Pete Clemons was featured in this article for Coventry Telegraph.


Flashback: Ten years on from Ricoh Arena’s first concert with Bryan Adams

Not only is September 23 the Autumn Equinox this year, but it is a decade since the first musical event was held at the Coventry stadium.

On Friday, September 23, 2005, 7,000 fans watched Canadian rocker Bryan Adams at the newly built stadium.

Among the crowd was superfan Claudia Espinosa – who flew 15,000 miles from her home in Chile to see him in action.

During a two-hour set he ripped through all his greatest hits, from Run To You to (Everything I Do) I Do It For You.

Fan Peter Clemons, who was at the show, recalled memories of it to the Telegraph: “Bryan played for over two hours.

“His set began with an electric version of  Room Service and his second encore ended with an acoustic version of the same song.

“Sandwiched in-between were all the hits – from Run to You, The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You, Summer of ’69 and of course (Everything I Do) I Do For You.”

Other bands to have played at the Ricoh Arena since the summer of 2005 have included Bon Jovi – who performed twice – Take That, Bruce Springsteen, and Take That.

In 2009, Oasis played one of their final ever UK tour dates at the Coventry stadium on their Dig Out Your Soul tour.

Supported by Coventry natives The Enemy, the Gallagher brothers’ band would soon implode just weeks later after years of tension.

Pete Clemons article from the Coventry Telegraph

David Gilmour: The ups and downs of flying solo from Pink Floyd.

This month sees the release of the fourth album from David Gilmour, best known for his work with Pink Floyd.

Rattle That Lock contains ten tracks and, like his previous album On An Island, David has enlisted the help of  Phil Manzanera, Polly Samson and Andy Jackson with its creation.

To support the album’s release, live dates have been scheduled in London and Brighton this autumn, with a US tour in 2016.

The forthcoming tour sold out almost instantly – but this was not always quite the case for David Gilmour concerts.

David Gilmour is, arguably, best known for being the lead guitarist and vocalist of  Pink Floyd.

Towards the mid-1980s Pink Floyd were in a state of flux.

As David said at the time: ‘We’re not splitting up or anything, officially or otherwise, but we just aren’t doing anything right now.”

This led to all four band members becoming involved in their own separate projects.

And 1984 saw the release of David’s second solo album, About Face. This, in turn, led to David touring the album both in Europe and the UK and then across to Canada and the US.

At one point during the creation of the album, it seems that David was struggling.

He commented: “I was running out of time and lyrical inspiration so I was a bit stuck. And Pete (Townshend, of  The Who) had offered to help previously at one point, so I took him up on it.”

During the 1960s and throughout the 1970s, Pink Floyd were notoriously difficult to interview.

Music fans, in my opinion, seemed to know the band more as a unit rather than the individuals involved within it. This may, I think, have hampered them slightly whenever they did take on solo projects.

For example, when the David Gilmour tour visited Birmingham Odeon, it was far from a sell-out.

In fact when support act Dream Academy – who had replaced the TV Personalities at short notice – were on stage, the venue was practically empty.

This lack of interest was also reflected in the VHS video released shortly after the tour.

The film had been recorded at London’s Hammersmith Odeon the night before the Birmingham gig. It sold poorly and had not been released in Europe due to lack of commercial viability.

The gig itself was fairly low-key when compared to previous Pink Floyd gigs I attended. The set list included songs from David’s then current album, along with a few from his debut solo album from 1978.

Also included had been Run like Hell and Comfortably Numb from Pink Floyd’s epic The Wall album.

The next time I would see David Gilmour perform solo was at the Royal Festival Hall in January 2002.

I don’t say it lightly but this was indeed an incredible and jaw-dropping event that I, for one, was not prepared for.

The set included a Syd Barrett song Dominoes, as well as a tune from Pink Floyd’s Atom Heart Mother LP, Fat Old Sun.

Those songs, along with some other Pink Floyd favourites, and many other surprises, had been sandwiched between the most incredible versions of Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Parts 1-5 had opened the show with the remainder of this epic closing it.

David’s band that night included Michael Kamen (piano), Nic France (drums), Dick Parry (sax), Neil MacColl (guitar) and a gospel choir which included Pink Floyd backing vocalists Durga McBroom and Sam Brown.

Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright was present during the each of those very special gigs. But guest appearances throughout each of the three nights were made by Robert Wyatt, Bob Geldof, and for the night I attended, Kate Bush.

When asked how he went about choosing the material for the shows, David replied: “I went through the entire Pink Floyd catalogue, and I picked the tunes I liked. Then, after I figured out which ones would work with the instrumentation I had in mind, I spent about three months fiddling around in my home studio mocking up the arrangements.”

David’s third solo album On An Island was released on March 6, 2006, his 60th birthday.

It entered the charts at No.1. His first ever chart topper away from Pink Floyd.

In support, a tour of Europe and the US was arranged which stopped off in the UK during May.

The gig was in two parts. The first half of the show showcased On An Island, while the second half of the gig was handed over entirely to the Pink Floyd back catalogue.

The almost customary guest list this time around included Mica Paris, David Crosby, Graham Nash and, for the night I attended, David Bowie, who helped out on a rendition of  Arnold Layne at the Royal Albert Hall.

Again, the whole thing was simply breath-taking.

Slightly later on the tour, the audience would see David add an impromptu version of a Syd Barrett song titled Dark Globe to the set list. This was in tribute to the memory of Syd who had passed away during July 2006.

The final gig of the tour, held at the Gdansk Shipyard in Poland before an estimated 50,000 people, was captured and released on both CD and DVD.

It is a significant release for many reasons. None more so than the fact it captures one of the last live performances by Richard Wright, who passed away during 2008.

The last time I saw David Gilmour perform live was at Leicester Square Odeon, where I went to see the premier of the above mentioned DVD. After the showing of the film, a question and answer session was held.

After that, and totally by surprise to me, the touring band performed live an extraordinarily good piece of music called Island Jam which, incidentally, was a bonus track on the live CD set.

It has been said many times that David Gilmour is not the most prolific of musicians. But when he does come out to play, expect memorable gigs that include exquisite guitar playing, warm vocal harmonies and richly velvet music performed by as skilled a set of musicians you are ever likely to come across.
David Gilmour’s fourth album, Rattle That Lock, is released worldwide on September 18.

