Christopher Sidwell 2021

 Christopher Sidwell 2021

by Pete Clemons

There's a belief in our society that bad things always happen in three's. From natural disasters to household mishaps, if it's happened twice, it's definitely going to happen a third time. Particularly when it comes to death.

The source of the superstition appears to be that if three soldiers lit their cigarettes from the same match, one of the three would be killed or that the man who was third on the match would be shot. Since then, it has been considered bad luck for three people to share a light from the same match. Maybe best to give up smoking altogether.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Because in this case its all good news. And all three occurrences involve local artist and musician Christopher Sidwell.

Specialist record company Ace Records, who excel in re-issues, have been in touch with Christopher. It appears that they are interested in a track he wrote for a previous band from forty years ago, The Digital Dinosaurs called 'The Sideways Man'.

They want to include the track on a new compilation album called 'Winter of Discontent' compilation which the St. Etienne guys are putting together for release in the autumn. St. Etienne's Bob Stanley is a consultant for Ace, along with other record companies. Together with other band members they compile collections of obscure songs. St. Etienne fans are already aware of this and hugely appreciate Bob's discerning musical taste.

The album also includes bands such as Scritti Pollitti, The Television Personalities, The Raincoats, The Melons, Danny and the Dressmakers, The Homosexuals. Also included on the album is another track with a Coventry connection. 'The Window's Broken' by Human Cabbages, a tune recorded in 1980 from the Boys And Girls Come Out To Play EP also finds itself being given a fresh lease of life.

Say's Christopher 'They have sent a contract and are paying me ! The album comes out on CD and vinyl - very excited ! It is not my best material but it was as good as I could do at the time'.

The second piece of good news involves a series of programs documenting what people did during the Lockdown last year. Tentatively titled 'The Lockdown Diaries' the associated stories were built up during 2020 as Christopher completed, and posted up songs, from his Hoi Polloi album with notes about the songs. This formed the basis of a submission Christopher has made to a national radio station. Along with four songs being changed for ones he wrote and recorded at home last year.

Graham Fellows aka Jilted John / John Shuttleworth, and no stranger to Coventry following work at the Belgrade Theatre with Bob Eaton, is mentioned in one of those songs. We both wrote a song using the lines, 'I remember that you came in the period that remained after Christmas but before the new year in the days that have no name'. The project with Graham is completely different - it is a song we wrote a while back together which was called 'Love in the Afternoon' originally. It is now being used in Graham's new film titled 'Father Earth'.

The final piece of news involves a tune Christopher wrote for the Trees, 'Here Come the Trees' album. A version also exists on the Hoi Polloi album by Crokodile Tears. Says Christopher: 'The song was originally titled, 'Save that tree (Melanie)' and is a song about my wonderful friend Melanie Moon. Melanie is trying with others to prevent the HS2 devastation of ancient woodland in Warwickshire. She has the courage to stand up to a project that I and many other of the 'Hoi Polloi' believe to be wrong'. The song, it seems is becoming an anthem with the environmentalists who are against HS2.

Good luck goes to Christopher in his ventures. Maybe the biblical quote that begins with 'For everything there is a season' is a more appropriate for his recent turn of events. A time to plant and a time to harvest.

The Sideways Man - Digital Dinosaurs

Huh - Digital Dinosaurs