The Sharpeez: Wild One

(3M’s)

CD/DL

Out Now

Bill Mead and his Sharpeez return with a brand new studio album. Louder Than War’s Craig Chaligne reviews.

Sometimes the best musical discoveries happen by chance. Seeing a gig advertised by promoter Pete Feenstra on social made me reach out to listen to The Sharpeez’s latest LP “Wild One”. As every good rock’n’roll album does (or should do), it doesn’t overstay its welcome, concentrating on quality instead of quantity. With sole original member Bill Mead at the helm, the band provide 35 mins of high energy R’n’b (the real one, not the current radio dreck). Tiptoeing the fine line between tight and loose where great rock’n’roll is mad, what we have here is a great set of songs matched with fantastic performances and a warm production. The single “Automatic Mode” is the perfect opener with its catchy chorus while the moody “Bullet” is full of menace. “Dr Feelgood” works both as an hommage to the Thames Delta pub rockers and as a Sharpeez manifesto with Loz Netto throwing some particularly effective slide parts in the mix. The track most representative of this great meeting of minds is “Heartache Express”, from Bill’s diction to the carefully layered guitars (great solo by Loz again) with the added help of discrete backing vocals, rock’n’roll perfection. “Heat of the Night” catches you in its web straight away with its memorable intro (the great Tom Petty wouldn’t have minded coming up with this one). The band doesn’t reinvent the wheel on “Wild One”, everything is about the songs and their execution, the rollicking “Losing Hand” sees William’s melody work hand in hand with Loz’s guitar licks to great effect while the title track is a great slow burning rocker (to use another Petty comparison think “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”). A great album

The band will be touring the UK in February:

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News on The Sharpeez can be found on their official website: sharpeez.webs.com or on their facebook page.

All words by Craig Chaligne. More from Craig can be found at his Author Archive. He tweets at @ChaligneCraig. 

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Wardruna

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It’s a filthy business.

That much is known.

It’s that time of the year again when a bizarre mixture of genuinely good people who have done great things with big hearts, culture icons and sports types get their gongs awkwardly next to a raft of politicians who leer at the cameras whilst they get their vice-like grip on their medal bribes.

We celebrate the public and the good people and despair at the tainting of the process with its mix n match of the genuine and appalling getting gonged up.

As if to underline this archaic and dust-laden tradition the medals have really odd and quite awkward names like the MBE and the OBE referencing the long-lost British Empire which was not quite the jolly holly sticks – lets teach the world cricket and stamp collecting hard sell that we used to get taught at school but was a ruthless business operation involving slavery, opium and the suppression of millions of people whilst colouring in random chunks of land in the atlas red.

Once we ditched the empire there was a real chance to become a well adjusted, modern country and it seems about half the country took that chance but we are still weighed down with all this weird stuff – the Royal family are still cursing us with their presence – a family made up of superheroes and stuffed full of medal encrusted war heroes and the best of everything sneer, they are the best pilots, the best dancers, the best farmers the best people on the stinking planet, they are the smartest, cleverest, best dressed, most beautiful people you get to curtsey and bow to or so the relentless media barrage keeps telling us and part of this Disney version of Blighty is also the medal thing.

In the 21st century can’t we just ditch the whole lot and rename them the ‘Citizens medal’ – an award for being a great citizen of this great nation and for doing good stuff – we could still have the culture and sports types in there – it would all fit and it would be a tad more accurate than the current empire medals – then people like the late David Bowie could have accepted their honour and we could roundly cheer them instead of being confused when we embrace an acknowledgement from the cold-hearted establishment but hate the rotten borough system and its embrasssing medal names.

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Liverpool singer Jay Murray was performing in Liverpool’s Cavern club on Dec 29th when someone ran out the crowd and picked him up by the feet and threw him over in a dangerous and unprovoked assault. The assailant then kicked the singer on the floor. He has not been caught yet so please watch the video and see if you recognise him.

On his Facebook page Jay Murray wrote: ‘So I’m finally a celeb on social media its kinda funny what happened it happened so fast the f****r could have had a knife and I would have never felt it.

‘Thank God he didn’t cheers to all my ‘mates’ who shared it I’m OK just saw red so I gave him a hiding knuckles killing me now.

‘The p***k was crying like a baby apologizing to me. Moral of story be nice to one and other. Happy New Year.’

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This year has seen the demise of great live music venues, yet the beginnings of loads of new places cropping up. Manchester town centre has seen the likes of The Castle, The Peer Hat / Aatma, Jimmy’s, YES and the brilliant Night People hosting new bands, whilst also highlighting breakthrough stuff on their different paths. Such a shitter when places like The Ruby Lounge, Dry and Sound Control fade away for reasons I don’t wanna get fuckin angry about…

If you read my shit (someone does!) You’ll know I’m that North Manc living in Northwich. Venues in small towns have to be special to survive and that’s why this feature needs bringing to your attention. The Salty Dog is the brainchild of Chris Mundie, ex Business drummer who always wanted to open his own live venue. And he’s done it in style. When it first opened I came across this place by accident and thought. Shit. Will this work? A year and a half later… I thought I’d give this one to the man himself to give us a brief history and a lesson to like minded people to get these type of venues back on the map.

A Brief History of Dogging

My names, Chris, known to some as Bundie, I used to play drums, now I run a venue, it’s a heart-warming rags to more rags story, so let me begin…

I spent most of my youth playing in bands, specifically The Short-Cuts and The Hyperjax, that was my main focus in life. Then in 2006 I  got phone call from Micky Fitz who asked if I’d be interested in playing drums for The Business for a couple of tours, 10 years, 36 countries and 5 continents later the band came to and end after Mick’s passing, I can’t stress enough how much of an impact this had on my life and general world view. During this time I was lucky enough to play venues that ranged from 80 capacity dive bars, to huge festival stages, we also got to play with some big hitters, but more importantly we toured with the bands that were starting out, building up, running on nothing but passion and conviction, real DIY spirit.

After Mick died as lot of people asked me if we’d keep playing in some capacity or other, that was never an option, The Business was, is and always will be Micky Fitz. Other people asked me if I was going to play for anyone else, but that just didn’t appeal. What I had started doing was planning a bar, something like most people I’d fancied doing since I was a kid, I actually bounced some of the ideas off Mick, he was pretty supportive in his own way, “Well, if you fuck it up you can always go back to drumming” I seem to remember him saying.

With the concept in my head I then had to try and turn it in to a venue, I knocked up a rudimentary business plan, cashed in some old shares I’d inherited and somehow convinced somebody to give me a loan. At that time I was also working for Tatton Brewery, so I approached my boss Gregg with the idea of putting a live music venue that had speciality beers in a town where there was no real music community to speak of. Luckily for me Gregg shares my somewhat optimistic approach to live and after leaving a life as an Insurance Man for the life of an independent brewer I think he was somewhat sympathetic to my goals, so we went into a partnership and The Salty Dog was born.

We started pretty strong, I got Roddy Radiation booked in, XSLF stopped by, Subhumans played and we even had New York Ska giants, The Slackers play a sell out gig. Even with all this going on though we were still having to chase bands to play, convincing them that it might be a good thing to play in a small Cheshire town in a bar they’d never heard of.

All of this changed when I got a phone call from Charlatans HQ in the first few days of 2018, the seeds of what became North By Northwest were planted and suddenly we were in the national spotlight. The band would return to Northwich for a week long residency and wanted to include the whole town with us playing a big role. During that week we hosted the main support acts, kicking off with Deja Vega, followed by a Charlatans Quiz attended by the band themselves, Yucatan, Average Sex, BMX bandits, Riding The Low and rounded off with a killer Sunday afternoon performance from The Blinders who finished 2^nd in Louder Than War’s albums of the year countdown.

This led to coverage in national newspapers, radio and TV, Mark Radcliffe led the charge in championing all things Salty Dog, since then things have turned around and now bands are looking to come to a small Cheshire town.

We have a pretty impressive list of names that have now played at the pub, but what is more important is the calibre of the grass roots bands that are coming through, we are lucky to work with great independent promoters like Softlad and Some Kind of Events and we are getting really memorable gigs now. It’s really cool to host some of the established acts we’ve had, but the most important thing as with anything is what’s coming through, the ability and quality of some of the newer bands is genuinely humbling, it’s great to be able to offer that opportunity and it’s great that there are so many good bands that have a similar ethos to us.

In recent weeks The Guardian has listed us in their best small venues list of 2018, we’ve picked up an entry into The Good Beer guide and got really positive reviews from great publications such as the one you are reading right now.

