Sunday 12 June 2011

A Summer across the Atlantic.

After spending eight eventful months in England's capital I have decided to drop everything and take a trip over the Atlantic. The aim of this excursion is to beg, borrow and busk my way around the North East of the United States, bookended by visits to Toronto.

When you have a serious desire to do something valuable with every day of your existence a desk job will crush your spirit, slowly but surely, day by day. As such, I'm off with my guitar and a simple intention to play as much as I'm allowed to in a load of new places. I hope to hit mainly Washington DC and New York City but I may go elsewhere, who knows?

I'll be reporting back via this blog, so keep an eye out for what I'm up to. I'm flying out on the 30th of June and I'll be back early September so plenty of stuff should happen. I've never been out of the country for more than a month so I'm pretty hyped up about it all.

I have 2 shows until then:

16th June - Must Try Harder @ Balham Bowls Club w/ Bastille (acoustic set)- SW12 8QX

24th June - Scaledown @ The King and Queen - W1W 6DL

After that I'll be off. So try to get down to one of these to say bye!



Wednesday 25 May 2011

Strummerville Spring Sessions - April 2011

Somewhere on a backstreet in Shoreditch there happens to be a really crap car park. Whoever looked at this spectacle and decided to turn it into a venue quite frankly deserves the titleof genius. Strummerville, the music foundation set up in honour of Joe Strummer, took this idea and ran with it. It ran a bloody long way too, turning this random space into a fantastic two stage event. I was grinning like Larry on happy pills when I walked in.

Sound issues were apparent due to the nature of the makeshift venue but it wasn't enough to tarnish the  fantastic atmosphere. Strummerville has come on in leaps and bounds since its inception and continues to support and nurture promising young musicians.

There's a queue before 8pm, probably (and in my case) so folks could get their hands on the t-shirt  commemorating Frank Turner's 1000th show. That’s right, one thousand shows! It took him 6 years but along the way he has become a genuine hero to many, and a vital example that success doesn't come without a
strong work ethic.

Despite having England's hardest working songwriter on the bill there were some true highlights elsewhere. One of which was the infectious Bastille. Four handsome chaps making music so catchy I have two of their tracks stuck in my head simultaneously. Their set finisher, Flaws, will be released on Young and Lost Club, the platform that launched Noah and the Whale, Bombay Bicycle Club and Everything Everything. The tune has ‘hit’ scrawled all over it in permanent marker, just check the amount of covers that have already popped up on YouTube!

They're currently on the Strummerville River Rat Pack Tour with Beans On Toast. I'll be heading to Oxford on Sunday to catch the last day of the tour. Watch out for them (and their singer's pending Brylcream
sponsorship).

Another notable performance came from The Great Whale (working title) whose frontman bore a strong resemblance to Strummer himself. His aggressive vocal and jerky leg propelled the band through their set with the conviction of a classic rock act touring their tenth album. The reception from the increasingly drunk crowd was somewhat raucous and it was good to see (after Frank had finished) that not everyone let their narcotics take effect in the smoking area. It was in fact their first gig. A golden ticket some might say, although I was reliably informed that they've been together since September 2010, spawn from bands previously endorsed by Strummerville. They’re currently rehearsing and recording in Italy, Switzerland and Brighton. Alright for some.

For Frank Turner this must have been a special evening, not least for the milestone but as many family and friends were attending. His solo shows are testament to the power of his songs and once again he demonstrated that you really do only need a guitar. His accompaniment was in the shape of an emotional rabble ready to take on the bank holiday weekend, with every lyric shouted back resonating across the stone walls. At times I stopped to look around and saw the familiar and warming sight of hands in the air and arms around new friends.


Throughout the set he took time to thank all the people who had helped him reach 1000 shows old. In particular he thanked his former bandmates from Million Dead, mentioning that it was the first time in 6 years that they were all hanging out. With this, he began to play his rendition of ‘Smiling at Strangers On Trains’.

