This is a space where I sometimes like to write, ramble, and list things.
For 2010 I attempted to write a post every day for the whole year. I failed within the first week.
I'm also involved with LeftLion and the articles that I write for them often appear here.
Grey Hairs at the 11th Annual Damn You Christmas Covers Party at The Bodega, Nottingham on Saturday 22 December 2012.
Set List:
Lithium by Nirvana
Do Ya Think I'm Sexy? by Rod Stewart into You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate with Ali Rep on vocals
Parklife by Blur with Ali Rep on vocals
Grey Hairs with 'Special Guest' Alarming Repercussions covering Crush With Eyeliner by REM at my 30th Birthday Party at The Navigation on Saturday 10th November 2012.
One of the UK's most successful, consistent and influential DIY record labels turns fifteen. Based in Nottingham, they will be celebrating with a huge two day party at Nottingham Contemporary on 8 and 9 June featuring loads of acts they've been involved with over the last decade and a half. Paul Klotschkow caught up with label boss, Matthew Newnham.
Gringo Records turns 15!
Did you ever think the label would be going this long?
I don’t think I ever gave it any thought. I actually didn’t start Gringo
Records, some of my friends started it. Tom, Joe and Jason started it
in Colchester and I was at University in Southampton. They wanted to put
out a record by Tom and Joe’s bands, Lando and Teebo.
I wasn’t around, so they started up the label, and then I quit
Southampton University because Southampton is possibly the most
depressing place on Earth. I came back to Colchester and weedled my way
in, I think because, aside from Jason, I was the only one who had money
saved! We did all put a share in to that first record. We didn’t sell
many copies. I’ve still got boxes of it in my basement.
Where did you sell it?
We wrote to labels we liked and asked them how they sell records. We
didn’t get any distribution for it because it was really badly put
together; it didn’t sound very good, it wasn’t mastered correctly, so we
just tried to sell it by mail order. We sent copies to John Peel and
the NME, but no-one was really interested in it. It sounded awful. It
wasn’t the songs, just the production and the transfer to the vinyl. You
can still buy it! It is a apiece of rock history. How many records have you put out?
The one that I’ve just sent off to get manufactured will be catalogue
number 49, but there is one catalogue number that’s missing, because we
were going to put something out but it never happened. It was catalogue
number 7 and was going to be a band from Birmingham called Calvados Beam
Trio. We were also going to put out a Bob Tilton
record at one point, but that also never happened. Neil strung us
along! We did some fliers advertising the new Bob Tilton 7”, but it
never happened. I learned a lesson from it, which is to never suggest
you are going to put something out unless you are actually given the
music. Bands are full of well-intentioned but badly organised people! Do you get involved in the recording?
I leave it to the band to make the record and put the artwork together,
and I just say if I can afford to do what they want. If the band records
the album and I don’t pay for it, then they still own the rights and
can take it elsewhere if they want to. Most of the bands I deal with
record themselves as well, but I will always try to cover their costs if
I can. What goes in to actually releasing a record?
It’s not very difficult, really. I don’t really have to do anything
apart from give someone some money, it’s great. All I have to say to the
band is where to send the music and upload the artwork. Then when they
have done that, if there are any problems I let the band sort it out!
All I have to do is give the money over when something needs to be paid
for. That’s pretty much all I have to do. The bands I work with are all
pretty self-sufficient. It’s not like they hand over some music and
expect me to sort everything out. The harder work is trying to sell the
record. How difficult is it trying to sell a record?
It is difficult, but it all depends on how active the band is. Someone like Hookworms,
who are really popular through nothing that I have ever done, their
record sold out within a couple of months because they are really good
and people have heard of them through word of mouth. Then there are some
bands who aren’t quite as active as them or perhaps not have many
people have heard of them. It can be very difficult to get press,
especially being a regional record label. Sometimes we’ll pay someone
else to do it. It is hard to get people to write something good about
music and I don’t think poorly written reviews have any impact. I think
people hearing music is still the best way to discover music and that is
why record labels have to embrace the internet as it levels the playing
field.
The Gringo Records 15th Birthday Party
What’s the most popular Gringo Records release?
I’ve re-pressed a few records such as the Wolves Of Greece record. The first Souvaris album was very popular. Bilge Pump’s
first album was re-pressed. I think the Hookworms 12” would have been
the most popular release; it sold out of 500 copies within a couple of
months and if we re-pressed it we would still be selling it. How has the way you sell music changed?
Now, probably a third of what we make is on digital sales. That’s
through Bandcamp or any of these online places that sell digital music,
like iTunes. Although you don’t make much money from iTunes. Spotify is
the worst though. We sell a lot more stuff online. What has changed for
the bands is that someone like That Fucking Tank
can go on tour to a country like Slovenia and everyone will know the
songs, but clearly no-one has bought the album, so they’ve all got hold
of the music somehow! Some people could look at this un-favourably
because a load of people have got hold of music that no-one has paid
for, but on the other hand, the band have got to play to a load of
people in a foreign country who really like them and know their songs;
you have to embrace these things rather than run away from them. What’s
the point in making music if people aren’t going to hear it? I’m pretty
realistic and Gringo is never going to make a load of money and I think
the bands understand that they aren’t going to make much money being on
the label, but they will get a record put out and there will be a lot of
care put in to it. Do you make much money?
I do make money on some releases, and the profits are always split
evenly with the bands, but it is increasingly difficult at the moment,
so breaking even is always the target. The best way to hear about a band
is for them to go out and play a lot, but the nature of many of the
bands that I put it out is that they have jobs and kids and they can’t
go out and play 5 nights a week. I think they have a certain amount of
realism and understand that we will do as much as we can to promote
them. Where do you run the label from?
Wherever I’m living at the time! I’ve just bought a house and all of my
boxes of records are in the basement. Some of the boxes are mouldy, but I
do check that there isn’t any mould on any of the records before
sending them out. When did you move to Nottingham?
I moved in the autumn of 2000, so I’ve been here for nearly twelve
years. I moved up to live with Chris who is currently in the bands Grey Hairs and Kogumaza, Neil of the band Kogumaza and Tom from Hirameka Hi-Fi.
When I moved to Nottingham that’s when I ended up running Gringo by
myself. I thought it was an amicable split, but my Gringo partner,
Jason, turned out not to be very happy about it. I thought it was left
that he could return to the fold whenever he felt more into it. Do you still speak to him?
No, not at all unfortunately. When we had the 10th Anniversary I invited
him because he was an important part of it, but he politely declined.
He’ll always be part of it. I think he felt a little left out of it
because we moved to Nottingham and he didn’t. He’s doing stand-up comedy
now, so you might see him at Just The Tonic in a few years. I wish him
all the best. It’s a shame really as a friendship ended. Was it a deliberate decision to not just focus on ‘local’ acts?
I’ve never really focused on just the place that I was living in. I will
always support the Nottingham bands that I really like, but if there is
nothing going on that is floating my boat I won’t deliberately put
something out just because it is from Nottingham. There are always
Nottingham bands that I really like, but sometimes they are doing things
with other labels who I also really like. I really like Fists and would
love to do something with them. I wouldn’t want to piss off another
label, especially one of similar stature such as Hello Thor.
I’m always quite conscious of not fucking over other small labels. If
you’ve worked with a band for a while and then they decided to put out a
record with someone else it does sting a bit. The only rules that I
have are that any release that I put out will always be a band from the
UK. I will do split records with someone from overseas and someone from
the UK, but I’ll never do a record with someone not from the UK. I don’t
know why, it’s just something that I have decided to do.
