The King Bee Rhythm And Blues Club All-Dayer, 1pm - 1am, Saturday 10th August 2013, Sheffield

Venue Address:  The Shakespear, Gibralter St, Sheffield, S3 8UB

Lee writes...

 

“Right then, it's time to get fully focussed here at King Bee towers on the extravaganza that is the August All Day Shindig. Things are falling into place with at least 6 quality vintage sellers confirmed and a record bar with some stunning 45s up for grabs. We have an afternoon DJ line that blows most evening club nights out of the water (to be revealed over the next 2 weeks) and Mr Metcalf as we all know is sorting out the weather (hope he hasn't peaked too early!).

So you know who one of the guest DJs are, none other than Sheffield music legend Richard Hawley (who has inundated me with clips of new 45s purchased since his last spot and is itching to spin them in his favourite club), so who is the other guest. Well he's DJ'd at virtually every top club on the R'n'B and Mod scene , and a fair few of the big Northern nights as well. If you buy 45's chances are you've put some money in his pockets over the years as well as he's one of the country’s top sellers who just keeps on finding new tunes that go on to be dancefloor faves. It is of course the one and only Mace, an absolute stunner of a DJ, and all-round top bloke. In our usual King Bee fashion I've let him pen a few (ahem) words telling us his musical journey.........so I'll hand over to Mace...”

"I remember first hearing about Mods in my last year at junior school, one of my mates declared he wanted to be a mod and we should all go to town that weekend to buy those tacky shiny black skinny ties with different logos on them (think mine was a Two Tone one?)

A passion for music from and early age resulted in me looking beyond the obvious revival bands and back to the 60s, then onto the tunes that inspired the likes of The Small Faces/Who/Stones/Kinks/Spencer Davis etc. Early RnB and Motown were obviously major players, and a love for black soul music soon took its grip.

I was fortunate that Stoke has always had a healthy Northern Soul scene, so there were plenty of local events to hear such obscure soul tunes. Scooter rallies were quickly replaced with Mod Weekenders, and before long a group of us ventured down to Birmingham for a mod event. We were totally blown away by the style and music we discovered that night. Friendships were formed with many of the Brummie Mods (plenty of whom are still active on the Mod scene), and I was soon spending most weekends in Birmingham, scouring the stalls in the rag market on a Saturday morning for oddball 45s and driving shoes!

It was around this time that I first recall meeting Rad (Lee Radforth), probably at a mod club in Derby/Notts if my memory serves me right.

My thirst for finding tunes has remained ever since, local Stoke Northern Soul dealers were happy to sell me R&B and odd instrumentals tunes that were getting big on the mod scene as they were too leftfield for them or their usual customers. Through these guys I also developed a taste for rare 60s soul 45s, predominately stuff that was played at Stafford Nighters (Top Of The World), which included lots of big voiced mid-tempo 45s.....many of which were also popular on the Belgium Popcorn scene.

I co-promoted the Rhythm & Soul Set Mod Weekenders with Rob Messer for a few years in the late 80s and early 90s, great times with varying degrees of success, but as these events came to a natural demise, I soon found myself becoming more and more disillusioned with the Mod Scene on the whole and drifted back to attending events to cater for my second love of Northern Soul.

Things changed again when the Hideaway Club started up in Manchester, I attended a few early events at the Mitre Hotel, but was hooked by the time they moved to the Waldorf......the sudden pace of new discoveries, either from DJs or collector/DJs, was frightening! I can honestly say those early years at the Waldorf were truly magical for anyone who had a love for early to mid 60s R&B.

I learnt so much about music from a likeminded group of friends/collectors, that paved my way for digging deeper into the many various genres of 50s/60s music that made its mark at that club.

The only club to ever equal the passion and hunger for discovering new tunes and playing them to an eager and accepting crowd was The Pow Wow Club a few years later.....I'd lost touch with Gav Arno over the years and wasn't aware he had such great taste in music....!

I was searching Ebay for records quite early on, and was regularly bagging bargains.....my hit count soon started getting affected by one main buyer, regularly outbidding me, by the ID of Chubbychops...turns out that this was actually Joe Dutton...!

Scouring Ebay for elusive 45s was soon replaced with bi-annual trips Stateside, hunting down oddball 45s, where I was soon to cross paths with Joe again.....he's a f**ckin menace to be fair!

So a longwinded write up brings me to present day, still actively collecting and spinning elusive and desirable 45s from the 50s & 60s.

I'm really looking forward to spinning a few tunes at The King Bee August event.

This wonderful music has ensured that friendships formed with those involved with this club and named above, will result in our paths crossing once again.

Hopefully I can entice a good few of you to shake your stuff on the floor before the fine ales on offer affect my general ability to stand upright for more than 5 minutes!”

