Dave Arcari Projects His Intense Wail Of Energy

On Tuesday 18^th October The Colchester Arts Centre welcomed the critically acclaimed guitarist Dave Arcari. He entered the stage with just his guitar in hand, but when he started to play it became clear that he had brought much more than that. Arcari had brought a sound that wrapped blues, country and rock into an intense wail of energy. Steven Flavell reports.

Dave Arcari courtesy of Paul Webster

When the Scottish steel guitar player entered the stage I didn’t quite know what to expect. He seemed to possess a real presence that seemed almost unearthly. His thick beard glinted with silver and his eyes flashed with excitement, and then he started to play… He scrunched his face into the glare of a madman that had stumbled upon a secret. When Arcari played Devil’s Left Hand it all became clear, the lyrics revealed the secret that his expression alluded to; “the devil’s left hand reached across the sticks, and I drank all his whiskey and learnt some of his tricks.”

His performance of Parcel Of Rogues was mesmerising and strangely disorientating. Like a mischievous dancer of deliverance Arcari galloped across the stage, glaring out of focus but very much in tune. He swung his beard away from his body to break free but it clung to him like his guitar.

During Got Me Electric Arcari strummed a bassy percussion into his guitar that he saluted with a roll back of his eyes and the raspy twang of his voice. He stomped his feet as he gazed out with glee, wrapping his rich scotch accent around the lyrics, strangling them with rugged emotion. As I watched him I wondered if this was a madman or a genius, but perhaps he is both…

Hokie Joint Turn The Soundhouse Into A Juke Joint

On Friday 7^th October Hokie Joint turned The Soundhouse at The Bull into a juke joint; or at the very least gave it the feel of one with their raw and dirty version of roots based blues. Steven Flavell reports.

This is a band that plays music together, not as petty individuals seeking to steal the limelight from one another by over exaggerating their own prowess. They share the moment together and build it up into a deep breath of quirky and original roots music. Their aim is to take the blues to the masses.

Hokie Joint

JoJo Burgess (image courtesy of Brian Sherwen)

It was very difficult not to focus on the antics of Jo Jo Burgess the lead singer who brought an almost vaudevillian presence to the band in between songs; he communicated with the crowd in an Ian Dury-esque manner awkwardly flexing his limbs and blazing his eyes wide open like a man possessed.

Stephen Cutmore the drummer (courtesy of Brian Sherwen)

Meanwhile their drummer; Stephen Cutmore reminds me of Mick Jagger, partly because he looks like him, and partly because he spends the whole time pulling faces like him! He looks like a man who’s having a brilliant time on stage, providing energy and genuine personality. It really rubs off on the audience.

Joel Fisk the guitarist (courtesy of Tony Joe Gardner)

Joel Fisk brings startlingly skilful slide guitar to the fore. He is a fairly shy personality in comparison to some members of the band on stage, but there is nothing understated about his play; he slides into solos that echo the likes of Eric Clapton.

Giles King harmonica with Fergie Fulton base (courtesy of Brian Sherwen)

When I heard that Giles King was regarded as one of the best blues harmonica players in the country I took it with a pinch of salt. However when I heard him play it all became clear. I have absolutely no idea how to play the harmonica but I do know that Giles King can do some pretty special things with one. During their song Back Where We Are Going he even left the stage and entered into the midst of the crowd while performing a solo.

Fergie Fulton brings energetic base lines that complement the eye-catching antics and sounds of Hokie Joint’s electric guitar and harmonica. For a bassist he displays a relatively rare willingness to get right up at the front of the stage and bust out his bass for all to see. Yup, Hokie Joint were keen to share the love around, and you know what? I think I felt it.

What I really like about Hokie Joint was that they didn’t rely on padding out their set with other people’s songs’, but stuck to their own music. The Music Starts To Play (the title track of their second album) began with a mischievous exchange between the guitar and drums before being joined by the harmonica, bass and vocals. It created an energy that seemed to grow with every breath that was sucked in and blown out by Giles King’s harmonica.

Apologise was another track that oozed energy. Stehen Cutmore wound up the drums with his careful brushwork while he pouted his lips like a madman, Fergie Fulton joined in with a thick base line before the guitar, vocals and harmonica united to create a petulant defiance; to quote the song lyrics “It’s not a problem, why should I apologise.”

The Crying Song was much slower and it began with Joel Fisk playing a clean and clear riff to amplify the vocals of Jo Jo Burgess which sounded incredible. Jo Jo rasped “How I cried, how I cried” like a rusty chainsaw that cut through the sounds of the instruments and into your flesh… in a good way!

I had not seen Hokie Joint before, but I will make sure I see them again.

Hokie Joint will play at the Colchester Arts Centre on Tuesday 18^th October. Click here to book tickets.