To bring things back to the start a very good friend of mine always made a point of thanking the people that make things happen, so in this case our amazing staff, our understanding and flexible suppliers, the bands and artists that come through the door, the many partners and organisations that help us out, but most importantly, last but not least, you guys, the public, our customers, you vote with your feet, you choose to support a local independent venue, without you none of this happens. Thank you.

And this my friends is what makes this venue stand out. There’s more to come next year from some great new bands that have graced the pages of LTW. Just make that effort to get on that train and visit a place that is embracing new music and attracting known bands far and wide.

Photo credit: Sal_GigJunkie, Use of these images in any form without permission is illegal.

Words by Wayne Carey who writes for Louder Than War. His author profile is here and you can catch his  website here 

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This Day In Music’s Guide To The Clash
Author: Malcom Wyatt
Available now
Publisher: This Day In Music

Freelance writer Malcolm Wyatt has more than 20 years behind him in regional journalism, and now spends much of his working days between publishing house This Day in Music and other writing projects, including features and interviews for regional newspapers and his popular writewyattuk.com website, started six years ago and including one-to-ones with a veritable who’s who of big names from the world of music, comedy, arts and literature. Interrogated victims (his description) include David Baddiel, Bill Bailey, Belinda Carlisle, Lloyd Cole, Julian Cope, Alan Davies, Graham Gouldman, Justin Hayward, Ian Hunter, Wilko Johnson, Howard Jones, Lulu, John Lydon, Graham Nash, Gary Numan, and Jimmy Osmond.

For his latest project Wyatt turned to the Clash, a band who within the opening introduction he admits, due to only being born in 1967, that he never had the opportunity to see live, he also missed out on The Mescaleros and his regretted both ever since, more so as he matured and began to fully understand the impact the Clash had upon not just himself but the entire music world. Wyatt perhaps bravely, also declares his affection for the Sandy Pearlman produced ‘Give ‘Em Enough Rope’ album; Pearlman’s contribution to the Clash story has stirred debate between fans from the day of its release.

Anyway, a cursory browse through Amazon or Waterstones lists at least a dozen books looking at the legacy of the Clash, there is even a Clash inspired adult colouring book, not to mention two titles scheduled for publication in early 2019; as such you wonder if there is anything left to be said.

But then look at the band’s legacy, they recorded six studio albums (nine if you recall ‘London Calling’ was a double and ‘Sandanista’ a triple) in just six years, I’ve purposefully discounted ‘Cut The Crap’ as to me whilst they went under the moniker of the Clash – they weren’t;

The Clash arguably had it all, Joe Strummer the wildly charismatic frontman who was also able to craft a politically dogged lyric, Mick Jones a deceptively fine guitarist, Paul Simonon the epitomize of cool who somehow not just learnt, but who became proficient on a bass guitar and Topper Headon a powerhouse drummer; then behind the scenes the names are nearly as infamous – Bernie Rhodes, Kosmo Vinyl, Caroline Coon, The Baker (Barry Auguste), Roadent, Robin Banks etc

Popular history suggests that the route the Clash took was more interesting than that of their early punk contemporaries, they absorbed their influences and allowed themselves to evolve, taking us from the rage of White Riot through reggae to funk early rap, disco, and way beyond.

Thankfully Wyatt is aware of these factors and does seem to have been able to offer something new and credible, this despite his requests for interviews with the surviving members being politely declined.

To combat this Wyatt has been clever in his presentation; it is essentially research led, its not revisionist, and as such I think there are a couple of very minor factual innacurascies, but definitely no out loud howlers. The book is sub-divided into easy to navigate chunks, ‘Pre Clash: The Early Years, looks at band member’s early lives and upbringing to the pre-Clash days of Strummer’s 101ers and Mick Jones’ London SS, ‘Classic Clash: From ’77 To The End’ looks at the rise and subsequent decline, before leading us on to ‘Post Clash: B.A.D, Mescaleros and More’ and then sections looking at album releases, a Clash timeline etc each making a detailed analysis of events that defined the band and the individual members.

There are a couple of minor edits that need correcting, a page heading entitled Queen, which I guess stems from another TDiM title but nothing to get excited about, and certainly nothing that detracts from the information.

Wyatt has drawn from a huge literary archive crediting authors and interviewers who offered something pertinent to the event being discussed; as such LTW boss John Robb’s own ‘Punk Rock: An Oral History’ is frequently referenced alongside Johnny Green’s ‘The Clash & Beyond’; Marcus Grey etc – these excerpts alongside some well researched images combine with Wyatt’s ‘with hindsight’ slant to create both a thoroughly entertaining, and informative read.

Whilst there is little in the 320+ pages that a Clash obsessive will not have read before, the book is a very neat, accurate assessment of one of the most influential bands ever – to be fair I don’t think its aimed at obsessives, its aimed at existing Clash/punk fans or anyone with even a passing interest in rock ‘n’ roll, and a whole generation of record buyers who are only now discovering the Clash, a band who’s full story can be found in this neat book; as such its certainly worthy of a place in any music fans library.

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Launched in November 1952, the official UK music charts have acted as a barometer of taste. As well as measuring popularity, the charts act as a kind of archive of the songs that have defined the soundscapes of different times. Beyond which song was popular in a given week, the charts can also tell us something else: how quickly pop moves and shifts.

Looking back at particular moments in chart history gives us a flavour of the fashions and trends, but the charts also contain underlying patterns. One story they can tell is of the speed-up of changes in pop culture.

One way of seeing this acceleration is to look at number one singles. When it comes to looking at the charts, there is quite a bit of variation across the individual years, with some popular songs staying at number one for an extended period and, of course, the ephemera of the one-hit-wonder and so on. Looking at the average number of number ones in different decades gives a better sense of the underlying patterns, rather than the momentary shifts (when I was working out these averages, where a song had dropped down the charts and then returned to number one, which tended to happen more in the early days of the charts, I only counted it once  -  as this is a return rather than a new chart topper).

The picture we get is of music taste, in the form it is represented in weekly charts at least, shifting quite radically. There was only a single number one in 1952, Al Martino’s Here in My Heart. It arrived at number one the week the charts were launched and stayed there for nine weeks – a steady start that set a leisurely pace for the years that immediately followed. In the 1950s, the average number of number one hits per year was 14. By the 2010s this had increased, doubled in fact, to 28. So, on average the 2010s saw 14 more number ones per year than the 1950s. The turnover today, as we might expect, is much quicker than in those early chart years. In fact, the pace accelerated a little in the 1960s, jumping up to an average of 19 number ones per year. The big-act pop enthusiasm and exploding youth cultures of the 1960s slowed a little again in the 1970s with a drop to 17, before accelerating back up to 19 in the 1980s.

The real change arrived in the 1990s. As music culture itself moved towards being more fragmented, so too the charts became more volatile. The 1990s had an average of 21 number ones per year, yet this number is a little misleading. The 1990s started fairly steadily, holding back the average, but it started to pick up pace in 1996, before the real turning point arrived in 1998, when there were 32 number ones in a year. The pace stepped up again with 36 number ones in 1999. This pattern continued, hitting an all-time high of 42 number ones in the year 2000 - a number that has never been beaten, although it was repeated in 2014. The average for the 2000s was a jump up to 28, which was then replicated in the 2010s. The charts suggest that the pace of change in music cultures was growing fairly steadily up until that point in 1998 when things really started to come and go much more quickly  -  with some obvious and fairly limited exceptions where big stars have had number ones for multiple weeks. The internet, which really started to take hold in ’98, is likely to have provided that extra gear in the acceleration of turnover in pop.

There a lots of other explanations as to why the music charts are accelerating. The changing of the chart rules is one  - but these have tended to reflect rather than lead changes in cultural consumption. Whichever way we understand this, the relative impermanency and the greater range of access in music streaming is important. And, of course, capitalism is founded upon the increase in demand for new goods ; perhaps we are just seeing such processes being refined and these impulses driven further. Although acceleration has certainly not helped music industry revenues.

What is most striking though is that the trend seems to have been defied in the last three years. 2016 saw the lowest-ever number of number ones in a single year in chart history, with only 11. This low point was followed by 17 and 19 in 2017 and 2018 respectively. This might be a blip in our apparent cultural acceleration, or it might suggest a slowing down.

The apparent slow-down since 2016 is a bit harder to explain, especially as it seems to reverse the trend. Writing about clothing in the early 1900s, the sociologist Georg Simmel argued that the more rapid the changes in fashion the more ‘nervous’ was the age. If this also applies to music trends, then we might have expected the upheaval of the last couple of years to have sped up the charts rather than slowing them down.

