norwich – Frances' News in Norwich

Posted on July 31, 2021May 29, 2022 by butler_frances

Interview: Showhawk Duo

(Originally published for Outline.)

Acoustic guitar duo Mikhail Asanovic and Jake Wright – known as Showhawk – have performed their unique interpretations of dance classics at Reading and Leeds, Glastonbury and Isle of Wight festivals, Nick Grimshaw’s Radio 1 Breakfast Show and even a TEDx event in Austria.

Outline’s Frances Butler caught up with The Showhawk Duo ahead of their gig at EPIC on September 26th 2021.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. First of all, how are you both? How has the past year or so been for you?

We’re good, pumped and ready to play some shows after a long break! The last year or so has been tough but we’re still here and feeling like the world needs some more Showhawk.

Why did you first start playing music?

We we’re both drawn to music from a young age, guess it comes naturally to both of us.

What are some of your main influences?

We draw our influences from a lot of the great guitar players from all genres. That’s our focus, top class musicianship.

You both have quite different musical backgrounds. What led you to start working together?

Mutual love of playing guitar.

Where does the ‘Showhawk’ element of your name come from?

We got called Shades (Mik) and Mohawk (Jake) by some girls once when we we’re playing for one of the first times ever and that stuck for a week and then became Showhawk.

What made you want to interpret electronic music acoustically?

We had already tried everything else so it was the next natural step.

What are people’s initial reactions to your music like?

“I LOVE THAT SONG!!!! It’s all about tuning in to nostalgia.”

You’ve performed on Radio 1, at Glastonbury, the Isle of Wight Festival, Boomtown – what is your dream place to play?

Glastonbury 2017 was a show we’ll never forget.

You have an upcoming gig at Epic Studios in September – how do you feel about playing live shows again?

Bring it on.

For your livestream earlier this year you played a few songs from your upcoming album – what are you most excited for people to hear?

Prodigy and Vengaboys.

What are your plans for the future?

Keep on playing shows as long as Boris lets us!

Words: Frances Butler

Posted on May 29, 2021May 29, 2022 by butler_frances

Interview: Ida Mae

(Originally published for Outline.)

We caught up with Ida Mae ahead of their Red Rooster appearance, but they are clearly in demand across the UK and USA.

How has the last year been for both of you?

It has certainly been a big change for us after travelling constantly for years. It has been challenging in many ways but we feel lucky to have been able to record and release our new record slowly over this year and it’s given us time to develop creatively, exploring new production techniques and genres.

What was it like returning to the UK from Nashville?

It was difficult! We brought a lot of equipment back with us so we could keep working and between Brexit and the pandemic crossing borders had become very challenging. At that moment in time, the US election had reached a fever pitch and with the pandemic progressing there was no way we wanted to be so far from family and friends. We’ve come back with a renewed appreciation for the English countryside and the quirks of our British-ness!

Having been based in Nashville for a while, what are some of your favourite things about it?

The musical community is everything in Nashville. It is inspiring to be surrounded by so many musicians and to be in a town where songwriting and creativity is so revered. Being able to pop into a bar at 2am and catch some of the best players just jamming never gets old. The music industry can be quite competitive at times but Nashville has a collaborative attitude to music that is really wonderful to be around…..

How does it feel knowing you have local support in Norfolk (for example from BBC Introducing) whilst reaching new audiences in America?

We are incredibly grateful. We always want to be able to come home and play shows in the towns we grew up in. Having lived in Norwich I always felt incredibly lucky to be nurtured by a fantastically gifted arts community. We have always tried to include and work with home grown talent over the years. A lot of the songs we’ve taken around the world with us were first performed in The Stanford Arms in Lowestoft and The Birdcage in Norwich with the support of BBC Introducing.

What is the main difference between audiences in the UK and the USA?

The U.K is always a much more reserved audience. You have to remind yourself that it isn’t necessarily a reflection of how the show is going or the level of enjoyment, there is just a different etiquette! In the U.S they shout and holler throughout the show, standing ovations and banter with the performers are much more common! We do enjoy both types of show.

How do you feel about playing live shows again?

We really cannot wait. I am sure the first few are going to feel bizarre but we expect it will feel as though the last year didn’t happen once we are back on the road.

Where do you get your musical inspiration from?

Everywhere…its relatively endless. I love photography and still images…Stephen Shore, William Eggleston, Martin Parr….poetry and film. So much comes from the places we go to and people we meet.

