7 Important Songs For Racial Discussion - Featuring Phibi Olumide

In a time as heated as this, it’s important to educate ourselves on the reasons why we’re fighting against racism. Seeing as though music has always been an important tool in pushing challenging ideas and questioning the norm, I got in contact with musician Phibi Olumide to help me collate 7 songs which we urge you to listen to. Each one tackles racial disputes, struggles and prejudices in their own way, making them extremely relevant to our current situation.

I also suggest you check out Phibi’s music on Soundcloud.

https://soundcloud.com/user-985268993/cycles/s-hMzjQPsI9RM


PHIBI’S PICK:

Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit (1957)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Web007rzSOI


“First song that hit me hard in my youth was Billie Holiday’s "Strange Fruit", it's still a hard song to listen to now really. I think that song is important because of how raw it is. How blatant it is. It doesn't let you hide behind the fact "slavery is over" because black people were still hung from trees long after slavery was abolished”.


RYAN’S PICK:

Rage Against the Machine - Voice Of The Voiceless (1999)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4A0Qya23y0


It took great difficulty to pick a Rage Against The Machine song to fit this list as they have a full discography of material that comments on racial prejudice. However, “Voice Of The Voiceless” stands out as it commented on the unfair trial of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a Black Panther spokesperson convicted and sentenced to death over the murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner. This was a very serious and real case at the time, with many including the members of RATM arguing that Jamal was innocent, with clear evidence that the case against him was racially charged.


PHIBI’S PICK

Jay Z - The Story Of O.J. (2017)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM7lw0Ovzq0


“I remember when I first heard this song, I showed my whole family. Jay Z sheds light on the mindsets of American people both black and white. No matter how rich you are or how important, you're still a n****r. He also says how frustrated he is when African Americans would prefer to get rich, rap about it and die young rather than invest that money into themselves and their community. I think it shows the destruction of the mind America likes to keep pushing”.


RYAN’S PICK:

Bob Dylan - The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (1964)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmbwU3J-2kk


Dylan’s 1964 album “The Times They Are a-Changin” presents the early 60s as an intensely divided time. “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” is one such track from the album that discusses racial prejudices in America at the time. The track explores the death of an African-American maid at the hands of a wealthy white man, who was only sentenced to six months in prison. Dylan doesn’t hold back in delivering every unfair and brutal aspect that plays into a situation involving prejudice in this way, it's one of his darkest songs as a result.


PHIBI’S PICK:

Earl sweatshirt - Chum (2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCbWLSZrZfw


“This may be a personal one since I'm multicultural and my dad looks white but there's a line in the song that I resonated with deeply "too black for the white kids and too white for the black kids". Earl is African American but he's into skating and punk etc. There's also pressure to be a proper "black person" and obviously there's always going to be issues staying with the white kids. Most people kind of feel stuck in the middle. Culture is important, race however should not determine someone's predisposition. Fucks with the mind when you're expected to be a certain way because of the colour of your skin”.


RYAN’S PICK:

Public Enemy - Burn Hollywood Burn (1990)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt1KfJhyMqw


Never had a hip-hop group ever been as unapologetic as Public Enemy. In their prime, they aimed to push challenging lyrics and ideas through energetic and loud production. “Burn Hollywood Burn” features none other than Ice Cube and Big Daddy Kane, and it completely critiques black stereotypes in Hollywood. From referencing the use of black face to commenting on black representations as gang members on TV, Public Enemy hold nothing back in their callouts of racism and stereotyping in American film and media.


PHIBI’S PICK:

Dave - Black (2019)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDUPSNdmFew


“One of the most uplifting and beautiful songs to hear as a black person truly. He talks about the struggles but he sheds light on the beauty of being black. I cried listening to that actually haha”.

COVID-19 VS THE LOCAL SCENE - THE FULL INTERVIEWS

Included below are the full interviews that were conducted for my “Covid-19 vs The Local Scene” infographic that was posted earlier this month. I asked each individual how lockdown has affected their work, their sales and how they promote. Most importantly included is an interview from Keiran Johnson, who’s interview unfortunately didn’t make the infographic due to time restrictions, but still gave some insightful thoughts on the matter.

