#dj from Newcastle

[dailytomlinson]

Music stars honoured at first 'Brit Awards of the North'

Louis Tomlinson, The Courteeners and Aitch were among the winners at the inaugural Northern Music Awards, which organisers hope will become the "Brits of the North".

The event, held in Manchester on Tuesday, was set up to celebrate talent from across the north of England.

Former One Direction star Tomlinson, hailing from Doncaster, was named artist of the year - beating fellow South Yorkshire singer Self Esteem and Newcastle's Sam Fender.

The winners in full:

Artist of the year - Louis Tomlinson

Band of the year - The Courteeners

DJ of the year - DJ Paulette

Newcomer of the year - English Teacher

Breakthrough act of the year - The K’s

Music moment of the year - Aitch at Glastonbury

Special recognition award - Melanie C

Northern icon award - Lisa Stansfield

Northern music award 2024 - Tim Burgess

Disruptor award - The Reytons

Festival of the year - Beat-Herder, Lancashire

Inspirational venue of the year (under 500) - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds

Inspirational venue of the year (under 2,000) - Band on the Wall, Manchester

Industry icon - Michael Adex, NQ

Music and culture for wellbeing award - DanceSyndrome, Everybody Dance, Lancashire

[azizemsin]

LOVE ISLAND: double trouble faceclaims (pt. 1)

jennifer. 22. personal trainer. from kensington, london. / lewie. 24. semi pro football captain. from cardiff.

amelia. 22. events manager. from kensington, london. / roberto. 27. pilot. from lisbon.

grace. 27. hair stylist. from glasgow. / ozzy. 24. dancer. from newcastle.

ivy. 23. lab technician. from oxford. / elliot. 23. pro gamer. from bristol.

bella. 25. dj. from peckham. / jamal. 27. skateboarder. from liverpool.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New SpaceTime out Monday

SpaceTime 20240902 Series 27 Episode 106

Dream Chaser space plane launch delayed until next year

Sierra Space have confirmed that the new Dream Chaser space plane won’t be ready to fly until next year.

NASA discovers a long-sought global electric field on Earth

Scientists have for the first time, successfully measured a planet-wide electric field thought to be as fundamental to Earth as its gravity and magnetic fields.

New Australian lunar rover unveiled

A Perth based consortium has revealed a prototype of their proposed new Australian lunar rover as part of NASA’s Artemis Moon resource harvesting mission.

The Science Report

Australia to produce cruise missiles at a new plant near Newcastle.

A drug currently used to treat type 2 diabetes could potentially reduce the risk of dementia.

A new study has shown that dogs understand words from soundboard buttons.

Skeptics guide to time slipping

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/

SpaceTime facebook: www.facebook.com/spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime Instagram @spacetimewithstuartgary

SpaceTime twitter feed @stuartgary

SpaceTime YouTube: @SpaceTimewithStuartGary

SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. Gary’s radio career stretches back some 34 years including 26 at the ABC. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. He was part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and became one of its first on air presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

[louisupdates]

LOUIS TOMLINSON HAS ANNOUNCED THE 2023 EDITION OF HIS AWAY FROM HOME FESTIVAL

He'll be joined by Blossoms, The Cribs, HotWax and more.

BY STEPHEN ACKROYD | THU 25TH MAY, 2023. 6:04 PM

Louis Tomlinson has announced the 2023 edition of his Away From Home Festival.

Following two sell-out events in London (2021) and Malaga (2022), the one-day festival conceived and curated by Louis will return this year at Lido di Camaiore, Italy on Saturday 19th August.

Joining him on the bill will be fellow former Dork cover stars Blossoms, indie legends The Cribs, Hastings upstars HotWax and Newcastle’s Andrew Cushin, with more acts to be announced. The festival will also feature DJ sets throughout the day from BBC Radio 1’s Abbie McCarthy and The Libertines’ Carl Barât.

Tickets for the event go on pre-sale tomorrow, Friday 26th May at 9am BST, with general sale starting o Monday 29th May at 9am BST.

[hldailyupdate]

Louis Tomlinson kicked off his Faith In The Future world tour last night and, in the process, covered an all-time Arctic Monkeys classic.

Playing the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, Louis played a set including his own take on t’Monkeys ‘505’, taken from their Really Very Brilliant second album Favourite Worst Nightmare.

The setlist also included live debuts for ‘Lucky Again’, ‘Chicago’, ‘Saved By A Stranger’, ‘All This Time’, ‘She Is Beauty We Are World Class’ and ‘Angels Fly’, plus versions of One Direction’s ‘Night Changes’ and ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’.

Yesterday, Louis Tomlinson dropped a ‘Bonus Edition’ of his recent album ‘Faith In The Future’, including the tracks from the Digital Deluxe version of the record.

That means ‘Change’, ‘High In California’ and ‘Face The Music – Acoustic Demo’ are now available on streaming platforms, after previously only being available as part of the special edition bundle.

Louis also recently announced the latest instalment of his Away From Home Festival.

Following two sell-out events in London (2021) and Malaga (2022), the one-day festival conceived and curated by Louis will return this year at Lido di Camaiore, Italy on Saturday 19th August.

Joining him on the bill will be fellow former Dork cover stars Blossoms, indie legends The Cribs, Hastings upstarts HotWax and Newcastle’s Andrew Cushin, with more acts to be announced. The festival will also feature DJ sets throughout the day from BBC Radio 1’s Abbie McCarthy and The Libertines’ Carl Barât.

-Dork about Louis' first show of the Faith In The Future World Tour. (27 May 2023)

[dreamings-free]

Thu 25th May, 2023 - by Stephen Ackroyd

Louis Tomlinson has announced the 2023 edition of his Away From Home Festival.

Following two sell-out events in London (2021) and Malaga (2022), the one-day festival conceived and curated by Louis will return this year at Lido di Camaiore, Italy on Saturday 19th August.

Joining him on the bill will be fellow former Dork cover stars Blossoms, indie legends The Cribs, Hastings upstars HotWax and Newcastle’s Andrew Cushin, with more acts to be announced. The festival will also feature DJ sets throughout the day from BBC Radio 1’s Abbie McCarthy and The Libertines’ Carl Barât.

Tickets for the event go on pre-sale tomorrow, Friday 26th May at 9am BST, with general sale starting o Monday 29th May at 9am BST.

[randomvarious]

1995 London Playlist (YouTube)

Back with some more gems and jams this week from the mid-90s London underground. As I continue to root through my collection and categorize more and more songs, I'm going to keep on adding other cities to post about, but just know that none of these city-year playlists are ever going to be as eclectic as the London ones. No place in the world is simply as musically vibrant. New York, LA, Berlin, Paris, and Tokyo probably come in at a close second through sixth, but they're all still so far behind London.

