Words - Suzy Sims
(c) Suzy Sims, April 2009
LOZ BRIDGE AND THE BOX SOCIAL 'WITCHES' EP
Sometimes it’s nice to find some compelling music that you can just swim around in with scant regard to your surroundings. The curiously-named Loz Bridge and The Box Social can help you do just that. Described by pretty much everyone who’s read their press release as ‘dark Americana’, Loz is originally from Preston but decided the South Coast was more deserving of his musical output.
Opening track ‘Witches’ is the story of being trapped on the wrong career path and left chewed up and spat out by office politics; let’s face it, we’ve all been there. “I hate my job,” everyone sings along, and you can’t help but wonder if the any of the band’s bosses have caught them play and moronically didn’t pick up on this. This song is heavy with a downbeat swagger but there is surprisingly some life and optimism – they aren’t giving up just yet - and pent up anger.
‘November’ is a melancholic yet warm old friend with some delightfully clear vocals, while there are some powerful key change hooks in ‘Sarah And The Wolves’. The music seems to have a dual-purpose, fitting both the Sunday morning feeling of being lost in your own thoughts, and feeling equally at home in a dark pub.
If you held serious pre-conceptions about music featuring banjos, please shove them well to one side. Angry banjo and bluesy vocals strike on throughout ‘China’ while closing track ‘By The River’ delicately plucks along. It’s the place.
The blues is a trustworthy genre. With pop and dance you can give or take what you enjoy, but blues and folk are made to be savoured slowly and appreciated. There’s a wisdom to Loz Bridge and The Box Social, a sense of understanding. This CD finishes on a haunting echo of “I might have known.” Intelligently written and mellow, ‘Witches’ makes for compelling listening.
http://www.myspace.com/lozbridge
Monday, 27 April 2009
Live Review - The Rakes, Sky Larkin, Official Secrets Act (Wedgewood Rooms)
One of my favourite gigs so far this year, all cracking bands.
Previously published on mintsouth.com in Apr 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
THE RAKES, SKY LARKIN, OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS 22/04/2009
For a midweek gig, The Rakes ‘Work Work Work (Pub Club Sleep)’ is well named. The band is DJing after this show and there are likely to be a few bleary faces in offices around Portsmouth the next day. Having dashed to the Wedgewood Rooms from work work work, I’m wearing a t shirt for The Rifles, mainly because a) it was clean and b), well, it was clean. I spend the night slightly embarrassed in case someone thinks I misread the listings and am expecting some jaunty Jam-alikes instead of some art punk mischief.
Arriving shortly after Official Secrets Act took to the stage, faces daubed with Adam Ant go-faster stripes, I was very impressed by the epic, slightly wistful charm and energy in their songs and couldn’t believe I hadn’t caught up with them sooner. There’s not a dull moment in the set. Final track ‘The Girl From The BBC’ surprises everyone when the onstage electrics cut out and it turns into an impromptu singalong, but the band look completely unfazed by the technical malfunction. Other songs we get include ‘Victoria’, ‘So Tomorrow’ and ‘Mainstream’.
There’s a guy in the front row singing along to Official Secrets Act. “I want to have your babies!” yells another over-excited gig-goer at the close of the set. Though I wouldn’t say gigs should be used for picking future life partners in this fashion, one should definitely check this band out. For their music, of course.
“I do like to be beside the seaside,” announces singer Katie Harkin from ever-pleasant Leeds band Sky Larkin. It was satisfying to catch a full set – I’ve caught them a couple of times before, but only ever the final ten minutes, so it was good to hear more material. Sadly their sounds are gentler and don’t carry as well to the back of the venue, so I plunge further crowd-wards to get the full effect. The bass is surprisingly heavy and the crashing percussion overwhelms Katie’s quirky, jumpy voice at times.
Their songs have a real charm though on record they do sometimes come across too cutesy; however live they break into enjoyable dance-punk. Katie is a picture of understated coolness, guitar aloft for ‘Summit’, cleverly avoiding the male hecklers and bounding around under her pigtails. Other tracks tonight include ‘Beeline’ and ‘Molten’, fresh from their debut album ‘The Golden Spike’. Sky Larkin are frothy, sweet and nice. They just are. Frankly I don’t see how it’s possible to dislike them.
And someone else it’s not possible to dislike – The Rakes front-man Alan Donohoe. Arriving on stage, all wild eyeballs and red gloves, it’s impossible to tear your eyes from his dancing. It appears to be based around self defence moves, should you ever need to protect yourself from a boxing kangaroo that is. “Are you ready for some sexy shit?” The Rakes ask in between their relentlessly explosive art-punk and banshee wails. Yes, yes we are. Bring it.
The Rakes first crashed into everyone’s radar in 2005 with the snappy ‘Capture/Release’ and they’re now out and about promoting their third album.
The band’s opening track tonight ‘You’re In It’ is accompanied by crazed strobe light as everyone jumps about in what feels like slow motion. We get plenty of new tracks off latest album ‘Klang’, such as ‘Shackleton’ and ‘The Light From Your Mac’, though favourites ’22 Grand Job’, ‘We Danced Together’ and ‘The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect’ get the best crowd reaction. There’s even a crowd-surfer (just the one; but give him credit, he does have several attempts). There’s only one track in the encore (‘Strasbourg’) but the strobe lights come out to again destroy anyone who was left twitching on the floor by the earlier lot.
The Rakes have a brilliant streak of quirky fun and a real bite to their songs. The red glove fashion may not catch on as quickly as they’re hoping, but their indie punk aggression should be around a while longer. Thank goodness for that.
http://www.therakes.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/skylarkinskylarkin
http://www.myspace.com/officialsecretsact
Previously published on mintsouth.com in Apr 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
THE RAKES, SKY LARKIN, OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS 22/04/2009
For a midweek gig, The Rakes ‘Work Work Work (Pub Club Sleep)’ is well named. The band is DJing after this show and there are likely to be a few bleary faces in offices around Portsmouth the next day. Having dashed to the Wedgewood Rooms from work work work, I’m wearing a t shirt for The Rifles, mainly because a) it was clean and b), well, it was clean. I spend the night slightly embarrassed in case someone thinks I misread the listings and am expecting some jaunty Jam-alikes instead of some art punk mischief.
