BEHIND THE SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Issue #5 March 2014
BEHIND THE SCENE ISSUE #5 Welcome to issue 5 of BEHIND THE SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE. About 14 years ago I went to a gig in Cheltenham by a band called King Prawn. At the time they were one of the leading bands in the ska-punk scene and were signed to Moon Ska Europe. They weren’t household names by any stretch of the imagination, but could fill venues on the UK’s touring circuit and regularly appeared in magazines like Kerrang and Metal Hammer. I suppose today’s local equivalent would be a band like Jim Lockey & The Solemn Sun (but with trumpets and baggier jeans). King Prawn’s bass player was called Babar Luck. His bushy beard and unwavering stare gave him an intimidating stage presence. “How much did you pay to get in here tonight?” he asked the audience between songs. “A fiver? That’s good. Pay no more than a fiver.” And for some reason, fourteen years later, that comment has stuck with me.
Which belatedly brings me to my point – if we were paying £5 to watch touring bands over a decade ago, then why are we still paying £5 or £6 to watch them now? Perhaps there’s more choice now. Perhaps we value our musicians less. Perhaps everything else has gone up in price (everything else HAS gone up in price). There were no booking fees in 2000 and if you had to pay more than £2.20 for a pint then it was very likely that you were in the Ritz by mistake. Now you don’t get much change from a fiver for a glass of wine and the ticket agency take a huge cut just for e-mailing you a 12 digit code. I still spend as much money as I used to going to gigs, but it seems that less of it actually goes to the band. Anyway, that filled a space nicely. Enjoy reading March’s issue. Issue #5 March 2014 Henry Bateman cover photo by Katie Griffin.
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BEN MARWOOD, RETROSPECTIVE SOUNDTRACK PLAYERS, JOE SUMMERS @ FROG & FIDDLE, CHELTENHAM (14.02.14)
As loved ones begin to forgive loved ones for not booking a table at an expensive restaurant tonight, The Retrospective Soundtrack Players up the noise levels in the Barn. Dressed in matching white shirts, the six members of the band clearly pass the Daz doorstep challenge. Although the lyrics to their ‘Catcher In The Rye’ and ‘Cool Hand Luke’ inspired concept albums are lost in translation in a live setting, the music is fast and instantly catchy. When Ben Marwood joins them on a new song that has a massive chorus, you get the sense that they could be on the brink of something.
G I G R E V I E W
https://www.facebook.com/thecheltenhamu nderground
There is lively chatter inside the Barn. People are talking about the wind and the rain and compare how long it took to get here tonight. Other halves are telling their other halves, “I can’t believe that you brought me to the Frog & Fiddle for Valentine’s Day.” But as soon as mildmannered Joe Summers, with his woolly hat and jumper combo, plays his first chord, everyone is silenced. This is effortless Neil Young-inspired acoustic folk from a chap from Walsall, via a no doubt hefty Bob Dylan record collection. When he brings his younger sister on stage to sing ‘Turn The Boat Around,’ he comments on her choice of woolly clothing. “Isn’t that dad’s scarf?” he says. When Joe Summers has made millions from his note-perfect voice, he’ll be able to buy his sister one of her own.
Before Ben Marwood takes to the stage, something strange happens – one of his songs comes over the PA and everyone starts singing along to it. It’s a bit like your main course being brought out with the starter – you want to send it back but in the end say, “Sod it,” and tuck in to both the soup and the sirloin anyway. Ben Marwood’s rise from acoustic singersongwriter who plays in front of nobody in Newbury (and Cheltenham to not many more people than that a few years ago) to headliner in a packed Barn has been slow but steady. His charm is in his selfdeprecating lyrics and wry take on life. Tonight we get oldies like ‘Question Marks’, newies like ‘Murder She Wrote’ and middleies like ‘Singalong.’ ‘The District Sleeps Alone Tonight’ is given the full band treatment with The Restrospective Soundtrack Players on backing - it sounds huge. When he is cheered back on stage for a second encore of The Mountain Goats’ ‘No Children,’ it is the perfect Valentine’s surprise. On the way back to the car my girlfriend says that she gets to choose how we spend Valentine’s Day next year – but I think I’ll have to check the gig listings first.
