Episodes
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We're joined by author and musician, CJ Thorpe-Tracey on this week's Sheer Isolation. His loyal fanbase know him better as Chris TT.
Over two decades, Chris released ten albums and over a hundred songs. The Huntsman Comes A-Marchin' was frequently covered by Frank Turner in his early days of touring.
Chris has now published his first book - Buried in the English Earth. It's a lyric book that features every one of his published songs, along with detailed notes and analysis of the meaning.
He tells us that he has retired as a songwriter, but is now turning his attention to novel writing.
Music this week is provided by post-punk poet Bristolian, Emily Breeze, and Chris picks a track from Jim Bob; a band fronted by James Morrison from indie punk chart-toppers, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine.
We also cover the news that previous guest, Thomas Haynes - aka Grasslands - has created his own local music magazine in print, and the Wiltshire wurz-rap artist, Corky, has announced in EP launch - some 15 years after his debut album!
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It's about time we interviewed the man behind Sheer Music on this show!
In this episode Jon talks to Kieran... He tells us how he caught the bug for organising and promoting live music, how he's spent close to 20 years supporting Wiltshire's venues and festivals, and also tells us what he's planning to do next!
We play a couple of new tunes courtesy of Swindon rockers NervEndings, and Bristol based indie songwriter, Billy Nomates.
We also chat about how local festivals are already trickling out news of their 2023 headliners, and how a Government grant could be used to create a new community venue in the centre of Trowbridge.
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Missing episodes?
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We're playing out Part 2 of our Jimmy Watkins interview this week.
Previously, Jimmy was telling us about how he set up the Running Punks - an online community which supports mental health by combining music and running.
This week he talks more about his previous incarnations - including his time playing in alt-rock band Future of the Left, and then the Vega Bodegas.
He also explains why he embarked on a music career, as at the time he was a Welsh record holder for the 800 metres and starting to prepare for a place at the Olympics!
Our music choices also have a Welsh theme this week - we play a track from Jimmy's band, the Vega Bodegas, and Kieran chooses a new release from Welsh songwriter, Tom Jenkins.
We also talk about a growing trend for people to move away from streaming services in favour of physical discs, and we look at some of the gigs taking place in towns across the West in the coming week.
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This week on Sheer Isolation we're joined by Mercyful Fate bassist, Becky Baldwin!
That is THE Mercyful Fate - the iconic Danish metal 80s band.
Originally from Trowbridge, Becky will soon be joining the band as they tour America; filling in for their usual bassist, Joey Vera.
She tells us how this once-in-a-lifetime chance came about thanks to her social media accounts, in particular her YouTube videos. Her online showcase has created a fantastic platform to show her skills as a session guitarist.
If you're into your classic metal bands, you may have already seen Becky play in one of her regular groups, Fury and Hands Off Gretel.
Our music choices this week include one of Fury's latest releases, and Kieran plays a tune from electro-pop duo, Pecq.
In our news section, we discuss the latest developments that are delaying much-needed renovation work at Swindon's Oasis Centre.
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Our guest on Sheer Isolation this week competed for Team GB in the 800 metres, and was in Welsh alt-rock band Future of the Left.
But those stories will be told another time... This week, Jimmy Watkins is talking to us about a series of YouTube videos he made, and how they led to the creation of a new running club with a difference.
Jimmy created Running Punks after he and a friend discovered first-hand just how important regular exercise is for helping overcome mental anxieties.
During lockdown, he was encouraging musicians and music-lovers to follow his lead and go for a run.
Two years on, and Running Punks has become a worldwide tribe of amateur athletes, with clubs operating in countries across the globe.
Jimmy tells us of his surprise that his music video reviews, recorded while out running, became such a big hit on YouTube, and how the Running Punks name is continuing to gain momentum and popularity.
Jimmy's choice of track is our first Welsh spoken song on Sheer Isolation courtesy of female rock trio, Adwaith. We also play the latest release from Chippenham/Bristol group the Erotic Secrets of Pompeii, who filmed the video for this tune in Kieran's workplace.
We also talk about upcoming gigs in the region, and how Kieran has very unreliable gig buddies, leaving him with plenty of spare tickets for shows!
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On this week's Sheer Isolation we play out the second part of our Johnny Black interview.
