The Musician, Summer 2017

The Musician Journal of the Musicians’ Union Summer 2017 theMU.org

The Brexit Effect

The MU assesses the impact for its members post-Brexit

She Drew The Gun

Meet Louisa Roach, leader of the Liverpool psych-pop band

ENO Orchestra

A standard-bearer of excellence prevails through difficult times

Assertiveness Skills

Tips and techniques that can benefit you and your career

contacts Union HQ General Secretary John F Smith General Secretary Elect 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 Government Relations & Public Affairs Isabelle Gutierrez In-House Solicitor Dawn Rodger Communications Official Keith Ames Recording & Broadcasting Official Michael Sweeney Royalties Official TBC Sessions Official Peter Thoms Acting Live Performance Official Alex Mann Education & Equalities Official Bindu Paul Orchestras Official Morris Stemp Campaigns & Public Affairs 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 f 020 7840 5599 e london@theMU.org East & South East England Regional Organiser: Paul Burrows 1a Fentiman Road, London SW8 1LD t 020 7840 5537 f 020 7840 5541 e eastsoutheast@theMU.org Midlands Regional Organiser: Stephen Brown 2 Sovereign Court, Graham Street, Birmingham B1 3JR t 0121 236 4028 f 0121 233 4116 e midlands@theMU.org Wales & South West England Regional Organiser: Paul Gray Transport House, 1 Cathedral Rd, Cardiff CF11 9SD t 029 2045 6585 f 029 2045 1980 e cardiff@theMU.org North of England Regional Organiser: Matt Wanstall 61 Bloom Street, Manchester M1 3LY t 0161 236 1764 f 0161 236 0159 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

A Time Of Change Incoming General Secretary of the MU, Horace Trubridge, looks forward to his first months in the role, and ponders the effects of Brexit and the general election.

© Katharyn Boudet

Right now we have a number of challenges that we must meet head on, notably Brexit.

On p14 of this issue of The Musician you will find an article that looks in detail at the issues we face as a result of Brexit, and the action we have taken to date to make sure our voice is heard. Through the TUC, GFTU and UK Music we will be lobbying hard to protect and strengthen the areas of our work that will be most affected by the decision to decouple from the EU.

Horace Trubridge, General Secretary Elect

I am delighted to be writing in The Musician magazine for the first time as General Secretary Elect. I enjoyed the election campaign as it gave me the opportunity to listen to members around the UK talk about what they would like to see from the Union moving forward. I promise you that all of those useful comments and suggestions have been carefully filed away for future reference. I am also very pleased to see Naomi Pohl take up the position of Assistant General Secretary, Music Industry – the first woman AGS in the MU’s history.

The major concerns for all performers are addressed in the article, but I feel it is worth stressing that the loss of European Social Funds for arts organisations is going to hit particularly hard. There are a number of regional music organisations that have been sustained by European Social Funding (ESF) that will see that money cease with very little chance of the shortfall being picked up by local authorities or central government. During 20142020, the ESF and European Regional Development Fund were due to invest around €11.8 billion across the UK. How much of that money we will still receive remains to be seen.

I write this piece a matter of days after the announcement by Theresa May of a ‘snap’ General Election on 8 June. A major concern for the MU is that we have a number of Labour MP’s in marginal constituencies who have been strong and vocal supporters on issues that are important to our profession, and who risk losing their seats. With the Tories so far ahead in the polls, it is surely not just a case of Labour losing but more a case of how much they lose by.

In the event that the defeat is overwhelming, will the current Labour leader stay or will he vacate the position and make way for a new leader? A Labour party in long-term opposition is something that we will all have to contemplate in the event that the party is unable to turn the tide of public opinion, and who knows what irreversible damage an unbridled Conservative party can inflict on the nation if they remain effectively unchallenged.

“I enjoyed the election campaign as it gave me the opportunity to listen to members around the UK.” One thing that emerged during my campaigning is that you would all like to see more of me. I have always said that I would be a hands-on General Secretary with an involvement in all of the MU’s activities throughout the UK, and I intend to stay true to that undertaking. So, I look forward to seeing you all at some point over the next year, either in the workplace, at the negotiating table, at a Regional Committee meeting, or industry event. Until then…

Horace Trubridge

To hear more from Horace, visit theMU.org The Musician • Summer 2017

3

Contents Summer 2017

32

“It’s critical to have a lot of different income streams. The trick is diversifying.”

Geoff Gascoyne

This issue...

On the Frontline

6 Horace Trubridge is elected MU General Secretary 7 Naomi Pohl appointed first female Asst General Secretary 8 Saving Cardiff’s venues 9 Meeting members’ needs via effective communications

Reports 3 10 22 28

MU General Secretary Assistant General Secretary Jazz triumphs at SXSW ENO Orchestra: a standard bearer of excellence 35 The MU Orchestra Section

Inbox 12

Emails, tweets and letters

Features

14 Brexit: the MU assesses the likely impact on its members 24 Hull: focusing on the City of Culture’s buzzing music scene 31 Why I joined the MU

Profiles

18 Louisa Roach of the Liverpool band She Drew The Gun 32 Bassist Geoff Gascoyne discusses his eclectic career 50 Cover star SK Shlomo

Advice

36 Assertiveness – how to hone your communication skills 40 First time in a studio? Here’s what you need to know

Reviews

43 CDs and downloads

Union notices 2 42 46 48

Key contacts Ask Us First Tributes Statement To Members 2016 51 Member benefits

Cover: SK Shlomo (see profile on p50) skshlomo.com Photographed at Graphic in London graphicbar.com Photo: Joseph Branston. © MU 2017

Check your membership details online at theMU.org

MU Contributors Andrew Stewart

Photo: Joseph Branston. © MU 2017

Andrew writes for The Times, The Guardian, Classical Music and BBC Music Magazine, among others. He is also Director of Southwark Voices. p14 & 28

Dave Lee Dave started out as a drummer in Hull in the 80s and 90s. He is now a successful writer, television producer, filmmaker and reviewer. p24

Katie Nicholls Katie is a freelance journalist and editor whose features and reviews have appeared in titles such as MOJO, The Guardian and Kerrang! p18

Tracey Kelly A singersongwriter, one half of jazz duo Tracey & Jason, and an MU member. Tracey has also written for books on pop, jazz and rock. p40

Henry Yates

Ben Jones

Henry is a freelance writer from Gloucestershire who has written for publications as diverse as Classic Rock, Total Guitar, NME and Record Collector. p32

An ex-MU Official and longtime member, Ben is now a freelance music business consultant and project manager for British Underground. p22

© Richard Hubert Smith

28

Key benefits l Insurance schemes l Legal assistance

l Nationwide network l Rights protection l Career and

business advice

For more on benefits see page 51

5

On the

frontline Summer 2017

The latest news, views and e vents from the world of music.

Horace Trubridge will become MU General Secretary in July.

General Secretary Election Scrutineerʼs Report

This report is issued in accordance with the Trades Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 as amended.

Result of ballot: General Secretary Dr Kathy Dyson Horace Trubridge Spoilt ballot papers Total ballot papers received Total ballot papers dispatched

27 Horace Trubridge elected new General Secretary of the Musiciansʼ Union

Horace Trubridge has been confirmed as the next General Secretary of the Musicians’ Union, following the ballot of all MU members. The results of the election were announced on 27 March by the Independent Scrutineer.

The ballot of members was held between 6 and 27 March 2017 and there were two candidates: MU Executive Committee member Kathy Dyson and MU Assistant General Secretary Horace Trubridge. The ballot winner Horace Trubridge takes up his new position at the end of July 2017.

© Joanna Dudderidge

March

6

Commenting on his new role as MU General Secretary, Horace said: “I am absolutely delighted that the members have chosen me to take the Union forward following John Smith’s retirement in July. Having spent the last few months travelling around the country and talking to the members, I have a very clear vision of where the Musicians’ Union should be heading – building on John’s fantastic work of the last 15 years – and I am eager to get started.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Executive Committee and all the members of our Union for their tremendous support. I look forward to justifying that support and meeting the difficult challenges that lay ahead.”

“I have a very clear vision of where the Union should be heading.”

The Musician • Summer 2017

1,732 2,193 Elected 7 3,932 (14%) 28,564

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. 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 names and addresses of the members of the trade union, acting on my own instance. The inspection did not reveal any matter which I consider should be drawn to the attention of the trade 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, Popularis Ltd: 27 March 2017

Any member requiring a copy of the Scrutineer’s Report should write to David Ashley, Assistant General Secretary, 60-62 Clapham Road, London SW9 0JJ with such a request enclosing a suitable SAE.

frontline

11

© Richard Isaac / REX / Shutterstock

April

The Met’s Form 696 could lead to unfair treatment towards young black artists.

Naomi Pohl becomes the MUʼs first female Assistant General Secretary

Naomi Pohl has been appointed as MU Assistant General Secretary, Music Industry, and becomes the first female to join the MU’s team of senior officials in our history.

Naomi takes up the post with immediate effect and it follows her previous roles with the Union as National Organiser for Recording & Broadcasting, and London Regional Organiser.

Naomi said: “I am delighted to be taking on the role of AGS Music Industry at the MU working with our new General Secretary Elect Horace Trubridge. We’ve got a great team and hundreds of committed activists so we’re in a good position to grapple with the major challenges facing our members at present. We are also preparing for Brexit and lobbying for measures to ensure that music tourism is unaffected, and that our members are not prevented from touring because of visa issues.

I am especially pleased to be the first female AGS, and I hope this is an indication of increasing diversity, not only within the MU, but across the music industry.”

Former Royalties Official Phil Kear has been appointed National Organiser for Recording & Broadcasting, and said: “I am delighted to be taking on this role especially as my predecessor, Naomi Pohl, began the process of introducing exciting new initiatives during her tenure and I look forward to driving these forward and introducing some of my own ideas, with a view to increasing income and providing valuable new services for our members.”

07 April

Acting on the new ivory legislation April

26 Recovering funds for our members

The MU is pleased to announce that over the last year, it has recovered more than £250,000 for its members. The recovery of this highly impressive sum has been achieved by the Union chasing down unpaid fees and monies either through negotiation or the small claims court.

The recovered funds are a testament to the tireless work by MU staff in charge of recovering funds for MU members. If any members have lost out as a result of unpaid fees, please don’t hesitate to contact the Union at theMU.org

26 March

Culture minister urges caution over Form 696

Matt Hancock, the current culture secretary, has written an open letter to London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, asking him to address the issue of the Metropolitan Police’s controversial Form 696, following accusations that it can unfairly target young black musicians.

The form, which asks for the names, stage names, addresses and phone numbers of all promoters and artists attending events, is used to assess the risks of any given event, and many grime and R’n’B acts in the capital and beyond are concerned that this can lead to heavy-handed treatment by the authorities.

Jo Dipple, chief executive of UK Music, said: “It is important to make sure Form 696 is not being unfairly used against particular musical genres”.

Following worldwide concerns over the illegal trade in ivory, the government is set to introduce a ban on the movement of all ivory.

The MU, together with its partners, wrote to the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, Andrea Leadsom MP, seeking an exemption for instruments.

The MU is pleased to note that in response to its early lobbying, an exemption for musical instruments is being proposed.

A government consultation is due to launch later this year, and the MU will be formulating a response with its music industry partners after it has gathered evidence of the spread of instruments containing ivory.

April

10 The Stop Rainbow Racism Campaign

MU delegates attended TUC Black Workers’ Conference in April. Sherika Sherard moved the MU’s motion to promote the Stop Rainbow Racism Campaign and the anti-racism code of practice, both created by Chardine Taylor-Stone.

The anti-racism code of practice gives venues and promoters a better understanding of the many forms of racism that exist, and sends a clear message that racist acts will not be tolerated.

Read the motion in full, and find out more about Stop Rainbow Racism Campaign and the anti-racism code of practice, via bit.ly/2qwmlZ5

The MU will keep members posted of any developments regarding this issue, and any subsequent ban or exemption.

The Musician • Summer 2017

7

neil setchfield – wales / Alamy Stock Photo; © Hunna / Shutterstock

Looking after mental wellbeing is important for professional musicians.

Mental health provision in arts education

The importance of mental health provision within arts education is being highlighted by the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM).

With Mental Health Week (8-14 May) still fresh in our minds, ACM is keen to raise awareness of mental health. This follows on from last year’s survey by Help Musicians UK, which revealed that professional musicians are up to three times more likely than the general population to suffer from mental health issues.

Assembly Members have been campaigning to save music venues in Cardiff.

19 may

APRIL

01

8

Welsh music venue victory

Campaigners in Wales have won a significant victory in their battle to protect live music venues, as the Welsh government is set to revise its planning policy in line with the Agent Of Change principle.

MU Regional Organiser Paul Gray said: “This is a fantastic result for music venues in Wales. But this is just the start, and we will be setting up a live music task force to create a comprehensive music strategy to support the future of live music in Wales”.

The Musician • Summer 2017

24 Midlands Cultural Manifesto launch

The MU, along with a number of other entertainment unions, has worked with Midlands TUC to product a Culture Manifesto for the region. The purpose of the new manifesto is to help raise the profile of culture in the Midlands, achieve a sustainable cultural economy, and provide long-term work opportunities for musicians and many other associated workers.

New orchestral agreements

The MU Orchestra Section is pleased to report on the establishment of a new agreement with Making Music, the umbrella organisation for amateur musicians, orchestras and ensembles.

x

Lesley Griffiths, cabinet secretary for environment and rural affairs, said: “Live music venues contribute greatly to Wales’ thriving cultural scene and our night time economy. I am aware of the efforts to protect the future viability of these venues, including the Save Womanby Street campaign in Cardiff, and I would like to pay tribute to the hard work and commitment of all involved.”

April

The Section also confirms updated agreements for Music Theatre Wales from 1 March 2017, and confirmation of the details of the Casual Season of Opera & Ballet rates for 2017/2018. For full details see theMU.org

Lee Fellows, ACM’s head of student services said: “We recognise the challenges creatives face in keeping their mental health and wellbeing in check and we ensure students leave prepared for life in our brutal, yet beautiful, industry.

Our wellbeing provision includes workshops in mindfulness, wellbeing and performance anxiety, daily drop-in sessions with wellbeing advisers, counselling and one-to-one sessions for substance abuse.”

08 may

26 April

MU Success at STUC 2017

Delegates from the MU attended the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC), on Monday 24 to Wednesday 26 April.

MU delegates, together with the trade union community, put forward three motions, including one on the gig economy. The composite motion urged the STUC to make meaningful interventions to protect the rights of workers within the gig economy, to work with government to better support independent workers, and to support trade unions in their organising activities in this sector.

Moving the motion, MU delegate Stephen Wright said: “We need to recognise that the world of work is changing and the trade union movement needs to embrace this”.

The MU is delighted to report that it passed overwhelmingly.

frontline

01 JUNE

Aswad: a British band that takes inspiration from ancestral roots.

03

Accessing MU comms

The MU wishes to ensure that members receive its communications in the most appropriate format at all times.

Members with specific requests – such as sections of the MU Members’ Handbook, the MU Rules, or ballot documentation in large print – should contact their Regional Office.

The large print and audio files are created once the contents of The Musician are approved and these files are loaded promptly on the website. The members who have informed us of accessibility issues as a result of a visual impairment are emailed to advise them of the availability of such contents, with direct links to the large print versions and audio resources.