Cage Fitness: A New Way To Get Fighting Fit

For most people who want to get fit and shed a few pounds, their first thought is to sign up for an expensive and long term gym membership. Most people certainly wouldn’t consider going to a cage fitness session. However this new concept is slowly becoming more popular. Steven Flavell endured an intense thirty minute workout at Colchester Wado Ryu Karate club and he did it in the name of journalism! The fool…

One thing we can all agree on is the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle in terms of diet and regular exercise.

Cage Fitness uses a punch bag rather than a partner to avoid the risk of injuries

However it’s one thing being aware of it and another actually doing it. It seems that for every person that joins a gym, there is another person who quickly grows bored of the whole experience. One problem can be the expensive subscription for a gym membership, or even the intimidating narcissism that accompanies the many mirrors for people to watch themselves while they pump weights. So what can people do to get fit and keep exercising? Believe it or not, one possibility is cage fitness.

The Colchester Wado Ryu Karate club have introduced cage fitness sessions for people to get fit and hopefully have a little fun in the process. According to Darren Reynolds, the sensei and owner “it offers an opportunity for people of all fitness levels to exercise effectively. Each person can put in what they want to get out of it. It’s not important whether someone works harder than another person; it’s about improving your own fitness levels and enjoying the experience.”

I attended one of the sessions last week and can say that it’s definitely a more interesting experience than going to the gym. It is however very hard work! It’s a thirty minute workout, which revolves around the same training regime that mixed martial artists use such as the fighters that appear in cage fights. The workout is based on a championship bout of five five-minute rounds. Each round works a different part of your body.

Some people reading this may be worried that it may be too physical. I put this to Darren who dispelled this myth; “It’s not like karate in the respect that you don’t have a partner to do the exercises with. You use a kick bag instead so there is no risk of injury to yourself or another person. It’s a very safe activity.”

Darren Reynolds is the sensei and owner of Colchester Wado Ryu Karate club

Darren also believes that “cage fitness can offer varied forms of exercise every single session. Although you are not working with a partner there are other people in the room performing the same exercises, so it can become a mini-competition if you are watching someone else and trying to keep up with them; so it is easy to stay motivated during each session.

“The feedback that I’ve had from people is that it’s not as boring. For a lot of people who go down the gym it can become a bit of a novelty. They may stick with it for three to four months but eventually they get bored of it because it can become a repetition of the same exercises and experiences, whereas cage fitness can progress and change. We already offer a variation of different exercises and drills, but we hope to introduce maybe 10-15 more variations of this to keep the experience interesting and varied for those who participate.”

Although The Colchester Wado Ryu Karate club primarily offers Martial Arts classes, Darren Reynolds explained why they decided to introduce cage fitness sessions.
“It was something I thought would be a good idea to introduce into the Dojo as an extra non-martial arts related exercise where people can come and join in who have no karate experience; meanwhile existing karate students can participate and improve their fitness levels alongside their training.”

If you are interested in giving cage fitness sessions a go or even trying a karate class, click on the Colchester Wado Ryu Karate website. The first class is completely free.

The Full Phat 5 Lay Down The Funk-Bomb At Roberts

On Saturday 1^st October The Full Phat 5 played at Roberts Live Lounge in Colchester and left the audience suitably funkified. The Full Phat 5 produced a performance of genuine passion and energy that showed how to cover some of the best soul and funk tracks ever made. Steven Flavell was there to enjoy the experience.

The Full Phat 5

When I heard that The Full Phat 5 were playing at Roberts bar I just had to go. Although I had never seen them play before, I have seen Greg Blackman perform with his piano; his voice is something that really has to be sampled in person; it’s just made for soul and funk. However The Full Phat 5 are not just a one man band, far from it. The remaining four members: Matt Haines (guitar), Rocky Hambling (drums), Geoff Hall (bass) and Kev Wiltshire (keyboard) possess years of experience from gigging and touring across the country and Europe.

How this band came to be is not important, what is important is that we have a local soul and funk cover band that can lay down a set that covers songs by the likes of Stevie Wonder to Bill Withers.

The Full Phat 5 opened with a full and rich rendition of I Wish by Stevie Wonder and followed it up with Harvest For The World by The Isley Brothers. The band seemed at ease as the lethargic base and smooth keys appeared to carry you away with the peaceful melodies of the song.

It was at this moment that The Full Phat 5 introduced a little funk to the proceedings by playing Brick House by The Commodores. The mischievous rhythm of the song is impossible not to dance to. When I looked onto the dance floor I thought that The Full Phat 5 had succeeded in bringing back to life the late Patrick Swayze; he was dancing away like nobody’s business, but alas it was not Patrick Swayze. It was merely a drunken lookalike who couldn’t dance at all…

One of the highlights of the night was during the Bill Withers song Ain’t No Sunshine in the third verse where Bill Withers repeats “I know, I know, I know…” and builds his voice with emotion and volume. Vocally it is incredibly difficult to replicate but Greg Blackman filled the lyrics with such soulful passion that it sent a shiver down my spine.

