BEHIND THE SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Issue #1 November 2013
BEHIND THE SCENE ISSUE #1 This is a kind of test-drive issue for BEHIND THE SCENE. It might start, or it might not. It might struggle to get into second gear or it might go like the clappers – who knows? I was a bit disappointed when I found out that MAG was no longer running (the University of Gloucestershire’s music mag) as it was a really useful resource to me. It’s been over 10 years since I’ve written a music fanzine like this and having never seen the local music scene so vibrant, I figured that it was time to give it another go. Back then I spent hours cutting and pasting (yes, with scissors and glue, younger readers) then photocopying and selling as many fanzines as I could to whoever would buy them. Now everything is online it takes the messy sense of fun out of it, but opens up this type of thing to so many more readers. One day I’d like to see people picking up copies of BEHIND THE SCENE at gigs in Gloucestershire, but photocopying is an expensive business at the moment and I have no funds behind me (not to mention a full time job and various bits of incomplete D.I.Y at home that take up enough of my time). With the best will in the world, the second issue of BEHIND THE SCENE will be out in December. I hope you enjoy reading what is hopefully a taste of things to come.
Follow on twitter: @behindsceneglos
I AM LOOKING FOR… I would like this fanzine to reflect the Gloucestershire music scene (past and present). Over the next few months, I would love to hear from: • Anyone who would like to write a short feature/regular column on a band, gig, venue, record shop or anything Gloucestershire music related. • Or any of the above who would like to be in a short feature. • Anyone who takes gig photos – I’d love a gallery each issue and a front page picture. • Anyone with old gig photos from Gloucestershire from over the years. • Anyone with memories of the music scene in Gloucestershire. • Someone who wants to place an advert. • A competition prize. • Possibly anyone with a bit of a skill in design. I’ve done my best and I know it’s mostly in black and white, but at least you can read the words! Feel free to get in touch by e-mail. Issue #1 November 2013
Cover photo of Southern Skies by Courtney Brock. http://courtneybrockph otography.tumblr.com
Contact me: averagemanzine @yahoo.co.uk
TERRORS You could forgive Terrors for feeling somewhat homeless. Half of the band study at the University of Gloucestershire, one member lives in London and the other in Liverpool (all via Burton upon Trent). Despite this nomadic existence, as bass player Ben explains, they feel very much at home in Gloucestershire. “Our favourite venue in Gloucestershire would be the Frog & Fiddle, the first venue that we played together as a 4piece. It has a lovely atmosphere, the crowd is usually very accepting of new music and new bands, and the venue treat the bands well.” The band’s grungy 90’s sound is displayed on 2011’s E.P. ‘Blow’ and most recent one ‘Needles.’ After shaking off initial Smiths and Joy Division comparisons, when pushed, the band describe themselves as having, “raw 90’s emo influences with strong melancholic melodies.” Their music is certainly for fans of the dark and moody.
‘Needles’ was recorded in April this year at Siron Studios in Burton by friend of the band Dan Gallagher. Self-released, the band have been touring it ever since.
The band recently filmed a music video at G’s Bar in Cheltenham which will be out by the time you read this on Halloween. Ben notes that G’s was, “a fun venue to play because it’s so small, giving a great sense of intimacy.” So what next for the band? Surely it’s difficult enough to get all four members in the same place at the same time? "Over the next year we’re just looking to bump up our touring, we love playing live and we love travelling to new places and we want to spread our name as widely as possible. We’ve also been writing recently so there might be a chance of a new E.P in the New Year but nothings’ set in stone as of yet.” So there you have it. Check out Terrors – there’s no need to be scared. Honest.