EMI MCDADE Emi McDade, a prodigiously talented singer songwriter from Gloucestershire, is 16 years old and has been appearing regularly for nearly a year on the local circuit. When I was 16 years old all I had was a growth spurt and a job delivering the local paper. Her debut single, ‘Through My Eyes,’ is due for release on Itunes on March 10th. Growing up in a family of classical musicians, music has always been a huge part of her life. Emi says that, “A lot of people ask me 'how long have you been singing?' which is always a tricky question to answer because I never really started - I just always have.” She began writing songs two years ago and finds it therapeutic. “I'll regularly be writing some emotional ballad and feel great afterwards, whilst my family are all crying in a corner wondering what's wrong with me!” ‘Emotional’ sums up Emi’s music perfectly. Close your eyes for a moment and her piano driven songs will soon have you blubbing too. So where does she get this tear-inducing talent from? “I'd say probably my Grandma. Though I never met her, we have old recordings of her singing and newspaper articles where she was tipped to be Scotland's ‘next big soprano.’
Emi was home educated up until last September but has taken this year out to pursue singing and song writing. She’s been doing gigs and promoting herself since April last year and says that she never wanted anything else other than to be a singer. Do those TV reality shows where the judges sit on swivel chairs and throw superlatives at you interest her? “It's something I'd possibly consider at some point in the future, but at the moment I feel more true to myself by doing the journey on my own. I think overnight success can be dangerous for an individual.” Wise words indeed. So, without a team of song writers to do the hard work for her, how does the song writing process work for Emi? “It changes every time! Sometimes I'm practising scales, hit a wrong note and love the chord it makes, sometimes I can be making a sandwich and suddenly an idea pops in to my head. Often I'll sit down at the piano when feeling some strong emotion and put it all into a song.”
And it are these songs that Emi plans to take out on the road in the next few months. Having gigged regularly in Gloucestershire and built up a local fan base, she now feels like it’s time to branch out. With gigs in Bristol, Leeds and London in the pipeline as well as the new single (“a rather sad song about the pain felt by being the other woman”), it looks like the rest of 2014 will be very busy indeed.
Having honed her craft in Gloucestershire, she notes that she has a soft spot for the Cross Keys Inn and Gloucester Guildhall. When asked about her favourite local musicians Emi reels off a list - Megan Lloyd Davies, James Patrick Richards, Young Kato, George Montague, Angus Clements, Russ Poole, Harry Jones, Chloe Foy, Ella Martini. “There is a ridiculous amount of undiscovered local talent!” There certainly is. And with the new single and a bucket load of gigs in the pipeline, Emi McDade can justifiably include herself on that list too.
http://www.emimcdade.com www.facebook.com/emi.mcdade
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GIG PREVIEW Friars Folk & Roots present…HATTIE BRIGGS @ The Frog & Fiddle, Cheltenham on Wednesday 26 th March HATTIE BRIGGS, a singer/songwriter from Stroud, is a BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award nominee. She’ll be starting off the new ‘Friars at the Frog Barn’ series on Wednesday 26th of March. “Hattie is exactly the kind of rising star that our new events are aimed at. We are thrilled to be presenting her music at Friars Folk in the Frog Barn,” says Bryn Williams who organises the events. He has been looking for a way to extend their programme and support lesser known artists under the umbrella of Friars Folk & Roots. He says, “We are committed to Gloucester Cathedral who are wonderful to us, but of course concerts need a certain level of support for such a large building that perhaps less established artists might not quite attract. I’m delighted to say that we have been welcomed to the Barn at The Frog and Fiddle, in High Street Cheltenham, to present an additional programme we are calling Friars Folk at the Frog Barn.”
Next month, Luke Jackson continues the series on Saturday April 26th. A former BBC 2 Young Folk Award nominee himself, he joins Friars Folk and Roots as part of his Fumes and Faith Tour.