It’s hard to be certain, but the charts reveal something of the change in the speed with which music shifts around. Perhaps what we are looking at is the type of chart that emerges as music consumption becomes more eclectic and diverse, with only certain artists possessing the clout to get heard and the obduracy to defy the rapid tides of music culture that we have experienced since the late 1990s. Maybe the slow-down that we seeing in the last three years is a product of the systems through which music is consumed.

Our attention is being guided towards certain artists or certain songs by streaming services. The result is that focus narrows, like in the pre-internet era, on prominent songs ,  and so we have fewer number ones per year. This poses a question about the way that music rises to the top in our current media landscape and how social media and music streaming might seem individualised whilst drawing our collective attention to certain tracks.

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Words by Dave Beer. More information about his writing can be found at his website and he is also on Twitter.

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Johnny Seven ‘Johnny Seven’ (Nil By Mouth Records)
CD | DL
Available now

Debut album from the Teeside based Johnny Seven; as such you might be forgiven for thinking this was perhaps some new 21st Century punk & roll sound, a glimpse into the future even… well, you would be slightly off the mark; Johnny Seven formed back in 1978 (apparently at a Rezillos gig) in the immediate aftermath of the Pistols, Clash blitzkrieg, they secured some, no doubt gob spattered gigs but failed to capture their sound on record prior to collapse in the early 80’s.

A reunion in 2011 led to a slow and ongoing re-activation and this self-titled ten-track punk tinged stormer is the result; opening up with the suitably explosive ‘Shot Down’ that immediately defines Johnny Seven’s roots in the proto-punk of the MC5 and a certain Mr James Osterberg, a sub 3min high-energy punk ‘n’ roll belter with a neat guitar solo, whilst ‘Let’s Rock’ stretches even further back turning a basic late 50’s rocker into a punk tinged roustabout.

If your going to reference the greats then paying homage to The Heartbreakers on ‘Can’t Escape Rock ‘n’ roll isn’t a bad starting point, this comes complete with a rabble-rousing chorus and a darker breakdown, the entire thing driven by some strident beats and over-ridden licks, similarly with ‘L.S.D’ which sounds like a blowtorched ‘Ballroom Blitz’.

‘In Detroit’ so wants to be The Stooges, likewise ‘Car Crash Girls’ both of which rely upon some fluid bass to underpin the chaotic onslaught; I’m not sure why Johnny Seven chose to cover Dennis Linde’ 1973 released ‘Burning Love’… yep, the one Elvis covered for inclusion on the ‘Aloha from Hawaii’ album, but after 40years of preparation for the album I guess we can allow a little self-indulgence.

‘Pumpin’ The Pomp’ is a time-hop back to 77’ an adrenaline-charged trash workout with a glam clap-a-long middle nested within the melody, ‘Skinheads’ is a lament to our close cropped breathen “all those naughty skinheads” that has clear links to Cock Sparrer, and live would surely ignite the mosh-pits. Album closer ‘Hang Loose’ has a welcome dirty vibe, there is something a bit nasty buried within the mix, though the overdrawn breakdown is a distraction.

Johnny Seven are not about crafting a new sound, they are not interested in new directions; what they have done (albeit over 4 decades) is deliver an album that proudly references their influences, and at the same time produce an album they clearly enjoyed making; its loud, its fast, at times its raw, it suffers with poor production but if you like your own brand of punk rock to reach back to the start then this album is for you.

Track list:

1. Shot Down
2. Let’s Rock
3. Can’t Escape Rock N Roll
4. LSD
5. In Detroit
6. Burning Love
7. Pumpin’ the Pomp
8. Car Crash Girls
9. Skinheads
10. Hang Loose

Buy the ‘Johnny Seven’ CD HERE

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The Favourite, which will undoubtedly be applauded as one of the best films of the year, celebrated its release in theatres on November 23rd, 2018. The movie stars some of the biggest actors on the planet including: Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Olivia Colman, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, James Smith and Mark Gatiss. flawlessly directed by accomplished director Yorgos Lanthimos, and written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara.

The Favourite embraces every aspect and ingredient that subscribes to the excellence of a film incorporating power, love, lust, romance, danger, suspense, darkness, comedy, and a hint of madness.

Oscar-, Golden Globe- and BAFTA-winning actress, Emma Stone portrays the role of a strong, confident, charismatic, and manipulating spirit, struggling for aristocratic status. The animated actress known for her roles in La La Land, Birdman, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Help, and Battle of the Sexes (to include but a few) and dubbed one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time, strolled into the hotel suite with a gleam of mischief in her eyes and a flamboyant sparkle in her persona.

Louder than War: Congratulations on the movie and all your ongoing success. How did you prepare for this role, which is probably unlike anything you’ve done?

I worked on the dialects; I took some etiquette lessons. I tried to research a bit of the history that didn’t really matter too much, because the actual history was combined with the fiction. I spent a lot of time with the cast. I spent a lot of time with Yorgos. That was pretty much it.

Did you feel like an outsider because you were the only non-British one in the cast? Your character was also coming into a new place like an outsider.

I agree with that. She does feel a little bit out of place. I did too in a way, although I’m a real Englander. I didn’t feel that out of place because I tend to really like British humor. But I did use a little of that, trying to fit in and trying to sound authentic. I think in a way it follows Abigail’s journey.

How did you perfect your British accent?

I had a really, really good dialect coach. It was hard because when I first was practising the British accent to audition for Yorgos, I was working on RP which is like the Queen’s type of English. That was too English next to Olivia and Rachel who are much more modern and obviously British themselves. So Yorgos asked me to change it to make it sound more like theirs. So I sort of started listening to some more modern accents, like Carey Mulligan’s accent. She has a deep voice and I love her, so it was easy to watch her interviews. I’m not trying to talk like her, it’s just keeping her depth and the cadence. When people try to do a British accent they tend to want to talk up here, and Yorgos wanted me to keep it low, so it was interesting listening to people who spoke in a lower cadence. For the most part, I just tried to put my hat on and try to go into Ubers and taxis and try to speak the accent.

Is there any portion of Abigail’s persona that is synonymous with yours?

Yeah, there is a lot. I’m not going to tell you, though.

With your choices of roles that you’ve taken, like Billie Jean King, do you find yourself getting excited about these really, really strong women that are making their stamp in history, no matter if it’s real or not?

For sure, yeah. It’s definitely very exciting to get to play emotionally-complex, layered women. It is a real joy. I didn’t always realize why I was so happy. Like Billie Jean, she’s devastated for most of that movie. But it was an incredible movie and I was so happy to be there because it’s truthful. It’s not like I’m grinning with wide eyes and being charming for charming’s sake. Even Abigail, she is charming and she is very sweet, but for a reason. Not just because it’s pleasant to watch a woman be that way. So it’s a joy, I really love it. My argument for Abigail is that I think she’s a survivor. I can understand a lot of what she’s doing, even though I wouldn’t do it myself. I can understand the depth of trauma that she’s been in and that she needs to get out of. There is only really one moment that I cannot redeem of hers. You can probably guess what that is. Do you know which one it is?

Stepping on the bunny.

The rabbit…there was no reason there. She has the power. There is no reason why she has to rule over a being that’s helpless…no reason. Nobody is watching…she doesn’t know the Queen is watching. Someone at an earlier interview asked me did she go in knowing that she was going to do this, or was she responding to her circumstances? Was she like this before or did she become this? It’s fun for people to have their own interpretation of this. I don’t want to answer what my opinion of this is. The same with Sarah and the same with the Queen. Does she love the Queen, or does she love political power? Is it both? Are they combined? Was she devastated to lose her because she still wanted to be in power? There are so many great questions about what makes these people tick, as in our own lives. We don’t fully understand all the motivation that is around us and it’s really great to see the three women who have some ideas but are not totally sure.

So when you did the movie you were really thinking that?

Yeah, all the time. That’s what makes every day such fun, to tell that story. It’s very realistic, even though it’s a set of outside circumstances. Also, something Rachel has continued to talk about is how the stakes are so high. A country hangs in the balance. It’s not just like a love triangle; England hangs in the balance. That’s what also makes it really rich. These women have the power in their hands, literally.

Wasn’t that the Queen that put the U.K. together as we know it today?

Yeah. She was the first Queen of the United Kingdom.

How does Olivia Colman measure up as a love interest for you, as opposed to other love interests you’ve had in other movies?

She is such a dreamboat. She measures up incredibly well.

Shooting the film versus when you really got to see it on screen, what was your reaction?

