The Climates Songwriting Competition is an offshoot of the Frome International Climate Film Festival. The Festival itself is a Community Interest Company whose mission is ‘Connecting, Sharing, Supporting and Inspiring Positive Change through Film’. It takes place at the Cheese and Grain in Frome on 19th May 2024 running all day from 09:00 to 23:30. Climate films from around the world will be shown, there is an opportunity for ‘Green Community Group’ networking, children’s eco art activities and more besides. Festival awards will be made at the end of the day. Then a Post Awards party takes place with local bands.
One of those bands will be Judas Goat & the Bellwether – a recent folk-rock collaboration between Frome-based singer-songwriter Sara Vian and Yeovil multi-instrumentalist Peter Vincent. Their original song ‘There Is Always A Dawn’ was entered for the The Climates Songwriting Competition and came runners-up. The song’s lyrics are heavily inspired by William Blake’s Jerusalem, with the dark satanic mills replaced by modern day factories. It’s a powerful song, opening with Vincent’s finely picked acoustic guitar but soon swelled by the very fitting sound of organ and complementary percussion. Vian’s vocals suit the angry mood of the piece. In places the prosody was a little awkward and I sensed a temptation to turn this into a polemic with the ‘satanic’ imagery of Blake’s poem redeployed to stress negatives of industrial production today. The musical ingredients augur well for future work and I look forward to hearing what other subjects they tackle.
RIP Sixto Rodríguez whose death was announced this month. He needs no introduction to my friends from South Africa where he was, literally, a legend. In that country he was easily more famous than The Rolling Stones, to take one example.
The Detroit singer-songwriter was the inspirational yet unseen figure whose songs helped propel the youthful anti-apartheid movement. It was said that at that time you would always find three LPs in any liberal SA household – Let It Be by The Beatles, Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon & Garfunkel and Cold Fact by Rodriguez.
Yet, no one knew anything about him. He was unknown even in his own country where his records sold in single figure quantities. Somehow his music had found its way to SA but only years later was he made aware of his fame there.
I was introduced to him by my son Jon via the film Searching For Sugarman which has by far become my most-watched movie of any genre. I heartily recommend it and all his music – just two LPs from the early 70s.
Rodriguez in concert at the Royal Albert Hall, September 2018. (Photograph: Colin Bailey)
On the strength of his story and his music we booked in 2018 to go to New York to see him. Sadly, I was too ill to travel. Fortunately, he came over to the UK later that year. His show at the Royal Albert Hall was electrifying.
Sincere condolences to his family, friends and many many fans.
*****Ahead of their time with this cult classic*****
While The Searchers ‘Thank You’ tour proceeds I have been listening to all The Searchers’ albums in sequence. Coming to their fifth studio album – their last from Pye Records – released in November 1965, I was struck by just what a gem this is and wondered why it was Pye did not renew the band’s contract and capitalise on the quality material the record contains. This is a forgotten classic and way ahead of its time.
LP cover for The Searchers Take Me For What I’m Worth (Pye Records) November 1965. Artwork copyright resides with the owners.
The track ‘Does She Really Care For Me’ written by Fred Anisfield and Larry Weiss would not have been out of place on the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds, a seminal disc released six months after TMFWIW. Weiss is a songwriter of considerable pedigree, having composed ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’, a massive hit for Glen Campbell, and co-written ‘Bend Me, Shape Me’ and ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’. Chris Curtis’s arrangement and lead vocal lend it an ethereal appeal that could have been the springboard into more psych rock directions. John McNally’s ‘It’s Time’ has a bouncy pop feel with vocals led by John and twangy country-tinged guitar redolent of The Byrds’ Younger Than Yesterday, an album released well over a year after Take Me.
As a group composition, ‘Too Many Miles’ emerges in an interesting genre – pastoral yet jaunty folk, complete with sparkly flute and tambourine. There are pop ‘standards’ – ‘Be My Baby’ and ‘I’ll Be Doggone’ – and more band members’ original compositions on the B side. It’s the choice of material from seasoned top-notch songwriters that makes this record stand out. Ian Tyson’s ‘Four Strong Winds’ is a great song and The Searchers can do plaintive as well as anyone. Was there ever a more perfect pairing of writer and cover artist than Jackie deShannon and The Searchers? If ‘When You Walk In The Room’ was instantly recognisable, ‘Each Time’ on this LP consolidates their characteristic knack for exquisitely delivering a carefully crafted tune. The title track rounds off the album and what a power pop belter this song by the enigmatic master of song P.F. Sloan became in concert.
