What’s On April’s in MAG? • Editor’s Musings

Pg 1 • The Gloucestershire Music Scene

Pg 2

• Cheltenham MND Pg 2

• Emily Johnson’s Local Music Pg 3

• BBC Gloucestershire Introducing

Pg 3 • Punk All Dayer Review

Pg 4 • MAG @ Festivals

Pg 5

• Gig Listings Pg 6-8

• Funeral For A Friend Review Pg 9

• Foo Fighters Album Review

Pg 9 • MAG @ Comedy

Pg 11 • The Forbidden Planet Review

Pg 12

• King Blues Interview Pg 12

• Playlist of the month

Pg 13

• Hello from Gemma Pg 13

• Kate Nash Review Pg 14

• Featured Promoter of the month Pg 15

• Music According to Jen Duffy Pg 15

Editor’s Musings . . .

Well hasn’t the county been busy the last month! We’ve just had a fantastic Jazz Festival which we will have a full review of in June’s MAG the county’s first festival for the season. Earlier in April saw the public meeting at The Cheltenham Town Hall to discuss the prospect of a new Arts Centre in the town. Some great points were raised and lots of action has already been taken to get the project going, which is great news. May is set to be a great month for the county musically (but isn’t it always!) and MAG has everything you need to get you through the month. We have some fantastic reviews including Funeral For a Friend and Kate Nash. We also have some cracking interviews with Punk Poet John Cooper Clark and The King Blues. As well as that we also have the most comprehensive gig listings for the county as well as all of our regular columns and features. I hope you are all taking advantage of the good weather and are all going out there and watching some great local music and making the most of our great venues! Enjoy May’s MAG and remember if you want to contribute in any way email me ascognamiglio@glos.ac.uk Amelia x

We Need You!

We are always looking for news and reviews for MAG from lovely people like you! Being a non-profit initiative we don’t pay but can get you into gigs and publish your work. Please contact Amelia if you want to contribute anything to this fanzine here: ascognamiglio@glos.ac.uk

The Gloucestershire Music Scene

Aren’t you all lucky with the abundance of music and arts that we have in the county! We kicked of the Festival season with the fantastic Cheltenham Jazz Festival and things only get better for the rest of the summer. But don’t fear May still has load going on to keep you all occupied. Cheltenham welcomes the awesome Sonic Boom Six to The Frog and Fiddle courtesy of Gotherini Girl Promotions make sure you get your tickets in advance, as they’re sure to sell out. As well as this Instill make a return to the 2pigs late in the month, which always provides a good show. Gloucester plays host to the mighty Frank Turner at a SOLD OUT show At The Guildhall. Frank is also playing in store at Rise Cheltenham that day so head over to their Facebook page for more information. As always The Guildhall has some fantastic acts not only do they have Frank Turner but they also have Wild Beast, Brother and The Alarm playing in May. It’s not just The Guildhall that has some great bands playing in Gloucester head over to Café Rene where Hermes a very talented local 3 piece will be playing on the 11th. One definitely not to forget is The Wanted playing at Kingsholm Stadium at the end of the month! The Sub Rooms in Stroud are branching out to the enchanting world of Burlesque this month with a dedicated evening. Chepstow holds the Devauden Music Festival, which is definitely one to check out. Don’t forget full listings for the county can be found in the middle of MAG. If you’ve loved something you’ve seen in the county or dare I even say hate it and feel the need to tell everybody why not write a review and submit it to us at MAG? Just email the review to ascognamiglio@glos.ac.uk MAG is also available online at www.musicatglos.co.uk

And now a brief word from Cheltenham’s MND . . .

Hello! Well, it’s another month gone and we’re now looking at the Jazz Festival in our rear view mirrors. Wychwood is next for Cheltenham and if there was anything else going on we’d have an entire magazine about it. Oh – wait.... You may have seen some stuff about the creation of the Cheltenham Arts & Music Network last month – as well as the Town Hall meeting to discuss the viability of a new arts and music venue in the town. There were some very interesting opinions expressed and we are now in the process of forming a steering group in order to create a transparent and fair process in developing the requirements and provisions for any potential space. I would encourage anybody who is interested to get in touch through Amelia as we continue to construct this network so that there a fair, free and useful resources available for all. I’m off to Wychwood at the start of June – I hope to see you there! Cheers, A Gloucestershire’s interesting event of the month… This month’s interesting event of the month is: Cheltenham Skeptics in the Pub

Details of the group can be found at www.cheltenham.skepticsinthepub.org The meetings are free and take place in D-Fly night club room upstairs.

