Whole Lotta Led

Led Zeppelin were of course a ceaselessly inventive group; expect Whole Lotta Led to dip into all corners of their catalogue and a night complete with mandolins (’The Battle Of Evermore‘), harmonica (‘When The Levee Breaks’) double-headed guitars (‘Stairway To Heaven’), theramin (’Rain Song’) and of course the inevitable drum solo (’Moby Dick‘).

With Led Zeppelin being one of the few bands not to compromise their reputation by reforming, the gigs of Whole Lotta Led therefore become an opportunity to unite assorted followers to reminisce and revel, including the band members themselves. Guitarist Nick Ferris, and bassist Geoff Hunt were witnesses to Led Zep in their heyday. Having fallen in love with their music, they’ve made it their vocation to reproduce it. New members Lee Pryor (vocals) and Chris Scrivens (Drums) join them on stage in an act that has been widely appreciated by international fans of the rock legends.

Join the crowd at The Glastonbury Assembly Rooms on Saturday 26th May. Tickets can be purchased in advance for just £10.00 from The Speaking Tree in Glastonbury High Street. They’re also available on the door at The Assembly Rooms on the night for £13.00 (concessions £10.00).

Meanwhile, on Bank Holiday Sunday 6th May, Hawthorns welcomes back Michael Scorey from Auckland, New Zealand. In keeping with the classic rock theme, Scorey has

Michael Scorey

During last year’s Hawthorns performance, Scorey played a varied set, plugging in his telecaster, incorporating reggae and ska riffs and some intimate acoustic moments. And it’s good to know his rock ‘n’ roll background hasn’t given him too much of an ego either as he ended the night jamming with some of the local musicians present.

All in all, May might be the month to don your headband and head into Glastonbury. Alternatively, just be present to appreciate these passionate and experienced performers.

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When I meet with Kevin it’s in The Rifleman’s Arms, a stone’s throw from the basement of his parent’s house where it all began. He seems a little wistful as he looks back over ten years of stories, travel, friendship, endless rehearsal, shot-in-the-dark promotion and the high points; the performances. His nostalgia comes as Oui Ja Yes gigs become more sparing, with various members pursuing new things.

If you were to take it back to the very start, it would be Kevin picking up a beaten-up, acoustic guitar his Dad had brought back from a trip to Kenya. From here, various members joined and invariably debuted with an Oasis song (‘Live Forever’ in Kevin’s case, ‘Columbia’, ‘Go Let It Out’). The line-up settled on Kevin, his two brothers Sean and Joseph McGough and school friends Guy Benneworth and Ollie Miller and the effect of their rehearsals from the basement couldn’t have been too far removed from those felt during a Second World War air-raid. Kevin’s Dad may well have cursed the day he purchased that Kenyan guitar as his walls shook with sound of the band nailing a breakdown.

Brothers in a band are notoriously prickly affairs; look no further than the aforementioned Oasis for proof. The Exiles were no different, the other members despairing of the lack of progress during rehearsals as an argument played itself out. Even now, Kevin gleefully remembers the day the band bought their first P.A and his younger brother Joseph was physically too nervous too sing.

The band’s first public appearance came at The Glastonbury Assembly Rooms in 2003 and luckily there were no such problems. From this point, the band has run a strong vein through its members lives, following them from Somerset up to Sheffield and back down to Bristol. From these bases they’ve toured all corners of the country, all the time out of the back of a knackered-looking but implausibly reliable transit van christened ‘Clifford’ (after the over-sized cartoon dog). Kevin lists his personal highlights as appearing at Glastonbury with both acts, on the same bill as Mani from The Stone Roses in Brixton and at The Roadhouse in Manchester. In fact, the Manchester gig is given a romantic tint due to the fact that The Exiles were supporting the new band of Paul Arthurs or ‘Bonehead‘, formerly of Oasis. Quite the realisation of a dream, having stood finding the first chords to ‘Live Forever’ all those years earlier.

The Exiles were an energetic and ever-popular live act, matching tightness of playing with individual flair. I’ve followed them for the duration, from those arms-aloft moments at summer festivals to lugging over-sized speakers up narrow staircases in mid-winter. I even lived with them for a year and starred in a video (’Devil At My Door‘). From garage-land to The Bristol Academy, they were a part of my youth.

As a follower, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to tour the indie club circuit. I’ve also found myself stood in dank recording spaces tucked away, from the Neepseed district of Sheffield (where rife prostitution made it the subject of ‘When the Sun Goes Down’ by Arctic Monkeys) to all over Bristol. Kevin reminds me of the time when a representative of a nearby fruit machine factory turned up to complain about the noise. But these spaces, however bleak, spawned songs that were as simply great as ‘The Boys Will Never Die’, ‘Two Kinds Of People’, ‘Exit Poll’, ‘New Jerusalem’ and, yes, I could go on…

In 2009, the band entered it’s second carnation. With Joseph and Guy bowing out, a line-up change meant also an ideological change (in truth already taking place). The sound of the new three-piece matched their new listening tastes; Daft Punk, Holy Fuck and Does it Offend You, Yeah? – Kevin pursued his love of The Chemical Brothers, who for him laid the template in defying genre. “Great music is timeless, it has no genre” he explains.

