The Musician, Autumn 2018

The Musician Journal of the Musicians’ Union Autumn 2018 theMU.org

Employment Casework The support offered by the MU for musicians in the workplace

For Richer For Poorer

The benefits and challenges of working in a wedding band

Profile: Kuljit Bhamra

Tabla star, Bhangra pioneer, composer and producer

Focus On Sheffield

A thriving musical centre that is a constant source of creation

contacts Union HQ General Secretary Horace Trubridge Assistant General Secretary Naomi Pohl (Music Industry) Assistant General Secretary David Ashley (Finance & Administration) National Organiser Bill Kerr (Orchestras) National Organiser Diane Widdison (Education & Training) National Organiser Phil Kear (Recording & Broadcasting) National Organiser Dave Webster (Live Performance)

Regional Offices Head of Communications & Government Relations Isabelle Gutierrez In-House Solicitor Dawn Rodger PR & Marketing Official Keith Ames Recording & Broadcasting Official Michael Sweeney Licensing & Distribution Official Annie Turner Sessions Official Geoff Ellerby Live Performance Official Kelly Wood Equalities, Diversity & Inclusion Official John Shortell Orchestras Official Morris Stemp Campaigns & Social Media Official Maddy Radcliff

Union HQ 60–62 Clapham Road London sw9 0jj t 020 7582 5566 f 020 7582 9805 e info@theMU.org w theMU.org @WeAreTheMU

London Regional Organiser: Jo Laverty 33 Palfrey Place, London SW8 1PE t 020 7840 5504 e london@theMU.org East & South East England Regional Organiser: Paul Burrows 1a Fentiman Road, London SW8 1LD t 020 7840 5537 e eastsoutheast@theMU.org Midlands Regional Organiser: Stephen Brown 2 Sovereign Court, Graham Street, Birmingham B1 3JR t 0121 236 4028 e midlands@theMU.org Wales & South West England Regional Organiser: Paul Gray Transport House, 1 Cathedral Rd, Cardiff CF11 9SD t 029 2045 6585 e cardiff@theMU.org North of England Regional Organiser: Matt Wanstall 61 Bloom Street, Manchester M1 3LY t 0161 236 1764 e manchester@theMU.org Scotland & Northern Ireland Regional Organiser: Caroline Sewell 333 Woodlands Road, Glasgow G3 6NG t 0141 341 2960 e glasgow@theMU.org

report

The MU Supporter Scheme Active campaigning and grassroots support have been key to the MU’s success, but imagine if the MU could harness the power of everyone who enjoys music. that concentrating our recruitment efforts entirely on these essential but perhaps not very exciting aspects of membership is the best or only way to grow the Union.

© Katharyn Boudet

Campaigns to the fore This year we will be investing significantly in marketing the MU’s campaigns. Our Musician Behind the Moment (MBtM) campaign, which highlights the fantastic contribution that the UK’s orchestral players make to UK society, has already paved the way for a new era of MU campaigning. Our MBtM Twitter feed had over 2.25 million views and the YouTube videos over 20,000 hits.

Horace Trubridge, General Secretary

You will have read in the last issue of The Musician about the launch of the new MU Supporter Scheme. This is a brand new initiative which we hope, over time, will increase the MU’s influence in political and arts funding arenas as well as grow the membership.

For as long as I have worked for the MU we have focused our recruitment initiatives on trumpeting the services and benefits that the MU offers to musicians when they join us. While there is no denying that the insurances, legal advice and assistance are invaluable to working musicians, I’m not sure

Unlike the average viewer dwell time, which is under two seconds, the videos were watched for an average of ten seconds, which shows that people are taking notice. We intend to build upon the success of this campaign by launching further campaigns focusing on easy access to EU countries post-Brexit, breathing life back into the UK’s grassroots music circuit and addressing the inequality of music education in the UK.

convince more musicians that we aren’t just here to offer insurances and legal help. We can influence politicians and legislators to make a brighter future for musicians working in the UK and overseas.

So, back to the MU Supporter Scheme. We believe that in doing the very best we can for our members we are in fact not just looking after musicians but we are also looking after music. Without the musicians there is no music, so it follows that in working to secure a brighter future for musicians in the UK we will also ensure that they continue to deliver the music that we all love and cherish.

Music lovers How many music lovers are there in the UK? Who knows but it must run into millions. If they were all to sign up to the MU Supporter

“If every music lover in the country signed up to the scheme imagine how much clout we’d have.”

You will remember the campaign that we ran to support the musicians who were unfairly sacked from the West End production of War Horse. The campaign was run over several months and in the end we achieved a substantial out of court settlement for the musicians. Literally thousands of music lovers signed our petition to support our campaign and we know that we had a spike in membership figures during that time too. Investing more time and money in our campaigns will

Scheme – it’s free by the way – imagine how much clout we would have when it comes to petitions and lobbying. Over to you dear member, tell everyone you know who loves music about the Supporter Scheme and urge them to sign up. No one else in the UK is doing the work that the MU does in supporting musicians. Support for musicians equals support for music, so be proud of your Union and help us grow it.

Horace Trubridge

To hear more from Horace, visit theMU.org The Musician • Autumn 2018

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Contents Autumn 2018

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16

Exclusive interview with Emily Barker, UK Artist of the Year at the 2018 UK Americana Awards.

The Musician • Autumn 2018

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Frontline

Features

6 European Parliament rejects Copyright Directive 7 Musicians unite in support of Labour Live festival

Reports

24 Fair Play Focus: The Boileroom, Guildford 30 MU employment casework 36 Regional Focus on Sheffield 42 Political update

3 MU General Secretary Horace Trubridge 10 Assistant General Secretary Naomi Pohl 12 Mental health and musicians: new initiatives offer support 20 The pros and cons of working in the wedding band market 32 Spotlight on the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) 35 Get properly paid for gigging with MU standard contracts 40 The valuable work of the MU Live Performance Section

Your Voice 9

Tweets from Musicians’ Union members

Check your membership details online at theMU.org

Profiles

16 Americana singer-songwriter and composer Emily Barker 26 Bhangra pioneer, tabla star and composer Kuljit Bhamra 50 Percussionist and stalwart MU member Matthew West

Reviews

Union notices 2 46 49 51

Key MU contacts Tributes Ask Us First Member benefits

43 CDs and downloads

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MU Contributors Daniel Dylan Wray Dan is a writer based in Sheffield. He writes about music and culture for The Guardian, Uncut, Pitchfork, Loud & Quiet, Vice and The Independent. p36

Photo: Joseph Branston. © MU 2018

Andrew Stewart Andrew writes for The Times, The Guardian, Classical Music and BBC Music Magazine, among others. He is also the Director of Southwark Voices. p32

Katie Nicholls Katie is a freelance journalist and editor whose features and reviews have appeared in titles such as Mojo, The Guardian and Kerrang! p30

Steve Faragher Freelance writer and editor Steve launched Country magazine in 2016 and writes copy for national magazines and international brands. p35 & 40

Henry Yates Henry is a freelance writer from Gloucestershire who has written for publications as diverse as Classic Rock, Total Guitar, NME and Record Collector. p20

Kat Arney Kat Arney is an awardwinning freelance science writer, author and broadcaster. She also plays harp and woodwinds with the bands Sunday Driver and Talk in Colour. p12

Neil Crossley A journalist and editor who has written for The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and The Financial Times. Neil also fronts the band Furlined. p16 & 24

Will Simpson Will has contributed to a range of music magazines, including Total Guitar, Guitarist and Mixmag.

Will has also published the book Freedom Through Football. p26

Cover: Matthew West, Percussionist in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Photographed at Apollo Theatre Photo: Joby Sessions. © MU 2018

The Musician • Autumn 2018

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Brexit and You The MU is fighting to protect free movement for musicians working in the EU post-Brexit. We want to hear from you about how Brexit has affected your working plans for 2019. #WorkingInTheEU bit.ly/2AzdUAV

frontline Autumn 2018

MU “Disappointed”

By Rejection Of The Copyright Directive

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HEX LLC. / Alamy Stock Photo

The MU in action, working on behalf of professional musicians.

The MU believes that all musicians deserve to be fairly rewarded for their work.

The 5 July 2018 vote by Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), to reject the Legal Affairs Committee’s proposals on the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, has been greeted with considerable disappointment by the music industry and all who campaign on behalf of creators.

The Musicians’ Union has been lobbying for years to achieve fair compensation for performers, including featured artists and non-featured artists (session musicians), from streaming services and user-upload sites such as YouTube.

The campaign to support the Directive had attracted high-profile backing from musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Placido Domingo and David Guetta.

Draft directive Amid calls from other MEPs for a broad-based debate later in the year, the vote was lost by 318 to 278. The legislation is now on hold and will go before a full debate in September.

The draft Directive contains provisions for improved transparency in royalty accounting to performers and creators, as well as for making contracts and payments fairer.

The Musician • Autumn 2018

The Directive has been subject to a major lobbying campaign by the giant tech business world, which clearly has a vested and multimillion-pound interest in the issue.

Horace Trubridge, MU General Secretary, said: “Yet again the tech industry has used its political influence to deny creators and rights owners a fair share of the enormous riches that they derive from their businesses.

“These companies would have nothing to offer their customers were it not for the efforts of musicians, songwriters and producers, yet they are allowed to continue to deny the creative community their rightful share. The fight goes on and we will redouble our efforts to convince the legislators they must act to bring an end to this appalling injustice.”

“The fight goes on… the legislators must act to bring an end to this appalling injustice.”

Horace Trubridge

frontline

Independent Scrutineer’s Report This report is issued in accordance with the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 as amended.

Photos: Jonathan Stewart. © MU 2018

Above: Jeremy Corbyn. Far left: Clean Bandit.

Below: She Drew The Gun.

Executive Committee Wales & South West England Region Result of ballot of members (1 to be elected): PHILLIP COURT 85 LEWIS HUTTON 31 BRUCE JORDAN 75 RACHAEL PARVIN 202 ELECTED Spoilt ballot papers (no vote) 3 Total ballot papers received 396 (12%) Total ballot papers dispatched 3293 All votes were counted twice to confirm the outcome.

“I am satisfied that there are no reasonable grounds for believing that there was any contravention of a requirement imposed by or under any enactment in relation to the election.

Musicians Unite In Support Of Labour Live Billed as ‘a festival of music, arts and politics’, Labour Live 2018 took place on Saturday 16 June in Haringey, north London with support from the Musicians’ Union and other trade union organisations.

Artists performing at the event included She Drew The Gun, Jermain Jackman, The Magic Numbers, Reverend and the Makers and headliners Clean Bandit. The festival was attended by more than 13,000 music fans and Labour Party supporters who enjoyed a mixed programme of political debate, speeches and great music.

Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, took to the stage late in the afternoon and lambasted the Conservative government, saying: “I look across the chamber and I see a party of the rich, by the rich, for the rich and funded by the rich and I see a party that’s divided, incapable of negotiating and incapable of governing.” He moved on to promise his audience that “The legacy of the next Labour government will be a

national and education service that takes the commodity out of education. Under Labour, mail, rail and water will come back where they belong, into public ownership.”

The Musicians’ Union sponsored the headline act on Labour Live’s second stage, Liverpoolbased She Drew The Gun. Drummer Grace Goodwin tweeted after the gig: “Had a great time at Labour Live and was treated so well as a musician with a dressing room, catering and help with my gear! This is not the norm for all gigs so props to @UKLabour and @WeAreTheMU for treating musicians well!”

“I see a party that is divided, incapable of negotiating and incapable of governing.”

“I am satisfied that the arrangements made with respect to the production, storage, distribution, return or other handling of the voting papers used in the election, and the arrangements for the counting of the votes, included all such security arrangements as were reasonably practicable for the purpose of minimising the risk that any unfairness or malpractice might occur.

“I have been able to carry out my functions without such interference as would make it reasonable for any person to call my independence in relation to the union into question. I have inspected the register of members and no matters were revealed which should be drawn to the attention of the union in order to assist it in securing that the register is accurate and up to date.

I was not requested by any member or candidate to inspect or examine a copy of the membership register.

“The MU did not appoint an Independent Person under Section 51A of the Act.” Anne Hock, MD, Popularis, 4 June 2018

Jeremy Corbyn The Musician • Autumn 2018

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The MU has commissioned an extensive piece of research into the current state of music education in the UK. The MU is seeking to obtain the views of teachers, headteachers and others through a range of surveys.

Through these, it will diagnose and explore any issues challenging music education.

Four surveys have been compiled to help collect the information needed, which once collated will form the basis of a key report.

Visit theMU.org/education for full details.

Accounts Updates For Members 8

PPL Performer Director Election

© Roman Voloshyn / Shutterstock

MU Research Into The State Of UK Music Education

SUPPORT THE MU Love Music? Encourage your music-loving friends and family to sign up as MU Suppporters at theMU.org

Please note that in the Salaries and Benefits section of the Statement to Members on p47 of the summer issue of The Musician, the amount of £1,869 recorded as being reimbursed to EC member Pete Williams during 2017 was in fact paid to Executive Committee member Sarah Williams. Loss of earnings may be reimbursed to EC members whilst they are on MU business.

HW Fisher, provider of our valued Tax Savings Guide, has a new email address for members with tax-related enquiries: mediahelpline@hwfisher.co.uk

Free MU downloads explain how GDPR may impact on MU members.

MU Outlines How GDPR May Impact On Members

MU General Secretary Horace Trubridge will be standing for election in November 2018 as a PPL Performer Director. This is a key position and an opportunity to secure the voice of musicians within the organisation in the coming years.

In addition to Horace’s career with the MU since 1990, his many years as a gigging and recording musician – both as a featured artist and as a session player – will ensure today’s working musicians will be represented highly effectively. Horace is particularly keen to keep fighting for equitable remuneration for musicians from streaming platforms.

Following on from our report last month, the MU has put together some practical examples of how the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) may impact on members. GDPR came into force on 25 May, changing the way organisations are allowed to collect, hold and share information about individuals.

To be considered for a ballot a candidate requires 10 nominations by ‘Eligible Performers’, i.e. performers registered with PPL who have received any payment from PPL in either 2016 or 2017 (regardless of value, and whether they received UK or international income). Horace has secured the necessary nominations.

The new document sets out three case studies – the gigging musician, the music teacher and the crowd-funded musician – and covers the basic issues they may face.

Download the GDPR advice case studies for free by visiting the MU website and searching for ‘GDPR’. You will also find a link to our GDPR advice page where you can find out more about GDPR and how it affects you.

Should an election be required following more than two candidates being proposed, an online voting process will take place prior to the APM on 27 November. Members of the MU who are PPL ‘eligible members’ should vote for Horace to ensure that the interests of all musicians, both featured and nonfeatured, are best represented. For more information email apm@ppluk.com

Dates For The Diary

05 Oct

24 Oct

27-28 Oct

8-10 Nov

10-11 Nov

What: SensoriaPro 2018 Where: Trafalgar Warehouse, Trafalgar Street, Sheffield Info: sensoria.org.uk/ sensoriapro-2018/

What: Making The Most Of Your International Membership Where: PPL HQ, 1 Upper James Street, London Info: bit.ly/2uNDTCz

What: MU Teachers’ Continued Professional Development Weekend Where: Faculty of Dance, Laban Building, London Info: bit.ly/2rxthpG

What: BBC Music Introducing LIVE 18 Where: Tobacco Dock, The Dock, Tobacco Quay, Wapping Lane, London Info: bbc.in/2wJpifB

What: The London Drum Show 2018 Where: Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, Kensington, London Info: londondrumshow.com

The Musician • Autumn 2018

frontline

Your Voice This selection of tweets reflects the diverse range of dialogue between the MU and its members.

Venue threat

Last month’s cover star Jen Hingley of False Advertising.

Another day, another music venue under threat...

Please sign the petition to help keep @StarBackroom open – a lovely venue that I and lots of other up and coming artists have been lucky to play at @WeAreTheMU Hannah Scott @hannahscottuk

Not alone

Some gr8 articles in this months The Musician. Partic the one highlighting the 85% of @WeAreTheMU members who are freelance and their portfolio careers. It’s a positive encouraging article for many musicians who feel less than because they don’t do music full time.

