Interview: Trent Vale Poet

Interview by Steve Dean

Photo by Simon Bamford

Having seen Mark Anthony Bailey a.k.a. the Trent Vale Poet out and about performing all over Stoke-on-Trent, including our own launch party, Stoke Sounds invited him round for a chat.

So how long have you been writing poems?

Oh, a long time - since the age of about sixteen and I’m forty-eight now.

So you’ve got quite a backlog then?

I’ve got suitcases full of stuff I’ve written over the years.

Have you ever been published in any form?

I’m hopeful of one day being so, but I mainly do CDs. I’ve built myself up more as a performing poet and most of my impact is in my performance. I’ve done six or seven CDs over the years, which I sell myself at gigs or wherever.

‘Blind Date’ is a great humorous poem. Is it one of your most popular works?

It is. As far as I understand, that poem got a play on Dandelion radio, which is a John Peel-inspired radio station in Bristol. A fellow got in touch saying he wanted to put it on his playlist, which was nice.

Do you play any musical instruments at all?

No, but I used to be half-decent on the bodhran. I’ve got a good sense of rhythm in my poetry and voice, but I don’t play a musical instrument; in fact, I marvel at somebody who can play an instrument and sing at the same time.

I know that you are good friends with Andy of ‘Nemo’, have you worked with them often?

They’ve put music to five or six of my poems over the years. We used to go out as the Trent Vale Poet Band. We’d do five or six of my poems and then I’d shuffle off the stage and they’d then come on as Nemo.

From what I’ve seen, you go down very well with audiences – is this always the case?

Nine times out of ten, yes. Sometimes it goes a bit haywire, like. You know? Tits-up.

Yes - every performer, no matter how talented, has a bum gig from time to time.

No matter how you try, you’ll never entertain everybody that you perform for. That’s a fact of life.

You quote John Cooper-Clarke as an influence. Have you actually seen him perform?

I’ve seen him twice, when he came to the Wheatsheaf before it was Wetherspoons in Stoke. He was absolutely brilliant. I have his CDs and tapes. When people compare me to him, I take it as a compliment, I really do. So, yes; I also like Ivor Cutler, John Betjeman, and also people like the late Hovis Presley.

Hovis Presley?

Yes, he died mid-forties of heart attack. Big lad from Bolton. Brilliant poet and really funny poems.

You appear to get to compere lots of events, you did a great job at the Stoke Sounds launch…

Yes, I compere various events and shows; charities and the like. It’s another string to my bow. I do a poems and pints night at the White Star in Stoke the last Thursday of every month. I get some poet friends from out of the area and they come down and read their poems and we get one or two local musicians who make a break from the poetry.

Do you ever actually write songs with musicians; where the songs are actually sung instead of spoken?

No, I just write poems, but they can be adapted to songs. The Clay Faces do a song called ‘Black Heart’, which was adapted from a poem called ‘In the Dank Quarter of my Soul’. They used the words, but they sing them. It was on a compilation CD which was released in America called ‘Shite and Onions’; which is American-based Irish bands and stuff. It’s been released all over the world; Japan, Australia, everywhere.

Have you earned any royalties from it at all?

Not as yet, no. (Laughs)

A lot of your stuff is funny. You must have a well-developed sense of humour…

I just look at the absurdities of life. We all know the world’s got its mithers and stuff, but in pubs and clubs, you want a bit of a laugh sometimes as a contrast to some of the singer/songwriters who get up and do their thing. Some can get a bit down at times, so I come on messing around and supply just a bit of a contrast.

Have you ever thought about writing comedy scripts or anything like that?

I have written a few short stories, although I’ve had nothing published. I wrote a couple of bits for a magazine that only lasted two copies. I forget what it was called now.

You’ve never attempted a novel or anything like that?

No. I don’t think I’d have the patience to write a novel to be honest with you. I consider myself first and foremost, a poet.

Well, I must say that your stuff is of a quality. It is certainly work that will be remembered…

Well, the other week, there was a poetry evening at Sheffield and I went there… you know, Northern poets and that… and I blew them away – they absolutely loved it.

How many gigs do you think you’ve done in your time and what kind of acts have you supported?

God, loads and loads. Sometimes, I go out seven days a week. In my time, I’ve supported John Otway, Mark Radcliffe’s Family Mahone, Jem Finer from the Pogues, Roy Wood of Wizard, and bands from all over the place. I like doing acoustic nights and of cause, the more people who see you, the more gigs you are likely to get offered. Nobody’s going to see me stopping in the house. I just love it. I love writing things people can identify with. People come up to me and ask if I can write poems for them and I’ve even been asked for framed copies of poems I’ve written for wedding anniversaries and further asked to put ‘Trent Vale Poet’ at the bottom. It’s great and I enjoy it.