It’s a celebration of songwriting and artistry featuring a smorgasbord of styles – an album that will continue to remain right at the top of my playlist long after the tour.
The BBC is now 100 years old. In commemoration of that, I have reflected on my top ‘must-listen’ shows – five BBC radio programmes from my lifetime that I was personally hooked on.
#5 NICK GIRDLER – ‘The Late Shift’ (BBC Radio Solent and BBC Radio Berkshire)
Nick is a unique broadcaster – independent, quirky, with a wicked sense of humour and a fiercely loyal following. Before finally being relieved of his duties on the Radio Solent schedules in 2019 he was in the prime position of Radio Solent morning show presenter. But prior to being elevated / house-trained to that role he hosted a somewhat bizarre late night programme broadcast across BBC in the central South region.
This was not your average phone-in for lonely listeners but an absurdist radio experiment that lasted because presumably station management were not tuned in at that time. Features included “The Bloke” – there was always an anonymous or at least unannounced sports reporter (I think on occasion it was Alistair Bruce-Ball) who came on without ceremony to deliver the evening’s football results at about 11pm. This was followed by “The Weather Fivecast” and the literally unfathomable feature “Underwater Bingo”.
A sometime actor, Nick had turned his back on TV and the viewers’ loss was us radio fans’ great gain. It was a shame to lose him and his acerbic wit from our Berkshire network when he went into the daytime slot but I was thankful for the years that he entertained and occasionally offended the insomniac BBC Radio in the South listeners. There seems to be no recorded output of the Late Shift available save for the jingle – which hopefully will bring back memories to fellow ‘avids’.
#bbcradioberkshire #bbcradiosolent #nickgirdler
#4 RAY MOORE – BBC Radio 2 early morning show 1982-1988
A consummate professional, the deep tones of Ray Moore, combined with a dry yet warm humour were the perfect accompaniment to rising at the crack of dawn on winter weekday mornings. His Radio 2 morning show was on for a relatively few years but they were golden ones.
Ray had been an announcer and a radio commentator on Eurovision where some acerbic remarks earned him criticism from some countries of a senstive disposition. He was also a polished and informed interviewer of musical artists, eg The Carpenters and Guy Mitchell, who for some unknown reason he would always refer to as ‘The Bull on the Pampas’. However it was in the 5-7am slot that as a presenter he established himself and garnered a devoted listenership who chuckled at his wry observations of life.
There were his own songs too – ‘My Father Had A Rabbit’, performed on TV with Shag Connors and the Carrot Crunchers, and which reached the Top 30. Also my favourite of his – ‘Jogging in the Bog-eyed Jogs’ which didn’t do quite so well but raised a lot for Children in Need, as did the actual jogs – one of which Ray presented his show from at the usual unearthly time whilst some hardy souls ran around the race track.
Ray’s final show was on a Thursday. He had been suffering from throat cancer and BBC bosses decided to not put him through one more show, depriving him and the listeners of a fond farewell. Survived by his wife Alma, who he always referred to as ‘Management’, Ray passed away within a year. RIP.
The premise of the show was for panel members to gain points by spotting untruths in a short speech read to them. Sound familiar? Yes this is the original antecedent of David Mitchell’s ‘The Unbelievable Truth’ variant. At least I cannot imagine the deviser of the latter, Graeme Garden, was unfamiliar with Roy’s creation.
Plomley was of course best known as the serious, original presenter of ‘Desert Island Discs’. However this show gave him an outlet for whimsy and quiet humour. I was hooked, and I especially enjoyed the round with ‘Our Musical Mistakes Man’, Steve Race.
I was desperately disappointed when the BBC saw fit to bring it to an end, far too prematurely. I was moved to write a seven page letter to BBC management pleading for it to be rescued, but alas to no avail. I’m hoping that some episodes at least have been preserved and there may be some repeats on BBC Radio 4 Extra.
#2 ‘Pick Of The Pops’ with Alan Freeman 1962-72 (BBC Light Programme / Radio 1)
A golden era of British music. 1964 was one of the best, if not the best, years in popular music. It was also the year of the first ‘British Invasion’ of pop groups into the US. That’s incidental to the records in the UK charts (or ‘Hit Parade’) that chirpy Australian broadcaster Alan (later ‘Fluff’) Freeman counted down each Sunday afternoon.
