Restoring my faith in the power of live music to heal the soul

 What were you doing on Saturday night? Me? I was doing a gig at the Builders Arms in New Barnet with my band, The False Dots. For me, live music is like oxygen. It keeps you alive. You may not be technically dead if you don't get your fill of live music, but what is life with no fun and for me, there is no better form of fun than watching a great band live. Best live gigs I've seen? The Ramones, The Dickies, The Specials, Toots and The Maytells, The Family Stone, Chic, Smokey Robinson, Wire, The Potato five, Madness, The Beat, 999, The Vibrators, to name but a few off the of my head. Having seen gigs from both sides of the microphone,  why do I love live music so much?

Saturday night was the 121'st gig I've done with the band in a career spanning 46 years, so you may wonder if I've got sick of doing gigs yet? The simple answer is that I've actually never really enjoyed doing gigs as much as I am right now. When we started as teenagers in the 1970's, it was brilliant, but we were filled with testosterone, angst and chemical additives and we were mostly unable to really enjoy the moment. We were too busy wondering whether record labels had shown up to sign us, whether the girls we liked thought we were good and often we were in no fit state to appreciate the moment. Some of the gigs were brilliant and I have great memories of the era, but there are few moments when we were playing that I really remember enjoying. Two that stand out were when we played Dingwalls in 1984. We were really at the top of our game and when you are playing a proper venue and the whole place roars at the end of your final song it is a massive buzz. We knew the industry were there and so the band were on our best behaviour and we knew we'd smashed it. The other gig that stands out was when we played Pub Bastun in Aland in 1982, a Finnish protectorate in the Baltic sea. The audience went wild and were dancing on tables. There were no industry there, we were just playing to enjoy ourselves and clowning around, having fun. I think that gig was us at our very best and it took me a long time to recognise that this was how we should treat gigs. In truth, I was far too uptight about music in the first incarnation of the False Dots from 1979-1990. 

When we got back together in 2000, it was initially just to 'record the old numbers for posterity'. Our bassplayer Paul Hircombe was reluctant. he didn't really want the intense stress and pressure that the band had been. He just wanted to enjoy his music. I'd changed and we started playing. Unlike the first incarnation, the aim wasn't a deal and mega fame, it was just to enjoy playing our music. 

It took us a couple of years to gig, mostly because we were not that motivated. When we did, it was amazing. What was odd was that we'd not really planned to gig at all. The death of Ernie Ferebee and the organisation of a benefit gig for him spurred us. The set was all old material. It hadn't even occurred to me to write new stuff. The reaction blew us away. We spent a nearly a decade plodding along doing a couple of local gigs a year. I wrote a few new tunes, which TBH weren't very good. Then Paul left the band and Connie Abbe joined. Connie should've been a superstar, she is one of the best vocalists I've ever seen and to work with her was a pleasure. She got a gig as a backing singer with an internationally famous rapper, playing at Barack Obama's inauguration. Sadly this left no time for us!

The band went into a mini hiatus, until the Friern Barnet Library campaign reached its climax and occupy needed a band to play the key handover party. I hurriedly reached out to our singer from 1985, Allen Ashley, who is also an author and poet and asked him if he could do a one off gig. We recruited former False Dots drummer Gray Ramsey on drums and Fil Ross on bass. To cut a lng story short, Allen stayed on until the pandemic. We did a selection of local gigs, which were fun.

The pandemic changed everything. We all re-evaluted ourselves to some degree. Gray lost his son to suicide in January 2021. Allen couldn't commit to rehearsals and I felt that it was vital to get Gray engaged with the band. I wanted to take the band right back to our early roots, playing a mixture of ska, punk and reggae. Not having a vocalist forced me to take up vocal duties. To make this work, I decided to write songs in the only style I can really  pull off, and pay homage to the late, great Ian Dury. I started writing lyrics with the sole intention of trying to make Gray laugh. As to the musical structure, I realised that as my vocal style is so limited, the arrangement and structure had to be complimentary. This forced me to write better musical arrangements than I had for a very long time. I had no idea whether it would actually work. I had this fear that everyone would simple laugh at me and say "God, the singer is awful". 

