BEHIND THE SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE Issue #13 November 2014
SOLEMN SUN
DAN HARTLAND
WALK THE LINE FESTIVAL MILO & THE GHOST
Gig reviews & previews Gloucestershire gig guide for November THE ONLY FREE MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO MUSIC IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE
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BEHIND THE SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Issue #13 November 2014
Welcome to November’s issue of BEHIND THE GIG GUIDE DISCLAIMER: Please check with the SCENE GLOUCESTERSHIRE. If you are reading a venue before travelling to gigs. The information is physical copy then thank you for picking it up. If up to date at time of print, but often changes. you are reading it online then thanks for clicking. The online version always has some extra goodies We’d love to review your gig, festival, CD, inside (like gigs that missed the deadline for the print version and more gig previews) so be sure to vinyl, new album etc — just ask us! check it out either way. We are Gloucestershire’s go-to place for live music listings so keep reading All photos in the magazine are used with permission, credited us, interacting with us online and using us to or found openly on the internet. No copyright infringement is find out what’s on each month. Enjoy reading! meant. Please don’t get angry or sue us (we’re skint anyway).
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IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE WITH...DAN HARTLAND FAVOURITE BAND/MUSICIAN… The county is overly blessed with a vibrant and talented musical community, so picking anyone out feels cruel and unusual. But in recent months it's been great to see Cheltenham-based Richard Abberline, who sometimes performs under the name Men Diamler, undergo a renaissance. BEST THING ABOUT MUSIC… The warmth of the audiences and fellow musicians, without a doubt: it's a hugely supportive place in which to make music. BEST GIG YOU’VE BEEN TO… As an immigrant from Birmingham, my options are more limited here than others but Stornoway at the Guildhall back in 2013 were astonishing (and supported by local heroes the Cadbury Sisters, no less): tight yet improvisational, intimate yet expansive. ONE THING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT MUSIC… The various centres of musical activity aren't as connected as they might be: I don't know how the circle can be unbroken, but a bit more dialogue would be the icing on the cake for the county. FAVOURITE VENUE/PUB... Enough about music: pub-wise, I love the Kemble, but also find myself in Cheltenham’s Beehive more often than not (good to see it was one of Walk The Line Festival’s venues this year!). BEST KEPT SECRET… I think the Cheltenham Underground's monthly, officially secret - and entirely wonderful - house shows qualify for this accolade. Do your detective work: it’s worth it. GIVE YOURSELF A PLUG… My name is Dan Hartland. I perform as Dan Hartland. My website is DanHartland.com. Easy! New album – described by this very magazine as a repository of “little nuggets of finger-picked folk” - out now.
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SOLEMN SUN more life to it than involved in previously."
Do you ever wish you could just re-invent yourself? Erase your past and start all over? At this year's 2000 Trees Festival Jim Lockey kind of did just that. By playing several years worth of his band's songs in one intimate set he drew a line under them once and for all. From 2008's solo effort 'I'll Be Neon' through to subsequent albums 'Atlases' and 'Death' (as Jim Lockey & The Solemn Sun), the old band built up quite a following both in and out of Gloucestershire for their aggressive but heartfelt take on modern folk music. So, with a short tour coming up in November, I caught up with SOLEMN SUN to see what the future holds for them as a brand new band. "The old band had become something we weren’t proud of. What started out as a solo career developed into a band and then into something we felt we had no control over, in terms of how it was perceived and received by an audience. Being penned in like that leaves no room for creativity or for development, which is why we started SOLEMN SUN. It’s a new beginning, all the old material has been scrapped. We are now an entirely different band not only in sound but in outlook, and most importantly we are now in control of what we are doing." It's refreshing