“It’s not easy choosing just 5! But these are my favourite tracks from BBC Gloucestershire Introducing..."
BBC Glos Introducing DJ, Rob Champion has managed to (after much deliberation!) chose five of his most memorable plays on our local radio show.
WTF - Love and Lies
This reminds me of many a long blurry night in capital during my student days.
Audiophobe - Wells Run Dry
I love this guy's voice and the way he manages to fuse so many different genres together in one track, resulting in a chaotic, hectic, busy sound. Head bobbing, foot tapping and the occasional finger click are mandatory when listening to this one!
Sam Holmes - Fool For Love
The first track I ever played on BBC Introducing, so it will always have a special something about it. I remember how nervous I was waiting to do my first link after it finished!
Aspen Sails - So Pretty
The simplicity and raw naked emotion in this one always get me going. Harmonies that cut right though you. Just pure class.
The Divine Secret – Deacus
You've got to have one to get a bit crazy to! Heavy riffage and angst never sounded so effortless.
Tune in to BBC Radio Glos (104.7FM) On Saturday at 5:30 to hear the latest and greatest from our scene.
THREE ambitious students are launching an online merchandise firm this month.
The business will be aimed at unsigned bands, or those on independent record labels. The site will not only link indie bands cartel together for customers to view in one destination, it will also have a bio and music sample from every band signed up. Co-founder of the company, and student at the University of Gloucestershire Aidan Rossiter, 21, said; “There are three of us and we are all in a band called Ciaro, through which we realised the difficulties of selling merchandise from gig to gig and on such sites as Myspace. The idea was to link all of us bands together, both to get exposure for the bands and to allow the customer to come across similar music that might interest them.” Ashley Baker, 21, and Ben Crutch, 22, both students in Redditch will be running the site alongside Aidan.
The three are also in the process of setting up their own cartel to be able to ship the merchandise from their location. As well as the main site, there will also be a Facebook and Myspace profile. “The company currently has many bands signed up but until contracts are drawn up and finalised I unfortunately can’t say who,” Aidan added. The official launch party will be held at Subtone on 22 April. Doors open at 9pm with free entry all night.
Saturday was a big night for our South Central music scene as Gloucester’s Guild Hall hosted the 2010 Exposure Music Awards after a last minute venue change.
Twenty awards and 15 live performances made for a flair fuelled evening as the EMA®s kicked off its third year running. Two Gloucestershire bands walked away with awards and gave eager performances. Respected music advocates wholeheartedly presented the rewards, including Stefan Edwards of Kiss My Face Music and Jo Heatley of Cheltenham Folk Festival. Joe Schiavon of Gloucester Guild Hall handed over the best indie award to The Divine Secret, and 2000 Trees Festival’s Andy Rea presented the second Glos victory to Nuk Chorris, who walked away with best punk song.
The Wired season saw Birmingham’s The Locarnos triumph, beating Bristol performers The Naturals who put on a stunning set, and one of Cheltenham’s house bands The Young Vinyls. George Moorey, the producer of Wired said; “All of the bands from the Wired category have played one of our showcases, they are all lovely guys and they all make wicked music.”
Other presenters were Nick Ford of Madrigal Music and Artist Management, Joe Wilson of Sneaker Pimps, Trash Money and University of Gloucestershire, Jarrod Robinson CEO of Tour Dates and Lisa, Jai and Laura of Mardy Fish Promotions.
Joe Green, singer for The Divine Secret said; “It’s interesting winning two very different prizes, last year was best alternative and this year was best indie. It’s quite flattering to look at it as if we can appeal to broader audiences.” Band mate Ben Newham added; “What Dean and Martin are doing is amazing, especially to do it in the South West. It gives other people a chance to stand in the spot light for a change.”
Last year’s Welsh winners V0iD opened the show, and went on to win two awards including best out of area act, and best rock song, stating; “EMA® are the only people who would let us have a flop and give us the chance to do it again and be better, so we are chuffed to bits!” Southampton locals The Rebs were also double winners of best pop, and best overall song. Bristol picked up a few awards when Goodness won best live act after playing a more than worthy set, and Alonestar secured best male act and best urban song.
Other live highlights included Londoner Sam Sallon who deservingly went on to win the best folk song, Maker who performed after winning best blues / jazz / soul song, and Alonestar who closed the show. The London Underground picked up best dance song, and was pleased they travelled “300 miles for something!” Far Outlaw, another London winner bagged best alternative song. Overseas conquests comprised of the USA’s Firebug for best international act, and from Belgium, for best world song was Kenka.
Dean Hill of Raven Black Music, co-founder and organiser of the EMA®s said it was “Another great night in EMA®’s road to creative success.
