Bedworth band Luna Kiss to launch new EP

Another offering from Pete Clemons from the Coventry Telegraph. The original post on is here - take a visit. http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/bedworth-band-luna-kiss-launch-9576740

Bedworth band Luna Kiss to launch new EP

Chris Butler from Luna Kiss

July 2015 sees the release of a new, and highly anticipated, EP titled ‘Gravity’ from Bedworth based band Luna Kiss . A special launch night event has been arranged for this release at The Zephyr Club (ground floor of  The Assembly ) in Leamington for Saturday July 11.

So far the Luna Kiss discography includes an album titled ‘Echoes of Sound’ and released during 2011, a single titled ‘Take Her Away’ from 2012 and in 2013 an EP titled ‘Conjure and Sin’. That particular release was the first in a series of EPs that the band intend to publish. The eagerly awaited, ‘Gravity’ EP, being the next in that series.

Luna Kiss describes themselves as follows: ‘an alternative rock band armed with a gripping combination of technical ability and dramatic flair’. Their aim is to create music that transcends genres and, at the same time, try to build a feeling where the listener can make a connection. Rather than just hear some music the intention is that you get drawn in to listen to some music.

My own personal introduction to Luna Kiss happened quite by chance. I had gone across to Leicester to see a band called Syd Arthur play live during November 2012 and Luna Kiss was the support band. I must say that I had been quite impressed but, unknown to me at that time, was the fact that Luna Kiss were from the Warwickshire area.

Luna Kiss

Ross Morris from Luna Kiss

For introductions, Luna Kiss are: Wil Russell on guitar and vocals, Chris Butler also on guitar, Ross Morris on bass guitar and James Pedley on drums. There ages range from 23 to 26. They came together during 2009 after being school friends and attending college together. And although they are Bedworth based, the individual band members come from Coventry, Leamington and Solihull.

Each of the band members has a day job so this venture is a labour of love. In their words ‘they began to dig this big hole and they are now committed to digging it even deeper’. This was, of course, said in jest but I was left in no doubt that they are certainly committed to the task in hand.

And one of the more positive aspects going for these guys is that their own personal influences come from a wide range of styles and genres. Each band member is quite different as to their own personal musical preferences but, together, those differing influences seem to bounce off each other.

The primary songwriters, as far as the lyrics go, are Wil and Chris. Each band member, though, has to reach an agreement over the subject matter of the songs. Once satisfied, the song will then progress with the whole band contributing to its musical parts. This approach to writing does give the impression that there is plenty of harmony in the camp and that there is no overall dictatorship.

The immediate plan for Luna Kiss is to release fewer tracks but what they do record will be on a more regular basis. By that, I mean rather than release an album a year, as an example, the idea is to release a series of quality EPs for the foreseeable future.

Luna Kiss has been under the wing of BEM music services since late 2013 and things certainly seem to be blossoming for them. They came recommended to manager Ian Eardley at a gig. And Ian has played an absolute blinder by getting Luna Kiss a slot at the very prestigious ‘Night of the Prog’ festival. This annual event is set above the Rhine within the idyllic setting of Lorelei in Germany on July 18. They also completed a tour of Germany early on this year. So hopefully Europe, as so often happens nowadays, will be picking up on a UK band quicker than its home country.

James, Will and Chris from Luna Kiss

I might be doing Bedworth a dis-service here when I say that the only notable musicians, I know of, to have come out of that town are Alan Randall and ex-Shadows bass player Brian ‘Licorice’ Locking. But I do get the feeling that Luna Kiss may be on the cusp of something rather special.

Finally, it needs to be mentioned that drummer James runs a burger van on the junction of Coventry Road and Longford Road, opposite the Black Horse Pub. And his burgers are, from all accounts, ‘off the scale’.



Thanks to Torsten Geyer for the live photos.

Check out Luna Kiss’s latest video here www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPVqvQoe8A4

More on youtube if you click back to it.

Tickets for the launch gig at the Zephyr Club can be bought at www.seetickets.com

When Kenilworth's Chesford Grange Hotel played host to Bob Marley - Pete Clemons

The newest from Pete Clemons in the Coventry Telegraph, looking at Johnny Nash and Bob Marley.

When Kenilworth's Chesford Grange Hotel played host to Bob Marley

Pete Clemons From Coventry Telegraph

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/kenilworths-chesford-grange-hotel-played-9474824

Bob Marley performing in 1973

My recent article which touched on the musical history of Warwick University seemed to stir up much debate and excitement over the fact that The Wailers , complete with Bob Marley , played the student union venue as part of the UK tour which supported the release of their second Island Records release, the ‘Burnin’ album, during 1973.

Well, while researching for that particular article, I came across information that led me to discover that Bob Marley had in fact visited this area almost 18 months earlier during 1972.

