Issue 4 - June 2016 - Fret-Buzz Music Magazine by Fret-Buzz.net

june â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16 ÂŁ2 Digital | ÂŁ3 Printed

issue 4

featured articles festival news | new music chart | youtube bands in the spotlight greg barnes In Review

common people| ventnor day | Chalkpit records gig | more..

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Co-founder James Adsett Editor/Co-Founder Jake Priddle www.jake-priddle.co.uk

Contributors Andrew Butcher Luke Joynes www.iowfestivalsfansite.net

issue 4 june ‘16

Anthony Sharp Ian Vaughan

Welcome to Issue 4! Wow, how did we get this far?

James Gilby

This issue is kind of the calm before the storm - next month will be an Isle Of Wight Festival special. That’s right, we’ve managed to bag a media pass with access to the mythical photo pit. See you there!

@UHub_Official

Silas Gregory www.chalkpitrecords.com

Fret-Buzz HQ info@fret-buzz.net editor@fret-buzz.net 07576138337

Meanwhile, read all about Greg Barnes, many a review from Andrew Butcher, the usual breaking bands from UHub and a huge announcement from Anthony Sharp. He’s been busy in the lab tinkering away on a new and exciting creature set to be released next month. Until then!

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Music/News Submission reviews@fret-buzz.net

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Contents Chalkpit records recommended music 6-7

Music Charts this is new 18-19

uhub Official bands to look our for 8-9

greg barnes 20-25

Ianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Musical Musings Part 1 10-11 Festival news lukes ones to watch common people victorious 12-16

Introducing lorna brownsword 26-27 Youtube shaping music 28-29 live reviews 30-41

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Ian’s Musica

Part 1: C

n my recent tour of trying out different coffee shops on the island, I find myself on this extremely sunny afternoon in the upstairs of Skintrade in Newport. Drinking some sort of flavoured tea. I’ve had it before but for some reason, the exact name eludes me. Something in the regions of ginger and lemon I believe. Having checked the tag connected to my teabag, I am greeted by the face of a very happy monkey and so must conclude that it is in fact knitted monkey flavour. I’m not sure if I’d be that happy if I were going to be made into tea. They must have taken the picture before he found out. So faced with a decision of editing a new episode for my long suffering vlog series or writing, I decided to resurrect the previously website based Ian’s musical musings. I guess that makes this part 3 but we’ll restart the counter for some degree of sense. In this series, I take an idea and discuss my musical musings on the subject with highly variable levels of research. Therefore, I’d love to hear any corrections or opinions you may have on the Fret-Buzz Facebook page or my twitter. Hang on, what on earth is this song that has just come on to the music system? I wish there existed a version similar to scratch and sniff for music. In fact I’m sure that would be handy

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all over this magazine. Alas, it doesn’t exist and I fear it never will. Either way, I kinda like the song. It also appears I have made to have made the completely rookie mistake of dunking my biscuit and leaving it on the side of the saucer to melt into a mush. It’s made a terrible mess but I can’t help thinking it’s telling me a message. Maybe I’ve been typing this part too long, let’s move on. So anyway, something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now is that I’m sure there never used to be this much collaboration in music. Featuring is a word we see all the time in the title bars of some of the biggest songs around. This is an absolutely great thing. What better than seeing two of your favourite artists bringing their sounds together to make something even better? Or discovering an artist you’ve never heard before through their combined efforts? I mean who’d even heard of Paul McCartney before his collab with Kanye West anyway? Turns out, he’s not bad! I could however be completely off angle, maybe this has always been a thing but I just don’t recall seeing this before the turn of the millennium. A cynical side to me wonders whether it’s existence is brought into call through the realisation that two markets are better than one for the resulting

al Musings

Collaboration Generation by Ian Vaughan

cash flow but I like to think the strive for artistic merit is there as well. This all brought into question another thought into my mind. Why don’t you see this as much in the grassroots bands coming through? In my experience, local music scenes have tightly knit communities that would be a perfect Petri dish for this kind of thing. Many of the bands have followings already that would love to see their favourite locals acts working on things and performing together. In lieu of this, I often see a lot of band swapping and sharing but what really needs to happen as well is a building and promoting of each other as distinctly different acts. That, I sincerely hope, is the next big thing. As a continuation of this, I’d love to see local acts covering each others material. I’ve seen a lot of local acts over the last few years and many of them have really strong potential, the only difference between them and the bigger bands is exposure and the experience that comes with it. With an audience that knows them, they’d look at home in all sorts of impressive venues. Now I get part of the issue, tying into a local music scene creates a feeling of not being able to grow from beyond it. If you cover anything, covering a big song that most of the audience

will know shows your abilities whilst also being instantly relate-able to the audience. That is also very important and I’m certainly not suggesting getting rid of that. It would just be awesome to see some expansion into this kind of thing as well. Even big local bands that only play their own material have to earn some serious kudos for playing underrated local tunes. Well that’s me for this musical musing, my tea is finished and it was delicious. I might come back to this at some point and as I said in the beginning, please drop any discussions or suggestions to Fret-Buzz Facebook page or me directly. I’ll see it. Till next time.

@IanVaughanXY

LUKE’S ONES TO WATCH

The Spitfires

Watford-rockers The Spitfires are currently making waves on the music scene with their bold and brash approach to every live gig they play. Influenced by the likes of The Clash, The Jam and Arctic Monkeys, the four-piece have done exceptionally well, selling out gigs up and down the country, all without the need of an agent. Their distinctive mod-look has also seen them participate in advertising campaigns for internationally renowned brands, including Dr Martens. The lads seem to be always touring, so make sure you check them out now before they get their big break.

