Shelley Booth

BBC Introducing Lancashire 19/01/2012

2012-01-20T19:45:00.000Z

On this week’s BBC Introducing show, Sean was live from a cupboard at Broadcasting house in London, and Whalley band Bad Cardigan played live for us.

This week was the BBC Introducing masterclass, a day for emerging artists to sit in on sessions and get advice on carving out a career in the music industry. Those who gave talks included; Newton Faulkner, Trent Reznor , Wretch 32 and Friendly Fires. Attending the sessions this year we had our very own Jamie Brewer and Aniya Das, who we managed to grab a chat with during the show and they told us how the day had gone for them.

In session:
In session this week was Bad Cardigan. A two piece acoustic band who have only been together for four months, but, in those four months have clocked up a total of 26 gigs and also recorded a four track E.P called “Nursery Rhymes”.

Phone interviews:
On the phones we had Daniel Thomas from the independent music news website, Preston based Daniel set up the website just over a year ago to write reviews and interview upcoming bands. The website has grown so popular that it now covers international bands as well as those from the UK.

We also spoke to Andy Mckinney about his latest E.P release “Set in stone”, and Josh from “Yachts” told us about the band acquiring a new member, going from a three piece to a four.

You can listen to it again here on the BBC iPlayer - but for only 6 more days and then it goes !!

Links:
Bad Cardigan
Independent music news
Andy McKinney
Yachts
Jamie Brewer
Aniya Das

To Blog or not to Blog…. (that’s the question)

2011-12-03T17:47:00.001Z

And the answer? Well that’s quite simple… its yes.

Blogging is an important part of our lives, whether we actively seek out blogs ourselves or not. Blogs can provide us with information we may otherwise have no access to. Blogs provide content for news articles, reputable blogs can be a source of research, they also provide an interesting look into social history.

But what isn’t discussed is the importance of blogging from a music scene point of view, well that was until this week, when BBC Introducing Lancashire partnered up with Creative Lancashire and hosted a soundBytes industry session.

The discussion focused on the importance of blogging both from a music scene perspective and also from an industry view point. Amongst those that attended where local music bloggers and industry delegates, including Manchester blogger Joe Sparrow writer of the blog A new Band a Day and Liam Walsh – album plugger to radio stations.

The discussions, which will be broadcast in two weeks on BBC Introducing Lancashire, made a good argument for why bands in particular need to get into blogging. I for one agree with this, as was stated in the session, bands need to create their own publicity, and a blog is a very easy way to do this.

Bands need to connect and engage their listeners. And whilst it is true that Facebook and Twitter are a great platform for this, Blogs can offer a better reading format and, once set up and the link passed to Facebook friends, can be a more concentrated area in which to link tunes to Soundcloud or YouTube channels. Let’s face it, can any one of us say we catch every status update or tweet from our contact lists…. No.

So a band set up a blog, and their fans read it, is that it?. Well no its not. As was mentioned by some of the industry delegates, the music industry and the press look to blogs to get more information about a band or singer songwriter. At BBC Introducing, when researching a band we will look to blogs and Facebook etc. to see what they have been doing, to see what material they have out there, we are not the only ones.

Gone are the days when bands looked to the press to create a buzz about them, sorry bands but that is now up to you.. you need to create the buzz i.e.: make yourselves accessible, put your tracks and gigs out there for people within the industry to see, and most importantly give interviews and tracks to reviewers and local bloggers. This brings me to my next point.
A local music scene is not just created by bands. It is in fact created by bands, venues, promoters and journalists.. especially local bloggers all working together. Each of these areas depends on the other to make the whole scene work.

In a recent interview (which will be blogged about soon) I spoke to film maker Jon Spira about his new documentary “anyone can play guitar” the film focuses on the Oxford music scene and features big names such as Radiohead and Supergrass, but the aim of the film is to show that these bands did not get to the heights they did on their own. Without the local press and the local promoters, these bands would not have had the platform to even start.

