P 12-14: The Curse of the Monkey’s Paw. A true story.
The Mighty Vin. Sitting with Vinny Peculiar in a back office of Salford . City Radio- tHE zEEN had a thoroughly amiable chat with one of Salford’s favourite adopted sons: the singersongwriter-poet-raconteur; Vinny Peculiar. tHE zEEN: Hiya Vinny- can you tell us about your new album? VP: Yeah- this new album was written over 5 or 6 weeks when I had some free time- and I tried to base it around some strong childhood memories of a time when music was most exciting to me, around the mid 70s- just before punk- as glamrock was just starting to kick in. A real defining moment for me was seeing Bowie perform “Starman” on Top of the Pops when he has the blue guitar and the orange hair and he actually does look like a Martian. I don’t think anyone at school had ever seen anything like it and I’m sure I’m not the only musician to think like thatI know Ian McCullough thinks pretty much the same thing as me- and I tried to base the sound of the new album around that period. I especially wanted to capture the sound of the Bowie albums Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust. Contd..........
I’m sure lots of artists have had similar big ideas about the sound of an upcoming album though I suspect they just end up sounding like ‘just another of your albums’. But at least if you’ve got the background on that then you get a sense of where we were coming from. Myself and the producer Rob Ferrier, a couple of lads from Liverpool on bass and drums, John Thirwell and Neil Carter and a top cello player- and we recorded it onto 2” tape in exactly the same way you would’ve done in the 70s. There’s a tremendous retro studio in Mossley called Analogue Cat- so it was all about performances- there was no cutting and pasting, no digital trickery and with the warmth you get from an analogue recordingthere’s a certain feel to the record. And even though it’s being released on CD it will come out on vinyl later in the year. I’m currently taking pre-orders for vinyl through my website at the moment- I’ve got a few, but I could do with a few more. tHE zEEN: regarding the musical theme of the record- is the subject matter linked to that? Is it other-worldly or is it about how you felt at that particular time in your life? VP: There’s some retrospective poetry type stuff in there- plus a collage of key experiences I had at the time- like seeing Alice Cooper on TOTP, kissing on a park bench, early loves and losses and longings. It was a less knowing age- everything was a bit more mysterious- y’knowwhen Led Zeppelin brought out Led Zeppelin 4 everyone was thinking “My God, What does that mean?”
and there was no internet to check it
out- and you didn’t even know what they looked like- occasionally there would be a picture in the NME or Melody Maker or Sounds which were massively read at the time- so we were definitely in an age when some bands could take on a more mystical aura somehow. And of course I have made an album that deliberately emulates those sounds but back then… it just happened. tHE zEEN: I have heard songs by you before that are about teenagers in bedrooms and a wistful look-back at the past- is this a recurring theme for you? VP: Well, “Other People Like Me” is not an album about the future, that’s for sure- it’s my attempt at making sense of the past. My songs definitely focus upon key pivotal moments from my life. There’s a song on the new album about a day when I had a kind of vision when I was sat at a bus-stop- and I got double vision and everything started to go kind of shmoozy-woozy, I couldn’t see properly, and
eventually this old lady had to help me out- but it was quite pleasurable- and I’m still not sure what it was- I don’t think it was drug related- so one of the songs is about when that happened and how great it felt- and it was over in no time and back to normal. tHE zEEN: You used to write some unashamedly “novelty songs” – have they faded from your song-writing repertoire now? VP: Yeah, kind of- I suppose I’m on the cusp of where novelty meets deadpan seriousness- and I certainly don’t mind getting a laugh at a gig- like my song “confessions of a sperm donor” which usually makes people laugh but is actually quite a serious song- basically about donating sperm for cash when you were a student and then twenty years later thinking “Hmm, wonder what might’ve happened to that?” and mulling on the possibility of being a father without knowing about it. tHE zEEN: So what are you doing promotion-wise with the album? Any big plans? VP: Just a few local gigs and then I’m going on tour with some friends of mine called “The Smiths Indeed” which is quite weird because I’ve had some of the original Smiths in the band for a while (Andy Rourke, Mick Joyce and Craig Gannon) so I’m really looking forward to it. And I’m doing that with a girl I met- she’s a great singer and she plays piano- she goes under the name of “The English Crumpet”. We’re modelling our look “Abigail’s Party”. All details of the tour and more details about the album “Other People Like Me” can be found on Vinny’s website: www.vinnypeculiar.co.uk