Johnny Nash is a singer/songwriter who was born in Texas and will be long remembered for hits such as ‘There are More Questions than Answers’, ‘Hold Me Tight’, ‘Tears on my Pillow’ and, ‘I Can See Clearly Now’. He also had a hit during 1972 with a song composed some years earlier by Bob Marley called ‘Stir it Up’. That song could also be found on the ‘I Can See clearly Now’ album along with some other Bob Marley tunes.

Johnny Nash

Earlier in his life Johnny Nash had gained moderate success as a soul and ballad singer. However, success with a 1965 US hit titled ‘Let’s Move and Groove Together’ was also picked up by, and became very popular in Jamaica. And this, in turn, resulted in a promotional tour of the island. That tour lead to Johnny becoming increasingly influenced by the reggae sound that Jamaica is famed for and would eventually filter through to the wider world. Slightly later in that same decade Johnny would cross paths with Bob Marley who would sign up to the same record label that Johnny was involved with at that time.

After working in Sweden during the early part of the 1970s Johnny Nash and Bob Marley then found themselves reunited in North London. And towards the end of 1972, while still living in London a deal was struck up with Island records founder Chris Blackwell which saw Bob Marley and the Wailers signing up to the label.

From then on, and for that particular band, the rest as they say is history. The decision to sign up for Island Records would ultimately bring the music of Bob Marley and the Wailers huge success and international stardom. Bob’s legacy continues to live and grow to this very day.

Going back slightly in time though from the time when Bob Marley and Johnny Nash found themselves together again it appears that during 1971 Johnny, along with his manager Danny Sims, were living together in a London flat along with another Texan – the re-knowned keyboard player John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick. Danny Sims was, of course, the guy credited as the first non-Jamaican to recognise and promote the talents of The Wailers.

Early 1972 saw the trio move on to another North London flat where they were joined by Bob Marley. As well as recording with Johnny, Bob, as I understand, was looking for a new record deal and I presume that he was hoping that Johnny could in some way give him greater exposure. In fact Danny Sims arranged for Marley to sign for CBS records where a single titled ‘Reggae on Broadway’ was released in June of that year. Ultimately though, the deal was an unsuccessful one, as CBS Records did not put much effort into promoting the record.

Beginning in March 1972 Bob then embarked on a 17-date tour of the UK with singer Johnny Nash as a member of his backing group. And incredibly that tour called in at the Chesford Grange Hotel .

The Chesford Grange Hotel was, of course, once famed for its elegant dinner dances in the company of guest artists like Matt Monroe and Petula Clark. But then, sometime later, found itself on the ‘chicken in the basket’ cabaret circuit that existed from the mid 1970s and through the 1980s.

But this particular gig took place inbetween those periods when the Chesford also boasted a downstairs nightclub that, during its lifetime, went under the names of 1812, Blaises, Kinetic and Stables. This was at a time when the UK music scene had moved away from the beat bands and had become more experimental. Soul and R ‘n’ B music was also popular as was the folk rock scene. And somehow, at a live level, all these genres seemed to share venues and clubs.

The gig itself was billed as The Johnny Nash Show with The Sons of the Jungle and it was toured between March and May of 1972. I can find very little on The Sons of the Jungle but to the best of my knowledge and after much research I am fairly certain that in addition to Bob Marley the band also included John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick, George Lee, Eddie Quansa, Richard Bailey and Anthony ‘Rebop’ Kwaku Baah.

Immediately after the Johnny Nash tour John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick joined rock band Free and with them immediately went on a tour of Japan supporting Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Bundrick would go on to carve a phenomenal career as a session player as well as recording with some of the biggest bands around.

Later on during 1972 The Johnny Nash Show tour resumed and the remainder of the Wailers, namely Peter Tosh (guitar), Bunny Livingston (percussion) and Aston Barrett (bass) arrived in London and they also provided support alongside The Sons of the Jungle.

After the tour ended The Wailers broke ranks with Johnny Nash’s manager. But with no real money being made they were effectively stranded in London. It was then that the band turned up at Island records. Chris Blackwell was already well aware of the band’s talents. So Blackwell gave the band enough money to buy out their CBS contract, fly home and begin writing and recording their first album for the Island label ‘Catch a Fire’.

Throughout the rest of the 1970s and very early 1980s Bob Marley and the Wailers would make several more visits to the region such as Birmingham and Wolverhampton. But I fondly remember two extraordinary and memorable visits to Stafford Bingley Hall in 1978 and 1980 in support of the Kaya and Uprising albums respectively – thanks goes to an old friend, Ted, for getting me on that bus.

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/kenilworths-chesford-grange-hotel-played-9474824

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Pete Clemons Pens The Pineapple Thief Album Sleeve!

Owing to changes at the Coventry Telegraph, Coventry music articles by Pete Clemons are less frequent now and also more likely to be published on their website. Still, at Pete's request, we still collate his collected articles here along with a vast array of sites and materials on the Coventry Music Scene. We will continue apend the article with additional material from the Hobo Magazine collection where appropriate.