Resident columnist Emily Johnson is tallking about Record Store Day in her column this month… Emily Johnson’s Local Music

I’ve often said that I could never move to a town that didn’t have a record shop. Possibly the most accurate statement I’ve ever made. Record stores are, in my view one of the most important tools in promoting new music and meeting like-minded people. I don’t think I would be the person I am today if it wasn’t for my local record shops which is why, each year on the 3rd Saturday of April I am like a small child waiting for presents on Christmas day. I’m talking of course, about Record Store Day. RSD has only been up and running since 2007 but already is having a huge impact on independent record shops around the world. This year around 180 stores in the UK took part, an impressive increase from the 150 of last year. We

in Cheltenham and the surrounding areas are especially lucky to have had five of those here. The Record Store, Badlands, Kanes Records, The Trading Post and of course, RISE Records. RSD champions independent record stores that sometimes slip under the radar by releasing special limited edition records each year, this year we were lucky enough to have releases from Queen, The Foo Fighters and The Smiths as well as 247 others. I’m not ashamed to admit that I couldn’t sleep the night before as I knew that when I woke up and made my way to RISE there would be queues of people waiting to get purchases that they never thought would be released. Among the crowds were people (some of whom had been queuing since 7am) who knew that the record they had their heart set on was limited to as little as 75 copies in the UK so would need to literally run through those doors to get their music loving mits on them. The looks on those peoples faces when they got their wish was like they had regressed to a 6 year old version of themselves and been given a new bike. Sheer wonder. Its not just the limited records that make this such a special day, it’s the people working in the stores who make it so spectacular, from organizing live bands to making personal mix CD’s to share with the customers. Badlands even released its own exclusive record for the day. RISE had live instores from Way Out West, Falcons, Boat to Row and The Bushy Tail not to mention the highly acclaimed Nathaniel Rateliff who flew all the way over from America to play. Each and every person involved wanting to make this day special in order to celebrate indie stores. To sum this day up in one sentence would not do the day justice and truth be told, I could gush all day, but the main thing I would want anyone to get from reading this is a need to check out their local store. Independent records stores are a vital part of the music scene and need to be treated accordingly. That is what this day is all about.

BBC Gloucestershire Introducing… is the show for your new music. Every Saturday from 5:30pm on BBC Radio Gloucestershire, you can hear the tastiest new cuts of unsigned music from across the county. We might have only been on-air since the beginning of October, but the response has been fantastic with shed loads of you uploading your tracks at bbc.co.uk/introducing – keep em comin’! Catch Paul Moss presenting BBC Gloucestershire Introducing... every Saturday from 5:30pm to hear the tastiest cuts from the county's up and coming artists. The 30 minute show also includes interviews with the people behind the music and a gig guide for who to see play live, and where.

Paul Moss presents ‘BBC Gloucestershire Introducing…’ every Saturday from 5:30pm on BBC Radio Gloucestershire 104.7, 95, 95.8 FM, 1413 AM and on the BBC iPlayer

Punk All Dayer Saturday 9th April 2011

Words: Jack Higgins One could of only hoped that by a bizarre series of events the night before involving a hurricane or possibly Godzilla, would of resulted in the removal of the Guildhall roof so that the All Day Punk Festival could of enjoyed the glorious sunshine...but alas suffice (and reassuringly) to say neither of these happened. Nonetheless a cracking day with 9 of the finest punk bands from around the UK was underway! Criminal Mind - First up and fairly new on the scene were this youthful trio (although I was told afterwards that "we're a four piece but our other guitarist's a f****** baby and didn't turn up") Their songs were well written and for me these guys were the only ones from the day who had any real angst about themselves in order to fly the flag to the up and coming jilted generation. Top Notch! Chinese Burn - Close your eyes and think of a punk band...well I’m pretty certain that what you just envisioned was the band which took to the stage next. With an in your face attitude coupled with a mix of punk and rock and roll these guys brought something different to the day, speaking to them afterwards I was told they were into Bob Dylan as much as the Sex Pistols and I think this much was clear from their performance. If you see them on a poster for a future gig, go and check them out! Eastfield - Mixing punk with songs about trains and other things surrounding their world, Eastfield brought a certain charm with them. Their ethos was simple, punk doesn't always have to be sticking it to the man and repeating the same clichés with the same chords at one tempo as their final song "Another Boring Eastfield Song" joked about. Who Shot Who - Something was definitely missing from Who Shot Who and it wasn't just the drummer and the bassist, (made up for by their backing tracks played through the PA) as the band took place on stage you'd be forgiven, due to their appearance being that of dark and grizzly characters straight from the writings of Poe, that this outfit was going to mix things up in a horror punk fashion...to put it simply they just weren't that good, I expected something a little more, that just wasn't delivered. It just didn't happen on the night. Noise Agents - Part of the organistional team behind the event Noise Agents worked well to the crowd that had assembled for the day. They are as their name suggests loud and their fast paced approach to punk set the bar for the rest of the day. The band’s slash and burn approach evoked thoughts of the less mainstream punk that was emerging back in the glory days, Noise Agents are very good at what they do.

