The Banter - June 2013

IMAGINE DRAGONS PRIMAL SCREAM // ADAM LEVINE

MARK OWEN // THE 1975 // GABRIELLE APLIN ALSO : CD REVIEWS // GIG REVIEWS // MOVIES

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Contents

38

INSIDE â—? www.thebanter.co.uk

6 INTERVIEW - Adam Levine

Interview with Maroon 5 frontman and star of The Voice USA, Adam Levine

10 CD Reviews

14

Tht We take a look at the best recent releases in the music world

8

14 INTERVIEW - Imagine Dragons

The Banter turns Radioactive with an exclusie interview with Imagine Dragons

22 Gig Reviews

A round up of some the hottest gigs in Glasgow over the last few months.

26 INTERVIEW - Mark Owen

The Banter has a chat with Mark Owen ahead of his latest album release.

46 Refugee Week 2013

42

20 Editorial Team Editor

Ritchie Marshall

Photos

Editorial Team

Daren Borzynski Stuart Westwood Maxwell Lynas Sarah Moyes Laura Donaldson Martin Knox Asif Ali

Cover Photo Daren Borzynski

We take a look at the highlights ahead for Scottish Refugee Week.

A loo

Contact

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THE BANTER | 3

Feature

INTERVIEW RUDIMENTAL 4 | THE BANTER

Interview

H

ackney four-piece Rudimental have one of the biggest success stories of the last twelve months.

Their first mainstream single ‘Feel The Love’ went straight to the top of the UK charts in March 2012 before going on to sell over 619,000 copies throughout the rest of the year. Since then the band have released top 20 hit ‘Not Giving In’, secured their second UK number one with ‘Waiting All Night’ and have now released their debut album ‘Home’.

The drum and bass quartet is made up of songwriters and producers Piers Agget, Kesi Dryden, Amir Amor and DJ Locksmith. Banter sat down with Piers and Amor backstage at the Oran Mor on the opening night of their headline tour, a mere 48 hours after they found out they were number one. “We’re ecstatic” said Amir, “We’ve been saving our celebrations for tonight.” Piers added: “Two number ones in one year is pretty unheard of so it’s such a lovely thing for us.”

‘Waiting All Night’ was finished in Glasgow, even though the band had already been working on it for a year before. Piers explained: “We were on the Plan B tour and we were playing the SECC and when that track was played the crowd gave us the most amazing reaction.” Amir continued: “So, when we got back to the hotel we put some of the crowd noise onto the track so you can actually hear a bit of that in the background of the single.”

It’s not unusual for Rudimental to work on the road - ever since the phenomenal success of ‘Feel The Love’ they’ve barely had any time at home. “Half the album was done before ‘Feel The Love’ so was done in the studio,” said Piers: “We’ve been constantly on the road since then though so there’s been a lot of tight deadlines but it made it more exciting!”

INTERVIEW BY LAURA DONALDSON

The band’s debut album ‘Home’ was put up for stream on iTunes the week before its April 29th release date - a fact the band found out on the internet. Piers said: “With things like that and gig announcements we normally find out from fans on Twitter!” Amir added: “There’s so many things that happen and we just try to keep our focus on our performance and rehearsals...sometimes it’s hard to keep up.”

‘Home’ has been an extremely important record for the band as although they all have experience in the music industry, this album is their debut. “This album’s been about a year and a half in the making officially as Amir joined the

THE BANTER | 5

Interview

band around two years ago,” Piers explained: “It’s definitely been a lot of hard work.” Amir added: “We’ve all worked in music before - Piers was writing for other people, I’d worked with people like Plan B and Example - so we’d been grafting for a long time.”

“When we got together I was kind of getting sick of writing for other people and Piers was getting sick of writing to a brief and then with Kesi and Locksmith we realised we could do something really creative and really fun and it just worked so well.”

Despite the band’s incredible success they insist that they don’t let chart positions cross their minds when they’re in the studio. Amir said: “If you think about the charts it just totally screws your concentration.” Piers agreed, adding: “It’s about sticking true to the music that you believe in. We’ve always had this love for soul music and soulful vocals so even when we were fifteen and were little ravers we wanted to mix that electronic sound with soul.” Amir added that although the Rudimental members grew up in different areas, they’ve essentially had the same background: “We all have similarities that cross over when it comes to our love for music - especially soul,” he explained.

Amir also explained that sometimes it’s hard to describe Rudimental. He said “We’re not a traditional electronic act and it’s difficult to get that across. We write songs with an organ or with a guitar or with a piano - we’re actually a band.” Piers continued: “But because we do come from a rave culture we do both. We love our beats and our basslines so it’s natural when we make music that it all 6 | THE BANTER

comes together” With four different opinions in one band, things could get heated when it comes to creative differences. Amir and Piers, however, revealed that all the members gel when it comes to studio time. Amir said: “It’s just really really natural and I’m not just saying that. I’ve worked with a lot of artists over the years and it’s the first time that there’s a real, organic, ‘coming together’ vibe.”

“We listen to each other really well and we respect each others opinions,” Piers continued: “If someone is really passionate about something we’ll back them off and let them do it because there must be a reason why they feel so strongly. We’re a great team - I can’t see us ever splitting up because we’ve found a great way of working together.”

No doubt fans will be reassured to hear that the Rudimental lads aren’t going away anytime soon. In fact they have huge plans for the Summer as they’ll be performing various festivals, including Scotland’s very own T In The Park. Piers said: “I’m so excited, it’s going to be wicked! I’ve actually never been to a Scottish festival!” Amir added: “We’re also doing V Festival and Glastonbury - it should be a good Summer!”

As the interview ended, Rudimental took to the stage and the crowd in the Oran Mor went wild. The energy and talent that the guys brought to the stage secured their place as one of the finest acts to break the mainstream in 2012. With so much success already under their belts it can only be upwards from here.

“If I needed an organ, I’d obviously take one.”

“I might join the Organ Donor Register, but not right now.”

If you believe in organ donation, prove it.

Register now at organdonation.nhs.uk

0300 123 23 23

Interview

ALL ABOUT ADAM ASIDE FROM MULTI-PLATINUM-SELLING ALBUMS, FAME, FORTUNE, HIS GIG ON THE VOICE AND THE BEVY OF BEAUTIES HE’S DATED, ADAM LEVINE HAS A HARD TIME OF IT...

PHOTO // DAREN BORZYNSKI

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Interview

W

hen he’s not making his acting debut, appearing on the NBC smash hit, currently in its fourth series, he’s launching his own fashion range, touring, dating, posing in magazines…

Okay. We admit it. It’s going reasonably well for the California-born international sex symbol. “Things are pretty good,” he tells us.

But, of course, he’s not prepared to sit still. And that is crucially the reason for his wide-ranging success. “I’m getting to explore a lot of new challenges. I don’t want to find myself wondering some years down the road why I didn’t go for it. I like being able to travel and explore the world. I don’t want to set any limits,” he says.

It’s been a good couple of years for the 32-year-old.

Stateside, Maroon 5 never really went away, but in Britain, after the initial excitement of This Love, their star faded a little.

His band is now more popular than ever following his stint on The Voice in America as a judge, the current series of which concludes in June.

But he doesn’t just put it down to his own fame soaring.

“Everything derives from the band and the work we’ve accomplished,” he says.

“We were booked a spot performing on an episode of 90210 and everything just came together for us. We worked our asses off for it but were lucky with some of the opportunities we got.”

Levine continues: “I actually think the impact has been pretty positive. When I was first offered the chance to go on The Voice, I worried that maybe it would harm the band. But as things have turned out it’s like the show has enabled me to become the ambassador for Maroon 5 and helped millions more people discover our music.

“I also don’t think that there’s anything wrong with appearing on a show that is going to help your band gain greater attention and become more successful even though you’re always dealing with the idea some people have that you’re selling out when you’re promoting yourself. I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to attract a bigger audience for your music.”

This has led, however, to accusations that Maroon 5 have dumbed down and gone from indie to pop. Levine bats

them away.

“I hate labels,” he says. “Whether it applies to music, your private life, or when it comes to sex, for example,” he says with a chuckle. “Everybody is free to do with their life as they please, and to make the kind of music you want to make. Personally, I don’t try to categorise our music.

“With Maroon 5, we’ve tried to be creative and do what interests us without trying to anticipate what the critics might say or react to what’s been said about us in the past. My main goal is that as many people as possible get to hear our music and that audiences get as much enjoyment from our work as I can hope for.”

Yet, if singing in Maroon 5 and coaching on The Voice is going so well, what’s with the acting career? Having guest-starred alongside Jessica Lange on Ryan Murphy’s FX cult-hit American Horror Story series, he’s set to make his film debut in Can a Song Save Your Life? opposite Keira Knightley.

“I’m trying to broaden my horizons and also distance myself from the kind of image of me that’s been out there as a singer who poses naked and dates models,” he says.

“I may have brought it on myself, but I thought I was being represented as a king of bimbo. Doing The Voice has been very satisfying and I think people have a better impression of me as someone who has serious ideas about music and life in general.”

Don’t for a second think this means he’s putting the band on hold. He promises that next year will be just as relentless.

“We have the chance to take our music to the next level and reach an even bigger audience around the world.

It’s fun to be successful in your own country, but when it reaches out to the rest of the world, that’s when it becomes exciting,” he says.

“That’s why we’re going to be going on a world tour [as of June] to present Maroon 5 on every continent.”

But is he ready to rest on his laurels? Not a chance.

“I’m very realistic when it comes to the future of our group and I know that the success we’re enjoying now won’t last forever.”

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Music

CD REVIEWS FALL OUT BOY Save Rock and Roll UNIVERSAL  February 4th 2013, the day Fall Out Boy’s indefinite hiatus ended with the band also announcing the release of a new album “Save Rock and Roll”.

Fall Out Boy were always seen as the poster boys for the “emo” scene but there return sees them return as a more mature and ambitious rock band, “Save Rock and Roll” isn’t scared to treaded the treacherous water of blurring the distinctions of genres, with Fall Out Boy’s influences a lot wider than they were pre-hiatus. Fall Out Boy always had ideas above their stations and at times their song titles suggested perhaps some delusions of grandeur, obviously their aim to “Save Rock and Roll” shows these ideas and delusions haven’t be tamed by their near five year hiatus. Opening track “The Phoenix” sets the tone for the album and single “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)” is another stand out track, as is “Rat a Tat”, which sees an appearance from Courtney Love, who really completes the track. It was another guest appearance which probably grabbed the headlines when the album was announced, that of Elton John on the album’s title track and the duet provides a great closing track to an ambitious and at times thrilling album. It doesn’t quite save rock and roll but it certainly announces Fall Out Boy are back.

MAXWELL LYNAS

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PARAMORE Paramore FUELED BY RAMEN  When two of the founding members of a band quit in controversial and strange circumstances, fans tend to worry about the future of a band and what their latest musical output will be like, after Josh and Zac Farro quit Paramore, Paramore fans probably began to worry.

What the three remaining members of Paramore have produced is not what many expected, when you think of a Paramore album your first thought probably isn’t of a sprawling 17 song album which clocks in at over 64 minutes.

What has been produced has been the band’s most critically acclaimed album to date and one that has sat atop of album charts all around the world. While not being the Paramore album you first imagine, it still has those Paramore tracks you expect “Still Into You” is a future pop-punk classic and “Anklebiters” has a bite (pardon the pun) that was missed from previous Paramore albums. Not all the songs are the Paramore you expect the band have obviously been playing around with different genres, with country, rock, pop, synths, gospel and even a ukulele all make an appearance.It turns out Paramore fans needn’t have fretted over the departures of the Farro brothers as the remaining members have produced an album which outshines their back catalogue.

MAXWELL LYNAS

Music BOXER REBELLION Promises

THE BOXER REBELLION UK LLP  K London-based indie-rock quartet The Boxer Rebellion fourth full-length album does exactly what the title says, Promises.

The band consisting of Tennessee-native Nathan Nicholson (Vocals, Guitar, and Keyboards), Australian Todd Howe (Lead Guitar), and Englishmen Adam Harrison (Bass) and Piers Hewitt (Drums), took to their London rehearsal space and transformed it into a recording studio where the songs for Promises would eventually come together over an18 month spell. Co-produced with producer Billy Bush (Garbage, Muse and Snow Patrol) in Los Angeles, CA, and being released through the band’s own Absentee Recordings label, Promises is the uplifting and cinematic follow-up to the criticallyacclaimed The Cold Still. Moving away from the more analog and darker soundscapes that enveloped the band’s previous album, Promises is a significant step in a different direction for the London four-piece – a hi-fi, soaring piece of work that truly delivers on the band’s epic, signature sound, and individual skill as musicians. It is undeniably TBR and from the retro-glossiness of the album’s opener, “Diamonds,” to the wall-of-sound that is “Fragile,” to the towering beauty of “Low,” “New York,” and “Dream,” Promises presents itself as an evolution in aesthetic – diverse in soundscapes but singular in grand ambition – for a band that continues to push and explore its creative ability with each new release.Promises, is the most complete album to date from The Boxer Rebellion.Still emotional and provocative, but at the same time uplifting, ambitious, positive, and far bigger than the sum of its parts.

IMAGINE DRAGONS Night Vision

POLYDOR GROUP  Imagine Dragons have released their debut album, Night Visions. The Vegas quartet, made up of Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee and Daniel Platzman, recorded the LP between 2010 and 2012 and fans who have been patiently waiting will certainly not be disappointed.