Cindy Douglas @DouglasCindy

Arts minister

Informative and helpful meeting with @WeAreTheMU and @ThangamMP. I’m determined to make sure that our musicians continue to thrive, and that we support the next generation into music! #CreativityIsGREAT @DCMS Margot James @margot_james_mp

Brexit concern

As predicted by @WeAreTheMU and musicians and techs constantly, Brexit harms musicians and threatens a key UK export. Tours are now being cancelled. @Simon_Gardner ‘King Crimson reunion tour canned because Brexit’.

Steve Bullock @guitarmoog

Hearing aid

After years of DJing I finally got myself some ear plugs.

Thanks to @WeAreTheMU who offer a subsidised rate to musicians as part of their Hearing Health Scheme. Sign up if you haven’t already.

Mr Mitch @mrmitchmusic

THE TEAM Editor Keith Ames (MU) Consultant editor Neil Crossley Art editor Chris Stenner Writers Keith Ames, Kat Arney, Neil Crossley, Steve Faragher, Katie Nicholls, Will Simpson, Tom Shaw, Andrew Stewart, Daniel Dylan Wray, Henry Yates Production editor Steve Faragher Director of content marketing Clare Jonik Head of Fusion procurement and production Matt Eglinton Account manager Rebecca Nannery Editorial director Mark Donald Art director Stuart Hobbs Repro Gary Stuckey Printed at Precision Colour Printing See p2 for the contact details of Musicians’ Union offices.

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Cover stars

We’re on the cover of this month’s @WeAreTheMU magazine. Thanks for all the support you give to musicians.

False Advertising @falseadv

Oh rats

Me reading the Pied Piper of Hamelin to my cousins: “And that, children, is why you should always pay musicians appropriate fees for their work...” @WeAreTheMU Samara Ginsberg @samaracello

facebook.com/musicians.union

soundcloud.com/musicians-union

Follow us on Twitter @WeAreTheMU

Find us at theMU.org

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Email us TheMusician@TheMU.org

All information contained in this journal is for informational purposes only and is, to the best of our knowledge, correct at the time of going to press. This journal is published by Future Publishing Limited on behalf of Musicians’ Union. Neither Future Publishing Limited nor Musicians’ Union accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies that occur in such information. Readers are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers direct with regard to the price of products/services in the journal.

Publication of an advertisement does not imply any form of recommendation. Organisations offering financial services or insurance are governed by their relevant regulatory bodies and problems with such services should be taken up with those bodies. Neither Future Publishing Limited nor Musicians’ Union accept any liability for the quality of goods and services offered in advertisements. We do our best to avoid inaccuracies, but if you believe that an error has been made, please contact the editor straight away before taking any other action and the Union will take appropriate steps. If you submit material to this journal, you automatically grant Future Publishing Limited and Musicians’ Union a licence to publish your submissions in whole or in part in any edition of this journal that is published worldwide in any format or media throughout the world, and you grant Musicians’ Union a licence to publish your submissions in whole or in part in any format or media for the purpose of promoting any products or services referred to in your submissions. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and neither Future Publishing Limited nor Musicians’ Union nor their respective employees, agents or subcontractors shall be liable for any loss or damage. © Future Publishing Limited and Musicians’ Union 2018.

All rights reserved. No part of this journal may be used or reproduced without the written permission of Future Publishing Limited and Musicians’ Union.

The Musician • Autumn 2018

Campaigning For The Fair Payment Of Musicians Following on from Horace Trubridge’s column last issue, MU Assistant General Secretary Naomi Pohl explains in depth the issues around streaming income from internet sites, and why musicians are still not getting a fair share.

The MU has been lobbying for several years to achieve fair compensation for performers, including session musicians, from internet streaming services and user-upload sites such as YouTube.

Lobbying activity has taken place in conjunction with various performer and creator representative bodies, such as the International Federation of Musicians (FIM), the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors (BASCA), the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and the Music Producers Guild (MPG). We have also been represented as part of wider industry efforts by UK Music and the British Copyright Council.

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Fair internet for performers We have been following the progression of a Copyright Directive, which forms part of the EU Digital Single Market initiative, through various European Commission Committee stages. We have also been closely involved in the Fair Internet for Performers Campaign (FIPC), which has been spearheaded by FIM and calls specifically for equitable remuneration on streaming.

“We believe these services should pay a licence fee which results in fair payment for all performers.”

The Musician • Autumn 2018

To expand for a moment on the purpose of the campaign, you will most likely be aware of PPL, which collects royalties for recording rightsholders (labels primarily) and performers. PPL collects public performance royalties so when recorded music is played on the radio or in a public space, such as a nightclub, salon or estate agents, a licence is purchased and this income is shared between the rightsholder and any performers.

This income is divided by PPL as follows: - 50% to the label/rights holder - 50% to the performers, which is divided 65% in favour of the featured artist(s) and 35% to the non-featured (session musicians and backing singers).

Of course, the writer of the music and their music publisher also receives remuneration through PRS for Music. Licences for radio stations, negotiated with the BBC for example, are substantial and result in fair payment for writers and performers from radio broadcasts.

Joined up licensing Incidentally, you may be aware that PPL and PRS for Music have joined up and are now offering licences to businesses jointly, after years of complaints that two separate music licences are required.

What FIPC argues, in a nutshell, is that streaming services are increasingly performing the function previously fulfilled by broadcast radio. Streaming services such as Spotify are carefully, and I must say brilliantly, curated. Listeners can choose what music to listen to or, alternatively and increasingly commonly, they can select to listen to Artist Radio or a Playlist. Therefore, we believe these services should pay a licence fee, which

Left: © Katharyn Boudet. Right: © Andia / Getty Images

profile report

“The fight continues but this was a fairly major battle lost along the way.”

Firstly, they have to do this anyway to avoid inappropriate content such as porn being uploaded. Secondly, the current system for tackling copyright infringement on these sites sits with rightsholders and isn’t in any way fair or effective. One major label told me it had to employ a whole team to keep One Direction’s new single offline. Every time an infringement notice was sent and an illegal stream removed, another ten popped up. What unsigned artist can afford to do likewise?

After defeat in the European Parliament, the Directive goes back to committee.

results in a fair payment for all performers.

At the present time, artists are not fairly remunerated for streaming of their music and non-featured musicians such as session players receive nothing at all.

Fair and proportionate The EU Copyright Directive, which has been through thousands of proposed amendments, was unlikely to offer exactly what we wanted from streaming but the most recent draft did state that performers should be fairly and proportionately remunerated from the exploitation of their works, including from their online exploitation.

The Directive also asserts that royalties should be accounted more transparently

and that pre-digital era contracts should be up for renegotiation. On the latter point, you may remember that the Union has offered assistance to featured artists who were signed pre-streaming and therefore receive insufficient royalties for this form of exploitation. For more information, please get in touch via your Regional Office.

Another key focus of lobbying has been so-called Article 13 of the Directive, which focuses on appropriate and fair licensing of user-generated upload sites such as YouTube.

This has been one of the more controversial aspects of the Directive as a result of the tech lobby, including Google which owns YouTube, claiming that it would result in the death of the internet as we know it. This is patently nonsense and is simply an attempt to avoid paying proper licence fees. Article 13 required sites hosting user-generated content to use ‘appropriate and proportionate’ content monitoring software to keep track of what is uploaded so that infringing content can be removed and/or licensed appropriately.

Extremely disappointingly, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted to reject the current draft of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market on 5 July 2018. Amid calls from some MEPs for a broad-based debate later in the year, the vote was lost by 318 to 278. The legislation is now on hold and will go before a full debate in September.

Challenges ahead The fight continues but this was a fairly major battle lost along the way. Our challenge is to counteract the billions-rich tech lobby who get consumers on their side by pumping out scare stories about the impact of new copyright law on users. And yet our fight is not with the users, it’s with the hosts.

As we regroup with colleagues across the industry in the autumn, we may need members’ support to make our arguments.

Watch this space.

The Musician • Autumn 2018

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Music And The Mind Musicians seem to suffer more mental ill health than the general population, yet their lifestyles can make them harder to support. So what is being done to help?

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From Mahler and Schumann to Cobain and Winehouse, there has long been a romanticised connection between musical talent and mental health problems. But while popular culture idolises the idea of the ‘tortured genius’, the truth is more insidious.

Not only are we losing talented artists to suicide and overdoses, but the lives of many more musicians are being made miserable by anxiety, depression, addiction and other psychiatric conditions.

In 2016, the charity Help Musicians UK noticed a 22% rise in the number of people coming to them seeking help for mental health crises.

To find out more about what may lie beneath this increase, the charity commissioned a survey of more than 2,000 self-identified professional musicians across the UK music industry, carried out by researchers at the University of Westminster. The results showed that seven out of ten had suffered anxiety and panic attacks, while two thirds had experienced depression – three times more than the general population – yet more than half of the respondents said that they had found it difficult to get help. The message was stark: mental illness among musicians is an enormous problem.

“This was the first academic study on the incidence of mental health and musicians in the UK,” says the report’s lead author Sally-Anne Gross, a former music manager who is now principal lecturer in music business management at Westminster.

The Musician • Autumn 2018

© Rupert R Plumb

Report by Kat Arney

“It didn’t matter where people were, what genre they came from or what part of the business they were in, they all said the same thing – they all loved making music but trying to build a career in music was crushing them.

It really felt like we were talking to a lot of people who were very anxious.”

Money worries Perhaps unsurprisingly, money worries came out as one of the major causes of mental distress, coupled with the unpredictable nature of musical work. This can be particularly acute when people feel they are financially reliant on family or partners, leading to feelings of guilt for pursuing music rather than getting a ‘proper job’. Irregular working patterns and late nights were also an issue, impacting on family life, relationships and friendships. Many musicians were also working several jobs in order to stay afloat financially, often without breaks, leading to mental and physical burn-out.

Other sources of problems include performance anxiety (‘stage fright’), which can come on suddenly and affect even the most confident performers. Discrimination, bullying and coercion can cause significant mental distress, especially in those who are already psychologically vulnerable, and women in particular highlighted the widespread negative impact of sexism and sexual harassment in the music industry. More fundamentally, the University of Westminster survey revealed a deep vein of unhappiness at the core of many musicians’ very selves.

“Music is embodied in your sense of self – it’s a really deep belief in something that is helping you to construct yourself as a living, breathing subject and without which you feel unable to continue,” explains Gross. “But if you’ve invested a huge amount of time and effort into practising, writing and performing but things aren’t happening for you, then the disappointment can be immense.”

It’s a view echoed by Christine Brown, director of external affairs at Help Musicians UK: “Music has a powerful and positive impact on people, but the environment around them can

report

“It might seem like you’re living the dream, but it can be absolutely miserable.”

AF archive / Alamy Stock Photo

Diane Widdison

A Music Minds Matter benefit event (above).

Amy Winehouse lost her long-running battle with mental ill health in 2011 (right).

make them very unhappy. It’s a precarious industry with a lot of anxiety about irregular income and working hours. There are the highs of performing and the lows of coming off stage, and the stresses of touring and travel, as well as the impact of alcohol and drugs.”

Feeling homesick While it may be the dream of many musicians to tour the world, whether in a band, as a solo artist or as part of an orchestra, life on the road brings its own issues that can have a dramatic impact on mental health.

“It might seem like you’re living the dream, but it can be absolutely miserable,” says Diane Widdison, the Musicians’ Union National Organiser for Education and Training. “You can end up eating badly, having no time for exercise or self care and sleeping badly in poor accommodation or on a tour bus. A gruelling schedule might be quite exciting when you start out as a new conservatoire graduate, but 20 years down the line it’s

going to be a drain on your physical as well as your mental health.”

It’s a story that sounds all too familiar to Clive*, a bassist who toured extensively with an indie rock band in the early 90s. Touring took its toll on him and Clive spiralled into depression when the band finally broke up after a few years on the road.

“I think I went through as many mental states as I there are states in America,” he laughs.

“There’s the high of being on stage, but the reality is mostly quite tedious – you’re setting up all your gear, killing time before the gig, then packing it back down and getting back in the van, only to do it all again the next day. You think it should be like a constant road movie but it’s a long time to be spending with the same people, even if they are your friends.”

Away from pubs and clubs, life in the concert hall brings its own set of pressures.

Evie*, an orchestral brass player and music teacher living in London, realised that she was suffering from anxiety and depression around four years ago when she had a series of breakdowns.

“A lot of it was to do with feeling that I wasn’t getting any work or that I wasn’t good enough,” she says. “I was being asked to do things for free or derisory fees, which made me feel very devalued and triggered a lot of self-worth issues.”

Working through the pain Evie eventually sought help from her GP and was referred for counselling but found it difficult to make it work alongside the demands of her life as a working musician.

“They didn’t really understand my line of work,” she says. “I finally got a counsellor I was happy to talk to but then I had to go The Musician • Autumn 2018

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“There should be more education for everyone in the industry.”

Samantha Parker

on tour for seven weeks so they just dismissed me. I felt I was let down, because they simply didn’t understand that you can’t just put everything on hold if you’ve got concerts you’re getting paid for or teaching you can’t rearrange.”

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Recognising the need to provide a service that caters to the unique needs and challenges faced by people working in music, Help Musicians UK launched Music Minds Matter in December 2017. More than just a Freephone helpline, it’s a comprehensive mental health support service providing advice, information, resources, and professional and clinical services for musicians in need of help.

The service is completely confidential and staffed by trained volunteers who all understand the unique challenges and pressures faced by people working in music.

Importantly for a profession where many people struggle financially, the counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy is free for all UK-based musicians who make more than half their income from music and have less than £16,000 in savings – best of all, it usually starts within a week.

“We’ve had more than 300 enquiries so far – mostly from men in their 30s and 40s – and I truly think we have been able to save lives.” says Brown. “Obviously we completely support the NHS mental health services, but they are very stretched. We can offer free counselling face to face or on the phone, and we can provide therapy online or in person in a timely way that bypasses the long NHS waiting lists.”

Another source of help is Music Support, which was started in 2016 by a group of music industry veterans who felt that more needed to be done, particularly in the area of drug addiction and alcoholism. Music Support runs a 24/7 phone and email helpline staffed by volunteers with personal experience of the The Musician • Autumn 2018

music business and the issues at stake. It also offers crisis support for urgent psychiatric or addiction situations, and training on mental health, resilience and addiction. One of the founders is Samantha Parker, a former artist manager who has had her own struggles with addiction and mental health problems.

“I was always very aware as a manager that there was a lot of unhealthy behaviour that I too was participating in,” she says. “The most important thing was doing whatever it took to keep an artist happy, but that wasn’t always in the best interests of the artist and the people working with them.”

Alcohol addiction By far the most prevalent drug across the music industry is alcohol: 90% of respondents in the University of Westminster survey said they drank, with more than half drinking regularly or heavily, while one in ten said they

used recreational drugs weekly or daily.

Backstage booze is commonly provided by promoters, sometimes in lieu of payment, which does little to help those who struggle.

“I think there should be more education for everyone in the industry so that they understand about addiction,” says Parker. “It’s a disease of mind, body and spirit that can kill you if it’s not dealt with, so we need to train people to spot the signs earlier, so that people who aren’t well are able to access treatment, not just saying ‘shape up or ship out’.”

Clare Scivier, founder of the musicians’ wellbeing charity Your Green Room, is deeply concerned about what she sees as an emerging trend of exploiting mental ill health and addiction to sell records, particularly in the electronic dance and rap scenes.

“What’s worrying me at the moment is the exploitation of young men in Trap and Drill music who are being encouraged to behave in ways that exploit their mental health problems,” she says, pointing to the recent

© Chris Lopez

report

Where To Get Help

Iain Masterton / Alamy Stock Photo

Music Minds Matter Confidential mental health support for the UK music community, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Freephone 0808 802 8008. musicmindsmatter.org.uk

© Doug Elliot

A Help Musicians UK benefit gig (left) Christine Brown, Help Musicians UK (above). The late Scott Hutchison who died in 2018 aged just 36 (right).

death of rapper Lil Peep, whose lyrics and social media posts referencing depression and drug-taking tragically foreshadowed his fatal overdose.

