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Trust The Doc: Ed 93
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Edition 93: 30th June 2024 - a blog by Neil March

Welcome to Edition 93 of Trust The Doc. June has certainly been a month where a lot has been going on away from the public glare. It has also been the month in which the main parties gear up for the General Election on 4th July and this edition contains an Election Watch article about how the debates might impact on our grassroots music community.

It was a quieter month for our live music activities, although we have been working behind the scenes to get the Fresh on the Net Live festivals in London and Leicester organised and ready to be marketed. But Sherry and I have been working on and giving a great deal of thought to our drive to establish Trust The Doc Media in the education space servicing audiences through other parties (social enterprise, government schemes etc.) as well as directly to non-UK audiences seeking information about the UK and related industries.

If you haven’t done so already, we would be stoked if you would follow/like the Trust The Doc accounts on X; Instagram; Facebook plus BlueSky and Threads where you will find us as @trustthedoc. We are on TikTok as @trustthedocuk too. There is also now a distinct @ttd_media account on Instagram to separate items only to do with Trust The Doc Media from personal stuff. This month’s 62-page edition has news and information from our live, broadcasting and creative activities, 107 reviews of new releases including 3 albums plus 2 live gig reviews and my Election Watch article, analysing the 9 top parties’ manifestos in relation to grassroots music.

As ever, if I have reviewed you but have not yet played you on my radio show, it is probably because I don’t have a copy of your track(s) in a playable form (i.e. MP3, WAV etc.) and I can’t buy everything. So feel free to send your music to me at trustthedoc@demerararecords.com and please remember to include the artist name and track title both in the file name and the metadata. I receive hundreds of tracks and, without this information, the next time I see it in a folder, I will not have a clue what it is or who it is from! And unless 01 is actually your name, it will not suffice!

NEIL MARCH

30th June 2024

(Trust The Doc Media Logo by PaulFCook)

PART ONE: NEWS AND INFORMATION

PART TWO: REVIEWS OF NEW MUSIC

PART THREE: OTHER COMMENTARIES

PART ONE: NEWS AND INFORMATION

THE MUSIC OF SOUND: NEW SINGLE & ALBUM LAUNCH

In Ed 92, I reported on the ongoing campaign for our first single since signing to Monochrome Motif Records. Second Light is the third single to be taken from the Eleven Short Stories album (out on 26th July). Our amazing label have made the album available to preorder right now on Bandcamp along with the three singles so far released from it. We are stoked with the amazing response to the video. The single is available to download from the Monochrome Motif Records account on Bandcamp and is out on all digital platforms. You can stream it on Spotify here. Big love and thanks to Del Owusu (Songbird Sessions, Islington Radio), Michelle Ward (Eat My Brunch, Phoenix FM), Conor O’Toole (UCC FM), John Davis (Radio Wigwam), Amazing Radio, Radio Dacorum, Exile FM and others for the radio play we have received and to Tony Hardy (Fifty 3 Fridays) for the fantastic review; also to John Davis (Arpraxis), Nick Cheshire (Indigo Daydream) and others who have playlisted us on Spotify. We are honoured by the response from the grassroots music community whose support has been amazing.

Logo by Sherry Sahayaraj (pictured here in the Second Light video)

With Florie having recently given birth to a beautiful baby boy called Joey, the band will be returning to live action with an album launch gig on Thursday 8th August at the beautiful The Front Room in Croydon. Sadly Florie is having to take a step back from live performing so we will be playing with a new line-up but we are excited that Sherry will be taking on lead vocal duties, bringing another new element to our sound and approach. The line-up is now Sherry Sahayaraj (Vocals); Elena Trent (Flute) and Neil March (Keyboards/Electronics/Backing Vocals). See the below pic. Sherry has not performed live in the UK before so she is very excited about the gig on 8th August. Tickets are on sale for £7 here.

TRUST THE DOC SHOP: MORE NEW CONTENT

Sherry has added yet more new designs to the online Trust The Doc Media shop.

They include:

Sherry has worked hard to find the best and most affordable way to offer good quality merchandise at reasonable prices. Check out her work here.

TRUST THE DOC RADIO: UPDATE

My Trust The Doc Radio Show goes out to a lovely, lively and engaged audience every Saturday at 5PM UK time and mixes the best current grassroots artists with the best established ones plus some fun features that get the audience involved. The two hours always fly by. June has seen me introduce another load of cool new tracks onto the show and we have had some fantastic listener polls and WhatsTheWord brain teasers too.

If you aren’t familiar with the show, come and check it out at 5PM UK Time every Saturday on https://exilefm or catch the podcast over the ensuing 7 days on https://exilefm.com/podcasts/trust-the-doc-radio-47. Also please like, follow and stream the Trust The Doc New Music Playlist on Spotify which I keep updating with tracks that are on my radio show playlist (if available) here.

TRUST THE DOC TV: NEW PLANS AFOOT !!!

We have been working behind the scenes to put together a significantly revamped version of Upstream presented by Sherry with me as her wing man. Edition 1 of the new show Beneath The Radar launches at 8PM on Tuesday 9th July with videos, live clips, interviews and other little features. It will still be a magazine show but will more properly live up to that claim and will be fast moving and fun while also showcasing some exciting new music by grassroots artists. There will be a live premiere so look out for the link on social media and be ready to join us in the chat room when the show goes out. After that, it will remain on our YouTube Channel.

Featured in this edition are James Numbere, Blokeacola, Sansha, Coming Up Roses, The Music Of Sound, Violet Alt, Sky Coloured and Arpraxis plus Sherry cooks proper South Indian food for me and I teach Sherry some bona fide Cockney Rhyming Slang!

FRESH ON THE NET: NEIL’S FAVES REVIEWS

My latest faves reviews were published on 10th June. You can read them here.

FRESH ON THE NET: SHERRY’S FAVES REVIEWS

Sherry’s latest faves reviews, her first time writing them on her own, were published on 17th June, You can read them here.

FRESH ON THE NET LIVE: VENUES AND DATES

After months of talking, emailing and organising, we finally have the dates and venues confirmed for Fresh on the Net Live 2024; our first festival for the platform since 2019. Provisionally the London end of the event will take place on Sunday 8th September at The Lower Third in London’s West End but we are in talks about a second Sunday at another venue. The Midlands end of the event happens at The Musician on a date to be confirmed in Leicester.. The panel now needs to agree who will be invited to play the festival. So look out for more announcements and the official poster on social media soon.

PART TWO: REVIEWS OF NEW MUSIC

ALBUMS

I rarely include Album Reviews in Trust The Doc these days because of the time and space involved but this month I am making an exception as there are three albums I am keen to share with everyone. So here goes.

It is with great pleasure that I am able to announce the release, on the Monochrome Motif Records label from Leicester [in the English East Midlands for those who don’t know] of a new album by composer and artist Andrew Hartshorn. Andrew is both my label mate and the head of the label. He is also, as this album amply demonstrates, a highly accomplished composer. The album sketches for the requiem deals with the deeply personal matter of the loss of his son Sam; a subject that Andrew handles with reflection and dignity. It is heartbreaking nevertheless.

Requiem For The Boy is the first track with a sparse opening theme before more sounds are introduced. Octaves and open fifths dominate the long held tones as strings and woodwinds play a call and response figure. How the track develops both in terms of tempi and texture is impressive, bringing a mystical air as the percussion drives events forward and choir-like harmonised voices end the track, bringing a churchian aura. I Will Find You adops a more minimalist approach of gradually altering patterns, again cleverly nuanced with different timbres appearing while the piano briefly switches to triplets.

Somewhere In The Ether is more ambient, sound drifting on the wind but striking timbres nevertheless appearing and bending tones. A Journey is enigmatic and sparse but also makes use of great sound contrasts, something Andrew does particularly well. Much of this music would sound very much in place in a movie or documentary soundtrack. My review of I Can Hear You in the Contemporary Classical and Sound Art section describes this stunning track in greater detail but it adds to the journey of the listener through these beautifully composed movements. A Discovery uses a slow triplet-time pattern with arpeggios playing against deep expressive Cello and other, more fluid, sounds.

The final track is the lovingly titled Reunited with its delicate keyboard patterns and repeating synth tones setting the scene for sensitive strings and gradual build-up. This is an album whose subject must have been extremely hard to face at times but clearly necessary too. It is certainly a unique demonstration of how Andrew uses contrast, space and colour to create such touching and quietly tempestuous music. This is a wonderful tribute to Sam; an album whose lack of overt sentiment and whose gracetul melodic and harmonic writing only serves to strengthen its emotional power.

It is slso exciting to be able to announce a new album by Spain-based Merseysider Stpehen Lewis aka Exposed Brick. Populated By Ghosts is out on 12th July. It kicks off with the dark but melodic synthwave of This Outdoor Life. A slightly ghostly high register plays long notes over a repeating riff and beat as staccato sounds are added to the mix and suddenly the bass of the track disappears leaving long notes intertwining high up. It is a powerful and unexpected ending. The Men Who Stare At Cranes brings some delicious dissonances in the intro and an inventive backdrop to Stephen’s poppier vocal melody.

As the album progresses, we get some stark contrasts of texture but there is a consistency about the journey. Stephen’s vocals have shades of Depeche Mode while his use of almost classical techniques at times and his love of deep synth tones and long, sweeping upper notes also has echoes of Gustaf Spetz in his more ambient moments. The simple and yet dramatic impact of this in Second Shadow is notable and the use of striking dissonant notes underlines that contemporary art element of his sound. If Stephen told me he had been listening to Lutoslawski in his most adventurous period, I would not be surprised. Streams is another example but this time with vocals, making use of two-part harmony and ambient noises here and there too.

Dream Shift has a cinematic, filmic aura and again is marked out by the careful pitch choices Stephen makes to dramatic effect. It ends with the intense, energetic synthwave of It’s Getting Late. Throughout the album, the music is characterised by his ability to bring an agreeable edginess to everything he does and to make highly effective use of light and shade. A lot of thought and creativity has gone into this album and the result is what feels like a very complete single work, an imaginatively forged alloy of musical and sonic elements.

And last but definitely not least, TTD faves and London-based Aussie exiles Fendahlene have a re-released album entitled Anyone Who’s Anyone. From the opening organic drive of the title track, the scene is set for some energetic Americana-influenced Pop Rock in which Paul’s guitar sparkles against Ash’s inventive bass. Paul’s vocals are adorned by what sounds like female BVs. They continue in this vein. The country-influenced Angelyne makes room for some classic harmonica and acoustic play.

They like to rock out too as on Left Behind with its extremes of light and shade. No Sense Waiting and Downey Avenue give us more of their wholesome guitar-driven tunefulness, always with plenty going on instrumentally to keep me engaged. They end with Ballad Of The Buick Man, slower in tempo but building in intensity as it develops. After some great vocal reinforcements, it ends on a long, phased keyboard chord as events play quietly in the mix and fade out; rounding off an accomplished, enjoyable and carefully crafted album that sounds as fresh now as when it was originally conceived.

POP NOODLES

The somewhat enigmatic Casseyt has a track called Happy & Sad. It rolls appealingly along, driven by a crisp beat and bass supporting guitars that strum and squeeze out extended notes. Against this backdrop, Casseyt’s vocals are distinctive and full of individual character as he sets out his stall, the lyrical themes not only reflecting the title but also the corresponding mood of the track which somehow mixes buoyancy and breeziness with a hint of sadness.

