Browse Issue #4 - 2017 Made in Hull Preview & Hull Music Icons

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HULL MUSIC ICONS MADE IN HULL PREVIEW

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This issue previews the forthcoming Hull UK City of Culture Made in Hull Season 1 4,5,6 - MIND ON THE RUN:THE BASIL KIRCHIN 7 - UNDER THE SKIN 8 - HULL JAZZ FESTIVAL PREVIEW 11, 12, 13 - STEVE COBBY 14, 15 - COUM TRANSMISSIONS 16, 17 - WOMEN OF THE WORLD FESTIVAL 18,19 - RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION 20,21 - ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS 22 - OPERA NORTH: HUMBER BRIDGE 24 - DAVE ROTHERAY 26 JOHN GRANT: NORTH ATLANTIC FLUX 28, 29 - GATE 5: GOING UNDERGROUND 30 - FAIRVIEW STUDIOS Created & Edited by: Mike White

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Layout by: Steve Newsome

Sam Hawcroft / Rich Sharp Wilson

Illustrations & Cover by: Calvin Innes

Jamie Potter / Nick Boldock

Paper provided in affiliation with G . F Smith

Mike Robbo

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WORDS: NICK BOLDOCK Ask most people to name their Hull Music Icons, and chances are that not many of them will name the late Basil Kirchin. But although Basil may never have been a household name (and likely never will be), he is one of the most pioneering and underrated musicians to have lived in the soon-to-be UK City Of Culture.

cording for both Decca and Parlophone and working with future Beatles producer George Martin.

back to the UK, and to Hull, where he met a young Keith Herd (later the founder of Fairview Studios) and began working on the experBasil recorded much of The Kirchin imental music that would later beBand’s music to tape, but after tak- come his forte. He made numerous ing a break from the band in the recordings of library music and early 60s and travelling to Austral- began to work on film soundtracks ia, Basil was watching the tapes (most notably the score for cult horbeing unloaded from the ship he ror movie The Abominable Doctor had travelled on to Sydney Har- Phibes) which allowed him to fiBorn in 1927 in Blackpool, Bas- bour when the cargo straps broke nance the experimental sound exil Kirchin’s first foray into music and entire load fell into the sea. cursions that were his true calling. was as a teenage drummer in The tapes were never recovered his father Ivor’s jazz band dur- and the Kirchin Band’s music ing the second World War. After (aside from that already commerthe War, father and son teamed cially released) was lost forever. up to front The Kirchin Band, re- At the start of the 60s, Basil moved

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His first experimental album “Worlds Within Worlds” was released in 1971 by EMI and comprised ambient sound works that were years ahead of their time.

Around the same time Kirchin acquired a Nagra tape recorder (thanks to an Arts Council grant) and began to make field recordings of bird song, animal noises (at London Zoo) and the speaking voices of autistic children – he played with the speed and pitch of these recordings in a mission to uncover the “little boulders of sound” that he believed they contained. He was, by any definition, a visionary. The second volume of “Worlds Within Worlds” followed in 1973. Commercial failure inevitably followed, and Kirchin relocated to Switzerland to continue his work, financing himself as ever with more mainstream composing and recording work for television and film – the money he earnt from this gave him the freedom to continue with his more leftfield work.

in an early 70s Britain that had never heard anything like it before) and unsurprisingly none of Kirchin’s experimental output sold more than a handful of copies.

Fast forward to 2003 and cult record label Trunk Records began a long overdue reissue programme of Basil Kirchin’s work, which brought him to a fresh audience and garnered critical acclaim anew. By this time Kirchin had moved back to Hull and was living modestly on Hessle Road. He sadly died in 2005, leaving behind a unique musical and artistic legacy.

2017 will see a celebration of Basil Kirchin as part of the City Of Culture programme. “Mind On The Run – The Basil Kirchin Story” will run for three days from the 17th to the 19th of February at the City Hall and will feature appearances by Will Gregory (Goldfrapp), Steve Cobby (Fila Brazillia), the BBC Concert Orchestra, Bob Stanley (St Etienne), Jerry Dammers and many more artists Music of such a ground-breaking who have been influenced by nature was never likely to be a Basil Kirchin’s work. Finally, Basil commercial success (especially may just get the recognition his singular talent so richly deserved.

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WORDS: RICH SHARP WILSON An eclectic collection of the best composers around will be gathering in Hull during 2017, as part of the PRS New Music Biennial celebrations of contemporary music from a broad range of genres, such as classical and chamber music, opera, jazz, folk and electronic. The celebration is a PRS for Music Foundation initiative which will see live events in Hull and London, as well as national radio play on the BBC. To engage audiences the commissioned compositions are around no more than 15 minutes long, and played in a variety of different settings.

One of the composers involved in 2017 is Hull born Daniel Elms, who has written music for films and TV. His composition for the New Music Biennial is a collaboration with the British Film Institute, to create a piece of music for a short film about Hull over the generations. The piece will feature various elements that speak of Hull and its connection to the sea, such as the bells of Holy Trinity and segments of sea shanties.

Other Hull inspired compositions that have been revealed so far are from Errollyn Wallen, who is composing a piece themed around the concepts of freedom and slavery, drawing on Hull’s William Wilberforce for inspiration. Errollyn who made history as the first black woman to have her work performed at The Proms, will be an artist in residence prior to the Biennial, along with a number of others.

