how on earth does Enfield's defining musical moment become a rather average newspaper article??
perhaps it may have been down to the way i hacked away at my full length 'director's cut' of the feature to make it fit the restrictive word quota.
the first draft was something akin to a celabratory call to arms for all those that have been fighting hard to make Enfield's music scene what it is today, and i'll admit it was an unbearable task to strip it of so much that i had put in.
or perhaps the blame lays elsewhere.
perhaps it was the rather awful sounding headline that they tacked onto what was meant to have been a momentous occasion.
perhaps it was the fact that they decided to use the same live shot of 9BlinD that had been used just a few weeks previous, despite the fact that i had handpicked a number of photos taken by Laura Harvey on the night.
who knows, perhaps i am the one that is being a little bit precious about the whole thing.
so i can only apologise to anyone else that feels a little let down by the published article, as i hoped it would be a glorious documentation of our 'scene without a scene' and all that we managed to achieve with Bushfest, rather than a sloppy hatchet job that has had little thought or effort put into it at all.
:-(
Showing posts with label BushFest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BushFest. Show all posts
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
rollover DJ
the fact that i haven't recently found the propensity for proper blogging means that i shall probably afford myself one my post for revelling in the glory of Bushfest, even as the embers of the event are already burning themselves out in people's memories i find myself trying desperately trying to cling to that sense of abundant euthoria at what we had achieved.
on the drive home and the whole next day i was completely buzzing from the whole thing, despite still being in recovery from friday night, a severe lack of sleep and not having had a drop of alcohol throughout the entirety of Bushfest. it felt like an energy built up inside of me, a huge sense of pride and a sense of possibility.
because if Bushfest could prove to be such an unmitigated success, then perhaps we are now capable of anything...
i guess as reality kicks back in for everyone we shall see how the passing of time effects the Enfield scene and if the momentum gained by Bushfest can be capitalised and built upon...
but one thing i have barely had the chance to touch upon, as i hadn't wanted to take anything away from the bands, is Bubblegum Stomp's triumphant DJ set which even surprised me....
not that i didn't think we could rise to the challenge, i was just surprised that having spent a day collating new material, heavy hitting tunes, big bangers and a handful of the hottest dubstep tunes around and burning an mp3 disc, i only actually knocked out one new choon the whole night, dispensing with a Nicki Minaj track early on.
i was flying solo early in the evening and enjoyed getting stuck in and exploring my own CDs, which have been consistently added to since Bubblegum Stomps good ol' days at Rattlers and Club 19, not once in the whole time we have been doing this do i think i have ever dropped B2K's 'Bump Bump Bump' and it was a great chance to create a party vibe and cut loose my own tastes without flexing my eclectic taste in new music and fashionable dollops of filthy electro and wobbly bassline.
and when i was joined by my fellow Stompers, the good times continued, indulging our own personal preferences and digging in the crates a little, all to tremendous effect and my own utter glee.
it perhaps all went to my head when i got a little giddy and decided to take the risk of following a band's live set by throwing down Hanson's 'Mmmmmmbop' and when the pop-shit didn't hit the fan and clear the floor we kept running with it, following with Britney's 'Womanizer'.
we've been out of the game for a hot minute so i guess for many people, Bushfest was also an introduction to Bubblegum Stomp, and i think it showed exactly who we are, hitting the floor with classic Foals and Bloc Party, Basement Jaxx and Major Lazer, a dash of Wiley and Afrikan Boi, and killing it with Will Smith, Foo Fighters, Simian and System of a Down.
i hope we don't outstay our welcome, but i can't wait to do it all over again!