Where it all started: The first release by Gringo Records
Do you get approached a lot by bands?
It’s weird because in the last few months loads of bands that I like and
people I know in bands have asked me. I don’t know whether it’s because
I am the last man standing and there is no-one else left to put a
record out, but I’ve been asked quite a few things! I’m getting offered
more stuff that I can actually do, so I’ve got to listen to a few things
to decide if I want to put them out.
Have you had any missed opportunities?
I did get asked to put out the pre-Foals band, they were well in to
Gringo. I do believe that Yannis from Foals bigged-up Gringo on The
Beat. Blood Red Shoes have sent me demos. Bloc Party are really in to
the ‘Gringo sound’, they’ve done a few playlists where they have
included Chris Summerlin’s old band Reynolds. Chris probably plays on every second Gringo release! He gets more credits than me!
What was it like having the support of John Peel?
It was amazing. When I think of all the music I love and that has any
merit, John Peel will have played it, and often at the wrong speed. He
played a Gringo release at the wrong speed; that is what I’ve always
strived for! He called me up at my mum’s house to ask me how to
pronounce the title of a Seachange
track. It was bizzare that John Peel just rang me up. I think Gringo
definitely misses Peel; 6Music isn’t the same at all. Peel just played
anyone and clearly wasn’t a twat. You know that there are people out
there who would like our music if they heard it; the challenge is
getting those people to hear the bands.
What are you personal highlights and favourite achievements with the label?
Definitely hearing something on John Peel’s show and having a fax read
out by him asking him why he never played a song we sent to him, which
he then never played. Always selling a record is an achievement, it’s
really nice when someone buys something. The 10th Anniversary gig was
great and hopefully the 15th Birthday will be the best time yet!
Do you ever think about when you might stop running the label?
There are times when I realise that my enthusiasm has dipped, but then I
will go out and see a band and it then reminds me of why I was so
enthusiastic in the first place. Like, ‘wow’, this is totally why I do
this. There has always been one band who always do that for me. It used
to be Sleater-Kinney and more recently it was Wild Flag who I saw at the
start of the year.
Tell us about the Gringo Records 15th Anniversary show...
Lots of bands that you have probably seen before or haven’t heard of!
Gringo is a bit of a family, but not the sort of family where everyone
is very insular, but more like an open family. It’s a community of
people who are very open and usually very drunk, but not me. I think
people will enjoy the music, and if they don’t, they will definitely
enjoy the spirit. That was a bit cheesy.
What are your future plans?
What I wanted to do this year, but it never happened, was a release for
Record Store Day. The idea was a reaction to the getting Nottingham to
Number One business, which is fine, but I don’t understand it. For me
Nottingham is a great place to be involved with music and always has
been. Chris Summerlin’s article in LeftLion
probably sums it up better than I can articulate. Anyway, what I wanted
to do for Record Store Day was a vinyl release of a lot of the great
things that have come out of Nottingham that have never got to number
one and mix it up with newer Nottingham bands. I didn’t get my shit
together, so maybe next year and get some bands together like Heresy and
Bob Tilton, just some of the good things that have come out of
Nottingham with no mention of Su Pollard. Nottingham is my home and I’m
very proud to be part of Nottingham’s musical history and current scene.
The Gringo Records 15th Birthday party is taking place in The Space
at Nottingham Contemporary on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th June 2012. Click here for further information.
The weather may have forgotten that it's summer and decided to drown the city, but that didn't stop Paul Klotschkow from dragging himself around Nottingham's premier multi-venue music festival.
Dog is Dead Fans at Citeh - photo by Stephanie Webb
It’s early doors at Rescue Rooms and Nottingham’s self-proclaimed ‘Robot
Funk’ band are whipping up a funky electronic storm. Playing a mix of
tracks from their recent Reykjavik EP along with what now can be called
‘old favourites’, Yunioshi show
why they are always a fun and engaging live draw. Rob Yunioshi raps and
thrashes his guitar around, whilst his band mates whip up a frantic
brew of hyperactive and dancey beats pushing the microchips in their
synths to the extreme. They make sure that we shake our rain soaked
bones dry.
Wanderlings - photo by Stephanie Webb
Upstairs in the Red Rooms and one of the singers in Wanderlings
is dressed like Buffalo Spingfield-era Neil Young - a look I’m very
supportive of. Musically they seem intent on splicing together the
dreamy twang of Foals with the more blissed-out grooves of fellow dream
poppers Memoryhouse. With a clear pop sensibility that harks back to the
80s, it bodes them well for the future. Even though they are still a
little rough around the edges, you sense that their is something magical
lurking beneath the surface. The packed room falls for their hypnotic
charms, a sure sign that they are already doing something right.
Kagoule - photo by Stephanie Webb
The most exciting new band in the city, Kagoule
offer the first real rush of blood to the head of the day. Still
finding their feet, they seem to be getting heavier and harder with each
and every gig. When they aren’t pummeling you with the creamiest riffs
this side of Siamese Dream, they are lulling you in to a false sense of
security with some gorgeous and tender moments, before letting rip again
and pile-driving riff after riff into your head so hard that it feels
like bits of my brain are falling out of my nose. By the end I’m left
trying to shove what’s left of my grey matter back up my nostrils. An
exceptional band who are just getting better and better.
Hot Japanese Girl - photo by Stephanie Webb
Staying in Jongleurs,Hot Japanese Girl
strut and thrust their way through a set of gold standard glam-punk
stompers. The band are as serious about their big riffs as they are
about making sure that the audience have a good time. Despite looking
more restrained than usual behind the barricade that separates the stage
from the audience, the band give it their all, with the mascara
dripping down frontman Ali Powers’ face by the end.
Next up are Grey Hairs
containing members of Kogumaza, Fists, Cult of Dom Keller and Fonda
500. From Chris’ first drop kick to James’ last howl, this is clearly a
band who play with as much heart as they do ear splitting volume. Band
manager Ali Rep from Ali Rep Management introduces the band decked out
in his now traditional ‘Grey Britain’ shell suit top, before they launch
in to 30 minutes of glorious garage rock that sits perfectly poised in
the place where Nirvana, Husker Du and the Groundhogs all meet. They
dedicate a song to Kagoule too, a touching moment that makes them okay
in my book.
Jake Bugg - photo by Stephanie Webb
It’s weird to think that just a year ago I saw Jake Bugg
playing to a sleepy afternoon crowd on a Sunday at The Maze, and now
here he is living the dream of many local Notts musicians and playing
the Rock City Main Stage to a packed out room. Although with the amount
of chatter going on around me, I’m not too sure how much of the crowd is
paying attention. Still, recent singles Trouble Town and Lightning Bolt
make the audience take notice, and Jake’s muscular graveled voice means
that even though he looks a little lost up on that grand stage, his
presence is still felt.
2:54 - photo by Dom Henry
2:54
are mid-way through their set back in Jongleurs and have got the
sizeable crowd under their spell with a bewitching cocktail of brooding
dreamy rock, that drifts along like mid 70s Fleetwood Mac with a
hangover with or the more sulky cousins of Warpaint.
Frank Carter used to be the frontman for Gallows, but with Pure Love
he’s decided to stop being a punk and has formed the ultimate Mud
tribute band instead. Everything about them is a little contrived, from
Frank standing in the middle of the audience to his every-man style
sloganeering. Whatever anger Gallows had in their music has now been
replaced by the dull plod of a low-rent pub rock band.