Francesca Pidgeon from the English North (yes, that is as specific as her Soundcloud page gets!) and her bandmates are Dilettante and they have a new track out called Fun. Francesca herself is a well established member of none other than BC Camplight as well as being a serious skater. Is there no end to her talents? She is a highly accomplished multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and singer.

The lyrics say ‘I’m not having any fun’ but I can be forgiven for wondering how accurate that claim is because it sounds like it was a lot of fun making this track. Francesca’s distinctive alto voice is bolstered by sumptuous vocal harmonies while the instrumental track builds and bubbles around her with funk-rock pop intent. The song itself develops through several distinct sections, adding to the sum of its parts while the energy that grows within its boundaries creates such a build-up of big buzzing and boisterous noise that it could explode at any moment. This is individual, invigorating and ingenious. An absolute belter.

Amilost are a female-male duo. Bloom is an imaginative pop track with agile female vocals, sometimes multi-tracked with close harmonies and always expressive and longing. The chorus is something of an earworm and the instrumental arrangement and production are top-notch, utilising an array of synths, beats and voices to create a sophisticated and sensual slice of contemporary pop.

The inimitable Lekiddo - Lord Of The Lobsters returns to aquatic territories with his latest single To The Beach. Fresh from playing Glastonbury, he is in the mood for summer as this track clearly demonstrates. He even describes the genre on his Soundcloud page as ‘summer’! The track is actually quite old but worthy of being aired again. Lekiddo’s expressive, distinctive voice delivers an instantly appealing tune while sounds swim around him. Piano chords, fluid melodic bass, busy beat and warm synths plus ambient noises all keep things moving. The switches between major and minor are cleverly done. Genre is hard to pin down here. A dash of Latin, a sliver of Soul and some synth-electronic vibes but mostly this is just inventive, refreshing Pop of a unique kind. I have been singing this for weeks now since I first heard it!

Tracey Ball has a single out called Into You. It rides along on a wave of buoyant synth chords and consistent beat while Tracey’s multi-tracked vocals bring a nagging, longing melody and close harmonies. Tracey, from Nottingham, is always doing promotion for other artists so it is especially nice to have this and discover her own singing and writing talents. She has a warm alto voice and clearly knows how to write a memorable choon.

The super talented SAER returns with Exile. This is big production sophisticated Pop with SAER’s distinctive high register voice bathed in lush harmonies while his extended electric piano chords mix with crashing guitars and some impressive lead guitar play and a beat that drives events forward. Catchy as anything, full of nuanced changes and superbly produced, another shimmering showcase for SAER’s vocal, instrumental and writing talents.

From Melbourne, Australia comes Jarrod Cooney featuring vocalist Julia Loveless with Hold On. This is a lush, superbly produced pop ballad with shades of Taylor Swift in a mash with Miley Cyrus and various other powerful-voiced female artists. Sweet electric piano chords play off against big crunching beats and riffs while Julia’s performance is dynamic and expressive, topped off by a great hook and expert instrumental arrangement that is a demonstration of how to use light and shade in the making of memorable pop music.

Belfast’s Sasha Samara brings us Simmer. Instantly striking and effervescent, Sasha’s notably nimble vocals dance around in harmony and semi-counterpoint amid a sea of sizzling synths and buoyant beats, creating a dreamy aura and highly agreeable melodies and harmonies. This is genuinely a standout track that is hard to put in a convenient genre box but will appeal across a broad spectrum.

ALT ROCK & INDIE

When I receive any new track courtesy of the amazing Mark Gee and 122 Music Management, I know it will be worth hearing and so it is with Manchester/London band Still Traffico. Silver Lines kicks off with a brief a capella vocal before the instruments kick in. What follows is a pristine production of jangly melodic Alt Rock with a little hint of Spaghetti Western guitar playing off against the reverberant guitar melodies, chordplay and rock-solid bass and drums. The vocals are distinct and expressive, delivering an instantly infectious tune. Too many references to pinpoint here but this pulls together a bunch of influences from across the canon of Post-Punk and related genres to create a sound that is fresh and engaging.

Brought to me by the hard-working Danny Watson (Danny Watson Radio), Southampton’s Daniel J Ash is Teenage Waitress. Cry Cry Cry is a buoyant bright slab of tuneful Alt Pop that is very Beatles-esque but with a hint of Take That in their comeback period too. The harmonies interweave with the main hook and the instrumental arrangement adds to the sunny, positive atmosphere despite the title!

South East London’s Shiny Brain Crayons are at it again with Freedom. They played a great live set for me in Lewisham last year on the back of their Noodles For Life anthem. Now Freedom gives us a similarly anthemic blend of inventive Alt Rock and Hip Hop with catchy hook, thoughtful lyrics and an epic finish that gradually slows to a Beatles-like semi-orchestral finale. Marianne’s distinctive vocals and the chemistry between her and Stergin are evident throughout this fine track.

Portsmouth band Dutch Criminal Record return with Gaslight. Driving energetic and jangling Alt Rock accompanies dramatic and clever spoken word lyrics, mostly regretting past endeavours (and lack of them!) while the chorus has an epic hook and superb harmonies. As the track builds, we also get fantastic wailing lead guitar tones and a gradually increasing intensity. A fine finish to a top track.

Oxford’s Barrelhaus return quickly with The Ballad Of The Former Mariner. A ballad it sure ain’t (!) but this is a piledriving track with riotously raucous rhythmic shifts, glorious guitars grafting in a kind of unison with the bass and drums white a fuzztone arpeggio sometimes overlaps this configuration. The vocals are meaty and committed, reminding me a little of Blur in a mash-up with Soundgarden while Shame bring chops. A spirit-lifting wrecking ball of a track; as in it will flatten all in its path! Also check out the bendy rock of G.A.D. and, returning to marine themes, Down With His Ship with its snarling triplet time Alt Rock intent.

The latest single from TTD favourites, Singaporean-British quartet Coming Up Roses, is Why, a song that also completes an EP of single releases. In a slow majestic triplet time, it brings great light and shade. Emily’s voice floats dreamily over laid back but fuzzy, revereberant guitar chords with corresponding bass and drums before everything is turned up a notch into a dynamic chorus. The shoegazy style with wall-of-sound production and attractive melody has echoes of Bleach Lab jamming with Been Stellar while NewDad add spices. But Coming Up Roses are carving out their own niche within this broad genre and Why is another demonstration both of their writing skills and the inter-band chemistry at its best.

Like most people who review a lot of music, I love a good story and Shredddflanders certainly understands that element of marketing a persona as well as the music. Claiming to be the offspring of Wrigleys Chewing Gum and Lara Croft (or words to that effect) and being an industry plant destined for mega-success on the back of a sped up mix of a track is a good sight more interesting than ‘Dave met Brian in the pub and they both supported Spurs’ or such-like! It is even better when such hype is accompanied by a track that really grabs my attention and PictoChat certainly does that. The vocal effects are extreme to an almost absurd degree but somehow, as the tune twists and turns around against a semi-distored backdrop of snarling guitars and a JAMC-ish 1 - IV chord structure, it all works so well. It could be quite irritating and some people will find it so but it is striking, original and oddly melodic too.  Also check out the wonky, energetic Mess.

Liverpool’s Sundown Marathon may be taking a traditional Indie Rock approach to My Favourite Fantasy but when it’s done this well, you have to take notice. Driving guitars in a mainly I - V - IIm - IV structure piledriven onwards by the bass and drums are adorned by lead guitar melodies. This all accompanies a passionate vocal performance that simultaneously reminds me of Oasis, Snow Patrol and Fontaines DC. It is dynamic, emotionally-charged and guided by the kind of spirit that is all about giving 150% every time you take to the stage or the studio. For all those reasons, it gets my approval. Also check out the fuzztone rush of Restless Mind.

Shropshire’s Alexandra Leaving, based in London these days, has a track called Hardball. She brings the vocals in from Bar 1 with staccato guitar, long notes on the keys and a half-time beat that is bubbling and intense. More layers are added as the song develops and, with a roll across the drums, it kicks up a level and Alexandra’s voice soars in her higher register as harmonies add to the mix. Produced by Michael Smith (Slaney Bay, Wolf Alice etc.), this track has all the nuances and dynamics that keep events fluid and Alexandra’s ability to switch between a more tempered alto range and a passionate soprano reinforces the quality of her songwriting and helps deliver an invigorating track.

Their Facebook page describes them as an active Punk band but what drew me to Liverpool’s Coughin Vicars and their track Rips Of Rain was the inventive Post-Punk instrumental mix and the fact that it reminded me of bands like Danse Society and even a little of Design For Living, bands I remember watching live and owning albums by as a teenager (boy am I showing my age?!!). The slightly wailing vocals have a semi-Gothic element but they are not irritatingly affected in the manner of certain Goth bands of the past and the combination of male and female vocals chanting the hook is energetic and appealing.

Lotusbliss return with Heaven To Me. Characteristically epic and emotionally-charged, there are echoes of 80s bands like Talk Talk and Fiction Factory mixing in with vibes of Everything Everything and Future Islands. Big guitars, great reverberant synths, fluid bass and powerful drums all underpin a yearning, dynamic male vocal in tenor range and a great hook to boot.

From Bristol come Dreamwave with Hidden Sun. This is a band who are aptly named because this has a dreamy Shoegaze aura helped by reverb-soaked vocals, led by a female singer in a warm, distinctive and expressive alto range and backed up by lush harmonies. The attractive guitar figure that plays in thirds and fourths through a lot of the track connects cleverly with busy bass going up and down the arpeggios often in fifths and thirds while the drums hold it all in place and guitars and possibly keys float across the mix. But it’s the chord changes and harmonies that lift this so much along with some lovely guitar melodizing over the final stretch. An absolute banger.

The highly consistent Leeds band Marsupial Soup return with In The Vines. Lovely instrumental chemistry drives this along while the melody is poppy in an almost sixties classic style and we even get some French Language spoken word. There are some great little chord sequences here, an irresistible melody and production that brings out the sparkle and musicianship of the band. Uplifting Alt Pop.

Glasgow’s Geography Of The Moon bring us Pick It Up, Put It Down. Choppy guitar, chunky bass, cool beat and excellent female vocals switching between expressive spoken word and a rich alto singing tone all contribute to this being a great track. We even get a bit of a dub thing at the end which also has echoes of the late great Andy Gill on guitar.

I don’t know whether they are from Tiverton (although there is a lyrical reference to wanting to ‘get out of this place’ which, having lived briefly in Devon, I may or may not find familiar!). There is no blurb and there are no links or location on their Soundcloud page. Further investigation takes me to their Linktree and Instagram accounts where I discover they are marauding all over the UK gigwise but have had an entire live set broadcast by BBC Introducing in Hereford and Worcester and are playing around Oxxford (including Oxford Utd’s ground after a match) and a festival on Ross on Wye. So I assume they are from the West Midlands/Wales borders or nearby! One day I will know!

Anyway, Tivertons offer some serious commitment on Burning The Candle At Both Ends (a title I once used for a song way back in the day!). The trio mix some big, inventive guitar jangle (with at least two, maybe three tracks of guitar adding different timbres and ideas) with busy and explosive drums and bass, emphasising the interband chemistry. The [male] vocalist has a powerful, passionate and distinctive style that adds to the massive surge of energy driving this track from the outset. If this doesn’t lift your spirits and blow away any lingering cobwebs, nothing will.

