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PLAYING OUT LOUD!
ARTICLES
POL EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW WITH GIDEON’S DEMISE
 “We
go for an epic sound. We’re quite ambitious for a three piece,” states Gideon
Towers, the singer and guitar player of Chandlers Ford’s epic indie rockers,
Gideon’s Demise. The possessor of a distinctively angst ridden and yet
vulnerable singing voice and a sickeningly talented guitar player, Gideon is
right in what he says about the band’s sound. Anyone who has seen Gideon’s
Demise play live, will testify that their songs are stadium sized anthems which
belie the fact that the intense and gargantuan noise coming from the stage is
being made by just three people.
Gideon’s Demise were formed in 2006 when an advert put on the “Muso Finder”
website by bass player Jim Sparsholt and drummer Matt Stanton was answered by
Gideon. “I’d just moved down from Northumberland where I’d been playing guitar
in a band called Giva,” Gideon explains. “The guys were advertising for a singer
and stated Muse as one of their influences. I thought I’d like a shot at that so
I sent Matt some music.” One of the songs was “By Myself”, a highlight from last
year’s debut EP “Landed”. “I was blown away by ‘By Myself’ when I first heard
it. I knew we’d hit gold,” remembers Matt. This excitement was echoed by Jim. “I
immediately thought that it would work as soon as I heard Gideon sing,” he
enthuses. “I thought we were a cut above from quite early on,” states Gideon. “I
was more than confident that we could cut it.”
Despite this confidence in their sound and their songs, the band found
themselves lacking direction. Matt takes up the story – “The focus was not
there. We loved hanging out as friends, meeting up and making music. It was
always just about having fun. We never really thought about playing gigs, there
was no urgency.” The band eventually came to the conclusion that this was not
enough. “It took a while to sink in,” continues Matt. “What are we doing this
for? Let’s take a shot at taking these songs out on the road.”
“My biggest fear was ‘What if we’re shit?’” admits Gideon. However those fears
were ill founded when the band finally started playing live last summer and
immediately received rave reviews and a good number of gig offers. In amongst
all that, debut EP “Landed” was released. Gideon’s Demise had, somewhat
belatedly, arrived.
“Southampton’s got a very good music scene compared with a lot of cities,”
states Gideon. “There are lots of opportunities to play live. The Joiners and
The Brook are both great venues and are all recognised outside of Southampton.”
“The ‘Jurassic Mark’ nights at The Talking Heads are a good starting point for
bands. It certainly helped us out,” offers Matt. “There are a lot of good bands
around too. I think Melodramas are absolutely fantastic. Great songs, a real mix
of influences. The Queue are a great band. They’re young lads who make a big
noise and have a bright future.”
Gideon also has his pick of the local bunch. “We recently played on the same
bill as The Gallery and I really liked them. They had a real buzz to them.
Plenty of delay and reverb in their guitar sound, doing that whole Oasis thing
which was quite refreshing in a lot of ways,”
So where do Gideon’s Demise see themselves in all of this? “We love Southampton
but we are very keen to spread our wings,” says Matt. “We want to play in
London, play The Cavern Club in Liverpool, go on our own UK tour.”
“We’re a thinking person’s band,” offers Jim. “These are proper songs that we
all put a lot of work and thought into.” “The songs are written for people to
relate to,” confirms Gideon. “The songs are subjective. They’re like a diary,
representing how I feel on one particular day. Writing in a poetic way is
therapeutic.”
“We laid some good foundations at the end of last year,” observes Matt. The band
ended the year at Earth Terminal studios to record their new EP “Maginando
Poets”, due for release this month. The recordings are something that the band
are all very proud of. “When we recorded ‘Landed’, I thought it sounded OK,” Jim
states. “With hindsight, it was a learning experience. Earth Terminal was
amazing.” “The new EP is the sound of these songs reaching their full
potential,” concludes Gideon.
This year has started in very promising fashion for Gideon’s Demise with big
shows coming up such as the “Sound Of The C” at The Brook this month, “The Angry
Badger Records Showcase Night” at Soul Cellar in March and April’s headline slot
at London’s legendary Dublin Castle. “We want to get an album recorded this
year,” Jim offers. “We’ve got tangible aims,” adds Gideon. “We’re keen to get
more airplay on local radio along with airplay on national radio.” “We’ve got a
great range of gigs coming up and plenty of new material ready to go!” concludes
Matt.