WHERE TO CATCH THEM: Isle of Wight Festival: Sat 11th Jun Coburgs, Isle of Wight: Fri 12th Aug The Haunt, Brighton: Sat 27th Aug (With support from The Novatones)

DOWNLOAD: ‘Stand Down’

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Music Legends Entertain Thousands at Common People 2016

housands of music fans descended on Southampton Common for the second Common People, held on May bank holiday weekend. In what was one of the hottest weekends of the year so far, fans were treated to performances from chart-topping acts and music legends.

played a shortened set, as a result of Lady Leshurr arriving late, but still received a phenomenal response from the crowd. They were followed by Ghostpoet who, although had an undeniably brilliant voice, performed quite a slow and ‘samey’ set. Former Supergrass lead singer Gaz Coombes performed next with quite an upbeat perforSaturday afternoon antics were mance, contrary to the slow provided by television legends performance I was expecting. The Chuckle Brothers who enAnother rap group followed, this couraged the crowds to chant time it was the turn of the legendtheir famous catchphrase “To me, ary Public Enemy. The five-time to you”. It was obvious that Paul Grammy-nominated godfathers and Barry were miming most of of hip-hop gave one of the most the words, but this only added energetic performances of the to their comedic value. Arriving day, leaving the thousands who onstage 45 minutes late, due to watched chanting for more. being stuck in traffic apparently, rapper Lady Leshurr was next up. Special guests Primal Scream What surprised me was that so then performed to an audience many people knew the words to whose average age must have her songs about ‘brushing teeth’ been about 14. This meant for and ‘crispy bacon’, all of which quite a strange atmosphere went straight over my head. where groups created mosh pits, a situation in which the 80’s Dubbed by many as ‘the found- rockers probably aren’t used to. ers of rap’, The Sugarhill Gang As expected, the 14 year-olds

stayed on for headliner Craig David, who seemed overwhelmed that he had been given the opportunity to headline his hometown of Southampton. The singer-come-DJ brought his TS5 show to The Common, which featured recent chart hits Nothing Like This and When The Bassline Drops, as well as a cover of Justin Bieber’s Sorry. The Sunday saw early afternoon performances from Sunday Best signees Xylaroo and Bestival favourite Mr Motivator, who got the early-birds geared up for another fantastic day of live music. New Forest newbies The Magic Gang performed next to a surprisingly large crowd, with a number of loyal fans sporting their t-shirts. National treasures Chas & Dave then played a hit-filled set, featuring rock ‘n’ roll anthems Gertcha and top 10 hit Rabbit. The Cuban Brothers, who have apparently performed at every Bestival and Common People event, were up next, bringing with them their witty songs and dance moves that makes them so popular. The crowd particularly enjoyed young dancer Domenico, but he refused their chants to take his top off. Instead, he changed into a glorified morph suit and the ladies certainly weren’t complaining. Next up was acoustic sensation Jamie Lawson, who is signed to Ed Sheeran’s label Gingerbread Man Records. His infectious vocals resonated throughout his performance and his rendition of number 1 single Wasn’t Expecting That proved to be one of the highlights of the weekend. The penultimate act on the day was

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drum ‘n’ bass pioneer Katy B, who claimed that the crowd were much better than that of the previous day at Common People Oxford. She performed hits from her latest album Honey, as well as chart hits Lights On and Katy On A Mission. Closing the weekend were none other than pop legends Duran Duran, performing hits from their fourteenth studio album Paper Gods and some of their most popular hits from ‘back in the day’. Their spectacular set also featured confetti cannons and giant beach balls, creating the party atmosphere which made their music so popular back in the vivid 80’s. A lot of reformed bands ‘lose it’ a little over the years, but Duran Duran proved that age is no barrier when it comes to music and played arguably the most memorable set of the weekend. Reading the news the next day, it seemed that organisers had trouble with scanning tickets and that there were a number of security issues over the weekend. None of these problems were apparent to me at the time and, from my perspective, it seemed to be a brilliantly organised, family-friendly weekend, featuring some of the greatest artists from around the world. Roll on 2017!

duran duran

Gaz Coombes

Jamie Lawson

Katy B

The Cuban Brothers

The Sugarhill gang

Up and Coming Talent on Offer at Victorious Festival

rganisers at Victorious Festival have announced a raft of up and coming acts set to play at their Southsea Common event on 27th and 28th August. Last year, the event saw performances from the likes of Fickle Friends, Honeyblood and Bipolar Sunshine, who are now all getting played on major radio stations, so you might just discover your new favourite band this year. 2016 will see performances from the newly confirmed Luke Sital-Singh, who was named on the BBC Sound of 2014 list, Orla Gartland, who is taking to the legendary Glastonbury Festival later this month and Common Stage artists Eliza And The Bear. Luke Sital-Singh and Orla Gartland will be performing on an Acoustic Stage lineup which has also been confirmed to host sets from Emmy The Great, Robyn Sherwell, Adam French, Rhys Lewis and Georgie. It has also been announced that BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac will headline the Castle Stage on the Saturday night. The Ibiza DJ is no stranger to the festival scene and her summer will see her play at T In The Park, V Festival and many more. Also confirmed are Public Service Broadcasting and rapper Wretch 32, who will both be performing on the Common Stage. Completing the recent announcement are DMA’s, Teleman, Oscar, All Tvvins, NGOD, Lusts and Baba Naga. Victorious Festival 2016 will be headlined by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Manic Street Preachers, as well as performances over the weekend from Mark Ronson (DJ Set), Travis, Editors, Echo & The Bunnymen, Wolfmother, The Coral and many more. Tickets are just £30 for a day up until 1st June, and can be purchased via the official Victorious Festival website.

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Even though the island can feel very, very small at times, there’s actually quite a lot going on in terms of music – so much so that it can be hard to keep up with it all! That’s why Fret-Buzz is launching the first ever Isle of Wight charts system - so that anyone interested in local music can easily keep up to date with the coolest new releases. We hope that this will increase awareness of local music and also encourage artists to create and promote their own.

So, how does it work?

The data used to compile the charts comes from artists’ YouTube and Soundcloud accounts and is based on the amount of listens and views. A database is kept with a link to every artist’s songs on both YouTube and Soundcloud (so it’s probably a good idea to get both of those now if you don’t already). The database is added to by hand in the first instance; artists who do not have a YouTube and Soundcloud song in the database may be missing out on being included. However, our software alerts us automatically when you remove or upload a new song, so long as you already have already registered a track on that website with us. This means you only have to register with us once. For instance, if you have a song registered with us on Soundcloud, all of your newest Soundcloud releases will automatically be added to the database. The charts will be compiled during the first week of each month (approximately the 6th).

Why YouTube and Soundcloud?