Pete's latest is not about a Coventry band as such but as Coventry writer, Pete penned the notes to an album cover. The article speaks for itself and is from the Coventry Telegraph 29th may 2015.

Coventry Telegraph music writer pens a record (sleeve)!

The Pineapple Thief

As this is the 100th article I have written for the Coventry Telegraph I thought that, for this one, I would allow myself a little self-indulgence.

I decided that it would be good to put a few words about something rather special that happened to me as a result of pulling these articles together. Thankfully one thing I have never lost in life is that sense of excitement when I discover a new band that manages to grab my attention. Hearing a band just at the point when they are setting off on their creative journey, watching them develop from afar, and catching those early gigs in small pubs and clubs can be quite special.

Apart from when I was young I have never really listened to mainstream music. Instead I prefer to search certain genres of music that rarely get any airplay. You don’t have to look far. Scratch the surface and you will soon discover that there really is some wonderful talent out there.

More difficult though, and with the lack of record shops nowadays, is the ability to buy music from these bands. Particularly from those who are not signed to a record company. And nowadays this can often lead you being in direct contact with the artists themselves.

And this happened to me just over ten years ago with a band called The Pineapple Thief . I had been down at the Mean Fiddler in London for a different gig altogether. I got chatting to a person at the bar and The Pineapple Thief came into conversation.

That same person posted me a CD containing a selection of their music. After several listens I was hooked. I then set about buying that album and began enquiring about the band’s back catalogue.

Pete Clemons with Bruce Soord, from The Pineapple Thief

The Pineapple Thief  first appeared on the scene during 1999 and by the time I discovered them they had just released their third album ‘Variation on a Dream’. Hunting down a copy of this album put me in touch with Bruce Soord who turned out to be the band’s lead guitarist and primary songwriter.

Despite the band having a record label at that time, Bruce was still heavily involved with distribution and promotion of his albums. This included everything down to the packaging and posting of the goods, along with a host of other tasks that go into making a band work.

For the next few years I followed the fortunes of The Pineapple Thief, attended gigs, events, and even joined the bands online community where, through that, I have met some really wonderful people. At the same time I was still in contact with Bruce exchanging the odd email as he would do with many other people.

By the spring of 2008 The Pineapple Thief had signed to the K.Scope record label. Now K.Scope happens to be a sub-division of the larger independent Snapper Records. They also release the music of bands and artists that include the likes of Steven Wilson, No-Man, Blackfield and Anathema along with many, many others. In fact The Pineapple Thief’s critically acclaimed seventh album ‘Tightly Unwound’ became the K.Scope label’s first official release.

Signing to K.Scope not only gave The Pineapple Thief greater exposure but also linked them up with a management team that had far greater resource. And this move freed up Bruce’s time. And he could now concentrate more on the music rather than dealing with the day to day cottage industry that he and the band had built up.

The Pineapple Thief - Magnolia album

Towards the end of July 2013 I received an email from Bruce Soord explaining that Snapper Records wanted to release a cut price double CD on another of their subsidiary labels - Recall. This compilation of The Pineapple Thief’s music would be used as a promotional tool that would hopefully introduce even more music listeners to the band.

Snapper also wanted the album’s CD booklet to have liner notes that included a complete history of the band. At that time, and as explained further on, Bruce was tied up with other projects. He knew though that I enjoyed researching band histories and putting the articles together. He asked if I would be up for writing something for this new compilation CD. I can’t begin to tell you how blown away I was by the offer. What an honour.

I was then put directly in touch with the record label who, in turn, gave me a remit along with examples of how previous compilation albums from the same series of releases had turned out.

Having initially fired from the hip and accepted the task without a second thought I do remember, quite clearly, the moment when the enormity of it all then suddenly hit me. This CD package was going to go out worldwide and was potentially going to be heard and read by an awful lot of people. I knew then that I really had to research this properly and ensure it was going to be as accurate as possible with no margin for error. In reality though, it was just like any other article and I thoroughly enjoyed completing it.

The resulting album titled, ‘Introducing - The Pineapple Thief’, was released in January 2014 and from what I understand has sold reasonably well. It collects together gems from throughout the band’s back catalogue and is a great way to explore the band’s music history. The album is readily available from Amazon and other online retailers such as Burning Shed who stock many of the K.Scope releases along with a wealth of other great music.

Introducing The Pineapple Thief album

Back to mid-2013 and June of that year had seen the release of an album called ‘Wisdom of Crowds’. The seeds for this project began many years ago but its eventual realisation featured Bruce Soord along with Jonas Renske who also happens to be lead vocalist of Swedish metal band Katatonia .

Katatonia themselves had also released an acclaimed album during 2012. It was titled ‘Dead End Kings’ and it was released on the Peaceville label in August 2012. So successful was ‘Dead End Kings’ it was nominated for a Grammy award in the band’s homeland of Sweden.