So this week for this 1995 update we have a drill n bass tune, a breakbeat tune, and a pair of trip hop tunes. If you don't know what drill n bass is, it's this specific form of drum n bass and/or jungle that is far more frenetic and created with an IDM type of mindset. People like Aphex Twin and Squarepusher are known for particularly excelling at it, but the great Luke Vibert makes it too, and he conjured up quite an adventure under his Wagon Christ moniker with his remix of 2 Player's "Extreme Possibilities." As a 7-minute song, this one starts out as a solid piece of nocturnal, boom-bappin' trip hop—with drums that sound like they may have been recorded live in-studio—but Luke soon grows tired of this idea and transitions fully into the drill n bass gist of things with something terrifically nutty that also seems to include sampled vocal scatting as well. Wondrously splattery madness. Originally appeared on the first of only two 2 Player releases, but then made its way onto legendary UK label Ninja Tune's Ninja Cuts: Flexistentialism comp in '96. Currently pushing 34,000 YouTube plays across a bunch of different uploads.

And then for one of those trip hop tunes, we have a song by a group from up in northeast England’s Newcastle Upon Tyne called Emperors New Clothes, whose quietly spiritual and flute-led “Dark Light” received a remix treatment from London’s Trevor Jackson, who would go on to become best known as Playgroup beginning in the early 2000s, but here, is operating under the moniker of Underdog. Jackson’s remix brings a level of murkiness to the tune, as he adds a purely vintage boom-bappin’ backbeat, a little xylo, some lonely, nocturnal trumpet, and then eventually his coup de grâce—purely wigged-out, acid-trippin’ electric guitar 🤘. In 1999, this remix would appear on French native Kid Loco’s excellent DJ-Kicks mix, and that specific version of it is the one that’s now on this playlist here, currently sitting at over 6,500 plays.

2 Player - "Extreme Possibilities (Wagon Christ Mix)" The Illuminati of Hedfuk - "The Worm Turns" Emperors New Clothes - "Dark Light (Underdog Mix)" Grantby - "Grimble"

And this playlist is also on YouTube Music.

So, this update brings us up to 14 songs that total 84 minutes. Next time I do an update for London '95, I may have a corresponding Spotify one too 🙏.

More London playlists for specific years:

1996: Spotify / YouTube / YouTube Music 1997: Spotify / YouTube / YouTube Music 1998: YouTube / YouTube Music 1999: YouTube / YouTube Music

And I'll have more from 90s electronic London next week too.

Enjoy!

More to come, eventually. Stay tuned!

Like what you hear? Follow me on Spotify and YouTube for more cool playlists and uploads!

[themaresnest-dumblr]

'Uh, To Steve Wright … Burn In Hell - FOREVER!' (Hang The DJ! Hang The DJ! Hang The DJ!)

Every Toy Dolls fan in the world has long waited for this day.

We don't forgive, and we don't forget.

Steve Wright was an atypical ultra-prick who believed if you weren't wearing the latest fashions and poodle haircuts you shouldn't be even allowed outside. Toadying to rich 'artists' and rich record labels, whilst using his platform on BBC Radio One (paid for by the general public via taxation) to sneer at every independent act on the block.

Lampooned by Viz Comic in Steve Wright and His Sycophantic Shite, the band The Smiths even tore the f**ker a new one on one of their biggest hits 'Panic!' when he started having a good at them largely because Steve Wright thought Morrissey was gay (a frequent running theme of this odious creep on his radio shows and TV appearences - at least until gay bashing because very 'uncool' upon the death of Freddie Mercury from AIDS).

What seemed to particularly annoy Wright and the rest of the London ivory tower set in the so-called 'affluent eighties' was acts daring to talk about like outside of tinseltown London. The world he wished would just go away - unless it was to clean his house or sell him a burger.

Much of the rest of the country, especially north of the Watford Gap, lived in poverty and squalor - the world bands like the Smiths and the Toy Dolls came from, and each in their own way sang about.

People like the Toy Dolls' 'Dougy Giro', about a young homeless man from Hendon, like so many in the north east at that time (and little has changed).

'You can't guess what life for Dougy is like, he wakes up in the street, No home, no bed, he says he's lucky That he can smile and be happy ...'

Wright's ire towards the Toy Dolls was due to their surprise Christmas 1984 double A-Side hit 'Nellie The Elephant' and especially 'Fisticuffs In Frederick Street' which lampooned Newcastle's Fosters Club - an atypical 'Meat Market' where youngsters on minimum wage wearing clothes they'd gone heavily into credit card debt for drunk overpriced 'designer' beers and cocktails because glossy magazines and celeb culture lied to them this is what they needed to do to become 'successful in life'

(Needless to say it didn't, and most who bought into that crap wound up broke and broken by their thirties).

'Fosters Club was full up to the brim. Everybody risking life and limb and just to go and pose at the disco but posing wasn't easy. and the D.J. he got queasy, blow by blow...'

The sort of lifestyle talentless pricks like Wright on fat BBC contracts cheerfully promoted as 'aspirational'.

Suffice to say, violence outside these clubs became increasingly prevailent from a heady combination of alcohol mixed with dreams vaporising in the cold realities of a nation where selfishness and shallowness had become increasingly prevailant.

Little wonder Morrissey retorted to Wright in 'Panic.'

'Burn down the disco, Hang the blessed DJ! Because the music that they constantly play, It says nothing to me about my life. Hang the blessed DJ! Because the music they constantly play ...

On the Leeds side streets that you slip down, Provincial towns you jog 'round,

"Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ!" '

And now this sevile sycophant, awash in his own self pity, has croaked it on the eve of the Toy Dolls latest world tour - bloody marvellous timing!

Good riddance, you sycophantic shite!

[tomsmusictaste]

Top 5 Alternative Nightclubs in the UK

Note: this is based entirely on my own experience and I have not been to every nightclub in the UK, alternative or otherwise.

5. The Cathouse - Glasgow

With three different floors catering to three different alternative styles - some pop-punk, some metal, some guilty pleasures - Cathouse has something for everyone if you're into the alternative and absolutely plenty of space to rock out in. In fact when there's no band performing, the raised stage area in the middle floor just becomes another part of the dancefloor, if you really wanna elevate your experience (ba-dum-dum-tsh).

4. Spiders - Hull

Looking for a touch of the gothic or grungy? Look no further than Hull's premiere rock club, Spiders. Glow in the dark spiders painted on the walls? Check! Metal cages shaped like spider-webs? Check! Metal, hard rock, punk and pop-punk? Check on all counts! But perhaps the most unique and iconic thing Spiders has to offer is it's signature cocktail - the Sweet Death. Containing Vodka, Southern Comfort, Peach Schnapps and Midori, topped up with a lemon and lime mixer, this bright green sweet melon drink comes in a pint glass, and for those who enjoy a good alcoholic drink, it's a must have if you're visiting this club.

3. Rise - Newcastle

Have you ever wanted to go to rock club that's right next door to a strip club? Rise has got you covered. Similar to Cathouse, it has three main areas, the main dancefloor having well-known alternative anthems, some more metalcore and deep-cuts on the upper floor, and then there's the wonderful outdoor area; far more than a simple smoking zone, the Terrace has plenty of shelter for if it rains, plays many guilty pleasures and classic rock anthems. And another unique drink to offer, at Rise you can get yourself a Firebucket: a Fireball Whiskey based drink which, yes, comes in a literal bucket. This was a frequent haunt of mine during my uni days and I will always remember the euphoria of spending my 23rd birthday here and Bohemian Rhapsody coming on in the Terrace literally the moment I turned 23.

