October 2017 I was walking round town with Bigman and noticed loads of live music filling Nottingham. I was starting to develop a real confidence in my work and figured I was as good as some of the acts we heard. I made a mental note to try and get involved next year then promptly forgot all about it until a year later when I was asked to play at Emmanuel House for We Shall Overcome. Just before the event I saw a Facebook post from Steve Oliver asking for a last-minute replacement due to an injury, so I popped my name down. I’d like to say Steve had heard of me and snapped me up, but it was more a case of it was urgent and I volunteered! I’m very glad I did, turned out Steve is an absolute legend and we’ve worked together several times since. Here’s where it all started:
1: 4 Chord Medley
2: Fragile Like A Bomb
3: Keys
4: Your Side of the Street
5: Red Tarmac
6: Nawty
Steve Oliver hosts the Random Sessions on YouTube at:
This was the first time I’d recorded without an audience outside of an academic setting, but Steve was wonderfully patient with me and we got there in the end. Doing a cover was a bit odd, it’s not something I do a lot of because I’ve got a big gob and a lot of my own words to say, but this song really resonates so was an obvious choice.
1: Leer/Scars
2: New Plates
3: I Don’t Want You To Know
4: Read All About It - Emeli Sande Cover
Ben Mark Smith (https://open.spotify.com/artist/6MAra1a9JygcCG0SxVOzJn) has created the Songwriter Sessions in Nottingham, providing an opportunity for audiences to not just listen to a series of performances but also to ask questions and hear the artist talk about their process. I love nattering so it seemed like the perfect gig for me. I had to pick one shouty song because the event was held in the Library in town. I really enjoyed getting to yell in a library and be applauded for it, not kicked out!
1: Blue Scars
2: Red Tarmac
3: Panic in the Water
After the Songwriter Sessions we did what folkies tend to do, we all fell into the pub and played some more music. I love The Barrel Drop, it’s tiny but always full of atmosphere and their mango cider is delicious. Featuring Borderland Folk, Ben Mark Smith and a little bit of me. This was the day after I purchased my 12-string and the first time I had her out in front of an audience. I smacked her into the ceiling getting her out of the case, taking a chunk of varnish off the head, so I now call her “Dink”
I was very pleased that a year after my first Random Session, I was now in a position where I could do a full set of my family history songs. Steve had now added an interview section to the videos, and this gave me the chance to give a bit of context to the stories. I was in a bit of a silly mood, but Steve managed to get a bit of sense out of me.
Research thanks to some places I mention in the video: The Framework Knitters Museum, Ruddington (https://www.frameworkknittersmuseum.org.uk/) and The National Justice Museum, Nottingham (https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/). I’d highly recommend both if, like me, you’re into local history.
1: Panic in the Water
2: That’ll Do
3: Poor Will
4: English Soil