Our first gig, at the Mill Hill Music Festival, supporting Alan Warner at The Adam and Eve was a really stressful gigs for me. At the end, I was amazed at the response. The audience loved it. In the early days of the False Dots, after Pete Conway left, I used to sing a few songs and a couple of promoters had complimented my Dury-esque style, but I'd not taken them seriously and I didn't enjoy singing. Now I realise that this was a massive mistake. I was able to play the material I wanted in the way I wanted and people love it. We started working on an album. A chance conversation with Tom Hammond, a fellow Hadley FC fan, who plays trumpet, resulted in Tom joining the band in late 2023. Initially I asked Tom to play some trumpet on a couple of recordings. As soon as Tom started playing with us, it was clear that we had discovered the magic formula! As Tom can sing pretty well, we have also roped him in to do the vocals on some of the material that my voice doesn't suit. It has given us another string to the bow. 

In this most recent line up, there have been bumps on the road. In 2023, I was told I needed surgery to remove a cancerous prostate gland. This derailed a few plans. I had the operation in August 2023. We had a gig scheduled for The Dublin Castle in September. I asked the consultant if I should do it. He said "Well if you are mad you may want to". That was good enough for me! God help me, I am 62, why would anyone be so stupid? Because I believe music heals the soul. There really is no downside to great music. You just listen, dance and enjoy yourself. In sport, there are winners and losers. In love, there are broken hearts. If you go to see a live band, you will see something totally unique. The Universe is 14 billion years old and you are at a single moment that has never happened before and will never happen again. You are in the moment. 

I believe that music heals the soul. When Gray was at his lowest following Daniels passing, we had a rehearsal. Afterwards Gray told me that it was the first moment since the awful tragedy that he had respite from the dark thoughts. That was when I realised we were on the right path. No one knows what is around the corner. On Saturday, we had an absolute blast. The venue was packed and everyone was having a hoot. In the Christian tradition, on  judgement day, it is said we stand before St Peter and account for ourselves. When I am asked what I did with my life, I will say "I think I put a smile on a few people's faces and made their lives a little bit better for just a short time". On Saturday night a lovely young lady came up to me after we played. She said "I just wanted to thank you, I've been going through a rotten time recently. I saw that there was a free Ska night here, I've made a half of lager last all night, and had a brilliant time. Thank you so much". It was an affirmation that I needed. 

I've expended a lot of words here, to say something really simple. I beleive that live music has the power to heal the soul that nothing else had. From the earliest days, when people sat around fires chanting, beating drums and dancing to the Builder Arms on Saturday night, we all need to feel happy. When I was an angry young man, I used to want to change the world. Now all I really want to do is put a smile on people's face. If I could save the world I would, but I'll have to settle for doing it one smile at a time. Anyway, here's a little clip of what we got up to.

So how does a music pub work?

A couple of weeks ago, I was speaking with one of the local publicans in High Barnet. He had put on a live band and the turnout was rather poor. He was asking whether I thought that putting on music was a good idea. I actually get asked this quite a lot. People who are unfamiliar with the way music works, often think that if they put a band on, lots of people will turn up, they will have a great nght and the pub will make lots of money. The truth is rather more complex. Firstly, you need the right genre of music for the pub.  Oddly you can have two similar pubs, next door to each other and music will work amazingly in one, but in the other, it won't. If a pub is going to get into music, if they want to do well, they need a clear strategy. There are three popular models. all of which work well.

The first is the proper music pub, which has a proper stage, lights, a sound engineer, a promoter and employs decent bands that want to be paid. Punters are charged an entrance fee.  To do that, you need a proper business plan and some serious investment. Many such pubs provide equipment for the band, if required, which negates the hassle of getting gear in and costs of ULEZ etc. If you do it well, it can transform your pub. My band has a residency at The Dublin Castle in Camden, which does rather well being a music pub. We get paid for our efforts, the promoter makes money and the pub is full. In the case of the Dublin Castle, the pub has hosted music for decades and has a pedigree. When lockdown hit and the Dublin Castle's future was at risk, music lovers from the Madness fan club community put their hands in their pockets to keep the pub going. That is how loved it is. Generally, the landlords of such pub have a commitment to the local music scene and understand the dynamics of it.