Arriving shortly after Official Secrets Act took to the stage, faces daubed with Adam Ant go-faster stripes, I was very impressed by the epic, slightly wistful charm and energy in their songs and couldn’t believe I hadn’t caught up with them sooner. There’s not a dull moment in the set. Final track ‘The Girl From The BBC’ surprises everyone when the onstage electrics cut out and it turns into an impromptu singalong, but the band look completely unfazed by the technical malfunction. Other songs we get include ‘Victoria’, ‘So Tomorrow’ and ‘Mainstream’.
There’s a guy in the front row singing along to Official Secrets Act. “I want to have your babies!” yells another over-excited gig-goer at the close of the set. Though I wouldn’t say gigs should be used for picking future life partners in this fashion, one should definitely check this band out. For their music, of course.
“I do like to be beside the seaside,” announces singer Katie Harkin from ever-pleasant Leeds band Sky Larkin. It was satisfying to catch a full set – I’ve caught them a couple of times before, but only ever the final ten minutes, so it was good to hear more material. Sadly their sounds are gentler and don’t carry as well to the back of the venue, so I plunge further crowd-wards to get the full effect. The bass is surprisingly heavy and the crashing percussion overwhelms Katie’s quirky, jumpy voice at times.
Their songs have a real charm though on record they do sometimes come across too cutesy; however live they break into enjoyable dance-punk. Katie is a picture of understated coolness, guitar aloft for ‘Summit’, cleverly avoiding the male hecklers and bounding around under her pigtails. Other tracks tonight include ‘Beeline’ and ‘Molten’, fresh from their debut album ‘The Golden Spike’. Sky Larkin are frothy, sweet and nice. They just are. Frankly I don’t see how it’s possible to dislike them.
And someone else it’s not possible to dislike – The Rakes front-man Alan Donohoe. Arriving on stage, all wild eyeballs and red gloves, it’s impossible to tear your eyes from his dancing. It appears to be based around self defence moves, should you ever need to protect yourself from a boxing kangaroo that is. “Are you ready for some sexy shit?” The Rakes ask in between their relentlessly explosive art-punk and banshee wails. Yes, yes we are. Bring it.
The Rakes first crashed into everyone’s radar in 2005 with the snappy ‘Capture/Release’ and they’re now out and about promoting their third album.
The band’s opening track tonight ‘You’re In It’ is accompanied by crazed strobe light as everyone jumps about in what feels like slow motion. We get plenty of new tracks off latest album ‘Klang’, such as ‘Shackleton’ and ‘The Light From Your Mac’, though favourites ’22 Grand Job’, ‘We Danced Together’ and ‘The World Was A Mess But His Hair Was Perfect’ get the best crowd reaction. There’s even a crowd-surfer (just the one; but give him credit, he does have several attempts). There’s only one track in the encore (‘Strasbourg’) but the strobe lights come out to again destroy anyone who was left twitching on the floor by the earlier lot.
The Rakes have a brilliant streak of quirky fun and a real bite to their songs. The red glove fashion may not catch on as quickly as they’re hoping, but their indie punk aggression should be around a while longer. Thank goodness for that.
http://www.therakes.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/skylarkinskylarkin
http://www.myspace.com/officialsecretsact
Live Review - Club Smith, The Maybes, Colonel Mustard, Cozy Flashback (Cellars at Eastney)
Previously published on mintsouth.com in Apr 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
CLUB SMITH, THE MAYBES, COLONEL MUSTARD, COZY FLASHBAK @ THE CELLARS AT EASTNEY 04/04/2009
Norwich Union became Aviva, Marathon became Snickers. Prince became something which was generally pronounced as a swearword by confused people. The Hair have opted for a more sensible route and have chosen to be called Club Smith - but more on them in a moment.
First onstage were the very lively Cozy Flashbak, heavily influenced by both Mod and Madchester and with guitar riffs lolloping along. There’s also a fair amount of psychedelic swagger to their cheeky set.
Second on were Colonel Mustard. In the venue… with the drumsticks. My eye was caught by the exceptionally talented bassist and his nimble playing skills, but generally the band spend longer staring at the floor than making eye contact with the audience. A cover of ‘Come Together’ is enjoyable but adds nothing to the original apart from an increased number of people who have played it. Still, they have a number of good, almost Eighties guitar twirls, an enjoyably mischievous slant and the vocalist has a belting voice.
Next onstage are The Maybes, acting as a fantastic beacon for their local scene. Like many bands from Liverpool-way, they play intense psychedelic anthems with vocal harmonies swirling above the pounding music. Their final track, Promises, is a belter; an epic dance instrumental which echoes dramatically around the Cellars, bringing the doorman in to gape at what’s taking place. It’s the sort of track which is a perfectly indulgent one-off experience, but accidentally put it on a car cassette and a few spools later you will be clawing at the tape, lost in an experimental jam void. Sounding experienced, professional and with many a dark dance track, The Maybes appear ideally placed to perform some sort of indie soundtrack.
Club Smith are headlining tonight’s show. They were here a few months ago in their former guise of The Hair, a premier indie-dance band from Leeds in the Sunshine Underground mold. The name change is so new even their equipment still features the old logos. As something of a fan I was worried the name change would equal a major change of direction but happily not. Old songs mixed with new in a frenetic set which culminated in everyone playing the drums. The band are bright and sparky with a colourfully dizzy turn to their songs. Don’t let the name Club Smith fool you into thinking they’re plain, because they certainly aren’t.
http://www.myspace.com/cozyflashbakuk http://www.myspace.com/thelastlaughtheband
http://www.myspace.com/themaybesliverpool
http://www.myspace.com/joinclubsmith
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
CLUB SMITH, THE MAYBES, COLONEL MUSTARD, COZY FLASHBAK @ THE CELLARS AT EASTNEY 04/04/2009
Norwich Union became Aviva, Marathon became Snickers. Prince became something which was generally pronounced as a swearword by confused people. The Hair have opted for a more sensible route and have chosen to be called Club Smith - but more on them in a moment.