A great many people disregard poetry and quite blatantly dislike it, what are your thoughts on that?

I think poetry gets a bad name from when you’re at school. You’ve got to do it, and when you leave school, you tend to leave poetry behind with it. Sometimes people in pubs will say “poetry? That’s about clouds and green fields and stuff isn’t it?” But, when I get up there and do my stuff, they see it differently and think “great”. I had a lovely experience a few weeks ago: I was on my way to the bus stop to go to Stafford, when I passed a bunch of fifteen or sixteen-year-olds outside a house who recognised me and started going “give us a poem then, give us a poem…” So I did and they said they thought it was fantastic and could they have a copy? So I popped the poem through the door later. That really made my night, that did.

Appreciation is all the reward you need sometimes, I think…

I’d like to be discovered, I really would. I’d like to have a book out; a big book of all my words and stuff. But most of all, I’d like to be remembered as the poet who brought a smile to people’s faces. I really would.

Listen:

The Trent Vale Poet

The Trent Vale Poet Band

Footnote from Paul of Nemo:

Just a note on the interview. You asked if there were any TVP poems that had been set to music where the words were sung instead of just spoken and TVP said no.

Well this is not entirely true, the song "Hanley Town" that the TVP band did (it's up on the MySpace) has spoken verses, but the chorus is sung.

The words were written by the TVP and the chords were written by me, but I don't know who came up with the little melody in the chorus. It certainly wasn't me. But originally it was all spoken/chanted. I know it started off as having no melody in the chorus coz there is a very early recording of this song knocking around somewhere where the chorus is just spoken, but then I have later recordings of it where a little melody has evolved in the chorus. I guess it must have evolved out of what Andy (NEMO) and the TVP were doing when they both joined in for the chorus.

One thing's for sure, it's the only example of the TVP singing that I know of.

Paul

Grace @ The White Star, Stoke. September 26th.

Review by Danny Hill

Photos by Christopher Shenton

Picture the scene: a pub, noisy, almost chaotic with drunken laughter and conversation, cigarette smoke hanging from the sides of an oval-shaped room, punters impatiently scrambling for the bartender’s attention; and a young lad, probably twelve or thirteen, bored-looking, stuffing crisps and coke into his pudgy face, most probably to stifle the irritation at having been unwillingly dragged along to his parents‘ favourite night-time haunt to see their new favourite band. The pudgy kid’s parents have desperately been trying to project (impose?) excitement into him, telling him this band was a definite “one to see”.

Then, after seemingly ages to the kid’s perspective, the lights dim and the stage lights up in a warped strobe effect, and the band take their positions. The fracas has slowed to an almost immediate halt, as if by magic. Most of the crowd know what to expect, the latter part - dragged along by friends or family or both - don’t, have only the excitable impression indented on their senses by those that have seen the band before. Expectation is almost tangible in the smoke-filled pub. The band begin: rhythmically, beautifully, the captivating sound of flutes melding perfectly with a deftly-picked electric guitar, the haunting, relentless synth melodies accentuated with engaging, urgent vocals. Soon into the gig, a man removes his shirt and beats his bare chest with a rubber chicken, and one is playing dustbin lids. The pudgy kid isn’t bored anymore. This isn’t just about music, it’s entertainment. And entertainment on this level is hard to find. For those in the know, they know - simply because anyone who has ever seen this band are rarely likely to forget.

For those who don’t, the pub in question was once known as The Wheatsheaf, situated in the centre of Stoke town, closed down after much effort to rescue it from live music fans in the late-nineties. The year is probably 1990/1991, and the pudgy kid is myself, attending my first ever live-music gig, sold forever. The band call themselves Grace, and after hearing and seeing them live it’s not hard to understand why.