Foreign Legion - As for Foreign Legion from the moment the first chord of their first song was struck all I could think of was "Stiff Little Fingers" which no doubt would have played a large influence on them anyway. Again songs were well written but for some reason something seemed to be missing, and for these guys in particular I think it was their onstage presence, you kind of got the feeling that this is how they would perform at practices too. Guitar Gangsters - Going on from Foreign Legion these guys were a stark contrast when they got in front of the audience. Guitar Gangsters are natural born performers and for me we're my favourite band of the day. For you nouvelle punks out there they had a slight Green Day esk feel about them the band shot through a terrific amount of songs as well as pandering to the audience and enjoying themselves, ending on the melody from God Save the Queen, Guitar Gangsters are definitely worth going to check out! Drongos For Europe - Again these guys certainly weren't shy of performing to the crowd, adding a slightly thrashy element to the day as they upped the pace and rocked the joint hard! As well as being thrashy and fast paced these guys also carried a sort of melody with them with great sing along bits which their fans and some other members of the audience were more than happy to oblige them with. Cockney Rejects - Former punk legends and 'Hardnuts' Cockney Rejects were the headliners for the day as they took to the stage with the aid of their own compere...now being into punk I've heard the Cockney Rejects name been thrown around quite a few times, yet never really gave them a fair listen, and after seeing their set at the Guildhall I shan’t be doing so anytime soon. Quite frankly I found their songs and their performance quite the bore, I mean for punk rockers with the legendary status the Rejects have, for my first gig of theirs I was a little disappointed, their songs rattled through at the same tempo, with the same strumming styles, drumming and vocal work, to coin a phrase from the musically ignorant 'they all sound samey'. Unlike their contemporaries they didn't seem to bring anything new to the table for the day. And with an ethos of fighting (made pungently clear from the frontman’s relentless shadow boxing) and violence about their songs and performance it left me wondering, what exactly are the differences between them and the 'man'...both as bad as one another I say.

The Cheltenham Poetry Festival John Cooper Clark Words: Milly Chowles Picture: Hal

John Cooper Clarke is considered by many to be the Godfather of the spoken word and alternative comedy scene; he paved the way for people like Scroobius Pip and is a huge influence on Alex Turner, Jarvis Cocker and numerous others. There was no spoken word scene when he started performing, so he became the warm up act for bands like The Buzzcocks, The

Fall and The Sex Pistols. I spoke to him at The Cheltenham Poetry Festival; Milly : I read that you hate interviews and publicity, is that true and why? John : “Publicity’s sh**e! (We both laugh) Well talking about what I do…it’s talking anyway so it’s talking about talking…but I don’t mind talking to people and I don’t mind doing radio and I’ll talk about s**t y’know but it’s just talking about me I don’t like doing…much. Milly : How did you become known as the Punk Poet? John : Y’know I was working before the punk rock phenomenon hit. I was doing cabaret clubs in central Manchester, I was trying to make it as a slick performer really. I was wearing suits like the Jam wore y’know like Mod suits. And I had very short hair and I didn’t look like everybody looked at the time. So when punk happened I looked like I was part of that. And also The Buzzcocks were rehearsing in a room near where I lived? And I was talking to Howard (Deveto-of The Buzzcocks) and he says Jonny you should be doing punk rock events, you look right, it’s the sort of thing they’d go for. Cos the places I was going they would have y’know like Matt Monro (lounge/ easy listening singer) on-it wasn’t anything like punk. The one thing you could bank on, the one thing you could be sure of was that the audience wasn’t particularly interested in poetry..right so I had to develop other skills. Howard saw an opportunity I didn’t so I started doing shows with the Fall and The Buzzcocks y’know early doors and because of that I moved out of Manchester and then I got written up by the NME then of course it’s like the Punk Poet’s an easy thing