to hear that artists are still willing to listen to their hearts rather than their heads. With an album ('Death') out on one of the fastest growing indie labels in the country (Xtra Mile) and the backing of label-mate Frank Turner, it would have been easy just to ride the crest of a wave that was Jim Lockey & The Solemn Sun. "To any outsiders we seemed fine trundling along a path that’s been laid out for us so no one else would understand why we wanted to end that. We made the decision between ourselves. We knew that where we were going offered much more than what was afforded to us then, so the decision came easily to us to start anew." As a result, SOLEMN SUN are a new band, which brings about a new sound. "The change in sound is as simple as us now making the music we want to make as a unit of musicians. We are influenced by a huge spectrum of different artists and a lot of those elements are incorporated in what we’re doing. This feels to have
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With only four shows performed as SOLEMN SUN, November's small jaunt will be a chance to showcase the new songs to a much wider audience. "We have a strong show and set ready for the tour in November and new material is coming all the time so it’s exciting to be able to build the best out of what we have. The response so far to the band has been amazing, sure we’ve lost a few people but that’ll not deter us from our plans to proceed. Once SOLEMN SUN has sunk in, the audience at the tour in November will have some of the songs they know in the show plus more to digest. It's important the show works as a journey of sorts and this mix will lead to a great experience for the people there. Each band has a different way of doing things and different elements they feel are important to their show, ours is to tour hard in the future and throw everything we have into it." The band's new EP (titled '§') was out in October and for the release they took a step back from record labels. "Part of our plan to take our band back was to take this further step towards independence. The future for releases is cut wide open right now so we’ll just have to see where these end up." Long time followers of Jim Lockey's music will remember the 'istartedthefire' label that released music by the likes of Joe Summers and Midnight Mile, as well as the first Jim Lockey & The Solemn Sun album. They'll also remember sold-out shows at The Frog & Fiddle and performances at 2000 Trees year on year. Although SOLEMN SUN is all about looking ahead, surely those few years are still something to be proud of?
“Each band has a different way of doing things and different elements they feel are important to their show, ours is to tour hard in the future and throw everything we have into it." "On a personal level I’m very proud of what that achieved for us and the doors it opened. It feels now like it was just a stepping stone to where we’re headed and it feels that sometime along that journey, for whatever reasons, much of it lost its value to us but in time it’ll be fondly remembered I’m sure." Finally, which bands in Gloucestershire currently have the approval of SOLEMN SUN? "Bands that excel themselves are the ones we’re proud of in the local area. Crooks and Andy Oliveri are our closest friends and they certainly deserve your attention." Although there is no local date on November's tour, SOLEMN SUN will be back in Gloucestershire before the end of the year and are finalising plans for a show right now. § EP is out on 13th October as a limited edition 12” vinyl Or pay what you want digital download from www.solemnsun.com. Available on all digital outlets.
EMILY BARKER & THE RED CLAY HALO I’M SURE I KNOW THAT NAME: I’m sure you do too. E m i l y h a s collaborated with the likes of Frank Turner, and one of her songs was chosen as the theme tune for the first series of Wallander.
OXJAM CHELTENHAM Various venues, 16th October The Oxjam theory makes sense. Hire a bunch of venues, book a load of local bands and then watch a steady stream of people walk through the doors during the day who will part with cash for charity. But in reality that model is flawed in Cheltenham, as 4.30pm has never been a good time to play a set, unless it’s at the Salvation Army’s afternoon tea dance. As a result, despite the best of intentions, audiences at Oxjam were thin on the ground until later in the evening when most people had finished watching X-Factor at home. Here’s what I saw...