Information and tickets for each event can be found via: www.FriarsFolkandRoots.co.uk
www.hattiebriggs.co.uk
TICKET GIVEAWAY Visit the Behind The Scene Gloucestershire Facebook page to find out how you can win 2 tickets to see Hattie Briggs at the Frog & Fiddle on the 26th March.
@behindsceneglos facebook.com/behindthesceneglos
…IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE WITH STEVE FERBRACHE In a new feature, I ask somebody involved in the local music scene some short questions that end with ‘…in Gloucestershire?” First up is Stroud musician Steve Ferbrache. FAVOURITE BAND/MUSICIAN…
Thee Ones - a great band from Stroud playing unique Rhythm & Blues they've been around for a while and are still moving forward - really tight too, which is worth a lot! BEST GIG YOU’VE EVER BEEN TO… The first Stroud Fringe Festival I went to - in 2012 - just after I moved here. It made me realise just how good the music scene was around here. LAST GIG YOU WENT TO… Thee Ones, July 2013 at The Crown & Septre, Stroud. I don't get to gigs much at the moment - too busy playing them...it'd be nice to have a weekend off sometime and get to The Prince Albert. BEST THING ABOUT MUSIC… The musicians are generally quite nice to each other - a general feel of 'we're all in this together'. ONE THING YOU ABOUT MUSIC…
WOULD
CHANGE
A decent music shop in Stroud with on site amp & guitar repairs, etc.
BEST KEPT SECRET… Little Monkey Studios, Cheltenham great kit and environment but the real difference is the engineer - Dave Saunders - top man with a wicked ear. Best value studio you could ever hope for.
FAVOURITE VENUE/PUB... Ah, this is a tough one. We like places where the crowd are there to drink and get rowdy; so either The Golden Fleece, Stroud or The Globe, Stonehouse down to earth people who know how to enjoy themselves! GIVE YOURSELF A PLUG… Steve & The Achievers - vintage dance music - Southern soul, jump-blues and general good time stuff. New website being built as we speak.
FEBRUARY GIG GALLERY From above: 1. Kent DuChaine @ Prince Of Wales, Ledbury 2. Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo @ Prince Albert, Stroud
Photos courtesy of: 1. John Plane (Local Music Events) https://www.facebook.com/groups/317897478324881/permalink/492177640896863/ 2. Ned Gibbons (Ned Gibbons Photography) https://www.facebook.com/NedGibbonsPhotography
CHELTENHAM FOLK FESTIVAL FRINGE Inlay @ Rise Records, Cheltenham
Can we have more free fringe events next year please?
GLOUCESTERSHIRE GIG GUIDE FOR MARCH When?
Who?
Where?
Where?
1st
Over The Hill
Cheltenham
1st
I, The Lion. The Scout Killers
Charlton Kings Workingmen’s Club Brunswick
1st
Which One’s Gerry?
St Paul’s Tavern
Cheltenham
1st
Stereosonics (Stereophonics tribute)
Sound Music Venue
Cheltenham
1st
The Darlingtons
Prince Albert
Stroud
1st
Boys In The Wood
Railway Inn
Newnham
1st
Gas Attack
Cotswold Inn
Cheltenham
2nd
Mabo, Maz O’Connor, Chloe Bix
Subscription Rooms
Stroud
4th
Kent DuChaine
Prince Albert
Stroud
5th
The Richard O’Brian Project
Café Rene
Gloucester
6th
Martin Harley Band
Prince Albert
Stroud
6th
Leon Daye
Seventeen Black
Cirencester
7th
Café Rene
Gloucester
7th
KSH & The Going Goods, Speaker Chicas Dreadzone, Joe Dymond DJ
Subscription Rooms
Stroud
7th
Also Eden, The Room
Brunswick
Gloucester
7th
Afterglow (Genesis tribute)
Sound Music Venue
Cheltenham
7th
Glostoneberet 2014: Welcome To Marathon, Jake Watson Music, Emily Rose Lynn, Polly May, Blue Horyzon, Hill Parade Demob, Charred Hearts, Borrowed Time Charity ska/reggae night: The Revolvers, Skinny Ed DJ The Manic Shine, Nukchorris, Base11
Frog & Fiddle
Cheltenham
Lower George Inn
Gloucester
Saintbridge Rugby Club
Gloucester
Brunswick
Gloucester
8th 8th 8th
Gloucester
IF I HAVEN’T LISTED YOUR GIG, IT’S BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T SEND IT TO ME!