I asked him how the Oxford music scene survives and his answer was this “Oxford works, because it’s a community and if you look at how it all started, it’s about participation. You need to participate before you can take anything out of it…. Everyone goes to each other’s gigs, everyone just supports it as a music community”.

This is a true statement for any town or city. If you want your music scene to be vibrant, then help it along, in which ever area you can. This is not only aimed at music, the same would apply to photographers or artists, create the scene, create the buzz.

If you are interested in hearing the session that went on this week, it is due to be played out in a few weeks on BBC Introducing on BBC Radio Lancashire – I will status update on Facebook… and of course on here.

And in the meantime here’s a few blogs for you to check out:
www.anewbandaday.com
www.deadlyrhythm.com
www.angelofmetal.com

Have you heard the one about ....... an interview with comedian Lewis Costello.

2011-09-25T17:00:00.000+01:00

When you talk to Lewis Costello about his comedic career, he gives the impression that he’s not quite sure that he has one. And when you ask him about how he got a supporting slot for Ed Byrne's tour in 2008, he doesn’t really know how that happened, if you ask him about being a contributing writer for series 2 and 3 on Russell Howard’s good news show, he simply says “I got an email”.

Lewis is 18, he’s from Blackburn. He started performing comedy 3 years ago, and in those 3 years he has managed to perform in places such as London’s Comedy Store and the Edinburgh fringe festival. He has also performed in New York – were he had the uncomfortable experience of looking Jesus straight in the eye (see below).
He was recently nominated for Latitudes “New Act of the Year” Award and supported Doug Stanhope on his 20th Anniversary comedy shows in London. Oh and he also performed at Download Festival.

Lewis will tell you these things, in a rather begrudging way. But when you get beneath the media publicity bit, you will find an 18 year old lad, who isn’t quite sure how he has managed to get where he is, (if in fact he is anywhere, as he sees it) but is just enjoying the ride, and when you have the opportunity to sit and have a cigarette with him, and he tells you the story of his nan, Max Clifford and some singer from X Factor….. you see, even if he doesn’t, just why he is getting somewhere…and fast.

Interview:

SB: When did you start performing (what was your first gig, and how did it go)

LC: It was November 2008, in Blackburn, with Brendon Burns. And it went pretty well! Too well, really. My next gig was a few weeks later at a theatre in Burnley, and I was shit. In my head, I went from planning a world tour to planning on retaking exams.

SB: Explain how you have managed to get to where you are at, at the moment (for example the route you took, how did you get noticed etc.)

LC: I'm nowhere special yet! I have taken a weird route though. It's been quite a DIY approach. A lot of friends help out. I was 'managed' for a while by my friend Zac, and my publicity person was my friend George. I had a European tour this Summer just gone, which sounds impressive, but really it was just me visiting a few countries with some friends and tagging on shows.

Doing stand-up is a fucking fantastic way of meeting people. And when you meet people from different places, you then have a floor to sleep on, wherever they live. And with accommodation out of the way, you can do a show there without it costing too much. Actually, for my show in London this year, I was staying with a guy who I helped get started in stand-up, who lived about ten minutes away from me before moving to London. And while I was there, I was catching up with a Canadian stand-up comic called Sophie, who I met while supporting Doug Stanhope in London the year before.

I've always booked my own shows, and I'm just lucky that my friends are legends, because they always help out. The route I've taken, really, is trying to carve out some sort of following by doing shows wherever I can, with the help of whoever is willing.

SB: How did get the opportunity to work on Russell Howards shows.

LC: I was sent an email asking me to be an additional writer on the show. Boring story, but you asked.

SB: How was touring with Ed Byrne - considering you were quite young at the time.

LC: Ridiculous. I'd always thought he was an amazing comic. It was a chance I definitely didn't deserve, but I got it, and every show I did with him went really well. And I got the chance to see his set which was great, and he gave me some advice on my act that I still remember, it's always in my head when I'm on stage. That was a huge chance, and I loved every second. Went to see his new show in Blackburn not so long ago, and it was amazing. Non-stop perfect observational comedy.