The second model is where the pub has space and regularly puts on bands on various nights, in the main bar, free of charge. The band generates extra turnover and the band gets paid out of profits of extra beer sales. Typically to pay a band £250 the pub would expect to sell maybe £1,400 worth of extra drinks. That's a couple of hundred pints at £7.50 a pint, so you'd need 50 punters having four pints to cover the band fee. A five piece band would be putting £50 each in their pocket. They'd be expected to bring equipment, such as a PA system and backline (drums, amps, etc). There are some great examples of pubs that do this well. The Wishing Well in Edgware have built up a loyal following doing all manner of such gigs. Again, the landlords of pubs operating this model are generally music lovers who enjoy helping musicians get heard. Arrangements are usually a little less formal.

The Third model, is more sporadic, but they put music on more sporadically and the pub is not primarily known as a music pub. Sometimes, this involves using a function room and working with promoters for certain nights. Some publicans see music as a thing for quieter nights. Many Jazz clubs etc, run on Sunday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings, when the pub would otherwise be quiet. Often the publican will let the promoter use the space for free and let them keep any cash that is generated. Some pubs start this way, then get a bit greedy when they see successful promoters making a decent bit of cash. They don't see the work that a decent promoter has to put in. They also forget that the reason they got music in was because the pub was empty. It tends to be a cash driven thing for the landlords, who don't really have a passion for live music, but want more punters through the door.

To run a successful music pub, the landlord needs to either understand the way all of this works, or have someone on the team who does. Building a pub up to the status of the Dublin Castle either takes years or a lot of cash to build a profile. Having said that, music can transform the fortunes of a pub in a short time, if it is managed properly. A great example of this was The Chandos Arms in Colindale, which put music on fairly regularly, with Jazz on a Sunday Lunchtime and a folk night on a Monday and other regular events at the weekend. The former Landlady took a failing pub and transformed it to an award winning community pub. She was a musician and also had experience of music promotion, so had the right CV to do this.

The Bohemia in Finchley is also doing well hosting a Jazz night put together by the rather wonderful Jazz musician Ed Bentley. Being a well respected Jazz musician gives Ed access to some great musicians and this is a sure way to build an audience.

Another great little music bar is The Boogaloo in Highgate. This has all sorts of different events, comedy, quiz's etc. I rather like the Gospel brunch on a Sunday, featuring Americana style bands. The bar is owned my music royalty, with the Pogues having a hand. 

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As someone who has promoted and played my fair share of gigs, most recently with the Mill Hill Music Festival, I have seen frst hand how both good and bad pub gigs are operated. I am always shocked at how rude and unpleasant some pubs can be to artists. I recall turning up to one gig at the appointed time, to be told that there was an 'overrunning' Irish wake and that we couldn't set up until they had stopped boozing. Later the landlord haggled about paying us as we'd not played for the agreed time, as he hadn't let us. Sadly, that pub is no longer open. Generally venues that look after artists, tend to generally be more successful.

If you are looking to put music on, there are certain rules that I think are worth following.

1. Pick a  genre of music that is suitable for the venue and the area. Make sure it is compatible with the patrons of the pub.

2. Work out how much you want to invest in music. Having in house gear (that works) makes putting on music easier. You will also need to invest in promoting the music. Work out how you will pay the bands and what is a reasonable number to break even etc. 

3. Don't expect it to be an overnight success. It can take a while to build up a reputation. 

4. When you engage a band, you get what you pay for, unless you get lucky with a young and up and coming band. If you engage artists that aren't particularly brilliant, don't be surprised if the reaction is lukewarm.

5. When you are engaging bands/artists, try and envisage what sort of audience will show up for them. If they contact you, ask to see live footage of gigs. Don't be too worried about poor sound quality, phones do not produce studio quality recordings. Do however see how they engage with the audience. If there is no audience to engage with, that might tell you a lot about the band.

6. Keep an eye out on what else is happening on nights you put music on. If there is an important football match, etc. This may affect the size of the crowd. You really need to understand the audience and what makes them tick to be a successful promoter.

