Thursday, July 11, 2019
BY unique lullaby1
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Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 July 2019
Thursday, July 11, 2019
BY unique lullaby0
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Additionally adding an outdoor stage this year saw a brand new level to the advancement of Sound City's exciting musical culture. I had a chat with some of the exciting up and coming bands that the festival had to offer. Check them out below:
FULL INTERVIEWS OVER AT
Thursday, 18 April 2019
Thursday, April 18, 2019
BY unique lullaby0
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LIGHTS OUT IN LONDON
INTERVIEW EMOTIONAL MACHINE
INTERVIEW EMOTIONAL MACHINE
Wednesday, 27 February 2019
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
BY unique lullaby0
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We chat; Wildflower, filming in woods, new music, jamming & more:
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
BY unique lullaby0
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I caught up with AVALANCHE PARTY ahead of their sharp set for Independent Venue Week at The Macbeth Of Hoxton.
We Talk; Heading to America, Million Dollar Man, New Music, Recording In Young Thug Studios ft. Bingo & Domino sounds & More.
Thursday, 7 February 2019
Thursday, February 07, 2019
BY unique lullaby0
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The past week has been positively jam packed with live music across hundreds of independent venues spanning
a vast array of different genres. Performances have included, Artist Ambassador - Novelist, Public Service Broadcasting
Tim Burgess and some of the most exciting emerging bands and artists. Independent Venues are the gateway
and beginnings of something really special as this is where new music and expressionism blossoms and
and beginnings of something really special as this is where new music and expressionism blossoms and
you could be stood at the very birth of something huge.
I recently caught up with Sybil Bell, the founder of Independent Venue Week. We talk; The
upcoming Documentary, how you can donate via the Crowd Funding Campaign, early beginnings,
the future of IVW, supporting your local venues, the first IVW gig & band and
more - Take a read below
upcoming Documentary, how you can donate via the Crowd Funding Campaign, early beginnings,
the future of IVW, supporting your local venues, the first IVW gig & band and
more - Take a read below
Hello Sybil, thank you so much for catching up with me today.
You've been on the road at the moment up and down across the country and you're
filming a documentary with Philip Selway from Radiohead, which is ace!
How was it all been going so far?
I think it's been amazing. I met up with Blue hippo Media, the production company
and Philip down in Moles in bath and they were already there when I got there because
I'd been over at Bristol. So they'd already started their filming. It was interesting for me
to go back. I used to own Moles many years ago and I haven't been back for
10 years. So it was nice, I went back with mixed feelings, but it was great
to see some friendly faces and the bands were both fantastic really.
And it got the week off to a good start.
Tom who owns Moles had got some scrapbooks out from when Moles first started
and been bought by Phil Andrews. Philip Selway spoke to lots of people there,
lots of staff, the management and people who just rep the shows there
and it was just really good.
And of course we spoke to Philip last Autumn and he just said could he get involved?
Could he come along and go back to some of the venues that he'd played with
Radiohead when they first started out 25/30 years ago, and so it's taken on a slightly
new life and it's just really lovely to have somebody who has played these
venues so long ago and has gone on to do such incredible things to be able
to go back and tell the story really from an artist's point of view because I think
that's where there's a lot of rich storytelling to be done.
Absolutely and it's great, like you said, to have a member of a band that started out playing these venues,
it just shows the success and how important these venues are in getting these bands out there and
getting them heard.
getting them heard.
That's it! And I think, you know, it was the reason for setting up Independent Venue Week
in the first place was to try to spotlight the heroes among these venues because they
certainly don't do it for any accolades. The band's can go on and get bigger and bigger
and grow their audiences. But the venue's can't physically grow. One or
two can maybe open up new rooms but they're never going to reach the
Stadium or Arena level and that's not what they're there for but I think it was
just about time that we told the story of these people some of them are the most remarkable
characters I've ever met.
I can go around on my own and walk into a venues and I'll know
people that I've seen before and if I've not been there before people are just
so warm and friendly, I think there's something about having a passion for music
and arts and caring about your community that just makes these places really magical.
Oh definitely, I have felt exactly that in every venue I've visited too. Looking back at independent venue week
when it started out with 17 venues being involved and of course its expanded in numbers as it has grown
when it started out with 17 venues being involved and of course its expanded in numbers as it has grown
geographically. It must be great to see the growth over the years?
It did start out with 17 venues being involved and that's obviously expanded massively
over the years because it was just me and I look back now, and in fact Colin who works
with me told me in year 2 that "I remember when you went from 17 to 91 venues".
