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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
ARTICLES
The Brook, Southampton. Report by Peter
Ashton.
 Thanks
to the “dare to dream” philosophy of Bryn Lewis and Richard Davey, Southampton
now has a music venue to rival just about anywhere in the UK - The Brook which
reopens on October 21. An extension has increased the capacity to 600, and there
are numerous improvements to make it more comfortable without changing that
special atmosphere which has made it so popular.
Ten years ago the pair set about turning a 150-year old pub in an unfashionable
part of the city into a venue where music lovers could hear the cream of a
diverse range of live music. “People thought we were crazy when we first
opened,” recalls Bryn. “Opening a venue from scratch in an unprepossessing
Victorian building out of the centre of town surprised a few people, but we’ve
made it work and built up a strong following. And we’ve done it all ourselves
without any grants or financial help from other people.”
The old Brook kicked off with R&B favourites Dr Feelgood, going one to feature
top names like John Martyn, Nils Lofgren, Eric Bibb, Paul Young, The Alabama 3,
Arthur Lee and Love, The Electric Prunes and many more,and building up a strong
reputation as providers of quality music and a close relationship with their
customers.
Bryn and Richard have always had a policy of listening to their customers, both
in putting on the acts that people want to see, and acting on comments and
suggestions on improving the facilities. “We’re putting a lot of the input from
our customers into practice in the new Brook,” says Richard. “A recurring
request has been for more seating and there’ll be about three times as much
sitting room when we reopen. Another was regular starting times - in future acts
will come on stage between 9pm and 9.30pm throughout the week, depending on
whether there is a support act or an interval.”
Improvements include the provision of a disabled ramp and disabled toilets, a
new stairway just inside the entrance which leads directly upstairs with another
entrance to the ground floor section. The bar on the ground floor has been moved
to the opposite side of the room within the extension and the old bar area now
holds new seating. The toilets have been completely refurbished downstairs, and
conditions have improved considerably upstairs with the addition of male and
female toilets, a tiered seating area facing the stage, and improved sound
facilities The stage itself remains in the same place, but the size has been
increased by about half as much again.
Over three months of intensive work have gone into the bigger better Brook , and
Bryn and Richard are looking forward to that all-important date, October 21 when
rocking rodents The Hamsters will be the first band to play the improved venue.
“It’s a new era for us and our supporters,” says Richard, “and all I can say is
book early! We’re really excited about what we have achieved and can’t wait to
welcome our friends to the new premises.”
For more details see
www.the-brook.co.uk ; for tickets ring 02380 555366.
Nils Lofgren. Preview by Peter Ashton.
 NILS
LOFGREN, one of the most popular artists ever to play at The Brook in
Southampton is fittingly one of the first to play in the bigger and better venue
after it reopens following major extension and improvements. The rock legend
plays a gig on Saturday October 23 following a number of sell-out gigs at the
venue over the years.
Best known for his work with Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen, he has since
followed a solo career to cemented his reputation as a guitar legend. Born in
1951, Nils learned to play the accordion at age five and went on to study jazz
and classical music. He switched to rock guitar at 15 and formed the band Grin
in 1969 with bassist Bob Gordon, drummer Bob Berberich and later his brother Tom
Lofgren on guitar. The group quickly built a reputation around Washington DC,
and it wasn’t long before Neil Young and Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten
caught wind of them while touring in the area. Young invited Nils to play piano
and sing on the classic 1970's album “After the Gold Rush” and he also played on
and wrote two songs for Crazy Horse's debut album the following year.
Instead of remaining with Young, Lofgren used the resulting exposure to get Grin
a record contract. The group recorded three albums from 1971 to 1972, garnering
critical praise. A move to A&M produced the album “Gone Crazy” before the band
split up. Nils then accepted an invitation from Young to tour in 1973 and play
on his “Tonight's the Night” album. Grin officially disbanded in mid-1974. Nils
was rumoured to be under consideration as a replacement for Mick Taylor in the
Rolling Stones but instead signed to A&M as a solo artist. His first two solo
efforts, “Nils Lofgren” and “Cry Tough” were all-round successes, and Lofgren
made a name for himself on supporting tours through stunts such as performing
while jumping on a trampoline.