to think of innit, very alliterative and “Punk Poet” why not? So you can see how it stuck! Milly : Alex Turner from The Arctic Monkeys has cited you as a huge influence (he’s even had JCC’s name tattooed on him), you’ve done tracks with John McClure from Reverend and the Makers, and your poem has been used in the final scene of The Sopranos you seem to be enjoying a bit of a resurgence at the moment, would you agree with that? John : Yeah I would, I’m doing The Meltdown Festival, it’s being curated by Ray Davis and he’s like a superheroe to me I f**king love The Kinks and that’s great so I definitely do feel that I’ve got another bite at the apple. Milly : And how does performing now compare to when you were performing to punk audiences? John : Oh it’s better no doubt about it, I’m better at it than I was then, I mean I hear tapes from back then and I can’t believe how I ever caught on, y’know it’s f**king embarrassing to be honest but these days I think I’m pretty good at it I should be if I’ve been doing it for a very very long time, it’s like I’ve returned to my roots as a slick performer I think. Would you agree? I mean you’ve seen it it’s pretty slick? Milly : Yeah it’s slick John : Seamless innit? Milly : Almost like you’ve been doing it for thirty years. John : Well you’d think wouldn’t you? Robbie Pert on … Well, of course my experience of the 2010 Jazz festival was a pure delight. Highlights for me included the 15-piece madness of The Destroyers, the rockabilly fun of Imelda May and the lovingly programmed Stewart Lee’s Freehouse. So why are so many of us locals failing to get the most out of the Jazz festival. Perhaps you share my old excuse, that the Jazz festival would be inaccessible to anyone without a PhD in Jazz History. Well just take a look at some of the acts coming up at the 2011 Jazz festival: Along side Jazz royalty like Clio Lane are modern artists like returning festival Guest Director Jamie Cullum, Edinburgh festival favourites The Horne Section and even live double bill of Roots Manuva and Bonobo. With Jazz being such a sprawling, ever evolving genre, it seems only fitting that the Jazz Festival programme features acts so current and relevant, acts you may not have ever thought about fitting so neatly under the Jazz umbrella. And hopefully acts like these might form a bridge for another Cheltenham local who has been missing out like I was to discover not only some great music, but also a wonderful festival experience on their own doorstep.

Funeral For A Friend Thursday 7th April Words: Dan Gutteridge

On Thursday 7th April the best thing to come out of Wales, since Tom Jones and Dame Shirley Bassey, Funeral for a Friend hit the Gloucester Guildhall. A testament to the Guildhall that they are continuing to get big names to the venue. Warm up band Rise to Remain set up the main act well. I wasn’t too sure about this band before hand, however the energy and intensity they played with on stage won me over instantly, and since returning home they’ve found a cosy place on my spotify playlist. They have a summer full of festivals including Sonisphere and Download, so if you’re at either I strongly recommend going to check them out. The packed out Guildhall eagerly awaited the main event Funeral for a Friend, who have been away for nearly a year now, completing the new album and recruiting a new member. As they entered the stage there was clear excitement on the faces of all five of them. They launched straight into opener ‘Roses for the Dead’, you couldn’t have hoped for a stronger start. And after playing Rookie of the year and new track Sixteen. Front man Matt Davis brought things to a halt to arrange a circle pit in the centre of the Guildhall, it took a while but when the crowd finally organised one the band went straight into old favourite Juneau, and the song fast became the highlight of my night, the sing along chorus mixed with the circle pit taking place in the middle of the hall made for a brilliant 4 minutes. It was a testament to the crowd just as much to the band. The crowd took a few songs to get going but as they hit the 4th song in they needed to further encouragement from the band and they unleashed the shackles and went mad for it. The rest of the set was made up of all the classic tunes that have given Funeral the massive fan base that they have today. A 2nd highlight that the band threw up was the encore. After leaving the stage having played 13 tunes, there were still a few more that the crowd were waiting for. The lights stayed down and the keys at the start of ‘Into Oblivion’ kicked in, the band members returned, were met with the loudest cheer of the night and wasted no time in flying through the remaining 3 songs. FFAF showed no sign of slowing down through the whole gig. When a band has built up a 10 year carer you find there are no bad tracks and no low points in a set. What Funeral for a Friend do best is keep their foot on the gas and never ease off, giving you no point to sit back a wonder which bar you’re going to after the gig or what you’re doing tomorrow morning. There in the audiences face from start to finish which makes for an absolute awesome gig. After nearly a year away it was so good to have them back, and I doubt there was not one person in the Guildhall that would disagree with that.