Pete Clemons with another Coventry Telegraph article –
Sent From Coventry: The album that charted city’s hidden music scene.

Coventry’s music scene will forever be associated with 2-Tone, thanks to the success of the genre during the 1970s and early 80s.

And rightly so – the movement dominated the charts back then and had a huge influence both in the UK and around the world. It continues to do so today.

But there was so much more going on at that time. Coventry played host to an incredibly vibrant independent music scene that, given a fair wind, could quite easily have been as successful.

This explosion in music during that period seemed to have been ignited when both The Sex Pistols and The Clash played a gig together in Coventry toward the end of 1976.

Coventry already had its fair share of talent and top class musicians. However, though the gig that November had been far from a sell-out, it still managed to attract a good few of the luminaires from the local music scene.

Perhaps these people had a some insight as to the importance of what they were about to witness? Even so, I don’t think even they would realise just how far their heads were to be turned.

By the end of the 1970s there were at least a dozen or more top class bands plying their talents around the city and beyond.

Coventry had its own independent music shops and fanzines – one of them being Alternative Sounds, the lifeblood for the discerning music fan back then. It ran for 18 issues from 1979 through to 1981 and Martin Bowes was its editor, writer and producer.

Early in 1980, Martin attempted to galvanise the whole Coventry scene outside of 2-Tone, with a compilation album of tracks created by those local bands.

He approached Cherry Red Records and suggested that an album of local bands would be well received. They agreed. He then asked local bands who were interested to submit tapes of their music. Then, along with Richard Jones of Cherry Red Records, they made their final selection.

The bands were then sent to Woodbine Studios in Leamington where they recorded the final versions of the songs for use on the album. The master tapes of those songs, produced by John Rivers, then went off to London where the album was cut.

It took a lot of hard work and effort to create the album, not only because of the large number of people involved – 11 bands in all – but because most had no previous recording experience.

Sent From Coventry was released May 1980 on the Kathedral Records label. Locally it flew off the shelves, apparently selling 8,000 in its first week of release. It also hit the top ten of several alternative music charts.

Sent From Coventry provided a good cross section of the kind of music being produced in the city at that time. It takes in many styles prevalent back then from the raw new wave of punk to the more conventional rock ‘n’ roll. It also included music that defied any category.

Groups featured on the album included The Wild Boys, The End, Machine, Urge, Squad, The Mix, V Babies and Riot Act.

Martin also produced a special edition of his magazine, Alternative Sounds, included in the first 2,000 copies of the album. This was where you could find comments on each track.

Sent From Coventry did appear once again at the turn of the millennium. A limited amount of LPs were repressed by Data Records. But I am fairly certain that an official CD has never been released.

Apart from the Sent From Coventry project, 1980 also saw Martin begin to create his own music under the guise of a group called Attrition, which still continues to function and perform today.

Martin also founded The Cage studios in Coventry, which was primarily for his own Attrition-related projects.

“The Cage studios were founded in 1993 as a vehicle for me to produce my own music,” Martin said.

“Originally used primarily for Attrition works and a few select remix, production and mastering projects, I opened The Cage doors to the world in 2011 and since then have been working with so many inspiring bands and labels, in genres as diverse as dark ambient, post punk, minimal wave, noise, folk, industrial, Goth, drum ‘n’ bass, neo-classical, punk and doom metal.”

To mark 22 years of  The Cage, a 22-track selection of just some of the music from all over the world that Martin Bowes has produced, remixed or mastered at the studios is being released.

The future of  The Cage looks very bright indeed.

Another Pete Clemons article for the Coventry Telegraph – this time on Paul Weller.

When Coventry hosted Paul Weller’s 1990 comeback.