The unstoppable Hello Midlands are at it again with Smoke. A beefy triplet time riff comes and goes, sometimes adorned by gorgeous guitar chords, while the lyrics are sardonic and delivered in an almost conversational style against chanted BVs. The song tells the story of a bullying sexist boss and his demise but does so with the whimsical cheer we have come to associate with HM. Clever, full of contrasts of timbre, texture and dynamic and really well written and executed in all areas.

King of the Outer Hebrides Flakebelly is back with Lazy Afternoon. An unusua and alluring melody plays off against a persisetn chugging bassline and beat while the guitars mix some bluesy slide play with Gang of Four-style choppy dissonances. Vocal harmonies on certain lines add to the dynamism and inventiveness of the track. Elements of the psychedelic here too. Flakebelly makes these different directions converge into a cohesive and engaging track.

Our favourite Aussie exiles (based in London and Winchester) Ash and Paul aka Fendahlene are in slightly folkier territory with Where I’m Going. A slightly swinging strumming guitar-driven track with trademark busy bass and a cool led riff that comes and goes, this has a slightly dark aura. The vocals are in low register but are also dynamic and have an intensity that is contrasted by the breeziness of the harmonised hook. The wailing organ adds a classic element and the way the track builds with more BVs and some tasty guitar work is all impressive and speaks to their expertise in how to execute a top track. 

Devon-based artist Nick Cheshire aka Indigo Daydream has a penchant for creating slightly trippy Psychedelic Pop and so it is with What If It All Works Out [which also has stunning cover art]. Fuzztone guitar chords, uptempo drums and Nick’s distinctive vocals take this in a driving dynamic direction until a slowdown in the mid-section where most sounds drop out and there is a little interlude that reminds me of Small Faces (c. Itchy Coo Park), albeit if they had been party to all the sounds and production possibilities of 2024, before the track gears up again for one last hook to round off an inventive, invigorating and intriguing track.

Hastings’ Kings of sardonic Alt Pop The Barbarian Horde are back with Acton Man. Characteristically whimsical lyrics about aspiration and dreams of escaping the rental sector, this is a clever track in which the contrasts between the dropouts, subtle tempo shifts and cutting off of bars all serve a melodic, imaginative song. The ‘La La La’s and general multi-tracked harmonies are particularly appealing, highlighting the vocal chemistry between Andy’s and Bobby’s voices. As with all their tracks, it underlines their individuality and their penchant for utilising almost flippant instrumental figures within a sophisticated pop structure.

Bristol’s Wakey Wakey Rise & Shine narrowly missed out on the Fresh on the Net faves recently and their next track was Magic Hill. Driving guitars and beat and a bassline playing particularly in fifths, gives the track immediate momentum while a Beatlesesque slowdown to a slightly mystical riposte to the faster verses provides a cool contrast as does a mid-section where instrumental play combines with swirling ambient sounds. There is semu-Psychedelic feel to this and it is catchy too.

South East London’s Lost FM may have a name that sounds like a radio station but their new single Our Love is a bit of a cracker. It begins with a mid-tempo Funk-infused bassline and beat to which are added long warm synth tones and funky but chunky guitars. The vocals, in octaves with the higher register quite prominent, immediately grab my attention. It is one of those tracks that is hard to pinpoint reference-wise but it maybe has subtle echoes of Pottery, Talking Heads, Crack Cloud, Stereo MCs and probably a whole host of others besides. Anyway, more to the point, it is a cool, engaging and fresh track.

Gecko Sex Satellite’s Soundcloud page is keeping their location a secret but the title Django’s Flying Portrait Machine kind of does what it says on the tin in terms of matching an intriguingly spaced out title wirth a bouncy Psychedelic aura. The deepish register male vocals and mix of guitar timbres with some generally chopping, fluid instrumental play combine to create an engaging balance between pop art and mystique. The invention that has gone into producing the track keeps me hooked.

BEATS, RHYTHMS & RHYMES

Manchester DJ and producer TURNA teams up with rapper/singer Katus Myles from Birmingham on Rent Free. A lovely shuffling beat and Disco-infused bassline support lush keyboard chords. The vocals vary in register and style bringing rhythmic rap, sassy spoken word and catchy hooks to the table. The production is spacious and punchy, rounding off a thoroughly well-put-together track.

The latest offering from Edinburgh-based Londoner Conscious Route and the True Hold label continues his preference for collaboration; this time with Lynzie Dray and Miles Better. Ducks In A Row mixes a slowish, half-time beat and enigmatic synths with characteristically thoughtful lyrics, socking it to the racists, homophobes, transphobes etc. They make the most of the contrasting voices with Lynzie, I presume, providing a distinctive alto range voice that instantly grabs me and has a slightly daunting sensibility while Miles raps in what sounds like a Glaswegian accent, bringing a cool individual edge. Rolain’s production and the way he weaves the elements together is first class and makes for compelling listening while the atmosphere is dark, a little dystopian but keeps me hooked throughout.

I am always drawn to the unusual [with the caveat that it’s any good obviously!] and UK artist Adriano Mersey delivers that with a hybrid of [Reggae] Dancehall and Synthpop topped by an uncredited soulful female vocalist on First Kiss. It could fall down through skating a thin line between originality and cheese but he pulls it off and the heart-tugging yearning vocal melody is definitely the key ingredient on this unique track.

Sticking with the unusual, Londoner Ediz Kainen brings an edgy Dubstep track that makes imaginative use of cool vocal effects and switches between the minimal and the funky on Till The Morning. The voice and melody are really hooky and keep me gripped while the simple but clever contrasts of electro-bass, beats and buzzing, bouncing tones is fast-moving and has an agreeable sense of weightlessness. Great track.

The ever-consistent Bristol-based B Of Briz has hit the spot again with Let Yourself Cry. From the opening wordless chant, synth tone and crunching beat, you know you are in for a treat. What follows is a no-hold-barred lyric that, on the one hand, presents a stark reality about the hurts, stresses and pressures that can undermine us and, on the other, offers a supportive shoulder to cry on. The lyrics tear at the emotions as she raps ‘Nights when you saw the storm outside and shook with fear/Nights when you wished you could dissolve in your own tears’. The sparse backdrop is all she needs to allow her the space to deliver her message and the delicate piano adds to the butterflies in my stomach as I listen to this stunning track.

It is hard to know where to place Bolton’s Callum Shaw aka Easy Days with Forever Soul (Radio Edit) although the description of it on Soundcloud as Hip Hop doesn’t seem quite right! This is a funky Discofied track with wobbly horn stabs, crowd effect and echoing vocals repeating the hook against a thumping beat, high register portamento synth, little guitar and piano melodies and clever breakdowns. It could be a kind of club anthem in the right context or a post-club chillout track. And it also leans into the poppier end of Jazz Fusion, especially the sumptuous key change and gorgeous chords combining with smooth sax in the final section. A truly lovely track.

Manchester’s Marcus Campbell is Marcus Daniel and he captures the early summer vibe on Summertime In Brussels. He also brings a refreshingly individual approach, working Mancunian dialect into his rapping while also singing a catchy hook. Quiet female BVs add to the quality of this uplifting track which breezes along in an uptempo funky Hip Hop groove. Evocative and inviting, Marcus brings the sunshine on this track and strikes a perfect balance between his unique rapping style and some great choons.

Although it narrowly missed out on winning the New Trax Poll on my Trust The Doc Radio Show, Amsterdam’s Fajadja delighted listeners with Smashing Demons. Intelligently articulated lyrics and an uplifting hook, contrasting the one they have lifted from The Doors classic Light My Fire, adorn this rap track which is funky, free flowing and mixes musicianship with clever wordplay. A message we can all get behind while enjoying a cracking choon.

Another track that is impossible to accurately slot into one or other category comes from Sheffield’s Vera Scara. What I Want sits somewhere between ambient synthwave and laid back Trip Hop with a cool, syncopated beat and long lush chords sitting either side of a mix where other instrumental sounds beaver away. Against this slightly ethereal backdrop, Vera’s soft but assured vocals float elegantly and expressively, bobbing along on the waves of synths and setting out an agreeable melodic line. It has a lovely late summer evening aura too. Sadly she made it private before the Fresh on the Net in-box had even closed, thus disqualifying herself from being considered for the Listening Post. Perhaps she might resubmit it and not do the same next time.

Birmingham’s Kioko bring the vibes with One Rule. A cool, bobbing and bubbling Reggae beat and instrumental backdrop accompanies a mix of socio-politically infused spoken word and mystical melodic hook that has shades of Misty-in-Roots. The fluidity of the bass and drums with picking guitar and dreamy synth has echoes of Third World while the staccato horns are classic and there is a general sense of drawing on a long lineage of Reggae artists from the lyrical flow of Linton Kwesi Johnson to the punchiness of Black Uhuru and so it goes on. You get the picture anyway. Timeless, tough and cogent Reggae music.

SOULFUL SENSIBILITIES

Portsmouth’s Jodie Deborah Vinall works with my friends at Mayfield Records and that is absolutely no surprise hearing It’s Not You It’s Me. Lush kazz-tinged keyboard chords interweave with a fluid, melodic bassline and cool beat while Jodie’s voice is soulful, sophisticated and stylish, bathed in goose-bumping harmonies and delivering a rueful, irresistible melody matched by the bittersweetness of the lyrics. This is a killa track and an artist to keep a watch on.

Welsh artist Lila Zing has a track out called Ripple. A slow but slightly funky beat and floating long synth chords accompany fluttering flute and Lila’s soft but assured and beckoning vocals. There is an air of mystique about the song and the mix and the title goes with the gently flowing stream of sound. In moments Lila drops into a reflective spoken word which contrasts her smooth singing style. And it would be remiss of me not to mention the lovely extended chords that add another layer of quality to the track.

A difficult track to pick a category for is Circle Red’s By Your Side. The collective of producers, loosely based in Cheltenham, talk about their flamboyant live shows and their hybrid of influences although, curiously, their label is described as being Drum’n’Bass. By Your Side is more in a chilled Trip Hop vibe with a haunting quality, helped by a hypnotic beat, reverberant synths and an agile, alluring, soulful female vocal. This is subtly nuanced with a collection of synth tones that assume prominence at different points and clever switching between sparseness, warm chords and slightly Trancey tones that appear a couple of times.. It is also spaciously produced and has a tune that gets inside your head and refuses to leave.

It has been a while since we had a new track from West England producer and artist Karum aka Webmoms. This one is a collaboration with London’s Will Eason and it features Oxford’s Eva Gadd and Norwich’s Ghetto Orange so that is four English regions represented on one track! The result of this coming together of talents is Karum’s smooth, subtly jazz-tinged Soul track with crisp beat, sweet electric piano chords and funky bass adorned by various other appealing sounds. Against this backdrop, Eva’s vocals are soulful and dynamic, boosted further by great close harmonies. Ghetto’s rap is thoughtful and free-flowing while there is also some gorgeous Becker-ish guitar work, presumably from Will. This is just pure class.

Birmingham’s Eloise Fabbri has a track called Bye Bye which is a tough one to slot into any specific genre for reviewing purposes but, despite its syncopated R’n’B-ish outer edge and jazz-infused harmonies, I felt her full-on soulful performance placed it here. The backing track is robust and rhythmic, bringing a toughness but it is Eloise’s vocals that dominate. Agile, attacking, athletic and able to fly up and down the octaves with consummate ease, she is one accomplished vocalist with a distinctive sound and a great melody to play with. Cool track.