“Those posts are sponsored by record labels, although they deny any responsibility for these deaths,” she points out. “If you’re aware that someone has mental health problems, then should they be exploited on a public platform like that for commercial gain? You wouldn’t invest millions of pounds in a drug addict with serious mental health issues in any other business, and the labels are ignoring incredibly talented and gifted young kids who are working hard and want to get on, in favour of people with serious problems.”

Mental health agenda Initiatives such as Music Minds Matter and Music Support are starting to put mental health firmly on the music industry’s agenda.

“We want to bring in a code of best practice across the sector that promotes kindness,

tolerance and an understanding of the impact that the music industry can have on the wellbeing of the people working in it,” says Christine Brown. “We also want to help people recognise the signs of emotional suffering in themselves and others and know where to get help, and lastly we want to educate people more broadly about how to relax and look after their physical and mental health.”

“It’s easy to lay the blame on the record labels – they’re businesses, not baby-sitters – but there is a duty of care for the whole industry to be more supportive,” says Music Support’s Samantha Parker. “Music is incredibly important as an art form and musicians are our greatest cultural assets, so we need to take care of them. Getting out the message that it’s okay to not be okay is really important.”

Names have been changed for privacy.

Music Support Confidential support for mental health and addiction problems for people working in the UK music industry, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Freephone 0800 030 6789 or email helpline@musicsupport. org. Look out for their Safe Tents backstage at major music festivals across the UK. musicsupport.org Musician’s Union Practical help and training workshops covering a wide range of topics. musiciansunion.org.uk British Association of Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) Physical and mental health for all performing artists. bapam.org.uk Your Green Room Offering one to one coaching, workshops and wellness getaways for musicians. yourgreenroom.org The Samaritans Confidential support for anyone going through emotional distress, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Freephone 116 123 or 0300 123 3011 (Welsh line). samaritans.org

*

Mind Information, advice and support for all mental health conditions.

Call Freephone 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk. Available 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays). mind.org.uk

The Musician • Autumn 2018

15

Long Way

Home

From haunting theme tunes to groove-smitten Americana, Aussie-born Emily Barker is a prolific singer/songwriter.

Profile by Neil Crossley

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On a Sunday afternoon in 2002, a 22-year-old singer-songwriter from Western Australia took a train from Cambridge to London to play her debut show in the capital at the now seminal roots and country venue Come Down And Meet The Folks, in Camden Town. Emily Barker had only recently arrived in the UK and this was her first real introduction to the UK’s nascent Americana scene.

She was excited. And she was early.

“I sat at a table sipping an ale and took in the scene around me,” she wrote on her website, “your typical, living room-style British pub, but with people arriving in either cowboy boots, a stetson, a neckerchief, and often all three. Cowboys and cowgirls in London – ­who would ever have thought it? That was my introduction to a whole new community of rootsmusic loving people who would gather every Sunday to listen to bands and singer-songwriters playing folk, gospel, country, blues, rock’n’roll – a meltingpot of influences we now call Americana.”

Defining moment Sixteen years on and Americana music in the UK has burgeoned beyond belief, with a flourishing roster of artists, festivals and music industry professionals all dedicated to the genre. Barker is at the forefront of this scene, a fact reinforced in February this year when she attended the 2018 UK Americana Awards Show at Hackney Empire and walked out onto the stage to receive the coveted UK Artist Of The Year award from Frank Turner.

The Musician • Autumn 2018

“I felt really honoured,” she says, sitting in the front room of a pub in the genteel city of Wells before a mid-afternoon soundcheck at the city’s Cedars Hall.

“I’d been a part of that scene, so the award felt like recognition for all the work beforehand. I knew I’d had a strong year and everything had picked up in a big way. I was hopeful but I wasn’t expecting it.”

Rich terrain For Barker, the UK has provided a rich terrain in which to carve out her career. After arriving in the UK and settling in Cambridge, she formed the-lowcountry, an outfit that released two albums – thelow-country (2003) and The Dark Road (2004) – with tracks from the latter being picked up by John Peel.

By 2005, Barker had moved to London and released her first solo album Photos.Fires.Fables on her own label Everyone Sang.

The album prompted the creation of a trio featuring Anna Jenkins (violin, viola), Jo Silverston (cello, bass, banjo, saw) and Gill Sandell (accordion, piano, flute, guitar). Under the name Emily Barker and The Red Clay Halo, the new ensemble recorded their debut album Despite The Snow.

Released in November 2008, it attracted widespread critical acclaim. But it was the opening track Nostalgia that would elevate Barker’s status as a songwriter of real note.

“I was performing at a house concert, raising money for the album. Martin Phipps, who was the composer working on [BBC1 TV series] Wallander, just happened to be there. He rang me up a

profile

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“There were so many people at the gig. I was like ‘what’s going on?’”

The Musician • Autumn 2018

“I almost lifted off the ground. I could not believe the sound, it was sooo groovy.”

Keeping composed In 2011, Emily Barker and The Red Clay Hero released their second album Almanac. This yielded the track Pause, a sparse, poignant and haunting arrangement of lone electric guitar and pipe organ. It was the second Emily Barker composition to attract the attention of composer Martin Phipps, who used it as the theme tune for the major 2011 BBC2 drama serial The Shadow Line.

All photos: Joseph Branston. © MU 2018. Taken at Cedars Hall, Wells Cathedral School. www.wells.cathedral.school/events

couple of days after and asked if I would come down to his studio to re-record the song so it fitted with the atmosphere of the series.”

The track was used as the central theme and closing credits music for the show and soon had an impact on her career.

“We happened to be doing a tour, which I’d booked us and it was ridiculous. There were so many people at the gig. I was like ‘what’s going on?’”.

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A third album with The Red Clay Hero followed, and Barker continued to work with Phipps on TV and feature film tracks. Other projects have included the 2012 Anglo-Swedish folk project Vena Portae and the band Applewood Road, with fellow songwriters Amber Rubarth and Amy Speace, whose eponymous 2016 album of finely crafted songs in the storytelling tradition was recorded old-style through one microphone with minimal accompaniment straight to stereo analogue tape.

The warmth and purity of analogue sound was also a driving force for Barker’s second solo album, The Toerag Sessions, a highlyacclaimed, intimate collection of songs from across her career recorded live to tape, with no overdubs and no editing, at Liam Watson’s legendary all-analogue Toe Rag Studios in Hackney, London.

Memphis moment Barker’s lush, pristine brand of country folk places her firmly within the Americana firmament, but when she was looking to record her latest album Sweet Kind Of Blue in the US, it was noticeably Memphis, not Nashville, that held most allure. As a teenager in Australia she had been transfixed by soul and blues singers such as Betty Lavette, Anne Peebles and Aretha Franklin. Now, two decades on, she set out to record an album that encompassed these soul and blues influences. She enlisted producer Matt RossSpang, noted for his work with Jason Isbell, John Prine and Margo Price.

The album was recorded at Phillips Recording, a purpose-built facility created by the legendary Sam Phillips in the late 50s. RossSpang brought in some of Memphis’s finest musicians: Rick Steff (keyboards), Dave Smith (bass), Dave Cousar (guitar) and Steve Potts (drums), whose combined credits included Al Green, Isaac Hayes, Booker T & The MGs and Neil Young.

Apart from Steff, with whom Barker wrote the album’s title track, the first time she met the musicians was on the first day of recording.

“We only had four and a half days to get the core band down live to tape. I shook all their hands and I gave them all a hug and said ‘thanks for working with me’ and then played them Sweet Kind Of Blue.”

Emily Barker’s sound spans country, folk and most recently, soul.

What happened next had a profound impact on Barker. “I went to my vocal booth. Then Steve Potts went ‘One, two, three...’ and we

profile

Emily with Lukas Drinkwater soundchecking at Cedars Hall, Wells.

went into this song. I think I just almost lifted off the ground. I could not believe the sound, it was sooo groovy. There’s a lot of groove on that record… it’s in their blood.”

Asked if there is an overriding theme to the album, Barker says, “I guess it’s about relationships in general – the dissolving of one and the finding of another”.

Good company In many ways, Barker exemplifies the qualities needed by an artist self-releasing albums in the 360 degree industry model of the 21st century. She still releases on her own

label, Everyone Sang, and runs fan funding campaigns through Pledge Music to finance the recording and promotion of her albums.

Sitting in the relative cool of the stone-floored pub in Wells, as the temperature outside touches 32 degrees in the shade, Barker talks The Musician through her working processes: her fan funding, manager, booking agent, distributors and publisher. This network of trusted partners she has built up and her allround astuteness and drive are impressive.

In addition to her talent and her calm

The Real Country Emily says she never understood the difference between Americana and country music until she performed at Americana Fest in Nashville. “Bob Harris took me over with two other acts to do a BBC Introducing showcase in Nashville. I met so many people.

Bob is incredible and knows everybody.

“That was my first visit there and I couldn’t make the distinction between what was

country and what was Americana. And I love lots of old country. And good country. But when I was there and I saw the pop market – that is what is being called country now.

“I thought I definitely don’t fit in that world, so where do the songwriters go that are more sort of alternative or storytelling or a bit more poetic? That’s where Americana is, as well as many other things.”

professionalism, Barker is also likable, gracious and good company, attributes that go a long way when forging trust and friendships in the sometimes fickle and egostrewn music industry.

They are qualities that have clearly endeared her to her numerous champions along the way, such as Bob Harris – who took Barker to a BBC Introducing showcase in Nashville [see panel below left], and country folk-rock superstar Mary Chapin-Carpenter, with whom Barker has toured extensively in the US, and who seems committed to promoting Barker’s music to the wider world.

Creative self Barker has recently recorded an album with Marry Waterson, produced by indie folk musician Adem Ilhan, due for release in 2019.

She is also writing songs for her next album.

Her output is prolific. She wrote 50 songs in the run-up to her last album and says the experience left her feeling somewhat drained.

“I felt like I’d exhausted my creative self.

And so it was actually quite difficult starting up again because you always doubt if you’re going to be able to write. And I read a few great articles about songwriting. One by John Prine in American Songwriter, in which he said ‘Just show up every day and honour the songwriter in you’. And I loved that. So I was like ‘okay, I just need to begin’.

Because I know that I can do this...”

The Musician • Autumn 2018

19

For Richer, For Poorer With the average spend on a UK wedding set to top £32k by 2028, smart bands can turn church bells into ringing tills, as we found out…

Report by Henry Yates

In an uncertain music business, the evidence suggests that joining a wedding band is a banker. Through recession, austerity and impending Brexit, the British wedding 20 industry is seemingly bulletproof, with the average spend of £27k expected to top £32k in the next decade, the rise of same-sex marriages widening the income stream since 2014, and cynics noting the potential repeat-business of the UK’s growing divorce rate (up 5.8% in 2016).

With a major survey by the Confetti website finding that 47% of couples chose to hire a live band for their big day in 2017, no wonder it’s rare to meet a gigging musician who hasn’t at least dabbled in the sector.

“I think the wedding market is booming right now,” says Musicians’ Union General Secretary, Horace Trubridge. “Over the last 10 to 15 years, the emergence of wedding fairs and conventions in the UK has elevated the wedding market to new plateaus of catering and entertainment. We know that weddings are a substantial element of a function band’s work.”

Every wedding band has their backstory.

But for many on the modern circuit the sector is an easy and profitable segue from the dwindling pub scene, believes Sean Geraghty of Somerset band The Sidekicks. “Weddings are something we fell into back in 2001,” he remembers. “The pub scene was quite healthy in the West Country, so people would see us at places, invite us to play at a wedding and offer us more money. In terms of payment, you can get the same as three pub gigs in one night. And it’s three times less work, because you only load, unload and set up once.”

Celebration mode “It’s also much better,” adds Geraghty, “to play gigs for people in celebration mode, rather than ‘down the local pub getting drunk’ mode. Like any performance, there’s a time when the people listening and the musicians are all on the same page and you know you’ve had a good one when you forget about the journey home.”

“You can get the same as three pub gigs in one night. And it’s three times less work because you’re only setting up once.”

Sean Geraghty, The Sidekicks The Musician • Autumn 2018

Match the music to the mood (above); You can make money, but there is pressure (above right); MU General Secretary Horace Trubridge (far right).

It’s a view echoed by James Ferraby of Leicester band Mansfield Avenue. “The wedding band market is in fantastic health,” he says. “It’s as good – if not stronger – than five or ten years ago. We didn’t notice the downturn. Weddings are always happening and people prioritise high-quality entertainment. We aim for between £150 to £225 per band member, plus fuel, per gig.

Eighty per cent of our work comes from weddings. Military, corporate and private functions make up the rest.”

Mike McLeish of Birmingham-based House Of Chords believes that a respected outfit can survive on wedding bookings alone: “We run this band full-time. With the exception of the odd bit of session work, it’s our sole income, and weddings make up over 80% of our bookings. Typically, we’ll go out for £1,200 for a local booking. We get a lot of mid-week weddings as well, and by maintaining that throughout the year, it’s possible to focus all your energy on weddings.”

Race to the bottom Yet a note of caution is sounded by Pete Martin, who has played in the wedding sector since the late-90s, and currently leads The Night Shift in Leicestershire. He fears that the encroachment of pub bands is undercutting the specialists. “I think there’s a race to the

© DGLimages / Shutterstock; © Chris Morse Photography

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bottom, with pub bands charging slightly more than a pub rate for a wedding. Five years ago, my band was going out for £1,000 a night – add on £300 for an acoustic option during the wedding breakfast or champagne reception.

Now, I get emails asking if we can match a pub band that’s quoted £400.”

Few wedding bands would deny that the sector presents myriad challenges to offset the potential earnings. “Sound limiters at wedding venues are a nightmare,” says Geraghty. “We’ve had them set off by people clapping in the past. We’ve had damage to equipment. The music is cut out, then the electricity comes back on and everything gets hit with a massive surge of power. But what I find most difficult is juggling deps. I’ve met a lot of wedding bands who are pretty much comprised of deps – and it shows. If you’re the music at someone’s wedding, it’s important you don’t turn up with a weak line-up. We’ve begun to turn down gigs if we can’t be our full

unit. Because that’s no good for the long-term.

It’s a self-sabotaging strategy.”

Priority items Dig a little deeper into that Confetti survey, meanwhile, and some less heartening statistics come to light, with 71% of polled couples hiring a DJ and 40% choosing an onsite photobooth. With the average couple earmarking a maximum of just £500 for the day’s entertainment, these options are liable to be at the expense of a live band.

“The threats are everywhere,” agrees Martin.

“From venues that supply a DJ as part of the wedding package to other items such as photobooths and magic mirrors, selfie pods and sweet carts. Entertainment is definitely not on the bride and groom’s priority list. Cake, flowers, venue, photographer – those are the items at the top.”

organisers have a practical approach, then things generally go fine, but you often find that if one thing hasn’t been thought about, none of the other things have been either.

Timing, in particular. People often don’t realise how much equipment has to come in and how important it is to get near to the stage if they want a quick set-up. People think things will run smoothly at a wedding, but if they don’t have a timetable of where a band fits in, it’ll invariably overrun. Then they’ll say, ‘Well, we’ve booked you, so can you keep playing until one in the morning…?’

“So we’ve had to put in mechanisms to dissuade people from that,” Geraghty continues. “We’re not in any way adversarial about it. Everyone’s trying to get the night to work as best it can. You don’t want to be

But the biggest problem for bands braving the wedding sector, says Geraghty, is the gulf between what was agreed in advance and the couple’s demands on the day. “If the The Musician • Autumn 2018

For the professional wedding band, stresses MU Midlands Regional Organiser, Stephen Brown, paperwork is every bit as important as musical equipment. “We’ve had a few issues over the years with spats between the happy couple and bands. Cancellations, or the couple refusing to pay until the band has played, even if advance payment is specified.