7. Don't be disheartened if you have a bad night. We all do. DO however try and work out what went wrong.

8. Be aware that bands rarely have any real clue as to how many people will come and see them. You are the promoter and it is your job to get people down, if you are doing it properly.

Putting on music can be a very rewarding experience. If you do it well, you can make some cash doing it, although to get to the Harvey Goldsmith league of multi millionaire promoter is as hard as being the next Rolling Stones. It is primarily something you do because you love it, if you can make a living then all the better.

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And whilst we are on the subject of music, my band, The False Dots, have a new single coming out on the 19th April. Here is a little taster. We also have a gig this Saturday at The Bull Theatre in Barnet, with The Silencerz. It will be a great night (Tickets available here).

Gig review - Sunny War and Flora at The Slaughtered Lamb (+ Carla O'Neill upstairs)

 Since I had my surgery in August, I've not really been going to gigs too much. This weekend is different, tonight we've got tickets for Lloyd Cole at the Union Chapel, tomorrow night we are seeing the rather wonderful Whelligan at the Engine Rooms in Bow. We had Whelligan at the Mill Hill Music Festival and they were rather good. But we kicked off the weekend last night at the Slaughtered Lamb in Clerkenwell, for American singer/songwriter Sunny War. At times it seems that the world of music is awash with female singer/songwriters doing music in the Americana style. I am not someone (contrary to what some internet trolls would have you believe) who is stuck in the past. I am constantly on the lookout for good new artists to see and listen to. I came across Sunny War last year, someone sent me a link to one of her videos and it was awesome. When I saw she was playing in the UK I was delighted. Even better was that it was at the Slaughtered Lamb in Clerkenwell. It is five minutes walk from Farringdon on the Thameslink line, so it was a really simple journey. For some reason, I've never been to the Slaughtered Lamb before. It is a big attractive pub, with a small downstairs venue. We ate at the pub first. Good pub fayre, I had fish and chips, which were excellent. 

First up was a young singer/songwriter called Flora. I don't think I've ever seen a more nervous singer, but she had no need to be nervous, she is an incredible singer. This is the best clip I found on Instagram (not from last night). She is well worth checking out. 

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Then onto the main act. What attracted me to Sunny War is that she is not only an amazing singer, but also a brilliant blues guitarist. Most of the singer/songwriters in the Americana genre tend to strum plinky plonky tunes and sing over them, Sunny War not only plays amazing guitar licks, but even wrote a love song called 'Baby Bitch' to her guitar! I've not seen a show like it for a long time. In the gaps between the songs, she gives the impression of being completely untogether, shall we say disconnected from reality. She announced she'd only rehearsed with the drummer once, when she did a cover of The Beatles "She loves you" (not a cover like you've ever heard before), she announced that she couldn't remember all the words. Then she started to sing and any doubts you may have are blown away. 

When she was playing "She loves you", she stopped halfway through. She seemed in some distress and rather bizarrely announced she had a chilli in her eye. Once the chilli was removed, she continued, asking us to imagine the intermission had not happened.  I dragged a couple of friends down with me. I didn't know what to expect but they loved the show. When she played the last number of the set, she unplugged the guitar, switched off the amp and said she didn't know any other songs. A tumulous cheer for an encore eventually relented and a number was remembered. 

Check out her album here

Now, when the gig in the basement was finished, I thought the night (or at least the music) was over. We adjourned upstairs for a nightcap, before making our way home. A young singer called Carla O'Neill was performing for free in the main pub, doing a set of covers. She was exceptionally good, If you are having a party or an event and you need someone, I'd thoroughly recommend her. My friends Gary and Sue are bing Fleetwood Mac fans and this song really impressed them. She'd actually started it whilst I was in the loo and thought it was the band. 

We had a wonderful night. I'll be keeping an eye out for future gigs at the Slaughtered Lamb and will deffo be seeing Sunny War again. It reminded me of what I've been missing as I recuperated. 

And finally, if you like live music, don't forget that The False Dots are playing with The Silencerz next Saturday at the Bull Arts Centre in Barnet -  CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS 

Supporting musicians and venues is essential, but the biggest winner is you, because you have a great night out. 

