The OId Vinyl Factory

Is England first and foremost a live music nation? Can music in this modern era of digital technology be owned? Has new music in fact lost its cutting edge, compared to the radical era of punk and mods? These were the three topics under debate on separate evenings at The Old Vinyl Factory Table Talks in Hayes. Table Talkers included top radio presenters such as Radio 1’s Huw Stephens, the CEO’s of Live Nation and Festival Republic (Britain’s two largest festival organisers), and representatives from Rough Trade, XL Records and Spotify. This impressive line up sat down and evaluated the issues that face British music today, in an extremely influential place for British music- the old site of the HMV/EMI vinyl factory, where iconic records such as those by The Beatles were produced.

Since EMI moved out in the 70s, the buildings on site have been mainly unused- however, an ambitious regeneration by property developers Cathedral Group will transform the site from a few rundown old factory buildings into an exciting mixed-use development. The objective of these Table Talks, which were hosted by broadcaster Emma B, was to draw attention to the stimulating project which will eventually create a flourishing neighbourhood in the heart of Hayes, an area where jobs for local people and innovative new business enterprises are much needed. The regeneration envisages businesses, both big and small, based on site, as well as new homes, cafes, restaurants and a grand new cinema. 

Cathedral group places huge importance on paying homage to the site’s musical history- and what a great history it is. HMV and EMI once employed thousands of people, whose day-to-day work included producing vinyl records of artists such as Pink Floyd, as well as producing some of the UK’s first domestic gramophone and vinyl players. Considering the site’s close connection to sound, I am proud to say that it was my job during the Table Talks to act as a “boom boy”, and hold a microphone to speakers during the debate.

The entire discussion was recorded, and my introduction into the world of podcast recording was short and sweet. A mere five minute tutorial was seen as enough time to learn how to successfully complete the job, and as the first debate began I was thrown in at the deep end. I remembered being advised to “command the floor” and “not to worry if I got in people’s way” as I arm-achingly held my shotgun microphone in front of Eddy Temple Morris, renowned XFM DJ, as he outlined why the sheer volume of unique boutique indie labels means that music has definitely not lost its cutting edge.

I soon learnt that the job was all about listening and reacting accordingly to the discussion, remaining sensitive to the natural ebb and flow of conversation and the sounds it produced. More than once I had to scamper across the room, trailing a long black lead, in order to shoot my microphone in the direction of a member of the audience before their input left their mouth.  Interestingly, the experience of being so finely tuned to sound affected my senses, because afterwards the simple sound of my finger clicking sounded more resonant, and I heard crackles and faults in a PA system where I had not heard them before.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience over the three days, and I feel like I learnt a lot, not only about how to be a “boom boy” but also about how all the different elements come together to make an event like that successful. For example, the catering team (there were free burgers and drinks), the creative team, the PR team, the lighting team, the sound team, and of course the guests themselves all contributed to the evenings. It was a pleasure meeting some of the more esteemed guests, such as Huw Stephens, as well as the more functional guests, such as Ian the lighting man. And although the project is huge, it was inspiring to see the attention to detail that Cathedral Group were prepared to deliver, in the form of these Table Talks, in order to make such a large scale regeneration personal, innovative and interesting. 

Exit Through the Gift Shop- Banksy

Exit Through the Gift Shop is a documentary film directed by notorious street artist Banksy. The film documents the true story of Thierry Guetta on his artistic journey from an eccentric French thrift store owner living in Los Angeles to a hugely successful artist. Guetta has an obsessive passion for video recording, and he records every waking moment of his life. Although to begin with this mainly consists of running his shop and living with his family, a trip to visit his cousin in Paris changes Thierry’s life forever, and gives new purpose to his obsessive hobby.

