Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 17:08:26 EST From: sah577@vms1.bham.ac.uk Reply-To: ctip@dharma.firstcomm.com To: Multiple recipients of Subject: RE: Broadcast John Rickman wrote >> For those with access to Billboard magazine, might be surprised to see a small photo of Broadcast on the cover of the February 22, 1997 issue! This photo, and quotes from the singer Trish Keenan are included in the cover story "Birmingham, U.K., Gaining International Respect".<< As a native Brummie I would be interested if you could give us more info on this article. I tried looking for the mag, but I am not sure whether it is stocked anywhere. I made note of the upsurge in Birmingham bands on the 4AD list with mention of a new band Novak, following the lead of Pram and Broadcast in making music in their own style. Andrew Norman tagged it "the New Wave of New Street". Cheers, Steve. s.a.hipkiss@bham.ac.uk Date: Mon, 10 Mar 97 13:36:43 EST From: "Rickman, John" Reply-To: ctip@dharma.firstcomm.com To: Multiple recipients of Subject: Re[2]: Broadcast More info: the article mentions how the Birmingham music scene "suffers" due to its location (Midlands) and poor image (unsophisticated). Trish Keenan, singer with local band Broadcast, says this portrayal has had an effect on the city's psyche. "Even on the advert for Duracell batteries, the toy with the batteries that runs out is a Brummie. It's definately had a detrimental effect." the article also mentions how Broadcast started playing out at the Jug of Ale in the King's Heath area of Birmingham where Trish has lived for over 7 years. There is a photo of the Custard Factory and a photo of Frenchie's Music Shack. JAR Date: Tue, 11 Mar 1997 20:01:28 +0000 From: Andrew Norman Reply-To: ctip@dharma.firstcomm.com To: Multiple recipients of Subject: Re: Broadcast I think it's probably difficult for foreigners to realise just how poor Brum's image is - it is the second largest city in the country, cradle of the industrial revolution, and a shorthand for a sort of tasteless and unsophisticated vulgarity. I was born there myself, and the city has many good points, but it's a national joke. The accent regularly comes top of "least favourite regional accent" surveys. Top musical exports: The Move/Electric Light Orchestra/Roy Wood, Slade, half of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Duran Duran. And Felt, Pram, Broadcast and Novak, of course - the latter four rather different to the way the city is popularly perceived. I stuck the most recent Pram EP on the end of my tape of "Sounds of the Satellites", and it is revealing hidden depths. I always reckoned that "Helium" was the first recording where Pram sounded as if they really knew what they wanted to do and managed to achieve it, and "Music for your Movies" is a leap forward. They really are fit to be compared with Stereolab in terms of experimenting with music in a non-obvious way nowadays. Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1997 14:23:30 +0000 From: Andrew Norman Subject: Re: novak "Steven Hipkiss." wrote on Thu, 13 Feb 1997 (Subject: Re: novak) > Susan F Curran wrote > hey, do you have any more info on Novak? any band following in the > footsteps of Pram is surely worth watching, though Rosie & co. > leave mighty big footprints.<< > > I'm afraid I do not really know much about them. I saw them for > the second time last night and they were as good as I remembered. > Six members three blokes (drums,bass and keyboard/assorted > percussion) and three women (vocals/toy xylophone, guitar, > flute/harmonica + others). > > Have released one single "Silver Seas" but I think that was on mail > order only. Address was in NME when it was generously reviewed > there but I don't have it. Also had a live review in Melody Maker > when they supported Pram in London. I missed that Birmingham date > due to family commitments. It was/is on Earworm, an offshoot of the mighty Enraptured label (bought the Magnog 7" on Enraptured about an hour ago, along with Pram's on Wurlitzer Jukebox). Enraptured is apparently run by two chaps, one of whom set up Earworm for stuff the other one isn't keen on. (Hood and Novak so far, Damon&Naomi on the way). Try: 8a Penwith Rd, Southfields, London SW18 4QF, Tel/Fax 0181 870 8787 Standard cost in the UK is #2.50 inc. P&P - but Enraptured tend to press tiny quantites which sell out very quickly, so ask before you send money. I had a bit of a to and fro with them about payment for the Christmas single - cheque had to be made out to Dom (forget his other name), not "Enraptured" - so if you send a cheque (UK banks only, of course) leave it blank so he can fill his own name in. Got it in the end, though, and it's one of the two things they still have in stock, but very few left (Windy&Carl + Grimble Grumble). The other thing is the Silver Apples tribute CD, which isn't priced in the insert I have. An Enraptured compilation would be stunning - W&C, FSA, Jessamine, Magnog, The Azusa Plane, Amp, Alphastone, and lots more. I still think the Flowchart track they released stinks, though. Wurlitzer Jukebox are at 50 Queensway, Hurley, Atherstone, Warks CV9 2ND. (Think someone was asking this the other day). > The sound is not dissimmilar to Pram, but is different too, if that > makes sense. Much folkier and more conventional, on the evidence of the 7" - which is one of the finest singles I have heard in the last year or so, really really beautiful. What Heidi Berry *should* sound like, but with a more psychedelic edge. > The comment about folowing in the footsteps was meant > more in the fact that there seems to be a few local bands who are > doing similar things with their music and ignoring the general > mainstream sounding music,ie not emulating Oasis or Britpop. Maybe > Birmingham will become the spirtual home for this genre, > "post-rock" if you prefer, and be knon for something other that > Slade, Duran Duran and UB40. And Roy Wood and his ELO Wizzard! Felt were Brummies too, of course, and there's a hint of Felt's romanticism in all the "New Wave of New Street" bands. -- Andrew Norman, Leicester, England nja@le.ac.uk http://www.engg.le.ac.uk/home/Andrew.Norman/