And tonight, sixteen years on and still as pudgy, I pay Grace another visit. This time at The White Star in Stoke, a pub that offers live music from a long, narrow room on its second floor, with a small bar placed suitably at one end and the band wedged tightly together at the far end. And I stress that they are wedged in, as Grace have seven members to their team, playing eight instruments. Having formed in the 1978 Grace have undergone some changes to their line-up since their formation, but of the original act remains Mac Austin on vocals, Harry Davies on saxophone and flute, Dave Rushton on bass and Dave Edge on acoustic guitar. The latest additions are Dave Markham on keyboard, Adam Rushton on lead-guitar and Tony Hall on drums. They start their set with ‘A Voice From Above’, a heavy drum and bass loop, before the brilliant fusion of sax playing and lead guitar begins; and the vocals are just as engaging in their simplicity.’Fire of London’ is next, the staccato vocals in the middle-8 reminiscent of early Genesis, leading towards a mesmerising keyboard solo. ‘Overdose’ and ‘Every Day’ come along next, with their immediate hooks and rockier, sing-along choruses, completely infectious, and proving, with distinction, that not one Grace song - as good as they are - sounds even remotely similar to the last…

The evocative flute playing in ‘Hanging Rock’ calls Jethro Tull to mind, the atmospheric chorus my favourite of the evening so far. With its Celtic style and haunting vocal, the Hanging Rock, a lengthy ballad, epitomises Grace: their musicianship, multiplicity and eclectic styles. What’s more, the songs of Grace are so systematically engaging, they are impossible not to like. As testament to this, the crowd - young and old - are bobbing their heads appreciatively, some singing back every word in receptive harmony. Grace’s songs throughout the evening dip and swell in their relentless charging melodies, constantly changing course, and the band later offer slices of their more acoustic, folkier offerings. It’s always refreshing (albeit frustrating) to write about a band that have such a unique sound that defies familiarity. One simply can’t pin Grace down into a single genre.

Grace were once signed to MCA Records and have headlined various festivals around Europe. Once tipped for mainstream success, it was the rise of punk during the late-70s that sounded the death-knell for Grace as a mainstream-recording entity. One of the main reasons for their local success, however - other than their musicianship and array of great songs, was their unusual act. People had not seen two performers wrestling for the front man position before, as singer Mac and sax-player Harry do. As a child I found their positioning confusing yet slightly distinctive, like two members of a relay team, handing the baton over to the other to take prominence. In the tight space of The White Star, however, this particular act didn’t resurface with the wider scope a larger stage has to offer. And the rubber chicken and dustbin lids gimmick may be out, but Grace introduce new mascots to their performance with a hilarious train-spotter character dancing along in song ‘Anorak of Fire’, and a masked burglar in the aptly titled ‘Burglars’.

In the second set, Grace capture more refrains from their back catalogue: ‘Success’, ‘The Piper’ and ‘Rain Dance’ - all taken from their synthesiser-inspired album Poet, Piper and the Fool - still sound as brilliant today as they’ve ever done, perhaps more so, as do ‘Architects of War’ and ‘Sing Something Simple’.

Looking relaxed and evidently still performing after all these years, it was yet again a pleasure to witness one of Stoke’s finest bands in performance; and as with any Grace gig you’re guaranteed an evening of good company, good cheer and excellent music.

Visit Grace website.

Footnote received from former bassist Gary Hurlstone:

The original line up for Grace was in fact myself [bass] Mac Austin [vocals] Marshall Berrisford [Guitar] Dave Edge [Guitar] Harry Davies [flute/sax] Maz [Drums] Pre-dating Grace by some 5 or 6 years was Jim Crow [also included Michael Noddy Ellis on synthesisers] the forerunner of the current band.

In many respects the direction, both thematically and musically, was set by the original line up, particularly through the work of Marshall Berrrisford. Theatricallity the band started to develop when still performing as Jim Crow [an article appeared in the Sentinel written by then drummer Avron White around '77 ] but continued to blossom during the band's early residency at Bridge Street Arts Centre, [largely as a result of Harry and Mac]. I left in 1979 after a performance for the Year of the Child and wrote several songs which subsequently appeared on their next album.

Prog rock was effectively dead by 1979 and Grace's quirky oddball eccentricity seemed a little out of place in the nihilistic culture of punk. Despite this they have somehow managed to continue, a testimony to their musical tenacity and the warmth and support they receive from their local audience, many of whom have grown up with their sound.

Maz, a great powerhouse of a drummer and a great guy as well, sadly died recently. I now play in China and have a new album Dignity, ready to release- I play the Xiamen Music Beach Festival on Thursday www.xiamenwave.com for details. As for Michael and Marshall - they appear to have gone off the radar.

Gary Hurlstone

Iglu & Hartly/Nick Harrison/Two Door Cinema Club @ The Sugarmill, Hanley. September 24th.

Review By Steve Dean

Photo by Simon Bamford

Having not been out and about to many gigs of late due to other pressures, it was a great pleasure to see three very different, but equally entertaining bands at the Sugarmill last Wednesday evening.