Or, more commonly, refusing outright to pay and adding damages for a ruined day once the gig is done, usually on the grounds of ‘poor performance’ or ‘unhappy guests’ – and 22 sometimes despite video evidence to the contrary. The contract is king, of course, and the MU always recommend you use our standard live contracts.”

Horace Trubridge highlights the importance of having an MU-approved contract and being aware of the specific needs of your clients.

“For instance, do they want the band to back the bride and groom’s first dance? Will the event be filmed? Playing a wedding is not like playing any other event and the client may have preconceptions of what they want the

Leicestershire band The Night Shift.

© Bogdan Sonjachnyj / Shutterstock

a stick in the mud. But at the same time, there’s only so far you can bend. The organisation side is becoming more of a feature. As a band, you have to specify that your equipment will be safe, that your insurance is in place, when you’re supposed to arrive, when you’re supposed to play.

Because if you do turn up and there are problems with the venue or location that haven’t been factored in, it’s very difficult at that moment to be awkward. Who’s covered in the event of an emergency and who’s going to be held responsible? You’ve got to get everything in writing.”

band to do. So all of this must be discussed in advance of issuing a contract to avoid disappointments or disputes. The MU can help with the former and of course the latter – but only if the band has followed the MU’s advice.”

Mike McLeish of House Of Chords says that being an MU member has helped massively in a number of ways. “We’re an independent band, so we only use the MU Standard Live Engagement Contract [see p35 for more on standard contracts]. That way, if we’ve had any legal issues then we’ve been fully advised and supported by our local official and the MU legal team.”

Changing tastes If you do choose to draw up your own bespoke contract, advises Geraghty, then strip it back to the essentials: “It’s all down to getting a detailed-but-succinct contract that explains it all very clearly. If the contract is too long, people won’t read it. They’ve got a million other things on their mind, like wedding cars or what colour the flowers are.”

Even watertight paperwork can’t shield wedding bands from the evolving musical demands of younger generations. According to Confetti’s survey, the most popular age for women to marry is 28, and with the modern pop chart built on electronic dance – often featuring no analogue instruments

You need to know the right tunes to start the dancing (above); Birmingham’s House Of Chords (right).

whatsoever – wedding bands with a traditional line-up face a struggle to deal with first-dance requests.

“The biggest threat,” McLeish considers, “is really the change in music tastes. We have some real versatility as a live band through our skills on both acoustic and electronic instruments, as well as all four of us singing in harmony. But even though we’re always adding more recent songs, those tastes could change. And if the tastes of young people change so much that ‘live band music’ is not as appealing, that could see a pretty quick change in enquiries. Even The Beatles seem to be not as fashionable as when we started.”

“We’ve had a few issues over the years with spats between the happy couple and the bands…”

Stephen Brown, MU Midlands Regional Organiser

report

Top 5 Tips Know Your Gear Choose reliable equipment that you can set up fast. “Your biggest investment should be your PA system,” says James Ferraby. “Take the time to practise getting fantastic sound. If you have no one in the band who has a passion for it, pay someone. It’s essential.”

© Nichola Morton Photography

Sort The Paperwork From insurance to booking forms, documentation separates the professionals from the amateurs. “Use MU contracts, always,” advises Pete Martin. “I’ve had to use the legal services once, and it was great to have the Union in my corner.”

“Most modern pop music is heavily augmented,” nods Ferraby, “so you need to find a way to make that work live. We always carry an electronic drum kit with us in case the need arises. We’d rather not use it, but you need the right tool for the job.”

“We’re fairly old-school,” picks up Geraghty.

“We don’t play a lot of music from the 21st century, maybe just a handful of the tunes that have lasted. I think there’s a different culture now around live music. Wedding bands tend to reflect the groom’s youth. But to recreate what people are using to create pop music right now, is a little bit beyond the remit of a band that’s set up to play rock-based or guitar-based music. We’re getting further away from the period that we specialise in.”

And yet, despite this trend, McLeish believes the capable wedding bands will survive – and the best ones will flourish. “As live musicians,” he says, “we don’t treat the performance as

‘just some stranger’s wedding’. We take real pride in focusing on the finer details to play authentic versions. A lot of bands will just listen to an original and write out a basic chord progression, but the focus on the more musical details, including the vocal arrangements, can all add up to impress the wedding crowd.”

Something special “There’s still a big place for a live band at weddings,” concludes Geraghty. “It’s something you just can’t replicate with a DJ. A live band still has that immediacy and that sense of uncertainty and unpredictability.

People still really get into live music, and sometimes, you can introduce young people to just how great a live band can be. There’s still a good amount of work out there. You have to chase it, for sure. But I don’t think it’s going away…”

Prepare For The Worst If a band member drops out at short notice, you need a sub on speed-dial. “Have a pool of deps you can call,” says Martin.

“I keep a dedicated Dropbox folder with all the required information for deps. Simple chord charts, setlists with keys for vocalists, backing tracks with clicks for drummers.”

Keep In Touch Establish a good rapport with your clients from the start.

“The most important thing is excellent communication,” says McLeish. “They want to get that professional and personal service from you.”

Lose Your Ego A wedding is not the place to be a prima donna. “You have to remember that you’re not the focus,” stresses Sean Geraghty. “It’s not the band’s gig. You’re the music for their celebration. Keep it lively and play the truth of the song.”

For more information: thesidekicks.co.uk, houseofchordsband.com, thenightshiftband. co.uk and mansfieldavenueband.com The Musician • Autumn 2018

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Fair Play Focus

The Boileroom As one of the south-east’s most respected independent venues, The Boileroom fully endorses the MU’s Fair Play Venue scheme.

Feature by Neil Crossley

Founded in 2006 by an independent collective dedicated to promoting the highest quality live music, creative arts and club events, the Boileroom in Guildford has rapidly garnered a reputation as one of the southeast’s most respected live music venues.

In an era when many grassroots music venues struggle to stay in business, The Boileroom’s diverse programming policy, strong community ethos and commitment to supporting the creativity of musicians, mark it out. The Boileroom is also committed to the fair treatment of musicians and is one of the 100+ venues across the UK to have signed up to the MU’s Fair Play Venue scheme.

Core principles The core principles of this scheme are to treat working musicians fairly, recognise good practice in the live environment and present a united front against the unfair practice of pay-to-play. These principles are integral to the ethos of The Boileroom, explains venue manager Lydia Stockbridge.

“In the 12 years we’ve been open we’ve always paid our artists. We’ve never done any pay-to-play schemes, taken commission on

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Inheaven (left) and The Hoosiers (below) on stage at The Boileroom.

© Brothers Good / Shutterstock

T: 01483 440022 E: ailbhe@theboileroom.net CAPACITY: 300 ABOUT: Respected south-east venue with an eclectic programme of music from international and local artists CONTACT: Ailbhe Kennah GETTING A GIG: Email Ailbhe and provide contact info, a short bio and URL links to your music

The Musician • Autumn 2018

© Aaron Crawford; © Mollie Yates

The Boileroom, 13 Stoke Fields, Guildford, Surrey GU1 4LS theboileroom.net

Feature

Lydia Stockbridge merch or anything like that. So when we put the official stamp on it with the Musicians’ Union it just clarified that.”

Stockbridge says that collaboration is key to ensuring that musicians, the venue and the audience all benefit. “Everybody wants a busy show, everyone wants the audience to have a good time. Putting on a show is a collaborative effort and it’s important that everybody gets looked after fairly and treated well,” she says.

Eclectic range The Boileroom offers opportunities for local, national and international artists, and the music spans an eclectic range. “We have everything from progressive metal to traditional folk, so a real mixture,” says Stockbridge. In addition to helping emerging

The Musician LUKE ANDREWS, DRUMMER WITH VINYL STAIRCASE Dorking-based psych rock band Vinyl Staircase have built up a strong following in the south-east and generated significant interest much further afield.

‘Like Syd Barrett fronting Sonic Youth,’ concluded The Boston Globe in a recent review. Vinyl Staircase have played The Boileroom numerous times. “The venue closest to our home and closest to our hearts is The Boileroom,” says the band’s drummer, Luke Andrews. “We’ve played there more times than we can count. The team there are bloody marvellous.

Good crowds, good vibes, good times.”

Singer-songwriter Declan McKenna at The Boileroom in June 2017.

local bands cut their teeth on a live stage The Boileroom provides training and work opportunities for students at the nearby Academy of Contemporary Music.

Agent of Change The Boileroom has had its share of problems.

In 2014 it was one of a number of venues faced with closure due to noise complaints.

Widespread support from the public helped to save it. The government’s commitment in January 2018 to back the Agent of Change principle should help to secure its future.

“Hopefully, Agent of Change will mean that venues like The Boileroom will be able to get on with doing what they do best,” says MU Regional Officer Jamie Pullman, “rather than having to worry about future developments in their surrounding area.”

Lydia Stockbridge believes that Agent of Change heralds its own kind of fairness in the industry. “People have a right to peace in their homes and people also have the right to run a business. It’s live and let live really.”

To access the Fair Play Venues database, visit bit.ly/2B9vSNs. To nominate a venue, email live@theMU.org

MU Regional Officer JAMIE PULLMAN, MU Regional OFFICER, EAST & SOUTH EAST ENGLAND The venue has built up a strong reputation, explains the MU’s Jamie Pullman: “The Boileroom is well-known and well-loved in the area because it not only puts on established touring bands, but actively works with the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford to give students a place to learn their craft. The people who work there are great and they do great food!

It’s not sheer luck that they have won so many awards over the past few years – it’s the skill, dedication and enthusiasm of the staff.”

© Hollie Dyes Shepherd

“Putting on a show is a collaborative effort. and it’s important that everybody is looked after and treated well.”

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The Venue Manager LYDIA STOCKBRIDGE, THE BOILEROOM, GUILDFORD Signing up to the MU’s Fair Play Venue Scheme made complete sense, says venue manager Lydia Stockbridge. “It puts an official stamp on the practices we’ve always upheld. We’ve always been against pay-to-play schemes, and believe that a good show is a fair one for musicians and promoters alike.

It’s respecting the artist and the work that they put into their performances.

Creativity is a labour of love, and not always a profitable one. We do not believe that a musician should have to pay to perform anywhere.” theboileroom.net The Musician • Autumn 2018

Bridging the Divide

Instrumentalist, composer, teacher and UK Bhangra pioneer, Kuljit Bhamra just wants people to play tabla.

Profile by Will Simpson Some musicians glibly describe their careers as ‘journeys’ but Kuljit Bhamra’s truly has been one; an epic odyssey that has seen him graduate from messing around on his mother’s tape recorder to becoming a key figure at the centre of the 80s Bhangra explosion, to diversifying into production, composition, film, theatre and session work. Then there is his ongoing mission: to demystify his chosen instrument, the tabla, and make it accessible to a whole new generation of musicians.

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© Ammy Phull

What’s even more remarkable is that he has achieved it all with a disability. Kuljit contracted polio as an infant in Kenya, leaving him unable to walk without a crutch. It’s had a huge effect on his musical career, though not perhaps in an obvious way.

“Well, I couldn’t play sports at school,” he remembers. “I was the first disabled student at Southall Grammar school but I couldn’t dance, I couldn’t impress any girls that I met! I felt I was… insufficient, I suppose. But while other kids were playing football I buried myself away either in the school library or at home getting obsessed with music.”

The Musician • Autumn 2018

The Bhamra household was a musical one. His mother was a Punjabi folk singer and both his brothers played instruments. Kuljit meanwhile picked up the tabla aged four: “The story goes that my father was trying to learn to play so that he could accompany my mother, but he was struggling with it. Apparently I sneaked in after he’d finished attempting to play and picked it up quite naturally. So I’ve never studied music formally – I’m completely self-taught.”

Plasticine spindles Later on when his mother bought a reel-toreel tape player he picked up the rudiments of production too. “This must have been when I was 11 or 12. I’d record my favourite songs and slow them down. Then I began to loop the tape so I had it going round doorknobs and picture frames and pencils standing up in Plasticine while I played along.”

“There was a bit of ‘I’ll show you’ to all this.

Being disabled made me more focused and a bit more obsessive. Some of my friends say I would have been obsessive anyway, but you could argue that I might not have spent so much time on music had I been playing sports.”

profile

“People think it’s a holy drum. No. It’s a couple of pots that sound amazing. Have a go!”

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© Ammy Phull

But Kuljit’s father was strict and so music was still very much treated as a hobby. “He’d say to me ‘You have something wrong with you.

You have to compensate – you have to study and work harder.’” Kuljit passed his ‘A’ Levels and embarked on a career as a civil engineer and perhaps would have never become a professional musician had he not convinced his mother to allow him to produce her 1978 album Punjabi Geet.

“She’d signed to EMI and went to India every year to record an album. I said to her ‘I think we can make an album here’. She said ‘but what about the music?’ And I said ‘I’ll do it’. ‘But you just play tabla’. I said ‘I know I can make it work. There’s this thing called multitracking.’”

Kuljit had, almost by accident, found himself at the heart of the 80s Bhangra scene. That 28 music – a mix of Punjabi folk music with western instrumentation and production had captured the imagination of a new generation of British South Asians. Bhamra found himself an in-demand name, producing both Premi and the group Heera, two of the then-biggest names in UK Bhangra.

However, as most of the albums were selling in non-chart return outlets, Bhangra’s huge success was almost entirely ignored by the media. “It did frustrate me,” Bhamra admits. “We were selling 100,000, 200,000 units. I was still working as a civil engineer and my cover got blown at work – I hadn’t told them I was a musician – and I was on the evening news in a feature about how this music sells so much but it’s not in the charts.”

Going into the 90s Bhamra was still working in his day job. But after going through what he describes as a “terrible” divorce and losing his house, he decided to go for broke and

“Mum, I’ll do it. I know I can make it work.

There’s this thing called multitracking.”

The Musician • Autumn 2018

Kuljit’s work these days involves creating a Tabla notation system and teaching (above and below right) as well as composing and performing.

concentrate on music full time: “Dad thought I was bonkers. But everything just turned around like it was waiting for me to do that.”

Ensemble musician First, he began to find session work. The fact he was used to playing with other musicians gave him the edge over other tabla players.

“A lot of them had this very rigid attitude of ‘I’ll do what I do so take it or leave it‘. Also, the other thing is that Indian music training is all geared up to becoming a virtuoso soloist and improviser. There is no training in India to become an ensemble musician, nor is there any sheet music. Everyone is trained to follow the path of their guru or their master/mentor.”

So when Kuljit got the call to play on jazz saxophonist Andy Sheppard’s album Dancing Man And Woman a door opened that has never closed. “I think they were struggling because the tabla player couldn’t play to a click track, but as I’ve spent most of my adult life in a recording studio I could. He had people like Stephen Swallow, John Paricelli – all these great jazz players on there. So I put this track down and they all said ‘brilliant’.”

Session and then soundtrack work followed.

He worked on Gurinder Chadha’s acclaimed 1993 comedy Bhaji On The Beach and later

© Ammy Phull

“So we did the album here, using western production techniques and then the next one we did together was a big hit in the Punjabi community. That’s when bands started coming to me to produce their albums.”

Bend It Like Beckham. He then diversified further into musical theatre. “Through playing with Andy Sheppard I met a fixer who worked for Andrew Lloyd Webber and she asked me to play in Bombay Dreams.”

“I just loved it. I know some musicians are challenged by it but I really enjoyed it.

The challenges are dealing with a team of creatives, because they all have different

profile

© Gerry Walden

Kuljit is still highly in demand for his tabla playing (left and below).

Career Highlights • Platinum disc awards include Premi’s Chhamak Jehi Mutiyar (1984) and Nachdi Di Gooth Khulgaye (1986) and Heera’s Jag Wala Mela (1984).

• As producer and composer he worked on the soundtrack of Bhaji On The Beach (1993) and Bend It Like Beckham (2002).

ideas. A West End production is like a big juggernaut that already exists and you have to somehow steer it down a different route.