Does the honesty and vulnerability in your songs come naturally to you?

Yes. We’ve always wanted to capture what we do in a raw state, unpolished and without compromise and that’s reflected in our recordings – …There’s always a little bit of yourself in every song but it’s not necessarily the whole truth, music and performance allows you to become an actor. That’s part of the fun.

How does the dynamic of your personal and professional relationship add to your music?

We have always worked and sung together even before we were married so it is all we have ever known.

What was it like writing music during the pandemic?

We were lucky that the bulk of the new record ‘Click Click Domino’ was written in hotel rooms and in the back of cars on the road just before the pandemic took hold. We went straight into tracking in Nashville with a real focus when the tours were cancelled and everything locked down. That initial stress and uncertainty would have been hard to write in and we had a lot of friends that couldn’t write during those early months, instead, for us that uncertainty fuelled a lot of the intensity and atmosphere in some of the new album.

What are you most looking forward to about this new album?

For people to hear it! We have some exciting collaborations with Marcus King and even Greta Van Fleet and we really pushed ourselves in terms of production. And now, we’re looking forward to making the next one! Each record feels like a snapshot of what was happening in that moment in time.

Is the variety between your songs ‘Road To Avalon’ and ‘Click Click Domino’ an indication of what the new album will be like?

Certainly is. We both grew up on a lot of records with a lot of dynamic and variety – John Marytn, Led Zeppelin, Fairport Convention, The White Stripes, Etta James etc etc and Americana and Alt Folk are such elastic genres we let the songs lead how they’re developed and produced.

What is the main difference between this album and your previous work?

This is our first ever self-produced record. We worked with producer Ethan Johns on our first album having played very few shows as Ida Mae and he helped us begin to sculpt who we were as artists and distill our sound. This record has 100,000’s of miles under the belt and feels like a truer representation of how we perform now.

What are your plans for the future?

We have some very exciting shows back in the States in July and the Fall including Willie Nelson’s Outlaw festival and Newport Folk Festival. We also have a London Show in August (19th at St Matthias Church) as well as an exciting full band set at Red Rooster Festival (28th Aug) which we cannot wait for. It will be the first full band set we have played as Ida Mae with Ethan Johns on drums and Nick Pini on bass so it’s going to be a real party.

Words: Frances Butler

Posted on March 20, 2021May 29, 2022 by butler_frances

Interview: Leo Lore

(Originally published for Outline.)

Norfolk-born soul singer Leo Lore writes songs from the heart; his emotional honesty and attitude blended with soul and jazz influences makes him one to watch. His debut single ‘Sorrow’s Golden’ was released last year, and I spoke with him ahead of the release of ‘Billie’, the first single from his forthcoming EP.

How’s this last year been for you?

It was definitely an adjustment period. The lack of live gigs was…is annoying, because that’s what I love to do, I just like to do live shows. But feeling much more confident, now that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

How do you think the interaction between musicians and their audience has changed in the last year or so?

I suppose it’s that shift of being able to film work – the whole thing about Instagram is that it’s that quick content, isn’t it? The churning out of content, rather than doing a gig, or doing a set of gigs, doing a tour, and that would be it for a few months. It feels like there’s more pressure to have a constant stream of things happening.

When you were making this EP, did you feel pressured at all?

I think it was more of a personal pressure because of the content of it…I’ve never really written from such a personal perspective before, social commentary. I’m out of the picture when I’m writing songs, so I think because it’s quite difficult to write it, I just wanted to get it done as quickly as possible.

How are you feeling about finally being able to release it?
Really good. Now I’ve got a release date for the first single, it feels like it’s happening now, which is a massive weight off my shoulders. You can build yourself up for releases and put loads of pressure on yourself.

The first song is called ‘Billie’, and that’s after Billie Holiday, isn’t it?

Yeah. I was listening to loads of her at the time that I wrote that. If I find an artist that I love, I just listen to them – exclusively! And I thought that I would name it after her.

Why did Billie Holiday have such an impact on you? She’s from the 50s era, so she’s not someone you would necessarily come across.

My brother listened to loads of jazz when I was younger, Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald and people like that (…) and this one album – a compliation album, one with Billie Holiday.
It was just the purity of her voice, and the more I listened to her and looked into her life and what she’d been through, she was just so defiant in her music. I just love her whole being.

With [‘Sorrow’s Golden’] and ‘Billie’ – they’re different musically, but both raw emotionally – how did you become comfortable with being so open about your feelings?

