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.

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.

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

Wolfe “Cries” by WOLFE

“How do you feel?” befuddles his Vulcan mind, yet begins to draw out his human emotions. A classic Trek moment.

Innocent questions are no problem for Sean McGowan who at first resorts to humour when asked: “Are you angry?”

“I’m angry QPR lost to Fulham, I’m angry I never got to see the Clash, I am furious that I can’t afford a better car than ‘Fiona’ my P reg banger.”

And that’s exactly what you get from his lyrics: the events and problems of daily life, expertly wrapped up in three minutes by Southampton’s folk/punk poet.

“I’m eighteen. I have strong feelings towards everything.” Sean continues, “I am angry, I feel certain things need to change. My views are expressed in my music, I have no intention to have any political influence.“

What he would like to see is debate: “I want people to question and challenge things they disagree with. Everyone has a voice and an opinion, imagine if they could actually have a ’say’ whether it be through music, art or any means necessary!”

His songs are definitely stirring up music lovers with 100 downloads, in 24hrs, propelling him to the top of the Mintsouth charts.

This Saturday, at the Joiners, he launches his début EP ‘McGovernment’ where the audience will hear a slice of what Sean calls: “The People’s Music.”

www.facebook.com/seanmcgowanmusicuk

Experience counts but it is far better to have youth on your side.

With Southampton’s latest alternative rock band ‘Fighting Tyler‘ they are lucky to have youth and also years of gigging and theatre experience on their side, rather than life’s cruel twists and turns.

They are fronted by classically trained Vikki-Jo Keens and the talents of Ali Koller (guitar), a strong rhythm section of Sam Towson (Drums), James Wills (Bass) and Christopher Pearce (guitar).

For stage presence Vikki can draw inspiration from her drama education along with her performances in a number of musicals, but like all singers she found rock was the answer: “I decided after a few years that as much as I love musical theatre, I wanted to work on my own original sound and image.”

The result is their first single ‘Alive’ which is full of heavy southern promise and recorded at the Ranch Production House, in Nursling.

As bassist James (formerly HourstilAutumn) told me “It was a great honour to get to work with Neil and the guys down there as they have a great reputation for working with signed and unsigned alternative rock acts.”

You can download the new Fighting Tyler single from iTunes and Amazon, or listen via Facebook and Spotify.

And if you missed Wednesday night’s gig they are back at the Talking Heads on the 24th November.

First published in the Southern Daily Echo, 21st October 2011

http://fightingtyler.com/

@FightingTyler

For example tonight there is an Oxjam event in Guava tonight.

“Where?” you might ask. Well, it used to be Hamptons and is now something fruitier.

I don’t know how long it took to pick that name but I do know that when it comes to a band’s some spend ages trying to think of something special.

So which of these band names grab you enough to see them in Guava tonight without listening to them first?

How about ‘Silver Spirts’ – its their debut! Following them is ‘Antigerone’ – started gigging in January with their punchy post-rock.

After them Wolfe – dual vocals over electronic beats who, according to PopFactory, are “arguably the most underrated local act around.”

And finally the headliners whose changed their name about a year ago:

“I had wanted to call our album ‘Maths and the Moon’,” frontman Andy Fielder explained. “Then Luke suggested we call the band ‘Maths and the Moon‘ instead. We all instantly agreed.”

They’ve also changed musical direction. Before it was high tempo: now it is more thoughtful.

“I guess it was time to write about what happens after the party,” is Andy’s philosophical response to the obvious question.

Musically they are trying something different, something almost conceptual. So maybe it is better to arrive incognito, rather than bringing your memories of their previous incarnation to the stage.

However its all good news and we’ll start with a wedding.

Birdpen front man Dave Pen (right) married his sweetheart Nicola last Friday and a joyous occasion it was.

His best man was Mike Bird the “other half” of that fine Southampton duo.

At the reception I was reliably informed that if the ceremony had been held in France, Dave’s European fans would have been scaling the walls.

Pour quoi?

Dave is also in Archive, an avant-garde British collective, who on Sunday are headlining the last night of “Rock en Seine” in Paris.

With ‘Foo Fighters’ topping the bill on Friday and ‘Arctic Monkeys’ Saturday, you can appreciate the heights Archive have reached.

Side of stage will be Mike Bird. He’s also Archive’s guitar and keyboard tech and, as he points out, “It’s a billing the band will undoubtedly feel the pressure to step up to. The fact they are playing with a 32 piece orchestra will make the show quite a spectacle!”

He’ tech’d from Fleet Foxes to Sophie Ellis-Bextor which means: “I am always surrounded by music and meeting like minded people.”

These experiences are rubbing off on Birdpen and naturally opening bigger doors on the continent.

With a second album written and waiting to be recorded all they need is a British backer to line their nest.

First published in the Southern Daily Echo, 26th August 2011

“Spotify’s U.S. launch is going to destroy digital album sales. The celestial jukebox makes downloading, legal or not, feel dumb.”

And maybe he has a point.

When compared to Spotify’s “almost any song at the touch of a button” approach downloading seems a very clunky way of collecting music.

However Spotify isn’t in the car, and not every internet connection is perfect, so for many the CD and mp3 player will remain a firm fixture.

Plus new bands won’t solely commit to a service that doesn’t yet deliver a great return when your songs are played.

So the best way for up-and-coming artists to make instant cash from song writing is CD sales at gigs and the past fortnight has seen a rash of EP releases.

It continues this Saturday with The Queue launching ‘Enquiring Time. ..’ at the Soul Cellar.

They’ll be supported by Cardiff’s ‘Brother Steve and a new Southampton act ‘Welcome Pariah!.

The Queue’s early recordings were heavily influenced by the all conquering sound of Oasis and although they are leaving some of that behind they found themselves taking another avenue into the lives of the Gallaghers.

In May they played the first in a series of acoustic shows in the Manchester branch of Liam’s ‘Pretty Green‘ clothing stores.

With more gigs to come we’ll no doubt see if clothes make the band.

First published in the Daily Echo 24th June 2011