Each issue of the MU’s Regional and Section newsletters (The Musician Extra) is also produced in large print and can be accessed and downloaded from theMU.org The MU also strives to support accessibility requirements in its video productions, by ensuring that films are accompanied by text transcriptions. Additional audio resources, such as full interviews Glasgow is one of six from The Musician journal, can cities surveyed about also be found attheir soundcloud.com/ live music scene. musicians-union

25 MARCH

New online tool calculates overseas fees

A new online tool that enables musicians to work out royalty payments for live performances in overseas territories has been launched by PRS for Music.

Called Live Concert Service, the tool calculates local tariffs for individual territories and means that PRS for Music members can work out what fees they are due for their work. It is hoped that the new tool will help PRS for Music members uncover any gaps in licensing and distributions, and allow for more proactive and forensic tracking of the global tour landscape.

Karen Buse, executive director of membership and international at PRS for Music, said: “We have created something that could help bands save potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds on a European or world tour”.

“The MU strives to support accessibility requirements.”

16 MAY

,S

While the The Musician is distributed quarterly in print format to all MU members, we wish to remind members that the contents are also available as a PDF, in large print and audio at the MU website. Go to theMU.org then click ‘Learn’, then ‘MU Communications’.

© Andre Csillag / REX / Shutterstock

MAY

New project preserves Jamaican music heritage

The influence of Jamaican music on the British music scene is the focus of a new study project called Bass Culture at University of Westminster, which started in May. The project will look at the musical history and heritage of the Jamaican community in Britain over the past 60 years.

Researchers will collect and archive memories and memorabilia from musicians, music industry participants and audience members in order to preserve its heritage for future generations.

The project will culminate in an exhibition to be held at the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton.

Young Workers’ Conference

MU members Diljeet Bhachu and Sam Murray represented the MU’s 5,000 members aged 30 and under at the TUC’s Young Workers’ Conference held 25-26 March.

Diljeet moved the MU’s motion on protecting freelance workers, calling on Conference to recognise the impact of freelance workers on the economy, research the impact of low and no pay on young freelance workers, and support trade unions’ fair pay campaigns.

The motion passed unanimously.

If you are an MU member aged 30 or under and would like to get involved, please email maddy. radcliff@theMU.org

The Musician • Summer 2017

9

Working to generate more income for our members I am delighted to be taking on the role of Assistant General Secretary, Music Industry, and look forward to being a regular columnist in The Musician. Horace and I are making plans to recruit new members and better serve our existing membership, and I feel that it is an exciting time to be heading up the organisation and looking to the future.

That’s not to say that there aren’t major challenges ahead, but the MU consistently punches above its weight in the industry and in its lobbying activities, so there is no barrier we can’t overcome if we work together. I am confident we will continue to grow in collective strength, building on the achievements of John Smith in his 15 years as General Secretary.

10

Years of experience For those of you who have not come across me in my previous roles at the MU, I started as London Regional Official, representing music teachers in schools and music services and have since headed up the London Region, looking after the West End musicians and London-based opera and ballet orchestras in particular, but with a wide remit overseeing all musical activity in the capital.

“It is an exciting time to be heading up the organisation and looking to the future.”

The Musician • Summer 2017

Most recently I have been leading the Recording & Broadcasting team as National Organiser, and some of the projects we’ve begun in that team are detailed below. As I have worked in a variety of roles at the MU, I have a broad experience of the issues facing members in their many workplaces, which

puts me in an excellent position to oversee collective bargaining across the industry.

I have also represented many individual musicians in my time at the Union and I know how important our services are at that level.

We do great work on a collective basis, but the work we do for those facing difficult and often extremely painful and personal situations in their working lives is equally crucial. I look forward to working with and representing you all in my new post.

I thought this first column would be a good opportunity to share some of the work I have been doing with the Officials in the Recording and Broadcasting Department.

Looking at licensing When I started as National Organiser, my main objective was to review our licensing activities and look at how we could generate more income for musicians. The MU issues licences on behalf of non-featured musicians in respect of their recorded performances – for example, when an advert uses a commercial audio track recorded in the UK and featuring session musicians or an orchestra.

These musicians aren’t signed to a record label, in respect of that performance at least, and therefore don’t benefit from the synch fee paid to the owner of the recording. Ad agencies and other users of music must approach the MU for an additional licence to use the recording, and generally the label will encourage them to do so. However, as you might imagine, users are not always as proactive or compliant as they should be.

The Recording and Broadcasting team have

Left: © Katharyn Boudet. R ight: Jonathan Stewart. © MU 2016

We welcome the MU’s new Assistant General Secretary Naomi Pohl as she writes her first column for The Musician. Here she tells us about her role in reviewing the MU’s licensing activities, and ensuring that members are paid fairly for their work.

profile report

“We will continue to work to increase the income we collect and distribute to musicians across the board.”

In her previous role, Naomi Pohl’s objective was to assess how the MU could generate more income for musicians.

been working on improving the take-up rate of our licences. The message has very much been: ‘we are open for business and can offer you a bespoke deal if you need it so please come and talk to us’.

The power of copyright Historically, there is undoubtedly an impression that copyright exists to prohibit use of copyright works and stifle creativity.

This is patently nonsense. It is in our interest for recordings to be used that feature our members’ performances as this activity generates income. I have been keen to impress upon licensing customers that we want them to use recordings featuring UK musicians. We simply want to get a fair rate.

We are also willing to negotiate when there are genuine budget restrictions. We are offering new blanket licences to TV production companies so they don’t need

11

to licence case-by-case, and are also working to improve our response time. Longer term, we are looking at a service that will enable us to invoice based on broadcast data rather than waiting for music users to approach us.

That could be a real game changer.

In terms of improving compliance, the EC has recently approved a proposal to charge penalty fees on unlicensed uses. We will announce this change and publicise it widely before the penalty fees take effect from 1 September. We could charge anything from 30% to 100% dependent on the circumstances of the infringement, and will exercise our discretion when there has either been an unavoidable error, or a user has always licensed with us in the past. Any penalty fees we collect will be distributed to members along with the licence fee.

Finally, but perhaps most importantly in terms of the immediate benefit to members, the MU is aiming to distribute an additional £500k to musicians in 2017. This money will be for the dubbing of commercially-released tracks into TV programmes.

To the future We will continue to work to increase the income that we collect and distribute to musicians across the board, and I hope this will be an area where I can quickly advance our members’ interests. I know my successor in the Recording & Broadcasting Department, Phil Kear, shares my commitment and that they will be a great advocate of performer rights across the recording and broadcasting industries. Watch this space for further updates.

I hope you will understand my focusing on this particular area of our work in this issue. Now my feet are officially under the table in my new role, I will be bringing you news in future issues from across the industry. I look forward to getting out of HQ and meeting members across the country as soon as possible.

The Musician • Summer 2017

inbox

facebook.com/ musicians.union Follow us on Twitter @WeAreTheMU

These pages reflect the diverse range of multi-channel communications between the Union and its members.

We welcome your contributions via email, Twitter or letter.

Meet The New Boss

Congratulations to Horace Trubridge following his election as General Secretary of The MU. UK Music @UK_Music

soundcloud.com/ musicians-union Find us at theMU.org Email us TheMusician @TheMU.org

Imogen Heap’s recent appearance at an MU event as part of our Women In Music programme proved popular with our members.

Congratulations Naomi

12

Welcome to the Summer 2017 issue of The Musician and the latest edition in our series of awardwinning publications.

The lead feature explores the likely impact of Brexit upon working musicians and we have enclosed a postcard to enable you to join the Union’s campaign to secure a viable future for musicians post-Brexit.

As you will see from these pages, the MU has a dynamic presence on social media and we would like to thank all of you who take the time to get involved online.

Keith Ames TheMusician @theMU.org The Musician • Summer 2017

Good Work, Kenya

Congrats to the Kenyan MU who after a struggle have government permission to “undertake lawful activities in order to establish a Trade Union”.

John Smith @js1mu

© Fiona Garden

Your Editor

Great news for women in music.

Naomi Pohl appointed first female MU Assistant General Secretary.

Karen Anstee @kazanstee

Many Thanks

Thanks so much to The MU for seconding the Equity motion on inclusive casting.

Hamida Ali @HamidaAli76

All Paid Up

Woop woop! Officially a fully paidup member of The MU. Feels good. #grownup #properlike Sarah Sharp Sharp @sharpscribbler

Full Member

My first membership pack for The MU arrived today.

What an incredible organisation.

Musicians, if you’re not on it I would recommend!

Iona Lane @IonaLaneMusic

Heap Of Fun

We had the amazing MU in the Ballroom today in conversation with Imogen Heap and her Musical Gloves!

The Trampery Old St @tramperyoldst

You’re Special

Nice review in The MU’s magazine and more plays this week on the Robert Elms show.

Thanks to both!

Rhoda Dakar @RhodaDakar

Proud Representative

Privileged to be representing young workers of The MU at TUC young workers conference.

Sam Murray @samuelgemurray

All Being Equal

Joined the MU’s Equalities Committee today – we had a really interesting and productive afternoon! #BehindEveryMusician Fran Smith @fransongs

Hear Hear

Yes! The MHHS scheme is brilliant.

Can’t wait for my custom ear plugs! #HearForMusicians Andrew Bateup @andrewbateup

Sound Advice

Just booked my subsidised hearing test and ear protection with Musician Hearing via The MU. Kate @Kateviola

letters

Keep Networking

Great evening at The MU’s @NMHub networking event tonight. Great to meet so many like-minded and passionate musicians! #MusicEducation Rebecca Hunt @Becci_Hunt

Strength In A Union

I joined the MU because together we are stronger.

Today, tomorrow and every day after. #HeartUnions Paul S Woodin @woody4jazz

Cover Star

Nice one Amy Harman, ‘Guardian of the Bassoon’ and cover star of The Musician mag!

YCAT @YCATrust

Stand And Fight

Interesting article in the Spring MU magazine about the future health of our orchestras. It seems we have a fight on our hands.

Jessica Tomlinson @jltommo

Game For A Laugh

Thrilled to be talking in Glasgow today about composing music for games for The MU’s Women in Music series! #womensday #gameaudio Katie Tarrant @ktarrantaudio

Good Audience

Fabulously interesting day and great to be a part of International Womens Day with The MU. Wonderfully attentive and engaging audience too!

Luci Holland @LuciHolland

Plan And Develop

Epic meeting with The MU discussing meaningful workforce development for musicians and teachers. Much planning afoot.

Philip Flood @Philip_Flood

The Future Of Music

Thanks to Barry Dallman of The MU for coming in and talking to our third year students about employability issues as musicians!

YSJ Music @YSJMusic

The Musicians’ Union Inspiration Award, sponsored by The MU, goes to… Donal McCrisken from The Belfast Opera.

CONGRATS! #Mtawards MDEducationExpo @MusicEdExpo Live Issues

En route to London for The MU’s Live Performance Section meeting. What are the major issues you face as a performing musician?

Dave Arcari @davearcari

Looking For Support

Researcher @lucindaheyman invites professional pop singers to talk wellbeing in music industry, to help future support.

BAPAM @ukbapam

t f e w

Editor Keith Ames (MU) Consultant editor Neil Crossley Art editor Chris Stenner Writers Keith Ames Neil Crossley Roy Delaney Ben Jones Tracey Kelly Dave Lee Katie Nicholls Andrew Stewart Henry Yates Production editor Roy Delaney

Head of Fusion procurement and production Matt Eglinton Production and procurement manager Abi Dougherty Account director David Parker Editorial director Mark Donald Art director Stuart Hobbs Repro Future Pre-Press Printed at Precision Colour Printing See page 02 for the contact details of Musicians’ Union offices.

Fair Play Venue

We have been awarded Fair Play Venue Status by The MU. #fairplayvenue #ethicalmusic #independentvenue The Bungalow @BungalowPaisley

Poll Position

THANK YOU @WeAreTheMU for all your help and support during this election. #behindeverymusician – always with you.

Alison McGovern @Alison_McGovern

Venues Day

Music Venue Trust is delighted to announce that Venues Day 2017 will take place on Tuesday 17 October at Ministry Of Sound in London.

Music Venue Trust @musicvenuetrust

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 2017. 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 • Summer 2017

13

Brexit Freedom?

Will

Curtail Our

Among the political shenanigans of Britain’s exit from the EU, is enough being done to protect the interests of musicians?

Feature by Andrew Stewart

© canadastock / Shutterstock

14

Berlin is just one of many cities that offer opportunities for British musicians.

The Musician • Summer 2017

Feature

Many British artists perform at festivals like Budapest’s Sziget.

The MU campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU. Since the referendum, it has worked closely with the TUC, UK Music, and MPs and Lords in the Performers’ Alliance All-Party Parliamentary Group to discuss ways in which musicians’ careers can be protected during the Brexit process.

In April, a group of Union members gathered at the MU’s head office to debate the implications of Brexit. Others posted email messages to Isabelle Gutierrez, the MU’s head

“I’m worried that when that money is withdrawn, we won’t see it replaced.”

of Government Relations and Public Affairs and chair of its Clapham Road consultation meeting.

The subsequent stream of opinions and suggestions for positive action are set to reinforce the MU’s efforts to influence the best possible Brexit deal for musicians.

Horace Trubridge, the Union’s General Secretary Elect, welcomed members to the meeting. Brexit, he said, had become central to MU thinking. Freedom of movement and the ability of UK musicians to access work in EU countries headed his checklist of concerns. “We also worry about EU nationals in British orchestras. They’re very important to us and we don’t want to see them sent home.

We have concerns about taxation issues and the problem of double taxation on income, which is already happening, getting worse.

We don’t want the repeal of any good EU employment legislation or copyright law.

Finally, the European Social Fund pours a lot of money into the UK for youth and other projects. I’m worried that when that money is withdrawn, we won’t see it replaced.”

One-woman campaign Being unable to travel to EU countries would hit British musicians hard. Anneke Scott, a horn player who performs with several period-instrument bands in the EU, spoke for those who freelance in Europe. Since the referendum was called, she has waged a one-woman campaign to show how the livelihoods of many British musicians depend on free movement within the EU. Anneke’s lobbying includes uploading smartphone photos snapped on her travels to an app that creates postcards and sends them to MPs, cabinet ministers and others. “We have used Anneke’s postcards to show just how many European countries some of our members work in,” noted Isabelle Gutierrez.

TravelCollection / Alamy Stock Photo

Sceptics could be forgiven for thinking that clueless politicians and clashing national interests are unlikely to bring a harmonious conclusion to Britain’s departure from the European Union. The phoney war that followed last year’s Brexit referendum has turned nasty since Theresa May triggered Article 50. On the home front, the prime minister’s electoral quest for ‘strong and stable’ government, hardly a fool’s wager given the state of pre-vote opinion polls, runs the risk of reducing representative democracy to an irrelevance, leaving a weakened opposition virtually powerless to influence one of the most complex political, economic and social upheavals in living memory. Whatever the result of the general election and however loud the din of Brexit battles to come, the Musicians’ Union is determined that the views of UK-based musicians must be heard.

The MU’s Key Brexit Issues Free movement To ensure that musicians continue to be able to travel freely across Europe without facing extra costs or red tape.

Copyright protection To protect all existing European copyright and performers’ rights legislation in UK law.

Workers’ rights To protect workers’ rights granted by European legislation.

