Blog – Page 4 – LLIVELY Music

Behind the music: Bakersongs on ‘Turn a Blind Eye’

The announcement of Bakersongs new full-length release received a lot of positive response from Americana journalists in the Netherlands. One even called him the perfect combination of Ryan Adams and Paul McCartney. With the second single from the record, ‘Turn a Blind Eye’, Bakersongs shows such compliments are well-deserved.

On ‘Turn a Blind Eye’, singer Ruud said: “For ‘Turn a Blind Eye’ I was musically inspired by the lethargic feel of The Band. The chorus is of course meant ironically, in regards to everything that is going on in the world. It can also be interpreted in a way that gives you a bit more peace with looking the other way and not to concern yourself too much with the overwhelming amount of news that is shared with us daily.”

The music of Bakersongs is characterized by smart, creative approaches and excellent, crafted musicianship. In terms of influences, think of American Folk and Americana artists such as The Band, James Taylor and The Milk Carton Kids, but influences of The Beatles, and Damien Rice are also undeniable.

Curating Sofar Sounds

When I’m asked what it is I do, I usually simply answer “I work in music and events”, as that is a safe way of saying “a shed load of different jobs”. One of my favourite jobs, however, is one that doesn’t take up much time but always delivers in pure magic. Curating Sofar Sounds Newcastle’s monthly shows is the most gratifying volunteer role I’ve ever fulfilled. There’s a wonderful team of volunteers supporting myself and co-city leader Jay on the evening s of our events by being on the door, checking attendance, liaising with artists, helping on sound, and introducing our artists.

This week we headed to Gateshead’s co-working and independent studio space Orbis Community for another sold out evening. One of the owners of the business, JP, brought his enthusiastic self and made us feel right at home. I had met JP through one of our incredible Sofar Sounds volunteers, which is how we got the space for our event. With one of our initially confirmed artists cancelling his performance on the morning of our show, we had to find a replacement very quickly and found that in Teesside-based singer songwriter J.W. Darwin. He performed a great set of soft but exciting pop tracks, with a good amount of stage chatter in-between songs.

Next up was York/ Newcastle-based singer songwriter Jeremy M who’d sent his music through us and who we got captivated by. His softly spoken voice combined with a warm guitar sound made for a fantastic live experience, a bit more experience and stage presence and we’ve got a star in the making. Last up were Leeds-based outfit VICTORS who performed in acoustic trio form. With influences taken from Jungle and jangly pop outfits they created a very exciting and powerful performance that left us all softly swaying until the very end.

The Sofar Sounds audience is like no other; they sit and listen, interact, and appreciate. They have sold out our shows for the past 24 months, and keep showing up, either we’re doing something well, or they’re just too kind for this world. I think it’s a combination of both. It’s not always easy finding the right space for our events, as we look for the unfamiliar, the slightly odd; hairdressers, cafes at night, cinemas, cocktail bars, wherever we can fit our sound system and audience! Though not always easy, incredibly fun, it’s a task I do with pleasure, as well as finding the right artists for our line-ups, and when all’s been found, it’s meeting our wonderful audience. Every single month, Sofar Sounds is what I look forward to!

We need your art

Music and politics are intrinsically entwined. Making music is an act of revolution. Using sounds and lyrics to share your thoughts, your feelings, and your perspectives on the world is a way of inspiring, mobilising others. Artists shouldn’t be afraid and fear what is thought of them, or to be disliked. Music and art should make people think and feel, be that about love, loss, or politics.

The world is on fire, she is burning because of us. We should be angry and up in arms to take back the reigns and show them how to lead compassionately. Our world leaders, they depend on us. Our multinationals, they need our hard-earned money to survive. When you decide to spend differently, their pockets will eventually start to empty. I have written before about part-time punks, and this is an extension of that point of view. What we need is more full-time punks, those truly living and breathing their music, their art. We suffer for our art and passions, because they are what makes us human.

Sadly I recently spoke to a well-known Dutch music journalist who found that artists shouldn’t bring their live show to a stand still to talk about politics. I was rather surprised to hear this from someone who is a fan of bands such as IDLES and Fontaines D.C., very much political acts. Artists have a stage, a platform, to share their views and to educate those that would not have been educated if it wasn’t for their favourite artists, a song they liked, a sound they were able to relax to. Artists, musicians, they decide to share their views, in their lyrics, their ethos, and on their stage. Frankly, I don’t think that anyone has anything to say about what an artist decides to do on stage as it is their show, their programme.

I am a fan of the bands I listen to and enjoy because of what they stand for. Their music, and their views are undeniably connected, and I don’t think they should be seen as separate. It is a privilege to be able to say that you would rather not hear about war, ethnic cleansing, and death. Most importantly, it is a privilege to be able to express yourself artistically, to share your thoughts and emotions into a language we all speak; music. We need your music, we need your thoughts, we need your art.