For example, they don’t cater for having Indian musicians in the band, so on Far Pavilions (a theatre adaptation of the MM Kaye novel) I convinced them to bring extra musicians into the orchestra pit for the first time ever in the West End.” Tabla time In a schedule that includes session work and film and TV composition, one goal stands out: popularising the tabla. “I’m one of the few people that gets called when someone wants tabla, which is great for me but does nothing for Indian culture or Indian music.

Then I realised that there are hardly any nonIndians playing Indian music. You don’t need to be African to play the djembe or Spanish to play Spanish guitar, so why these barriers? So many people have come to me and said, ‘Oh my God, I love those songs. Can I play them?’”

His solution is the creation of a notation system so that potential players can pick up the tabla more easily. “Hopefully it will let people be able to play straight away and allow the music to be written down and shared.”

Already, Portsmouth Music Academy and Birmingham Music School are using it.

© Steve Double

• Worked as a composer for the acclaimed Ramayana at the National Theatre in 2001 and then as a performer on Bombay Dreams in the West End between 2002 and 2004 and The Far Pavilions (2005).

Bhamra rails against the way South Asian instruments are so “heavily laden with spirituality”. He remembers once being at an Andy Sheppard gig watching people come up to the jazz musician, asking him questions about his sax. “With me they’d stand at a distance and be scared to touch the tabla.

People think it’s a holy drum. No. It’s a couple of pots that sound amazing. Have a go!”

Union support During Kuljit’s long career one consistent presence has been his MU membership. “I’ve actually never had cause to use their services – I’ve been lucky – but it’s good to know that there is always someone behind you who’s got your back. I would always recommend young musicians to join the MU. You have that protection. Plus of course there is the public liability insurance. And the Handbook too, which is great if you’re looking for musicians!”

• Collaborated with pianist David Braun-White on the Ku-DaMix Orchestra, which mixed instruments and musicians from across the world and played at the reopening of the Royal Festival Hall in 2007.

• Awarded the MBE for services to Bhangra and British Asian music in 2009.

Kuljit admits that he’s in a fortunate position these days – as he explains: “I’m aware I’m living the dream, because for so long I had a 9 to 5 job.” Now aged 59, he has no plans to ease his hectic schedule. Indeed he still has a burning ambition left to fulfil: Kuljit would like to compose the score for a Bollywood film.

“I’d love to do it,” he tells The Musician, “but I don’t think they would be ready for me! I think I’m more Indian than they are. I heard someone say the other day that Bollywood music is getting more popular these days because it’s sounding more English. It’s true – if you listen to Bollywood music and take the voices away it’s all r’n’b and house music. I would want to put the Indian instrumentation back in there. So whether they’d give me the chance is another matter...”

The Musician • Autumn 2018

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Musicians have the same rights to be treated fairly at work as anyone else.

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Right On Your Side

Employment Casework When relationships at work take a negative turn, the Musicians’ Union is there to provide advice and support to its members.

Feature by Katie Nicholls

By its very nature the music industry can be fluid and precarious for its workers, as they move from one ‘gig’ to another. This doesn’t mean that musicians shouldn’t receive the same working rights as those in more ‘stable’ sectors. When relationships break down or there is discrimination or questionable behaviour by employers, the Musicians’ Union is there to step in and support its members.

The MU can offer legal, financial and moral support if a member is undergoing a disciplinary or grievance process, for example, or suffering discrimination or abuse at work.

The best protected are those with full employment rights, most commonly orchestral musicians or music teachers.

But whatever the workplace, it is important that members approach the Union to seek support when faced with a difficult workrelated situation.

“All members deserve support in difficult workplace situations,” says London Regional Organiser Jo Laverty, “to know their rights, what to expect from a process and how best to handle a situation.”

The Musician • Autumn 2018

Feature profile

© Solomiya Malovana / Shutterstock

Support for all For discrimination claims there is a less rigorous test of employment status.

“Sometimes, on the face of it, a member is working as a freelancer,” says Jo, “but when you start to unpick the level of control the engager holds over them, then you begin to see the glimmer of a potential discrimination claim you can use as leverage, if they qualify for protections under the Equality Act 2010.”

What is crucial, says Jo, is that Musicians’ Union members get in touch as soon as they feel that their working environment is becoming compromised. “At the very least we can tell them what their rights are and allow them to make informed decisions,” she says. “Often, members come to us when a situation is so far down the line that it’s very difficult to repair that situation. As soon as anything goes wrong they should get advice from us. Our intention from the get-go is always to help a member keep their job.”

“Having the support of the MU has been absolutely invaluable.”

Errol REID “I contacted the MU when I realised the bullying and harassment I recieved from my headteacher wasn’t going to stop. I taught music at the same school for over 20 years and was highly rated by OFSTED, but when the new head took over in 2014 she made it clear that she didn’t like me and wasn’t interested in what I did. She began a campaign of bullying. She teamed up with HR and the school governors to ensure I would never return. The disclosure clearly shows they planned to dismiss me before my grievance was even heard. In an attempt to get a quicker dismissal, I was even investigated by the fraud team. I contacted the MU in September 2014 and was unfairly dismissed a year later. The MU have given me their full support. I had advice every step of the way and have been listened to, believed in and trusted. Having their support has been absolutely invaluable. Without the MU I would have been eaten alive.”

Once members have engaged the support of the Union, Officials will provide advice. If the Union believes there is a case, it will begin liaising with its firm of specialist solicitors.

Golden thread If the case goes to a tribunal then the Union is there to support members at every stage.

“Your hope is that if a case goes that far, then you’ve built up a sufficient thread of correspondence demonstrating that the employer has behaved badly. Particularly if you’ve pointed out how they can remedy a situation and they’ve ignored you,” says Jo. This ‘golden thread’ of correspondence is crucial back-up for a member’s claim.

A case can go as far as the day of the tribunal and be settled on the morning. “It very rarely gets that far,” concludes Jo, “because people realise that litigation is expensive and there’s an emotional cost as well. We wouldn’t want a member to have to go through that.”

Any MU members experiencing problems in the workplace should contact their MU Regional Offices as soon as possible. See p2 of this journal for full contact details.

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Faye Deane

Stephen Brown

“I started at a new school and couldn’t work their computer system. I had to write a report every lesson, as well as in the student’s practice diary, check internal emails during the day and teach the students. After an observation, I was told a variety of points that I needed to work on. I was happy to do that, but asked for support, mostly training to help me with the computer. Being dyslexic I needed to be sure what I wrote was grammatically correct and neat. Emails for help were ignored and I was pressured and bullied…

I brought in the MU about a month before I blew the whistle on the bullying. Stephen [Brown] was a rock. He backed me up and fought my battle for me. The MU showed me I wasn’t crazy and proved that I was being wrongfully dismissed.”

MU Midlands Regional Organiser Stephen Brown has spotted a disturbing trend. “Increasingly we’re finding cases of false self-employment. We’ve had a number of music services who’ve made their staff redundant only to then go through a process of re-engagement to tender doing exactly the same jobs as before, but on zero-hours contracts. It’s cheaper for the music service, but in our view is not true selfemployment. It’s exactly the same terms but the staff have no control over when they work – and because it’s zero-hours contract, staff are reluctant to take action in case they lose work. We give them advice, outline the action they need to take and we try to engage the music services too. In some cases we’ll go to employment tribunal.”

The Musician • Autumn 2018

Building For The Future Launching a career as a solo artist or member of an orchestra has never been more difficult. One organisation, YCAT, is striving to redress the balance by supporting gifted young musicians.

Every year, hundreds of young musicians leave Britain’s conservatoires armed with technical skills that would have guaranteed an orchestral career or even solo stardom a century ago. Yet today’s talent pool can 32 no longer depend on the domestic market to supply sufficient work for a living. While a few extraordinary talents may become international soloists unaided, most will struggle to move from music college into the profession without sustained support and advice. The chance of securing solo dates without professional representation is low, as is the chance of finding professional representation without a run of successful solo dates.

Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT), the UK’s leading charity for young artist development, was established to help outstanding musicians make the transition from bright prospects to fully-fledged pros. Its impressive track record reflects an organisation alive to present opportunities and future challenges and awake to the tough realities facing aspiring solo performers.

Alasdair Tait, himself a seasoned performer, teacher and a former cellist with the Belcea Quartet, became YCAT’s chief executive and artistic director almost a decade ago. He has been in post full-time since stepping down in 2016 as head of chamber music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Thanks to his commitments as a masterclass leader and chamber music coach, Tait travels widely and maintains a broad perspective on the The Musician • Autumn 2018

All photos: © Kaupo Kikkas

Report by Andrew Stewart

world of work for young musicians. Above all he understands the high demands of making a living in an increasingly globalised, ultracompetitive marketplace.

Global business “Musicians in the past would build their reputations in one country before reaching out to different territories,” Tait observes.

Markets for classical musicians in Asia, he adds, have grown rapidly and appear set to expand. “YCAT has a very good relationship with China, which means we can send our artists there to gain experience of performing to audiences that are very different from those in Europe. What they learn by experience is crucial to their time with YCAT. Of course, it’s about building a career in a

From the current YCAT roster: violinist Timothy Ridout (left) made his concerto debut in August. Amy Harman (above) is principal bassoon of the Aurora and ENO orchestras.

strategic way. But I believe the heart of that is about getting opportunities to learn more about who they are as performers, what their strengths are and where they need to develop.”

Artists are chosen by annual audition for YCAT representation. Since its foundation in 1984, the Trust’s alumni list has grown to include trumpeter Alison Balsom, tenor Ian Bostridge, soprano Elizabeth Watts, pianists Alexandra Dairescu and Llŷr Williams, the Belcea Quartet, cellist Philip Higham and guitarist Sean Shibe. The present crop of YCAT artists includes violinist Savitri Grier, trombonist Peter Moore, the Castalian Quartet and oboist Olivier Stankiewicz.

Benjamin Baker joined YCAT’s list five years ago and has developed a strong solo career

REPORT report

“The music world is too opaque and tricky to manage on your own.”

Benjamin Baker

Benjamin Baker

under its watch. The New Zealand-born violinist came to the UK in the late 90s to study at the Menuhin School of Music. He made his concerto debut at the age of 12 and went on to the Royal College of Music. Baker decided to pursue the solo path after a trial to become assistant principal violin with Royal Opera House Orchestra and guest jobs with the Philharmonia and London Symphony Orchestra. Although he loved his orchestral experience, he was simultaneously winning prizes on the international competition circuit and receiving concerto invitations.

Baker realised he wanted to become a fulltime soloist and stepped down from his Royal Opera trial. “It wouldn’t have been possible without YCAT’s representation,” he notes.

“You need someone in your corner as a soloist. The music world is too opaque and tricky to manage on your own.”

“There are very few organisations that have such a balanced view. You come in as a young artist and receive individual support. It’s not a competition where you win an amount of money and receive a series of concerts and that’s it.

Once you’re on the YCAT roster, then the conversation begins.

“The more ways you’re prepared to challenge yourself, the more involved YCAT become. I’ve been amazed by the amount of support and by their perspective, which is always several steps ahead.

They’ll suggest holding back or perhaps following a particular idea.

“Having an experienced pair of ears to listen to what you’re doing is invaluable.

It’s very easy to be impatient when you’re starting out and think that something is brilliant because it looks like it on paper. It’s that ‘Yes, but…’ conversation that makes YCAT so brilliant for a young musician.”

Alasdair Tait observes that YCAT is adept at counselling young musicians and guiding them through the rocky terrain of selfemployment. The Trust covers everything from securing work and easing the hassle of international travel to providing mentoring, marketing and public relations for those on its roster. “I remember the phenomenal support the Belcea Quartet received from YCAT from 1997 to 2000,” he recalls. “The business has changed so much since then. The main thing is that we’re here to give support.”

Tougher environments While there has been a significant increase in overseas work for YCAT artists over the past two decades, Tait says there has been little growth in fees paid by British promoters.

“This country still offers terrific opportunities to young artists and the experience they provide is vital. But it’s galling that fees are pretty much what they were 20 years ago.

The cost of living is so much higher now; there are fewer opportunities than there were and more young artists vying for them. That equation is not healthy!”

The trick for YCAT is to find meaningful work for its artists at the right moment and for the best possible fee. Without such representation, says Benjamin Baker, young musicians are open to exploitation. “It definitely happens,” he comments. “Young musicians now are caught between a rock and a hard place. I had plenty of solo work before I joined YCAT. I was working in London and could see the cost of things. You’d look at the fees you were making from music societies and even concerto dates and realise that you’d not be able to meet the basic costs of living until you were well into your thirties.”

Baker has forged an impressive solo career since joining YCAT. Now nearing the end of his time with the Trust, he’s set to sign with a commercial agent and take the next career

The Musician • Autumn 2018

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Savitri Greer (above) has soloed with the Royal Philharmonic. Peter Moore (right) was just 12 when he became BBC Young Musician in 2008.

step. The violinist says that, thanks to YCAT, he has gained a clear-eyed view of the music business and of how his career will play out.

“With the commercial struggles of the entire music industry, the artistic development of young musicians can easily suffer,” Baker observes. “You’re told as a student that you have to play this and mustn’t play that – you 34 have to tick these boxes. It can become incredibly formulaic, but it doesn’t need to be. Environments like YCAT offer a better way.

They help you to build the platform for the work you’ll do for the rest of your life while giving you the time and space to experiment, even to make mistakes.” He recalls a recent run of YCAT-fixed recital tours to China and South America, which offered invaluable lessons in the realities and rewards of life as a solo artist.

Earning a living In addition to fixing and managing concert dates, YCAT offers a range of seminars, individual coaching and project mentoring under the umbrella of its Sounding Board initiative. Alasdair Tait notes that one of the most common refrains voiced by participants is ‘How do I make a living?’ “There’s so much training at conservatoires about career

“It’s invaluable to have people to bounce ideas off and to streamline things when needed.”

Timothy Ridout The Musician • Autumn 2018

development and how to promote yourself,” he observes. “But there’s something about that moment of reality, beyond the conservatoire structure, when people need advice about making a living without losing focus on what they want to do.”

Invaluable advice Timothy Ridout joined YCAT two years ago.

The Trust’s representation, he says, came at the right moment. The viola player was born in London in 1995 and studied at the Royal Academy of Music, where he received good professional advice from his teacher and the conservatoire’s Head of Strings. Although solo opportunities followed his win at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition in March 2016, his career development proper began after he was selected for YCAT two months later. “It’s invaluable to have people to bounce ideas off.” The worth of conversations about what to take on and what to set aside, he adds, has become clearer over time. “Taking advice from someone who’s more experienced and letting them take care of diary planning and organisation has been life changing.”

Ridout speaks most days with YCAT’s senior artist manager, Sue Hudson; he also discusses ideas for recording and concert programmes with Alasdair Tait and other members of the Trust’s team. “That personal working relationship has been so helpful. It pushed me forwards after the Tertis Competition and meant that the right things fell in place at the

right time.” He is set to make his concerto debut with the Philharmonia this August at the Three Choirs Festival.

Fundraising from foundations, charitable trusts and individual donors accounts for around 80 per cent of YCAT’s annual income.

It also draws money from an active friends scheme. A fraction of the Trust’s funds flow from small commissions charged to artists, part of the learning process for musicians headed for commercial management. Money from a large legacy bequest, meanwhile, has helped extend YCAT’s international reach and develop Sounding Board in recent years.

“International festivals, orchestras and promoters trust us to recommend artists for their series,” notes Alasdair Tait. “They know we’ll only ever send the right artist for that promoter. The worst thing for a young artist is to be put into the wrong date at the wrong time. We want people to gain the experience that will allow them to stand on their own feet and become interesting artists of the future.”

Saying goodbye to an artist, he adds, is the hardest part of the YCAT job. “But it’s our responsibility to know when they’re ready to go – and we never lose touch with them.”

report

MU Standard Contracts Photo: Jonathan Stewart. © MU 2018

How to negotiate fair payment for your gig and make sure you get paid.

Report by Steve Faragher

In the course of your career, you will often be approached with offers of work purely on the basis of a verbal agreement. For musicians performing live, however, it clearly makes good business sense to obtain a written contract prior to taking to the stage.