Rights of EU citizens in the UK To protect the rights of MU members who are non-British EU citizens to live in the UK and to work here.

Loss of EU funding for arts To lobby the government to ensure that it provides financial support to EU-funded organisations and projects.

Horace Trubridge The Musician • Summer 2017

15

British orchestras that employ European musicians, such as The Hallé, could be hit hard by new Brexit rules.

“I can’t think of any other sector or type of worker that’s in quite the same boat.”

16

Lack of trade deal a worry While the MU believes the strong global market for recorded British music will survive Brexit, it is equally certain that a poor or no trade deal would deny UK performers and composers access to EU music markets.

Robert Scott, bass guitarist and Vice Chair of the MU’s North of England Regional Committee, underlined the point by stressing that new non-EU markets, if they ever materialise, will fall short of filling the gap opened by Britain’s departure from the European Single Market. He wondered whether “the government is going to give us support to find these markets”. Robert cited the example of the Hallé Orchestra, which cancelled a projected trip to the United States in 2006 because of the administrative burden and heavy bill for visas. “The thought of that happening for tours to Germany, Italy and France is totally unwelcome and goes against the idea of finding new markets.”

The Musicians’ Union will lobby government to preserve access to one-off gigs and tours in the EU, work routinely offered to freelance players. “If you work for a top law firm, they might pay for a fast-track visa,” observed Isabelle Gutierrez. “An individual, selfemployed musician would most likely have to pay for that themselves. We will lobby with other groups, but I think it’s important that this union makes a special case for musicians and performers. I can’t think of any other sector or type of worker that’s in quite the same boat.”

In addition to freedom of movement, the prospect of Scottish independence, the demise of the United Kingdom, and the imposition of border controls between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland stand among MU members’ Brexit concerns. Composer and producer Matthew Whiteside gave voice to the frustration of the younger generation while

The Musician • Summer 2017

© John Croft; © Hallé

Isabelle Gutierrez

Horn player Anneke Scott has campaigned to protect musicians’ rights post-Brexit.

warning of the limits Brexit could impose on cultural exchange between EU countries. “We need assurances that a hard border will never exist in Northern Ireland,” he wrote. “Freedom of movement is even more important there, being the only land border between sovereign states within the UK. “There are several all-Ireland music organisations such as the Contemporary Music Centre, funded both by the Irish and Northern Irish Arts Councils, the Association of Irish Composers and the Irish Composers’ Collective (who gave me some of my first professional performances). Will these organisations continue to provide all-Ireland support if there is a hard border?”

The Irish question Horn player James Topp, like many UK musicians, often works with orchestras in the Republic of Ireland. “I think it’s a potential problem for Irish orchestras: when the RTé Orchestra wants to perform a Mahler symphony, for example, they have to bring

Post-Brexit 5-point plan Tom Kiehl, Director of Government and Public Affairs, UK Music, states: “UK Music proposes five headings that could form a sector deal for the creative industries, which are: Intellectual Property Framework This needs to be strong and protected.

Skills and Education We must ensure we have, and support, the right talent pipeline.

International Trade We must carve fresh trading relationships for the industry.

Regional Development Venues must be protected, especially those that receive EU funding for music projects.

Fiscal Incentives Taxation measures should support the development of music businesses.”

Photos: Jonathan Stewart. © MU 2017

Feature

music after Brexit: every freelance job lost, every band denied access to a formerly open market, every orchestra tour stifled by visa costs represents a potential reduction in UK treasury income. Brexit-generated visa restrictions and double taxation on income would inevitably affect employment opportunities for British musicians within European Union countries. “We’ve already heard that some freelance orchestras are thinking of moving from the UK to Europe,” noted Fraser. “This is going to cost us and the country.”

(Clockwise from top left) Horace Trubridge, songwriter Percy Sheppard, Isabelle Gutierrez and Robert Scott at the Musicians’ Union’s Brexit meeting.

players in from the UK. I feel this needs to be looked at in isolation. We have a potential ally in the Republic of Ireland to make the case for maintaining free movement for musicians.”

Isabelle Gutierrez suggested that allies might also be found in unexpected places. “Many people across the EU have concerns about immigration, but very few would object to the free movement of musicians.”

Anneke Scott sought advice on how political goodwill might be converted into action. The horn player’s postcard campaign and regular tweets to MPs, Gutierrez said, were textbook examples of how MU members could persuade politicians to stand up for musicians. “MPs should be made aware of what musicians do and of how many will be adversely affected by Brexit,” she continued. “Those we are speaking to are sympathetic, which of course is not enough. But I think they agree with us that musicians are a special case.”

Matthias Wurz, an Austrian musician and musicologist worried about his own right to remain in the UK post-Brexit, called on the Musicians’ Union to lobby for non-British EU citizens to be granted the right of permanent UK residency by a fixed date. He also suggested that the MU should shout out the economic case for the creative industries.

Anneke noted an apparent apathy among colleagues, musicians who stand to lose from Brexit yet seem unwilling to lobby those who could limit damage to their interests. “This is such a huge issue but there’s only a dozen of us here today! My MP responds very quickly when I post a message on Twitter. It’s a public forum and a very good way of prodding someone into action. I wanted my postcard campaign to be a thorn in the backside of MPs. But it’s mainly about showing them how many places I work.” Since February, she has despatched around 270 postcards to MPs, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, plus many government and shadow ministers.

Vocalist Peggy-Ann Fraser offered a lobbying trump card in the form of the benefits that musicians bring to the UK, from generating overseas earnings to boosting tourism. It was time, she said, to make the economic case for

“If the UK were to fall back onto World Trade Organisation rules, we as service providers – performers as well as educators – would likely be subject to tariffs in cross-border activities,” wrote Wurz. “I believe it is important to demonstrate the significance of the creative industries to the UK economy – and within that, music and performing arts.” The UK’s service-based economy, he predicted, would suffer if the nation withdrew from the Single European Market. “I suggest the MU requests the government for its economic assessment and analysis of the impact of Brexit on economic outlook, as well as on employment specific to creative industries under the current negotiation strategy.” With the Article 50 clock ticking fast, it remains to be seen whether those vital statistics would be served before or after Brexit.

MU members: put pressure on your MP

Freedom of movement across Europe is vital to all musicians. Join the MU’s campaign to protect your way of working. In your issue of The Musician you will find a postcard for you to send to your MP. Simply fill in your details, address the postcard to your MP (find them at theyworkforyou.com) and pop it in the post box. Together let’s keep the pressure on parliament to ensure that it delivers a Brexit deal that works for musicians.

The Musician • Summer 2017

17

Fire

Lineof In the

While charming with their dreamy psychedelic trip-hop, Liverpool quartet She Drew The Gun also prove that pop can have a political conscience. The band’s founder and creative force, Louisa Roach, speaks to the MU… Profile by Katie Nicholls

18

Louisa Roach, singer and founder of She Drew The Gun outsizes the stage at one of Bristol’s more intimate venues, The Exchange.

While the ambience of the venue – dark walls, low ceilings, cultish ambience – is a good match for the band’s atmospheric trip-hop/ psychedelic-tinged pop, Louisa has a commanding presence on stage and, frankly, it’s drowning this modest podium.

Hanging behind Louisa is a projection of the band’s logo: the outline of a hand-drawn gun.

It’s a powerful and slightly challenging image that raises the question of how Louisa came up with the band name. “I didn’t know what I wanted it be,” she says, “so I thought I’d call it She Drew The Gun rather than Louisa Roach. I wanted to find other people to work with but I went out on my own under the name and left it open for it to grow. I put a bit of thought into the name. I liked that it was a play on words. The idea of a girl drawing

“I wanted to find other people to work with but I went out on my own and left it open for it to grow.”

The Musician • Summer 2017

a gun is a powerful image, and then you can draw a gun as in making art and you can use art to be powerful like a gun.”

From solo to band The band started in Liverpool as a solo project, with Louisa heading out to open mic nights armed only with a guitar and some freshly-penned songs. The fecund culture of Liverpool’s open mic scene suited her blend of neatly-composed pop, poetry and polemic.

It was at one of these open nights that she was noticed by BBC Introducing. The domino effect took hold, and James Skelly of The Coral, producer and owner of Skeleton Key Records, heard her on the radio. “He got in touch with me and invited me around to his house,” Louisa reveals. “I played him some tunes on an acoustic guitar and he said: ‘Let’s make an EP’. We started recording and it ended up becoming an album.”

At this point of recording what was to become their 2016 debut, Memories Of The Future, Louisa had already started working with Siân Monaghan (on drums). What had essentially been a solo project began to naturally expand into a band; something that Louisa had always wanted. “Jack (Turner, guitar and bass) joined just in time to be part of the recording of the album and Jen (Jenni Kickhefer on keys) was the last to join when we were working out how to do it live,” she says.

profile

19

Revolving Doors

All of Merseyside is bubbling with aspiring troubadours playing across town, but the back end of the week is the best time to dust down the acoustic, with regular sessions taking place: on Wednesdays at The Lingmell Inn, Doctor Duncan’s, The Cock And Pullett in Birkenhead, and The Black Bull in St Helens; on Thursdays at The Crown, Pogue Mahones and Andromeda Lounge, and on Fridays at the Hope Place Coffee Shop in Birkenhead.

Photo: Jonathan Stewart. @ MU 2017

With a rich heritage of producing some the UK’s finest singer-songwriters, the city of Liverpool is taking its legacy into the future by investing in a lively open mic scene.

© another_eye_

“Liverpool’s got a good sense of justice and solidarity.

It formed a good foundation.”

Ask a successful musician if they feel their ascent has been rapid and you’ll rarely get a nod of agreement. To the artist, the crafting of the songs, working the live music scene, the recording, the struggle and doubts that 20 inevitably plague musicians and songwriters is never going to feel like an easy ride, even if it looks seamless from the outside.

Pop goes politics A conversation with Louisa is a little like listening to her music. Her opinions are forthright and heartfelt but they are delivered with delicacy. She Drew The Gun have been attributed with flying the flag for the return of the protest song. It’s true that a lot of Louisa’s material spits with social injustice, such as latest single Poem, a contemplation

The Musician • Summer 2017

Louisa is too artful to simply cram an album full of political songs, so tracks like Pit Pony – a comment on the greed of society – are joined

by Since You Were Not Mine, an insightful lament at the departure of a lover and Pebbles – a gentle, Laura Marling-esque folky track.

© Dawn Georgeson

“It’s been four years and it feels like it’s been really gradual,” Louisa contemplates “and it just keeps going. Good things keep happening, which just gives you impetus to move forward.

There are a lot of people out there making music. Liverpool has a lot of bands and – not that everyone is really competitive – but the standard of music is quite high. It feels like it’s taken a while, but people are noticing us on the Liverpool scene. Good things are happening but, of course, there are always the demons that plague you, like: ‘Why are you doing this?’.”

Liverpool’s Louisa Roach has seen her She Draws The Gun project go from strength to strength over the last four years.

on homelessness. ‘It’s not enough to just pretend you don’t see him,’ Louisa sings. ‘You can’t stand the sight so you have to disappear him; well I hope you feel more comfortable doing your sightseeing; taking pictures, buying f*****g Union Jack magnets and keyrings.’

It’s strong stuff, but wrapped in dreamy psychpop. With Louisa’s clear, soulful vocal the sentiment somehow has a harder punch. “I’ve always been political,” she says. “Since being a teenager anyway. I suppose that’s coming out in the music. You reflect all the different parts of your life and that’s just one part of me.

Liverpool does have a socialist culture that is quite deep rooted. My dad is a Labour man so he used to speak to me about politics when I was growing up. My granddad was like that as well. Liverpool’s got a good sense of justice and solidarity. It formed a good foundation.”

Rising star Two weeks before the release of Memories Of The Future in April 2016, She Drew the Gun won Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent contest. Louisa says they’d already bought their tickets to the festival, a waste of money it turns out, but a fantastic victory that has opened more doors and brought them to a wider audience.

The timing was fortuitous too, and the band have been able to run with the momentum of winning the contest by touring the album since its release, including a showcase at SXSW earlier this year. “They seemed to get us,” says Louisa of the US crowd. “When we came offstage people wanted to chat to us about our music and that was really nice.

Photo: Jonathan Stewart. @ MU 2017

© Dawn Georgeson

profile

Louisa’s upbringing gave her a strong sense of social justice.

The Musicians’ Union and me I didn’t know what to expect, particularly with everything that’s happening in America at the moment, but I love Austin. It is a bit of a bubble.

They want it to be like that. Austin just needs to spread out across the rest of America!”

There’s an edge of disbelief in Louisa’s voice when she talks about these signposts in the band’s career. Since starting SDTG, she’s been the songwriter, singer, guitarist and, until recently, manager of the band. “Last year it got really busy and it was quite stressful. I felt like I really needed a manager and it’s taken a bit of time, but we’ve finally got one so I feel like a massive weight has been lifted. I still want to be involved in the business side of things. It’s my career and I need to keep an eye on things, but it’s nice to trust someone and hand over a bit of the worry.”

Memories Of The Future was reissued last spring, and in April Poem made it onto the BBC 6 Music playlist. So where does Louisa plan to take the band this year? “You have to see what happens. You make plans on the go. We’re going to try and give the album a second wind, and now we’ve got a manager we’re hoping

A strong supporter of the trade union movement, Louisa Roach talks about being an MU member.

“I’ve been a member for at least four years. I did a covers gig for the MU and I joined after that. I’ve used the MU for the free contract service and you get the insurance. I thought that made it worth it – along with all the other benefits.

I’m into the concept of unions anyway, so it makes sense to me.”

“The unions seem to get a hard time and the government try to strip back their powers, so it’s about getting enough people thinking it’s worth it to be part of it. The unions could play a massive role, but you’ve just got to get enough people behind it.”

to go to new places and spread further than the UK. I’m a mum as well,” she says (her son is running off into the distance kicking a ball while she speaks to The Musician). “If you’re doing things that are taking time away from your kid, it’s got to really mean something.

Luckily, I’ve got a lot of support from family and he’s just embracing it. He loves coming to gigs when he can and he’s a cool, musical kid. He wants me to do it and he’s proud of me.”

Poetry, please Onstage, Louisa punctuates her gigs with moments of spoken word and poetry. Her delivery and the political content are engaging and reminiscent of Kate Tempest. “I want to develop the set and make it stronger,” she considers. “Spoken word has become part of it. I’m always trying to freshen up the set, and it paces it a bit. I want people to come away and think: ‘That was something a bit different, not like the last band I came to see’.” Her set in Bristol also features a vignette of a track entitled, Thank You. It’s a homage to all the women who have inspired her including: ‘Patti, Fiona, Tracy, Chrissie, Courtney, Alicia, PJ, Amy… I just want to say thank you,’ she sings. ‘Life would have been more lame without you.’ Louisa wrote it for International Women’s Day in 2015, and while the song primarily celebrates women’s contribution to music it’s also a statement of solidarity with artists who never settled for the status quo. It’s a sentiment that she holds closely.

“I think people are coming together more – like on the women’s march. You can see stuff might be happening at the top, but it’s pushing people together at the bottom. The more that groups of people can come together and stand up and speak, the better.”

The Musician • Summer 2017

21

South by Southwest The Texas-based festival is arguably the world’s biggest showcase for new talent. We look at how British jazz artists fared at this year’s conference.