You know, I remember working to sort of one o'clock in the morning in the first two months
because I there was so much to think about I look back now at what we did when it was
17 venues and I look I can say my goodness. It was a breeze really. We deliberately
kept it small in year one because it was just me and I think it's really important when
you build something like this and we didn't know if it would go beyond year one.
We deal with,
well over a hundred and fifty promoters who are the main points of contacts
often for those venues. We've got a list of artists. I don't know how many that is
how many hundreds that is, you know from, young emerging artists right up to the
people who we've been very fortunate enough to work with you, you know for
Ambassador roles. And as you say Phillip on the documentary and then you know,
we've got BBC music now. There are endless endless conversations and dealings to be had.
So Colin now runs everything in the UK. She oversees the whole project. She's got Ruby and Charlie.
They're working with us this year. Brilliantly talented good fun people to work with. Yeah, and
I've been working on the documentary. Something else. I can't talk about it the moment doing all
the Ambassador relationship and then working with the BBC. So there's a lot there's a lot to
think about.
Definitely! And I was based in Cardiff for a while and while I was there a lot of the
independent venues were facing closure. That's when the Womanby Street campaign came about
and it brought in that community support that actually saved the venue.
Now venues like Gwdihw are facing closure at the moment, which is really sad.
Yes. I know we've been in touch with them. It's awful. It's a it's a shocking state of affairs
really and I think there are some serious issues there that do need to be addressed.
I think what we aim to do with independent Venue Week is say to people, go to a gig,
you know, you very often see people coming out of the woodwork when you get threatened
with closure. Why are you not there throughout the year and it's not about browbeating
people. It's about saying to people at the start of the year. Why don't you just set asides
maybe one night a month two nights a month once a week just to go to a gig and if you're
not sure go to a couple of gigs during the week and if you love it, then you'll realize how
great a night out is and then continue that throughout the year.
Absolutely, you have to experience the thrill and excitement of these gigs to understand and want more.
How important do you think independent venues are in creating that community and bringing people
together?
How important do you think independent venues are in creating that community and bringing people
together?
You know, I know we have social media. I know we have online, but actually where people
buzz off each other and get ideas and exchange are at these venues. Thoughts and creativity
is in the person, usually in a cultural space and there is no cultural space that is more diverse
than these live music venues. There is just so much more than just the music and on
top of that you've got all these people who are interested in working in live music and can't
play an instrument, can't hold a note but would make brilliant tour managers. Yeah, fantastic
Sound Engineers. Why shouldn't there be you know, we say this a lot at the moment. If you
don't know anyone in the music industry and you want to get your foot in the door, there is no
easier door to get in than a music venue because as soon as you walk through the door, there
will be a promoter will be a band they'll be a sound guy and they'll be a lighting guy.
So many important people to network with! Also The genres span across the week nicely. You’ve got Novelist as an Artist Ambassador, Tim Burgess, Public Service Broadcasting and jam packed week of exciting up and coming talent too?
Yeah, you know what he and his team have been an absolute pleasure to work with
and it's taken us a while to to find anyone from that community of either Grime or hip-hop or
Urban or just as he likes to classify himself, quite rightly, more as just as a general musician and
producer because artists from those genres don't historically break in these venues.
They tend to play house parties or they go and pay bigger venues, but as a collective, and I
think what we're trying to say is, if you're an artist from any of those honors try playing
some of these venues because you open yourself up to a new audience and we're saying
to the venue's allow your audiences to hear some of these new artists who have got some incredible
music.
music.
So for us independent venue week is as much about the shows that you would expect to see
and also an opportunity for us to bring performances that you wouldn't expect to see
Absolutely! And it's great that you're now involved with the US, which is really exciting for the
geographical spread of Independent Venue Week?
I said to the our partners out there, just go really small try and get a good
geographical spread across the whole country, but just do a few so that you can work out.
You know what, the structure that we do this is the time scales that we work with and they
did that last year. I think we have 20 venues, so very similar to us in the UK and they're
back again this year. We're doing an announcement a couple of days after the
end of our VW to talk about the Ambassador they've got and the first tranche of venues
all signed up. So there's always something going on, which is fantastic.
Would you like to expand even further?
Yeah! We've got a couple of territories in mind for next year. I mean, we're a really tiny team so it
really what will work for us, who is most interested and has the capacity to help make it
happen.
And can you remember the first gig you attended in a Grassroots venue for Independant
Venue Week?