Largely without guitars and without a lead vocalist, Oui Ja Yes incorporated modern software and use of samples (from Eddie Murphy to Jack Kerouac to Mr. Motivator) and started filling dance floors around the midnight hour. The Exiles had always been experimental, whether it was the unexpected use of a chaos pad or a solo trumpet; the incorporation of laptops was a natural evolution. It continues still; Kevin referencing Kid Carpet, who hooks children’s toys up to a beat.

At The Rifleman’s, the sun is going down over our nostalgia trip and we’re feeling the effects of the session. I ask Kevin what he thinks of the current state-of-play regarding music. He draws comparisons between the genre-less, accessible and democratic world afforded by the internet and the slick and cynical manufactured nature of the mainstream. Through the journey of the garage band that incorporates a decade of all forms of life, it’s fairly obvious which side of the fence he stands on.

Oui Ja Yes is part of the Twitter revolution – click here to visit their profile. To find out more about the band and listen to samples of their work go to www.myspace.com/ouijayes

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It’s fair to say that I’ve fallen in love with audio production since co-producing Unholy Behaviour alongside Dave. I now listen to plenty of radio plays, while I listen to at least twenty different podcasts each week. I actually can’t sleep without having one on at night. One podcast I’ve stumbled onto recently comes directly from my home town of Glastonbury, Somerset, so I thought the first post in my blog should highlight The Shadow Sessions as I believe it is a fantastic concept for radio/podcast.

The Hawthorns Open Mic

The programme was given the name The Shadow Sessions because performers often have no knowledge that they are being recorded with Brad and Al, who are musicians themselves, providing just a glimpse of what can be heard regularly at open mic nights in The Hawthorns of Glastonbury, Horseshoe Inn of Bowlish and the Artizan Café in Langport. The night at The Hawthorns, which takes place every Tuesday, provides the backbone of the show and they have transferred the ethos of this regular event to their radio show. Brad clarified, “We wanted to make sure that the programme never turns into an ‘in club’, allowing us to provide a variation of music from different kinds of performers to ensure that everyone is given an outlet to showcase their work”.

Speaking further about the structure of the show, Brad admitted, “We decided to make it sound like we were at the back of a venue talking about music as it happens. We introduce tracks, talk a little bit about the songs and we now also pick out our highlight at the end of the show, although we try not to go into too much detail as we want to get as much music in as possible”.

The programme is also available to download for free from glastonburyopenmic.wordpress.com along with the back catalogue of the original podcasts. If you’re a music enthusiast then it’s really worth it to hear quirky, original performances from a range of talented individuals of all ages and genres. The thing I particularly love about this idea is that local musicians are given an extended platform to showcase their ability and I personally believe that a great show could be produced and enjoyed if the format was replicated in any town/city around the world.

Liam Blake - Photo by Will Fahy (www.willfahy.co.uk)

In the mould of a classic 70s singer-songwriter, Liam breathes new life into the work of diverse artists such as James Taylor, Otis Redding and Elton John through his intricate guitar melodies and pitch-perfect delivery.

And hearing him perform classic-sounding songs I was less familiar with, I found they were Liam’s own compositions, which come from his ‘You And Other Stories’ LP, available in all the usual places (HMV, itunes, Amazon).

When I first caught up with Liam after a intimate performance over Christmas, we chatted about his upcoming schedule. At the time, Liam was touring the country performing up to three times a day. On the trial of exposure from Radio 2, who’d play listed his ‘Gypsy Fire Flies’/’Heart and Soul’ single and hosted a live performance, he was looking ahead to performing at the HMV ‘Next Big Thing’ showcase at the Jazz café, Camden.

The gig was a break midway through a tour of the Café Nero chain which had so far covered the north-east and north-west and was due to move on to the south. I suggested that the coffee-house connection was apt seeing that Liam’s performance had brought to mind Jeff Buckley and his rare ‘Live at Sin-E’ recordings, during which Buckley honed his style over the clatter of diners. The versatile and improvised nature of these performances has something in common with Liam and he confirmed he’s a big Buckley fan and the “movement and vibe” of those recordings. As if to emphasise this spontaneity Liam had been joined during his performance by a local harmonica player, Benjamin Inber, who again gave a new dynamic to a range of popular and cult classics.

