+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer”are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.
[Content warning: as always, some friendly swearing.]
In this conversation, we discuss:
learning to give space to other aspects of life as a touring musician
evolving as an artist – letting go of the ego-driven side of being on stage while still being in love with singing and words
the life-changing power of meditation – Liela’s experience of silent Vipassana retreats and how to bring the benefits of meditation into everyday life *and* music making
releasing an album during COVID-19 – the reasons for going ahead
blushing all day long – the day Liela got to sing with Nick Cave
First known for her work as vocalist with the Duke Spirit, Liela Moss’s solo albums “My Name Is Safe In Your Mouth” (2018) and “Who The Power” (2020), recorded with producer and partner Toby Butler, mark great leaps forward for one of alt-rock’s most magnetic voices.
Over 14 years, Moss’s work with the Duke Spirit (not gone, just on pause) ranged from brawling riff-rock to the more exploratory Sky Is Mine (2017). Other projects have included synth-rock recordings with Butler under the name Roman Remains; elsewhere, Moss has leant her sublime voice to studio and live collaborations with UNKLE, Nick Cave, Giorgio Moroder and Lost Horizons, the project formed by former Dif Juz drummer Richie Thomas and Bella Union’s Simon Raymonde, who produced three Duke Spirit albums.
This podcast is 100% powered by my Correspondent’s Club. Thanks to every single member for your support!
+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.
Welcome to my conversation with Mike Batt, recorded on 12th February 2021.Visit Mike’s websitefor his blog, artwork and an exhaustive list of his exciting writing credits.
[Content warning: some friendly swears.]
In this conversation, we discuss:
how a teenage Cat Stevens inspired a slightly younger teenage Mike Batt to write songs
blagging versus reaching – using projects to teach yourself how to do the thing you’ve been hired to do
savvy negotiating – how refusing a one-off payment to write for The Wombles while broke led to great things
what it feels like to bet hundreds of thousands of pounds on an artist through buying TV advertising
writing for other people – how songwriting can be like acting
why someone needs to invent anti-gravitational brandy sauce
Mike Batt is an English singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, record producer, director, conductor and former Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry. Having achieved substantial international success as a solo artist, he is particularly known in the UK for creating The Wombles pop act, writing many hits including the chart-topping “Bright Eyes” and discovering Katie Melua.
The man behind pop hits for Cliff Richard, David Essex and Alvin Stardust, collaborations with XTC, Vanessa Mae and the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the conception and co-creation of all-female string quartet Bond, Mike set up his Dramatico record label in 2002. Working with Carla Bruni, Marianne Faithfull, Caro Emerald, Gurrumul, and Sarah Blasko, he released Katie Melua’s first six albums (and wrote / co-wrote / produced the first three).
He has also conducted many of the world’s great orchestras, including the London Symphony, Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony and Stuttgart Philharmonic in both classical and pop recordings and performances.
+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.
Welcome to my conversation with Liz Stokes, recorded on 8th December 2020. The Beths’ latest album “Jump Rope Gazers” is out now – visit their website for more.
[Content warning: some friendly swears.]
In this conversation, we discuss:
the value of establishing creative rules for songwriting and making videos
touring New Zealand during the pandemic, and Beths’ bassist Ben’s secret breakfast blog
the success – and shelf life – of an indie band
coping mechanisms for happier touring – why The Beths always take a cricket bat on the road
the ever-expanding skillset of the modern musician
The Beths hail from the vibrant and deeply collaborative music community of Auckland, New Zealand. Their blend of propulsive, sing-along choruses, four-part vocal arrangements, and wry, introspective lyrics has earned them fans around the world, as well as opening slots for indie rock titans like The Breeders, Pixies, Weezer, and Death Cab for Cutie.
The Beths’ 2018 debut album ‘Future Me Hates Me’ drew acclaim from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, NPR, Stereogum, the A.V. Club and a host of other publications, many of whom listed Future Me Hates Me among their favourite LPs of 2018. The album also made the shortlist for New Zealand’s 2018 Taite Music Prize, and Stokes has twice been nominated for the Silver Scroll Award, New Zealand’s most prestigious songwriting honour. In 2019, The Beths were nominated for five Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards, winning Best Group and Best Alternative Artist.
After 18 months of touring, The Beths regrouped to write and record their second album, ‘Jump Rope Gazers’, a sparkling collection of songs that deepens and expands the bright talent they showed on their early releases. Bonds between the band members only grew after spending so much time on the road together, and their camaraderie shows on their new work.
‘Jump Rope Gazers’ is out now via Carpark Records.