Paul Weller performing last year Hugely respected singer, lyricist and guitarist Paul Weller, often referred to as The Modfather, has been a well known figure within the UK music scene for almost 40 years. He has consistently written and produced well received music for both his various bands, The Jam and The Style Council, and of course his own golden solo period. He recently visited the area and appeared at Warwick Arts Centre. Prior to that, he starred at a large event at Warwick Castle. On the face of it, it does seem that Paul Weller has had a relatively smooth career, changing direction at will and often making song writing appear effortless. But this has not strictly been the case. After a very successful period, fronting The Jam, Paul Weller shocked and astounded the UK music scene during the early 1980s when he broke up this incredibly popular band, who at that time, had been at the height of their success. It was huge news that he had kept close to his chest until he announced it during their final tour in 1982. Paul Weller Movement It seemed as though Paul had suddenly acquired an urge to explore the more soulful, jazz and R ‘n’ B side of his musical influences. To achieve this he formed a new group that he called The Style Council. The Style Council were seen as a radical departure from The Jam. They had also incorporated a brass section that had also been evident on the last Jam album. Looking back, each Style Council album seemed to take on a new direction and push new boundaries to the point where I guess Paul became too avant-garde and experimental for his original fan base. With an interest in the political landscape at that time a lot of his songs were also covering current affairs. In 1989 Paul suddenly found himself without a band and without a recording deal. ‘Confessions of a Pop Group’, his last album with The Style Council, had sold poorly. This then led to his record label, Polydor, rejecting a follow up Style Council album. The already completed, and ready to go album, which was titled ‘Modernism: A New Decade’, had taken its influence from the house music scene which had sprung up in the UK around the same time. The rejection of that album effectively finished the band. Into Tomorrow single This had been the first time Paul Weller had been in this position since The Jam had signed to Polydor records in 1977. From all accounts he was low in confidence and had decided to take a break away from the music industry. It seems that, during that period of self-doubt, Weller had simply given up on writing songs and making music. But all that was all about to change. After a period when it seemed as though Paul had turned his back on the music industry he was coaxed back into the game, by his closest of musical allies, and returned to the road during the tail end of 1990 touring as ‘The Paul Weller Movement’. One of the gigs on this short low key tour was a Thursday evening in November at the ‘Lanch’ or Coventry Polytechnic as it had, by then, been renamed. This had not been Paul’s first visit to Coventry. He had visited the city before with both of his previous bands. The musicians that went out with him was made up of long-term drummer and friend Steve White, Henry Thomas on bass, Jaco Peake on sax and flute, Gerrard Pescencer on trumpet and flugel horn and Max Beesley on keyboards. Initially, it seems as though Weller didn’t want to do the tour but was coaxed back into having a go at it. In a recent interview he commented that ‘I had no interest whatsoever, but I’m really glad I did it because if I hadn’t I think I would have just kept on sinking’. During his year or so away from the business Paul had heavily immersed himself in bands from the late 1960s and early 1970s like Traffic and Spooky Tooth along with other Island Records recording artists such as Nick Drake. Heavy Soul Paul, himself, did eventually sign for that very same Island Record label a few years later. And that obsession in the record label was very evident when his ‘Heavy Soul’ album was released. The artwork on the physical CD disc was in the style of the classic pink Island records logo. Going back to that 1990 concert though, the Coventry gig itself saw Paul moving back onto lead guitar. Musically, the gig was a mix of familiar and new and unfamiliar songs. But it was the latter which was the biggest surprise as it soon became apparent that a balance of soul and rock was being achieved as well the introduction of several other influences such as ‘Acid Jazz’ which, at that time, had been another recently introduced genre. In hindsight it seemed as though all these influences were coming together and a new found confidence was beginning to surface. The Coventry gig introduced new songs such as ‘Around and Around’, ‘Strange Museum’ and ‘Kosmos’ which were released on his 1992 self-titled debut release and proved that he was well into the process of re-establishing himself as one of the leading British singer/songwriters of that time. Although the previously initiated had never doubted for a minute that Paul was anything less anyway. A year on after the Coventry gig a single, ‘Into Tomorrow’, on Paul’s own Freedom High record label, was released during October 1991. It reached number 36 in the UK singles chart. Weller’s next series of gigs were incorporating even more new music and far less of the legacy, and legendary, back catalogue. The success of the ‘Into Tomorrow’ single meant that Weller was offered a new record deal with the newly created Go! Discs. They, in turn, released the exceptional Paul Weller self-titled debut album during September 1992 which reached number eight on the album chart. This jazz funk masterpiece marked Paul’s remarkable return to the music scene. Paul Weller performing at this year’s Glastonbury Festival What happened after those early solo gigs is now the stuff of legend as Paul’s career went from one success to another as he hit new heights. Bands such as Blur and The Ocean Colour Scene have often cited Weller as a major influence in their own careers as did the whole Brit Pop scene in general. Sold out concert tours and critically acclaimed albums have also followed. And in 2010 Paul received an Ivor Novello lifetime achievement award. Even today, with the release of his ‘Saturn’s Pattern’ album, Paul Weller’s song writing capabilities show no sign of diminishing. Link to the original article http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/coventry-hosted-paul-wellers-1990-9761201 Photo by Joe Kerrigan (Joe Fiasco) who took it at the gig and who gave Weller the shirt he is wearing in it.

Another offering from Pete Clemons from the Coventry Telegraph. The original post on is here – take a visit. http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/bedworth-band-luna-kiss-launch-9576740

Chris Butler from Luna Kiss

July 2015 sees the release of a new, and highly anticipated, EP titled ‘Gravity’ from Bedworth based band Luna Kiss . A special launch night event has been arranged for this release at The Zephyr Club (ground floor of  The Assembly ) in Leamington for Saturday July 11.

So far the Luna Kiss discography includes an album titled ‘Echoes of Sound’ and released during 2011, a single titled ‘Take Her Away’ from 2012 and in 2013 an EP titled ‘Conjure and Sin’. That particular release was the first in a series of EPs that the band intend to publish. The eagerly awaited, ‘Gravity’ EP, being the next in that series.

Luna Kiss describes themselves as follows: ‘an alternative rock band armed with a gripping combination of technical ability and dramatic flair’. Their aim is to create music that transcends genres and, at the same time, try to build a feeling where the listener can make a connection. Rather than just hear some music the intention is that you get drawn in to listen to some music.

My own personal introduction to Luna Kiss happened quite by chance. I had gone across to Leicester to see a band called Syd Arthur play live during November 2012 and Luna Kiss was the support band. I must say that I had been quite impressed but, unknown to me at that time, was the fact that Luna Kiss were from the Warwickshire area.

For introductions, Luna Kiss are: Wil Russell on guitar and vocals, Chris Butler also on guitar, Ross Morris on bass guitar and James Pedley on drums. There ages range from 23 to 26. They came together during 2009 after being school friends and attending college together. And although they are Bedworth based, the individual band members come from Coventry, Leamington and Solihull.

Each of the band members has a day job so this venture is a labour of love. In their words ‘they began to dig this big hole and they are now committed to digging it even deeper’. This was, of course, said in jest but I was left in no doubt that they are certainly committed to the task in hand.

And one of the more positive aspects going for these guys is that their own personal influences come from a wide range of styles and genres. Each band member is quite different as to their own personal musical preferences but, together, those differing influences seem to bounce off each other.

The primary songwriters, as far as the lyrics go, are Wil and Chris. Each band member, though, has to reach an agreement over the subject matter of the songs. Once satisfied, the song will then progress with the whole band contributing to its musical parts. This approach to writing does give the impression that there is plenty of harmony in the camp and that there is no overall dictatorship.

The immediate plan for Luna Kiss is to release fewer tracks but what they do record will be on a more regular basis. By that, I mean rather than release an album a year, as an example, the idea is to release a series of quality EPs for the foreseeable future.

Luna Kiss has been under the wing of BEM music services since late 2013 and things certainly seem to be blossoming for them. They came recommended to manager Ian Eardley at a gig. And Ian has played an absolute blinder by getting Luna Kiss a slot at the very prestigious ‘Night of the Prog’ festival. This annual event is set above the Rhine within the idyllic setting of Lorelei in Germany on July 18. They also completed a tour of Germany early on this year. So hopefully Europe, as so often happens nowadays, will be picking up on a UK band quicker than its home country.

I might be doing Bedworth a dis-service here when I say that the only notable musicians, I know of, to have come out of that town are Alan Randall and ex-Shadows bass player Brian ‘Licorice’ Locking. But I do get the feeling that Luna Kiss may be on the cusp of something rather special.

