1,000 Babysteps

Just a little shriek of HURRAY to mark the first 1,000 hits on here since starting the blog in October last year and considering the limited publicity I've given this as well as hardly giving it my whole attention myself I'm bloody chuffed.
Thank you for tolerating my presence. It's been a fantastic push towards getting out there and cracking on with this writing business, in-between the suffocating smog of work that A Level literature, language, and godforsaken history entail, seemingly eclipsing all else.
It's been a mega learning curve and I've enjoyed every minute of it so far.
Here's to a summer of festival induced poverty, chats, cats, potential spats, copious amounts reading and a gap year of hella lotta more where this came from!
Eyes to the skies.

x

Fierce Newcomers: The Lion

Duo Leo Braukmann Pugsley and Callum White

Forming but five months ago, forged deep in the Devonian wilds, Blues-Rock duo 'The Lion' are slowly but surely working their way up through the ranks. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Drenge and The White Stripes the two took a minute before their gig at Exeter's Phoenix Arts Centre to bask in the blazing Exeter sunshine and consolidate their rising success.

So how long have you been together?

Leo: We were in another band before with a friend. We had loads of names, but it never really kicked off. It was difficult so we ended up cutting it down and he wanted to go own way anyway and we kept it just simple, two piece, rock n roll.

How do you find the two-piece works in terms of dynamics, is it right for you?

Leo: it's good because when we play together live,it's just two of us and we can just sort of go with it. The energy's there, even though there's not a lot of texture and things it's fun and it means we can do a lot with our live performance. When we're live it means then we go out there we just make the performance as good as we can.
Callum: we only rely on each other. There's no one else to rely on it's just TWO. It's a lot easier.

With the rise of two piece bands such as Drenge, would you say that they had an influence on you at all?

Leo: Oh definitely a lot yeah! We've seen them, they came to our local venue and we do have a lot of influence from bands like the White Stripes, a little bit of early Black Keys, just all that kinda vibe. Blues/Rock influence, Garage/Rock Guitar sort of stuff.

How would you categorise your sound then?

Leo: Blues? Rock, Garage, Rock n Roll. Something like that, it's a hybrid infusion.


Where do you see yourselves going from this gig? Do you have high aspirations?

Callum: FUCK YES.
Leo: (more tentatively) We'd love to hit it big time, definitely. We'd sell out in a heartbeat. We wanna go to the top. Next year we're going separate ways but I see the band staying together and we'll keep gigging. It's good for us, it's promotion and experience and an opportunity to get in with the local bands.

Do you think there is a specific Exeter scene then?

Leo: There is an Exeter scene, yeah but it's a bit.. shit. We're just breaking into it really but there are also some really good bands in Exeter. We like 'The Big V', they're quite big I mean they're playing gigs in London and stuff. I saw they were playing one the other week in London, not that that means it's a huge venue but I think two of the members actually live there. There's a lot of bands who are around who are popular but we think are shit. But I won't name any names.

Obviously you've got this gig tonight, any other upcoming gigs where people can catch you?

Leo: Yeah we're playing on Friday 18th April at Tobacco House on the Quay which is like a new up and coming venue. There's quite a lot going on down there and there's a festival down there as well in May which we're playing at with loads of other local bands so that'll be good for us.

Do you find it easier to write lyrics of music first? Or do they come relatively together?

Callum: It changes every time really, though the lyrics usually come first.

What have you two been listening to recently?

Leo: Who was it who performed on Letterman recently? Future Islands, they're like a synth-pop group. Man that performance was so good, you seen it? The guys is there literally fully going for it and turns into a goblin, it's fucking sound. They're like 40 or something?
Callum: to be fair,  there's a group from Ireland playing at the moment called The Strypes?
Leo: Oh god, not the young guys?
Calum: I think fair play to them I think they're pretty good for their age.
Leo: The Rolling Stones did a gig for their 50th Anniversary and they thought: 'ooooh let's ride on that wave!'. They're definitely doing well I mean they're great musicians and they're so young so good for them. I shouldn't be jealous really, but, I am.
Callum: I dunno, I haven't listened to them but I've definitely checked them out.

And finally, the age old conundrum; (as answered by the fabled James Bagshaw himself) B-ow-ie or B-oh-ie?

Leo: B-OH-IE! EVERY SINGLE TIME B-OH-IE! and he's a big influence as well
Callum: oh no. I used to say B-ow-ie. Should I say B-ow-ie? I'll say B-ow-ie for you.