THAT ODD SWEDISH DETECTIVE PROGRAMME I DON’T THE SOUND OF THE SUNKEN FOAL are DJing their funk and soul sounds to a sparse Moo Moo clubrooms when I UNDERSTAND ON BBC4? Yes (well, the UK version of it). arrive at 4.15pm. Too early for dancing, I head over to 21 WHO ARE THE ‘RED CLAY HALO?’ A trio of accompanying Club to catch HATTIE BRIGGS. On the way I see local musicians playing accordions, cellos, violins and the like. reggae collective KING SOLOMON playing fully acoustically DID YOU KNOW THAT? After 9 years together, this is their (no PA or mics) on an open-sided truck just off the Promenade. Close your eyes and you could be in Jamaica, last tour as a band. but open them and you are in Cheltenham town centre WHAT DO THE PRESS SAY? “I found myself completely surrounded by Cath Kidson bags. I watch for a few minutes captivated by Emily’s performance, and allowed the depth of then go down the steps to 21 Club for HATTIE BRIGGS’ sound that was being created to wash over me and into my sublime set. The handful of people there know that they soul.” [Folkgeek.net] are being treated to something a bit EMILY IS FROM AUSTRALIA...but now resides in Stroud. As special and in a few a result, she’ll be able to get home from the gig by 10.30pm years time when in time for Match of the Day. she’s on Jools RECOMMENDED LISTENING: 2013 album ‘Dear River.’ Holland or national radio, we’ll be able TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM: www.subscriptionrooms.org.uk/ to say, “I was there.” A long walk to The Frog & Fiddle follows, where young heavy rockers STANDING TO FALL from Winchcombe are on. If I lost three of my fingers in an industrial accident I’d still be able to count the amount of people in the room watching the band on two hands, but nonetheless, the lead singer struts JAMMERFEST IS BEING HELD around the stage like a young, female Mick Jagger. You IN MEMORY OF: Jamie cannot fault their enthusiasm. In my quest for Oxjam venue ‘Jammer’ Airns, who drummed Pokémon perfection (you’ve got to catch them all) I then in bands such as Wreckage, pop into Subtone for early evening sets by ANDY TIBBS Murder One and Medulla and HARD STAIRS. The former covers mostly old country Nocte. He passed away in songs whilst the latter covers mostly old rhythm and blues 2012 after a car accident. songs. Hard Stairs make a lot of great noise and the lead singer battles through a cold, which doesn’t detract from HEADLINED BY: Evesham our aural pleasure as it really wouldn’t be the blues without heavy metallers Wreckage, who a bit of phlegm and bile. have not played together for 25 years.
SUBSCRIPTION ROOMS, STROUD 22nd NOVEMBER
JAMMERFEST
OTHER NOTABLE NAMES PLAYING INCLUDE: Ace from Skunk Anansie and Dave Mackintosh, former drummer of Dragonforce who now plays in December Rose. Also on the bill are Stone Cold Killers, 3Sixty and Heavy Oil. ALL PROCEEDS GO TO: Make Some Noise (http:// www.make-some-noise.com), a charity based in the West Midlands which aims to enhance the lives of young people through music. IT’S A FACT: Jammer’s drum kit will be used by the bands. https://www.facebook.com/events/251671778364629/? notif_t=plan_user_joined
UNITED SERVICES CLUB, CHELTENHAM 29TH NOVEMBER
Back at 21 Club, ETHEMIA are combining modern and traditional folk elements (like a stripped down Gabby Young) to an appreciate crowd who grow in number when EMI MCDADE takes to the floor (there is no stage) at 8pm. Her keyboard-driven pop songs are delivered powerfully and those that have come out after watching X-Factor tonight are now watching the real thing. As a rowdy Cheltenham Races clientele begin to fill the club, GEORGE MONTAGUE and his magical, mystery looping machine up the fun levels several notches. You get the sense that he’s having so much fun with his guitar, microphone, buttons and nobs that he’s almost forgotten that there’s an audience watching him. At the back of the room a drunk young woman in high heels goes outside for a cigarette. “Oh no, not steps,” she screeches above the music. Thankfully, they weren’t playing too. It’s been a funny old day.