on
The Anorak’s Corner. Our intrepid techie sleuth, Colin Powell investigates how the bands from our city make the noises they make.... Suzuki/Method use a wide range of equipment to achieve their full sound. Guitarist Ben Hounslow uses a combination of PRS guitars and line 6 amps and effect pedals for more versatility in sound than just clean and distorted guitar tones. In addition to this, bassist Mike Matthews uses a line 6 keyboard bass synthesizer and midi controller along with a Fender precision Bass. Key elements of the Suzuki/Method sounds come from keyboard player Glen Leishman’s combination of Korg and Alesis synthesisers along with drummer David Boyd’s stripped down drum kit equipped with Roland TD trigger pads. Finally, the set up of Frontman and guitarist Adam Leishman comprises classically of a Marshall combo amp, Boss effects units, along with the use of a Gordon Smith custom guitar made in Partington, Manchester. The Sandbox Sound: Our usual live set up can be summed up in two words: raw, and loud. Lennie plays her blonde Fender Telecaster straight into her Laney VC30-112 to give a clean, but really chunky rhythm sound with loads of bite. Paul plays his metallic blue Fender Stratocaster through his Laney VC30-212, normally only with a Marshall Jackhammer overdrive/distortion box. It's a very versatile little number, with a great range of tones. That's it as far as effects are concerned, though sometimes he uses a little wah courtesy of a Jim Dunlop Cry Baby, as and when required. You're highly unlikely to see him with a multi-effects processor, but he may add a couple of extra stomp boxes from time to time. Will then anchors the whole thing down with his sunburst Fender Precision bass and Ampeg stack, which is a powerful beast of an amp, certainly capable of cutting through a bad PA mix! When we play acoustically, as we have been quite a lot lately, we use my Yamaha APX-5A acoustic guitar, while Will uses a combination of his Nord Lead 2 synthesizer and Roland stage piano. Lennie and Andy then use a mixture of shakers, rock salt(!), wood block and glockenspiel between them.
Around the scene. Bob Osborne brings us up to date with a roundup of the goings on of music in Salford. Well, what a busy old time we have had since the last issue of tHE zEEN. I suppose the biggest events of the summer have been the release of Humanizer's "This Tiny Universe" EP on Hacienda Records, and Vinny Peculiar's latest album "Other People Like Me". Ste Kelly's synth laden adventures in indie rock have finally been set free upon the world with four great tracks acting as a great shop window for a band which demonstrated it can deliver live as well as on record via a stunning set of Islington Mill as part of the latest "Helmets for Men" gig night. Vinny's latest waxing is exceptional with classic tracks. great playing, and the observational lyrical majesty that Mr Peculiar is renowned for. Talking of releases Trojan Horse, John Herring, and Death to the Strange have been busy in the recording studio, and we still await, with some excitement, the long overdue Sandbox album. The Inflictors have also been hard at work writing and recording new tunes and have secured some great support slots on The Fall autumn Tour. And talking of The Fall - Ding has been hard at work coproducing the latest studio album by Prestwich's finest, with Mark E. Smith, and advises that it is rather good indeed. A number of newer bands have emerged including "Cougar Manouveur" and "Everyday Goldfish" demonstrating that the scene is still very healthy. And we are still somewhat perplexed regarding the identity of "Toby Jughead" who delivered the stand out track of the last few months in "Media City Ditty" Gig-wise - Broughton's masters of Kraut-Punk "The Sandells" have been shining in several stand-out sets - they are certainly building a Humanizer reputation as a must see band.