The Lion perform at The Old Tobacco House on Friday 18th April and Off Quay Festival from 25th-26th May.




For fail-safe groovin' and musical enrichment, click on over to:

https://soundcloud.com/thelionmusic

for more details look below at:
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelionmusic?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/events/137463743090513/
https://www.facebook.com/events/603878036353119/?ref=22

Bombay Bicycle Club at Exeter Uni’s Great Hall 17/03/14

Drawing the predictable melange of charity shop jumpers and Doc Martens, Bombay Bicycle Club took centre stage at the Great Hall playing a sold out set in the halfway leg of their UK tour. 
Swept there on a compelling tide of nostalgia and elated on expectations of £23 tickets, that were needless to say; high.
The band have received heady mainstream success from album number four ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ with singles such as ‘Luna’ gracing the airwaves of the daytime Radio One playlist. 
The set was a notch up in professionalism from the 2010 post ‘had the blues’ relative underground status, they’re big boys now. Support act ‘Flyte’ seemed reminiscent of a mediocre Mystery Jets minus the 80s hype, though pleasantly harmonious. 
This was soon followed by Rae (‘The Hair’) Morris, a radiant songstress who sat, somewhat subdued, at the keyboard whispering delicate vocals. A poignant affair, songs such as current single ‘Skin’ were beautifully executed. 
Bombay were confidently commanding with spirits soon became frenzied by the very presence of the quartet. The Indie introvert pin-up boy Steadman was brilliant as ever, despite the vivaciousness of early tracks such as ‘How Can You Swallow so Much Sleep?’ and ‘Always Like this’ possibly subtracting from the sincerity of  ‘Eyes Off You’ with vocals slightly lapsing. 
Use of mesmerising graphics projected onto circular screens were stunningly implemented, the Asian-fusion undertone to tracks such as ‘Feel’ seeing a gang of artsy cobras grace the background to which guitarist Jamie Maccoll exclaimed ‘RELEASE THE SNAKES!’ to much effect. 
‘Luna’ also saw a Disclosure- esque mockery of the band’s ‘interative’ online video with rotating silhouettes of Steadman and accomplices. 
A ‘Flaws’less performance that secured crowd pleasing old ‘Evening/Morning’, ‘Shuffle’ ‘Light Out, Words Gone’ with an encore of the sublime ‘What If’ and ‘Carry Me’ it was triumphant effort from a band who have certainly secured themselves as seminal figures in the alternative

Photo credit to the delightful Molly Hayden

also published at: http://www.theexeterdaily.co.uk/news/entertainment-reviews/bombay-bicycle-club-review

artist S Mark Gubb provides an insight into upcoming Exeter installation

Exeter’s Phoenix centre is set to host Cardiff dwelling artist Mark Gubb’s upcoming new venture. Gubb’s work provides an insight into 1980s Britan drawing upon socio-political issues. Here, Gubb takes the time to answer some questions.

Hi Mark, what can you tell us about the new installation?

It's a collection of new works that encompass a whole bunch of different media and ideas. There are also consistent ideas that run through a lot of what I do – I'm particularly interested in misinformation, controlling forces – whether that be an obvious one, such as an elected government, or something more unseen, such as the psychological side of marketing – and communication between people in general, how this can break down and the implications of that.

There is a prevailing awareness of the 1980s that influences your work. How do you think today’s economic climate might inspire a future generation of artists?

That's an interesting question, in so far as in so many ways, we are in exactly the same situation now as we were in the 80s – strikes, riots, Conservative government, military action, economic depression – it's uncanny really. Under this government the economic climate for the arts is only ever going to get worse, but as always happens, interesting things come out of adversity; people making do and finding other ways and means to realise their creative visions. The real inspiration, so far as I see it, comes out of the reality of the day to day existence – in the same way that I have been influenced by the climate and paranoias of the time, so a new generation will be inspired by what's happening today.

Do you feel that the environments in which your exhibitions are at all encompasses the message you are conveying?

In one part of my practice, I have a real interest in working site-specifically, responding to particular geographies or histories, but those are specific commissions that request that focus from the very beginning. Another part of my practice is what you'll see at the Phoenix – a studio practice, developed around particular points of interest I find in the world. The best analogy I can make is to think of a gallery show as an album – a band writes an album in their garage/rehearsal room wherever they live in the world, then that album gets listened to in bedrooms all over the world. The connection people feel with those songs isn't specific to their individual location, but connects for more personal reasons.