In this period, vinyl records, especially singles, were the common medium for personal music listening. But we were informed by the radio, and on the BBC Light Programme before the switchover in 1967 to Radio 1 and the other networks the relatively few pop shows like ‘Pick Of The Pops’ were essential listening to the young music lover. I got intensely annoyed if I was ever back late (ie after 4pm) from playing in the street and missed the start of the show.
‘All right? Right. Stay bright!’
Hear more from the iconic DJ in the 1964 show captured on YouTube and linked below.
#1 ‘Sounds Of The Sixties’ with Brian Matthew 1990-2017 (BBC Radio 2)
Replacing the show hosted by Peter Clayton on Saturday mornings, in 1983 a new programme devoted entirely to music from that golden decade was presented – first by veteran DJ Keith Fordyce then by a guest presenter each week. After a year of that idiosyncratic 60s figure Simon Dee, the helm was taken by long term presenter, the avuncular Brian Matthew.
Brian had been an actor originally and was most recently the presenter of popular arts programme, ‘Round Midnight’. He was best known to many of us as the host of ‘Saturday Club’ back in the ‘60s. That show came on at 10am immediately following ’Children’s Favourites’ and was the best hope of hearing new discs by the beat groups, interspersed with live performances by artists doing covers, due to the ‘needle time’ restrictions.
The joy of listening to ‘Sounds Of The Sixties’ – thanks to the intelligent music choices made by producers Roger Bowman and, later, Phil Swern – was due to the incredible variety of the obscure and the well-known. This show was by no means only about the hits. Brian’s delivery was polished, professional and personable.
He was indisposed on some occasions in later years, his seat being taken by Johnny Walker and others. Tim Rice deputised on the last occasion and his own memories and similar respect for the music would have made him an ideal replacement, in due course, for Brian.
Sadly, the BBC, after Brian’s departure due to ill-health, made the decision to shift the show to a much earlier time slot with another popular 60s DJ but who had a very different approach and moreover had an inclination to populist tastes.
We are fortunate to have some recordings of the BM era of the show. Here is ‘your old mate’, Brian Matthew with ‘Side 1’ of a programme from 2009.
The Lost Trades’ The Bird, The Book & The Barrel was the exceptionally harmonious product of Wiltshire singer-songwriters Phil Cooper, Jamie R. Hawkins and Tamsin Quin.
This is a very readable account of the music scene in just one provincial town, in a classic era of music, peppered with national news to set the context. It will of course bring back memories of long gone local groups and virtually forgotten venues. But there’s a wider interest. The authors – who were there through the period in question – make the point that many of the groups discussed would have been familiar in other places too. We hear about perennial support groups who were on the road and well known on a wider circuit – Brewers Droop being a case in point. Reading also “nurtured” names who would become known on a much bigger stage – Marianne Faithfull, Arthur Brown, Mike and Sally Oldfield…
To the general music public, the town of Reading is likely most synonymous with the annual festival. Through first-hand accounts, we follow the development of the unsavoury can throwing – leading to the Party Seven lobbing – and the incumbent injuries. The authors give nice personal touches when they express their own disappointment at acts – from either seeing them or missing them. Throughout the book, there’s above all else a great sense of the love of music in the town.
The nostalgia element is strong, and I loved hearing again about iconic Reading people and places including Mike Cooper (who wrote the book’s foreword), The Amboy Dukes, Tudor Lodge, G.T. Moore, the Thing-A-Me-Jig club and local living legend Alan Clayson and his Argonauts.
In Rúnian, the ingenuity of improvisational duo The Ciderhouse Rebellion reached another level when they combined with poet Jessie Summerhayes to form Words of a Fiddler’s Daughter.
Scots singer-songwriter Robert Severin scored an impressive debut of Hungarian inspired chanson, Postcard From Budapest.
The Explorers Club brightened up the Autumn lockdown with their dual releases, an eponymous CD of sunshine pop covers and the equally infectious To Sing And Be Born Again.
Most-missed live act (or event) in 2020
The legendary Supertramp co-founder Roger Hodgson’s world tour – now rescheduled to 2021. **STOP PRESS** The Roger Hodgson 2021 gig in Westcliff now cancelled. Hoping to catch him in 2022!
Tip for 2021
With a return to live music – hopefully by the Spring – banjo player, mandolinist, composer and singer Polly Bolton will hit the ground running.
Tony Hooper performing with Pitchfork in 2006 (Photo: Ian Woledge)
Tony Hooper, vocalist, acoustic guitarist and tambourine player with Strawbs, in two stints with the band, sadly died on Wednesday at the age of 81.