Yeah, It was at the Half-Moon in Putney. and the very first band on were The Amazing Snakeheads
who I saw for the first time, blew my socks off. They were absolutely amazing actually and it's just
so sad and I didn't realize until after it happened that I think it was last year one of the band
so sad and I didn't realize until after it happened that I think it was last year one of the band
members, Dale Berkeley passed away. He died at 32 absolutely had a rare form of brain cancer.
I was so shocked I wasn't aware that he was poorly but that show will always have a place in
my heart for being the very first show on the very first night of the very first independent a new week and
they were just outstanding. You know, what they drove eight hours from Glasgow down to London,
played for 30 minutes and drove back that night. There are there are very few. If any careers
where your job takes you 16 hours of traveling for half an hour work and the petrol would have
cost them more than that. But you know half-million Putney is a very iconic venue.
Kate Bush played there in the 60s. It was a hotbed of artists and that was our very first venue in
year 1 so that will always hold a very special place.
Definitely, I think all us avid gig goers, music lovers and artists have those special venues which hold a big
place in our hearts.
Oh yes, definitely. There's four of us in the team this year. They're having the time of their life
going around seeing places that we've talked endlessly about. We launched the campaign this year
called "Where Does Music Take You?" I will be pushing it harder throughout
the year.
It's about saying to people, because when you see an artist on tour you see the list of all
the venues that they're playing even if you're only going to the one in your hometown so, you
would know about the Leadmill in Sheffield about The Adelphi in hull. And ask yourself When
did you go? Have you ever been? Because actually if you've got a group of friends together and
went there for the weekend, the gig may be the reason that you travel but you'll find out so much
more about another part of the country that you've never been to. Yeah, and I can guarantee you'll
absolutely love it. I've spoken to both Ruby and Charlie today and they both can't wait to get
back to Hull Cause you know, it's a wonderful wonderful City with some of the most wonderful people.
I would encourage everyone to go and to get themselves to a gigand go and discover some new places.
Monday, 28 January 2019
Monday, January 28, 2019
BY unique lullaby0
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In the wake of recording their debut album, Rainbow Maniac are about to drop their latest single 'SNOWBALL' (29th Jan). Snowball slides from a gentle uphill climb into a full-frontal crisp riffy anthem. The rhythms pack a punch and I am certain it will be a live-wire electric crowd pleaser during their hometown headline show at The Moon in Cardiff tomorrow.
I caught up with Conor about recording the upcoming album, releasing Snowball, playing Independent Venues & more:
Happy new year, it's been a while since we last chatted, how’s things, did you all have a nice Christmas?
Christmas was pretty shit. It’s always shit but I usually just get pissed so it’s alright. But this year I had to drive my brother home because he’s lost his licence - so I didn’t even have that. NYE was fantastic though, went to tramshed with our friends from CVC, we had some free VIP tickets, it wasn’t that fancy or anything but yeah it was a great night thanks 
You played some cool shows last year including Shimmer Sounds alongside PEACE, FICKLE FRIENDS, ANTEROS and more, how was that show?
Yeah it was amazing, we played to a nice full crowd, watched a couple of the other bands like our mates Al Moses and Jordan Allen. Peace were great, we watched them from the balcony bit which was nice. The singer looks a bit like eleven from stranger things now, which is strange because I remembered him looking more like what I look like now. We ended up getting really drunk in a Wetherspoons with Dave (CVC) and banter was achieved- to say the least.
What’s been going on behind the scenes since we last spoke in July, I remember you teased some potential recordings and new tracks going down?
Well it’s a tricky one. We’ve recorded 5 tracks in the snowy mountains of mid wales - which I’m now referring to as ‘the giant wafer sessions’ - their great. One of which we’re releasing at the End of the month (Snowball). We’re also in the process of recording our first album, which is being given a similar stripped down treatment to our debut EP. RMEP1 - which is still available on 12 inches of pink vinyl 
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Snowball is packed full of big riffs and an anthemic chorus which just bodes incredibly well in performing it live, it is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Where was this recorded and how did it go down in the studio?
It was recorded in the famous ‘giant wafer sessions’. Everything about recording those songs was great. Particularly a really nice cat called wonky.
Do you feel as though the way you write has changed in anyway since RMEP1?
Yeah for sure. Not in a major way, but I suppose I’m just always trying to write better and better songs, which has led to the newer songs being a bit more soulful, with tight hooks and melodies.