The Clique to play Rimini Easter Rally 2014

“Scooters brought a bit of 'Mod' magic to Northampton town centre” says the Northampton Herald & Post

Scooters galore paraded through the town on Wednesday evening. More than thirty scooter enthusiasts made their way to Northampton Museum & Art Gallery’s latest exhibition which focuses on the influential mod subculture.

The museum was kept open from 7pm – 9pm for this unique evening preview, allowing local scooter enthusiasts and the public to come and see the exhibition.

The exhibition features key items including original clothing, photographs and memorabilia that help portray the national and local stories of people who experienced the mod subculture.

Cllr Brandon Eldred, Northampton Borough Council cabinet member for Community Engagement, said: “Not only does this exhibition focus on the national story of the mods, but more importantly it concentrates on the local stories of how this subculture played and still plays an important part of people’s lives. “We encourage everyone to come along to exhibition to find out more and to relive your mod days.”

A programme of events has also been organised as part of the exhibition, including ‘live’ music from mod revival band Secret Affair who will play at the Guildhall on Friday, September 13.

‘Mods’ will be on display at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery until Sunday, September 29. Admission is free and general museum open hours are Tuesdays to Saturdays 10am to 5pm and Sundays 2pm to 5pm.

To find out more about museum events and exhibitions visit:

www.northampton.gov.uk/museums

Steve Cradock talks Daniel Gumble of Mi-pro through the making of his new album, ‘Travel Wild – Travel Free’

With the release of third solo album ‘Travel Wild - Travel Free’ imminent, MI Pro's Daniel Gumble headed to a Shepherds Bush hotel to shoot the proverbial with Ocean Colour Scene and Paul Weller guitarist, not to mention all-round guitar icon, Steve Cradock...

Steve Cradock’s influence upon a generation of Brit-rock guitar bands has almost become ubiquitous. Famed principally as the lead guitarist and musical driving force behind Ocean Colour Scene, he has also served as Paul Weller’s guitarist for more than two decades, leaving an indelible print on the UK music landscape. Yet, in amongst the hours spent either on tour or in the studio with one or another of his aforementioned day jobs, he has also managed to carve out enough time to pen, record and produce three solo albums, the latest of which – ‘Travel Wild – Travel Free’ – is due for release on September 30th.

While Cradock’s influences are far from ambiguous – the hallmarks of The Beatles, The Stones, The Jam, et al are stamped proudly upon much of his work – his ability to merge them with his own musical vision has produced some of the most iconic riffs to come out of Britain in years, rendering him a something of a guitar hero to many along the way.

However, while the likes of Ocean Colour Scene classics ‘The Riverboat Song’ and ‘100 Mile High City’, may paint a picture of a man dealing in the currency of show-stopping riffola, Cradock’s knack for knowing when to keep things simple and applying a more understated style is soon forced to the fore within his solo efforts.

As with each individual outings, ‘Travel Wild – Travel Free’ provides the guitarist with free rein to produce an album that is entirely his own, free of the artistic constraints that bely the nature of being one part of a four-piece band, or indeed, the guitarist in another solo artist’s entourage. “I play most of the instruments on each of the solo records,” he states. “And I’m heavily involved in the mixing and production side of each of my solo albums. This one’s been no different.”

Employing a far more psychedelic, ‘60s sound than has previously been showcased in his work, Cradock has drawn from a relatively small, yet undeniably strong collection of guitars for the recording process of the album. “For the acoustic tracks I used a Taylor 12-string and a couple of Gibson J200s. On the tracks where I played electric guitar, I mostly used a Gibson 335, a Les Paul and a Fender telecaster. For bass, I’ve been using a Hofner Violin. That’s it, in terms of the guitars used on the album.

“To be honest, I’ve actually got quite a small collection of guitars. I’ve got a strat and a telecaster, a 335 and a Les Paul, and between them, I can’t imagine what else you’d need.”

Earlier this year, Cradock was, in fact, unveiled as a sponsored artist for Hofner and his affection for the brand comes in no small part from his love of the aforementioned bass. “It’s a classic, isn’t it? If you’ve got flat-wound strings on it, that’s the classic Paul McCartney sound.”

As a sponsored artist for such an iconic brand, has he, then, ever been asked, or indeed hoped to be asked to one day apply his signature touch to a model of his own? Well, apparently not. “I’m not really interested in having a Steve Cradock signature guitar or anything like that. All I need is a good guitar.”

Despite his status as bona fide guitar hero, Cradock’s considerable aptitude for tinkling the ivories is something that also emerges throughout ‘Travel Wild – Travel Free’, as is his readiness to embrace new technology.