First onstage were the very lively Cozy Flashbak, heavily influenced by both Mod and Madchester and with guitar riffs lolloping along. There’s also a fair amount of psychedelic swagger to their cheeky set.
Second on were Colonel Mustard. In the venue… with the drumsticks. My eye was caught by the exceptionally talented bassist and his nimble playing skills, but generally the band spend longer staring at the floor than making eye contact with the audience. A cover of ‘Come Together’ is enjoyable but adds nothing to the original apart from an increased number of people who have played it. Still, they have a number of good, almost Eighties guitar twirls, an enjoyably mischievous slant and the vocalist has a belting voice.
Next onstage are The Maybes, acting as a fantastic beacon for their local scene. Like many bands from Liverpool-way, they play intense psychedelic anthems with vocal harmonies swirling above the pounding music. Their final track, Promises, is a belter; an epic dance instrumental which echoes dramatically around the Cellars, bringing the doorman in to gape at what’s taking place. It’s the sort of track which is a perfectly indulgent one-off experience, but accidentally put it on a car cassette and a few spools later you will be clawing at the tape, lost in an experimental jam void. Sounding experienced, professional and with many a dark dance track, The Maybes appear ideally placed to perform some sort of indie soundtrack.
Club Smith are headlining tonight’s show. They were here a few months ago in their former guise of The Hair, a premier indie-dance band from Leeds in the Sunshine Underground mold. The name change is so new even their equipment still features the old logos. As something of a fan I was worried the name change would equal a major change of direction but happily not. Old songs mixed with new in a frenetic set which culminated in everyone playing the drums. The band are bright and sparky with a colourfully dizzy turn to their songs. Don’t let the name Club Smith fool you into thinking they’re plain, because they certainly aren’t.
http://www.myspace.com/cozyflashbakuk http://www.myspace.com/thelastlaughtheband
http://www.myspace.com/themaybesliverpool
http://www.myspace.com/joinclubsmith
Live Review - Gary Go / VV Brown (Wedgewood Rooms)
I do like going to gigs, I do x
First published on mintsouth.com in Mar 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
GARY GO / V.V. BROWN @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS 22/03/2009
It’s a little quiet in the Wedgewood Rooms tonight. There’s plenty of room to stand wherever you darn well like, no queue at the bar. Although it’s pleasantly airy, it also makes the atmosphere empty. Most people are standing in small groups a fair way back from the stage. It can’t be easy interacting with an audience some distance away.
Unless you’re with VV Brown and her crew, that is, who come breezing onto the stage, all casual smiles. The bassist is enthusiastically urging everyone to clap and no-one wants to disappoint. Their cheerful, glitter Motown pop gets the crowd not exactly dancing, as everyone’s a bit self-conscious and sober for that, but quietly enjoying themselves. With the retro pop and spot-on voice, VV Brown is like a fresh Amy Winehouse, only much, much less scary.
Every song they play is a little iced gem of pop and they all sound like potentially massive singles. “Do you want some fun?” VV laughs after one particularly intense track about her ex boyfriend, “who was a complete arsehole.” Southsea does want some fun indeed, and everyone makes appreciative whoops and feels that little bit brighter.
It can’t be easy following an act of that quality, and Gary Go certainly does not have it easy. A few ladies walk past me, loudly discussing how they were only here for VV Brown but they might stay a bit longer, and a few people disappear during the early part of the set when it becomes apparent he’s not a disco monster.
This is a real shame, because those with musical blinkers were missing some enjoyable pop rock. It’s mature (a friend described it as Radio 2’s acceptable sound of British singer-songwriting) and also gives a wonderfully pleasant feeling that everything’s going to be ok.
The tracks don’t make as immediate impressions as the previous act’s but they are intensely played and full of beautiful melodies which leave you uplifted and slightly exhausted, along the epic pop melodrama lines of Athlete et al. Gary’s a confident front man but his vulnerability comes out in his songs which is quite endearing, and the people who stayed seemed really captivated by the music.
It must be hard being a reasonably little-known act starting a new tour on a Sunday night when very few people know your songs. However I’m pretty sure that in a few months time, people will regret not seeing VV Brown and Gary Go in small venues when they had the chance.
www.myspace.com/vvbrown
www.myspace.com/garygo
First published on mintsouth.com in Mar 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
GARY GO / V.V. BROWN @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS 22/03/2009
It’s a little quiet in the Wedgewood Rooms tonight. There’s plenty of room to stand wherever you darn well like, no queue at the bar. Although it’s pleasantly airy, it also makes the atmosphere empty. Most people are standing in small groups a fair way back from the stage. It can’t be easy interacting with an audience some distance away.
Unless you’re with VV Brown and her crew, that is, who come breezing onto the stage, all casual smiles. The bassist is enthusiastically urging everyone to clap and no-one wants to disappoint. Their cheerful, glitter Motown pop gets the crowd not exactly dancing, as everyone’s a bit self-conscious and sober for that, but quietly enjoying themselves. With the retro pop and spot-on voice, VV Brown is like a fresh Amy Winehouse, only much, much less scary.
Every song they play is a little iced gem of pop and they all sound like potentially massive singles. “Do you want some fun?” VV laughs after one particularly intense track about her ex boyfriend, “who was a complete arsehole.” Southsea does want some fun indeed, and everyone makes appreciative whoops and feels that little bit brighter.
It can’t be easy following an act of that quality, and Gary Go certainly does not have it easy. A few ladies walk past me, loudly discussing how they were only here for VV Brown but they might stay a bit longer, and a few people disappear during the early part of the set when it becomes apparent he’s not a disco monster.