April’s CD Review…

Foo Fighters – Wasting Light ‘These are my famous last words’. So begin the first lines of Bridge Burning, track one to ‘Wasting Light’, the brand spanking new record from Grohl and the gang. After a flurry of feedback guitars we are launched into what the band consider to be their most rock ‘n’ roll album to date. And with tracks like Rope and White Limo, not to mention the opener, it really is only possible to agree. This album confirms that the Foos are rejuvenated and back to rock harder than ever before. With Dear Rosemary at track three there is one of the finest examples of how the Foo Fighters are able to cross into pop genres and create the sound that draws in so many different fans. Indeed the fact that this album has just gone to number one in the album charts (finally removing Adele from her perch), shows just what a great record this is for rock. This is literally a garage record, recorded on analogue tapes in Dave Grohl’s home garage. It is testament to the quality of the songs and the production that this album sounds as powerful as it does. This is a band that fills stadiums and sells out festivals, yet they can make a record in a tiny space and prove that the power of the songs can stand out no matter how they are recorded. Track six These Days, ticks the anthemic rock box straight away and will no doubt provide a key track to any forth coming summer play lists. Sitting at just eleven tracks in length, this record grabs you by the ears and gives you a darn good shaking. It has all the hall marks of great rock records before and will possibly set the bench mark for many more; the fact that it’s recorded on analogue tapes just sweetens the deal. The closing track Walk, with its hook line ‘I never wanna die!’ will leave you wanting more and innumerable replays will happen. It rocks and rolls harder than previous Foos albums and firmly places Grohl on the pedestal of the everyman’s rock god. Stand – out tracks: Rope, Dear Rosemary, Back and Forth, Walk Catch the Foo Fighters when and where you can, this album demands to be heard live! Phil Cooper

In the run up to the Cheltenham Comedy Festival we will be

interviewing some of the top comedians in MAG to give you a sneak preview of what to expect…aren’t we good to you! Mr B Gentlemen Interviewer: Jack Higgins Jack - What can listeners expect from your performance? Mr B - Well what I do is reconnect Hip-Hop and its ilk to manners and the Queen's English and what have you. So from that what I do is something I call 'Chap-Hop' So they can expect some amusing ditty's from me and my banjolele about many things such as pipe smoking, cricket and high society in general. Jack - And also a medley of songs for your friend 'Acid Edward'? Mr B - Indeed yes! As I mentioned its a little bit of Hip-Hop and its ilk, so a little bit of dance hall and 'Aristo-rock' but yes, there is a little bit of an old school rave medley Jack - So what was it that made you want to become a comedy performer? Mr B -Well, it just sort of happened really, I was in a dandy punk band, I’ve done hip hop and I was in a banjolele based cover band, so I just happened to bring to whole thing together and it just happened to be slightly amusing and just came together by accident (both laugh) which as all the best things tend to do! Jack - What is your favourite joke? Mr B - Well I have one my friend told me recently, it’s a tad long but bear with it. We were at the pub and my friend turned to me and said, "My Wife told me that if I come home from the pub one more night drunk and covered in sick, and that’s already happened, what am I going to do?" So I said "listen, don't worry, here's what your going to do...your going to put £10 in your coat pocket and tell your wife that someone else has been sick on you and that they gave you £10 towards the dry cleaning bill" So this chap put £10 in his pocket and later on went home to his wife. As he got through the front door his wife took one look at him and shouted "right that's it! I'm off!" He said, "no, no! Wait!" as he took the money from his pocket. "A man in the pub was sick on me and he gave me this to help towards the dry cleaning" His wife replied, "why are there two £10 notes?" The man said, "Ahh the others from a man who s*** in my pants" Jack - Pahahahahahah! Mr B -Yes jolly good that one! Jack - So what would you say is your biggest fear?

Mr B - Ooo that’s a bit tricky, I’d have to say aside from not getting a reaction, it would be just handing control over to others. I'm use to managing myself to a certain degree so I think I’m a little bit of a control freak! Jack -So what gets in the mood to be funny? Mr B - Ooo that’s another hard one! I'm not sure it’s just something you click into really. Jack -And finally who or what is it that makes you laugh? Mr B -I'd have to say Tony Hancock, the fall and rise of Reginald Perrin and a dash of Takeshi's castle! Jack - Brilliant! I could waste days watching that! Mr B - Indeed! Nothing like watching Japanese people from the 80's fall over! Jack - Good to speak to you sir! Mr B - As with you, it was a pleasure! Cheerio!