I also want to thank everyone who has supported this blog over the past couple of months. I really thought my aspirations for journalism would go straight out the window in lockdown but your support has helped me to make something good out of this.

Please for the love of god, check out everyone who has an interview listed below. They’re all incredibly talented people who deserve your attention and support.

Stay safe my goons x



Keiran Johnson

Keiran is frontman for heavy rock throwback 4-piece Circa ‘69. Give their vintage sound a listen through their Youtube channel below.


“We don't operate as regularly as we usually would when I'm at York so it's all a bit different but obviously music now is super stagnant and we cant even practice with me locked down half way down the country. Our spotify/music service stuff is all on a steady incline and has only increased a little bit might be a long time in the future given the way the lockdown is being handled by the idiots in the government.”

“But overall the lockdown is a massive rub of salt in the fatal wound that is the NE music scene (pubs and clubs anyway, which I'd say is probably the most prominent scene as there's a higher level of activity).”

“As for advertising, most of it was done online but for the gigs and as there's no opportunity to rehearse and play music as a band on a scene there's no advertising.”

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTmcUIJJSx6vrE5nmuWH3mg?fbclid=IwAR3MtspPVImvzYSqKPU_QYJ7p7I1tmFiijMN1x_DZd3BELxdBrb1J6ODFxk



Charlie Sanders

Charlie is an immensely talented graphic design artist with a unique portfolio of work. He is currently available for commission work for album covers and other graphic design material. Check out his art through https://www.instagram.com/aviaryart.ncl/ or support his Patreon through the link below.

https://www.patreon.com/AviaryArt

“Honestly it’s actually been good for business as bad as that sounds, like people are tidying up like personal projects they haven’t had time to do in the past, and bands getting round to sorting a cover and finishing off the mixing etc. I’ve actually had about 5-7 music producers be in touch in the last 4 days asking to buy work or asking for me to make stuff for them for a cover, as well as requests for animated music videos and lyric videos.”

“People being inside literally all over the world has meant that I’ve actually been around to chat to people in the states and in east Asia when usually the time zones just wouldn’t fit together for decent communication. It’s been an interesting time, I’ve seen a distinct and pretty drastic rise in my followers and engagement on all platforms over the last 2 weeks.”

“For me personally it’s taken a while to adapt to being able to work from home decently since I usually go out to coffee shops and that to work but it’s made me go looking for other inspiration online and finding new artists, both visual and musical, to ‘stoke the creative fires’. But now I’m all settled in. I'm probably working better and more than I have before.”



Image courtesy of Charlie Sanders



Luke Stevens

Luke is the immensely energetic drummer for post-punk four piece Fowl. His talents are displayed perfectly through their most recent ‘Kool Aid EP’ release which is available to stream on Spotify. You can also support Fowl by purchasing their music digitally through the link below.

https://wearefowl.bandcamp.com/music


“I've been affected quite heavily by lockdown. Being a drummer it's always difficult to properly get practise in especially when I'm stuck in the house and all the rehearsal rooms are closed. I have an acoustic drum kit that's currently sat packed away in the corner of my room, which I can’t use due to the noise, so next month I'm buying myself an electric kit so I can start practising properly at home. I haven't touched a drum kit in 2 months now so I'm feeling very out of practise.”

“In terms of writing new material, me and Evan have both sat down individually and tried to write new riffs and lyrics that we could develop into songs, and we just send stuff back and forward to each other over email. I think writing new songs would be a great way to use our time but we already have a full album worth of new songs waiting to be recorded that we wrote in between November and March, so we aren't too concerned about getting new material written as such, but more keeping what we already have fresh in our minds so we can come to record it in a couple months time.

“We released our single Kool Aid in April which was a nice way to tell our following that we're still here and we're still trying to engage and be productive during this time. We also did a limited run of shirts which we made a small profit from which was helpful. As of right now we have 1 upcoming release which might be happening somewhere around June or July, it's a song called Sweatbox that I'm sure people will like and find pretty funny." 

