Gig Guide: Sun 20th Sep
Sun 20th Sep 20:00 THE SOUVENIRS :: THE VOLUNTARY BUTLER SCHEME :: THE TOM CAMPBELL BAND
Derby indie band The Souvenirs released their debut single, ‘The 21st Century’ back in July at a packed Rockhouse. All 500 copies of the band’s previous, independently-released E.P sold out completely, and with prominent support slots with The Pigeon Detectives, The Rakes and The Rumble Strips, and an appearance on Steve Lamaqc’s national radio show, they soon came to the attention of London based record label, The Animal Farm.
Recorded in April, and produced by The Animal Farm, The 21st Century has been a popular song in their set for some time. The group recently filmed an accompanying promotional video, which is set to be screened by the BBC at all the major festivals this summer, as well as on the city centre big screens of Nottingham and Derby. On the night of the launch itself, a pre-recorded band interview and first airplay will be taking place on BBC Radio Derby, and will be conducted by DJ and Souvenirs champion, Dean Jackson.
The single is available on iTunes, and the band is hoping to secure enough downloads to enter the charts. To hear the track, watch the video and download a copy, visit their myspace site.
The Voluntary Butler Scheme is, to all intents and purposes, Rob Jones – a young man holed up in Stourbridge just outside Birmingham, writing pop songs of classic sound, vivid imagination and homemade ingenuity. A couple of years ago, Rob filled the days surfing drum stools, playing for a string of bands and relishing the low-expectations life of a jobbing musician. But then, the offer of a solo gig came up. "So I wrote four or five songs, and played the show," he explains. And? "And it wasn't all that," he laughs. "But straight away, I knew I didn't want to play stuff with bands anymore. So I thought I'd try a little bit harder and write some proper songs - and I wrote a dozen songs in a couple of weeks."
And the songs were good. Great, in fact. Take ‘Trading Things In’. A lush ’60s pop frolic rich with overlapping harmonies, dewy-eyed romance, and references to – amongst other things – broccoli, running shoes, and popular hits of the ’50s, it’s an excellent advert for the merits of singing what you know. “It’s got a lyric that goes “yes we can listen to La Bamba on your mp3 player’” says Rob. “Cos ‘La Bamba’, that’s one of my favourite songs of all time. I don’t even know what the guy’s singing about, but you know, it really doesn’t matter. The way he sings it – it just breaks your heart. And I remember thinking, oh, I can probably just talk about whatever I’ve been up to that day and it’ll work.”
So, with such casual ambitions – plus a treasure chest of guitars, keyboards, kick drum and loop pedals – the first incarnation of The Voluntary Butler Scheme was born. Tours with the likes of The Duke Special and Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong saw Rob hone his craft as a one-man band – a line-up that suits him just fine, thank you very much. But as of late 2008, The Voluntary Butler Scheme is touring filled out to a three-piece – hello, Damo on drums; hi John, on keys - to cater for a new clutch of songs that need more than one pair of hands.
Arrive early to catch The Tom Campbell Band play their debut set. Tom Campbell has been a regular on the Derby acoustic circuit and has now formed a band to perform his songs.
The Souvenirs - http://www.myspace.com/thesouvenirsmusic
Voluntary Butler Scheme - http://www.myspace.com/thevoluntarybutlerscheme
The Tom Campbell Band - www.myspace.com/tomcampbellmusic
Price: £3.00
Age Limit: 14+
Buy Tickets
Location: The Rockhouse, Babington Lane, Derby, DE1 1SX
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