Even if you haven’t heard of Imagine Dragons you’re likely to have heard their tracks featured on adverts - Radioactive has been used in several movie trailers as well as the Assassin’s Creed III trailer and On Top of the World was used in the trailer for animated film The Croods. The band self-produced the album with help from R&B and hip-hop producer Alexander Grant (also known as) Alex da Kid. The creative freedom the band had is definitely reflected in each track. The previously mentioned On Top Of The World is a perfect feel-good track that is guaranteed to instantly cheer the listener up. This cheery mood is in direct contrast to another highlight of the record, Amsterdam, a solemn affair that’s full of emotion and mood.

Vocalist Dan Reynolds really shines on this track and proves why fans are glad he’s stayed in the band, despite being the only remaining founding member. Imagine Dragons truly wouldn’t be the same without him. Other tracks on the record that shine include Demons (although it’s definitely too short), Bleeding Out and Round and Round. The band have proved that they are extremely diverse within their alternative-rock sound - which makes for a fantastic debut.

LAURA DONALDSON

SEASICK STEVE Hubcap Music POLYDOR  It’s been two years since beardedCalifornian Seasick Steve released ‘You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks’ and the 71-year-old has now returned with new album ‘Hubcap Music’. The record has apparently got it’s title due to the fact that one of the guitars Steve uses was made from “two hubcaps and a garden hoe”. This is Steve’s sixth studio album and sees him recruit help from other artists such as John Paul Jones and Jack White. If you’re a fan you definitely won’t be disappointed as Steve sticks to his usual recipe of blues style tracks - but with a twist. The album kicks off with the revving of motor noises as first track ‘Down on the Farm’ is introduced. It’s a high-energy opener but is definitely a safe option for Steve as the rest of the record is actually far more diverse. One track that is a fine example of this LP’s variety is ‘The Way I Do’. This song boasts a feature from Jack White - whose guitar playing is instantly recognisable. ‘Purple Shadows’ is a slow, laid-back song that really showcases Steve’s ability to pull off softer tracks as well as the blues-boogie tracks.

There are a few tracks that fly under the radar and are perhaps ultimately forgettable, such as ‘Freedom Road and ‘Keep on Keepin’ On’. These numbers aren’t necessarily bad there’s just others on the record that are much better and stand out a lot more. At the end of the day, there’s enough stand-out tracks on ‘Hubcap Music’ to make the album worth purchasing and giving a listen to. While the sound is nothing new for ol’ Seasick Steve, at least you always know what you’re getting LAURA DONALDSON

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Music GIN WIGMORE Gravel and Wine POLYDOR GROUP  New Zealand singer/ songwriter Gin Wigmore has finally released her amazing album Gravel and Wine in the UK, even though it was released in her homecountry back in 2011(!).

The 26-year-old has been described as a fusion of Duffy and Amy Winehouse and her voice certainly does have that sound to it. In the last few years there has been an influx of female retro-soul vocalists but audiences show no signs of getting bored of the sound, which is perfect as Wigmore fits the bill perfectly.

She’s certainly no stranger to success as her debut album was certified five times platinum new Zealand and she’s toured with Sheryl Crow and John Mellencamp.

It’s easy to see why the record has been so successful - it’s filled with hits. Highlights include Man Like That, which is a toetapping track that has a big-band air about it and Black Sheep, which instantly makes you think of the late Winehouse. Poison is a slower number which shows how Wigmore’s vocals can cover both upbeat and fragile sounds.

LAURA MARLING Once I Was An Eagle VIRGIN  ‘Once I Was An Eagle’ is a beautiful return for Laura Marling. It’s still hard to believe that this is her fourth studio album yet she’s still only 23 years old. And on top of that she’s already bagged a Brit Award for Best Female Solo Artist in 2011 and two of her previous records were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Since then, Laura has let all the hype around her die down and kept us waiting patiently for 2 years to hear what’s she’s been working on and this fourth record was certainly worth that wait.

The album itself is 16 tracks long, which is pretty long my Marling’s previous album standards. The first few songs like the raw and powerful ‘I Was An Eagle’ and ‘You Know’ run so smoothly into each other that’s it hard to tell when one song finishes and another begins. The middle of the album splits up the record throwing back to the more traditional folk sounds of her debut record on songs like ‘Devil’s Resting Place’ and ‘Undine’. In the second half of the record its ‘Where Can I Go?’ that shines through as one of the highlights, its upbeat mix of guitars and Hammond organs really bring the record to life.

It’s hard to describe this album as anything other than magical.

Whereas before she was still linked under the same folk umbrella as bands like Noah And The Whale and Mumford And Sons, ‘Once I Was An Eagle’ has firmly cemented her place as one of Britain’s best singer-songwriters. And I’m willing to bet quiet a lot of money that’ll be a third Mercury nod for Laura when this year’s shortlist is announced later in the year.

SARAH MOYES

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A perfect example of her stripped-down vocals is album closer Singin’ My Soul which shows off her voice beautifully and is without a doubt one of the best songs of the record. Some tracks are less outstanding and are, dare I say it, even skippable - specifically Sweet Hell and Devil In Me. However, as the rest of the album is so delightful it’s easily forgivable.

Overall, Wigmore has made a fantastic record here and will have all her UK fans asking the question - how has it taken so long for her to reach us?

LAURA DONALDSON

FINAL SILENCE More Human Than Human CASKET RECORDS  Metalcore act Final Silence have recently released their album ‘More Human Than Human’. Final Silence are a 5 piece metal band originating in 2005 but really coming into their own last year when they added one more member, did far more shows and wrote this incredible, powerful album.

The current government has really driven Britain into the ground and there are few things to keep us smiling these days but at least it’s inspired some amazing music and this album is another one to add to the At Least We Have This pile.

I’d heard Final Silence before and while they were a lot of fun, especially live, I prefer this darker version of them. More Human Than Human is an extremely well-produced album and tracks such as What You Haven’t Earned and title Track More Human Than Human ought to be anthems. Truly. Not one weak track, not one weak member, this album is incredibly tight and should be the one to rocket them to success.

SARAH LOUISE KELLY

Music

NOAH AND THE WHALE Heart of Nowhere MERCURY  Noah and the Whale are back with their new album ‘Heart of Nowhere.’ The record follows 2011’s platinum-selling ‘Last Night On Earth’ and certainly doesn’t disappoint.

The album, their fourth in five years, is jam-packed with breezy, laid-back catchy tunes that will be the perfect accompaniment to the upcoming Summer days. ‘ Heart of Nowhere’ is Noah and the Whale’s shortest album to date at just ten tracks long but rather than being disappointing, the smaller number of songs ensures that there’s no filler tracks. Right from the instrumental introduction, it’s clear the four-some are back feeling refreshed and energised from their two year break.

Although the sound of the album is nothing new, the band stick to what they do best and it ultimately pays off. The album’s title track is a sweet story of devotion with an 80s tinge that features singer Anna Calvi. This 80s feel continues into ‘All Through The Night’, a more fast-paced track that’s guaranteed to stick in your head.

While the more up-tempo tracks are certainly catchy, it’s when they slow down that lead vocalist Charlie Fink really shines. ‘One More Night’ and ‘Not Too Late’ are both smooth, fragile tracks that are perfect examples of Noah and the Whale’s true talent.

Another highlight of the LP is ‘There Will Come a Time’ the first single to come from the record. The track is the perfect addition to anyone’s Spring soundtrack and has already featured as Greg James’ Single of The Week.

Overall, Noah and the Whale have proved their still one of the best indie/folk groups around and reminded us why we’ve missed them so much. ‘Heart of Nowhere’ is a solid effort from the Twickenham group that is sure to please their fans LAURA DONALDSON

FRANK TURNER TAPE DECK HEART POLYDOR GROUP  Frank Turner’s Tape Deck Heart has been described as a “break up album”, Tape Deck Heart was written and recorded following the collapse of a long-term romantic relationship. Turner stated: “There’s a lot of stuff on this record about loss and failure in relationships, about what happens when something that was supposed to be timeless runs out of time.” Break up albums can usually range from depressing to sad to miserable and anywhere in between but Tape Deck Heart is something magical and much much more than a “break up album”. Opening track and the first single ‘Recovery’ is a bold and loud ‘I’m going to get over you’ statement of intent from Turner, beginning with him spending nights “blacking in and out in a strange flat in east London” travelling through to some kind of recovery with Turner stating “one day this will all be over”. For a break-up album the first four tracks are surprisingly upbeat and would feel at home on a party playlist, it isn’t until Turner spits “goddamnit, Amy” on Good & Gone where the break up vibe comes in . Catchy songs and break up albums are strange bedfellows but Turner makes it work, with Plain Sailing Weather and its chorus which will burrow into your brain and stay there for weeks or even months. Turner may have moved on from his Million Dead punk rock roots but he has not left them behind entirely Four Simple Words, celebrates the DIY nature of some punk-rock gigs. It’s not until the closing track of the album, that Turner finally displays his famous patriotic side; Turner enthuses about his beloved England, mixing his native pride with lovelorn anguish on the mournful and captivating Broken Piano.

Tape Deck Heart is anything but your stereotypical break up album, it does contain anguish and heartbreak but it also contains songs of celebration and catchy choruses.

MAXWELL LYNAS

THE BANTER | 13

Interview

IMAGINE

DR AG It’s not everyday you get to meet one of the biggest Rock Bands in the world - that was my feeling anyway when I went to meet Imagine Dragons, with their sold out European & American tours being the proof. OK, some of you will probably still ask: “Who?”, but if you are into Video Games, Cinema, TV or Radio (they have been on it all), you will have heard at least one of their tunes: Radioactive, Radioactive!

for Imagine Dragons leading up to this recent success.

Has the level of success and recognition you are receiving at the moment been overwhelming?

Daniel: I think we are a little overwhelmed, I think it’s better than if we would have blown up over night. It’s been a four to five year organic build, when it’s more of that you don’t feel as shell shocked, although this last year it has been more of an exponential growth.

Imagine Dragons are one of the hardest working bands, and probably have been for the last five years, building strong foundations while playing night in and night out in their home town of Las Vegas, gaining experience and defining their sound of synths, drums and claps.

It’s not been as shocking to us because we have been together for 5 years, but you do feel a little taken aback!

The Banter magazine caught up with them during their busy European tour in Glasgow’s O2ABC, hoping to find out what makes them tick.

Bands come and go, give up easily these days if they haven’t made the quick buck, and it can’t have been easy

14 | THE BANTER

Before reaching this peak and recent success you have been on quite an extensive tour and playing gigs. Have your families, parents and friends been supportive of your career choice?

Daniel: Very supportive from the very beginning.

Dan: The other three members went to Berkley School of Music in Boston, so it was definitely an early career choice for them, and they took it very seriously.

Interview

ON S I dropped out of college to end up perusing music, and my family was very supportive. As of recent, it’s been hard, as we hardly eversee our family and our friends, so we have probably lost some friends along the way.

Daniel: Even with some of success, we have lost some of our support, just because we have turned into bad family members.

Dan: We have been gone so much that it’s hard to keep track of everybody, but our families have stayed near and dear. We haven’t seen them as much as we like.

You have been touring and playing extensively, and selfreleasing your own EP’s. At any point, did you feel that you didn’t want to continue, or that it was a difficult path to go down?

Daniel: I don’t think longer than about ten minutes. I think we have all quit the band for around ten minutes, especially when an amp blows up on stage or when you get electrocuted when you touch the guitar. When you get robbed and all your passports and money gets stolen, I

INTERVIEW & PHOTOS DAREN BORZYNSKI

think everyone has quit for about ten minutes. I don’t think any longer than that.

Dan: We have been through a lot of ups and downs together, if you haven’t had a couple of those moments, then you haven’t been in a band long enough.

You have been previously quoted as saying “We never want to be the band that outgrows where we came from”.

Has this recent peak of success changed that?

Daniel: We’re still Vegas in our hearts; we are a Vegas band and will always be.

Dan: Vegas is home for us. We are very proud to be from that city; I’m a third generation Las Vegan and have a lot of pride for it. Going deeper than that, up and down, we never outgrow being regular guys. I’ve never really believed the whole rock ‘n’ roll mentality of “you are greater than someone else because you have created music”, that it entitles you to something.

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Interview Daniel: We are just grateful to be here, there are tons of great musicians out there that deserve to be in this position, so we are not going to take it for granted.

Daniel: It’s about the music, it’s not about us.

Imagine Dragons’ early material was produced by yourselves?

Daniel: We self-produced from the very beginning, we were very hands on. Although this album, we did have a producer on board with us, Alex Da Kid. He is a great producer, because he still let us take the wheel, but he knew when to come in an give tasteful thought. It was very tasteful indeed and he helped us with the production.

As an artist you don’t want a producer that you feel is too hands on and changes things. He was a genuine fan from the beginning.

Alex’s expertise really was in line with what we were looking for, he is a technology guru that knows everything about gear, programmes and electronic drums. That was a thing the band always wanted, to try and get the sounds, asking ourselves: “How do we get the base drum to sound like XY&Z”, and Alex would swoop in: “Oh you mean this?” Three months we had been trying to get that sound, so it was really great working with him.

Alex Da Kid is an English Hip Hop, R&B, Alternative Rock and Pop record producer who attended the University of West London to obtain a bachelor’s degree in audio technology.

He has gained recognition for producing singles for Eminem and Rihanna (“Love the Way You Lie”), Nicki Minaj (“Massive Attack”), and B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore (“Airplanes”).