"Before this whole lockdown thing happened we were hoping to have a full 9-10 song album recorded professionally and released around October but it’s really set us back for time, so we're hoping for maybe a December or early 2021 release but who knows at this point. I would say this lockdown has definitely stopped us in our tracks, as we've had to reschedule some pretty important gigs and recording sessions, but we're trying to use the time productively, as we're all looking at upgrading our gear and getting a better sound. It's a tough time for local bands and I think everyone needs to help each other out as much as possible.”



Image courtesy of Erin Earle



Neil Partington

Neil is a well known and respected DJ for venues such as the Dog and Parrot. Though he keeps his DJ work as more of a hobby, he’s still an insightful lover of music. Check out his Instagram through the link below.

https://www.instagram.com/neiljpartington/

“The lockdown has directly affected my DJ work by bringing it to a complete halt. My regular place of work has closed indefinitely and I'm out of work until further notice. Fortunately I have a 'real' job during the day so I'm okay financially.”

“As for my career as a DJ, who knows? I can't see how I'll be able to play again this year with the restrictions that will likely be in place when bars reopen.”

“I'm pretty fortunate that DJ'ing isn't my main income anymore. It's more a hobby for me nowadays. Pretty terrifying times for those whose only income is DJ work etc.”



Image courtesy of Chloe McAllister https://www.instagram.com/chloexlm_/



Finlay Ireland

Finlay plays bass and takes up lead vocal duties for the indie pop band Primary Colours. Though the band has been active for four years, their pre-lockdown gigs proved to be some of the most raucous in Newcastle. Listen to their music on Spotify or support them by following their Instagram page through the link below.

https://www.instagram.com/primarycoloursband/

“The main thing lockdown has done has stopped us from being able to practice/perform. Which means we aren't writing as a band, that doesn't mean we aren't individually writing but it only really comes together when you're all together as a band. The main promotion we do is for gigs or releases, with lockdown, it kills gigs and releases only happen with what we already have recorded.”

“Merch and gig money is what we rely on. Most of our merch is bought at gigs, without that, we basically haven't been making money.”

“I will say that when all this blows over, I hope people realize how vital music is. And support the artists they love, by whatever means.”




Image courtesy of Ben Payne https://www.instagram.com/_ben.payne_/



Harry Dargavel

Harry is an accomplished gigs and events photographer who honed his craft through capturing the intensity of the first Tits Upon Tyne event in November of last year. Follow his photography work through the link below.

https://www.instagram.com/harrydargavel/


“Lockdowns obviously stopped us all going to gigs which is hard for the fans like me and even more difficult for the bands, as a photographer/designer interested in the local scene it’s definitely put somewhat of a halt on my creative outlet, I can’t get out and shoot any bands which I’d just gotten back into doing so I’m pretty gutted.”

“Long term for myself it shouldn’t be too much of an issue, I can still get on with the design side of my hopeful career at the minute and I’m sure when we can all get back out there so many bands are gonna be jumping on any stage they can. There’ll be plenty opportunity to get shooting again and possibly even more of a buzz about the scene than there has been in a while.”



Image courtesy of Harry Dargavel



Ellis Paul

Ellis plays guitar and takes up lead vocal duties for Holding Out. The band has become Newcastle’s nastiest punk outfit over the course of the 4 years they have spent performing live. Their new single ‘Gutter’ is available to stream on Spotify. You can also support Holding Out through purchasing their merchandise through the link below.

https://holdingoutband.bigcartel.com/


“We've managed to sell a couple of T-shirts, which has really helped us out, especially since we had to cancel some shows. We've just released a new single which hit 1000 streams in the first two days of release. Whether this was a result of lockdown or not is up for debate, but people do tend to have more free time on their hands at the moment.”

“Our main source of income pre-lockdown was playing shows, so we're really suffering in that regard. Thankfully, we can release music pretty much for free given that it's all recorded and mixed by us.”