Well I did know what it was going to look like because I’m a bit of a camera nerd. So I wanted to see what every lens was, what every shot was. Yorgos was very supportive of my love of cameras. He would let me look at the monitor a lot. So I did kind of know what it was going to look like. I did know how we were being shot from below and that we all had different sizes on us. I don’t know if you noticed but each of the characters have different close-up sizes. So it’s really fascinating. So he was like shaping it while shooting it, so I loved following it. I didn’t know it was going to be in chapters. I didn’t know what the music was going to be like.

Is that curiosity leading to someday stepping behind the camera and directing?

We’ll see. I mean just being on sets… I’ve been on sets for 13 years now.  I think the cinematography is just so cool.

What is the driving force behind choosing a role, aside from the money?

I think that all three have to come together in a way that makes sense, the director, the script, the character. In the past, I didn’t necessarily understand how to choose. I was very drawn to the story in the beginning. Then it moved really strongly into character. Then it moves really strongly into director without the other things necessarily being there. Then I thought wait a second, it’s got to be all of it. Also the ability to choose is new. When you are off with different things at different periods in your career, you feel you have to say yes for a plethora of reasons. Whether it’s financial or it’s emotional reasons. So just recently, I would say in the past four years, I really learned that it all needs to come together and that I am incredibly lucky in making a choice. I don’t assume that it will be the truth forever. I know how rare it is for an actor to get to do that and I know I’ve made mistakes based on certain ways of choosing. I know I will continue to make mistakes in ways of choosing, but the best I can do is just try to have all the pieces of the puzzle in place or not do it.

Do you feel more liberated or do you feel a responsibility to yourself?

I feel a responsibility externally and internally. I didn’t fully understand that my choices had impact before. It’s very weird to get to because I have a lot of insecurities. For me, when I was in my early 20s, it was a very difficult time in my life. I understand a lot more now at 30 than I did at earlier times in my life. I do think I kind of know the full scope of it now. That’s just part of growing in any job. Right now all those pieces are in place. I don’t want to be that kind of person that gets hippo skin. I want to keep my skin thin always because that is the only way to be a creative person and try to be authentic. I just want to be more of a real person, but I struggle with that too.

Chances are you are going to find yourself in Oscar contention again. What does it feel like to be continuously well regarded and respected in an industry that is sometimes really mean?

Listen, that’s not always the case. I don’t always feel that I’m well regarded. I’ve talked about success, failures, mistakes and I’ve had really amazing experiences, but I value the times when that’s not been the case. I don’t know what will happen with award stuff. I don’t know what’s going to happen next year. Experiences like La La Land – it was an amazing year, but the next year when Battle of the Sexes wasn’t everywhere, the people were like, “I’ve got to go talk to someone else.” You have to hold it so lightly because it’s so… it makes you want to hang out with your family and the people you love so much more. But, this stuff is awesome and it’s so exciting when it happens. I try to enjoy it because next year it might be: “Who are you?”

~

All words by Eileen Shapiro. More of Eileen’s writing can be found in her author’s archive.

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John Holt

Like A Bolt

Doctor Bird

CD/DL

Released 11th January 2019

Reissue of John Holt’s 1973 album with 10 bonus tracks which adds up to all the singer’s output with Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle label. Ian Canty hears the man that was soon to buck the downward trend of the early 70s and return reggae back to the UK charts after the wilderness years.

By the time of the release of Like A Bolt in 1973, John Holt was a 14-year veteran on the Jamaican music scene. Beginning his career in 1959 by entering talent contests at the age of 12, he cut his first solo disc four years later in the Forever I’ll Stay single for Leslie Kong. After that he joined with Bob Andy, Garth aka Tyrone Evans and Junior Menz to form the hugely successful singing group the Paragons. Bob Andy had left to go solo by 1966 and Howard Barrett, a childhood friend of Holt, replaced Menz to give perhaps the definitive line-up of the band. After switching to Duke Reid’s Treasure Isle label in 1968, they became one of the best selling outfits of the rocksteady era, with hits including The Tide Is High (which of course was later on a number one for Blondie) and Man Next Door (also recorded by the Slits).

The Paragons split in 1970, but even before then, Holt had started to make waves as a soloist. He had been a featured songwriter for the band and his smooth, cool voice stood out even in the very talent-heavy Paragons. Eventually (and more than a touch ironically, given that Holt was one of reggae’s top tunesmiths) he would finally hit the UK charts with his version of Kris Kristofferson’s Help Me Make It Through The Night, which reached number 6 in 1974. This came from the smooth-as-silk covers album, 1000 Volts Of Holt, another big seller, but a world away from the mostly self-penned Like A Bolt LP, which is what we have here.

With John’s star in the ascendency, even in the rocky post-skinhead years, it seemed prudent for Duke Reid to provide a round-up of his work in 1973. This collection reached back to 1968 and from there contained offerings from each of the following years, before coming right up to date with a couple of brand-new recordings. As such, it features a lot of his best early work, from the lilting and touching of Tonight to Ali Baba, which had a rhythm that was irresistible to early dub pioneers (witness King Tubby’s I Trim The Barber and the Aggrovators’ Dub Barber). This is far earthier than his work circa 1000 Volts Of Holt, but much more moving and essential in my opinion. Ali Baba is a total Reggae classic, cut just at the time the beat speeded up and the cryptic lyrics give it something extra. Among the bonuses, we get a nice 12″ version, which features much echo and some cool dub techniques.

This album showed that Holt had journeyed effortlessly from rocksteady, through the skinhead era and on to the more commercial and bright 70s sound, barely missing a beat on the way. It’s a testament to Holt’s belief in his direction that an album recorded piecemeal over the course of five years hangs together so well. I See Your Face is everything you could want from a Reggae love song – excellent vocal delivery as you would expect, conveying the emotions in a very real way and with sympathetic backing music that you could easily dance to as well. Though he wrote the majority of the material on the album proper, he does cover Nat King Cole’s Time And The River in superb fashion and also jousts ably with Leroy Sibbles on set closer, Let’s Build Our Dreams.

The bonus material rounds up the recordings Holt cut for Treasure Isle and Working Kind (a US country hit for Waylon Jennings) is fine prototype lovers rock. John’s unhurried style was a major influence on that sound, which wasn’t to come to prominence for many years after this recording. All My Life is an excellent piece of boss reggae and Darling I Love You’s dynamic backing adds another layer to a very soulful love song. Of course we also have Stealing Stealing aka Thief In The Night, which was another early barnburner for Holt. All in all, an amazingly consistent collection.

After Holt’s brief chart success, he continued to be popular in Jamaica, right up to and including the dancehall era, with tracks like Police In Helicopter and Up Camp Park. He recorded well-received albums well into the 21st century. His conversion to Rastafarianism in the early 70s in a way helped him maintain his success, as he updated his approach to each coming trend, always keeping his cool and steady singing at the forefront, whatever the musical backing. When he passed away in 2014, a giant of reggae music was lost.

John Holt’s calm and measured vocal style was an easy fit to the more commercial material and presentation of 1000 Volts Of Holt, but for my money he’s far better served by the contents of this 1973 LP and the appended bonus tracks here. He really didn’t need the added window dressing to appeal, and riding the tougher rhythms brought out the best in him. A classic voice backed by simple but hugely effective musical landscape, Like A Bolt is a gem of original reggae, as infectious, danceable and satisfying as virtually anyone else you would care to name. A total treat for the ears and the feet.

~

All words by Ian Canty – see his author profile here.

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Various Artists – The Treasure Isle Ska Albums Collection

Doctor Bird

2CD/DL

Released 11st January 2018

Twofer including the Treasure Isle 60s albums, The Birth Of Ska, Latin Goes Ska, The Skatalite! and Don Drummond Greatest Hits, plus a raft of extras recorded around the same time for Duke Reid’s label. LTW’s Ian Canty hears the results of the ever-resourceful Jamaican music scene when the US R&B well ran dry.

As the 1950s drew to a close, the men who ran the sound systems which drove Jamaica’s music scene were faced with a conundrum. The raucous jump blues and R&B boogie that set the lawns dancing on the island were in decline in the US. The vast majority of discs that drove the systems came from there, and new material was always needed to keep the system’s operator ahead of the game. The demand was still there, but the supply was running out with the change of fashion. For Duke Reid, it was doubly important that a resolution was found, as he had to keep his dances fresh with new dance smashers. He also ran his own radio show into the bargain. His and others’ actions to remedy this situation would set in motion a course of events which would furnish the island with its first international popular music successes and build thousands of careers along the way.