Finally, it needs to be mentioned that drummer James runs a burger van on the junction of Coventry Road and Longford Road, opposite the Black Horse Pub. And his burgers are, from all accounts, ‘off the scale’.

Thanks to Torsten Geyer for the live photos.

Check out Luna Kiss’s latest video here www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPVqvQoe8A4

The newest from Pete Clemons in the Coventry Telegraph, looking at Johnny Nash and Bob Marley.

When Kenilworth’s Chesford Grange Hotel played host to Bob Marley

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/kenilworths-chesford-grange-hotel-played-9474824

Bob Marley performing in 1973

My recent article which touched on the musical history of Warwick University seemed to stir up much debate and excitement over the fact that The Wailers , complete with Bob Marley , played the student union venue as part of the UK tour which supported the release of their second Island Records release, the ‘Burnin’ album, during 1973.


Well, while researching for that particular article, I came across information that led me to discover that Bob Marley had in fact visited this area almost 18 months earlier during 1972.


Johnny Nash is a singer/songwriter who was born in Texas and will be long remembered for hits such as ‘There are More Questions than Answers’, ‘Hold Me Tight’, ‘Tears on my Pillow’ and, ‘I Can See Clearly Now’. He also had a hit during 1972 with a song composed some years earlier by Bob Marley called ‘Stir it Up’. That song could also be found on the ‘I Can See clearly Now’ album along with some other Bob Marley tunes.

Johnny Nash

Earlier in his life Johnny Nash had gained moderate success as a soul and ballad singer. However, success with a 1965 US hit titled ‘Let’s Move and Groove Together’ was also picked up by, and became very popular in Jamaica. And this, in turn, resulted in a promotional tour of the island. That tour lead to Johnny becoming increasingly influenced by the reggae sound that Jamaica is famed for and would eventually filter through to the wider world. Slightly later in that same decade Johnny would cross paths with Bob Marley who would sign up to the same record label that Johnny was involved with at that time.


After working in Sweden during the early part of the 1970s Johnny Nash and Bob Marley then found themselves reunited in North London. And towards the end of 1972, while still living in London a deal was struck up with Island records founder Chris Blackwell which saw Bob Marley and the Wailers signing up to the label.


From then on, and for that particular band, the rest as they say is history. The decision to sign up for Island Records would ultimately bring the music of Bob Marley and the Wailers huge success and international stardom. Bob’s legacy continues to live and grow to this very day.

Going back slightly in time though from the time when Bob Marley and Johnny Nash found themselves together again it appears that during 1971 Johnny, along with his manager Danny Sims, were living together in a London flat along with another Texan – the re-knowned keyboard player John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick. Danny Sims was, of course, the guy credited as the first non-Jamaican to recognise and promote the talents of The Wailers.


Early 1972 saw the trio move on to another North London flat where they were joined by Bob Marley. As well as recording with Johnny, Bob, as I understand, was looking for a new record deal and I presume that he was hoping that Johnny could in some way give him greater exposure. In fact Danny Sims arranged for Marley to sign for CBS records where a single titled ‘Reggae on Broadway’ was released in June of that year. Ultimately though, the deal was an unsuccessful one, as CBS Records did not put much effort into promoting the record.


Beginning in March 1972 Bob then embarked on a 17-date tour of the UK with singer Johnny Nash as a member of his backing group. And incredibly that tour called in at the Chesford Grange Hotel .


The Chesford Grange Hotel was, of course, once famed for its elegant dinner dances in the company of guest artists like Matt Monroe and Petula Clark. But then, sometime later, found itself on the ‘chicken in the basket’ cabaret circuit that existed from the mid 1970s and through the 1980s.

But this particular gig took place inbetween those periods when the Chesford also boasted a downstairs nightclub that, during its lifetime, went under the names of 1812, Blaises, Kinetic and Stables. This was at a time when the UK music scene had moved away from the beat bands and had become more experimental. Soul and R ‘n’ B music was also popular as was the folk rock scene. And somehow, at a live level, all these genres seemed to share venues and clubs.


The gig itself was billed as The Johnny Nash Show with The Sons of the Jungle and it was toured between March and May of 1972. I can find very little on The Sons of the Jungle but to the best of my knowledge and after much research I am fairly certain that in addition to Bob Marley the band also included John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick, George Lee, Eddie Quansa, Richard Bailey and Anthony ‘Rebop’ Kwaku Baah.


Immediately after the Johnny Nash tour John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick joined rock band Free and with them immediately went on a tour of Japan supporting Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Bundrick would go on to carve a phenomenal career as a session player as well as recording with some of the biggest bands around.

Later on during 1972 The Johnny Nash Show tour resumed and the remainder of the Wailers, namely Peter Tosh (guitar), Bunny Livingston (percussion) and Aston Barrett (bass) arrived in London and they also provided support alongside The Sons of the Jungle.

After the tour ended The Wailers broke ranks with Johnny Nash’s manager. But with no real money being made they were effectively stranded in London. It was then that the band turned up at Island records. Chris Blackwell was already well aware of the band’s talents. So Blackwell gave the band enough money to buy out their CBS contract, fly home and begin writing and recording their first album for the Island label ‘Catch a Fire’.


Throughout the rest of the 1970s and very early 1980s Bob Marley and the Wailers would make several more visits to the region such as Birmingham and Wolverhampton. But I fondly remember two extraordinary and memorable visits to Stafford Bingley Hall in 1978 and 1980 in support of the Kaya and Uprising albums respectively – thanks goes to an old friend, Ted, for getting me on that bus.

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/kenilworths-chesford-grange-hotel-played-9474824

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Owing to changes at the Coventry Telegraph, Coventry music articles by Pete Clemons are less frequent now and also more likely to be published on their website. Still, at Pete’s request, we still collate his collected articles here along with a vast array of sites and materials on the Coventry Music Scene. We will continue apend the article with additional material from the Hobo Magazine collection where appropriate.

Pete’s latest is not about a Coventry band as such but as Coventry writer, Pete penned the notes to an album cover. The article speaks for itself and is from the Coventry Telegraph 29th may 2015.

Coventry Telegraph music writer pens a record (sleeve)!

As this is the 100th article I have written for the Coventry Telegraph I thought that, for this one, I would allow myself a little self-indulgence.