The last time I saw Wavves
was a few years ago back when The Bodega was called The Social. They
played an underwhelming 20 minute set on a Friday night that left the
audience feeling a little awkward. It was around this time that Nathan
William, the man who the band are based around, went totally bonkers at
Primavera and had a breakdown on stage. Since then Nathan has sorted
himself out and it clearly shows. Tonight, the band are clearly having
fun on stage, and their noise-pop is tight and fizzes with joyous
abandon. They’re a much needed shot of fuzzy energy as I start to feel
myself flagging after almost 12 hours of live music.
Pulled Apart By Horses - photo by Dom Henry
Pulled Apart By Horses
are determined to smash Jongleurs a new one. Their post-hardcore squall
jilts and jerks as if it the band are unable to control their own
music. They manage to cut straight through my drunken fug and hit me
hard. Thwack.
My attempts to see Pond
at The Bodega are ruined by a number of arseholes who seem to have
taken it upon themselves to spoil it for me with their brattish
behaviour. I take this as a sign that I should call it quits and head
home. So I do.
As I sit at my kitchen table drinking a cup of tea and eating a kebab, I
stare out of the window and it dawns on me that local acts I saw today -
Yunioshi, Wanderlings, Kagoule, Hot Japanese Girl, Grey Hairs and Jake
Bugg - easily held their own against the national and international acts
in the bill. Nottingham, once again, you have done yourself proud.
Dot To Dot Festival took place at various venues in Nottingham on Sunday 3 June 2012.
They've just completed a tour of the East Coast of America taking in five cities in five days. Not bad consideting they didn't play a single note in public in their first 6 years together. Meeting-up in their local pub, Paul Klotschkow had a pint with Angi Fletcher and James Finlay, songwriters, singers, musicians and lovers from the band.
What were the aims of the band when you were starting out? James: Angi studied Textiles at Nottingham Trent and I did
English Literature. We both did music before, but on a very minimal
scale. We just wanted to create something, make our own culture. Angi: I don’t think it was a conscious decision to make music, we just did it. J: For years and year we just did music, we didn’t have a name. A: For a long time I didn’t say...Well, I still don’t say that I
am a musician. I said that I do music. I found that really irritating,
when people say they “do music”. For me, it’s quite hard to say that I’m
a musician. J: It is quite literally a lifestyle choice. It’s just something that you do. A: When you think about people who you admire like Mozart. He’s a musician. I just don’t see myself like that. J: In terms of making our own culture, we were aware that people like the Damn You! guys
were doing stuff and we were like “this is amazing”. So we started to
do our own thing and we started promoting, but always in the background
we were making music.
Why did you start promoting? J: First and foremost we wanted to to be inclusive in the local
scene. We did a residency at The Social for a year. We originally
started off at Junktion 7. It was called Supernight and we did it with
the people who now run Hello Thor.
How did Supernight then turn in to you doing Fists? J: We were always making music. We met Theresa through her
brother Joe. Joe and Theresa lived in this massive student house, and
they had this totally set-up music space and I thought it was
mind-blowing. We were going for years. Not as an actual band but just
making music. It was probably about 6 years before we did a gig.
Why did it take so long? Were you scared to play? J: I used to do stuff as a student and that is how I met Angi. I don’t know why we didn’t play. Maybe it was fear. A: We never thought that anyone would want to hear us. J: We just assumed that no one would like it. Through the
promoting we decided to do a set. We would only play for 15 minutes at
the very beginning of the evening. It was a really galvanizing
experience as people actually seemed to like us.
What’s it like putting yourself out there on stage? J: It’s like being in the eye of a hurricane. I do a thing
where I will never look at the crowd at any point. You have to get in to
your ‘mode’. It’s like a mental thing. I don’t have any faith, but at
the same time have absolute total conviction and faith. Why do it if you
don’t have any faith? A: I get quite scared, but the only way for me to deal with it
is to get in to the mode of the song. If you step out of that then
things can fall apart mentally and musically.
You always get called ‘ramshackle’, but you actually aren’t... J: As a DIY band you tend to do all of your own press. When
there’s a gig someone will often ask for a promotional blurb. You write
that yourself. So I used the word ‘ramshackle’ in a description about
ourselves, because at the time we were totally ramshackle. We were doing
15 minute sets and it was weird skiffle stuff that was all over the
shop. And that description has just stuck with us. A: I think that it’s quite a nice description of the feel of the music. J: The thing is, is that we aren’t. We’ve got the tightest
rhythm section in Nottingham. Maybe not in all of Nottingham, but in the
indie-rock world, Tez and Biggs are totally locked-down. I think we are
as tight-as-fuck.
It must be an amazing feeling to know that you can fill a room with people wanting to see your band? J: Literally, even if only two people came to the gig, we
wouldn’t question whether we were doing something wrong. We were always
surprised when anyone turned up to our gigs. We were surprised when Joey
Chickenskin turned up to our gigs.
Has promoting gigs helped you with managing the band? J: Absolutely. You see both sides, you get a 360 perspective of the whole shebang. A: It really teaches you how to do it. If you are a new band or
people don’t know you, you learn to put on a gig and you rally people
to come and see it, and you can put on whatever you want. People like
the fact that you do that, they are galvanized by it. That’s the root of
the whole DIY ethic. You just give it a go.
Do you consciously sit-down to write song or do songs just come to you? A: I can be quite scatty and if I’m in the mood for writing a
song then I have to do it and get on with it. When that happens I can’t
control when I’m in the mood. On the other hand, sometimes you do have
to just sit down and do it. When I wrote Cockatoo I remember
saying that I can’t do it and thinking that it was shit. I was told to
stop moaning and to get upstairs and just do it. So I went upstairs and
made the effort.
What are you looking for when you write a song? A: I’m not looking for anything, I just mess around. I think it
helps not to force yourself or to put restrictions on what you are
doing. Just have a go and see what happens. You will go through a lot of
shit before you find something that you like. I like drawing and with
drawing you draw about 5 pictures before you get anything good. So you
might write a lot of shit, but you don’t need to play that for anybody.
What’s your favourite song that you have written? A: I’m not too sure. It’s important to say that I might come up
with ideas, and some of those ideas become songs or are songs and some
just stay ideas. I’m not taking credit for the songs, they are by Fists.
I like Roll Back My Eyes. Stag is probably my
favourite song. I like one of the new ones, but I don’t want to say it,
because it doesn’t have a name. If I didn’t like any of my songs, I
wouldn’t dare let anyone hear them. J: When you are listening to a song, what makes it a good song? You often seem very sure. A: All of the bits have to have a place, they all have to be in
the song for a reason. If you have fluff, get rid of it. All of the
bits of a song have to have a purpose and if they don’t, kick it to the
kerb.
How do you name the songs? J: Literally as it is about to be pressed on to vinyl.
Are you surprised about how much you have achieved doing everything yourself? J: We are absolutely mortified and shocked all of the time.
Comparing ourselves to similar bands we have done loads. We have played a
lot of festivals and we were really embraced by 6Music. It’s just shock
that people paid an interest in us. A: As a band we all believe in what we are doing. J: We might not be doing well financially, but we are doing
well in terms of getting shows and festivals and chatting to other
bands. Chatting to them you realise that they are exactly the same as
us. More importantly, the fact that most people in bands are just normal
people. It’s easy to glamorise it. You see these people who are legends
and then you just realise that they are normal guys feeling the same
way as us.