Katatonia suffered a shock departure from the band in 2014 when guitarist Per Eriksson left. Bruce Soord was then asked to temporarily replace Eriksson and perform on vocals and guitar for the band’s May 2014 European acoustic tour. A permanent replacement for Per Eriksson has now been found.

The Pineapple Thief have just recently had a new studio album released titled ‘Magnolia’. This was the band’s tenth album. And, for the first time ever The Pineapple Thief made an impact on the UK album chart, entering it at number 55, on September 22, 2014.

With no real radio airtime or mainstream press behind them this achievement has, in the main, been down to word of mouth. It has to be said though that, recent independent music magazines, have been rather kind to the band of late. And this appears to have translated itself into sales.

‘Magnolia’ was recorded at Snap Studios and mixed at Strong Room Studios in London, by Adam Noble, whose previous work includes albums from Placebo , Guillemots , Paul McCartney , Robbie Williams and Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly . This album really does contain some of the finest music that I have heard from the band to date.

Bruce Soord, from The Pineapple Thief, with Jonas Renske from Katatonia

Of course The Pineapple Thief is not a one-man band. Bruce is joined by long-time friend Jon Sykes on bass, Steve Kitch on keyboards and, more recently, Dan Osbourne on the drums and other percussion instruments. Plus Bruce has the backing of a very understanding and incredibly supportive family.

‘All The Wars’, the band’s previous album, was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studios. The sleeve artwork for that particular release was designed by the late Storm Thorgerson who, as many will know, created many of the iconic album sleeves that accompanied records by Pink Floyd and many other bands.

So clearly, and after all these years, The Pineapple Thief now seems to be emerging onto a higher stage and making more and more people sit up and take notice. But it has taken a long time and it is the culmination of a great deal of effort and sacrifice.

And there you have it, my 100th article and well over 100,000 words written for the Coventry Telegraph, who I would like to thank for giving me this opportunity during these last few years. I have been really pleased with the comments and feedback I have received so far. It is quite humbling to be stopped by someone who I previously didn’t know and to be told how they enjoyed a certain article and how it brought so many memories. But best of all is to be told that it brought a smile to their face.

Finally to the musicians whose talents I listen to and have seen perform for over 50 years. Music doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of time and dedication. And I am incredibly thankful to all those musicians whose dedication has, unknowingly, made my journey through life, so far, all the brighter.

................................

From  http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/coventry-telegraph-music-writer-pens-9357021

The Pineapple Thief official site http://pineapplethief.com/

Remembering Coventry band The Ramrods - Pete Clemons

It's been a while since we've had a new Pete Clemons article, not because Pete has slowed down but because of various changes at the Coventry Telegraph I believe. However, with the election out of the way, Pete has a new article. His articles are now on line as a matter of course but we will continue to document them here on with the rest of  Pete's work by his own request.

Pete Clemons has chosen to write about Coventry band The Ramrods - later major 5 which featured Danny Cunningham (Ex Squad) and later, Dave Pepper, formerly the X Certs.  Dave Pepper himself has a direct relevance with Hobo Magazine and Workshop - we gave Dave's first band Phoenix their first gig at the Hobo Workshop, Holyhead Youth Centre in 1974 (the band were only 16 or 17 at that stage and finding it hard to get a first gig) and the band were earmarked to play the Live Concert in the Coventry precinct in 1974 to promote the work of the Hobo Workshop. Unfurtunaltely the concert was shut down by the police for no good reason before Dave's band got a chance to play. The history of that concert is covered on another of Pete's articles here http://coventrygigs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/hobo-workshop-concert-that-led-to-7-day.html

Remembering Coventry band The Ramrods

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/remembering-coventry-band-the-ramrods-9218116

Dave Pepper who was in Coventry band The Ramrods

Incredibly, 2014 marked 30 years since Coventry band, The Ramrods had a change of name, as well as direction and became known as Major 5.

These groups hardly seem to be mentioned nowadays. And that milestone went largely unnoticed. Yet, in my opinion, both of these groups contained some amazing talent, were very solid, consistently good but, sadly, were under achievers.

This oversight could well be down to how big 2-Tone was and how it possibly overshadowed everything else going on at the time. Another factor may have been down to the rise of other Coventry bands around at that time like King. It could have been their image. But one thing is for sure. Despite their best efforts, and a few false starts, The Ramrods and Major 5 never quite had the breaks they deserved.

Music in the 1980s was very much about image. Economically, the grim 1970s were now making way for a decade of growth in people’s income and lifestyle. This growth, to a degree, was reflected in the music. The Pet Shop Boys, for me, summed up the 1980s in their song ‘Opportunities’. And TV channels, such as the newly formed MTV, emphasised the image aspect also.

Danny Cunningham

It was all as if the people who were running the music business were adding more of their influence and indiscreetly trying to push music in a certain direction while the musicians themselves were, at times, trying to take it down another route.