California’s Blue Eyed Soul girl and boys Thee Heart Tones are in retro mood on Somebody Please. The singer’s emotion–threadingly sweet and pleading vocal is accompanied by Pips-style male BVs while choppy guitars and vibrato organ combine with rock solid bass and drums to create an organic Soul backdrop. The sound is quite sixties-influenced but it has a contemporary vibe and cool mix of sounds and, ultimately, is just such a lovely song and is delivered with such a heartbreaking vocal performance. Try resisting if you can but expect to be taken down by this sweet track.

Leeds-based Spanish artist Eleest has a track called Bloom. It combines some lovely descending and extended piano chords with a crisp beat and some great ambient sounds. Against this fluid, rhythmically clever and sophisticated backdrop, Eleest’s voice is rich, mainly alto but rangey both in terms of register and dynamic. She weaves her lines and ad libs dexerously around the instrumental mix while the BVs fortify the hook and help deliver a striking R’n’B track that is contemporary but with echoes of Aaliyah and even a hint of Kele Le Roc into the bargain.

Former Jealous Tina singer/saxophonists/songwriter Rosie P returns with You. We are instantly reminded of Rosie’s penchant for classy jazz-infused chords and haunting beautiful sax work. Then we get Rosie’s instantly recognisable platinum alto voice and I feel butterflies fluttering around in my stomach. Add to this the quality of the songwriting and arrangement with some gorgeous backing vocals to boot. This has style, soul and panache in spades. Rosie’s back.

CLUB CULTURE

London producer Grubby brings us Play My Game. This is full-on electro-Drum’n’Bass with lovely loud production, full on beatz and swirling, wobbling synths and electronic tones. The female vocalist is soulful and passionate and the melody floats in a perfect rhythmic contrast to the frenetic backing track. Punchy, powerful and a perfect mix of yearning melancholy with hyper energy. Also check out the excellent and slightly trippy Drum’n’Bass of Close My Eyes with superb filtered male vocal, spooky spoken word sample and some sumptuous chord changes and sound choices.

Continuing on a Drum’n’Bass tip, we have songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Keylo from the English South West. She is also a graduate of Brighton University. The track Echo has Keylo’s soulful, alluring vocals in the lead role, surrounded by stark contrasts between frenetic Drum’n’Bass beat and lush piano chords at one extreme and breakdowns to minimal instrumentation at the other. There is a rueful aura of sadness underpinning the vocals and the piano but the beat offsets that with its energy and power.

And three makes this a veritable feast of Drum’n’Bass this month! Denver, Colorado in the USA is home to Joel Hills aka Agent Of Kaos AOK. He brings the track It’s My Life. No, not a cover of the Talk Talk classic. This is a big buzzing buzzsaw of a track with scary deep synth riff cutting through everything while the most frantic Drum’n’Bass beat drives relentlessly forward and a sampled voice (which could be a female vocal or a male one sped up) repeats a spliced up hook. This could tear up dancefloors or cause you nightmares if you sleep with it in your headphones. Either way it’s a banger.

Stockholm, Sweden is home to Jonas Widell aka Frozen Orb and he hits us with Sudden Stardust. Given the lack of drums in parts and the half-time tempo, this is more chillout than floor filla but it has the kind of lovely heavily compressed beat and big waves of Euro-style synths that I am an absolute sucker for. Sitting somewhere in the middle ground between House, Trance and Electronica, this is tuneful, beautifully produced and gloriously wholesome.

Last edition (92), I [half] joked that I should give my good friend John Davis aka Arpraxis his own section such is the rate at which he continues to turn out tracks and each one different to its predecessor. John has another new single out (released on 28th June) called Monte’s. And once again he is full of surprises. This one has a funky Jazz-infused House vibe with some lovely light-textured keyboard lines that remind me a little of Shakatak jamming with Groove Armada. John reminds us here of his fine musicianship and arranging skills, bringing a variety of timbres into play as the track moves through different sub-sections. This has true style.

Talking of John’s versatility and ability to surprise, also check out his hardest core Techno track so far in Warehouse 98 which, going by the title, is probably a tribute to the raves of the nineties. Pulsating, filled with a plethora of electronic sounds and drone-like synth-bass undercurrents, this blasts its way onto the dancefloor and knocks the stuffing out of all who stand in its way!

The latest offering from TTD regular and Western Counties’ King of the Dancefloor Andrew aka Siddhartha Says is Ladybird & Menace. In a sense, this is a slight departure for Andrew, a frenetic pace that hints at Drum’n’Bass but uses an electronic beat and bass undercurrent for the stabbing staccato synth chords and layers of keys. A female vocalist provides a dynamic and adept performance and brings the hook to round off an exciting energetic track.

Hailing from Birmingham, Lucas/Top Drawer Digital bring us Squat Party - Dream Of You (Lucas Remix )[Dirty Kitchen Rave DKR061]. It is something of a throwback on one level with its frantic breakbeat style and fast piano chords plus a passionate repeating male vocal hook. At the same time, it takes advantage of a more contemporary soundset to produce a highly energetic floor filla that could tear up some clubs this summer in the right hands.

From the South West African nation of Swaziland comes Bandile Sihlongonyane aka Rico 901 with Nguwe. He describes this track as House but the punchy syncopated beat and shuffling percussion sounds also lend it a distinctly African aura. Meanwhile the chilled deep synth tones playing a slowly interchanging pitch pattern against staccato tones and cleverly configured drops takes it into electronic music territory. Well, stylistically call it what you will but the overall effect is a grooving but laid back instrumental that is as listenable as it is danceable.

SINGER-SONGWRITERS

It has been several years since I last heard anything from Ben Denny Mo. So it was good to receive You And I courtesy of the Urby Records label. Resonant chiming acoustic guitar chords strum away, creating a folky organic backdrop. Ben’s high register Tenor voice is goose-bumping, unique and full of character and expression. The boy also knows how to write a tune and this one lodges itself in the brain in no time. True innate songwriting skills and a beautiful singing voice to deliver them with.

London-based singer-songwriter Alba returns with What If? This is uptempo pop with a dash of Americana and some fine rock-oriented guitar work to boot. Alba is in fine voice, delivering a strong hook with great BVs while the instrumental mix is organic and drives along energetically in a kind of ‘open road’ atmosphere. Strong way to return with new material.

Cerys Georgina has a track called Picture Of You. Accompanied by strumming, shimmering guitar chords and an organic instrumental arrangement, her slow burning expressive style and bewitching alto range vocals dominate. The nuances and contrasts in dynamics and texture are very effective and underline the emotional strength of the song.

Another song thst it is impossible to neatly nudge into one or other genre group comes from London-based Karolina Wilgus. Sung in Polish, Kwiatuszek (Little Flower) combines fluid rhythmic configurations with busy beat, warm synths, picking guitars and Karolina’s confident, deft delivery of complex vocal parts that are enchanting and bewitching. This is a great example of fine songwriting and arranging skills combining with top-notch performance.

Unfortunately the Soundcloud link takes us to Song Academy who use the page to advertise themselves and provide no links to the artists. They have included in a playlist with multiple other artists but shoved the individual track so far down their page that I literally gave up trying to find it to add to my private Soundcloud playlist when moderating for Fresh on the Net. I only hope they didn’t charge Isla for this shoddy service. Anyway my interest is in Isla Mae who I eventually tracked down via Instagram. The song Letter To The Moon demonstrates how much can be achieved by mixing strumming acoustic guitar chords with beautifully produced, multi-tracked reverberant vocal harmonies. Isla’s beckoning, crystal clear soprano range voice dominates with a spine-tingling melody. This is captivating from start to finish.

The new single by TTD regular Frank Joshua is also the title track of his new album. Turn to Your Soul is a triplet time track that brings staccato piano chords together with picking guitars and carefully shifting dynamics and clever key changes. There is a clear Soul influence here, emphasised by the mystical backing vocals and Frank’s commanding performance and subtle ad libs. Organic, timeless and tuneful too.

SYNTHEMATIC

Finnish-German duo and TTD regulars Platronic are in uptempo danceable mode with Pride. Revolving around a minor key I - VI - VII - I pattern in the verses, adding  IV in the chorus, we get octave-jumping synth bass, persistent four-to-the-floor kick and upper synth melodies that take us into nineties-influenced Euro House territory, mixing in with their melodic synthwave sound. Kay’s voice is distinctive and dexterous as ever while Sami whips up a synth-soaked sandstorm around her. It has energy, style and strong tunes.

The enigmatic (no links, location or bio on Soundcloud) Combover Beethoven do have a great name [which anyone familiar with Chuck Berry will get]. They also have a lovely track out called The Privacy Of Rooms which is driven along by a relentless synth-electronic pattern over which long chords sweep and swirl while male vocal harmonies sing a descending figure with some cool effects and plenty of small but nuanced changes that keep events moving. Energetic, engaging and tuneful.

Described as a pan-European project based in Scotland and England, Night Noise Team bring us Flight Path. This is bright, superbly produced and arranged cinematic Synthwave with great vocal effects, an array of attractive and contrasting synths, ambience and chunky beats. The melody floats and flickers throughout and there is no opportunity for our attention to wonder with so many little events that come and go. The result is a futuristic Pop vision that is evocative and enthralling.

It is impossible to be certain where to place Paul Jack’s Just Exist For So Long. It is quite piano-driven which means it is not really a synthematic track and yet the role of synths and electronic undercurrents is crucial to its being. So too are the soft-toned but insistent female voices singing in broken up harmonies, toing and froing as the instrumental waters bob and ripple underneath them. It is ambient too I guess. A little otherworldly and ultimately just rather beautiful and engaging.

Norwich’s Daniel Kiffie aka the artist Kiffie is getting very apocalyptic with Push It Back. ‘We don’t want to live past midnight’ he repeats, in his distinctive tenor range voice, amid lyrics about mushroom clouds and nuclear winter. The vibe is dark synthpop with more than a passing nod to Depeche Mode and a daunting, dystopian intensity that suits the subject matter very well.

The latest track by Newborn is Soft Blue. This is a fascinating hybrid of trippy Synthwave, ambient electronica and subtly jazz-infused funky moments. Meanwhile the soft but commanding female vocals and ensuing harmonies remind me of Elizabeth Fraser. It revolves around a sort of stop-start synth riff and semi-classical choirgirl-ish vocal hook while events are fluid and sounds appear and disappear, adding to the sum of a compelling and refreshingly original track.

Hereford’s Nature Of Wires aka Gary has once again teamed up with Sheffield’s Machina X aka Annie, two favourites of this blog. The result is Static Icons. It mixes Gary’s trademark layers of synth-electronic invention with Annie’s hauntingly beautiful and instantly recognisable vocals. The track begins with a ripping sound and buzzing synth tones playing against echoing beat while Annie’s vocals are dynamic and have an immediate intensity. The production is top class and there is always a sense of spaciousness within which Anne’s voice dances joyfully around the growing array of sounds that ensue.

London film composer and versatile artist Madil Hardis returns with Disintegrate in three mixes, including one by the above-mentioned Nature Of Wires. The Ethereal mix gets straight in with ghostly vocals echoing against spacy synth tones. It is almost classical in style and the vocals become yearning and heartfelt. Minimal and meticulous but beautiful and full of expression too.