This is a real shame, because those with musical blinkers were missing some enjoyable pop rock. It’s mature (a friend described it as Radio 2’s acceptable sound of British singer-songwriting) and also gives a wonderfully pleasant feeling that everything’s going to be ok.
The tracks don’t make as immediate impressions as the previous act’s but they are intensely played and full of beautiful melodies which leave you uplifted and slightly exhausted, along the epic pop melodrama lines of Athlete et al. Gary’s a confident front man but his vulnerability comes out in his songs which is quite endearing, and the people who stayed seemed really captivated by the music.
It must be hard being a reasonably little-known act starting a new tour on a Sunday night when very few people know your songs. However I’m pretty sure that in a few months time, people will regret not seeing VV Brown and Gary Go in small venues when they had the chance.
www.myspace.com/vvbrown
www.myspace.com/garygo
Interview - Gary Go
Aaaargh, first interview in about a year. I get very nervous before interviews anyway, though once you've been in the room for two minutes everything's usually all right. I forwarded this onto Mr Go once it was written up. He apologised again for touching the dictaphone. I'm calm...
First published on mintsouth.com in Mar 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
GARY GO INTERVIEW @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, SOUTHSEA
It’s a lovely breezy Sunday in Southsea. Many people are today hurrying to petrol stations all across the UK, fighting each other for the last bunch of flowers and considering taking the ‘rents for a special meal at the nearest Harvester. Most people that is; apart from the handful of hardcore Gary Go fans stamping their feet outside the Wedgewood Rooms, a slightly hassled-looking tour manager, and Gary Go himself. How does your mother feel about you missing Mothers’ Day, Gary? “Not happy,” he admits.
London-based Gary Go is a snappily-dressed writer of dramatic pop-rock tunes. You may have caught him supporting the likes of Amy Macdonald and The Feeling, putting heart, soul and everything else into his singing and performance. He was cherry-picked by comeback champions Take That to support on their tour. He also wears glasses. But more of that later.
Slender, neatly suited and bespectacled, Gary politely offers to fetch me a drink before settling down to the interview in the dressing room. He’s friendly and eager to chat. It’s the first night of his joint headline tour with VV Brown, and he appears quietly confident.
How did you feel when you woke up this morning and thought, I’m going to Portsmouth tonight? “I felt good, last time I was in Portsmouth I had a really, really good time playing with The Script. The audience were amazing and I’ve wanted to come back here for a while. I’m excited about the tour. VV’s cool, I just met her now for the first time, it should be fun. I feel a bit under-prepared but it should be good.”
Is this your first headline tour? “Yeah. That is very exciting. Especially because I’ve been doing a lot of supports for the last year or so with bigger acts, so it’s nice.”
Nice to have your face on those posters? “Yeah! Definitely,” he laughs.
You could steal them and have them all round your room. “Exactly, frame them, put them up in the studio.”
Give them out to your friends at Christmas. “That would be a pretty cheap Christmas. It’s the thought that counts, right?”
The posters advertising tonight’s gig show Gary’s logo, a Gok-Wan-a-like image, though the man actually has a slight resemblance to Elijah Wood. Let’s talk glasses. “I assume you’re not talking about drinking glasses,” says Gary, quite correctly. I was reading an article on the BBC and one of the first things they seemed to point out is that you wear glasses, like it’s some kind of strange thing.
“I think it’s very odd. I think they’re like ‘wow, you’re making glasses cool’ and I’m like, I think it’s kinda cool to see! It’s become a thing for people, I don’t know. But it gives me an excuse to buy loads of different pairs of glasses now and spoil myself.”
It may surprise you to know that Mr Go was originally christened Mr Baker. Does he get fed up with people asking where his name came from? “No, not at all. There are a few different genuine answers to the same question, but I recall it being given to me by a family friend at a party, and then it kind of took on new meaning and new life as it went on. I got really into Go the game at one point, which is a Japanese board game, it’s about strategy and balancing the mind. I was working in the mail-room of a studio: ‘Gary, go get this, go get that’. So it took on new meaning at different times.”
Gary started out working in a record company “making tea and franking mail and scraping graffiti off walls,” which was how he got into the music industry. “The day after I left school, I just wanted to work in music so I got a job. It’s a good place to start… I started working for Dave Stewart from the Eurhythmics and then I had an interview with Peter Gabriel, I was going to start working at his studio. He was the one who said ‘You should just go and work on your own music’ but I loved working in a record company.”
Gary Go is a solo artist but he’s always seen his music project as a “kind of collective. I mean it’s my songs and I produce the album but there’s loads of musicians and different people I love playing with and recording with.” On tour this time round, the band includes Andreas on guitar, Pete on drums, and Tim on horn and keyboards.
From making tea to the Wedgewood Rooms and onto Wembley, Gary Go will be opening for Take That on their summer tour. “Jason Orange phoned me up personally – no he didn’t. my manager phoned me up and told me about it, it’s great. I get to play Wembley Stadium which is right by where I grew up so that’s pretty cool. It’s a weird gig that to be honest, you’re opening such a huge event, I don’t know how it’s going to be.”
Do you feel like you have to do something special? Gary starts to look a little nervous. “It will be light out which I don’t like, I like it when it’s dark. It will be like playing a festival in some way, there will be a lot of people talking and it’s their day out, I don’t know how it goes down playing a show of that size when people haven’t come to see you. Step up to the challenge, that’s the plan.”
Gary Go’s first proper single release was the pleasantly epic drama-pop ‘Wonderful’, which we’ll make clear is not some sort of ego trip. “It’s so funny, people think that I’m saying that I am wonderful. I really don’t have any pity for people who misinterpret the song, it’s just they’re not listening properly.
“I was feeling pretty down and insecure, I was living on my own in New Jersey, making a start on the album. I didn’t have a big record deal or anything or a big producer, I was just doing it on my own. I had no guidance, and started dipping a bit in my self esteem. I guess I wrote that song to bring me back on track and people have been finding the message in how it was written.
