m glad i’ll be able to show my support with this gift!
Daulton Wurst	Terror Stamp	I’ve wanted an orange amp for a while now. I play guitar in a sludge metal band and I knew orange would give me the sound I’m looking for . With my gift I’ll be using my terror stamp plugged into a mixer and my bedroom amp.
David Lancaster	Guitar strap	Thanks, Orange!
Erick Montalvo	Tote bag	I love the brand and i want to represent it in all possible ways, love you guys!
Samuel Wilk	Orange Crush Bass 100	I recently started playing bass this year, and after some research, decided to purchase an Orange Crush Bass 25. I decided to enter the competition to try and win an Orange Crush Bass 100, as my friends and I want to try and start a band.
Tatiane Araujo Gama	A pair of Crest Headphones	these headphones definitely match my ginger hair and my musics!
Andre Matos	Guitar Strap	I saw the Instragram posts regarding the #WishGranted and also watched Orange’s youtube video with Cliff annoucing it so I thought I would enter just for fun. So I went for “any merch item” as it would be nice to win a t-shirt or something. I ended up winning a guitar strap which, obviously, is quite useful for any guitar/bass player. Thank you Cliff and Orange team!
Jeremy Maxence Caron	a pair of Crest Headphones	I will use them for mixing and listen to all the bands I love and cherish and listen to podcasts well painting and drawing.
Charlotte Abraham	Crest Edition Headphones	Cant’t wait to get my Crest Edition Headphones! Can listen to my music in high def whilst I travel and work 🤘🏼🎧
Randy Reding	Terror Stamp	I love It Orange Amps and it’s awesome to have one that fits on a pedalvoard!
Tom Neeskens	T-Shirt	I wanted to win the shirt so I can wear it with proud on live shows!
Jeffrey Smith	Rockverb 50 Combo	WoW!!! I really won!!! Can’t wait to join the Orange Family!
Fedor Kravchenko	pair of Crest Headphones	Being a bass player with Fender amp, to start a guitar I’ve always wanted to have an Orange amp for its distinctive and unmistakable rich sound. With brand new Crest Headphones I’ll have the best sound for favourite tracks everywhere also with awesome style and battery life.
Jakub Kamiński	Tote bag	Im gonna carry it with me everywhere! Im so happy :D
Benjamin Metral	Tremlord 30	I dreamt about the Tremlord for those warm clean tones, vintage breakups and beautiful reverb and trem. I played this amp in a Copenhagen shop with a Tele and I was amazed. Can’t wait to play it with my band ! I’m so grateful. Big thanks to the Orange family, thank you Mr Cooper 🤟🏻🍊 🍊🤟🏻🙏🙏🙏
Robert Visser	T-Shirt	I want anything and everything to do with Orange. I think I submitted for almost everything on the list. I will wear this shirt proudly.
Dajun Kan	Guitar Strap	I’m really happy about I won the prize. Actually, I prefer not to share my comment for privacy reasons. But trust me I’m really greatful for your generous gift.
Ian Grimshaw	Guitar Strap	Thanks Uncle Cliff! Happy Christmas to all!
Zvi Vaxman	a mug	would love a mug to drink while listening to great music
Andy McGrath	Crest headphones	Can’t wait to rock my new headphones!
Dhanika Nimpuna Setyawan	OB1-300	I’ve always wanted Orange Amps products, because so far the quality has satisfied me. If there’s a chance to get it from the Orange Amps event, I’m always excited. This gift will be my exploration of new music tonal with my beautiful Orange Amps
Raul Lucio	Bandana	I’ll put it in my bedroom!
Mateo Julián Argote Salinas	Orange Crush 35RT	I wanted a good guitar amp, and now I’m waiting for one of the best in the world, it’s a very special moment and I’m going to use it to become a great musician
Matt Robinson	Bandana	A bandana for my dog to match my amp!
Kelly Bennett	Terror stamp	I have always wanted an Orange Amp. They are the preferred amp of most all of my Guitar heroes and their tones! Truly the sound of Rock N Roll! Can’t wait to serenade my wife with it and then turn it up and wake up the neighborhood! Looking forward to recording and everything I will be able to do with it!
Christos Galatas	brown belt	i needed a belt for my new jackson guitar so great timing ahah
Matthew Dickson	Crest Headphones	This is why Orange are truly the best. No other company does anything like this for its fans and users
Andres Mauricio	A T shirt :)	I wanted an amp but hey an Orange T Shirt its cool fot me :)
Josh Cottington	Guitar Strap	I love Orange amps, the brand history everything about it. I’ll be using it on stage accompanied by an Orange 1×12 cabinet, just need a 2×10 and AD30 and I’ll be set for life!
Beth Scheimann	Merchandise	Sporting Orange Amp merch to make people aware how awesome Orange Amp is.
Kyle Broadhurst	Crest Headphones	Looking forward to using my new headphones for some silent practice!
Bill Edwards-Bodmer	Fur Coat Fuzz Pedal	I just recently joined the Orange family with a CR120 combo and I’ve been looking for a fuzz pedal to pair with it. What better one than an Orange Fur Coat! I can’t wait to rock with it! Thank you so much Orange! You rock!
Dan Romanchuk	Bandanna	An easy and fun content to enter for an absolutely amazing product(s)
Duncan Smith	Crest Headphones	I’ll be using my new headphones to listen to some awesome Orange artists as loud as possible!
Ken Nakatani	Little Bass Thing	I didnt have a bass amp. my birthday is in december , I finally got a good bass amp for my mustang bass, Sweet!
Michael Gonsalves	Terror Stamp	I always loved the tone of an Orange Amp. The color alone is known Worldwide. I wished for the Terror Stamp because i was intrigued by it’s size and portability. I know that the tone i love, is jammed into this Terror Stamp. I love Blues music and i look forward to playing the Terror Stamp up!