I decided that it would be good to put a few words about something rather special that happened to me as a result of pulling these articles together. Thankfully one thing I have never lost in life is that sense of excitement when I discover a new band that manages to grab my attention. Hearing a band just at the point when they are setting off on their creative journey, watching them develop from afar, and catching those early gigs in small pubs and clubs can be quite special.

Apart from when I was young I have never really listened to mainstream music. Instead I prefer to search certain genres of music that rarely get any airplay. You don’t have to look far. Scratch the surface and you will soon discover that there really is some wonderful talent out there.

More difficult though, and with the lack of record shops nowadays, is the ability to buy music from these bands. Particularly from those who are not signed to a record company. And nowadays this can often lead you being in direct contact with the artists themselves.

And this happened to me just over ten years ago with a band called The Pineapple Thief . I had been down at the Mean Fiddler in London for a different gig altogether. I got chatting to a person at the bar and The Pineapple Thief came into conversation.

That same person posted me a CD containing a selection of their music. After several listens I was hooked. I then set about buying that album and began enquiring about the band’s back catalogue.

The Pineapple Thief  first appeared on the scene during 1999 and by the time I discovered them they had just released their third album ‘Variation on a Dream’. Hunting down a copy of this album put me in touch with Bruce Soord who turned out to be the band’s lead guitarist and primary songwriter.

Despite the band having a record label at that time, Bruce was still heavily involved with distribution and promotion of his albums. This included everything down to the packaging and posting of the goods, along with a host of other tasks that go into making a band work.

For the next few years I followed the fortunes of The Pineapple Thief, attended gigs, events, and even joined the bands online community where, through that, I have met some really wonderful people. At the same time I was still in contact with Bruce exchanging the odd email as he would do with many other people.

By the spring of 2008 The Pineapple Thief had signed to the K.Scope record label. Now K.Scope happens to be a sub-division of the larger independent Snapper Records. They also release the music of bands and artists that include the likes of Steven Wilson, No-Man, Blackfield and Anathema along with many, many others. In fact The Pineapple Thief’s critically acclaimed seventh album ‘Tightly Unwound’ became the K.Scope label’s first official release.

Signing to K.Scope not only gave The Pineapple Thief greater exposure but also linked them up with a management team that had far greater resource. And this move freed up Bruce’s time. And he could now concentrate more on the music rather than dealing with the day to day cottage industry that he and the band had built up.

Towards the end of July 2013 I received an email from Bruce Soord explaining that Snapper Records wanted to release a cut price double CD on another of their subsidiary labels – Recall. This compilation of The Pineapple Thief’s music would be used as a promotional tool that would hopefully introduce even more music listeners to the band.

Snapper also wanted the album’s CD booklet to have liner notes that included a complete history of the band. At that time, and as explained further on, Bruce was tied up with other projects. He knew though that I enjoyed researching band histories and putting the articles together. He asked if I would be up for writing something for this new compilation CD. I can’t begin to tell you how blown away I was by the offer. What an honour.

I was then put directly in touch with the record label who, in turn, gave me a remit along with examples of how previous compilation albums from the same series of releases had turned out.

Having initially fired from the hip and accepted the task without a second thought I do remember, quite clearly, the moment when the enormity of it all then suddenly hit me. This CD package was going to go out worldwide and was potentially going to be heard and read by an awful lot of people. I knew then that I really had to research this properly and ensure it was going to be as accurate as possible with no margin for error. In reality though, it was just like any other article and I thoroughly enjoyed completing it.

The resulting album titled, ‘Introducing – The Pineapple Thief’, was released in January 2014 and from what I understand has sold reasonably well. It collects together gems from throughout the band’s back catalogue and is a great way to explore the band’s music history. The album is readily available from Amazon and other online retailers such as Burning Shed who stock many of the K.Scope releases along with a wealth of other great music.

Back to mid-2013 and June of that year had seen the release of an album called ‘Wisdom of Crowds’. The seeds for this project began many years ago but its eventual realisation featured Bruce Soord along with Jonas Renske who also happens to be lead vocalist of Swedish metal band Katatonia .

Katatonia themselves had also released an acclaimed album during 2012. It was titled ‘Dead End Kings’ and it was released on the Peaceville label in August 2012. So successful was ‘Dead End Kings’ it was nominated for a Grammy award in the band’s homeland of Sweden.

Katatonia suffered a shock departure from the band in 2014 when guitarist Per Eriksson left. Bruce Soord was then asked to temporarily replace Eriksson and perform on vocals and guitar for the band’s May 2014 European acoustic tour. A permanent replacement for Per Eriksson has now been found.

The Pineapple Thief have just recently had a new studio album released titled ‘Magnolia’. This was the band’s tenth album. And, for the first time ever The Pineapple Thief made an impact on the UK album chart, entering it at number 55, on September 22, 2014.

With no real radio airtime or mainstream press behind them this achievement has, in the main, been down to word of mouth. It has to be said though that, recent independent music magazines, have been rather kind to the band of late. And this appears to have translated itself into sales.

‘Magnolia’ was recorded at Snap Studios and mixed at Strong Room Studios in London, by Adam Noble, whose previous work includes albums from Placebo , Guillemots , Paul McCartney , Robbie Williams and Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly . This album really does contain some of the finest music that I have heard from the band to date.

Of course The Pineapple Thief is not a one-man band. Bruce is joined by long-time friend Jon Sykes on bass, Steve Kitch on keyboards and, more recently, Dan Osbourne on the drums and other percussion instruments. Plus Bruce has the backing of a very understanding and incredibly supportive family.

‘All The Wars’, the band’s previous album, was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studios. The sleeve artwork for that particular release was designed by the late Storm Thorgerson who, as many will know, created many of the iconic album sleeves that accompanied records by Pink Floyd and many other bands.

So clearly, and after all these years, The Pineapple Thief now seems to be emerging onto a higher stage and making more and more people sit up and take notice. But it has taken a long time and it is the culmination of a great deal of effort and sacrifice.

