Alternative Friday

Q & A – Mosley Bar

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October 16, 2017

Mosley Bar are a vibrant indie guitar 4-piece from the North West of England, made up of (from left to right) Tim Williams (bass & vocals), Adam Eccleston (guitar), Matthew Wright (drums), and Ryan Ward (guitar & lead vocals). They first appeared here back in the Oct 2015 Mixtape with the excellent Record Sleeve, and this year they’ve stepped up another gear with the release of their second EP, Royalties, so read on to find out more about the band, the EP, and, er, dancing eyebrows!

~ Tell us a little about the background to the band?
[Matt] Me and Ryan were in another band (The Inkhearts) that split up, so we put an ad out for a bassist and met Tim, then he invited Adam to come along and we just went from there.
[Tim] I met Matthew through an online ad back in September 2014, which was originally for a replacement bassist for Ryan and Matthew’s previous band, and over the next year we wrote some music, and it was during that time the track Record Sleeve came about. We did 2 ‘gigs’ but it was only in September 2015, when my cousin Adam joined, that we had our first proper gig at Studio 2 in Liverpool, and we’ve been going ever since.

~ What have been the biggest challenges to date?
[Tim] Musically I would say when we released Record Sleeve, as that set the bar so high. For a virtually unknown band to get a track that went straight to national radio was unreal. But what got me really down and fed up was the feelings of “shit, how are we going to top that?” In the end I think we give it our best shot with the likes of Risk and Two Apart.
Non-musically I would definitely say that being in a band is hard obviously… it can certainly be very expensive, especially when you feel you’re not getting much success back from it. I quite regularly feel that at times the lights on the stage never shine as bright as they look, but overall I think that if you push through it and come out the other side the result is a much better band.
[Adam] Sorting out a day for all of us to practice, as three of us are at Uni and Ryan has a job teaching.
[Ryan & Matt] Finding our own sound!

~ What was it like recording the Royalties EP at the Motor Museum Studios in Liverpool, and how did they help to create its dynamic sound?
[Matt] It’s a great studio. There’s a lot of inspiration on the walls with all the accolades of bands who have succeeded there. James Mellor, the producer/engineer of the two EPs, really gets us a band so that is a massive help.
[Tim] James has a brilliant ear and imagination, and the way he hears music and how he puts it all together the way he does is just mind boggling. The professional sound comes from having him in charge of it all really. We really trust him to just go nuts with it and every time he knocks it out the park.
[Ryan] The Motor Museum is brilliant for recording! It’s a great environment to focus on getting the right sound.
[Adam] James really helps us as he has a similar taste in music to us all, and understands what we want within a song.

~ The superb Two Apart is undoubtedly one of the most ridiculously catchy indie tracks of the year, with its lyrics, riffs, and powerful finale, so tell us more about it…
[Ryan] I’d written the lyrics with a basic structure, Adam added the Guitar lines and then Matty and Tim took it to another level. It was originally written as a set filler, so it’s turned out quite well!
[Adam] Thanks for that! From what I remember it started with me and Ryan writing the main basis of it and it just elaborated when we all added our ideas!
[Tim] As for the ending, that guitar crescendo thing actually came off the top of my head just before Adam and I drove to a gig one time, and I took the fast tremolo picking idea that you can hear in Record Sleeve, showed the idea to Adam, and he liked it. Then in the studio our producer turned it into layer upon layer of guitar lines, and in the end it just gave birth to that massive ending it has. It will long be the big finale at our gigs!

~ Is a third EP due any time soon?
[Ryan] Yes, we’ve a couple of new songs recorded! Still writing more though.
[Adam] We’ve recently recorded two new tracks over the summer back at the Motor Museum, which in my opinion are on par with Two Apart (if not better!)
[Tim] The two new songs are the priority for now, and as we prepare them for a release we will keep writing new songs, and when the time is right for us all we will go back in to finish off another EP.

~ Are there any other new bands or musicians local to you in the North West that you recommend we check out?
Yes…
Saytr Play
Sugarmen
Paris Youth Foundation.

~ Which famous song by another artist would you love to have written yourself?
[Adam] Knights of Cydonia by Muse without a doubt, it’s just amazing from start to finish. Matt Bellamy is such a talent and is amazing to see live too!
[Tim] For me it’s definitely Don’t Look Back In Anger by Oasis. It’s one of those songs that will never age and is basically ‘the anthem’ of Manchester. I honestly think that If you’re ever lucky enough as a songwriter to write a song like that, they just fall out of the sky onto your lap and naturally become what they are.
[Ryan] Ultralight Beam – Kanye West
[Matt] Billie Jean by Michael Jackson because it’s a classic and a massive song. Or, Half the World Away by Oasis, what a tune that is.