GLOUCESTERSHIRE GIG GUIDE FOR MARCH When?
Who?
Where?
Where?
8th
Frog & Fiddle
Cheltenham
Subscription Rooms
Stroud
8th
Glostoneberet 2014: Terrors, Atrevido, Abel Gray, Brown Torpedo, Born At The River Mario Lanza and Howard Keel – a tribute Taeppeda
Prince Albert
Stroud
8th
We Are War (TBC)
St Paul’s Tavern
Cheltenham
9th
Samantha Lindo
Prince Albert
Stroud
9th
Railway Inn
Newnham
11th
Open Mic Night hosted by Callum Olias The Knock Offs, Gruig
Tailors
Cheltenham
12th
Will Edmunds Trio
Café Rene
Gloucester
12th
Fred Roberts’ Family, The Ukeholics
Tailors
Cheltenham
13th
Stroud FM Evening
Prince Albert
Stroud
13th
Gruig, The Knock Offs
Tailors
Cheltenham
14th
Brewery Blues – Henry Priestman
New Brewery Arts
Cirencester
14th
The Ukeholics, Fred Roberts’ Family
Tailors
Cheltenham
14th
Frog & Fiddle
Cheltenham
14th
4ft Fingers, Whitmore, Austeros, Enziguri Cantaloop
Café Rene
Gloucester
14th
Emily Wright and the Royals
Bibury Village Hall
Cirencester
15th
Roving Crows
Guildhall
Gloucester
15th
Open Uke Night
Rose In Hand
Drybrook
15th
Sound Music Venue
Cheltenham
15th
Troy Ellis & His Hail Jamaica Reggae Band, King Solomon Band Pure Evil
Railway Inn
Newnham
15th
My Design
Cotswold Inn
Cheltenham
15th
Riff Raff (AC/DC tribute)
Brunswick
Gloucester
8th
PLEASE CHECK WITH THE VENUE FOR PRICES & START TIMES
GLOUCESTERSHIRE GIG GUIDE FOR MARCH When?
Who?
Where?
Where?
15th
Post Races Jam Session
St Paul’s Tavern
Cheltenham
15th
So What
Prince Albert
Stroud
19th
Keston Cobbler’s Club
Frog & Fiddle
Cheltenham
20th
Open Mic
Prince Albert
Stroud
20th
2000 Trees Student Showcase
Frog & Fiddle
Cheltenham
21st
Benita Johnson, Fred Roberts’ Family Solid Gone, Damon T
Bell Inn
Cheltenham
Café Rene
Gloucester
Black Forge, Beneath the Devine, Trigger, MC Poopshute, Rollin Sixes Loose Lips, Amateur Drive By
Brunswick
Gloucester
Sound Music Venue
Cheltenham
Frog & Fiddle
Cheltenham
22nd
Cynotia, This Wicked Tongue, Hired Guns Solid Gone, Damon T
St Paul’s Tavern
Cheltenham
22nd
Mad Hatter 2.0 Farewell show
Brunswick
Gloucester
22nd
4 Mile House
Prince Albert
Stroud
23rd
Tony Hopkins
Railway Inn
Newnham
26th
Gloucestershire College Taylor Theatre Frog & Fiddle
Gloucester
26th
STFU, Base 11, Freefall, Standing To Fall, The Heartless Hero Hattie Briggs
26th
Live @Gloucester Acoustic Showcase
Café Rene
Gloucester
27th
Andy Hughes
Seventeen Black
Cirencester
28th
Luke Philbrick, Damon T
White Hart Inn
Cinderford
28th
El Born
Sound Music Venue
Cheltenham
28th
Rockstock Revisited: Tax The Heat, Buffalo Summer, Black Wolf Bastions, Milk Teeth, Oui Legionnaires, Splints
The Guildhall
Gloucester
Two Pigs
Cheltenham
21st 21st 21st 21st
28th
Cheltenham
WHEN YOU ARRIVE, TELL THE VENUE THAT ‘BEHIND THE SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE’ SENT YOU!