2. The Key Club - Leeds

This one's the closest to home for me, both metaphorically and literally. It's just, literally the closest to where I live. While I will say I've found Friday nights here to be quite hit-or-miss, I don't think I've ever had a bad Saturday night in this place. It's not the biggest venue, but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in energy. Frequent occurrences include a spontaneous moshpit opening up beneath the DJ, the entire room bursting into song when Black Parade comes on, and certain people getting absolutely blasted and having an absolute blast (by "certain people" I may or may not mean me.) I'll admit it's not without it's flaws, but it's a place that feels like home to me. I've danced here, I've sung here, I've even bled here - and I'll happily do it all again. Plus, once you've finished screaming your lungs out, right across the road is not only a McDonalds, but also a Taco Bell - and as we all know, they never taste better than right after you've stumbled out of a club at 3am.

1. Satan’s Hollow - Manchester

So if Key Club is near where I live, and Rise is where I frequented during uni, why does Satan's Hollow take the top spot? Well, simply put, I think it's objectively better. I mean, you want a club that commits to it's aesthetic? Get a load of that great big devil statue looming over the DJ! The main room has a cool raised dancefloor in the middle, playing your more well known alternative anthems, but stay here long enough and the second room will open up! Depending on what day you're going, this will either be the heavier stuff, more metal and metalcore classics, or some golden gems from the pop-punk scene. There's plenty of space inside, 2 bars to get drinks from, the opportunity to mosh in the second room and did I mention how bad-ass that great big devil statue is!? The atmosphere in Satan's is always infectious, and going here is always a treat whenever I'm over in Manchester, so it gets a big thumbs up from me.

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Tørrfall

Photo by Iver Findlay

Tørrfall are a Norwegian trio who've been playing together since (at least) 2020, recorded their self-titled debut live in August 2021, but just released it this past March. Vocals and synthesizer are provided by Nils Erga (Noxagt, Burning Axis), bass by Kristoffer Riis (Golden Oriole, Staer), and drums by Thore Warland (Golden Oriole, Staer, Burning Axis). Dusted’s Ian Mathers summed up their self-described “psychedelic water music” as “a bad-trip, submarine cousin of the Necks’ Drive By.” Here, all three members talk about 10 releases that could have influenced the Tørrfall record.

Ivor Cutler and Linda Hirst — “Women of the World” (Rough Trade, 1983)

Nils: The Norwegian broadcasting company, NRK, used to have excellent radio DJs. I believe I only heard this song once upon release, and as a nine-year-old boy, I never caught who sang it, what it was called, or what the lyrics were all about. And then it was gone! But the impossibly catchy melody of the chorus – the song is essentially one single mantra-like, cascading chorus – never left me, and as I grew older, I would replay it in my head repeatedly, hundreds and hundreds of times. In 1999, Jim O'Rourke did a cover version, which I accidentally got to hear, and I was stunned. There it was again, finally! That song!  

Cocteau Twins — The Spangle Maker (4AD, 1984)

Nils: Growing up in the Stavanger region in the 1980s, the UK was never far away. Back then, you could hop on the ferry to Newcastle or fly directly to London or Aberdeen (you'd be there in an hour or so). My older sister brought this back from one of her trips to the Thatcher Empire. Back then, I loved all that 4AD stuff, but in hindsight, Cocteau Twins were the best of all the then-current acts she so generously introduced me to. And Elisabeth Fraser never sounded more lost, more gothic, more out-of-this-world than on this one (the Treasure LP that came out the same year is rather wonderful too). Dream pop, indeed.

Basic Channel et al. — Any 12" under any moniker (Basic Channel, 1990s)

Nils: I can't remember the first Basic Channel-related 12" that I heard, but I remember becoming instantly hooked – what is this sound? – so I started collecting everything I could find during those early days of the Internet. When listening to this music now, whether it's Main Street, Maurizio, Basic Channel or Rhythm & Sound (preferably loudly and on big speakers), I still feel like time is slowly dissolving. Or it bends and can no longer be trusted. And often, continuing down this path of truly psychedelic techno, I still find myself lost in the strangely lit woods of Wolfgang Voigt's late 90s GAS records, which are equally transcendental.

Steely Dan — Gaucho (MCA, 1980)

Nils: Hey Nineteen! I first heard this record in my early twenties, and back then, the whole Steely Dan vibe didn't appeal much, nor did it make much sense. But I knew they were named after a William Burroughs-invented "artefact", so I gathered there had to be something there. It turns out there was, in spades (check out Donald and Walter's open letters to celebrities whose careers they worry about for further reading). Anyway, Steely Dan is now my favourite band for watching waves roll by from the balcony, closely followed by early ZZ Top. And this is their magnum opus, in my humble opinion. The Royal Scam and Aja aren't far off, though.

Armando Sciascia — After the End (Suite For String Orchestra & Synthesizer) (Vedette Records, 1971)

Kristoffer: Armando Sciascia, the Abruzzese custodian of the whole-tone scale. While some of his output during the 60s and 70s is admittedly quite stylized with its particular and sometimes overstated tonality, this album strikes a balance between classical principle and impious mischief, while being texturally tantalizing with its fine Italian blend of acoustic and synthetic arrangements. A bit hard to come by, although some of the tracks were available on the 1972 compilation Infini alongside Fabio Fabor on the slightly more obtainable Musique Pour L'Image imprint.

Camille Sauvage — Fantasmagories (Editions Montparnasse 2000, 1974)

Kristoffer: In some ways, Camille Sauvage was a French counterpart to Armando Sciascia, but with a markedly different sense of melody all his own. Sauvage composed some richly decorated harmonic showpieces that characterize this period in his discography, either under his real name or one of several pseudonyms, notably Eric Framond—and the orchestration was almost always over-the-top with shrill Edda Dell'Orso-esque vocals and screeching brass that nearly couldn't contain itself. On Fantasmagories, however, he shows a more nocturnal and contemplative side, really damp and littered with fragments of this and that.

Marcos Valle — Vento Sul (Odeon, 1972)

Kristoffer: While there is no shortage of Brazilian contenders with Edu Lobo, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Os Mutantes and the lot, I regularly return to this one. It's Marcos Valle's best in my opinion, and there's not much more to be said about it. A really strong and playful MPB album.

Philip Glass — Music with Changing Parts for Ensemble (Chatham Square Editions, 1971)

Thore: The relentless electric organ stuff that Philip Glass did in the late 60s and early 70s I really like. This one is with saxophones, trumpet, violin, flutes and voices.

Boyd Rice — Boyd Rice (Mute, 1981)

Thore: Hysterical and also quite calming, the loops never get boring.

Ike Yard — Ike Yard (A Second) (Factory America, 1982)

Thore: Minimal and catchy, I love this one. Seems to be a timeless classic.

