There was a brief hope over the weekend that two of the south coast’s biggest festival organisers would combine forces and save a much loved venue from extinction.
The campaign to save Southampton’s Talking Heads’ 20-year live music legacy naturally started online and quickly collected 3000 supporters on Facebook.
Meanwhile on Twitter a plea for help and the hash tag #saveourheads was sent to friends and the famous to galvanise support and hopefully find a saviour.
On Saturday both John Giddings (Isle of Wight festival) and Rob da Bank (Bestival) re-tweeted a supporting message and seemed to intimate that they were actually interested in buying the venue.
Because just after @JohnGiddings01’ re-tweeted #saveourheads @RobdaBank replied “buy it! ” and then Giddings responded “let’s do it together”
If only we had used Twitter properly.
A quick click would have revealed that both promoters were really talking about a local coffee shop that had suddenly closed.
Instead we jumped to a rather desperate conclusion that two people with enough logistical problems on their plate would actually contemplate running a small south coast venue and all the hassle that that ensues.
So the rumour spread during Saturday, continued around the venue during its glorious last night of music and, I confess, that due to my radio show going live after 6pm that night I too was caught up in the excitement and broadcast the rumour without checking the facts.
But the sad truth is both John and Rob were not talking about saving the Talking Heads: just keeping frothy heads on a corner-shop cappuccino.
One coincidence is that Southampton’s Band of Skulls, who have a very strong connection with the Talking Heads pub, are playing this year’s Isle of Wight festival – Bestival will be announced shortly.
There is something in Southampton that helps create a sound in Winchester.
We heard it on New Year’s Day and the recording will be played in Saturday’s show.
Funnily enough my guest Paul Eastham has a coincidental connection to that sound and it comes via the album ‘The Turning Stone’ which his band Coast released in 2011.
Inspired by his daily commute on the Hythe ferry it’s a wonderful collection of Celtic rock songs flavoured with the spirit of Southampton.
The album has been doing brilliantly in Denmark where the band has a very strong following and will be touring in March.
And as Paul pointed out this is a big moment for them: “It’s our first trip where we are gigging with out the aid of festivals. They not only pay you but also give you an audience.”
No doubt this tour of large clubs will also bring them closer to the people who’ve hearing Coast daily on Danish national radio.
They will be playing major European festivals in 2012 but might not eclipse the filling of Paul’s childhood ambition in Germany last year, when Coast played Cologne’s Tanzbrunnen Park stadium in front of 14,000 people.
Not only did they follow Bryan Adams but, as Paul recalls, “it was weird to hear the crowd singing the second chorus of ‘Oceanos’.”
On Saturday night on 103.9 Voice FM you’ll hear why Coast have such a good footing in Europe, tracks from the new album and the connection between Southampton, Winchester, Coast and that sound. Show starts at 6pm.
Even though bands hate being pigeon-holed music labelling is really helpful and easily defines an era: anyone remember BritPop?
When there isn’t a specific genre you invent one, for example ‘cool/dark’ is how I’m summing up Robin Foster’s latest album.
Courtesy of the Southampton four-piece ‘Wolfe‘ a new genre “ChillWave” has been brought to my attention.
A term coined by blogger ‘Carles‘ which became ‘official’ when iTunes gave it a category and John Pareles in the New York Times summed it up as “recession-era music: low-budget and danceable.”
Wolfe dropped it into a conversation about professional acts they’ve recently supported.
Musicians such as ‘Tropics’ who headlined the club Pop in May: “Musically it worked really well and there was a mutual admiration between bands. It was great to support an up and coming band and one which is part of ‘chillwave’.”
Vocalist Gav Brook continued. “It led to a headline slot a few months later at the ‘Wednesday Night Live’ night at Pop which is a brilliant night for a more eclectic, electronic and left-field artists.”
Other acts they cite are ‘Suicide Party’ and ‘Bridpen’ because of… “the vibe that they create at gigs.”
Fronted by singer/bassist Laura Wolfe, with Paulus Fielder, Stu Rogers and Gav they created a brilliant ambiance, and very well balanced sound, when they supported ‘Maths and the Moon’ at Guava Bar in October.
Their EP “Cries” is available as a free download on Soundcloud and they’ll blow your house down.
First published in the Southern Daily Echo, Friday 11th Nov, 2011
On Saturday both John Giddings (Isle of Wight festival) and Rob da Bank (Bestival) re-tweeted a supporting message and seemed to intimate that they were actually interested in buying the venue.
” and then Giddings responded “let’s do it together”
But the sad truth is both John and Rob were not talking about saving the Talking Heads: just keeping frothy heads on a corner-shop cappuccino.