MTV made its debut on August 1, 1981. The first music video to be played on that particular channel was appropriately The Buggles’ ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’. The whole industry, it seemed, was under change as the focus seemed to shift from the art of simply writing music and lyrics and began to concentrate more on the fashion and the theatrics of it all.

Personally, I felt it was a slightly confusing time. Punk and post punk had come and gone and now this new wave of music, which for me felt like the complete antithesis of what had just gone by, was beginning to kick in. Yet, at the same time, punk bands still continued to spring up and some were touring with this new wave of groups.

Danny Cunningham

The Ramrods formed during 1979 and were a rock band that played venues like the Hope and Anchor and The Whitley Abbey pub. They sported a leather jacket, torn t-shirt and denim image, similar to that of The Ramones , I guess. At their peak many people rated them as the best local band around. They wrote their own original music and were very good at it. ‘Prospect Street’, ‘Give ‘em a Reason’ and ‘Solidarity’, for example, are still incredible tunes and to this day remain among writer, Danny Cunningham’s, favourites. And these were just a few of the many really excellent songs the band had in their set.

The pedigree within The Ramrods was equally impressive. The band’s lead guitarist and main song writer, as mentioned, was Danny Cunningham. Danny had previously been a member of  Squad. His brother and rhythm guitarist, Barney (Burzy), had been a member of  Criminal Class. Initially the bass player was Kevin Tanner. He was replaced by Clint Morgan who, in turn, made way for Cliff Hands. On drums was Billy Little. Later on the band included Dave Pepper who joined on keyboards. But after Cliff Hands left, when The Ramrods were by then known as Major 5, Dave took over the bass duties as the band reverted back to a four-piece.

By the end of 1983 The Ramrods finally appeared to be going places after they managed to persuade Trevor Long, the manager of  Haircut 100 and with whom they toured with, to look after them as well. Long managed to get The Ramrods some prestigious gigs supporting Culture Club on their autumn 1983 tour. He also set them up to support ex- The Jam drummer, Rick Buckler’s band, called Time UK, on their October 1983 tour.

When I recently asked Danny Cunningham if he had any memories of that time he recalled when The Ramrods were due to support Culture Club at the Victoria Hall in Hanley. Up till then it had been a bit of a struggle for the band who did not have access to their own van and, as such, had to beg and borrow lifts where they could. The driver for that particular gig should have arrived at 4pm but never got to pick up point until 4.30pm. It was then a bit of a race up the M6. But the van driver had not realised that Culture Club were a band and toured Hanley looking for a club called Culture Club until the band set him straight.

Trevor Long also paid for the band to go into the studio. The resulting tapes were hawked around London and several record companies were sufficiently impressed enough to send representatives to a Ramrods gig at the Lanchester Polytechnic during October 1983. The Ramrods then spent a week during March 1984 recording at a London studio at the expense of RCA records with a view to a contract. Sadly, neither of those potential deals failed to materialise.

It was during July 1984 that Danny and Barney Cunningham announced that, after two years of being known as The Ramrods, the band now had a new image and would become known as Major 5. Their new look was unveiled at The General Wolfe toward the end of that month. And during August 1984, Major 5, along with other bands such as The Furious Apples, European Sun and The Hawaiian Surgeons, featured in the Coventry Festival – a precursor for the Godiva Festival .

April 1985 then saw Major 5 support The Pogues at the Lanchester Polytechnic 's ‘End of term bash’. A report of the gig stated the following ‘It would have been impossible for any band to have stolen the thunder from the magnificent Pogues but the one band who did give them a run for their money was Coventry’s own Major 5. In the downstairs bar at the Poly the group played a confident set of hard American influenced rock songs that were oozing with quality and fire’.

May 1985 then saw the band involved in many contract negotiations with an agency called TriTec. Trevor Long, who was still involved with the band’s interests, had even flown to New York to investigate an American recording deal.

August 1985 saw Major 5 spending several weeks in London. While there they performed at venues as diverse as Crazy Larry’s nightclub and The Half Moon at Putney. The band also spent time with the visually stunning and outrageous band Sigue Sigue Sputnik . At some point, around this time, Dave Pepper had met up with Tony James, the bass player of Sigue Sigue Sputnik. It was clear that this meeting inspired Dave.

The earlier association with The Pogues led to Major 5 landing the support slot on the band’s ‘Rum, Sodemy and the Lash’ tour during November and December 1985. This led to the band appearing on one of the biggest stages in the country, The Hammersmith Odeon . This happened on December 8, 1985 Major 5 along with The Tall Boys.

Dave Pepper

As good as they were, live, the pressure was beginning to show within Major 5. The last gig date I can find for the band was an appearance at the Dog and Trumpet during December 1986. The band had several line-up changes over the course of that year.

Mark Patrick had replaced Dave Pepper who by now was involved in his own futuristic band Blitzkrieg Zone which took off at the beginning of 1986. Cliff Hands had also left the band. He had been replaced by, firstly, a guy called Chris from the Wonderstuff and Pop Will Eat Itself gang who, in turn, was later replaced by Mick Teddler.

