9 minute read
Cambridge Calling and Beyond! By Dave Hammond.
Cambridge Calling ... and Beyond!
Dave Hammond looks at what’s happening in the music scene in the hotbed of Rock ’n’ Roll that is Cambridge, Suffolk.
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Think of the cities around the UK that have thriving music scenes and a history of well-known and influential bands and you’re probably going to come up with London, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Sheffield, etc. I doubt many will mention Cambridge or the nearby town of Bury St Edmunds. Yeah, okay, Cambridge will always be linked to Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett, but once you get past the Dolly Mixtures, the Soft Boys, Kings Singers and Katrina and the Waves, you’d probably struggle to come up with anyone else that’s made a dent in the subconscious of the music listening public. When it comes to Bury St Edmunds, the list is even shorter. Miss Black America, a band much loved by John Peel, who lived just down the road near Stowmarket, are probably the only band some people may remember. Which is really not very representative at all.
Since I moved to the town of Haverhill, close to both Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds, I’ve gradually become aware of a vibrant music scene in both places which is spawning dozens of bands that are starting to knock at the door of national radio stations such as BBC 6 Music. Though both places, like many other towns and cities across the country, have struggled over recent years with venues closing, there are a small number supporting grass roots music (and hosting some quality bands from further afield) with regular events being well supported by decent sized and enthusiastic audiences. The Portland Arms, Junction and Blue Moon in Cambridge and The Hunter Club in Bury St Edmunds are all cases in mind. The university city also has a number of DJs at Cambridge 105 radio that support the local music scene and help to host the city’s band competition while, in Bury St Edmunds, the influential and much respected, nay loved, Seymour Quigley (ex of Miss Black America and Horse Party) has helped build a substantial and sustainable events night under the Washing Machine banner and been key in the development of the Bury Sound competition.
Talking of the Bury Sound competition, the 2022 edition has just finished following four heats and a final featuring five heat winners. Five heats were planned, but with one being cancelled due to inclement weather conditions, the entries for that heat were split into the following two heats, which yielded a winner each plus an additional winner to make the final complete. Heats are held at The Hunter Club, with the final held at The Apex in front of, I’m guessing 250+ people. Not bad for a town that had live music banned in the late-’70s by a mean-spirited council following an alleged riot at a Clash gig. Live music wasn’t seen in the town until the late-’90s, when local councillor Jackie Smith came up with the idea of Bury Sound, to encourage local youth to get
involved in music. I’ve attended the competition for the last five years, covering four sets of heats and finals (the competition being cancelled one year due to the intervention of some snotty little bug) and this year’s competition didn’t disappoint. The judging panel (of which I was one) didn’t have things easy and differing points of view were put across with passion and integrity. Eventual winners were the individualistic, quirky indie duo Collars, who I’m convinced will go on to greater things, while Queen Dogs picked up the Rising Star award. Mentored by the Queens Road Studio in Bury St Edmunds, that the latter are a group of 12-14 year olds playing their own Post-Punk originals made it all the more impressive. In reality, as with previous heats and finals, all the bands entered gain something from the competition, making new contacts and fans while playing to, arguably, their biggest audiences to date.
So, what else can I tell you about music in the area? As regular readers of the magazine will realise, there is a link
Collars
between Cambridge and Salford through German Shepherd Records. The label has released five volumes of music featuring 90+ bands local to the Cambridge area, all under the ‘Cambridge Calling’ banner. Yep, that’s nearly 100 bands that have been operating in the area over the last five years. Those volumes, all released to raise money for various worthy causes, came about through the wealth of music being sent to me by local bands for consideration for airplay on the Smelly Flowerpot show I presented between 2011-20 on Cambridge 105 Radio. That I had a chance meeting with Bob Osborne of the label at a Distractions gig at The Kings Arms in Salford, which led to the German Shepherd Records link up, is pure serendipity. It’s also worth mentioning at this point that these weren’t the only compilations of local music that had been released over the years in Cambridge and Bury St Edmunds. In the way that the likes of Bob Osborne (along with co-label owner Ian Moss) and Seymour Quigley have unstintingly promoted new, underground music in
their respective geographical locations and beyond, Richard Rose has been a feature of, if not a legendary figure in, local music scenes wherever he has lived. Having spent many years in Cambridge, he’s been responsible for many compilations and flexi disc releases featuring bands from that city, Bury St Edmunds and his current home, Swansea. For more years than he may care to remember, he’s also curated the online and physical copy of the ’Repeat’ fanzine as well as being at the forefront of the ‘Love Music, Hate Racism’ campaign.