The Nature Of Wires mix is a complete contrast with pumping mid-tempo beat, bassy synth notes roaring and ripping against staccato upper register pitch pattern against which Madil’s vocals are haunting and full of character. Shades of Julia Holter in a jam with FKA Twigs while Grimes brings extras.

The Vortex Four mix has a slowly shuffling beat that is crunching and cool while long synth tones add to a translucent palette. Again the vocals are haunting and expressive. Madil has provided three contrasting and impressive versions of this excellent track. All are well worth checking out.

I have previously reviewed the collaboration between C-Beem and The Fantom Man that produced Covert Garden. Now we have another track by the pair. Pop Of Art is more in synthpop territory, albeit with trademark sophisticated instrumental mix and chord changes plus whimsical lyrics. The insistent groove and melodic hook is a little Bowie-esque (Chris will recall I have made the same comparison about past tracks of his) but there’s also a hint of Parade-era Prince. Most important is that this is another cool track.

Morpeth’s John Michie, recording as just Michie returns with Explore. John somewhat curiously describes it on Soundcloud as Rock but, for me, this is an energetic and enticing slice of synth-driven semi-cinematic Pop in which a rich array of sounds intertwine and keep events moving as John sets out an appealing melody and uplifting forward-moving feel.

The Dublin-based artist Æ MAK returns with Let’s Do It. Utilising some warm and some percussive synth tones, syncopated beats and a fluid exchange of timbres, she takes us on a journey through several distinct sections. Her distinctive vocals and close harmonies dominate and there are some lovely secondary melodic figures that appear at different times. The ending is enigmatic and unexpected too. All round, a thoroughly imaginative slice of thoughtful Art Pop.

ELECTRONIC & AMBIENT

The intriguing Peter McDonnell returns with a track called Somewhere They Sing which appears to be part of an EP. It drives along with a mix of synths, beats and other sounds, pushing forward in a more Alt Pop-infused manner. But the star feature is the mostly staccato, spliced up and contrapuntally organised sampled female voices that persist like Laurie Anderson on speed. This track grabs me by the ears and presents itself as compelling listening, striking in its originality and the clever manner in which Peter makes such a complex idea sound so straightforward. Very impressive.

Also check out the more classical but somewhat serene Duet with its building piano and strings with rolling chords and pitch flourishes interweaving as it goes through several sub-sections. Another very nice track.

Londoner James Burns is Robinson's Village and, with Birds Birds Birds, he has created a seriously striking slice of intriguing Ambient sound. It begins with a pipe-like sound that presents a decliciously unstable pitch. It resonates almost like someone blowing over the top of an empty bottle before more synths and noises begin to colour the initially quite transparent palette, painting a sonic picture that is kind of stark and icy but with undercurrents of warmth too. The harmonic language is essentially major key but with hints of modality and the mix of sounds is brilliantly constructed with compelling consequences. A surprise gem in this month’s in-box.

TTD regular residing in Sussex Simon Horsefield aka The Evolving 9th Hour returns with On Shadow Sky. From the thoughttul arpeggio play and long mystical tones to the growling keyboard bass notes and almost Morricone-ish distant desert aura of the sound choices, this is Simon at his imaginative, meticulous best. He gradually builds the track in layers as the dynamics grow accordingly before pulling everything down over the final stretch. Not a note is wasted in this beautifully conceived and perfectly executed piece of Ambient joy.

Based on the English South Coast in Worthing, Steve Peck aka St3v3L33 is at it again with Rolling Thunder. Through a combination of phased, wobbly synth tones and an array of reverberant environmental noises, he creates the most evocative, enthralling and engaging atmosphere in which I am able to let my imagination drift off into Steve’s agreeably ethereal world. It might not sound that way to everyone but to me this is genuinely quite beautiful.

TTD favourite Trevor Davies aka Trevas returns with Sing Free. A slow stately instrumental with a mellow synth melody playing over a repeating synth-electronic pattern, this is adorned with loud birdsong and other environmental sounds, adding to its chilled out atmosphere. Sometimes the melody switches up an octave while retaining a kind of minimalist principle of repeating patterns and small alterations. Soothing and tranquil.

The latest release by Luxembourg-based fellow FOTN mod and producer extraordinaire Tobisonics is Quintessence Of Dust. This is a combination of sparse but dramatic ambience verging on sound art and sampled spoken word put through an effect to emphasise its deep, daunting quality. A track that will make you sit up and listen for its smartly organised and crystal clear sounds and contrasts.

The super talented Yodashe returns with CHRYSALID. This is, in some ways, quite different from her last three tracks. The vocals are put through heavy effects giving them both a contemporary and, at the same time, ghostly quality as Yiota’s voice leaps, loops and lassos itself around a fluid backing track. Namely characteristically crunching beats, buzzing and billowing synths, reverse notes, compression and sometimes explosive production. Events shift continually like we are caught in a delicious yet dystopian dream sequence. Four and a half minutes of unique, inventive and compelling music and sound.

The Channel Islands’ Prince of Ambience Michael Donoghue is rarely out of these pages and this month we have Time Machine which, like a few of Michael’s works, follows Minimalist-like principles of gradually altering note patterns and the addition of sounds, in this case crystal ones that bring a striking bell-like sensibility to his electro-synth soundscape. As always, it is all done with loving expertise.

The enigmatic [unless, like me, you know who he/she/they is/are] Minimums returns with Memory which features their regular live vocalist Pippa Sarratt whose velvet tones and expressive performance play perfectly against the sweeping chords and gradually altering harmonic states Minimums create with synths and ambient sounds that float and flutter around. Minimums creates a space-like aura and a fluidity that keeps events continuously changing while Pippa’s classy singing and a repeating melody subtly weave their way inside your head. Also check out the slow-burning and soulful ambience of Kopfkino.

The new single by TTD regular Go Volta is The Rabbit Hole. It is billed as Drum’n’Bass on Soundcloud which, in a sense, it is although you will rarely hear D’n’B music that sounds like this. The drums are pulsating and pumping as well as being programmed to provide some mind-spinning rhythmic configurations. Against this, synth bass tones rumble and roar while vocals, in contrasting effects, repeat the hook and other sounds drift above the bassline with dark intent. Invigorating stuff.

Lidköping in Sweden is home to Alexander Forselius aka Dr Sounds. He brings us the Atmospheric Version of Astralnaut. It is an appropriate title for a track that has an undeniably space-like aura as synth melodies float and interweave in a slowly moving and building ambience that is subtly rueful but also achieves a certain tranquility.

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL & SOUND ART

When I saw that London composer Ben See had collaborated with Emily Hall, I dared to imagine it might be the Emily Hall, composer and vocalist extraordinaire. So imagine my delight when I discovered it actually is Emily. And Can We is a stunning a capella piece combining their voices; dominated by Emily’s goose-bumping multi-tracked, slightly churchian harmonies and Ben’s heartfelt lead. Inventive, atmospheric and beautifully understated as well as refreshingly unique. Also check out the astonishing live performance of Grapefruit with its stunning combination of male voices and spine-tinglingly inventive harmonies.

Shortly after writing the above review I received So Far; another collaboration involving these two fine composers with their multi-tracked a capella voices providing some goose-bumping harmonies that make imaginative use of suspensions and extended pitches. In so doing, they manage to produce stunning textures with occasionally mild dissonances. In addition to this sophisticated harmonic language, they add captivating, quietening dynamics and, once again, a slightly church-like aura. This is music of breathtaking beauty and mouth-watering skill.

Given my own background [as a composer and artist], there would be something wrong if I wasn’t drawn to a track called Largo For 19 Shower Holders And The Ability To Slow Down Time Very Precisely. Well that is what we have from London’s Callum Martin-Moore (billed in his Fresh on the Net submission as Callummm). I have no idea exactly how he has managed to capture such resonating, beautiful bell-like and crystalline sounds but this is a captivating piece of musical Sound Art that is both unique and expertly composed and played. Stunning.

Leicester’s Andrew Hartshorn is not only my label mate at Monochrome Motif Records. He runs the label. So it is especially pleasing to have this reminder, in the form of I Can Hear You, of just what a talented, accomplished composer Andrew is. As you will see, from my review of the album earlier in this edition, it is also a moving piece dealing with the tragic loss of Andrew’s son Sam. The beautiful contrast between delicate and imaginatively configured piano, deep dynamic Cello and sweet violin is enough to win hearts and minds but the use of oboe and quiet synth tones adds to the ambience. He has deployed some sort of sophisticated sound library here and his application of these timbres is spot on. Andrew spaces phrases out and allows them to linger while using call and response to wondrous effect. This is a truly beautiful piece of work. See my review of the album in the Albums section on Page 10.

American pianist and composer Azadi Amaan brings a stirring solo piano piece entitled Playing By Candlelight. It begins a little safe harmonically with diatonic arpeggio play plus corresponding embellishments but, as the work progresses, the dynamics become more marked and little subtle dissonances and slightly Jazz-infused chords add a more intriguing element and even a darker quality. We end up with an imginatively composed and expressively performed piece that improves as it goes along.

Polish composer and artist Piotr Sobolczyk has produced an intriguing track in Sand Melts Faster So See The World. Orchestrated with lively brass parts and shifting strings and percussion, among an array of timbres, it goes through a series of sections with a distinctly fillmic feel. Tuneful, inventive and slightly quirky, it is not seeking to break any ground rhythmically or harmonically but it is an engaging piece nonetheless.

Northern English composer Matt Mereport also may not be attempting to break any new ground with Biciclo B (Ver B) but it is a demonstration of his skills in composing an attractive piano piece, sometimes adorned by quiet legato strings in a classico-romantic style. It stays mostly in a minor key with chords and arpeggios as the foundation of his progressions plus some marked ritandi and mostly quiet dynamics.

Belfast’s Neil Foster is another regular in this blog and he returns with Nightflight. It is listed as ‘ambient’ on his Soundcloud page but I feel the composed nature of the piece with soft, carefully chosen piano melody and melancholy synth strings justifies its inclusion here. It does have a soundtrack aura though and I could well imagine this being used in a nature documentary or a film. Romantic, dreamy and very well executed.

JAZZ & INTERNATIONAL JOURNEYS

Cambridge-based Irishman Ben Mulholland may or may not be a David Lynch fan given the moniker Mulholland Jive. Well either way, in Beast Mode, he has produced a syncopated and sophisticated slice of Jazz-infused filmic instrumental music that sounds like it is crying out to be the theme tune to an American Cop Show. Dynamic, superbly arranged and oozing multi-instrumental musicianship, this is an aural delight that should lift your spirits.

One of those tracks that could have fitted into any of about four different sections, Nelda’s Home Is Where I Go is a co-write between the London-based artist and Australian songwriter Etoile Marley. Nelda is Nelda Kuzuma, a singer-songwriter and educator. Home Is Where I Go, the second single from her forthcoming concept album, is in a lilting triplet time, dominated by two key features - Nelda’s rich, expressive vocals and a series of spine-tingling piano chords infused with suspensions and extensions that demonstrate her knowledge of Jazz and add an additional quality to her songwriting. There is an air of melancholy about the song while the production creates a sense of space for Nelda’s voice to dive dexterously up and down the scales and dynamics with consummate grace.