If ever evidence was needed that practice makes perfect, let Gideon’s Demise act
as that evidence. For the seemingly huge strides that have been taken over a
small matter of months prove that those two and a half years locked away in the
recording studio were well worth it in the long term. Expect GD’s epic and
intense indie anthems to making their way to a playlist near you soon. These
boys are ready to rub shoulders with the big boys.
Interview by Paul Lane.
RICHMOND FONTAINE, THE RAILWAY INN, WINCHESTER –
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27
 That
atmospheric little venue The Railway Inn in Winchester hosts another enticing
evening of alt country music on Saturday the 27th, when American band Richmond
Fontaine from Portland, Oregon, play a set. I caught the band on a previous
visit, and was highly impressed.
Richmond Fontaine is the brainchild of singer, guitarist, and songwriter Willy
Vlautin, who was born in Reno, Nevada. When Vlautin was in his early teens, his
elder brother moved to Los Angeles and became interested in the many
roots-influenced bands in the city's punk rock scene. He began sending Willy
tapes of bands such as The Blasters, Rank and File, and the Long Ryders, and
Vlautin became hooked on their blend of punk energy and country and western
twang.
At 16, Willy put together his first band, but after several years he became
disenchanted with the limited opportunities to play original music in Reno, and
moved to Portland, Oregon in 1994. Not long after he relocated, Vlautin met
bassist Dave Harding and discovered their shared enthusiasm for The Blasters,
The Replacements, and Hüsker Dü. Willy and Dave decided to form a band
recruiting drummer Stuart Gaston to form the first lineup of Richmond Fontaine.
After gigging locally, the band recorded their first album “Safety” for local
record label Cravedog in 1996.
Later in 1996 the band bought the album back from Cravedog and signed to a
larger independent label, Cavity Search Records, who reissued the album. Lots of
West Coast touring and a few trips to the East and Midwest followed and in 1997
the band released their second album “Miles From” and set out on another
nationwide tour.
By the time their third album “Lost Son” came out in 1999, Sean Oldham had
replaced Gaston on drums, and pedal-steel guitarist Paul Brainard, who had
played on several cuts on “Miles From” had become a full-time member of the
band. A live EP ”Whiskey, Painkillers and Speed” was released in 2001, and in
2002 the band completed their fourth album “Winnemucca.” Earlier this year their
fifth album “Post To Wire” was released getting some rave reviews and inspiring
a five-page article in Uncut Magazine by editor Allan Jones, who described it as
“beautiful, desolate, fractured and unforgettable.” Uncut also described their
music as "Exquisitely bittersweet, pain-blasted country-rock from America's West
Coast" - be warned, Richmond Fontaine’s music is dark and edgy with disturbing
songs about alienation, drugs, rape, murder and despair - they don’t do happy!
Great support acts for this gig come in the shape of Jim Jones and Peter
Bruntnell
HOLLY WILLIAMS, TOWER ARTS CENTRE, WINCHESTER –
THURSDAY MARCH 18
 Raised
in Nashville, Holly is the daughter of Hank Williams Jr and the half-sister of
Hank Williams III. Holly's mother, Becky, is a native of Mer Rouge, Louisiana,
and was married for five years to Hank Williams, Jr. Holly was born in Cullman,
Alabama, and has an elder sister named Hilary. Her parents separated when she
was young, although her father took her to many of his shows.
At age 17, Holly began playing one of her father's guitars, and soon began
writing songs. Holly graduated from Brentwood Academy and decided to study
piano. Citing the Rolling Stones, Elliott Smith and Neil Finn as influences, she
began to perform as well. Eventually she was signed on to Ron Sexmith’s European
tour. After the release of her first EP in 2003, she signed with Universal South
Records and toured with Billy Bob Thornton. Universal South released her debut
album, “The Ones We Never Knew” in 2004. The album produced no chart singles,
however, and she was dropped from the label.
In March 2006, Holly was injured in a car crash and cancelled a European tour,
but she began touring again in November 2006. She signed in 2009 with Mercury
Nashville Records. Her second single, "Keep the Change", was released in January
and became her first chart single in March. A third single, "Mama", was released
to radio on May 11, 2009. Williams' second studio album, “Here With Me” was
released in June 2009.
NIK KERSHAW, TALKING HEADS, SOUTHAMPTON – FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 26
 Born
Nicholas David Kershaw in Bristol, England on March 1, 1958, Nik played guitar
and sang in a number of underground bands before deciding on a career as a
songwriter. However, he ended up performing his own songs rather than giving
them to others, and signed a deal with MCA Records in 1983, which spawned a
debut single, “I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”, which just missed out on the
UK Top 40.