Do you think bands, like yourselves, who have this DIY ethic find it hard to get beyond a certain level? J: What we have to discuss here is what do you mean by the
whole notion of ‘DIY’? What DIY means is people not getting a massive
pay cheque from a major label. So essentially most people are DIY. The
thing with Fists is that it’s all internal and the only concern is
developing a formula that allows us to write consistently. Develop a
system where we can churn out music. It would be nice if it was funded
and we didn’t have to pay a single penny. The other thing is getting a
network of people together that would be willing to put out our record.
Just being able to have a couple of songs that we really like and
getting them out there, just constant 7”s or whatever. Obviously there
is no money in the music industry, no one will just under-write a band
who puts out 7”s every now and again. But ultimately, we just want to
consistently be able to put out records.
Is it still important to you to have the physical release? J: Absolutely. It’s the most enduring format, the physical
product. Rather than a file on a computer, an actual physical thing in
someone’s hand.
Will there ever be a Fists album? J: The reason why we’ve not done an album, is that I feel that
you just have to get in to a studio and spend two weeks and it has to be
a really intense flurry of activity. You have a bunch of songs and you
just get them down. The only reason why we haven’t done that yet is due
to logistical reasons. Every member of the band will have to have time
off work and you have to pay for it. A: We could record an album. But the way we want to do it in a studio will require some funds. J: We are looking in to doing it in little bits. We’ve written 7
or 8 songs for it. The idea was to have the album done before the US
tour, but it costs loads of fucking money so we’ve not done it.
The Guardian published an article last year on the Nottingham music scene that you weren't mentioned in. Did that bother you? J: No not at all. I felt that the article was mostly concerned
with Nottingham’s lack of commercial success and whether a few local
artists, some of whom have recently signed to major labels might be able
to break the dry spell. We don’t really consider ourselves a pop band
in that way and we don’t really have much interest in trying to achieve
those sorts of things, so I don’t think we would have been appropriate
for the feature. I enjoyed reading it though. It was nice to see some of
our friends getting a bit of shine.
Has anyone every approached the band to manage or sign you? J: We don’t need a manager. We did get a few emails from
people, but I think that they were aware that we know what we are doing.
And we do know what we are doing. We don’t know how to monetise what we
are doing and turn it in to a profit. But we do know how to push
forward and make contacts.
How does it feel when you get a song played on the radio? J: It’s a bit weird. This may sound horribly arrogant; but when
we first started and we were doing those 15 minute sets, we had a song
called 6 5 Special that got played on a segment on 6Music about
Nottingham music. I think Dean Jackson sorted it out. That was the
first time and that was a really intense moment, like, “Fucking hell, we
are on the radio”. But we have always done alright in terms of getting
radio play. When we get radio play it’s always off our own backs. A: When Cerys Mathews played us she commented on the song. J: She was really in to it. She thought it sounded weird, she
noticed a dropped beat and thought it was imperfect sounding. She said
that it was really refreshing, because everything is usually really
pristine sounding. That was amazing. I think she’s really sexy as well.
I like your BBC 6Music Roundtable story... J: We heard from the production team that we were going to be discussed on the Roundtable. And Dog Is Dead were
going to be on the same show. So I was live Tweeting Dog Is Dead going
“Fucking hell, two Notts band, this is great”. They got played, but
Fists got dropped from the show. Typical.
You have reached a privileged level in Nottingham where you can pick and choose your shows... A: I think we have always done that. When we have been asked to play we haven’t always just done any old gig. J: Actually we have, we have done loads. We’ve played all sorts
of shit. The reason why we now pick and choose gigs is because we’ve
put on shows. We know what works and how it’s done well and how it’s
done bad. For example, this guy has offered us £10 and there are these
bands playing and you just know that it’s not going to work. We are
going to have a horrible time doing that and we aren’t going to get paid
any money. If you just accept anything that is offered to you because
it is offered to you, that’s desperation. You don’t have to be like
that. You can chose a local pub that has a licence to put on live music
and put on your own show. A: When bands complain that no one ever shows up or that they
never get asked to play. It’s like, how many bands have you shown
support to? How many shows have you put on? Actually, it’s those people
who don’t go and watch bands and then they wonder why no one ever goes
to see them. J: The whole LeftLion ethos is to integrate yourself in to the
local community and basically reflect them. Be a mirror of that
community, write about the culture. It’s exactly the same for us. We
were a tiny bedroom band and we wanted to be a part of the local
community of musicians. We had stuff that we aspired to like Damn You!,
and we just went out and did it. We booked a tiny venue and did our own
crude posters. It’s not even a big deal. All you have to do is
under-write a certain amount of money. A: And if nobody comes, think about why they didn’t come. Don’t feel sorry for yourself.
Do you think bands can oversaturate themselves if they play too much in the city? J: I think that people are always totally saturated by Fists all of the time. A: We say that because you are at risk if you play a lot in
your own city. But we haven’t played a lot recently. Right now I don’t
think we can say that.
Is it important for you to play out of the city? J: Yes, but the only reason why is because it’s just fucking
fun. Obviously we live in Nottingham and we have done loads of shows
here and the crowds are great. But what about going to Sheffield or
somewhere and doing a gig there, and meeting a totally different group
of people who are doing the same thing? It’s really interesting to do
that. You meet other bands and you are creating a spiderweb of
connectivity.
You’ve just come back from supporting Obits on a tour of the East Coast of America. How was it? J: People seemed to take to us from the off. I don’t know if it
was because we are English and a bit of a novelty, or because they
recognised all the Breeders songs that we’ve ripped off, but they
totally got it. They bought lots of our merch too!
What was it like playing to audiences who had no idea who you were? J: I reckon we still mostly play to audiences who have no idea
who we are unless it’s Nottingham. Playing to US audiences was peculiar.
The US is obviously similar to the UK in lots of ways, but they do
everything just differently enough for it to still feel a bit alien. At
shows in the UK audiences that are new to us tend to be a bit more self
conscious and likely to skulk in the shadows leaving that massive
depressing gap at the front of the stage, whilst they figure out whether
they like us or not. In the US they were a lot more comfortable coming
straight to the front at the start of the show to see if we could
entertain them. They were more willing to engage with us too which was
cool. It works both ways though and I had to learn how to engage back a
bit more and just generally be less apologetic and British about being
onstage. It was a good experience for me.
How has the band come away from the experience? J: We found out that we’re not necessarily going to hate each
other if we cram into a minivan and drive thousands of miles together on
a few hours sleep. That we need to eat vegetables regularly. That the
world is massive but in it there is an audience for our music and that
it can be a shit load of fun trying to work out the best way to get it
to people. That we want to tour again asap, preferably with Obits who we
adore as people and as a band. That we really need to finish our
record.
Any plans to do anything else with Obits? J: We’re hoping to do a ‘thing’ together but we can’t really
say anymore than that at the moment in case it falls through! You will
obviously be the first to know if we pull it off.
What other Notts music do you like? J:Kogumaza
without a doubt. Not just in Nottingham, but that album is just one of
my favourite albums of 2011. A total slayer of a record. A: I like Hot Horizons. J:Kagoule.
There are loads of options here. We could big up loads of people for
various reasons, but we want to be as honest as possible about what we
actually like. I like Kirk Spencer. A:Origamibiro. J: Can you put in early-Bonsai Projects? A:Sleaford Mods. J: Can we stop this now?