And there you have it, my 100th article and well over 100,000 words written for the Coventry Telegraph, who I would like to thank for giving me this opportunity during these last few years. I have been really pleased with the comments and feedback I have received so far. It is quite humbling to be stopped by someone who I previously didn’t know and to be told how they enjoyed a certain article and how it brought so many memories. But best of all is to be told that it brought a smile to their face.

Finally to the musicians whose talents I listen to and have seen perform for over 50 years. Music doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of time and dedication. And I am incredibly thankful to all those musicians whose dedication has, unknowingly, made my journey through life, so far, all the brighter.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a new Pete Clemons article, not because Pete has slowed down but because of various changes at the Coventry Telegraph I believe. However, with the election out of the way, Pete has a new article. His articles are now on line as a matter of course but we will continue to document them here on with the rest of  Pete’s work by his own request.

Pete Clemons has chosen to write about Coventry band The Ramrods – later major 5 which featured Danny Cunningham (Ex Squad) and later, Dave Pepper, formerly the X Certs.  Dave Pepper himself has a direct relevance with Hobo Magazine and Workshop – we gave Dave’s first band Phoenix their first gig at the Hobo Workshop, Holyhead Youth Centre in 1974 (the band were only 16 or 17 at that stage and finding it hard to get a first gig) and the band were earmarked to play the Live Concert in the Coventry precinct in 1974 to promote the work of the Hobo Workshop. Unfurtunaltely the concert was shut down by the police for no good reason before Dave’s band got a chance to play. The history of that concert is covered on another of Pete’s articles here http://coventrygigs.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/hobo-workshop-concert-that-led-to-7-day.html

Remembering Coventry band The Ramrods

Dave Pepper who was in Coventry band The Ramrods Incredibly, 2014 marked 30 years since Coventry band, The Ramrods had a change of name, as well as direction and became known as Major 5. These groups hardly seem to be mentioned nowadays. And that milestone went largely unnoticed. Yet, in my opinion, both of these groups contained some amazing talent, were very solid, consistently good but, sadly, were under achievers. This oversight could well be down to how big 2-Tone was and how it possibly overshadowed everything else going on at the time. Another factor may have been down to the rise of other Coventry bands around at that time like King. It could have been their image. But one thing is for sure. Despite their best efforts, and a few false starts, The Ramrods and Major 5 never quite had the breaks they deserved. Music in the 1980s was very much about image. Economically, the grim 1970s were now making way for a decade of growth in people’s income and lifestyle. This growth, to a degree, was reflected in the music. The Pet Shop Boys, for me, summed up the 1980s in their song ‘Opportunities’. And TV channels, such as the newly formed MTV, emphasised the image aspect also. Danny Cunningham It was all as if the people who were running the music business were adding more of their influence and indiscreetly trying to push music in a certain direction while the musicians themselves were, at times, trying to take it down another route. MTV made its debut on August 1, 1981. The first music video to be played on that particular channel was appropriately The Buggles’ ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’. The whole industry, it seemed, was under change as the focus seemed to shift from the art of simply writing music and lyrics and began to concentrate more on the fashion and the theatrics of it all. Personally, I felt it was a slightly confusing time. Punk and post punk had come and gone and now this new wave of music, which for me felt like the complete antithesis of what had just gone by, was beginning to kick in. Yet, at the same time, punk bands still continued to spring up and some were touring with this new wave of groups. Danny Cunningham The Ramrods formed during 1979 and were a rock band that played venues like the Hope and Anchor and The Whitley Abbey pub. They sported a leather jacket, torn t-shirt and denim image, similar to that of The Ramones , I guess. At their peak many people rated them as the best local band around. They wrote their own original music and were very good at it. ‘Prospect Street’, ‘Give ‘em a Reason’ and ‘Solidarity’, for example, are still incredible tunes and to this day remain among writer, Danny Cunningham’s, favourites. And these were just a few of the many really excellent songs the band had in their set. The pedigree within The Ramrods was equally impressive. The band’s lead guitarist and main song writer, as mentioned, was Danny Cunningham. Danny had previously been a member of  Squad. His brother and rhythm guitarist, Barney (Burzy), had been a member of  Criminal Class. Initially the bass player was Kevin Tanner. He was replaced by Clint Morgan who, in turn, made way for Cliff Hands. On drums was Billy Little. Later on the band included Dave Pepper who joined on keyboards. But after Cliff Hands left, when The Ramrods were by then known as Major 5, Dave took over the bass duties as the band reverted back to a four-piece. By the end of 1983 The Ramrods finally appeared to be going places after they managed to persuade Trevor Long, the manager of  Haircut 100 and with whom they toured with, to look after them as well. Long managed to get The Ramrods some prestigious gigs supporting Culture Club on their autumn 1983 tour. He also set them up to support ex- The Jam drummer, Rick Buckler’s band, called Time UK, on their October 1983 tour. When I recently asked Danny Cunningham if he had any memories of that time he recalled when The Ramrods were due to support Culture Club at the Victoria Hall in Hanley. Up till then it had been a bit of a struggle for the band who did not have access to their own van and, as such, had to beg and borrow lifts where they could. The driver for that particular gig should have arrived at 4pm but never got to pick up point until 4.30pm. It was then a bit of a race up the M6. But the van driver had not realised that Culture Club were a band and toured Hanley looking for a club called Culture Club until the band set him straight. Trevor Long also paid for the band to go into the studio. The resulting tapes were hawked around London and several record companies were sufficiently impressed enough to send representatives to a Ramrods gig at the Lanchester Polytechnic during October 1983. The Ramrods then spent a week during March 1984 recording at a London studio at the expense of RCA records with a view to a contract. Sadly, neither of those potential deals failed to materialise. It was during July 1984 that Danny and Barney Cunningham announced that, after two years of being known as The Ramrods, the band now had a new image and would become known as Major 5. Their new look was unveiled at The General Wolfe toward the end of that month. And during August 1984, Major 5, along with other bands such as The Furious Apples, European Sun and The Hawaiian Surgeons, featured in the Coventry Festival – a precursor for the Godiva Festival . April 1985 then saw Major 5 support The Pogues at the Lanchester Polytechnic ‘s ‘End of term bash’. A report of the gig stated the following ‘It would have been impossible for any band to have stolen the thunder from the magnificent Pogues but the one band who did give them a run for their money was Coventry’s own Major 5. In the downstairs bar at the Poly the group played a confident set of hard American influenced rock songs that were oozing with quality and fire’. May 1985 then saw the band involved in many contract negotiations with an agency called TriTec. Trevor Long, who was still involved with the band’s interests, had even flown to New York to investigate an American recording deal. August 1985 saw Major 5 spending several weeks in London. While there they performed at venues as diverse as Crazy Larry’s nightclub and The Half Moon at Putney. The band also spent time with the visually stunning and outrageous band Sigue Sigue Sputnik . At some point, around this time, Dave Pepper had met up with Tony James, the bass player of Sigue Sigue Sputnik. It was clear that this meeting inspired Dave. The earlier association with The Pogues led to Major 5 landing the support slot on the band’s ‘Rum, Sodemy and the Lash’ tour during November and December 1985. This led to the band appearing on one of the biggest stages in the country, The Hammersmith Odeon . This happened on December 8, 1985 Major 5 along with The Tall Boys. Dave Pepper As good as they were, live, the pressure was beginning to show within Major 5. The last gig date I can find for the band was an appearance at the Dog and Trumpet during December 1986. The band had several line-up changes over the course of that year. Mark Patrick had replaced Dave Pepper who by now was involved in his own futuristic band Blitzkrieg Zone which took off at the beginning of 1986. Cliff Hands had also left the band. He had been replaced by, firstly, a guy called Chris from the Wonderstuff and Pop Will Eat Itself gang who, in turn, was later replaced by Mick Teddler. Nowadays Danny and Barney Cunningham are still heavily involved in the local music scene. Danny’s long running band Gdansk still continue to perform regularly in and around Coventry. But very occasionally you can still catch The Ramrods. Still complete with original members and still playing original songs. They appeared at The Spencer Club as recently as 2013 when they warmed up the audience for The DT’s. They also appeared at The Arches Club during 2014. Given the rehearsal time they give themselves, they are in my opinion, still very impressive.