[rinksrollermagic]

Why Roller Discos for Hire Are the Best Choice for Your Celebration

Planning a memorable event requires thinking outside the box, and there’s no better way to add excitement than with a Roller Disco for Hire. Whether it’s a birthday, corporate event, or community gathering, roller discos provide a unique, nostalgic atmosphere that appeals to both kids and adults. In this blog, we’ll explore why roller discos are the perfect entertainment option for your next celebration and how they can transform any venue into a fun-filled party zone.

A Unique and Exciting Experience for All Ages

One of the key reasons Roller Discos for Hire are such a great choice is their ability to entertain guests of all ages. Whether you're hosting a children’s party or an adult-themed event, a roller disco brings people together in a fun, interactive way. The retro vibe of roller skating takes many adults back to their childhood, making it a perfect addition to a party where guests can reminisce while also getting in on the fun.

For younger guests, roller discos offer a chance to learn a new skill while enjoying the latest hits or their favorite throwback tunes. The versatility of roller discos makes them ideal for family events, school gatherings, or even team-building days.

Convenience with Mobile Roller Rinks

One of the biggest advantages of hiring a roller disco is the mobility of the rinks. Mobile Roller Rinks can be set up almost anywhere, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, turning your venue into an instant skating hotspot. This flexibility makes roller discos an attractive option for both small and large gatherings, as the rink can be customized to fit the space and the number of attendees.

For events across major UK cities like London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Cardiff, or Birmingham, a roller skating rink for hire ensures you don’t need to travel to a designated skating location — the rink comes to you! With a range of rink sizes and packages available, it’s easy to find one that fits your specific needs.

Tailored for Every Occasion

Whether you're planning a casual birthday party or a themed corporate event, a roller disco can be tailored to suit the occasion. Roller Rink Hire companies offer packages that include everything from DJ services, lighting, and roller skates to complete rink setup and takedown. You can choose to create a 70s-themed roller disco complete with disco balls and retro music, or keep it modern with a contemporary music playlist and neon lights.

For those looking to make their event stand out, the customization options are endless. Want to go all out for an adult party? Opt for a roller disco for adults, where you can create a fun, nostalgic atmosphere with a touch of elegance, perfect for milestone birthdays, anniversaries, or corporate team-building events.

Roller Discos for Every Location

No matter where your event is taking place, roller discos for hire are available across the UK, including popular cities like London, Liverpool, Newcastle, Cardiff, and Birmingham. By choosing to hire a mobile roller rink, you can host your event in unique spaces like community halls, school gyms, parking lots, or even outdoor spaces such as parks. The flexibility to bring the fun wherever you are makes roller discos a top choice for event planners and party hosts alike.

Options to Purchase or Hire

If you find that roller skating becomes a regular feature in your events, you may even want to consider purchasing a rink. Many companies offer Roller Rink Purchase options, giving you the flexibility to have a permanent or semi-permanent roller rink setup. This is ideal for businesses that frequently host large events or want to incorporate skating into their venue offerings.

On the other hand, for a one-time or occasional event, renting a roller disco is both cost-effective and hassle-free. With roller disco hire London services available, it’s easy to find a setup that fits your event size and style.

A Party Atmosphere Like No Other

There’s something about the combination of music, lights, and roller skates that makes a roller disco stand out from other party activities. It’s a unique way to bring people together and encourage social interaction. Whether it’s friends skating together or a group trying roller skating for the first time, the shared experience creates lasting memories.

If you’re looking for a fun, energetic, and highly engaging activity, roller discos are hard to beat. The lively atmosphere and continuous movement ensure that your event will be full of excitement from start to finish.

Why Choose Roller Discos for Hire?

Choosing a roller disco for hire gives you the chance to offer your guests an experience they won’t forget. Whether it's a family-friendly event or an all-out disco party for adults, roller skating brings joy, energy, and a sense of nostalgia that few other activities can match. Add in the convenience of mobile roller rinks, flexible hire packages, and the ability to host your event almost anywhere, and it's clear why roller discos have become a top choice for event planners in the UK.

For more information about how to book your roller disco or to see the available packages, visit www.roller-skate-rink-hire.com and start planning your unforgettable event today!

[markwatkinsconsumerguide]

Consumer Guide / No.134 / Stuart St Paul (Stuart Aikman) with Mark Watkins.

Broadcaster, Cruise Ship Crime Writer, Director, Stuart's represented by:

Book Stuart St. Paul | Speaker Agent (champions-speakers.co.uk)

Stuart St Paul Agent Public Speaking - Kruger Cowne

MW: How did you get cast in televisions Radio Phoenix, and tell me about your part?

SSP: Radio Phoenix - no one asks about that. You have either struck lucky or asked the best question I have ever been asked about my career. That TV show is never brought up. It is dwarfed by other shows, however, it is, as you so cleverly spot, the most important turning point of my career. Not that I knew it then.

I was a "sixties/seventies DJ" and desperate to be on the pirate ships. I loved radio. By about 1970, I was getting known and had spoken with Ken Evans about joining Radio Luxembourg (The Great 208!), but was still too young (16). As the seventies started, I was DJing at the Room At The Top club Ilford and was headhunted to Mecca (who ran nightclubs). By late 1971, I was the DJ at the Lyceum in the Strand and the Empire Leicester Square, probably two of the most important clubs in England back then. I didn’t join Luxembourg because the BBC offered me and a few other DJs the chance to be trained in radio.

I started with a residential course in Evesham (1973). I was meant to sleep in the almost WWII-like dormitory but I was AWOL every night speeding to London in my Mercedes 350SL to DJ for Mecca. After 3 months I was posted to BBC Broadcasting House London. I was 18/19.

As I sat in the backrooms of Radio 1 learning, I can remember Head of Radio 1, Doreen Davies, saying to me, "Don’t worry, you get there one day.” But the station took in two new faces from 208 and I realised that the BBC only employed stars. So I needed to leave to come back to get the breakfast show that both Tony Blackburn and Noel Edmunds had trained me for as I assisted them.

As 1975 broke and Capital started, the DJ’s at the United Biscuits Network (UBN) got poached by the new commercial station. I ended up doing the night shift at UBN after my day shift at Radio 1, and the clubs in the evening. 

I started the famous disco pub the Dun Cow in the Old Kent Road. That became my pre-Mecca pub gig. So, my day went, Radio 1 breakfast show, BBC staff shift over to the Dun Cow, 11pm off to Mecca, then after Mecca the night time show at UBN and straight back to Radio 1. Somehow it worked and I slept a bit at weekends.

When Mike Smith got the Radio 1 breakfast show I was gutted. I went from Metro Radio in Newcastle to Radio Orwell in Ipswich to be nearer to London, but I had missed that boat Mike was now sailing. 

Then came the call from Television South (TVS) about Radio Phoenix. It was like winning silver or bronze… all I knew was that it was not gold. 

I was asked to join as DJ "Dave Farrell" for four episodes over two weeks. It would not disturb my radio career too much so I took the challenge. My job was to be the radio DJ in vision, and teach the actors how to be real DJ’s because series one had failed to be real. I was scripted to be the DJ that Radio Phoenix was going to sack by episode 4.

