I wasn't the only person who had today show up in their 'On This Day' memories when logging into Facebook this morning, the biggest surprise being that it was five years ago. On this day in 2011 rather a lot of people connected with Nottingham music gathered at Rock City for the above picture which was to be the Christmas issue of Leftlion. In writing this blog I have dug the magazine out of my files to have a look at and find it hard to believe just how much change has occurred over the last five years. The issue is interesting reading as it shows how far Nottingham has come musically, but also Leftlion itself. This happened while the paper was still edited by Al Needham, who was (and still is) something of a joke figure. Since he left things have improved 100% and now they cover music quite extensively, albeit leaning their bias towards the Hockley area.
As far as the magazine cover itself is concerned, it serves as a history lesson of the local scene and it is a shame that Leftlion didn't revisit this every year, or at least this year to mark an anniversary. Maybe they did without telling me, it wouldn't surprise me as they don't seem to know I exist. The picture features people who seem to have disappeared from the music scene altogether, bands who have split up and become other bands, strangers who became friends, friends who became strangers, people who got too big for their boots, people who became big and people who appeared to have stayed at the same level whether they deserved that or not. I believe that if this was to be carried out today then they would need a bigger room than Rock City, such is the wealth of musical talent in the city.
I wrote this on the day.
With this in mind, my curse continues as a couple of days ago it was announced that The Mithered are splitting up.
The Facebook post was longer than this, but I am pleased that they are bowing out on my stage. I have worked with the band on The Random Saturday Sessions (watch here) and I was sure they had appeared on one of my Maze gigs last year but checking back I realise that they didn't. At this rate the film about Oliver Stevens and the band curse is going to be a longer series than the Police Academy films, and just as entertaining.
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