~ If you could collaborate with a famous musician or band, who would they be and why?
[Tim] Jamie T, and I think Matty wouldn’t mind a go of that either…
[Matt] Serge Pizzorno, Jamie T, or Pete Doherty for their song writing ability, and Travis Barker because of his unreal talent! It’s hard to just pick one ahah.
[Ryan] Kanye, he is edgy.
[Adam] Either Alex Turner, as he just thinks of the most simple riffs and ideas, and is simply amazing, or Dave Grohl, or a hip-hop artist such as Dr. Dre. I think he could pull something special out for us.

~ If the four of you were asked to curate a festival stage, who would you invite to perform?
Foo Fighters
Arctic Monkeys
Kasabian
Liam Gallagher
Circa Waves
Muse

~ Do any of you have any obscure talents you’d like to reveal to the world?
[Adam] Not that I know of! I guess making my eyebrows dance is a weird talent to have.
[Ryan] My only talent is music, haha!
[Matt] No, aha, I play a lot of sport like cricket and footy. Not bad at quoting funny films or programmes, not that that will get me far!!
[Tim] I learnt some great shoe polishing techniques when I did my basic training for the navy when I was 16, so if you ever need some shoes shined…

~ Which famous person would you love to get to drive the Mosley Bar tour bus?
[Adam] Pete Doherty would certainly be a laugh to have on a tour bus!
[Matt] I’d think Steve Coogan would be a laugh, Liam Gallagher would be entertaining, or maybe just a good bus driver so there were no accidents ahah!
[Tim] Alan Partridge, for a laugh.

The Brahms – Sleep

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October 9, 2017

The Brahms are a lively 4-piece band from Utrecht in the Netherlands, and after releasing 2 EPs in 2015 & 2016, and playing over 70 live shows last year, they took a break to recharge their batteries. That break seems to have worked wonders as shown by this first release from their debut album (due next year), which is indie pop perfection, full of vibrant guitars and a catchy chorus, while it gets a Showreel entry because the video, directed by Parcifal Werkman, captures the energetic and bright nature of the track just perfectly.

I just wanna sleep…

Mixtape – Oct 17

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October 2, 2017

If anyone tells you there aren’t many impressive new & emerging musicians out there, then direct them to this latest Mixtape for evidence they’ve got it wrong. So dive in and enjoy a range of genres, from rousing guitar rock to mellow piano pop, via some dreamy, indie, & art-pop tunes. Enjoy…

Sea Girls – Lost
Himalayas – Sigh on a Hurricane
Loud Forest – Wake Up
Lloyd Llewellyn – Long Way Down
Family Jools – American Dream
Cosmo Calling – Like Lightning
The Brahms – Sleep
Richard Walters – Nothing But Adore You
Seazoo – Shoreline
Michael Jablonka – Peacefully
Bleach Dream – Silent Star

Emerging… Himalayas

bigjimcambo

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September 25, 2017

Hailing from Cardiff, this indie rock quartet are comprised of Joe Williams (rhythm guitar & vocals), Mike Griffiths (lead guitar & vocals), Louis Heaps (Bass), and James Goulbourn (drums), and they are making some wonderfully melodic yet energetic ‘garage’ influenced music, full of raucous guitar riffs, furious drumming, & vocals to lose your voice to. Formed in 2015 and signed to Peepshow Records, they released their debut EP Ecstasy last year, but in 2017 they’ve stepped up to a whole new level!

That new level arrived with the release of Thank God I’m Not You, a monster of a track, which we featured in a Showreel post back in May, due in part to the excellent video, and to underscore the success of the track itself, it has recently surged comfortably past a million streams on Spotify!

They’ve now followed it up with Sigh On A Hurricane, which is another wild blast of distorted guitars, powerful drumming, and furious chorus. I can vouch that they’re impressive live too, so do keep tabs on these guys and catch them in a smaller venue while you can, as they won’t remain under the radar for long. Mosh pit mania!

Tom Hickox – Istanbul

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September 16, 2017

London based Tom Hickox has been featured here many times since I first came across him five years ago, such is the quality of his impressive writing, vocals, and live performances. He returned this year with his outstanding second album, Monsters In The Deep, which has not just seen his songwriting progress and cover some fascinating and thoughtful subjects, but the instrumentation and tempo are more well rounded too, and this is summed up perfectly in the hugely addictive and absorbing Istanbul. Directed by Nicolas Jack Davies from Pulse Films, this video really captures his intense appeal.

Chocolate, peaches, & tequila…

Q & A – Sanjiv Ahluwalia (The Secret List)

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September 11, 2017

Sanjiv Ahluwalia is a music and record shop enthusiast, journalist, and occasional DJ. In 2013 he mixed all four passions to produce the first Secret List, a guide to record shops in LA. This was followed by Paris, and then Brighton (written by Stephen Ellis), and he’s now released a London edition, with a review of 32 stores, and which contains some wonderful photography that captures the feel of record shops just perfectly.

So, read on to find out more about Sanjiv himself, the book, music in general, and er, roasted haddock and Batman!

