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Stairway to Bridgwater:
SCMG Compilation 2004
Rory Stamp, reporter
for the Bridgwater Mercury, reviews the new SCMG CD.
EACH year, the variety and originality
of Sedgemoor's music scene is given a festive salute with the
launch of a compilation showcasing some of the best artists and
bands in the area. The 2004 CD, released by the Sedgemoor Contemporary
Music Group, is titled Stairway to Bridgwater and comes complete
with a rather glossy looking inlay.
No stairway is pictured on the front cover, but we are treated
to a silhouette of the willow giant gazing at the heavens
perhaps Beanstalk to Bridgwater would have been more appropriate.
The packaging is the most professional yet and the first two tracks
have production values to match. Kicking off with White Mountain
Master, Method Own are rock-solid with grungy vocals, wha-wha
lead guitar and a powerful, harmonised chorus which manages not
to sound like Nickelback. Their energy makes you want to buy tickets
for their next gig, and the same could be said for Endeavour,
whose tune, See Away, is more laid-back with calm drums and lush
guitars. The recording quality takes a slight nosedive for Kalamata's
Broken at track three, but the skills are there. I suggest you
turn this one up and decide for yourself.
John Sharp offers some excellent acoustic guitar on the next song,
which at first sounds as if Ian Brown from the Stone Roses may
be singing but Mr Brown could never carry a tune like this.
No Sedgemoor CD would be complete without some folky comedy from
Red Smed and the Hot Trot Smash the System Boogie Band. Brian
Smedley sings about a chap who has little hair and is overweight,
who apparently has the "strangest musical taste alive".
He does not tell us whether the man in question listens to Red
Smed though.
Next up is Robert Heath, who is bound to go down well with anyone
who misses the Wonderstuff, although he is obviously a songwriter
in his own right and backs up the acoustic guitar with what sounds
like a xylophone. His campfire finish keeps the folk candle burning,
and Mozi do nothing to dampen that on the next track, Mozi Along.
The lights go out on Trebus though - the dark and original rock
number bashed out by Delbert Grady. It's a shame the guitars aren't
let loose more on the chorus to complement the haunting vocal
and decent drumming, but this is definitely something fresh and
worth a second listen. It's hard to tell if a computer or the
Mad Hatter provides the drums for the offering from Igneous, but
there's no doubt that this is 21st Century metal Sedgemoor style.
Track 10 is the Headplug, with Bleeding the Shallows expect
well organised metal with a throat wrenching roar of a vocal,
complex beats, a touch of singing after a minute or so and even
some scratching. Those less inclined to listen to furious metal
may need a head plug in the form of cotton wool after that number,
but the next best thing would be some sobering stuff from Beauty
Queen. Sober Hobo is a mainly instrumental number with occasionally
deep vocals. The compilation throws some Seattle-style driving
guitar and grungy vocals our way next, which sees Rob Perdrix
making his Final Stand. This is an interesting combination of
atmospheric, digital beats and a raw performance.
On track 15 Asthmatic Enemy begin well with a Thom Yorke-style
vocalist who apparently wants to "Kill the Wonder Boy"
after we hear the footsteps of said loner enter the room and sit
at a piano. But nothing else kicks in, leaving the listener wondering
whether this is a secret tape recording of someone breaking into
an East End pub and performing a painful lament while tinkling
beer-stained ivories. Who the Hell is Michael Matthews? ask Dead
Fish in the next song, whose decent pop punk is such good fun
that your trusty reviewer is tempted not to make a fish related
pun. These guys obviously know their scales.
Last year, the mysterious Bloob provided one of the weaker songs
on the CD but the dark vocals and effective instrumental at the
tail end of Slip Away make his 2003 submission a lot better. Squad
69 are becoming very well known in the Taunton and Bridgwater
area, and that is no surprise The Groover is a mix of distorted
bass, samples, beats, and electro-style female rap. You could
be forgiven for expecting a well-known Aerosmith lick used with
Run DMC to be introduced at some point in the tune. No time for
that though, as track 19, at just one minute and 43 seconds long,
is Stray by Indomitable. A punky effort this, talking of fighting
in the streets, Stranglers style. It hardly leaves a warm festive
feeling inside but Afterglow sort that out with Causes Fire, where
indie pop vocals sit beside the mantelpiece with comfortable guitars
and saxophone.
The first touch of blues on the CD is let loose by Group 4. On
Back There, we are treated to some admirable harmonised vocals,
rootsy acoustic lead and hammond organ. Meanwhile it seems drums
and distorted guitars are being abandoned by the Visitors, whose
two contributions last year on the CD were certainly dark folk
but emotionally rousing with a full complement. Late Night, Leaving
Through Rain is far more stripped down though a memorable
but sombre end to another inspiring dip into the musical underground
of Sedgemoor. It shows that for every dad rock cover band playing
Bridgwater's pubs there is an uncompromising bunch of artists
out there once again we salute your efforts. More details
on getting a copy of Stairway To Bridgwater and information on
the bands is available at www.midnightmango.co.uk
Rory Stamp Jan 2004
Smells Like Bridgwater:
SCMG Compilation 2003
CD Review
Rory Stamp, reporter for the Bridgwater
Mercury, reviews the new SCMG CD.