+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.
Thanks for visiting! Welcome to my conversation with Rebecca Lucy Taylor, recorded on 9th December 2020.
[Content warning: some friendly swears.]
In this conversation, we discuss:
how becoming a solo artist and making exactly the work she wanted drastically changed Rebecca’s mental health
how dancing brought RLT back to her body, bridging the gap between Slow Club and Self Esteem and bringing her joy
becoming a badge entrepreneur – how designing badges and fulfulling her own merch during lockdown has helped Rebecca feel useful (despite having the handwriting of a little naughty boy”!)
the pros and cons of relentless touring, and how that changes as you grow older and wiser
leaving no surface unstatemented – how RLT is making up for lost time after years of not being able to say what she meant
Explore Rebecca’s work:
Listen to “In Time” (from the album “Compliments Please”)
Rebecca Lucy Taylor is a true auteur – a musician, vocalist, songwriter and dancer with an all-encompassing vision that she channels into her solo project Self Esteem.
After releasing four critically acclaimed albums and touring the world with previous band, Slow Club, Rebecca released her debut solo album “Compliments Please” in 2019 and was nominated for best breakthrough act at the Q awards that year.
+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.
We live in interesting times. Even before the global pandemic, this was already a challenging age for the independent musical artist. The business appears to have attained a permanent state of flux and is widely characterised as some kind of monster, chewing up and spitting out the naively pure of heart.
And yet David Ford is finally happy. For the first time in twenty years, there is nobody trying to make him famous.
Ford’s journey through the many worlds of the modern music industry has not always been an easy one to navigate. A succession of record labels seduced by his talents have in turn, attempted to sell him as a pop star, a protest singer, an indie hipster, a balladeer and a bluesman.
In reality he might be all of these things. And none of the above. It’s complicated.
As well as playing sold-out headline shows on both sides of the Atlantic, he has supported artists such as Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint, Ray LaMontagne, Aimee Mann, Sara Bareilles, Gomez, Aqualung, Richard Ashcroft, Suzanne Vega, Augustana, Ingrid Michaelson and Jakob Dylan.
Ford’s masterful songwriting, powerful live performances and utter distaste for self-promotion have helped cultivate a passionate, devoted fan base that exists something like a secret society.
You are very welcome to join. Just don’t go around shouting about it.
+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.
Happy new podcast to you – my first of 2021! Welcome to my conversation with Kat Robichaud, recorded on 7th December 2020.
[Content warning: some friendly swears.]
In this conversation, we discuss:
what it’s like to do well on the biggest TV talent show going, and how Kat built an independent career afterwards
how failure and setbacks bring a whole new world of possibility
the mental health impact of losing the validation of a live audience during the pandemic
how some sage advice and support from Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman helped set Kat on her journey towards creating Misfit Cabaret
what to do when a famous artist manager says you’re “not leading lady pretty”
the importance of our patrons and why we love them so much
SPEAKING OF WHICH, massive thanks to Nick Xylas for sponsoring this episode via The Correspondent’s Club – powering the making of new music and podcasts since May 2020. Thanks, Nick!
After more than a decade of touring up and down the east coast, Kat Robichaud sang her way to the top 10 on Season 5 of NBC’s The Voice in 2016. She then released her first solo album, “Kat Robichaud and the Darling Misfits”.
Following up the momentum and critical acclaim of her album, Robichaud launched Misfit Cabaret with partner Jordan Nathan – a dazzling musical variety show performed in San Francisco, Seattle, and LA, along with Kat’s second solo album “Misfit Cabaret”. Each night features an ensemble cast of musicians, drag darlings, burlesque bombshells, aerialists and puppets. Each event is a different theme, ranging anywhere from sci fi to horror to nautical to circus, so don’t miss a night!
+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.
I need YOU! Please subscribe, rate and review Attention Engineer (especially on Apple Podcasts) – it all helps this independent show reach more ears. Thanks!
In this conversation, we discuss:
the importance of giving yourself permission to be creative
building a creative career after things didn’t go how you thought they would, and how “wasting” your 20s could lead to better work later
a day in the life of Robin Ince – prompted by a question from previous guest Bec Hill, I ask for productivity tips and receive a surprising answer
wrestling self loathing, the inner critic and an engorged ego – how to keep making things
what it’s been like staying in one place in 2020 after years spent constantly on the road
how, at times, we are the voice of lots of people who are very quiet
Robin Ince is many things. A comedian, an author, a broadcaster and a populariser of scientific ideas. The Guardian once declared him a ‘becardiganed polymath’ which seems about right.