Andy Parsons at The Cheltenham Town Hall Words: Jen Duffy

On Wednesday 20th April,

Andy Parsons managed to almost sell out the Cheltenham Town Hall as part of his ‘Gruntled: Andy Parsons’ tour of the UK, which started in February and won’t finish until the end of May. For a comedian that has been on the road for a few months prior to the show I saw, it’s amazing how enthusiastic Parsons seemed on stage. Due to having no support acts on the show, it was obvious that every in the almost packed out hall was there purely to see him, something he made note of as he mentioned throughout the show that there were 4 empty seats in the 3rd row, and he was willing for them to walk in late just so he could comment on them. It was quite a generic stand up show. 50 minute first half followed by an interval then the second 50 minute half. The first part of the show seemed to drag a little bit; maybe it was just me as everyone seemed to be intently hanging onto his every word. Basing most of the half jokes on politics, the majority of the audience who were of a certain age loved it. However just before the interval, mentions of tramps fighting foxes and comparing doctors to Gollum had everyone cheering, showing the level of maturity of the audience. Parsons graced the stage for the second half with a lot more confidence and knew what the crowd wanted, and he definitely pleased them. Speaking about Mock The Week and the BBC, through to his own despair as he informed the audience about the time he found a pair of underpants in a jar of mayonnaise, he definitely won over the crowd in Cheltenham. From a comedian I wouldn’t normally associate with stand up, Andy Parsons is one to watch in 2011.

Return to the Forbidden Planet Friday 25th March

Words: Zoe Harris

Greeted onto their spacecraft by woman in fluorescent wigs and purple lycra space dresses, the Sci-Fi experience started as soon as I entered the room. On Friday 25th March, Gloucester’s Operatic and Dramatic Society presented their version of Bob Carlton’s Return to The Forbidden Planet at the Gloucester Guildhall. Performing to a full theatre, the group sang their hearts out with classic rock ‘n’ roll numbers like “good vibrations” and “Shake Rattle and Roll” with Ariel the robot and Miranda’s, (daughter of Prospero) voices standing out above the rest. Although lines were forgotten a few times, the cast’s acting was just as passionate. Unfortunately it could not be appreciated as much as it should have though due to the poor microphone volume. The musical is loosely based on the 1956 film, Forbidden planet but also explores the plot of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, so it was quite difficult to understand at times but the use of recaps by Shakespeare’s head with a moving mouth made it a lot easier to understand; was a little funny too. Although mistakes were made and technical issues were presented, the show was very enjoyable and great for a cheap and different night out with a few friends.

The King Blues Monday 18th April Words: Jack Higgins Upon arriving at Rise in Cheltenham, apart from the 3 mic stands in the corner of the shop and a flustered looking store manager, you’d be mistaken for thinking that today was just a run of the mill day of trading, but slowly the masses began to arrive in wait of the in store acoustic set from the King Blues to promote their new album ‘Punk and Poetry’. Jack –So as I understand your on this little tour promoting your new album ‘Punk and Poetry’, how are you finding it? Itch - Alright! I mean this is the first date of doing in store gigs, we just finished a tour a couple of days ago, which was one of the best we’ve ever done, sold out every night, the reaction to the new stuff was great, the kids were great, it was good times man, good times! Jack –So in terms of song writing processes, how does the new record differ from previous releases? Itch – It hasn’t really, I’ll come to the table with a new idea then as a band we’ll flesh it out, its kinda always been that way really. Jack – For people that hadn’t maybe heard you before how would you describe your sound between 3 to 5 words? Itch –3 to 5 words? That’s hard man! That’s tough when you put those limits on it!...umm... we are a band! That’s 4! Jack – What advice can you give for anyone up and coming that wants to be artist nowadays? Itch – Really just, if its something inside of you, just follow your heart, believe in yourself and don’t worry about what other people think. If your chasing money or fame then you might get disappointed and there’s easier way to do it, but if there’s something inside of you, something that you’d be doing anyway, then just believe in yourself if you want to do it. So by the time I’d managed to chat to the band about what was about to go and emerged from the stock room, I was lost in a sea of fans! The band (accompanied by a pug) then took to the stage to deliver a mix of old and new material, which to my surprise, given the huge wave of people that had rocked up, wasn’t that much of a sing along affair. D Despite this however the King Blues delivered a great performance playing through songs as well as reciting poems and also, starting and ending on old favourites ‘I Got Love’ and ‘Save the World, Get the Girl’ which I have to say rekindled some of my faith in the world, because it was during this song that the crowd perked up to sing the line ‘and going to war to prevent war was the most stupid thing I’ve ever heard’. Amazing!