The MU’s contracts for live engagements cover almost every eventuality, and have been tried and tested by thousands of musicians and hirers over the years. Verbal agreements are often difficult to enforce, hence the old industry dictum that ‘a verbal agreement is not worth the paper it is written on’.

How much should you charge?

Many fees at grassroots level are based around ticket deals/splits, and The Fair Play Guide offers advice on understanding and securing a good, fair ticketing deal. More established artists are likely to command a guaranteed fee. Some professional artists will use the MU’s Casual Stage and National Gig rates as a starting point.

Payment arrangements Some examples of the payment deals you may be offered or able to negotiate are: • A straightforward guaranteed fee (paid in advance, on the night or within an agreed timescale) • A guaranteed fee plus a percentage of the door/box office takings • The entire door take, whatever that might be

“A verbal agreement is not worth the paper it is printed on.”

• A split of the gig’s profits or ticket revenue.

This could include box office and/or bar takings. Consult the Fair Play Guide and the MU’s Profit Sharing Agreement.

Get it in writing Having written confirmation of the terms of the gig ensures that both sides know what is expected – what time to arrive and how much you’re going to get paid and so on. Without written evidence of the contracted terms, if a problem arises, recovering your fee is made far more difficult. The MU Regional teams assist members in fee recovery.

Contracts We advise you to use the MU standard contracts L1 Hiring a band or L2 Hiring a solo musician. Make it clear to the venue or booker that there is no agreed booking until the contract is signed by both parties. If you can’t get the booker to sign an MU contract, we recommend you get a letter/e-mail from them confirming the booking and details of the date, time and place. Using the MU’s Specimen Letter is a simple way of getting the important details of a booking confirmed in writing.

Hidden costs Make sure there are no hidden deductions, such as payments for the hire of PA, lights, promotion or other unnamed expenses.

Terms and conditions The Union regularly reviews these agreements to ensure that they are both up-to-date and in

line with any changes to legislation. It is in members’ own interests to always use an MU Standard Contract, as these provide evidence of the conditions of an engagement if a dispute should arise.

35 Recovering payment The MU Officials will do all they can to assist if you do not have a written contract. However, in the event of a gig being cancelled at short notice or payment not being made, it is significantly more difficult to secure your rights if the only evidence available is a verbal agreement. Plus the chances of achieving satisfaction through the small claims procedures can be severely diminished.

Check the Handbook The MU recommends that members read the sections of the MU Members’ Handbook that refer to Playing Live (p57 of The Members’ Handbook 2018-19), Getting Paid (p43), plus Partnerships (p52) and Agents (p87).

MU Downloads The range of standard contracts includes hiring: a band/group (L1); a solo musician (L2); and a contract for profit-sharing engagements (L10). These agreements are available from the MU website, along with the current recommended rates for playing live.

The Musician • Autumn 2018

Regional Focus

Sheffield Feature by Daniel Dylan Wray

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A pioneering spirit that encourages constant musical evolution defines this post-industrial giant.

Sheffield’s musical legacy is a vast, pioneering and eclectic one. It may be known for a few standout names that have rocketed from the city over the years, such as Pulp, Heaven 17, Arctic Monkeys, Joe Cocker and Def Leppard but dig deeper and this relatively small UK city has been a constant source of creation for decades – often working independently and uniquely away from other trends and scenes.

The Musician • Autumn 2018

The late Peter Stringfellow brought artists such as Wilson Pickett, the Who and Jimi Hendrix to his King Mojo club in the 60s but by the 70s Sheffield had become home to an electronic and post-punk revolution. Sheffield in the 70s was, by most accounts, not the prettiest of places. Some recall it resembling Fritz Lang’s Metropolis with its looming buildings, industrial clatter and grey aura.

Newfound sound Young, innovative bands such as The Human League explored the throbbing sounds of industry with newfound electronic equipment but they also embraced fashion and Dadaism, bringing colour, glitz, pomp and radical ideas to create something shiny and new.

In the late 70s a whole new generation of Sheffield musicians and culture was taking shape, one that was actively avoiding going down the mines and instead reaching for the guitars and synthesisers.

This tradition and continued exploration of electronic music continued via celebrated labels such as Warp Records. Warp would come to be the defining label of Sheffield, its record releases and legendary parties coming with a stamp of both cool and approval. Its reputation lived on through groundbreaking releases by the likes of Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada but was set in place by the watershed debut release by Sheffield’s Forgemasters and Track With No Name.

Independent spirit It was a release and a moment that saw Sheffield once again become the definitive voice of contemporary electronic music in the UK. However, at the same time, the city’s pop, indie and classical scene was always thriving. The 1980s saw The Lindsay String Quartet rip up the rule books as they performed in T-shirts in the series of concerts that spawned Music In The Round, still a major influence in the city.

Feature profile

Population: 575,400 Famous Sheffield people and residents: Jarvis Cocker Richard Hawley Sean Bean Joe Cocker Joe Elliott Alex Turner Roisin Murphy Phil Oakey David Blunkett Jessica Ennis

Venues Audacious Art Experiment A collectively-run DIY space that gives opportunity to the weird and wonderful, from obscure touring artists to wild DJ nights. theaudaciousartexperiment.com

Plug A multi-room venue in the heart of Sheffield city centre that is home to gigs and club nights. Expect cover bands, indie, dance, hip-hop, punk and anything else in between. the-plug.com

MU North of England Region Regional Organiser: Matt Wanstall 61 Bloom Street, Manchester, M1 3LY 0161 236 1764 manchester@theMU.org

A legendary venue that has now been open for almost 40 years. The Leadmill still sees a healthy number of bands come through the doors. leadmill.co.uk

Hope Works The go-to place to hear the best DJs from around the world, as well as some promising home-grown talent. Tucked away outside of the city centre in a largely industrial area, it boasts a gutwobbling sound system. hope-works.co.uk

Greystones

Shakespeares

A back room gig venue at this Thornbridge Brewery-run pub has become a real gem in Sheffield in recent years. It’s especially notable for its folk and blues bookings, where you might catch local Richard Hawley jamming with Duane Eddy. mygreystones.co.uk

A great ale and craft beer pub with a nice upstairs venue. Folk, blues and jazz are the norm with the odd surprise, such as Fat White Family hosting an intimate gig there. shakespeares-sheffield.co.uk

Picture House Social A basement bar in an old ballroom with the best pizza in the city has fast become the place to see some of the most exciting alternative bands coming to Sheffield. picture-house-social.com

Corporation This has long been home to the harder side of music in Sheffield. If metal, hard rock, emo and all things black-clad is your style then Corporation will likely have you covered. corporation.org.uk

Record Junkee

From first gig at the Leadmill in Sheffield, Pulp went on to play stadia worldwide.

Technically a record shop but they also have a 150 capacity venue in there too. recordjunkee.co.uk

City Hall A big, beautiful and ornate main hall plays host to a wide range of music and arts events. sheffieldcityhall.sivtickets.com

FlyDSA Arena The place to see the biggest stage shows that tour the world. This 13,500 capacity space sees a regular run of genre-spanning music, sports events, comedy and much more. flydsaarena.co.uk/home

Café Totem A café bar by day and night but underneath is a basement venue that is perfect for those intimate, up-close and very sweaty gigs. cafetotem.com

Local Media Now Then © David Wolff-Patrick / Getty Images

© Shahid Khan / Shutterstock

Leadmill

Jack Garratt at The Leadmill in October 2015.

© Kevin Wells

Sheffield South Yorkshire

A monthly free mag that explores music, art, politics, poetry and food, and all things Sheffield. Each month a guest artist designs the cover and several pages, making it a champion of local independent talent. nowthenmagazine.com

Our Favourite Places The online place to go for all things from walks to festival guides and the best brunch spots.

Their recommendations of gigs, both big and small, are worth keeping an eye out for. ourfaveplaces.co.uk

Exposed A free monthly magazine that covers all things Sheffield but has a heavy music focus.

There are regular interviews with local and touring musicians, as well as a useful gig listings section. exposedmagazine.co.uk The Musician • Autumn 2018

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“I adore this city...

I think it’s really unique and very special.”

Indie-pop art band Moonlandingz are making waves.

Richard Hawley

© David Wala /REX / Shutterstock

published in January 2018 by the University of Sheffield, which identifies 423 classical events taking place across 30 venues in a year.

The 90s continued to churn out a weird and wonderful mix of music by artists such as the Longpigs, Pulp, Moloko and Babybird.

38 The city has long been a champion of do-it-yourself endeavours, such as smallscale record labels and gigs put on in the upstairs rooms of pubs. This independent spirit also exists in the classical world.

“Classical music is thriving in Sheffield,” says Fraser Wilson, learning and participation manager with Music In The Round, now the largest promoter of chamber music outside London. He highlights Classical Sheffield, a collective that brings over 50 music-makers from across the city. He also cites a report

Despite the fact that there is not a full-time professional orchestra in the city, major British orchestras such as the Hallé, the CBSO and the BBC Philharmonic all play at the City Hall, while professional chamber music has become the speciality of The Crucible Theatre Studio and its highly-regarded resident chamber orchestra, Ensemble 360.

Homegrown heroes Musicians keep coming back to this city, or sometimes never leaving it at all. Richard Hawley remains a proud resident despite being a globe-trotter, while Jarvis Cocker is frequently popping back to be involved, whether he is soundtracking a celebration of the city’s steel history as part of Sheffield Doc/Fest, playing a solo show or campaigning to save Sheffield’s greatly-loved trees.

Recent successful musical output from the likes of the 65Daysofstatic, Toddla T, The Moonlandingz and Reverend and the Makers are all examples that continue to display the wealth of hugely varied music being pumped out of this proud and productive city.

The Musician • Autumn 2018

Tramlines Beginning life as a free inner city festival, over the last 10 years Tramlines has boomed to become Sheffield’s biggest festival while remaining one of the cheapest weekend-long events in the UK. It has attracted huge names over the years from Noel Gallagher to Wu Tang Clan and it continues to grow in size with every year. tramlines.org.uk

Sensoria An annual festival that specialises in the crossover of music and film.

Combined with SensoriaPro [its ‘industry’ day], Sensoria is Sheffield’s premier alternative festival. From Richard Hawley playing in a tiny chapel to Factory Floor scoring Metropolis in an old steel works to a drive-in cinema on an old airfield, Sensoria is as surprising as it is eclectic. sensoria.org.uk

Music In the Round A year-round series of events that focuses on the promotion of chamber and classical music but also hosts an annual festival each May, promoting a wide range of both classic and contemporary classical music. musicintheround.co.uk

Mosborough Music Festival A very indie- and guitar-centric festival, booking bands old and new along the lines of The Lightning Seeds, Reverend and the Makers, The Farm, The Twang and Cast. mosboroughmusicfestival.co.uk

The Local View “Sheffield is a really exciting place to dip in and out of. Sensoria festival I think is especially great, in terms of the digital and more artistic end of things.

It’s been interesting to come back and see new venues opening up and different places being the centre of activity, such as Picture House Social for gigs. There always seem to be people finding new spaces to do new things. Also, because of the size of the student population, it creates this really nice blend of people – there’s a great cultural mix” Matt Wanstall, MU Regional Organiser

Festivals

chamber Music Festival “I just unapologetically adore this city. I was born in Pitsmoor and I’ve got a connection to all things Sheffield and its history and its future. I’ve never lost contact with that; it’s why I’ve always lived here. I don’t want to lose my roots or my sense of self and it’s really easy to do that because you’re often encouraged in this world to disappear up your own arse. I don’t want that, I don’t see why you have to compromise. I adore the city very much; I think it’s really unique and very special.”

Richard Hawley

Showing off another side of the city’s proud musical heritage, this annual nine-day event takes place in the round at Sheffield’s famous Crucible Theatre and features film scores along with classical faves and the more modern likes of Reich. classicalsheffield.org.uk

© David Shapiro

Feature profile

Education UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD MUSIC DEPARTMENT Highly respected faculty with a flexible programme of undergraduate and postgraduate courses that span genres and disciplines, starting with a one-year foundation course. sheffield.ac.uk

Sheffield College

Members of Ensemble 360 perform at The Crucible Theatre Studio in Sheffield.

© Jack Taylor Photography

Music Shops Rich Tone Music

Guitar Shack The clue is the name here. If you’re looking for wall-to-wall guitars then Guitar Shack is the place for you.

Acoustic, electric, pedals, parts and custom builds – they do it all here.

Located in Broomhill, just around the corner from the neighbourhood’s record shop, Record Collector. guitarshacksheffield.com

Wizard Guitars Located on Ecclesall Road, Wizard Guitars specialises in guitars of all varieties, including vintage. It has an extensive range of acoustic, electric and bass guitars, as well as ukuleles and all the amps and accessories you could possibly wish for. wizardguitars.com

A music school set up for outstanding young classical musicians from 8-19 year olds and offering music ‘A’ level courses too. sheffieldmusicacademy. org

Studios

Rich Tone Music: an Aladdin’s cave of musical instruments.

Yellow Arch

Bowling Green

A recording studio, practice and live venue too. With an ‘anything goes’ booking policy they put on anything from grime to afrobeat to jazz. yellowarch.com

Run by local synth hero Dean Honer, this small studio features wall-to-wall analogue electronics and a digital mastering suite. twitter.com/deanhoner

2Fly

Blue Note If you’re a budding jazz player then the chances are that Blue Note will be something of a friend in the city. It specialises in woodwind instruments. Not only does Blue Note sell saxophones, clarinets, flutes and the likes but it also offers services and repairs, as well as tutoring. bluenoteinstruments.com

Sheffield Music Academy

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Just about every up and coming band has recorded here. It’s still a magnet for local talent.

2flystudios.com

© Matt Riley

Loaded with both new and second hand stock, Rich Tone Music is an Aladdin’s cave for musical instruments.

Whether you’re looking for a guitar, piano, drums, synthesiser, DJ equipment, or a PA, you’ll find all that and more here. richtonemusic.co.uk

Sheffield College offers a wide range of music and arts-related courses, varying from performing arts to music performance and production and music technology. sheffcol.ac.uk

Red Tape Located in the city’s Cultural Industry Quarter, Red Tape offers a variety of programmes for everyone from school leavers to adults. It offers various qualifications and courses at different levels that revolve heavily around handson studio practice. bit.ly/2MIF5hB

Kabantu at Yellow Arch studios – part of the 2017 Classical Weekend.

Tesla Studios Just over a mile out of the city centre, in a former Victorian industrial workshop, Tesla Studios is an independent studio. tesla-studios.co.uk

The Live Performance Section Focusing on the valuable work of the Union’s Section for gigging musicians.

Report by Steve Faragher

As the Musicians’ Union represents so many different kinds of members, it was decided in 2014 to create a Section for gigging musicians across the live sector. The MU’s Sections are essentially focus groups that represent the 40 views of different parts of the profession, providing support, feedback, important ideas and information to the main body.

Currently, there are Sections for Teachers, Music Writers, Orchestras, Recording and Broadcasting, Theatre and Live Performance.

Each Section has a democratically elected Committee that meets in order to discuss members’ issues and, where appropriate, make recommendations to the Union’s Executive Committee.

As Robert Scott, chair of the Live Section Committee explains: “Since the Live Performance Section was formed the Committee has discussed many topics including international issues, festivals, emerging artists, working with featured artists, small venues, local government planning policy, street busking, vehicle parking in city centres, and more recently sexual harassment in the live performance sector. Our Committee

“Live music is thriving.

There is still a healthy number of venues.”

Kelly Wood The Musician • Autumn 2018

The Afro Celt Sound System performing at the Musicport music festival last year.

Gigging is a major source of income for most musicians.

is keen to press for equal opportunities and high standards of employment for everyone.”

The day-to-day running of the Live Performance Section is headed up by National Organiser Dave Webster and Live Performance Official, Kelly Wood. Between them they are responsible for liaising with the Section Committee and feeding back its key findings to the Executive, as well as being on hand for the 9,000 strong Section membership who perform live. Dave and Kelly offer support and advice, and campaign with government on their behalf.

