On Monday November 2nd ‘Demo Cellar’ is the new name for Monday nights at the Soul Cellar in Southampton. It might be a change of name but not of attitude as it remains one of the few places in the UK which only plays recordings made by unsigned artists.

Formerly know as ‘Showcase UK’ the night, hosted by Xan Phillips, has demonstrated a fantastic commitment to the south coast over the past five months. It has not only played artists demos and new releases but also given new acts the opportunity to perform in public without the pressure of bringing an audience.

Monday November 2nd sees the beginning of ‘Demo Cellar’s’ end-of-year season of performances by established and new artists from the South Coast.

NOV 2 JIM CHORLEY
NOV 9 NICK TANN
NOV 16 JAZICA (singer Frankie + guests)
NOV 23 CHICAGO 9 – blues band
NOV 30 THE WIDOWMAKER
DEC 7 THE REAL RAJ
DEC 14 THE VISITORS
DEC 21 XMAS PARTY with THE FAMILY

ABOUT SHOWCASE UK
However ‘Showcase UK’ has not gone away. It is now the backbone of projects initiated by Xan Phillips, the broadcaster and journalist whose passion for bringing the UK’s new talent to the public’s attention has propelled him the world of book publishing.

Wednesday, November 18 see the publication of ‘Holywood Star’ the autobiography of singer Eamon Nancarrow. A boy who grew up in Holywood, County Down dreaming of becoming a rock star and a man whose journey to fame and fortune brought him in contact with some of the most strangest of characters and amusing situations that have graced the lower levels of rock and roll. Eamon is a great singer and the reason his talent didn’t receive the wider acclaim it thorough deserved will be revealed quite quickly in the first five chapters. But in those pages you will begin to realise Eamon has a fantastic knack for observational humour and an uncanny ability to remember all the funny moments he has witnessed. This is a book to buy as will as give and is currently available for pre-order at Amazon.co.uk.

Holywood Star: The Life and Times of a Rock and Roll Misadventurer
Paperback: 356 pages
Publisher: Showcase UK; 1st edition (18 Nov 2009)
ISBN-10: 0956390005
ISBN-13: 978-0956390004
Price £9.99 or less

It brings me great joy to announce that I have joined Original 106fm one of the best radio stations in the UK.

It is not just because they decided to employ me that I hail them as champions of the airwaves but the fact that Original considered music and 24 news a priority.

Original 106fm is owned by Canadian media giant CanWest and this is the first time in UK radio history that a company from outside the country has done so. They have just won a second licence in Bristol and are aiming for more. I believe their positive apporoach to the medium and it’s core reason for exisitng will change radio in this country for the better.

Under the guidance of Programme Controller John Evington we have been adding a vast selection of music into the system. I have been very impressed with the variety of tracks we have heard and can guarantee that there is no other local radio station with such a wide selection.

The photo above comes from our first photo shoot and shows the presenters in all their glory. I’m on the left and then next is Tim Butcher, Martyn Lee, Iain Meadows, Simon James, Hill and finally Nick Jackson.

They are delightful people to work with and all of us feel the same: we have joined something brilliant.