At the Crescent Ting N Ting continue to deliver excellent band nights: the recent highlight of which was a fun packed night featuring "Baby Strange", "The Blimp" and the last ever performance of the legendary "Hamsters". The venue is developing a great reputation as a place to see Salford talent but also bands from the wider scene. We got a bit of a shock when The Black Knights said they would be ceasing operation but were soon relieved to find the dynamic duo were carrying on with a new name and a new look - and their "debut" ep "Whoa Whoa Hey Hey" is a strong indicator of the potential of "The Calimocho Club". Talking of name changes "The Souls" have decided to rebrand themselves as "Stalagmites". "Positronik" go from strength to strength - having got a full page spread in the Manchester Evening News - a couple of radio slots and two high profile gigs in Manchester. They self released their first songs on Bandcamp and have secured a gig at the forthcoming Salford Music Festival. And Mag and Don of "Twinkle & Co" have continued to strengthen the Irlam music scene legacy with some fantastic songs, blending 6Os sounds with modern Salford styles.
Positronik
ca re tch ww late mo w. d g re bo em Bo bo s b ns at Os cr. bo co rn em
On the "rock" end of the scene both "Whipcord" and "Kranius" have continued to dominate a busy scene with the former delivering two excellent new tracks. Mr Heart are still searching for a bass player (preferably a female one) and the ever busy and decidedly un-female Ding stood in at a recent gig supporting "Whipcord". All in all then a busy old time and it is going to get busier with a massive Salford Music Festival coming at the end of September.
Bring on those Hazy crazy Sways-ey days of Summer.... Salford’s only record label, “SWAYS” bring you an update from their nerve centre, somewhere just off Broughton Lane... First off, this happened ...The Electrification of Salford. A new musical experience that definitely happened Saturday 2 July 2Oll at Kings Arms in Salford. An all-sensory pro-visuo/audio victory with Ghost Outfit, Monster Island & Womb. We have the 2nd Electrification night planned for Saturday 22 October 2Oll, with Post-War Glamour Girls and much more! Not content with being awarded ‘the only label in Salford’ we decided to branch out. We are proud to announce that we will be opening SWAYS Beijing in the coming months. A dear friend was sent East to discover Taiwanese shoegaze and Chinese lo-fi pop, together we have compiled a glorious mixtape, one that is full of surprises. Can’t wait til you hear it. Will be available on limited edition cassette tape v. soon. Not satisfied with just releasing noisy shoegaze pop, we decided to branch out. We have been busy recording the (sometimes) l5-piece all-female experimental noise band named WOMB. They remind us of Electrelane and The Fall and Glenn Branca and No Wave stuff. The audible results will be available on limited edition l2” in the coming months. Each l2” with also come with hand-made WOMB art. This is special. As if this wasn’t enough we have the debut 7” single from Ghost Outfit, who have been causing a right stir, not just locally but in The Guardian (New Band of the Day- No 1 078!). If you haven’t been following their Young Ghost Video Project you should rectify that now: 11 videos for 13 songs. Details on the mighty two-piece’s 7” are coming soon. We are very excited, can you tell? Beyond this we have the ‘even-lusher-than-last-time’ second single from The Louche FC, mixing is near finished, you won’t be disappointed. Go see ‘em live at The Castle Hotel, Oldham St, Mcr playing with the equally lush Fear of Men (from Brighton). Trust us. Signed, Benny. Regional Director of Operations (North West). SWAYS Records. www.swaysrecords.com
-as-
Good Knight and thankyou. The Black Knights have fallen on their swords and come back as......