MW: Was Radio Phoenix based on a current ILR (Independent Local Radio) station at the time, in whole or part?

SSP: They wanted it to be real but the first series was far from it. My job was to show them how to talk over the intro and hit the vocal, how to watch the clock, speak with the news reader while the song played, and take the cartridges out for adverts while filling in a PRS (Performing Rights Society) list as everything was manual.

I guess I did it pretty slickly, but then after ten years in radio with BBC training one would hope so. It appeared the other actors could not get real, so before the two weeks were out I was offered a series contract to be the real DJ that would make Radio Phoenix come to life. The problem was, the show was already dead. The first series had killed it, and series two was only being shown on parts of the network.

MW: Why do you think the series was short lived, apparently only reaching TV audiences in the south and south west of England?

SSP: One thing I hate is when actors in film or TV try to be news presenters, or pretend to be DJ’s. I see straight through it. Series one of Phoenix had killed the second series before it began, and I was there to give it CPR. 

It was also in a 5pm kids TV slot, but with adult themes, smoking and a complex entertainment industry which was neither kids nor adult. It needed more than CPR, the show needed a make-over.

However, I was learning fast about TV.

MW: Did Radio Phoenix try to rival the BBC TVs detective fiction drama, Shoestring (based on a fictional radio station in Bristol)?

SSP: No, that might have been nice, but we were on just after school. Grange Hill not Shoestring! Radio Phoenix was a confusing show and I was learning what it was like to produce for the ITV Network.

MW: Aside from Radio Phoenix, did you have/have you had any other involvement, specifically with TVS? 

SSP: Whilst at TVS I had approaches from some of the best acting agents, and I joined one. I was up for parts from Brush Strokes to presenting Basil Brush and Blue Peter. I played loads of parts on TV from Minder to period dramas but I hated acting, and I did not like the system of waiting to be called for work. That was never going to work for me. 

MW: Next...your radio times at Metro Radio and Radio Orwell... including playing the music...

SSP: I had joined Capitol Records at EMI in Manchester Square after leaving BBC Radio 1 & 2. Capitol wanted me to promote their artists around the country on the radio. I wanted to promote myself to new expanding radio stations growing around the country. The job expanded fast as I broke Mink DeVille with 'Spanish Stroll' and had six Radio 1 Records Of The Week in less months.

I joined Metro early 1978 to take over the breakfast show. That was part of my plan - to end up at Radio 1 on the breakfast show, but it failed. Newcastle was too far from London, and although I did tests to present a new TV show that was to be called The Tube, I was not right for that. I was breakfast not gritty. They made the right choice. 

So I moved from Metro to Radio Orwell to get back south. I was into Motown, soft rock, and pop.

A breakfast show DJ has to play popular hit records. I loved all music, but you don’t get to play album tracks or The Eagles in the morning. Plus, as soon as that record is playing you are working, talking with traffic & travel, news or the person from ‘traffic’ changing the advertising cassettes. I joined Orwell in 1979 and was probably there in some form for about three years.

Going back to the band, Mink DeVille, I spoke on the phone to Willy DeVille in New York shortly before he died. What a loss. I wanted to use a track of his in one of my movies. I had got a track from Bryan Adams and an REM song. He agreed and we chatted about the old days, but the co-writer, a German, tried to hold me to a financial ransom that I would not accept so it never got used. A huge talent, lost. My grand children were watching The Princess Bride and I said, "the guy singing that was a friend of mine". They just see me as granddad and have no conception how that would connect.

MW: You’re a man of many roles and much experience in the entertainment business, but what does a Stunt Arranger do?

SSP: Most people, including (unfortunately) many in the film industry, have no idea what Stunt Arrangers or Coordinators do. It would be a huge answer. From taking the script's ambition, explaining what the budget and location will allow, engaging the rewrite, then planning, booking safety, performers, having tech built, then producing the paperwork for the producer to show to insurers and lawyers. They design the stunt, the action. The Production designer then budgets and builds what they need, the insurers approve or disapprove, the employer chooses to take or not the risk and expense. All of this needs to be courtroom proof.

MW: What are your Top 5 memories/experiences that instantly come to mind…

SSP: 

1. Radio Phoenix because it changed my career. As friends said, "Video Killed the Radio Star". Mike Smith was not leaving the breakfast show so I needed a TV plan.

2. Juliet Bravo… a sleepy BBC TV show that I very quickly became a head of department on, Stunt Arranger, and I learned how BBC TV worked. When that detective show was canceled, the team, me included, just became the makers of a new show called Casualty.

3. The plane crash on Emmerdale. I was part of the bricks and mortar at Casualty and had a premium position as a Stunt Arranger at the BBC, but Emmerdale needed to destroy the village and have a huge event to change the show. They called me and I left Casualty and went north. I stayed as a consultant to Emmerdale for 26 years.

4. Being the Queen Alien for James Cameron in Aliens. I never studied my career, or thought the people I worked with were different, or had any idea how lucky I was or even time to count the spoils. It was how I grew up in the pop music industry and I went from job to job. Working with Micky Most as his brother David was my best buddy. Doing million dollar pop videos for Duran Duran or Elton John. I was just rushing between many, many jobs. Now I sit back I can see how crazy it was and how the dots joined up, but my insane work in 'Wild Boys' got me the A gig on Aliens.

5. The Krays - music and film again. I had met with a lot of villains (as you do working in west end night clubs) such as working at south London’s first disco pub, the Dun Cow in the Old Kent Road, and I met them all again while making this great movie.

I repeated my pop music and film combination with Bula Quo thirty years on. (Re-meeting them on Coronation Street was written in the cosmos, meant to happen. I was seconded by ITV to join "Corrie" from the sister soap in Leeds to handle the rock stars action performance in the soap and make them feel at home).

… and my career hadn’t even really started yet!

MW: You’ve worked with so many people, but tell me about just this one, comedian Alexei Sayle…

SSP: Wow, that’s left of field. I walked into BBC Light Entertainment as a Stunt Arranger on several comedy shows. I was a member of the Russ Abbott team, then Les Dennis, The Fast Show, and Alexei Sayle was another live TV comedy show (a show recorded with a live audience - I was used to working live having done ten years radio and presenting). More recently I went back and did two series of Mrs Brown's Boys for the BBC.

Alexei was tough. Funny and tough. He was a physical comedian that would walk through a door, crash a window and bounce. Few do… most read the script then look at me with an expression that says ….’and?’

He, like so many who make it, knew what worked and what he wanted.

MW: Record collector/radio producer Phil Swern has sadly passed away. Did you know him? If so, any particular memories…

SSP: Very much so. The first connection would have been at Bell Records, next door to RAK in Charles Street. After I joined the BBC he was producing Alan Freeman in the smoke filled studio Fluff had. I occasionally assisted on that show, and like working with all the masters, I was lucky to have had that one to one experience. 

MW: How did you meet your wife, Jean Heard?

SSP: While at Metro, I was cast as a guest in the local Panto (1978). She was the fairy. When she was heading back to London after the run, there was no way I was staying in Newcastle, as much as I loved it. We have been married 44 years and have two children, and now Luke has given us two grandchildren.