Did Alex Da Kid’s previous work influence you to work with him?

Daniel: We were very familiar with his work, big fans, absolutely.

Dan: Especially Daniel and I grew up listening to a bit of Hip Hop and more Urban music, so we were very familiar with what he had done. When he reached out to us, we didn’t reach out to him.

He came to us as a fan of the band, and we said we are a fan of what you have done, so why don’t we get in a room together and see how it feels and write a little bit together.

We really felt as if we had something special.

Daniel, you are the drummer of Imagine Dragons, but Dan has also played drums in the past, does this cause any conflict?

Daniel: He is a drummer, absolutely!

Dan: I drum a little bit on stage and drummed growing up, but I’m nothing like this guy, he’s much better.

Daniel: Don’t let him fool you, he’s a great drummer.

16 | THE BANTER

Interview Daniel: I love it when Dan comes up and hits the cymbals; I think the percussion is one of the things that define our band.

I never have any problem with anyone coming up and playing some drums.

Dan: We have a lot of drums on stage; it’s a lot of fun. We don’t have it for this European tour as it was too big ship to overseas, but we have a 400 pound Taiko drum, taller than me. We have scaled it down for this tour; we still have a big concert drum to bang on, some quads and a tom drum. We have a lot of drum interaction on stage.

Did you have a lot of musical influences growing up?

Dan: One of the really cool things about being a Vegas band, unlike a city like New York or Los Angeles, where there are a thousand bands that want the slot you have, in Vegas there weren’t that many bands and not a lot of places where they need bands to play. So this band started out playing covers and throwing in our own material. We played six hour gigs, that’s how we made our money to eat and pay rent.

Hit song “Radioactive” was used on TV to advertise video game Assassin’s Creed. Do Imagine Dragons play video games?

Dan: I played all the Assassin’s Creed games, so I very familiar with it when they came to us and asked us if they could one of our songs. It was a no brainer; it’s a great fit with its revolutionary theme. We live in a day and age where it’s really great as an artist to see visual art with our music; it enhances both aspects of it. So when we find something that seems tasteful and appropriate and we are all for it, but there are times when it’s not always correct when people ask us and we politely decline.

Daniel: Assassin’s Creed was really powerful, I remember the first time we came on a European run and we were playing much smaller venues and the whole tour was sold out. They were singing every word and the album had even been released, at the end of the shows I would go to the crowd ask, how they know who we are and how they know every word?

The more times than not, they replied, I heard your music on Assassin’s Creed, googled it and found out you were playing here and travelled for 4 hours to come and see you play.

Are Imagine Dragons competitive when playing video games?

Daniel: We are pretty competitive when it comes to gaming.

Dan: We wished we had more time for it, because we really don’t have much time. Just between interviews or being on stage, sound check or writing, when we get a spare minute here or there, it get quite competitive in a fun way.

Daniel: FIFA comes out!

You have just written an original song for the Iron Man 3 soundtrack, how did that come about?

Dan: They just reached out to us and said they would like THE BANTER | 17

Interview

us to be part of the soundtrack, and we love all the Iron Man movies. I think every boy grew up reading about Iron Man and superheroes in comics, so we were really excited to create a song for it. We had a song that together we thought was pretty fitting for it and played around with it for a bit until it felt right for the movie. We are just excited to see it on the sound track with a lot of other great artists.

If you could be a super hero, who would you be?

Daniel: I think Superman is a cop out, because he can do everything, so I won’t say that. I’m going to say the Incredible Flash; I would like to be able to run really fast.

Dan: Yeah Superman is an easy go to, but is a bit of a cop out so I will respect that. I will pick Spiderman; I think it would be really cool to swing between buildings.

This being your second time in Scotland, have you had a chance to try Haggis?

Daniel: We tried it on our first time in an Indian/Scottish fusion place and had Haggis samosas and Haggis curry, so our introduction to Haggis was not a normal one.

My perspective is that Haggis is very rich and with curry flavours, but the soft meat melts in your mouth. Probably only half of those are true about normal Haggis. In Philadelphia specifically we have a dish called Scrapple, where all the parts of a pig that weren’t used are put together and fried, and we have it for breakfast. This whole band are big foodies, we love to eat food that we can’t get back home in Vegas. We were not about to shy 18 | THE BANTER

away from Haggis, bring it on!

One of The Banter magazine followers from Portland was wondering if Dan has to lift weights so he can carry the Taiko drum around?

Dan: I do push-ups to stay in shape; it can get a little wearing. I don’t lift metal; I just do core cardio workouts.

Daniel: Getting to this point where we are headlining our own tours and being able to play hour and a half sets, the first few times doing that actually wind you - it’s exhausting.

So we have started exercising to stay in shape to perform at 100% throughout the tour.

Imagine Dragons are very often compared to The Killers. As a whole, I don’t hear it myself, although there might be some familiarities in one of the album tracks. The Las Vegas connection is their strongest link. They have their own sound, a diverse sound, that has been shaped while playing their six hour long sets to pay their way.

They have been around for a few years despite being relatively new to our ears, so what’s not to like about Imagine Dragons? I can’t think of anything: They have created a sound that can entertain a wide range of tastes, putting in lots of feel-good and uplifting emotions into what they do. They work hard, they play when they find the time, and they deserve their success: “It’s been a long time coming for the working man”.

To c

10 yelebrat of W ears e Trou ron g the sers Da y c on make’s , e!

Wear your favourite Wrong Trousers and celebrate our 10th birthday helping sick children across the UK

www.wrongtrousersday.org HOT LINE 0845 600 1924 Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation supports children’s healthcare throughout the UK. Registered Charity Number 1096483 © Aardman/Wallace & Gromit Limited 2013

Supported by

Interview

INTERVIEW PRIMAL SCREAM INTERVIEW BY TEMORA COOPER

20 | THE BANTER

Interview

I

’m not into celebrity culture. I don’t read tabloids or glossy magazines; pretty much on principle. I don’t care who (didn’t) eat what for breakfast or whether someone I don’t know is making any spectacular, sordid, life changing mistake, (that’s what my real friends are for!). Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to speak to some of the people who wrote and played my all time favourite songs; not to ask them about the zoom-lens, nitty gritty of their lives but to focus on the bigger picture. What do they stand for? What do they believe? Who are they?

But when does life ever gift you such a golden opportunity?

‘The day after tomorrow? Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream? Of course. Yes. Absolutely!’ (OMG!) ‘The day after tomorrow? Yes. No problem at all. Delighted.’

(OMG!!) I don’t usually use acronyms but - OMG! WTF! I can’t listen to tunes like Come Together or Loaded, from the award winning album, ‘Screamadelica’, without experiencing a delicious, visceral, rush of happiness.

Panic. Listen to their new single. What’s it called?

No way - it’s called ‘It’s Alright, It’s OK’ – I love a bit of synchronicity. Oh, no. What if it’s awful? FFS, just listen to it!

Wow. I got the rush! The first few bars and I got the rush. Woo Hoo!! Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Primal Scream! If you need a burst of pure pleasure that embraces experience and transcends nostalgia then download this single.

Ok. Ok. So, what am I going to ask him? I should really ask him what other people would want me to ask him.

That’s my job as an interviewer - to personify public curiosity. How quickly can I delude myself into thinking that everyone’s interested in what I’m interested in? That quickly, eh? Impressive - possibly even a personal best?

The phone’s ringing. It’s ok, you’ve got your notes. You can do this. But what if he hates my questions? What if he only gives me one word answers? What if he’s not like his music? Maybe I sense a depth that’s not really there?

Maybe I should ask him who he’s sleeping with?

Hello?

A comfortingly mellow, unmistakably Glaswegian voice, kindly attempts to greet me. Despite knowing that the first rule of a good interview is to let the other person speak, (!), I am compelled by some evil inner nemesis to deliver my opening lines without interruption. Having spoken emphatically over anything that Bobby Gillespie might himself have liked to say, I had effectively brought the greeting phase to a premature and stilted end. Good start. He’s got a smile in his voice though, I can hear it.

And I don’t feel like he’s laughing at me; he’s just laughing

near me – and that’s actually quite nice.

Time to do this then. Here goes.

‘I’m really delighted you have a new album coming out.

When I listened to ‘It’s Alright, It’s Ok’ I felt a weight lifting that I didn’t even know I was carrying. It’s a beautiful song, and, looking at the rest of the tracks on More Light, I thought, ‘Wow, finally someone is writing songs that are unique to our time; complex, emotional, musical responses to living with the realities and paradoxes of the day. I wondered whether this was your intention and, if it was, in the face of the Voice and the X-Factor, do you still see music as a vehicle for social change?’

‘Ok… really I wrote that, I kind of wrote that... Ok, that particular song was written from feeling angry and sad about a situation, and trying to… a personal situation and trying to maybe, erm… coming to find some acceptance. Oh, tell you what, I don’t want to demystify the song. Let’s rewind that right?

(I am beginning to squirm, the question is too big. Too unexpected. And then…)

That song has a painful angry lyric but it is married to really joyful, ecstatic rock and roll music. Ecstatic, joyous rock and roll music! It’s a great combination I think. You know, it’s a real rock and roll record. I heard it on the BBC the other week and it sounded great coming through the speaker in my radio. It felt like real rock and roll. It’s passionate, it’s emotional, it’s uplifting and it does what rock and roll is supposed to do, which is lift people’s spirits and make them feel good about themselves and make them dance.

I think, at its greatest, at its very best, rock and roll is a magic, transcendent powerful force. I don’t know if it… I don’t think it can change… I think it can alter peoples’ lives on an individual basis but I don’t know if it is going to cause great… well, I don’t know. The Beatles created social change. In the 60s the Beatles were agents of change. Their whole message was love.

Love each other. Don’t go to war. They were behind the anti war movement. The message of the Beatles was ‘don’t conform to the structures and limits that society has put on you’. Love each other, love one another.

Don’t go to war. Pretty simple stuff you know. But they were anti-conformist in their time. John Lennon was a revolutionary, non-conformist artist.

When you actually think about where the Beatles came from; they were just working class, lower middle class guys who formed a rock and roll band. Up until that point, people in bands were just complete puppets and they didn’t really write their own songs. Songs were written for them. The Beatles put their future in their own THE BANTER | 21

Interview hands, wrote their own songs, which were initially love songs like the girl groups of the time, like the Shangri-La’s.

But then they started writing about personal things; existential pain and drugs and sex and all sorts of real subjects and they became artists. So it’s a really powerful journey because they became their own men. They became artists. And I think that’s the really powerful thing about the Beatles because they showed that people could do that. That you could be the pop music, rock and roll idols but you could also make art.

And I think that, in that way, rock and roll can transform lives. My life was transformed by punk rock. If weren’t for punk rock I would never have known that I could be a creative person. I’d probably have left school at 15 and got a job in a print factory. If it hadn’t been for punk rock… through my love and obsession with punk rock I started doing things, making posters and flyers for gigs and writing for fanzines, and going to gigs; buying records, buying the music papers, and eventually a friend, me and a friend, started making music which was very primitive.

When we started I was a drummer and I didn’t have drums, I just hit dustbin lids and my friend had a guitar and we put it through a little amplifier and he played one chord; he didn’t know any other chords, he just played the one chord over and over. And we both just screamed and screamed and screamed.

(PRIMAL SCREAM!!)

In our own way we were creating art. We didn’t know how to write songs or play instruments but it was a real, powerful, visceral, creative force that we were expressing.

Really we were just expressing ourselves. Eventually that became Primal Scream; we started writing songs and then making singles and albums and touring and then there was Screamadelica. That was like, you know, 22 years ago.

I basically became an artist because of punk rock. The general life for a lot of working class kids in Glasgow back then was you left school and, if you were lucky you got a trade and you stuck to that trade for the rest of your life. I guess that was the path that was set for me. But luckily, because of punk rock I found another path and I ended up where I am today. So, music changed my life for the better.

(Wow. I didn’t expect him to be so eloquent; which is ridiculous. He’s a song writer. Did you get that bit about rock and roll being a ‘transcendent, powerful force’?

Really nice! And, for what it’s worth, I thought the tone in his voice belied a humility which made this question difficult to negotiate. How refreshingly unexpected. I didn’t think I was a cynic but, clearly, I have it in me. I wonder what he’ll make of the next one.)

22 | THE BANTER

‘If you were suddenly in charge of the UK, what issue would you look at first? What’s close to your heart and why?’

Uhhhmm. Oh God. I’m a singer in a band.

(Oh no… I’ve gone too far. He doesn’t like to talk politics?

Hang on though… maybe that’s just more humility?)

We should renationalise all the utilities. Like gas, water, electricity... We should put them back in the hands of the f*cking people and bring the crisis round. Basically expropriate the expropriater. Karl Marxism. Take back what is ours. You know we’ve had it all stolen off of us by the corporations and the government; then they sell it back to us at huge f*cking… hugely inflated prices. The world’s fucking, and I mean this worldwide, it’s like, it’s ours.

The world is ours. It’s not theirs. The corporations and governments, people in power, they’re just hanging on to everything. They’ve stolen everything. If there’s gas in a country, oil or water or electricity, it belongs to the people. It shouldn’t be sold to the people. It f*cking belongs to the people. I think that we should f*cking nationalise the whole fucking lot.

I would make a more socialist, egalitarian society where no matter what background you came from, if you had brains, talent, ambition, energy and lots of young people have all of these, then you would be helped through the education system. You wouldn’t have to pay hundreds and thousands of pounds for it. I think if people want to pay for private education, I think that’s ok. It’s fine. But not everyone can afford to go to university because of the university fees. A lot of talented young people are not going to be able to go to Art College because of fees.

