Local Artist Spotlight: Boy Azooga

This year, it seems as though one Cardiff band has really taken off; as the year ends, Boy Azooga can say they’ve played at Glastonbury and supported both of the Gallagher brothers —having played Cardiff Castle with Noel Gallagher this summer followed by a support slot at the O2 arena for Liam. The release of their new track O Silly Me which featured on BBC Radio 1 is only more assurance that this is a band on the rise. The new track, which features a more sincere and less complex approach to Davey Newington’s thoughts on worry, adds a different element to their already broad range of songs from their debut album.

Their first album, 1,2, Kung Fu!, is a dynamic and complex 11 track album; written and recorded by Davey, and produced by his friend Dr Ed Boogie. It features their well received singles Loner Boogie and Face Behind Her Cigarette, which are both upbeat with catchy and lively melodies. Also, featured are more dreamy and heartfelt singles, such as Jerry and Waitin’, complemented by wacky Taxi to Your Head and Losers in the Tomb. After the album release, they also released a brilliantly composed cover of Do the Standing Still from Welsh band, The Table, which is a fan favourite live.

Boy Azooga are a band that do not stick to a genre or the norm and you can sense their experimental approach from any of their tracks; taking influences from Ty Segall, Outkast and The Family Stone, there is a combination of heavy bass lines, electronic melodies and relaxed guitar chords topped with an array of almost space-like effects, quite a difference from Davey’s initial love for grunge rockers Nirvana. When the band initially released their single Face Behind Her Cigarette in 2017, people took notice to the complexities of the work they produce, and the band had their audiences fooled for thinking they were a more experienced band. However, Davey certainly has a musical background. His parents both were members of the Welsh National Orchestra, so naturally he began composing from an early age, this advantage perhaps explains the diversity and musical ability bursting from his songs. After assuring himself he would form Boy Azooga at the Green Man Festival by setting the goal of playing there one day, the band went on to achieve this shortly after on the following year. From then onwards, they have only gone on to play on bigger stages including a TV appearance on Later with Jools Holland. Davey is also known for supporting Cardiff ’s music scene. Being local himself he played an acoustic set for the sadly unsuccessful Save Gwdihw campaign. Boy Azooga joined Al Moses and Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard plus many more Cardiff bands in a rather indie revival of unique sounding bands from the Welsh capital which have received positive attention recently.

Like a lot of bands, seeing them live only makes them better. There was a gig last year at O’Neill’s which can only be described as a party where, at the end, fresh roses were dished out to gig goers. All members of the band are talented musicians, and an array of effects and instruments as wacky as a giant xylophone are mastered live on stage. The band’s happy-go-lucky stage presence is brought into by the crowd making for an electric atmosphere. Davey has described his desire for a “seamless gig from start to finish” and it’s fair to say he achieves this, and with a new album in the pipework their gigs can only improve with a wider selection of tracks to choose from, bolstered by their well produced covers. One thing is certain though, a headline gig in Cardiff is special, and will remain like that no matter what the future has in store.

A lot has changed since the release of the band’s first single but they remain their unique selves. The next album will feature more input from other band members who Davey describes as very talented musicians in their own right, a contrast to their debut album which was almost entirely written by himself. Boy Azooga are definitely ones to watch for next year, time will tell if they ever manage to be chart-toppers but their ability to craft unusual diverse music will no doubt remain, and 2020 only promises to be another successful year for the band.

Art Vs. The Artist

words by: KATE WALDOCK design by: ORLAGH TURNER michael jackson image by: LUIZ FERNANDO REIS VIA FLICKR https://bit.ly/3aJGPEi chris brown image by: EVA RINALDI VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS https://bit.ly/36xEw3D r kelly image by: LEAN OP VIA FLICKR https://bit.ly/2S2ctEf