This month’s Playlist comes from the staff at Rise Cheltenham: Paul: 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' - Inner Life Written by Ashford and Simpson, this was a hit for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell in 1966, then again in 1970 for Diana Ross, but the version to my mind (and thousands of others) is the Larry Levan "Garage" mix of the Inner Life cover version produced by Patrick Adams and Greg Carmichael and released on Salsoul. (phew!) This is in my top five desert island discs and I love it dearly. All 10 minutes and 27 seconds of it. Check it out if you've never had the pleasure. Tom: 'I Am Disappeared' - Frank Turner The first song to surface from Franks forthcoming album was 'leaked' early by Frank himself. Having seen it live a few times, I really hoped the feel of the song could be captured on record, and it has to wonderful effect. Lyrically Frank is back to his story telling best, and with his full band he has constructed a fantastic sound around the bare bones of the song. Matt: 'Get Fighted' - Alexisonfire Hands down this is my favourite track by the Canadian hard rockers. It combines the best of George Pettit's scream with Dallas Green's melodic and gentle vocal. I challenge anyone not to get up and dance when this record comes on the stereo! Ben: 'I'll Take Care Of U' - Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie XX This track is taken from the current 'We're New Here' album, which is basically Jamie XX (producer/programmer/beats mystro for the XX) remixing Gil Scott-Heron's 2010 album I'm New Here'. The album is mostly dubstep beats (but tucked right the end is this euphoric dancefloor banger. Make it the last record you play before a night out! Emily: 'What became of you and I?' Treefight For Sunlight This one of TFFSL's singles off their first album and its set to be my song of the summer. I cheerful jangly sunshine pop that you imagine listening to while lying in the park drinking cider with you friends. With influences raging from The Raveonettes to The Turtles these guys are top of my playlist for the entire season and are definitely worth a listen! Kev: 'Do you really wanna know' - Papercuts Latest slice of West Coast infused dreampop loveliness from Jason Quever and crew and a fine opening to latest album Fading Parade. Hazy layered guitars sit beautifully under lashings of reverb laden vocals. If you enjoy your melancolic pop through a 60's filter check this out!

A Hello from BBC Gloucestershire Introducing Gemma Dunston and hopefully the start of a regular column from the BBC presenter!

Hello! My name is Gemma and you may have heard me presenting alongside Paul Moss on the BBC Gloucestershire Introducing show. I am new to the Introducing team here in Gloucestershire and am writing in this month’s MAG to introduce myself to you! I have spent the last four years living here in Gloucestershire after making the step from Cornwall to Cheltenham to study for my degree, and after graduating couldn’t bear to leave this lovely town and it’s wonderful music scene! I have recently been working in London at BBC 6 Music as an intern for Tom Robinsons’ BBC Introducing show. It was an amazing experience and I have since joined the team here in Gloucestershire to work alongside Paul. I am a massive music fan and listen to all genres of music. The best part of the job for me is being able to listen new music and bring it to you guys at home! I play guitar, and have gigged and recorded in many bands so I know how important the local music scene is. For me, BBC Introducing is a great way of encouraging local music and getting your songs played on air! If you are a musician or artist and would like your music played on BBC Introducing please visit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/introducing/uploader/ to upload your tracks through the online uploader. Don’t forget you can hear Paul and myself on Saturdays at 5.30pm or catch up with us up to 7 days afterwards on BBC iplayer.