This is the answer to your question.

I feel really strongly about the systematic dismantling of the education system. If you invest in your youth, you invest in the future of your country and your world. My wife worked with Alexander McQueen for many years and I know for a fact that Alexander grew up in a tower block in Stratford, East London. One of the most deprived parts of London. He had that incredible innate talent for fashion; he was like a genius of fashion.

He managed to go to Art School and his teacher, Louise Wilson, told me last year that Alexander’s equivalent, these days, would not be able to go to the school because they couldn’t afford it. She told me she’s failing 80% of the students because they’re rubbish. They’re only there because they can afford to go there. People like John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, these people that she’s taught, they came from working class backgrounds and they can’t get into the Art College any more. And I feel really, you know, passionate about the children who

Interview

have the grades to go to university but can’t because their parents don’t have the money.

We pay our taxes; I’ve paid a lot of money in taxes over the years. I’d like to see the taxes go back into the fucking system. Help people get through College or University or Art School or whatever they want to do; if they’ve got the brains and the talent and the energy to pursue a career then we should help them. It’s better for everybody. I don’t think education should be the privilege of the extremely wealth.

‘I wish you did want to be a vehicle for social change.’

(I am in his thrall. I’d hoped he might have a genuine social conscience but this has exceeded all expectations.)

I didn’t say I didn’t… but I think if I was being honest about it, the best that rock and roll can do is lift people’s spirits. I don’t know if people would mobilize around rock and roll bands to get politically conscious. I think people come to rock and roll concerts to basically dance and have a good time and get their rocks off. You can talk about issues in the songs. You can explore issues in the songs that are real, that are hard, that are dark, that people can relate to their own lives. That’s when art works; it can be powerful but it can also resonate with another person’s experience. If I put my pain into a song, maybe someone listening to that pain can feel

it and maybe it makes them feel a bit better to know that someone else feels it too. I listen to a lot of black American soul music. A lot of really dark ballads and sometimes you’re just like, ‘Woah Man!’ You really feel what the guy’s singing about. But it makes you feel a bit better about yourself because you’ve got that wound inside you too and, I don’t know, maybe it soothes you.

Maybe because you respond to the truth in a song and that truth responds to a truth in you - and the experience makes a connection. I think making a connection is the important thing.

(And, this, my friends, is where I fluffed it. I was so busy reveling in how well it was going that I missed the end of what he was saying. The whole bit about making a connection; now that’s irony for you. We’d already been talking for over our allotted time and I heard myself thanking him for his thoughtful responses as though I had nothing more to ask. Noooo. He was happy; he was talking. I have loads more questions. People need to hear this! Take it back. Ask something else… too late.)

Well. It’s been emotional.

And uplifting.

Much like his music.

What an interesting, intelligent, thoughtful man. I’m so glad I didn’t ask him what he had for breakfast.

THE BANTER | 23

Feature

FEATURE: RICHY MUIRHEAD

A

PIECE by The Sun recently pegged Kilmarnock as “overrun by neds, junkies and crack whores” but beneath the surface there is more flowing through the veins of this small Scottish town than meets the eye.

Richy Muirhead, 23, is a more than promising entrepreneur; the founder and creative director of the Scottish Alternative Music Awards (SAMA’s) and The Dirty Weekender Festival – not to mention one of Kilmarnocks brightest talents.

Against the backdrop of the town’s low key music scene, Muirhead blends in as one of the crowd, there to enjoy the music rather than to reap the glory of his own hard work.

Glory which is there to reap – the SAMA’s which admittedly started “very small” has grown arms and legs, Richy explains: “Now we receive around 23 thousand votes (over 10 days), over 1 million web hits, and we have some huge sponsors such as Gorbals Sound.”

Like all the best things, it came from small beginnings. “The SAMAs began four years ago when I was completing my degree, I had been invited over to the MTV Europe Music Awards and after I felt a little inspired to create something similar but more suited to my taste and to support the more independent artist.” The degree involved -Music: Innovation & Entrepreneurship offered at the University of The West of Scotland – is the first of its kind in the UK and is aimed at people particularly passionate about setting up their own business in the music industry. “When I was younger I played in a few bands and realised how difficult it is to get forward, so I like to try and use SAMAs as a platform to deliver an opportunity to the artist - whether that be 24 | THE BANTER

developing a larger fan base, being offered a festival slot, or collaborating with a new artist.” The awards, which took place this year on March 8th to a sold out Glasgow Garage, follow the standard award show format but with more live music and atmosphere and less predictability and pandering to the latest Brit school graduates than other mainstream shows.

Richy Muirhead is also one of the key names behind the Kilmarnock Dirty Weekender Festival that began last year to great success. “The Kilmarnock Dirty Weekender came together from a good friend and I decided it would be a positive move to run a festival for the local scene and give us the chance to work with a huge selection of artists and brands in the process.” In doing so, artists and audiences that wouldn’t normally cross paths are given the opportunity to meet – which is the aim of bringing the project to a town that is more known for its characters from The Scheme than its music scene.

The element of his career that is most endearing is the ability to make new, alternative music accessible to the masses – along with a few others Richy has a lot to do with Kilmarnock’s expanding music culture. “A lot of people don’t have the time to go out to gigs all week, listen to radio shows about new music etc., so this (The Dirty Weekender) is an opportunity to find new music over a wide spread of genres at your door for a very reasonable price,” he says.

Feature The festival does exactly that. Last year it welcomed 34 acts over the space of three days including upcoming Scottish indie band We Were Promised Jetpacks – this year seen it take up a third venue and an even wider selection of acts from local bands to the winners of the SAMA for Best Live Act - Ok Social Club.

It is apparent that the driving force behind his projects is a genuine love for music. “I think we can say Ayrshire as a whole has a wealth of talent” Richy explains, “obviously your Biffy Clyro’s are ticking that box - but there is a new wave of acts too such as Fatherson, Vukovi, Brown Bear & The Bandits who are all making waves and moving forward.” Fatherson in particular are a young band from Kilmarnock who have gone from strength to strength since their 2012 SAMA’s win.

Having previously supported bands from America’s Panic!

At The Disco to Scotland’s own Twin Atlantic, they have headlined shows across the country including the Glasgow Garage, where they picked up their Best Rock/Alternative award only months before.

It is for bands like Fatherson who continue to work hard and produce original music that the backing of the SAMA’s and Muirhead’s other ventures are so important – they provide recognition that there is an audience which supports them and love what they’re doing. It’s easy to dismiss Kilmarnock as another of Scotland’s broken towns where the characters from The Scheme rule through intimidation, but there is a subculture of incredibly driven individuals, whether they are in bands or trying to build a career for themselves like Muirhead, that go entirely unthought-of in pieces such as that by The Sun. So what’s next for Richy Muirhead, who has already achieved so much in such a short space of time? “Time will tell about it, but the response this year has been phenomenal and really refreshing! In the future we may see the awards located in a different city, or perhaps featured on TV, there are lots of options to look at.” Spoken like a true entrepreneur.

The 1975 O2 ABC, Glasgow

17th September

Jake Bugg O2 Academy, Glasgow

31st October

It is for bands like Fatherson who continue to work hard and produce original music that the backing of the SAMA’s and Muirhead’s other ventures are so important – they provide Gabrielle Aplin recognition that there is an audience which supports them and love what they’re doing. It’s easy to dismiss Kilmarnock as another of Scotland’s broken towns where the characters O2 ABC, Glasgow from The Scheme rule through intimidation, but there is a 2nd November subculture of incredibly driven individuals, whether they are in bands or trying to build a career for themselves like Muirhead, that go entirely unthought-of in pieces such as that by The Sun.

So what’s next for Richy Muirhead, who has already achieved so much in such a short space of time? “Time will tell about it, but the response this year has been phenomenal and really refreshing! In the future we may see Union J the awards located in a different city, or perhaps featured on TV, there are lots of options to look at.” Spoken like a true Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow entrepreneur.

HOLLY LENNON

7th January

KT Tunstall O2 Academy, Glasgow

21st November

Bruno Mars SECC, Glasgow

6th October

Lawson O2 Academy, Glasgow

9th October

Nina Nesbitt O2 ABC, Glasgow

16th October THE BANTER | 25

Interview

26 | THE BANTER

Interview

INTERVIEW BY SAMMI WILD, CHUFF MEDIA

Your fourth studio album The Art of Doing Nothing is out in a couple of weeks, the 10th June, how do you feel about the release? It’s been eight years since your last solo album, are you excited?

I’m feeling quite good at the moment, I’m feeling really positive. I’m really pleased with the record, I’m looking forward to people hearing it. I’ve had it my world for a while now, so I’m looking forward to some people having it in their world.

How does it compare and differ to your past albums – I know you’ve said it was more of a “project” than an album, but does it feel like it’s a natural progression in the change of sound from what you’ve done previously?

Finding the right sound for the record was a bit of a journey to be honest. The last record I did with Take That - Progress with Stuart Price, was such a distinct sound that I was really, really proud of and loved, and I loved Stuarts’s sound on the record. But I had to almost go back in some ways to 2005 and kind of have a little look at where I’d left with How The Mighty Fall, and the sound that was there, and what I was doing back then - because I’ve been involved obviously with three records in between and it had been a while. I knew we were going to be playing some of the old songs as well, I wanted to be able to play some songs from that record, and the records before, and it not to sound too far away.

So finding the right sound that I felt worked in both worlds was quite important, and a little bit of a challenge as well really, but I think we managed to do it.

Initially I went quite electronic with the whole sound of the record, which was great and I enjoyed that, but I just felt like I wanted to have a band around me to be a part of the sound as well, so we were just trying to get the right blend. And then also taking into account as to where I am in my life now, and wanting it to feel authentic to where I left it. So to get the right balance took a little bit of time it was a bit of a journey but I’m really, really pleased with where we’ve ended up, and you’ve caught me at a good time cause I’m in rehearsals at the moment and it’s translating well into the live sound, it’s feeling really strong. Might be slightly blowing my own trumpet there a little bit, but it’s feeling quite good.

By embarking on the album as a project, has it turned out the way that you expected it to?

I never went into it with too many expectations to be honest, I like to see things kind of grow, there wasn’t really any massive expectation at the beginning as to what it could be. At one point I was looking at bits of animation and stuff like that and going down different roads. I think the whole process of The Art of Doing Nothing was to try and just let things happen and not put too much pressure on the whole process and try and let things evolve as naturally as possible. It’s all obviously becoming a bit more of a reality now, once you can see the physical copy you can see it’s something real, but it was all a bit out there and not real for a long time. And it’s starting to become real now I guess.

But I tried not to have too many expectations, I just wanted to let it just evolve but the nicest thing about it in many ways – and this is still ongoing really – is being able to work with lots of creative people, have a bit of fun and seeing where things could go. The Art of Doing Nothing, even thought the record’s out in two weeks, still feels like the beginning for me in many ways cause I’m looking at holding some sort of art exhibitions, so it’s an ongoing process really, and I just want to see how it can evolve.

Approaching the album release you’re running a competition with Talenthouse for fans to submit a creative piece of work demonstrating what The Art of Doing Nothing means for them, how did that come about?

That’s all part of it as well yeah, I heard about Talenthouse about 8 months ago, and at the time I looked at what they do and saw that it was a place where lots of people come together and basically a place for people to be a bit creative really. It’s funny cause that’s almost what I was working up at THE BANTER | 27

Interview the bottom of my garden, but they were just doing it on a lot bigger scale, and a lot better scale! The whole idea with The Art of Doing Nothing was a similar thing really and somebody, after I’d spent a year working on it, said “Oh do you mean like Talenthouse?” and I was like “Oh yeah just like them. Just like what they’re doing, yeah. Oh shit!” But I wanted to get involved obviously, and as much as I could within the record. I think it was important to get a bit of a start, get things going, but I’m hoping that we can get a bit of a relationship with them now, cause they do mixes and photographs, and there’s so many different avenues to what they do. I’m hoping to keep a bit of an open mind, because I find it amazing, the stuff that comes back.

So it’s your first solo album since Take That reunited, has the second chapter of the band inspired the album at all?

It’s funny because even when I’m trying to let things evolve, naturally it kind of takes shape. I love the band, and I love being a part of Take That, but I kind of hear them you know, when I’m going “I’m just gonna see how things naturally evolve” and you start doing that thing in the back of your mind and you hear Rob going “I wouldn’t do that” and Howard is going “No I wouldn’t do that either, Rob”, and I’m like “Will you guys just shut up for 2 minutes while I just try and do something on me own!”. And then Gaz goes “Oh he’s getting grumpy now he just wants to do it on his own”, so I kind of hear their voices. I guess you do and you can probably hear your mates, you know. When I’m doing something I go “What would Jay say there?” and it’s a nice thing, I guess that in a way it’s inspiration and a part of it, even when they’re not actually in the room cause you know, I’ve known them for 20 years plus. They’re a part of what I do anyway.

So has it been nice to be able to experiment on your own a little bit? After so many years since your last album, has it been nice to take the driving seat again?

Do you know what, I haven’t really thought that much about it. For the last few years I’ve been doing, I guess, a record every couple of years - counting Take That. And I kind of walk this path where I just try and write songs. I don’t really know what else to do really so I try and write songs and carry on doing that kind of thing. In the nicest way, it’s like they kind of all went off on holiday. Like Gaz has gone and done the X Factor, Rob’s done his record, Jay’s gone over there and Howard’s gone that way and I feel like I have to walk the same path really in many ways, I’m hoping they’ll come back next year and get back in the car. But I’m kind of just driving the bus around you know, I need to go and pick them all up soon.