System of a Down - Chop Suey
on the drive home and the whole next day i was completely buzzing from the whole thing, despite still being in recovery from friday night, a severe lack of sleep and not having had a drop of alcohol throughout the entirety of Bushfest. it felt like an energy built up inside of me, a huge sense of pride and a sense of possibility.
because if Bushfest could prove to be such an unmitigated success, then perhaps we are now capable of anything...
i guess as reality kicks back in for everyone we shall see how the passing of time effects the Enfield scene and if the momentum gained by Bushfest can be capitalised and built upon...
but one thing i have barely had the chance to touch upon, as i hadn't wanted to take anything away from the bands, is Bubblegum Stomp's triumphant DJ set which even surprised me....
not that i didn't think we could rise to the challenge, i was just surprised that having spent a day collating new material, heavy hitting tunes, big bangers and a handful of the hottest dubstep tunes around and burning an mp3 disc, i only actually knocked out one new choon the whole night, dispensing with a Nicki Minaj track early on.
i was flying solo early in the evening and enjoyed getting stuck in and exploring my own CDs, which have been consistently added to since Bubblegum Stomps good ol' days at Rattlers and Club 19, not once in the whole time we have been doing this do i think i have ever dropped B2K's 'Bump Bump Bump' and it was a great chance to create a party vibe and cut loose my own tastes without flexing my eclectic taste in new music and fashionable dollops of filthy electro and wobbly bassline.
and when i was joined by my fellow Stompers, the good times continued, indulging our own personal preferences and digging in the crates a little, all to tremendous effect and my own utter glee.
it perhaps all went to my head when i got a little giddy and decided to take the risk of following a band's live set by throwing down Hanson's 'Mmmmmmbop' and when the pop-shit didn't hit the fan and clear the floor we kept running with it, following with Britney's 'Womanizer'.
we've been out of the game for a hot minute so i guess for many people, Bushfest was also an introduction to Bubblegum Stomp, and i think it showed exactly who we are, hitting the floor with classic Foals and Bloc Party, Basement Jaxx and Major Lazer, a dash of Wiley and Afrikan Boi, and killing it with Will Smith, Foo Fighters, Simian and System of a Down.
i hope we don't outstay our welcome, but i can't wait to do it all over again!
System of a Down - Chop Suey
Monday, 11 October 2010
more candid shots of the Bush
it's hard to resist these puns when the opportunity arises
and since i didn't want loads of Laura's great shots detracting from my Bushfest write-up i kept the images to a minimum, but it hardly seems fair since all the bands put in such great performances and some of the photos really reflect the atmosphere on display that night
so here are a handful more....
and since i didn't want loads of Laura's great shots detracting from my Bushfest write-up i kept the images to a minimum, but it hardly seems fair since all the bands put in such great performances and some of the photos really reflect the atmosphere on display that night
so here are a handful more....
so, that's ten photos of nine bands!! phew! still a couple more great ones in the weekend's write-up, along with a 9BlinD track from their latest album to stream...
and it also appears from these pictures that joe from 9BlinD can't actually stand up straight.
credit where it's due:
all photography by Laura Harvey
Saturday, 9 October 2010
a whole lotta Bush
What was simply a plan to put on a handful of bands in a pub’s function room swiftly escalated into a packed bill and the daunting task of squeezing nine bands into just one evening as Bushfest'10 took shape.
Started as the brainchild of 9blind’s Mark Seibert in 2008, this year’s third annual Bushfest took on a new life with the involvement of myself and Rock For Change and evolved into an all-encompassing, 6 hour phenomenom.
With 9 bands performing, there really isn’t enough I can say here to really sink my teeth in and dissect the gig properly, but there were enough people there to experience it that I shouldn’t need to go over the whole thing for them.
Even such an early start, with doors opening at 6pm, wasn’t enough to dissuade the eager crowd that had been gathering outside from as early as 5, keen not to miss a single moment of the action.
I began warming up the audience from behind the decks before the evening’s live entertainment was kicked off by a double whammy of new-comers, Twisted Hearts and Hurricane Season, both recent additions to Enfield’s ever growing list of bands and both attracting enough fans that anyone could quite easily forget how early it was, with another 7 bands still to come.
Deeds of the Dying followed swiftly, along with New Conscience, Room 9 and The Anonymous, all setting the bar high and impressing the throng of people that had continued to gather over the course of the evening with an array of sing-a-longs, moshpits, crowd participation and over enthusiastic dancing between them..