ALLSAINTS for London Fashion Week X Sofar Sounds

I am a big fan of musical instores, ever since I can remember my family and I would seek them out when growing up in the Netherlands; Record Store Day is more of a highlight than my birthday, and I would never miss out on an up close and personal event with musicians I admire. So when I received the request to sort some live music for ALLSAINTS‘ London Fashion Week event, the answer was always going to be yes. I was asked to book two artists for thirty minute slots, create some social media content, and provide a sound system, and so I did.

One of my favourite local artists is outstanding singer, songwriter, and cellist Taliraw, and Leeds-based, Hexham-born artist Gemma Gates wowed at this year’s Aelius Alternative so the line-up was quickly chosen. Both performed as duos and all four musicians received, aside from their performers fee, a stipend for a free ALLSAINTS outfit! Ahead of their performances they went shopping and picked stunning outfits from the ALLSAINTS Newcastle store, after which we set up, soundchecked, and enjoyed captivating performances from both Gemma Gates and Taliraw.

ALLSAINTS’ Newcastle store offered plenty of ways we could position our stage and sound system, but against the back of the side wall, in front of the small seating area ended up being the perfect place for it. With an attentive audience enjoying some complimentary bubbly we enjoyed the music of two incredible grassroots artists and combined with being in a rather fashionable place, I loved every minute. I could have booked four more artists and stayed there all day if they would have let me! Incredible photographer Celia Medina attended the instore and captured the event perfectly, you can find some of her photos below.

Highlight on… Music Conferences

With festival season behind us, we are now looking forward to tour and music conference season, simply to fight off the festival blues. Here are some music conferences we thought worthy enough to share with you.

From the 9th until the 12th of October brand new and high end music conference Beyond The Music is landing in Manchester showcasing new talent, highlighting its grassroots music venues, and giving its visitors, you, a genuine say and the opportunity to take part in conversations and discussions regarding our music industry. On the other side of the country, as part of Middlesbrough’s Twisterella, (Un)Conference will be taking place on the 12th of October, with local music industry professionals joining the conference line-up, this event will give the local industry the chance to connect and come together.

From the 16th until the 18th of October, international festival and convention MaMA is taking over Paris for its 15th edition! With live music, listening sessions, networking, and workshops, the event showcases a great big chunk of what the French industry has to offer. Presenting music and talks at several venues all over the city, MaMA doesn’t just highlight, but also supports its industry and put its money where its mouth is.

On the 21st and 22nd of November we return to Manchester for our favourite music conference, Un-Convention, which is taking place at iconic music venue Band On The Wall. With speakers including the organisers behind End Of The Road Festival, members of Blossoms, international label owners, and representatives from the Music Venue Trust, the conference is promising to be another inspiring and horizon-expanding event!

Resonate Music Conference is a new event that has recently landed on our radar, on the 28th of November the conference will be taking over Platform in Glasgow. The conference aims to help Scotland’s music industry grow, and offers insightful talks, networking, and an open mic for artists.

For those of us already looking ahead to 2025, find some music conferences taking place in spring here:

30-04 / 02-05 Wide Days, Edinburgh
03-05 / 04-05 Sound City, Liverpool
08-05 / 10-05 FOCUS Wales, Wrexham

Highlight on… Sunderland

I recently attended a talk on The Importance of the Creative Sector in Placemaking. One of the speakers that day was Shain Shapiro who wrote a book on the importance of including the creative sector in decisions made by local councils on building regulations, licences and many more topics that seem completely unrelated to the arts. He highlights how they are all very much interlinked, the book gives a great insight into what makes a city economically successful, and what makes people move to it as well as away from it. One of the terms that makes many returns is ‘Music City’, and just recently I read about Sunderland’s plea to become one.

Sunderland Music City might sound strange to some ears, if in the north east, then why not Newcastle? To me, it makes a lot of sense. The creative scene within Sunderland seems much more compact, which also makes it more tight-knit, there is more collaboration, there seems to be less bad blood and competition, because those within the creative scene in Sunderland understand the importance of supporting one another, while in Newcastle there is always another ‘clique’ to join. If that is good or bad is not up to me to decide, although I know what I personally prefer. Either way, I thought that now would be the right time to highlight some of Sunderland’s incredible creative spaces.

Independent, The Fire Station, and The Peacock are undeniably influential venues that have paved the way for many artists to come to the city, cafe and live venue Pop Recs might be less obvious, but its 200 cap events space has a fantastic and unique feel that after having set foot in the building just once, never left me. There’s The Ship Isis, Otto and The Bunker, smaller spaces for the emerging artists, and NAME Sunderland, a breeding ground for those eager to learn, grow and develop into artists with experiences within all assets of the music industry. Sunderland University houses the radio studio of Spark Sunderland who are incredible at challenging the north east scene, and Abject Gallery which is managed by Breeze Creatives, is an open space for creatives within the arts.