“It hasn't affected the type of music or lyrical content we write as that's all generally stayed the same. There's been some hurdles to overcome for recording and writing since none of us can get together and write. Myself and Tomm both have recording equipment so we've been recording separate stuff at home and piecing it together remotely.”



Image courtesy of Ellis Paul

COVID-19 Vs Newcastle's Local Scene - An Infographic

The Newcastle music scene remains strong despite the creative shutdown of COVID-19.

Lockdown has brought Newcastle’s music and creative scene to a halt for some time. The above infographic contains the attitudes and responses of six different members of the scene. Though all aspects are affected by the shutdown of social spaces, they are themselves affected in different ways. The loss of gig venues means that creative individuals no longer have a hub for their skills.

Despite this, the work-from-home mentality of the COVID-19 crisis has caused some members of the local scene to adapt their skills to accommodate the lockdown environment. Musicians with home studios have been able to create music in their own space rather than relying on bigger studios. Graphic designers have also had the opportunity to work for independent musicians to still receive profit from their work.

The infographic above presents the attitudes and adaptations of members of the local scene who have toiled and survived with their work during the crisis. Information and links to the individuals featured can be found below.


Finlay Ireland plays bass and takes up lead vocal duties for the indie pop band Primary Colours. Though the band has been active for four years, their pre-lockdown gigs proved to be some of the most raucous in Newcastle. Listen to their music on Spotify or support them by following their Instagram page through the link below.
https://www.instagram.com/primarycoloursband/

Image courtesy of Ben Payne https://www.instagram.com/_ben.payne_/


Neil Partington is a well known and respected DJ for venues such as the Dog and Parrot. Though he keeps his DJ work as more of a hobby, he’s still an insightful lover of music. Check out his Instagram through the link below.
https://www.instagram.com/neiljpartington/

Image courtesy of Chloe McAllister https://www.instagram.com/chloexlm_photography/


Charlie Sanders is an immensely talented graphic design artist with a unique portfolio of work. He is currently available for commission work for album covers and other graphic design material. Check out his art through https://www.instagram.com/aviaryart.ncl/ or support his Patreon through the link below.
https://www.patreon.com/AviaryArt

Image courtesy of Charlie Sanders


Harry Dargavel is an accomplished gigs and events photographer who honed his craft through capturing the intensity of the first Tits Upon Tyne event in November of last year. Follow his photography work through the link below.
https://www.instagram.com/harrydargavel/

Image courtesy of Harry Dargavel


Luke Stevens is the immensely energetic drummer for post-punk four piece Fowl. His talents are displayed perfectly through their most recent ‘Kool Aid EP’ release which is available to stream on Spotify. You can also support Fowl by purchasing their music digitally through the link below.
https://wearefowl.bandcamp.com/music

Image courtesy of Erin Earle


Ellis Paul plays guitar and takes up lead vocal duties for Holding Out. The band has become Newcastle’s nastiest punk outfit over the course of the 4 years they have spent performing live. Their new single ‘Gutter’ is available to stream on Spotify. You can also support Holding Out through purchasing their merchandise through the link below.
https://holdingoutband.bigcartel.com/

Image courtesy of Ellis Paul

How an Online Festival Raised £2k for the NHS - A Podcast With Matty Lacey of Come Together NE

Click the YouTube link below to watch the full 30 minute podcast.

Matty Lacey is the manager and founding director of Come Together NE, an arts service that has raised over £2000 for the NHS through an online festival during lockdown.

Come Together NE was set up as an arts collective in late March, with the intention of bringing together musicians, artists, production members and other arts related individuals to provide a base to allow creative members to work together. However the COVID-19 crisis and subsequent lockdown caused Matty to take Come Together onto an online sphere, where the music festivals he had once hoped to bring together in Newcastle’s local venues turned into live streaming events. Fortunately this provided the Come Together NE collective with an opportunity to raise money for the NHS at a time when it’s funding and PPE resources were seriously lacking.