Enemy Planet and Kids Uncanny both held up the high standards that had been set before them, the two female fronted bands on the bill had nothing to prove to their male counterparts whatsoever, as both bands are already well enough known by local audiences to pull out a number of fan favourites and keep the evening moving without losing pace.
And as the night was eventually drawing to a close, 9blind's late headline slot was like an epiphany.
Stood by the side of the stage watching a room of devoted fans sing back every word to 9blind and I realised then just how important tonight was.
Bushfest wasn’t just a gig.
It was a celebration of some of Enfield’s most promising talent.
It was a chance for young fans not to worry about being 18 in order to enjoy a Saturday night out.
It was a landmark occasion that many music fans in our ostracised suburb never thought they would get the chance to see.
Because amazingly, for a town without a legitimate music venue, Enfield has cultivated so many exciting bands, and seeing 9 of our local acts playing back to back it became clear that we have created our own scene without a scene, where enjoying the music is more important than any singular musical tribe, and where we have had to strive to do it all ourselves because nothing has been given to us.
We achieved all this without any light at the end of the tunnel, campaigning for a music venue, asserting that younger fans should be able to get into gigs, and not wanting to travel into Camden or even further afield to see a band that came from our home town when we can't even see them locally, it brought us all to this point.
The fact that a small metal band hailing from Edmonton can inspire such devotion among a fervent fanbase and that a small local festival can breathe life into a backroom-cum-venue might mean that Enfieldians long dark days may finally be drawing to a close.
9BlinD - Promises stream only
credit where it's due:
photography by Laura Harvey
mp3 stream kindly agreed by 9Blind
Started as the brainchild of 9blind’s Mark Seibert in 2008, this year’s third annual Bushfest took on a new life with the involvement of myself and Rock For Change and evolved into an all-encompassing, 6 hour phenomenom.
With 9 bands performing, there really isn’t enough I can say here to really sink my teeth in and dissect the gig properly, but there were enough people there to experience it that I shouldn’t need to go over the whole thing for them.
Even such an early start, with doors opening at 6pm, wasn’t enough to dissuade the eager crowd that had been gathering outside from as early as 5, keen not to miss a single moment of the action.
I began warming up the audience from behind the decks before the evening’s live entertainment was kicked off by a double whammy of new-comers, Twisted Hearts and Hurricane Season, both recent additions to Enfield’s ever growing list of bands and both attracting enough fans that anyone could quite easily forget how early it was, with another 7 bands still to come.
Deeds of the Dying followed swiftly, along with New Conscience, Room 9 and The Anonymous, all setting the bar high and impressing the throng of people that had continued to gather over the course of the evening with an array of sing-a-longs, moshpits, crowd participation and over enthusiastic dancing between them..
Enemy Planet and Kids Uncanny both held up the high standards that had been set before them, the two female fronted bands on the bill had nothing to prove to their male counterparts whatsoever, as both bands are already well enough known by local audiences to pull out a number of fan favourites and keep the evening moving without losing pace.
And as the night was eventually drawing to a close, 9blind's late headline slot was like an epiphany.
Stood by the side of the stage watching a room of devoted fans sing back every word to 9blind and I realised then just how important tonight was.
Bushfest wasn’t just a gig.
It was a celebration of some of Enfield’s most promising talent.
It was a chance for young fans not to worry about being 18 in order to enjoy a Saturday night out.
It was a landmark occasion that many music fans in our ostracised suburb never thought they would get the chance to see.
Because amazingly, for a town without a legitimate music venue, Enfield has cultivated so many exciting bands, and seeing 9 of our local acts playing back to back it became clear that we have created our own scene without a scene, where enjoying the music is more important than any singular musical tribe, and where we have had to strive to do it all ourselves because nothing has been given to us.
We achieved all this without any light at the end of the tunnel, campaigning for a music venue, asserting that younger fans should be able to get into gigs, and not wanting to travel into Camden or even further afield to see a band that came from our home town when we can't even see them locally, it brought us all to this point.