YouTube and Soundcloud provides us with the tools to look at artists’ songs and quickly grab their view counts, enabling us to compile a list of who’s listened to what. These are two of the most common platforms for artists. We have also looked at other sites from which to collect data, however it is not always so easy…

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Spotify for instance doesn’t allow software to access data regarding how many listens a track has, so this would need to be done manually which isn’t practical. However, it does provide a “popularity rating” on a scale from zero to one hundred which we may be able to look at using in the future. Bandcamp doesn’t have a “listen count” feature. We would love to look at other ways with which we can begin to rank the popularity of locally released music.

How can I be included in the charts?

Anyone can be included in the charts! All we have to do is get you registered in our database (which, by the way, takes about two minutes). All you have to do is send an email to charts@fret-buzz.net with a link to your YouTube and/or Soundcloud accounts and we’ll add you as soon as we can. We’ve already added a whole load of island acts into the database ourselves, so chances are you’re already included but why not send us an email just to be sure? No doubt we’ll be getting in contact with local record labels and managers etc. just to make sure that everyone’s involved!

When will it start?

The first official publication of the charts will be in July available through the magazine. Since it will be the first ever publication of the charts, expect a bit more than your typical list! We’ll be analysing the results and maybe even looking at who is the biggest Island act of all time!

Are there any guidelines to follow?

Why, yes – how did you know!? • Firstly, you must be from the Isle of Wight (although we may extend this to include other demographics along the south coast eventually). • Any song can be included, even covers (although the charts will not specify whether or not a song is a cover). • Songs must be posted on official artist channels or channels belonging to a representative of the artist (e.g. band members, record labels, managers). For instance, a song posted on Chalkpit Records’ channel would count for that artist. Songs uploaded unofficially by the public will not count. • Songs can be uploaded more than once and will count for their combined view/listen count, even if the same song is uploaded multiple times to the same site or channel. • Live performances can not count, except where the song is in the format of a live lounge/live recording session where there is no/minimal audience. The focus is on music that is readily consumable; recordings of live performances at venues are generally less so. • Just as artists may request that their music is included in the charts, an artist may request at any time that their music is removed from the charts and database completely. • Lastly, we don’t want anybody cheating the system. That’s why we’ve set up a blacklist to remove acts that artificially raise their view counts.

And another thing…

Although exciting, this system is very much in its infancy. We have yet to properly test it out and who knows how useful it will be in the long run! We will probably be tweaking the format for the next few months and toying with ideas, so until then bear with us! If you have any questions feel free to get in contact with us! We hope you’re as excited as we are! Anthony Sharp

Greg Barnes Words: Andrew Butcher | Photos: Cameron Snudden

Before I begin, I’d like to point out that if the people I know and love were genuinely terrible musicians, I would not be recommending them to you, and would tell them the truth to put them out of their misery (I’m quite a blunt person) - so you know that everyone I choose to write about, I do truly rate (he says with a gun to his head..). I’ve written smaller single reviews for Greg Barnes before, but now, with the release of his EP potentially coming closer - Its time for a feature. Unlike the last interview I conducted with Max Cowley for our April issue, which was somewhat

impromptu, I am fully prepared this time! And even the weather can feel it. The Sun beams high in the sky and lights up all of my little flat, reassuring me that this is going to be a good, productive Sunday. Whilst religious people conduct Church ceremonies, shops get ready to close five minutes after opening, and every form of transport has a lie in, I sit here at my table with my laptop in front of me, my phone next to me, and determination pumping through me, ready to make my second interview piece for Fret Buzz! And then the intercom screams its high pitched ring and I jump out of my skin... (Seriously, its too loud). Greg has arrived! Shades on, hair as wild as ever, and a ginger beard. He was built for sunny days in Ventnor. So after supplying Greg with tea and setting my phone to record our voices, the first thing I want to know is: after many years of making music, does Greg think he’s found ‘his sound’? ‘I don’t think I’ve found my sound yet’, Greg explains, ‘Well... I’m starting to. When I started doing mu-

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sic... I started playing guitar when I was sixteen, I was experimenting with different sounds, listening to like Ben Howard and Jack Johnson. And doing all this sort of... Twiddly thing with the guitar.’ (I’ve noticed all musicians have their own technical terms. Goes right over my head) ‘But its only sort of now that I’ve found that I really like this sort of Surf Folk... That sort of style. Similar to Ben Howard but not.. A bit more straight forward and simple.’ Surf Folk is definitely a genre that should stick if it hasn’t already! Perhaps Greg could be the first ‘Surf Folk’ musician, if the term hasn’t yet been coined... Anyway, I wonder if the style of Ben Howard and Jack Johnson are influencing the EP Greg is currently working on, so I deviate from my script to ask him (I’m getting the hang of this interview thing). ‘Yes’, Greg begins, ‘I started acoustic guitar because of Jack Johnson. And basically his Inbetween Dreams album, which is the one that has Banana Pancakes that everyone knows, that was the album that sort of got me into guitar, and then through Jack Johnson I listened to his friends like Donavon Frankenreiter’, (Great name!), ‘and Jason Mraz, and all that sort of stuff - so that’s the style I went for.’ So Greg may not have found his own sound just yet, but he certainly knows where his inspiration comes from, and that’s very impor-

tant for any artist. The quality draws me to certain artists is their determination and willpower to create and progress. It’s for this reason I’ve chosen to interview Greg; as he is an artist who certainly has determination, and it really shows with how much he’s progressed over the years. But even for someone who’s really pushing to hone their craft, surely creating an EP virtually by yourself has got to be difficult? ‘Yeah, its been challenging’, Greg tells me, ‘I started the EP - I wanted to do it anyway but I started it because of my Commercial Music Project at Platform 1, doing my degree. So it was hard trying to balance doing a dissertation and getting out gigging and all this sort of stuff, but I haven’t been on my own. I have a co-writing partner which is Jack Hall, the lead singer of Sexy Pretty Things - which is a weird combination: punk rockers meets Greg the surfer.’ I’m sorry, at this point I can’t help but picture Greg in a stereotypical punky leather jacket with chains.. His hair straightened over his face so you only get a look at the make-up he’s wearing when he flicks his hair back... Standing on a surf board in the sea... If we could get a photo-shopped image of that Jake, that would be amazing! (Sorry, just talking to the editor... BREAKING THE FORTH WALL!) However, Greg assures me, sadly, that this isn’t what he means:

‘He’s (Jack) really versatile so its not... Me doing rock songs or whatever.’ Aww, but what about ‘punky surfer Greg’... Let’s all start a petition! ‘Erm... Yeah so I’ve got help with that, but mostly I write the songs so that’s the challenging part. I hate writing songs.’ Interesting... A musician who hates writing songs... So where do they come from? I have to ask if he means the music or lyrics just to clarify that he’s not in the wrong profession... ‘Music and lyrics. I’ll write a song and then the next minute I’ll hate it.’ Ahh he means the perfectionist part of the art... Yeah we all do that darling, we can’t help it! Our own worst critic and all that... ‘Basically the last few songs I’ve written in the studio about half an hour before we start recording it, and its been fine and we’ve done it that way. If I write it like... Weeks in advance I’ll probably hate it by the time we record it, but doing it in the studio sort of... Writing as I go, and with Jack’s help: normally I lay down the main part and do the vocals for him and then he’ll put the drums down and then adds all the sweetener bits, like all the little guitars. I’ve also got a friend called Jacob Smith who’s an amazing Bassist who helps out on a couple of songs, and so does Jack - play Bass. So its good. And then once its all done I hand it over to guy called Max Perry who owns a company called Lamplighters Empire...’ he got that right first time, I was impressed! ‘Who does all the mix and mastering and he’s done a really good job so far.’ And he really has! If you haven’t listened to Lost For Words or Day By Day, the two tracks of Greg’s EP that are out so far that Max Perry has worked his magic on, you really should! Between Greg, Jack Hall, Jacob Smith with Day By Day, and Max Perry’s talent, they are put together pretty flawlessly! Head over to gregbarnesmusic.co.uk to check them out - and see the music videos on Greg’s YouTube channel: Greg Barnes Music.

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Next, I wanted to find out a little more about Greg’s upcoming EP (I actually only just decided to put this part here, and switch the original order of the questions to make this piece flow better... I guess it doesn’t work now I’ve told you... Oh well!), so I ask him: how would you brand the EP, are there any recurring themes? ‘I like to sort of.. Show how beautiful the Island is and how nice the place we live is. And I just love the ocean - I’m quite a big surfer, I love water and like, swimming and all this sort of stuff, so I like to try and influence that in my songs. Hence my last music video Day By Day where I’m in the sea.’ I remind Greg his Dog was there too, because I love his Dog. ‘Yeah, with my Dog. I’ve taken after, basically Jack Johnson. But its completely different as he lives in Hawaii and we live in the UK.’ Only a bit different then... ‘Its still nice. I’ve got quite a few little ideas for the summer, after I’ve finished the EP. I’m going to work with um, Glass House Productions who did the music video for Day By Day, and do some more videos over the summer, in the sea, and make the most of it I think. Hopefully the weather will stay like that.’ Greg nods to the window, where the sun still graces us with its presence! ‘Talking about the EP: its sort of a um... basically a British summer. So like, I’ve just recorded a single which is the title track for the EP called Early Summer. This is one that’s sort of a bit more, I’d say a bit more Paolo Nutini, a bit more, ‘rocky vibe’. Its basically about... Being in Britain and sort of... the weathers rubbish but you still wanna go to the beach anyway.’ Sounds pretty accurate! Except for me, because it takes me about five minutes without sun-cream to burn... Anyway, its all well and good talking about the EP, but to get the full experience of any artist you HAVE to see them live! So what exciting things are

coming up for Greg? ‘I’ve got gigs up until Christmas at the Old Corner Bank in Sandown’ - this is a monthly gig too, so if you want a guaranteed chance of seeing Greg live, The Old Corner Bank is a good place to look. ‘I’ve just been in touch with the Ventnor Fringe lot, and I’m going to be back this year - which I’m waiting to hear the results. Er... I’m hosting my own stage at V-Dub Festival cause I’ve got quite into hosting events and event organising. And playing at the Isle of Wight Festival - little slot. And I’ve been approached by um, a management company in London called Hot Vox, which hopefully something will work from it. I’ve got a gig up there - up in London, for the Acklam Village Market - The 25th of June. Cause I’ve played a lot of gigs on the Isle of Wight but the hardest thing is trying to get off. I love the Island, I think its an amazing place for music and always something going on but... I don’t wanna be tied down to the Isle of Wight, I’d love to get off and do some gigs over in Portsmouth and bigger cities around the UK.’ I laugh, telling Greg that playing in London for a management company is definitely a huge start! ‘Yeah! I’ve never played off the Island, apart from playing in Amsterdam as part of my University doing my tour and doing some solo stuff, so to just do a big jump to London is pretty exciting.’ As Greg’s been making music for many years, how does this new EP compare to some of his older songs? ‘Before I’ve written songs in the past and they’re quite sort of... Mediocre sort of thing. Its me starting out. So I think now I feel a lot more established. I think people will like that. The fact that its a lot more professional - like before it was really like amateur, home recordings, that sort of thing. Now I’ve actually put some time in it - I didn’t wanna just sort of churn it out - I’ve been working on this EP since October last year, that

sort of time, so its a long process sort of thing.’ So by the sounds of it, if you liked Greg’s older music, you’ll love Early Summer! Because this EP sounds like Greg Barnes Music 2.0! So to round off, as ever, I like to put my interviewees on the spot and ask: ‘So when can we can expect a release then?’ And just like Max Cowley, Greg answers cautiously, not wanting to feel tied down to an expected date just yet: ‘Erm... I’m still writing it’ The YouTube video I’m rendering finishes and makes a distracting noise, which I think Greg is glad of. ‘Basically this EP, I’m still sort of... Working on. Its a long process, I don’t wanna just go: ‘oh, this is any old song’. But yeah I’m hoping to have it out...’, he hesitates, ‘I don’t wanna say a real date’, Greg laughs nervously. I assure him that just being in writing in this magazine doesn’t make it set in stone (which obviously it does! But you’ve gotta be a reassuring friend, and a good journalist, right?), ‘The plan is for the 1st of July’, Boom! We have a release date! (I’m kidding Greg... Please don’t hurt me!) ‘Which is the same release date as Blink-182’s new album, so... Competition. Fighting against ‘em.’ So there you go folks, if you want to support Greg Barnes in his quest to make Surf Folk a thing, buy more copies of Greg’s upcoming EP Early Summer than Blink-182 sell of theirs! And check out Greg’s music on his website gregbarnesmusic.co.uk. Peace out! By Andrew Butcher.

