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The Next Rock n Roll Music Industry - (continued; Spring 2016)

So the year of #WildeLifeAwards is upon us. There is a cultural celebration of Punk; 40 Years in London and beyond, happening in varying locations. In the arsewipe-inflicted "austerity" evil, there is a cultural necessity for punk. DIY or DIE, for the new arts.

Punk generations: Daniel Connolly of 21st century music activists, Sisteray with the legendary Bruno Wizard of The Rejects/The Homosexuals. Whitechapel, January 2016. Image by Caffy St Luce.

The world has gone toff bonkers. I've nothing against the priviledged involved with music, theatre etc, other than a large blandification of the arts. Surely there is much to be said about the driven intensity of existence, creative or otherwise, being a matter of life and death. A talent sharpener if ever there was one. The serendipity of uniqulture could not be made up. From End Of The Trail Reords helping the road show on to festival stages in 2014 to being one of the promoter events in SELondon's next star circuit since Autumn 2015. Summer 2015 was the meeting (via Ian Hurd booking Mourning Birds), with Golden Cage Media in talent n ideas hotbed Essex (scroll down for more, Asylums played The Remedy this month). Within six months, Traitor's Gate in Greys has become such a destination that 2016 kicks off with it having a brand new brewery alongside some of the coolest artists calling in to play. Ian has become increasingly busy as demand grows for his audio technician skills. Pic: Pink Cigar in session (Ian is the sound engineer) for Spring 2016. Image by rock photography star, Jeff Moh. A month later, the band were the newest sensation to hit USA and were invited back before they'd finished their tour.

Amersham Arms and Traitors Gate are part of a growing promoter/venue cross pollination, drive-back circuit in support of big potential. (Also recommended are Brighton Latest Music Bar, New Cross Inn, The Birds Nest, Montague Arms and The Bunker in Rocklands). Looks like a North London promoter is up for joining too. and Jean Genie's awesome Panda Power events return on 6th February at Nambucca. A healthy amount of the on land and on line activity towards the next music industry is to be found around London and The Home Counties in association with a nationwide grassroots network sharing tips, ideas and promotion.

Multi music talent, Jean Genie, DJs at TheZineUK social before being (naturally) in demand as the host of Panda Power on 6th February and as DJ, with host Dizzy Stardust at Enola Arts' Live Performance David Bowie tribute, 'Where Are We Now?' on 12th February. There may be an official 40th anniversary of punk culture celebration calendar, but the Underground gig circuit sounds like Planet Starman this year, Britz16 style.

In December 2015, just after the mighty Vant had called into Traitors Gate, you could have caught Blush there playing an End Of The Trail night. Kelly Munroe, the most prolific A&R scout in the UK, doesn't hang around and at time of writing, the band have just had their first national radio play on 6Music who declare that their new release, 'Daggers', has "all the hallmarks of a classic." Like This Feeling, who are getting music fans into the small and medium venues, as per Music Venue Trust advice, End Of The Trail Events happen around the country and This Feeling, which also rock n rolls internationally, has over taken NME in new music opinion if the chat at other sites, and shows I've been to, is anything to go by. There's nothing like being with a load of other music fans and you get nattering to friends, old and new, and new futures are made.

The gig going year kicked off with a trip to another guru curated show; The Remedy. I can not tell you how much these line ups really do live up to their name. John Kennedy, LOVE you for making me grin like a kid.

January's bill kicked off with Croydon's Bellevue Days who have a rich and driving wall of sound that, like this evening's entire bill, is perfect for festivals.

Then deux furieuses who live up to their name, and then some with hard, sharp major rock dynamite.

Then Asylums (pictured below). It's just not the same seeing bands, vicariously, on line. They were even more than more live on stage! A DIY band / industry / full on experience.

And uniqulture's family keep expanding and bumping into each other out to play. There were Jean Genie & Jonny, Mark, Chris Run Up, Cecile n more friends down the front. There was me getting all come-the-revolution excited chatting to deux furieuses. I think the "ArtBeat" festival idea for 2nd/3rd April at Amersham Arms became a reality right there and then. That's the weekend after Traitor's Gate have a fest on. Lets get together and feel alright - all over.

Talking of feeling alright; So much love for Tom for The Enemy acoustic set at Amersham Arms that kicked this year off at This Feeling's multi-city music party marathon. Pic by Caffy.

Fresh from winning friends at This Feeling's #BigIn2016 in Nambucca, newer wave instigators, Sisteray geared up for their single launch on February 11th with their guerilla gig at TheZineUK social. To say we are chuffed as fuck is an understatement, because we totally BELIEVE in punk people power and they've got it in droves.

There is a sufficient word of mouth music movement by now for loads of people to turn up to the social without a bill being announced. Our host, Bruno Wizard, called up two days before and said The Homosexuals would do a full set. The first band to play hadn't yet settled on a name, they were 'Eyelid Movies' on 21st January in Whitechapel Urban Bar. All of these elements, and the cottage industry of support for Sisteray's authentic punk reality, combined to make the year go off with a bang. That same night, stars at our TGE15 stage, Saint Agnes, and more cool bands are playing for John Clay (who was at our Autumn ArtBeat social) and Lucie Barât, who had been playing live that ArtBeat with her band, The Au Revoirs held her 'Lyrics To Verse' poetry night in Brighton. Connected / Co-promoting / Collective. Leading nicely to Chapter 8 of the music movement story, where we left off our uniqulture story in October's Chapter 007;

2016

We lost David Bowie, Lemmy and Alan Rickman in what seemed like all in one go. Then the planets aligned (20th January to 20th February) with the moon in a celestial salute.

January feels like the start of something new, because it is.

21st January was National Hug Day. One of those twitter inventions but a lovely one in a world with fascists and vile violence outside of zoos. I couldn't count how many hugs happened at TheZineUK social, but it was loads. OK.

Hey, you know what? Just before 'The New Cross Scene' broke out for 14 minutes a decade ago when some of the next industry were in school, well the first Pop Of The Tops club began with a load of musicians pissing on a copy of the NME in the bogs of the Paradise Bar. It didn't escape my notice that, as the last people to leave Urban Bar the other night, my last photo was of a ripped up copy of magazine that could do worse than come and join what is a noisy fun party happening right now as the right wing world shuts self expression, empathy and positivity down. Or tries to, ha ha!

No offence to Oldplay (god like genius, say NME) and the Brits Bowie supergroup (wot, no Pixies? No Niggy Tardust? Just spare three or so minutes for a video in full, then) on 28th February. My heart rate won't race for the grand spectacle of TV show celebrity like it did for what January has given me, this year, already, in small venues. Soundtracked by friends - probably with more than one possession held together by gaffer tape - singing along to David Bowie. He's only gone and undone the tories evil work by bringing us together.

Dig the new and old breed united: Britz16

Next, I'm just gonna put some more pix up at our facebook page, and then more will be in the music movement story Chapter 8 in February.

p.s.person who read this. I love you. X

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