www.terrorsmusic.co.uk terrorsmusic.bandcamp.com
OCTOBER GIG GALLERY OXJAM MUSIC FESTIVAL @ SOUND MUSIC VENUE (19.10.2013)
Clockwise from above: Southern Skies, Scott James & The Revolution, Morain, Endorphins, Enquiry
Photos courtesy of Courtney Brock. http://courtneybrockphotography.tumblr.com
Follow on twitter: @behindsceneglos
THIS MONTH IN…
1963 The Beatles played in Cheltenham… …at the Odeon no less (you know, that beautiful art deco building that has been left to rot near the Axiom, which has also been left to rot). On November 1st those four young upstarts with unusual haircuts and thick Liverpudlian accents sent hundreds of girls wild. Apparently, jelly babies were thrown at George Harrison and the audience were in hysteria throughout. So much so that Don Short, reporter for the Daily Mirror, wrote the following day: “Beatlemania! It’s happening everywhere…even in sedate Cheltenham.”
Following their ten song set at the Odeon, the Beatles never played in Cheltenham again. Interestingly, other bands around at the time that played the cinema include Cliff Richard, Rolf Harris, Billy Fury and Dusty Springfield. The Rolling Stones gigged at the Odeon several times in the 60’s (with Cheltenham born founding member Brian Jones). The Stones concert on 10th September 1964 caused Beatle-like fanaticism as the Gloucestershire Echo reported, “One girl managed to clamber onto the platform, but was quickly hauled down. During their lively act the Stones were pelted with sweets and other objects as tokens of affection…After the show crowds of fans waited outside in front of the cinema, but the Rolling Stones slipped out the back way with a police escort and went off in their own car.” What a time Cheltenham.
to
be
a
teenager
in
Sadly, in a couple of year’s time the only music you’ll hear coming out of the Odeon building will be from open bedroom windows as the site is set for redevelopment into one hundred Regencystyle flats. Wouldn’t it be nice if this part of British history was marked in some way in the new building with a small plaque or similar? “Developmentmania! It’s happening everywhere…even in sedate Cheltenham.” You heard it here first.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE GIG GUIDE FOR NOVEMBER When?
Who?
Where?
Where?
1st
Soul strutters
Café Rene
Gloucester
1st
Counterhold + support
St Pauls Tavern
Cheltenham
1st
UK Subs
Guildhall
Gloucester
1st
Sam Jones, Devon Casells, Jacob Wellfair
Sound Music Venue
Cheltenham
1st
4 Square
Prince Albert
Stroud
1st
My Design, The Kix, Blood Debt, White Crosses
Frog & Fiddle
Cheltenham
1st
Ale House Rock
Bayshill Inn
Cheltenham
2nd
Stephen Bennet
St Pauls Tavern
Cheltenham
2nd
Ukesanon
Bayshill Inn
Cheltenham
2nd
Hadouken!
Guildhall
Gloucester
2nd
Diamond Family Archive
Prince Albert
Stroud
2nd
The Hook-Line Riot, Austeros, The Splash, Officer Down
Frog & Fiddle
Cheltenham
2nd
Helloween Super Group Show
Brunswick
Gloucester
2nd
Oxjam Festival – Sam Jones, Small Talk Robot, Jon Masters, Drawing Of The Three
Brockworth Rugby Club
Gloucester
4th
Folk Unplugged
Guildhall
Gloucester
6th
Matt Woosey
Café Rene
Gloucester
6th
The Orb
Guildhall
Gloucester
6th
The Hard Ground
Prince Albert
Stroud
7th
Ian Siegal & The Mississippi Bloods
Guildhall
Gloucester
7th
Nizlopi
Prince Albert
Stroud
7th
Billy Walton Band
Bayshill Inn
Cheltenham
8th
Victoria Klewin & The True Tones
Café Rene
Gloucester
PLEASE CHECK WITH THE VENUE BEFORE TRAVELLING
GLOUCESTERSHIRE GIG GUIDE FOR NOVEMBER When?
Who?
Where?
Where?