The Mill Hill Music Festival Preview - The Pogue Traders and The Sundays - Fri 23rd June at the Mill Hill Golf Club

 Today we are looking ahead to what promises to be an exciting and fun night on Friday. The Festival has always put on music that reflects North London and the diverse communities. After a break of several years, we decided that it was high time we once againg featured Irish music on our our programme, albiet with a strong North London influence. The Pogue Traders have become established as the no 1 tribute to the music of the Pogues. I've known the tin whistle player, Paul Evans for many years and when he joined the band, he asked me along to see them, as he knew I was a big fan of the Pogues. I was blown away and have seen them almost every time they've played in North London since, including several appearances at the legendary Dublin Castle. The band are a tribute to the music, they do not pretend to be members. 

Anyone who knows the story of the Pogues will know that Shame Macgowan is an excellent songwriter. He is perhaps, rather unfairly in my opinion, better known for his drinking, but this never stopped him from writing beautiful and brilliant songs. The best known of these is of course Fairytale of New York, but songs such as Rainy night in Soho and a pair of Brown Eyes are classics in their own right and stand comparission with the work of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century. 

Here is a clip of Rainy Night in Soho from The Water Rats in 2022, a gig I was at and as you see the whole audience had a good old sing song and dance

The band also do a selection of well known traditional songs, such as The Irish Rover and a few of the Pogues covers such as Dirty Old Town. It is often overlooked that the Pogues contained some excellent musicians, such as Phil Chevron and Jem Finer. The Pogue Traders are similarly blessed with excellent players. I am really looking forwarad to seeing the band again. I've dragged many friends to see the band over the years and they all become firm fans, this is a great opportunity to see why, without travelling too far at all.

The support band are the Sundays, a rather fine soul party band, featuring local legend Paul Amsterdam on sax. Paul was one of the early committee members for the festival and was responsible for roping me onto the committee, so if you don't like the music, please buy a ticket and come up and tell him!

Assuming the weather is good, the gig will be outside in the amazing grounds of the Golf club. Beer is good value and there will be a barbeque. 

Here's a few quotes about the Pogue Traders

“The Best Pogues tribute band I’ve ever seen” – Andrew Ranken (Drummer with The Pogues)

“I’ll come straight to the point: The Pogue Traders are absolutely fantastic. Seriously, if you ever see these guys and leave without an ear-to-ear grin spread across your chops and a song in your heart, stop and check your pulse – you may very well be dead.”– Neil Skinner – The Watford Observer

£15 (£18 on the door)

 PARTY NIGHT WITH THE POGUE TRADERS quantity

Going to gigs is nothing to do with listening to music!

The Mill Hill Music Festival starts this Saturday, so for the next two weeks, this blog will be dedicated to the subject of music (have a look at the website and buy a few tickets, if you see anything that tickles your fancy!). Between now and the end of the festival, not only will I be previewing and reviewing various festival gigs, but you'll get the Big Barnet Music Quiz, where you can test your knowledge of the music history of the Borough of Barnet and bringing you some amazing clips of some of the best local gigs.

But we will start with by answering a question I was asked last week when I was giving out festival programmes in Mill Hill Broadway. One of my neighbours, not noted for his happy demeanour, refused a leaflet and said "why would I want to go to that when I can stay at home and listen to decent music on the telly?". Now I was tempted to say "Well you are a miserable sod and clearly in need of some fun in your life", but felt it would be a bit rude, so I just asked "Don't you enjoy a good night out?".

On reflection though, I realised that this was a very poor answer. Not least because going to gigs has little to do with "listening to music". In fact, he's 100% right. If all you want to do is listen to music, the best thing to do is spend a years wages on a super, duper hi fi set up and get yourself an album collection (see below for what I'd suggest to start it off). Then you can sit at home and enjoy the music with no distractions and get totally immersed in the sounds of genius musicians going about their business.