Tell me a little bit about the collaborations on the album, the Ren Harvieu and Jake Emlyn tracks – what was it like working with them because they’re quite unique artists aren’t they?

They’re really, really special artists, yeah. Ren has this stunning voice, and she’s got an aura about her as well.

Incredible artist, I loved her record Through The Night which I heard for the first time about 18 months ago. Great record. To be honest she came to the studio for the day and 28 | THE BANTER

it was probably one of the highlights of my career singing with her on the record cause she was just so natural. And do you know when you write a song and it just comes out 100 times better cause someone else sings it. She kinda did that.

I liked it, but when she sang it I loved it. Which is really nice.

She brought an amazing energy on the day, she only came in for a day but she brought amazing energy with her.

And then Jake, is just you know, he’s very powerful, a very powerful man. He came in and added, you know he obviously did all the rapping and added melody and stuff to the song. But he came in with ‘what he does is what he does’, so we worked with him when he came in on that day really, we were shaping ourselves around him really. Very powerful. To be honest just amazing to watch cause he’s so quick, I couldn’t believe how quick he was. He was just in the moment he just jumped straight in and was flying off.

He’s like a firework, that I haven’t quite put in the ground. He was flying around everywhere I was like “Hold on! Hold on tight, he’s off!” But he was brilliant I loved it, such a nice boy.

And what was it like working with Charlie Russell, who produced Alt-J’s album?

Yeah, Charlie and Brad, who produced the record, I probably wouldn’t have ever finished it if it wasn’t for them. They just made us focused really, and what I love so much about what they did for the record was find the atmosphere. You know we were talking earlier about finding the right sound, I was able to talk to them about that and then they were able to make that happen, and that’s what you want from a producer really. Cause they really took it on board and helped to get a sound for the record, which I can’t thank them enough for really.

Is there a favourite track on the album? Or are they like children and you can’t pick one?

My wife told me that that’s how I have to see them all, and I have to look after them all. How do you know that, do you write songs?! Maybe if you ask me in six months I might go “Oh, those 3 of those 4” have kind of stood the test of time a little bit more. But I have a soft spot for them all, yeah.

So, you’re going to be heading off on tour on the 9th, are you excited to be going out by yourself again? What can fans expect from the show?

Well we’re in rehearsals at the moment, and I’m trying to get an atmosphere and that’s what I’m hoping to be able to capture really, is a really great atmosphere. Obviously when you do the Take That shows, there’s 60ft robotic men, and things like that with you, which I can’t fit into a lot of the venues I’m playing, so I can’t bring that with me.

The word that they normally use, that I see written, is an “intimate” vibe. But that word, just makes me feel like “Oh God I sound about 70”. I mean I’m going to be closer to the audience so I guess it is more intimate. But if we can get a great atmosphere and the songs sound great, and they can get into the mood of the show, and enjoy it - I guess you want them to go home and go “Oh that was worth buying a ticket to”.

I don’t think about this show any differently than I think

Interview

about a Take That show. Gotta give value for money, gotta give them songs they want to hear, you want to really engage. You know what’s a good word? Intimate. No, you want to engage your audience, and I want to see them and for them to come on the journey with us really. And I hope we can do that.

And song wise I’m playing stuff off the new record, some of the old stuff as well and some Take That songs in there.

So a mixed bag, and getting that to work well together. I don’t know what they can expect really, I’m not the best salesperson in the world, maybe you can sell this all a lot better than me! But I think if they were interested at all, if they can be leaving going “Yeah. Yeah.” That would make me happy. Not like going “Yay! Yay!” It’s just like “Yeah” just a bit of weight in that, a little bit like “Yeeeaaah” – do you know what I mean?

I know exactly what you mean. So will there be any special guests reflecting the collaborations you’ve got on the album?

M: I’d love Jake and Ren to come and do some stuff with us, so I’ve left it an open door for them really, so they can come and do as much as the want or as little as they want. I’ll give them the dates and hopefully they’ll come and do some stuff with us. I’d love my sister to come and sing with me, but I don’t know if she will. But I’d love her to, cause she’s a great singer. I don’t know, anybody can come, it’s The Art of

Doing Nothing.

In the video for Stars you’re dressed as a spaceman, what inspired that?

I have absolutely no idea. No, do you know what? Why not. The lyric behind the song is that’s kind of where we all come from I guess. Up there in space somewhere. That’s my belief, somewhere a long, long time ago. Apparently we all come from nothing, from space. Somebody told me anyway, I believed it and I wrote a song about it. I couldn’t go to space cause it was a bit expensive, so I just went to Berlin. There are layers in the video, if I’m being honest. But when I was young, I wanted to be a spaceman.

I think most young boys want to either be a spaceman or a fireman don’t they?

Probably yeah, well I didn’t want to be a fireman. I wanted to be a spaceman. So I got to be one for a day.

Ok, last question - is there anything new you’re listening to at the moment? Anything people should keep an eye out for?

I’m a big fan of Phoenix, I like them a lot. I like the new Atoms For Peace record, a lot. I like Ellie Goulding, and I love Florence and The Machine. But I think everyone’s probably already listened to them. I’m a bit out of date, am I showing my age here?

THE BANTER | 29

Music

PHOTO // STUART WESTWOOD

OLLY MURS SECC, Glasgow GIG REVIEW

Olly Murs launched himself into an epic performance on the stage of Glasgow’s SECC when he opened with his latest single ‘Army of Two’. Stewards from the event were set into frenzy as they tried to discourage the crowd from dancing on their seats and bopping along to Murs’ catchy songs.

Being the natural charmer he is, Olly shared a heartfelt moment with his fans as he told them of how appreciative he is to be performing for them. He moved onto his next song, which was the massively popular hit ‘Dance with Me Tonight’; although the audience didn’t need to be asked more than once when they moved to the sound of his voice.

As the lights began to dim, Olly invited all the single ladies to enjoy his emotional and softer side with songs such as; ‘Hey You Beautiful’, ‘Dear Darling’ and ‘The One’. He then got his cheeky attitude back as he moved onto his next number, where he used the stage as a way of connecting with the audience. Olly got up close and personal with his hysteric fans as he continued to effortlessly dominate the stage. He kept spirits high in the arena when he performed his hit ‘Thinking of Me’, which was a treat for the die-hard Murs fans.

the fact he’s a true musician by bringing out his guitar for a stirring acoustic version of ‘Heart Skips A Beat’, which was also followed by a special performance on the piano.

After a quick change into a shiny grey suit, Mr. Murs was looking dapper for the second half of his show. The crowd were electric as Olly belted out his rendition of ‘Should I Stay Or Should I Go’. Olly managed to keep in touch with every corner of the venue, navigating where girls should point their camera phone.

Murs’ ability to perform is demonstrated through his incredible ways of working an audience. This is a quality that will stand him in excellent stead when he supports the original Mr Showman, Robbie Williams, on his tour later in 2013. It’s almost easy to forget that three years ago, Olly was just a hopeful Essex boy on the X Factor. His sold out arena tours and charming presenting skills are a long way from his past.

On observation, it’s also clear that pop’s mischievous troublemaker has grown up. His impeccable style showed more than a hint of maturity and confidence. With three top ten albums under his belt, Mr Murs’ music career is going from strength to strength; making his ‘Right Place Right Time Tour’ a definite must see.

Moving back onto the main stage; Olly paid homage to ROSIE O’NEILL

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Music A$AP ROCKY O2 ABC, Glasgow GIG REVIEW

On the 26th of May, Glasgow welcomed Rapping sensation A$AP Rocky (real name Rakim Mayers) at the O2 ABC Academy. This was an eagerly anticipated concert as Rocky has gained major recognition through his debut album Long.Live.ASAP and it was hardly surprising to witness such a packed crowd for the star on the night which failed to disappoint.

The supporting acts did well to hype the crowd up with their performance although it was nothing like the way the main man himself got the crowd buzzing after his long awaited arrival to the stage. The set list that he performed from his album included Wassup, Long live A$AP, PMW, 1 train, Problems, Peso, Wild for the night, Goldie and purple swag which was the catalyst that set the party like atmosphere that truly set the crowd to go “Wild for the night”. Rocky has a way of interacting with the crowd which made it seem as if he truly enjoyed the Scottish concert experience as he invited fans up onto the stage and continued the party even after his set was finished.

After his outing in Glasgow you just feel his reputation will grow even further and it certainly will after his performance on the night as he played hits which the crowd loved and some songs which may not be as popular but A$AP loyal fans appreciated and as a loyal fan of his would say, Long Live A$AP. ASIF ALI

LIANNE LA HAVAS O2 ABC, Glasgow GIG REVIEW

The weather is growing cold, and this is the first Monday we’d looked forward to in a while. Everyone is thinking the same thing - Lianne La Havas should do this more often, and she definitely made up for having rescheduled from last October.

Supporting on tour was singer/songwriter Josh Kumra, who no one in Glasgow had quite heard of, until he played Don’t Go, his hit single written with Wretch 32. Some are already hailing Josh as the new Ed Sheeran.

Now we’ll cut to the girl, alone, the one man band that she really is. Standing in the spotlight, Lianne breaks the ice simply with a guitar and first single No Room For Doubt.

And after that she’s truly at home during her third and finest performance in Glasgow. The former backing singer for Paloma Faith is doing just fine on her own and is no doubt quickly building her repertoire.

over the last 18 months, to winning iTunes album of the year in 2012, so far, so swimmingly for Lianne La Havas.

She played entire album Is Your Love Big Enough? as well as track Empty and an out of the ordinary cover of Radiohead’s Weird Fishes. Onstage the 23-year-old, half Greek and half Jamaican, really does gain from her diverse musical tastes and even resembles some of her influences, like Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and more recently Prince or a female Lenny Kravitz.

As well as having the time of her life, Lianne transpires to cover a series of feelings from song to sincere song, saved up like never played before and picked off one by one to get things off her chest. She can take you through the darkest depths of her life and love, suffering but somehow surviving. “Her step has a whole new spring.”

Tonight, her heart sang a symphony.

From having a fairly unknown debut EP and playing in pubs MARTIN KNOX

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Music

IMAGINE DRAGONS O2 ABC, Glasgow GIG REVIEW

It was a return to Scotland and the bright lights of Glasgow for Las Vegas indie rock band Imagine Dragons, this time moving up to a bigger venue and a sold out O2ABC. There was something in the air as the crowd waited with anticipation, and with every little light change, the crowd’s eagerness for something to begin would rise. It wasn’t long before screams and cheers erupted from the audience as an intro track, welcoming Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee and Daniel Platzman onto the stage.

Centre stage, lead singer Dan and bassist Ben moved in on a large drum, pound-for-pound as if they were sending out a thunderous message of a call to action. The energy promoted in the first 5 minutes made me wonder if this would continue through the night, and whether the band would go the distance.

Like a boxer, fists raised high, Dan weaved his way through the first, ‘Round & Round’, second ‘Amsterdam’ and third ‘Tip Toe’ around the stage, laying more hits on percussion.

Their album ‘Night Visions’, barely out for a week now and already a large proportion of this crowd knew every word and could sing along. ‘Hear Me’, ‘Cha-Ching’ and ‘Rocks’ choruses rang out in the bouncing venue.

The very recognisable ‘Radioactive’ took its shot, and Dan and the audience taking turns to throw the lyrics ‘WHOA’! towards each other, transforming a 3 minute album track into a 10 minute battle.

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From corner to corner, the lights would pick on each band member for their solo: Ben, Wayne on lead guitar, and finally Daniel on Drums. Each of them showed their off their talent to great effect.

Dan motivated the audience with a few words of his past; he would use concerts as a way to escape from troubles and anxieties that life can cause, encouraging the audience to join in as much as possible and enjoy this moment.

There was as much of a party atmosphere going on as you could possibly get at an “Indie Rock” concert, although the underlying notes of dub-step, folk, hip hop and pop could have been that influence.

An hour and 20 minutes into their set, the audience must have been feeling punch drunk and intoxicated from the organic drumming and feel-good emotions of the Imagine Dragons set.

We hadn’t hit the canvas yet: One final challenge – the encore… ‘Nothing Left To Say’ With a triumphant punch to the air, Dan announced that they would see us again soon. Unanimously, the audience agreed; they wanted them to come back.

This was one Knock-Out gig I didn’t see coming. I was taken by surprise by the energy and tight musicianship of Imagine Dragons. If there was a world title to be won, this band must be up there as one of the main challengers.

DAREN BORZYNSKI

RaisingAwareness Bringing Positive Change in Male Cancer Awareness For more information visit

www.cahonasscotland.com

Feature

N

ordoff Robbins is excited to announce that the incredibly successful and internationally acclaimed band, Coldplay, is to receive the Royal Albert Hall Best British Act Award at this year’s Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef Awards on Friday 28 June 2013 at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

Chris Martin of Coldplay says, “It means a huge amount to us to be named Best British Act by Nordoff Robbins at the 2013 O2 Silver Clef Awards. Nordoff Robbins is an organisation that lies very close to our hearts. They provide life-changing music therapy for thousands of people each year and we’re humbled to collect this award in their honour.”

The band, who formed in 1997, grabbed the world’s attention with their single, ‘Yellow’, in 2000. Since then they have sold out stadiums all over the world and performed at some of the most important events of a generation including Live8 and the 2012 Paralympics.

