Guy Surtees – English Country Boy

 

Guy Surtees – English Country Boy

by Pete Clemons

In a recent feature on TV it was revealed that Country Music was, officially, the fastest growing musical genre in UK. The whole country, it seems, has been embracing it. This one time niche art form has had over 1.4 billion streams over the last year. Apparently a 300% increase from 5 years ago.

This is a huge surge in popularity. Country Music's distinct identity speaks volumes to people. According to the listeners 'the songs resonate and are from the heart'.

Country music is, and will always be, synonymous with Nashville. But the whole landscape, particularly in the UK, has progressed immeasurably from how it can be depicted.

British artists were clearly influenced by the American brand but in recent years it has taken on a life of its own. The music has slowed down slightly and aspects such as production and harmonies are world class.

The UK scene is led by bands like Ward Thomas, The Shires and Wildwood Kin. But recently they have been joined by local musician Guy Surtees who has just released his debut four track EP titled 'English Country Boy'. And what a great listen it is.

Guy has not simply jumped on the bandwagon. He has gravitated there. He first discovered Country during 1986 and stepped right in during 2009.

Locally, Guy was a member of Profile during the very early 1980s. Incredibly talented he taught fellow band member, Steve Barney, how to play bass guitar.

Guy went on to appear in Beachmantango alongside Anthony Harty. He also featured on the original Paradise West recordings where he played keyboards and harmonica.

During the 90s Guy moved to California where he played with a country band.

It now appears that the experience Guy has gained, from all his years on the circuit, are finally paying off.

The opening track on his EP 'English Country Boy' is a lively affair. I asked Guy if the lyric was a confession. 'Yes' he said 'it is autobiographical. I’ve loved Country music for many years but only recently started to sing and write in this style'.

But it is his treatment of the remaining songs on the EP that bring you out in bumps. They are truly attention grabbing and these, I think will have enormous crossover appeal.

Guy writes all the songs. Additionally, I think he plays all instruments as well. And there is much more to come.

Guy's songs are stories told in an earnest style. They are more a metaphor for life, picking yourself up and embracing what you have. Romantic and melancholy ballads accompanied by acoustic and slide guitars. The imitable mark of a man who has, at some point, experienced many emotions.

 Country music is not all brawling, drinking and wide open spaces. Check out Guy at:

guysurtees.co.uk

Fresh Maggots

 Fresh Maggots

by Pete Clemons

Originally published in the Coventry Telegraph.

Rosemary Hill is an insignificant piece of road of no more than 100 metres long which overlooks the delightful scene of Abbey Fields in Kenilworth famous for its green fields and slopes. Yet, over 40 years ago, it was immortalised forever in song by a Nuneaton duo that, collectively, were known as Fresh Maggots.

Although not at all about the stretch of road itself, but more so, the surrounding countryside, Rosemary Hill is one of eleven enchanting tracks on the bands one and only album ‘Hatched’. The title of the song apparently came to the band when passing through Kenilworth, on the way home, after a holiday in Devon.

Mick Burgoyne and Leigh Dolphin both grew up on the same housing estate in Nuneaton but did not become firm friends until they met up as teenagers on the local folk circuit during the late 1960’s.

Both were accomplished multi instrumentalists and each shared a mutual interest of music in sounds as diverse as Led Zeppelin, Rory Gallagher’s Taste and The Pentangle. This meeting of minds led them to the common ground they needed to team up and to begin to write and craft songs together. What they created was fairly innocent and ‘of that time’ but combined their love of both rock and folk music.

Mick and Leigh, it seems, came up with the band name when they noticed a sports shop advert they had seen in a local newspaper - ‘fresh maggots always available’. Presumably, the maggots were available for the fishermen of Nuneaton.

The band name had not been meant to be taken at all seriously but things moved fairly quickly after being ‘discovered’ during September 1970, and by the time of their second ever gig, that the name stuck. Another local band ‘Boots’ were supposed to have been the band in the spotlight that particular evening. Fresh Maggots were actually the support band. But it seems as though it was the duo and their folk songs that had made the more lasting impression and impact.

Fresh Maggots were then invited down to a London studio to make a demo. This, in turn, led to the RCA record label sending some of their people to a gig in Coventry where they were immediately signed up.