WALK THE LINE FESTIVAL It's not so bad this indoor festival lark. There aren't any tent pegs to lose, you don't have to buy a greasy burger for £6 because there's nothing else on offer and, as all the venues are indoors, you don't get wet. Well, unless you forget your umbrella like me and end up walking to the venue in the middle of a Friday night downpour. Spirits not dampened, the first act I catch at The Quaich for WALK THE LINE FESTIVAL is EDD DONOVAN & THE WANDERING MOLES. Short of most of the rest of the band, Edd's thoughtful Simon & Garfunkel inspired folk is delivered with trademark Northern charm and dry wit. I cross the road to The Frog & Fiddle where the other part of WALK THE LINE is being held simultaneously and catch the end of SMALL TALK ROBOT's set. A mix of indie-covers and originals please those in attendance and although their music is nothing new, the young three-piece can be neatly categorised into the 'solid pub rock band' category. In contrast, Swindon's ALL EARS AVOW attempt to blast the pants of everyone with half an hour of raucous alternative rock. Throwing themselves around like a bunch of teenagers who have just drunk their first cans of Red Bull, the band are the dictionary definition of 'giving it some.' After that, Cheltenham's CHARLIE BAXTER continues the night’s varied line up with his unique take on electronic rock. With the Frog & Fiddle being a home from home for him, he takes in every square inch of the stage with his guitar wrapped around him and keyboard stood up front pumping out beats like we're at a warehouse rave. A grown man in the crowd throws irregular shapes like nobody is watching (they are) as the repetitive rhythm just gets in his head. I slip off home because I have an ill girlfriend to tend to. When I get back she is watching a program called Hitched about newly married couples who are mostly very irritating. I want to be back at CHARLIE BAXTER's disco.
All Ears Avow
I return to The Quaich on Saturday night and the place is heaving with mostly weekend party-goers. A few are sat down listening to DAN HARTLAND's heart-felt original songs. He tells everyone that he's a singer-songwriter which means he plays all of this own stuff, but he's drowned out by ladies who screech when their friends walk in the room. They don't know what they're missing. We are due at another gig so we unfortunately miss RUSS POOLE's set, but make it back to The Frog & Fiddle to catch beat-box magician SHLOMO who is as pleased as punch to be there. His set is a master class of what you can do with your mouth (stop sniggering at the back) and the wonders of live looping. He knows how to whip up a festival crowd - inside or out - and wraps up WALK THE LINE nicely, a diverse multi-genre, multi-venue festival in Cheltenham.
10th-11th October at The Quaich/Frog & Fiddle, Cheltenham SCREAMLITE RECORDS Cheltenham based SCREAMLITE RECORDS have two new releases out this month. Wigan’s VENTURE follow up their debut EP ’Stay True’ with the single ’This One’s For You’ which is an energetic slice of ska-punk not dissimilar to early Sonic Boom Six. North London based BLEAK release their first new music for three years. The single ‘Drinking Song’ draws influence from blues and Eastern European music whilst leaning heavily on The Pogues for lyrical influences. Both singles are available for download from www.screamliterecords.bandcamp.com and all of the usual digital outlets. For more information on Screamlite Records please visit http://screamliterecords.tumblr.com/
SWING FROM PARIS SWING FROM PARIS ARE ACTUALLY FROM: Cheltenham, but with their jazz and swing music they evoke the sounds of Paris’ streets. WHAT’S THEOC HOUSE? An independently run café and lounge bar in the town of Tewkesbury. PHEW, WHEN I SAW ‘HOUSE’ I THOUGHT THEY’D BE PLAYING IN SOMEONE’S LIVING ROOM: No, order yourself a mocha and don’t worry about taking your shoes off in the hallway. THEOC HOUSE IS OPEN: From 8.30am to 11pm seven days a week. The second and last Wednesday of every month are Jazz Club nights. Nice. DOES IT DO FOOD? Sure does. A full menu served right up until 10pm including a daily specials board. FIND OUT MORE AT: http://www.theochouse.co.uk/
Theoc House, Tewkesbury November 12th
WHO’D BE A...DRUMMER? WITH SAM PIPER HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A DRUMMER? I've been drumming for about 11 years now, time flies!! WHERE ARE YOU A DRUMMER? I currently drum for Gloucester based punk band 'Lanterns' and spent the previous 10 years in a local hardcore band. IS GLOUCESTERSHIRE A GOOD PLACE TO BE A DRUMMER? There's a fantastic selection of bands and genres in Gloucestershire, there's also a wealth of venues. Plenty of opportunity to get gigging! WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT A DRUMMER?
and legs in such a primal form.