In an era when musicians struggle to make a fair living from publishing and rights alone, live events represent an increasingly important element of most musicians’ income, so the work of the Section is vitally important.

“One example of some of the pro-active work we have undertaken,” says Kelly Wood, “is for members wishing to promote their shows.

Grassroots and emerging artists who might have little experience in gig promotion have been able to benefit from a very successful series of events called ‘How to win friends and influence promoters’. We have been able to

present this event in every region, It’s an open event delivered by promoter Jay Taylor on how to sell more tickets and grow audiences for your shows – which is free for members.”

Support for venues One thing the MU is keen to point out is that this is no ‘them and us’ situation between musicians and venues. The Union is totally committed to supporting and encouraging good venues because these venues are vital to the livelihoods of MU members. Where a dispute arises, the Union will always support its members. However, creating a more supportive and inclusive sector benefits all.

The Musicians’ Union supports Independent Venue Week (IVW), for example, which highlights the central role that independent venues have in offering opportunities for musicians to find an audience.

In the last few years, the Live Performance Section has also played a key role in lobbying government to adopt the ‘Agent of Change’ principle into planning law. The MU, UK Music,

REPORT report

MusicLive / Alamy Stock Photo

keenly interested in supporting MU members who are travelling abroad. Dave Webster explains that one of the key issues the section has been involved in recently is mitigating the impact of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This multilateral treaty limits and prohibits the sale of many natural items such as ivory, abalone and even rosewood, which have traditionally been used in the manufacture of some instruments.

Fair Play For Musicians And Venues the Music Venues Trust and John Spellar MP have been successful in ensuring that the Agent of Change principle has been included in the new National Planning Policy Framework.

This is a much needed policy when existing venues are threatened with closure by new planning developments.

Live Music Kit In a concerted drive to support venues, the MU created The Live Music Kit, which offers advice on programming successful events.

The Live Music Kit is available for download from the MU website at theMU.org and offers a great deal of practical advice for venues. The kit also outlines all the relevant legislation that may affect venues. Putting on live music can be relatively easy, with the 2012 Live Music Act opening the doors for thousands of potential venues.

“Live music is thriving,” agrees Kelly. “With organisations such as the Music Venue Trust supporting independent venues, there is still a very healthy number of places across the country where musicians can perform live.”

The work of the Live Performance Section doesn’t stop at our borders though. It is also

The Fair Play Venue scheme is a great example of how the Live Performance Section works with musicians and venues to deliver improved outcomes for both. Musicians and venues can download the Fair Play Guide from the MU website. This guide explains what constitutes ‘Fair Play’ in live performance.

Venues who conform to its principles are added to the MU Fair Play Venue list and online database, and receive a sticker to display in their window.

Fair Play Venue principles include paying musicians fairly, opposing unfair ‘pay-to-play’ practices, taking an active role in the promotion of events and honouring contracts. So far, more than 100 venues have signed up to the scheme.

To nominate a venue, email the Live Section at live@theMU.org

“We’ve also been successful in convincing government that having a musical instrument exemption built into the proposed ivory ban is the right thing to do. The Government has responded with a welcome exemption for instruments containing ivory made before 1975, which covers the vast majority of instruments that we are concerned about.”

Tricky baggage The Live Performance Section is also talking to major airlines such as British Airways (BA) to ensure they understand the issues facing musicians who travel frequently. “Airlines make a big effort to accommodate business people and their laptops, holidaymakers and their bags and duty free,” explains Dave, “but often try to throw valuable musical instruments in the hold. We’ve been pointing out to them that a professional musician’s instrument is the tool of their trade, and often has a personal meaning to the musician, and so deserves to be treated with respect. We’re campaigning for cheaper seats to be made available for larger instruments to travel in, and guitars to be more easily accepted into the cabin.”

Currently there are issues over guitars in BA cabins on short haul flights. The MU, with the help of Cardiff West MP and MU member Kevin Brennan, are due to meet with the Under Secretary of State for Transport, Baroness Sugg CBE, to discuss the difficulties faced by musicians flying with their instruments.

One area where Dave admits the Union is still meeting with resistance though is in the thorny area of working visas, particularly with the US. “We’ve been struggling to get them to the table,” he concedes, “but we won’t give up until we make some progress.”

Get in touch with the Live Performance section if you are a performing musician and need help. T: 020 7840 5512 E: live@theMU.org

The Musician • Autumn 2018

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© Hallé

Fighting For Your Rights The MU is pressuring parliament to deliver a Brexit that works for musicians. You can help.

Report by Isabelle Gutierrrez

At the time of writing, we are still no clearer on Brexit. The Chequers ‘agreement’ is in jeopardy, the White Paper has been subjected to numerous amendments and the government is in disarray.

Although it is impossible to predict what will happen over the coming months, the priority 42 for the MU remains very clear – to protect the interests of our members throughout the Brexit negotiations.

Amidst all the complex issues surrounding Brexit, our research clearly shows that the most important issue for our members is to protect free movement around the EU for the purpose of touring.

The MU is working hard to influence MPs and other decision makers on this issue to ensure that they protect such a vital aspect of musicians’ careers, but we need your help.

Get the message across This autumn the Union will be at the Labour Party Conference and, for the first time, we will also have a stand at the Conservative Party Conference. This is because we recognise the importance of making MPs of all political persuasions aware of the need to protect free movement for musicians.

British orchestras could lose out if there is no freedom of movement.

“The introduction of work permissions in Europe could be extremely detrimental.”

The Musician • Autumn 2018

This is not an easy task, and although more than 100 MPs have already signed up to the pledge that we created last year, many more have not. Notably, not a single Conservative MP has joined our campaign.

arranged at very short notice, so the possible introduction of work permissions and/or visas for British performers touring and working in Europe could be extremely detrimental.

Individuals without representation or financial backing are likely to struggle the most with the extra costs and admin this might entail.

Free movement In a post-Brexit Europe, a European festival may well find it easier to give the gig to a French band rather than a British band. At the MU, we are fighting to ensure that this does not happen. The MU is campaigning for reciprocal free movement for musicians and performers across the EU’s 27 member states.

You will find a postcard in this issue of your magazine, for you to send to your MP asking them to visit the MU stand at their respective party conference. You can confirm who your MP is by visiting theyworkforyou.com and typing in your postcode. If your local MP is neither Labour or Conservative, then please note we will have a presence at other party conferences in due course.

The MU was vehemently against Brexit right from the start, not just for the reasons that have been listed so far, but because Brexit threatens the whole culture of our country.

Music – and the performing arts more generally – rely on exchange of ideas and interaction between performers of different nationalities. Music flourishes in an open world with no borders, not on a closed-off island that looks inward on itself.

By asking your MP to come and visit the MU stand at their conference, you will be ensuring that they come and listen to the strong arguments around protecting freedom of movement for musicians.

What are those arguments?

Many of the MU’s 30,000 members work in Europe either on a freelance basis with orchestras, touring as an individual or group, or working for theatre producers or orchestras on touring productions.

Some performers can be working in several different European countries over the course of a few days, and gigs or tours are sometimes

The sands of Brexit are continually shifting but we will not let MPs forget musicians.

Please help us in our campaign and send your postcard in to your MP today.

To submit an album or download track for review, send recordings and PR material to:

The Musician, 60-62 Clapham Rd, London SW9 0JJ or email TheMusician@ theMU.org

You should also forward your cover artwork and/ or photos (minimum 300dpi resolution) to: keith.ames@theMU.org

We try to help as many members as possible, and preference is given to members not previously reviewed.

reviews

reviews

Reviewers: Keith Ames & Tom Short

A look at some of the new albums, EPs and downloads released by MU members for 2018, together with links for more information on the featured artists.

© MAYA YOUSSEF

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Maya Youssef

M

aya has an unusual and inspiring story. As a virtuoso of the qanun, she has broken new ground in what has traditionally been a man’s role. Born in Damascus, she was in Oman when hostilities in Syria began. She attained professional status in the UK under the Arts Council’s Exceptional Talent Scheme, and has performed with Damon Albarn and at the Proms.

Reflecting the hostilities in Syria, this album explores its creator’s complex perspective on the conflict as an exile, and manages to explode preconceptions about Arabic music in the process. Using just cello, percussion and oud, Maya and

her band push a traditional music form in myriad directions. Incorporating a dizzying sweep of genres from flamenco to jazz, it is a transportive, cinematic listen and a vital reminder of the remarkable musical culture of this troubled region.

Maya Youssef Syrian Dreams An album of power and skill, which has an overwhelming emotional impact.

The sympathetic support of Barney Morse-Brown (cello), Sebastian Flaig (percussion) and Attab Haddad (oud) spotlight Maya’s mastery of the qanun. mayayoussef.com The Musician • Autumn 2018

jazz/soul Michaela Fedeczko Nothing

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Crawford/ Simcock with Sinfonia Cymru Birdsong

Michaela has worked as a session vocalist in studios around the world and now it’s her turn to step into the spotlight. Backed by upright bass and whirring organ stabs, her sultry vocals are irresistible on this superb slice of retro-chic soul.

Soul-folk singer Kizzy and respected pianist and composer Gwilym have created a wonderful concept album. Shifting between myriad styles, this dizzying work rewards repeated listens.

michaelamusicuk.com

gwilymsimcock.com

Jeremy Sassoon and Friends Live at PizzaExpress

Sarah Eyden and Denis King Love is in the Room

prog

pop Creys Creys A truly unique debut from this Oxford multi-instrumentalist that bridges the gap between prog rock and the frantic rhythms of 90s IDM. Icy synths dominate, but there are snatches of warmth here from clever samples and intricate guitar lines. creysofficial.bandcamp. com

Héllena Kissed the Sun There’s something otherworldly about singer-songwriter Héllena. The EP’s title track, with its addictive vocal hook, is tailor made for those balmy summer nights. hellenaofficial.com

Under a Banner Riot

A cracking live set recorded after only one rehearsal, the result is whip-tight and funky. Grooveladen interpretations include an inspired Eleanor Rigby.

This album draws heavily from King’s archive. Sarah Eyden’s conversational style suits these witty ballads, and the duo are given a jolt of rhythmic pep from Dave Olney (bass) and Mike Smith (drums).

A dynamic sound which combines hard rock sonics with soaring harmonies and an unusually poetic sensibility. Producer Gavin Monaghan (Robert Plant, NMA) dials up the electronic elements and gives the track a high-end sheen.

jeremysassoon.com

saraheyden.com

underabanner.co.uk

stand out

Hannah Scott Pieces of the Night Hannah’s radio-ready songs are not only polished and tuneful, but also carry a heavy emotional weight.

Carried by sweeping arrangements of guitar, strings and electronics, her songs find the light in the darkest of moments. hannahscott.co.uk

This issue’s highlights include a highly-rated ballad interpreter from Scotland and an album recorded on a boat at sea by Mike Vass.

Iona Fyfe Away from my Window

Mike Vass Notes from the Boat

This debut album revives ancient songs alongside more recent contributions to the genre from songwriters like Aidan Moffat. Flawless vocals and a keen ear for modern arrangements give this crossover appeal.

Mike has embarked upon a maritime adventure, recording a group of musicians on a boat, before sailing to the Canary Islands to add production. The result is a sun-kissed blend of acoustic, electronic and found sounds.

ionafyfe.com

mikevass.com

CarrieAnn Hands of Eternity CarrieAnn cut her teeth in the 80s with some of the finest producers.

Her detached style recalls Debbie Harry, and touches of psychedelia and freak folk lend a dose of altAmerican cool. carrieannmusic.com

The Musician • Autumn 2018

reviews

rock

singer/songwriter Liza Bec Beyond the Blonde Multi-instrumentalist Liza’s eclectic musical background – from classical clarinettist to wind player in James Holden’s jazz-techno band – is evident in a sublime set of songs which slide through moments of northern soul euphoria to dreamy pastoral folk. lizabec.com

Michael McMillan Cross Country Michael’s life is perfect material for a songwriter – from teenage runaway to police officer. His warm style of 70s country rock has an easy-going charm, but his lyrics explore life’s trials and tribulations. michaelmcmillanmusic. com

Pete Williams H.O.L.L.A.N.D You know Pete as the bassist of Dexy’s Midnight Runners, but his solo work is every bit as good and he has a warm vocal style all his own. Pete spins slightly warped tales of misspent youth around dreamy, funky, country-soul arrangements. petewilliamsmusic.com

instrumental Cooper and Dickenson Spohr: Violin Duets 1

GRICE The Grey of Granite Stone Returning with an EP of swooning 80s synth rock featuring lush production, impeccable harmonies and an air of seductive melancholy that confirms this selfproclaimed ‘art-rock hipster’ to be in a field of his own. gricemusic.co.uk

Hamish Napier The Railway

Neil Campbell After the Flood

This fine reading of Louis Spohr’s two sets of violin duets (one written when he was 12) charts his progress as a composer. Filled with moments of invention and brilliance.

This album of soaring compositions reflects a fascinating period of industrialisation.

Some of Scotland’s finest musicians come together on songs which explore the impact of the railways in the remote Scottish highlands.

Filled with hypnotic grooves drawn from every corner of the globe and played by jazz stars, this album is an affirmative vision of how cultures might interact once national divisions are abandoned after a catastrophic flood.

naxos.com

hamishnapier.com

neilcampbell.org.uk

folk

Andrew Van Garratt Work of Fiction Andrew’s polished solo album is an eclectic mix of raucous anthems and whimsical balladry which manages to uncover something fresh from the poprock template. andrewvangarratt.com

Delyth & Angharad Llinyn Arian

Hatful of Rain Songs of the Lost and Found

Mishaped Pearls Shivelight

Delyth & Angharad are a motherdaughter duo who perform an intimate take on instrumental Welsh folk. This moving set of songs, born during a time of loss, stands as testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

Hatful of Rain have a sizeable following on both sides of the Atlantic for their wistful Appalachiansteeped folk. This record takes them even further, offering a rootsy take on Americana with characteristic freewheeling interplay.

Classically trained mezzo-soprano Manuela Schuette’s vocals are arresting as ever, while Ged Flood’s meticulous production is full of gorgeous details that slowly reveal themselves as you listen. A third album of intoxicating depth.

Kasai’s lean, muscular take on classic rock defies the odds and successfully distils the sound of their bombastic guitar heroes into a snappy modern format.

dna-folk.co.uk

hatfulofrain.co.uk

mishapedpearls.org

gunstoshoot.co.uk

Kasai Guns to Shoot

The Musician • Autumn 2018

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© Alan Messer / REX / Shutterstock

tributes Skip Humphries Australian-born jazz drummer and music TV executive.

Skip was well-known to London session musicians over the 26 years he worked in television.

Born in Brisbane, Australia in 1931, he got the jazz bug as a young man, and learned drums.

The Skip Humphries Band became well-known in the ABC’s weekly jazz programmes, local jazz venues, and even performed at a Government House reception for Princess Alexandra in 1958.

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After settling in London in 1964, Skip worked for Rediffusion TV and in 1968 he joined London Weekend TV under renowned

conductor Harry Rabinowitz.

He later replaced Harry as Head of Music Services on Harry’s retirement in 1976.

Skip was a lifelong member of the MU, and a champion of live music. His responsibilities at LWT, in particular, were to enforce the MU/ITV agreements.

Jon Hiseman

Skip retired from LWT after 21 years’ service in 1989 and repatriated to Australia in 1990.

Drummer and producer Jon Hiseman died in June from a brain tumour aged 73.

He died aged 87 after suffering dementia for several years, and is survived by his wife of 55 years, Di, and his daughter from his first marriage, Tracy.

For someone who said he never intended to become a professional musician, Jon enjoyed a highly respected career. Replacing Ginger Baker in the Graham Bond Organisation in 1966, before playing with John Mayall & the Blues Breakers, he founded influential improv outfit Colosseum in 1968.

Di Humphries

Morfen Edwards Principal harpist, warm wit, and proud Welsh woman.

From 1959 until 1963 Morfen Edwards was a student at the Royal Manchester College of Music, learning with Jean Bell.