At that time, and bear in mind that these two musicians were still just teenagers in 1970, their only real ambition was ‘just to walk on stage with our gear, say hello and try to make as many people as possible a little more cheerful’. As such all became a bit overwhelming for them as the pair was now being touted onto radio shows such as Radio Luxembourg. To them, they had very little control over their own destiny.

On Saturday 9th October 1971 the pair played Durham University. They were the support band to Van Der Graaf Generator. Dennis Burns, who was their roadie and was also involved on the mixing desk, remembers that particular gig well. Van Der Graaf’s iconic album ‘Pawn Hearts’ was released during October 1971 and the band were just beginning to promote it by taking it on the road. The whole of side 2 of the record is taken up by a single track called ‘A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers’ and was described in Melody Maker as one of the most fascinating and dramatic items they had ever heard. The album was certainly memorable to Dennis. And even today that particular album remains a huge favourite amongst the progressive rock fraternity.

The following night, Sunday 10th, and Fresh Maggots were appearing at London’s Marquee Club in Wardour Street. This time they were the support to ex Jethro Tull’s bass player Glenn Cornick’s, then, new band Wild Turkey. And so impressed had they been the night before that members of Van Der Graaf Generator were also in attendance having also made the long journey south.

Fresh Maggots were certainly becoming more widely known. They were touring heavily at this time as during November 1971 they played as far south as Tofts club in Folkestone.

During their short existence, Fresh Maggots completed several local BBC radio interviews and live sessions. They appeared at local stations in Sheffield, Leeds, Teeside and Liverpool. They also recorded a session at the BBC radio theatre in Portland Place near to the London Palladium for Alan Black and Anne Nightingale who had made their record the album of the week on their ‘What’s New’ programme.

Fresh Maggots only album ‘Hatched’ album has had the CD reissue treatment complete with the non-album single track ‘Car Song’, and its B side, as a bonus. The music itself has a very grand and majestic feel to it. In part, I guess, due to the orchestral arrangements within it. The songs are well structured and are about hope and love.

But there is so much more to it though than the delightful Rosemary Hill. Despite being classed a folk record the album contains elements of fuzz guitar and feedback as well as some quite stunning harmonies and melody. The songs on it are wistful and, yes, maybe a little naive, but for me personally that just adds to the charm.

Some time ago I read that Mick Burgoyne, on reflection, has mixed thoughts about the album. ‘Some of it makes me very proud but some of it makes me cringe’. Like most musicians, however, the pair will be self-critical about their work and pick on the parts they could, with hindsight, maybe have done better. As the artists they are entitled to. However, as the listener of the final product, I for one enjoy it just the way it is and I always feel that little more cheerful for listening to it.

More here https://coventryfolkclubs.blogspot.com/2013/04/fresh-maggots.html

Fresh Maggots on Spotify 1st and 2nd albums. https://open.spotify.com/artist/06VUtXjmLbkXTSoV3cqJaW

Punk at the Universities

 Punk at the Universities

by Pete Clemons

We tend to look back at the punk rock years with a wry smile. Nowadays it seems to be so much more acceptable. But it is fair to say that when punk rock first took off in the UK it was not given a warm welcome. Far from it in fact. Local councils made it as difficult as possible for the venues to put the bands on. And where the bands did get to play band members and their fans were often ridiculed or physically attacked by opposing groups of individuals. It was not an easy time for them.

Universities, which eventually warmed to the genre and welcomed them in, initially gave punk rock a particularly hard time. Examples of this are detailed below.

During 1976 the Students Union at Warwick castigated the pop music newspaper 'Sounds' in an article in its arts publication. It was annoyed about the prominence given by 'Sounds' to a group called 'The Damned'. Sounds had included a headline 'DAMNED HEAD FOR THE CHARTS'. The article went on to say that:

'Sounds has yet again taken upon itself to ram punk rock down the throat of the unsuspecting public. Apparently the Damned's first single, for the obscure 'Stiff' label, sold 4,000 copies, when a sale of 25,000 is usually needed even to make the lower reaches of the Top Thirty. And they give us this kind of headline!'.