At the beginning of 1984 he made his breakthrough when “Wouldn’t It Be Good”
reached No 4 in the UK charts. He enjoyed three more Top 20 hits from his debut
album “Human Racing”, including the title track, and a successful reissue of his
debute single “I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” ultimately turned out to be
his biggest hit when it reached No 2 in the UK charts in 1984.
Despite winning awards and attracting admirers for his songwriting skills from
people like Elton John, Nik was not without his critics. Some complained that he
did too much on stage when he has a competent backing band called The Krew to
play all the required guitar and keyboard parts of his songs. Others derided his
fashion sense and some claimed he was vocally trying to sound like Stevie
Wonder.
But Nik was undeterred and during the 1990s he wrote “The One And Only” which
became a No 1 hit for Chesney Hawkes in 1993. He also wrote and produced hits
for the boy band Let Loose in the mid-1990s before returning to the studio
himself to record the album “15 Minutes” in 1999. During the current millennium,
Nik has released three more albums “To Be Frank,” “Then And Now” and “You’ve Got
To Laugh.”
THE VISITORS, CELLARS AT EASTNEY, SOUTHSEA – FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 19
 The
Visitors are a folk rock/Americana band from Portsmouth, Hampshire. Since their
early days as a duo they have developed their own colourful sound consisting of
rich melodies and strong hooks.
Their music has been compared to Counting Crows, Whiskeytown and Wilco and from
supporting such acts as Nizlopi, Ocean Colour Scene, The Commitments, Ed
Harcourt, Frank Turner, Phil Campbell, Nick Harper and The Bees they have
established a large and loyal fan-base which continues to grow.
Their music was also used by Sony Computer Entertainment during the launch
campaign of the Playstation 3, with the band's latest recordings added to PS3
demo units and distributed in over 5,000 retailers within 101 countries
worldwide throughout the PAL territories.
Now with the album "Travelling" and single "Another Day" currently out and
receiving critical acclaim together with the success of the latest single video
being featured as the number 1 "one to watch" on the brand new Sony music video
download service Vidzone. The Visitors find themselves to be getting some great
exposure and have been launched into the top 100 music videos on a site
featuring over 25,000! Things are definitely moving fast, and the band are
looking forward to a busy 2010 with some very exciting new opportunities.
The Visitors full length album "Travelling" is currently out and available to
buy on ITunes and from all other major download sites worldwide.
“The visitors are a truly talented group of musicians who are capable of
composing gleaming songs that remind you of the soundtrack to the best summer of
your life (even in the middle of January)…definitely ones to watch for 2010!” -
Jon Pike, Head of Content Sony VidZone
MOISHE’S BAGEL, WILTSHIRE MUSIC CENTRE, BRADFORD ON
AVON – FRIDAY FEBRUARY 12
 Here’s
a band who played a knockout set at The Larmer Tree Festival a few years ago;
their brand of East European and Klezmer music went down a storm. I’m sure the
band won’t mind if I reproduce their biog from their website:
“Formed in Edinburgh in 2003, Moishe’s Bagel combines the energy and passion of
Eastern European folk music with the excitement and soul of improvisation.
Boasting some of the best instrumentalists that Scotland has to offer (Salsa
Celtica, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Celtic Feet, Scottish National Jazz
Orchestra), we are equally at home jamming in a late night jazz den, grooving at
a forest festival, or enthralling an upmarket concert hall.
Everything began when four of us met in a local tango outfit, and once we had
recruited a percussion wizard to give a new twist to the klezmer/Balkan groove,
we knew we had found an unbeatable mix. Not too concerned with authenticity
(there are enough people doing that already), we let the interaction of our
individual musical personalities create our style. Our sound mixes klezmer, folk
dance, jazz, eastern percussion and more, topped off with dazzling technique and
classical rigour. Our live sets feature quite a bit of improvisation, whilst the
energy keeps them highly danceable, as well as visually and aurally exciting. We
are also building up an impressive body of original material.
Over the last four years we have toured England, Scotland, Ireland and Eastern
Europe, plus regular appearances around Edinburgh and Glasgow. We have performed
at the Larmer Tree Festival, Sessiwn Fawr, Belfast Cathedral Quarter Arts
Festival, Sheep Music, Orkney St Magnus Festival, the Small Nations Festival,
Islay Jazz Festival and many more, and this summer we had sell-out shows (and a
Critics' Choice Award) at the Edinburgh Jazz and Fringe Festival. We have
featured on Radio 3’s Late Junction, performed live sessions for Radio Scotland
and RTE, and our album “Don’t Spare The Horses” has reached as far afield as
Tel-Aviv, South America and Cape Town. Our second album “Salt” is out now. .