“We manage to program an amazing night of live music which entertains and occasionally bemuses and amuses. More new winners are about to enjoy the attention of Raven Black Music as we now decide which of them to offer global distribution and assisted promotion deals”
Host and co-founder of the EMA®s Martin Brown showed appreciation for the venue’s efforts in saving the 2010 awards; “We would like to thank the Guildhall crew who have pulled together and been so efficient at such short notice, they responded well have been excellent to work with.”
Other winners were:
Mudball – Best tourdates video
Monsters in the Attic – Best metal song
Joni Fuller – Best female act
Arketta – Best easy song
Other performers were:
The Evolvers
Rookie Error
Purple Spiral Project
Jason James
The Echoes
Hey Jupiter
Juliana Meyer
Photographs by Carl Hewlett In order of appearance: Chuk Norris, The Rebs, Maker, The Divine Secret
It was fresh to see some out of town talent who fit so perfectly in the red rooms of the Conservatory Cafe. Straight from Leeds, and the Glastonbury audition stages, the tender tunes from Ellen and the Escapades got quite a respected response from pub loungers and music listeners. With so many instruments accompanying them on stage, and the noise they could make with them, the quintet surprises you with something completely unexpected, charming, enchanting and alluringly delicate. It has to be said that some of the tracks were samey, but in the best way possible. Yours To Keep stood out among the melody of songs. Coming Back Home was another magnificent track which is to be their new single, due out in May. Their folk sound is nostalgic but by no means out of date, as identified by appearances in NME, and interest from Q editor Paul Rees.
Their dreams concede of headlining the mother of all UK festivals, Glastonbury. Bristol fest is fulfilling their need to play for the moment, but the way Gecko is handling their cards this could all change in the future. The Wotton-Under-Edge trio are making a name for themselves with matching pinstripe trou’s and a convenient charm that has be-fanned the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Mike Davies and The King Blues. I caught up with them to talk about life in general, and their latest EP ‘Stop, Look, Lizard’. The most important thing, it seems, is that it’s yellow.I was curious as to where the reptile obsession came from; “It’s always been there, really, we don’t know.” Expecting something a little more inventive I was reluctant to tell them that “It just kinda’ happened” didn’t cut it. “We’ve had the Beatles, we’ve had the Eels...let’s take it lizard, It’s an evolutionary scale” was what they finally came up with.
"This is our first steps with a producer, which is really good!"
Despite London introducing its self as a new muse for the record last year, Will, Simon and Nathan headed back south to record their EP in Devon under the control of popular music producer Peter Miles, who has previously worked with Sonic Boom Six, Failsafe, and The King Blues to name a few. The advance from having home brewed their earlier albums, to countryside camp site surroundings was a big achievement for Gecko, who identified recording the EP as one of their career highlights. Front-man Will explained with smug accomplishment; “I’ve got a lot of the album’s he’s produced so working with him was pretty exciting.”
“The two old albums have been totally self- produced. The first one was literally done in my house, and the second one, all but drums which were recorded at a studio in Bristol. This is our first steps with a producer, which is really good.”
"Stop, Look, Lizard is Latin American rhythms, reggae, sort of ska-ey, a bit of African guitar, skatty singing... We fit a lot in"
Where do they want to be in five years time? Well seeing as a duet with reggae legend Bob Marley isn’t feasible, headlining Glasto is their ultimate dream. “Or”, Simon piped up; “You know you’ve made it when you have an island named after you.”... Keep the dream alive, Si!
Although their songs provide the motivation needed to dance in a drunken-like way, the witty lyrics are fuelled by current happenings in the world, with underlying meaning that might surprise you. “What you gonna do?” Will clarified; “is a call to live life for the sake of living it”. The lyric “Cos' you can't live a life without having the pictures, I just threw down the camera and kissed ya” relates to the constant and somewhat unnecessary documentation of people’s lives on social networking sites. I mean, what would I do if I didn’t know my neighbours neighbour was watching Jeremy Kyle on a new leather sofa? On a more controversial note, Falling Down unexpectedly picks up on religion. The tropical vibes and dark lyrics underlined with hope, relate to many people’s mixed feelings on the matter; “It’s basically saying I don't know if there is a God or not, but if there is I reckon that he/she'd be pretty decent and understanding that I don’t know who to believe.”
Stop, Look, Lizard is four of the band’s latest songs, two of which were written after London sparked inspiration in singer and songwriter Will following his move there. As well as referring to living life, What you gonna do? is a positive song written about feelings of excitement, and opportunities that allowed the band to prosper after the move. With all appreciation flowing, he continued “The song Woke Up was started on New Year’s Day, and was, in a way, a resolution to not take things for granted”
Give Gecko a listen and you’ll soon discover they pack a punch, you can’t quite decide where to categorise them in the music world, and it appears that neither can they. Unlike most bands that enter the scene with a vision; “It’s singer songwriter dance music. Especially the EP, it’s got a bit of a carnival vibe to it. A lot of Latin American rhythms, reggae, sort of ska-ey, a bit of African guitar, skatty singing and I dunno’ what the bass lines are” He concludes; “I think we fit a lot in.” You think? Well it certainly highlights a hole in the market that a band like Gecko could fill, and I’d like to think that in the near future, on a bigger scale, they will.