It was simple really; the best ideas always are. When you can’t get new recordings from the USA, do it yourself. At first there was a resistance from some dance patrons and even system operators to the home-grown sounds, but steadily the Jamaican musicians’ offerings took over the lawn dances. A natural heavy blues influence was present and it is easy to hear that boogie-woogie and (what would soon become) ska shared similar traits.

The musical set-up of the bands that took these faltering steps to the future were largely in the jazz mode where they learnt their chops, with full horn sections, piano and the warm sound of an upright bass. Added to that, through design or error, motifs of more local musical forms began to show up. The vocal lines and song lyrics, on occasion, showed their debt to calypso, the sometimes satirical music form that had first been established on nearby Trinidad and Tobago a century earlier, when a more exotic rhythm base was the in thing. Local indigenous drumming that Rastafarian groups played added a different beat and as all these things combined, a new musical form was born.

Soon this local phenomenon was given the name ska. There seems to be no definitive answer on why the moniker was arrived at, with one theory stating the guitar on these early recordings made a sound like the word ‘skat’ and it was further abbreviated from that. Reid was initially not a fan of ska, branding it simplistic and sticking with a slow flow of US imports more to his taste. But he soon came around and when he moved onto Bond Street and his new premises (complete with the Treasure Isle recording studio), his label swiftly became a byword for quality ska.

He called on a raft of expert musicians including the Skatalites to provide a winning beat and with a lot of early ska being purely instrumental, the trombone of the ill-starred Don Drummond and saxophones of Roland Alphonso, Lester Sterling and Tommy McCook floated into the place normally occupied by vocals. When it came to singers, he also had aces of the likes of Justin Hinds and the Dominoes and Stranger Cole to turn to.

Of course these early Ska recordings were purely designed as seven-inch singles, fodder for the dances that drove Jamaican music at the time. As the 60s wore on, though, the Duke among others saw that the album format provided a lucrative second life for the single cuts that had become played out at the lawns, particularly overseas where ska was making a mark. Compilations of his work began to emerge, with the young modernists in the UK, digging that driving beat at clubs like The Scene in Ham Yard, soon looking to have a bundle of these sounds on one disc. One of the first of these collections was aptly entitled the Birth Of Ska. Released way back in 1962, the record kicks off this new collection.

Bookended by Justin Hind’s classics, Carry Go Bring Home and Corner Stone, in between we have a mainly instrumental selection from the Treasure Isle archives, but a stellar example of the form. Eric Morris’ Strong Like Sampson is very catchy and harks a little back to calypso in its storytelling structure. Baba Brooks and his Band cut loose in fine style on River Bank Part 2 and Roland Alphonso scores with the lazy, loping vibe of Feeling Fine. Two duets between Stranger Cole and Patsy (Todd) sail close to the type of R&B that was a key ingredient in ska, but they do so with a great deal of charm. The Birth Of Ska is a winning combination of great tunes, excellent playing and good vocal cuts.

Next comes Latin Goes Ska, which kicks of with Lester Sterling’s woozy and wonderful title track. There’s a bit of gospel influence on Dotty and Bonny’s Sun Rises and Roland Alphonso’s classy and brassy Yard Broom is a real treat. Street Corner finds the Skatalites at their peak, with Don Drummond’s trombone finesse much in evidence and Open The Door is a great duet by Clive Wilson and Naomi Campbell, with a musical drive that recalls Prince Buster’s Madness. Duke Reid himself gets in on the act with Night Food that has some great guitar on it and Dotty and Bonny are back to close out the album with the excellent lurching rhythm of Foul Play.

In addition to these two full LPs we get another 6 bonus tracks with Baba Brooks’ first part of River Bank, which completes the picture started by the track on The Birth Of Ska and the smart and speedy Penny Reel (which also provided a name for the late, great reggae writer from the NME) by Eric Morris being stand outs. We also have the bawdy I Want My Cock by Owen and Leon Silvera showing the ribald side that was always present on the Jamaican music scene.

Moving over to disc two, The Skatalite! and Don Drummond Greatest Hits are somewhat shorter selections, given their crossover with the previous two albums. The Skatalite! only has a scant seven tracks, however it does benefit from the inclusion of Stranger Cole’s Rough And Tough – a classic that raised the bar for vocal ska. Of the others, Dan De Lion captures the Skatalites at their breakneck best. The Don Drummond selection features eight tracks with his trombone contemporary, Rico featuring on Let George Do It, fussy drums out front and led by a sonorous bass line. Silver Dollar though, was the ill-starred Drummond’s calling card, is a fine piece of instrumental ska. Sadly, by the time this album emerged in 1969, Drummond was dead, having languished in Bellevue Asylum for four years after killing his girlfriend in 1965.

Because of the truncated nature of these two albums, there is room for 13 bonus tunes on this disc and thankfully these tracks have many sure-fire winners among them. Eric Morris again shows his worth on Solomon Grundy; the nursery rhyme is given a solid ska setting and the Richards Brothers’ appealing vocal group sound on their I Shall Wear The Crown makes for good listening too. We Two Happy People shows the genuine joy that ska vocals could muster, with Stranger and Patsy putting in great performances as always. Rude Boy by Roland Alphonso is a bluesy stomp and the title one of the first references to Rudies way back in 1963. The sound of Watermelon Man by Baba Brooks is a tight near R&B rhythm with a focus on the horn section – a real winner and very danceable. There’s lots to love here.

The creators of these tunes could never have foreseen their longevity, but they come up fresh even after all the years since they were put on tape. People say certain things are dated, but to me it is all in the mind. Yes, if you only know ska from the Specials or ska-punk, it is going to take a bit of adjustment. These grooves were purely built for the dances, by musicians mainly schooled in jazz and/or blues, but their appeal has endured and there’s a whole bundle of excellence present in the 58 tracks of The Treasure Isle Ska Albums Collection. It is the true feel-good music for me. I found it impossible to remain in a grump whilst listening to this and if that isn’t something to treasure in 2019, I don’t know what is.

~

All words by Ian Canty – see his author profile here

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British actor Joe Alwyn, already accomplished at his craft at age 27, is about to explode. He has roles in four new films, all released or near release: Operation Finale, Boy Erased, Mary Queen of Scots and The Favourite. Currently he is recognized for his role in Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.

The Favourite, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, and written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, was released on November 23rd, 2018. With some of the biggest stars on the planet today, including Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicolas Hoult, James Smith, Mark Gatiss and Joe Alwyn himself, it has a strong chance of reaching Academy Award status.

Joe Alwyn calmly walked into the Whitby Hotel suite appearing eager to answer our questions.

Louder Than War: How did The Favourite differ from everything else that you’ve done this year?

Everything was different with The Favourite. Yorgos is just such an interesting, singular, unique director. He has such a different vision from anyone else making films, I think. That alone kind of set it apart. It was a script that I actually read a while ago, I think in 2015. It’s just very refreshing and unlike anything I’ve read, particularly in terms of period films. It had this kind of it irreverent twist to it, almost modern and I knew that he was attached to it when I read it. I could see it in his very skewed mind. I just wanted to be a part of it.

How do you think Britain will react to it?

I don’t know. I mean I’m British. I think they will just enjoy it. I don’t think people will be too caught up in how it portrays the royal family. I kind of hope they will enjoy it as a different, weird, special kind of film. I don’t know how people who love the royal family will take it, but we will find out very soon.

Did you research your role?

I started to and then Yorgos was like, “What are you doing?” We had a two-week rehearsal. And I think people turned up expecting to talk in the rehearsal about the period, the history and the characters. But he didn’t want to do that at all. It was very clear about that. He clearly wasn’t trying to capture a moment in time perfectly. He wasn’t making a documentary. He just wanted to explore these kind of crazy characters and crazy relationships. So instead of looking at the usual things you might look at as an actor, the character and the etiquette of the time and the intentions, he constructed a series of exercises over the two weeks that meant we got to know each other very well and completely humiliated ourselves in front of each other. So that when we were shooting, we were willing to just jump in and give it a go and not look silly in front of each other. So it was more about that than studying.

Can you talk about the scene where you were fighting with Emma?

It was a lot of fun. It was the kind of thing that we thought we would try to rehearse for and try to kind of plot and block in a room a few weeks before. But then when you turn up in a forest with trees there is only so much you can do in a room. Yorgos had sent us some clips from other films. An old Greek film with a chase scene in it on the beach and the two people on the beach were just realistically chasing each other. They were diving after each other and being as scrappy as possible. I think he just wanted us to do that, so we did. We definitely got some bruises, but it was fun.

Can you expand on those humiliating activities during rehearsal?