JACQUI DANKWORTH, SPRING ARTS &
HERITAGE CENTRE, HAVANT – THURSDAY FEBRUARY 18
 Daughter
of the legendary jazz musician and composer Sir John Dankworth and International
singing star Dame Cleo Laine, Jacqui Dankworth was brought up either on the road
or by a succession of Spanish nannies. To Jacqui the positives of the
entertainment world attracted more than the negatives repelled. There was never
any question that she wouldn’t follow her parents into show business . The only
surprise was into which area she chose to go.
Jacqui Dankworth’s first forays onto the stage were as an actress, and a
successful one at that. For many years Jacqui worked with the Royal Shakespeare
Company, the National Theatre and John Dexter's Company playing a multitude of
critically acclaimed roles. Soon the plays turned into musicals and before long
Jacqui was playing leading parts in the West End. But the singing bug had hit,
and Jacqui left the lights of the London stage to focus on her own recording
career.
The first thing Jacqui did was tour with brother Alec Dankworth's quintet,
visiting Hawaii, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Jacqui then appeared as everything but
the soldier in a staged performance of Stravinsky's “The Soldier's Tale” at the
Purcell Room, London, and worked with award winning jazz composer/saxophonist
Tim Garland on a song cycle - ‘Songs Of Love And Liberty’, alongside singers
Norma Winstone and Christine Tobin. In early 1998 Jacqui was invited to be the
guest vocalist on a major world tour with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
By 1999 her reputation was spreading and Jacqui was asked to perform new
arrangements of Gershwin classics with the BBC Big Band at The Barbican, London
and Symphony Hall, Birmingham. Her next audio project was with the group “Field
of Blue”. A simple acoustic band performing mostly original compositions. “Field
Of Blue” toured extensively around the UK and Europe playing to packed houses
and raising Jacqui’s profile as a major singing talent. Field of Blue recorded
two albums, an eponymous CD in 1999 and the second, “Still” which was released
in 2000 on Black Box records, both to wide acclaim.
Reviews were positive once again for the 2001 Black Box release with James
Pearson, “For All We Know”, including, from the Sunday Times, ‘one of our finest
singers regardless of category’. Jacqui happily appeared as a featured singer on
Gerard Presencer's Linn album, “The Optimist” and she recorded a track for the
Nick Drake tribute album released on Hannibal Records as well as performing at
the Barbican, London as part of the Nick Drake Tribute concert.
As a side project, Jacqui formed the three-part harmony group The Passion, with
two other great singers Liane Carroll and Sara Colman. The truly unique group
released an album in 2002 called “One Good Reason”, featuring the fabulous piano
work of Liane Carroll and intricate, soulful three part harmonies of
contemporary and original repertoire that features the individual and combined
talent of three of the top vocalists/lyricists in the country.
In 2003 Jacqui released her first major crossover album “As The Sun Shines Down
On Me”. This album brought her to the attention of Michael Parkinson and Radio 2
and Jacqui appeared regularly on air throughout the year. More guest appearances
followed, Jacqui was featured on Courtney Pine’s album ‘Devotion’ which was
released on 6th October 2003 to great acclaim. Tied in with the release Jacqui
performed alongside Courtney at the Royal Festival Hall, as part of the London
Jazz Festival.
Jacqui followed the success of “As The Sun Shines Down On Me” with the 2004
release “Detour Ahead”. Again this only added further to her popularity and
another UK tour confirmed Jacqui as “one of the finest singers of her
generation”. Touring around the World and appearing at special concerts with her
parents gave Jacqui a break from recording for a couple of years, but in 2008
she announced a new management team, recording contract, and band. The material
from the forthcoming album was pre-viewed to rapturous applause during a three
night residency at Ronnie Scott’s club in Soho The album 'Back To You' was
released in 2009.
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
GIDEON’S DEMISE
RICHMOND FONTAINE
THE RAILWAY INN, WINCHESTER SATURDAY FEB 27
HOLLY WILLIAMS TOWER ARTS CENTRE,
WINCHESTER
THURS MARCH 18
NIK KERSHAW TALKING HEADS,
SOUTHAMPTON FRIDAY FEB 26
THE VISITORS CELLARS AT EASTNEY,
SOUTHSEA
FRIDAY FEB 19
MOISHE’S BAGEL WILTSHIRE MUSIC
CENTRE,
BRADFORD
ON AVON
FRIDAY FEB 12
JACQUI DANKWORTH SPRING ARTS & HERITAGE CENTRE, HAVANT
THURSDAY FEB 18 |
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