SB: You have gigged in New York how was that.

LC: I'm assured it went very well, I was asked back, but I remember it being weird. I was really queasy, and couldn't walk to the stage in a straight line. The host of the show that night, before I went up, she talked to a guy on the front row who looked like Jesus. And all I can remember is feeling tired and ill, stood on a stage with a scorching light in front of me... And I was trying to remember some jokes, whilst looking Jesus Christ dead in the eye. I don't suppose that’s a common tale from English comedians performing in America. But my experience of performing in New York was super intense. I'm going back next year. Hopefully, there won't be as many religious icons in the audience.

SB: What did being nominated for the Latitude new act of the year award do for you ( and what year was that)

LC: It was 2010. Which I fucking resent, because it was being headlined by Florence and the Machine, Vampire Weekend and I think Empire of the Sun. I don't even know. But my biggest regret in stand-up is that I didn't start a year earlier. If I was asked to perform at Latitude in 2009, I would've seen Thom Yorke, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Tricky. I love these guys. Listen to them at least once a day. Thom Yorke is wailing as I write this, actually. And THAT'S why I hate Vampire Weekend. Fuck Vampire Weekend. What was the question?

SB: You completed your first tour last year, will there be one this year and what did you learn from that.

LC: There has been a tour this year, it's just been a bit more European. Last years was good! Intense, but good. It included three dates opening for Doug Stanhope at the Leicester Square Theatre and Doug is, for my money, the best stand-up comedian in the world. They were the best gigs of the year. If I learned anything, it was in Edinburgh. Don't be honest about the quality of your show when advertising it to punters. Tell them it's very, very good. Or else they won't buy a ticket.

The last date of the tour is a hometown gig at the Thwaites Empire Theatre, November 22nd, as part of the Blackburn Comedy Festival. It's the biggest solo show I've ever done, and we're doing all we can to make it a big show. Dave Bishop, one of my favourite comedians in the country, is supporting, and we have a screen on stage. There will be a celebrity cameo or two, and it's a fiver to get in. Might as well.

SB: How was download?

LC: AMAZING. Amazing weekend. Euphoric. I'm not even gonna go into detail, because I wouldn't stop. The set went down really well, and I met some of my best friends there. I'm definitely there next year. Actually, we are building the 2012 tour around Download. A few friends and I are taking a van across the country and playing whatever seedy little places will have me. This year at Download, that was the gig of the year. Once a year, it seems, I find a perfect audience. Stanhope's audience were great, and Download's were great. On the same bill was Jason Rouse, an amazing comic who I'd wanted to see for some time. He killed. And as for music, I was pretty much a second stage regular. Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie were the highlights. I've got a dollar bill with Alice Cooper's face on, framed, which he pierced with a sword before throwing into the crowd. Insane.

SB: Your act is not for the faint hearted, would you consider taming it if the perfect opportunity arose for you.

LC: No, but that's not to say I don't tame it. Sometimes, I'll tame it for fun. I never do well though. I actually took part in the Blackburn Christmas lights switch-on last year, for some fun. Totally clean set. It was horrible, the audience hated it as much as me. Had a gig at MediaCity in BBC actually last weekend, and on paper, it seemed like I might need to tone it down. But I didn't, and it was great. Moral of the story, it's in everyone’s best interests to let me carry on effing and jeffing.

Website - www.lewiscostello.com

What Preston needs is a ….

2011-09-10T02:12:00.000+01:00

Guerrilla artist.

I have become very intrigued by the whole idea of the “guerrilla artist”, not only by the art itself, but by the persona and the mystery of such artists, as well as the motivation behind their need to create pieces of work, that can look astonishingly beautiful, but then can be lost, painted over or forgotten about.
Guerrilla art or street art, can come in many forms, be it objects left in places for people to find, sticker art , or full on art installations suddenly popping up from seemingly nowhere, but the kind of street art, I have become fascinated with is the age old graffiti type.