Following 1983's Trans tour with Young, Nils joined Bruce Springsteen's E Street
Band, replacing Little Stevie Van Zandt in 1984, remaining there until the unit
was dissolved in 1991. Nils returned to solo recording that year with “Silver
Lining” which featured guest appearances from Springsteen and members of Ringo
Starr's band.
Since then he has released another half dozen successful albums and maintained
his reputation as one of rock’s most explosive guitarists on tours all over the
world.
Tickets are £24.50 via 02380 555366.
Southampton YMCA - Exclude Me In Project. Report by
Peter Ashton
 Southampton
YMCA is pioneering a new initiative in the city to engage with young people in
conjunction with YMCA England and Youth Achievement Awards, part of a project
going on all over the country. Music is the subject chosen for Southampton’s
Exclude Me In Project with workshops based on music skills including guitar,
drums and keyboards plus vocal and production techniques which will be held at
the YMCA. They will be backed up by coverage of essential life and enterprise
skills such as vision, team, communication, administration and responsibility.
Lending their support to the project and helping at the workshops are some local
celebrities:
*STEVIE KEITH - Co-writer of Gareth Gates’ smash hit “Sunshine” An accomplished
songwriter who is also a member of the band The Pickpockets, as well as being
involved in a vocal workshop project locally.
*MARK HILL - Of Artful Dodger, Craig David and The stiX fame, an accomplished
writer, performer and producer and winner of a prestigious Ivor Novello Award.
Mark is a very successful entrepreneur with a true heart for music and the city
of Southampton.
*BARRY UPTON - A former member of Brotherhood and a current member of Wild at
Heart. Also a record producer who has worked with Sonia, Shane Richie, The
Nolans and is currently working with John Otway and The Cheeky Girls. Another
man with a real feeling for music and a huge depth of knowledge
*EMILY ROBERTS - Current Miss Southampton who is endorsing and presenting some
of the awards to participants in the scheme. Emily will lend some much-needed
beauty to ensure maximum visual publicity for the project!
UK Youth is collaborating with the project which is aimed at working with people
normally excluded from conventional learning methods such as College and
University. The young people basically set up and run the project themselves
with minimal help and overseeing. As they set tasks and complete them the
evidence will be judged by tutors and verified awards given at the end of the
course. Participants’ achievements will help them with their CVs and job
searching and give them confidence, team skills and a whole host of lifelong
learning skills. Initially confined to residents at the 40-room YMCA hostel in
Southampton, it is hoped to extend the scheme into the local community.
UK Youth is sponsored by a prestigious list of people including Her Royal
Highness the Princess Royal who was appointed Patron of UK Youth in 2003, a role
previously carried out by her late grandmother, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the
Queen Mother.
President of UK Youth is racing driver Nigel Mansell OBE who has been involved
with the movemet since the early 1990s.
Music has been chosen as the subject locally as Southampton is rapidly acquiring
the soubriquet of “Southampton Music City UK.” In addition to the celebrities
mentioned above there are many more musical links to the city including Coldplay
and The Delays, Stevie’s co-writer and band member Dan Mar Molinero, another
highly successful musician and composer, Matt Hales of Aqualung and many more,
some yet to be discovered!
This pioneering urban initiative will climax with an awards ceremony and
celebration at one of Southampton’s most exclusive venues, with live musical
entertainment, star guests and plenty of surprises. Watch this space for an
announcement of the date and location.
Nazareth . Preview by Peter Ashton
 Rock
fans lucky enough to live on the Isle of Wight or who are within reach of it by
ferry have a treat this month. Roaring 70s rockers Nazareth who rarely play in
the UK have a gig at Ryde Theatre on Saturday October 9.
Coming out of Scotland in the late 60's as part of the initial British hard rock
movement started by Cream and Deep Purple, Nazareth combined the rasping
vocals of singer/frontman Dan McCafferty with the power chord driven music of
bass player Pete Agnew plus original guitarist Manny Charleton and drummer
Darrell Sweet. The music they created was based in emotion as well as power, and
combined British hard rock with old-fashioned American rhythm and blues.