The first tune that I wrote, ‘Sorrow’s Golden’, and ‘Billie’ – I was writing it not ever thinking in my head that I was going to release it. I could tell that I was getting in my head about it and worrying about what people think. Obviously a man talking about another man, it should be normal by now but definitely isn’t. For that same reason I was like, I need to be better about it. I need to be cooler about it, I need to be more confident about it, and for other people’s sake. For other people to hear that.

You mentioned that when you were growing up, there was a lack of queer role models for you to look up to or relate to. Being more open about your sexuality, do you think if someone finds your music, it might help them as well?

Yeah. If one queer kid finds comfort in themselves quicker that I did because of a tune I wrote – I don’t know how likely that is – but if that does happen, then I’ll be well chuffed.

Are you looking forward to being able to play your EP live?

I’m literally now getting in touch with a few old mates of mine who are from this kind of area in London, to put on shows. I think it’s going to be really weird, to start with. It’s certainly going to feel different. I’ve done solo acoustic gigs before, but having to translate a full track, project, try and create a live show… we’re now trying to work out how to do that. In that sense it will be different than normal.

What are your goals for the future?

The plan is just to release the EP, play a live show, feel normal again and get back in the studio!

‘Billie’ will be released on the 26th of March, with the EP to follow later in the year.

Words and audio: Frances Butler

Posted on April 8, 2020May 29, 2022 by butler_frances

Interview: Maya Law

(Originally published in Outline.)

We caught up with Maya ahead of her new single release on April 10th, and later in the year look out for her EP launch.

Maya Law lives and breathes music. Releasing her debut album at 18, she went on to support artists such as Loyle Carner and Akala, perform for BBC Introducing and play the legendary Roundhouse venue in London. I sat down to chat with her ahead of the release of her new EP ‘Hitchhiking’ in April – her first body of work in 4 years.

Why did you start playing music?

I started because my brother did it first. He’s five years older than me, he’s in a band and used to play all the time growing up, so I pretty much just copied him and started playing guitar when I was about twelve, and then straight away started writing my own stuff.

What would you say are your main influences?

I grew up listening to a lot of Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin. My mum’s records basically. Then Amy Winehouse was a massive influence and people like that really, a lot of strong female role models.

Your songs are quite heartfelt and honest – how do you go about writing them?

It just comes out of me quite naturally. Every time I’ve tried to sit down and write a song it’s always really rubbish. It just kind of falls out, but then I think that is the best way to write.
The songs I never intended to post or share are the most successful – the songs where I think ‘ooh, I don’t think I want to show anyone that, that was a bit too much’ – but I think people respond better when they know that it’s true.

Which track from the EP do you really want people to hear?

I’ve just been sent an almost-finished product of ‘Say It Ain’t So,’ which is the second track on the EP, so that one probably because it’s the newest in my head.
It’s the first part of the EP; so the EP is split into two. The first half and the first part of the middle track is acoustic, then from that point onwards the full band comes in.

Why did you want to move from just acoustic to a full band?

I don’t want to stick myself in a box and say ‘this is what I’m doing now’. For me this EP is more like: I started off doing this by myself when I was 15, now I’m going to start doing this for a little bit, maybe the next thing I do will be completely different…
The EP is called Hitchhikingand that was kind of the idea behind it.
It’s super cheesy – but you can be still figuring out what you’re doing but still be on the way somewhere, and not know necessarily where you’re going. I think we’re all doing that in some way.

After the EP comes out, do you have any plans for the future?

I am planning on heading to London, which is quite exciting, but I’m not 100% certain on what I’m doing yet.
I will be putting out little bits and pieces after this EP, maybe with some new producers… I don’t really have a plan, I’m just trying to focus on this for now, and then think about that when it happens!

Words: Frances Butler

Posted on December 14, 2019May 29, 2022 by butler_frances

Live Review: The Neutrinos and Birds Of Hell

(Originally published in Outline.)

The Neutrinos played their first ever gig in the now-defunct Fat Pauly’s in 1998 – and have been bravely pioneering their art-rock sound and unique live experience ever since. Fellow musician Peter Murdoch’s Birds Of Hell, originally conceived as an acoustic solo project, are playing tonight as a full band. Whilst both acts have 20 years of experience under their collective belts, tonight is a fresh opportunity for them to continue pushing sonic boundaries, promoting their new singles.

