Return of Lamacq as our February begins with a bang

STEVE LAMACQ

SLADE ROOMS, WOLVERHAMPTON – Feb 3

BBC stalwart Steve Lamacq has been broadcasting at the BBC for 25 years. The former New Musical Express journalist made the transition after starting The Evening Session with former broadcasting partner Jo Whiley.

He moved from Radio 1 to 6 Music, where he continues to carry the baton for championing new music. And he’ll be taking his favourite tunes on the road when he returns to Wolverhampton on Sunday to feature at the Slade Rooms.

Lammo says: “People stop me and say that half of their record collection is based off stuff we played. We were just playing records like you would for mates at your house. We didn’t think about having a certain element of influence. In a way, I’m glad we didn’t. We might have got carried away with ourselves.”

Lamacq has been getting carried away with music throughout his career and has championed many breakthrough bands, from Elastica, whose debut single he released on his own Deceptive label in 1993, to IDLES, who he has championed in more recent years.

He enjoyed his work on The Evening Session. “These were great, almost innocent times. Myself and Jo Whiley joined Radio 1 to host The Evening Session at the end of 1993, and were in the right place at the right time – it was all just about to happen. There was so much enthusiasm for alternative music. Gigs were really well-attended, and there were loads of indie clubs all over town, playing records that made it onto our show too.

“In April ‘94, at Radio 1 Sound City in Glasgow, Oasis played live on Radio 1 for the first time. A day later, Kurt Cobain passed away, and the whole musical axis shifted. From then on, there seemed to be a new record or a new band every week: Ash, Gene, Supergrass. It wasn’t just indie guitars though, we used to play the likes of Bomb the Bass’ Bug Powder Dust in ‘94, which was a terrific hip-hop record, and even a bit of reggae too.

“Jo moved on from The Evening Session in ‘97 and I thought it was time to re-appraise what the show was about. Within a year, big beat happened, with The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, Bentley Rhythm Ace, Monkey Mafia and more. Britpop had provoked a response from the underground with artists like Arab Strap and Mogwai emerging. A lot of people came through Britpop wanting something more, ready to embrace where Radiohead were going, or where Super Furry Animals would end up, or Spiritualized.”

TRACEY THORN

SYMPHONY HALL, BIRMINGHAM – Feb 4

In a 1970s commuter town, Tracey Thorn’s teenage life was forged from what failed to happen. Her diaries were packed with entries about not buying things, not going to the disco, the school coach not arriving.

Before she was a bestselling musician and writer, Tracey Thorn was a typical teenager: bored and cynical, despairing of her aspirational parents. Her only comfort came from house parties and the female pop icons who hinted at a new kind of living.

In her latest book, Another Planet – A Teenager In Suburbia, Thorn returns more than three decades later to Brookmans Park, scene of her childhood. She takes people beyond the bus shelters and pub car parks, the utopian cul-de-sacs, the train to Potters Bar and the weekly discos, to the parents who wanted so much for their children, and the children who wanted none of it. With her trademark wit and insight, Thorn reconsiders the greenbelt post-war dream so many artists have mocked, and so many artists have come from.

STEVE KNIGHTLEY

THEATRE SEVERN, SHREWSBURY – Feb 1

Folk singer Steve Knightley is a huge fan of the West Midlands. A regular at clubs and theatres across the region’s he’s also got a long and proud association with Shrewsbury Folk Festival.

He’ll make a much-welcome return to the area tonight when he headlines the Walker Theatre, at Theatre Severn, treating some 250 fans to an intimate set of roots and folk. As a long-serving troubadour of the folk and acoustic music scene, master songwriter and storyteller Steve Knightley has spent much of his life on the road. He has collected songs, stories, anecdotes and observations – with the odd disaster along the way.

Now Knightley is back on England’s highways and byways with a new show Roadworks, which builds on the success of his sell-out 2018 solo tour Songs and Stories. The gig will be a stripped-back, one-man show infused with wit, warmth and alchemy. It will be beautifully illustrated by his trenchant songs of history, love and conscience.

MACKA B

ROBIN 2, BILSTON – Feb 2

Wolverhampton’s reggae legend Macka B will celebrate Earth Strong (his birthday week) tomorrow at the place where it all started 35 years ago. He’ll headline The Robin2, formerly Rising Star, in a show featuring plenty of friends.

The gig will also celebrate the birthdays of Bob Marley and Dennis Brown. The show will feature reggae icon Dawn Penn, singer of the chart topping No No No. It will also feature Pablo Gad, singer of the classic reggae hit Hard Times, as well as rising Wolverhampton’s star Vital. Jacko Melody will compare the evening and there will be music from Wassifa Showcase, Skippy & Lippy, Captain & Country and DJ Bullett.

GHETTS

O2 INSTITUTE 2, BIRMINGHAM – Feb 3

Grime star Ghetts was making waves long before Stormzy won Best British Male Solo Artist at the 2018 Brits. Ghetts – aka Justin Clarke – hails from Plaistow, in East London, and has long been popular with listeners of BBC Radio 1, Kiss 100, BBC Asian Network and BBC Radio 1Xtra. He released his debut album Rebel With A Cause in 2014 on the independent label Disrupt before following that up in September with Ghetto Gospel: The New Testament.

Ghetts is best known for his hard-hitting lyrics and intricate rhyme schemes and has toured internationally with Kano while also featuring as a member of NASTY Crew. Ghetts skips across different genres and sees the world differently to the way he used to view it. The biggest turning point for his new mentality was fatherhood. “When I make music, it’s therapeutic. I’m blessed enough to be able to make my own decisions.

“But a song like ‘Black Rose’ … I did it because it was how I felt. I had my own space. The discussions off the back of it was an amazing surprise to me. Even though I’ve made songs in that realm before, I’ve not led with videos, so maybe in the past the message has been lost.”

Ghetts chronicles life on Britain’s streets, portraying a no-holds-barred account. “I always feel like we’re quick to say, ‘Why are these kids doing this?’. But we’re past that. People have lost friends. The people telling these kids to ‘put the knives down’ are the same people who are going into other countries and bombing the hell out of them. So, I don’t like getting involved in those campaigns, but I did want to speak on the issue. I understand the feeling when you’ve lost someone, and you’re face to face with somebody who had involvement in that.”