How do you feel your will influences the perceptions of those attending the exhibition?

This is a really tough question to answer – one of the key questions that artists have been asking themselves forever. I may set something up in the gallery that means people can only move through it in a certain direction, or have something very over-bearing that I know will connect on quite a visceral level. But, at the end of the day, any artist has to be aware that every viewer brings their own set of ideas and experiences to any work. Some of the best insights I have ever gained in to my own work have come through things that other people have told me about my work, not things I have figured out for myself.

Do you think the intention of art is to be eye-opening to those observing it or a self-fulfilling act? Or both?

Eye-opening would suggest that something needs to contain an inherent shock or entertainment value, then self-fulfilling suggests something very introspective, even selfish. I'm interested in both of those positions on some level, but also all that grey area in the middle. All I ever really hope for my work is that it might make someone think. Maybe hold something back up to them for another inspection and have them thinking, 'I've never thought of it like that before'. I'm offering a shifted perspective on the world that opens up room for discussion or reconsideration. I'm selfish enough to think that as an artist, you don't owe your audience anything. What I really mean is that you can't second guess who your audience are or what they will think. It's about honesty at the end of the day. I think most people can sense integrity and honesty a mile off, so you owe it to them and to yourself just to be honest.

The exhibition voices the ‘losers’ of history- who would you see as society’s present day losers?

I think we are living in very dangerous times, and by that I don't mean a threat of physical harm, despite what we are told by the media, day in, day out. We have reached a time where the economic value or cost of anything is the first consideration of everything, as opposed to the humanitarian cost or value. We have politicians that are so disconnected from the reality of the lives of the majority of the population that they can't even begin to understand that reality, let alone do anything to support or improve it. I want to live in a civilisation that is empathetic, supportive and compassionate. You can say that everyone is currently losing, whether we look at the erosion of the NHS and civil liberties, basic freedoms or any kind of vision for future generations. the way we structure our societies and values has to drastically change or humanity is doomed. I know that makes me sound like an old hippy, but when we have almost every area of our existence being proven to be unsustainable in the long-term, from energy and food production, to the very air we breathe, we've got to accept that we're losing, it's just some will be going down in luxury yachts whilst the rest of us drown first. Either way everyone's ultimately going down. On that happy note, I'll finish.

The exhibition ‘History is Written by the Winners’ at Exeter Phoenix centre opens on the 28^th March. Workshops and further information is also available at: http://www.exeterphoenix.org.uk/events/s-mark-gubb-history-is-written-by-the-winners/

photo credit:

http://locwsinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/artworks/gubb/gubb2.jpg

For further information: http://www.smarkgubb.com/

JAWS at Exeter Cavern 22/01/14 : Squats, Nights out with Miley and a Caterpillar cake

Cavern’s own ‘KINK’ night; wooing students and kindred alternative musical sprits sparsely scattered over the west-country wide.  ‘The Big V’ play supporting in a splay of blackened red and glitter and forcibly feisty female vocals with subtle undertones of Portishead. ‘The Boy is Easily Broken’ we are told, attempting to set the scene for a throng of violent revellers to some avail. 

Yet deep in the burrows of the venue we find the Birmingham collective JAWS nestling, somewhat wearily following an 8 song set, ‘Stay in’ ‘Toucan’ and ‘Gold’ rousing crowds to a flurry of faux-american pop liberally laced with synths. 

They gather tentatively round the ‘VIP’ broom cupboard and comparatively luxurious toilet. Spirits are high with the birthday bassist Jake beaming after a spectacle of anthemic 90s infused ‘surf-pop’ numbers, cast adrift to Devonian shores. 

Ultimately in a style wholly true to myself I decidedly squat myself next to bubbling guitarist Alex Hudson, the bleached mushroom of delight and quietly inquiring as to ‘wouldn’t you rather just stand?’ and a cautious ‘mind the fire extinguisher’. Admittedly, first impressions were of surprising chivalry. 

‘Never been to Exeter, never in my life.. it’s alright though, a good show.’ Connor Schofield the lead singer acknowledges. A ha! I note the soft lull of the black county. Synonymous with the emerging B-town alternative scene, JAWS have supported the likes of contemporaries Swim Deep and Peace though I am firmly assured prior to the gig by a man posing at the merchandise stall with a tiny fringe that JAWS are the firmly righteous successors. ‘You learn from them I mean they were our first two tours. From that aspect you’re influenced yeah but musically not so much- you learn to be a bit more of a professional.’