Toward the end of 1976 it was reported that 'Punk rock artists the Sex Pistols left their entertainments fixture at Lanchester Polytechnic without full payment after an impromptu meeting of union officers at the concert heard complaints about the group's stage act'. Of course it was reporting on the Sex Pistols / Clash gig during November of that year:

'Lanchester follows the National Union of Students policy which recommends colleges not to invite people with racist or fascist views onto campuses, and it was decided that the Sex Pistols act had included racist and fascist references'. The Sex Pistols and a supporting punk rock outfit, The Clash, who had been booked for £475, were paid just £50'.

An attendee of that concert, told the SU at Warwick that it was all 'fairly obscene'. The attendee continued: 'at one point the audience booed the Sex Pistols after their version of 'Substitute', which the group's lead singer countered with familiar Anglo-Saxon invective. It is widely accepted that they are fascist. It comes out of the experience of unemployment, bad housing, sleeping rough and being anti-establishment. They are not working class, more drop-outs. But their support is working class. They see themselves as mediums of these frustrations, they see their role as a political role, using the channel of popular music because other channels are being closed'.

The attendee continued: 'But the support band, The Clash, had started off the concert with a song the lyrics of which could be seen as inflammatory: 'All the power is in the hands of people rich enough to buy it. White riot, I wanna riot, white riot, a riot of my own'.

Yet incredibly, and less than a year later, both The Sex Pistols and The Clash could have played Warwick University.

Yes it could have been true! Ents were offered The Sex Pistols for the 1977 Xmas Party provided the gig was unannounced. And so, much to their credit, the Ents team booked them. A major scoop but then problems started. The tour dates were put forward a week, which scrapped arrangements at our end, and then they decided to switch to Mr. George in Coventry City Centre.

The arts pages mentioned: Ah, so near yet so far; but the Warwick Uni SU has it on good authority that if Ents are offered the band again they will accept them if conditions are acceptable. The most controversial rock band of recent years played at Mr. George's club on Saturday 17th December.

And finally, at around the same time, after originally being booked to play Warwick University, it seems The Clash were cancelled down by the University, due to insurance reasons. Punk rock, it seems, had won the hearts and minds in the end.

Coventry Music Museum - The Primitives

 

Coventry Music Museum - The Primitives

by Pete Clemons

For getting on for 15 years the Coventry Music Museum, which has been at it's current location on Ball Hill since around 2013, has showcased the wealth of musical talent this city has been fortunate enough to have been gifted.

From its beginnings at Coventry University Pete Chambers has made the museum a focal point since around 2010 – if not earlier than that.

To achieve this longevity the museum has had to overcome many hurdles. And those issues have taken dogginess, commitment, sheer hard work and much more besides in order to press on. Pete's determination and resolve is unparalleled in these parts, if not more widely. The museum is indeed a labour of love.

And incredibly, since the pandemic – and despite initially battling against a tide, the museum appears to be going from strength to strength. Growing evermore in it's popularity.

Each year Pete attempts to freshen things up by introducing a new feature exhibition. And this year that accolade belongs to The Primitives and, in particular, their hit song Crash.

 During a speech for the official opening of the exhibition Pete attempted to describe what made Crash, for him, the perfect pop song. Difficult to put into words, it was a visitor who gave him that lightbulb moment when the comment was made that The Primitives 'Made it look easy'.

A Primitives line up of Paul Court on guitar, Tig Williams drums, Paul Sampson bass and Tracy Tracy vocals were there to help celebrate the opening of the section of the museum dedicated to them and all they have achieved.

 The quartet also performed a really wonderful acoustic set that included Through the Flowers, Don't Know Where to Start, Buzz Buzz Buzz, Way Behind Me and of course Crash.

 The exhibition is representative of the art and the music that The Primitives created. And, as you would expect from Pete, meticulous attention has been paid to detail.

 This homage maps the band from their beginnings in 1984 to the present day and the collection contains instruments, memorabilia and much more.

 The museum may be Pete's vision but a whole lot of credit is due to the team of knowledgeable volunteers who support the venture. And Pete is quick to acknowledge this. The exhibition includes an area for choreographed images which, I'm sure, will prove to be immensely popular.

 As far as I understand the exhibition will remain for the duration of the year. It is a must visit venue.