With 5 consecutive no. 1 albums, over 60 million album sales and multiple awards including 8 Brit Awards – winning Best British Group three times – and 7 Grammy Awards from 25 nominations, the band have remained one of the biggest acts in the world for over a decade.

34 | THE BANTER

David Munns, Nordoff Robbins Chairman, said, “Coldplay are one of the British music industry’s great successes.

With over 60 million album sales and five consecutive no.1 albums, I can think of no band better placed to win the Royal Albert Hall Best British Act Award. They have dominated the British music scene for a decade and their music has influenced a generation.

“Since the Silver Clef Awards began 38 years ago, the event has raised over £8 million for Nordoff Robbins, allowing us to transform the lives of many thousands of disadvantaged and vulnerable people with music therapy. But we still have a long way to go to ensure we can deliver our music services to all those who need them.

“This year, we hope to raise £500,000 from the Awards to fund 20,000 life-transforming music therapy sessions for children and adults across the UK.” Overall 10 awards will be presented. Those already announced include Labrinth, who will be awarded the American Express Innovation Award and Alison Balsom who will win the PPL Classical Award.

Life has its ups and downs You can talk confidentially online or by phone whenever you need to.

Whatever your worry, it’s better out than in.

www.childline.org.uk ChildLine is a service provided by the NSPCC. Registered charity numbers 216401 and SC037717. 7244/11

Interview

INTERVIEW BY FRANCIS MILLIGAN

36 | THE BANTER

Interview

With a deep interview with frontman Matthew Healy and

around and the story behind it is somewhat, like their

drummer George Daniel I find out how four young lads

music - highly intriguing and great to hear! Matthew said

from Manchester created one of the greatest UK formed

‘The aim of the name is to have a representation of us

bands in a number of years! The guys told me of how they

as a group, its kind of unknown but there and doesn’t

began, their climb, their inspiration and how they wish to

really know were its going - like its finding itself.’ The

continue their life as The 1975.

name originally came from a book that an artist gave to Matthew on holiday which the person had also been

The 1975 started ten years ago when the guys, whilst still

using as a diary and the first date in was ‘1st June 1975’ it

at school, decide to put their talents to use. Frontman

stuck in Matthews head and The 1975 was born - he tells

Matthew was the drummer of the band originally ‘For like

me of how talking about it is a very romanticising story.

a day...’ he stated ‘but George, he’s been here from the beginning, he’s the drummer.’

When I questioned the guys about inspiration they knew it was coming and they had their answer to perfection.

The band originally began doing charity events and

They told me that ‘Inspiration doesn’t find, you have to

youth shows. They don’t forget their roots as they

find it’ I couldn’t agree with the guys more to be honest,

recall their first gig at a senior centre covering Lit - My

listening to their music and their new EP it shows that

Own Worst Enemy as their first live performance. They

their inspiration is born of experimentation.

started out as a punk group covering classic punk songs wherever they could.

The new EP was created by Matthew and George in within a week, it was after their return from their trip to

The band couldn’t tell me more how great it feels to

America. The guys told me that the new EP couldn’t be a

be were they are now and how humble they are, how

more honest representation of how they were feeling at

thankful they are and surreal it is for them now; they

that time. I asked them what was their personal favorite

appreciate everything they have and don’t get over

to record, the reply wasn’t one I had expected ‘The whole

excited - not as a sign of being above it due to their status

process was a f***ing nightmare’ Matthew told me due

but incase of better things not happening, ‘essentially we

to the problems with the place they were recording

are just four great school mates doing exactly what we

in. ‘When we got to the end of Falling for You we were

love and being happy with it - without The 1975 we just

unsure if it was the greatest or worst song we’d ever done’

wouldn’t be here, this is what we were meant to do and

from my personal perspective it is one of the greatest

to be’ said George.

they’ve ever done, listening to the EP the meeting with the guys it just fitted them perfectly. They believe that it’ll

The guys don’t over live their band life, they don’t see

one day be an important part of their music catalogue

themselves as rockstars and therefore don’t live like that

and upon listening to it is highly evident as to why the

either. Matthew told me that “like all young guys they like

guys have this thought process with the new EP.

to go out and get ‘wrecked’ but then again which British youth doesn’t?” which is highly true - the guys are still just

If you’re looking to see the band this year they are at

average British boys, living an average British boys life

numerous UK festivals and playing over 280 gigs through

and are incredibly happy with what they do within it.

out the year and I highly recommend seeing them live.

I was curious as to were such a name as ‘The 1975’ came

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Interview

INTERVIEW & PHOTOS // DAREN BORZYNSKI

38 | THE BANTER

Interview

THE BANTER | 39

Interview

I

wasn’t too sure what to expect when meeting 23 year old singer songwriter Joe Banfi.

He has only a few tracks available to listen to, but a quick search on Google and Youtube highlights a wide selection of live recordings. Opening in a soft falsetto over a minimal backing, he then rasps and roars over a wall of thunderous noise, making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Luckily for me, it was the soft spoken Banfi that greeted me.

Joe comes from Northwich, just South West of Manchester.

When he was 9, he started playing guitar but only started to enjoy it when he added writing to his talents at age 12.

Initially, Joe’s mum had wanted him to be able to play a musical instrument and started him on piano lessons. It wasn’t long before he changed to guitar. “I thought that anyone could pick up a guitar and whack out one of them solos. My cousin and my brother started playing all these really cool riffs from Rage Against The Machine, and they had only been playing a couple of months. When I found out you couldn’t do that, I was just an impatient nine year old. Although that did unlocked a few inspiring bands, that I could then try and imitate.”

For a long time, American alternative metal band Deftones were a big influence on him, but he has also been influenced by Nick Drake and his more acoustic style of music. Recently, he has been discovering a lot: “I have really got into Peter Gabriel’s ‘So’ album in the last year, and also a lot of Kate Bush.” It’s quite a broad range of music that he listens to: “I’ve also started to listen to a lot of Norse Folk as well, with bands like Wardruna, and I think it’s pronounced Jal-a-horn, (Gjallarhorn), and it’s just fantastic music. I really don’t know how to explain the kind of music they play, they are trying to revitalise what was being done a thousand years ago, to two thousand years ago when the Vikings first started picking up musical instruments. They are bringing it into a contemporary style. It’s very kind of epic, but also dark, all about the earth.”

“My sound is always a work in progress, definitely. I had a year out after sixth form when I was in a band with some friends for half a year and around February or March of that year, I left that band. I moved down to Cornwall to have a few months there to play in some open mic nights,. Over those three or four months my sound developed quite a bit because I was playing on my own for the first time, with just an acoustic guitar in my hand, kind of thing.”

Experiencing the Folk scene in Cornwall and surrounding areas was probably a root to how Joe Banfi’s style of music began. “I played a show in a really cool venue called The Jacobs Ladder in Falmouth, they do an open mic night when you can only play your own songs. I loved going there, because you get sick of hearing people playing covers. So I went down there, and was asked to play a couple of shows, it was a very brief time, and I wasn’t there for very long. That was all before going to University in September.”

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For his love of wisdom, Joe enrolled at University to study Philosophy, graduating last summer. “I worked very hard and gained a first. I was very happy with it but my music has always been a calling. I studied Philosophy because I have always had this love for intellectualism. I always try and incorporate it into my lyrics, so I think the degree has really helped in that sense. With Philosophy, you get these masses of texts that you are supposed to read and then you would distil out of certain sections exactly what you need for your argument, what you are trying to say, and you just substitute out masses of writing for a very vague idea in your head. In songwriting, it’s all about distilling from that idea, exactly how you are going to portray it, what you are trying to say in just a few lines of lyrics, so it’s the same skill I think.”

Soon after he finished University, Joe signed with Communion Records on the back of sending in a demo recording of track ‘Olive Green’. He released his first EP, ‘Iron’ and has since followed up with the release of the Nomads EP earlier this year. Did his life experiences so far have an effect on his lyrics? “I wouldn’t say my life experiences, more questions I ask myself a lot. General things when I’m introspecting about a certain issue I’m having in life, I try and work out a way of communicating that in a song in a way that aesthetically appeals to me. I don’t know if I can explain it much further than that, it’s very strange subconscious thing that happen.”

It’s not just music that he has a talent in; Joe has also directed a few short films. One of them, ‘Bin Day’, was shortlisted in the top five of Pepsi film Barcelona 2011.

“That was something I’ve always loved, film making and the whole process of it. It’s quite similar to song writing in certain ways. When I was at university, I met a couple of people who were really good to hook up with. One of them was obsessed with filming, so we started working together.

‘Bin Day’ cost about £100 to put together, which is nothing really in terms of everyone that was involved in creating it. It was also a great way to express myself, and also good fun.”

Joe explains that his experience of visualising scenes for films helps him with picturing a theme for his lyrics. “One thing about my music that I like and I want to capitalise on more for the album, is how visual the songs can be if I get it right and how filmic they are in some ways, at least I hope they are. For me they are, but I can’t really speak for anyone else, but when I listen to those songs, there are these certain images that come up in my mind since I first wrote them.”

His most recent video for Nomads Joe has worked with Owen Tozer and partner Alex Hill to create a dark and atmospheric scene. Joe explains how the planning behind it started: “Owen rang me up and we just started talking through ideas. The key to the concept came from me and Owen bouncing ideas off of each other, and it was really fun to do. Since leaving University, I hadn’t made any ‘shorts’ for a long while, and it was nice to get back into that process again.”

Interview Communion was founded by Ben Lovett of Mumford and Sons, former Cherbourg bassist Kevin Jones, and acclaimed producer Ian Grimble. It is an artist led organisation that combines elements of live promotion, publishing, records and production to create a hub for songwriters and musicians to develop and flourish.

Joe explains how he feels about being part of the Communion Music family: “I feel very privileged. It took a long time for me to believe that it was happening because of the reputation they have, and their integrity. I just felt as if I was part of something, quite nice and special.”

It’s an album release that I’m personally interested in, and looking forward to although we might need to have some patience. “I’ve no idea. I’m really just falling in love with the whole writing process, demos and really exploring where I want to go with it. It’s just going to be an evolution from the sound I captured on the tracks ‘Nomads’ and ‘Oarsmen’, it’s really going to develop on those, probably go a bit more further down the line of soft heaviness, that kind of calm epicness I’m really after, and with a bit more instrumentation.”

“Unfortunately I’m playing solo tonight; on this tour I’ve had this guy called Scott Barnett with me. A few weeks before the tour we explored putting string parts and horn parts down on the laptop and using a bit of playback, then Scott’s being playing some synths, keyboards and electric guitar to hint at that more heavy and ambient sound I’ve been chasing after.

It can be quite limiting when I play solo, it’s ok when people have previously listened to my music, they can imagine the other sounds in there, but when people hear me for the first time, it’s quite easy for they to go he’s just another Tom Odell, Ben Howard kind of guy with an acoustic guitar.

Hopefully when they hear the EP, they will hear those extra sounds and those drums that at depth.”

Joe has previously played in Scotland, and so far his experiences have been good. “I have played in Glasgow three times now, I did a Communion records night here, then I was last here with Bears Den, supporting them, that was one of my favourite shows ever, I just loved it. I hadn’t even started playing, I said ‘Hi, I’m Joe Banfi and I’m going to play a couple of songs’. Everyone was at the bar in the back and I was dreading the show, thinking no one was going to listen, and I said: ‘Do you fancy coming forward and have a listen, that would be great’. Before I started playing, they all stopped talking, came and stood at the front of the stage and were ready to listen, what a nice bunch of people.”

As with nomads, Joe travels around quite a bit himself.

Just this year, he was playing at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas. The festival has been a showcase for original music since 1987. This year, 2,278 acts from 55 foreign countries showcased their music.

“It was amazing, I really enjoyed it. The highlight for me was definitely being invited to do a couple of tracks with Jim Eno from Spoon over there at his studio, and it was awesome,. We put a new track down called ‘The Lamb’, and we think Spotify will do a bit of promotion of it.”

To finish off our interview, we grabbed a few photographs with Joe Banfi. There were other bands sound checking in Tuts and not much space elsewhere. I suggested trying outside, warning him it was raining. “No problem, lets go out.”

Throughout the interview, Joe Banfi was relaxed, open and down to earth. We could have pried into his past and I don’t think he would have bothered, although it might have created deeper answers from the mind of a philosopher.

Best to leave them to the next time the Banter talks to him.

THE BANTER | 41

Interview

INTERVIEW GABRIELLE APLIN INTERVIEW BY TEMORA COOPER

42 | THE BANTER

Interview

J

ust a few months back, Gabrielle Aplin provided John Lewis with not only a haunting, show stopping rendition of the Frankie Goes to Hollywood classic The Power of Love for their festive campaign, she also brought the high street chain its first UK number one.

So surely a little gratitude was in order? “It’s funny you should ask that because they just delivered me a new bed for free,” the young Wiltshire singer giggles. “They told I could have whatever I wanted so I said I needed a new bed and it only arrived today. It’s amazing, I’m delighted with it.”

For a number one, think it would be only fair John Lewis deck out her entire house for free. “I wouldn’t expect that.

And let’s be honest, they allowed me to sing on their beautiful Christmas advert, that was payment enough. I should be thanking them for everything they’ve done.”

The remarkably talented Aplin, 20, has been writing and recording original material since she was 15, setting up her own record label at 17 (Never Fade Records) quickly gaining an astonishing online fan base after posting video covers on YouTube of Cee-Lo Green’s Forget You and Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream.