MW: After 50 years in TV & film, what does retirement look like to you and your wife Jean? Your daughter Laura is in the spotlight now, how?

SSP: I don’t miss the stress of the movie industry. I have always missed old-school radio and I now present shows in theaters talking about how to work consistently for fifty years plus in this mad industry and do it on your own terms. Remember, I have chosen the films I have made and chosen topics that stretched me. The sex trade, incest, body part smuggling (although that got rewritten into a comedy)… 

Both my kids have become stars. Luke left acting to go into the business world, and Laura is currently filming with my mate Sean Bean in a crime series. You will see a lot of her this autumn. 

I am lucky. I have learned to slow down and I now have seven crime novels out and am writing the eighth. I tour the world on cruise ships, invited to talk about my first book, Cruise Ship Heist, and a career in A-list entertainment.

On the ships I sometimes fill a theatre akin to a modern West End Theatre with 1000+. I work theatres and conference venues where corporates talk health and safety and all sorts go on.

I love meeting people, talking of the old days as they all remember a favourite show. I am treated very well, fed lavishly, and occasionally drink Carling Black Label. 

Cruise Ship Heist will be a series or a movie one day.

Cruise Ship Heist: Cruise Ship Crime Investigators (CSCI Cruise Ship Crime Investigators Book 1) eBook : St Paul, Stuart, Withington, David, Heard, Jean, Aikman, Laura: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

I've just celebrated my 70th birthday with friends and family. In fact, I interviewed The New Seekers at The Party In The Park at the Tyneside Summer Exhibition in 1978, and here I am, in 2024, still great friends with Marty Kristian.

Where did it all go wrong?! LOL

Stuart St Paul - was the Queen Alien in Aliens - Cruise Doris Visits

Stuart St Paul (@stuartstpaul) / X

(c) Mark Watkins / September 2024

[qnewsau]

Meet the man behind Brisbane's new queer bar Come to Daddy

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/meet-the-man-behind-brisbanes-new-queer-bar-come-to-daddy/

Meet the man behind Brisbane's new queer bar Come to Daddy

Billerwell Daye the owner of the new queer bar Come to Daddy, spoke to QNews about the new venture on Brisbane’s southside.

When walking into Brisbane’s new LGBTQIA+ venue, you’re greeted with a large neon “Daddy” sign above the door. There’s no mistaking which bar you’re at. 

Welcoming me at the front counter for our chat was Billerwell, the owner. He was wearing a black polo shirt and large black glasses while sporting a long beard with his arms covered in tatts. 

He isn’t the stereotypical “scene queen”, so I wanted to know why he decided to get into the business of opening up a queer bar. 

“Oh, it started a long time ago, started when I had my old bar John Mills Himself in the city,” he tells me. 

“So in the process of kind of winding that one down and doing another one, I basically wanted to feel comfortable behind the bar. It just meant that I could be at home and ease here, being an older man in a young hospitality kind of world.”

Finding the right place on Montague Road in West End took him around 18 months, with his main focus being the south side of Brisbane.

“We were predominantly looking around West End as there’s a bit of a hole on this side of the river. This just had the right vibe and there wasn’t really much over this side catering for the community,” he says. 

How queer is the venue?

Despite having a name like Come to Daddy it’s always good for the LGBTQIA+ community to know it’s a safe space for them, so I ask how he would describe the venue. 

“It’s an inclusive space, so I would say it is a queer venue but it’s not exclusively queer. We want the local community to be here. Whether they are a part of the rainbow family or not but it is for the queer community,” he explains.

“Being a gay man as well I wanted to feel comfortable and have somewhere for my friends to go because I have a lot of friends that were kind of discussing ‘Oh, I wish we had something else in Brisbane.’” 

The venue has got off to a great start with weekends particularly busy with drag nights and DJ sets. Throughout the week there is also live music, karaoke and a kitchen open at all times. 

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Come to Daddy, Brisbane (@cometodaddy_brisbane)

Fabulous branding

The set-up works well for entertainment with a great view from every spot inside the bar. The stage itself has a backdrop of a fabulous stained glass window of the Come to Daddy branding. 

I ask where the branding came from and he tells me a French illustrator friend created it a few years ago and he took inspiration from it.

Although not his design, Billerwell himself created the stained glass window after completing a course and making it over four months under his house. An impressive feat!

Punters can also purchase merchandise from the bar with the illustration. 

  View this post on Instagram

  A post shared by Come to Daddy, Brisbane (@cometodaddy_brisbane)

Future hopes

I finished our chat by asking what he hopes in both the long and short term for the venue. 

“Long term want to be here for as long as I possibly can. Short term, just to be embraced by the community as we have been so far and able to host great nights and be a social club and safe space for the community.”

Follow Come to Daddy on Instagram @cometodaddy_brisbane 

Read next:

Sporties’ Neil McLucas honoured for hosting decades of drag

Meet Steven Fahd: The man behind Gold Coast’s new queer venue

Bernie’s Bar is Newcastle’s first LGBTQIA+ space in five years

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[wedding-djhire]

Elevate Your Events with Premier DJ Services in Sydney, Newcastle, and Beyond

When planning an event, whether it's a magical wedding or a high-profile corporate gathering, the choice of entertainment can profoundly influence the atmosphere and the memories your guests take home. For those looking to create unforgettable experiences in Sydney, Newcastle, Hunter Valley, Northern Beaches NSW, and surrounding areas, our DJ services at Wedding DJ Hire Sydney stand out as the beacon of premium entertainment.

Wedding DJ Hire in Sydney: Crafting Your Perfect Day

The role of a DJ at a wedding goes beyond just playing music. They set the tone from the ceremony's quiet, poignant moments to the reception's lively dance floor. In Sydney, a city known for its vibrant culture and picturesque venues, our DJs are experts at tailoring their playlists and interactions to match the theme and spirit of your wedding. Whether your style is elegantly traditional or distinctly modern, our DJs ensure that the musical backdrop complements every moment perfectly.

For those celebrating their nuptials in scenic locations like the Northern Beaches or the lush landscapes of the Hunter Valley, our DJs are adept at navigating the unique acoustic dynamics these venues often present. They bring state-of-the-art equipment to ensure that whether you are by the beach or in a vineyard, the sound quality is impeccable.

Corporate Event DJ Hire: Setting the Professional Tone

Corporate events require a different touch – they must balance professionalism with festivity. Our DJs are experienced in reading the room and selecting music that enhances networking and enjoyment without overwhelming the event's purpose. Be it a festive Christmas party, a sleek product launch, or an elegant awards ceremony in Sydney or Newcastle, our DJs help reinforce your corporate identity with music that resonates with your brand values and the event's objectives.

Coverage Areas: Bringing the Beat to You

At Wedding DJ Hire Sydney, we are proud to serve a broad area, ensuring that top-tier entertainment is never too far away. Our coverage extends through bustling Sydney, the historic beauty of Newcastle, the celebrated vineyards of the Hunter Valley, and the serene beaches of Northern NSW. Each region has its charm and requirements, and our DJs are well-versed in adapting to various settings and audience types.