Bob Osborne wastes no time in getting stuck in to their debut EP- the wonderfully entitled “Woah Woah Hey Hey” It’s safe to say that the period of mourning for The Black Knights has been relatively short. The decision to change image and name for Gary and Tom was probably timely given the fast moving pace of the music scene round the “Greater Salford” area and to produce a five track EP within literally weeks of the demise of the old moniker is a testament to the work ethic of the dynamic duo. So what it is like? Well you will not be surprised to hear that it is incredibly bluesy, full of light and shade, extremely dynamic and very good indeed. I’ve lauded the previous incarnation of these two chaps on more than one occasion and i’m going to have to do it again. The opening “She Told Me” perhaps is the biggest indicator of the change in direction - a huge chunk of blue-eyed soul mixed with a four to the floor blues pump, and incandescent riffing; immediately infectious with its ice cool chords and veering inexorably towards a funky hip swinging danceability.
“War Machine” has a number of echoes of the previous TBK sound but subtly altered into again into a soulful blues with a great guitar sound and the trademark TP3 swagger mixed with a brutal “in your face” riff. The title of the EP forms the chorus. ”Baby’s got a switchblade” continues the theme with a modernistic take on the result of the melding of the musical genetic material of Hendrix, Gallagher, Trower and Erikson. What’s fascinating is the shortness of the tracks on the EP - perfect little vignettes, and although you might feel you should be wanting more, in reality the length is just right in this context. “Smoking Area Blues” tells the tale of unrequited love on the steps of the workplace/pub over a cigarette and is so riddled with the blues it should contain a warning from the Director of Public Health. The closing “Roll the Dice” is a magnificent beast of a thing - sleazy blues of the highest order - with nods to any number of the old masters of the twelve bar - the dynamic control here is spot on and it leaves you waiting for the next release, like all good closing tunes should. Absolutely marvellous and well worth three of your pounds.
www.thecalimochoclub.co.uk for more details. Ta.
Methodology. Suzuki Method, one of tHE zEEN’s favourite bands... ever! have been beavering away in the background. But what have they been up to? We wanna know. The last we heard, they were in the studio, possibly recording a new album. “Yeah,” confirms singer Adam Leishman, “it will be finished soon and will be coming out on Townsend Records (after months of discussions) - they have Beady Eye and Glasvegas on the books- we’re minnows in the Townsend pond.”
“We’re also starting our own club night- we’re sick of the whole club/promoter thing- so we’re creating this as a sounding board for us and other groups that we like. We’re calling it New/Build. We have a team: Danny Keehan covers the dark side of town (Chorlton etc) and will be doing a sister night at Saki bar. A guy from The Guardian that is into the band covering media, and I've asked Tony (Thornborough) to get involved with us on the Salford side of things. We'll be doing it at Islington Mill and the first one is in September.”
Suzuki Method rehearsing. That’s what this picture is.
“People need a reason to come to Salford and see bands. If we do this right it could be something amazing. Chapel street is a bomb site at the minute. Its time for the NEW/BUILD!” More info at: www.suzuki-method.co.uk
In the last issue of tHE zEEN, Ella Gainsborough brought us news of poetry in Salford- this time, it’s film-making in Salfordas she investigates...
The Curse of the Monkey’s Paw.
Now in the final stages of editing, cast and crew are
anxiously waiting to see if the dreaded curse of ZBFilm's first short, The Monkey's Paw, will strike again. The Monkey's Paw is a short horror story written by W.W. Jacobs and is a tale of a talisman which grants three wishes to its owner, however each wish comes with a huge price for interfering with fate. This modern day adaptation, written by director Denis Crampton, finds a small gang of youths stumbling across a stranger in their hang-out and the consequences which follow. The short film is the brain child of 44 year old editor and producer Mike Craig, who after an accident, found that he had some spare time on his hands. He started to improve his editing skills on the programme, Final Cut Pro and ask his friend Denis Crampton for any ideas. Neither had any idea what was in store for them. The first strike of the curse was when the camera man pulled out a week before the short started, taking his camera with him. Luckily Creative Industries in Salford stepped in and gave a generous loan of a camera and I got a promotion from camera assistant to Director of Photography. Then, on the first day of filming, Mike was woken to the news that the leading actress had pulled out for a paying job in London. Luckily in one of the pre-shoot meetings, Denis had given a speech on nepotism in the media industry, cue Mike's daughter Simone. After the morning's mis-hap the first day of shooting went well, with the cast and crew bonding well together. However, the curse struck again on the second days filming when Simone called in sick. Short of putting the security guard in a wig and a dress, all seemed to be lost, until Denis came to the rescue again, enlisting the help of the make up artist, who had a similar build to Simone.