Heading out on tour in January across the UK - how are you feeling about that, are you excited to tease Snowball live?
Yeah we’re pretty excited about the whole set tbh. It’s certainly better than ever
Releasing the single with a live show in support of Independent Venue Week on the 29th in The Moon Club. Grassroots venues are a huge part of the culture of Cardiff’s live music scene, how important are Grassroots venues for you as band?
I suppose they are pretty important, seeing as all of our early gigs - and even a lot of our current gigs! - are held in venues like gwdihw and moon club. It’s a shame that they are all under threat of closing because of money hungry people building student accommodation and things like that.
The music scene in Cardiff just seems to keep growing, you’ve got some great local supports at a couple of your upcoming shows from the likes of Al MOSES, ROTANAS, CAROLINES, WYNT how do you feel about the scene at the moment and are there any bands we should keep an eye on in Wales?
Well i don’t know about the whole of Wales, I’m not that savvy when it comes to up and coming bands, but the Cardiff band whose talent I’m most jealous of is probably CVC. Which is probably because they take so much songwriting inspiration from myself and rainbow Maniac haha.
Where would you like Rainbow Maniac to be by the end of 2019?
Thursday, 24 January 2019
Wednesday, 16 January 2019
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
BY unique lullaby0
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I had a chat with IVORY WAVE at the 229 in London for MODERN AGE MUSIC 'Big in 2019'.
We talk; Recording, Gold, New Music, Memorable Gigs & More
Wednesday, 12 December 2018
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
BY unique lullaby0
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I recently had a chat with Conor and Carlos from Fontaines D.C. ahead of their secret headline show at The Good Mixer with Kick Out The Jams.
We talk; Recording with Dan Carey, Filming The Music Videos, Touring, Poetry & More
Sunday, 9 December 2018
Sunday, December 09, 2018
BY unique lullaby0
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I recently had a chat with the lovely ladies from DOLLS in the iconic venue Hope and Anchor ahead of their Sold Out show.
We talk; EP Artwork, ankle injury stories, working with Jim Sclavunos, writing & More
Take a watch!
Sunday, December 09, 2018
BY unique lullaby0
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I had a chat with Fran from Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever for BBC Radio Wales at Swn back in October.
We talk; Recording Hope Downs, Live Music Scene In Melbourne, Music Videos, Signing To Sub Pop & More
Sunday, December 09, 2018
BY unique lullaby0
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I recently had a chat with Sisteray at Sticky Mikes Frog Bar in Brighton.We talk; Recording on boats, Sisteray Said, life on the road, Busted & more
Wednesday, 31 October 2018
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
BY unique lullaby0
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I caught up with Cassia after their set at Swn in Buffalo.
We talk; African influences, music videos, dreams of playing on a yacht, touring & more.
Saturday, 27 October 2018
Saturday, October 27, 2018
BY unique lullaby0
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I caught up with Dream Wife ahead of their set at Swn Festival 2018.
We talk; Debut Album, Writing To The Spice Girls, Touring, Upcoming Halloween Gig - Dream Wife The Afterlife & More
Thursday, 25 October 2018
Thursday, October 25, 2018
BY unique lullaby0
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I caught up with Red Faces at Swn festival 2018.
We talk New Music, CBBC & Raven, Halloween Costumes, Music Videos & More.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
BY unique lullaby0
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Interviews on the way with RED FACES, KEIR, DREAM WIFE, DRENGE, ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER, CASSIA, & TALK SHOW. Have a watch of what's to come from my Swn chats.
Sunday, 14 October 2018
Sunday, October 14, 2018
BY unique lullaby0
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Swn festival is just around the corner, kicking off on the 17th of October with an array of eclectic artists. On the 18th of October, Drenge join Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever and The Orielles at The Great Hall in Cardiff for a night full of wavey tunes.
Fresh from the release of their latest EP - Autonomy, I caught up with lead vocalist Eoin Loveless from Drenge ahead of the festival.
So where are you right now and what was the last song that you listen to?
Wow! Erm so I’m next to a Waste Disposal Unit next to our practise room, and the last song I listened to was something like, Ambulance Blues by Neil Young.
Ooo, good shout! Like it! Your heading to Swn Festival on Thursday 18th October with The Orielles and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - how are you feeling about that?
Really really excited! We haven’t played a gig recently, so it’s nice to play a gig outside Sheffield and the lineup is exciting, right up my street, so I’m really looking forward to seeing those bands. I’ll feel like a part of the night I think.