Hit singles in America and Europe like "Love Hurts" and a cover of Joni
Mitchell's "This Flight Tonight" along with memorable albums like "Razamanaz",
"Loud 'n' Proud" , "Hair of The Dog" and "Expect No Mercy" helped make Nazareth
one of the most important rock bands of the 1970's.
In the 1980's, the band continued to make forceful albums, but the musical
climate, and personnel changes overshadowed the fine music they made on albums
like "The Fool Circle", "Snaz" and "2XS". The band continued recording and
touring both America and Europe throughout the 80s and 90s. Indeed for the past
decade or so it’s true to say that Nazareth have been better received in Europe
and the USA than in the UK where they rarely appear these days.
More personnel changes came in the 90s when Charleton left the group and was
replaced by young Scottish guitarist Billy Rankin and former Spirit keyboardist,
John Locke. Both have since been replaced by guitarist Jimmy Murrison and
keyboard player Ronnie Leahy. So the current line-up includes three original
members, Agnew and Sweet, and more importantly Dan McCafferty, whose immediately
identifiable voice gives Nazareth their special sound.
Nazareth have just released "Boogaloo" their first album in 5 years which shows
the band at its best with dynamic hard rock riffs and melodies fronted by some
of Dan McCafferty's best vocal performances in many years. "At this stage in our
careers," says Dan, "we're not really concerned about being huge again, but it
certainly would be nice to be back on the radio. During the 80's” he explains,
"there was so much done with modern technology that rock music lost some of its
feel. On “Boogaloo” we just went into the studio and
played like a live band. It felt good and that's why it sounds so good."
For tickets for the Ryde Theatre gig ring 01983 568099.
Sam Mangwana. Preview Peter Ashton
 A
particularly diverse month at The Anvil in Basingstoke includes a visit from one
of the most innovative and versatile musicians in the history of African music,
Sam Mangwana who plays the venue on Friday October 29 with is 10-piece band.
Vocalist Sam from the Congo has successfully experimented with several diverse
musical genres such as rumba, soukous, salsa and afro-beat. Nicknamed “La Pigeon
Voyageur” for his nomadic tendencies, he played for both TP OK Jazz and Afrisa
International, the two greatest musical groups in his homeland.
He was born in Kinshasa in 1945 of Angolan parents. While still 17 he impressed
prominent musician Tabu Ley from Zair enough for him to ask him to join
his band, then known as African Fiesta. There he played alongside Tabu, Dr Nico
Kasanda and Roger Izeidi.
When the band split, he joined Tabu Ley's faction called Africa Fiesta Nationale.
Following a disagreement with fellow band members, Sam left in 1972 to team up
with singer Ntesa Dalienst and guitarists Dizzy Madjeku and Mavatiku Visi (Michelino)
to form a band called Festival Des Maquisards. This band was one of Zaire's most
popular bands from the early to mid 1970s. In 1975 he joined Franco's TP OK Jazz
with whom he produced some of his most memorable hits including “Luka Mobali
Moko. “ He also provided superb vocals on some of Ok Jazz' s greatest hits
including Simaro's “Mabele and Ebale.”
He then rejoined Tabu Ley's band now renamed Afrisa International before leaving
for the Ivory Coast to join with Lokassa Ya Mbongo, Theo Blaise Kounkou, Dizzy
Madjeku and Ringo Moya to form a group called African All Stars and later Les
Quatre Etoiles. Here he successfully experimented with West African rhythms such
as Highlife and Afrobeat. The fusion of Congolese and West African beats was a
big hit in West Africa and sales of the bands’ albums reached record levels.
In 1982 , He collaborated with Franco on the album Cooperation which turned out
to be one of the most popular albums of the early 1980s. Perhaps his most
memorable album was the 1989 cooperation with Franco labelled Forever which also
turned out to be Franco's last album. The lead song in that album featured
Kiswahili vocals from both Franco and Sam Mangwana.