Among the line-up of composers involved is multi-talented Mica Levi, who is producing a piece for the celebration, but will also be conducting the London Sinfonietta in a live performance of her haunting soundtrack to the surreal cult sci-fi film Under The Skin (2013), which starred Scarlett Johansson.

Previous PRS celebrations of new music happened in 2012, as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, and the first official New Music Biennial in 2014 coincided with Glasgow Culture 2014, the cultural programme of the XX Commonwealth Games. So it is appropriate that Hull as the UK City of Culture is the location for the next celebration of new music.

Mica Levi conducting the London Sinfonietta in Under The Skin is on the 31st of March.

The PRS - New Music Biennial is between the 30th of June and the 2nd of July.

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Hull Jazz Festival Winter Edition

WORDS: NICK BOLDOCK

After the resounding success of its Summer programme, Hull Jazz Festival returns for its 24th annual Winter Edition.

Events throughout Friday the 18th and Saturday 19th will see the Phil Robson Organ Trio perform at Hull University’s Middleton Hall, while the Tom Harrison Quintet take on the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn back at Hull Truck. Also on the Saturday, Hull Truck hosts the festival’s Big Band Spectacular, showcasing the Hull And East Riding Youth Jazz Orchestras (in association with Hull Music Hub) and the allnew Hull Big Band, featuring 17 of the region’s hot young musical talents.

In a real coup for the festival, multi-Grammy award winning jazz pianist Robert Glasper performs on Friday, November 18th with his genre-defying band The Robert Glasper Experiment. Forthcoming new album “ArtScience” melds jazz with funk, contemporary soul and electronic keyboard wizardry to create a genuine fusion of music awash with the beats of the new “Harlem Renaissance” Glasper has recently been credited with spearheading. Expect soulful songs, modern grooves and a scintillating live performance from a band at the forefront of 21st-century jazz.

Opening the Festival on Tuesday, November 15th will be American jazz chanteuse Stacey Kent, a frequent visitor to Hull in recent years. Stacey will be performing tracks from the Great American Songbook and from her new al-

bum “Tenderly”, a collaboration with Brazilian bossa nova guru Roberto Menescal.

Thursday 17th of November sees vocalist Sarah Jane Morris and Italian-born guitar virtuoso Antonio Forcione appear together to perform

The festival closes on Saturday the 19th with a performance by legendary jazz violinist Omar Puente’s Cuban Sextet, with Puente and his band blending the Afro-Cuban music of his upbringing with influences from Brazil, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean for a true festival of World jazz. songs from their recent collaborative album “Compared To What”. The pair have invited comparisons to the likes of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix (respectively) and are not to be missed.

Hull Jazz Festival runs from the 15th to the 19th of November – for details and tickets head to the website at jnight.org

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HIGHLIGHTS

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UNDER THE INFLUENCE 2002 ~ 2016

W Tues 4th October

A Thurs 20th October

Mystery jets & the big moon

Cabbage

Smoove and Turrell

£6 adv / 20.00pm

£15 adv / 19.00pm

£10 adv / 20.00pm

F Mon 24th October

Crows, cannibal animal & vulgarians

F Tues 4th October

Toseland

£8 adv / 19.30pm

£8 adv / 19.30pm

W Wed 12th October

Ward thomas

A Wed 26th October

W Thurs 17th November

Cast

£20 adv / 18.30pm

F Wed 23rd November

Beans on toast

Skinny living

£13.50 adv / 19.00pm

£6 adv / 20.00pm

W Thurs 13th October

PIGEON DETECTIVES

A Fri 11th November

W Sat 29th October

sold out

The sunshine underground

£12.50 adv / 19.00pm

£14 adv / 19.00pm

A Thurs 13th October

Inheaven & pale waves

£12 adv / 19.30pm

A Tues 29th November

Gengahr

£11 adv / 20.00pm

A Fri 2nd December

Little barrie £11 adv / 20.00pm

F Tues 1st November

The vryll society & hidden charms

£6 adv / 20.00pm

W Tues 18th October

£8 adv / 19.30pm

Teleman

£14 adv / 19.00pm

W Sat 3rd December

Dreadzone

£17 adv / 19.00pm

A Wed 15th February

Marry Waterson & David A Jaycock

A Thurs 10th November

Flamingods £7 adv / 20.00pm

presented by under the influence events

£12 adv / 19.30pm /utievents

tickets available from:

HBo

www.hullboxoffice.com

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www.seetickets.com

Chinese Laundry

BC

Beasleys Clothing

DD

Disc Discovery

CL

all shows 14+ under 16’s must be accompanied by an adult (18+)

F

Fruit, 62-63 Humber St, Hull HU1 1TU

W

Welly Club 105-107 Beverley Rd, Hull, HU3 1TS

A

Adelphi, 89 De Grey St, Hull, HU5 2RU

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WORDS: MIKE ROBBO As Hull Icons go, they don’t come any bigger than Steve Cobby. He is arguable to Hull what the late, great Tony Wilson was to Manchester; his love affair with our city defining his life’s work. Like Wilson, he celebrates the city of his birth, is equally passionate and defensive about it, and you can feel the city’s beating heart seeping through the intricately woven soundscapes of this unassuming studio wizard’s work.