They were unconventional. We would be switching parts, so I would be reading Abigail for example, and Olivia would read Nick’s part and we would be changing roles and we would be reading it almost like a play. Having us doing that, he would have all these exercises of us dancing or doing these weird physical activities like linking our bodies together, with music on. Just like this strange construct to not make ourselves get caught up in what we were doing. They sort of physically and literally brought us closer together, so that we didn’t have any issues about anything on the set. I don’t think people knew why we were doing it or what he was going for. Maybe we still don’t.

Obviously Yorgos has a brilliant but demented mind when it comes to filming. How familiar were you with his work?

I was pretty familiar. I’ve seen all of his films and I really, really loved them. I was interested about this as well because I guess it’s the first film of his which is based on a true story, and it’s a period film. In his other projects he constructed kind of these strange realities for the stories, so I wondered how it would translate in a real setting. With that said, the script was so different but there still seems plenty of room for him to still have his hallmark stamp on it. Once we got into it, it seemed very clear and it still very much fits within his world, even though it’s a departure to a degree.

Was there a favorite part of the movie for you?

It’s always interesting seeing bits that you’re not in, that you read or see in a rehearsal; it’s always interesting to see how they turn out. There were moments I loved. Seeing Olivia descend into her state of madness, like when she was crying through the halls and holding the baby. That whole side of it, the tragic side of it, with the miscarriages – to actually see it and realize it through her performance and through the way that he told the story. I liked those moments.

Were you familiar with this time in history before the film?

No, not me.

You’ve been working on stuff for two years. How did they all happen to come together now?

There were four films. I did them all last year. The Favourite was the first, then there was Mary Queen of Scots, and then Boy Erased and Operation Finale I did together. I just feel fortunate to be in films that people feel excited to be seeing. It’s nice that people are looking forward to see them, especially with The Favourite. To be a part of that it’s just great. I mean those kind of scripts don’t come around very often, especially for someone so early in their career. The opportunity to work with someone like Yorgos who is unlike anyone else, and to work with and a cast like that, I’m just very fortunate.

What did you enjoy most about his directing?

I like the fact that he didn’t let us get too caught up in the academic side of trying to approach acting. He was liberating in the sense that he does not give much direction and so once you give yourself over to that, you hopefully don’t get too stuck in your mind what to do and you just go with it. I thought that was great.

What are you looking forward to in terms of general audiences’ reaction, especially for the first-time watchers of this director?

I do think that it’s maybe more accessible in a way than some of his past films. I think that his other films are brilliant and are accessible in a different way. But I think in The Favourite, you can latch onto the characters. There is maybe more emotion to hold onto. I just think it’s a really different, unique film. I think it’s funny, and also dark, and a little violent, and sexy, and weird. It’s just something that people aren’t used to seeing, I hope.

Did you walk away from this experience with anything that you’re going to hold onto for life?

Yeah, the whole experience. Every time you make something, especially when you’re working with someone for a long period of time, you enter this little bubble, this little world with these people and it feels like a really special one.

You are all over the place; did you ever expect that your career was going to blow up like this?

I didn’t really have any pre-conceptions of what would happen. I felt spoiled. My first job was unbelievable and I would jump to work with someone like that in any size part, in anything. So I felt lucky for that to have happened. Going forward, I just wanted to try and find filmmakers who have a really clear vision of what they want to make, and that interest and excite me, like Yorgos. In the beginning, I was just building my career and I wanted to be in interesting projects. If there was a huge job that really came around, I would take it, but with these four projects, really exciting projects that don’t come around often. I really wanted to be a part of those kind of things.

Was Emma fun to work with?

Oh yeah, so fun. She’s not only ridiculously talented but such a down-to-earth, generous, funny person.

Your rise to fame has been so quick. How do you react when people come up to you? Is it weird to you or are you assimilating?

It doesn’t happen that often. It’s not something I really think about. I don’t feel any different as a person. I don’t feel any sizable shift. The thing that feels different is people saying, “How do you feel?” It’s what people kind of project onto it, that’s the thing that changed rather than me changing, I feel.

You’ve done two films regarding royalty: this one and Mary Queen of Scots. How do you feel about the subject?

People are just fascinated by it, I guess. It’s kind of an unreachable, mysterious family and life. So there were so many stories in it that are real and also fictitious. People sort of have an inexhaustible interest in the royal family. But The Favourite and Mary Queen of Scots could not be further apart, as far as stories about the royal family and the way they are told. I didn’t feel like I was just doing the same thing again.

What do you look forward to in the future? Because you’re working with so many different directors now, are you getting the directing bug in you at all?

Not at the moment. It’s really interesting seeing how people work differently. Maybe some time down the line I’d like to try it.

~

All words by Eileen Shapiro. More of Eileen’s writing can be found in her author’s archive.

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Winter Songs: Hector Gannet with Nev Clay

The Wheel House, North Shields

December 21st 2018

North Shields’ rising stars continued to impress with a spellbinding acoustic concert in the intimate surroundings of The Wheel House, located in the coastal town’s historic Fish Quay. Singer-songwriter Nev Clay provided gently eccentric support.

The Guardian newspaper recently named Whitley Bay’s Park View as the number one “cool shopping district” nominated by its readers. Could it be that the secret is out – that the North Tyneside coast is poised to have its status as England’s best-kept secret revealed?  This very special concert in nearby North Shields provides further evidence for that argument.

Hector Gannet don’t merely acknowledge their North Shields roots, they celebrate the proud working-class heritage and current resurgence of this port town that remains impervious to creeping gentrification. Located on Tanner’s Bank in the town’s atmospheric Fish Quay, newly-opened venue The Wheel House is an inviting café-bar that looks set to become a new cultural hub for North Shields.

With only 30 seats available, the distance between audience and performer was negligible as the opening act, local singer-songwriter Nev Clay, opened proceedings. Spotting a friend sitting directly in front of him in the front row,  Clay set out his stall with good-humoured audience interaction whenever a quip or anecdote came to mind. Clay’s original songs are characterised by mesmerising folk guitar married to witty lyrics, typically hooking the listener in with a memorable opening couplet. It’s a winning combination that harks back to the 1960s roots of the UK folk scene, and within minutes Clay had the audience. Particularly notable was Clay’s very effective use of a fuzz pedal with his acoustic guitar, creating sonics reminiscent of Neil Young or even, at one point, Zoot Horn Rollo of Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band.

There was barely time to grab another beer before Hector Gannet took to the stage, with a slimmed-down line-up of Jack Coe on percussion, Martin Wann on bass and Aaron Duff on guitar/lead vocals. The opening combination punch of Hollow and Crucifixion showcased Duff’s confident singing, at times bringing to mind Terry Reid, the great ‘lost’ singer of the 1970s. The concert was billed as an homage to one of the North East’s most celebrated songwriters, Alan Hull, and Duff made clear his admiration of Hull’s songwriting skills as the band launched into a passionate reading of the Lindisfarne frontman’s Blue Murder.

Even in this stripped-down acoustic format, Hector Gannet performed as a tight unit, with Coe and Wann providing warm and intuitive backing throughout the set. With the subject matter of the group’s songs being drawn from local people and their stories, Hector Gannet created an almost-magical intimacy with the audience, enhanced by the venue’s cosy atmosphere and location in the heart of North Shields’ historic maritime district.

Hector Gannet’s original songs more than held their own in the company of Hull’s celebrated songbook, with In Fading Light and Launch among the highlights of a set that was all peaks and no troughs. Hull’s We Can Swing Together summed up the egalitarian spirit of the evening, but it was the closing reading of Winter Song that hit the most poignant note, as the baton was passed from the North East’s most-beloved songwriter to the next generation.

With hip new venues like The Wheel House appearing along the North Tyneside coast, perhaps it’s only a matter of time before Hector Gannet and the local music scene come to the attention of the national media. Can a Guardian journalist or BBC6 Music researcher be tempted north? As they say in these parts: shy bairns get nowt.

~

Nev Clay is on Bandcamp.
Hector Gannet are on the web, Facebook and Twitter.
The Wheel House is on Facebook.

All words by Gus Ironside.  More writing by Gus can be found here.
Many thanks to Mark Elliott, Leigh Anne Elliott and Aaron Duff.

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New album From The Distillers coming in 2019.

In an Instagram post, Brody Dalle has confirmed that The Distillers will record a new album this year.

Celebrating her 40th birthday she wrote, “Hello 40 , hello vintage 80’s dress from Paris that I found in the desert 5 years ago for NYE and never wore , hello luck , hello love , hello success hello divine protection , hello health , hello wishes , hello cake for breakfast , hello 2019 , hello you , happy new year ! @cyrilann HELLO making a Distillers record in April , oh yes das right”.