GLOUCESTERSHIRE GIG GUIDE FOR MARCH When?
Who?
Where?
Where?
28th
Xposed Club: Alex Ward’s Predicate, Brendan Bayliss
Cheltenham
28th
Stroud Blues Club
Harwicke Campus, University of Gloucestershire Lansdown Hall
28th
Jessica Rhodes
Café Rene
Gloucester
28th
New Brewery Arts
Cirencester
29th
Brewery Blues – The Pat Nicholson Band Green Haze (Green Day tribute)
Brunswick
Gloucester
29th
All You Need Is The Beatles
Subscription Rooms
Stroud
29th
Feral Waves
Railway Inn
Newnham
29th
Buying Lies, Hired Guns
Two Pigs
Cheltenham
29th
Fred’s House
Prince Albert
Stroud
30th
Common Ground
Prince Albert
Stroud
30th
Hattie Briggs, Benita Johnson (2pm)
Black Book Café
Stroud
Stroud
THEN THE VENUE WILL SAY, “WHO?” AND YOU CAN SAY, “GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S BEST ONLINE MUSIC FANZINE.” AND THEY WILL PROBABLY SAY, “WHO?” AGAIN, BUT THAT’S OK. PLEASE keep sending me your gigs for the gig guide. PLEASE keep sending me photos for the gig gallery. PLEASE let me know if have a gig in March you’d like me to review or a gig in April you’d like me to preview.
E-mail: averagemanzine@yahoo.co.uk
GIG REVIEW PAUL MURPHY, JUEY SECRET HOUSE SHOW, CHELTENHAM (22.02.14) It’s 6:30pm and I’m sat on the sofa basking in the glory of an English victory in the rugby. “I’ll just drink this tea and then have a shower,” I say to my girlfriend who is cutting away at some lino. She received some new tools in the post a few days ago and has since made more birthday cards than we have friends to give birthday cards to. We’ve got to leave in less than an hour as we are going to a secret house show. I can’t tell you where it is but there will be folk music, lanterns and pork and bean stew. I have two bottles of cider chilling in the fridge. All of a sudden, I hear a scream. I see blood. It’s running from my girlfriend’s finger. She’s missed the lino and carved straight into one of her digits instead. It’s not the first time, but it’s definitely the worst time. I tell her to run her finger under cold tap. I get a clean tea-towel compress the wound and she tells that she’s going to faint and I tell that she’s not going to faint. Then faints…
the to me her she
I hold her up for a bit but she slumps onto the kitchen floor. I force a sip of water into her mouth and try to get her to hold a wet flannel on her head but it keeps falling off. “Hot…I’m so hot,” she mumbles. I take a chair out on to the patio but she prefers to lie on the rain-soaked concrete instead. I feel her back and she’s right – so hot.
After a while she gets up and I wrap her finger in several plasters and a layer of micro-porous tape. In an hour of immense boredom yesterday I reorganised our first aid box – perhaps it was a sign.
I message the secret organiser of the secret house show using our secret line of communication (ok, ok, it was actually Facebook) and tell him that we won’t be making it tonight. As we sit back on the sofa to drink the tea that we were meant to be drinking before my girlfriend decided to audition for 24 Hours In A&£, we look at the white wall behind us. It is splattered with blood. We look at the white throw on the sofa. It too is splattered with blood. And we look at the floor and the skirting board on the other side of the room. Yep, splattered with red stuff. Homebase will be getting some unexpected custom from me tomorrow.
