Meadies Musical Marconi

Steve Harrison was at the very heart of the Madchester scene, managing one of thee great bands of the era, The Charlatans, helping them and other bands achieve worldwide success. Starting up his own music shop, going onto seeing bands he managed play at the biggest venues in the world, to seeing band members sadly lose their lives, Steve has seen and done it all. With all this and so much more in his memory tank Steve has decided now is the time to release his stunning book Here Are The Young Men…Life In Music, scheduled to be released by  Unbound Books  next year. Matt Mead catches us with Steve for this exclusive interview. A book of insider stories drawn from the music scene of the North West in the days of punk, Madchester and acid house. The music scene of North-West England from the late seventies through the nineties is the stuff of legend: written about, argued over, praised and disparaged, it still exerts a powerful influence on anyone who writes, thinks about or play...

Michael Blyth and ex-Cast member Peter Wilkinson’s band Aviator have helped to co-write and record a collaboration of stunning original compositions entitled Indigo Train, available via Aviator music. Matt Mead interviews Michael and Peter to talk about the collaboration. LTW: What was the first music you can remember hearing? Michael: A song on the radio sung by Frankie Laine called Cool Water by Bob Noland of the Sons of the Pioneers. I was about two. What was the first serious music you can remember hearing? Michael : Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy. Around the same age I was looking out of the window at this heart-breaking sunset and when the music came on the radio I burst into tears because I wanted to go home to the sun. Have you always been writing music? Michael: I started out writing poetry when I was about 7 and continued through my teens. I still write poetry, long form and also the Haiku form of 5.7.5 syllables. I think of haikus as zen telegrams! But I star...

Originating from Liverpool, one of music’s great breeding grounds, Loka are situated firmly in the Psychedelic category, unleashing epic soundwave long players, and their latest effort Northern Oscillations is no exception. Matt Mead chats to Mark Kyriacou from the band. Composed, recorded and produced by Loka in various kitchens, bedrooms and spaces in the north of England, Northern Oscillations was mixed and mastered by Keir Stewart (Durutti Column, I Am Kloot, Happy Mondays, Travelling Band, The Fall & Johnny Marr) at Inch Studios in Manchester. A radio session for Gilles Peterson’s BBC Radio 1 show shortly followed the release, along with a tour of Canada where the band played at the prestigious Guelph Jazz Festival, before performing a string of dates across Europe. The album opens with the acclaimed single Herculaneum Rock – up and straight at ‘em tripped out vocals breaks into cosmic supersonic Velvet Underground beats with whispering vocals. What an opening track. Next trac...

As you might have recently read I have written a fair bit about the explosion of Library Music that has seen a much needed rebirth. This wonderfully diverse music sees Be With Records re-release a huge bunch of previously rare and hard to find Library Music albums. Matt Mead reviews the job lot plus interviews KPM players Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett. You might say I’ve been bitten by the Library Music bug. Having been sent an email a few months back regarding a new album by Hammond organ demon Alan Hawkshaw and drumming breakbeat dangerman Brian Bennett, plus the release of the new film all about Library Music entitled The Library Music Film, after reviewing both for Louder Than War I was invited to attend the premiere of the film. With Matt Berry (actor and Acid Jazz starlet) and Andy Lewis (ex Paul Weller bassist) in attendance amongst those who gathered at the British Library in London, what was witnessed on the day was a film of exquisite perfection, with a full round ...