Guetta’s cousin is a Parisian street artist called Invader, who creates 2D characters from the arcade game ‘Space Invaders’ out of small, coloured mosaic tiles. Invader then pastes these mosaics onto walls, statues, etc to create an ‘invasion’ wherever they are found. Guetta’s passion for street art begins with Invader and leads to him meeting Shepard Fairey, a successful American artist whose work includes the iconic Barack Obama ‘HOPE’ poster, and the reworked image of professional wrestler Andre the Giant into the popular ‘OBEY Giant’ image.

A piece by Invader in Shoreditch, London

Fairey’s iconic Barack Obama ‘HOPE’ poster in Denver, Colorado

By following and filming Fairey and other street artists in Los Angeles, Guetta develops a reputation as someone who knows the best spots for graffiti art. Therefore, when a certain Bristol born Brit arrives in L.A. for his first American exhibition, Guetta is recommended as someone who can work alongside Banksy. The two immediately become friends, and Guetta is present during Banksy’s controversial Disneyland stunt, when a lifesize replica of a Guantanamo Bay detainee is placed at the California theme park.      

Banksy’s inflatable Guantanamo detainee in Disneyland, California

Allowing Guetta to film him in action went against Banksy’s secretive, undercover persona. However the benefits of having his work on film were obvious because the art was often, due to its nature, transitory. Banksy was under the impression that the footage was going towards a film about street art, however Guetta’s obsession lay solely in filming, and he had never actually watched back the hundreds of tapes he had recorded. Therefore, when Guetta was asked to produce the film, he wildly strung together random short clips, and then impatiently flicked between them, calling his work ‘Life Remote Control.’

Banksy immediately recognised this film was unwatchable, and a colossal waste of the unique and valuable footage Guetta had accumulated. The solution was for Banksy to take Guetta’s footage and produce the film himself (the product of which is Exit Through the Gift Shop). In the meantime, Banksy suggested that Guetta should become an artist in his own right. Although Guetta seemingly lacked any genuine artistic talent, his debut exhibition received great publicity and was an immediate success- mainly due to endorsement from Banksy. Within two months of selling his art, ‘Mr Brainwash’ as Guetta now called himself, had made over a million dollars.

Mr Brainwashes debut exhibition featuring on the cover of LA Weekly, June 2008

The crux of the film is arguably the manner in which Mr Brainwash becomes a massively successful artist overnight. Some have suggested, and the name ‘Mr Brainwash’ supports this theory, that Guetta’s rise to artistic majesty is a complete hoax; a trick played by Banksy and co. to expose the fickle and superficial nature of the art world. Although this conspiracy does seem plausible, partly because much of Mr Brainwashes work resembles that of Banksy, I do not believe this is the case. Instead, I believe it was only apparent afterwards (to Banksy and everyone else) how conclusively Mr Brainwash had undermined the contemporary art scene. In this sense Banksy is similar to the fictional scientist Frankenstein, because both men brought something into the world without being fully aware of the monster it would become.

“I used to encourage everyone I knew to make art; I don’t do that so much anymore” – Banksy 

Steeze

Steeze is a series of events in South East London, created with the admirable aim of bringing people together and creating unity through performance. The events feature poets and musicians predominantly young and based locally, and has been described as somewhere where artists “can truly learn from each other, and there’s no such thing as a mistake”. It’s certainly true that the atmosphere created at Steeze is very welcoming, and the first thing on people’s minds is acceptance rather than scepticism.

The commitment of a few young and entrepreneurial people to create Steeze is commendable, and their latest event was also influenced by some of the people behind Brainchild Festival. Brainchild Festival took place during the summer of this year, and it began as one girl’s brainchild; she saw the festival as an opportunity to create something positive with some money she’d inherited, as the rumour goes. The festival was devised as a “celebration of talent, original thinking and creativity” which claimed to be able to “validate the power of our minds”. http://brainchildfestival.co.uk/manifesto.html