In 1991 he toured the USA with former compatriots The African All stars before
launching a solo career in Paris. He released several popular hits such as
“Maria Tebbo” and toured the continent extensively. Besides experimenting with
various musical genres, Sam Mangwana has sung in several different languages
including Lingala, Kiswahili, Kikongo, French, Portuguese and English.
For ticket details for The Anvil concert ring 01256 844244.
John Leyton. Interview by Peter Ashton
 “IF
anyone had told me back in 1961 that I’d still be singing “Johnny Remember Me”
in my 60s I’d have said, not me mate, you’ve got the wrong man!” So says John
Leyton, singer, actor, restauranteur. The blue-eyed Mr Leyton, still sporting a
blonde thatch, incredibly celebrated his 66th birthday earlier this year, and is
currently touring with the Solid Gold Rock & Roll Show alongside Showaddywaddy,
Freddy Cannon and other top 60s & 70s acts.
“Not in my wildest dreams would I have believed I’d still be doing this in
2004,” says John. “After all, my early career was as an actor, the singing came
about by accident. I started out in repertory theatre in York before Granada TV
signed me up for the “Biggles” TV series. I used to get loads of letters from
teenage girls saying I looked like a pop star, and asking if I could sing, so it
was ironic that I was later offered a guest starring role in the TV series
“Harpers W1” playing a singer!”
As the character Johnny St.Cere (sincere, geddit!) John sang the song “Johnny
Remember Me” on the show, which EMI released as a single, and within two weeks
it was number one way back in 1961. “I recorded the single with the legendary
Joe Meek,” recalls John. “Joe operated the controls in the bathroom, the string
section was in the hallway, and I was singing in the sitting room, stood behind
the sofa - it was crazy.” Crazy or not it led to a No 1 hit record that topped
the charts for six weeks, leading to two or three years of teenage adulation for
John and several more hits including “Wild Wind.”
“It was always my intention to use my singing success as a way back into
acting,” admitted John, “and within a year I was filming “The Great Escape” with
Steve McQueen and Charles Bronson. I auditioned for the part in the usual way,
and filming took 6 months. It wasn’t until half way through shooting that the
director John Sturgess realised I also had a career as a pop singer! Looking
back it was the happiest film I’ve ever been in. I don’t want to sound like a
mysoginist, but it was an all-male cast, and we all developed a real camaraderie
without the intrusion of any temperamental actresses!”
“I played Willie the Tunnel King,” recalled John, “and we filmed the prison
scenes in a replica camp in Munich studios. After the “break-out” - Charles
Bronson and I escaped on a boat - we filmed on location all over Germany. “The
Great Escape” was tremendously successful at the time, and it must have been
shown on TV more times than any other film - everybody seems to enjoy it.”
John’s performance in “The Great Escape” prompted 20th Century Fox to sign him
up, and hand him a starring role in “Guns at Batasi” at Pinewood Studios, with
Richard Attenborough, Mia Farrow and Jack Hawkins. Next came “Von Ryan’s
Express” filmed in Hollywood with Trevor Howard and Frank Sinatra. “I know Frank
had the reputation of being difficult, but he certainly wasn’t with me. He was
always very approachable, and very kind to me. He even invited me to watch him
play the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas after filming had finished. I got there to
find that the whole bill, accommodation and everything had been taken care of by
Frank. I met him after the performance when he called me over to introduce me to
some of his pretty heavy looking party. I met a guy called Sam and asked him
what he did, and he replied that he owned Chicago!”
“I also met Elvis Presley when I was filming “Von Ryan’s Express,” recalls John,
“he was filming “Roustabout” on the next set, and I got to know him quite well.
He wasn’t happy about all the lightweight musicals he was making, and really
wanted to do a movie where he didn’t have to sing. His idol was James Dean, and
he wanted to play the sort of parts that Dean had. I remember one special
incident that happened one day on the lot. After having something to eat, Elvis
drove me back to my trailer in one of those little golf buggies. We had to stop
to allow a huge set door to be opened, and a crowd of tourists who were being
shown round the studios congregated on my side of the vehicle. They all
recognised me and clamoured around for my autograph. Strangely enough, no one
recognised Elvis, and after signing away for ages, I turned to him and said, “OK
- Drive on, driver!”