It’s been a while since we had a Pete Clemons post on here but pete is back in fine form looking at the musical history of Warwick University for the Coventry Telegraph.

Charting the Rich Musical History of Warwick University

Away from the city centre another area of Coventry with an incredibly rich pedigree in music, and the arts, is

the 700-acre campus now known as The University of Warwick .

The University of Warwick, or Warwick University as it is more locally known, was first given government approval in 1961 and received its royal charter when it first opened during 1965.

Also out in that corner of the city, and already existing on what is now known as Westwood Campus in Kirby Corner Road, was the City of Coventry Training College for Women which first opened on the site in 1948. This, in turn, had replaced the Men’s Emergency College and was set up in a former wartime workers hostel to address a shortage of teachers.

When it became a mixed establishment during 1958 the City of Coventry Training College for Women also changed its name to the Coventry College of Education and, for many years, was more popularly known as Canley Teacher Training College .

Canley College of Education, Coventry

Remarkably the principle of the teacher training college remained the same from when it opened and for almost its entire duration. And it was Miss Joan Browne who had fulfilled that role through to when she retired in July 1975.

After Miss Browne retired from the teaching college, which had been an entirely separate entity, it then became known as the Institute of Education and during 1978 was absorbed into Warwick University. The college, itself, was situated at what is now Arden House on the Westwood Campus .

The Coventry College of Education had its own campus and hall along with its own student union. A strong live music scene existed their during the late 1960s through to the mid 1970s and the venue attracted the likes of Status Quo, Stealers Wheel, Barclay James Harvest, Genesis, The Average White Band, Dando Shaft and Fairport Convention among many other visitors.

Genisis

U2

Warwick University also had, and continues to have, a strong students union. The campus has, for many years, staged an annual arts festival. And those festivals, particularly those held during March throughout most of the 1970s, were fairly high profile. A whole weekend was taken up by a host of live concerts of all kinds, workshops, plays and poetry recitals. During their lifetime these festivals attracted bands such as The Pink Fairies, Caravan, Gong, Al Stewart, Osibisa and Desmond Dekker.

Apart from the festivals the venue became an important stop-off on the college circuit, which in itself was an important rung on the ladder to get on, and witnessed the appearance of many bands making their way in the music business like Pink Floyd, Mott the Hoople and The Wailers who, of course, included Bob Marley.

Warwick University also had a strong folk club which was quite pivotal in the area during the 1970s. Visits were made by Bert Jansch, Harvey Andrews, Dick Gaughan and Jasper Carrott among many others.

But if the 1970s saw some major talent play Warwick University then it has to be said that the 1980s saw a real purple patch for the university as both the ever growing Arts Centre and the student union were both attracting some serious names.

In 1970, five years after it opened, the University of Warwick, commissioned the building of an arts centre.

The Smiths

The building, itself, comprised of a main theatre and a studio theatre. But it also housed a host of other facilities. The opening ceremony of the Arts Centre, during October 1974, was attended by the likes of actress Dame Peggy Ashcroft and composer Leonard Bernstein. Without doubt this building enhanced the university’s stature within the arts world.

The Smiths, Simply Red, REM, Steel Pulse, U2, Talk Talk along with a host of local bands such as The Pink Umbrellas, King and, of course, The Specials all performed at either the student union venue or at the Arts Centre. I barely scratch the surface here. The list is actually quite substantial and just absolutely staggering.

Over time, of course, the Arts Centre would grow and this development saw the 1,500 all-seated Butterworth Hall completed in January 1981 with the Mead gallery following on in 1986.

By the end of the 1980s, however, times had changed and despite visits by bands such as Radiohead and

Radio Head

The Cardiacs the early 1990s began to highlight an issue that needed to be addressed. The music being provided by the university entertainments team was seen as becoming outdated. A questionnaire was submitted to the then current crop of students and the responses clearly highlighted that a ‘limited range of acts was being asked to appear’.

Club culture was growing and an upsurge in more regular events was required to provide entertainment every night of the week. The student entertainments team responded positively by introducing a variety of sounds. All of a sudden indie, rock, jazz, funk, soul, house, pop, R’n’B, 70s and 80s nostalgia were all being showcased at the university. Despite this, the bands still appeared, but the regularity of them diminished.