At the start of the 90s, after having disbanded Ashley & Jackson, who released the jazz-infused ‘Solid Gold’ album on Big Life Records to critical acclaim in 1991, Steve went on to form what would become a Hull institution with his partner Dave Brennand a.k.a. Porky: the legendary Pork Recordings. And together with partner Dave McSherry, he hatched the peerless Fila Brazillia in 1990. Their first release, ‘Mermaids” is as much a club classic as ‘Pacific State’, ‘Sueno Latino’ and ‘Song of Life’, and their debut long-player, the lysergic ‘Old Codes, New Chaos’ is on a par with ‘Blue Lines’, ‘Leftism’ and ‘Screamadelica’ as a staple after-hours document of the era.

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‘The Shedio’

That this sound was coming from our city was incredible, and during his residency at those legendary nights at Room 1795’s after-hours ‘coffee club’, he gave Hull clubbers something to be proud of in what he refers to as a ‘seminal few years’, where he took people on his own singular journey, aided by various other Pork Recordings luminaries.

He had honed his DJing skills previously at Sugar Shack at the infamous Welly Club, after being inspired at Jive Turkey in Sheffield, where he ended up by accident one night, and the celebrated Haçienda, where he used to frequent after hopping on a milk train from Sheffield in the mid-80s. Those sets in the room are what informed his first releases, and are in debt, in no small part to his educational excursions around the M18/M62 triangle of northern nightlife institutions.

Fila’s follow-up, ‘Maim That Tune’ was a foretaste of the new territory the musical duo’s path would lead the listener to later releases. It contained elements of proto drum ‘n’ bass on ‘A Zed and Two L’s’ (a reminder to those who misspelt their name), world music, ambient and a whole lot more besides. It became impossible to pigeonhole their output over their next ten releases; never a simple 4/4 beat, taking influences from house, techno, hip-hop, jazz, latin and funk. They never stood still, were never predictable, but always a Fila stamp on their sound. Their authority in the studio led to remix work for such high-profile acts as Radiohead, Simple Minds and The Orb, legendary status in their oeuvre and firmly put Hull on the map in terms of credible cultural contribution, both as Fila Brazillia, and under other guises, The Solid Doctor, JJ Fuchs, and The Cutler, which saw him reunite with original partner-in-crime, Porky, and his extensive collaborative work.

Steve’s contribution to Hull is inestimable; for a man of his standing, he is approachable and knowledgeable, always on hand to help and mentor local artists. He possesses an uncanny ability to make you feel significant. The fact that he often berates me, at some volume, from across a crowded pub, for supporting Liverpool FC, is testament both to his everyman status and his (misguided) passion for his beloved Hull City. Indeed, he is among a prominent number of fans to take a stand against the megalomaniacs that run the club in protest against their latest assault on the club. He is as Hull as they come.

This year, together with Russ Litten, local author extraordinaire, he has crafted possibly my favourite album of the year, in ‘My People Come From The Sea’, in which he exercises his studio chops in another direction, providing beats and soundscapes for Russ’ barbed monologues, fractured memories and ruminations on austerity Britain. It is fantastic, and the way that Russ’ chewy Hull accent intertwines with Steve’s often stark swathes of electronica, to create a thing of great beauty, is unmistakeably Hull. If you need a snapshot of Hull as the City of Culture, this is your first stop. It’s vital and deserves to be as entrenched in Hull folklore as Mick Ronson, who is his choice as local Musical Icon.

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So, what’s next for this Hull Musical Icon?

Let the man himself tell you: “Another solo LP for next year on my own imprint Déclassé. Gigs with Russ Litten and another LP with him.

Collaborative tunes with Darren Emerson and Richard Dorfmeister in the can and ready for release.

‘City Of Vultures’, 6 nights spread out over next year where I’ve invited the crême de le crême of friends and brethren I’ve accrued over the years to come and DJ with me back to back at Fruit in Hull. Strong Hull undercard also a feature.

Steve says his recent two solo releases, the delicious ‘Saudade’ and Hopefully get Volume One ‘Everliving’ are the releases he’s proudest of, a journey that he describes of my remix compilation as a ‘ballache, but very much worth it’ as he took the brave step of out. And also the 21st-anniself-releasing them on his own record label, Déclassé Records, which versary edition of Solid Docoperates out of his shed which doubles up as his studio. His dogged tor ‘How About Some Ether’ determination not to move out of Hull, and not to compromise his integ- will see the light of day.” rity inform the artist as a man; fiercely principled and overtly political, he is a man whose moral compass is firmly on the side of what is just And in that breathless litany, Steve’s off, leaving your and correct.

His beginnings as a roadie, aged 14, for Gypsyville heavy metal band, writer with a final paraSecond Site, later to become Headhunter, at first seem somewhat in- graph that negates the necongruous with his output, as does the act who inspired him to take cessity, to sum up. music seriously - Led Zeppelin, but on closer inspection of his formative influences, you get a more rounded picture; Magazine, Cabaret Voltaire, New Order, Bowie, Pink Floyd, Comsat Angels and Motown. He soaked up all of these influences, musical and regional, and from the eclecticism, crafted his own unique vision. And with no formal musical training, his resolute determination should be an inspiration to us all.