The highlight of the set was during penultimate track 'The Road'. On singing "...and the nights a thousand nights I've played, a thousand more to go" Frank stopped playing. For a good 30 seconds there was congratulatory applause so loud it rattled the Perspex roof. A cake was brought on stage and the crowd sang happy birthday, it was a sentimental touch that led to a fantastic ending.

“…before I take a breath and steal myself for the next one thousand
shows.”

As with most of his solo shows he finished with ‘The Ballad of Me and My Friends’, a tale of how his and everyone’s plans to ‘make it’ were amounting to nothing. The days of sleeping on peoples floors and playing to one man and his dog are a far cry from this moment. As his loyal fans begin singing, Frank stepped off the stage and walked into the audience to play and sing with the people that helped him in his achievements.

As one fan on YouTube pointed out
“Frank Turner is the best friend you never had”


Thursday 12 May 2011

Birmingham, represent.

I played at the Queens Head in Kings Cross last night as part of the WeWriteLists night ‘The Folkroom’. Having a dedicated audience of around 6 I had to win over the rest of the bar without a PA system. Winning a talking bar over is something I am used to and not flummoxed by, however to do so without amplification required some stones. I ran through a quick 6 song set at what turned out to be an appropriate volume.

I had to leave immediately to go and see &U&I at the Old Blue Last. I was ‘that guy’ who plays and leaves when no one else has played yet, expectant that they would listen to me but not returning the favour. This was out of my hands; a late booking when I had other plans. I compromised, don’t hate me.

Currently I’m in a quiet patch with my music, due to work commitments and my other band (more to come on this very soon). Seeing &U&I came at a perfect time for me, as a kick up the arse to get things in gear. The guys have worked so hard since they were 14 to get where they are and despite being kicked in the nuts (if you don’t know what I mean just wiki ‘Blakfish’) they have clawed back to a position of musical worth in a very short space of time. Coming from the same background, scene and friendship groups it’s a great thing to be able to see a group that made it out alive and kicking. Hats off to them, fucking ferocious show. Nothing else needs to be said.

Friday 7 January 2011

Los Campesinos - Playing by their own rules

Los Campesinos have gone and completely smashed all DIY boundaries by coming up with the ingenious idea of HeatRash! With the increasing difficulty of actually making money as a band they are creating a £25 subscription to a magazine which will include their art, storys, lyrics, priority tickets and most importantly of all; tracks that are specially recorded for the venture. Not only is this the most innovative way of making money I've heard recently but as a Los Camp fan it's great to know I'll be getting some new tracks. Read some more here.


Tuesday 21 December 2010

Billy Bragg and the Wonders of Fatherhood

They say you should never meet your heroes; something about being dissapointed. I just think they're heroes are shit to be honest. Johnny Marr, the Jarmans and Frank Turner were all great when I met them; I always felt Billy Bragg would be the same.

I've not long been a fan. Teenage years on heavy doses of Metallica meant I missed him and I reckon he would have been a huge influence on me. It was when I started to get comments from the over 40s at my shows saying I was similar that I considered a proper listen. A guy said to listen to Levi Stubbs' Tears and to this day it's one of my all time favourite songs. The same week a friend gave me Back to Basics. Never had I heard lyrics or guitar playing like it. Unmistakable.

A friend works the stage at Leamington Assembly and invited me up to see him. (Read the post I'm an idiot, listen to beans on toast to hear how I got the wrong dates). I finally got there on Thursday the 9th of December; the day of the student protests. Me and my friend sat in a wetherspoons and drank £1.60 pints of bitter watching the unbelievable heroics of our country's youth. (I feel my thoughts on this matter are much better left for another blog post).

The very quiet support band were ok but as always I wished I was playing. We drank Guinness and looked upon his trademark Burns guitar on stage. I was excited!

I spent two songs out front, 'The Digger' and 'To Have and To Have Not', which was apt considering the days events. I sang along with the mass of middle aged folk like the song had been a part of my youth as it had theirs. I saw the rest of the show side of stage and stood very close, looking on like a schoolkid seeing their favourite pop star! He talked between songs. This is only acceptable if you play solo. He spoke of his thoughts on the day; not preaching, just speaking the truth. Bragg for prime minister.