Report by Ben Jones

The 2016 festival saw 2,224 showcasing acts across 103 festival stages, which included 579 international acts from 67 countries. It’s impossible to quantify audience figures, but for the industry conference there were 30,369 participants (from 85 countries) and 2,819 music media personnel in attendance.

Across the hundreds of conference sessions this year, speakers ranged from the General Counsel of the FBI and astronaut Buzz Aldrin to Warren G and Snoop Dogg. Clearly the event, held in March, is a major showcase for up-and-coming international acts.

British presence The main British presence at SXSW is the British Music Embassy, a takeover of the downtown venue Latitude 30 that is a central hub for new British acts. At this year’s event, held on 10-19 March, over 50 acts played, including new artists such as Jamie Isaac, Holly Macve and False Advertising through to more established names – in the UK at least – including Slaves and Rag’n’Bone Man. British Underground, an arts development agency housed and supported by the MU, also presented an evening of new British jazz The Musician • Summer 2017

© Nicole Fara Silver

Since it began in 1987, South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas has become firmly established as the world’s biggest showcase for new music. While still considered to be an important starting point for new bands, in recent years the convergence between the film, music 22 and interactive strands of the conference has seen it grow into something far more expansive and interesting.

in association with music organisations Jazz Re:freshed and Jazz Standard. This cutting edge line-up of innovative new acts took to the stage at The Main II, in a space previously home to legendary Austin venue Emo’s.

While jazz acts have played at SXSW before, it remains a fundamentally rock-based festival, but the evening was a triumph and showed that jazz can work brilliantly in front of an open-minded crowd in a traditional rock venue.

Crispin Parry, CEO of British Underground, who has been involved in showcasing acts at SXSW for 15 years, stated: “This year the jazz gig was recorded by US national broadcaster NPR – an incredible result for these young British musicians. The 350-capacity venue was packed and the artists have all been booked for further shows in the US.”

Native Dancer (left) and GoGo Penguin (above) were among the UK jazz artists appearing at SXSW in Austin, Texas.

An accompanying panel discussion, entitled Jazz In The Digital Age, was so well attended it was upgraded to a larger room. Chaired by Tina Edwards from Jazz Standard it explored how jazz musicians have adapted and embraced technology to promote themselves.

One of the panelists, Jacob Collier, started out by posting cover versions on YouTube – something more associated with pop or mainstream artists – before picking up interest from such jazz luminaries as Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock and developing his own sound.

Financial support The BBC broadcast from the venue all week and financial support came from PRS for Music, PPL, AIM and the MU, among others. Given the significant costs involved in attending the festival – across flights, accommodation and transportation – the importance of accessing funding through

REPORT report

Entry to the US denied

© Fabrice Bourgelle

The original line-up for the new British jazz showcase, hosted by British Underground, included Sarathy Korwar, GoGo Penguin, Native Dancer, United Vibrations, Moses Boyd Exodus and Yussef Kamaal.

However, days before flying out, four musicians from United Vibrations and Yussef Kamaal had their ESTA documents (which allow artists to perform at SXSW showcases under the Visa Waiver Program) revoked without explanation.

initiatives such as the International Showcase Fund is clear, particularly for unsigned bands at the start of their career. And as no fees are paid for showcasing gigs, it can take time to see any return on investment.

Huey Walker, music relationship manager at Arts Council England, said: “SXSW remains one of the most important music industry get-togethers with fantastic opportunities for musicians to be heard by people who can have a positive impact on their international careers.

Arts Council England supported over 50 bands and artists to get out there this year through a number of different initiatives.”

Dave Webster, MU National Organiser for Live Performance, and chair of the Music Industry Visa Task Force, said: “We have escalated this to the highest level in the UK to try to ascertain what is going on. A letter from Nigel Adams MP and Kerry McCarthy MP requesting an urgent meeting with the US officials has been sent. Since the formation of the Task Force in 2015 some progress on these issues has been made, however this latest development represents a huge setback.”

It is too early to assess the impact but the MU continues to lobby government to avert possible damage to the international showcasing circuit going forward.

From the bands’ perspectives, all of whom were at SXSW for the first time, it was seen as a success both artistically and commercially.

Sam Crowe, keyboardist for Native Dancer, said the band found it useful both for

“The opportunities to network were actually better than we expected.”

themselves and the profile of the wider UK jazz scene: “It was a very positive experience all round and we were all very proud to be representing the London scene, which is in an incredibly fertile and diverse space at the moment. I think it was an amazing first step for us to introduce our live show to a US audience and we hope to be back very soon. It feels like a really important platform for British artists to have their music heard.”

Mercury Prize-nominated trio GoGo Penguin added: “We’ve already toured the US, including playing Coachella and have played New York a few times now, but SXSW was a great experience for us. We enjoyed being in Austin and checking out the taco action and saw some great music. We were also pretty chuffed that The New York Times picked us as one of the 12 best acts at SXSW. We’ve just announced a 16-date US tour for this September so things seem to be going well for us out there.”

Worthwhile experience Justin McKenzie, artistic director of Jazz Re:freshed commented on his experience: “We were unsure of what to expect but the gig couldn’t have gone better. The bands enjoyed it from a playing level, but also just being there experiencing the whole atmosphere, going to talks, meeting people after the shows, talking to people in the street, everything kind of reaffirmed what they feel about being a musician. The opportunities to network were actually better than we expected in terms of how much is going on and who you can meet out there. With SXSW you go there one year, and it’s completely overwhelming then you realise ‘Oh, now I know how it is, I need to go there next year and really make the most out of it’. The whole experience was fantastic.”

Crispin Parry highlighted the continued relevance of SXSW and how best to approach it, given the overwhelming number of artists attending. “SXSW changes every year but remains incredibly important if you know how to manage it and your goals are clear,” he said.

“Over the last decade we have been focusing on really strong musical narratives about UK music with showcases in folk, grime, classical, heavy metal and reggae. Each one has produced several break-out artists and very strong media coverage in the US and UK.”

Justin McKenzie, artistic director, Jazz Re:freshed The Musician • Summer 2017

23

Regional Focus

Hull Feature by Dave Lee

24

The Hull scene has gone from strength to strength in recent years. We take a look at its hot spots…

Those living in the city date the start of Hull’s current cultural renaissance to some time around the turn of the millennium. Certainly it had produced musicians, playwrights, actors, and (especially) poets for many decades, but the city itself had never felt like a particularly artistic or culturally-confident place. The coming-of-age of the first

The Musician • Summer 2017

generations of residents not brought up to enter the fishing industry, though, saw people born in the 60s and 70s looking to themselves and the arts for escape from a potentially unsatisfactory future.

Gradually, poets, publishers, painters and other artistic types started appearing everywhere, putting on their own events without thought of doing anything beyond entertaining and fulfilling their own artistic bent. Add all this to the long-buoyant local music scene and it was almost an inevitability that Hull would be named UK City of Culture for 2017.

City of Culture 2017 Winning the title has meant a huge amount of investment in the infrastructure of the cultural sector over the past three or four years and the city is still very much in a state of flux, which will almost certainly continue into 2018 and beyond. New venues are regularly sprouting up, newly inquisitive audiences are being

seduced into attendance, and seemingly every event now needs a band or soloist adding to the bill to make it feel less definable: poetry nights have music, pop-up dance routines need pianists or banjo players and even the biggest home-grown play of the year – Richard Bean’s The Hypocrite – featured a band of troubadours singing folk protest tunes, specially composed for the play.

Everywhere is a venue What this means is that every pub, bar, café, library, shopping centre and street corner in the city has become a performance space.

Five years ago, gigs rarely happened outside of about six or seven venues. Now music spills from virtually every window.

Hull’s musical legacy isn’t hugely strong for a city of a quarter of a million people. The best known acts are The Housemartins and The Beautiful South, both of whom were unconventional chart-botherers in the 80s

Population: 259,000

© VHEY 2007

Famous Hullensians and residents: Alfred Hollins Philip Larkin Mick Ronson Trevor Bolder Woody Woodmansey Rod Temperton Paul Heaton Tracey Thorn Ben Watt Norman Cook Kingmaker Calum Scott

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

Venues Hull City Hall Currently the largest and grandest venue in Hull with capacity between 1,200-1,800, depending on seating arrangements. Notoriously – it was designed and built in the days before serious amplification – it sometimes suffers with garbled acoustics.

Classical music, and amplified bands who turn down a bit tend to fare better. hulltheatres.co.uk

Welly A club half the week and indie venue the rest. There’s a large (600 capacity) room downstairs and a smaller one (350) above, and the whole place bounces when the beat in both synchs up. It’s where you’d go to see the likes of The Fall or Half Man Half Biscuit. giveitsomewelly.com

The NEW Adelphi CLUB By far Hull’s most significant and beloved venue, The New Adelphi Club is a terraced house in the bohemian Avenues area. It was converted in the mid-80s into a snug 120-ish capacity venue by the man many consider to be the closest Hull has to a saint,

Hull was the original home town for Bowie’s Spiders From Mars band.

Hull Philharmonic perform at the beautiful City Hall.

Paul Jackson. Jacko still runs the club in his own imitable manner and gave it a facelift around the turn of the millennium. The Housemartins started life here and the likes of Oasis, Stone Roses, Radiohead and Green Day have all played on their path to the top, as have Pulp, Cast and Richard Hawley. theadelphi.com

Albemarle Music Centre The Albemarle plays host to some 21, mainly youth, ensembles. There is a 300-seat auditorium and a 100-capacity performance space in the peculiar-looking building, as well as half a dozen classrooms. It is also the HQ of community engagement organisation Hull Music Hub. hullmusichub.com

Asylum Based at the University, this venue has an almost exclusively student audience. It has top-of-the-line sound and lighting rigs, and plays host to many bands during their early chart careers. But the location and lack of engagement beyond the campus

means it feels almost hermetically sealed off from the rest of the city. hullstudent.com

Kardomah94 A former office block converted into multi-arts space with edit suites, rehearsal rooms and a very popular café/restaurant. The well-equipped live space holds around 100 in very comfy seats, and is best suited to intimate acoustic shows. kardomah94.com

Fruit A relatively new venue in the Fruit Market, it also hosts comedy, theatre and all sorts of other fun. Fruit has a nice casual, DIY feel that suits low-key gigs by the like of Glenn Tilbrook, and hosts popular acoustic gigs by local artists on Sunday afternoon. Holds 300, but is soon to be enlarged. fruitspace.co.uk

THE Venue Due to be completed mid-2018, this brand new arena-style venue will hold 3,500, making it the largest in the city.

Local Media

© ITV / REX / Shutterstock

Hull, East Riding, Yorkshire

© Scott Wigglesworth

Feature

Radio Humberside

Browse

TenfootCity

The best show for local music is Alan Raw’s BBC Introducing. Broadcast on Saturday evenings, the show features local bands in session in the studio. Other shows feature occasional live performances too. bbc.co.uk/ radiohumberside

The area’s most prominent music and creative arts magazine is a relative newcomer, but has well-written, in-depth pieces on local musicians and events.

It’s free, and is available in print or online roughly every three months. browsemagazine.co.uk

Tenfoots are what Hull folk call the alleys or ginnels behind their houses. This free pocket-sized listings and features magazine on the arts does its best to reflect the independent and defiant nature of the city. tenfootcity.com The Musician • Summer 2017

25

“Newly inquisitive audiences are being seduced into attendance.” in Hull’s current artistically adventurous atmosphere. And, the legendary Adelphi Club continues to be not only one of the most amazing and notorious venues on the toilet tour circuit, but also the epicentre of the local music scene.

The Black Delta Movement are just one of Hull’s exciting bands.

and 90s. Bowie’s best backing band, The Spiders From Mars, were a Hull pub band before The Dame discovered them. Indie favourites Kingmaker also made a small Top 40-shaped dent in the early 90s, and currently 26 Life are making noticeable waves.

The university brought people like Everything But The Girl to Hull, and Fine Young Cannibals singer Roland Gift was born and raised here.

There is a strong crop of contemporary local acts, with Bud Sugar, Fronteers, La Bête Blooms, The Mighty & The Moon and The Black Delta Movement all enjoying attention.

Intriguing electronic/poetry duo Cobby & Litten won the accolade of Louder Than War’s Album of the Year in 2016 with their shouty, sweary, dreamy spoken word tunes, proving that diverse cultural disciplines merge comfortably

Classical music is well served by the Hull Philharmonic and a chamber music society and there are jazz nights and an annual jazz festival.

The Watersons are Hull’s best known folkies and Michael Chapman lived here when he wrote and recorded most of his best known music.

Festivals Humber Street Sesh A gloriously chaotic one-day event where hundreds of musicians and acts play on every available surface within a 200-yard radius. Early bird tickets are just a fiver (or £15 on the gate). humberstreetsesh.co.uk

Freedom Festival An eclectic three-day multi-arts festival with music, theatre, dance and other performance art. International acts headline on several stages, and local acts fill the preceding bill on each. freedomfestival.co.uk

Lyricull

Looking forward Hull’s musicians and music scene may not have garnered enormous attention in the past, but it’s a city that is perfectly happy to entertain itself. Gigs by local bands are generally well attended and musicians are all very good at supporting and promoting each other.

Local writer Russ Litten hosts entertaining conversations with well-known songwriters. The first event in 2016 featured the likes of Shaun Ryder, Viv Albertine and Sleaford Mods frontman Jason Williamson. This year’s event has been picked up for broadcast by the BBC. lyricull.com

What the legacy of 2017 will be on the music scene of Hull remains to be seen. Certainly the city has never been more stuffed with opportunity for musicians, and the level of involvement from the local population has been heartening. Will it support and strengthen the music of tomorrow? Who can say. But the future for creative enterprises in the city has never looked as rosy.

This twice-yearly shindig brings a host of great jazz stars from home and abroad to serenade the city.

This year’s Summer Edition runs from 11-15 July, while they have stretched their November running to a full ten days to celebrate their 25th year. jnight.org/festival/HullJazzFestival

Hull Jazz Festival

Education University of Hull Hull Uni has a strong music section, offering courses in performance, composition and technology. hull.ac.uk

The Local View “More than ever before there’s a real sense of a Hull music scene, with several bands that deserve a national breakthrough. The greatest thing is there’s no ‘Hull Sound’. We’ve never had working musicians of so much variety – in style, age, experience, everything – than we have now. The Humber St Sesh is a great showcase for the city’s music and it’s the day where it all comes together.”

David ‘ Burnsy’ Burns, BBC Radio Humberside

The Musician • Summer 2017

“In my 30 years of covering music in Hull, I’ve never known the scene to be so buoyant and dynamic. The explosion in venues has meant that every single night there are halfa-dozen good options – or more – of great gigs to go to. The musicians, too, seem more varied. It used to be mainly indie bands but now virtually every genre is catered for and draws an audience.”

Phil Ascough, Journalist and Hull music buff

Hull College The music, TV and performance building is superbly equipped, and offers all-round industry training. hull-college.ac.uk

NAPA Offers classes in dance, drama and musical theatre for pupils aged 3 to 19. northernacademy.org.uk

Feature Humber Street Sesh is a day of chaotic musical indulgence.

Music Shops Antone’s Owned and run by affable veteran musician Tony Trotman-Beasty, Antone’s is where you head for the best guitar deals, strings, picks, help and advice. antonesguitars.com

Slave To The Beat Boss Simon Stevens will sort you out with all your skin supplies.