Watching live music is simply not like that. Attending a gig is being at a unique event, seeing people do something amazing, that has never and will never be done again. It is not a solitary activity like listening at home on the hi fi, it is a communal moment. For me, there are certain rituals, different for every artist, every venue. When I started regularly going to gigs, I was fourteen years old. I was into Punk Rock at Finchley Catholic High School. I was lucky enough to have a big sister who loved the same music and was four years older. Initially, I'd tag along with her and her mates. We'd meet at her flat, maybe have a drink. Everyone would get ready. For the girls, this meant transforming themselves into punk rock Goddesses. For the blokes, it just meant getting your brain into the right place. 

Usually, we'd then stroll around to Mill Hill Broadway, get a 140 or 52 bus to Burnt Oak and take the Northern Line to the West End or Camden. Often, we'd meet up with other friends on the way. There were no telephones, so it this was co-ordinated days or weeks in advance. If it was The Marquee, we'd meet for a pint in the Ship. If it was The Roundhouse, we'd often get fish and chips or a Marine Ice over the road. Then we'd go in. The first thing to do was to get a beer. If there was a merch stall (not that common at small gigs, usually only at big gigs for tours, such as The Ramones), we'd have a look. During the punk era, we'd always watch the support bands. Often they would be on TOTP within months and you'd have the feather in the cap of being the first kid on the block to see them. 

Between each band, you'd fight to get to the bar to top up. At those gigs, generally the quality of sound was pretty poor, but it didn't matter. What you were there for was to soak up the vibe. I was there when The Ramones recorded and filmed "It's Alive" at The Rainbow in 1977. There was much talk that this was going to be the best album ever. The Ramones live were sublime. By far the best band you will ever see. But if you listen to the album and watch the film, it gives no real idea of just how buzzing the venue was. 

Only hard core Ramones fans would most likely play it. Their first three studio albums are masterpieces and these are probably far better for the front room. The gig was amazing, but without the sights, sounds, smells, alcohol, haze of smoke, blokes treading on your toes, punkettes smiling at you seductively at the bar and 28 minutes of frantic pogoing, it was just four blokes making a pleasant noise on the stage. There is no rewind to see the best bits again. If you go to the loo when they do your favourite number, that is it. If you are pogoing and Johnny Ramone throws you his plectrum, or Eddie Edwards from the Vibrators throws you his drumstick, that is something only you will ever have. 

But best of all is the communal sharing. The being in a moment. The nod to the person next to you as you see something amazing. The snatched conversation in the queue for the urinal, where you share insights into the relative merits of the support band. 

Then there was my ritual for going home. I'd always try and nick the band's poster off the wall and had about a 99% success rate. If there were T-shirt sellers outside, I'd make a cheeky offer, knowning that the stock would be dead after the night. This works especially well on the last night of the tour. 

Then we'd pile on the Northern Line home. As the train approached Burnt Oak, it would thin out. By the time we were on the bus, usually it was just our little gang again. You wouldn't feel like bed, the adrenalin would be pumping, so you'd nip back, usually for a cup of tea. You'd compare notes, swap stories and by the time you went to bed, often at 2am, you'd feel right with the world.

Nowadays, my routine is different, as you'd expect from a 60 year old. I still prefer travelling by public transport. An advantage of living in Mill Hill is that there are great public transport links. If we are meeting friends, we would meet at a pub, cafe or restaurant first. As I tend to go with my wife, I don't  go there to chat up anyone as I did as a teenager, but we often bump into friends. If the gig finishes early, we may grab a drink atfer, but usually the night ends by walking the dogs when we get home.

Back in 2009, I made a list of my top ten best gigs. I'm pleased to announce that since then there are at least four that may well make the list, or maybe a top twenty is needed. These include Eli 'Paperboy' Reed at The 100 club, The Family Stone at The Jazz Cafe, The Specials/Toots and The Maytells at Hatfield Uni and The Silencerz at the Mill Hill Music Festival to name a few. Last week, I saw Ben Sidran at Ronnie Scotts and Madness at Cannock Forest. I can't think of two more different gigs. I had great time at both, I'm not sure I'd bother watching either on Youtube. I certainly wouldn't be bopping in my front room to Madness, or have the appreciation of the electric atmosphere Ben Sidran generated.