One of the performers at the latest Steeze, a band called Nomad Soul, also performed at Brainchild Festival. I’d never seen or heard of the band before, but as I sat literally a metre away- the intimacy of Steeze is part of its attraction- and they began playing their song ‘Murmuration’, I was blown away by the level of energy and technical skill. Their infusion of jazz and electronic ambient music is mesmeric. Although it is reminiscent of other contemporary music in a similar style, Nomad Soul seemingly reached new heights with this outstanding performance. http://soundcloud.com/nomad-soul-collective/murmuration

It is important to mention the band Southpaw in relation to Steeze- because the organisers of the event also perform together in this 7-piece hip-hop, jazz outfit. Southpaw’s EP, entitled Out Of Oak can be found here- http://sthpw.bandcamp.com/album/out-of-oak- and demonstrates a strong level of originality and meaning through its four song progression. Out Of Oak claims to leave you “refreshed, rejuvenated, and reassured of a positive creative direction” and this positive attitude is reflected in their night Steeze.

The latest Steeze was their 10^th event, and the most recent have taken place at The Honor Oak pub in Forest Hill.  They happen on average every month, and the next one is on the 16^th of December. Here’s a link to their Facebook page so you can join the Steeze community, which i would highly recommend. http://www.facebook.com/Steeze.E.D?ref=ts&fref=ts. The page for their next event can also be found here- http://www.facebook.com/events/170784203063578/?fref=ts- and it’s definitely worth a visit! 

Kate Tempest's 'Brand New Ancients' Vs. Ben Drew's 'ill Manors'

Both Kate Tempest and Ben Drew believe they have a role to play in the extremely difficult task of portraying a young generation, angry and disillusioned. Kate Tempest is a 26 year old musician and poet. She was born and grew up in Brockley, not far from the theatre where I saw her perform her show Brand New Ancients, and in many ways this was her ‘coming home’ gig. She combined simple narrative, acapella rap, and atmospheric music to an unstoppable effect, telling the story of the ‘everyman’ in a way that it has never been told before.

Kate tells the story of everyday heroics, and how these age-old stories can help us make sense of our own lives. Towards the beginning of the show she says something along the lines of “everybody has a parable of a friend who could have gone somewhere but took too many drugs. Everybody has the parable of a drunken old man sitting on the bench in their local park”. She goes on to make the point that everyone has an important and interesting story to tell, whether or not this story is immediately assessable. This idea struck me, because one of the reasons I love London is the sheer quantity and diversity of people, each with a special story to tell.

Kate was described by the Guardian as having a “genuinely galvanising presence”. During the show you feel as if you’re watching something sacred. Kate’s messiah like quality leaves you speechless and feeling as if she has been put on this earth to tell her story (or perhaps, more importantly, the story of others.) I’m aware of the hyperbole in these statements, but they are hard to avoid when used in conjunction with this poet! I’ve even heard Kate Tempest referred to as a “21^st century Shakespeare”, and although this term has been applied to other artists before, with Kate it seems to be closer to the truth. 

 ‘ill manors’, the first film made by musician Ben Drew, A.K.A. Plan B, is a tale of survival on London streets. It tells the story of battling against drugs, gangs and violence, which is not new at all, and has in fact probably been overdone. The film is powerful, despite its tendency to slip into the clichéd story of fighting for respect on the streets. Drew interweaves different characters personal tales of hardship, using six songs from his latest album to narrate the story of particular characters.

Drew comes close to telling the story in a new way, by promising in the film’s opening sequence that he will be the sole ‘narrator’ of this struggle. However, apart a few songs, Plan B’s voice is not heard enough in the movie. If Drew expressed his own voice more, with characteristic insight and intelligence, he could have reached a new level of understanding about life on London streets that the film ultimately shrives for and fails.

Kate Tempest and Ben Drew both attempt to narrate the average Londoners disillusionment through spoken word. Brand New Ancients left me inspired, and the only criticism I had was that the show wasn’t being performed to school kids across London, so they could be sprinkled with her gold dust. ill Manors on the other hand left me relatively hopeless, because Drew depicts a world where hope is hard to come by.