“I got a long message from someone yesterday, this girl she was really nervous and she really wanted this job, She was going through her iPod as she was waiting to be called and ‘Wonderful’ just came on random shuffle, and that perked her up and made her feel good about everything. She got the job and she’s coming to one of the gigs on tour and wants to buy me a drink!”
“Songs which boost me up, there are lots from artists I love: ‘Heroes’, ‘Under Pressure’ which was the first record I ever bought, ‘Sledgehammer’, ‘Black and Gold’, ‘Walking On A Dream’.”
I can recommend The Hours ‘Ali In The Jungle.’ “That’s cool, I should check that out. I don’t know much of their music but they’re cool. Art scene, Damien Hirst, right?”
As well as helping people pass job interviews, Gary has been working on a special project, a track called ‘Heart Shaped Balloon’. “I was in my kitchen making tea and I looked out the window and there was this heart shaped balloon caught in the tree. I was like, that’s a beautiful image. So I posted it on Twitter trying to get people’s lyrical ideas for this song and loads of people have posted ideas in. Now I’m going to put the song together and it will be the first Twitter co-write. Equal royalties for everyone… I was thinking maybe it will go to charity, or a charity who retrieve heart shaped balloons. And I want to get everyone that messaged in to come and sing on it as well.”
The next proper release will be ‘Open Arms’, and the video was only filmed last week. “I went to Mars for the video. There and back in a day. That’s very impressive. I was an astronaut.”
“I ran into an old school friend I hadn’t seen in years, he was like ‘oh whatever happened to Joe, the guy in maths class, and whatever happened to…’ and I just wrote a list of whatever happened to’s and then that became the basis for the song. And it’s another self esteem track in a weird kind of way, and that’s a thread that runs through the album about trying to see the good side of dark situations.”
Ah yes, the album. It’s been made in the Catskill mountains, Prague, London, and ‘all sorts of places.’ We’re trying to discuss it but the dressing room is echoing to the sound of drums onstage. “I’m picking up the Dictaphone now because the band are playing. The album is out May 18th. Is that bad that I picked up your Dictaphone?” says Gary, looking at me sideways. “Did I cross the line?”
Well, I’m not going to come onstage tonight and pick up your keyboard. “Oh no! You’re getting really upset with me. [The album] has been made with passion, an independently made record, with a lot of love and a load of great musicians were playing and singing on there. And heartfelt songs, organic instruments and I don’t know what more I can say, When it’s your first album it feels like it’s your whole life that you’ve been doing it. I look forward to you hearing it. Then you can slate it,” he jokes.
And with that Gary Go shakes my hand, thanks me several times, adjusts his black-rimmed spectacles and steps outside to cheerfully greet his fans. The tour is about to begin…
http://www.myspace.com/garygo
First published on mintsouth.com in Mar 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
GARY GO INTERVIEW @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, SOUTHSEA
It’s a lovely breezy Sunday in Southsea. Many people are today hurrying to petrol stations all across the UK, fighting each other for the last bunch of flowers and considering taking the ‘rents for a special meal at the nearest Harvester. Most people that is; apart from the handful of hardcore Gary Go fans stamping their feet outside the Wedgewood Rooms, a slightly hassled-looking tour manager, and Gary Go himself. How does your mother feel about you missing Mothers’ Day, Gary? “Not happy,” he admits.
London-based Gary Go is a snappily-dressed writer of dramatic pop-rock tunes. You may have caught him supporting the likes of Amy Macdonald and The Feeling, putting heart, soul and everything else into his singing and performance. He was cherry-picked by comeback champions Take That to support on their tour. He also wears glasses. But more of that later.
Slender, neatly suited and bespectacled, Gary politely offers to fetch me a drink before settling down to the interview in the dressing room. He’s friendly and eager to chat. It’s the first night of his joint headline tour with VV Brown, and he appears quietly confident.
How did you feel when you woke up this morning and thought, I’m going to Portsmouth tonight? “I felt good, last time I was in Portsmouth I had a really, really good time playing with The Script. The audience were amazing and I’ve wanted to come back here for a while. I’m excited about the tour. VV’s cool, I just met her now for the first time, it should be fun. I feel a bit under-prepared but it should be good.”
Is this your first headline tour? “Yeah. That is very exciting. Especially because I’ve been doing a lot of supports for the last year or so with bigger acts, so it’s nice.”
Nice to have your face on those posters? “Yeah! Definitely,” he laughs.
You could steal them and have them all round your room. “Exactly, frame them, put them up in the studio.”
Give them out to your friends at Christmas. “That would be a pretty cheap Christmas. It’s the thought that counts, right?”
The posters advertising tonight’s gig show Gary’s logo, a Gok-Wan-a-like image, though the man actually has a slight resemblance to Elijah Wood. Let’s talk glasses. “I assume you’re not talking about drinking glasses,” says Gary, quite correctly. I was reading an article on the BBC and one of the first things they seemed to point out is that you wear glasses, like it’s some kind of strange thing.
“I think it’s very odd. I think they’re like ‘wow, you’re making glasses cool’ and I’m like, I think it’s kinda cool to see! It’s become a thing for people, I don’t know. But it gives me an excuse to buy loads of different pairs of glasses now and spoil myself.”
It may surprise you to know that Mr Go was originally christened Mr Baker. Does he get fed up with people asking where his name came from? “No, not at all. There are a few different genuine answers to the same question, but I recall it being given to me by a family friend at a party, and then it kind of took on new meaning and new life as it went on. I got really into Go the game at one point, which is a Japanese board game, it’s about strategy and balancing the mind. I was working in the mail-room of a studio: ‘Gary, go get this, go get that’. So it took on new meaning at different times.”