THE TITLE of the latest CD showcasing Sedgemoor's
new music gives a nod to both grunge legends Nirvana and something
a little closer to home. Each year the Sedgemoor Contemporary
Music Group gives people a whiff of what the area has to offer
in terms of original music. With no less than 22 tracks, there
is plenty for people get their teeth into, and the first thing
that strikes the listener when comparing the CD to last year's
release is the production quality.
Tracks one and two are both well-recorded,
relaxed pieces of music, with Burnham based band Parkers Barton
offering female vocals and jazzy wind instrumentals. Then a taste
of Los Anchovies' dub reggae sound acts as an ideal topping to
the mood created, with a distant, slightly spooky tune entitled
Mother Love. Next up is former Bukowski and Sycamores songwriter
Robert Heath, whose Song for the South Paws sounds like The Wonderstuff
without the rolling drum beat and crazy violins.
Last year's compilation featured some rocky
songs from Matt Bartlett's own band The Visitors, but this time
round things are quieter on Keeling Over and Falling Away, which
have some nice vocals and one especially catchy bass riff.
At this point in the compilation it is high time for some cutting
guitar work and Cog 5 provide it along with sharp vocals and interesting
beats on a song called Blade. Red Smed and the Hot Trot Smash
the System Boogie Band must have one of the longest band names
around, but their novelty songs are fairly short and sweet, and
in this instance, both in different languages. Swedish Language
Yeh Yeh Yeh and Stogumber Cajun Gumbo both require translation
when it comes to the lyrics but the joke is not wasted and as
with most recordings by the band, the musicianship is very tight.
The tunes definitely make you want to go and see the band live,
but the only real longevity in humorous recordings like this surely
only lies in playing it to your mates for a chuckle or using it
as the backing music for a Bridgwater version of the South Park
cartoons.
The only live recordings on the CD come
from Bikeshed, who have touting their alternative rock at venues
across the South West. Bikeshed sound like people who have come
into an argument very angry but who have thought hard about what
they wanted to say. More patience is provided by Endeavour, a
five-piece bunch hailing from across the South West, and playing
some accomplished rock here reminiscent of Depeche Mode on a song
entitled Only You. They have proclaimed that "Rock is our
slave and we serve it" if that is the case one wonders
what exactly WomBomb are doing to rock on track 10, Human Race.
While their production quality is not as professional as some
of the other tracks, there is some excellent, nervy vocals, distorted
bass guitar and something in there which makes you want to dig
out an album by underrated indie heroes The Pixies.
And the music does not get any less compromising
in the second half of the CD. Shinu Mazafakingu Ujimishi are difficult
to remember by name and even more tricky to listen to - this is
less about singing and beats and more about sickening screams
and gun-like noises. Next up are Feud, who in an untitled song
play fun, skate rock with a trademark reggae interlude which gives
the drummer a well-earned rest. If Madness only had a handful
of members and swapped their sharp suits and trumpets for guitars,
perhaps they would sound like Bucket, whose track, Big Fish Little
Fish has a catchy hook and buoyant drums. But burning electric
beats are the order of the day for Squad 69 in Pyromaniaxe.
The vocals are a bit difficult to hear apart from some sinister
laughter and "Fi Fo Fum" (or is it Lo Fi Scum?).
A fleet of drummers from Phil Collins of
Genesis to Dave Grohl of Nirvana have successfully converted themselves
to frontmen over the years. Now, a former drummer known only as
Bloob has attempted the same feat but does he carry it off?
His song Break has some effective atmospherics, fresh from early
1980's school programmes, but singing is possibly not the strong
point in this track, especially when it lasts for no less than
five minutes. Football teams sometimes allow their goalkeeper
to play on pitch during friendly matches, and the coach will say
"Nice try son. Now get back in goal."
This may be a similar occasion.
The CD is rounded off with second tracks
from previously mentioned artists, but not before an excellent
performance from Craig Priddice. This singer songwriter can hit
notes as accurately and as soulfully as Richard Ashcroft.
He claims to perform songs in an alternative indie genre, and
although there isn't much that is alternative about this tune,
Craig knows when to hold back his voice and go for it with the
guitar.
So ends an eclectic mix of the sounds on
offer in and around Sedgemoor to all that put their backs
into their music, we salute you.
Rory Stamp Jan 2003
The Engine Room Steams into Town
Phil Shepherd of Somerset Film & Video talks
to Matt Bartlett about film, punk, and the Engine Room, the new
moving image media centre to hit Bridgwater...
The Engine Room will be a state of the
art media centre for the moving image - and its being built in
Bridgwater. The centre will provide facilities and training to
make movies. People will be able to walk in off the streets and
make their very own movies! A real life boon for a booming town
of latent creativity and industrial vigour.