They themselves formed in February 2012, a consequence of attending music college and living in Birmingham and ‘jos jammin together’. The band acknowledge Soundcloud as a vital vehicle for propelling artists in a media saturated world, they themselves taking to it as a medium for opening up their audience. This is one they themselves recognize as a young base around the ages of 16 often with a limited income to splurge on an LP (let alone be old enough to have any godforsaken idea what an LP is?).

Having spent a solid five minutes explaining the pronunciation of the collective sat before me to colleagues at various intervals throughout the day (‘It’s jaws. Not jewels. JAWS. J-A-W-S’ - followed by a frankly violent movement of my lower mouth in a gestural act) naturally, I was eager to uncover the motive behind this. 

‘Couldn’t think of a name.. wrote a load of s*** names and then watched James Bond, writing all the character names down; James, Moneypenny, Bond, Man with the golden finger, and then jaws. It was a rushed decision because we had this song we wanted to put online. If we could change our name we’d be called Geach and the Three Nuts.. or Geach and the Morons?’ a unanimous appreciation for Geach and his beauteous name is shared.

The online presence and the necessity for bands to maintain an air of internet savvy-ness is one that is prevalent and also significant to the genre, the rise of social networking sites playing a major role in publicity. ‘It’s the easiest and most accessible way to stream music for anyone putting music out’ Alex chirps, 'If you're a new band it's the best thing in the world, put your songs straight onto the internet and it can instantly go viral, it's all positive..literally anyone can have a Soundcloud account’.

Light and dark, whilst JAWS have benefitted hugely from online publicity, the simultaneous rise of music piracy looms over them. 

‘It’s sorta like you’re being mugged. But we would not be in the Cavern, under the holes if people didn’t stream or illegally download our music’. This date is first on the bill for a string of UK dates we are told following several UK festivals last year (reading was ‘surreal man’ and appropriate recognition was given for the heavenly feline-meets-NASA attire as donned by Mr. Schofield)

‘They’re listening to your music and the point of making music is for it to be heard so, you’re obviously losing money but more people are hearing you. You can always make it back through gig tickets but i don’t think it’s made a massive difference. ‘nowadays accept it, don’t make a big deal out of it, embrace the public demand!’.

A topic close to the bone and one I am eager to explore, the conversation steers towards the importance of a band’s look in relation to how one listens. ‘We didn’t have press shots or pictures for I think like six months. I don’t listen to a band and think ‘Oh what haircut’s he got?’ I mean it’s sad because it actually does matter but to me it doesn’t interest me at all’. They smirk, like a gaggle of school boys as Jake remarks ‘I just wore a pair of denim shorts and a baggy teeshirt.’ followed by a nonchalant ‘yolo’.

So, it shouldn’t matter but it does. ‘I mean most of the time all One Direction are on about is Harry Styles’ So if say a band looking like One Direction made the kind of music JAWS do how would they feel about that? There is a rising ambience of voiced opinions from an ensemble that initially took me as almost introvert. Miley? Soon deemed a legend. ‘Good on a night out.’ ‘The only people what care are the f****** mums!’ ‘I kinda think she’s fit but I don’t want to admit it’  the birthday boy is swiftly named and shamed and we proceed.

Talk soon wavers back towards flamboyancy, ‘I’ve got this trippy, crazy ass jumper but it’s like skin tight because my step mum doesn't know what size I am’ and Hudson grins sheepishly. There is definitely something audibly alluring and mellifluous in hearing the phrase ‘crazy ass’ spoken in a brummy dialect. ‘but, but music IS before image’ Schofield sharply interjects, clarifying the revelation of an enjoyment of image, ‘you need to write your songs before you decided what you’re gunna wear on stage’.

Heads up for 2014? ‘A band called Green Day?’ ‘CHVRCHES, Baby Pink especially they’re our boys. Superfood are gunna be the biggest band..’ ‘SUPERFOOD ARE GUNNA HEADLINE GLASTONBURY!’. This year? I am met with an assertive ‘YES’. ‘Laced! and Drenge will get way bigger than they are already’. 