The shop also hosts a drum academy. slavetothebeat.co.uk

© VHEY 2007

The Gig Shop The Gig Shop sells all the practical stuff you need to stage a show, from mics and PAs to lights

and flight cases. There are buy or rent options on most equipment. gigshophull.co.uk

Gough & Davy The oldest and biggest music shop in Hull, Goughs has returned to its roots as a piano and keyboard specialist. goughanddavy.co.uk

Paddy’s Music The new kid on the block, Paddy’s opened very recently in the city centre, specialising in guitar sales and repairs. paddysmusic.co.uk

Studios Local philanthropist Malcolm Scott (also owner of venue Kardomah94) opened this studio with his son in 2012. Offering 16-track digital recording with a cosy live room, Fruit Trade is ideal for demoing, but is also an inexpensive way for bands to get a decent recording on a small budget. fruittrademusic.com

Element studio With a 360-channel Soundcraft analogue desk recorded to digital, two live rooms, and a nice range of mics, Element offers better kit than environment, but experienced players will find much to like in this inexpensive studio. elementrecording.com

went out of fashion in the 90s, but is now busy again 24/7 as bands seek out the warmth and unique sound the place is renowned for. The studio has a 24-track JBL desk, digital and analogue recording, three live rooms, great kit and an in-house engineer. fairviewrecording.co.uk

The Warren An enormously worthy venture, the Warren Music Project offers studio facilities to local musicians for free, and the best results are released by Warren Records. The basic studio is intended for use by disadvantaged young people and offers many of them their first experience of recording, writing and performing music. thewarren.org

Fairview

Rehearsal Studios The Chocolate Factory

Started by musician Keith Herd in his living room in the mid-60s, local legends such as Rod Temperton, Mick Ronson, and The Spiders From Mars made their first studio recordings here. Resolutely analogue, Fairview

The largest rehearsal space in the city is in a central-ish industrial estate, and was named after the smell that used to waft across from the neighbouring cocoa mill. There are five large rehearsal rooms, equipment storage,

two photographic studios, a small recording studio and a dance studio.

The rehearsal spaces come equipped with some mics, amps and a PA. chocolatefactoryrehearsals.co.uk

Africa studios Something of an all-rounder, Africa offers rehearsal, recording, storage, hire, mastering, duplications and tuition. Staff are experienced, knowledgable and friendly, while rates are reasonable. recording-studio-hull.com

© Ben Jones

Recording Studios Fruit Trade

27

Element Studio offers rehearsal and recording facilities.

RobbieS Rehearsals One of the longest-serving rehearsal facilities in the city, Robbies has two rooms at ground level, so the get-in is straight from the van and very easy.

Sessions include a PA, and additional equipment is available to hire at reasonable rates. hullrehearsalrooms.co.uk

Gorilla studios Open 24/7, Gorilla offers three large rehearsal rooms, each with a PA. 07852 955878 The Musician • Summer 2017

New Dawn At The Coliseum After a turbulent few years, the ENO has devised a new way of working to help overcome some harsh funding cuts.

Report by Andrew Stewart

Ironic laughter and sighs of relief could be heard above the St Martin’s Lane traffic the day after English National Opera announced its 2017-18 season. The company, hit by dire financial difficulties and major upheavals over the past five years, awoke to reports of plans to improve singers’ diction at its Coliseum home. It made a welcome change from the 28 bottomless pit of brickbats aimed at the ‘troubled ENO’, an institution apparently locked in crisis even before Arts Council England cut its annual core funding by £5m in 2012.

A balanced budget, savvy partnerships with other producers, and the chance of a better Arts Council deal to come suggest that English National Opera’s future looks more secure than it did even a year ago. What can be said for certain is that ENO’s Orchestra and Chorus, the latter hit by redundancies and salary cuts for those left on the books, have played a blinder.

Whatever the offstage wranglings at the Coliseum, English National Opera Orchestra’s world-class playing has never faltered. The band continues to inspire audience ovations and rave reviews. It has collected both since the start of this year for its work in the world premiere of Ryan Wigglesworth’s The Winter’s Tale, revival productions of Handel’s Partenope and Verdi’s Rigoletto, and a long run of Rodgers

and Hammerstein’s Carousel, the latter as part of ENO’s ongoing musical theatre deal with producers Michael Grade and Michael Linnnit.

“It’s been a tough time for ENO,” notes Bill Kerr, MU National Organiser, Orchestras, “but we think they turned the corner last year.” The MU, he adds, worked hard with their management to broker a new contract agreement, which came into effect on 1 August 2016. “The company required contractual changes that would make the orchestra more competitive as part of a new ENO business plan. Our members may feel they’ve made big concessions, a pay freeze among them, but they could see it was about securing their future.”

On the road As owners of the Coliseum, English National Opera decided to reduce the length of its season and hire the venue out to external

“It’s all about keeping a full-time orchestra doing as much work as possible. We want to see the company survive and prosper.”

Jo Laverty The Musician • Summer 2017

producers in the summer. Its orchestra would then be available to work for other promoters.

While details of a media deal have yet to be agreed, the orchestra’s new contract covers the practicalities of playing away from home.

The plan is for the band to generate additional income, starting this summer with an outing to the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre for Britten’s The Turn Of The Screw. The orchestra is set to launch a three-year partnership with Grange Park Opera at West Horsley Place, the first opera house to be built in the UK this century.

“Management is talking to other potential partners to get the ENO Orchestra out there as a band for hire,” says MU London Organiser, Jo Laverty. “The players are on board and willing to make that happen. They’ve reduced their terms to keep their jobs. The contract and touring agreement negotiations, which went through last December, were both long hauls. We’re still working on the media agreement. We’ve always been measured and reasonable in our talks with ENO, even when the bad news about the Arts Council funding cut hit. I hope we’ve achieved the best possible deal for our members by strongly putting across our members’ opinions to management.” Jo praises the work of this

© Tom Bowles, © Richard Hubert Smith

report

29

© G de Laubier

Above: Tough negotiations and a new plan have made ENO more competitive.

Left: The Coliseum will now be available for hire. Right: The Pirates Of Penzance.

year’s Orchestra Committee at ENO and that of its predecessor. Its members, she says, have represented the orchestra’s best interests in discussions with the company’s chief executive, Cressida Pollock, and her team. “It’s all about keeping a full-time orchestra doing as much work as possible. We want to see the company survive and prosper. It’s all credit to the musicians for getting their heads down, doing the work and agreeing to make changes.”

Michael Doran, a member of ENO’s percussion

section for 30 years and present chair of its Orchestra Committee, has known good times and bad at the Coliseum. He notes how the orchestra has served the company’s artistic interests without fail. “ENO has always been about doing new work and trying fresh things.

If we’re now doing new work in different places, then so be it, so long as it’s a means to the end of sustaining ENO at the Coliseum and preserving the company’s idealistic spirit.”

While morale has been knocked by negative media coverage and genuine concerns about ENO’s financial troubles, Doran says that they

never lost sight of the quality threshold. “Every musician will deal with the situation in front of them differently,” he notes. “But when it comes down to it, they’re all absolute pros. We know our job is to deliver fantastic performances, and that’s what we do.”

A bright new future Doran admits that hearts sank when Mark Wigglesworth resigned seven months into his term as music director in protest against management’s ‘decision to create a part-time season’. They were lifted again, however, with the appointment of Martyn Brabbins as his successor. “We’re disappointed to lose Mark, who did some terrific things with us, but we’ve got a musician’s musician with Martyn.

Hopefully we’ll be able to build a long and stable relationship. We need that as players and as company members who want ENO to

The Musician • Summer 2017

© Benjamin Ealovega

© Richard Hubert Smith

Above: ENO’s musicians can now feel more safe about their jobs. Right: ENO’s music director Martyn Brabbins pays tribute to the MU.

succeed. The endgame is about ENO’s survival as a repertory company. It’s been a cruddy few years, but I like to think the pain will have some gain. The problem will come if that’s not achieved; then people will 30 not be so supportive.”

Working together Richard Meads, ENO’s orchestra manager, pays tribute to the MU for its help during turbulent times. “We’re all working together,” he comments. “It’s so important that we have this relationship. The Union’s knowledge across the industry is invaluable to us when it comes to making the right decisions. We all want to move forward and ensure that our great orchestra, part of this fantastic company, is heard, well, forever.” It remains to be seen whether ENO’s latest attempt to secure the future of opera at the Coliseum passes the Meads eternity test.

At least the company appears to have uncoupled the word ‘troubled’ from its name.

“It’s great to work with these incredibly talented players,” notes Meads. “My main aim is to give them the best life they can have and make their

“The Union’s knowledge across the industry is invaluable to us.”

Richard Meads The Musician • Summer 2017

Change in a difficult time Martyn Brabbins music director, English National Opera “We all know ENO has been through tough times. It’s fair to say that without the support and advice that the MU so freely gives, the orchestra would not be in such a good position now.”

“I know the orchestra is happy that they will be playing over the summer months for Grange Park Opera next year. I’m thrilled about this partnership and about other possibilities for an orchestra that shows such incredible versatility and adaptability. We’ll be recording choral and orchestral pieces by Havergal Brian together in July, and I hope to record more with them in future.”

“We’ll also be looking at how we can do things slightly differently at the Coliseum.

The orchestra has been open and positive about trying new things. Whatever we do, the art and the quality must always come first.”

work for the company as easy as possible.

We’ve worked on their terms and conditions as part of the contract negotiations, and are now looking at media. It takes time to make sure we get it right. That’s where the MU plays such a vital part. And we now have a plan for the company – and it’s working!”

Thrive and survive English National Opera’s principal oboe and former Orchestra Committee Secretary Ruth Bolister recalls how the steep reduction in public subsidy sent shockwaves through the company. Media speculation about job losses and a call from the senior music critic of The Times for deep cuts to chorus and orchestra inevitably stoked fears of bad news to come.

“A job in an orchestra like this is a precious thing,” says Bolister. “We want the company to thrive and be at its most creative. There was never any doubt about our commitment or the quality of our playing. That’s why it was difficult to accept a situation that was not of our making and accommodate the new financial reality.”

Senior management, she notes, recognised the orchestra’s importance and were constantly reminded of it with outstanding performances throughout the contract negotiation period. “People were playing their hearts out while this extraordinarily difficult story took place around them,” Bolister recalls.

“The orchestra stood together. It’s fair to say that the Union and the Committee were remarkably pragmatic. We feel for our brothers and sisters in the chorus who’ve lost their jobs. There have been no redundancies in the orchestra and we’ve kept our full-time status.

I think we can now look to the future with much greater confidence.”

FEATURE

Why I Joined The MU We asked some young musicians about why they joined the Union and why they treasure their Musicians’ Union membership.

31

Abi Jenaé

© Tyfarukiphoto; © Sour Kix; © Derek D’Souza

“I joined the MU because I was very aware of its importance and relevance in the UK music industry, and I felt the urge to get involved. Having been a member of the MU for the last decade, I’ve seen the diversity of its members, and I love networking with different people from different cultures at the MU’s events.

Initially I was a student member, before taking the leap of faith (and money!) to become a full member – which is worth every penny. The MU is a really supportive union that demonstrates unity in practise. They really helped me out with legal assistance via their contract advice service – stress free – which was very useful to me, especially before I qualified as a lawyer myself!”

Abi is the CEO of the new, fast-moving label Afrotown Records, and is more than just a music lawyer. She is set on making a difference in the industry by fusing elements from a range of genres in producing a unique sound that traverses gospel, urban and Afrobeat music.

Her debut single, the uplifting Crazy Love, sent “waves of positivity and meaning” through the world of Afrobeats. Find out more about Abi at soundcloud.com/abijenae

Sour Kix

Nadia Sheikh

A young band from Woking, Sour Kix are made up of siblings: Louis, 16 (guitar), Ollie, 14 (drums), Amelie, 11 (vocals), and their close friend Ed, 16 (bass). Formed in 2013, they made a name for themselves playing local festivals and gigs while raising money for various charities, and also made an appearance on Channel Four’s TFI Friday. They recorded their first single, Wonderful last year and have since written and recorded further songs, with their new EP due out in the summer. Find out more about the band at sourkix.com

Nadia is half-British, half-Spanish and has recently finished her BMus (Hons) Music Performance and Recording at the London College of Music. A singer and songwriter who also plays piano and guitar, Nadia combines indie, rock and pop with folky and jazzy vocals to create a unique sound where quirky melodies and catchy choruses combine with insightful lyrics. Nadia has self-released various projects, from her debut EP 50 Feet to her latest single and video Flip The Coin. Now London-based, she has performed in venues such as The Borderline, Cargo, Notting Hill Arts Club and The Bedford, as well as supporting The Dire Straits Experience. She regularly performs live around the UK and Spain. For more info visit nadiasheikh.com

“We are so grateful to everyone who has helped and supported us in our music and who has given us so many fantastic opportunities. The MU has been part of our musical lives since we first started.

The £20 annual fee, which included our public liability and equipment Insurance along with the magazine, seemed great value. However, the additional benefits, support and advice are now becoming more important, the latest being from the MU’s Paul Burrows who has helped us understand rights issues. We are confident that in the future, assistance from experienced professionals at the MU will always be close to hand, whether through their website or simply from a phone call.”

“I first joined the MU while studying for a degree in Music Performance and Recording at the LCM. We were recommended to do so by our lecturers, so I had a look at all the different ways the Union could help me as a young, unestablished musician. I personally really benefit from the instrument and public liability insurances as I perform live quite regularly. It feels great to know I’m covered!

And also, I can seek legal advice if needed without having a lawyer. The Union’s advice has given me a clear insight of contracts, pay rates and much more!”

The Musician • Summer 2017

Jazz All that

During his eclectic three-decade career, Geoff Gascoyne has done it all. Here, the British jazzman rewinds his glittering backstory…

Profile by Henry Yates

All photos: Joseph Branston. © MU 2017

32

The Musician • Summer 2017

PROFILE

Geoff Gascoyne likes to keep his work varied, keeping himself busy with sessions, teaching, gigging and even app development.

Geoff Gascoyne is the consummate platespinner. On a given week, the prolific British jazzman might play five gigs and a fistful of sessions. You might find him teaching the bass curriculum at the London College Of Creative Media, promoting recent solo album A Swingin’ Songbook, or developing his SessionBand app. His next project is to arrange two big band library albums for the KPM label and produce a 37-piece orchestra.

Gascoyne shrugs: “I’ve only got three days to do it. But I like a challenge”.

Such a scattershot diary would make some musicians lose focus. But he considers this sort of multi-tasking not only a pleasure, but a prerequisite for success in the modern industry. “I thrive on being busy, and it’s critical to have a lot of different income streams. It’s very, very difficult to make a living as a jazz musician. I know lots of people who struggle.

The trick is diversifying. It all adds up to a good living, y’know?”

All about that bass Born in Nottingham in 1963, the young Geoff might be surprised to see his adult self thriving through music. “I started off as a classical piano player,” he reflects of formative years in Hertfordshire. “I took my grades. Then I got into punk bands at school as a bit of a rebellion, and I took up the bass guitar, probably because I had the biggest hands. But I did a painting degree, because I didn’t realise back then that you could make a living out of music.”

33 change his trajectory. “I still remember getting the call,” he says of joining Everything But The Girl in 1990. “I was living in a little bedsit in Stoke Newington. That’s the glamorous side of music – one phone call can change your life. But what people don’t realise is the work that you put in to get to that stage. It’s never just luck in music.