Gary started out working in a record company “making tea and franking mail and scraping graffiti off walls,” which was how he got into the music industry. “The day after I left school, I just wanted to work in music so I got a job. It’s a good place to start… I started working for Dave Stewart from the Eurhythmics and then I had an interview with Peter Gabriel, I was going to start working at his studio. He was the one who said ‘You should just go and work on your own music’ but I loved working in a record company.”
Gary Go is a solo artist but he’s always seen his music project as a “kind of collective. I mean it’s my songs and I produce the album but there’s loads of musicians and different people I love playing with and recording with.” On tour this time round, the band includes Andreas on guitar, Pete on drums, and Tim on horn and keyboards.
From making tea to the Wedgewood Rooms and onto Wembley, Gary Go will be opening for Take That on their summer tour. “Jason Orange phoned me up personally – no he didn’t. my manager phoned me up and told me about it, it’s great. I get to play Wembley Stadium which is right by where I grew up so that’s pretty cool. It’s a weird gig that to be honest, you’re opening such a huge event, I don’t know how it’s going to be.”
Do you feel like you have to do something special? Gary starts to look a little nervous. “It will be light out which I don’t like, I like it when it’s dark. It will be like playing a festival in some way, there will be a lot of people talking and it’s their day out, I don’t know how it goes down playing a show of that size when people haven’t come to see you. Step up to the challenge, that’s the plan.”
Gary Go’s first proper single release was the pleasantly epic drama-pop ‘Wonderful’, which we’ll make clear is not some sort of ego trip. “It’s so funny, people think that I’m saying that I am wonderful. I really don’t have any pity for people who misinterpret the song, it’s just they’re not listening properly.
“I was feeling pretty down and insecure, I was living on my own in New Jersey, making a start on the album. I didn’t have a big record deal or anything or a big producer, I was just doing it on my own. I had no guidance, and started dipping a bit in my self esteem. I guess I wrote that song to bring me back on track and people have been finding the message in how it was written.
“I got a long message from someone yesterday, this girl she was really nervous and she really wanted this job, She was going through her iPod as she was waiting to be called and ‘Wonderful’ just came on random shuffle, and that perked her up and made her feel good about everything. She got the job and she’s coming to one of the gigs on tour and wants to buy me a drink!”
“Songs which boost me up, there are lots from artists I love: ‘Heroes’, ‘Under Pressure’ which was the first record I ever bought, ‘Sledgehammer’, ‘Black and Gold’, ‘Walking On A Dream’.”
I can recommend The Hours ‘Ali In The Jungle.’ “That’s cool, I should check that out. I don’t know much of their music but they’re cool. Art scene, Damien Hirst, right?”
As well as helping people pass job interviews, Gary has been working on a special project, a track called ‘Heart Shaped Balloon’. “I was in my kitchen making tea and I looked out the window and there was this heart shaped balloon caught in the tree. I was like, that’s a beautiful image. So I posted it on Twitter trying to get people’s lyrical ideas for this song and loads of people have posted ideas in. Now I’m going to put the song together and it will be the first Twitter co-write. Equal royalties for everyone… I was thinking maybe it will go to charity, or a charity who retrieve heart shaped balloons. And I want to get everyone that messaged in to come and sing on it as well.”
The next proper release will be ‘Open Arms’, and the video was only filmed last week. “I went to Mars for the video. There and back in a day. That’s very impressive. I was an astronaut.”
“I ran into an old school friend I hadn’t seen in years, he was like ‘oh whatever happened to Joe, the guy in maths class, and whatever happened to…’ and I just wrote a list of whatever happened to’s and then that became the basis for the song. And it’s another self esteem track in a weird kind of way, and that’s a thread that runs through the album about trying to see the good side of dark situations.”
Ah yes, the album. It’s been made in the Catskill mountains, Prague, London, and ‘all sorts of places.’ We’re trying to discuss it but the dressing room is echoing to the sound of drums onstage. “I’m picking up the Dictaphone now because the band are playing. The album is out May 18th. Is that bad that I picked up your Dictaphone?” says Gary, looking at me sideways. “Did I cross the line?”
Well, I’m not going to come onstage tonight and pick up your keyboard. “Oh no! You’re getting really upset with me. [The album] has been made with passion, an independently made record, with a lot of love and a load of great musicians were playing and singing on there. And heartfelt songs, organic instruments and I don’t know what more I can say, When it’s your first album it feels like it’s your whole life that you’ve been doing it. I look forward to you hearing it. Then you can slate it,” he jokes.
And with that Gary Go shakes my hand, thanks me several times, adjusts his black-rimmed spectacles and steps outside to cheerfully greet his fans. The tour is about to begin…
http://www.myspace.com/garygo
Live Review - Tremain, Vagabond, The Elizans (Cellars at Eastney)
First pubslihed on www.mintsouth.com in Mar 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
TREMAIN, VAGABOND, THE ELIZANS @ THE CELLARS AT EASTNEY 14/03/2009
The Cellars is a lovely little venue, but could be improved if that massive pillar wasn’t blocking everyone’s view. Well I say ‘everyone’; the man in front of me could see fine, due to the fact he was seven feet tall. I spent half the gig only able to watch onstage antics courtesy of a reflection in a nearby picture – fail safe I thought, until Tall Man toppled sideways and blocked this too. Thanks mate.
First onstage were jazz gangsters The Elizans, who win extra points for their Prohibition era-style hats and suits. I’m not sure if their guitar cases held some Mafiosa weaponry or just instruments, but decided not to insult their mothers just in case. They play smooth melodies aided with some warm brass tones and although it is comfortable to listen to it doesn’t look easy to play, with the band displaying some quick and nifty finger-work. Their set started out with jazz then moved onto upbeat Sixties pop. It was strangely relaxing for a Saturday night out, but certainly enjoyable.
Second band Vagabond should have been headlining tonight. They really should. Singer Alex Vargos stepped out and immediately stunned the crowd with his spectacular singing voice. Kudos to the rest of the band for turning up to support him, but the music burbled along in the background and was really only there to showcase the vocals. Every note was spot on, every curl and tremble of the voice was well practised and dead correct. Hiding shyly under his mop of hair, concentrated expression and 80s t shirt, Alex really is the ideal front-man; perhaps purchased in flat-pack form from the new IKEA.