He states quite categorically that he prefers DJing to performing live, likening the latter to that of ‘a performing monkey hammering out the same songs night after night’, and this suits his restless nature, ever-evolving and changing, mixing it up. He does, however, enjoy playing as a member of local improv band Scheißegeld, as it is different every night and off the cuff.

A roll-call that encapsulates the man: restless, ever-evolving, eclectic, respected, forward-thinking whilst acknowledging his superlative past, and most of all, voracious passion for his hometown and the potential that lies therein.

Indeed, comparable to Tony Wilson.

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Before they took the art world by the scruff of the neck and shook it until its teeth rattled, COUM Transmissions had their beginnings in Hull. Here they would forge their boundary-stomping brand of anti-art, with outrageous street performances and surreal gigs in the city’s pubs and clubs.

They soon developed a reputation for the bizarre, attracting the misfits and weirdos from around the city to their avant-garde mayhem-driven cause.

that year. Energised by the press attention, the collective started giving impromptu street performances, much to the annoyance of the local police. They gave a performance at the Gondola Club in Little Queen Street, which was raided by the police after a riot broke out. The club closed

Their performances were becoming more extreme, often involving themes of sexual fetishism, piss, vomit, blood and semen. In October 1976, COUM Transmissions gave their infamous performance of Prostitution at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London. It would be the show that saw them described by one Conservative MP as “the wreckers of civilisation”.

There were sculptures of found objects alongside used tampons and jars of bodily In December fluids. The con1969, Genesis troversy explodP-Orridge, along ed, reaching a with friend John crescendo, when Shapiro, moved questions were into a building in asked in ParliaHull’s Fruit Market ment about whetharea that Genesis er public funding nicknamed the Ho-Ho Funhouse. down permanently soon after the should be used for such an event.

They were soon joined by Hull lo- performance, and COUM were The notoriety of COUM Transmiscal Cosey Fanni Tutti. The Funhouse blamed for its closure, resulting sions was cemented, and their was filled with eccentric charac- in them being unofficially banned dedication to pushing the boundters, and sometimes used as a club- from playing in Hull clubs again. aries of what is considered art has house for passing Hell’s Angels. since gone down in art history.

They started performing in Hull, under the banner of “Your Local Dirty Banned”. Influenced by Dada artists and in particular the Fluxus network, their shows were improvised cacophonies on broken instruments and found objects.

Once they purposely turned up to a gig without any instruments.

As word spread of the creative maelstrom that was tearing down the barriers of the art establishment, they came to the attention of the media and art world.

They applied for arts funding, giving performances at the Hull Arts Centre and Ferens Art Gallery. Performances outside Hull followed, but they still used the city as their playground, entering the National Rock/Folk Contest at the New Grange Club with a set entitled “This Machine Kills Music” in the summer of 1972. By 1973 Genesis and Cosey left Hull for London; by this time they’d become too controversial for Hull and needed to escape. COUM were now internationally recognised, and were By early 1971 they reached included in a Fluxus retrospective the notice of the Yorkshire Post, that toured the UK. They performed which did an article on the group. alongside the Vienna Aktionists, They performed sessions on Ra- who encouraged COUM to push dio Humberside in the April of things by using shock tactics.

WORDS: RICH SHARP WILSON •COUM Transmissions, the first exhibition of materials drawn from the personal archives of Cosey Fanni Tutti and Genesis P-Orridge, will be at Humber Street Gallery between February 3 and March 22. Admission is free.

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Hull was recently named among the 10 worst areas in the UK to be a girl. The city has its fair share of depressing statistics, largely because reports tend to rank the performance of local authorities – and Hull City Council, unlike its neighbour, East Riding Council, does not benefit from we a l t h ie r suburbs bumping up the figures.

The festival of talks, debates, music, film, comedy and activism has taken place at London’s Southbank Centre for the past five years. It aims to champion gender equality, and ask the simple question – why is it taking so long to achieve?

Shami Chakrabarti of Liberty.

The Hull festival will take place over the weekend of March 10-12, 2017, in Hull City Hall and other venues. WoW Hull is aimed at everyone – women, girls, boys and men – and, acSince WoW was cording to the organisers, it will launched in 2011, be “a place to inspire, interroit has grown in- gate and bring about change”. ternationally, with 15 festivals on The keynote speakers have yet to five continents, in- be announced, but the various cluding in Sydney, events will more than likely celeCardiff, Alexandria brate some of Hull’s past and presin Egypt, Hargei- ent female pioneers. Aviator Amy sa in Somaliland, Johnson, whose life and career New York, and Ka- was marked with a major festival in The latest rachi in Pakistan. her own name this year, would be report, by Past speakers have an obvious choice, as is South RidPlan Interincluded Nobel ing novelist Winifred Holtby. The national Peace Prize-winner efforts of Lillian Bilocca and her UK, found Malala Yousafzai, fellow ‘headscarf campaigners’ that, of the 346 local authori- former PM Gordon Brown, ac- in improving safety standards on ties in England and Wales, Hull tors Patrick Stewart, Julie Wal- fishing trawlers will also no doubt was eighth-worst in terms of the ters and Salma Hayek, and be a major focus of the festival. impact on girls of child poverty, Hull 2017 life expectancy, teenage preghas already nancy, GCSE pass rates and profiled some lack of education, employment perhaps lessor training. The charity said the er-known leadresearch shows a girl’s life chancing female es are “tied to where she lives”. lights of the city.