“We’ve actually been using a lot more in the way of keyboards and melotrons,” he explains. “ We’ve even been using mobile phone apps! There’s this amazing melotron simulator app called a Manetron, which sounds exactly like a real melotron. It really is amazing.”

While purists and cynics may be quick to pour scorn on the growing adoption and reliance upon digital technology and effects in the writing and recording process, Cradock is staunchly of the opinion that to work ‘in the box’ in no way compromises the artistic integrity of the work.

“I used a Blackstar amp for recording but I’ve actually been using a lot of the plugins on Logic to create a kind of twisted, distorted sixties sound; just playing around with what’s in the box. And, where I’ve been recording most of it in my living room, it’s easier than wheeling a big amp out, so I’ve just been doing it that way. I don’t know if that’s copping out or not, but if it is, I don’t really care. If it gets you to a place where you’re happy with the sound, that’s what matters.”

Recorded using Logic and mixed using Pro Tools, Cradock experimented with a raft of different effects and filters to create the psychedelic, heavily reverberated tones exhibited on the album. Such effects became particularly prevalent when it came to recording and mixing the vocals – a duty shared with his wife and long-time collaborator Sally.

“She [Sally] kept on saying the vocals and the way that they were mixed sounded too psychedelic at first; a bit to reverby and floaty. But that’s what you’ve got to do if you’ve got a shit voice! You have to play around with the sound and turn it into more of an instrument.”

Working to a tight schedule with each of his previous solo outings, this time out Cradock was able to approach the album with a far more considered, some might say leisurely work ethic, recording when the time was available, as opposed to locking himself in a room and forcing the process.

“The recording process has changed quite a bit since the last album. Whenever I’ve had a spare few days I’ll go over to the studio, which is about an hours’ drive from my house, and we’d just try and record a few demos and then go back and work on them at home. Then go back to the studio and do a bit more, so it’s been more bitty this time around.

“With the last album we were stuck in this cottage for the entire process and it was really intense. We’d be finishing at 2am and starting again at 8am, so I didn’t fancy doing it that way again. It took us a couple of months to record this one, whereas the last one was done in about six days.”

The ability to adapt to different recording situations is evidently something Cradock has become accustomed to on account of his work with Ocean Colour Scene and Paul Weller – two outfits whose approaches to working in the studio lie oceans apart. “When it’s just me it’s very different because the buck stops here. With Ocean Colour Scene, I get the feeling that no one really wants to be there that much; sometimes it’s a case of turning up late and knocking off early. With this, it’s a labour of love.

“It’s amazing recording with Paul, but he’s very intense. We will go on until late at night and then he’ll go “come on, let’s do another take.” It’s really exciting doing it the way he does it and he’s always got something interesting to work on and a few good ideas in his pocket.”

Having reflected on his work over the past 25 years, conversation turns to Cradock’s formative years as a musician, as he identifies exactly when he knew he wanted to turn his hand to playing an instrument.

“I actually started out as a bass player,” he notes. “It was due to hearing songs like ‘Funeral Pyre’ and ‘Start’ by The Jam when I was about 11. My first ever bass was a Kay’s catalogue bass with copper strings. It was a piece of shit but it was enough to get me started. Pretty quickly I wanted a Rickenbacker 4001, which I got when I was about 16. They used to be a bit cheaper, but where they only make a certain amount a year now, and loads of new bands have been using them, you can’t get hold of ‘em anymore.”

Casting an eye back to those early years, Cradock remembers the days when local music shops were not just a place to buy instruments from, but also played a pivotal role in the culture of a vibrant, local music scene. “For people of my age local music shops were really important. There was this amazing music shop near me when I was growing up called Musical Exchanges and it had the most amazing ‘60s strats and telecasters and vintage amps, and we’d all go up there on a Saturday and spend the whole day in there. It was where you’d go to see which bands were looking for new members and stuff; there was a real culture there.

“However, people who don’t know that culture and who buy online aren’t really missing anything, as they’ve never experienced it. It’s a shame though. There’s a shop in Torquay where my mate works that’s been shut down, so I haven’t got a music shop now that I can just pop into, which is a real pisser for me. But, how are you supposed to keep shops going now, with the way things are going online? You can browse a hundred shops at once and get what you’re looking for at half the price. I think it’s awful.”

Beady Eye cancel V Festival appearance as guitarist recovers

Beady Eye have cancelled their performance at V Festival as guitarist Gem Archer is still recovering from a "severe head trauma".

A statement on their website says they are bowing out of all appearances in August because of his injury. "The band apologise to fans but under the circumstances feel they cannot perform without Gem and want to focus on supporting him," they said.

There are no more details of the accident, which took place on 1 August.