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Max Cowely - Charity Single Release Lorna Brownsword: Composer

On the 26th June Max Cowely released his latest single “A Better Man” to raise awareness and money for Crohn’s and Colitis UK. Crohn’s and Colitis UK are the leading charity in the fight against Crohn’s Disease, Colitis and other Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) which affects more than 300,000 people in the UK. In this statement on his Facebook page, Max explains a little more about the single:

“I feel so privileged to have been asked to write a song to raise awareness of Colitis, something that has effected one of my best friends in a very big way! Despite all his suffering, and all he has gone through, he has stayed positive and brave the whole time, and I can honestly say I am so proud of him! Greg and me have worked together to produce this song and it will be released next Thursday [26th June], which is a year since his operation!” 100% of all sales of the single will go straight to Crohn’s and Colitis UK.

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Here at Fret Buzz we often cover bands, solo artists, albums, singles, introduction pieces, live reviews, music festival news, and write pieces about the music industry generally. One thing we haven’t done yet (I don’t think...) is talk about Composers. Now, this may confuse you a little as technically many musicians are Composers themselves because they write their own music. But that’s not what I mean. The Composer is kind of ‘the Journalist of the music industry’, in the sense that Composers often create pieces for other people and shows that may not be their own, but do need their talent behind them in order to make them the best they can be. I write for a lot of different artists, that doesn’t make their music mine (as much as I wish I was talented enough to have created their music) but those artists do benefit from Music Journalists like me writing about their work, therefore giving me an opportunity to showcase my talent in what I love, while talking about the talent other people have in things I’m not so good at. Think of all the TV programs and films that, without the music behind them that Composers write, would feel like they had something missing from them. Have you ever thought of the people and huge orchestras that are needed to make the music sound as beautiful as it does? And those incredibly talented individuals who score all of those parts to work together seamlessly: Murray Gold for Doctor Who, Hans Zimmer for ALL THE THINGS, John Williams known for Star Wars, Henry Jackman for Wreck-It Ralph, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Big Hero 6 - and that’s only a small list.

The amount of talented Composers out there is amazing. And I don’t know about you, but I think the productions they’ve scored for would be so much less without their music. Music can convey emotion that words just aren’t capable of with the right Composer, and that is very special. So, why am I raving about Composers? Well, the main reason is because I don’t think enough people acknowledge how greatly talented they are, and I wanted to. But the clincher is: I know an awesome Composer. Yep, not even kidding. Right here on the Isle of Wight. And to fight the aforementioned male dominated list I gave you - She’s a she! Do try not to spill your tea, it really isn’t that big a deal. Her gender I mean, not her music. If her music wasn’t a huge deal there’d be no point writing this article! Lorna Brownsword (real name I promise! As far as I know...) has been training in music for the past seventeen years of her life, and graduated from the prestigious Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 2015. The most fascinating thing about Composers though, is just how darn talented they are with instruments! I mean think about it, in order to create huge orchestral scores for TV, film, stage shows - you have to understand how so many different instruments work, and how they work together too. From the list I’ve been given (though I imagine there’s probably more) Lorna can play Oboe, Cor Anglais (something French..), Flute, Piccolo (a mini Flute), Irish Whistle, Saxophone, Clarinet, Piano, Ukulele, Cello, Bassoon (funny ol’ word!), AND she can sing... If its any consolation, Lorna’s mostly

influenced by Classical music, Opera, and Musical Theatre, and therefore isn’t really sure what music is after... About the 1900’s. But then, let’s face it, a lot of ‘mainstream’ music these days has nothing on what Composers can do! (before all you other musicians get offended, I said ‘a lot of’, not ‘all’... Please don’t hurt me!). Lorna has run musical groups before, during her degree, and has created beautiful scores for various shows both on and off of the island. She is also currently working on her own Opera, so keep a look out for that! You can find out more information about Lorna’s work at Starbucks, on any day of the week. Just take a look through the front window for the girl with the Mermaid hair (Again, I’m serious. She practically lives in Starbucks) and keep supporting the amazing work of Composers so that we will always have soundtracks to make productions even better! By Andrew Butcher.

YouTube: Shaping the Mu

ey! Hi! Hello! How’s it going? My name’s Andrew Butcher, and today I’m writing to you in the style of blogging. Hopefully you’ve got to the stage in your life where you’ve found something wonderful and amazing that has totally changed the way you live, what you love, how you see the world, or all of the above. If you haven’t yet, don’t worry, there’s no dire hurry! (Please God, if you really do exist, cease this delinquent’s ability to rhyme!) Keep looking, I’m sure you’ll find special things like that at some point. And trust me, when you do, you’ll know. Because when you really love something and really enjoy it, you never really stop! For example, I began creating videos - both vlogs (video logs, for those of you who are either not interested, or too old to know the abbreviation), and random sketch type videos, with my two friends Richard and Will way back in the old days of 2009 (It may not seem like that long ago, but that’s a whole SEVEN YEARS! I was fifteen for Gallifrey’s sake... Oh the good ol’ days! ...Not that now isn’t good, its great! Just different and slightly more complicated). Anyway, when the idiot in brackets stops interrupting me: (Help, I’m trapped in here!) I haven’t really stopped creating videos and posting them to YouTube since then (That’s a whole seven years worth of crap... About 273 videos worth of crap to be exact...). So, the question is: without the amazing platform that is YouTube to share the content I create, would I still create as often as I do? In honesty, I’m not sure I would, simply because the fact I can share what I make using YouTube to do so spurs me on to make more. The point here is, YouTube, since its creation in 2005, has dramatically changed the way we live and given us a brand new platform to create and share on - an immediate, live action form of globalisation. But why is a video sharing website important to discuss wrapped in the colour and binding of a music magazine? (Why aren’t you helping? I’m still trapped!). Well, there was a time

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where people thought music videos were dying. Because let’s face it, most people only ever really put the music channels on either as background music, or when its Christmas (Who doesn’t love a good Christmas music video? Also, help. Rotting away in here!). And that’s only those who actually even watch TV and don’t spend all their time on their various technical devices - Which is where YouTube comes in.