Following a lengthy hiatus, the Australian-American punk foursome surprised fans by releasing two tracks in September last year, together with a string of live dates in the States. The Distillers, whose last album Coral Fang was released in 2003 to wide critical acclaim, will play Reading & Leeds Festival in August.

Follow The Distillers on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

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Nick Quantrill caught up with The Quicksilver Kings about their recently released debut album Back Is The Way Forward

Releasing a debut album is always an exciting time for a band, but when you have the confidence to know you’ve finally got it right, it’s all the sweeter. “It’s the first time we’ve had a recording that properly represents us,” Jamie (guitars/vocals) explains. “People know what they’re going to get when they come to a gig, or buy a record.”

Back Is The Way Forward is a statement of intent from Hull’s Quicksilver Kings, an acoustic trio blending country, folk and blues with a 1960’s vibe and distinctive Yorkshire twang to create their own take on Americana, something fresh. “It’s a live album in a way,” Steve (guitar) says. “It was recorded with the three of us just playing, so it’s stripped down and an honest representation of the tunes.” On top of the guitars, frontman Keith possesses that rare kind of vocal sound, grit and honey, that other singers would kill for. “Loving it, excited for it,” he says, as the album prepares to launch with a sold-out gig at Thieving Harry’s, an intimate cafe-bar in the city’s trendy Fruit Market area.

Urban myth has it that Keith was found aimlessly wandering the street of Hull, clutching a box of handwritten lyrics and singing random Everly Brothers tunes before being taken in by local music project, The Warren. After the studio project was featured on Channel 4’s The Secret Millionaire programme, Keith was introduced to Steve. “I think they wanted rid of me,” he says. “I met Steve when we were in different bands and we spoke about doing something together. I played some demos I had on my phone and we picked five we liked and went off to play them live. Through a friend we met Jamie, who we were told also wrote his own songs. We thought it was going to be a separate project, but we ended up writing some songs together quickly and just carried on playing them live. The band’s a happy accident really.”

It’s tempting to see The Quicksilver Kings as the sum of their influences – The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan all in the mix – but, as Keith explains, the age difference between band members makes for an interesting process. “Me and Jamie liked Oasis and indie type of stuff, but I also loved the big names in music. Steve wasn’t really into the newer stuff, but every time I went to his house, he’d play me all this stuff I didn’t know, like Nick Lowe and JJ Cale. It’s weird how we’ve all ended up liking the same things and we always know when we hit on something we all love, something that has legs.”

Turning to the song-writing on the album, Steve says that it’s a group effort. “It’s not a pre-empted thing. It just grows from a riff or an idea. We don’t have a preconceived direction that we’re aiming for.” Keith agrees, “Sometimes I might have a verse. Sometimes we might work backwards. Jamie had the tune for Lillies, so we sat down and pieced the lyrics together. We’re still trying to work out what it means. Coupe De Ville is totally different – tough. It’s a made-up road song, the kind of music we like.” “Sometimes the songs are really personal,” Jamie adds, “But sometimes they’re just not.”

Maybe surprisingly, the album wasn’t recorded in Hull. “We’d been to a night down at the Harrogate Blues Bar,” Jamie says, “and we just clicked with Dan Mizzen, who owns Warehouse Recording Co studio. He said he wanted to record as we sounded playing live, so it was just setting the mics up and doing a take.” Moving fast, the band recorded all fourteen tracks over two days, mainly playing around the studio’s dining table, nailing most of the songs within three or four takes. “The thing is,” Steve says, “you normally work in a room on your own, with headphones on, going from what’s already been recorded and it sounds isolated. You need a connection. Less is probably more.” Keith explains that they’d previously recorded some of the tracks with a full band. “They sounded great to us at the time, but we realised we liked them more before we put the drums and everything else on them. I never want to record again in a different way now.”

As well as the album being available on CD and download, a vinyl release was made possible via a successful crowdfunding campaign. “We’re lucky there’s enough people interested in helping us like that,” Keith says. “But when you get it, it’s the quality of it. For the kind of music we do, that little bit of crackle at the beginning is perfect. It feels like it’s been around since the 1950’s. It feels a bit like it belongs in that time, rather than now. It’s why it’s called Back Is The Way Forward. It sounds like us at last.”

~

Back Is The Way Forward was released on 13^th December 2018 – you can find it on Spotify

You can keep up with the band here: Facebook | Website | Twitter

All words by Nick Quantrill. You can read other articles by Nick here: Louder Than War

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Once again at first glance, the up-beat, feel-good music of US band American High puts a smile on your face as the long anticipated new album is released entitled: U.N. Article 14. The unique twists and turns within the harmonies of mastermind Doug Terry ring out, almost making a statement by themselves. Then suddenly, on a second listen, (and you will listen to it a second time because the sound is addictive), you look up and say to yourself, “Hey wait …. what’s this really about”. Then all at once you begin to realise that these songs probably contain the most important messages currently known to mankind.

Like a James Bond secret and intriguing code, you long to decipher it’s chilling meaning, knowing it’s all-important – perhaps the antidote to save the planet. Only instead of being a fictitious video game time movie, you come to understand this is real. It’s currently happening in our society and no one is doing a thing about it, except American High, by making the human race aware of all the injustices in the States. We’ve already had a taste of Doug’s regard for injustice with his last single, Cheye Calvo.

I’ve spoken to Doug Terry on numerous occasions regarding his songs, and soon the world will be able to share them. His songs make people aware of the current situations that most people would never become aware of, however are horrified when they do. These songs are based on fact and on truth.

Louder Than War: Just moments before your new record is to be released, what topics or messages will you be covering with in your very politically thoughtful, and justice-driven songs?

Thank you so much for the opportunity, Eileen.  One of the new singles is called U.N. Article 14.  Folks can look it up, but like all U.N. Articles of Human Rights, this one describes another of our natural born rights.  Remember, these aren’t rights given or granted to us by other people, groups or governments – these are rights we each were born with.  No person or persons has any moral authority to meddle with, much less revoke, such rights.

U.N. Article 14 I think was written shortly after WW2.  There was a ship called MS St. Louis which escaped Nazi Germany in 1939 just in time.  900 German Jews onboard set sail for USA and liberty, but they were denied entry to the US and Canada, among other countries.  They returned to the Nazis and many were murdered.

There are many, many more historical and current examples of violations of this basic human right. One example is at the southern border of the USA: there are many refugees, migrants and asylum seekers who are being turned away daily by Border Agents of the Federal Government.  Now, regardless of what a person may believe about the need for a wall or not, we want Americans to think about one thing: there are asylum seekers being turned away at the border.  Asylum doesn’t mean you get to stay – it means we check out whether it’s safe for you to go home or not. Each time an asylum seeker is turned away, we as a nation have committed another crime against humanity.  I mean, come on.  Even if a stranger on the street stumbled up to you bloody and terrified, afraid to go home to an abusive situation, wouldn’t you do something to help?  Call the cops?  Pay for a place for them to be safe?  Find a shelter? Most Americans I know would help.  Liberal and conservative – Christian and atheist – most of us would help. And so should we be doing at the southern border.

Do any of the songs hit a special or dramatic note personally?

Yes.  They all do.  For Cheye Calvo, it’s the thought of a military assault on my home: let’s stop those.  Second Sister – well I have a little daughter, maybe it’s a girl-power song.  Or maybe there are other themes too.  U.N. Article 14 – well my wife and daughter are part Jewish and my nephews are half Mexican.

But I hope no one makes the mistake of believing personal racial issues colour our moral opinions.  Today it’s about our southern border, but yesterday and tomorrow it’ll be someone else illegally and immorally stripped of a basic human liberty.  We should stop these crimes now – who knows, some day it might be me.  Or you.

What inspires you to write songs about the state of America? In other words, what is going through your head as you write your powerful message-driven songs? 

Good question.  Probably most people would say that I have strong opinions about morality and how we should treat each other.  One of my basic principles is this idea that the majority isn’t allowed to vote on just anything: there are things that aren’t up for a vote – rights which each and every one of us were born with.  Which religion I choose and whom I choose to love aren’t up for a vote.  There are many others. Usually our ‘political’ songs are simply about that.  We point out particular examples of inherent human rights which are being violated systematically by government, police, religion.  We hope spotlighting some of these issues will lead to change.