Among Given these findings, it’s timely them was piato discover that among the manist and comjor events revealed as part of the poser Ethel 2017 City of Culture year is WomLeginska, who en of the World – a festival that was born into celebrates women and girls, and a Hull shiplooks at the obstacles that prevent ping family in them achieving their potential.

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April 1886. She had changed her sic scene is Yasmin Coe, who has name from Ethel Liggins after being been profiled in one of Hull 2017’s told by a friend that the most suc- short interview videos. If the city cessful musicians of the time were those with Polish or Russian-sounding names. Leginska went on to perform recitals across the UK, even being asked to play for Queen Alexandra, and was also the first woman to conduct some of Europe’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic.

Leginska continually pushed the boundaries, and like Amy Johnson (who was 17 years her junior) she did not hold back when it came to her views on being a woman in a man’s world. As Eleanor Churchill wrote in an article on the Hull 2017 website, “Leginska had a particular hate for concert dress, which was considered normal for women to wear at the time. The concert dress was something she felt restricted women, and one of the reasons women had not progressed as quickly as men. At one point during her career, she decided to change her clothing to a silk shirt with a white collar and cuffs.

She liked how the clothing always felt and looked the same, which made her concentrate more on her art and less on her appearance.”

A century on, another young woman making her way in the Hull mu-

really is one of the worst places for a girl to grow up, 14-year-old Yasmin is doing a great job of proving otherwise. Brought up in a musical family, Yasmin has been writing songs and playing a variety of instruments for many of her tender years – and in the past few years she has released numerous singles, done seven BBC sessions and headlined the youth stage at Humber Street Sesh twice. She has certainly put in some hard work, studying at the Music Academy for Schools & Communities, in Hedon Road, Hull, in her spare time.

Yasmin credits the Hull music scene for helping her progress.

“There are just so many opportunities in Hull for musicians. There

are so many gigs that go on, and everyone in the music scene knows each other. I can’t wait to take part in anything for City of Culture 2017 – I think it’s an amazing opportunity for Hull.”

The stories of dozens more inspiring women and girls, like Ethel Leginska and Yasmin Coe, will be heard throughout the WoW weekend in March 2017 – but the festival programme is not already set in stone. You can help shape it. If you think there is a person or issue that WoW Hull should address, you can have your say by attending one of a series of informal ‘Thinkin’ sessions that will be taking place this autumn.

If you want to be the first to find out about the locations for these sessions, and to register your interest, email your contact details to wow@hull2017.co.uk

TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE FESTIVAL www.hull2017.co.uk/wow WORDS: SAM HAWCROFT

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“The last Friday of every month, at the Adelphi.”

The genres come thick and fast at The Residents Association as DJs take turns to play 20-minute sets over four hours, meaning no two nights are ever the same.

The crowd, meanwhile, are as friendly as they come, with the positive vibes spilling out of the entrance to the Adelphi and tumbling along De Grey Street. This come-one, come-all take on clubbing has cemented the night’s iconic status in Hull’s club scene and its ethos can be traced back to one inspiring person.

“Just over five years ago we lost a great friend and brother to one of the co-founders, Jack ‘Cosmo’ Williamson, a talented DJ and an incredibly loveable and positive individual,” explains co-founder Scott Langthorp, also of band Endoflevelbaddie.

“A hole was left in our lives and a few of us got together to discuss ways to create a legacy for him,” he continues.

“So we started the night, thinking it would only last a few months and provide us with enough money to put towards another venture.”

Five years later that night is still going strong, in no small part thanks to its perfect formula, which happened almost by accident when the founders were inundated with requests from Cosmo’s friends to play at the first night.

“We tried to cram as many DJs into that one night, meaning that, as well as having an eclectic mix, we also had to keep the sets short,” says Scott.

“That has now become the thing that people love most about The Residents Association.”

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They have more than 60 local DJs to choose from when programming nights, Scott says, which explains how funk, house and reggae can find themselves side-by-side with hip hop, techno and disco.

This ‘anything goes’ approach has also led to people in Hull’s club scene making new connections at the night, with DJs skanking away on the floor after their set.

What started as a way for a group of DJs to celebrate their friend Cosmo’s life, loveable nature and positive spirit, has blossomed into something where people of a similar mindset can come together.

JACK ‘COSMO’ WILLIAMSON

“In the beginning we used to know everyone on the floor,” he adds.

“DJs and punters have become dance great friends at our night, and musicians and producers have “There are still a lot of regulars come together to collaborate that attend who have been there on other projects,” says Scott. since the beginning, but we often look out across a full room and It’s also drawn in plenty of new find it hard to recognise the majorResidents Association fans. ity there, which is a great feeling.”

“We love what we do,” says Scott.

“Every night is special in different ways and it fills us with pride to see a packed dance floor every month.

“They don’t all know why we started the night, but it doesn’t matter any more – they’re having a great time and, for us, that is all that matters.”