We learnt how Bragg Junior had been stealing his guitar strings and playing too loudly in the house. "I went to tell him to turn it down, but how on earth could I? He was playing this..." and dropped into Milkman Of Human Kindness. I pondered the day when I discuss Bragg, Turner, Dylan et al, with my son.

He did the classics and some new ones from a play he scored about the BNP taking Barking. It was inspiring to see one person hold a crowd like he did. Asking for requests he played Levi Stubbs Tears. That was me done, I could fucking die happy now.

Needless to say he finished with New England and in my drunken state (I was pissing his stage manager RIGHT off) I danced and sang! ...Done

In the backstage area (leather sofas, Tammy Winnette's trailer and a bar...amazing) we chatted with his tour manager. I promise I didn't shamefully speak about my own music... Billy Bragg walked in wearing a Christmassy jumper with an entourage of 5 older people who proceeded to follow him every which way he went. Eventually I got to talk to him, however briefly. If I'm honest I can't remember what the hell was said but it was worth every effort I'd made to get there.

I returned to London. The following Thursday and the day after my office Christmas party I decided to go alone to see him at The Troxy. You can read 'Going to Gigs Alone' for more thoughts on doing this. With a dreadful hangover I got to East London. Supporting was Grace Petrie; again I wished it was me but she was very good! Click for an amazing song on the student protests. I made a few friends that night and spent it with a father and son whom Billy Bragg had been a massive part of their life together. It was quite touching actually.

The gig was different. Slightly tailored stories and similar setlist (he played Levi Stubbs again) but overall it was a slightly quieter vibe; half full venue and a different crowd. Maybe I just wasn't as drunk or pumped up after watching the protests. Eitherway, the only reason I included this gig in the write up was because of the encore. He introduced his friend from Dagenham to play guitar with them and then, to everyone's amazement bought his son on stage. They all played A13, Trunk Road to the sea. His son, note perfect, was visibly excited and on the final chord he did the old 'shoot the crowd with guitar' sequence, threw his pick in the crowd and stood with both arms raised in the air... His Dad had his arms crossed and was shaking his head. It bought me back to the Father and Son thing. I look forward to having that kind of experience one day, but most of all I look forward to seeing my family this Christmas.






Wednesday 15 December 2010

The View From...Birmingham

Here is a guest blog post I wrote for A New Band A Day a few months back called The View From...Birmingham. It's part of a series of articles that document the music scenes of different areas of the world. I completely forgot to link to it so fill your boots. Have a mooch around the website too because it's a damn good music blog! Click the pic to read!






Wednesday 8 December 2010

Real Musicians vs The Drivelbuggers

On BBC1 last night there was a documentary on the making of "Darkness On The Edge Of Town", Bruce Springsteen's fourth album. For anyone that aspires to play music this is absolutely essential viewing. Firstly to show you the legal difficulties major labels frequently inflicted upon artists, but more importantly, the processes behind making a classic album. 70 songs written, 40 songs recorded, 10 songs made it. Not only is this prolific songwriting but it enabled careful selection of 10 tracks that worked as a whole piece. Plenty of the other songs were used on later albums as they were far from inadequate, just inappropriate.

I hate to even mention it in the same post but just take a look at everything in the charts at the moment...you done it? And take a look at what is all over TV and news...yep, I'm not even going to say its name but I'll probably catch a bit of it myself this weekend. So we have this bunch a talentless drivelbuggers and the people putting in the real work, actually touring and writing songs, they pass through the underground due to fad music and smaller marketing budgets. Not ranting; I think I prefer it like this.

It's this kind of documentary that flicks on a light in my head to write more and work harder. I've had similar feelings after All About the Destination (Frank Turner docu), and The Beatles on Record. There's nothing like insight into how your heroes work to give you a kick up the backside.

So this will be on iPlayer for the next week, I will no doubt watch it a few more times and you should too. Even if you don't like his music you get to see how it used to be done and that's important. Or just watch it for the bit where he's playing guitar topless. It's enough to turn most blokes!