Without an online presence these days artists of any kind are very likely to simply fizzle away and fall into the mix of unknown creators who never

usic Industry Since 2005 had their ideas paid attention to. But for musicians especially, I think YouTube almost insures that this cannot happen. Not only has YouTube made video creation and editing popular, but it has also given musicians an immediate platform upon which you can post any music video of your choice in about five/ten minutes (Provided your connection is fast enough obviously. Yep, still here, not quite rotted away just yet. No pressure or anything... RELEASE ME FROM THESE DARNED

nel on their YouTube page so that, if they want to, they can view it right away! Fans of bands these days can accumulate overnight. Thousands of them. And often, with people staying awake all hours, bored, scrolling through the never-ending void of the internet (Seriously, I’m choking in here!), that will happen. We’ll find a bands channel, view their videos, and if we like you we’re very likely to share that music with everyone we know. Its absolutely incredible what YouTube has done for so many people. If you’re an artist without a YouTube channel, and/or a Facebook page, why? It doesn’t take long to set up, and compared to how much it can change your life, its most certainly worth it. I bet if you told artists fifty/ sixty years ago that services like YouTube and Facebook will one day exist, where you can post music and videos onto a website where anyone in the world could find it in seconds, and then proceed to share it with mostly everyone they’ve ever met, they’d be flabbergasted! (Great word that, flabbergasted. Its how I feel right now SUFFOCATING IN THE CONFINES OF THESE BRACKETS!). Literally, they might not even believe you because of how incredible that would be - that if you just make sure you have a good, strong online presence, anyone, anywhere can pick up and love what you do. To conclude, I’m not being paid anything by YouTube or Facebook to say any of this stuff, in fact I’m not even being paid to write any of this stuff. I write these articles because I love writing, and I lecture you with this information because I am one of those people who adores being able to find and appreciate new and great music online, and tell others about it! So keep at what you love, and spam it all over the internet, because the more you do that, the more people will find and potentially love it! (www.youtube.com/BLazinAround)

BRACKETS MORTAL!), and share it with fans of your music instantly. It even sends it directly to those who have already subscribed to your chan-

- Andrew Butcher.

Live reviews

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xockha// nakamarra// ecsess// furthermore// Blacksheep Bar - iow 13.05.16

hat a fantastic mix of a night at Blacksheep Bar tonight was! Off the wall math rock-esque tales of ripping your arms off from Furthermore to kick things off. New bands on the block Ecsess and Nakamarra showcase their new take on indie chill - definitely a couple of bands to look out for. And closing the night were firm favourites Xockha getting people moving and sweating. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a photo review of the night.

Furthermore

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Jake Priddle

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ecsess

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nakamarra

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xockha

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Wight Noize Auditions

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The traditional Wight Noize competition took place at the Quay Arts Centre on Saturday 14th May, featuring some of the Island’s best young musical talents battling it out for a slot on the Main Stage at the Isle of Wight Festival. Organised by the Platform One College of Music, 7 acts were lined up to perform in front of music industry experts. First up were acoustic duo and, admittedly, the only act I’d never heard of on the line-up, Church & Ivory. Backed up by a group of equally talented musicians, the duo were praised for their look and sound, with the judges particularly liking the appearance of two violinists for their final song. They were followed by the only solo artist of the day, Ever. Describing her sound as “a haunting, yet sophisticated singing style”, the judges compared her to popular artist Grimes and this was followed with Ever announcing a BBC Introducing live session in June. Teenage trio FURTHERMORE were next to perform, with guitarist Jake Goodrum’s guitar-tapping techniques being a particular favourite among the judges. I went to see the lads perform again a week later at the Blacksheep Bar and it’s really great to see that they are improving each time, taking on the advice given to them by the judges. My personal favourites XOCKHA performed next with the judges, particularly Isle of Wight Radio’s Heather McCallum, taking a liking to lead singer Benjamin Jones’ sparkly top. The band’s track Losing Sight has since been aired on BBC Radio 1 and

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it’s certainly clear to see why. The four-piece gave yet another confident performance with Domino Records representative Aoife Kitt commenting, “Great front-man, with the right level of swagger”. Indie-rock outfit The Orders were next to play, who were noted for their energy and enthusiasm on the stage. One judge even claimed, “Jake Bugg should be shitting himself”. Coburgs-favourites Sexy Pretty Things were the penultimate band on the day, but the judges felt that they were holding back a little, this, however, could be due to the pressure of playing just in front of a few judges, but they need to be able to adapt to all scenarios. BaDow were next to close proceedings and, as expected, their strange set-up of having their drummer as lead singer was one that surprised the judges. As always, the three-piece gave a solid performance and one that must have put them in a good position in the competition. It was later announced that The Orders had been crowned the winners, and they will now be playing on the Main Stage of the Isle of Wight Festival on Sunday 12th June. All the contestants, however, were good enough to earn themselves slots on the Platform One Stage at the festival, with some even being announced for the Kashmir Café Stage. Seaclose Park really is the place to be in June. Words & Photos - Luke Joynes

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Spike Oatley Live @ Ventnor Exchange On Friday the 20th of May 2016 the Ventnor Exchange hosted Chordorize, or The Doubting Derek’s Calamitous Cabaret as I believe it’s now known - a night with an ‘eclectic mix’ of entertainment. Laura Reid hosted the event, and did a very good job - which she mentioned she was surprised by as it was her first time hosting. But Laura promised us we’d have an ‘eclectic mix’ of acts, and that’s exactly what we got! I spent the whole of the first act squirming as a very intelligent and clearly braver man than me spent his session using a web-cam to give us all a VERY close up view of insect and arachnid wildlife. (If you couldn’t tell, I really do not like bugs... Except for the ones in Disney’s A Bugs Life, I mean come on... Its Disney. Side note: I am an avid and proud Disney lover). But then I eased up as Poets, Spoken Word artists, an Impressionist of Marilyn Monroe, and a Comedian took to the stage to give some amazing, talented, and hilarious performances. However, rather unexpectedly for an event largely focused on Spoken Word performances, a stand-out act on just before the second half took to the stage to give a heartfelt, passionate performance with his acoustic guitar in hand and some great original songs for us! This man was Spike Oatley. Up until this point I had only heard of Spike, I had never had the pleasure of actually hearing him live and meeting the man himself. But as soon as he was introduced, I did what I always do now at live gigs and opened the notepad app on my phone ready to capture my initial thoughts (So if I’m ever at one of your gigs and you see me typing away on my phone, I promise you I’m not being rude! It is simply the way the music journalist in