Judging by his Soundcloud pic, Birmingham artist Sam Redmore is thrilled to be collaborating with Nigerian Afrobeat legend Dele Sosimi and so he should be. Home mixes an Afrobeat sensibility, mild House beat, African percussion and some rich strings with Dele’s vocals to create a lilting, minor key groover that will have bums wiggling and hips shaking. The bassline playing Calypso-like triads is complemented by light picking guitar, sweet vibrato strings and a gorgeous chanted vocal with the voices an octave apart. I recommend checking out Sam’s Instagram page to see videos of him and Dele discussing the collaboration.

Surabaya in Indonesia is home to Thee Marloes. The trio of Natassya, Sinatrya and Tommy bring us Mungkin Saja. It is a breezy, lightly funky track with jazz-tinged drums and busy staccato bass underpinning some cool chord play and picking on the guitar while Natassya’s agile, expressive vocals deliver an engaging melody and lyrical Indonesian lyrics. There is a refreshing buoyancy about their sound which is very organic and fuses elements of Soul, Jazz, Pop and local cultures. Music that is timeless as well as very likeable.

Somewhat bizarrely listed on his Soundcloud page as Alternative Rock which it most definitely is not, Madrid-based Venezuelan Manuel and his band Falso Gurứ’s Una Piedra Encontré En Mi Camino has a kind of mid-tempo Funkrock sensibility that reminds me a little of Talking Heads in a jam with Pottery while Shriekback drop by with ingredients although there is also a Latin undercurrent to the track. Other than a very brief line or two in Spanish at the end of the track, it is otherwise instrumental and, against quite robust funky guitar chords and heavy bass and drums, we get bursts of delicisiouly wobbly horns playing a melody like Pigbag in a mash with Femi Kuti but left out in the rain! It all works though and keeps me hooked for the entire time. Unique and invigorating.

The absence of information on their Soundcloud page led me to Instagram to discover that Raz And Afla are a duo who run the gamut of multiple African styles. Judging by We Taya, I would dare to suggest there may be some Mediterranean flavours lurking there too. Uptempo, electronically-driven but with a strong Afrobeat sensibility mixing with various other vibes and sung in a language I will not clumsily attempt to identify, this is joyful, energetic and invigorating. A summer banger I might proffer.

Another track that is hard to slot neatly into one or other genre is London-born Bristolian Ngaio’s Goddess. The highly accomplished and extremely versatile musician, composer and DJ mixes mystical melodic sensibilities and lilting percussion with electronically-infused elements on a slow but buoyant track. Her distinctive and dexterous vocals dominate, bolstered by lovely harmonies against the warmth and laid back grooviness of the backing track.

The super talented Brighton-based artist Liz Ikamba collaborates with fellow Congolese artist Kissangwa on Mama Afrika (not to be confused with the Peter Tosh track Mama Africa for fellow Reggae fans!). Lovingly crafted, intricate picking guitar provides the instrumental bedrock on which the two artists’ voices combine, sometimes solo and often in spine-tingling harmonies and in a language I will not attempt to identify but presumably is one of the many Congolese dialects, to deliver a lilting, soulful and even subtly melancholy tune. Full of ideas and fluid changes in the vocal arrangement while the four chord pattern remains in place throughout, this sets high standards from start to finish. Out on 12th July.

I don’t usually review music that is quite so uncompromisingly retro but I couldn’t resist including Tim McInnes’s Happy Now because it is more or less Ragtime, a style I rarely hear original material written in these days. Moreover it is a track that begins as a piano rag before some Django-ish guitar joins and then violin and the instruments indulge in an increasingly whirlwind-like mini-tornado of improv around the chopping piano chords. It sounds like it was a lot of fun to put together too and you need musicians of a high calibre to make it work so well.

It is not every day that we receive a track at Fresh on the Net from an artist like Arjuna Harjai. The UK-based Indian artist has a quarter of a million monthly Spotify streams and has written and recorded music for films and other media. Here he teams up with Pakistani artist Natasha Noorani on a track called Zikar Hai. There are elements of Bhangra and Bollywood kixing with other influences here to create an upbeat percussive feel and a rich mix of timbres. Their voices intertwine and reinforce the infectious hook that sits at the heart of this colourful track. Exciting to hear it.

The prolific London-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Richard Davies is a regular in these pages and his music interchanges between classical, jazz and experimental. Chase In Manhattan, however, is very much in jazz territory with walking bassline that repeats throughout and a chorus of horns playing a filmic melody over some teasing piano chords. This being Richard, we naturally get some haunting, beautiful and understated sax improv too. It definitely has the vibe of downtown Manhattan and something of a cop show aura too. Gorgeous stuff. Traditional in one sense but too many cool contemporary chords and ideas to be retro.

FOLK & COUNTRY FARE

It is always good to have new material from Amy Hopwood, now based in Bournemouth on the English South Coast, and her latest offering is River And Fish. This is a love song to a river from the perspective of a fish and is inspired by a riddle written in Olde English from the tenth Century and included in the Easter Book. It kicks off with the sound of wind and birds calling while Amy recites a poem. Then her a capella vocals begin to kick in, initially in two parts but soon expanding with some goose-bumping counterpoint and harmony. This is beautifully done and expertly executed, developing layer by layer, all based on Amy’s multi-tracked voices and the ambience of the wind and water. It leaves me feeling refreshed and replenished. How to return with a bang!

From Cork in Ireland comes Sarah Buckley. She describes her music as Folk/Singer-Songwriter but Things We Leave Behind borders on Indie Rock at times. It is essentially an organic track, based around four main chords and Sarah’s highly distinctive voice and very pronounced way of articulating her reflective lyrics. It begins in a more folky Americana-ish vein but, as the track builds, electric guitar tracks are added and the intensity of the overall performance adds a rockier, more dramatic current.

Fascinatngly, Ghost Singers is a global project founded by Glasgow’s Brian O’Neill who writes all the songs. The musicians are from all over the world and have never met in person. On In Bloom, an alluring and slightly breathy female vocalist takes the lead, her voice holding centre stage accompanied by slow triplet time guitar arpeggios, corresponding piano chords and lush strings in an almost cinematic style. This is very melancholy and delicately dark in character. ‘ And tell me now/Is it over?’ sings the vocalist. The song and the atmosphere it plays out in make for compelling listening. Mood-wise it reminds me of Julie London’s Cry Me A River although it is nothing like it stylistically. A lovely track anyway.

PART THREE: OTHER COMMENTARIES

ENGLISH TEACHER/MARY IN THE JUNKYARD

Electric, Brixton - Wed. 29th May 2024

Incredibly, this is my first time at Electric; the venue that resides where The Fridge once stood. I played The Fridge many moons ago but I have to admit Electric is an improvement. Airy, with several levels, my friend and I are able to grab a perfect spot on the upper balcony. It is sold out tonight on the final date of English Teacher’s first headline UK tour and it is fun watching the downstairs filling with people from our vantage point.

First up we have Mary In The Junkyard. The London trio have come a long way in what seems like a very short time and it is fitting that they should play the final tour date here in Brixton where they cut their teeth to a great extent with multiple performances at The Windmill. With just three singles and EPs, all released in less than a year, they already have over 80K monthly Spotify listeners and clearly have momentum. They are produced by XL founder Richard Russell and they record for AMF Records. Describing their music as Experimental Rock or, as they told Daze magazine, ‘angry, weepy, chaos rock’, the trio consists of Clari Freeman-Taylor (Guitar, Bass Guitar & Vocals); Saya Barbaglia (Bass Guitar & Viola) and David Addison (Drums).

It is a strange and somewhat frustrating truth that, going back to when I was 14 years old watching Punk and New Wave gigs at Hemel Hempstead Pavilion, there has been a long-time tradition of the sound engineer doing the support acts few favours and then magically producing considerably better sound quality for the headliners. It is actually disrespectful not only to the support band but also to the audience but it is a thing nevertheless and one that occurs far too frequently for it to be a coincidence. This despite not one but three beautiful looking digital PA desks in operation!

Despite the slightly less pristine sound on the vocal mic and an iffy balance between the vocals and instruments in general, it is to Mary In The Junkyard’s great credit that they still pull off a fine performance. They open with the single Ghost with its picking guitar and semi-yodel vocal intro. It is a strong start and scene setter. Guitar legend Robin Trower said, in an interview I recently watched, that he always chose to work with trios because he liked the danger of being that bit more exposed and everyone having to work a little harder. Those words ring true in relation to Mary In The Junkyard. Clari’s ability to deliver her distinctive and dexterous soprano range vocals while playing intricate guitar parts is matched by Saya’s inventive Bass and Viola playing while David is a thoughtful drummer whose dynamic control and rhythmic shifts emphasise the contrasts in their music.

Clari’s voice is slightly ethereal. At times I hear echoes of iconic singers like Tanya Donnelly, Harriet Wheeler and even a sprinkling of Dolores O’Riordan. Their music sits somewhere between shoegazey Dream Pop and Post Rock although neither of those tags would adequately summarise their sound. One song in, Clari switches to Bass Guitar and Saya switches to Viola and they demonstrate both their versatility and the ability to wring so much creativity out of a sparse instrumental combination. Clari also uses different tunings on the guitar, producing some jangling extended chord and arpeggio play.

 

The interband chemistry is evident from the outset and their ability to shift effortlessly between different timings and configurations is amply exhibited on tracks like Marble Arch and Goop with its trilling and tremolo Viola and stop-start structure. The audience responds enthusiastically to their committed, captivating performance. Tonight has been a triumphant taster of what is to come because, this time next year, it may well be Mary In The Junkyard who are closing out a headline tour back in South London.

         

For English Teacher, the past year has been huge and they recently released their debut album This Could Be Texas. The Leeds quartet of Lily Fontaine (Vocals, Guitar & Keyboards); Lewis Whiting (Guitar & Keyboards); Nicholas Eden (Bass Guitar) and Douglas Frost (Drums & Keyboards) are augmented tonight by an electric Cellist whose name I have been struggling to find out from articles and web pages but her rich tones add so much to the music.

The band are in exuberant mood, clearly lapping up the love from the London crowd and enjoying this being the last night of the tour. When Lily tells us this is the biggest audience they have ever played to, there is an approving roar from the fans. Tonight is very much a showcase of the album. Broken Biscuits, Not Everybody Gets To Go To Space and I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying are all striking. There is a lot of instrument swapping in their set. Lily and Lewis both switch between guitar and keyboard, the Cellist also plays keyboard and, midway through, Douglas abandons the drumkit to play keys on a number of tracks and they prove they can still fill the room with their sound minus drums. As with Mary In The Junkyard, English Teacher benefit from excellent musicianship.

They save the best for last though with storming renditions of Albert Road, recent single R&B (a song I know my wife would relate to with Lily’s lyric about how, despite being a young black woman and people’s tiresome assumptions, she does not have the voice for R&B!) and the anthemic Nearly Daffodils. At one point, having invited the audience to come closer to the stage so that ‘I can dance with you’, Lily climbs down into the audience and crowd surfs on her back, trusting the fans to carry her. It is a great moment that encapsulates the bond between audience and band.

If I have a particular criticism of English Teacher, it is that I sometimes feel they don’t get the balance right between spoken word and singing. Lily has a great, powerful and highly distinctive singing voice and I wish she would use it just a little more. But it’s a minor point in the scheme of things. This has been an impressive and invigorating performance, rounded off by an encore and more band-audience engagement. Both bands have delivered the goods in a venue I definitely look forward to coming back to soon.