The bassline led a merry dance in the background with the odd soulful blast of brass. The band are signed to Geffen (single ‘Sweat (Until The Morning)’ was given an airing tonight) and it’s easy to see why: their radio-friendly sounds combined with the perfect voice, non-offensive sound and easy on the eye appearance would make any record label executive give thanks upon receiving their demo. With such a big sound in such a small room, they would do well at an open-air gig or as a stadium support act – and maybe one day will be headlining there themselves.
The final band tonight were retro disco funk party act Tremain who did a wonderful job of making the man opposite me dance like he was on a rowing machine. Rich and feminine harmonies combined with the brass to create a feelgood set, made even more impressive by the fact there were seven band members crammed on a tiny stage.
Lead singer Leonie Tremain danced happily all the while in her roses-and-black dress, a massive grin on her face, encouraging the audience to clap along, but the band don’t need an audience to feed off as they are more than capable of starting their own joyful party which everyone is more than welcome to join. At the end I was worried they were about to announce a split, such was the heartfelt thanks they gave to the other bands and relief at their long-awaited live CD, but it was genuine happiness at being up there on stage entertaining their friends in the crowd. While the night wasn’t entirely groundbreaking music-wise, it definitely left a pleasantly uplifted feeling in your soul.
http://www.theelizans.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/vagabond
http://www.tremain.biz/
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
TREMAIN, VAGABOND, THE ELIZANS @ THE CELLARS AT EASTNEY 14/03/2009
The Cellars is a lovely little venue, but could be improved if that massive pillar wasn’t blocking everyone’s view. Well I say ‘everyone’; the man in front of me could see fine, due to the fact he was seven feet tall. I spent half the gig only able to watch onstage antics courtesy of a reflection in a nearby picture – fail safe I thought, until Tall Man toppled sideways and blocked this too. Thanks mate.
First onstage were jazz gangsters The Elizans, who win extra points for their Prohibition era-style hats and suits. I’m not sure if their guitar cases held some Mafiosa weaponry or just instruments, but decided not to insult their mothers just in case. They play smooth melodies aided with some warm brass tones and although it is comfortable to listen to it doesn’t look easy to play, with the band displaying some quick and nifty finger-work. Their set started out with jazz then moved onto upbeat Sixties pop. It was strangely relaxing for a Saturday night out, but certainly enjoyable.
Second band Vagabond should have been headlining tonight. They really should. Singer Alex Vargos stepped out and immediately stunned the crowd with his spectacular singing voice. Kudos to the rest of the band for turning up to support him, but the music burbled along in the background and was really only there to showcase the vocals. Every note was spot on, every curl and tremble of the voice was well practised and dead correct. Hiding shyly under his mop of hair, concentrated expression and 80s t shirt, Alex really is the ideal front-man; perhaps purchased in flat-pack form from the new IKEA.
The bassline led a merry dance in the background with the odd soulful blast of brass. The band are signed to Geffen (single ‘Sweat (Until The Morning)’ was given an airing tonight) and it’s easy to see why: their radio-friendly sounds combined with the perfect voice, non-offensive sound and easy on the eye appearance would make any record label executive give thanks upon receiving their demo. With such a big sound in such a small room, they would do well at an open-air gig or as a stadium support act – and maybe one day will be headlining there themselves.
The final band tonight were retro disco funk party act Tremain who did a wonderful job of making the man opposite me dance like he was on a rowing machine. Rich and feminine harmonies combined with the brass to create a feelgood set, made even more impressive by the fact there were seven band members crammed on a tiny stage.
Lead singer Leonie Tremain danced happily all the while in her roses-and-black dress, a massive grin on her face, encouraging the audience to clap along, but the band don’t need an audience to feed off as they are more than capable of starting their own joyful party which everyone is more than welcome to join. At the end I was worried they were about to announce a split, such was the heartfelt thanks they gave to the other bands and relief at their long-awaited live CD, but it was genuine happiness at being up there on stage entertaining their friends in the crowd. While the night wasn’t entirely groundbreaking music-wise, it definitely left a pleasantly uplifted feeling in your soul.
http://www.theelizans.co.uk/
http://www.myspace.com/vagabond
http://www.tremain.biz/
Live Review - The Gaslight Anthem, Frank Turner (Wedgewood Rooms)
Hurrah! I have returned from the writing wilderness, and am spamming the good readers of ever-lovely South scene site mintsouth with reviews etc.
First published on mintsouth.com in Feb 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM / FRANK TURNER @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, 07/02/2009
The weather has been playing havoc with gigs across the UK, with many snowed off. This one was delayed because The Gaslight Anthem were forced to halt their transatlantic flight in Glasgow when they should have been several hundred miles further south, playing to a sold out Wedgewood Rooms. The band has forgiven everyone though because apparently we don’t know how to handle snow: “I wouldn’t know what to do if it was something that had never happened before,” the singer announces. “Like if I got a fire on my face. I wouldn’t know how to put it out. But I wouldn’t close an airport.”
Polar Bear Club were due to play tonight but have double-booked themselves, meaning we get an hour-long Frank Turner set to open. It looks like most of the crowd here is more than familiar with his songs, judging from the number who join in with lines such as “The only thing left to do is get another round in at the bar” and “We’re definitely going to hell, but we’ll have all the best stories to tell.” Not to mention the latecomers shuffling in, loudly whispering what an unexpected surprise it is to see him play.
The way he connects with the audience and their warmth towards him reminds me of Morrissey, but in a less scary way. For while Morrissey deals with self-pity and the feeling that you’re on the brink - alone – Frank Turner has a much more typically British sense of optimism and real life self-deprecation. It’s not ‘No-one has ever loved me’, it’s the whole ‘Mustn’t grumble’ aspect. As in, ‘We wished we loved each other enough, but we didn’t, so we accepted it and got on with life, same as you did… now is anyone for a pint?’ It’s refreshing and cheerful, but not forced.