Absolutely! It’s an awesome lineup, it’s going to be a great night. I’ve also read that its Five years since you played in pyjamas, and 6 years since all your equipment packed in - what will happen this year do you think?
Haha! Neither of those things. I think we’ll just have a really good night. It’s a lot bigger than any other show that we have done before. So yeah, just really looking forward to playing back in Cardiff.
And how was it to get back on tour earlier this year, you went on a bit of a hiatus, so how was it to get back on the stage for your Grand Reopening Tour?
It was humbling to see that people still have heard about our band and come to our shows. Yeah, I wasn’t expecting to feel emotional during that tour but night after night it was great that people actively like our music and they still wanna come and see us play songs. After being away for a while, that can be a nice heartwarming thing.
I bet! You do have a dedicated fanbase and looking at some of the photos from the tour it looked like there was a lot of energy in the crowds and a lot of mosh pits that went down?
YEP! They love a mosh the Drenge mob.
And you went all out for the tour with Boiler Suits and red ribbon cutting. Had you planned the aesthetic of the tour for a while?
Yeah, we put a bit a thought into it. Not too much, the stuff we had an idea for, we’d try it and then it would fail spectacularly. So the show got more and more paired back as we went on. Like that’s not gonna work and that’s not gonna work but yeah, yanno but sometimes you can turn up and play a gig and it could be like the most normal thing ever or you can make it, yanno, a bit special. Those boiler suits didn’t cost too much, I’m still wearing mine now. It’s a nice spectacle to put on.
Definitely! It makes it quite theatrical then. I thought it looked really cool.
Thank you!
And the release of This Dance was the first release since album undertow. Were you anxious about getting it out or were you quite confident with it?
Um, yeah quite confident with it. I mean it’s quite difficult to judge your own work but we’d done like a full day on it. When your working on a track your not in the best place to kind of judge a good piece of music or not because you’ve just been listening to it so much that you just know it inside out. And then I came in the next day after working on it, and pressed play on it with fresh ears and a nice cuppa coffee and was like yeah, this is really good! Really proud of it.
You should be. It was not what I was expecting from you guys, but I love the distorted beats in there. Whats was the meaning behind the song?
Haha, yeah, I was at a Wedding with Rory and my girlfriend and we were just dancing around at the end of the night. You know at a wedding when your just, kind of, free’er. The good vibes are just flowing. There was just a moment where I took stock a bit and was like, wow, this is quite a unique sensation. I think I need to go to a few more weddings.
Haha, you can’t really go wrong at a wedding! And how did you go about crafting the song, was it different to how you usually work?
I think, like, we finished touring and was like, yanno, we’ve gotta start writing some songs. And for whatever reason, we kind of down scaled a bit and bunkered down in my bedroom and worked in ways that were a bit more bedroom producer vibes than, yanno, rock band vibes. I think there’s lots of technology out there that would be foolish to go, oh we're not going to have a look at that. We wanted to have a look at that and see if we could adapt it to our music.
Definitely! And I think after a bit of a hiatus you can come back and experiment a bit and you have the freedom to bring something a little more experimental into your music.
Yeah, Yeah! Absolutely.
And your new EP - Autonomy. How was it to get back into the studio with Ross Orton again?
He’s done all of our records so we don’t really know anything else really. But I think it’s really special working with Ross. He’s such a special person and a very unique figure within the UK arts community. He offers something very different than what you kind find in other places.
And when and where did the DR3-NG3 robot come about?
Just a very bad idea that nobody said no too.
HAHA!
I hate that robot, like it properly ruined me.
What’s it made from?
Two bins.
Amazing! Love that. How did it go down the streets of Sheffield when you were strutting your stuff?
Aw brilliant yeah, they were really keen to see a robot. Yanno, you don’t see too much wild stuff, I think most people like to keep their heads down. So when there's a robot walking down the street, people tend to look up.
What can we expect from your set at Swn Festival this year?
Couple of new tunes. Couple of raw tunes. We’re bringing our new bass player, Ed. Rob has valiantly stepped up to play guitar. So yeah, it will be what it is, which I hope will be really really good and a lot of fun.
Everyone's excited to see you guys, so it will be a great night! And just to finish off, what other three bands would you recommend to go and see at Swn?
Ooo! That’s a good question. Boy Azooga, Gwenno and I’ll stick Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever on there too, that would be my top three to go and see!
Thank you so much for chatting to me Eoin and we’ll see you at Swn Festival in a few days time.
Thanks so much. See you there.
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