Nowadays Danny and Barney Cunningham are still heavily involved in the local music scene. Danny’s long running band Gdansk still continue to perform regularly in and around Coventry. But very occasionally you can still catch The Ramrods. Still complete with original members and still playing original songs. They appeared at The Spencer Club as recently as 2013 when they warmed up the audience for The DT’s. They also appeared at The Arches Club during 2014. Given the rehearsal time they give themselves, they are in my opinion, still very impressive.

Charting the Rich Musical History of Warwick University - Pete Clemons

It's been a while since we had a Pete Clemons post on here but pete is back in fine form looking at the musical history of Warwick University for the Coventry Telegraph.

Charting the Rich Musical History of Warwick University

Pete Clemons

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/charting-rich-musical-history-warwick-8935269

Away from the city centre another area of Coventry with an incredibly rich pedigree in music, and the arts, is

the 700-acre campus now known as The University of Warwick .

The University of Warwick, or Warwick University as it is more locally known, was first given government approval in 1961 and received its royal charter when it first opened during 1965.

Also out in that corner of the city, and already existing on what is now known as Westwood Campus in Kirby Corner Road, was the City of Coventry Training College for Women which first opened on the site in 1948. This, in turn, had replaced the Men’s Emergency College and was set up in a former wartime workers hostel to address a shortage of teachers.

When it became a mixed establishment during 1958 the City of Coventry Training College for Women also changed its name to the Coventry College of Education and, for many years, was more popularly known as Canley Teacher Training College .

Canley College of Education, Coventry

Remarkably the principle of the teacher training college remained the same from when it opened and for almost its entire duration. And it was Miss Joan Browne who had fulfilled that role through to when she retired in July 1975.

After Miss Browne retired from the teaching college, which had been an entirely separate entity, it then became known as the Institute of Education and during 1978 was absorbed into Warwick University. The college, itself, was situated at what is now Arden House on the Westwood Campus .

The Coventry College of Education had its own campus and hall along with its own student union. A strong live music scene existed their during the late 1960s through to the mid 1970s and the venue attracted the likes of Status Quo, Stealers Wheel, Barclay James Harvest, Genesis, The Average White Band, Dando Shaft and Fairport Convention among many other visitors.

Genisis

U2

Warwick University also had, and continues to have, a strong students union. The campus has, for many years, staged an annual arts festival. And those festivals, particularly those held during March throughout most of the 1970s, were fairly high profile. A whole weekend was taken up by a host of live concerts of all kinds, workshops, plays and poetry recitals. During their lifetime these festivals attracted bands such as The Pink Fairies, Caravan, Gong, Al Stewart, Osibisa and Desmond Dekker.

Apart from the festivals the venue became an important stop-off on the college circuit, which in itself was an important rung on the ladder to get on, and witnessed the appearance of many bands making their way in the music business like Pink Floyd, Mott the Hoople and The Wailers who, of course, included Bob Marley.

Warwick University also had a strong folk club which was quite pivotal in the area during the 1970s. Visits were made by Bert Jansch, Harvey Andrews, Dick Gaughan and Jasper Carrott among many others.

But if the 1970s saw some major talent play Warwick University then it has to be said that the 1980s saw a real purple patch for the university as both the ever growing Arts Centre and the student union were both attracting some serious names.

In 1970, five years after it opened, the University of Warwick, commissioned the building of an arts centre.

The Smiths

The building, itself, comprised of a main theatre and a studio theatre. But it also housed a host of other facilities. The opening ceremony of the Arts Centre, during October 1974, was attended by the likes of actress Dame Peggy Ashcroft and composer Leonard Bernstein. Without doubt this building enhanced the university’s stature within the arts world.

The Smiths, Simply Red, REM, Steel Pulse, U2, Talk Talk along with a host of local bands such as The Pink Umbrellas, King and, of course, The Specials all performed at either the student union venue or at the Arts Centre. I barely scratch the surface here. The list is actually quite substantial and just absolutely staggering.

Over time, of course, the Arts Centre would grow and this development saw the 1,500 all-seated Butterworth Hall completed in January 1981 with the Mead gallery following on in 1986.

By the end of the 1980s, however, times had changed and despite visits by bands such as Radiohead and

Radio Head

The Cardiacs the early 1990s began to highlight an issue that needed to be addressed. The music being provided by the university entertainments team was seen as becoming outdated. A questionnaire was submitted to the then current crop of students and the responses clearly highlighted that a ‘limited range of acts was being asked to appear’.

Club culture was growing and an upsurge in more regular events was required to provide entertainment every night of the week. The student entertainments team responded positively by introducing a variety of sounds. All of a sudden indie, rock, jazz, funk, soul, house, pop, R’n’B, 70s and 80s nostalgia were all being showcased at the university. Despite this, the bands still appeared, but the regularity of them diminished.