Previously releasing two EPs, fans can finally welcome Aplin’s first studio album, imaginatively titled English Rain. “I’m so pleased with the collection of songs on this album, some of which I’ve been working on for two or three years.

“The Power of Love is on there but it’s probably the most laid back dreamy track, the others are quite up tempo. I like the fact I can showcase something different.

“And the title English Rain, it just spoke to me. It wipes away everything, makes it all clear. I just like the sound of it, I suppose.”

Having already supported both chart-topping sensation Gotye and former X Factor winner Matt Cardle on tour, Aplin will soon fly down Down Under to accompany Ed Sheeran on his Australian tour.

“I’m such a huge fan of Ed’s; who isn’t? Not only will I get to play my music but I can then enjoy his straight after!

And it’s my first time getting to play in a hot country - it’s

like winning the lottery.”

Did Gotye or Cardle offer any sound words of advice for the rising star? “They didn’t actually sit me down,” she says, “but I felt a learned a lot from just being on tour with them, being in their presence. It was fascinating.”

Aplin is currently headlining her own UK and Ireland tour for English Rain, but seeing as this will be the singer’s seventh tour in as many years, she’s old hat at the game at this stage.

“I’ve been asked before if I’m nervous about headlining my own show but I’ve done it so many times before, it’s nothing too scary for me. And these are nice small shows, each venue offering a great atmosphere.”

Her latest single Please Don’t Say You Love Me helped Aplin to break away from the phenomenal success of The Power of Love, although she admits when Holly Johnson of Frankie Goes to Hollywood gave his full approval of her version, it was a surreal moment and one she never wants to forget.

“When you cover someone else, you’re taking such a big risk,” the singer explains, “especially with such a classic like The Power of Love. But when I heard how much Holly liked it, I was over the moon. It was a big relief because I was genuinely concerned. Thankfully it all worked out for the best.”

Down the line Aplin hopes to perform and work with her idols, US indie folk band Bon Iver. “If I had a choice of singing with anyone, I would have to go with Bon Iver, that would be a dream come true. Just to be in the same recording studio as them, that would just push me to the edge!”

And while she’s busy touring around the world, young Gabrielle has one stage in her sights, and vows to get there no matter what. “To play at Glastonbury where so many of my heroes have performed, that would be just it for me - a life’s ambition fulfilled.

“But who knows where I’ll go with music right now? I just want to get my new album out there, write some new material and see the world. Anything after that is purely a bonus.”

THE BANTER | 43

Movies

MONSTERS UNIVERSITY

PG

FROM 12TH JULY

Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are an inseparable pair, but that wasn’t always the case. From the moment these two mismatched monsters met they couldn’t stand each other. “Monsters University” unlocks the door to how Mike and Sulley overcame their differences and became the best of friends.

PLANES TBC FROM 16TH AUGUST From Disney comes “Planes,” an actionpacked animated comedy adventure featuring Dusty (voice of Jon Cryer), a big-hearted crop duster with dreams of competing as a high-flying air racer. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing—and he happens to be afraid of heights. So he turns to naval aviator Skipper, who helps Dusty qualify to take on Ripslinger, the defending champ of the race circuit.

Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar. “Planes” takes off beginning in August 2013.

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ELYSIUM

FROM 20TH SEPTEMBER

In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the planet’s crime and poverty, and they critically need the state-of-the-art medical care available on Elysium – but some in Elysium will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve their citizens’ luxurious lifestyle. The only man with the chance bring equality to these worlds is Max (Matt Damon), an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission – one that pits him against Elysium’s Secretary Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces – but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on well.

BYEarth POLLYasBROWN

Movies COMING SOON

GROWN UPS 2 12A FROM 9TH AUGUST Lenny (Adam Sandler) has relocated his family back to the small town where he and his friends grew up. This time around, the grown ups are the ones learning lessons from their kids on a day notoriously full of surprises: the last day of school.

THE LONE RANGER t12A

FROM 9TH AUGUST

WHITE HOUSE DOWN 15

FROM 6TH SEPTEMBER

Columbia Pictures’ White House Down, Capitol Policeman John Cale (Channing Tatum) has just been denied his dream job with the Secret Service of protecting President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx). Not wanting to let down his little girl with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House, when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary group. Now, with the nation’s government falling into chaos and time running out, it’s up to Cale to save the president, his daughter, and the country.

From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, comes Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ “The Lone Ranger,” a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice—taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.

THE WOLVERINE 12A

FROM 26TH JULY

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed.

Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

THE BANTER | 45

Feature

W

ith more than 100 events taking place across the country, this year’s Refugee Week Scotland really is ‘a festival for everyone’. The festival runs from June 17 – 23 and includes theatre, film, music, comedy, community celebrations and more. Here are some of the highlights: MUSIC: Refugee Week Scotland Opening Concert 2013 Glasgow-based ensemble Admiral Fallow (‘a band headed for the top’, Sunday Times), headline what promises to be an uplifting musical celebration of Scottish culture. Awardwinning folk singer Karine Polwart performs her enduring melodies and one-time Arab Strap guitarist Malcolm Middleton opens with songs from his solo catalogue. Acclaimed writer and performer Alan Bissett comperes.

Mon 17 June, 8pm, Old Fruitmarket, Candleriggs, Glasgow, G1 1NQ, Standing. Ages 16+, £16 (£13 balcony only) Box office: 0141 353 8000/glasgowconcerthalls.com COMEDY: British Red Cross Comedy Night An evening of first class comedy brought to you by the world’s largest humanitarian organisation. Award-winning Susan Calman is the host. She is joined by Dave Fulton, who busts the myth that Americans don’t have a sense of irony, alongside Canadian Tom Stade, who will thrill you with his charm and storytelling.

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Fri 21 June, 8.15pm Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, Glasgow, G1 5HB, £16 (£12) Box office: 0141 552 4267/tron.co.uk Wasasa Comedy Night Special Hosted by the award-winning Kevin Bridges, this will be a fantastic showcase of comedians from diverse backgrounds including The Kasengele Brothers, Sean Reid and Nico Ndlovu with their unique brand of comedy that taps into their African roots.

Mon 17 June, 7.30pm The Stand Comedy Club, 333 Woodlands Road, Glasgow, G3 6NG £10 (£8) Box office: 0844 335 8879 or email info@wasasacomedy.

Feature com THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE: Some Other Mother High up in a Glasgow tower block, ten-year-old Star and her mother await the outcome of their claim for asylum.

As Mama’s mind fragments under the pressure of their unknown future, Star constructs a poetic and fantastical world of her own.

Scottish tour runs Thurs 6 – 27 June See refugeeweekscotland.com for full listings DANCE: Lajee Dance Tour From the Aida Refugee Camp, Palestine, 16 young people visit Scotland to perform traditional Dabka dancing, exhibit award-winning photography and screen films. This diverse programme sheds a unique insight into Palestinian culture and heritage.

Dundee, Glasgow and Perth. For full details see refugeeweekscotland.com FILM: The Man Who Fell to Earth Glasgow Film’s POP UP programmers present this cult film directed by Nicolas Roeg, which features David Bowie as an extra-terrestrial seeking refuge on Earth. In an attempt to save his home planet from a fatal drought, Thomas Newton (Bowie) channels his advanced technology and intellect onto society.

Fri 21 June, 7.30pm (followed by after-party) Garnethill Multicultural Centre 21 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RE FREE Box Office: glasgowfilm.org/popup FOOD: The Arches Café Bar Take-over – Taste the World with the International Women’s Group Women from the International Women’s Group have been working with Arches’ chef, Robbie McGuiness, to come up with a menu of culinary delights inspired by recipes from their home countries of Palestine, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Sudan.

Mon 17-Sat 22 June, from 5pm The Arches, 253 Argyle Street, Glasgow, G2 8DL: thearches.co.uk VISUAL ART: Open Aye for Natural Scotland Photography by young refugees offers a fresh perspective on life in Scotland. Inspired by nature and collected on outdoor adventures, this uplifting exhibition celebrates life’s simple pleasures.

18 May – 31 August Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum Community Space, Argyle Street, Glasgow FREE And that’s just for starters. To see the full programme go to refugeeweekscotland.com

I

F campaign supporter David Walliams joined 100 school children yesterday to meet Prime Minister David Cameron and call for action to tackle global hunger.

The Prime Minister was presented with specially crafted plates from each of the children attending, representing more than 30,000 plates that have been decorated by school children across the UK (many of them from UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools).

David Walliams joined the children in support of the IF campaign, to show the Prime Minister that they are calling for action to tackle the global hunger crisis that is responsible for almost half of child deaths every year.

Urging the Prime Minister to build on existing commitments to nutrition programmes at this weekend’s summit, David Walliams who is also a Comic Relief Honorary Trustee and UNICEF UK supporter said: “Now is the time for our Government to go further and show the rest of the world’s leaders that we’re serious about ending global hunger and poor nutrition.

“As part of my work for Comic Relief I’ve seen first-hand the devastating impact that hunger and malnutrition have on children, denying them the opportunity to grow, play and learn. Bold action at Saturday’s Nutrition for Growth event would truly change children’s lives.”

THE BANTER | 47

Interview

PHOTO // DAREN BORZYNSKI

L

os Angeles based Indie Rock band Beware of Darkness lit up the stage on their first visit to Glasgow. Before taking the stage in Glasgow’s O2ABC, The Banter magazine caught up with them backstage. The band, made up of Kyle Nicolaides (vocals, guitar), Daniel Curcio (bass) and Tony Cupito (drums) told us of their new album ‘Orthodox’, and how they came to be.

How did Beware of Darkness get together?

Kyle: It’s a really good story actually; we are all from California, Los Angeles.

Kyle: I grew up strictly on the Beatles. They were the only band that existed to me until I was in sixth grade. In school, there were Beach Boys kids and Beatles kids, and we hated each other. While in sixth grade, my dad told me about this band called Led Zeppelin, so until I was about 13, they were the only two bands I listened to.

Tony: I grew up listening to pretty much all genres, Jazz, Blues, a lot of Tom Petty, Diana Ross, Stevie Nicks. It’s kind of rare, but I have a thing for female artists.

Kyle: I bet you do!

I was playing a solo show at a R&B club in L.A. I thought I was the only white person there, and I looked back at the other end of the bar and there was this other white guy there. He was just like me, only a little taller. ‘Who is this guy?’ It turned out to be Tony and that’s how we met.

Dan: I grew up on a lot of Jazz, R&B and Rock. Jazz and R&B are really like my roots, bass player Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and I really like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, they are one of my favourite bands.

Kyle: There was this fate.

Did your musical influence direct you to the instrument you play?

Dan: I remember the day, first I got a drum set and then a guitar. I was watching TV all the time and I heard this noise. I was really too young to understand all the instruments, and then I heard the Bass and recognised that this was the lower instrument. I just clicked with it and got a Bass a couple of weeks later. I was in fourth grade, so I was really young, but I just played it all day, and all through high school.

What are the musical influences that brought the band together?

Kyle: I never wanted to be a guitar player or a singer; I wanted to be a bass player. I walked into a guitar store in

Dan: I originally grew up in Philadelphia, when I turned 23 my dad told me I had a half brother in Santa Monica, California. So I went out there to go meet him. I was out there for a few months, and right before I was about to leave, I met Kyle. I stayed to play in a show he had coming up, it went so well and was so cool, I decided to stay and join the band.

48 | THE BANTER

Interview Santa Barbara when I was 13 and told them I wanted to play Bass. They completely shot me down and just told me I was going to play guitar. It’s easier to switch from Guitar to Bass than from Bass to Guitar. I’m also left hander, but they told me I’ve got to play right handed. When I was in my first band when I was 13/14 and we couldn’t find a singer, so I had to just do it. The town I lived in was very small, so we didn’t have many options.

It’s funny, we got a call saying the record is too long, it will need to go on two and I got frustrated about that. When we got to name every side of it and when it was laid out like a book, and it works well like that.

Tony: Drums was a spontaneous choice for me, the radio was always on in my house. One Christmas, I decided I wanted a drum kit. When I first started playing them, I didn’t actually like or enjoy it so I stopped after two months, then six months later I got back into it.

Kyle: That’s a cool thing about the record too, our previous EP is just one style, and it’s heavier than we intended it to be, but the record has more colours to it, and the spectrum is very wide. It’s also cool that we have different responses from people and everyone has a different favourite song.

Do you fit well into the Los Angeles music scene at the moment?

Kyle: When I moved there, I wanted to get into the hipster scene and rock scene, but no one was really welcoming with all the cool rock, hipster and indie bands. What happened was, I met an engineer/producer called Claudio Cueni, who produced Boys 2 Men, TuPac and Immature, and they were really welcoming. Through him, I got to meet Stevie Wonder’s backing band, and all these really talented cats that could play their instruments. They were so much more welcoming than the white kid in skinny jeans.

Having already shared the stage with the likes of Deftones, Bush, Stone Temple Pilots and Tegan and Sara, what do you prefer: Playing live or in the studio?

Kyle: I think this is the best job in the world, because we get to do both.

What style of music would you place Beware of Darkness?

Dan: I thought about it a couple of weeks ago and came up with alternative soul, alternative rock soul.

‘Orthodox’ is the debut album released on May 7th by Bright Antenna Records. Why Orthodox?

