chasing frightened rabbits

so most of wednesday was spent thinking of ways to break into a sold out gig in a castle which would undoubtedly be immense. why? because it was headlined by the glaswegian rockers frightened rabbit. this is a band who aren't afraid to sing with passion and experiment with the simplest of melodies for the most wonderful of results. after frustratingly listening to their myspace whilst fantasising about secret underground passageways, i stopped myself mid-track. i had to go to this gig. 30 seconds later i was metro-bound for the castle keep and practising my persuasive voice. it didn't take long to blag myself entry and breathe a sigh of relief.

the getinvolved team, normally based at the end bar in newcastle, had done a great job. to host a gig in a castle with a limitation on numbers and at high expense was an ambitious move, but they have proved that transgression often ends with success. in the depths of the dungeons, poised on a candlelit stairwell, the event commenced with richard dawson- a local genius of solo acoustic pop with a killer voice that could rip your insides out in one sharp note.

a few songs later we headed back upstairs, grabbed a getinvolved local bitter made for occasion, and waited for FR in tantalising anticipation- due the intoxicating affect the beer and location had on us. they opened their set in a fashion that complimented their surrounding magnificently, with the favourite 'keep yourself warm' blowing us away and making me miraculously forget i was very ill-dressed for an obviously freezing venue. the atmosphere they evoked throughout their short set was one that only be described by fact- this is, without a doubt, the best place on earth for a band like FR to play. facing an intensely dedicated audience, they directed at us their eloquent scottish-tinged harmonies and passionate rhythms, producing a sound which was nothing short of epic.

post-gig, we were all dizzy with the experience of witnessing something very special and getinvolved, with their music business heads firmly in place, had set up an after-party to cater for the inevitable winding down a gig like this demands. the horrible fight with cold weather was soothed by a great party at the end bar, hosted by ross clark and the scarfs go missing and we were promised jet packs. not the easiest names to remember but both will stick in my memory as good entertainment, and both making me aware that scottish voices are just a lot nicer in singing.

as a treat, FR played yet again at the end, making for another dizzy with delight ride home!



link me ups:
frightened rabbit myspace
we were promised jet packs myspace
ross clark and the scarfs go missing myspace
GET INVOLVED newcastle promoters

the music revolution

and no, this time i don't mean spotify. i carried out this interview before the release of mongrel's debut album with groundbreaking results!

John McClure of Reverend and The Makers is renowned for being anything but tame, and catching up with him to talk about his new ambitious collaboration, Mongrel, is an exhausting experience in itself. The passion and intensity he holds for the new projects he has been a part of is testament to the inevitability of the success of Saturday 7^th March in which their debut album, Better Than Heavy, will be distributed free with The Independent newspaper. The day is a product of the culminating revolution which started shaking long a go and which now, the strong-minded McClure believes, is about to explode in an epiphany of musical gritty reality.

“Music as you know it is dying”, he announces. “There is no way you can justify charging thirteen quid for summit that’s 50p”. Ever the voice of reason, his Yorkshire roots have proved to be swelled with antagonisms for the current apathy in the music scene, which in turn has made him ever the more enthusiastic to shake people up and beat the crowds. He talks a lot about the “former voices of rebellion”: - such as NME, punk bands and old Rock and Roll; all of which have merged into the docile establishment which, despite the masses of cultures, have insisted on ignoring most of them.

“Where is everyone?!” he asks with disbelief lacing every syllable. He waves a Palestine flag and gets ridiculed, he takes a risk and speaks his mind and gets chastised for being loud. In a sentence reminiscent of Marx, he states that “the moment you put making capital above the well-being of human beings and the integrity of journalistic investigation, is the moment you have to be removed”. Well if they say actions speak louder than words then McClure is screaming his way to changing the world.

“What’s rock music?” he probes me, in his idiosyncratic way which I soon see is embalmed in the depths of his soul. He wants to show the world that new music - passionate music - deserves a chance in the everyday world, instead of being confined to certain late hours on the radio. This is why at first glance, the collaborations with some of the best hip hop artists around perhaps seen incongruous for someone hailing from the Sheffield indie scene, but the results are too amazing to ignore. As the Independent on Saturday is thrust in our faces with the Debut of Mongrel, the diverse talent of Britain is thrown along with it and the impact is intense, exciting new music.

The new album is not only about producing fresh music, it is also embedded in the greater atmosphere of rebellion. The Independent newspaper is thus the perfect form of distribution, as McClure makes clear that Mongrel are “not afraid of telling the truth”- just as The Independent voices rebellious opinions and won’t stand short of contention. Is this new teaming of media the beginning of the end of music as we know it? With the credit crunch now in full steam ahead, collaborations such as this don’t seem too daft an idea at all.

See wearemongrel for tour dates and download info.

See instigatedebate.com and find your voice of contention.