“I’m a one-man electro punky pop act from Cheltenham. Influenced by a variety of classic and contemporary electronic music I mix rock guitars with 80s synths and dance floor beats to hopefully create a fresh sound and some catchy songs”
Charlie has recently started his own independent record label, Pink Shoe Records, through which he has released his debut album Girls, Guitars & Glowsticks.
On my playlist:
The XX- Islands
A perfect pop song, I can’t stop listening to it! Beautiful melodies, haunting vocals, great guitar sound. The simplest ideas work the best, it truly is a lesson in great song writing.
Duran Duran- Planet Earth
A guilty pleasure but I love a bit of 80s synth pop. It might be cheesy but you can’t resist it! People (including me) are still ripping this stuff off for good reason!
Ellie Goulding- Under The Sheets (Jakwob remix)
Absolutely huge dance floor track! This remix totally eclipses the original track. It takes the dubstep blueprint and messes it up in a delightful way. This is definitely my club choice!
Explosions In The Sky- Your Hand In Mine
These guys craft incredible, emotional songs with perfectly simple and euphoric guitar melodies. Put the EP on whilst driving back from a gig or night out, it’s relaxing and uplifting at the same time.
Klaxons- Golden Skans
Klaxons started the keyboards in rock music thing for me. Their debut album has been a real influence. Dig this out to remember how amazing it is and be inspired to release a new record!
Catch Charlie Baxter in Cheltenham, Bristol, Oxford and beyond as he looks to play more dates over Summer to support his new record, available on Itunes and at his shows.
"Well what can I say? I'm a singer song-writer with a forester accent"
Seventeen-year-old Tom Browning from the Forest has earned himself some limelight after landing management with local business Music Industry Services.
I managed to pry him away from his guitar with some questions and he responded as any well raised lad should, humbly, appreciative, and a little overwhelmed...
How would you describe your music?
Chilled and laid back, the sort of stuff you listen to after a bad day at work, or a good day to boost your happiness!
Talk me through your album 'Here Today'
The album took me about 8 months to write, from the day I started to about June. All the tracks I wrote and released are on there. If you listen to it you’ll probably notice a lot of changes in style. I like to add a mix to my music! The latest tracks on the page are from the new EP which has only been released on MySpace, the tracks can’t be bought anywhere but that’s soon to change what with Itunes exposure!
Great Things - This song is actually about a friend of my from my old school, he was a real nice kid and nobody saw it, they would use him if they wanted something and then abuse him when they didn’t. The song is written about people who are getting bullied, and telling others who are doing the bullying to do one.
Carry You Home - Probably one of my favourites, this song is written for my friends because it seems like I’ve faded away from them. This is to let them know I’m always going to be there no matter how far away I am.
Tonight I'm Yours, Always - This was written for a girl, suprise suprise. Well more about a childhood crush, usual young teenage drama!
What has the opportunity of management meant to you, and for all the other bands out there, how did you land it?
Well, what would it mean to anyone? The management is amazing, so much has happened in such little time and these guys have really boosted all that goodness that comes from the music. I had to go through a meeting with them to make sure I was up to standard and knew what I wanted, by Halloween they posted a 2 year contract to me, which I read, and re-read, and got others to read...and I signed it!
What inspires you to write songs?
Anything, everything and nothing! Literally, some days I have a bad day and can’t thing of anything. Others I write songs with catchy melodies and lovely riffs, which as soon as I play live has the audience singing along.
"I want people to drop all the bad times and live in the moment"
How did you feel hearing 'Lonely Hearts' on the radio?
I just couldn’t believe, I listen to the radio and hear things like Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson playing hoping someday I might get a chance to be on the radio, and sure enough I was given that chance. it was such a good feeling!
What do you want your music to mean to people?
I want people to feel like they haven’t got a care in the world, just to drop all the bad times and enjoy the moment.
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
It normally involves having a beer, jumping around like a looney and doing some singing warm ups!
... Any life motos?
I do yes, "when your life flashes before your eyes, make sure you've got something to watch!" This is that keeps me going through the bad times. I know the good times will come when they come! My less serious moto is "take you to brown town!"
The best thing about the music business for you is?
Hearing people sing your words back at you. Honestly, I think it’s one of the best feelings an artist can ever have!
How young were you when you started playing?
When I was about 10, my Grand dad gave me and my brothers a little guitar to play with, still got it today!
Choosing from anything, what would you say is your biggest achievement so far?
My biggest achievement is everything I’ve done so far! I’ve enjoyed every moment of the music I do, and never take it for granted. I’m really proud of everything I’ve worked for.
Read news stories, reviews, interviews and features focusing on Gloucestershire's colourful music scene. Everything posted has been written towards my final project at University.