WORDS: JAMIE POTTER

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Next March, one of David Bowie’s greatest works will be performed live in its entirety for the first time as part of Hull 2017. Nick Boldock finds out more…David Bowie’s glam-rock masterpiece The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, first released in 1972, is an album indelibly connected with Hull and East Yorkshire. Bowie’s band on Ziggy, the second of his early 1970s holy trinity of landmark releases (it was bookended by Hunky Dory and Aladdin Sane), consisted of Hull’s very own Mick Ronson and Trevor Bolder (on guitar and bass respectively) and Driffield drummer Woody Woodmansey. Collectively they were known as The Spiders From Mars. Sadly, almost 45 years on, only Woody Woodmansey remains of that imperious line-up – the other members all taken too young, and all by the evil of cancer.

In 2015, Woody Woodmansey joined forces with legendary producer/musician (and longstanding Bowie collaborator) Tony Visconti to form the band Holy Holy, with Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory as frontman (usually – other guests also appeared). They toured Bowie’s underrated 1970 rock set The Man Who Sold The World around the globe to universal acclaim, and in 2017 they will visit Hull City Hall to play the Ziggy Stardust album in its entirety – the first time this seminal work will ever have been performed in full in a live setting. As a precursor to the Holy Holy show, a week earlier will see Fruit host a film retrospective of The Spiders From Mars, with special emphasis on the work of guitarist Mick Ronson. Ronson made his first major impact on the music scene as part of Hull rhythm and blues outfit The Rats back in the late 1960s (having previously cut his teeth playing guitar with local groups The Mariners and The Crestas) before eventually teaming up with David Bowie in 1970. His work with Bowie is near-flawless (he played on all of the masterpieces mentioned above, and also on the much-overlooked Pin Ups album), and he would go on to record acclaimed solo releases as well as numerous collaborations and various outings as a producer, most notably for Lou Reed (producing the definitive Transformer album) and later, Morrissey (Your Arsenal).

The film retrospective at Fruit promises an evening of live performance films, talks and in-depth documentaries charting the careers of Ronson and the Spiders.

WORDS: NICK BOLDOCK Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars – A Film Retrospective takes place at Fruit on March 17, 2017. Holy Holy play the Ziggy Stardust album in full at Hull City Hall on March 25.

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For more than 35 years, the Humber Bridge has stood as not only the link between the north and the south, but also the symbol of coming home for Hull folk travelling eastwards on the A63.

The arching main cables between its towers, and the vertical cables holding up the road, resemble a gigantic stringed instrument, like the harp of Bragi, the Norse god of poetry – just waiting for him to come down from the great hall of Valhalla to play it, while singing his much-welcomed songs of peace and co-operation.

We may not be able to conjure up a Norse god to play the Humber Bridge like a giant harp, but in 2017 the bridge will become a place of music and contemplation. Arve Henriksen, the Nor-

wegian composer and trumpet player, has been commissioned to create a piece of music for the bridge, along with his collaborators, electronic music artist and producer Jan Bang and guitarist Eivind Aarset. The trio most recently worked with Armenian-American pianist Tigran Hamasyan on the hauntingly atmospheric work Atmosphères (2016).

Their composition will see the iconic bridge turned into the conduit for an immersive musical experience. Performed by an orchestra and the chorus of Opera North, the work will be augmented by the recordings of locally based sound artist Jez Riley French, who has been capturing the deep ambient sounds of the Humber Bridge and the

surrounding area especially for the installation. Jez has exhibited, performed and been artist-in-residence across the world, including in London, New York, Tokyo, Seoul and of course his home city of Hull.

Thus the Humber Bridge becomes both instrument and location for this intimate musical experience, where listeners will be able to hear through headphones as they walk across. Perfectly merging the majesty of music and monolith, the idea is to juxtapose the aural and visual: the listener hears the otherworldly soundscape while viewing the epic estuary landscape that the Humber Bridge is anchored to and sits high above.

WORDS: RICH SHARP WILSON

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Best known as one-half of Britain’s second most successful songwriting duo (or so legend has it), outsold only by some chaps by the name of Lennon and McCartney, David Rotheray’s musical career is inevitably defined by his work with The Beautiful South.

However, his musical output and contribution to the culture of Hull pre-dates (and post-dates) that legendary band by quite some way.

Rotheray’s first recorded output was with Hull band The Newpolitans and the 1984 double A-side single “Holding On My Hand” / “Duck Town”. It may not have broken any sales records at the time but nowadays you’ll need very deep pockets indeed if you want to own it (it’s fetched as much as £70 a copy on Discogs). That’s if you can even find one – it’s seriously rare and hardly ever comes up for sale.

Following the demise of The Newpolitans, Rotheray joined up with another local band, The Velvetones, who also featured future Housemartins drummer and Beautiful South vocalist Dave Hemingway among their number. The Velvetones remain a celebrated cult band in the history of Hull music (partly due to two of their members later becoming household names, but equally due to their catchy rock ‘n’ roll inflected sound, which still sounds

pretty cool today). The Velvetones recorded two seminal demo tapes in 1985 and 1986 – “Red Hot Swing For Ice Cool Cats” and “Unconditionally Recommended” (though Dave Hemingway had already joined The Housemartins by

ospheric level of critical and commercial success that few musicians from Hull or indeed anywhere else are ever fortunate enough to achieve. But this was no lucky break – the songwriting prowess of Rotheray and partner-in-crime Paul Heaton is almost unparalleled in the history of British music and it should be no surprise that The Beautiful South became one of the country’s most cherished bands, with their compilation Carry On Up The Charts still one of the biggest and fastest-selling albums of all time. What the South did best was to achieve mass appeal – but not by design or by any marketing ploy or cynical media bollocks – their cross-spectrum popularity was purely down to the strength of their music and lyrics.

