Jimmy Cauty Interview about the Aftermath Dislocation Principle

A scene from Jimmy Cauty's Aftermath Dislocation Principle

One of earliest musical memories is seeing The Timelords performing Doctorin' the Tardis on an episode of Top of the Pops in 1988. I would have been five years old. Me and my friends would sing that song in the playground. It introduced Gary Glitter to a group of young kids from Nottingham, which I'm sure he would be delighted about. I had no idea of the people behind it, the former manager of Echo and the Bunnymen and an ex member of The Orb, but as a kid it was a catchy and fun song to sing.

As the 80s gave way to the 1990s, the band behind that song would go on to release more and more great songs that I would either hear on the radio or see on Top of the Pops. First and foremost they were entertaining and enjoyable to listen to. As I got older I started to understand what made them so unique; not only what it their knack of being able to write a damn fine song with a memorable hook, it was their sense of anarchy, their subversive attitude, the strange and intriguing culture and mythology that they built around themselves. Their career ending performance at the 1992 Brit Awards is one of the best live performances by any band ever. 

The ADP Riot tour visiting the New Art Exchange in Nottingham

Fast forward a few years and imagine my delight when it is announced that Jimmy Cauty will be exhibiting a few minutes walk from my house. "I wonder if he'll be up for an interview?" It turns out he is.

I'm always a bit worried ahead of an interview, anxious that the conversation won't flow or that my questions will fall flat, and hoping that whoever I'm talking to isn't a complete dick. Fortunately it goes great and Cauty is easy to talk to. Thinking that this is the only time that I am ever going to talk to a member of the KLF, I've got to make the most of the opportunity and ask him just a few questions about his old band, surely he won't mind me slipping a couple in.

"There is a self-imposed 23 year embargo on Bill and myself talking about anything that starts with the letter K. That 23 years is coming to an end next year." 

And with that I have to cross out half of my questions. 

Read my interview with Jimmy Cauty on the LeftLion website

Be: One - The Soundtrack Written For Wolfgang Buttress' Beehive Installation

Be: One article for LeftLion magazine

At the start of January I was lucky enough to interview the main creative minds behind Be: One, the soundtrack that was written specifically for Wolfgang Buttress' beehive installation that he designed for the UK Pavilion at last year's World Expo in Milan. 

The email came in at the last minute and following a couple of days of hasty organising,  the following weekend on a crisp and bright Sunday morning I found myself on the outskirts of Nottingham city centre getting ready to interview the artist Wolfgang Buttress, his daughter and vocalist Camille Buttress, and the musicians and Spiritualized members Tony Foster (aka Doggen) and Kev Bales. Wolfgang had known Tony and Kev for a few years as he used to have a studio close to where Tony's is. It is at Tony's studio where they have all agreed to speak to me. 

Speaking to all of them together was far-and-away one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had during my time writing for LeftLion. They couldn't have been any more welcoming and talkative. And it was really interesting being sat in a room with them hearing them discuss the creative process about how they created the soundtrack. I could have happily chatted to them for the rest of the day. It was really obvious that they were all pleased with how the soundtrack came out. 

Weirdly, after years of trying to interview Tony Foster / Doggen and never getting anywhere, I have now interviewed him twice in less than 12 months. It's funny how things somtimes work out.

As I was overseas with work a couple of days immediately after doing the interview, I found myself typing up my copy in various Starbucks around Seoul. It's not often that I can say this, but I am quite pleased with how the finished article came out. The article, as it appears in the above photograph, was published in LeftLion Magazine #75. 

The online version of my Be: One article can be read here. 

The collective premiered their soundtrack over two sold-out nights at Nottingham Arts Theatre on 18 and 19 February. I was fortunate enough to go the first night and you can read what I thought about it here. 

Wolfgang's hive installation has been shipped back to the UK from Italy and will be at Kew Gardens from June with the collective planning on performing their soundtrack live when it opens.

More about Be: One on Wolfgang Buttress' website 

Doggen Interview

This man makes a mean #LemonAndGingerTea. Gassing with ex #GirlsAloud and #GunsNRoses and current #Spiritualized guitarist #Doggen for @leftlionmagazine

A photo posted by Pawl (@heypawl) on Jun 16, 2015 at 1:59pm PDT

This was one of those rare things, an interview that was actually enjoyable and fun to do. Totally worth the five years it took to sort out.

I think due to his long association with Julian Cope I was expecting some kind of acid-fried, speed freak, militant anarchist pagan with hippy tendencies. Instead he was nothing but charming, friendly, and accommodating. At one point he even asked the band he was recording at the time to stay out of the studio for a while longer so he could carry on talking to me.

This is a much longer version of the interview that's in LeftLion Magazine #69.

Doggen is the guitarist in Spirtualized, played with Julian Cope for a long time, (maybe, if Axl is reading) helped to write a few of the songs on Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 with members of Guns N' Roses, and has played on more Top 10 hits than he even cares to remember.

He has so many stories I could have listened to him talk for much longer than the hour and a half I sat down with him for. This was honestly one of my favourite, if not the favourite, thing that I’ve done for the magazine. Definitely worth the wait. 

He's proper Notts too.

Click here to read my extended interview with Doggen for LeftLion 

Kogumaza Interview for LeftLion

Click the above image to read the online version of my recent interview with Kogumaza that originally featured in LeftLion Magazine #59.

Sludgy, heavy, spacey; whatever you want to call them, Kogumaza are one of those bands where no amount of attempting to describe their sound or pigeonholing will do them justice. The only way to get what they are about is to listen to their records, or even better, experience their sonic onslaught live and feel the full-force of their sound. 

A truly remarkable band, and it was a pleasure to not only do this piece, but to finally feature them in the magazine. For a band who are so hard to nail-down in terms of sound, I think this interview gives a good idea of what they are trying to achieve. It's also rare to speak to a band (in Nottingham anyhow) who are clued-up on what they are trying to do, the way they want to sound, and how they want to put that across to the audience.  

Give them a listen on the Kogumaza Bandcamp.