Going of the basis that bad things come in three's the cast and crew assumed that they had had all their bad luck for their month, let alone their day until... EXT. ON SET. DAY. Cast and crew huddle together in the mist of torrential downpour. And it was torrential. Mike had thought ahead and had brought along 2 gazebos, one of which ended up destroyed by the sheer force of the storm. Of course, as soon as Denise decided to call time and break for lunch, the storm passed over giving way to (almost blissful) sunshine. Despite the curse, the production went really well, on the third day of filming there were no noticeable problems, (apart from a giggly bunch of actresses!) The cast and crew, mainly made up of students all performed exceptionally and the days were never short of laughter. 'We've got a great young cast and crew, who've all come together and have done really well, even though some are learning on the job. It's amazing, I'm really pleased' - Denis. The Monkey's Paw was made on literally Zero Budget (ZBFilms) so props and equipment were made by Mike, including an impressive dolly (a piece of filming equipment designed to create a smooth camera movement) and an even more impressive monkey's paw. Although it hasn't always been an easy journey, the shoot ended in high spirits, with hopes to show the short at festivals in Manchester and Salford. Re-shoots will commence after the first edit is complete and the film will be online at some point. Hopefully, now the curse has run its course. ForCrescent more information, The will be one photos, clips and to keep track of venues visit for this ofthe progress www.zbfilms.co.uk year’s ‘Sounds from the Other City’ festival on May lst- and one of the venues for the ‘Salford Music Festival’ later in the year, probably.
14
Shine on Harvieu. tHE zEEN was supposed to be bringing you an interview with Salford songstress Ren Harvieu in this issuebut unfortunately Ren is ill at the mo. So instead, we will publish a review of one of Ren’s live shows that tHE zEEN attended a month or two ago. It's Friday night and tHE zEEN is off out to Chorlton Irish Centre to watch Ren Harvieu. "Who is she?" I hear you cry. Well, to be honest, I don't really know. I know that she's a Salfordian, I know that she's about twenty years old and I know that she's been signed up by Island Records (though there's no mention of her on their website, confusingly). I suspect that the current lack of Ren Harvieu songs available online is Island Records' way of keeping us keen and hungry for more. I've heard a couple of her songs and I've seen a few photographs of her- and it all looks very promising so I set off for the wrong side of town, buy myself a shandy and wait for Ms Harvieu to appear on stage. I'm not a big fan of this venue; it's soul-less. Any ounce of character that the building might have has been completely covered up inside and the two concert rooms are sterile affairs with bad acoustics and bizarre seating arrangements that make getting to the bar a barging contest. Anyhow, moaning over- here comes the turn. There is no doubt that Ren Harvieu is remarkable- she has a voice that defies explanation- it is full of character, mystique and enchantment. She looks like the twisted heroine of a gothic horror movie- haunted, beguiling and slightly dangerous. Yet it is quite obvious that she is excruciatingly shy- she does not introduce herself when onstage (the only way you would know her name is because it is printed on the front skin of the bass drum)- she doesn't introduce any of the songs or interact with the crowd (or the rest of the band) at all. In fact, the only two words she utters are "last tune", just before, er, the last tune. This normally wouldn't be a problem I suppose, but this band faff around a lot between songs: swapping instruments, tweaking bits of kit, trooping on and off stage as and when required- which leaves lots of slightly eggy slabs of awkward
15