Songs tonight include a rousing chorus of ‘Who The F**king Hell Are Slipknot?’, ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The One Of Me’, ‘Substitute’, ‘The Real Damage’ and ‘The Ballad Of Me And My Friends.’ To be honest, Frank Turner is probably worth the ticket price alone.
In 2008, Kerrang! labelled the Gaslight Anthem as the best new band you’d hear in 2008. Without sounding rude, that was last year. The band, whilst playing enjoyable rock, don’t seem to have any special stand out qualities that make the mosh-pit rise as one, or make your spine shiver, or make you instantly Twitter them to all and sundry.
The Gaslight Anthem have a harsher rock sound, yet convey a strangely familiar sense of comfort in the darkness. It all sounds slightly much of a muchness, but the band is hard to dislike because of singer Brian Fallon’s charisma and easy-going charm, dismissing hecklers with “If you’ve got a better story to tell, let’s all hear it,” and promising to shovel the snow next time we suffer any. “We’re a working class band. We know how to work.”
Normally in circumstances such as this, when the music is background to my daydreams instead of taking my full attention, I begin commenting in a very mature way about what onstage garb the bands have inexplicably chosen to wear. Sadly this plan was also thwarted. The singer had a sort of golfing flat cap on. I know this because I could see the top of his head behind the tall people who had sprung up out of nowhere into my line of vision. The rest of the band were hidden from my sight; the view of a small person.
Songs tonight include ‘Blue Jeans And White T Shirts,’ ‘Old White Lincoln’ and ‘I’da Called You Woody, Joe.’ The guy next to me absolutely loves their controlled, professional punk passion, and is singing away as loudly as he can. There’s a lot of band chat about Bruce Springsteen, about Rod Stewart’s hair, and the occasional lapse into Bon Jovi songs, but I’m just not feeling it. Perhaps you need to have heard the album to fully appreciate the live show.
To summarise, Frank Turner is a diamond and the Gaslight Anthem are All Right. The moral of that story is that different music speaks to different people. And I know what speaks to me.
http://www.myspace.com/frankturner
http://www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem
First published on mintsouth.com in Feb 2009
Words - Suzy Sims
Editor - Rob Ball
(c) mintsouth
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM / FRANK TURNER @ WEDGEWOOD ROOMS, 07/02/2009
The weather has been playing havoc with gigs across the UK, with many snowed off. This one was delayed because The Gaslight Anthem were forced to halt their transatlantic flight in Glasgow when they should have been several hundred miles further south, playing to a sold out Wedgewood Rooms. The band has forgiven everyone though because apparently we don’t know how to handle snow: “I wouldn’t know what to do if it was something that had never happened before,” the singer announces. “Like if I got a fire on my face. I wouldn’t know how to put it out. But I wouldn’t close an airport.”
Polar Bear Club were due to play tonight but have double-booked themselves, meaning we get an hour-long Frank Turner set to open. It looks like most of the crowd here is more than familiar with his songs, judging from the number who join in with lines such as “The only thing left to do is get another round in at the bar” and “We’re definitely going to hell, but we’ll have all the best stories to tell.” Not to mention the latecomers shuffling in, loudly whispering what an unexpected surprise it is to see him play.
The way he connects with the audience and their warmth towards him reminds me of Morrissey, but in a less scary way. For while Morrissey deals with self-pity and the feeling that you’re on the brink - alone – Frank Turner has a much more typically British sense of optimism and real life self-deprecation. It’s not ‘No-one has ever loved me’, it’s the whole ‘Mustn’t grumble’ aspect. As in, ‘We wished we loved each other enough, but we didn’t, so we accepted it and got on with life, same as you did… now is anyone for a pint?’ It’s refreshing and cheerful, but not forced.
Songs tonight include a rousing chorus of ‘Who The F**king Hell Are Slipknot?’, ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For The One Of Me’, ‘Substitute’, ‘The Real Damage’ and ‘The Ballad Of Me And My Friends.’ To be honest, Frank Turner is probably worth the ticket price alone.
In 2008, Kerrang! labelled the Gaslight Anthem as the best new band you’d hear in 2008. Without sounding rude, that was last year. The band, whilst playing enjoyable rock, don’t seem to have any special stand out qualities that make the mosh-pit rise as one, or make your spine shiver, or make you instantly Twitter them to all and sundry.
The Gaslight Anthem have a harsher rock sound, yet convey a strangely familiar sense of comfort in the darkness. It all sounds slightly much of a muchness, but the band is hard to dislike because of singer Brian Fallon’s charisma and easy-going charm, dismissing hecklers with “If you’ve got a better story to tell, let’s all hear it,” and promising to shovel the snow next time we suffer any. “We’re a working class band. We know how to work.”
Normally in circumstances such as this, when the music is background to my daydreams instead of taking my full attention, I begin commenting in a very mature way about what onstage garb the bands have inexplicably chosen to wear. Sadly this plan was also thwarted. The singer had a sort of golfing flat cap on. I know this because I could see the top of his head behind the tall people who had sprung up out of nowhere into my line of vision. The rest of the band were hidden from my sight; the view of a small person.
Songs tonight include ‘Blue Jeans And White T Shirts,’ ‘Old White Lincoln’ and ‘I’da Called You Woody, Joe.’ The guy next to me absolutely loves their controlled, professional punk passion, and is singing away as loudly as he can. There’s a lot of band chat about Bruce Springsteen, about Rod Stewart’s hair, and the occasional lapse into Bon Jovi songs, but I’m just not feeling it. Perhaps you need to have heard the album to fully appreciate the live show.
To summarise, Frank Turner is a diamond and the Gaslight Anthem are All Right. The moral of that story is that different music speaks to different people. And I know what speaks to me.
http://www.myspace.com/frankturner
http://www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem
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