The Full Phat 5

The Full Phat 5’s cover of Al Green’s Lets Stay Together was also a very special moment. The band nailed it. The gentle thud of the drums complemented the mysterious keys to create a soothing lullaby. Click here to listen to The Full Phat 5’s recorded version of Lets Stay Together by Al Green.

The Full Phat 5 ended the night with Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder, whereby they well and truly laid down the funk like an atom bomb. It was delivered with explosive emotion and it was a great way to end the night.

The Great Colchester Photo Shoot: Create A Snapshot In Time

An opportunity for the local people of Colchester is fast approaching; an exciting and rewarding prospect that offers us all a challenge to preserve a piece of history for future generations. Sound intriguing? If you are up to it then you will have a one-time twenty-four hour window of opportunity, so make it count…
Steven Flavell reports. 

The Colchester 24 trust (a local not-for-profit body) have organised The Great Colchester Photo Shoot in order to give us all the chance to participate in the making of a 1,000 photo ‘snapshot’ time capsule of the Colchester of today, for the Colchester of tomorrow. This event will take place from midday on Friday 21^st October to midday Saturday 22^nd October. What makes this project particularly exciting is that it will create a collection of images made by the public. Anyone can participate; all you need is a camera and an eye for a photo.

This event has been inspired by the 1986 Just Another Day project that was held 25 years ago. It was a collection of images that captured the essence of Colchester by focusing on the people and personalities of the town.

Five Punks sitting on Trinity Church Wall Photographed by George Royffe on Fri at 13:15 1986

Images such as the one above would have been common back in 1986, but now they have a uniqueness about them that seems special. Just as the 1986 photos provide an insight for us to appreciate now, so too can the Great Colchester Photo Shoot capture a piece of our everyday lives for the future population of Colchester.

Rose, Priscilla and Rose Gatehouse with her baby Priscilla outside their home on the travellers site, Turner Road Photographed by Sue Murray on Fri at 14:45 1986

The best photos taken from Just Another Day have appeared at various exhibitions around town, the most recent is currently being shown at the Trinity Church until 8th October.

This time all of the photos taken will be put onto the Colchester24 website, so they will be available for everyone to see. However the most striking photos from the upcoming October 2011 Colchester photo shoot will also be displayed and updated at Hollytrees Museum, Castle Park until April 2012. Eventually both the original 1986 and the new 2011 prints will be donated to the Castle Museum to join their photographic and social history archive.

While the 1986 event had roughly 50 photographers from local camera clubs participating, the 2011 event is completely different in that it is open to the general public. “We could have literally 1000s of pictures this time!” said Alan Murrells, one of the Colchester24 trustees.

People of Colchester this is your opportunity to participate in something special for the future. If you want to get involved then visit the Colchester 24 website  to register.

Bike Guru Cafe & Workshop: A New Social Space

Down by the previously disused kiosks next to the bus station, a new business venture has opened its doors to the public; a business venture that combines a handy bike service with a delightful blend of rich roasted coffee. This business venture is The Bike Guru Cafe & Workshop. Steven Flavell reports a few of the essential facts.

Matt Lawford is the Bike Guru and for a number of years he has been providing a mobile bicycle mechanic service across Colchester and Wivenhoe. On Friday 30^th September The Bike Guru Cafe & Workshop held the official grand opening of its three-month tenancy at the kiosks. In the coming months it will be blending a reliable bike repair service with a relaxed social atmosphere where visitors can pop in for a chat and a coffee.

The Bike Guru setting up shop.

The Bike Guru has been given this wonderful opportunity by The Hidden Kiosks Project run, by the Creative Co-op. The Hidden Kiosks Project aims to offer local people the chance to use the previously disused kiosks that served the bus station and to “encourage a public expression of entrepreneurship, showcase the creative talent in Colchester and promote the concept that running your own business, even in a tough climate, is accessible to all with a little bit of imagination.”

The Bike Guru observed of the kiosks and the opportunity “It’s a fantastic space. Having somewhere permanent in Colchester itself is a good step in the right direction for me. Although the mobile service was great, it’s more convenient for customers to bring their bikes here into town because the majority of my customers are from Colchester not Wivenhoe where I was based before.”

The Bike Guru was selected by the judges of the Hidden Kiosks Project not only because of his impressive business plan but also because of his vision to utilise the kiosks as a social space.

“In the evenings we are going to have open mic nights. There is going to be a buskers’ zone where we will have a mini stage with an amp and a couple of microphones. We’ll also be showing screenings of various films; cycle related and non-cycle related.”