Since then, I find Liam’s momentum has continued. The Café Nero tour goes on with Liam interrupting this to appear at the local ’Stars Of Tomorrow’ gig in February; raising money for The Little Hearts Matter Charity. The charity does crucial work in supporting children with single ventricle heart conditions and raising awareness through events such as the night at Strode. I’m sure Liam’s contribution to such an important cause was greatly valued.

Meanwhile, the Café Nero tour has now reached the South as Liam‘s ambitions to “reach as many people as possible with the songs” clearly remain. You can find him at www.liamblake.co.uk and on Facebook and Twitter. He also has a musical ‘Molly Jackson and the Prince’ with an animated film in development.

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When Mike Daniells looked out over 4,500 people cheering in his honour on a sun-tinged July evening last year, organising Village People tribute concerts on behalf of a carnival club must have seemed a long way away. Mike has a background of organising steadily more ambitious music events and last year saw the inception of his latest, The Godney Gathering.

I met Mike as he gets set for this year’s event and found out he is still reminiscent about the moment Reef’s singer Gary Stringer introduced him to the crowd during the band’s 2011 headline set. It is his ethos of creating an event that has its heart in the community that has made the gathering an immediate success. Every year, festivals are added to an over-crowded and over-commercial market, yet this event seems to have something that sets it apart. He puts the impact down to an insistence on remaining rooted to the local area.

Mike Daniells

Mike’s background in organising events goes beyond Village People tribute bands; as a carnival club promoter he’s helped stage music nights such as Music On The Moors, The Big Summer Party, Springfest Southwest and drum ‘n‘ bass nights. The Academy of Carnival is now behind the organisation of the gathering and is totally devoted to keeping things local and community-based. All the food is locally sourced and affordable, alcoholic drinks have a maximum price of £2.50 and Mike refuses to sell out to commercial interests who would go above this.

And then, most crucially, there’s the music. This year, the organisers had the happy problem of being bombarded with interest from local talent – 350 applications in total including a host of international names. They’ve landed on a line-up that offers something for everyone with established names sitting alongside up-and-coming acts that will lead to people coming away from the event with a new favourite band. New faces include the psychedelic grooves of Goldray, The Rainband - who continue the rich heritage of Manchester bands – and Young Aviators, an Irish act who bring their anthemic thrashing down from Glasgow. Gary Stringer and Jack Bessant return with StringerBessant; the same voice and quality songs as Reef but a more mature, acoustic sound, while The Hoosiers look set to orchestrate a mass sing-along as the effects of the Cider Shack kick in. Finally, headliners The Subways will end the night by breaking free with their beat-driven, rock fun.

For Mike, the priority lies with creating, what he calls, “the best night possible”. With these factors combining, music fans only really have to rely on a bit of sunshine to create a truly memorable summer’s evening.

For details about the event and ticket information visit:http://www.thegodneygathering.com/

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Opening the evening is Stompin’ Dave from Dorset; who delivers authentic traditional American blues in what he calls a “Fake American Accent” (E.P available from www.stompindave.com).

Dave is a versatile and accomplished player on the violin, guitar and banjo but doesn’t allow himself to rely purely on this; his playing is matched by his high-kicks and, as you’d expect, stomping. It’s a performance that enthrals an entertained audience, whilst his accomplice Dave Saunders keeps steady beat alongside him.

The lively show comes to a close with Dave playing his banjo behind his head like the Hendrix of folk; only with more moves and, well, more longevity. All in all, it leaves me wondering how I’ll ever begin a Friday night again.

The second half of the evening introduces the talents of Belfast-folk singer Maurice Dickson, later to be joined by Catherine Ashcroft, also from Northern Ireland. Dickson has been touring locations across the world for 30-plus years and remains a true craftsman of his songs with a lightness of touch and caring precision that lasts to the very last note. He approaches his guitar with a range of techniques and tuning that mean his playing goes from rapid to measured to percussive. Maurice’s songs are autobiographical tales of friendship (‘The Dreamer’) or tender relationship send-offs (‘Goodbye Baby Blue’) that have an uncanny ability to resonate with the audience. He banters with the crowd throughout and is quite dismissive of a somewhat throwaway “rap” song called ‘Unconditional Love’ that I actually find to be an evening highlight.

Soon he is joined onstage by the immensely talented Catherine Ashcroft (former junior All Britain champion) and his songs are lifted and filled by her brilliant Uilleann pipes and tin whistle.

A far more fitting way of experiencing St. Patrick’s day than silly hats and excessive amounts of Guinness the only slight quibble is the low attendance. No one present is complaining though as the evening is brought home with some of Catherine’s solo compositions, the reappearance of Stompin’ Dave on Boron drum and, finally, an uptempo, clap-along; complete with high kicks.