Both are, in my opinion, far batter live than on records (or youtube clips). On Sunday, I was invited by Fr Eugene at The Sacred Heart church to plug the Mill Hill Music Festival at one of the masses. I said a few words and ended with the words "The festival is run by local unpaid volunteers. It is run on a not for profit basis and the only reason we do it is to put a smile on your face, and what could be better than that". A spontanious round of applause broke out and when I got home, found we'd sold 20 more tickets.

Which brings me back to my grumpy neighhbour's question. What I should have said is "Because you will leave with a smile on your face, and who wouldn't want that?". At the start of this blog, I promised a list of albums that you really should get to start your collection. CLICK HERE to see my suggestions. This will give you a taster of what albums shaped what is in our charts. I wrote this in 2020. In hindsight, it should be a top 12. There really should be a Jazz album in there, what I do not know, as I am not a Jazz buff and don't know what album shaped Jazz. It should also have a RAP/Hip Hop album in there. I'd probably choose Raising Hell by Run DMC, but again it's not waters I've done more than dip my toe in.

I suppose I should sign off by mentioning my band, The False Dots, We've done a countless gigs over the years. I met my wife at one 38 years ago and we are still happy. I love playing as much as I love attending gigs. If you've seen the band recently, you'll know why. When we do a good gig, I am buzzing for a week. I'd not swap the feeling for the world.

What did you do last night? Why live music is important

I decided to dig out my old band scrapbook, first started in 1979 to track the rise to fame and international stardom of my band the False Dots. There are dozens of old newspaper clippings friom the late 1970's and early 1980's detailing our trip to nowhere, via various London clubs, Sweden, Finland and Belgium. At some point in the very early days in 1980, I left a comment in the book

"What a joke, nine line ups and one gig. An exercise in obnoxiousness, lousy music and general suburban decay!"

It rather made me laugh. Maybe Brian Coleman had secretly gotten access to my scrapbook (not that I knew he existed in 1980). That has always been the pattern of the False Dots. Over the years we've had 37 different recorded members. The nationalities are quite interesting, British, Irish, Welsh, Nigerian/Jewish, Jamaican, Portuguese, Sudanese, New Zealand, Swiss and Slovakian. Strangely after my rather disgruntled comment in 1980, things improved. The gigs are now numbered in the hundreds. This has been a quiet year, with only one, last night at the Midland Hotel in Hendon, wiith our "Heritage" line up from 1985 (as best we can make it as both bass players from that particular year have sadly passed away).

Our first venture into the local press was on Thurs Jan 8th 1981.We'd done a gig at the Harwood Hall in Mill Hill in December, an Xmas gig.  It had been relatively successful and we got the press down to cover it. I'd asked for other local bands to get in touch, which they did in large numbers. We ended up putting on two more, one of which is immortalised in this video (from the days when bands didn't make videos) by The Vektors, a band from Edgware School (now the London Academy).



You'll notice a large Mill Hill CND banner behind the band as they blast out "Sound of the Suburbs". This series of gigs were the first I ever organised. In truth the band could hardly play and I had't got a clue about promoting gigs. I just hired Harwood Hall for a tenner, got a couple of mates to do the door and invited a few bands to come down and play. We didn't even have a proper PA, we simply used what we had and shared gear. I've always been keen on the idea of using music to promote good causes, so we worked with local groups such as CND and Friends of the Earth to give the gigs some sort of reason and theme.


Whilst music has always been the number one thing in my life, I've always been keenly aware of how you can use it to raise peoples awareness of issues and also as a fundraising tool for good causes. Since I started writing this blog, I have become far more aware of the way the mind of the political class works. Sadly, I have come to the conclusion that many people who get involved in politics are simply rather strange people who think they are a bit brighter than the rest of us and have a God given right to tell us what to do. I have the opposite view. I think no one has a right to impose their will on another human being. Laws should be passed because there is a consensus that people think a particular behaviour is abhorrent or it can be shown to be detrimental to the good of society.