2 Comments/by Charlie

Articles, News, Orange Gives Back, Press Releases

OR50 signed & used by Biffy Clyro on eBay Charity Auction for Cancer Research UK

We are excited to auction a classic OR50 amp signed by Biffy Clyro to raise money for Cancer Research UK, the charity chosen by Orange Fans. Mike Vennart, Orange Ambassador and longtime session guitarist with the band, toured with this actual amp for four years. It is signed by him and founding band members Simon Neil, James Johnston and Ben Johnston.

Based on the legendary Pics only amp, the versatile OR50 featured a traditional single channel with a three stage gain section and HF Drive control. Its wide range of vintage tones and that classic British Crunch, pay homage to the Orange amps that helped to define the music of the seventies. According to MusicRadar it is: ‘No-nonsense, single-channel simplicity for rock and blues.’ See our technical director Ade Emsley talk about the OR50 in the video below:

Biffy Clyro, one of the biggest bands to come out of the UK, have enjoyed high profile tours with Muse, Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age as well as being festival headliners in their own right. They have released eight, madly innovative albums, the most recent being 2020’s Celebration Of Endings with which they were planning to tour prior to lockdown. They hope to tour October 2021, once again filling venues with bone crunching riffs and rousing choruses and are scheduled to headline the 2022 Download festival.

Talking about the amp Mike Vennart said: ‘This was my amp, I toured it for about 4 years. It’s signed by Simon Neil, James Johnston and Ben Johnston of Biffy Clyro, and myself. It’s an absolute classic workhorse beast of an amp. Never let me down. Goddammit I miss it!!’

All proceeds from the auction will go to Cancer Research UK, a charity that works tirelessly to help prevent cancer, diagnose it earlier, develop new treatments and optimise current treatments. To own this amazing amp with an auction starting price of £1, check out the auction here. To find out more about Cancer Research UK or make a donation of your own, please visit their website here.

by Ella Stormark

Articles, Orange Gives Back, Real World

UK Only: Black Deer Festival Giveaway

by Harry Plant

Articles, Orange Embassy, Orange Gives Back

Orange Gives Back: Bid on Marcus King signed Terror Stamp for ‘Habitat for Humanity’

Those of you who’ve registered your Orange gear in recent times will have seen the section where we give our customers the chance to suggest a charitable cause we donate to.

As we’ve grown as a company we’ve also built a big social media following, and we’d like to use our platform to shine a light on important causes (don’t worry, this won’t be on expense of our excellent amp content!) that are also close to our customers’ hearts.

Having gone through thousands of entries with different causes and charity suggestions, we’ve landed on ‘Habitat for Humanity‘ as our first one. We’ll give you the lowdown of their case and work in their own words:

Photo via Habitat for Humanity’s website.

“We build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter. Housing poverty around the world is so widespread, that we need to engage in many ways to solve housing problems. Together with our partners and volunteers, we provide new housing solutions and opportunities for people in need of decent shelter.”
– Habitat for Humanity

To help us raise money for Habitat for Humanity, Orange ambassador Marcus King kindly signed one of our ‘amp in a pedal’ Terror Stamps, which is now up HERE on eBay for auction, where 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the charity. Auction runs through the 16th, so place your bid, spread the word, and remember to register your gear here to have a say in which case we support next.