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Friday 20th April – Tickets £6

The students of the Strode College music courses have ambitions of delivering a show-stopping evening at Strode Theatre next month. Those in the second year of their Music Extended Diploma were given the brief of arranging an event and it’s apparent they’ve raised the bar on what they can achieve with this. In their words, it’s time to “go big!”

Successful evenings annually bring down the curtain of the academic year and showcase the breadth of talent the college hosts. However, this years crop intend to tap into a pool of alumni that includes members of Reef, Kula Shaker and well known local musicians including founder of The Basis, Nick Parker. Such names have done the college proud in becoming national concerns and the aim is that they‘ll return to their beginnings and position themselves amongst the musical talents of Strode’s new generation.

A definite line-up is yet to be announced but it’s set up to be a bill that is varied and consistently brilliant. The force behind the event comes from final year students David McSparron and Adam Leitch, who will both feature in the line-up with their respective bands. David’s band Reinstate Sarah has a warm, mellow and altogether-splendid sound that has so far taken them to high profile gigs at the Eden project and in London. Adam’s The Floor Below carry that indie-alt lineage of acts like Blondie and The Strokes and are soon to be seen at Bristol’s Fleece and Firkin and beyond. The rest of the night will play witness to acts that do genres from spiralling indie, solo acoustic and folk, screamo metal and blissful electro and do them well. In the case of Charlie Paget, this genre-hopping takes place within the same song as he switches “effortlessly” between melodic and rapped verse.

The graduates probable to join them include established names like Jack Flash,All About Flux and Paul Winter-Hart’s (Kula Shaker, Goldray) Escapepod. All attempts to make contact with Gary Stringer of Reef had proved futile until a tenuous family connection was exploited following a teatime conversation and he may now appear dependant on family commitments.

Alongside classmates, they’ll also be behind organising the whole occasion, from sound engineering to media and merchandise to stewarding; a hugely valuable learning experience. Confidence is high following the success of last month’s ‘Unplugged for Gambia’ evening at Street Parish Church; an evening well worth hunting down on youtube.

To learn about what the current and past students of Strode are doing with themselves, you can get tickets from Strode Theatre website (www.strodetheatre.co.uk) or box office for £6.00 or £5.00/4.00 concessions. For that you can expect to see around 15 acts.

Find out more about the event by searching for “Strode Live Retrospective” on Facebook. You can also contact the students directly by emailing strodelive-retrospective@live.co.uk

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Hawthorns Open Mic

If you were to melt Glastonbury’s very musical essence down into one evening a week, it would probably be what takes place at Hawthorns Open Mic night every Tuesday from 8.30pm. Stop by and you’ll find all conceivable styles and acts brought together to cook up a storm. Built around a bedrock of regular performers, new names are added each week often including passing, travelling musicians.

I joined the crowd on a bitterly cold January night to be warmed by an assortment of old and young, traditional and pioneering, familiar and new. There are first-time singer songwriters road-testing their latest tune for it’s potential (and keeping some of the more experienced troubadours on their toes!). There’s poetry and spoken word. There’s a gentleman called JJ who single-handedly composes entire electronic dance tracks with his personal keyboard. And there’s the introduction of an instrument resembling the shape of a French horn but sounding more like a didgeridoo. Apparently in recent weeks there had also been appearances from Cajun drummers, rappers and saxophonists.

Nick Parker

Intrigued by how such a community was brought together, I spoke to the night‘s organiser Steve and Simon from the Hawthorns. Previously held in a local pub, Glastonbury’s open mic night now finally seems to have found it’s home. The event came to Hawthorns in Spring 2010 and is growing in momentum. Steve explains how it’s laid-back and mellow atmosphere allows the musicians to build confidence and brings forward subtler and more varied acts. The social and supportive environment of the restaurant is the perfect platform and the eclectic nature of the musicians means ideas flow freely and everyone is spurred on. After a bustling Christmas season, Simon jokingly contemplates knocking down a supporting wall to allow for more room.

Just before I leave, a local lady called Hannah performs an unaccompanied version of Lana del Rey‘s ‘Videogames’ to an impressed silence. As I move back into the winter’s night I can’t help but feel spoilt by the array of local talent I’ve watched.

Open mic takes place at Hawthorns Hotel, Glastonbury, every Tuesday from 8.30pm.

Podcasts are also available at glastonburyopenmic.wordpress.com

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Making a name for himself with popular articles in The Basis, a community magazine for the Street and Glastonbury area of Somerset, we felt that Matthew’s work would be an exciting new addition to the Audio Factory website. So we decided to give him a page to fire off his music related rambles whenever audible pleasure prompts a tingling in his fingertips and we hope you enjoy his quirky articles as much as we do.

Here are links to his current articles: The Godney Gathering; Strode Live Retrospective; Sublime Folk Featuring Stompin’ Dave; The Hawthorns Open Mic Night

Matthew Nicholson - Music Journalist