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[whatsonmedia]

Thursday Thrill: Week's Epic Event Experiences Await

Welcome to Thursday Thrill, your go-to guide for epic event experiences! Get ready for an exhilarating journey filled with pulsating beats, mind-blowing music, and captivating art. In this edition, we'll uncover the wonders of Kingsland Festival, Mayday Festival Dortmund, and the Big North Tattoo Show. Whether you're a dance music enthusiast or an art lover, these events have something extraordinary in store for you. Join us as we explore the thrilling experiences that await you. Let's dive in! Kingsland Festival: The Ultimate Dance Music Extravaganza in the Netherlands 27 Apr Kingsland Festival, the largest one-day dance music festival in the Netherlands. With multiple stages and a lineup of international artists and home-grown talent, this festival promises an unforgettable experience for music lovers. A Festival Like No Other Kingsland Festival is a non-camping event, making it convenient for globetrotting festival-goers. Located in a special setting, the festival offers plenty of accommodation options nearby, allowing you to drop off your bags and fully immerse yourself in this European city festival extravaganza. Thrilling Performances and Massive Celebrations At Kingsland Festival, you can expect massive stage productions and all the thrills that the Netherlands has to offer. This year, the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, coinciding with the King's birthday. Get ready for one huge, massive celebration rave to the grave! A Stellar Lineup The lineup for Kingsland Festival is nothing short of spectacular. Prepare to dance the day away to the beats of renowned global DJs such as Martin Garrix, Nicky Romero, COONE, Rebellion, Warface, Thomas Newson, Adrenalize, Hard Driver, Kris Kross Amsterdam, and many more. This year's lineup is set to make history with an incredible showcase of talent. Join the Party Don't miss out on this incredible festival experience. Get your clogs on and be part of the Kingsland Festival on April 27th. For tickets and more information, visit the official website Mayday Festival Dortmund: A Techno Music Extravaganza 30 Apr Get ready to dive into the heart of techno music at Mayday Festival Dortmund. This legendary festival has been hosting its famous techno raves for over 25 years, attracting hardcore techno lovers from around the globe. A Techno Lover's Paradise Mayday Festival Dortmund is a one-day festival that caters specifically to hardcore ravers and techno enthusiasts. Moreover this massive stage production setups, this event promises an over-the-top music indulgence that is not for the faint-hearted. Hence, prepare yourself for a mind-blowing celebration that will leave you raving about your best life. A Phenomenal Lineup The lineup for Mayday Festival Dortmund is nothing short of extraordinary. Featuring techno superstar DJs from across the world, including Marco Bailey, Charlotte De Witte, Dave Clarke, Adam Beyer, Anime, Pan-Pot, and many more, this festival guarantees a pure techno gold experience that will keep you dancing all night long. A Long-Standing Tradition Mayday Festival Dortmund has a rich history and has amassed half a million fans over the years. This year's celebration promises to be off the charts, attracting one of the biggest crowds yet. If you're a techno lover, this festival is a must-visit and worthy of a road trip to Dortmund, Germany. Join the Techno Movement Experience the magic of Mayday Festival Dortmund on April 30th at Westfalenhallen Dortmund. For tickets and more information, visit the official website Big North Tattoo Show: A Celebration of Body Art 27 - 28 Apr If you're a massive lover of body art, the annual Big North Tattoo Show is the perfect event for you. Now in its 6th year, this show is set to be the biggest of its kind ever seen in the North East. A Tattoo Lover's Paradise Taking place at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle Upon Tyne, the Big North Tattoo Show offers a full-on entertainment experience for tattoo enthusiasts. Alongside over 300 elite tattoo artists from around the world, attendees can enjoy music acts, comedy performances, refreshments, a retro games arcade, art galleries, tattoo competitions, awards, and a lifestyle market. Get Inked by the Best The Big North Tattoo Show provides a unique opportunity to get inked by highly skilled artists. With a wide array of designs and styles, you can leave your mark with a masterpiece of artwork on your skin. However if you're looking to add to your existing collection or get your first tattoo, this event is a one-of-a-kind experience. Join the Tattoo Community Don't miss the Big North Tattoo Show on April 27th-28th at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle Upon Tyne. For tickets and more information, visit the official website FAQs - When and where is the Mayday Festival Dortmund held?  The Mayday Festival Dortmund takes place on 30th April at Westfalenhallen Dortmund, Germany. - What can I expect at the Big North Tattoo Show?  The Big North Tattoo Show offers a unique experience with over 300 elite tattoo artists, live music, comedy performances, and a lifestyle market. - How can I purchase tickets for these events?  Tickets for Kingsland Festival, Mayday Festival Dortmund, and Big North Tattoo Show can be bought on their respective websites. Read the full article

[grantgoddard]

Stoking the star-maker machinery behind the popular song : 1980 : Kate Bush, EMI Records & Metro Radio

 “I’m SO sorry,” I grovelled to the petite musician on whose foot I had just accidentally trodden. We were stood side-by-side in the record library – my ‘office’ – of local commercial station ‘Metro Radio’ in Newcastle. Kate Bush was kindly autographing several copies of the new album she was visiting to promote, which were about to be awarded as competition prizes to listeners. She had just been interviewed live on-air by one of the station’s daytime presenters and was soon to be whisked away by car to visit yet another local station somewhere across the country.

I had been basking in a brief moment of hit-picking glory, feted by Bush’s record company ‘EMI Records’ for having simultaneously added two singles by singer Sheena Easton (‘Modern Girl’ and ‘9 to 5’) to the station’s ‘current hits’ playlist, the shortest list of any UK station following my radical overhaul of its music policy, guaranteeing substantial airplay for the label’s newest rising star. Relationships with record companies were always a rollercoaster ride. Months later, after I had refused to add Queen’s ‘Flash’ single to the playlist, on the grounds that it sounded more an advertising jingle than a proper song, EMI declined to offer further artist interviews and stopped supplying the station with its new releases altogether (requiring me to drive to the nearest record shop with a weekly shopping list). Bribery, blackmail and boycotts were widespread music industry practices.

After having first heard Bush’s debut single ‘Wuthering Heights’ on John Peel’s evening ‘BBC Radio One’ show two years previously, I had loved her 1978 debut album ‘The Kick Inside’ for its clever arrangements of smart songs with unexpectedly frank subject matter. I had considered the same year’s follow-up ‘Lionheart’ rather insubstantial comparatively and over-theatrical. After a two-year wait, the next album ‘Never For Ever’ was a return to form with a more diverse song list and extensive use of brand-new Fairlight sampler technology invented in 1979. Bush had visited ‘Metro Radio’ to promote this album’s release in September, after three singles extracted from it (‘Breathing’, ‘Babooshka’ and ‘Army Dreamers’) had already reached 16, 5 and 16 respectively in the UK charts.

After a further two-year wait, fourth album ‘The Dreaming’ was a revelation with songs referencing even more startling subject matter, produced in a dense soundscape that was the aural equivalent of Brion Gysin’s and William S Burroughs’ ‘cut-up’ techniques, interlacing samples, sound effects and dialogue from the Fairlight (think 1973’s analogue ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ on digital steroids). I have always been intrigued by its track ‘Suspended in Gaffa’ as an incredibly outspoken criticism of EMI Records on an album released by … EMI.