Two Door Cinema Club, hailing from Bangor in Northern Ireland, apart from other musical factors, are a little different in that they have no drummer; the percussion provided via a Macintosh computer. It certainly sounds adequate, although personally I don’t think you can beat a real drummer, but the times, I suppose, are a’changing. Their music is lively and heartfelt, with some passionate vocals from main vox Alex (no surnames on myspace profile) and in places they put me vaguely in mind of an updated U2, except with a different guitar sound; albeit still an echoing one. They have some good strong material and I particularly liked ‘Undercover Martyn’ with its neat guitar line. In fact, I couldn’t fault the musicianship throughout their set and the noisy reception from the Sugarmill crowd confirmed their appeal. A currently unsigned band, they show very great promise.

Recently signed to A&M records, Nick Harrison and his companions; a constantly smiling Naz on bass and Toby Couling on drums, look like they have a big future. He makes a fair list of influences on his myspace profile, but the biggest one by far has to be the reggae-ish, chopping ideals of The Police, a band his overall sound has been borrowed heavily from; but that’s not saying it’s a bad thing. In fact, Toby Couling’s drumming style is so close to Stewart Copeland’s, he could have been tutored by the man himself. Singer and guitarist Nick comes across as a likeable, confident character and his talent as a songwriter is undoubted. His current single ‘Oi, Rude Boy’ has instant appeal and I liked the summery harmonies in ‘Honey’, although I have to say that the track that had the most immediate appeal for me was the jazzy ‘Everything’s alright’; although ‘Something Special’ stood out as well. Tight and well-rehearsed, they play like they are having the time of their lives; a fact well-appreciated by the loudly clamouring audience.

Talking of clamouring audiences, Hollywood band Iglu & Hartly had the audience screaming, yelling, bouncing and crowd-surfing from the very first note. In fact, the screaming began when Jarvis Anderson, one of two frontmen, the other being fellow keysman Sam Martin, carried on his keyboard stand about 10 minutes before the band actually started. Opening with the pounding ‘Violent and Young’, this outfit knows where its appeal lies and there was a faint aura of the Chippendales as the two singers strutted around the stage, reaching out enthusiastically to the eager audience to clasp as many of the sea of hands as they could before pulling away to leap onto the speakers or generally just leap. Bassist Michael Boucher’s massive grin never once left his face, while guitarist Simon Katz and drummer Luis R., whilst concentrating on their instruments, still added as much to the physical bumpings and grindings as they could. Unashamedly pop with a rapping edge, they have some great commercial material and their new single ‘In This City’ had practically everybody singing along. ‘Pop’ they may be, but they have the musical punch of a heavy rock band and the crowd’s frantic dancing bore joy-filled testimony to that. Playing two encores, the crowd, at Jarvis’s invitation, invaded the stage for the last song and the venue filled with an immense vibe of sheer unadulterated fun as band and crowd melded in wholesale celebration. In fact, ‘fun’ and ‘celebration’ sum up the whole evening.

I enjoyed myself immensely. A great night.

Listen:
Two Doors Cinema Club  
Nick Harrison        
Iglu and Hartly     

Obituary: Rick Wright

By Steve Dean



Richard William Wright, founder member of Pink Floyd, died yesterday after a short cancer-related illness. He was 65. Although not so much to the forefront as his colleagues Roger Waters, David Gilmour, and in the early days, Syd Barrett, he was an integral and vital part of the Pink Floyd sound. Only occasionally contributing to the songwriting, he was, however, responsible for the classics ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’ and 'Us and Them', amongst others. The son of a biochemist, he was educated at Haberdashers’ Aske’s school and Regent Street polytechnic, where he met bassist Roger Waters and drummer Nick Mason. Contributing mostly to backing vocals, he did take lead vocals occasionally and most notably on Barrett’s ‘Astronomy Domine’.

Temporarily leaving the band for six years after a big-time bust-up with Roger Waters during the making of ‘The Wall’, he played as a paid session man on the promotional tour for the album. Remarkably, he ended up being the only member, or rather ex-member, who made any money; the others having to bear the huge costs of the extravagant shows. He rejoined after Water’s departure in 1987. In the course of his career, he released the results of three solo projects: ‘Wet Dream’ in 1978; ‘Identity’ (with Dave Harris) in 1984 and ‘Broken China’ in 1996. He also played keyboards and sung background vocals on David Gilmour's most recent solo album, ‘On an Island’, and also performed with Gilmour's band for over two dozen shows in Europe and the United States in 2006. As a cornerstone of a unique band and a talented musician, he will be remembered for a very long time to come.