The fact that a small metal band hailing from Edmonton can inspire such devotion among a fervent fanbase and that a small local festival can breathe life into a backroom-cum-venue might mean that Enfieldians long dark days may finally be drawing to a close.
9BlinD - Promises stream only
credit where it's due:
photography by Laura Harvey
mp3 stream kindly agreed by 9Blind
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Frank Sinatra once said.....
'I feel sorry for people who don't drink.
When they wake up in the morning,
that's as good as they're going to feel all day.'
i've never really done quotes on this blog before, i was just gonna give you an update but then when i found this quote as i was skipping through other blogs recently, it felt quite apt
it is apt because on friday night i probably drank my own weight in alcohol, weighed everybody else that came to me housewarming party and then also drank their weights in alcohol too
i arose for a bacon roll at some point saturday morning, i also crawled to the door while wrapped in a duvet to greet a bemused jehovah's witness
yes, friday night was my idea of 'not having too much' since i'd got Bushfest that i needed to survive on saturday and because i like my house and am only just getting used to it and didn't fancy seeing the whole place spinning just yet... if it did spin i have no recollection of it, much the same as i have no real recollection of the striptease i supposedley performed in the garden and falling asleep in the shed.
but time and tide wait for no man, and before my body was really ready to, i was off to the Bush Hill Park Tavern to prepare for the evening kicking off.
now i know you're gonna wanna know how it all went, and trust me, i am working on a write up of it, but it has been a super busy week for me, and i'm still not properly hooked up with internet access at (new) home so it's been hard to find the time and means to dedicate to it, which is why you also haven't had any blog posts since last thursday, poor form i know, but it couldn't be helped
so i think today goes some way to make up for that, you've had an update on why i have been m.i.a, you've had a quote, and, as promised, here.... help yourself to some downloadable (and relevant) music....
Eels - That's Life (Frank Sinatra cover)
Thursday, 30 September 2010
i'll admit when i'm wrong
it doesn't happen very often, but when it does, i will put my hands up and admit that i am wrong, or at least take a portion of the blame and try and deflect the attention to somebody else instead
which is exactly what i shall do now that copies of this week's Enfield Advertiser have dropped through letterboxes across the borough, and eager beavers that have keenly read my look ahead to this weekend's BushFest have been quick to point out to me that it says the event is on Friday....
oooops....
there is a simple explanation for this....
i cocked up, i went back and checked the preview i posted on this blog (which i have since amended) and sure enough it says that BushFest 2010 will take place on Friday 2nd October
except there isn't a Friday 2nd October this year, and certainly not this weekend
so it seems the editor at the paper didn't give a thought of checking with me what was going through my garbled brain and what the hell i was on about, no, he just put it forward to print exclaiming that the gig is this Friday, so apologies for any confusion...
specifically to Enemy Planet's guitarist, who had his mum tell him that he was in fact playing a gig on friday instead of saturday and perhaps he should call the pub to check that he hadn't got the date wrong...
anyway, partial deflection accomplished, has anyone else noticed that the headline also states that Bushfest has moved to a bigger venue, when it is infact in the same place it has always been (although we could do with a bigger venue if everyone that has confirmed attendance actually turns up)
but i think most people are smart enough to know what is going on and have seen the flyer and the facebook event
so, i shall see you all on SATURDAY! when i shall also be pulling out what is sure to be a blinding DJ set alongside the Bubblegum Stomp collective between live sets and deep into the night.
of course, at this moment in time i am panicking and thinking that i don't have enough music, or enough new music, or enough of the right music and i haven't had time to piss about with the kaoss pad so it may stay at home and miss out this DJ set unless i'm feeling really brave.
so, blog over, mp3s need burning, and i shall see you SATURDAY!!!!!!
which is exactly what i shall do now that copies of this week's Enfield Advertiser have dropped through letterboxes across the borough, and eager beavers that have keenly read my look ahead to this weekend's BushFest have been quick to point out to me that it says the event is on Friday....
oooops....
there is a simple explanation for this....