Tony was a founder member, along with David Cousins, of The Strawberry Hill Boys, essentially a bluegrass trio, who evolved into Strawbs – a musically delicate pastoral and baroque folk group. Their music subsequently went through a metamorphosis into art-rock and progressive folk-rock. It was in Tony’s first run with the band, alongside Dave, the rhythm section of John Ford and Richard Hudson, and the prodigiously talented Rick Wakeman on keyboards, when I was first ‘turned on’ to their sounds and henceforth contemporary music in general.
The year was 1970 and ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris had recently started a new BBC Radio show called Sounds of the Seventies. I was listening to it on my transistor radio in my teenage bedroom. Bob was playing ‘The Antique Suite’ from JustA Collection Of Antiques And Curios. Rick’s harpsichord, John’s pounding bass lines, Hud’s insistent hand drumming and Dave’s nasal tones on ‘The Reaper’ immediately caught my attention. Then the harmonies, courtesy of Tony, came in and I was hooked. The second movement of the suite, ‘We Must Cross The River’, started – with Tony on lead vocal. Musically, life would never be the same again. I say more about this in my article for July 2012’s R2 Rock’n’Reel, ‘It started with a disc: Just A Collection Of Antiques And Curios’.
A selection of Strawbs LPs, with Tony pictured back row on right, on the rear cover of ‘Just A Collection Of Antiques And Curios’ (Photo: Colin Bailey – original LP artwork copyright of the original holders)
Strawbs’ music, and Tony’s singing in particular, were the mainstay of my personal music tastes from my teens onwards. I also bought all the band’s LPs and caught Strawbs at festivals in the south-east, managing to speak briefly with Tony at one such, during his second Strawbs tenure. Tony was approachable and good humoured. Fast forward to last year, when I serendipitously caught up with Tony again, at a pub music session. Tony had been playing in two bands, Misalliance and the barn dance outfit Pitchfork, for over three decades. In his earlier professional life he had worked in publishing, and also – as I only recently found out – as a producer with labels such as Myrrh Records.
Tony’s 80th Birthday (Photo: Colin Bailey)
That night was the occasion of his 80th birthday, and he was in good form. He was very happy to chat and I am so pleased I was able to get to tell him something about how I was, still, singing songs from his repertoire of yesteryear, such as ‘The Blantyre Explosion’. I reminded him of our encounter in the 90s and explained that our meeting was at the time of the Strawbs line-up that featured, amongst others, Rod Demick. At this point Tony immediately interjected with what a lovely chap Rod was. I was so touched by his warm-heartedness.
Tony was the first and foremost inspiration for my own musical endeavours as a singer, and it’s like a large chunk of my heritage has been taken away. His angelic tones in the recordings of Strawbs’ music will thankfully live on. To quote from my personal favourite Strawbs song ‘We’ll Meet Again Sometime’ (Tony’s ‘showstopper’ as Dave has put it) –
‘For time has now decided that we must go our individual ways The warmth I feel inside can more than overcome my loss’
Dave Cousins – ‘We’ll Meet Again Sometime’
Tony Hooper 1939-2020
Colin Bailey 21 November 2020
References
Bailey, C. (2012) It started with a disc. R2 Rock’n’Reel, 2 (34) July/August, p. 114.
Cousins, D. (1993) We’ll Meet Again Sometime. Sony/ATV Music.
Cousins, D. (1998) Liner Notes to compilation CD of Strawbs Just a collection of antiques and Curios. London: A&M Records.
Greener, D. (2020) Tony Hooper, Died 18 Nov 2020 [Online]Available from <www. strawbsweb.co.uk> [Accessed 20 November 2020].
The Watermill Theatre in Bagnor, near Newbury (Photo courtesy: The Watermill Theatre)
Due to go on furlough that evening, Heidi Bird, Outreach Director of Newbury’s Watermill Theatre, made time to speak to me about the renowned provincial theatre’s lockdown activities, when I caught up with her this month. The theatre had “gone dark” on 17th March, when the Government announced that places of entertainment in the UK would be closing. The Watermill then cancelled five shows in rehearsal or performance, along with a further five that were programmed but not advertised.