silence. Ren looks at the ground during these delays, hiding behind her voluminous fringe. Yet during the songs she is more relaxed, more engaging, her arms and hands are expressive, she does the 'dance round your handbag' type shuffle and fixes her gaze on a point somewhere at the back of the room. So what of the music and the songs? Well, let me just start by saying that "Through the Night" could and should be a number one single any week of the year. It is a piece of songwriting/ performance mastery that is up there with Bacharach in his pomp and Dusty in her prime. The verse is a bewitching melody, full of trepidation and anxiety followed by huge strings and a soaring chorus that could melt the heart of even the most gnarled cynic. And Ren pulls it off with aplomb tonight. The stand-out track without a doubt. The rest of the set is a mixture of this type of slightly cocktail-jazzy type songs and numbers tinged with country and western- songs which need a few listens I reckon before they can be judged properly. The other stand-out moment is Ren's version of "Crying" by Roy Orbison- a brave choice for anyone to cover. The rhythm section leave the stage- just leaving a vibrato-laced acoustic guitar and some droned keyboards as accompaniment. It is a moment to remember (though some ignoramuses in the crowd were chatting throughout. Chorltonians! Tsk!) and even though I'm not even sure that I liked itas a piece of theatre it was quite something to behold. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable forty minutes of my life and yet another reminder of the eclectic nature of music that is currently emanating from Salford. Don't be surprised if lots of people buy lots of her records very soon.
16
All photos by the lovely Emma Davies.
Grab yer Helmets. “Helmets For Men” is Salford’s premiere live music night. So how did it all begin? Helmets for Men is fast approaching its 2nd birthday. It is the brainchild of mild-mannered Salford City Radio disc jockey Tony Thornborough. tHE zEEN was going to interview Tony for this article but quickly thought better of it. But if we did interview him he would probably say something like: “Well, I started the whole thing off because I was sick of trawling into Manchester every time I wanted to see some decent music- and after a quick shuftie round I decided that we have some great venues here in Salford so I thought I’d put my own live music nights on. Our original home was Islington Mill but we’ve also done shows at The People’s History Museum, The Old Pint Pot, Salford Arts Theatre and The Kings Arms. Also- we didn’t want to do that old ‘pay to play’ bollocks and thought it would be a good idea to actually pay the bands.” Thanks Tony. Helmets For Men has featured loads of great bands including some of Salford’s finest- such as Suzuki Method, The Black Knights, AAAK, Mr Heart, The Inflictors, Sandbox, Death to the Strange, The Arch Nazards, Pearl Divers, The Misfits, oh and loads of others that I’ve probably forgotten to mention. Here’s to many more Helmets nights. Search on Facebook for ‘Helmets For Men’ for all updates and upcoming shows. Tony Thornborough relaxing outside his home yesterday. Note servant in background walking Tony’s dog for him.
17
Poets’ Corner. Wide Eyed Boy I remembered to burn all reference to you As I set out under skies blue As cold, crisp air turns breath into smoke I sat with the boy amongst the strange folk No regards to boundaries and no social class Are in account, when no-one knows your past With the clothes I stand in, and the things I lack I make up for time which I’ll never get back Within my freedom comes a new found fame But we still danced through all of our pain What’s in a life time? What’s in a day? Which is the wrong path? And which is the way? When a smile is the difference between life and death Shouldn’t we watch time with baited breath? Precious moments so short of time I’ll be yours and you’ll be mine The cat bows to the bird, my wide eyed boy So let the world stop for us to enjoy In the chaos of colour their songs shone bright As we sang forever on that eternal night The promise of the evening startled the air But as I talked to the mirror there was no-one there I’ll always remember that fateful day When skies once blue turned dark shades of grey.
by Ella Gainsborough.