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me works - my initial thoughts help shape the overall opinion I share with you now, therefore I must furiously type what I can for these articles to be any good... Although I feel my rambling might be ruining this one...). So who is Spike Oatley? Well, after asking him on Facebook Messenger, I can now tell you: A man who first got into music by supporting friends in bands, with the reminiscence of his Dad’s vinyl records smell fresh in his memory from childhood days, and became fascinated by the difference in recorded and live music performances - the art of editing, mixing, and mastering Vs. the fragile human element of possibility and imperfection, the fact that things can go wrong live. After many years of being the great supportive friend hanging back and observing friends live performances, Spike made the life changing decision to begin playing guitar at the age of 17/18, and after learning and putting music to the many lyrical pieces he’d written concealed in the four walls of his bedroom, finally mustered the confidence at the age of 25, with the encouragement of his girlfriend, to make himself go on stage and play. Spike’s music has now been played on various radio shows, including the BBC’s, and the internet assures me that he doesn’t stop gigging, which I can believe from the fab list of places you can see Spike perform at this year. He will be at Kashmir Café at the IOW Festival on the 10th of June from 4pm, The Anchor in Cowes from 9pm on the 16th of June, The Breeze Bar, Island Harbour Newport from 2pm, and on the 1st of July at High Park Tavern in Ryde from 9pm. So as you can tell, Spike’s confidence performing has sky-rocketed since

he was younger, and he now has his dream job performing for a living.

So, Spike Oatley has been on a fulfilling journey of becoming more confident in himself and his sound, and, although it’s a shame that he didn’t start making music earlier in his life as he is brilliant at it, the point is he’s a professional Musician now. He gigs as much as he can, and has a confident sound with a lot of passion behind it. So if you’d like to support Spike Oatley, head to www. spikeoatley.com to learn more about the man himself and keep up with where you can catch him live! Keep it up Spike, you’re great.

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So what kind of music does Spike play? From what I heard live at the Ventnor Exchange: soft, beautiful, acoustic folk and blues music that he seems to pour his soul into. And I’m not just saying that, throughout his set you can see that Spike is very clearly incredibly happy and humbled to be where he is now, and really has poured his whole life into music since he gained more confidence both in his performance, and his musical/lyrical crafting skills. There is lots of brilliant vivid imagery in Spike’s songs, evident from the first one he played entitled: Echo Your Call - a slow and beautiful song that conjured images of a still, quiet, relaxing hill or meadow environment. Finding Penny continued this theme, with a little more of an upbeat pace and good rhythm, this reminded me of going on a warm, fresh spring walk out in the open breeze. Spike constantly seemed very modest about his talent, even commenting at one point that it was incredibly nice for him being at a Spoken Word event as opposed to playing in loud pubs, as Spoken Word audiences are quieter and it makes a nice change to be properly heard and respected. Pubs are great for musicians, in the sense that lots of people go there to socialise and you will likely have an audience of some capacity, but for a heartfelt act like Spike’s the best place to hear him play, I think, is a place where everyone is there to hear him - this man is able to captivate a room with his music, but with a lot of people drinking and chatting loudly in a pub setting, I can imagine it’s much more difficult to do that. Troubadour Blues was next, a song about being a struggling musician busking and trying to make

it in the world - this song took us back to the soft slowness of Echo Your Call, with some difficult higher notes very well hit. And lastly, Spike performed a song called Godshill (I think it’s all one word as he mentions it is about the place Godshill on the Isle of Wight). This song, Spike tells us, was written in his shed - the place he’d go to be creative and make music. This final piece was very upbeat with a nice quick pace and some heartfelt philosophical lyrics.

Andrew Butcher

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Ventnor Day 2016

ay the 4th be with you as the BBC descend upon Ventnor! That’s right: the BBC. Or BBC South Today with Sally Taylor MBE more specifically... Who decided they’d come down to our little town on our little island to see all our beautiful views and quirks. But why Ventnor? Well, aside from having one of the best and brightest subtropical micro-climates of the British Isles, Ventnor has also had many influential people throughout history living in and visiting the area. Due to this, the town has always had cultural importance. Sir Winston Churchill, Karl Marx, and Charles Dickens are a notable few to have spent time in Ventnor, with Dickens even describing the town as ‘The prettiest place I ever saw in my life’ (Specific source unknown... I found this information on an internet page about the history of Ventnor... Don’t judge me this isn’t a history essay). But Ventnor mainly flourished in the 1830’s when its economy and population were transformed after prominent Physician Sir James Clark declared its climate to have healing qualities that were beneficial for suffers of disease such as tuberculosis. Although we may have had a decline as war hit the Isle of Wight and railways connecting Ryde, Sandown, and Shanklin to Ventnor, Newport, and Cowes had to be closed down (Which annoyingly were inevitably cheaper than Southern Vectis buses... I mean what isn’t? Seriously... WE WANT THE STUDENT RIDER BACK! 50p to go anywhere on the Island... Kids these days wouldn’t believe us), Ventnor remains a beautiful place of historical significance. And in my humble opinion, nothing better proves that than the fact Ventnor Day exists. Greg Barnes hosted the musical side of Ventnor Day, and I was prepared to catch as much of it as I could. The two batteries for my Canon camera were charged, AND I’d even wiped my SD card. So with a beautiful sun beaming above, and funny little Islanders gawking whenever they caught a glimpse of HUGE celebrity Sally Taylor MBE, the music began for me. With his shades on and guitar out (his signature