They're one of the most exciting new bands in Nottingham at the moment. So we were over the moon when they agreed to play for us at our Record Store Day gig at Nottingham Contemporary on Saturday 21 April. Cai from the band was kind enough to answer some questions Paul Klotschow put his way.
Hello, how are you?
Hi, we're good thanks.
How did you guys all meet and get together?
We all met through school a couple of years ago. Me and Lawrence used to
jam together and after a while we decided to form a band. We got Lucy
to learn to play bass and we've been a band for about 18 months now.
How does the songwriting work?
It normally starts with me coming up with an idea for a song on guitar
and an idea of a melody for the vocals. I show the idea to the rest of
the band and then we start playing around with it and coming up with
ideas for the drums, bass and all that. When we have more of an idea of
the structure of the song I come up the final lyrics. Any changes from
there happen slowly through things not sounding as good as hoped live
really.
How would you describe your sound?
Aah, that's a hard question to answer for any band. I guess like kind of 90's Grunge & Post-Punk with hints of Indie.
Tell me a fact about the band that you’ve never told anyone else before...
Wish we had one to tell you!
What was your first gig like?
Like most Nottingham bands it was a weekday slot at The Maze. Nobody
apart from the people who we forced into coming and our family was
there. Lucy had only been playing bass for about a month and none of us
had ever played in front of people before outside of school. Our friends
seemed to enjoy it and we got some good feedback from the people who
worked there.
How have you found trying to get shows in Nottingham, especially when you were first starting out?
Not too hard at the moment as if we make sure we stay active and keep
things fresh, then everything seems to be fine. At the start it was
virtually impossible though. I guess people just expect you to be
rubbish if you've not had much experience, so nobody ever replied to
emails or offered us anything. In the few gigs we had I think people
started to realize that we were alright and we started to get more and
more gig opportunities.
What was it like playing the Main Stage at Rock City...
It was one of the best experiences of my life. It seemed like there was
so many people there - or at least the light gave that illusion. It's
something none of us will never forget. We hope to be able to play that
stage again sometime.
What others gigs have you enjoyed?
We recently had one at The Jam Cafe which we all really enjoyed. The
turn out was great and people actually moved to our music. It's a tiny
little room which got cramped very quick so it was all very intimate.
Have you had any nightmare performances?
We haven't really been around long enough and done enough gigs to have
had a 'nightmare' one. We've had quite a few bad moments though. Things
like all of us forgetting our parts to the song on the encore and
terrible crowds dressed up as Super Mario. That kinda stuff.
How do you feel you’ve developed as a band since you released the Son EP last year?
I think we've got a whole lot better in that time. It seems like we
recorded that EP years ago. We have so many new songs that we can't wait
to get out to people. We've all improved at our instruments a lot since
then.
When can we hear some new recordings?
We are part way through recording an album at this moment. We're very
excited about it and it's sounding amazing. Not sure exactly of a
release time but it shouldn't be too long.
What other local bands do you enjoy?
There's loads of great Nottingham bands around at the moment, too many
to name them all really. But a couple that I personally really like are Paranoid Travelers, Fists and Jake Bugg.
What can we expect from your gig for us at Nottingham Contemporary?
Things will be loud and crazy. We'll be playing a couple new songs. It
should be a really great night and we'll put on the best performance
that we can.
What do you do like to do in Nottingham when you aren’t playing in the band?
We all spend a whole lot of our time at college at the moment but when
we have spare time we like to go see other bands that are around.
What is your earliest memory of music?
I'm not sure of mine but I know Lucy's was being played Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles when she was about 6 years old.
Any final words for the LeftLion readers?
Keep 21 April. It's going to be an amazing night! Hope to see you all down there.
Featuring members of the now defunct Souvaris and with their debut EP due to drop at any moment, LeftLion are excited to have Cantaloupe playing for us at our Record Store Day gig on Saturday 21 April at Nottingham Contemporary. Paul Klotschkow caught up with Simmo from the band.
Hello, how the devil are you?
Very well, thank you! On Easter holidays. Yes!
Why did you decide to form Cantaloupe?
Geography, jobs, and the like meant it was increasingly difficult for us to rehearse regularly with Souvaris,
so Aaron and I started playing together at his house to plug the hole
in our lives. At first we didn’t have a plan but after a while some
ideas for a band began to form. Around the same time, we got together in
Souvaris and decided to call it quits. This motivated Aaron and I to
start thinking a bit more seriously about what we were doing. We had a
few ideas for songs but we realized we’d need another member to make
them work, so we asked Dave if he’d like to join.
How do you differ from Souvaris?
The songs are a lot shorter! It’s more synth-heavy. There’s more focus
on melody and rhythm rather than texture. It’s a lot stupider. We still
don’t really know who we are or what we’re doing – but I’m starting to
think that’s a good thing and we should keep it that way.
How does the songwriting work?
We have several different ways of working. Quite often, we begin with
the drums – Aaron will record a drumbeat and we’ll use that as the
starting point. Sometimes we come up with ideas through improvising live
at our practice room; other times we’ll start recording loops and
experimenting with arrangements at Aaron’s house; or other times still
I’ll programme some beats or arpeggios or come up with a basic
arrangement on my 8 track. So far we’ve been doing this about 18 months
and we still don’t have a set way of working, which is really refreshing
and exciting for us.
What are your hopes for the band?
My immediate ambition for any band I’ve played in is to have fun and
share some of that fun with other people. I’m aware that this is the
most accessible and poppy band I’ve been in, and It’d be nice to find
ourselves in a position where we can tour outside the UK, release
albums, experiment with more ambitious ideas like scoring films, and
we’ll do what we can to push towards that – but the basic aim is always
just to enjoy ourselves.
When can we expect a proper release?
Hopefully quite a lot! We’ve just finished recording our debut EP with Pete Fletcher
at First Love. We’ve worked really closely with Pete and given him a
fairly free reign to try out ideas and experiment with sound, texture
and arrangement. The idea of having a producer - someone who develops an
aesthetic for the music and contributes creative ideas - rather than
just an engineer really appeals to us. We always recorded our past
musical exploits ourselves, and whilst that gave us a lot of power and
freedom, we also limited ourselves due to a lack of knowledge and
experience. It’s a fucker of a job and it always becomes something of a
trial. Handing that control over to Pete has been liberating – we can’t
praise his work highly enough.
What has it been like playing live?
Great fun! Again, we didn’t really have any set ideas about how we would
perform this music live when we began, and to an extent we still don’t.
Because there’s only three of us, we’ve had to start using backing
tracks on some songs, but we’re working hard on ways to retain a live
energy to the performance and so far I think we’re doing ok. We really
like the idea of there being a big difference between the songs when
they’re performed live compared to their recordings, so we’re constantly
working on ways to adapt the songs for performance and make them as
engaging as possible. I saw you play in a 1970s shopping arcade recently, that was weird...
It was a lot of fun! The excellent human beings behind The Music Exchange invited Hello Thor
to take over their shop for a day, and Hello Thor in turn asked us to
perform. We had no idea what to expect and half anticipated The Law
turning up half way through the set to harsh everyone’s buzz. Instead,
some grumpy guy from the Autograph Shop next door put a kibosh on the
whole thing after fifteen minutes. Still, they were fifteen of the most
fun minutes we’ve ever played live. It was really exciting to play in
such an unusual context, and the expressions on the faces of random
passers by were a joy to behold.
What has been your favourite gig to play so far?