And as for the house show - I haven’t got a clue. We watched a documentary about Pulp on Sky Arts instead. I’m sure it was great. Nobody will tell me about it though as it’s a bloody secret.
NUKCHORRIS George Best was once interviewed about his life in football. To avoid any expensive lawsuits, he was told to switch the first letters of the names of the people he was talking about. For example, when asked about the worst fouler in the game, he answered Hon Rarris (Ron Harris, obviously). At the end of the interview and having avoided slandering anyone, he was asked one final question. “Who is the worst person in the game that you’ve ever come across?” Straight faced, he answered without a moment’s thought – “George Graham.” I’ve always liked that. Which brings me to the best named band in Gloucestershire – Nukchorris – three guys that not only play highly charged punk rock, but also have a name that makes you think of beards, Texas Rangers and karate chops (just me then?). “We play loud and we have fun,” say the band who formed after Gloucester group Murdoc split several years ago. All three members of the band have years of gigging experience both in Gloucestershire and further afield. “We all love a massive spectrum of music ranging from classic rock and blues through to full on metal and punk bands. This has led to the band having a powerful aggressive sound whilst maintaining the all important vocal melody.” That sums the band’s sound up pretty well – to me there is something of the classic rock sound about it. It’s made to fit smoke-filled venues and men with long hair furiously head banging whilst giving it the horns.
“We recently gigged with LA sensations Goldsboro on their UK tour whose manager likened us to Therapy. I like that. Hooky guitars and big anthemic chorus lines. That’s us.” At the moment, it’s all about gigging and creating a solid fanbase for the band. “We’ve a lot of material that we desperately need to get down so plans to start work on the first full studio album is underway. The current EP is already gaining worldwide airplay including multiple stations in Australia so we are on the right track.” Nukchorris are looking forward to upcoming gigs with LA band Goldsboro and London’s Manic Shine (at the Brunswick in Gloucester on March 8th).
NUKCHORRIS “We are huge fans of the Brunswick. Lee Pyart does an amazing job on sound and always puts in 100%. It has a great little stage set up and a good crowd. We’ve always loved playing the Guildhall of course. The sprung floor always brings a smile. Finally, it’s a tiny little place but we’ve had two great nights playing the Music Lounge in Gloucester. It really is that small but the punters squeeze in and have been amazing in their support.”
“It’s as hard as it ever was to get gigs playing original material. We could pack it up and earn a fortune playing in covers bands but that’s not us. Gloucester and the surrounding area has some pretty good venues - it just needs the punters to get out and start paying live music more attention. In fact the attitude towards bands in general needs to change. Too many places expect bands to just turn up and play for free at a minute’s notice. If you want a professional act in your venue that’s not how it works.” Nukchorris gig regularly in Gloucestershire and are currently looking for a manager. The band are also entered into the Exposure Music Awards. If you would like to check out their entry details, you can do so here: http://www.exposuremusicawards.org/reg istered-artists/nukchorris/
In fifteen years of going to gigs in Gloucestershire, I’ve seen bands and fads come and go. Nu-metal had it’s time, ska-punk was once filling venues like the Cheltenham Town Hall and now modern folk acts have seen a surge in popularity. How do a band like Nukchorris, who have a fairly classic timeless rock sound, find getting gigs in 2014?
www.nukchorris.com
www.facebook.com/nukchorris.official
6 ways to make your gig a more enjoyable experience (for me) 1. Put the set times online in advance I might be driving from 100 miles away or I could be working late – I’d like to know what time the first band is on so that a) I don’t miss them and b) I don’t have to rush in the shower unnecessarily. Similarly, if I know that the last band finishes at 11.00pm this allows me to plan the journey home or set the video for Match of the Day. 2. First band on half an hour after doors. Let’s make a rhyme to remember this: Weekday gigs, First band at Weekend gigs, First band at
doors at seven thirty, eight, best be early. doors at eight, half past, don’t be late.