i cocked up, i went back and checked the preview i posted on this blog (which i have since amended) and sure enough it says that BushFest 2010 will take place on Friday 2nd October
except there isn't a Friday 2nd October this year, and certainly not this weekend
so it seems the editor at the paper didn't give a thought of checking with me what was going through my garbled brain and what the hell i was on about, no, he just put it forward to print exclaiming that the gig is this Friday, so apologies for any confusion...
specifically to Enemy Planet's guitarist, who had his mum tell him that he was in fact playing a gig on friday instead of saturday and perhaps he should call the pub to check that he hadn't got the date wrong...
anyway, partial deflection accomplished, has anyone else noticed that the headline also states that Bushfest has moved to a bigger venue, when it is infact in the same place it has always been (although we could do with a bigger venue if everyone that has confirmed attendance actually turns up)
but i think most people are smart enough to know what is going on and have seen the flyer and the facebook event
so, i shall see you all on SATURDAY! when i shall also be pulling out what is sure to be a blinding DJ set alongside the Bubblegum Stomp collective between live sets and deep into the night.
of course, at this moment in time i am panicking and thinking that i don't have enough music, or enough new music, or enough of the right music and i haven't had time to piss about with the kaoss pad so it may stay at home and miss out this DJ set unless i'm feeling really brave.
so, blog over, mp3s need burning, and i shall see you SATURDAY!!!!!!
Saturday, 18 September 2010
BushFest is coming!
2 musicians, a gig organiser and a music journalist walk into a bar.
this isn't a start of a joke, this was the start of planning BushFest'10
Mark Seibert, lead singer of Edmonton metallers 9Blind has been running the annual shindig in a Bush Hill Park boozer since 2008, but this year he reached out to local gig promoters Rock For Change and yours truly, in order to widen the reach of the mini-festival and dig deeper into Enfield's rich musical tapestry.
Initially getting in touch via facebook, a few ideas and band names were knocked about and a meeting and a few jars was planned so we could really bump heads and put the wheels in motion.
Past events held at the Bush Hill Park Hotel have been full on head banging affairs that have seen the cream of the Enfield Underground scene piling into the pub's backroom for a night of supercharged testestorone and relentless riffs while veterans D.Monic held court with a succesful run as headliners.
But since the demise of D.Monic and the uprising within Enfield's musical ranks the repertoire has been expanded this year for a broader listening experience.
Laura and Mehmet from the succesful Rock For Change campaign have built a good track record of putting on gigs within the past year, and my experience and knowledge of up and coming bands within the local music scene make for a well-rounded viewpoint when trying to organise this years one day mini-fest.
so the gears were turning, and a drink and a meet-up was planned in order to thrash out all the details.
and what a meeting of minds that was as....
thankfully when Mark and Joe from 9Blind met up with Mehmet and myself for a couple of pints there weren't too many arguments when settling the bill, if anything the hardest choices were deciding who to leave off.
so you're gonna wanna know what we've got instore for you!!
drafted in to kick things off are young upstarts Twisted Hearts and Hurricane Season, two of Enfield's newest bands, joined by New Conscience and The Anonymous later on in the evening, both alumni of the Rock For Change campaign gigs.
filling out the long evening of aural entertainment are a few names you will undoubtedly recognise from my previous articles and are bands that i will unashamedly champion given any chance.
so if you haven't had the pleasure yet, Bushfest will be a perfect opportunity to acquant yourselves with Deeds of the Dying, Room 9, Enemy Planet and Kids Uncanny before our local bands become too big to play in our fair borough.
and the highly coveted headline slot will be an eagerly anticipated late set by 9Blind, sealing their position as one of Enfield's most loved acts by bringing live proceedings to a close.
the reason for previewing this years BushFest instead of regailing the aftermath is because aswell as providing an input to the nights programming, i shall also be DJing throughout the entirety with my Bubblegum Stomp collective and may very well have little memory of it afterwards.
so, to witness what i may not be able to tell you, get yourself along to this year's Bushfest on Saturday October 2nd at Bush Hill Park Hotel (next to BHP station) St Marks Road, with doors opening at 6 and DJing into the early hours, it's bound to be a messy night.
this isn't a start of a joke, this was the start of planning BushFest'10
Mark Seibert, lead singer of Edmonton metallers 9Blind has been running the annual shindig in a Bush Hill Park boozer since 2008, but this year he reached out to local gig promoters Rock For Change and yours truly, in order to widen the reach of the mini-festival and dig deeper into Enfield's rich musical tapestry.