8th
Kate Polwart
Guildhall
Gloucester
8th
The Catharsis, Solemn Promise, Black Art, Milk Teeth, Amateur Drive By, Grayscale
Two Pigs
Cheltenham
8th
Arcite, Laguna Surprise, Fell On Black Days
Brunswick
Gloucester
9th
Neil Patterson & Misha Dawn
Guildhall
Gloucester
9th
3 Daft Monkeys
Guildhall
Gloucester
9th
Otis Mack
Bayshill
Cheltenham
9th
Stop Stop! Dj Trashed
Brunswick
Gloucester
12th
Luke Jackson
Prince Albert
Stroud
12th
Drawing Of The Three, Stressechoes, Russ Poole
Bayshill Inn
Cheltenham
14th
Young Kato
Guildhall
Gloucester
15th
King Solomon
Café Rene
Stroud
15th
Drawing Of The Three, Oui Legionnaires, Beat Harlows
Frog & Fiddle
Cheltenham
15th
Dreadzone
Guildhall
Gloucester
15th
The Toy Hearts
Prince Albert
Stroud
16th
Life For Kids event feat. Will and the People, Canary Swing, Stereo Influence, Tommy Drums, Aztecs
Sound Music Venue
Cheltenham
16th
For Those About To Rock
Guildhall
Gloucester
16th
The Darlingtons
Prince Albert
Stroud
16th
Jayl & The Life Band
Brunswick
Gloucester
16th
Dirty Trainers
Bayshill Inn
Cheltenham
16th
Last Man Standing
Exmouth Arms
Cheltenham
17th
Mad Dog McRea
Prince Albert
Stroud
DON’T BLAME ME IF IT’S CANCELLED
GLOUCESTERSHIRE GIG GUIDE FOR NOVEMBER When?
Who?
Where?
Where?
19th
Musiclab Open Mic
Guildhall
Gloucester
19th
Jon Smith
Prince Albert
Stroud
20th
The Rich O’Brien Project
Café Rene
Gloucester
21st
Sweet Baboo
Prince Albert
Stroud
22nd
Mizizi
Sound Music Venue
Cheltenham
22nd
Drawing Of The Three
Peppers Café
Gloucester
22nd
Howling Lord
Café Rene
Gloucester
22nd
The Guns ‘N’ Roses Experience vs Toxic Twins
Guildhall
Gloucester
23rd
Paper Label Launch Party – Edd Donovan & The Wandering Moles, Upstairs Nurses, Delicate Holly
Sound Music Venue
Cheltenham
23rd
Rue Royale
Prince Albert
Stroud
23rd
My Design
Cotswold Inn
Cheltenham
23rd
Light Thief
Bayshill Inn
Cheltenham
26th
Ruarri Joseph
Price Albert
Stroud
27th
Live @ Gloucester Local Acoustic Showcase
Café Rene
Gloucester
27th
The View
Guildhall
Gloucester
28th
Adrian Edmonson & The Bad Shepherds
Guildhall
Gloucester
29th
TBC, Poor Old Dogs, TBC
Frog & Fiddle
Cheltenham
29th
Oxjam Weekender
Café Rene
Gloucester
29th
DJ Derek
Guildhall
Gloucester
30th
Oxjam Weekender
Café Rene
Gloucester
30th
Madd Apple Circus + Support
St Paul’s Tavern
Cheltenham
SOME OF THESE GIGS ARE FREE, OTHERS ARE NOT
GLOUCESTERSHIRE GIG GUIDE FOR NOVEMBER When?
Who?
Where?
Where?