Yeah, I think that works. I just need time to get my hand stamped, grab a pint of cider and find somewhere near the back to stand after doors open. 3. Two support bands – max. I always watch the support bands unless I’ve seen them before and I know that they are terrible or just not my cup of tea. But by the time the first support has done their thing, I’m getting itchy feet for the headline band. If there are any more than two support acts then I begin to detest them for taking away time from the band I’ve come to see. I start to think things like, “If that bloody band weren’t playing then The Wave Pictures could have played some more songs off their first album.”
4. 25 minutes for the support bands. Perhaps 30 if it’s a tour support and they are decent. I want a support band to give me a taster of what they can do, not play every single song they’ve written since they were 15 and certainly not that experimental bonus track with the 7 minute guitar solo. If I like your band, I’ll hit you up on Facebook, buy some of your songs and then go see you play the next time you are in town when you’re the headline band (and then you can have an hour yourself). 5. Quick changeovers Between bands I need time to use the toilet, get a drink from the bar and find my spot again. I do not need time to solve a Rubik’s cube or do the Times crossword. 10-15 minutes is enough, thanks. 6. Finish the gig at a reasonable time Look, it’s 11.30 on a Wednesday night, I’ve got to be up early for work, I haven’t got a clean shirt and I’ve been here since 7.30. Didn’t you remember the rhyme from point number 2?
SINGLE REVIEW STRESSECHOES – HOLD ON You can tell a lot about musicians from their record collections. Any band too obsessed with one style of music are likely to just remake what they love, like a shower of inbreds – a waste of everyone’s time. Stressechoes, though, have a more eclectic combined taste than most mid-sized countries. They have taken a fairly restricted band format – vocals, drums, bass, acoustic guitars, occasional mandolin and harmonica – and poured in their myriad influences to create two albums of astonishing beauty. With a third LP awaiting an opportunity to get itself recorded, the band (along with Whitewash Recordings) have put out Hold On backed by Lucy – two of the standout songs of their recent live performances. Stressechoes were built around the songwriting axis of guitarists/vocalists Alex Petrie and Andy Corey, who have contributed a song each here. They’ve added Steve Osmond, whose idiosyncratic bass lines flit between sturdily anchoring the songs and providing arresting melodic fills; Ben Hawling, a drummer capable of matching whatever style’s thrown at him; and Julie Davis – aka solo bluegrass sensation Juey – on vocals, mandolin and harmonica. Petrie’s songs have always shown off the band’s range, swapping styles with ease – we’ve already seen Kinks-esque pop, flecks of reggae and Spanish guitar married to his storytelling lyrics. http://stressechoes.bandcamp.com
Hold On relies on Petrie’s songwriting rather than bastard-sized production; it has an understated start and adds layers, patiently building to a big oldfashioned climax – harmonies, call and response vocals and a rare electric guitar – with more drama than if an orchestra had joined in. Frankly, it’s Petrie’s best cut yet. Corey’s Lucy treads more established ground for Stressechoes. It’s sung to the eponymous Lucy in the second person and Corey’s typically blunt, confessional lyrics have me leaning in to listen closely, as he discloses, “I try to be a good man in spite of all my fears”. It’s built mostly around a delicate acoustic guitar, sparse bass and percussion, and Corey’s voice, but hits hardest with its moments of embellishment: the band’s trademark three-part harmonies and a haunting harmonica solo. Assuming these two songs are a taste of what the new album might offer – and recent live performances suggest they are – it’ll be their strongest record thus far. Review by Dan Base http://danielbase.tumblr.com/
THE RAILWAY INN, NEWNHAM
The Railway Inn in Newnham-On-Severn regularly hosts live music nights. Here are a selection of photos from past events. You can keep up to date with what’s going on each month by visiting their Facebook page. (From above) Shootin' The Crow - February 2013 Beaz and Clyde Jefferson in Red Dog - September 2012. Stop Stop 2012.