The statement continued: "Gem was released from hospital yesterday evening (Wednesday 7 August) and is recovering at home though remains under observation."

Shows in Belgium and Japan have already been cancelled. They were originally going to play V Festival on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 August.

Along with Gem, Beady Eye features lead singer Liam Gallagher and guitarist Andy Bell, who all found fame in Oasis. Former Kasabian guitarist Jay Mehler joined the group earlier this year.

Beady Eye's second album, BE, was released on 10 June. They worked with Yeah Yeah Yeahs producer Dave Sitek, who Liam described as "without a doubt the best producer I've ever worked with, a real outlaw". He added: "When we were writing it, we really got our heads down - clear heads."

The band has featured on a number of festival line-ups this year, including T in the Park and Glastonbury.

The Strypes album, ‘Snapshot,’ to be released in the UK on 9th September - track listing and artwork revealed

1. Mystery Man 

2. Blue Collar Jane 

3. What The People Don't See 

4. She's So Fine 

5. I Can Tell 

6. Angel Eyes 

7. Perfect Storm 

8. You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover 

9. What A Shame 

10. Hometown Girls 

11. Heart Of The City 

12. Rollin' And Tumblin' 

The Hideaway Club Announce 2014 Dates

How fantastic it is to have The Hideaway Club back with us – the following dates for 2014 have just been announced: -

15^th February – 15^th Anniversary Special

31^st May

25^th & 26^th July – Manchester Mod Weekender

29^th November

“The Quik bring Mod sounds to Lichfield pub” says Lichfield Live

Lichfield Live reports, “The Mod era will be in firm focus when The Quik take to the stage in Lichfield.

The Midlands band will bring their Hammond-driven sound to the Feathers Inn on Beacon Street tomorrow (August 9)."

A spokesperson said: “At a Quik gig you can expect to hear an eclectic mix of familiar favourites from artists like The Small Faces and Spencer Davis Group, rare soul from Nolan Porter and Julian Covey and contemporary influences like Paul Weller.”

The gig starts at 8.45pm. For more information, visit www.feathersinn.co.uk  

The Hideaway Club to return on 30th November with a daytime session and full evening club.

 

'All or Nothing' - The Mod Musical debuts in Brighton on 25th August

We have posted previously about the 'All or Nothing' Mod musical that has been in progress for some time now and is shortly to be revealed to the world.

Actress Carol Harrison has just sent out a reminder that the first ‘live’ performance of her musical is being performed at Brighton Big Screen on 25^th August at 7pm.

Admission is FREE!!!

Carol says, “There are big fluffy cushions and blankets for you to hire on the night at the venue, or just bring your own! There is a fantastic sand sculpture of a Mod there too!”

 

British Journal of Photography - Graduates 2013: Owen Harvey's Mod Scene

Owen Harvey's on-going project Mod UK, winner of the Magnum Showcase in October last year, looks at the UK's ‘Mod scene', a vibrant and dynamic subculture. He speaks with Gemma Padley: -

"I've always had an interest in subcultures and socioeconomics," says 23-year-old Owen Harvey, who graduated from Newport, University of Wales this summer. "I knew some friends from school who were into the Mod scene and after talking to them about my interest they suggested I go to a few events. From there my interest in photographing this particular subculture began."

Harvey, who is based in London, began his project eight months ago while studying documentary photography at Newport. Although initially attracted to the style and music of the so-called "Mod scene" he became interested in what the term Mod means for the people who adopt that culture. He travelled around the UK to various events, funding the project by selling limited edition prints of images from the series.

"Mod is an abbreviation for Modernism yet these devotees are influenced through the music and fashion of a subculture that began in the late 1950s," he says. "I made connections with those attending the events and asked if I could photograph them. I was keen to photograph the younger crowd but as the project went on the age range started to vary. As the age group became broader I chose people to photograph by their style and dedication to the scene."

Using a single Metz flashgun to light both his images, Harvey waited until an individual was "lost in their enjoyment for the music" before photographing them. "I'd try to highlight the person's emotion through their dance moves and expressions. The portraits were a way for the individuals to show their most treasured clothes, which is a huge part of it. I often scouted for locations that held no indication to a period of time," he adds. "This helped to keep the timeless quality of the images."

Since graduating from Newport, Harvey has been working at IdeasTap, an arts charity for young creatives. Yet, he plans on continuing to work on long-term personal projects and commercial commissions. Most recently, Harvey has been commissioned by the Financial Times. "I had an amazing time at Newport. My tutor Ken Grant has been a huge inspiration and given invaluable guidance. I want my images to create an atmosphere and to be honest," he adds. "If they entice emotion from the viewer then I am happy."

Visit www.cargocollective.com/owenharvey for more information.