30th
Flipron
Prince Albert
Stroud
30th
My Design
Brunswick
Gloucester
30th
Jibbafish
Bayshill
Cheltenham
GIG PREVIEW Life For Kids is a music event on Saturday 16th November to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital. The all day gig will run from 1pm-11pm at Sound Music venue and feature no less than 16 acts! With a £7 ticket price, it all works out at 43.75 pence per band. With so many changeovers, the sound engineers will certainly earn his money that day. Sound Music Venue is located next to Thai Emerald in St George’s Place. Tickets are available from wegottickets.com/lifeforkids
*** VENUES & PROMOTORS *** To make my life easier (and to get your gigs listed with the correct information), please send me your December gigs in a nice plain format similar to: When? Who? Where? I have trawled through the internet to find these gigs until my eyes have gone blurry so to guarantee being listed next month, just send them to me! Thanks! averagemanzine@yahoo.co.uk
OLD GIG PHOTOS KING PRAWN @ GLOUCESTER GUILDHALL (04.03.2001)
I remember walking out of this King Prawn gig at the Guildhall, getting into my mate’s dad’s car and thinking, ‘That was the loudest gig I’ve ever been to.’ It still is. At school the next day I could hear the bass guitar rumbling through my head as I tried to concentrate on the intricacies of Russian political history. In 2001, the Guildhall didn’t have any barriers between the crowd and the stage so you really felt like you were part of the action. It still is a lovely, intimate venue – you just don’t get sweated on any more by a hairy bass player from a ska punk band. For some reason, King Prawn never got their live sound down on record but they were brilliant in the flesh.
GIG REVIEW Welcome To Marathon, Scott James & The Revolution, Kitten & Bear, Cynotia, The Drawing Of The Three, Charlie Baxter @ Frog & Fiddle/Sound Music Venue, Oxjam Festival, Cheltenham (19.10.13) I like a good all-dayer. There’s something great about watching bands play to 12 people at the Frog & Fiddle before it’s even tea-time. You feel like you have the bands to yourself. Then, throughout the afternoon, the venue slowly fills up and before you know it, you’re sharing the big headline act with a hundred other people. One man electro entertainment machine CHARLIE BAXTER opened the ‘charidee’ event (younger readers – ask your parents) that is Oxjam. He’s like a one man band for the 21st Century teenager, switching between pumping beats and electric guitar finishing off with a Bloodhound Gang cover. Great stuff. THE DRAWING OF THE THREE played next – an indie trio that reminded me a bit of Nirvana (the later less wild years). We needed to eat so after a quick stop at Subway (6 inch Italian BMT on hearty Italian if you’re interested) we made it back to the Frog to catch the end of CYNOTIA rocking the Cheltenham Underground stage like it was 2001. Next band, KITTEN & BEAR could not have been any different. They’re from Cirencester and every haunting song this acoustic duo sang made me think of warm fires and countryside and being a bit lonely. I don’t know why. The female vocals are sublime. We tore ourselves away from the Frog & Fiddle to catch SCOTT JAMES & THE REVOLUTION at Sound Music Venue. The short walk was worth it because a) there were more seats and b) the band were brilliant. I imagine this is how the Black
Eyed Peas would sound if they lived in Cheltenham. The male/female vocal contrast was smooth on the ears and the band provided a lively backdrop. SCOTT JAMES & THE REVOLUTION were a revelation - my new band discovery of the day, without a question. The only downside was the bloke talking REALLY LOUDLY at the back of the room. Listen my friend, if you can be heard over the top of 2 microphones and a few thousand pounds worth of PA system, then you are speaking TOO LOUDLY. Apparently a well known rapper we’d never heard of was up next so we waited…and waited…and waited. Eventually his DJ came on, played some banging music and told everyone to stand at the front and wave their arms in the air. I’m nearly 30 years old, all I want is a chair and a decent view of the stage, there’s no way I’m waving anything in the air at 9 o’clock at night. So we waited a little longer before deciding to leave. I hope the rapper was worth it - there’ll be some tired arms in the morning, that’s for sure.
As a result, we finished our evening back at the Frog watching WELCOME TO MARATHON who sounded more beefed up than I’d ever heard before. Part REM, part Springsteen, their driving rock went down well with the now swelling audience. Shortly after, we hit the road back to Gloucester, having seen a right mix of bands and hopefully having put a few quid to a good cause in the process.