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look), Greg was ready to go. A band called the Young Volcanoes had been on just before, but I hadn’t managed to catch them unfortunately (There were A LOT of acts on to showcase the Islands incredible talent, and I wouldn’t have been able to get up again afterwards if I’d watched every single one!). Greg performed four great songs, two covers, two originals - both originals you can find at gregbarnesmusic.com, Lost For Words and Take My Time. Shot Reverse Shot by Jack Johnson was one of my favourite covers from Greg. He then hung around on stage (limelight hogger, I know!) to play guitar in his duo North and South with the fantastic Chloë North. The two performed two covers, Somebody’s Me by Enrique Iglesias, and Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran, and one original called Head In the Clouds. All songs were strong and beautiful, and Chloë and Greg’s harmonies work very well together. I especially enjoyed Thinking Out Loud though as it’s an emotive song by a fellow ginger I once almost met (I say ‘almost’... I pretended I had because it was better than admitting that my ‘artist’ wristband had been pointless as Ed was too quick getting from his transport vehicle into the Psychedelic Worm tent at Bestival for me to ‘ginger five’ him, as I proceeded to tell everyone I had... But shhhh, don’t tell anyone... This is a secret...). With Greg’s dog Murphy barking with constant appreciation at exactly the correct time after each song... with only a few hiccups (Not literally... I don’t even know if dogs do that...), the final bark echoed it was time for Joe Chilcott to take the stage. Having seen Joe perform only once before at a charity gig Greg hosted in aid of KissyPuppy, an island based charity, at The Black Sheep Bar in Ryde, I was very excited to see him again. Joe has a brilliant vocal range, and an intriguing stage presence and energy about him - and just like the last time I saw him live, his first song today proved he is as great as I remember him being. Joe performed four covers and one original that I got the chance to see, as I ended up having to go home when my camera died to change over the battery

I believe Ventnor Day was the first gig Max performed at with a large range of music and a band set-up ready, all that have come together for his first solo project ever! And it was clear that the people who came to watch were drawn to Max’s definite and unique, somehow modern but with echoes of the archaic 80’s, style of music. With his Mac on hand to play the many interestingly differing backing tracks, combined with backing harmonies from Greg Barnes (I know, he seems to be EVERYWHERE!), and Chloë North, and guitar support from Euan Pope, Max had an awesome musical set-up that blasted

his unique sound to the whole of Ventnor! Better yet, every song performed in Max’s set was an original, some of which that may end up featuring on his big solo album when it’s released - so keep a look out for that. I think Max is incredibly talented and love much of his music, but some of my favourites of his Ventnor Day set included the recently released I See A Future, an epic combination of techno backing, a harmonious chorus, and rap! Broken Memories, because its years old, I’ve always loved it, it has been fitted to every musical set-up Max has ever had (Which is a lot...), and still sounds awesome! And Torn Apart, because its rare that I haven’t heard a song of Max’s before its played live - and this one was a real treat.

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(I didn’t take the second one with me because I’m an idiot...). I think Get Out Of My Head was my favourite of the songs that I heard, as Joe conveyed a perfect juxtaposition between the slow, emotive energy in some parts of the song, and the faster, almost rap like parts of the piece. This performance really highlighted Joe’s vocal ability and I was privileged to see him live a second time, and hope to again in the future. After grabbing a fresh camera battery from home, having a tasty BBQ cheese burger, sitting in the sun, and doing some much needed vlogging (You may want to check out the footage of Ventnor Day I filmed at www.youtube.com/BLazinAround... You know, if you WANT), it was time to head back to the music area for Max Cowley. I sadly didn’t manage to catch the acts between Joe and Max, but as I say, it was difficult for me to sit in the same place in the blazing sun for the duration of every performance, even with my rustic, authentic cowboy hat on!

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AND NOW LADIES AND GENTLEDUDES FOR AN INTERMISSION FROM THE VENTNOR COMIC JAZZ BAND. This group of awesome Ventnorians are great! You don’t have an event on the Isle of Wight without the Ventnor Comic Jazz Band!

And last but by no means least, the finale of the day for me (Simply because by this point the broken nerves in my leg were deciding to give up a little, which was fun!) the amazing Company B! Now if you don’t know who these girls are by now, something is wrong. Company B are a collective of four brilliantly talented young ladies, Harriet Back, Natalie Aghajanian (Should be right, I did my research and everything!), Joella Maddin, and Thea Callaghan, who beautifully harmonise music mostly by The Andrews Sisters - a huge inspiration for them, in period ladies war-time costume. It was clear that people knew of Company B and were looking forward to seeing these girls bring to life an act that was initially incredibly influential from the 1930’s, as they drew a large crowd of people who all seemed to really enjoy the charisma and energy of their renditions of many timeless classics. You can’t help but bob and sway with the ladies as they both harmonise and take turns on different songs to individually show their vocal talent throughout their set with a distinct energy. And the great thing about Company B is that, despite their covers being specific to the era they conjure (To the point where even I’m a little too young to know them, and I’m practically ancient now... At least I feel it anyhow...), the charisma and personality they’ve clearly worked hard to put into their act makes the performance incredibly enjoyable no matter who you are (Unless you’re a devout metal-head... You might need to stretch your love of music a little. But trust me, it could make you do the jazz hands you didn’t even know you were capable of!). Some of my favourites from Company B’s set include Wish Me Luck (As You Wave Me Goodbye) originally by Gracie Fields, because the girls really do justice to a great song I first came by in one of my favourite plays/films: The History Boys, and Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree, because this number gave each of the ladies a great chance to individually show off their vocal talent and also had a nice contrast in slow/fast

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pace, which gave it a great energy. And of course, their signature finale song: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, was fab as ever! However, annoyingly, my camera decided to die whilst filming this number - the last song of the day for me. So I began using my phone, which proceeded also to hate me and die (Both had a busy day bless ‘em). But aside from not being able to record the last few minutes of this last song, I had a greatly successful day of sunshine and capturing amazing music! Needless to say, I really do hope Ventnor Day continues year upon year and that we keep having this great chance to experience diverse and fantastic Isle of Wight talent! Thank you to all the acts I saw for wonderful performances, and I apologise to anyone I did not manage to see - if its any consolation, I only left early because I was in pain and ended up limping slowly home (Not because of the music, I promise. That was genuinely awesome!) Hope to see you next year Ventnor Day and HUGE celebrity Sally Taylor MBE! - Andrew Butcher.

iow festival edition Landing July â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16

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