Even before The Beautiful South announced their split in 2007 (famously announced as being due to “muthe time the latter was recorded) sical similarities”, entirely fitting – both of which are now available with the wry sense of humour for streaming/digital download the band had always displayed via Bandcamp (head to velvetones. in their songs), Rotheray was albandcamp.com to hear them). ready the driving force behind the band Homespun, initially with It was, of course, The Beautiful vocalist Sam Brown (she of “Stop” South that gave Rotheray a strat- fame). Three understated but high-

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ly recommended albums landed between 2003 and 2008 before Homespun too had run its course.

The first David Rotheray “solo” album arrived in 2010. Effectively a set of collaborations, “The Life Of Birds” features a series of guest vocalists and co-written songs. The album is almost a Who’s Who of the folk and acoustic scene, with the likes of Eliza Carthy, Eleanor McEvoy, Bella Hardy and others making appearances. Musically, the album was a progression from The Beautiful South and a bold move towards a more pastoral, folky sound. Another collaborative album, “Answer Ballads” followed in 2013 (tellingly released on folk label Navigator, home of Bellowhead) again featuring a star-studded line up of guests including Eliza Carthy (again), Jackie Oates and Kris Drever, among many

others. Each song on “Answer Ballads” is an imagined response to a fictional character from a well-known song – hence you have “Jolene’s Song”, “Roxanne’s Song”, et al – in which Rotheray and his collaborators concoct some fanciful and thoroughly engaging (and completely fictional) “what happened next” stories. It is an adorable and fascinating album. It was, therefore, a surprise to find that following “Answer Ballads”, Rotheray went on hiatus from the music industry (with no fanfare, such is his way) and so far has not recorded anything else since (though he has songwriting credits on albums by Eleanor McEvoy and Naomi Bedford).

co-owns and manages The People’s Republic bar on Newland Avenue, which serves beers from around the globe and plays (mainly) world music on vinyl. TPR is a welcoming, friendly venue and you can often find Dave working behind the bar with absolutely no hint of superstar ego. If you didn’t recognise him, you’d have no idea he was “the bloke from The Beautiful South”. A rock star he may be, but this Hull Music Icon is as downto-earth as you could hope for, as happy pulling a pint for a punter as he is writing a million-selling hit.

So what is he up to now? Well, he certainly hasn’t disappeared from view. Combining his loves of music, beer and travel, Rotheray now

WORDS: NICK BOLDOCK

But then, he’s from Hull, so what else would you expect?

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Aside from Hull being on the confluence of two bodies of water, as a port town it is a place where cultures from many places have emerged and merge over the generations. Over our history these influences have ebbed and flowed through the city, especially those from Northern European and the Nordic nations, through our shared seafaring heritage. It’s reflected in our DNA, our architecture, our street names, our sense of isolation. During 2017 singer-songwriter John Grant in collaboration with Curated Place, will be bringing a musical flavour of that Nordic connection to the city, with a four day experimental music festival. For what will be a veritable musical smorgasbord (yes I know that’s a Swedish word, but stick with me), a musical conflux of styles and genres, if Grant’s existing body of work so far is anything to go by.

Grant who released the hit song Disappointing in 2015, featured singer song-writer Tracey Thorn of Everything But The Girl, a band founded in Hull. He first found solo success with his debut album Queen of Denmark, which was voted Best Album of 2010 by Mojo Magazine. Never feeling settled anywhere, he travelled around looking for a place to call home. He even tried Sweden at one point until his dark winter of the soul there, when he was diagnosed with HIV. Eventually Grant moved from his native USA to Iceland to escape what had become a self-destructive rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle and to finally find some sense of peace in Reykjavik.

Hull’s shared history with Iceland, across the tempestuous North Atlantic was cast in brass, in 2006 when Icelandic artist Steinunn Thorarinsdottir installed her twin sculptures of Voyage and For in Hull and the village of Vik, on Iceland’s south coast. Both statues looking longingly towards each other, out to sea.

Yet they are still separated by the ocean that defines much of the character of the two places. And thus Grant’s North Atlantic Flux festival, subtitled Sounds From Smoky Bay (the English Translation of Reykjavík) will bridge that gap of longing, bringing the Nordic sound into the very heart of the Hull. And the one thing that a musical festival in the city with John Grant at the epicentre of won’t be is disappointing.

Sounds of Smoky Bay festival will be from the 28th of April to the 1st of May 2017.

PG 28

If dancing to the finest underground house and techno in repurposed industrial spaces is your bag, then Different Language is the party for you.

Started in 2007 by Martin Hodgson and Rob Fletcher, Different Language was born to showcase the kind of club music that was missing from Hull at the time.

Over the years the pair have taken their night from small pubs in west Hull to the Humber Street area, and then on to its new home on Bankside, the Gate No 5 warehouse venue.