In terms of writing JAWS have finished recording the album and are provisionally set for release in late summer. Though still essentially unsigned their music is promoted through the ‘Rattlepop’ label and EPs Milkshake and GOLD are available to purchase digitally as well as in vinyl format.

special thanks to the endearing accomplice Jessica Eason - you save my bacon.

A Concrete Meccah: 96 Hours in Berlin

Land of the estranged, notoriously darkened figures cloaked in webs of cigarette smoke and European allure darting through silver streets: admittedly initial expectations for the hub of German culture was a little adventurous but I was lustfully hungry for cultural enrichment. Devon had worn me down, hedgerows sullen- I yearned for a retreat from normality.

We departed at a meagre 11pm from Tiverton parkway train station headily catching a train into Exeter to spy our entourage of the next few days when Louis and I made the executive decision to sensibly stop off at The Imperial for a night cap, quick woozy brew to keep our spirits high for the ominous journey to the East as we eventually bundled onto the back of a coach to Gatwick, ticked off the register and told to 'mind your language'.

What followed, through a thick fog of gross fatigue, inebriation and perpetual nicotine fixes from hanging round the back of the group as we entered Berlin after concluding our intrepid embark, fending through customs and other such airport jargon was a rich Eastern melange. Though not quite as rose tinted as my minds eye, skies were heavy and sheet white omnipresently. The sheer vastness was what struck me first, the sheer velocity and magnitude of German architecture- looming sheets of stagnant grey concrete, splayed luridly in graffiti tags, scattered over all manner of buildings and previously bare faces. It felt barren, sharp and a cold juxtaposition of old and new architecture; all with the unanimous intention to astonish- the 'Reichstag' gloriously ancient though with the recent acquisition of a glass dome. In the evenings we explored aptly put as a 'PG-13' segment of the nightlife in Alexanderplatz. Dipping our toes fleetingly in a gay bar the size of a larger than average postage stamp we poked our heads through of the doorway (the frame of which brandished a 'We Welcome HIV Positive!' sticker) inhaling a musk of an enclosed carcinogenic smog (-it's Berlin darling, you smoke indoors) and glancing a few withered revellers we made a hasty dash to a local bier garten- the likes of which are abundant.

The big American chains are prevalent on the high street, a startling reminder of globalisation as you stroll past the fourth consecutive Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks, the gag starts to wear a little thin. The Markets, though stunning are inevitably an almighty tourist trap and one can't help but be irked to compare to Exeter's own 'authentic German Christmas Market'. Here Gluhwein flows freer than water.

Given the 'History' facade of the trip we pay a visit to several local museums, Berlin wall commemorations and Sachsenhausen concentration camp to gain a contextual perspective to the city. What strikes many of us is the realisation of the relevancy of events in the relative recent time frame in which the Holocaust happened and the extent to which it still affects generations today. The image of the Nazi Medical chamber in Sachsenhausen is one that shall be indelibly engraved in my memory. The clinical labortory perfection of the room was silencing. Tiled entirely in white, two white glass cabinets stood at the rear with two operating tables in white on either side of you as you entered the chamber. One couldn't help but be persistently consciously aware of the mortuary beneath your feet, and the intense isolation and sparseness of the camp truly emphasised the tremendous number of those captured.

A city once divided, the astonishing history to the city of Berlin given the cultural, social and political shifts over the past 100 years gives for an intriguing and maturing voyage, and having ventured from my mild Devonian home I found myself cursing the wind at having missed out on the Dali exhibition. There's no chance in hell I'll ever get to see that in bloody Barnstaple.

Mark my words Berlin, this isn't the last you've heard from me.

All images my own.

A Good Day

Today has been a good day.
Owing much to overcoming the toils of procrastination. I have finally triumphed in the face of laziness and got my first published article!
My previous post 'The Look vs. The Hook' is just that, and today was published in Exeter's own Express and Echo weekly local paper.
Making a hasty dash to Co-op following a rather flustered flute lesson (last ever, I'm hanging up the metal pipe following considerations of Grade 8 Jazz; a daunting feat) I snatched up a copy, casting a pound at the cashier and indistinguishably mumbling something about having an article in it to the facially sagging older woman before upheaving my small woodwind burden and sprinting over to the college 'Tower'.
Still incredulous, I insisted on purchasing an additional 'safety' edition much to the reluctance of my trustworthy accomplice Louis, fist pumping.
We commence an expedition to Berlin on Tuesday and in light of todays events, I am left in suitably high spirits.
Still bloody beaming.