The festivals were revived during 2002 by way of the Warwick Student Arts Festival (WSAF) with the aim of showcasing and celebrating all aspects of student art. It features a programme of events including plays, musicals, dance, film, orchestras, choirs and bands. All the events are normally free to attend.

Another revived club at the university is Warwick University Folk Society which was formed in 2001. They

Warwick University Arts festival in the 1970s'

describe themselves as ‘an eclectic group’ and ‘aim to cater from beginners to enthusiasts, with involvement in both the music, song and dance aspects of the Folk scene’.

The students union, at the university, continues to be incredibly vibrant. They do not appear to have as many bands nowadays, although the likes of The Wombats and The Wild Beasts have appeared there in recent years, but they have continued the tradition of keeping abreast of the times by providing a wide range of club nights at the recently refurbished Students Union halls, also known as The Copper Rooms.

During 2009 the Butterworth Hall had a major overhaul that resulted in improved acoustics, new seating and an enhanced stage and backstage spaces. The result is that the Warwick Arts Centre continues to flourish and is now the largest of its kind outside of London. Apart from the theatres the Arts Centre also comprises a cinema, a conference room, hospitality suites, a restaurant, cafe, shops, and two bars. The site also includes the university bookshop and a branch of an entertainment retailer. It continues to have a regular stream of major name artists.

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Warwick University Arts Festivals 1970's See here on the Hobo - Coventry Discos and Venues etc 

http://covdiscoarchive.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/warwick-university-arts-festivals-early.html

Warwick University Arts Festival 1971

The Primitives - Coventry band

First main Pete Clemons article for the Coventry Telegraph in 2015, this time remembering the 80's hit band The Primitives who reformed.


Do you remember Coventry band The Primitives?

Can anyone remember The Primitives?

The Coventry band that had hits such as ‘Stop Killing Me’ and ‘Out of Reach’. Not forgetting, of course,

their biggest hit, ‘Crash’, which saw chart success on both sides of the Atlantic and which also surfaced on the soundtrack of the film Dumb and Dumber.

In fact, during 2008, Mojo Magazine voted The Primitives’ second single ‘Really Stupid’ as one of the Top 40 UK indie singles of all time.

Well for those that do remember them, then you are more than likely to be aware that, after a period of well over 20 years, they returned with an album of fresh and new material.

The Primitives new album titled ‘Spin-O-Rama’ was released on October 13, 2014 on the band’s own Elefant Records label and does not appear to have lost any of the chemistry that once made them so very popular.

The Primitives formed during 1985 and created catchy and jangly songs that seemed to be influenced by 1960s pop and psychedelia. They were initially classed as an ‘indie’ group and released their songs on their own label which was called Lazy. In fact one of their early songs was actually titled ‘Lazy’.

The band then went on to sign up for RCA records. This was around about 1987/88. While at RCA they released more original material but also re-recorded some of their earlier Lazy label songs.

These re-recordings were for their first RCA album ‘Lovely’, released in 1988. Two more albums were released on RCA, titled ‘Pure’ and ‘Galore’, before the group disbanding in the early 1990s before finally calling it a day in 1992.

The Primitives actually got back together during 2009 and, by October of the same year, they had played their first reformed gigs. These were fairly low key affairs and were held at The Herbert in Coventry and the Buffalo Bar in London.

But since then The Primitives have been gigging more regularly at home and abroad. You may remember that they appeared at the Leamington Assembly during April 2010. And when they began to record together again The Primitives even enlisted the services of original producer and one time bass player Paul Samson who, of course, should need no explanation as to his role within Coventry music history.

Apart from new bassist Raphael Moore the rest of the band should, also, not require any introductions. Although Raphael is new to The Primitives he is very much local to the city and was once a member of acclaimed Coventry band The Furious Apples.

Steve Dullaghan

But for those who are new to the band they consist of original members from the classic period, and who made four appearances on Top of the Pops, namely Tracy Cattell aka Tracy Tracy on vocals, principal song writer Paul Court on guitars and vocals and Richard ‘Tig’ Williams on the drums.

It was actually tragic circumstances in February 2009 that got Paul, Tracy and Tig to get back in contact
with each other again and which ultimately led to the band’s reformation. This of course was the untimely death of the band’s founding member and bass player Steve Dullaghan. (Hobo magazine did a tribute to Steve here http://coventrymusichistory.typepad.com/blog/2009/02/the-primitives-coventry-band-tribute-to-steve-dullaghan.html

The Hobo Article on Steve

An EP release during March 2011, which featured two original songs alongside two cover versions, became the first real fruits of recorded music from the reformed band.

And then, during 2012, an album titled ‘Echoes and Rhymes’ appeared. It was essentially a covers album and contained fourteen relatively obscure tracks. But what an album it turned out to be. The songs covered, which included hidden gems like ‘Panic’ by Reparata and the Delrons, Sandy Posey’s ‘Single Girl’ and Nico’s ‘I’m Not Sayin’, were certainly given a whole new lease of life. I assume that the tracks involved were pulled together by Paul Court as I understand that he is a serious collector of rare and hard to find 45rpm vinyl records.