Judge for your self...

Plan B – ill Manors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8GvLKTsTuI

Kate Tempest- Brand New Ancients http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1a8iFSXCHLw#!

Peckham and Nunhead Free Film Festival

Between the 13^th and the 23^rd of September 2012, something amazing happened in SE15. Well, I’m sure many amazing things happened, but the one in particular I’m talking about was a free film festival. The Peckham and Nunhead Free Film Festival is a community driven, completely volunteer run society which held 22 film events across SE15 within the space of ten days. All for free. This was the third year of the annual festival and each year it gets bigger and better.

The project was partly funded by the council, who gave a grant, but one of the many beautiful things about this enterprise is its demonstration that events can be marvellous, accessible and inspiring without costing a lot of money. Take the short film screening ‘Under the Arches’ for example, where short films were showcased underneath a railway arch in the heart of Nunhead. Once a screen and the projector were set up, it only took the generosity of one organisation, ‘Electric Pedals’ (www.electricpedals.com), to create an innovative film event. ‘Electric Pedals’ specialise in transforming bike peddling kinetic energy into electric energy. Sounds cool doesn’t it?

Electric Peddles in action at an event on Nunhead Green

Other events include the trademark outdoor screening in Nunhead Cemetery: films with a death theme are usually screened, such as the 1946 classic ‘A Matter of Life and Death’ in 2010, and this year the Ealing comedy ‘Kind Hearts and Coronets’ was on show. Apart from the fact that the film is projected onto a large screen next to the ruined chapel, which is a spectacle to behold in itself, this particular event encourages the local council to transform a relatively unused public space into one bustling with life (don’t worry, I’m fully aware of the paradox).

'Kind Hearts and Coronets' at Nunhead cemetery

There are too many events to chronicle, and a full list can be found on their website www.freefilmfestivals.org, but one more thing I’d like to mention is the emphasis placed on young filmmakers in the community. The Free Film Festival runs ‘Make a film in a day’ workshops, where young people are encouraged to come in and experience the process of film making. Also the ‘SE15 Young Filmmakers Competition’ takes many entrants from people aged 11-25 who have made short films around the theme of ‘My SE15.’ The winner of the 2010 competition was a documentary about young fathers in Peckham (http://vimeo.com/31192736) and the winner of this year’s competition can be seen on Youtube here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_gSk7ufkNk.

Young filmmakers in action in Peckham

I admire the Free Film Festival and all that it stands for, so much so I was involved in the running of a New Cross and Deptford Free Film Festival earlier on in the year. Although my role in the end was minimal, due to other commitments, the festival went ahead and was a big success. This just proves that the Nunhead and Peckham Free Film Festival has inspired others, including people in Camberwell and Herne Hill who are starting to plan their own free film festival for 2013, and has gone either further in creating a model for how it can be done. Long live the Free Film Festivals!

Another picture from the Nunhead cemetery screening

Didn't bring a djembe

The Gypsy in the Field festival 2012 took place on the weekend of the 22^nd and 23^rd of September, and although there were many things about the weekend that I thoroughly enjoyed, the failure on my behalf to bring a djembe is unlikely to be forgotten. The festival is best described in these terms: one field, one stage, one campfire, 200 campers, no djembe.

The festival is the brainchild of the organisers of a night called ‘Gypsy’, which runs in various venues across London. I once performed at one such night at The Alexandra in Clapham. The idea to create a festival under the ‘Gypsy’ banner was inspired, and the first Gypsy in the Field Festival was a resounding success. The weekend sustained a particular vibe with a various assortment of Gypsy regulars (including Joe Inman himself) performing on the main stage. Other entertainment included a tent which played host to spoken word and stand up comedy.