Probably The Music Exchange show, or if not Gulliver’s in Manchester as
part of A Carefully Planned Festival. We had lots of dancers there. The
more dancers, the better the gig. And any nightmare performances?
Have you ever heard of a Bose L1? It’s a PA that looks like a hat stand,
designed by people who hate music. If ever you arrive at a venue and it
takes you half an hour to actually find the PA because it’s six feet
tall but only six inches wide, our advice is to turn around and head
home. What can we expect at your gig for us at Nottingham Contemporary?
A new song or two, lots of fun and some terrible dancing. What other music coming out of Nottingham do you like?
Nottingham has a fertile scene of men and women hurtling towards middle
age who’ve given up trying to be down with the kids and have instead
started the band they’ve fantasized about since the heady days of their
youth. Fortunately, they’re all excellent. Fists, Kogumaza, Grey Hairs, Moscow Youth Cult, Forever Sound (now officially relocated to Berlin, but still found parading the streets of Nottingham often enough). The oft-overlooked Savoy Grand
are marvelous, although unfortunately not too prolific. Then there’s a
wealth of fine music being unleashed upon the public by excellent
Nottingham-based labels – Gringo, Low Point, and of course Hello Thor. Cantaloupe
play with Fists, Kagoule and Selectadisc DJ's for LeftLion's Record
Store Day show at Nottingham Contemporary on Saturday 21 April 2012.
LeftLion first saw this Leeds/Notts band a couple of years ago at an all-dayer at The Bodega. Since then they've had a bit of a line-up change and have just released one of our favourite EP's of the year. Paul Klotschkow got the low-down on what they've been up to recently from bass-player and singer, Heather.
Hello, how are you?
Alright, yeah. How would you describe your sound?
I guess we play pop music, but we play it badly. I first saw you a couple of years ago with a different line-up. Why the change and how did the new line-up get together?
Our friend Callum used to play guitar but one day he called us up said
he couldn’t be arsed anymore. So we were left in a bit of an endless
bummer and it really sucked. Then Sam was round Matt’s house and a
little while after and said he’d play drums. Matt used to drum for us so
he plays guitar now and it’s much better. Callum writes evil folk
songs. How does the songwriting work in the band?
Me and Matty split it. Not intentionally. Normally we write the songs on
our own. Like send each other ideas then next time we’re together, we
play them. It’s pretty straight forward. Don’t sit around together
trying to write lyrics and stuff. That’s boring and generally doesn't
workout. It’s more of an instant thing. Can you tell me a fact about the band that you’ve never told anyone else before?
Matt and Sam had to stay in a room where there was a threesome going on
after one of our shows. Sam slept through the whole thing. Matt was
awake and heard every sloppy noise.. Your new EP has just come out, can you tell me a bit about it?
Yeah it’s six tracks and is called We’re so Heavy and it’s being
recorded and released by Tye Die Tapes, which is a tape label based in
Sheffield. They’ve released some really good stuff, like the Fawn Spots
EP that just came out. Two of the guys who run it are also in a band
called Bhurgeist, who are awesome. Why have you decided to put it out on cassette?
Tye Die only do cassettes. It’s way cheaper too. It’ll be available to download off the Internet as well. What’s been your favourite gig to play in Nottingham? We played with Shonen Knife at the Bodega.
It was Sam’s first gig. It was so busy I think he was really scared but
he forgot his contact lenses so he couldn’t see anything anyway. Tried
to explain to Shonen Knife how excited we were but their English isn’t
too good.
Have you had any nightmare performances?
I won’t say where it was yeah? But we had a show with some band from
Texas and a French band and we showed up it turned out that the promoter
had gone mad and been sectioned. There was no-one there and these shred
god bands started having a stress at us and then the promoter showed up
at like midnight saying he’d escaped from the mental hospital or
something. But we got to drink some of this free “stuff” that the
“secret place” sells that’s supposed to be like home brewed cranberry
and pear cider or something, but I swear it’s actually just frosty jacks
and blackcurrant. It makes you go mental, like your brain melts and you
can’t move your limbs and then it makes you sick. Great gig. What’s going through your head when you are up on stage?
Normally looking at people thinking what the fuck are they doing. Like
when we played this Vice show in Brighton there were these two girls
sitting on the stage taking photos of themselves while we were playing.
Couldn’t even think about how to play guitar. Was just staring at them
like, What is wrong with you? Matt thinks about Sam. Are there any bands coming out of Nottingham that you like at the moment? Guilty Parents.
And It’s not a band but our friends John and Tom Turrell who just
filmed our video for the pre release of a track from the EP. They are
from Nottingham and they make really good films. They’re adorable and
pretty much sick at the same time. We’ve done some songs for another
film they’re making as well. It’s called Tummy Bug. What do you like to do on a night out in Nottingham?
Play a gig and go round Josh’s house. He has a microwave with like...
cooker hobs on the top. And he makes White Russians. There is always
interesting listening too. What’s your earliest memory of music?
Sam’s is listening to Josephs Technicolour Dream Coat in the car. He can
sing the whole thing it’s horrible. Matt’s is listening to ‘New Woman’
90’s compilation in the car. Mine is dancing in my parent’s living room
to baggy trousers and knocking myself out and going in ambulance. If you could play with any other band or musician, who would it be and why?
Bhurgeist. They’re really loud and we like them better than anyone else. What was the first record that you ever bought?
Kill ‘Em All. Matt’s was Mmbop by Hanson. Sam’s was that 3 lions on a shirt thing. How can people find out more about the band?
There’s a Tumblr
and music stuff on the Internet. We’ve got a video pre-release track
coming out soon so you can see us drinking alco pops and eating burgers. We're So Heavy the new EP by Slowcoaches is availble now.
Paul Klotschkow went along to The Broadway for a club night with a difference - it all takes place in the dark.
Blackout at The Broadway
In his recent interview with LeftLion,
Sam Potter (Late of the Pier/Swimming) stated that the intention of his
series of his Blackout events, “is a chance for people to experience
music on a higher level, free from any other sensory distraction or
preconceptions. It's also a chance for anonymous musicians to play free
from expectation and with complete creative freedom not granted in
ordinary gig scenarios.”
We may have got a stripped down ‘club’ version tonight without the bands
at The Broadway, but as people queued to get in to Screen 2, there was a
sense of anticipation in the air that we were going to experience
something extraordinary.
After a pre-recorded introduction about how music can affect the senses
the music starts. It squelches and bleeps between blissed out
electronica and odd-ball Komische type psychedelia. It’s the type of
music that sucks you in with it’s mutli-layered sound and the way the
tracks tend to drift along from A to B in an expansive manner. It’s the
perfect soundtrack for losing yourself in.
Sitting there in the dark with nothing to focus on expect what is coming
out of the speakers, it’s a wonderful opportunity to listen to music
away from the distractions of the modern world. Nowadays, many of us
use music as background distraction to our every day activities - eg
popping your iPod in to go on the bus or walk to the shops. So to be
given the opportunity to just be able to switch yourself off and
drift-off whilst listening to music, everyone should experience this. It
was like therapy for our modern, busy lifestyles.
As I walked out and chatted to friends, handful of people mentioned how
they saw images flash across their eyes - things had got a bit
pyschedellic for them. Unfortunately, they didn’t for me.
Personally, it wasn't as fully immersive as I had hoped. Perhaps I'm
easily distracted? But the on-going rustling, coughing, fidgeting, and
sometimes laughing from people in the auditorium took attention away
from being able to completely submerge myself in to the darkness.