There is no sliding scale to the condemnations of celebrities. Whether it’s the ancient tweets of Kevin Hart, or the sick actions of XXXTENTACION, on the internet, no matter what you have done, you’re simply #cancelled. This phenomenon ‘cancel culture’, is the millennial’s favourite internet pastime. When Twitter pronounces an artist #cancelled, the world is expected to avoid their music, and any previous appreciation for them is immediately shut down. Recently the music world has been embroiled in constant conflict: from R. Kelly’s creepy cults, to the very recent backlash of Liam Payne’s new song ‘Both Ways’, in which he fetishises bisexual women. The actions of artists can be questionable at best, and abominable at worst. So is it okay to separate the art from the artist, especially when that one song is just so good? removed R. Kelly’s music from playlist algorithms, as a way to show the public that they didn’t support him as a person. The art these musicians have made comes from a sick person. Their music is a reflection of themselves, and by listening to it we feel that we are supporting that person’s actions. By listening to that music, we are giving these artists a platform and a status in culture above our own, yet by shunning their art we take the power back, and give it to the victims of the musicians such as Michael Jackson, R. Kelly and Chris Brown. It can be incredibly easy, too. T.I.’s recent open admission that he checks his daughter is still a virgin every year disgusted the world, and it has been so incredibly easy to shun his music for me, because to be quite honest, his music was never good to begin with. It is so much harder when that musician is beloved to so many.

Katy Perry is an artist that consistently gets under my skin but she has also been the focus of a lot of criticism in the past. In 2012, Perry said that she wanted to skin Japanese people and ‘wear [them] like Versace.’ In 2013, she casually appropriated other cultures by dressing up as a Geisha, and the fact that she hasn’t recalled ‘Ur So Gay’ has frustrated me more than my A-Level exams. This is before I have even begun to talk about ‘I Kissed A Girl’. So to make it clear, I really just don’t like Katy Perry as a person. But as an artist; ‘STARSTRUKK’ and ‘Hot and Cold’ are bangers that will consistently make it onto my speakers at a pre-drinks. My experience with Katy Perry mirrors that of millions of music fans across the world. It’s the new ‘Guilty Pleasure’- a criminal interest in your favourite dodgy musician. Obviously Katy Perry’s misdemeanours are much smaller than other artists. XXXTENTACION’s music has touched the souls of many rap fans, and the artist himself made ‘mumble rap’ mainstream. He literally opened the gates for a whole new sub-genre to enter our charts. However, he also opened fans up to listening to artists with a more than criminal past. Generation Z fights back against the millennials, listening to the artist despite their personal actions. When XXXTENTACION died, many fans, myself included, breathed a (very conflicted) sigh of relief as they realised they could listen to the rapper in the knowledge that ‘he’s not benefiting from us listening, so it’s okay to like his music’. ‘Jocelyn Flores’ could be played on repeat in the comforting knowledge that the awful person wasn’t gaining profit from it.

Michael Jackson’s fans are torn in half over the accusations levelled at the late singer. The Simpsons recalled the episode featuring the artist, and it won’t even be available on Disney+. Big corporations make the decision to rid themselves of both the art and the artist. In the critical eyes of the public, a company’s safest bet is to remove the art entirely. Spotify

Perhaps it’s the thought that these artists are still earning money from our listening that makes us uncomfortable. But when you remember the sheer amount of people; producers, musicians and managers alike, that put something of themselves into the music you listen to, it makes that song not the sole property of the artist. That art already belongs to at least three people, before it has even been released to the public. Once that music is out there, however, millions of people have listened to that song. That song has been interpreted slightly differently by every single person, and means something different to each and every listener. Yes, technically, it’s the property of the labels, artists and producers, but it also becomes yours. Almost every song in the charts is produced by the same company, but we don’t shun every single song on that record label’s roster, and I can guarantee with 100% certainty that at least one person working in that record label has a less than perfect record. Many of these songs we love by these artists we hate don’t simply belong to the artist. We are talking about mainstream music here, so 90% of the music isn’t even written by the debatable artist themselves.

Separate that art from the artist. At the risk of sounding militant, download that song you like illegally. Play it til you hate it, free of streaming services that will give back to the artist you know is in the wrong. We live in a world marred by terrible deeds every day. The least you can do is put your middle finger up to the CEOs and the rich musicians, by downloading that music through backchannels, and listening to that art without the constraint and ownership of those who are powerful. Better to make that music your own, free of their influence, than resentful of your guilty pleasures. But always be mindful of the place that music came from and its controversial creator. The most important idea to take from this is that you give yourself - the public - the power, and take it away from those who shouldn’t have it.