In my experience, when you play music, it breaks down barriers. From what I've seen of the political classes, this is the last thing they want to happen. They quite like things just the way they are. Great Britain leads the world in the field of music. Our musicians and song writers are the most inventive and inspiring, our music scene is the most innovative. You would think that a government which had a brain would recognise this fact and do everything they could to protect the industry. Sadly you'd be wrong. Live music is under attack. Is this just because the powers that be are so stuck in their ivory towers that they don't know that big artists start as players on a local circuit? Or is it because they don't like the fact that music lets people like me reach an audience? When people get together they talk. When they talk, they exchange ideas. When they exchange ideas they get better ideas.

I've come to realise that  Social media is not the same. When we meet, we talk and exchange ideas. On social media we simply shout at each other with fingers in our ears. Last night I helped organise a gig at the Midland Hotel in Hendon. 35 years after that first Xmas gig at the Harwood Hall, we are still here. I caught up with many friends old and new. We finished our set with a song I wrote in 1981, at the time of the Falklands War. Allen Ashley, who sings with me (Allen is a well known author and poet to boot) always says the song is more about the first world war. Over the years dozens of people have asked me what it is about and why I wrote it.

Action Shock

Distant Hearts, will scream tonight 

They know their loved one, is going to die

A red stain on a battlefield, a drained body with a soul to yeild

Life, Mines not for sale

Death an unmarked grave

Spend your life on a piece of land

But you are far cheaper do yu understand

Bullets cost money people cost food

Thats the theory so what are you

Life Mines not for Sale

Death an unmarked Grave

 One time fun time come on son,

Forget "Peace man" and grab a gun

Annihalate another man, 

It's easy son, you know you can

Life Mines not for Sale

Death an unmarked Grave

Distant hearts, wont scream tonight 

Face to face, you and I

One of us will not survive

Please not me I love my life

Life, mines not for sale

Death an unmarked grave

Its my life, you just can't fail

tts my death, I'm not your Slave

It is a song that always makes an impression. It is hard to ignore. It has a catchy riff and a strong Chorus. It is just a song, but it does make people think. All over the UK there are people playing music, writing songs, saying things to an audience. We go, we play music, we chat to friends. Some of us write songs about love, some of write songs about injustice, some of us just write instrumental tracks. I've done all in my time.  People don't go to gigs for lectures, they go to have fun and listen to music. We as musicians write songs because we want to convey an emotion. Those of us who acheive commercial success connect with millions of people, but those of us like me who play to a hundred or so people have a smaller audience, but I believe our role is just as important to the UK music scene.. The reason is because without a healthy local music scene, the vine will wither. At present the music industry seems happy to take the easy path, They simply want people regurgitating other peoples songs, seeking the lowest common denominator, stifling creativity. The X Factor mindset says that you can short circuit the whole thing by going on a talent show.

I believe that this rotten stage in the cycle is coming to an end. Last night the pub was packed and there was some excellent music played. You may wonder why I bother reproducing the lyrics of a song you've probably never heard that was written 33 years ago?  The reason is because I want tyou to know I am passionate about my music and it is not something I just do simpy because there is nothing on telly. Every song I've written I've put a bit of my heart and soul in.

When I write songs, I try and tell a story and convey an emotion. When I play live, I try and connect with the audience. I think I do most of the time. I love playing live and it seems to me that the audience generally enjoy it as well. But it goes deeper, I also enjoy playing with other bands and seeing and listening to what other musicians are doing as well.

All in all, what I am trying to say, is that we should treasure our local music scene, support our venues, watch our friends when they play and ensure that we make sure that we protect this gem at the heart of our cultural heritage. 

Lets all work together to make 2015 a great year for live music. This can only happen if we all work together as a community of music makers. Here are five ways you can make it happen. Please share on your timeline.
1. Go to a local live gig featuring musicians you dont know. Spend money at the bar. Venues need support.
2. Set yourself a new years resolution to see a band you love but you've not seen live in 2015.
3. Support your local music festivals. Go to the gigs and tell your friends.
4. If you see a great artist or band, make sure you mention it on Facebook.
5.If you have friends who play in a band, go and watch them play and get a few friends to go to make a proper night out of it.

If we all commit to do this, then 2015 could be the start of a new golden age of live music. Venues are struggling everywhere. Use it or lose it!