Not the run of the mill, some kids are bored let’s spray a wall type, but the intelligent, playful and trying to get a message across type.
I have discovered that it is not a new thing, street artists have been around since the 70s and 80s, probably the most notable is the so called Grandfather of stencil art – Blek le Rat, the French architect stencilled his famous life size portraits of people and little rats all across Paris in the early 80s.

Our very own Banksy has often mentioned Blek la Rat as an inspiration behind some of his famous street art. But it’s not all stencilling and spray cans. Another Parisian street artist who goes by the name Space Invader, creates intricate mosaics of 70s inspired computer game characters, he then displays or “invades” these tiles in cities across the world.

When I was in Paris a few months ago there was guerrilla art on almost every street corner, one of the most noticeable and memorable for me, was down a little back street next to my hotel. The area was just out of central Paris, and had a very diverse mix of residents from almost all communities imaginable, and it was also just a little bit dodgy.
But in the midst of all this, down a little side street, spray painted on the pavement about a meter apart were a series of red roses. Just, red roses. They were beautiful.

Now you may be wondering, why does Preston need a guerrilla artist.

Well, the answer is simple. It would bring character and culture to a place that, despite its title of “city” has not quite managed to become one yet, especially in the sense of having a diverse arts and culture scene. Don’t get me wrong, there are many things happening in Preston that are helping it become more cultural and more diverse.

Places like The New Continental put on touring theatres, comedy nights and also hold events. They Eat Culture are an inspired group of people who put on cultural events all over Lancashire. But Preston, I feel has no identity. It seems to want to become a city but is still trapped in a “Town” mentality.

So I say, let’s have some guerrilla artists, the city is full of art students and creative types.. Surely one of them can emerge from the dark at night, spray a stencil or create a mosaic and give the city a bit of much needed character, and me something nice to look at.

N.B. I do realise the actual act of graffiti is illegal and could result in an arrest…. But..

BBC Introducing - Wheres strutter

2010-01-25T13:31:00.000Z

Interview and Track with Manchester/Oldham band Wheres strutter
Interview aired on BBC Introducing with Sean McGinty on BBC Radio Lancashire on the 21/1/10.
BBC Presenter: Sean McGinty
Interviewer and Editor: Shelley Booth

www.myspace.com/wheresstrutter

Jamie Gallagher - Live Track and After Show Interview - BBC Introducing with Sean McGinty

2010-01-20T13:37:00.000Z

Live Track and After Show Interview With Jamie Gallagher.
BBC Introducing with Sean McGinty on BBC Radio Lancashire.
BBC Presenter: Sean McGinty
After show Interviewer: Shelley Booth.
Editing and Production: Shelley Booth.
www.myspace.com/jamiegallagher09

BBC Introducing - Mark Mace Smith

2009-11-07T15:32:00.000Z

Live Track and after show interview with poet Mark Mace Smith.On BBC Introducing with Sean McGinty on BBC radio Lancashire.

BBC Presenter: Sean McGinty
Poet: Mark Mace Smith
After show interviewer and producer and editor of this package: Shelley Booth
Original Broadcast: BBC Introducing with Sean McGinty on BBC radio Lancashire -5/11/09.

No Mans Land -BBC Introducing with Sean McGinty

2009-11-06T23:20:00.000Z

Live track and after show interview with the band No Mans Land.
BBC Presenter : Sean McGinty
Band : No Mans Land
After show interviewer and producer and editor of this package : Shelley Booth
Original Broadcast: BBC Introducing on BBC Radio Lancashire 5/11/09

www.bbc.co.uk/lancashire

www.myspace.com/nomanslandpreston

Google Music

2009-10-30T16:37:00.000Z

Google have launched a new Music Search Feature. Google Music.
Google have said that the top two out of 10 searches are music related, which i can believe, how many of us search for new music, old music or even just to figure out what the lyrics are to a song we cannot get out of our heads.
Google claim, it can take a while to get to these results with the normal search page so have created Google Music, specifically for Music.

