music
B
ath has a rich rock and pop music tradition. When I first came here, it was not uncommon to see Van Morrison stalking around Queen Square with a scowl; others speak of spotting Tears for Fears, or Alison Goldfrapp, or Gabrielle Aplin. I was once in a queue for ice cream behind Midge Ure, and another time opened the door to the MediaClash offices to let someone in, and who was there? Peter Gabriel. Then there are the visitors: The Smiths, Radiohead, Oasis, The Cure, Eurythmics, The Killers, and all those other bands – really, it’s just about everybody – who’ve played Moles. And poor Eddie Cochran, who died of head injuries at St Martin’s Hospital on Midford Road, after a car crash near Chippenham. Moles is still there, post-fire, but earlier this year we lost The Nest on Bladud Buildings – a nightclub for over 50 years, and a solid live music venue – and assorted other long-standing places you could catch up-and-coming bands have shut up shop too. So how strong is the local scene, really? Though its in some ways struggling, in others it’s in rude health, not least thanks to new Bath resident Matt Owens of indie folk-rock legends Noah and the Whale – once Wilderness headliners and Royal Albert Hall fillers – who’s made it his mission to support new bands. He’s doing so through Livewired Music, a series of monthly live music nights – with a twist – he’s running with pal Ben Davis and the other guys at 8e Chelsea Road, the café in Lower Weston. “Noah and the Whale started after my band from Bristol University broke up,” Matt says. “But my best friend Doug, who I’d known from age four, was already playing in a duo with his younger brother, Charlie. They were called Noah and the Whale, and asked me to join on violin, as their usual guy, Tom, was away. When Tom came back I hung around, and moved to harmonium, glockenspiel and bass. We went on to make four albums and had an absolute ball, touring the world, including 10 coast-to-coast tours of the United States. After a solid innings of nine years, it drew to a close – but I’ve nothing but great memories. Also, the beauty of a band stopping is that you can always start up again…” Since then, Matt’s debut solo album, Whiskey and Orchids, came out. It is, he says, “a more acoustic, Americana affair, and it was great to take the album to Glastonbury Festival – in fact, I’ve another 24 festivals to play this summer.” Matt has always been drawn to Bath – “it stuck out on the touring circuit as being so much more scenic than anywhere else” – and recently moved here. “We’ve got two gorgeous daughters now, and this terrific mother-in-law here, so it seemed an ideal place to bring up kids.” What it could do with, though, is a few more live music venues. Hence Livewired. I caught up with Matt and Ben to find out more.
Ben: Matt came up with the idea of doing a podcast after each night
to interview the artists too, which we also film. Josef Shaw, a designer and photographer – who also works at 8e and with me in our design partnership, Spring Collective – got involved, and then there’s ‘The Glue Man’, Leigh Ingham, who’s pretty much the best DJ on planet Earth, and an ever-present fixture at our nights. Extra assistance and promotion has come from Bath Sofar Sounds rep, Jonny Morgan – who’s also an artist and has played multiple times for Livewired.
It sounds like a massive thing, right out the gate. Ben: Yeah, it’s a time-consuming project, but incredibly rewarding.
Our hope is to continue growing and putting on intimate and exciting nights all over the country, while always being able to return to our flagship venue, 8e Chelsea Road.
“It’s a music night with a difference”
How do you find enough top-notch artists to take part? Ben: The main goal is to keep the quality
of the music at the highest level. We never want an audience to think, ‘Oh, that wasn’t very good’, but instead always come away feeling they’ve been a part of something really special. With this in mind, we are incredibly lucky to have connections with so many talented musicians. Matt, obviously, knows everyone! For our first Livewired night, Matt pulled in Jonny Morgan and Alex Lipinski. Both have incredible records out and have toured extensively, so my job was mainly making sure we got enough people in to fill the room. These are acts that would normally be too big to play out of a quirky coffee shop, and almost immediately people started getting in touch, wanting to get involved – and some of them were more artists asking to play. Matt: After putting on acts such as Robert Vincent, The Magic Numbers and Kerri Watt, our credibility is assured, and now finding acts is the real fun part of the job. Stumbling across new artists – or considering lifetime favourites and genuinely being able to think, ‘Hey, I reckon they’d play a Livewired’ – is just the best part of the job. Tell us about the guys you’ve had on so far. Matt: Alex Lipinski had his recent album, Alex, recorded by Anton
Newcombe from The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and plays in a band with Bonehead from Oasis, so is very much the real deal. Louis
Guys, how did Livewired come about? Ben Davis: It was born of a shared desire to host a music
night with a difference. I manage 8e, and was working one shift when Matt came in, and started chatting about how the space would be a good one for live music. In fact, two months earlier we’d put on a music night called Broken Crockery, which had gone down really well. It soon became clear that the main thing for both Matt and I was creating a night that properly benefitted and promoted the artists – as well as provided an intimate, high-quality gig for those watching, of course. Matt Owens: Over the next few days we started building our plans. Andrew Wildey came on board as our videographer, so we could film each night and provide the artists with pro videos they can use however they want.
Matt and the guys just having a mess around
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