It’s being in the right place, but it’s also being consistent, being on time, being reliable. It’s everything. I said ‘yes’ immediately, of course.”

But the call of music was too strong. Leaving Saint Martin’s School of Art in the early-80s, Gascoyne stepped into the bearpit of session work, but it took a fateful commission to

During a three-year run with the acclaimed electro-pop outfit, Gascoyne toured from the US to the Far East, but his tastes were changing.

“It wasn’t until I was well into my 20s that I discovered jazz at all. It’s been a very gradual transition. I like a challenge and I loved the improvisation. It was just for me, y’know? First the jazz came, and then the acoustic bass came along. That was my destiny, if you like.”

“I got into punk bands at school as a bit of a rebellion, and I took up the bass guitar.”

Fame game Gascoyne appeared in the line-ups of Jim Mullen and Ian Shaw, and in 1993, his own creative talents came to the fore in Wabash. By 1995, he was sufficiently respected to secure a gig with the venerable Georgie Fame. “I worked with Georgie for 12 years and it was a joy,” he reflects.

“Just a legendary figure. To be honest, it The Musician • Summer 2017

Geoff is rarely happier than when he’s in the studio. Here he’s arranging a small orchestra for a big band library album.

The Musicians’ Union and me Geoff Gascoyne on the benefits of MU membership…

34

“Writing my own music is really important to me. It’s the most important.” was only because of Jamie Cullum that I stopped working with Georgie. Because you can’t do everything. You can’t keep hold of too many bands.”

The jazz ladder Back then, jazz’s great white hope was still a cult concern. “Jamie was a special thing for me, because I started out with him, and I gave him his little foot up in the jazz world. I did the arrangements for his first three albums, produced his first record, and I was with him for eight years. I saw him go from nothing to the big Universal contract and world tours. I was away from London on tour for five years. It was incredible. And it kept me feeling young.”

Now 53 and with two children to support, Gascoyne has deftly adapted his clientele to maintain a healthy career. He’s still a gun-forThe Musician • Summer 2017

“I joined the MU about 20 years ago, and it’s been really good to have them on my side. Where they’ve been really useful in the past is when there’s been late, or no, payment of fees.

I’ve had a few occasions when I’ve had to contact the MU because someone hasn’t paid me, or someone has run off with the money. Just knowing that you’ve got someone working for you at the Musicians’ Union, who’ll put in a call for you, it’s really powerful. There’s been a few dodgy people over the years, and I love it when you see someone’s name in Ask Us First in the magazine. Y’know: ‘don’t work with this guy’.”

A Swingin’ Songbook is out now, on iTunes and Amazon.

hire (that’s him on Paloma Faith’s Trouble With My Baby), but is grimly aware of the shrinking industry. “I’ve noticed it change. There’s not as much session work as there used to be.

Studios are closing. Everyone has their own studio at home, that’s the bottom line. I’m no exception. I can produce and master records from my home studio. And that’s what has put the pressure on the big studios.”

Session swinger No dinosaur, Gascoyne has embraced the zeitgeist, co-developing the SessionBand production app. “It’s run by two brothers,

Paul and Martin Sissons. They booked me on a regular session, and they’d come up with the original version of the app, which was not great, to be honest. I said to them: ‘This isn’t working. If you want help doing it properly, let me know’. Six months later, they called. It was an awful lot of development, but SessionBand was born. It’s a hell of a lot of work for each app. Four days of recording, and about three days of editing. There’s about 3,500 samples.”

Ask Gascoyne if he’s considered that the SessionBand app might put him out of a job and he chuckles darkly. “We’re all out of a job, anyway, because of the internet. But as musicians we adapt. As well as having business acumen, musicians need to be adaptable and resourceful. I’ve done so many different things. I get different revenue streams from all sorts of places. It’s not about spreading yourself too thin. It’s about doing it all as well as you can.”

I write the songs Gascoyne has never been happier – or busier.

As bassist and producer, his current regulars include Dave O’Higgins, Jacqui Dankworth and Derek Nash, but his eyes light up at the mention of his own songwriting. “A Swingin’ Songbook was recorded with a friend of mine, Iain MacKenzie, who’s a great singer. We wrote 13 new tunes in the vein of that 50s Sinatra swing era. Writing my own music is really important to me. It’s the most important.

Because it’s an extension of your musicality.

It’s who I am as a composer.

“And I think these big band library records that I’m about to do for KPM are my dream project,” he adds. “It’s called the Jazz Decades series. I’ve already done the 20s and the 30s, so I’m onto the 40s at the moment. I’m writing 12 tunes of my own for that, which are sort of pastiches of Moonlight Serenade and so on. So that’s amazing, because that’s the kind of music I grew up with. For me, that’s the ultimate.”

Bassist. Producer. Arranger. Composer. By spinning all these plates, Gascoyne has hit on the winning formula, following his passion while paying the bills. “I’m sure I’m a workaholic,” he sighs. “But to be in the music business, you have to love it. Otherwise there’s no point.

That’s what I’d say to any musician…”

report

Orchestra Section © Benjamin Ealovega

In our continuing series, we look at the work of one of the MU’s vital Sections.

Report by Roy Delaney

As well as the general benefits of being a member of the MU, many of the constituent elements of musicianship have their own specific sections looking after their members’ interests, and the Orchestra Section plays an active role in the work of the Union.

More than 30 Orchestral Stewards are embedded within the major orchestras and eight Roving Orchestral Stewards work as freelance players across the UK. They look after the collective representation of our orchestral members, and negotiate fees, rates and conditions with all the major UK orchestras, engagers and organisations, alongside the MU full-time Officials The MU has over 40 agreements with different orchestras, from small chamber outfits to large symphony, opera and ballet orchestras.

So if you are offered work with a particular orchestra, you can reference the rates you will receive and conditions you’ll be working under.

On top of that, the MU has published a code of practice for foreign touring, agreed with the ABO (the orchestra managements’ professional association). The agreements and codes of practice can be found in the Advice and Playing Live pages at theMU.org The MU also provides you with individual representation if you need help. This might include being owed money for performing or

“The Stewards are a prime example of a union run by members for its members.”

Orchestra players are well provided with help and assistance in the MU.

teaching, getting the right rate for a particular job, copyright issues, advice on contracts, or employment or legal issues. Your initial enquiry should be made to your Regional Office.

The pressures of working as a musician can result in physical or psychological problems.

We can offer you access to free confidential clinics, specialist medical assessments, bespoke advice on hearing issues, and a dedicated helpline. For details see bapam.org. uk or musicianshearingservices.co.uk. We also have a network of Health & Safety reps to help with workplace safety issues including temperature, ventilation, noise and lighting.

As a musician, you will need protection and advice when your performance is recorded or broadcast, so we have comprehensive agreements covering payments and rights with all the major recording and broadcasting organisations. And if you make and release your own recordings, the MU has specialist advice on partnerships, contracts, rights, copyright and royalties.

To expand skillsets, the MU offers Continuing Professional Development training, and TUC and GFTU courses. Many musicians teach as well as perform, and we offer help with lesson planning, obtaining clearance for working with young people (from Disclosure and Barring Service (England), Disclosure Scotland (Scotland) and Access NI (Northern Ireland)), pensions, NI contributions and holiday pay.

Members also benefit from reduced rate membership for NUT, EIS and UCU.

The MU encourages members to participate in the decision-making processes, and the MU Orchestra Section has four consultative committees, which cover a range of orchestra agreements. The Freelance Orchestral Committee is open to any member working as a self-employed orchestral player and oversees all the freelance rates and agreements. The work of the Orchestra Stewards and the Roving Stewards is vital in representing you to your employer, and is a prime example of a union run by members for its members. They dictate through the consultative committees directly what the wider MU brings up in negotiation, and are balloted as to whether to accept changes or not. If you are interested in becoming active in the MU, in any capacity, please let us know at the Orchestra Section.

If you have a question for Bill Kerr, Morris Stemp or Angela Weiss at the Orchestra Section, either call 0141 341 2966, or email them at orchestral@theMU.org

Bill Kerr The MU’s National Organiser, Orchestras says: “As a member you have direct access to a wealth of knowledge and experience provided by your Union. The MU full-time Officials and staff who work in the Regional Offices, and those who work specifically in the orchestral field, can provide you with a comprehensive service, whether you are working alone or as part of an ensemble or orchestra.”

The Musician • Summer 2017

35

Using your personal skills to get results ‌

Š Hinterhaus Productions / Getty

36

advice

A guide to:

Being assertive Assertiveness and effective communication skills can have a powerful impact on your career, not to mention your peace of mind, as Neil Crossley explains…

In the age of social media, it’s tempting to assume that digital communication dominates and defines human interaction. A report in February 2017 found that there are 3.7 billion email users worldwide creating 269 billion emails per day, while another study found that the social universe, composed of every single digitally-connected person, doubles every two years and will reach 44 zettabytes – or 44 trillion GBs – by 2020. Despite such statistics, old style face-to-face communication is still highly valued, with study after study concluding that nothing works in industry if the human element is overlooked.

This is certainly the case in the music profession where effective communication is fundamental to the creation of great music and key to survival in an increasingly competitive industry. Musicians need to create healthy working relationships with numerous clients, and to be as efficient at business and promotion as they are at creating the music.

And in an era of increasing austerity, effective communication is vital for musicians when retaining rights and pursuing career goals.

When it comes to good communication, an essential skill is assertiveness. For some this comes naturally. For others it’s a real struggle.

But by learning and implementing some basic

“Being assertive doesn’t guarantee that you get what you want, but it improves your chances.”

Frances Dredge

assertiveness principles, musicians can develop skills that could have a positive impact on their working lives.

it takes practice and persistence, especially if you’re trying to change behaviour that has been established over a lifetime.”

Naturally assertive?

“Many people are brilliant performers but this doesn’t necessarily translate to assertive behaviour off stage,” says FEU Training project manager Frances Dredge, who has run assertiveness training for the MU and many other organisations. “For example, when it comes down to tackling activities, such as making new contacts to create crucial work opportunities and standing their ground to negotiate fair payment, people often feel much less sure of themselves. Consequently, they don’t do as well as they could in terms of career progress and financial rewards.”

Frances emphasises that people generally find the benefits are worth the effort.

“While being assertive doesn’t guarantee that you always get what you want, it certainly improves your chances. Even when you don’t achieve the results that you’re aiming for, knowing that you value yourself and your work enough to put your case forward improves confidence and self-esteem.”

Brian Reilly, orchestral musician and MU Steward agrees: “I think many musicians are uncomfortable with the business side of their jobs. They realise it’s necessary but would rather concentrate on the musical side”.

Frances describes assertiveness as “being confident and direct in stating your views, opinions, and needs in any given situation, while respecting the right of others to do the same”. This might sound straightforward, but often seems like a huge challenge for those who usually shy away from what they perceive as confrontation rather than what is in actual fact clear and effective communication.

However, Frances is confident that anyone can take steps to develop assertiveness.

“Firstly, you need to assess the areas where your lack of assertiveness is holding you back, and realise that it is within your control to change your behaviour to achieve better results,” she says. “You can certainly learn to be more assertive, but like developing any skill,

Key skills The essence of assertiveness is open, honest, and direct communication, while at the same time not accepting responsibility for other peoples’ actions, especially when it affects your work and income.

All advice on assertiveness stresses the importance of using ‘I’ statements rather than ‘You’ statements, the reason being that ‘I’ is more constructive and sounds less blameful.

Sticking to the point, rather than being drawn off on tangents, is also considered an essential assertiveness skill.

Singer-songwriter, composer and MU member Anna Neale is all too aware of the need to be assertive in her career. She cites “networking events, dealing with contracts, and anything that involves money” as the most common scenarios when her assertiveness skills are needed. It helps that Anna is naturally driven, although she admits to moments when she has regretted not being assertive enough.

The Musician • Summer 2017

37

© Philm Photography

Anna stresses the importance of “knowing your stuff” before going into a business situation. Nothing will help you to be more confident than knowing what you are talking about, she notes. One tactic she employs is to draw on her live performance experience.

“I’ve learnt to use parts of my ‘stage persona’ and the confidence it gives me. I guess I treat the room like an audience to be wooed, making that good first impression.”

38

Closer to home For musicians like Anna, much of the daily communication is conducted with external third parties. For other musicians, the challenge is to communicate with people closer to home, such as members of their own band.

Cardiff-based bass player, songwriter and MU member Matthew Cohen has led a number of bands over the years, and found that his communication and assertiveness skills have yielded mixed results. “Bands can be more about politics and diplomacy than music and creativity,” he says. “If you’re leading a band, putting in the capital, making key decisions, contacting press, promoters and so on, you’ll eventually find yourself quite isolated. Other band members feel they’re being left out, and if something goes wrong in some aspect of the shared journey, it will be the leader’s fault.”

It’s a situation Matthew has faced many times and he admits he has not asserted himself enough on occasions, often blurring the lines

“Cards must always be on the table to avoid any confusion.”

Matthew Cohen The Musician • Summer 2017

Professional assertiveness Professionalism is key to effective communication and assertiveness, says Diane Widdison, MU National Organiser Education and Training. The most common result of musicians not asserting themselves, she says, is agreeing to work without clarifying the details of terms and conditions, rates of pay or asking for a contract.

“Musicians must realise that asking about these things is acceptable and normal, as they are professional and need to be paid and treated properly for their work,” Diane says. “Be clear and professional in your approach. Use MU contracts if you are not offered one.”

“Contact the MU for advice and guidance as soon as you think there might be a problem and make sure that your behaviour is exemplary. The more professional you are in your approach the more you will be treated as such.”

Anna Neale echoes Diane’s comments: “Never forget you should always be paid. Music is your way of making a living. First impressions count. The music industry is a very small world, and you only get one chance.

Reputation is everything.”

between friendship and business. “I knew at the time I was making a right decision,” he adds, “but because of those blurred lines, I backed down and instantly regretted it.”

Frances Dredge is familiar with the problems that can result from one person taking on leadership responsibilities, especially where emotions and perceptions around social relationships are concerned. “In a band, for example, one person might organically develop into the leader’s role and soon find that, in their opinion, they are doing all the grunt work for little appreciation,” she says.

“Rather than saying what they think and what they want to happen (often because it is a realisation over time and they feel uneasy about how their friends might react), they hope that people will read their minds. They can’t.

Consequently, lack of communication causes tension and resentment to build and, if left unaddressed, can lead to a full blown bust up.”

Matthew has learned that communication must be reciprocal in order for it to be effective. Assertiveness can sometimes be misconstrued as arrogance or belligerence

advice

© Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock; © Phil Adams

Top

for empowering yourself

1 Be certain

Know what you want so you can pursue it with confidence and determination.

Work everything out in advance and decide what minimum you’ll accept in the event that you won’t achieve your ideal scenario.

Left: Singer-songwriter and MU member, Anna Neale. Centre: Open, honest and direct discussion is the essence of effective communication. Right: Frances Dredge, FEU project manager, runs courses on assertiveness for musicians.

he says, “but really, it is drive, belief and tenacity. A clear channel of communication must be open at all times and cards must always be on the table to avoid any confusion”.

Freelance fears For freelance MU members such as Anna Neale and Matthew Cohen, their self-employed status obviously means that they alone are responsible for driving their careers. As such, there is arguably more pressure on freelance members to be assertive and communicate effectively than there is on salaried employees.