Perhaps using headphones next time would be an improvement, the way
Swimming do for their spectacular 'Headphones Only' shows; but then
maybe that would take away from the communal listening experience?
Those few gripes aside, this Sam and his Blackout team have created a
truly unique listening experience and one that I hope returns to
Nottingham very soon - and hopefully with bands in tow...
Blackout took place at The Broadway on Sunday 2 April 2012.
Paul Klotschkow joined Fists as they toured the East Coast of America supporting Sub Pop band Obits.
Fists in celebratory mood after their first US show at The Blue Nile in Harrisonburg, VA
Fists are Angi (vocals/ guitar), James (vocals/ guitar), Pete (vocals/
guitar), Dave (bass) and Tez (drums) and have been playing for around
the past five years after forming in Nottingham. I can't remember when
we all met, there's been far too many pints drank since then, but the
first time I remember seeing the band play was in October 2007 bottom of
the bill at a charity show at The Maze. After that moment I
persistantly stalked them until five year later I found myself on a
plane making a trip alongside them as they toured the US.
Tuesday 13 March - Brooklyn, NYC
After meeting Fists at the apartment that they’ve been staying in the
Prospect Park area of Brooklyn, we make our way to Obits’ rehearsal
room, which is situated close to the Brooklyn Bridge in an area that
wreaks of industry - the sights, smells and sounds of the kind of thing
that Bruce Springsteen would write a song about.
Obits, who invited
Fists to join them on the tour after a friendship between the bands was
struck up a couple of years ago when Fists put them on in Notts and
played with them in London and Bristol, are letting them use their
backline and have loaned them some guitars for the tour. If they hadn’t
have done, shipping over their own equipment would have driven Fists in
to even more debt than they probably will be in once the tour is over.
We meet Obits and all help get the equipment out of the huge rehearsal
space that is situated in what seems to be an old warehouse. The
involves lugging huge amps and heavy cases along a corridor, in to a
rickety old elevator, through the front doors and in to Obits’ van
outside.
All of the members of Obits are old hands at this and probably have a
fool-proof system of packing their van. But being the warm and
accommodating gents that they are, they don’t seem to mind a bunch of
bumbling Brits helping out, even though we are all probably getting in
the way.
Philadelphia Obits and Fists gig poster
As soon as everything is packed away we start to follow the Obits van
out of New York and on the way to the first show in Harrisonburg,
Virginia. The thing is New York City doesn’t make it easy to leave. As
soon as we go over the first bridge we are greeted by an irate policeman
shouting “STOP” repeatedly at the van, his face twisted with fury. Pete
(who is driving) stops. The policeman asks Pete if he saw the stop sign
and that if a policeman is asking you to stop, you stop. The thing is,
there wasn’t a stop sign and the only stop sign was next to the
policeman, which we would have stopped for. So it seems that this man in
the uniform was just a grade-A prick who wanted to take his anger out
on something, and that something was us.
As Pete was being berated, Dave who is in the navigator's seat leans
forward to get the paperwork out of the glove compartment. It turns out
that this isn’t what you do when you are being shouted down at by a cop.
He quickly snaps at Dave and tells him that was a stupid thing to do.
Dave cowers in his seat. Pete explains how he is new to driving in the
States and that he was ‘disoriented’, which is the only decent excuse he
could’ve come up with as I don’t think any type of reasoning would have
worked. He makes a swift getaway. The whole car audibly exhales and I’m
surprised that the seats hadn’t changed colour.
The drive to Harrisonburg is plain sailing from here. There’s a bit of
confusion at the first gas station we stop at over how to actually use
the petrol pump, as it’s not just a matter of picking up the pump and
pressing the trigger. I'm sure there are sniggers when I ask for help.
Everyone is in an excitable mood on the long drive, which makes the six
hours fly by. We drive through an Amish community and it was totally
bewildering to see these people living a lifestyle that was in complete
contrast to what was happening only four hours away in NYC.
Obits and Fists in the USA
We arrive at the venue in Harrisonburg to find that it’s an Ethiopian restaurant with a bar downstairs
where they often host gigs. It’s a small college town, so I guess that
bands and promoters have to use whatever space they have at their
disposal. There’s enough free time for the band to have a couple of
drinks outside and relax before their show.
The person in charge tonight explains that drinks and food are on the
house, which totally throws Fists sideways. In fact this is a trend for
all of the venues that they play on this tour. All of the venue managers
and promoters are accommodating as can be and make sure Fists feel
comfortable and welcome.
Gigs seems to start later over here than in the UK, so after what seems
to be an eternity and sitting through a group of local kids who are the
support, it’s time for Fists to make their US debut. They seem visibly
nervous for the first few songs, which is only natural considering the
long build-up to this moment. They loosen up by the end and throw their
all in to Stag to end the show.
People come up to Fists at the end of their show and tell them how great
it is that a band from England has played their small town as no-one
from the UK has ever played here before.
Accommodation after shows is sorted out on an ad hoc basis. Basically if
there is someone at the show who is willing to put the band up, they’ll
stay there, and if not they will book a motel room.
Tonight one of the guys from the local opening act offers to put the
band up. It’s a proper student joint, with a musty smelling carpet, a
pull out bed that is covered in all kinds of detritus that its best not
to think about and a toilet so filthy that I have to look away when I
take a piss. But it’s somewhere to crash for the night and it’s very
good of the people who live here to put up this strange band from
overseas.
Wednesday 14 March - Washington DC
The next day we wander in to town to find a vegan cafe that has been recommended. We find the place called The Little Grill.
It’s run by a guy who turns out to be a complete Anglophile and even
lived in the UK for a bit with his English wife. He seems over the moon
to find a group of dazed Brits in his cafe and tells us how just that
morning he had been catching up with the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on
Radio 2. Nuts.
After breakfast we have a wander around the town and visit a pawn shop
and a music place before finding the car and heading for DC.
The route to DC isn’t plain sailing, and Dave takes us off-road through
rural Virginia. It might not be the most direct route, but it’s a good
opportunity to see small town America. You have to see the positive in
these things,
We arrive in DC in the blazing hot sun and James wants to go for lunch at a place called Ben’s Chili Bowl.
This place is a bit of a landmark in DC due to it’s peaceful role in
the 1968 riots as a place that both rioters and the police could eat
together in peace. Inside it is a hectic diner and a sign behind the
counter states that the only people who can eat in there for free are
President Obama and Bill Cosby (both of whom who have eaten at Ben’s)
and everyone else has to pay, whilst the walls are covered in signed
photos of iconic black customers.
After eating, a little bit of record shopping at Soms Records, and a swift drink at a bar next door to the venue, the band get to The Black Cat.
Obits have already loaded in by the time we get there, so the band are
shown to their dressing room and sorted out with drinks for the rider
and we are asked to choose food from the venue’s menu to eat later.
Again the hospitality of the venue is overwhelming, and they even have a
shower and give us towels if we want to use it. In fact, James does
take them up on the offer later on just to say that he’s had a shower at
The Black Cat.
Sitting around in the Black Cat dressing room
Sitting around in the dressing room before the show the band find it
difficult to put together a set list that has the ‘right’ sort of flow
to it. Angi comes up with a setlist that everyone at first agrees on.
But after some deliberating, the band then start to agonise over it. The
band play a different set every night and it’s to their remarkable
songwriting that they do have a pool of songs that they can pick and
choose from each night, and that they are able to change the set
depending on how they feel.