He is probably best known as the co-host of the Sony Gold Award winning BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage with Professor Brian Cox. He also co-hosts the podcast Robin and Josie’s Book Shambles, which gains over 100,000 listeners a month, which is part of The Cosmic Shambles Network, which he also co-created.
His most recent book, I’m a Joke and So Are You, was described by Chortle as ‘one of the best books ever written about what it means to be a comedian’. He also wrote the book, The Bad Book Club, and has edited and written short stories for two volumes of Dead Funny: Horror Stories by Comedians, as well as writing and presenting documentaries about the history of self-help, comedians and melancholy, Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds, Richard Feynman, General Relativity and Dr Seuss.
As a stand up he has toured the world and won three Chortle Awards, the Time Out Outstanding Achievement Award and was nominated for the British Comedy Awards Best Live show. The Guardian once wrote that, ‘When someone writes a history of modern comedy, they should make room for Robin Ince’ and of his latest show The Scotsman described it as an ‘alchemic mix of enthusiasm, knowledge and observation’.
He has created, curated, pioneered and hosted numerous nights mixing science, music and comedy at some of the most celebrated venues around the world from the Hammersmith Apollo to the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto and the Royal Albert Hall. His brainchild Nine Lessons and Carols for Curious People continues to sell out theatres every year, over a decade after its first appearance, and in 2019 he embarked on a world tour of arenas with Professor Brian Cox.
He has received an Honorary Fellowship of UCL, an honorary doctorate from Royal Holloway College (University of London), and is a fellow of the British Science Association.
This podcast is 100% powered by my Correspondent’s Club. Thanks to every single member for your support!
+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.
I need YOU! Please subscribe, rate and review Attention Engineer (especially on Apple Podcasts) – it all helps this independent show reach more ears. Thanks!
In this conversation, we discuss:
Obey Robots – our new collaboration project – how Miles Hunt (The Wonder Stuff) and the YouTube sidebar brought us together
Rat’s experience of going on Top Of The Pops in the early 90s, sandwiched between Roxette and Hale and Pace
the comfort of disappearing into a room with a guitar in hand
knowing your place as a performer – how the Ned’s manager Tank drilled respect for the audience into the band from the early days
writing and recording over email – how the internet made it possible for Obey Robots to spring into life this year, and how Ned’s might not have existed if it had happened sooner
how you – yes YOU – can get into home recording too (with honourable mention of this great book, “Guerilla Home Recording” by Karl Coryat)
Explore Rat’s work:
Listen to “Let It Snow” (the first single from our Obey Robots collab)
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin are an English rock band formed in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in November 1987. Formed at sixth-form college, the band recorded their first album while some of the members were still teenagers.
From these humble beginnings, the band went on to sign to Sony Music, and their debut album “Godfodder” shot to number 4 in the UK albums chart in 1991. They released three albums and travelled the world, plus played Top Of The Pops twice before disbanding in 1995. In 2008, Ned’s reformed for a show at The Astoria, and since then have been playing regular reunion shows with The Wonder Stuff and Pop Will Eat Itself.
In 2019 they released 14-track album “Ned’s Acoustic Dustbin”, and in 2021 they will be performing in London and Stourbridge to celebrate the 30th anniversary of “The Ingredients” EP. Get tickets here.
This podcast is 100% powered by my Correspondent’s Club. Thanks to every single member for your support!
+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer”are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.
Hello and welcome to my conversation with Thea Gilmore, recorded on 16th November 2020. Visit Thea’s website here and scroll down for more links to her work.
[Content warning: some friendly swears.]
In this conversation, we discuss:
building a longlasting music career – removing power from the middlemen and finding ways forward that aren’t whatever normal is
how growing up alongside your fans is a bit like being followed around by your school class
how imposter syndrome can keep you grateful
honesty in music – taking down the wall brick by brick to become more uncomfortable
creating a sustainable income as an artist – the importance of both our subscription clubs in our continuing survival as artists, and Thea’s pioneering early work in this area
how fame seems awful
what it’s like to be one of Bruce Springsteen’s favourite artists
An artist of enduring international acclaim and a justly revered lyricist, Thea Gilmore’s musical settings have taken many ingenious detours in the 22 years since the release of her debut album, Burning Dorothy. Uncategorisable, whip smart and unafraid to speak her mind, her Twitter bio reads “Singer. Songwriter. Tall bird. Corruptor of words”.
This podcast is 100% powered by my Correspondent’s Club. Thanks to every single member for your support!
+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer”are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.