This article, with minor differences, appeared on Fresh on the Net here.

DAYDREAMERS/JACOB ALON/ESSENCE MARTINS

BBC Introducing @ The Lower Third, London WC2

It is good to be at The Lower Third, the venue we hope to use for Fresh on the Net Live. It is the Outernet’s ‘grassroots venue’ linked to the larger venue Here. It is, however, a little annoying that ticket holders have not been told earlier in the day that Girlband!, the main attraction from our perspective, have pulled out of the gig when BBC Introducing have clearly known this for at least five or six hours. I still would have chosen to come and take a chance on the late replacement but I ought to have been given the choice; especially since this has changed the balance from being a mainly indie guitar band night to a mainly acoustic singer-songwriter one.

My mood is not helped by the compere whose cheesy panto-style presenting is not exactly what I would expect at an indie gig. When he repeatedly reminds us about all the prestigious media he writes for, it only underlines the fact that he ought to be better informed. So, in addition to the tiresome attempts to make us shout ‘What’s that?’ every time he mentions BBC Introducing, I feel the urge to shout ‘Oh no it isn’t’ in response to his disingenuous claims about the BBC and an additional ‘look behind you’ when the drummer of Daydreamers is patiently waiting to start performing!

Much as I usually refrain from criticising people in my reviews, I cannot let a few of his statements go without putting them right. Firstly, you cannot credibly present BBC Introducing as an exciting new concept when it has been going for 16 years and is nowhere near as good as it once was thanks to swingeing BBC cuts in local broadcasting. Secondly, anyone who is an independent artist and has a BBC Introducing account knows that the claim that there are people in every location whose ‘sole job is to listen to your music’ is not only false but, in a great many cases, when you check the status of the track you uploaded, it never even reaches ‘Listened’.

The most indefensible of his claims, however, is that, when it comes to supporting grassroots music, BBC Introducing is the only game in town. I could provide him with a long list of people, mostly unpaid volunteers, who give their own time and resource to do far more than the BBC to support grassroots music (Fresh on the Net, Trust The Doc Media, Songbird HQ Joyzine, Only The Host etc. etc.) and, in the process, support far more artists. If you are going to dismiss the work of hundreds of dedicated individuals, you cannot complain when you get flak for doing so.  It only serves to confirm the elitist, out-of-touch attitude of the BBC; not a good look when many of us continue trying to defend the institution from right wing attacks and the mundanely moronic #DefundTheBBC brigade on social media.

Essence Martins @ The Lower Third

Anyway, to the gig itself! The replacement for Girlband! (booking confirmed at 4PM apparently) is London singer-songwriter Essence Martins. Often, when an entire set consists of one acoustic guitar with vocals, it can be trying after a while but that is not the case with Essence. Helped by her friends Alison and Hayden on backing vocals, she immediately grabs our attention with her thoughtful reflective songs, expressive voice and goose-bumping harmonies.

She is an engaging character, delighted to be here and enthusiastically talking about the songs. Wandering Souls is about considering all the big questions (i.e. Is there a God?) and is ‘very spiritual’. She talks movingly about her twin sister who has just returned from four years’ studying in the USA [and is in the audience] and tells us the song Brussel Sprouts is about her. At one point in the set, the backing vocalists both get solo verses and their voices are stunning too. I presume both are involved in solo or other projects where they get to sing lead. But it is how their voices gel that is especially magical tonight.  

Essence persuades the audience to sing with her on Like A Fool which has a beautiful chorus. She ends with Quite Imperfect which is about how the reality of relationships and people never lives up to the unrealistic ideal and, she tells us, she has never yet been in love [which I am sure will soon change given her warm and passionate personality]. It is a strong finish to a lovely set and the audience has been enthusiastic from the outset. This has somewhat made up for the absence of Girlband!

Jacob Alon @ The Lower Third

Next up is Jacob Alon, all the way from Fife in the East of Scotland. Switching between two acoustic guitars and a range of tunings, sometimes involving a lot of open fifths, his ability to play intricate picking parts while adding bassline and little melodies is highly impressive and he has the voice and charisma to match. There are obvious comparisons to be made, especially with Jeff Buckley, but also with Nick Drake and early John Martyn.

Jacob is extremely likeable and quite amusing too. He praises Essence Martins (who responds enthusiastically from the audience) and says he hopes they can stay in touch and be friends which is especially sweet. He gets some laughs when he uses a plug for Pride to say the ensuing song is about shame which, he proffers, is the manure we have to deal with on the way to achieving some pride. He duly explains that Liquid Gold 25 is about a disastrous Grindr date! Elijah is about his nasty [and thankfully no longer connected] stepdad! Despite this, it has an uplifting major key style and breeziness. At times he rises into the most spine-tingling falsetto range.

Such is his rapport with the audience that he gets away with taking about 5 minutes to nail the guitar tuning for the last track. It has been an enjoyable, engaging set and a showcase for his considerable vocal talent and guitar playing expertise.

Daydreamers @ The Lower Third

The final act of the night is the London quartet Daydreamers. The band recently saw their track Call Me Up achieve half a million streams in 4 days so they clearly have momentum and have already had support from BBC Radio 1. They hit the stage with great enthusiasm and immediately launch into energetic Pop Rock with male and female vocals and some pretty lead guitar figures.

The main vocalist [and rhythm guitarist to use a traditional term!] is a confident performer, geeing up the audience and bouncing around the stage. The bassist is also a bundle of energy and her voice complements his very well. This is a band who exude enjoyment in what they do and they are clearly having a blast. Her ability to interlock with the drums despite both playing often busy fuid parts is the bedrock on which the guitars add their sparkle.

Colourblind has an epic pop quality about it and that tendency towards big gestures and big hooks is a key element of their sound. The audience warms to their enthusiasm and they round off a successful night with an upbeat and well received set. The venue has been packed too, adding to the positive atmosphere.

Essence Martins - Instagram   Facebook   TikTok

Jacob Alon - Instagram   X   Facebook   TikTok

Daydreamers - Instagram  TikTok

This article was also published, in slightly different form, by Fresh on the Net.

ELECTION WATCH

Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat)         Rishi Sunak (Conservative)            Keir Starmer (Labour)

Background

Although my political allegiance is hardly the world’s best kept secret, I generally try to minimise the degree to which this blog becomes a vehicle for political campaigning and sloganeering. But I do believe I have a duty to keep a watch on the issues being debated by the main parties at the General Election (which takes place four days after official publication of this edition) and comment on how they may impact the grassroots music community. Before I get into analysing those policies though, some background is necessary.

Early in the campaign, Labour leader Keir Starmer was making some positive noises about arts funding and working with our creative industries to get back to the successes that were being achieved pre-COVID when we had the fastest growth of any country in the world. I have said before that, when the arts community and creative industries needed a shot in the arm in the post-lockdown period, the Tories instead kicked them in the guts with swingeing cuts to Arts Council funding that left lots of projects with their oxygen supplies suddenly and cruelly cut off. My Trust The Doc Media not-for-profit business was one of those adversely affected and it made 2023 a particularly tough year for the first ten months before we finally received some funding again.

The issue has hardly been high on any party’s agenda but immigration has and I have watched this one with keen interest too. I did actually write to Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, pointing out that, while I understood Labour’s desire to look tough on immigration, it was important not to be dragged into aping the ‘nasty party’ with its homogenous grouping of all foreign nationals as some sort of drain on the taxpayer and a threat to British workers’ job prospects. I pointed out, for example, that it is unfair to take vast sums of money from overseas students to study in the UK, learning skills that are geared towards working in industries here, music included (as is the case where I teach at ICMP), and then tell them, if they are not earning between £24K and £29K depending on age within 2 years of graduating, they have to go home. I also criticised the system of putting pressure on small, struggling businesses to match these wage levels and have the additional cost and work of running payroll systems and paying for sponsored work visas. No surprise that I have not had a reply.

I remain concerned that Labour is not understanding the nuances in the immigration debate. They have to have the courage to stand up for immigration and point out how positive it has been and continues to be and how false the argument is about British jobs being taken away. There is a reason we have been celebrating the original WIndrush arrivals with such enthusiasm over the past year. But, if they need to look tough, then deal with foreign nationals who have committed horrific crimes but cannot be deported because they are receiving taxpayer-funded legal aid to launch one challenge after another to the courts. Deal with those who are using visa loopholes to bring dependents who have no prospect or intention of finding work etc.

Target the genuine criminals and the cowboy employers exploiting illegal immigrants on appalling wages and in appalling conditions including the cynical boat gangs trading on others’ desperation for a better life. But stop demonising immigrants. If Reform UK and the Tories want to play a ‘mine’s bigger than yours’ game on how racist they can get away with being, let them do so but Labour need to stay away from such toxic debates. When an official election candidate for Reform UK gives an interview on national TV saying we should let people arriving on boats ‘drown’, you know that debate is scraping the bottom of the barrel. Watching Nigel Farage as he was rinsed about this by Piers Morgan, hardly the most ‘right on’ of commentators, on Question Time was quite a moment!  

Being more racist and xenophobic is not what will win the election for Labour. Promising action on the NHS, education, investment in our transport, our creative industries and our digital infrastructure while bringing down the cost of living and energy bills are all far more important. Keep the message positive and leave the nastiness and negativity to the right wing.

Another issue that potentially impacts the entire music community here but is especially impactful on independents is the tariffs Pritti Patel so gleefully allowed to be introduced post-Brexit when she was Home Secretary. It was laughable that the party claiming to understand and represent business could score such a spectacular own goal and then brag about it on TV and social media. The failure of the government to negotiate better terms for artists to perform in the European Union and for artists from the EU to come over here to play is a disgrace. Will Labour make it a priority to belatedly put this right? They have said previously that they will but again it has not been an issue that has been publicly debated so far.

So what do the published manifestos of the main parties say on the issues of importance to our community?

The Conservative Party manifesto has a section about their commitment to sports and creative industries. They talk about how they provided an ‘unprecedented’ £1.57 billion support package during COVID. However, they fail to mention that, just over a year later, they slashed the Arts Council of England’s budget by 50%, thus pulling the rug from under thousands of creative start-ups and not-for-profit arts projects.

They blame the Labour Mayor and Night Czar for the 300 venue closures in London since 2020 but fail to mention that the key causes of those closures were the cost of living crisis and the hike in energy bills, both directly resulting from their policies. Venue closures are, of course, a nationwide problem and are just as bad in Tory areas. Add to this the negative impact of gentrification and the immoral practice of rich people building and buying new properties next to music venues and then complaining about the noise even though that is the venues’ core business. These are all problems they have routinely failed to tackle and lack the political will to do so.

No figure is put on any of their pledges but they talk vaguely about being ‘behind our creative industries’ and introducing a ‘flexible coordination service’ to help people take up apprenticeships in the creative industries, including music, which will provide them with ‘12 months’ training’. They are not clear on how much this will cost nor who will be expected to meet the costs.

Labour’s manifesto is full of grand gestures and warm words but vague on detail. Exactly what it says on arts and culture is ‘With Labour, the arts and music will no longer be the preserve of a privileged few. Culture is an essential part of supporting children and young people to develop creativity and find their voice. There is huge potential for growth in the creative industries that benefit every corner of the UK.