Kate Nash Sunday 3rd April Words: Lotte Lawrence When I first got wind of

Miss Nash coming to Gloucester I don’t think I could have been anymore excited, she has been a firm favourite of mine right from the beginning, the fact that her glorious femininity, powerful sense of womanhood and notable musical talent was coming to my town was to me, pretty life affirming news. I am also pleased to say, so was the show. A video was shown before Kate graced the stage showing clips of an inspiring youth project she had been involved with; the mission was to encourage more young women to get into song writing and making original music, a wholly worthy cause I am sure you’ll agree and also one that shows Nash’s real passion and genuine belief in music and the importance of it in life which for me makes her all the more awesome! Wearing a PVC fan miniskirt and a wondrously elaborate headdress adorned with black feathers and jewels which kind of made her look like an owl, a very good looking owl all the same. Although a few classics were missed in her set such as Birds and some others from her first album the set remained gratifying and a pleasure to watch. A real high point for me and one that really showed the vivacious character of Nash was during a little speech she made to the audience mid-set about her youth project work, when rudely interrupted with “just play a f****** song!” by some larger lout lad who must have bought tickets to drool over the inevitable amount of women at the show, she proudly reeled off a stream of choice words and finished with “now I am going to play song, not because you asked me too but because I f****** want to!” – girl power? The Spice Girls ain’t got nothing on Nash! Her quirky voice and relatable lyrics were a joy to hear live, her songs have always made me and I am sure many others feel slightly less alone, weird and rejected. This night really did it for me and I will remember it forever as the night that Kate Nash made me feel proud to be a weird and gobby woman.

May’s featured Promoter is Gotherini Girl Promotions’ Linz Hurley:

What made you start promoting? I started promoting around a year ago, after a friend of mine lost a parent to cancer, so I used The Frog to do a massive fundraising show to get money for Cancer Research. I invited local tattoo artists to donate tattooing time for raffle prizes & got a load of local bands involved. It was such a great show it inspired me to try doing more of them. What is it about the Frog and Fiddle that makes it such a great venue for you to use? The Frog is awesome because it has character. While I am slightly envious of places like the Guildhall because their capacity enables them to book some huge acts, a lot of the time I feel that our character and quirky venue space trumps a larger capacity just because the bands always love it so much when they come in & we have a great feeling of

community. Who has been your favourite band that you've put on and why? My favourite band I've put on so far is probably My First Tooth, just because they are great fun on stage and there music is unbelievable infectious, catchy and heartfelt. I can listen to their songs everyday and never get bored. If you could get any band to play in Cheltenham who would it be? I'm not sure I can narrow it down. Picking one band out of everything out there is so hard! Out of any bands, I would probably choose Mumford & Sons, Alexisonfire or Flogging Molly, because I have seen them all live & they were all pretty epic. What gigs have you got coming up? Sonic Boom Six 12/05 Maybeshewill 13/05 The Retrospective SoundTrack Players 02/06 Stagecoach 03/06 Ellen & The Escapades 16/06 And they'll all be at Trees fest this year with the exception of SB6 who were there last year. Music according to Jen Duffy… For those of you who aren’t that familiar with the Cheltenham music scene, you probably won’t be aware that a new

community arts and music venue could be on the cards. After the closing of the Axiom arts centre in 2000, it’s clear that the people of Cheltenham are keen to have a decent sized venue for both the music and the arts. There was meeting held at Cheltenham Town Hall regarding the possibility of the said arts centre which was open for anyone to attend, and was also arranged by our very own Andrew Lansley. In the hopes that people from Cheltenham take this seriously, we could have an amazing opportunity to create something new and really help keep making this town amazing. Coming from a town with only one proper venue for both music and arts, it would be amazing to have a community arts centre open in Cheltenham and I myself would definitely make sure it didn’t go to waste. Don’t get me wrong, the music venues we have in Cheltenham now are of a very high standard, but having a dedicated venue with the capacity to hold 400-600 people would make a huge difference, for now and for years to come.

Want to contribute? Very much like this section states every month, we like listings, reviews, editorial, previews, pictures, art, cartoons and would like to fill these pages with things you care about. We‘d love to hear about anything to do with live music in the county really and can help with anything from promoting you here to getting you reviewed, played on student and local radio, putting you in touch with venues, musicians and artists across the county and just about anything else you can think of! Want to advertise? Put your gig posters in with the MAG for distribution? Ask what our favourite kind of ham is? You can contact Amelia – ascognamiglio@glos.ac.uk AD Music Editor Amelia Scognamiglio | Cover Design Dan Cooper | Listings Design Robbie Pert | Listings Contributor Ollie West | Staff Writers Jenny Duffy, Jack Higgins, Emily Johnson, Dan Gutteridge, Zoe Harris, Phil Cooper, Lotte Lawrence | Thanks to all the people who contributed to issue four of MAG, special thanks (again) goes to Nicky Hughes @ The University of Gloucestershire for organising the funding and production of this work and to Andrew Lansley for continuing to support MAG and everything musical in Gloucestershire| All work remains property of the original owner, used with permission. Reproduction in whole or any part (especially the listings) of this fanzine would be awesome as it’s great to spread the word people, just make sure you credit the fanzine : )