As well as putting on public performances at the out-of-the-way picturesque venue, Heidi and her team of three do a great deal of work in and for the community. This includes a large number of workshops, engagement with schools, audio-described and British Sign Language integrated performances, holiday courses and one-off activities for adults. They also create education packs for the productions that run at The Watermill. “If I had to summarise my role”, said Heidi, “it’s about ensuring that The Watermill is a theatre for everybody – and that everybody feels like there’s an opportunity for them to get engaged and get involved.”
As at 10thJune, according to the market and consumer data website staista.com, ticket sales at UK theatres had fallen by 93% due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Heidi confirmed that indeed that there has been a “big financial hit” at the theatre. This was also endorsed by Craig Titley, the CEO of another much-loved and scenic performing arts venue in the county – Bracknell’s South Hill Park Arts Centre. Craig gave a stark report that 70% of UK theatres say they will go out of business by Christmas. His own organisation employs thirty-four staff on part or full-time contracts and twenty-two contracted casual workers/tutors. The number of staff furloughed has varied each month but only six staff are currently not furloughed. The UK theatres going out of business will include South Hill Park, he said, “unless there is an injection of cash before furloughing ends on 31 October – or mass redundancies.”
One of the priorities that Heidi and the management at The Watermill Theatre have had during COVID is to keep the staff well. Across all departments of the theatre, they have around forty staff, but they needed to go down to a team of about eleven, putting a large proportion on furlough. Fortnightly newsletters and a weekly quiz were arranged, to help keep the team connected. Heidi’s attention turned to the whole community, now at home and isolated, and how to engage with them. A group of five staff members – still at the theatre when they went into lockdown – sat down and started “scribbling ideas down of all the things that we could do.”
Heidi explained how ideas developed. “To start with, it all felt a bit overwhelming”, she said. “Because it just suddenly felt like the world was your oyster – we could do anything!” From that point, Heidi considered the bigger picture and how in her role as Outreach Director she could focus on what could be achieved. She recognised that people would want a routine, in other words something they could “hold onto within their week”. Regular weekly sessions for Watermill supporters and others were organised. Using Zoom technology, every week two sessions – each of one hour – were put on. They ran one in the afternoon for families and one in the evening for adults. Each week, a different creative ran a workshop about their craft, be it stage management, movement, acting, directing, or even costume design. These proved highly popular, as did weekly afternoon Q and A sessions with other theatre professionals.
South Hill Park Arts Centre in Bracknell (Photo courtesy: South Hill Park)
Craig Titley at South Hill Park said that the Arts Centre has continued to communicate with its audiences and direct them to online arts activity arranged by other arts providers. “We are also delivering about ten online visual arts courses”, he said, “and provided some community participatory activity and free story telling for families.” He also hopes to offer some outdoor arts activity in August – for example family performances of Wind in the Willows.
Heidi reported that the Watermill staff are positive and talking about the future. At the same time, she said, they are not being unrealistic, as it will take a long time “to get back completely on our feet”. Another key priority is getting people back in the building as soon as possible. A great encouragement to the team is the loyalty of the Watermill audience – “which keeps us going all the time.”
Craig said that although some UK venues have already closed permanently, South Hill Park can continue for now. “We have also just started a public fundraising campaign to give our bank account a boost”, he said.
“If we’re going to get through this, then our audiences will very much be a big part of that”, Heidi said. “I can’t wait to be the first person in the audience of the first show back at The Watermill – I can’t wait for that rapturous applause!”
The Surrey four-piece have produced their fifth album, the first with fiddle player John Sandall and their newest member, popular guitarist and singer Sue Graves. I had, on first listen, wondered if the songs would have benefitted from further orchestration. However, they impressively achieve a full sound with Sara Byers’s solid accordion, the underpinning strong violin work and the glorious trademark close harmonies. The opener, the title track, is a case in point: all elements combine to produce a beautifully melodious sound. Her own composition, the piece is enhanced by Mary Wilson’s mandolin and guest Tom Evans’s complementary piano.
Their objective in the production of this album, as I subsequently discovered, was to capture as live a sound as possible. Having been fortunate to see the band in concert on a number of occasions, I can report that they achieve this commendably. Not only that, the CD is a worthy representation of their set. The original core of Mary and Sara provide seven of their own ethereal and powerful compositions. Sue, known as “The Surrey Nightingale”, sings impeccable lead vocals on a number of classic folk and folk-pop numbers, for example ‘Here, There And Everywhere’ and Joni Mitchell’s ‘Carey’.
This is a bumper collection of fifteen superlative pieces. It’s a delicious blend of styles – but a fresh, crisp salad rather than a stodgy soup.
The Bailey Beat 