It will be released any day now.   Then we’re going to try to let as many people as possible know about it.  We’re proud of it.  We’re asking for the 30-second rule:  push play on song one and give us 30 seconds.  If you aren’t hooked by then, we don’t deserve to be on your radio anyway. There’s lots of other stuff happening, but too much to list. All good though.

Who would you most suggest listen to your songs and why?

Another great question.  Well, we’re really into our particular style of rock and roll.  We love 50s/60s rock and roll as much as we love 80s/90s punk rock. Most folks see no similarities between these two styles, but we do.  We love so much about both, we’re sure our songs are some sort of blend. So I guess we would say everyone who knows and likes rock and roll and is open minded to maybe a different slant, that’s who we hope listens. We hope young people in age and/or heart who are interested in helping others and have an open mind, we hope to see you soon too.

Your last single and video Cheye Calvo has an explosive effect on all who see and hear it, can we expect more of that to come?

I hope so. The issue of the border wall and the right to asylum are too important, they effect too many people and have too many potential permanent consequences for us to speak with sombre respect. We’ve seen people smile and laugh while discussing a wall that we all agree will erase the dreams of millions of human beings for a better life.  Even the most hardcore supporters of the wall, those folks who have a sense of right and wrong, we think will agree with us on one critical issue. When speaking about the wall, we all should adopt an attitude of regret and sorrow.

As for the people who are sent home to die?  The asylum seekers turned away?  Crimes against humanity should be treated as such and handled appropriately. We think the video should be explosive.  We want people to be affected.

Check out Cheye Calvo by American High today:

With so many crazy things going on in the States, how do you pick and choose what to write about?

Cheye Calvo, I Can’t Change and U.N. Article 14 (and maybe others) directly address violations of certain human rights, sometimes with the consent of the courts and/or the people. We like to reinforce the fact that we are all born equal and with certain rights that are not revocable, no matter how many are in agreement.  1.17.61 is our humble opinion as to the true nature of these and most problems facing humanity today.  If only we were able to listen and remember history.

~

Follow American High on Twitter and their Website

Stream Cheye Calvo by American High on Reverbnation  or on Soundcloud

All words by Eileen Shapiro. More of Eileen’s writing can be found in her author’s archive.

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The Lurkers release new single ‘Electrical Guitar’ on Damaged Goods Records.

Available to pre-order now – Limited Edition of 750 Copies on 7″ Clear & Black Vinyl Only!

You know where you are / with electrical guitar…. play it loud!

As we reported previously in October 2017,  three originals from the Classic Line-Up of the Lurkers, Manic Esso , Pete Stride and Nigel Moore plus a guest co-vocalist Danie from The Featherz are recording again.  This is there second offering, another good old fashioned  7 inch single…. two songs in classic Lurkers mould.

Electrical Guitar is a less-is-more classic in praise of the simple joys of loud rock’n’roll with four-beats-in-the-bar.  The title reminds me of Catweazle and his misheard name for the power of ‘Electrickery’ and Lemmy referring to singles as ‘signals’.  On first listen you can’t help think of the time when the Lurkers were contemporaries of Buzzcocks, Sham 69 and X-Ray Spex: there are echoes of all three bands in the song somehow; but it’s still 100 %  ‘Chaos Brothers’

That Was Julia is another of those typical Lurkers songs about ‘girls with problems’ like the armed and dangerous Jenny and dream-girl recluse  (Oh Whatever Happened to) Mary from Fulham Fallout and Gods Lonely Men respectively.

The band still have no immediate plans to play live or tour due to Esso ‘s health but the single proves they are still alive and kicking and can still bash out a memorable tune as well as ever.

Because it’s a limited edition copies will fly out of the Damaged Goods Store – so pre-order now if you’re interested.

The Lurkers – Gods Lonely Men – Official Website

All words  Ged Babey

And yes, … Another version of the Lurkers also play live and record. 

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Sleeper:  Look at You Now

Gorsky Records

Stream/Download

Available now

In advance of their forthcoming LP, 90s band Sleeper release their first new music in 21 years. Dave Beer takes a listen.

It must have been early January 1995. After seeing Sleeper perform their song, Inbetweener on the long-defunct TV show The Word, I bought the cassette single. It came in a soap box-style sleeve  –  which, for some reason, I took to be a play on Ann Oakley’s ‘cereal packet’ image of the family.  The song painted a picture of stifling suburban convention; I enjoyed its subversive undertones. There was a slyness under the gloss. It was accessible pop music with a slightly discomforting undercurrent.

In her brilliant book, Different For Girls: My True-Life Adventures in Pop (2010), Louise Wener tells the story of her experiences during the rise and fall of Sleeper. The fall was particularly brutal. After riding a growing wave, the tide suddenly turned. Their third album struggled, ticket sales dropped off and their label lost interest (not necessarily in that order). Sixty to zero in a matter of moments. A familiar tale, but the harshness of the industry comes through in Wener’s stark storytelling.

The sudden collapse of the band clearly left a sense of unfinished business. Dormant for two decades, the band resurrected itself for a series of shows. Those initial dates have since escalated into a full-scale comeback. More dates have been announced and a new album, The Modern Age, is due for release on the 22nd of March. Unlike many comebacks, it seems that being reunited has sparked some creativity as well as nostalgia.

In advance of the long-player, Sleeper have released the lead single, Look at You Now. Hinted at by the title, a sense of knowing self-awareness runs through it —  “still playing all your hits” they sing. There is also something of the early Sleeper songs in the sound. A pop sensibility and an indie template remain intact and the sound immediately recalls their previous work.

There is no sudden change of direction despite the passing of time. The same influences are on display, not least the presence of Blondie. In the verses, this track leans a little more towards an 80s synth-pop sound than much of the earlier output, but the chopping chords that arrive in the chorus pull the record back onto more familiar ground. 21 years might have passed since their last record, but the ingredients seem to have been rediscovered in a similar mix. At its centre remains Wener’s unmistakable soft-focus vocal. The dust has been blown off, and underneath things are much as they were.

Sleeper seem undiminished by their extended hiatus. The enthusiasm for rediscovery means that they have picked up pretty much where they left off. This is good if you like Sleeper’s music; the problem is that culture, tastes and sensibilities have changed over two decades. They captured a moment in the mid-90s and were swept along with it. The danger is that in 2019 they will end up simply recapturing that mid-90s moment.

Their ear for pop music has remained, the question is whether it will clash with the murkiness of the times – do people still feel the same? Hopefully the forthcoming album will bring out the shadows that often complemented the sunniness of Sleeper’s music. This song has hints of that cynicism and subtext – its lyrics give the sense of a weariness towards retro culture – and the LP title suggests more might be coming. If they can recapture that neatly-packaged subversiveness, they might yet tap into the moment.

~

Sleeper are on Twitter and Facebook

Words by Dave Beer. More information about his writing can be found on his website and he is also on Twitter.

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The humble sausage roll has now decided to go vegan. Or Greggs – the shoop that always has the long queue when it opens doors – has decided to stock them.

Joining the cult that is sweeping the nation the quintessentially British snack has joined the meatless revolution that has some of the great tastemakers and chefs of our time like Gorden Ramsey quaking in his expensive shoes.

This is great news for the millions of vegans who were desperately missing the savoury delight (although – to be honest – you have been able to buy them in Holland and Barrett for years) and fr the animals who had been put on the planet to be stuffed into an antiquated snack.

Curiously for something that feels to British like broken trains, murky weather and queuing the sausage roll actually has a much more complex history with its roots lying in France. Who would have thought that such a humble delicacy would have once been not only been endorsed by our near neighbours but partially invented by them.

The wrapping of meat or other foodstuffs into dough can be traced back to the Classical Greek or Roman eras. However sausage rolls in the modern sense of meat surrounded by rolled pastry, appear to have been conceived at the beginning of the 19th century in France. From the beginning, use was made of flaky pastry, which in turn originated with the Hungarian croissant of the late 17th century. Early versions of the roll with pork as a filler proved popular in London during the Napoleonic Wars and it became identified as an English foodstuff.

On 20 September 1809, the Bury and Norwich Post mentions T. Ling, aged 75, (an industrious vendor of saloop, buns, and sausage rolls).^[5] The Times first mentions the food item in 1864 when William Johnstone, “wholesale pork pie manufacturer and sausage roll maker”, was fined £15 (2015: £1,300), under the Nuisances Removal Act (Amendment) Act 1863 , for having on his premises a large quantity of meat unsound, unwholesome and unfit for food.^[6] In 1894, a theft case provided further insights into the Victorian sausage roll production whereby the accused apprentice was taught to soak brown bread in red ochre, salt, and pepper to give the appearance of beef sausage for the filling.^[7]

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