For freelancers working within hugely competitive organisations such as orchestras, it could also be argued that there is more reluctance to be assertive and voice concerns and opinions, for fear of being deemed difficult and then not being hired again.

Morris Stemp, MU Orchestras Official, says: “There is a distinct difference between someone being assertive in a protected environment – as a salaried player in an orchestra, for example – and someone who is freelance who may never work again as a result. I think there’s always the fear that unless you have lawful protections behind you, it would be very easy to disappear. But I think managers appreciate constructive critical feedback because then they can put systems in place that better suit both parties”.

5 Tips

2 Be clear and consistent

Communicate with clarity. Confusing others by being inconsistent will not only hinder your chances of success, it will make you look like you don’t really know what you want.

39

This echoes the thoughts of Brian Reilly.

“The fear of not being booked again because you have complained is real,” Brian says. “I’d like to think that freelance players would approach me, or any Committee member, with any problems they have. In our Orchestra we are always striving to ensure the freelance players are treated fairly and properly.”

Training opportunities This summer, the FEU Training will be hosting a webinar on assertiveness. At the time of going to press, a date had not been confirmed, but Frances Dredge advises MU members to keep an eye on the FEU website at feutraining.org. She echoes Morris Stemp’s comments about freelance musicians finding it harder to develop assertiveness skills without the organisational support of a full-time employer. But the MU can offer the necessary support required to develop such skills, she says, and freelance members of the MU can gain access to a range of skills development opportunities from assertiveness to negotiation.

For more details on finding effective assertiveness training, visit feutraining.org or contact francesd@feutraining.org

3 Stay calm

When things don’t go your way it’s easy to get angry or frustrated, but keeping your cool will help you maintain control so you can better manage the situation.

Plus, you’ll appear stronger to others.

4 Say ‘no’ when you mean ‘no’

It’s good to be flexible and open to compromise, but don’t give in to pressure and accept anything you don’t want to.

5 Be respectful

Expect to be treated with respect, and treat others with the same respect you expect for yourself. Not only is this courteous, it will cause others to respect you.

TOP TIP

DON’T TAKE IT PERSONALLY! Other people have as much right as you to having their needs met and their wishes fulfilled. Try not to take offence when they fight their own corner.

The Musician • Summer 2017

It’s important to clarify terms, in writing, for your performance or composition.

introduction TO…

Studio Contracts You’re poised to record an exciting new track. But before you walk into the studio, do you know who owns which rights? Tracey Kelly has the lowdown.

The secret to avoiding potential heartbreak, break-up and legal battles is to clarify the position of each person involved in the recording. Contract terms can be set up between co-writers, band members, session players, engineers, producers and even studio owners. Music ownership is a complex area, but it’s easy to get ‘on track’ with a bit of revision.

Partnership and co-writing forms It’s a good idea to have contracts in place with everyone you’re collaborating with. The MU Partnership Agreement is a good place to start. “It’s important to establish key issues: whether you’re performing as a band; who has written the music; and who will get the publishing rights,” says MU Assistant General Secretary Naomi Pohl. “If that’s going to be a negotiation, you probably need a partnership agreement or a co-writing agreement.”

The MU Song Share Agreement, which can be used on a song-by-song basis, sets out a percentage for each person who has worked on the composition and/or lyrical content of the song. For two people co-writing, a

“I think it’s important for fees and rights to be discussed upfront, even with friends.”

Naomi Pohl The Musician • Summer 2017

© Syda Productions / Shutterstock

40

In the excitement of preparing to record that new piece of music, it can be easy for an artist or band member to forget about one important factor: protecting their work. Whether laying down a single, album, soundtrack, or advert, it is essential to safeguard the rights in the composition, recording, and performance, and to understand the difference between them.

Equally, if you are a session singer or player paid to perform on someone else’s recording, the rights in your performance must be clearly set out and protected.

50/50 split is fairly standard. Sometimes one person has done the majority of the writing, in which case, a different split might be more appropriate, whatever percentage you mutually decide. The key is to decide beforehand to avoid nasty situations later.

Collective agreements The MU has simplified the complex realm of copyright law by drawing up collective recording agreements with production companies and trade bodies such as the BPI. Naomi Pohl explains: “If you’re recording for commercial release, you should be using a BPI/ MU agreement. That covers the major record labels and independent labels, but also works for an individual band or artist wanting to make a recording themselves and hire the session musicians.” TV and video rights are also included in the BPI form.

Once the music is recorded, you need to register it with PPL and list all featured artists. You would

Photo: Joseph Branston. © MU 2017

advice

Another scenario to consider is when you bring a song idea to a studio, and the engineer/ musician helps you record parts. Pete Thoms: “If you’re expecting the engineer to flesh out your idea, you must have an agreement that makes it clear that the song is yours, and that whatever the studio or the engineer is contributing is simply an arrangement of your idea. Otherwise, you might end up in a situation where someone claims they helped you to write the song.”

Session rights and wrongs So what can be done to safeguard the rights of a session singer or player? First, learn as much about the session that you can beforehand, especially what the recording will be used for.

also need to list the non-featured performers – session musicians, for example – who will get a smaller share of the PPL revenue.

Who’s the owner?

Before even starting to record, it’s essential to make it clear who owns the final recording. MU Sessions Official Pete Thoms says: “If you’re paying for the session, you are effectively the rights owner and the record label. So if you’re hiring other musicians, you should probably go straight for the BPI/MU session agreement. If you’re not registered as a record label, just put your name on the top, and that gives you the right to release that commercially.”

This can be a little tricky when you’re using a friend’s studio, which they might be willing to let you use for free. In this case, it is wise to pay a token amount. “I would be really cautious about this,” says Naomi. “You should pay a fee, even if it’s only a nominal fee, frankly, to show that you are the person booking the studio and paying for that time. That makes it very clear, legally, that you own the recording. Plus, it’s more professional.”

Producer’s points

The usage should be set out clearly in the session form. For example, if you are performing vocals or a sax part for an advertisement, specify that it is for this product or brand only. If it is for television, make sure you are using the BBC or ITV session forms. For independent TV productions, the PACT/MU agreement is used.

Also ensure you are receiving the right fee under the agreement.

Sometimes a producer wants a cut (called ‘points’) of the publishing of a recording. What is the MU line in this scenario?

The MU/BPI session agreement and PACT/MU agreement provide the MU with a record of who played on a particular recording, so that residual payments can be made.

Naomi Pohl comments: “I would avoid it if possible. If a producer hasn’t made a genuine creative contribution to the writing or performing of a track, then there’s no reason for him or her to get a publishing split. Also, they sometimes get onto the PPL registration as a performer.

Naomi Pohl cautions that in certain situations, you are giving consent for the use of your performance just by taking part in a session.

“If you haven’t requested a fee or asked for signed paperwork, then you’ve effectively given your consent for them to use your performance for no fee,” says Naomi. “I think it’s important for fees and rights to be discussed upfront, even with friends.”

“I don’t think that points for a producer is the industry standard. Having said that, you obviously get quite high-profile producers, and the track will probably sell much better because of their name.”

If in doubt on any recording agreement, contact the Recording and Broadcasting Section at rb@theMU.org, or check out the MU Members’ Handbook pages 83-85.

If you do decide to award points, the MU suggests a royalty of 2-3%. Working with a big name can boost your career, so consider all the angles, and get your agreed terms in writing.

The Musician • Summer 2017

41

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 2017, together with links for more information on the featured artists.

© Ray Stevenson / REX / Shutterstock

43

Fairport Convention

F

ormed in 1967 by Ashley Hutchings, Fairport played London’s Union Chapel on the 50th anniversary of their very first gig on 27 May. To celebrate the 50th year of this remarkable band, the quintet has released a welcome set of live and studio recordings.

The current line-up of Simon Nicol (guitars/ vocals), Dave Pegg (vocals/bass guitar), Ric Sanders (violin), Chris Leslie (vocals/ fiddle/mandolin/ bouzouki) and Gerry Conway (drums/percussion) is joined on two songs by guest vocalists Robert Plant and Jacqui McShee as they present 14 tracks of classic folk/rock, exemplifying why Fairport are a seminal band for the

genre. A launchpad for the careers of guitarist Richard Thompson, singer Sandy Denny and fiddle player Dave Swarbrick, the band’s importance was recognised by a prestigious BBC Lifetime Achievement Award and Radio 2 listeners voted their Liege & Lief ‘The Most Influential Folk Album of All Time’. Their story and music is regularly featured on radio and television.

FAIRPORT CONVENTION 50:50@50 Released to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary, this delightful CD is a stunning mix of jigs, contemporary instrumentals and heart-warming ballads in a combinaton of seven studio cuts and seven concert recordings. fairportconvention.com The Musician • Summer 2017

singer/songwriter Little Lapin Wake Up The Sun

44

Ruth Theodore Cactacus

Described as “a great UK talent” by Bob Harris, singer-songwriter Little Lapin has already generated noteworthy airplay on BBC 6 Music.

With her sunshinecoated songs and leisurely delivery, this rising star is sure to court fans of acoustic music, alt-country and Americana in 2017. littlelapinmusic.com

This wunderkind songwriter effortlessly weaves ragtime and blues into a whimsical brand of folk-pop. Todd Sicafoose’s playful production style is a perfect match for Theodore’s acrobatic delivery, with fitful electronics ramping up the intensity. ruththeodore.com

JJ Gilmour DIX

Ophelia Ophelia

This crowdfunded effort showcases the acclaimed Scottish songwriter’s rare ability to lend his tales of the everyday with a redemptive quality. Stripped-back production highlights the strength of each crafted hook. jjgilmour.co.uk

Ophelia is the collaborative project of singer-songwriters Rebecca Van Cleave and Samuel Taylor who have forged a set of British Americana roadchasing, story-telling anthems catchy enough for audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. opheliamusicofficial.com

classical/composer

ambient

Patrick Hawes Revelation Respected for his mastery of choral tradition, Patrick Hawes has created a sterling series of compositions inspired by the Book of Revelation. The collection is brought to estimable fruition by conductor Noel Edison, The Elora Singers, alto saxophonist John Johnson and pianist Leslie De’Ath. naxos.com

Phonseca Afterglow Exquisite ambient electronica from Bristol’s Matthew O’Connor, destined for soundtrack acclaim with its blend of classical piano and tasteful layers of synth and keys. facebook.com/ mocphonseca

Mami Shikimori Tchaikovsky Piano Music The lesser-known pieces covered here may not reach the dizzying heights of Piano Concerto No.1, but Shikimori’s versatile style is adept enough to illuminate the many shades of Capriccio and spin the lyrical lines of Chanson Triste with stunning purity. mamishikimori.com

stand out

Darragh Morgan For Violin And Electronics Unsettling and thrilling in equal measure, this fascinating collection from a foremost interpreter of new music exudes a mood of technological uncertainty. shop.diatribe.ie/ album/for-violin-andelectronics

We have chosen a pair of albums that stand out from the crowd and have established themselves as ‘top pick’ favourites on our playlists.

The Musician • Summer 2017

The Dan Banks Quintet Two In A Box

Louis Barabbas Jocasta: A Musical Tragedy

Jazz pianist, composer and educator Dan Banks calls upon a formal tutelage, plus performance experience at The Jazz Cafe, The Bull’s Head, Manchester Jazz Festival and The Bassment Club, to create a marvellous collection of jazz compositions. danbanks.co.uk

Electrifying performer, artistic director, songwriter and union activist, Louis Barabbas, has created an ambitious musical. Based on the myth of Oedipus, it tells a tale of ‘socioeconomic flux, populism and dirty politics’. louisbarabbas.com

They Called Him Zone Crow Swan Wolf The Bradford synth-pop duo are purveyors of slick, danceable grooves tinged with menace.

Their debut is drenched in reverb, skittering drum machines and brooding vocals. soundcloud.com/ they-called-him-zone

reviews

partnership

jazz Stan Sulzmann & John Taylor Double Exposure The two giants of the UK jazz scene recorded 13 tracks of original compositions in 1990 but the result has only just been released. The late pianist John Taylor and saxophonist Stan Sulzmann weave their magic in delightful twists and turns. interspearmusic.com

Wendy Kirkland Quartet Piano Divas This admirable album, recorded with Wendy’s partner, guitarist Pat Sprakes, drummer Stevie Smith and bassist Paul Jeffries, is a charming introduction to her relaxed and considered approach. wendykirklandblog. wordpress.com

Lady Sings the Blues Laughing At Life: The Music Of Billie Holiday An all-star line-up performed a memorable tribute to Billie at the Birmingham Jazz Festival in 2015. Both the power of her music and her inspirational spirit are reflected in each superbly-crafted song. bigbearmusic.com

folk/roots/acoustic Roving Crows Bury Me Naked Roving Crows are one of our leading Celtic rock outfits and have been enthusing audiences since 2007. Currently a four-piece, Bury Me Naked illustrates their collective power and maturity, thanks to 11 superb original, footstomping tracks. rovingcrows.com

Astraluna The Pass Of Storms

Martin Speake & Faith Brackenbury Zephyr

You will hear the lilting sound of the ukelele like never before on this enchanting album from Jennifer Birch. Packed full of immaculate harmonies and intriguing effects, it’s a record to get lost in. soundcloud.com/ astralunamusic

The saxophone and fiddle might seem like an unlikely partnership, but Speake’s and Brackenbury’s freewheeling interplay of their instruments creates a spiritual and joyful atmosphere. brackenburymusic.uk

Hunter & The Bear Paper Heart

Doris Brendel & Lee Dunham Eclectica

Redtenbacher’s Funkestra The Time Thief

Delivering refined, harmony-led acoustic numbers and ceilingshattering rock, the band makes a formidable wall of sound. Paper Heart’s 10 energised songs will build upon their reputation as festival stars of the future. hunterandthebear. co.uk

Progressive pop/prog from the distinctive female vocalist known for leading 1990s altrockers The Violet Hour, who has teamed up with producer and multiinstrumentalist Lee Dunham to deliver an album of committed and passionate rock that hits home on all fronts. www.dorisbrendel.com

Bassist and bandleader Stefan Redtenbacher directs his crew of brass and rhythm masters through a set of modern 20th-century dancefloor action. The standout mid-tempo Walkin’ Struttin’ Strollin’ conjures up the sights and sounds of the 1970s East Coast. redtenbachersfunkestra. com

rock/funk

Diagrams Dorothy A beautiful and unusual collaboration between singer-songwriter Sam Genders aka Diagrams and a 90-year old poet, Dorothy, whose wide-eyed investigations of science and human experience are the perfect foil for Genders’ inventive song-writing and synth-folk arrangements. diagramsmusic.co.uk

Chris Biscoe, Allison Neale Then And Now Allison Neale, alto saxophone, and Chris Biscoe, baritone saxophone, have all the makings of a classic duo, producing originals with instinctive fluency that gel seamlessly with late-50s inspiration. chrisbiscoe.co.uk

Sean Street, Neil Campbell, Perri AlleyneHughes Estuary Glimmering ambient textures lend an ethereal quality to peaceful recitations. neilcampbell. bandcamp.com/album/ estuary The Musician • Summer 2017

45

Ken Cordingley Former MU Assistant General Secretary Ken was born in York into a family steeped in the brass band tradition.