This approach, a nod to the early days of illegal raves and warehouse parties, is part of the DNA of the night, explains Martin.

“The idea of a daytime outdoor terrace party was our starting point,” he says, “before we took the party to other unique spaces such as the Spring Bank Tavern courtyard, Old Fire Station and Fruit.”

Martin adds: “The Different Language parties still use outdoor and warehouse spaces and have grown into one of the North’s most original and respected underground parties, attracting some of the scene’s finest DJs.”

Over the past decade, names have included tINI, Cassy, Tobi Neumann, Guti, Margaret Dygas, Enzo Siragusa, Nick Curly, Onur Özer, Dan Ghenacia, Julietta, Shonky, Hector and many more.

The quality of these line-ups is integral to the night, and Martin and Rob set exacting standards.

“We always go for DJs and artists we admire, whether it’s because we’ve seen them live or enjoy their music and productions,” says Martin.

“We do not go on buzz and book someone because they have a new Mixmag CD coming out.”

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The Different Language crowd appreciate such programming and, although they can regularly pull in 400-500 people at Gate No 5, the night remains an intimate affair.

“The DJ is pretty much on the same level as the crowd, within touching distance of the dance floor,” says Martin.

“I walk through the club and pretty much know most people there. And I think it’s like that for a lot of people there, and that creates a cool, friendly vibe that you might not get at other clubs in larger cities.

Next year sees Different Language reach double figures and, while their long-term plans are to keep on with more of the same, they do harbour hopes to join in with the City of Culture fun for their 10th year.

“That kind of connection and intimacy is very rare and it’s something we’ve always tried to have at all our events. Gate No 5 is low-lit and not like any other club space in Hull. It’s basically a legal rave.”

“We don’t particularly have any set plans as such – we just go with the flow and continue to do what we do.

“There are lots of things happening in Hull, from live music to intimate electronic and house events.

“Next year is important, so all promoters, venue owners and artists have to push us forward, collectively.

“We will continue to tweak and improve Gate No 5 and hope to make a contribution to Hull’s City of Culture in 2017.”

WORDS: JAMIE POTTER

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The legendary Fairview Studios based in Willerby, on the outskirts of Hull Celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

Founded in 1966 by musician Keith Herd, the studio was originally based in Keith’s front room, hence the title of the 2009 compilation Front Room Masters, which celebrated the early days of Fairview with some familiar names (The Rats, Mandy & The Girlfriends) and a host of long-lost gems by the likes of The Axe and The Mandrakes (the latter featuring a young Robert Palmer on vocal duties).

ter Band pass through the studio doors, and in 1978 a young and then-unknown Sheffield band by the name of Def Leppard arrived at Fairview to record what would become their debut release. Def Leppard went on to enjoy massive global success, and original copies of the resulting 7” EP now sell for about £200.

As Fairview’s reputation grew, so did its client list. During the 1980s It was during this period that the pio- the studio hosted such names as neering musician Basil Kirchin (see the Sisters Of Mercy, The Houseelsewhere in this issue of Browse) martins, Red Guitars, Bill Nelson began working at the studio. (Be Bop Deluxe) and Bruce Foxton (The Jam), while the 1990s saw “We became close friends and he The Beautiful South, Kingmaker, ended up lodging with us for quite Shed Seven and The Farm using long periods while he worked the studio’s cutting-edge facilities. on his album Worlds Within Worlds,” Keith Herd recalled in Today, Fairview is still going strong the Front Room Masters sleeve (and still owned by Keith Herd 50 notes. “I learned a lot from Basil.” years on) with a new generation of bands – from Hull and elsewhere – Another band to record at Fair- recording there on a daily basis. view in the 1960s were The Hammer, with Rod Temperton on The 50th anniversary of the studio keyboards. Rod would go on to has brought not one but two new co-write Michael Jackson’s Thriller. compilation albums celebrating the music made within its hallowed In 1973, Fairview expanded walls. Firstly, local music historian into a purpose-built studio in the Andy Richardson has followed up grounds of the house, from where his Front Room Masters album with it still operates today. The 1970s a second volume – A Perfect Comsaw the likes of Maddy Prior, bination: Fairview Studios 1973Michael Chapman and The Glit- 1993. The album launched in Sep-

WORDS: NICK BOLDOCK tember 2016 and collects more than 40 seminal recordings from a golden era of Fairview Studios.

If all that wasn’t enough, longstanding in-house producer and engineer John Spence is in the process of compiling his Fairview At 50 album, which sees a host of celebrated names from the studio’s past returning to record new material at Fairview.

“I couldn’t let this landmark pass without celebrating it in some way,” John told us, “so I hit upon the idea of inviting clients past and present to come along and record a piece for an anniversary CD”.

Fairview alumni International Rescue, Bill Nelson and Loudhailer Electric Company (ex-Red Guitars and Dead Fingers Talk) are among the musicians contributing to this exciting project. Fairview At 50 is due for release in 2017.

There are a number of truly iconic studios throughout Britain. Hull should be immensely proud that one of the very best of them is right here on our doorstep. Here’s to many more years of success for the wonderful Fairview Studios.

(With thanks to Keith Herd, John Spence and Andy Richardson)