Perhaps it’s because of the city that we are in tonight - this is a city
with a strong underground music history - but both the band and the
crowd seem more into it. Fists are more relaxed and watching them it
dawns on me how bizarre this situation is. I’ve been watching this band
play in Nottingham for the past five year, and now here they are in
America performing to a bunch of people who have no idea who they are
and they're winning them over. And I’m here to witness it! They also
make a killing on the merch front selling over a hundred dollars worth
of EPs, singles and CDs. This is money that helps pay for the petrol and
toll costs. It also help to pay for the motel room the band has to book
as we can’t find anywhere to sleep tonight.
As the band and Obits pack away at the end, Sohrab from Obits excitedly
tell us that Ian MacKaye from Minor Threat/Fugazi was there tonight.
Words can’t describe how amazing this is. Sohrab tells us that Henry
Rollins is in Philadelphia tomorrow night for a spoken word show and
that he’s going to speak to him to see if he wants to come to the gig
afterwards. Unreal!
As we are stood around saying our goodbye’s to Obits, Rick Froberg
(Drive Like Jehu/ Hot Snakes) Obits’ frontman and songwriter starts to
speak to Pete about the amp they both play through on stage. Rick asks
Pete what he thinks of it. Pete says that he’s unsure about it and that
it keeps making a ‘farty’ noise. Pete keeps on repeating ‘farty’ at an
uncomfortable rate as he speak to Rick. Rick replies that it is is
favourite sounding amp. Time for us all to leave, I think.
The motel that we’ve booked for the night is in a small town called
Silver Springs over in the next state, Maryland. It’s actually a
Travelodge and Dave swears that the receptionist is a speed freak due to
his twitchy behaviour and missing teeth. The room is a double for four
people, so the six of us sneak the equipment and ourselves in. It wreaks
of smoke and the yellow walls were probably once a pristine white, but
it is a bed for the night and more importantly it has a working shower
and a clean toilet.
Thursday 15 March 2012 - Philadelphia
Dave shows us what he thinks of the parking ticket
Something that has become a repetitive feature of this trip is us
spending a huge amount of time driving around a little bit lost, looking
for a parking space. For a country so obsessed with driving and road,
it is remarkably hard to find somewhere to park your vehicle.
Once we find somewhere we hunt out a diner that had been recommended to
us by Obits. Breakfast at this diner comes served with a ‘healthy’ side
of grease. In fact, three days in to this tour and the lack of fresh
food has started to make all of us feel sluggish and over tired and we
are craving something something fresh that came out of the ground or
grew on a tree.
When we head to the the car we discover that we’ve been given a parking
ticket for facing the wrong way. This is a bit of a bummer and it means
that the band have to use $60 of their money to pay for the ticket.
What’s frustrating about this is that there aren’t any signs telling you
that you can only park facing a particular way and it’s clearly just a
way for the local council to raise some extra revenue.
The drive to Philadelphia is a short one, and we even manage to squeeze
in watching Trading Places on the way. We get to the venue before Obits.
Tonight Fists are playing at a place called Johnny Brenda’s
and it is an amazingly beautiful venue. Very ornate looking, but also
warm and inviting, with a raised stage and a balcony overlooking the
room. More importantly, it has one of the best selection of beers that
I’ve seen so far. I take a liking to one called Dreamweaver that becomes
the thing of nightmares the morning after.
Again the venue provide Fists with some beer and give them some money to
buy some food. There seems to be a bit of grouchiness between some of
the members before the show. Perhaps this is down to spending so much
time together and being over tired. Either way, it doesn’t affect their
performance. Fists are on it tonight. They seem much more comfortable up
on stage and it shows in their most confident performance of the tour
so far. They play with a spiky, punky energy and it’s a thrill to watch.
At the end of the show James says how great it is that we’ve all been
getting on together and how the tour has been so much fun, and that if
we were all on ecstasy we would be hugging each other and saying how
much we loved one another. In short, the band are obviously having the
time of their life and it has just been topped off by the gig of the
tour.
Sohrab sorts us out with a place to stay for the night at a local
musician’s house and we manage to get a few hours shut-eye before
shuffling out the next morning for the long drive to Cambridge, MA. Friday 16 March - Boston
Before the long drive to Cambridge we want to take the opportunity to
try and see something of Philadelphia. Due to the long drives between
cities, we haven’t been able to take in many sights. We’ve been waking
up in the mornings, finding somewhere for breakfast, driving to the
venue and by the time we get their there’re only a couple of horse
before the show starts.
Yesterday, Dave said that he had “The Rocky films in his blood” and was
determined to pay homage at the infamous ‘Rocky Steps’. So we drive in
to downtown Philly in the morning to visit the steps. As luck would have
it, we find parking space in the car park of a Whole Foods supermarket.
Whole Foods seems to be some sort of liberal mecca for fresh, organic
food. It’s just want we need after days of fast food and we stock up on
salads, fruit and fresh sandwiches. Tez (drummer) is so overwhelmed by
the sight of fresh food that she is sent in to rapture and ends up with a
twenty dollar salad.
The venue in Cambridge is TT The Bear’s, and it's a bit like The Bodega - a no nonsense gig venue. A big room with a stage one end and the bar the other.
Everyone is feeling tired and sluggish with the tour starting to
physically taking its toll. Angi show us a few yoga positions that we
could try to help boost out energy levels. I decide to struggle with the
wifi on my phone.
It’s Friday night and it’s clear that the Bostonians want to let their
hair down and drink. The gig is fun and loose with James’ “how you
doing” greeting met with loud whoops and hollers from the audience. For a
unknown support band, Fists have been getting an overwhelming positive
reaction from the audience. Whereas in the UK many audiences would greet
an unknown band with shrugs and folded arms; over here people just seem
enjoy going to see music and aren’t afraid to show their appreciated.
After the show a lady tells the band that they ‘crushed it’. I couldn’t
put it any better.
Saturday 17 March - Manhattan, NYC
On the way to their final date of the tour in New York, Fists have been
invited to film a live session for a Boston based blog called Extraneous Noise.
The filming takes place in a small studio located in an old warehouse
type building. It takes a few hours, but it’s a pleasure to hear the
band live and loud in a tiny room. From what I can tell from the
monitors the session will look bang on, and a professionally filmed
session will be a great document of the tour.
Getting ready to film a live session for Extraneous Noise
It’s a long drive to the the Lower East Side of Manhattan where the Cake Shop
is - the venue for tonight’s gig. Once we get there loads of familiar
faces and friends start to show up, amongst them Joey Chickenskin, Katy
from Kogumaza (who was also at the Philly show) and Hello Thor.
In total there are probably around 20 people from Notts here to watch
the show tonight. It’s remarkable and testament to the band’s talent and
level of support that they’ve built-up that so many people are willing
to make the trip overseas to see them play. Support even comes from
another Notts band, Rattle.
A packed Cake Shop in NYC as Fists play on stage
Obits totally smash the venue a new one, and it’s been a pleasure to
watch them close up every night. The night ends with everyone little
blurry eyed, yet elated. Hugs are exchanged and Obits present Angi with
the guitar she had been borrowing for the tour. It’s a touching gesture
and there is talk of more joint Obits/ Fists action in the near
future.There’s an end of tour celebratory feel in the air and Fists give
it everything they have to make sure they go out with a bang. Towards
the end of the show Nick from Hello Thor makes his way to where I am
stood at the back and tells me that he was completely overwhelmed with
emotion. So am I.
.jpg)