This was by no means the first occasion that musicians had criticised their record company within their recordings. During the 1970’s, I recall several reggae artists obliquely criticising Jamaican producer Joe Gibbs for his sharp ‘business practices’ (eventually Gibbs’ business was bankrupted after prosecution in the US for stealing songwriter royalties). Closer to home, reggae DJ ‘Prince Far I’ criticised British company ‘Charisma Records’ explicitly in his track ‘Charisma’ (credited to collective ‘Singers & Players’) after his 1981 deal to release three albums (‘Showcase In A Suitcase’, ‘Sign Of The Star’ and ‘Livity’) on its ‘PRE’ label had been soured by negligible sales. Part of its lyrics were:

“I see no idea in your place, Charisma. […] Wipe them out, Jah!”

Prince Far I also made a recording to criticise Britain’s ‘Virgin Records’ which had released three of his albums (‘Message From The King’, ‘Long Life’ and ‘Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Part 2’ in 1978-1979 on its ‘Frontline’ label), but which had then rejected a further finished album he had delivered. In a track inevitably entitled ‘Virgin’, he rapped:

“You call yourself [Richard, Virgin co-founder] Branson but I know that Branson is a pickle with no place on my plate. You call yourself [Simon, co-founder] Draper but I know draper is known to cover human bodies. You see ‘Frontline’, I see barbed wire. Opportunity to make big money. Irie, Jumbo [Vanreren, Frontline A&R manager]. I won’t forget you take the master tape and hang it up on your shelf. Music has no place in a gallery.”

This ‘lost’ album was finally released in 1998 [Pressure Sounds PSLP18], long after Prince Far I (and his wife) had been tragically murdered in Jamaica in a 1983 house break-in. In 1992, Virgin Records was acquired for a reported £560m by EMI Records which, returning to our story, had signed sixteen-year-old Kate Bush in 1975 to a four-year contract after hearing her three-song demo tape, paying a £3,000 advance. In 1976, Bush created her own company, Novercia Limited (Latin for ‘she who is new’), that she and her family alone controlled in order to manage her career and maintain the copyrights in her recordings and songs.

From the initial contract’s expiry in July 1979, Bush could finally renegotiate a replacement EMI contract which would allow Novercia to retain the copyright (instead of EMI) and henceforth lease her recordings to EMI for release. At that time, it was unusual for such a young artist to insist upon taking control of their career from their record company, particularly when it was as globally huge as EMI. Bush no longer wanted to be contractually required to do promotional tours, such as her visit to Metro Radio, and she was insisting upon complete artistic control. I imagine that these negotiations between opposing lawyers sat around expansive tables in bare conference rooms on an upper floor of EMI headquarters in Manchester Square (immortalised on The Beatles’ 1963 debut album cover photo) must have been tense and lengthy, particularly for twenty-one-year-old Bush.

Not only would these contractual back-and-forth’s have delayed the release of new recordings, but the inordinate time they must have consumed would have eaten into Bush’s ability to compose and record. During this period, Bush’s musical creativity would frustratingly have been put on hold by the ‘red tape’ of legal negotiations, alluded to in the song’s title (‘gaffa’ being a reference to ‘gaffer tape’, the all-important ‘WD40’-like fix-all of musicians in studios and on tour). At the same time, EMI was demanding to hear proof of Bush’s new material to ensure it was sufficiently commercially marketable to guarantee another 'hit' single. Her song ‘Suspended in Gaffa’ starts:

“They’ve told us that, unless we can prove that we’re doing it, we can’t have it all. EMI want it all.”

Except that the ‘E’ from ‘EMI’ must have been removed from the mix, either upon EMI lawyers’ insistence or upon the recommendation of Bush’s legal team. Only once you re-imagine that ‘E’ does the song make perfect sense in terms of record label/artist contractual disputes. The role of Bush’s lawyer in the negotiations is referred to:

“He’s gonna wrangle a way to get out of it [the initial EMI contract that had included renewal options].”

The impact of the tedious negotiations upon Bush’s creativity and the impatient EMI’s demands to hear her new songs are referenced in the chorus:

“Suddenly my feet are feet of mud. It all goes slo-mo [slow motion]. I don’t know why I’m crying. Am I suspended in gaffa [caught up in ‘red tape’]? Not ‘til I’m ready for you [EMI] can you have it all [my new recordings].”

EMI (then) managing director Bob Mercer later confirmed that Bush had burst into tears during their business meetings. The record company’s patronising response to her demands is referred to in the lines:

“… that girl in the mirror. Between you and me, she don’t stand a chance of getting anywhere at all. Not anywhere. No, not a thing. She can't have it all.”

If Bush had not successfully agreed a new contract with EMI, it might have been threatening that she would be jeopardising her future success. I had witnessed the blackmail tactics of EMI in my job at Metro Radio. The significance of concluding these negotiations successfully was imperative for Bush, and she noted the impact it would have on her finally taking total control of her destiny:

“Mother, where are the angels? I’m scared of the changes.” (Bush’s mother appears briefly in the video, comforting her.)

The key to understanding the song’s theme is to recognise that the most telltale line “EMI want it all” was sung eleven times. Record companies almost inevitably want to have their cake and eat it simultaneously, regardless of the fallout for their own artists. Why else would EMI have refused to send its new record releases to Metro Radio if it was not prepared to cut off its nose to spite its face?

If all this speculation sounds farfetched, you have to ask why EMI was happy to license ‘Suspended in Gaffa’ to its partners for release as a single in European countries, but did not similarly release the song as a single in the UK? Would its London executives want to hear a track played on the radio every day that they knew obliquely criticised their own business strategies? As a result, this excellent song languished as a little played album track in Bush’s homeland. Perhaps that was the company men’s notion of ‘revenge’.

At the time of its release in 1982, I was barely watching television so had missed the video for this song, written and directed by Bush herself. Viewing it more than forty years later, I hoped to find hidden references to ‘EMI’ in the visuals. It looks as if Bush (“wearing a designer straightjacket,” interjected my wife) has been kidnapped and locked in a boarded-up wooden shed alongside huge chains and large wheels of (the music?) industry. Outside a huge (legal?) storm is blowing, from which she cannot escape, despite kicking up dust but running nowhere. Is that what it felt like to be under contract to EMI?  Bush was always far too subtle to provide explicit messaging that would explain her songs. Perhaps I am missing something she communicates via her animated hand movements? In one brief section of the video, wrists apparently bound in gaffer tape, Bush tumbles head-over-heals through the vacuum of galactic space, maybe a visualisation of her feelings in the midst of lengthy legal wranglings. Prior to that, the video portrays her 'head in the clouds’, perhaps how she had sensed her initial teenage success with EMI.

As I discovered from my own job at Metro Radio, EMI want it all. Perhaps that is why I felt I understood Bush’s message within ‘Suspended in Gaffa’ from my first listen. It remains a truly remarkable song.