During the band's hiatus Tracy never went down the route of a solo artist. However, she contributed vocals to Band of Holy Joy among others, and also recorded with several outfits that worked in the dance music field. Tracy’s voice can also be heard on the short-lived, post-Primitives band Starpower’s cover of Nancy and Lees’s ‘Some Velvet Morning’.

In the meantime Paul Court continued to work with band member Tig, fronting post Primitives bands such as Starpower and Hedy. After a couple of singles were released Paul decided to give up music and moved into art and design. He sold his original artwork via his website Joypop Studio. Paul also began, and continues to, do DJ guest spots at London indie clubs.

After the various post-Primitives bands and projects, in which he was involved, had come to an end, Tig opened a shop called Pea Soup in Leamington Spa, selling hand crafted gifts and homeware items. He later went on to become a graphic designer.

Spin-O-Rama, if you read the reviews, does not appear to disappoint. And the band apparently had a great time putting it together. In fact most of the reviews I have read have shown the band in a positive light. Some go as far as mentioning the album to be one of the better ones that they have heard during 2014.

The title track, which kicks off the album, was released earlier in the year as a 7-inch single. This instantly sold out on pre-orders alone.

If you feel in anyway sceptical about The Primitives’ reunion then let me try to reassure you. The band has lost none of their original sound as such. What they have done here is to recreate the same formula but at the same time inject more experience and maturity in their sound.
This is the link to original Coventry Telegraph Article article http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/you-remember-coventry-band-primitives-8444204

From the 1st reunion at the Coventry Music Exhibition Herbert Art Gallery and Museum 2009

More here https://www.youtube.com/user/bgbgbgx/videos

Coventry Music Stars 2014

Coventry music stars that made 2014 a year to remember

Article by Pete Clemons for the Coventry Telegraph.

Rog and Pip

City music historian Pete Clemons takes a look back at some of the gigs and new releases that made last year memorable for him.

I have had another great year when it comes to record buying and gig going. As far as new albums the recent releases by Pink Floyd, Anathema, Syd Arthur, My Brother the Wind, Lunatic Soul, Gazpacho, Tim Bowness and The Pineapple Thief  have been particular favourites during the course of 2014.

On the gig front I also got to see several bands from the above list play live but also groups and artists whose roots date back to the 1960s like The Manfreds, The Fortunes and Chris Farlowe.

But the gig that seemed to get me the most outside of Coventry was the one by Status Quo at Wolverhampton Civic Hall during April. What was special about this gig is that it featured the Quo’s classic line up. And what made it so special was the atmosphere. With a set list which was structured around the bands 1977 live album it really was like going back in time and, well ...you just had to be there.

But I think what 2014 has reinforced with me is just how fortunate Coventry and its surrounding area is to have so much impressive, yet varied, talent right here on our doorstep.

Locally we were treated to three quite wonderful album releases which all sit at very different points of the musical spectrum.

March saw the release of The Game by singer/songwriter Kristy Gallacher while early December heralded the long awaited album debut by one of the more heavier of Coventry’s bands The Resurrection Men. Sandwiched in between them saw the arrival of  Si Hayden’s interpretation of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons on acoustic guitar.

Maybe your own personal music taste may well pull you in the direction of one of the above musical genres. You may well be tempted to buy. If that is the case then just do it. Trust me, none of these albums releases will disappoint. And at the same time you will be supporting these guys with vital funding.

The Sorrows in 2014

And then there was the rather fine release by Rog and Pip titled Our Revolution – not strictly new music but what this compilation did do was gather together, for the first time, all the singles released by the pair from the late 1960s through to the mid 1970s.

In addition to the albums we had a succession of single and EP releases that included some quite wonderful offerings from The Sorrows, The Moonbears, Callum Pickard and the Third Look and Barb’d Wire. Again, and as with the albums, these are all top notch releases.

I can only repeat myself here but Coventry and Warwickshire is incredibly lucky. By the way, these are not exhaustive lists. There are quite likely to have been other releases that I missed. For those who fall into that category you have my apologies in advance.

Once again I was treated to an awful lot of gigs in our area. The Mosquitoes, Blues 2 Go and Roddy Radiation and his Skabilly Rebels were without doubt amongst the highlights. But the one gig that really stuck in my mind was that by Joe O’Donnell and his band Shkayla at Warwick Arts Centre. Maybe because I went with no prior expectations but that one, for me, really was a bit special.

The new year is already shaping up to be memorable. Having been lucky enough to have heard a demo of an album release by a local artist I can safely say now that it will be one I will be raving over.

*** Original article in the Coventry telegraph here http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/coventry-music-stars-made-2014-8411572

Si Hayden