For any healthy music scene to thrive, it requires its champions, the unsung heroes, those people who help to make things happen, and East Anglia is blessed with them, even though they may not always live in the area!
Another thing that’s impressive is the variety of music being produced in the area, something that’s backed up by a batch of releases that have sprung from the area over the last few weeks. Jack Adam Marriot, working under the name
Jay-D
Jay-D, is an unexpected beast in that he’s a young rapper from Huntingdon, a place that, on the face of it, appears to be the most un-urban of towns. He has his latest EP out, called ‘Poet of the People’, which is his best release to date. It has a breathless intensity at times, an unusual breadth of styles (synths and big beats, Rock crossover, Lovers Rap?) and plenty of interest lyrically - anyone who squeezes “dichotomy” into a song deserves respect. There’s also a rather touching tribute to Ian Shaw, one of the presenters of the Stagger Indie show on Cambridge 105, who sadly passed away last year.
From a youngster to someone who has just released his debut EP at the ripe old age of 70-something, Russell Nightingale. The word is that veteran (he’ll probably hate me describing him thus) of the local scene, Chris Free (formerly of Cambridge based Punks The Users, currently fronting Soul / Pop / Funk outfit, The Sound of Pop Art), first heard Russell sing at a regular open mic in the city. He was
Hungry
suitably blown away and ended up persuading Russell into the studio to produce a four track EP called ‘Merciful Saviour’. Described as ‘songs of optimism and hope’, there’s a thread of spiritual awareness and a feeling of joy throughout, all promoted by Russell’s vocal style, his original songs and the faithful, authentic production. There’s a bit of Ray Charles, a hint of Sun Records Elvis Presley and a touch of Gram Parsons in the Blues, Gospel and Country stylings. It’s an unexpected delight.
Talking of the Bury Sound competition, one of the finalists, the vibrant and energetic Hungry have just released their new single - their fourth by my reckoning - called ‘Love is War’. It’s an edgy, spiky guitar driven song with a hint of manic, garage energy. Throw in a short Rap section and extended guitar / bass interlude and you have something that hints at great things to come with its willingness to stretch out and explore different genres within the one song, elevating them above most Indie Pop groups. Having seen them, I
Kammahav
can state they back up that edgy energy on stage as well. One to keep an eye on.
Another relative newcomer is Yvonne Hercules (pictured on page 122), who has recently signed to local label, Trapped Animal Records, and has just released her excellent new single, ‘Nene’. Musically, it’s quite adventurous and quite sultry sounding, mixing Soul, Folk and Blues to great effect. Her voice is deep, rich and soulful while capable of swooping and soaring unexpectedly. With lyrics that conjure up some striking imagery with lines such as “Her waters carry wisdom, you see yourself in her reflection. In her river you bathe, the matriarch that flows through everything”, the River Nene has never sounded so attractive and beguiling. I, for one, look forward to more releases from this most intriguing and interesting of artists.
And now for something a little bit different … Dan Ecclestone, solo artist and singer / songwriter / guitarist for
Ember Rev has taken to releasing his latest compositions (for piano only) through a YouTube subscription channel. Subscribe via the link below and you’ll get notified every couple of weeks or so when the next piece is uploaded. Having heard the first piece, it’s well worth subscribing. And it’s free. And, I’ve noticed, there’s a new Ember Rev track under the subscription, which is a good introduction to something that is completely different to the piano pieces, as are the ‘xylophonics’ pieces and other solo material you’ll find there. He’s a restless, adventurous soul is young Dan.
Finally, for now, we need to talk about Tony Jenkins. He’s been one of the most prolific writers in the area over the last few years. Apart from singing on some early tracks by The Sound of Pop Art, writing and singing as part of Lizard Brain, fronting his own band The New Fools, he’s also one half of Kammahav along with Christian Gustaffson, former member of Swedish band, Victorian Tin. The distance between them has certainly been no barrier to them producing some quality releases over the last few years. Called ’48-54’ (no, I don’t know either- ages? Lines of longitude and latitude?), all the music is written by Christian with lyrics by Tony. The arrangements here are perfectly pitched, lots of organ and occasional strings giving the generally guitar driven songs (hints of Johnny Marr’s playing with The Smiths at times) a beating heart to match Tony’s distinctive vocal. There’s also a new album from Tony and The New Fools, which we’ll cover in the next issue. In the meantime, Tony, have a rest son. Go and watch Celtic or something.