The digital festival was held on the Come Together NE Instagram page from 3-5 April. It featured acts such as Matty Oliver, Palm Beach and Bethany Elen Coyle, as well as 15 other independent artists. The money raised proved that the festival was a success and remains as an influential component to the local scene and as a testament to the strength of online festivals as a way of giving musicians an audience during the lockdown period. The success of the initial festival also gave way to allowing Come Together NE to host other live streams such as the Live Easter Stream. This featured Come Together mainstay Keiran Bowe, Laurens Court and Ryan Robinson.

Overall Come Together NE has proven that it can remain as an important service for local musicians and production members as a method of uniting, strengthening and promoting talent in the local scene. Matty urges that those with capabilities that can help strengthen the service should come forward and lend their efforts to the cause. This gives Come Together NE an exciting future for the Newcastle scene.

In the podcast, Matty talks about his inspiration for Come Together as a way to bring creative individuals together at a time when Newcastle’s local scene has been stuck in limbo. He also delves into his beliefs of how the local scene should be brought together and how online festivals could translate to a post-lockdown world. He also may or may not reveal the silver-dollar question of which musician he believes to be a tin man under their skin.


Watch the full 30 minute podcast on YouTube below.

A link to Come Together NE’s Instagram page is also available, their next digital festival will start at 5pm on Friday 8th May.

Creative individuals should also get in touch with Matty via the Come Together NE Instagram page to get involved with the platform's productions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhjX8ZELS6k

https://www.instagram.com/cometogetherne/

Holding Out - GUTTER single review

Being their first single of 2020, there couldn’t be a more perfect time for Holding Out to drop their grittiest and rawest track to date. Permeated by chugging, doom laden riffs and lyrical content that paints an ugly picture of an uncertain future yet to come, the track is a refreshing shift away from the three piece’s melodic hardcore roots and further into a contemporary post-punk influence.

‘Gutter’ is an obvious fresh air for the band, leaving behind the Dimebag Darrell-influenced shredding guitar solos and melodic choruses of the band’s previous work for a tighter, rougher sound that echoes influence from bands such as Idles and Slaves. This is supported immensely by the incredible production work from the band, as the guitar sound is kept up with a high level of grit and power whilst avoiding being too overbearingly loud, bringing the group’s musicianship together as a tighter outfit. Furthermore, the track’s lyrical content relentlessly exudes dreary themes of hopelessness and uncertainty without remorse. This is a massive step up from the band’s previous recordings, giving the listener a more powerful and raw experience as the track crushes it’s way through a multi-faceted structure.

As Nottingham-based maniac Jack Mee smokes back a fat one on the single’s cover, Gutter stands as a perfect Holding Out offering for our current not-so-perfect times. The single proves to be an exciting moving-on point for the band, displaying a new direction in style and a tighter sense of ability and character as a three-piece.

GUTTER is available now on Spotify.

Tits Upon Tyne II event review 21/02/20

The Tits Upon Tyne charity event raised just over £300 in aid of breast cancer research last February. Here's a review of all four bands that played the event.

Fowl

Photo by Erin Earl

Travelling hour-long bus journeys from Blyth to Newcastle each week to play small venues isn’t an easy job. However this is only a minor hindrance for Fowl, who have worked relentlessly to distribute their enraged post-punk sound across Newcastle’s local scene.

Powering through a setlist raw and energetic songs, Fowl played to their strengths and delivered a raw post-punk energy to the stage. One of the most unexpected and enjoyable aspects of the band’s recent setlists has been the introduction of guitarist Matthew McDonnel’s vocal work on some songs. Towards the latter half of their setlist, Fowl changed gears and introduced synths alongside the guitarist’s vocal work to great effect, leading a diverse and interchangeable sound, whilst still retaining their edge.

Placing Fowl as the opening act helped to set off Tits Upon Tyne II with a dose of raw energy and aggression. Their changeup in sound mid-setlist only further begs the question of what Fowl will strive for next.


Avenue


Photo by Erin Earl

Avenue are solely responsible for providing the most sweat-drenched, adrenaline fueled performance to ever grace the Cluny 2 stage.