John stayed on in Hollywood way into the 70s, making TV series like “Jericho”
and more films like The Idol” and “Krakatoa, East of Java”. Eventually returning
to London to take up stage offers, he became involved in film and TV production
that entailed helping to raise finance. Dealing with people in the city soon led
to involvement with property and becoming Chairman and Managing Director of a
firm which owned the Meridiana, a well known London restaurant, before selling
it on for redevelopment in a lucrative deal. Despite his new career, John was
still in constant demand for guest and personal appearances, and in November
1993 he was invited to perform in a “Capital Gold Anniversary Concert” at the
Royal Albert Hall. Such was the reaction to his performance that John was
invited to join the touring Solid Gold Rock & Roll Show the next year, and has
been involved with the annual excursions ever since.
“It’s more fun now than ever,” says John, “for one thing at least you can hear
yourself sing, although I don’t know whether that’s a good thing in my case!
First time round in the 60s everything was drowned out by screams, but now
people come to listen.” John does not intend to neglect his acting career and is
constantly looking for film, theatre and TV work.
Meanwhile John is happy to please his thousands of loyal fans by singing
“Johnny, Remember Me” at venues all over the country including concerts at The
Anvil in Basingstoke on Thursday October 14 and Salisbury City Hall on October
28.
Gwyneth Herbert. Preview by Peter Ashton
 There
was further confirmation last month that young jazz singer Gwyneth Herbert is
very definitely on the way up with a full page article in the Culture section of
the Sunday Times. Gwyneth spent her childhood in Surrey and Hampshire, and
returns to the latter county on Sunday October 31 when she performs at The Anvil
in Basingstoke.
Her new album “Bittersweet and Blue” showcases the talents of a 23 year old
whose interest in music started at the tender age of three when she started
piano lessons. Obviously a natural, she had reached Grade 5 by the time she was
nine, and then took up the French horn.
Gwyneth started writing songs when she was 14 and made her first demo at that
age with the help of a youth music charity in Woking. She sang in a punk-rock
band around this time, also finding time to play French horn with Surrey County
Youth Orchestra. Claire first started singing jazz when she was
studying at Alton Sixth Form College and she made a number of appearances at pubs and clubs
around Hampshire.
After leaving school she went on to Durham University to take an English degree
where she teamed up with fellow student and jazz guitarist Will Rutter with whom
she still works. More gigs at pubs and clubs followed in her new genre as well
as appearances at university concerts. Claire and Will spent their holidays
playing in cafes in Amsterdam, Paris and Edinburgh.
After graduating Claire and Will relocated to London and continued working as a
duo, soon getting a weekly residency at a bistro in Wimbledon. But the big break
came when she gave a demo disc to the Pizza Express Jazz Club, whose then
manager Peter Wallis was so impressed that he offered Claire and Will a
recording contract with his newly formed Dean Street Records label.
Appropriately titled “First Songs” it soon attracted play on radio station Jazz
FM.
“First Songs” attracted the interest of Universal Records who signed her to make
“Bittersweet and Blue” and allowed her the freedom to produce a mix of
standards, her own compositions and covers of songs by writers as varied as Tom
Waits and Janis Ian. With the revival of interest in jazz through the success of
Norah Jones, Jamie Cullum and Jacqui Dankworth, Claire’s future is looking
promising.
Tickets for The Anvil concert are available through 01256 844244. See Gwyneth’s
website
www.gwynethherbert.com for more information.
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Featured artists:
see POL Articles
The Brook, Southampton Thursday 21.
Nils Lofgren
The Brook, Southampton Saturday 23.
YMCA
Exclude Me In Project
Nazareth
Ryde Theatre,
Ryde IOW
Saturday 9.
Sam Mangwana
The Anvil, Basingstoke
Friday 29.
POL EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
John Leyton
The Anvil, Basingstoke Thursday 14 & Salisbury City Hall Thursday
28.
Gwyneth Herbert The Anvil, Basingstoke
Sunday 31. |
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