Listen To This

LISTEN TO THIS: A CELEBRATION OF POPULAR MUSIC

Metal are delighted to present a series of events centred on the importance of popular music to the formation of people's identities and sense of place, developed and presented by author Daryl Easlea and academic Andrew Branch.

Taking place in Chalkwell Hall, Southend on Sea, Listen To This will place a specific focus on the local in relation to national and international popular culture. Special guests will be in attendance at each event to discuss their work and, in some cases, perform.

Listen To This will reflect on past era-defining moments in popular music and culture with a local South-East Essex perspective. The evenings will culminate in a concert at Village Green 2012.

This Must Be The Place: Music, Social Spaces And Ways Forward For Southend’s Music Scenes.
Friday 24 February 2012
7.30pm – 10pm
Dr Feelgood: The Esplanade, January 1973
Junk Club formed at Royal Hotel 2002

Special guests: musician Wilko Johnson; musician, producer and writer Will Birch, and academic, journalist, cultural historian, Dr Andrew Calcutt. More guests TBA.

Boys Will Be Boys And Girls Will Be Girls: Popular Music And Gender.
Friday 16 March 2012
7.30pm – 10pm
David Bowie at Eastwoodbury Lane, August 1970
Blur, Cliffs Pavilion, June 2009

Special guest: local author, musician, music critic and Slits biographer, Zoe Howe. More guests TBA.

Tribalism And Difference: Subcultures And Scenes.
Friday 20 April 2012
7.30pm – 10pm
The Who at Kingsway, Hadleigh, Jan 1967
Depeche Mode: Crocs June 1981

Special guests: Dean Chalkley, renowned photographer and director of the recently released Northern Soul film homage, Young Souls; and Chris Sullivan, DJ, author, nightclub host, pop star, painter, style commentator, entrepreneur and fashion designer.

Everybody Dance: Music, Meaning And The Body.
Thursday 17 May 2012
7.30pm – 10pm
Jackie Wilson at Zero 6, 1972
Chris Hill first plays at The Goldmine 1973

Special guests: internationally acclaimed sociologist and musician, Professor Les Back; hugely influential soul DJ and music promoter, Chris Hill, and journalist, music critic and percussionist par excellence, Snowboy.

No Talking: Just Listening / A Celebration of Popular Music Live
Friday 29th June 2012 – 7.30-12pm
Park View Suite, Chalkwell Park, London Road, Southend
Tickets £5 - book here.

MORTON VALENCE , DOOYAH!, ALIEN, THE TUPPENNY BUNTERS

bands, visuals, dancing

Your hosts and DJs for the evening: Andrew Branch and Daryl Easlea

Morton Valence - With two critically acclaimed albums under their belt and a third album on its way, Morton Valence take time out from the studio for a rare live outing, showcasing songs from their forthcoming album and playing some old classics.

Fronted by the vocal pairing of Robert Hacker Jessett and Anne Gilpin, blending styles partly trawled from straight talking old country and western records, disco divas and other such musical curios, yet always with an astute eye on the modern tribulations of their home city of London. With a body of work that has been described as a rich treasure trove of songs, sometimes tragic, at times hilarious but always wry and witty, be it recounting the woes of an ex-Hare Krishna turned civil servant, taking a spin in a minicab at 3am or just telling it like is, Morton Valence continue to flourish and have developed a cult status on their home turf of south London.

Robert "Hacker" Jessett: Vocals, Guitars, Trumpet, Harmonica.
Anne Gilpin: Vocals, Keyboards.
Joe Udwin: Bass.
Alejo Palaez: Keyboards, Lap Steel Guitar, Electronics.
Daryl Holley: Drums.

Some time back in the mid 00's, after a monthly residency in the Soho Theatre Arts Club, support slots with British Sea Power, Jeff Lewis and Art Brut, Morton Valence won the 2006 Fopp/PRSF award for best new band, signed a deal with indie label 'Cheap Date' and released a single. Frustrated with an industry in apparent melt-down, Morton Valence became pioneers in what is known as crowd funding, cutting out the middlemen and self-financing their album through offering shares to their fans. This proved an incredible success, the band set up their own label (Bastard Recordings), and the much coveted 'Bob & Veronica Ride Again' was released in 2009, complete with a 100 page novella written by Hacker. The album was well received in the press, garnering four star reviews pretty much across the board, including Q Magazine, Uncut, the BBC, Drowned in Sound as well as a 'Pick n Mix' record of the week on Radcliffe and Maconie's BBC Radio 2 show.

They went on to tour the UK and Germany, playing in Haldern, the Reeperbahn festival in Hamburg, as well as some shows in New York (a city that the band regard as a musical Mecca) building up a small but fanatical bunch of devotees along the way. They released their second album - Me and Home James - in 2011 described as a collection of urban country songs which has again had great critical acclaim including 4 stars in Mojo magazine.
They are currently working on a 3rd album due for release later this year.

Tickets cost £5.00 and can be booked online here, by telephone on 01702 470700 or by calling in at Chalkwell Hall.

Read Echo newspaper's review here.

Photos from February Listen to This (by Simon Fowler):