There is little doubt that much of the Tits Upon Tyne audience would be surprised if singer/guitarist Blaine Armstrong began spitting blood halfway through their enraged performance. The band easily succeeded in bringing the event atmosphere to a new level with their aggressive post-punk sound, delivering another shot of energy in each song.

The band enjoyed an incredible bond between them and the audience, as they managed to power and scream their way through a setlist of moshpit-inducing cuts. Each song still retained the thoughtful lyricism that Avenue strives for, but their chemistry as performers brought their sound to another level.

As a result, Avenue remains a band to watch out for on the local scene. Their live performances provide an intense and gritty post punk atmosphere with the intention of allowing the crowd to let loose in any which way they please.

Primary Colours


Photo by Ben Payne

The buildup for Primary Colours’s setlist proved to forge an atmosphere of anticipation and hopefulness. The band are no strangers to the Tits Upon Tyne audience. Their performance at the last event saw them whipping audience members up into a fury like no other, and this standard proved a lot to be desired.

Don’t be easily fooled by their colourful indie bangers to the stage, as the energy and personality that the band members bring to these songs make them a completely different experience live. Primary Colour’s set bolstered an incredible amount of energy and drive through vocalist and bass player Finlay Ireland. The young musician has easily cemented himself as a perfect frontman and a fitting leading counterpart to the band’s sound. Various cuts from their debut LP Tail Lights made a welcome appearance in their set, as did older songs such as The Daisy and Guava.

With a new album having already been released earlier this year and an incredible amount of support from the local audience, Primary Colours have proved that they have easily cemented and settled into their sound, it's only a shame we didn't get to hear them cover The Brian Jonestown Massacre this time.

Venus


Photo by Ben Payne

Living up to Witch Fever’s previous headlining performance at Tits Upon Tyne was no easy task. Fortunately for Venus, their expertise in pushing a loud and raucous sound upon the Cluny audience made them more than worthy headliners for the event.

For many of the crowd, this was their first introduction to Venus. As such the band did not hold back on delivering a synthy, garage rock infused vibe which echoed the energy of the likes of Sleater-Kinney and L7. Add to this an unrelenting feminist stance and you have one of the most enthralling bands to play this event so far.

In particular, the chemistry between singer/rhythm guitarist Grace Kelly and lead guitarist Jess Ayres managed to provide an incredible wall of sound and punk energy. Riffs and guitar licks played off one another to give Venus’s more energetic songs an extra kick of energy and passion to compliment their slower cuts perfectly.

Ultimately Venus proved to the Tits Upon Tyne audience that they can deliver an atmosphere of raw energy and aggression like no other and have placed themselves as an exciting contemporary take on the riot grrl sound.

Massa Confusa - Two Man Machine album review

(This is an older review written for NE Volume in 2016)


Already well known in the Newcastle scene for their creative blend of DIY punk and electronic styles, Massa Confusa are a two piece post punk project consisting of members Ally Morton and Matt O’Brien. “Two Man Machine” is their second full-length offering so far.

Opening the album is the dark and somewhat aggressive “Dark World” which features some very moody and heavy guitars. The chorus also holds some of the only shouting style vocals on the album, however they’re used to great effect as Morton exclaims his distaste for the world he tried to make his way in. Next up is probably one of the best cuts on the record in my opinion, “Rock Paper Scissors” is a track that begins with an almost 90s industrial feel to its instrumentation. After the intro we’re given a lead guitar and aggressive vocal combination that gives the track an extra punchy feel.

Two Man Machine is a perfect album for showing off the style and skill of Massa Confusa, ultimately making them a treat to the local scene. Their ability to combine an already outstanding post punk style with what almost sounds like a 90s industrial electro backdrop is best represented on this album with tracks such as “27” “Conjuncture” and the aforementioned “Rock Paper Scissors”. Added to an already impressive mix of styles are the social and political undertones that appear on the album, with tracks like “Conjuncture” and “Beauty” being very clear with their social messages.

Overall, “Two Man Machine” is a solid record. Gorgeous, dark and stylistically beautiful, it’s an album that really puts light on the ability of Massa Confusa.