There was no fanfare, no press conference, no big statement and saddest of all, no goodbye gig. The below message appeared quietly on Facebook yesterday.
As the message suggests, we had guessed that Captain Dangerous had come to the end of the road but until it became official I suppose we just wanted to imagine that something big would happen. I happen to know that there's an album worth of unreleased material and the release accompanied by a final live performance would have been one of the biggest shows to hit Nottingham in recent history and would have raised the bar for all future Nottingham gigs. The story of Captain Dangerous could fill a book with anecdotes that nobody would quite believe.
The band were my introduction to the strange world that is the Nottingham music scene, seeing them win the poll to open the new Market Square in 2007. This was the period that should have seen them suddenly shoot out of the glass walls of Nottingham but it wasn't to be. Maybe 2007 was a bit early for them to break, but at some point between then and now if there had been any justice they would have become Nottingham's biggest export. The local music press haven't exactly been supportive of them, (especially compared to the coverage they give to other artists) so in researching this blog I was surprised to find interviews and articles on Leftlion's website, especially as this was in Leftlion's Al Needham era when music was apologetically given minimal coverage. Looking at the band's blog written by Adam Clarkson gives an insight into how much work was being done to push the band in the early days with gigs up and down the country. At home they were the first unsigned band to fill Rock City basement, and have filled every gig they have done. They headlined Branch Out in 2012, appeared at Splendour and more recently filled Jam Cafe on several occasions (the last time if my memory serves was as part of the 2014 Hockley Hustle - the same year they blew everyone off the stage at Waterfront). I have seen them sell out Rescue Rooms twice, yet that never seems to warrant a mention by the local press when talking about Nottingham music in the pre-Bugg era, not even in an article written this year titled '17 Notts Bands You May Have Forgotten' in Leftlion. It is as if they have been airbrushed out of history yet when you look on YouTube for them there is a rich collection of videos and performances available giving a history lesson on the band.
As for my own involvement, they were one of the first local bands I interviewed when I was first making a nuisance of myself in local music journalism and the first band I filmed in what was to become a prototype for The Random Saturday Sessions way back in 2010 when I recorded this one Sunday afternoon. I became friends with Adam (lead singer, the other members of the band don't like me for some reason) who has publicly acknowledged my support for the band over the years, and had my back when I have caused waves in my reviewing. I have never broken his confidence (I'll reiterate that he should write his memoirs on the Captain Dangerous years) and as such we have talked about yesterday's news. On a more pleasing note there is a new band on the way soon and I for one will be first in the queue to see them when they go out.
Maybe it will be taken down, so just in case it does I recommend downloading the album if you haven't already.
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