picture by Darren Sansom
At the beginning of the year I
suggested the young band The CTRL as one to watch this year, I also tipped
Prefontaine for bigger things, proving I can be wrong sometimes. Actually, the
Barwell half of Prefontaine worked bloody hard to get the band moving along
this year. As I have written before it was the fault of the drummer and
guitarist and their lack of commitment that the band folded. I will continue to
try and get Gary and Craig to return as a double act, especially as I know Gary
misses it.
The CTRL have plugged away
this year and worked very hard on the circuit, even releasing an EP. I have
worked with them before as they did a NottinghamLIVE
session earlier this year, and tonight I worked with them again as they
recorded a set for The Sound Of Nottingham UK.
They were already at the studio when I arrived and were in the
process of setting up, but sadly we only had time for three songs, due in part
I think by the fact that Dave (who owns the studio) seemed to be in a bit of an
arsey mood. The usual atmosphere at ROFL Audio has diminished since Joe stopped
producing the sessions and Caz the photographer stopped coming by, so it was
pretty much just business. Thankfully the room was full of various parents of
the band so at least there was someone to talk to.
The lads were in high spirits
afterwards while we listened back to the tracks and the interview, planning
their Christmas gig and showing photographs of their costumes from last year.
For a band of teenagers they weren’t afraid to look uncool in elf costumes and
Santa suits, they are a refreshing change to the type of people that age who
you see lurking around street corners attempting to look menacing. Maybe that’s
the way to sort a generation out? We don’t seem to have youth clubs and the
like any more (unless I just don’t notice them) so it’s hardly surprising that
bored kids are going to drink cider in waste ground. These guys are committed
to music and polite to their parents, so perhaps a music programme would be a
good idea, teaching about the music business as a whole and trying to keep
youngsters off the streets that way. If only I was on the council!
Listening to them talk about
their goals for 2014 was interesting too, as they all had a focused idea on
what was required of them and how they were going to achieve it; by talking to
the right people and plugging away. They even asked when they could do another
radio session. It’s clear to see how seriously they are taking it and how this
isn’t just a doss about for them. I’m interested to see how 2014 develops for
them and what the future brings because if they carry on the way that they are
then there is no limit to what they could achieve, which will make my end of
2014 blog an interesting read at least.
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