Labour will implement our creative industries sector plan as part of our Industrial Strategy, creating good jobs and accelerating growth in film, music, gaming, and other creative sectors. We will work constructively with the BBC and our other public service broadcasters so they continue to inform, educate and entertain people, and support the creative economy by commissioning distinctively British content’.

So nothing specifically about arts funding or restoring Arts Council budgets; nothing specifically about money to help small venues or make grants available to local music entrepreneurs. We have to wait until the implementation of their Creative Industries Strategy to find out what it will consist of. I might be taking a pedantic position here but it is also a gross oversimplification to suggest that the arts and music are currently ‘... the preserve of a privileged few’. That has never been the case in my lifetime although I obviously welcome the desire to make it less the preserve of the wealthy and open more of the arts and music up to everyone.

The Liberal Democrats list a number of uncosted pledges on Culture, Media and Sport. The most significant for grassroots music may be the establishment of ‘... creative enterprise zones to grow and regenerate the cultural output of areas across the UK’ and applying to ‘... participate fully in Creative Europe’ with the consequence of making more funding available for ‘... creative and cultural projects’. Both are welcome and encouraging ideas although more detail about what they identify as priority areas for investment would be more reassuring.

They also include a pledge to support the BBC to provide ‘impartial news’ and in ‘increasing media literacy and educating all generations in tackling the impact of fake news’. While this may not be specifically about music, it ought to be good news for most people involved in grassroots music were it to be implemented. We need a robustly supported BBC because of the opportunities it creates for new music exposure and diverse radio provision. We also need more to be done about the spread of fake news and how this links to trolling and online bullying. Labour’s manifesto also includes a pledge to tackle online bullying and educate people about using social media.

The issue of impartiality is also important because the current government has ruthlessly politicized the BBC with appointments made on a ‘grace and favour’ basis instead of on merit with the resultant interference to an unacceptable level by the likes of former failed Tory election candidate Tim Davey (BBC CEO) and previous BBC Chairman Richard Sharp, both given the jobs because they were mates with Boris Johnson. Davey had previously been part of the [thankfully] failed attempt to close BBC 6 Music in 2010 which spectacularly backfired on the Cameron-Clegg coalition government at the time and doubled the station’s audience! The recent cuts in local and specialist broadcasting by the BBC have been very bad news for grassroots music; a depressingly backward step after the progress made in diverse broadcasting of music since the early 2000s.

Carla Denyer (Green)                                                     Nigel Farage (Reform UK)

The Green Party were first of the big names to publish their election manifesto for 2024. It includes a pledge of £5 billion for ‘community sports, arts and culture’. While, in the unlikely event of the Greens winning sufficient seats to play a role in government, this would be welcome, it is disappointing that they provide no further detail about how and where these funds would be used. They do, however, add a pledge to end VAT on gig venues (specifically singled out in relation to cultural activities). Potentially this could give venues more incentive to allow promoters to put on gigs with no hire fee or for hire venues to lower their fees, both of which would be good news for grassroots live music.

Incidentally their manifesto also includes a law to prevent any company owning more than 20% of the media which would be a bold step and one welcomed by most people. Of course it would also be vehemently opposed by the likes of the Murdoch dynasty, Daily Mail & General Trust and Reach plc.

Unsurprisingly, Reform UK’s manifesto says literally nothing about what they would do to support arts and culture in the UK. However their pledges to stop all ‘non-essential’ immigration and ‘abolish the Home Office’ would obviously represent bad news for our sector. Quite how they view overseas students who spend considerable sums of money to study at our universities is unclear. Would they be counted as ‘essential’ and how long would Reform UK allow them to stay and attempt to build careers using the skills they have learned to contribute to the UK’s creative industries? Without overseas students, our Higher Education sector would face a horrendous economic crisis.

Their aggressive anti-European and anti-foreigner stance is certainly unlikely to prove helpful when it comes to making it easier and more affordable both for UK artists to perform in Europe and other territories or for UK venues and promoters to be able to put overseas artists on at events here. So there is nothing in the Reform UK manifesto that can be presented as a positive for grassroots music.

John Swinney (Scottish Nationalist Party)               Rhin ap Iorweth (Plaid Cymru)

The Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) currently remains in power in the Scottish Parliament. So far its public pledges make no mention of arts and culture. So I am unable to tell you what they would do. At present they are the third largest party in the House of Commons so they still have the potential to influence key debates at UK level. That may change after this election though as they are forecast to lose seats to Labour in Scotland and their leaders appear to be privately admitting this is likely to happen.

The Welsh Nationalist party Plaid Cymru’s manifesto is also light on detail about arts and culture, simply stating that they want ‘... a fair funding system for Wales’. Their presence in the House of Commons is miniscule. As with the SNP, it is probably more important for grassroots music in Scotland and Wales to see what their manifestos say when there are next elections being held for the governments in those nations.

Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist)         Mary Lou Donald (Sinn Féin)

In Northern Ireland, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) manifesto also makes no mention of arts and culture but simply pledges to grow the economy. There is nothing directly referencing arts and culture in Sinn Féin’s manifesto either although, in the Republic of Ireland elections, they did pledge a new funding package for public sector broadcasting and independent media.

Conclusion

In summary then, the Tories offer soundbites but through the lens of a highly selective analysis of their performance after 14 years in power that have seen cuts outweighing investment in the arts and creative industries, contributing to a decline from the world-leading position our creative industries enjoyed in the previous decade. There is sadly nothing in the 2024 manifesto that can be presented as anything more than vaguely positive for our community. Given their track record, there seems to be little reason to believe that the situation would significantly improve if they were granted a fifth term.

The Liberal Democrats are a little vague on detail but the pledges they offer are encouraging and potentially progressive. It would be useful to know more about how their proposed creative enterprise zones would work and how they would support and grow cultural output. Certainly, securing more funding for creative and cultural projects through active membership of Creative Europe is a good idea and one that would suggest benefits for arts funding.

There are signs that this election might deliver the long-awaited resurgence of the Liberal Democrats in Westminster following their decimation at the 2015 election. If so, there remains the small possibility that they could be part of a coalition with Labour if the latter fail to win an outright majority and, in such an instance, these ideas would assume greater prominence.

The Greens are also quite vague on detail but we would obviously welcome a £5 billion investment in community sports, arts and culture. How much of this would be earmarked to support the funding of arts projects and small venues is not clear but, were they to find themselves playing a part in a coalition government, this would at least have the potential to precipitate a discussion about how best to support grassroots music, art and culture.

Unless all the pollsters have somehow got their statistics badly wrong though, with just a few days left, Labour still look likely to win with a substantial majority. If so, it is what they have to say on supporting grassroots music that is most important. So it is worrying that, despite what Keir Starmer was posting recently on Linked In, there is no tangible plan to boost arts funding or create more grants for the creative industries. There is, however, a reference in the manifesto to making more funds available to creative projects. So we will have to wait to find out what that will mean and what the details are of their ‘Creative Industries plan’. Otherwise we have to hope that the pledges about boosting the creative industries and ‘accelerating growth’ will lead to notable change for the better.

In the event of an outright Labour majority, it will therefore be important to continue lobbying the appropriate portfolio holders in the new government to back policies that will reverse the damage done by the current Tory administration. If the polls are wrong and Labour end up needing to rely on the Liberal Democrats and/or the Greens as coalition partners, that would bring some interesting discussions into play. It seems unlikely though. The smart money appears to say Starmer and co are on course for a big victory and we need to be ready to keep them on their toes about matching warm words with real investment and change.

ANOTHER VICTORY OVER THE CORPORATES !!!

This month I found myself, for the umpteenth time, in a battle with a large company over them taking a payment from me that I never authorised and received no receipt for. I discovered this payment of nearly £130 had been taken by chance when I was looking back over a bank statement. I learned that I had been charged for a year’s subscription for a web hostng package I knew nothing about, had absolutely no use for and certainly did not want. I presume there must have been some past point where I had used my bank card details to register potential interest in this web hosting company but this would not have been a recent occurrence.

Initially they pretended not to understand my query and continually tried to reiterate what the product was that I had ‘purchased’. Their tactic was to keep going round in circles, demanding the same information I had already provided and then providing me with the same glib responses as before. This was never going to work against someone with a long track record of victories over corporates involving money.

Maybe it was when I told them they had exhausted their opportunities to resolve the matter and informed them that I was commencing a Small Claims Court referral, which would include compensation for the time and stress caused by their actions. I had previously suggested a reasonable time limit for them to make the refund. Whatever the reason, they eventually caved in and made the refund in full. They could have saved themselves a lot of time and effort and saved me the same plus a degree of stress by not playing these feeble games in the first place.

Why am I telling you this? Because I want people to be clear that you do not have to accept the excuses these people attempt to fob you off with if they do the same to you. Stand your ground and demonstrate that you have the evidence, know your rights and are familiar with the external routes for resolution. Some companies are unscrupulous in taking your money and refusing to give it back even when it is clear they have nothing of value to offer you. Don’t let them get away with it.

AND FINALLY ………

There is no such thing as an uneventful month and June 2024 has reinforced that view for me. It was a month in which I deliberately avoided putting on any live events because I knew I needed the time and space to work on other areas of the Trust The Doc Media business. Even now, after more than six years of building, it feels weird to call it a business but that is what it is. A business that has relied repeatedly on being able to raise funding and one in which a lot of activity is unpaid but is essential to support the bits that do create income. So it is unique and unusual.

The next year and a half is going to be a critical time for us though as we look to ease the reliance on funding and try to create more stable income streams. Having Sherry working with me is making a significant difference but it also means I have a greater sense of responsibility to ensure I can pay her properly and ensure we can sort out the right visa terms for her to remain in the UK and continue her amazing work. I am stoked that she is now a Fresh on the Net moderator and reviews writer and how she has risen to that challenge has been a joy to observe.

May saw us open the online merchandise store for UK customers. This has been entirely Sherry’s project. All the while we are trying to be more joined up; pushing all the components (live shows, broadcasting, education, blog) and offering useful services and entertainment that highlight the amount of talent in independent grassroots music while also offering insights into how the industry and media function. Sherry is also working to find a solution to Amazon’s current lack of a retail route into India and other territories where we see potential to sell merchandise and deliver educational support.

Our work with Fresh on the Net and Exile FM complements everything else we do too. And we are looking at how we can work with Sue to make the Grassroots Music Network the conduit for a coordinated support system for independent artists, labels and others involved in that world. It is all inter-related and the challenge of making it work in tandem is a huge but exciting one. Some days it feels like we could be on the cusp of creating something groundbreaking and exciting. Other days such dreams seem a million miles from coming true.

Something we can all agree on though is that relying on chart position or sales in a seven day period as some form of validation for grassroots artists’ music makes no sense and has no relevance to grassroots music. Working together to maximise exposure to new audiences for everyone, keep costs down on marketing, promotion and production and find ways to set up tours and events without needing to convince major booking agents of our market value - that is all worth doing. Last month’s articles on this subject were an opportunity to set out some ideas. So let’s resurrect that Independent Music Comversation and share ideas and opportunities as much as we can.

In the meantime, thanks as always for reading this blog. It is long and has an enormous number of reviews but it is also a massive undertaking that evolves across the month. So it is very reassuring to know there are so many people who read the whole thing every month. Thank you so much. 

NEIL xxxx