Initially getting in touch via facebook, a few ideas and band names were knocked about and a meeting and a few jars was planned so we could really bump heads and put the wheels in motion.
Past events held at the Bush Hill Park Hotel have been full on head banging affairs that have seen the cream of the Enfield Underground scene piling into the pub's backroom for a night of supercharged testestorone and relentless riffs while veterans D.Monic held court with a succesful run as headliners.
But since the demise of D.Monic and the uprising within Enfield's musical ranks the repertoire has been expanded this year for a broader listening experience.
Laura and Mehmet from the succesful Rock For Change campaign have built a good track record of putting on gigs within the past year, and my experience and knowledge of up and coming bands within the local music scene make for a well-rounded viewpoint when trying to organise this years one day mini-fest.
so the gears were turning, and a drink and a meet-up was planned in order to thrash out all the details.
and what a meeting of minds that was as....
thankfully when Mark and Joe from 9Blind met up with Mehmet and myself for a couple of pints there weren't too many arguments when settling the bill, if anything the hardest choices were deciding who to leave off.
so you're gonna wanna know what we've got instore for you!!
drafted in to kick things off are young upstarts Twisted Hearts and Hurricane Season, two of Enfield's newest bands, joined by New Conscience and The Anonymous later on in the evening, both alumni of the Rock For Change campaign gigs.
filling out the long evening of aural entertainment are a few names you will undoubtedly recognise from my previous articles and are bands that i will unashamedly champion given any chance.
so if you haven't had the pleasure yet, Bushfest will be a perfect opportunity to acquant yourselves with Deeds of the Dying, Room 9, Enemy Planet and Kids Uncanny before our local bands become too big to play in our fair borough.
and the highly coveted headline slot will be an eagerly anticipated late set by 9Blind, sealing their position as one of Enfield's most loved acts by bringing live proceedings to a close.
the reason for previewing this years BushFest instead of regailing the aftermath is because aswell as providing an input to the nights programming, i shall also be DJing throughout the entirety with my Bubblegum Stomp collective and may very well have little memory of it afterwards.
so, to witness what i may not be able to tell you, get yourself along to this year's Bushfest on Saturday October 2nd at Bush Hill Park Hotel (next to BHP station) St Marks Road, with doors opening at 6 and DJing into the early hours, it's bound to be a messy night.
Friday, 17 September 2010
how things are...
has it really gone 1 o'clock already??
i've still got so much i wanna get done.
but this is how things are right now.
i have got my Janelle Monae review up on glasswerk.
i have rewritten a new version for the Enfield Advertiser, who have this week seen fit to publish my Battle of the Bands article.
i have been listening to some old CDs.
i have got to catch up on last week's Dexter and This Is England '86/
i have got a house i need to paint white.
i have got warning that you shall be seeing a lot more of this poster in the near future.
and i have got a preview of this year's BushFest that i need to tweak so that i can publish it on the blog tomorrow.
so i bid you all good day so that i can get on with things.
i've still got so much i wanna get done.
but this is how things are right now.
i have got my Janelle Monae review up on glasswerk.
i have rewritten a new version for the Enfield Advertiser, who have this week seen fit to publish my Battle of the Bands article.
i have been listening to some old CDs.
i have got to catch up on last week's Dexter and This Is England '86/
i have got a house i need to paint white.
i have got warning that you shall be seeing a lot more of this poster in the near future.
and i have got a preview of this year's BushFest that i need to tweak so that i can publish it on the blog tomorrow.
so i bid you all good day so that i can get on with things.
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