The Joe Inman Project, the band in which I play drums, performed in the sunshine on the Saturday afternoon. We were probably the loudest performers all weekend: described by Gypsy as “blending infectiously melodic guitars with anthemic sing-along choruses” the band is constantly evolving, due to inevitable band dynamics. Our style fluctuates regularly, depending on Joe's writing, and it was the potential of a band split which meant we neglected travel logistics until the last minute. If it wasn’t for a desperate plea for a lift from London to Norwich on Facebook, Joe and the bassist would never have made it.

When the sun went down the focal point of the field became the great campfire in the middle, as people sat around (no cliché intended) and warmed themselves sufficiently, accompanied by cheery guitar sing-alongs. It was at this point the resonance of a missed djembe opportunity struck me hardest- my frustration at being unable to jam along on my beloved drum led me to extremes: attempting to use a battered tambourine as an African drum (not something I’d recommend). Eventually I accepted my mistake, and consoled myself with the belief that a lesson had been learnt. That lesson being that if you’re going to a typically friendly, small music festival, make sure to pack a djembe. 

Oh yeah, and did I mention I did this whole thing on one leg?

Me sporting the Gypsy in the Field t-shirt

The Movement Cafe

On the 28^th of July, the Movement Cafe opened to coincide with the start of Olympics. The cafe is funded by Cathedral Group, a development company who are behind the Movement Greenwich project. Their aim is to create a “vibrant, active new community in the heart of West Greenwich” including new affordable housing, student accommodation and an extension to the West Greenwich Community Centre. The majority of the work on the site is not due to start until after the Olympics so in the meantime in came a few shipping containers, some bright pots of paint and the vision of the artist Morag Myerscough.

Flowers grow for those that know

To bloom is to know your roots

To give the earth all it’s worth

Tend to the new shoots

The cafe under construction- the work of an amazing team led by Danny Elphick. 

Remarkably, the cafe was erected in just 16 days, in time to provide the thousands of visitors to Greenwich for the Olympics with coffee and food. The cafe is conveniently located directly outside the Royal Boroughs ‘front door’- the DLR station, and therefore the herds of visitors to the Greenwich equestrian centre are shepherded right past the cafe's entrance. My job at the cafe originally appeared simple- to serve the customers. But in actual fact my basic duties of making coffee and fulfilling the cafe logistics became secondary to a growing interest in wanting to help publicise the cafe and organise events.

And a horse on course its hooves

Drum beneath the earth

Where dreadnoughts sleeping seamen

Are weeping for the berth

The cafe plays host to spoken word events every Wednesday and live music every Thursday. On Wednesday the 29^th of August, a poetry collective called Liars League came in and performed a few short stories from their anthology of urban tales, entitled London Lies. One of these stories, written by Jim Minton, gruesomely and comically depicted the nightmare of an Olympic steward who encounters an escaped guard dog. On the eve of the 9^th of August, I accompanied emerging talent Poppy Trevelyan on percussion, and that night the wooden amphitheatre that makes up most of the cafe was full of people.

Poppy and I performing at the cafe. 

The cafe is hosting a film weekend on the 6^th and 7^th of October, showcasing short films as part of the London Short Film Festival. Other events currently being planned include an art showcase, organised by the young person’s art collective ENDMOR, and the possibility of a one day outdoor theatre (which would make full use of the cafe's wooden amphitheatre). All in all, the cafe is a vibrant, buzzing place. And whether or not the events appeal to you, come in, grab a coffee, and appreciate what surely must be one of the most beautiful cafes in London.

While the marshes sigh at night

When sky dives into the Thames

Greenwich and I will sleep again

And wake again as friends 

The finished cafe, which has words protruding the scaffolding that surrounds it.

The excerpts in bold come from a poem that Cathedral Group commissioned Lemn Sissay, the official Olympic poet, to write for the project. The poem consists of 13 stanzas but I have simply selected three of the stanzas that I found most powerful. Lemn Sissay’s words are part of the inspiration behind the cafe's impressive design. 

The entire poem by Lemn Sissay is painted onto the hoardings that run from the DLR station entrance to the cafe.