Kyle: We were originally planning on calling it “Bleak”, and then I kept writing “Orthodox” down in all my journals, and it felt right. I kept seeing the word come up, so I looked it up the meaning of it, “Ortho” means right/true and “Dox” means belief, that definition would fit in with all the albums songs and what the record’s about. I also grew up Greek Orthodox too, so that was another reason.

Death is a continuous theme throughout the album. Is there a reason?

Kyle: That’s the thing that freaks me out most of all. When we finished the record, the two things that stood out were Death and Loss, and there were Mother things about it.

When we finished the album as a whole, it scared me. I knew there was an underlying theme in there of Death, but I didn’t realise how much, from the beginning of the record to the end. We will release it as a double vinyl record, so there will be 4 sides to it and every side is named. It starts with the first side called Ignorance, second Loss, third Depression, and the fourth side is called Enlightenment.

So starting with the first song Howl and ending on Hummingbird, there is this progression, and there is a song on each side that pertains directly to what the song is called, for Loss there is a song called ‘All Who Remain’ and so on.

That’s a funny thing too, the whole process of making a record is such an art of letting go, because the one thing I didn’t want to do was have it be a double vinyl. I wanted it to be a single vinyl because it is complete and clean and easy. A double is like a book, so I never considered that.

This being your first time in Scotland, what are you expecting from the Scottish audience?

Kyle: We have only been in the UK for 36 hours, but what I have noticed about the culture that is different from America is that people are more blunt and straightforward.

If you pick up a pack of cigarettes and there is a sign saying ‘This Will Kill You’! I think in the US, people have put up barriers of not trying to offend people or hurt their feelings.

That, and we can’t understand a f*cking word anyone is saying!

Beware of Darkness can be seen supporting Smashing Pumpkins in Glasgow’s O2 Academy on 2nd July.

THE BANTER | 49

Feature

E

very August, the world of music, comedy, dance and theatre descents on Edinburgh for the largest arts festival in the world. If you live in the capital city then chances are you’ll have been attending the Fringe for as long as you’ve lived there. But if you’re from elsewhere in Scotland and have yet to sample the Fringe then this year is the year to do it. The 2013 Fringe sees even more shows than before with an increase of 6.5% on last year’s programme. It means there’s 24,107 artists performing in 2,781 shows between the 2nd and 26th August.

If you’re looking for a place to start then the best place to go is The Stand Comedy Club. It is Edinburgh’s only full time comedy club that’s open all year round so they tend to know what they’re talking about. In August, the club expands its operations and runs four comedy venues all within a couple of minutes’ walk from each other. And with 900 performances in all and 80,000 tickets on sale it’s the biggest independent producer of comedy on the Fringe. So really, there’s no excuse not to see at least a few shows this Fringe. And to help we’ve put together a top 5 list of shows you should get a ticket for at The Stand this year.

Tony Law When Tony Law came to The Stand for the Fringe last year, his show was a complete sell out and ended up getting 5 star reviews from pretty much every reviewer who came to it. So it’s no big surprise that his new show is an anticipated one. This year Tony has been travelling back and forth throughout historical empires, deep space and time zones to bring you his latest show Nonsense Overdrive. The show runs for the whole of August but after last year’s ticket sales

50 | THE BANTER

it’s probably a good idea to book your tickets for this one early.

Stewart Lee Much A-Stew About Nothing is essentially a work in progress show. It’s there to help Stewart Lee try out new stuff before he starts recording the third series of Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle on BBC later on this year. Fans of Lee will cherish the chance to watch his latest material before anyone else gets to hear it and if you’ve never seen him live then it’s probably about time you checked out the Fringe legend.

Brendon Burns and Colt Cabana The world’s number one indie wrestler meets the world’s number eight cult comedian in this daily show at midnight.

It’s probably going to appeal to you a lot more if you like wrestling considering that they’ll be commenting on bad wrestling matches. But if you don’t and you’re a fan of Brendon Burns and are looking for something a little different then it’s a great late night show to catch.

Lost Voice Guy Imagine having lots to say but being unable to say it?

Well that’s how life is for Lee Ridley aka Lost Voice Guy who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a child. He now communicated using his iPad, and if you’re looking to see something unique this Fringe then his debut Fringe show A Voice of Choice should definitely be near the top of your list.

Roddy Woomble Everyone’s favourite indie front man Roddy Woomble is

Feature back on stage with his latest solo material. He might be known to most as the face of Idlewild but he’s also a solo songwriter and performer in his own right. With two solo records under his belt he’ll be performing his most recent album Listen to Keep and even throwing in some classic Idlewild songs for the older fans in the room too.

Sarah Millican Everyone’s favourite Geordie Sarah Millican returns with her brand new Fringe show Home Bird. The British Comedy Award’s Queen of Comedy is back with some hilarious domestic bliss as she’s giving up the party scene (Ann Summers), easing off on the drinking (fizzy pop equals wealthy dentists) and is settling down (taking her bra off ).

Used to playing much bigger venues, it’s a rare chance to catch Sarah in a much more intimate setting.

But the Fringe isn’t just about comedy and The Stand’s sister venue Assembly Rooms have that covered. While its programme includes big comedy names like Ardal O’Hanlon, Craig Campbell, Tom Stade and Omid Djalili, it also hosts an impressive line-up of music, theatre, cabaret and spoken word shows. And here’s a couple that are well worth checking out if you’re got a little more time to spare during August.

James Morton The Great British Bake Off is fast becoming one of the country’s most loved TV shows. I mean what’s not to love about cakes, biscuits, bread and even more cakes. This year’s finalist and fellow Scot, James Morton is on stage to perform some extreme baking as he shows us how to raise dough in 60 minutes while explaining the magic of baking.

And the best bit is some lucky audience members get to take it home, I’d suggest sitting in the front one.

THE BANTER | 51

Feature

ONE SCOTLAND MANY CULTURES

U

nited Glasgow FC founder and Chairperson Alan White recently talked to Focus Scotland magazine about the reasons behind starting a multicultural football team in Glasgow. United Glasgow FC was formed in 2011 to provide a point of access to regular structured football for those who would usually find themselves excluded.

Alan currently works for a charity in the higher education sector; his own role sees him take forward a range of quality and diversity work. So how did the football team come about?

“I previously worked as a case worker for a charity that supported asylum seekers, called ‘Unity in The Community’.

There has always been a nod towards the fact that sport would be useful for asylum seekers, that are not allowed to work and also find it difficult to find volunteering opportunities.

Every now and again Unity in The Community would organise a 5-a-side game to give them a bit of exercise, to help with physical and mental health’. This never really took off. When the organiser left the charity, they asked me if I would take over. I wasn’t really that keen on the idea of having a 5-a-side game every now and again just between asylum seekers. I decided that I would start a wider team that would bring people from Glasgow, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to play football together. It grew out of that charity and became something much more holistic in the sense that it brought together 52 | THE BANTER

everyone and the name changed to United Glasgow FC.” Initially most of United Glasgow’s players came from the South Side; this was due to Unity in The Community being based in Govan, Alan explained.

“With the way asylum seekers have been housed around Glasgow, quite a lot have been living in the Red Road flats in Springburn. There was quite a mix initially, before we started bringing together local Scottish guys along.

We have a real mix from every part of Glasgow, from Milngavie to Shettleston in the East End and East Kilbride. There is a good mix geographically”.

Initially people were happy to come along and join in, but the difficulties lay in keeping them coming back.

“We originally set it up over one summer and it was a case of training without any real direction or purpose. By joining an existing football league that was set up along the lines of anti racism ten years ago, it gave give a bit of direction to the team.

Once people realised that there were games to be played, they would come back a lot more frequently”.

Religion also has an effect on the team. “During Ramadan

Feature players from a Muslim background didn’t want to train while fasting, we had six players turn up for training. Then all of a sudden we have 35 people turn back up for training’.

People have joined United Glasgow FC when players bring friends and if they enjoy themselves they have come back. It must be difficult being an eleven-a-side team and to keep all happy, when not everyone can play at the same time. Some people do get a little bit frustrated with lack of game time, but Alan explains they do their best to give people as many opportunities as they can.

A growing team has the problem of finding volunteers to take up the roles of coaching staff and board members. “It’s not been hugely difficult. It’s grown organically in the sense, people that were already involved as players have moved into coaching roles.

learning as we go. wAs part of the community project in partnership with North Glasgow College and the Hampden Sports Clinic, United Glasgow FC has recently started a youth project.

They have received funding from Big Lottery’s Young Start to run a programme for young people aged 18-24 with disadvantaged backgrounds. This involves putting people through qualifications such as Sports First Aid and some access college courses. Alongside that they have been working with the SFA to put them through coaching education courses, with the justification that United Glasgow FC will give them the experience they need if they give back to the club in terms of coaching.

Thomas Maguranyanga joined us a player and after a couple of months it was identified that he wanted to coach and this has been great experience for him. We have also actively put people through coaching badges, as they can’t afford to do it themselves’. ‘We know it will benefit them and the team as a whole”.

Since the SFA set up their Football Equity Partnership with Black Ethnic Minority Infrastructure in Scotland (BEMIS) they have been very supportive of United Glasgow FC. BEMIS have equality officers in every area of Scotland, and the officers based in Glasgow have been helping put people through Coach Education.

The league they play in isn’t affiliated with the SFA, so they have had a limited engagement with them in the past. With this active movement towards embracing equality and trying to get more people from Black and Ethnic Minority(BME) communities engaged, they see teams like United Glasgow FC as a really good opportunity to do that and they try and support them to improve on what they are doing and keep it up. It hasn’t been perfect, but they have certainly helped them a lot in the last year.

Alan and United Glasgow FC are continually trying to create more opportunities and improve the lives and families of all involved.

We have tried a lot of stuff, we do actively try and get people to socialise and see each other off the pitch as well. In the first year or so it didn’t really work, it was almost the same people that was running the club that was going to events. Now we seem to be pulling a lot more people in at fundraisers and concerts, we have been learning from the limited success we had the first year. When we previously played in a 5-a-side tournament during refugee week last year, we had no problems to fill it with male teams. There was a woman’s tournament, so we thought we would enter a woman’s team.

Of course, we don’t have any contacts with woman teams or know anyone that does, so it fell flat on its face. This year as part of the community project, we have engaged more widely with other organisations who already work in that area, so we are

“This has been as case of providing opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds, whether that will be from migrant or settled Scottish backgrounds. We will give them opportunities to gain qualifications in education that they mind not have previously had, and also the chance to meet people from different backgrounds that they normally wouldn’t socialise with. It’s not just about bringing people together who are Scottish or not, it’s about bringing people together from different parts of the city. As Glasgow has a really chequered history of football dividing the city, we are really keen to bring people together regardless of what team they support, regardless of neighbourhood or educational background they THE BANTER | 53

Feature have. There is divisions throughout Glasgow based on numerous issues and the more we can do to tackle that the better it is. Traditional Anti-Racism or BME football teams, not just in Glasgow, but the whole country have traditionally focused on bringing together people from one particular BME group, with teams of entirely African player or entirely South East Asian players. That’s great for a focal point in the community but it doesn’t tackle racism, making a team of black guys play a team of white guys is hardly a great way of forwarding integration in our view. We have been very keen to mix people as much as we can; we don’t sit and plan how to do it, as I said earlier it has come together organically. Guys from very different backgrounds will bring their friends along. From when we started it off and not having enough players for a seven-a-side team to now having 20-30 people turn up every week for training. Others sometimes drift in and out depending on their circumstances; it’s that nature of the groups we work with. We have had players disappear for six weeks and we think they have left the team only to turn up, apologising that they had been put in an immigration detention centre.

As Refugee week runs between 17th - 23rd June 2013, do the team have anything planned? “We will be playing in an anti racism football tournament that week, that has been organised by another group in Glasgow. We have other things planned for this summer and possibly a trip

T

homas Maguranyanga arrived in England after leaving Zimbabwe in 2001; it wasn’t until 2009 that he moved up to Scotland.

“In my country, things were very, very tough. My brother was here, so I decided let me follow my brother. I liked it here and ended up having a family and I’m still here today.”

Even after eight years in England, Thomas still has some problems with English language; especially our accents.

“Yeah, when I came to Scotland, and even today in the team, some of the guys I don’t understand when they talk.

So I have to listen very carefully and also at college, there are some people I don’t really understand . I am getting used to it, but it was tough at the time I arrived.”

“I started having the idea of coaching when I was still living in England, and I was already studying before I came to this team.. Alan and Head Coach Euan McLeod, asked me and I thought that this was a great opportunity for me, so I jumped for it”.

This isn’t the only opportunity Thomas has taken to gain experience; Thomas also helps coach with other national organisations to offer support

Thomas is a fulltime student at college, studying Sports Coaching and Development of Sport. He is also a playing and coaching football with United Glasgow FC.

“I also volunteer at Hampden with the SFA, coaching children. Euan and I go twice a month to help the SFA coaches there. They have kids from many countries; some of them have difficulties understanding the language and we support the SFA to coach them.

“It is a volunteering position, and it’s also very good experience coaching these guys. I received my level one coaching badge just last year, and this is a good stepping stone for me”.

Finally, what did Thomas think of Scotland and the Scottish people?

Thomas had an interest in coaching before he moved to Scotland, but it wasn’t until he started playing with United Glasgow FC that he was giving the chance to show his potential.

54 | THE BANTER

“They are lovely and good people. I remember when I was still in England, I thought I would never step my foot in Scotland. ‘’m here today, I’m enjoying myself and I love it at college here, they help me so much. You can see I have a smile on my face.”

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