100 WORD DEBATE
It’s now November. Should I still be wearing my festival wristband? YES
NO
What a summer that was! Your favourite band headlined the Saturday night of the festival, you drank 13 cans of warm Strongbow and then stayed up all night talking rubbish to a random bloke from Sunderland who just happened to trip over your guide ropes.
It’s now November—are you still wearing the same pair of socks you wore to the festival too? No, I didn’t think so.
When I'm not drumming I spend a lot of time in the outdoors mountain biking, walking, canoeing and camping.
Now the only reminder of those balmy nights spent in a field are blurry camera phone photos and your tattered festival wristband.
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING A DRUMMER?
Your mates are wearing theirs too because you’re having a competition. Jim’s wristband went first after he was forced to get a job on the meat counter in Morrison's (health & safety), but the rest of you promise to keep your wristbands on for your graduation, wedding day and birth of your first child. Sure, it may be a bit tatty around the edges and need the occasional squirt of Fabreeze, but when will you have such a life defining summer ever again? Your festival wristband is a reminder of the best times of your life. Look down at it during your daily grind and smile a little smile.
It's incredibly satisfying to be able to channel so much passion directly through your arms
WHAT’S THE WORST THING ABOUT BEING A DRUMMER? Probably the same answer as most drummers : packing down and loading in and out of the van. That and the constant cost of new cymbals and sticks! WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU GIVE TO A DRUMMER? Play from your heart, don't feel you have to replicate anyone else's sound. Always keep a drum key on you! GIVE YOURSELF A PLUG! Check out my band 'Lanterns'. We have an album coming soon! http://thisisnotmyhome.bandcamp.com/releases
Your festival wristband is a smelly, bacteria-ridden reminder of 3 days spent drunk in a field. It’s been dangled into every breakfast, lunch and dinner for the past three months. It’s got more germs on it than a public toilet seat and, if you don’t take a pair of scissors to it immediately, your arm is in danger of dropping off from gangrene. If you’re still wearing a festival wristband from this year then please don’t shake hands with me. I appreciate that it was probably your first time away from home, first time you drank vodka and first time you played rubbish Frank Turner covers in a campsite on your acoustic guitar, but come on, we can all smell your wrist from 20 paces away. Be brave. Do the right thing and have the snip.
FIGHT ROSA FIGHT!
If FIGHT ROSA FIGHT turned up at your local venue you’d either ‘get’ them or you wouldn’t. They’d either rock your socks off or leave you asking, “Did I just see three girls with instruments singing about Nigel Farage?” Things like that rarely happen in Cheltenham. Like a grittier Marine Girls, they take the spirit of early Art Brut and Sleater Kinney and do what they want and, most importantly, sing what they want. The four-tracks on their ‘Step One: Start A Band’ EP are unmistakably rough around the edges, but they embody the spirit of D.I.Y. punk in a way that you haven’t got the guts to do. In opening song ’Grim Arithmetic’ it’s refreshing to hear a “Call to arms to drop the diet pills,” and other messages of political activism and girl-power (no, it’s nothing to do with the Spice Girls) throughout the EP. Closing song ’He’s A Tory’ certainly isn’t going to get any radio airplay any time soon with its casual swears aimed at everyone from Katie Hopkins to the BNP, but you get the feeling that FIGHT ROSA FIGHT! aren’t bothered about that at all. [https:// www.facebook.com/ fightrosafight]
STEP ONE: START A BAND EP
CLAY GODS
TWO RIVERS STUDIOS, CHELTENHAM
11th October
On an industrial unit to the north of Cheltenham is Two Rivers, a rehearsal studio stroke live gig venue where grown men come to rock out on a Saturday night like it’s 1969. Almost indistinguishable from the outside as a concert space, the estate is also home to Dive 90 and Gloucester Sausage Company. As a result, you can mosh the night away and then go home with a pair of flippers and 2kg of sausages. With its regular gig nights, Two Rivers Studios is a little secret that’s starting to get out.
