With no shows taking place we’ve had to switch around our weekly music news just a little bit. However we will still be here every Tuesday with a Leicester music update for you in partnership with PPL PRS Ltd.
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NEWS
Open Mic
If you’re missing a regular open mic session then be sure to tune into The Soundhouse Facebook page every Tuesday evening as they continue their open mic fun online. Hosted by Rhett Barrow he’s joined virtually by 10+ local artists each performing for 10-15 minutes through the evening.
Frank Turner raises money for The Shed
During the lockdown period Frank Turner has been performing each of his albums in their entirety via Facebook to raise funds for music venues at potential risk of closure. At such a difficult time for the live music scene these funds can really make a huge difference. This week he’s chosen The Shed in Leicester as the venue he’ll be helping. Tune into his Facebook page on Thursday evening to hear him perform England Keep My Bones in full. Donate via The Shed’s Go Fund Me page.
INTERVIEW: S. T. Manville
For our interview this week we meet Leicestershire musician, S. T. Manville. The talented acoustic singer/songwriter has been invited to support the likes of Frank Turner and has just recorded a cover of the wonderful We’ll Meet Again, with proceeds going to the NHS.
How would you describe your music for anyone who isn’t familiar?
I guess I’m just a traditional songwriter to be honest. I write predominantly on guitar and piano so the records are mainly acoustic based. I listen to a lot of alt country and folk stuff like Sun Kil Moon, Jason Molina and Counting Crows so if you know any of that you’ll have a good idea of what to expect.
How do you find Leicester as a city to be a musician in?
Leicester’s great. It’s a small city so it’s pretty easy to find like minded people. There’s a really good network of creative people here and I’m always inspired by the drive and DIY ethos, people here seem to just go out and make things happen for themselves.
During the lockdown so far you also supported Frank Turner on one of his virtual gigs, how did that come about?
Frank has been a massive advocate of my music since I started last year. I sent a link to some early demos to the email address on his website, not thinking that he’d even listen, but he did and ever since we’ve kept up a correspondence. I played a show with him last year and he kindly asked if I wanted to support on the live stream.
You recently did a cover of Super Trouper for the Homage A Trois ABBA event, how did you find the experience?
It was great actually. I love playing covers and usually I know what songs are going to work. When I saw the list of songs I quickly played through a few and when I tried Super Trouper I knew it was right. I spent an hour or so playing it until I felt comfortable then recorded the guitar and vocal live. I added some subtle electric and then asked my mate Matt Daly if he’d put some pedal-steel on it too. I’m really happy with how it came out.
What plans do you have post-lockdown?
Well all the shows and festivals we had booked, plus the plans to release new music have been postponed for now, so as soon as we see signs of normality resuming we’ll be booking tours and scheduling releases.
What advice would you give to musicians during this time?
I’d love to say “take the chance to slow down, write, read, change the pace etc” which may be right for some people but I’m too much of a busy body unfortunately. For me I’m keeping busy with a streaming ‘tour’ where I have a different artist on with me each night, we play a few songs each and talk about music, art and life in general. It’s been great to add some routine and to feel like I’m still being active. I think the best thing people can do is keep busy and try to engage their friends, family and fans, it might even be that this whole thing brings us a bit closer in the end, but I am a hopeless optimist so we’ll see…
To keep up to date with Sam’s latest news, live streams and releases, you can follow him on Facebook. Sam has also recorded a conversion of Vera Lynne’s We’ll Meet Again featuring a number friends and other performers. All proceeds from this go to LAMP, our charity of the year. Check out the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcvQEsrmsO0
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WEEKLY PLAYLIST
Enjoy this week’s best of Leicester playlist! Each week we’ll be pulling together some of our favourites as well as recommendations to highlight some top local talent. This week’s list features the likes of Grace Petrie, Dad Jokes, Scumbag Lion, Siobhan Mazzei, Ross Harding, and of course our interviewee S. T. Manville with his brilliant Green Day cover.
Have a listen and get in touch to tell us which tracks you’re loving.
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MORE MUSIC NEWS NEXT WEEK