I SPY GIGS Do you have fond memories of childhood car journeys? Dad drives with steam coming out of his ears as he misses the turning for the third time. Mum quietly offers advice such as, “I think we should have gone left there, dear.” Dad does his best not to scream in her face, “I BLOODY WELL KNOW THAT!” And you and your brother cower in the back seat armed with a pencil and I-Spy book trying to make yourselves as inconspicuous as possible as mum follows up with, “Shall we stop and ask for directions?”
No? Just me? Anyway, in an unprecedented move I have decided to revive the game of ISpy, only this time it’s for gigs. The next time you find yourself watching some bands, print out this page and give yourself a point each time you spot one of the following…
Somebody shouting a request. Anyone wearing the shirt of the headline band. Somebody who knows ALL of the words and is singing them far too loudly through each song. A finger pointer. Somebody who has bought a hefty piece of merch (e.g. a 12inch LP) too early and has to carry it around all night. The soundman reading a book. A small group of ‘lads’ trying to start a mosh pit. One of the headline band watching a support band. A guy wearing shorts in a winter month. A guy wearing a scarf in a summer month.
GIG
OR EVERY TIME THE SINGER SAYS… “We’re going to play a new one now.” “Come see one of us afterwards to pick up a CD.” “This is our last song.” “It’s been too long since we’ve played a gig in Cheltenham/Gloucester/etc.”
GIGS I NEVER WENT TO #1 One Minute Silence at the Attic, Cheltenham (1999) One Minute Silence were an edgy rap-metal band I discovered when I was an obsessive reader of Kerrang magazine. They liberally scattered the word ‘muthafucker’ all over their songs and were known as the ‘British Rage Against The Machine.’ Apparently at a gig in London, the crowd pulled down the ceiling whilst they were playing their set (the irony that this particular gig would be held in a venue called the Attic did not occur to me at the time, but if it had done then it would have increased my excitement tenfold). In hindsight, One Minute Silence were only edgy to an impressionable fifteen year old like me because…well, because I was an impressionable fifteen year old like me. This was due to be my first ‘proper’ gig. I’d been to see Paul Weller at the Town Hall a few months earlier but that didn’t really count because: a) I knew only one of his songs, b) I went with my mate and his parents and c) Everyone there was at least 20 years older than us. Being a cheapskate to this day, I still remember begrudgingly handing over £15 to my mate’s dad at a cricket match on a Friday night for the ticket.
Apparently, this is how we looked in 1999.
That was about two week’s worth of paper-rounds back then. If I use my current wages as a barometer, that’s roughly equivalent to about £700 now. Which all begs the question - If I can still remember parting with that £15 and the pain it caused some thirteen years later, then why did I even agree to go to the gig in the first place? I think we probably paid around £4 for the tickets to the Attic and we were both excited and shitting ourselves in equal measure. I thought to myself, what if the ceiling gets pulled down? A few years earlier whilst eating a family roast dinner at my Auntie’s, about three square ft of polystyrene tiles from the ceiling fell off and somehow cut my dad’s arm whilst he was wolfing down his roast potatoes. I didn’t want to be part of that again. Unfortunately, a couple of days before the gig, the local newspaper reported that the Attic had suddenly closed in mysterious circumstances. Buster Bloodvessel and the rest of Bad Manners turned up to play the night before and found the place locked and shut up. An accompanying photo of a very bald and disappointed lead singer with his tongue sticking out confirmed it - we would not be seeing One Minute Silence at the Attic any time soon. In fact, nobody would be seeing anyone at the Attic any time soon as the venue remained closed for about eight years before turning into a metal/goth club and shutting down and re-opening again on a fairly regular basis (most recently as the Night Owl). I did manage to catch One Minute Silence a couple of years later on a tour with Will Haven in Wolverhampton, but by then they had released a fairly disappointing follow upalbum and I had fickly switched my allegiance from nu-metal to the more cheerful, upbeat sound of ska-punk.
BEHIND THE SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE ISSUE #1 NOVEMBER 2013
Contact: E-mail averagemanzine@yahoo.co.uk Twitter @behindsceneglos