Festivals and live events taking place in Sunderland include inner-city festival Waves, Kubix and Monument Festival, all three managing to bring big names such as Everything Everything and The Kooks to the north east. Aside from that there is the team at We Make Culture who bring creatives together by supporting their development, and enhancing creative confidence and wellbeing. All in all, Sunderland has a lot going for it, and hopefully their aim to join the Music Cities Network will be successful!

Introducing the Industry: Newcastle’s Tapyard Studios

Newcastle’s live scene is brewing and ever-growing with the recent addition of brand new live music venue Tapyard Studios. I spoke to co-owner Gabby about their plans and struggles. Read the entire interview on Music For The Misfits.

Who are you and what is Tapyard Studios? “Firstly, music is absolutely at the heart of the operation. Sam grew up playing in bands and studied music performance at Leeds college of music and then developed a love for production. He spent the next 8 years or so working as a studio and live sound engineer. Alongside his work as an engineer he ran bars over in Leeds and worked through the ranks from bartender to general manager. He always loved the idea of opening his own place.”

“I (Gabby) am currently the drummer in band Venus Grrrls, and I’ve always loved performance. Like Sam, I also studied performance at Leeds College of Music. So, in a nutshell, Tapyard Studios is the culmination of all those experiences.”

What are your plans for Tapyard Studios? “First and foremost, we’re a music venue and event space. We want to create an atmosphere where performers feel inspired to give their best, and audiences have an unforgettable experience. Aside from hosting shows, we’re a relaxed coffee setting through the day that transforms into a lively beer and food hall atmosphere by night.”

“Our philosophy is to do everything to the highest possible standard. So, while we’re working on being among the best venues in the country, our studios will be built to an elite standard, we invested in the best espresso machine on the market and had the team trained to barista standard. We’re also pouring the amazing beers through our taps, partnering with the likes of Full Circle Brew Co, Northern Monk and North Brewing Co. And on top of that, you can now get Acropolis, the kings of Greek street food, right here in our venue.”

“This blend of a killer venue, huge food and beer hall, lush coffee house and premium rehearsal rooms are all part of the long term vision. We’re gearing up to create a one stop shop where people just won’t want to leave!”

What inspired you to open up Tapyard Studios and where do you find inspiration for new business ideas? “We worked in a similar style business in Leeds. It was a key cultural hub for the city and despite the business going from strength to strength, it was forced to close simply due to a breakdown of communication between business owner and landlord. It was a tough one to swallow, but ultimately led to the formation of Tapyard Studios. Every cloud and all that…”

Reviews on Davy Lyons’ ‘One To One’

“With a fresh and pleasantly sweet melody hovering in the air, the way Lyons inserts the lyrical lines takes on a cadence that makes the listener remember the melody structured by Anthony Kiedis in the singing of Road Trippin’, a single by Red Hot Chili Peppers.” – Review on Roadie Music

“Taken off of his album The Human Factor, this ballad resonates with the subdued complexities of human relationships that link on an intimate and divine level.” – Review on Sounds on the Couch

“We have another fantastic folky song for you, this time coming from Irish artist Davy Lyons. One To One mixes moments of traditional and modern folk together into one tantalising song.” – Review on York Calling

Reviews on Subterranean Street Society’s ‘BLEEP’

“‘BLEEP’ is a grungy and impactful new alternative rock banger, Subterranean Street Society continue to showcase the raucous and expansive sound and the effortlessly charming and charismatic allure that they possess alongside it.” – Review on CLOUT

“Danish-Dutch outfit showcase their new album with this bold and driven indie-rock belter.” – Review on Mystic Sons

“This album is indie rock, but it definitely shows inspiration from the punk genre, adding to that rebellious charm that comes so naturally to each song. It’s a ride through a one-of-a-kind rollercoaster, bound to take you through ups and downs that allow it to feel so human and palpable.” – Review on Wolf In A Suit

“Across its twelve tracks, we get some keenly-observed stories taking place in the here and now, delivered against a backdrop of deliberately unnerving instrumentals. It’s modern folk in its purest form.” – Review on York Calling

Highlight on… Visual artists

Looking for a photographer, a videographer, someone to take your press shots or live footage while performing live in the north east? Here’s a list of visual artists that have impressed us before!

Behind The Eyez
Callum Robinson
Celia Medina
David Weddle Photography
DKA
Elvira Does Design
Paul Murray Photography
Sigil Media Music
Simon Atkinson Visuals
THATMILK
The Newcastle Project
Victoria Wai Visuals