In the coming months the Bike Guru not only hopes to test out his business plan at the kiosks with a view to setting up a permanent base in the area, but he also hopes “to create a cycling hub if there’s enough buzz about cycling. There already is but, it’s underground, if we can bring the cyclists out and maybe give them some training and take them on social rides we might create this ‘bikey-coffee’ social atmosphere.”

Stuck On My Eyes: An Act Of Gratitude To Hospital Staff

James Maturin-Baird, a designer and photographer has gone to extraordinary lengths to express his gratitude to the hospital staff in Colchester for the care they gave his new born son, Alexander, by producing a book, Steven Flavell reports.

The book, is called Stuck On My Eyes and the profits will be donated to the Neonatal Unit (previously the Special Care Baby Unit) at Colchester General Hospital. On the 29^th July 2006, Mr Maturin-Baird’s son Alexander was born at a weight of just 4lb 4oz and subsequently spent a fortnight on the Unit. His son even features in some of the photographs in the book, which consists of 60 black and white images such as the ones below.

Alexander Maturin-Baird pictured on his fifth birthday on 29 July

The sea at Bawdsey on 1 March 2009

Mr. Maturin-Baird said “I am no medical expert but I feel that the Neonatal Unit saved Alexander’s life.

“The people who worked there were calm, reassuring, compassionate and courteous over and above their professionalism. This book is the symbol of our gratitude to all those on that unit.”

Alexander in the Neonatal Unit shortly after his birth in July 2006 (please note that this image does not appear in the book).

This morning, Mr Maturn-Baird visited the Neonatal Unit to present staff there with a copy of Stuck On My Eyes.

Mr Maturin-Baird at Colchester General Hospital with a copy of Stuck On My Eyes.

Sister Karen Moss observed “The unit is well supported by the local community but as far as I can recall this is the first time that a book has been produced to raise funds. It is fantastic that Mr Maturin-Baird has used his creative talents in such a productive way.”

Stuck On My Eyes costs £22.95 and is available on the Blurb website.

A Week in the Life of Local Live Music

Since its opening in late November last year Tin Pan Alley has become one of the most popular music bars in Colchester. Its unwavering commitment to putting on an eclectic mix of live music ranging from soul to gypsy blues has allowed Tin Pan Alley to establish itself as one of the new alternative hubs in the local area. Situated in the middle of the Cultural Quarter on 7 Queen Street (with the opening of firstsite just metres away), the bar’s hard work seems to be paying dividends. Last week in particular was fantastic for live music in Colchester, and as ever Tin Pan Alley has been a big part of this. Steven Flavell picks out a few of his favourites.

Newtons Apple

Newtons Apple played on Thursday 22^nd September; a four piece band from Colchester who have already played in a number of local venues.  Their female lead singer Polly Haynes, has a wonderful voice, which effortlessly ranges from low to high in the manner of Beth Ditto. Her voice is carefully supported by clever changes and breaks from the band. Their song Leopard’s Don’t Change Their Spots is fantastic, incredibly catchy, utilising backing harmonies as well as lateral base movements. This is an up-and-coming band capable of combining funk and rock to great effect, especially while performing live.

Newtons Apple

Animal Noise

On Friday 23^rd September Animal Noise brought their sound to Tin Pan Alley. Whilst they describe their music as “beaten, battered ‘n’ bruised folk”, on the basis of this performance, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Their animalistic noise is impulsive and disorganised, but quite brilliant; almost like a young Biffy Clyro, but not as heavy. Their base and guitar combine to chaotically drive them through chorus and verse with equal verve. This is a local band who would not sound, or look, out of place on the big stage.

Animal Noise

Joel Fisk

On Friday 23^rd September Tin Pan Alley hosted Joel Fisk, a talented blues musician who also plays in the band Hokie Joint. Despite his young age his acoustic blues sound is mature and refined, he handles songs by the likes of Robert Johnson with great care and dexterity while his husky voice is almost haunting at times.

Below is a video of Joel performing From Four Until Late by Robert Johnson.

Keep a look out for my interview with Joel Fisk in the November issue of The Colchester Circle.

Dingus Khan

Dingus Khan were invited to play on Saturday 24^th September and boy did they play! A local band from Manningtree, they are symbolic of Tin Pan Alley’s vision of supporting local up-and-coming acts. As soon as they stepped on stage they made their presence known. Each one of its seven members brought an energy and enthusiasm that was infectious. Their sound was ambitious; it swung from gentle melodies to powerful and uncompromising riffs, but they backed it up with a viciously vibrant display. By the end of their gig, the crowd were having just as much fun as the band!

Dingus Khan (image courtesy of Joe Nichol)

It has been another great week for live music in Colchester. The Colchester Circle would like to give a big thumbs up to the bands and artists mentioned above and to Tin Pan Alley for promoting the best of local talent for us all to enjoy.