The best part of a quarter of a million
pounds has already been raised to pay for this ambitious project.
This is what it will be spent on: Upstairs there will be two industry
standard Avid TV editing suits. One off-line for experimenting,
building and editing movies and one on-line for processing and
rendering movies. In tandem, there will be the facility to compose
and record music for soundtracks. Downstairs, for general and
training use, there will be a suite of Apple Mac computers. There
will also be a reception and a coffee bar. In the coffee bar there
will be TVs showing videos of work produced in the Engine Room.
In effect this will be a video gallery exhibiting work, whilst
at the same time, providing a social area to come in, have a coffee,
and maybe plan a movie.
I drove over to Glastonbury to meet with
Phil Shepherd the man spearheading the Engine Room project;. Id
arranged the interview to find out about his vision and the story-board
so far. But before I left, I nipped into Bridgwater to see the
site for myself. There it was, at the bow-end of the Town Hall
buildings. What used to be a large second-hand furniture emporium,
was now an empty glass fronted building site. In the middle of
each window was a small poster... The Engine Room Coming Soon.
Its not every day you see activity like that in Bridgwater.
The Engine Room is being set up by Somerset
Film and Video (SFV), Id heard they might be moving to Bridgwater,
but it was the announcement that ex-Clash member Joe Strummer
was to play a benefit gig for the Engine Room, that made me
prick up my ears. And its not every day that you see an act like
that in Bridgwater.
So I drove over to Glastonbury. Phil Shepherd
had moved back to Somerset in the late nineties and began working
freelance on the Somerset Film and Video Project (SFV). SFV had
originally been set up by South Somerset and Mendip District Councils
with South West Arts in 1992; the then brief was to start a data
base of individuals involved with the moving image, to put them
in touch with each other and the public at large. A start had
been made, and Phil Shepherds services were retained to take it
further. An HTV commission was won, this, in turn, obliged SFV
to set itself up as a not-for-profit ltd company. They then moved
into an office in the engine room of an old flax mill in South
Petherton; hence the name of the current project.
We sat in Phils sitting room, he motioned
to a great pile of boxes and said that that was the Engine
Room, SFV had already left the flax mill in South Petherton, the
Bridgwater site was now under construction, so all of SFVs files
were boxed up in his front room. A large blue computer, littered
with real and electronic post-its, was buzzing away. In the kitchen
an accountant was going through SFVs books. Phil expertly and
generously juggled my time and hers as he got down to enthusiastically
discussing the Engine Room project.
I thought Id start with the obvious and
asked him what was the point of the Engine Room. Phil spoke quickly,
passionately and at length, "It will enable people to work
with the moving image. We want people to use it and make it their
own and we want it to be available for everyone in Somerset."
He went on to outline three main strands through which this would
be made possible. Firstly, Opportunity, people who are interested
will be able to walk in off the streets and use the state of the
art equipment to make/edit/post-produce their own movies. A pilot
idea has already been put in to practice in Bridgwater and Glastonbury.
A film programme called "Catching the Light", where
individuals made one minute shorts, was carried out last year.
Secondly, Access, a media manager will be employed who, along
with the SFV Board, will have the task of promoting the centre
to people from all walks of life. Engagement will be focussed
on the local community, Somerset as a whole and hopefully the
Engine Room will also make further reaching national and international
connections. Finally, Creativity, The centre will run a programme
of courses and activities encouraging peoples creativity not just
in movie making, but also in web design, music recording and more
.
Living in Bridgwater can sometimes give
you the perception that all the money bypasses us before coming
off at junction 25; Taunton. So I had to ask, Why Bridgwater?.
The position of the town as a regional centre has something to
do with it, -its well placed to serve Somerset as a whole. The
recent and ongoing massive commercial and residential expansion
of the town has something to do with it, -theres going to be a
lot more people in the town. The money that was available to SFV
as funding also has something to do with it, -some of the funding
was earmarked to be spent in Bridgwater. The motorway has something
to do with it too, -Bridgwater is that bit closer to Bristol.
However, the most interesting reason is the nest of expertise
in the film industry that already works in and around Bridgwater,
something I was quite surprised about: go to SFVs website, type
Bridgwater into the database and a whole heap of contacts turn
up, honest.
So what about the Joe Strummer connection,
and how come he was going to do a benefit concert for the Engine
Room? Well, when SFV and Sedgemoor District Council put on the
outdoor show "Catching the Light" at the town docks,
famous film director Julian Temple, who lives locally, was invited
to come and open the event. When he did, he spoke animatedly about
film and the work of SFV. in fact he was so impressed with SFVs
aims that he became more involved in their work and now he is
a member of the board. Julian Temple suggested that his friend,
and also a local boy, Joe Strummer would be up for playing a benefit
gig... and thats how it happened... the biggest gig to hit Bridgwater
for decades. But thats the subject of another article altogether.
The Engine Room opens its doors in March
2003
For more information go to their website www.somersetfilm.com
Matt Bartlett Nov 2002