As a teenager, Ken saw someone walking past his home carrying an instrument. He asked the passerby where he was going and the man replied ‘to band practice’. Intrigued, Ken arranged to attend a practice, where he was offered a trumpet, and thus was born a life in music.

46

Ken joined the army and played with the Royal Artillery Band for 11 years. When his service ended, he secured a place on a touring production of West Side Story, a stint that was followed by a time playing the horn with the

Don Smith

Canada-born trumpet player and popular MU official Don was born in 1933 in Montreal. He discovered the trumpet and won a scholarship to McGill University. He joined the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and while touring in England he applied for a scholarship to the Royal College of Music.

Here he discovered Soho’s Archer Street, where musicians used to pick up work, and this led to him playing in dance bands at places like the Streatham Locarno. Next, he began playing in orchestras, including the LSO and at Sadler’s Wells, and enjoyed working in England so much so that he

The Musician • Summer 2017

© Suzie Maeder / LebrechtMusic & Arts

tributes Royal Shakespeare Company, all experiences that stood Ken in good stead when he joined the CBSO in 1962.

Ken was a passionate believer in workers’ rights. This steadfast belief led him from being ‘a stout defender of the Union position’ to taking on full-time employment as SW District Organiser with the MU in 1979.

His diligence and commitment in the role was recognised when he was appointed Assistant General Secretary in 1991.

A great servant to the Union, Ken represented his orchestra and Union members with a unique blend of strong conviction, consideration and humanity.

Keith Ames made it his permanent home. He became involved with the MU when a chance arose to become an Official in 1969. This marked the end of Don’s professional playing, but he always retained his keen musical ear. He was appointed District Organiser and Branch Secretary for London in 1970, before becoming MU Session Organiser from May 1972 until the mid 1990s. He garnered a fearsome and well-respected reputation for his commitment to implementing MU policy.

His daughter Laura’s eulogy said it all: “Don had a long, full and brilliant life influencing the people he met and loved. He will be missed by so many people in so many ways.”

Adam Smith

Gervase de Peyer Outstanding clarinettist of his era who inspired new works.

The virtuoso clarinettist has died at the age of 90. Born in London in the spring of 1926, he was awarded a scholarship to the Royal College of Music where he studied clarinet under the great Frederick Thurston and the piano with Arthur Alexander.

Towards the end of WWII he joined the Royal Marines Band Service, but returned to the RCM after the war, before going on to study the clarinet further in Paris with Louis Cahuzac.

He first came to national attention as a 16-year-old schoolboy, with a BBC broadcast of Mozart’s clarinet concerto.

During a hugely successful and influential career, he developed a warm, agile playing style, characterised by vibrato in the lower register.

A founding member of the Melos Ensemble in 1950, he played with the group for almost 25 years. His reputation as a skilful, sensitive soloist and chamber musician brought him appearances with the London Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic and the Philharmonia, before he became principal clarinet of the London Symphony Orchestra in 1955.

Contemporary composers including Hoddinott, Horovitz and Musgrave all wrote pieces for him as a soloist, with the latter’s 1968 concerto allowing Gervase, performing from memory, to move around the stage and link up with different sections of the orchestra.

“During a successful career, he developed a warm, agile playing style, characterised by vibrato in the lower register.”

An appearance at the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds in Umbria, Italy – an annual event designed to celebrate Italian and American culture – inspired a move to New York in 1968, to take the role of clarinettist of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society.

Gervase continued to tour the UK and continental Europe well into his 70s and released a much-loved series of CDs, showcasing his classical, jazz and popular work. He remained a hugely popular figure into the autumn of his life, playing to a packed Wigmore Hall for his 80th birthday concert in 2007.

Clive Somerville

Tributes

Allan Holdsworth

Hailed as one of the most innovative musicians in jazz-fusion, Allan developed a unique legato style and a tone more akin to tenor saxophone than electric guitar. He eschewed conventional guitar chords and phrasing, instead formulating his own complex scales, unique chord voicings and extraordinary fretboard stretches.

© Michael Putland / Getty

His devastating technique came to the attention of guitarists like Eddie Van Halen, and he became rock’s reluctant hero. His use of 80s guitar synthesiser controller SynthAxe, allowed him to move ever further from what he saw as the guitar’s musical limitations.

His music, while harmonically sophisticated in the extreme, remained spellbinding and emotional, moving even those who could not begin to fathom it, technically. Holdsworth leaves behind a legacy of truly remarkable and innovative music.

Neville Marten

Toby Smith

Jamiroquai’s original keyboard player An accomplished and highly-regarded keyboard player, Toby, who died of cancer in April, played a key role in the huge success of the band Jamiroquai.

Together with original bassist Stuart Zender he was integral in shaping their sound, which melded funk, soul, disco and jazz into an irresistible pop whole.

Playing in a variety of bands around London he met Jay Kay shortly before he signed to Sony in 1992. The pair bonded and a songwriting partnership was formed.

Smith co-wrote many of the band’s biggest hits, including Virtual Insanity, Deeper Underground and Little L. He left the band in 2002, and went on to serve as producer and manager of the indie pop band The Hoosiers and set up his own studio, Angelic, in Banbury. He also played a role in X Factor winner Matt Cardle’s successful 2013 album Porcelain, producing and co-writing the hit single Loving You. Will Simpson

Jeremy White

Gerry Butler

The distinguished former Principal Viola in the ROH Orchestra has passed away, aged 89. After his National Service, Jeremy studied with Max Rostal and Nannie Jamieson at the Guildhall, where he was awarded the Gold Medal.

Born in Stockton in 1931, Gerry became the resident pianist at the local working men’s club as a teenager. After doing his National Service, Gerry moved to London where he worked with Oscar Rabin, Teddy Foster, Vic Lewis and Bob Miller and the Millermen, being their pianist/arranger on BBC’s Parade Of The Pops.

Viola player at the Royal Opera House

© Louis Hawkins

One of jazz-fusion’s greatest innovators

Nina Trott

Much-admired jazz violinist and activist Born in Herne Hill, south London, Nina built a fine reputation as a violinist playing classical, folk, jazz and klezmer, joining the Hot Strings gypsy jazz quartet and the revered jazz five-piece Radio Banksa.

“As a CND member, Nina was a committed activist.”

As a member of CND, Nina was also a committed activist, attending Greenham Common, anti-fascist protest marches and supporting the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign. Moving to Bath in 1978, she met her husband Louis Hawkins at the city’s fringe festival, and became a peripatetic music teacher. In 2003 she created what she felt was her finest achievement, the Ramshackle Orchestra, a mixed-ability string orchestra consisting of her students and others.

Clive Somerville

He joined the ROH soon after, and was appointed Principal in 1958. He possessed a marvellous mental and technical ability that served him well in modern works, producing an expressive tone of great power.

He reluctantly left the Orchestra in 1992 under the policy of compulsory retirement at 65. He insisted that he was not retiring, but turning freelance, and was much in demand.

He truly loved playing the viola, and his musicianship will be heard and loved for as long as music itself is listened to.

Andrew Haxell

Pianist, composer and arranger

Increasingly in demand as a session pianist and arranger in the 1980s, he arranged jingles for Air-Edel, composed for the Muzak Company, and was orchestrator and arranger for composer Stanley Myers. Gerry spent the final 17 years of his long career with The Glenn Miller UK Orchestra until the age of 80. His razor sharp wit and oneliners will be missed by everyone who knew him, as will his kindness and generosity. He is survived by Janet, his partner for over 35 years.

Dave Wills

The MU also notes the sad passing of: • Ruth Loveday-Stanfield Pianist • Tony Davis Leader of The Spinners • Peter Skellern Singer-songwriter • David Angel Violinist, Maggini Quartet • Tony Augarde Jazz drummer • Alan Griffiths Guitarist, Tears For Fears, Composer • Stan Robinson Jazz tenor saxophonist and flautist • Jimmy Copley Drummer, Upp, Jeff Beck, Paul Rogers

The Musician • Summer 2017

47

Statement to members 2016 Statement to Members as required under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (Amended) for the year ended 31 December 2016.

Summary financial information extracted from the full accounts.

Main Fund and Benevolent Fund

Political Fund

Combined Funds

Summary Income & Expenditure Account

Summary financial information extracted from the full accounts

For the year ended 31 December 2016

Summary Income & Expenditure Account For the year ended 31 December 2016 2016

Subscription Income Other Income 48 Total Income Total Expenditure

2015 Restated £’000 £’000 5,391 5,209 1,901 2,439 7,292

7,648

(7,454)

(7,587)

(162)

61

(691) 1,749 (185)

201 86 (196)

Surplus for the year

711

152

Remeasurement of defined benefit liability

(801)

734

(Deficit)/Surplus transferred to reserves

(90)

886

Operating (Deficit)/Surplus Other items Investment Operations Taxation

The Musician • Summer 2017

Total Income Total Expenditure Surplus/(Deficit) for the year

2016

2015

£’000 85 (68)

£’000 93 (135)

17

(42)

Balance Sheet Summary As at 31 December 2016 Fixed Assets Investments

1,132 12,649

Current Assets

3,297

4,181

Current liabilities

(1,981)

(1,985)

Net assets

Summary Movement in Monies Held for Distribution

Accumulated Funds Main fund

Total Receipts Total Payments

2016

2015

£’000 1,395 (1,222)

£’000 1,063 (1,269)

Net Movement For The Year

173

(206)

Monies Held for Distribution Brought Forward

248

454

Monies Held for Distribution Carried Forward

421

248

2015 Restated £'000 £'000 1,003 14,261

Collection and Distribution 3 & 4 For the year ended 31 December 2016

2016

Benevolent fund Political fund

Net Pension Scheme Asset

16,580

15,977

17,028

17,154

492

456

25

8

17,545

17,618

(965) 16,580

(1,641) 15,977

notices

Statutory declaration

We are required by the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (Amended) to include the following declaration in this statement to all members. The wording is as prescribed by the Act.

Salaries and benefits Summary of Salaries and Benefits

For the year ended 31 December 2016 John Smith, the General Secretary received a gross salary of £120,731, a pension contribution of £28,937 and benefits of £6,060.

The General Secretary is reimbursed for any expenditure incurred by him in the performance of his duties on behalf of the Union.

The members of the Executive Committee are reimbursed for any expenditure incurred by them in the performance of their duties on behalf of the Union. They are also reimbursed for their loss of earnings whilst on Union business and this is listed below. In certain cases these amounts are reimbursed directly to the employer of the Executive member.

Name Amount

£ R Ballantyne 2,236 C Chesterman NIL N Dixon 487 S Done 3,349 K Dyson NIL R Finlay 371 A Gascoine NIL A Gleadhill 750 P Hartley 1,750 S Haynes 1,308

Name Amount £ A Hopgood NIL D Lee 5,868 G Newson NIL R Noakes NIL R Page NIL D Pigott 492 E Spencer NIL B White NIL P Williams NIL

"A member who is concerned that some irregularity may be occurring, or have occurred, in the conduct of the financial affairs of the union may take steps with a view to investigating further, obtaining clarification and, if necessary, securing regularisation of that conduct.

The member may raise any such concern with one or more of the following as it seems appropriate to raise it with: the officials of the union, the trustees of the property of the union, the auditor or auditors of the union, the Certification Officer (who is an independent officer appointed by the Secretary of State) and the police.

Where a member believes that the financial affairs of the union have been or are being conducted in a breach of the law or in breach of rules of the union and contemplates bringing civil proceedings against the union or responsible officials or trustees, he should consider obtaining independent legal advice."

Report of the Independent Auditors

Set out below is the report of the independent auditors to the members as contained in the accounts of the Union for the year ended 31 December 2016.

We have audited the financial statements of the Musicians’ Union for the year ended 31 December 2016, set out on pages 3 to 25. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including Financial Reporting Standard 102.

This report is made solely to the Union's members, as a body. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the Union's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Union and the Union's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Respective responsibilities of the Union’s Executive Committee and auditors As explained more fully in the Statement of Responsibilities of the National Executive Committee on page 1, the Union's National Executive Committee is responsible for the preparation of financial statements which give a true and fair view. Our responsibility is to audit and express an opinion on the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland). Those standards require us to comply with the Auditing Practices Board's Ethical Standards for Auditors.

Scope of the audit of the financial statements An audit involves obtaining evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements sufficient to give reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error.

This includes an assessment of: whether the accounting policies are appropriate to the Union's circumstances and have been consistently applied and adequately disclosed; the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by the Union's National Executive Committee; and the overall presentation of the financial statements.

Opinion on financial statements In our opinion the accounts give a true and fair view of the state of the Union’s affairs as at 31 December 2016 and of its income and expenditure for the year then ended.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception: We are required by the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (Amended) to report to you by exception in respect of the following matters if, in our opinion: — A satisfactory system of control over transactions has not been maintained.

— The Union has not kept proper accounting records.

— The accounts are not in agreement with the books of account.

— We have not received all the information and explanations we need for our audit.

We have nothing to report to you in respect of the above matters.

H W Fisher & Company, Chartered Accountants, Statutory Auditor Acre House, 11-15 William Rd, London NW1 3ER. Dated: 3 May 2017

The Musician • Summer 2017

49

COVER STAR

Beatbox Confidential

50

Meet this issue’s cover star – beatboxer, technology designer and reigning global looping champion SK Shlomo…

What does the Musicians’ Union mean to you?

The MU has been super helpful and supportive throughout my career from the start. It’s been invaluable knowing someone has got your back, and that there’s always someone to call.

Photo: Joseph Branston. © MU 2017

How did you come to choose beatboxing?

It kind of chose me. I wasn’t allowed to practise my drum kit at unsociable hours so I invented vocal drum sounds out of necessity.

Who was your most important teacher when you were starting out?

I had a primary school teacher who spotted my spark for drumming and put me up to audition for a scholarship at the local music school. She gave me a spot at the school concert and I got my first taste of the glory of being on stage.

Was it a struggle to get beatboxing accepted?

I was a bit obsessed with trying to prove that beatboxing is an artform and not a gimmick, but these days I’m more relaxed. It’s a great means to express yourself and create music, just like any other instrument.

The Musician • Summer 2017

How important is electronic technology to you as a creative tool?

I can be guilty of using the tech as a distraction from the difficulties of creating real music.

I spent 12 months developing the software for Beast [his own own custom live looping console] and in that time I didn’t write a single song! However it has actually unlocked a whole new way of working. My goal is to keep developing the tech as a way to facilitate the creative process.

Do you ever stop yourself and wonder: ‘How did I get here?’

Yes, most days. Especially when I’m touring, it’s an unbelievable feeling to be doing what you love every day.

If you weren’t a musician, what do you think you would be?

I was an astrophysics student before the music kicked off, so I’d probably be a scientist by now.

What does the next 12 months hold for you?

My debut solo album! It has the working title Oscillations. I’ve been writing like crazy. In the past I’ve written so much music for and with other people, but I think I was always too afraid to fully commit to writing just for myself. This year I’ve cleared out my calendar to fully focus on the solo project and it’s both terrifying and exciting. You can hear the new music as it’s being made on my website skshlomo.com

What kind of music do you listen to at home?

I’m obsessed with new music and spend hours finding new gems. My current favourites are artists like Sohn, Sevdaliza and Bearcubs.

Do you have any advice for other musicians who are just starting out?

Don’t be afraid to make music that other people might not like. If you believe in it, then others will too.

For more news, visit theMU.org

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 Services 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 • Summer 2017

51

#BehindEveryMusician