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March
Station Road, Newnham-OnSevern, Gloucestershire, GL14 1DA https://www.fac ebook.com/railwa y.newnham
GIG PREVIEW Gig with a guest featuring BENITA JOHNSON Bell Inn, Cheltenham – Friday March 21st BENITA JOHNSON, an acoustic singersongwriter from Stroud, headlines the Bell Inn’s ‘Gig with a Guest’ on Friday March 21st. The gig starts at 9pm and entry is free. Support comes from Fred Roberts’ Family – let’s hope they’ve got a big enough stage for all of them.
For more info: www.benitajohnson.co.uk
NO ATLAS – REPLY & REPLY When I first started writing reviews, things were a bit different. A jiffy bag would generally drop through my letterbox, some badly photocopied flyers fell out and then, only after had I cleared my floor of twenty-four pieces of A6 paper, would I find the demo cassette wrapped up in a handwritten note that started something like this: “Hi, I saw your fanzine reviewed in Fracture. Would you like to review our tape for us?” In 2014 bands don’t really do demos, and they certainly don’t do cassettes. Now contact begins with a message on Twitter and ends with a listen on Spotify. Can you guess how No Atlas got hold of me to review their new EP?
https://www.facebook.com/No AtlasOfficial https://www.facebook.com/elfo reigners
No Atlas are a University of Gloucestershire band who peddle accessible indie music. All 4 songs on this EP differ in pace and style, from the bouncy upbeat ‘Preston Blank’ to the melancholy piano-led ‘Metropolis.’ The singer has an impressive vocal range which keeps things interesting throughout. At over 18 minutes, ‘Reply & Reply’ won’t give you instant gratification, but it’s worth persevering with as a solid slap of indie rock from a young band making their first moves in the music industry. Available on Spotify, of course.
Local nostalgia NORTHLANDS YOUTH ARTS CENTRE I must admit that I never had much to do with Northlands Youth Arts Centre in Cheltenham aside from watching a few of the bands who practised there on the local circuit. I visited it once in 1999 to see a mate’s band rehearse – from what I remember they basically had access to a basement room in Pittville Circus which they could hire cheaply and scream as loud as their lungs allowed them to. I found this CD in my loft today as I was checking for wet patches from the recent bad weather. Although it’s obviously recorded on a shoe-string budget and is a little dated, there are still a few choice tracks from bands like Eighth Day, Elmo and Skankt.
One summer day in around 1999 a bunch of local bands played a gig in the middle of Montpellier Park. I remember Skankt, who were always one of the most popular bands around, performing in the early evening and others such as Bixby throwing out blue smarties from the stage (it’s the name of their song on this CD). One band did a Radiohead cover which prompted that guy with long hair who drinks Special Brew on the bench in Bath Road to crawl around the park on his hands and knees. Ah, memories.
Local nostalgia NORTHLANDS YOUTH ARTS CENTRE
GIG PREVIEW Xposed Club presents: Alex Ward's Predicate + Brendan Bayliss
March 28th @ University of Gloucestershire, Hardwicke Campus
PREDICATE is led by Alex Ward (“a compulsively creative polymath” – Stewart Lee; “one of those musicians who seems to get interesting music out of anything he touches” – Nate Dorward) and features Tim Hill on alto, baritone and soprano saxes, Dominic Lash on double bass, and Mark Sanders on drums. Ward writes the compositions for the quartet and plays electric guitar (he is also known in other contexts as a clarinettist). The music, while often taking a highenergy free-jazz approach as its starting point, also incorporates the electric aggression of rock, the abstract interplay of non-idiomatic improvisation and a diverse range of compositional tactics into an intense and unclassifiable whole. Predicate played their first show in February 2010, and since then have performed regularly around the UK, including a Jazz Services tour in spring 2012. Their second album, "Nails", is out now on Gaffer Records, and can be streamed in full at the following link: http://gafferrecords.bandcamp.com/album/nails . BRENDAN BAYLISS plays harmonica in a ‘folky, jazz-ish, Eastern European style. Bendy but not too bluesy’. His words, not mine. He’ll also chit chat about the tunes and styles he’s picked up over time. See him play multiple harmonicas simultaneously – using both nose and mouth apparently!
BEHIND THE SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE ISSUE #5 MARCH 2014
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