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr

~ How did the idea for the original Los Angeles edition of The Secret List come about, and why didn’t the London book come first?
The idea for the series came about from two things: (1) the desire to go to the next level with my music journalism – I had worked as a music journalist for over twenty years and built up a name for covering new & innovative music, and also for new jazz, but I needed a fresh challenge and the idea for the books came from (2) a comment that Gilles Peterson made on air about the need for a Michelin style guide to clubs. I tweaked this idea and made it a Michelin style guide to record shops. Why Los Angeles first? Well originally the book was a global guide, and there is a version from 2012 which reflects this but this premise got scuppered by The Secret List team, who felt a global guide was too ambitious. So we agreed to release separate volumes for each city, building up to a final release for the London edition. Los Angeles was a good city to test the market with.

~ When did you first get bitten by the record shop bug, and what memories do you have of those times?
I can vividly remember my first visit to a record shop, ABC Music Centre in Southall Broadway, when I was around two or three years old with my Dad. I have memories of thousands of records and my Dad chatting to the owner. We visited ABC after seeing a Hindi film (the term Bollywood came later in the nineties) at the nearby Liberty cinema, and so began my love of music and film. ABC was the ‘go to’ shop for Indian music. and was later in the news when US super producer Timbaland visited the shop in the early 2000s with local music producer Rishi Rich. I think the Indian samples Timbaland produced for Missy Elliot were from ABC.

My first real visit to a record shop was to the legendary Groove Records in Soho when I was 15. It was the place in London to buy records, and for a teenager from suburban London it was scary. I think I was blanked by most of the staff, which was a common occurrence for many record buyers both in Groove and other record shops during the mid-eighties.

~ To help publicise the book you’ve been interviewed live on air by such luminaries as Gilles Peterson and Cerys Matthews, but if you could interview anyone, who would it be?
I’d like to interview Bradley Zero, DJ, producer and owner of Rhythm Section INTL record label. I really like the music he is putting out or playing.

~ If you could do another edition in any city on earth, where would it be?
A joint edition, Tokyo and Kyoto. Quite simply the best record shops I have ever been to are in these two cities (I never got to Osaka, which apparently is even better). Some record buyers talk about both cities being ‘cleaned up’ and that there are no more good records, but this wasn’t my experience. The staff in both Tokyo and Kyoto record shops are often very friendly and I remember some of the owners or assistants being fascinated by the concept of The Secret List. A good example was in a little family owned shop – Barn Home Records, Shinjuku, Tokyo. I was buying an array of records, from old soul to Californian surf, and having a long conversation with the owners about music, record shops, and Tokyo. Before I left the shop they came out from behind the counter, bowed and presented me with a seven inch single. Lovely.

You can read a photo essay on Tokyo record shops on The Secret List tumblr site here.

~ Who are the new jazz, soul, & world musicians out there you recommend we check out?
It is a very exciting time in music and there’s a lot of good stuff coming out of the UK. UK jazz is especially strong, I really like Nubya Garcia, Tri-Force and Moses Boyd. Yuseef Kamaal’s ‘Black Focus’ from 2016 is one of the strongest jazz albums released for a long time, it’s a shame the band have split!

And on the electronic/dubstep arena, which is going from strength to strength, my favourite tunes of the year are: FYI Chris – Snafubar, Byron the Aquarius – Nights in Jakarta, and Scott Grooves – Parts Manager part 2.

~ What were the first vinyl records you ever bought?
The first seven inch record I bought was Blondie’s ‘Call Me’ from Woolworths in West Ealing. The first album I bought was on cassette, I think it was The Police’s ‘Zenyatta Mondatta’. I can’t quite remember my first vinyl album, I think it was Prince’s ‘Around The World In A Day’.

~ Do you have a personal favourite record shop, and what shop best caters to your love of World music?
My fave record shop in London is Honest Jon’s; and my favourites in the world are: Superfly Records and Heartbeat Records in Paris; Touch Records in Los Angeles; Discland Jaro in Tokyo; and Workshop Records in Kyoto. For world music, the best source is probably Flashback in London, and in Paris, Superfly Records and Crocodisc.

~ Tell us a bit about your DJing?
Well I really am not a DJ! But DJing is something I enjoy, and a great way of promoting the books and meeting The Secret List readers.

~ Who were your musical heroes when you were growing up?
The Police, Prince, Miles Davis.

~ What’s the most impressive thing you can cook?
Roasted haddock with pomme de terre puree, green beans and a white wine sauce.

~ What would you tell your teenage self?
Be ambitious and follow your instinct.

~ If you could have a superpower for a day, what would it be?
I would like to be Batman and drive around Gotham City in the Batmobile.

Abhi the Nomad – Somebody to Love

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September 3, 2017

The long journey from India to Thousand Oaks California (via Beijing, Hong Kong, and Fiji!) has certainly produced results if this sunny indie hip-hop gem by Abhi the Nomad is anything to go by, as it will have you whistling and dancing in no time! Half of the rap & hip-hop duo ‘El Capitán’, he releases a solo album Marbled later this year, while this video by Spencer Miller (and edited by Abhi himself) just adds to the infectious feel for the track.

Another day, another damn dollar…

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