The festivals were revived during 2002 by way of the Warwick Student Arts Festival (WSAF) with the aim of showcasing and celebrating all aspects of student art. It features a programme of events including plays, musicals, dance, film, orchestras, choirs and bands. All the events are normally free to attend.

Another revived club at the university is Warwick University Folk Society which was formed in 2001. They

Warwick University Arts festival in the 1970s’

describe themselves as ‘an eclectic group’ and ‘aim to cater from beginners to enthusiasts, with involvement in both the music, song and dance aspects of the Folk scene’.

The students union, at the university, continues to be incredibly vibrant. They do not appear to have as many bands nowadays, although the likes of The Wombats and The Wild Beasts have appeared there in recent years, but they have continued the tradition of keeping abreast of the times by providing a wide range of club nights at the recently refurbished Students Union halls, also known as The Copper Rooms.

During 2009 the Butterworth Hall had a major overhaul that resulted in improved acoustics, new seating and an enhanced stage and backstage spaces. The result is that the Warwick Arts Centre continues to flourish and is now the largest of its kind outside of London. Apart from the theatres the Arts Centre also comprises a cinema, a conference room, hospitality suites, a restaurant, cafe, shops, and two bars. The site also includes the university bookshop and a branch of an entertainment retailer. It continues to have a regular stream of major name artists.

First main Pete Clemons article for the Coventry Telegraph in 2015, this time remembering the 80’s hit band The Primitives who reformed.

Do you remember Coventry band The Primitives?

Can anyone remember The Primitives?


The Coventry band that had hits such as ‘Stop Killing Me’ and ‘Out of Reach’. Not forgetting, of course,

their biggest hit, ‘Crash’, which saw chart success on both sides of the Atlantic and which also surfaced on the soundtrack of the film Dumb and Dumber.


In fact, during 2008, Mojo Magazine voted The Primitives’ second single ‘Really Stupid’ as one of the Top 40 UK indie singles of all time.


Well for those that do remember them, then you are more than likely to be aware that, after a period of well over 20 years, they returned with an album of fresh and new material.


The Primitives new album titled ‘Spin-O-Rama’ was released on October 13, 2014 on the band’s own Elefant Records label and does not appear to have lost any of the chemistry that once made them so very popular.

The Primitives formed during 1985 and created catchy and jangly songs that seemed to be influenced by 1960s pop and psychedelia. They were initially classed as an ‘indie’ group and released their songs on their own label which was called Lazy. In fact one of their early songs was actually titled ‘Lazy’.


The band then went on to sign up for RCA records. This was around about 1987/88. While at RCA they released more original material but also re-recorded some of their earlier Lazy label songs.


These re-recordings were for their first RCA album ‘Lovely’, released in 1988. Two more albums were released on RCA, titled ‘Pure’ and ‘Galore’, before the group disbanding in the early 1990s before finally calling it a day in 1992.

The Primitives actually got back together during 2009 and, by October of the same year, they had played their first reformed gigs. These were fairly low key affairs and were held at The Herbert in Coventry and the Buffalo Bar in London.


But since then The Primitives have been gigging more regularly at home and abroad. You may remember that they appeared at the Leamington Assembly during April 2010. And when they began to record together again The Primitives even enlisted the services of original producer and one time bass player Paul Samson who, of course, should need no explanation as to his role within Coventry music history.

Apart from new bassist Raphael Moore the rest of the band should, also, not require any introductions. Although Raphael is new to The Primitives he is very much local to the city and was once a member of acclaimed Coventry band The Furious Apples.

Steve Dullaghan

But for those who are new to the band they consist of original members from the classic period, and who made four appearances on Top of the Pops, namely Tracy Cattell aka Tracy Tracy on vocals, principal song writer Paul Court on guitars and vocals and Richard ‘Tig’ Williams on the drums.


It was actually tragic circumstances in February 2009 that got Paul, Tracy and Tig to get back in contact
with each other again and which ultimately led to the band’s reformation. This of course was the untimely death of the band’s founding member and bass player Steve Dullaghan. (Hobo magazine did a tribute to Steve here http://coventrymusichistory.typepad.com/blog/2009/02/the-primitives-coventry-band-tribute-to-steve-dullaghan.html

An EP release during March 2011, which featured two original songs alongside two cover versions, became the first real fruits of recorded music from the reformed band.

And then, during 2012, an album titled ‘Echoes and Rhymes’ appeared. It was essentially a covers album and contained fourteen relatively obscure tracks. But what an album it turned out to be. The songs covered, which included hidden gems like ‘Panic’ by Reparata and the Delrons, Sandy Posey’s ‘Single Girl’ and Nico’s ‘I’m Not Sayin’, were certainly given a whole new lease of life. I assume that the tracks involved were pulled together by Paul Court as I understand that he is a serious collector of rare and hard to find 45rpm vinyl records.


During the band’s hiatus Tracy never went down the route of a solo artist. However, she contributed vocals to Band of Holy Joy among others, and also recorded with several outfits that worked in the dance music field. Tracy’s voice can also be heard on the short-lived, post-Primitives band Starpower’s cover of Nancy and Lees’s ‘Some Velvet Morning’.


In the meantime Paul Court continued to work with band member Tig, fronting post Primitives bands such as Starpower and Hedy. After a couple of singles were released Paul decided to give up music and moved into art and design. He sold his original artwork via his website Joypop Studio. Paul also began, and continues to, do DJ guest spots at London indie clubs.

After the various post-Primitives bands and projects, in which he was involved, had come to an end, Tig opened a shop called Pea Soup in Leamington Spa, selling hand crafted gifts and homeware items. He later went on to become a graphic designer.

Spin-O-Rama, if you read the reviews, does not appear to disappoint. And the band apparently had a great time putting it together. In fact most of the reviews I have read have shown the band in a positive light. Some go as far as mentioning the album to be one of the better ones that they have heard during 2014.


The title track, which kicks off the album, was released earlier in the year as a 7-inch single. This instantly sold out on pre-orders alone.


If you feel in anyway sceptical about The Primitives’ reunion then let me try to reassure you. The band has lost none of their original sound as such. What they have done here is to recreate the same formula but at the same time inject more experience and maturity in their sound.
This is the link to original Coventry Telegraph Article article http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/you-remember-coventry-band-primitives-8444204