On first glance, it is nothing special, the page is in the same format we are all used to, there is nothing fancy. There is a list of all the Partners/Sponsers, EMI, Universal and Myspace etc and a search box.

But when you start to use it, the idea behind it becomes clear, it is faster and it shows you what you want, not everything that is vaguely connected to your search. But thats not it, it also gives you :

The opportunity to listen for free to some of the artists tracks - helped by Myspace.

It has a lyric search - for when you only know a few lines of a song or maybe just a chorus.

And it will give you links to other music you may like based on your original search.

Do we need a Google Music Search....... I am not sure if need is the word, but will i use it ?....yes... do i like it's features ? yes.

The Hyads Live - After show interview and Live track

2009-10-16T20:31:00.000+01:00

After show interview and live track with Darlington band The Hyads.
BBC Introducing with Sean Mcginty was broadcast on the 15th Oct, on BBC Radio Lancashire.
BBC Presenter : Sean Mcginty
After show interviewer: Shelley Booth
Edited and Produced by Shelley Booth.

visit the band at www.myspace.com/thehyads

NB - During cross over to youtube-glitches have appeared in the audio- i cannot seem to fix this problem, the original file was clean.

Electric Free Time Machine

2009-10-10T13:22:00.000+01:00

An interview with Lancaster band, Electric Free Time Machine.
Interview was broadcast on the 8th of october on BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Introducing with Sean Mcginty.
BBC Presenter : Sean Mcginty.

www.myspace.com/eftm

The Empire State Live on BBC Introducing with Sean Mcginty

2009-10-04T13:44:00.001+01:00

China White E.P Review

2009-08-05T13:11:00.000+01:00

China White
The Kitchen Sessions E.P

China White are unashamedly from the Northwest. Their music reflects this in every way, they experiment, they mix genres and they have that very Northern ability to turn a, sometimes awkward subject, into a track you will want to keep playing.

Whilst their sound is reflective of their roots, they have managed to produce an E.P that once put in to the CD player, will drag you from what ever place you are in, to a universal place of hedonism, drugs, loss and reflection.

Managing, successfully, to cross the British/American rap divide by bringing on board Scorpio of Grand Master Flash fame for the track “AGGRESSION”, was a feat in itself. And having previously worked with Rowetta on the track OUR DYLON, proves that these guys have what it takes to impress the respected of the industry.

But where China White really impress, is on tracks like “UP AND DOWN”, yes it’s a love song, but a China White love song is not a regular love song, the lyrics are of cause reflective, the beats clean, whilst having a back drop of grit provided by the vocals.

“PERUVIAN TREES” and “GRAM CENTRAL STATION” show what China White can do with tough subjects like drugs. They do not apologise for it, they do not condone, they just give you something to think about, whilst enjoying their ability to pump an air of funk and soul into the track, whilst subtly reminding you of northern roots with the line “mental, mental, chicken oriental”.

The Kitchen Sessions E.P, is one of those rare gems that will have you moving on one track and intently listening on another, with a slice of funk, that transports you back to the past added for good measure.

China White have come along way on their own, and this E.P can only take them further, but regardless of where it takes them, you feel that China White will always be China White from Warrington, as one of them said at a gig “ We wear high street”.

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myspace.com%2Fchinawhitemusic&h=97774c84612b494c0e5538e99d7dccc6

Shelley Booth

What this is about.

2009-08-04T14:07:00.000+01:00

I am a journalist, i work on the BBC Introducing show with Sean Mcginty on BBC Radio Lancashire.
This is another outlet for all the new things we have on the show, be it music or artists, comedians or actors.
I will post reviews of things and discuss other things.