In 1963 she gained the position of second harp in the Hallé Orchestra, working with her teacher who she held in high esteem. There, she felt herself lucky to make music with Sir John Barbirolli, for whom she had the greatest respect.

At this time she did a lot of work for Granada Television, with the BBC Northern Orchestra and with the Manchester Mozart Players. However, in 1971 she was invited to become Principal

The Musician • Autumn 2018

Harpist with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra where she remained for 20 years.

Later, she taught the harp and freelanced with various London orchestras.

Morfen was a musician who made an especially beautiful sound. She was an intelligent woman too, who attained a BA (Hons) with the Open University.

Morfen, a winner of Green and Blue Robes at the National Eisteddfod, died in Rhosllannerchrugog in North Wales on 22 February 2018. She will be missed for her ready wit and loyal friendships.

Patricia Morris

Pioneering jazz-rock drummer and founder of Colosseum.

“I didn’t want to sit behind [other artists] and play along,” explained Jon. “I wanted to create the music that would make me sound good. So in the end I formed a band.”

One of the first bands to blend elements of blues, prog-rock and jazz, Colosseum released four albums, including the Top 20 hit Valentyne Suite, before splitting in 1971.

After a foray into heavy metal with his next band, Tempest, Jon returned to his first love, reincarnated as Colosseum II. Featuring Gary Moore, Don Airey and Neil Murray (later of Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple and

Whitesnake, respectively), members of the group also played on the hit album Variations for Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1978 with Andrew’s cellist brother Julian. “Not many drummers would be able to pick up spontaneous nuances from a concert cellist,” said Julian. “But Jon could and did.”

“I wanted to create the music that would make me sound good.

So in the end I formed the band.”

In the 80s, Jon recorded film and TV music with his wife, jazz saxophonist Barbara Thomson, as well as playing on her albums, before reforming the original Colosseum in 1994. They played their final gig at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in 2015.

“I was 22, a little grammar school boy from south London,” recalled Jon, of that unexpected career shift with Graham Bond.

“Fifteen years later, when I was topping the bill at the Royal Albert Hall with my own band, my mum came backstage and wanted to know when I was going to get a proper job.”

Clive Somerville

Tributes

Colin Larn

Drummer with a wicked sense of humour.

A well-known drummer in Manchester in the 70s and 80s, mischievous Colin worked at the famous Playboy Club with the Derek Hilton trio (piano) alongside Dave Lynane (bass).

Colin played with many top musicians. He completed tours playing for The Platters and Brotherhood Of Man and with Cliff Richard in South Africa. He even single-handedly built a recording studio in the cellar of his house.

In the 90s he moved to Bournemouth with his partner Karen, where he worked as a musician/ singer/entertainer and was still performing with The Pedigree Jazz Band up until the time of his passing.

Colin died on 21 January 2018, aged 66, after a diagnosis of cancer.

John Cheetham

Ian Cameron

Tommy was born in Stirling and went to school locally. He delivered newspapers and the money he earned went towards accordion lessons.

After demob from a short period in the RAF, Ian spent several years touring with the famous big bands of the 50s and spent five years resident in the ITV studio orchestras.

Well-loved Scottish accordion player.

Pete Warner

Tenor sax player who swung with the greats.

Born in Coventry in 1927, Pete was raised in a musical household and given his first clarinet aged 16. After National Service in the RAF and a switch to tenor sax, he returned to Coventry in 1948 to join the George Rowe band.

In 1950 he was invited to join Teddy Foster’s Band and this led to almost six decades of working as a featured soloist with some of Britain’s finest swing and dance bands of the post-war era, where he was valued for his beautiful, full tone. In 1974 he joined the BBC Radio Orchestra.

In 1987 he took his retirement from the BBC. After a spell with Glenn Miller, he spent several years playing with Don Lusher, Ted Heath and finally with Freddie Staff.

Pete’s sharp wit and humour will be missed.

He is survived by his wife Margaret, two daughters and five grandchildren.

Dave Willis

© Ian Mitchell

After earning a BSc from Salford University, Colin’s parents wanted him to pursue a career in science. Not Colin though – he wanted to be a musician.

Tommy Ford

John Welch aka John Martin

Formidable jazz pianist, composer and arranger.

Born in Bristol, John’s career embraced jazz performances, composing, arranging, and musical direction for theatre productions.

Early on, he became well-known in Scotland

“The invaluable anchor in all my busy jazz bands.” and across the north of England, accompanying jazz stars including Ella Fitzgerald, and jamming with Oscar Peterson.

In the 80s, while a ship’s pianist, John met ship’s secretary Barbara. They married in 1985 and had a son, Christopher, now a professional cellist.

John toured as Harry Secombe’s personal accompanist. He returned to Bristol where he performed The Warsaw Concerto For Piano and was the invaluable anchor in all of my busy jazz bands.

John also ran his own trio at Bath’s Farmhouse Jazz Club.

He saw National Service with REME in Egypt where he put a ‘box’ together and played for Scottish Country dances and tea dances in the Officers’ Mess.

On his return, he was asked to join Jim MacLeod and his band at the Dunblane Hydro Hotel, where he regularly broadcast with the band for BBC Scotland and the Radio Two Ballroom.

He loved touring, radio, stage work, recording, entertaining on the cruise liner Canberra, and playing for over 25 years for Her Majesty The Queen at Balmoral.

Tommy was an unassuming and loyal musician, admired by many for his excellent musicianship and a member of the Musicians’ Union throughout his career.

I was also a member of the Jim MacLeod band so knew Tommy well. It was a pleasure to share a stage with him.

John Sinton

Trumpeter, band leader and entrepreneur.

In the 60s Ian became a band leader himself and worked in West End nightclubs. Ian’s distinctive trumpet style was much acclaimed by Judy Garland, Liberace, Betty Grable, Noël Coward and frequent royal visitors.

Poached in the 70s by the Queen’s cousin Lady Elizabeth Anson to front her ‘Party Planners’, Ian’s talents suited the private party scene, with several appearances for the Royal Family including playing for Princess Diana. Ian also stretched to a period with the Royal Shakespeare Company and regularly recorded broadcasts for Radio 2 programmes.

In 1981 Ian went into independent record production. He gained artistic success and a business award for a single, featuring boy choristers from St Paul’s Cathedral accompanied by his small brass section ensemble.

Sara Cameron

Cass Caswell

The Musician • Autumn 2018

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Paul Mountain

Maggie Macdonald

Violinist, conductor and educator.

“He influenced the lives of thousands of musicians” In 1975 Paul became 48 director of the Leeds Youth Orchestra and leader of the Leeds String Quartet. He remained involved in youth music in Leeds until his retirement in 2005, influencing the lives of thousands of musicians and leading cultural exchanges across the globe.

Returning exhausted from one trip to Italy, he fell and suffered spinal injuries that left him paralysed from the waist down. On his retirement he became a counsellor for others suffering spinal injuries.

Elegant and charming, Paul was a longtime member of the MU. Steve Faragher

Mike Townend

MU committee member and talented arranger.

Born in 1948, Mike’s first instrument was the flute. He loved jazz and spent several years touring with the National Jazz Youth Orchestra.

After university, Mike worked in BBC Television’s Music Library before forming an arranger and copyist partnership with wife Gill. Opportunities arose for him to write arrangements for artists on shows such as Top Of The Pops, Parkinson, The Two Ronnies, Lulu and many others.

During the 80s, Mike was asked to compose and conduct the music for the popular SuperTed cartoon, which then led to further work as a musical director and conductor on chat and entertainment shows.

Recording projects with the Royal Philharmonic followed, while with the BBC Concert Orchestra he worked with Ilaiyaraaja in India as well as Burt Bacharach and Smokey Robinson.

Mike’s arrangements are known for their accuracy and inventiveness in allowing each section of an orchestra to shine, and remain in demand across the world.

Andrew Townend

The Musician • Autumn 2018

© Colin Busby

Paul Mountain, who has died aged 68, was the son of the legendary leader of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Peter Mountain, and the celebrated concert pianist Angela Dale.

An economics graduate and fine tennis player, the music in Paul came to the fore and in 1971 he joined the Philharmonia in London.

Musician, producer and transgender activist.

David James

Double bass player with London Philharmonic.

Born in Islington in 1930, David was a wartime evacuee. Aged 17 he enlisted with the Royal Artillery and played tuba in the marching band at George VI’s funeral.

On leaving the army he joined the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra.

Often in the audience was a school girl, Anne Fitzgerald, who in 1957 became his wife.

After spells with the Scotland and Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras, David joined the London Philharmonic, where he stayed for 33 years.

In 1996 David and Anne retired to Newark, Nottinghamshire, where David was able to indulge his love of jazz and played with several bands around the area.

He was a gentle, loving husband, father and grandfather and a caring friend to many.

Liz Harris

Maggie ‘Swampwino’ Macdonald was born in Glasgow. She started gigging as a guitarist while still at school and built her career in bands including Jimmy McDonald & Alasdair Leigh’s Drugs Cabaret, The Swerve and The Jangletties.

Maggie contributed to many great albums, engineered for Alabama 3 and toured with Taurus Trakker, and with Conil. As musical director of Creative Routes she led campaigns to support musicians with mental health issues.

A transgender activist, Maggie was an inspirational figure in the LGBTQ community.

In 2012, she interrupted an ATOS-sponsored event in Trafalgar Square to provide a platform for Disabled People Against the Cuts and UK Uncut. Latterly she formed Maggie and Lucy Lyrical, performing satirical protest songs across the UK. Maggie passed away on 19 May 2018 surrounded by her dearest friends.

Lucy George

Geoffrey Brawn Musical director of the Players’ Theatre.

Geoffrey Brawn spent 40 years as musical director and pianist at The Players’ Theatre.

Born in Kendal, Geoffrey won a scholarship to the Royal College, and joined the Players’ in the early 60s. The Covent Garden theatre performed VictorianEdwardian music-hall shows and Geoffrey accompanied some of the biggest stars of the day, from Peter Ustinov and Hattie Jacques, to Beryl Reid and Ian Carmichael.

His own star rose higher in 1968, with a debut on The Good Old Days, a series that took the Players’ music hall variety to TV. He codirected the film A Little Of What You Fancy, starring Helen Shapiro and Barry Cryer.

Geoffrey enjoyed further success over the years with musical direction of The Boyfriend, innovative pantos and musical arrangements for TV. Sadly, financial pressures forced his beloved Theatre to close in 2002, and injuries from an accident ended his career in 2013.

Clive Somerville

COVER STAR

The Beat Master

50

This issue’s cover star is percussionist Matthew West, who is currently working in the West End on the hit show Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

Photo: Joby Sessions. © MU 2018

What does the MU mean to you?

The MU is a huge part of my life as a working musician. It’s where I go for advice, it helps me when I’ve had to recover unpaid fees (thankfully a rare occurrence), I use the MU pension scheme which makes my mum very happy, I benefit from their collective bargaining agreement in the West End, I could go on.

I recently stepped down from two years as Chair of the Theatre Section committee; it was hard work but rewarding.

What is the favourite West End show you have been percussionist on?

In The Heights with its Latino score was music I loved and felt at home playing. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, my current show, has great music and tells an extraordinary, true story. Seeing the audience every night (we’re on a platform just above the stage) and the effect it has on them is something special.

Singin’ In The Rain was my first chair in the West End so that will always hold a unique place, and when the band used to let rip in the Broadway Ballet… that was a great moment.

The Musician • Autumn 2018

What are your biggest challenges as percussionist on shows?

The challenge is getting your set-up just right, getting your choreography sorted, practising picking up the right stick in that quaver rest and holding it between your teeth. When you nail it and it’s all smooth and seamless, that’s when you’re doing your job properly.

What is your most memorable moment working in musicals?

The first time I conducted in the West End, on Singin’ In The Rain, with my parents in the audience, that was special. But the most memorable was on tour with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and I could see this little kid on a monitor, maybe six or seven, sat just behind the conductor. For two hours he lived every part of the show. Bouncing along to all the songs, looking terrified at the Child Catcher, and then a look of pure joy on his face at the end when the car flew across the stage. He was a piece of theatre all on his own.

What is the most bizarre thing you’ve been asked to do by an MD? The oddest things I’ve had to do were mainly in contemporary music concerts. We were at the Purcell Room when I once had to chop into this big block of wood with a specifically red axe for a piece by Mauricio Kagel (goggles were worn in accordance with health and safety).

And then a piece by Phillip Venables required me to beat the living whatsit out of a punching bag with a massive paddle for what felt like half an hour (probably only five minutes).

Sounded great but they don’t teach you that at college!

You teach too, what’s the best piece of advice you give your pupils?

One of my mantras (which probably bores half my students rigid) is that it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to learn something, it doesn’t matter if it takes your friend half the time it takes you, if you want to achieve it put the time in, put the work in. Once you’re at the top of the mountain you don’t care how long it took you to get there.

member benefits

Have you registered for your MU benefits?

While membership of the MU offers a wide range of free services, there are a number of benefits that you need to register or apply for.

MU website

To fully access our website – theMU.org – you will need to register on your first visit using your membership number.

Instrument and equipment insurance

For £2,000 worth of free musical instrument and equipment cover, register for the scheme by calling Hencilla Canworth on 020 8686 5050.

Are you due a royalty payment from us for the use of any of your recordings in television programmes, films or adverts? Are you the next of kin of a musician who used to receive royalties from us?

The Musicians’ Union pays royalties to a growing number of musicians for the secondary exploitation of their recordings.

In most cases we know which musicians performed on the recording and already have their contact and payment details, so the royalty income can be distributed straight away. However, there is a certain amount of income we have collected that we cannot distribute as we have not been able to identify who

Motoring service

The MU Family Motoring and Accident Aftercare Scheme provides 24/7 cover.

Members must enter discount code MU24 to obtain free membership of the scheme.

Register now via telephone or the web. mu.totalmotorassist.co.uk

Contract advice – before you sign

Receive professional advice on the terms and implications of any complex agreements via our Contract Advisory Service. Contact your Regional Office to find out more.

If all the members of your group are already MU members, or decide to join, we can offer free partnership advice and an agreement. Contact your Regional Office for more information.

performed on the recording; or we do know the names of the musicians but we have been unable to trace them or their next of kin. If you can assist the Musicians’ Union with line-up information or contact details, visit theMU.org/Home/Advice/ Recording-Broadcasting/Royalties Here, you will be able to find more information on the types of royalty income we collect, as well as lists of musicians and recording line-ups we are currently trying to trace.

theMU.org/Home/Advice/ Recording-Broadcasting/Royalties

Partnership advice

Medical assistance

The British Association for Performing Arts Medicine delivers specialist health support to musicians. Visit bapam.org.uk

Musician’s Hearing Services (MHS)

MHS offer a top range of hearing related services for MU members.

For an appointment, call MHS on 020 7486 1053 or visit musicianshearingservices.co.uk

Full details of all the benefits of membership can be found in your MU Members’ Handbook.

MU Sections

To join, contact the relevant MU Official.

Live Performance Section Dave Webster National Organiser Live Performance 60–62 Clapham Road London SW9 0JJ T 020 7840 5512 F 020 7582 9805 E live@theMU.org Music Writers’ Section Phil Kear National Organiser Recording & Broadcasting 60-62 Clapham Road London SW9 0JJ T 020 7840 5557 F 020 7793 9185 E writers@theMU.org Orchestra Section Bill Kerr National Organiser Orchestras 61 Bloom Street Manchester M1 3LY T 0161 233 4002 F 0161 236 0159 E orchestral@theMU.org Recording & Broadcasting Section Phil Kear National Organiser Recording & Broadcasting 60–62 Clapham Road London SW9 0JJ T 020 7840 5557 F 020 7793 9185 E rb@theMU.org Teachers’ Section Diane Widdison National Organiser Education & Training 60–62 Clapham Road London SW9 0JJ T 020 7840 5558 F 020 7582 9805 E teachers@theMU.org Theatre Section Dave Webster National Organiser Live Performance 60–62 Clapham Road London SW9 0JJ T 020 7840 5512 F 020 7582 9805 E theatre@theMU.org The Musician • Autumn 2018

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