The night begins with a set which is atmospheric, energetic and surprising – an apt description of Birds Of Hell’s electronic, guitar driven and sometimes comedic catalogue. Quirky stage outfits seem to be a penchant of theirs, as although the set starts with several band members wearing matching shirts, it later evolves into striped sweatbands with Murdoch relating some of the many reasons – such as terrible hangovers – we tend to avoid strenuous exercise (or anything that could be construed as sport), whilst ferociously pumping his arms in a red tracksuit. A fine example of their genre blending ability is the performance of new single ‘Do I Get to Ride on a Unicorn?’ The original track features Murdoch’s mother singing, but this time Neutrinos’ frontwoman Karen Reilly provides the vocals, as well as two tambourines.

Photo: Frances Butler

The Neutrinos have performed everywhere from animal hospitals to a sold-out residency at London’s Royal Festival Hall, and played in complete darkness at The Sainsbury Centre. Having previously described Norwich Arts Centre to Outline as a “home away from home”, tonight they are on familiar ground for their ever unfamiliar show. They open with the smallest of sounds: a slow and steady bassline from Jon Baker; the ringing of a Bakelite phone on one side of the stage; and the band move as little as possible. Karen remains stationary as the song builds up and then back down again; lulling the audience into a false sense of security before letting loose with a wall of sound. It’s difficult to place them in any one genre – they remain constantly fluid, moving from electronic to funk and back again, full-fledged rock to quiet, softly sung vocals.

Whilst it’s clear they are all accomplished musicians, it’s Karen who commands the audience’s attention, whether in a literal sense – throwing metal plates and cups into the crowd because they “make a great noise” and asking them to throw them back before the song ends – or just by allowing herself space to breathe after the end of a particularly energetic song. In contrast to the polarity of the rest of their set, and after repaying the favour by inviting Birds Of Hell on stage, their closing song is calm, retrospective and a little melancholy – with only Karen’s vocals and some isolated piano notes from Baker.
Throughout the night, the mutual respect between the two bands becomes clear when they share the stage, feeding off each other’s energy and championing each other’s work. I went into this show with open eyes and ears and left feeling inspired, impressed and a little confused – but in the best way. One thing is for certain: a Neutrinos show is never what you expect it to be – and the only way to discover that is to go and experience it for yourself.

Photo: Frances Butler

Words and photos: Frances Butler

Posted on October 22, 2019 by butler_frances

Making it in the Music Industry: Norwich’s New Artists

A little over three months ago, I decided to undertake a music documentary for the final part of my Masters course. In an increasingly digital age, performing live shows and selling physical copies of albums and EPs has become harder than ever.

In 2014, Forbes published an article claiming the old business model of releasing music, getting radio play, selling copies and touring an album has become increasingly difficult. The internet has provided access to free music, downloads and streaming meaning bands have less power over the consumer than they used to – in 2015, Careers in Music published an article showing the record industry shrunk by 64% between 1999 and 2011. With the ability to upload music to platforms such as Soundcloud, YouTube and livestream shows on social media, artists can put music online without ever having performed a show – however, many artists still rely on gigs and tours to promote their music.

In August, German statistics website Statista produced a graph which shows since 2015, the amount of Spotify’s paid subscribers has risen from 18 million to 108 million. How does the price of streams compare to the price of a physical product, such as a CD? In a world where streaming is rising and physical album sales declining, can artists afford to make a living from Spotify streams alone?

That would be very difficult according to an infographic from Information is Beautiful – not including the royalties paid to songwriters, an artist requires 4,053, 110 plays per month to earn minimum wage. Many of the artists I spoke to need to have at least one other job, if not two, to be able to afford to make music.

Myself and Ali McMordie from Stiff Little Fingers at The Waterfront. Photo: Oldrich Capek

What is it like to be a musician starting out in the music industry in 2019?

A city well-known for its Medieval history, quaint lanes and more recently its football club, I wanted to find out more about Norwich’s local music scene – which artists were trying to get their name out there, how they were doing it and what their biggest obstacle was. I also wanted to speak to musicians with a more established history, to learn how the industry has changed since they were starting out and what their biggest challenges were – and still are.

I wanted to know what the main challenges new musicians in the industry are struggling with, and what their biggest challenge is – whether it’s money, promotion, the logistics of live shows or something else – and how it might be different to the challenges faced by musicians who started out 20 or 30 years ago.

Speaking to emerging local artists Niamh and Bag Of Cans – as well as experienced musicians from art-rockers The Neutrinos and Irish punks Stiff Little Fingers – I headed to the streets of Norwich to find out.