In fact, 1969 isn’t a band starting point for the band we’ve come to see tonight— CLAY GODS. Based in Stroud, the four-piece are still finding their own unique sound, but it definitely lies somewhere between the moody atmospherics of The Doors and more up to date indie of The Killers. Main vocalist Tom Saunders is the focal point, dressed in a grey waistcoat and clutching a tambourine (presumably to stop him putting his hands in his pockets like a naughty schoolboy). The band are for the most parts tight and well rehearsed, with only a couple of slow changeovers between songs upsetting the rhythm. Guitarist Charles Paxford takes the limelight several times with some exquisite lead guitar. ‘Stolen’ is a brooding slow burner whilst set closer ‘I Will Be The Agony Of Your Happy Life’ is not nearly as miserable as it sounds, with a Fratellis-esque bouncing rhythm that makes it easily their stand out song. With elements of Bruce Springsteen and T-Rex scattered all over the place, if you like your rock gods, then you might well like CLAY GODS. [www.claygods.co.uk]
We are 138 present...SUBHUMANS
BUCKFEST
GO TO THIS IF YOU LIKE: Good honest punk rock with a large dollop of anarchy thrown in for good measure.
BUCKFEST? ISN’T THAT A DRINK BREWED BY MONKS? Nope, that’s Buckfast. Buckfest is an all-day metal gig put on by Two Bucks Rock Productions. It’s easy to be confused.
THE BAND FORMED IN: 1980, which means that many of you reading this wouldn’t have been a twinkle in your parent’s eyes when the SUBHUMANS first bashed out their angsty hardcore punk.
HEADLINED BY: We Come From Ashes, a heavy metal band from the Forest of Dean.
THE PROMOTER SAYS: “We are so totally stoked to announce the following bands have jumped on board and are ready to rock your musical hard-ons.” His words, not mine!
SUPPORT ACTS: Amateur Drive By, Revenant, Ded Orse, Honeycombe Love and Deathbullet. BEFORE THE GIG: Practise moshing in your bedroom. Put on Slayer’s ‘Reign In Blood’ album and head-bang yourself silly.
THEY SAY: "We didn't think ‘Oh let's be an anarcho band’, we just ended up playing with anarcho bands. At the time you just think songs singing against war, society or the system are much more fun to do than just singing about beer and girlfriends or whatever.”
WHAT TIME DOES IT START? Doors open at 3pm and it’s just £3
WHO IS SUPPORTING? Noise Agents and Officer Down. TICKETS COST: £10 from www.wegottickets.com/event/289636
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FROG & FIDDLE, CHELTENHAM 21st November
MILO & THE GHOST
15th November
Lower George Inn, Gloucester
BUBBLEGUM
I first listened to MILO & THE GHOST’S ‘Bubblegum’ album on a dark, Sunday night drive out in the sticks. It seemed to suit the mood perfectly, almost like a soundtrack to my several wrong turns on foggy country roads. MILO & THE GHOST is Guy Challenger. Or was Guy Challenger. You may know him from beautifully crafted acoustic folk songs. He’s now Milo. Now you’ll know him for purposely experimental lo-fi songs, borne out of ’many sleepless nights and access to an iPad.’ He hasn’t rested on his laurels and on album opener ’Drive’ he urges you to do the same (“Create your own dreams, realise your own potential”), a Baz Luhrmanm-esque spoken word piece driven by his instrument of choice - a ukulele. It sounds odd, but it works. ‘Dracula’s Casino’ is the stand out track. Like a gothic folk singer he sings of ‘campfires’ and ‘vampires’ in two minutes and three seconds of experimental synth-pop perfection. In fact, only two songs on the whole album last longer than a couple of minutes. There are elements of Portishead and San Diego’s Pinback throughout the 12 songs on offer. As a whole, ’Bubblegum’ is melancholic without being miserable and adventurous without being alienating. And to further enforce the artistry on hand here, the whole album was written, recorded and illustrated by Milo himself. Available from www.matg.bandcamp.com/album/bubblegum