In this part, the Devizes based music journalist talks about the time he joined a new team of writers to create the Smash Hits brand.
The publication team, which launched it's first magazine in 1978, went on to produce other titles such as Mojo and Q.
Johnny tells us about his Time Machine feature for Mojo - an 'On This Day' section which still lives on through his personal website.
We also play the new single from The Streets which features Jazz Morley; a singer and pianist who's been performing in venues across the south west for years, but more recently has been supporting household names in cities across Europe.
Our other tune is from alt rockers InAir who are performing at this year's Swindon Shuffle.
Jon and Kieran also mention Wiltshire musician, Kirsty Clinch, who's new album is lighting up the iTunes charts.. We also have an update on Bristol icon Big Jeff who is on the road to recovery following a house fire.
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Every band needs merch. Corporate events need merch. People love buying merch!
Our guest on this week's Sheer Isolation has been making merch for local and international artists for years. Nathan Gregory runs Hartmoor Merchandise from North Wiltshire - primarily printing T-shirts and the like, but if you want a logo put on something, he can help.
He tells us how business is booming, explains why international bands prefer using UK printers while on tour here, and tells us about the weirdest thing he's ever seen a logo stamped on!
Our music choices this week include a silly song with a serious message from Sweetchunks, and Nathan picks a track from one of his recent clients, Blackbear.
In our news section we talk about how the 2022 festival season is coming to a close.
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40 years ago, our guest on this week's Sheer Isolation was hanging out with the likes of The Beach Boys and Tammy Wynette, and writing features for magazines such as Smash Hits!
Johnny Black has gone from village life in rural Scotland, to the bustle of London's music industry in the 80s, and now lives among the rolling hills of Wiltshire.
In this first of two parts, we talk to Johnny about his history, including how he became the press officer of some of the most iconic names on the CBS label.
Music choices this week include a punk rock artist, Arms and Hearts, who's stopping off in Wiltshire on his mini-tour, and Johnny picks one of his own tracks because, in his own words, musicians make songs for them to be heard.
In our news section we pay respect to KTor Stretch - a young Bristol rapper who was recently killed in London. We also cover the latest festival news in the region.
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Our guest on this week's Sheer Isolation is a sound and electronics engineer who's travelled the world over four decades designing, operating and repairing some seriously large and expensive sound desks and speakers!
These days, Danny Kitainik is the man behind a modest little production company in Wiltshire, Serenity Audio.
But Danny was behind many of the sound systems installed in London's iconic nightclubs during the eighties, toured with the likes of Simple Minds, K D Lang and Toto, has set up systems for TED talks and World Cup VAR reviews, and was cited as saving the day when things went wrong before an iconic Happy Mondays gig.
This interview hardly scrapes the surface of Danny's story, but we cover key events from the time he was given first soldering iron, to the heyday of working with some of the world's biggest artists, to supporting his family with their own musical and art endeavours.
We also give a shout out to a couple of previous guests of Sheer Isolation... Seth Bye was playing as part of the Giffords Circus travelling band when we spoke to him. He's just performed at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony with Birmingham twelve-piece, The Destroyers.
Also, congrats to Florence Espuit-Nickless. We spoke to her soon after her first performances of the semi-autobiographical play about growing up in small Wiltshire towns. She's taken Destiny to this year's Edinburgh Fringe!
In our music choices this week, Danny picks a track from Amie K, and we also play an upbeat instrumental piece by The Destroyers.
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It's not very often you come across a chap who has built his own amphitheatre so he can showcase live music and theatrical performances in his garden.
But that's exactly what Dave Hartland has done at the Cotswold Sculpture Park.
He's spent nearly three decades turning a field of weeds in the surroundings of the Cotswold Water Park into a unique trail of artwork and statues, with visitors travelling far and wide to view (and sometimes buy) the pieces on display.
With his DIY amphitheatre project now complete, he's opening the park's doors for evening performances with musicians, actors and storytellers.
We talk to Dave about his journey, his own artwork, and what he's planning next.
We play an instrumental piece from one of the performers due to play at the Park this summer - Xavier Leret. Kieran also chooses the latest release from Deux Furieuses, who are playing in Trowbridge this week.
We also talk about how some venues change their usual listings to cater for a different crowd during the summer holidays, and we also mention a couple of local festivals due to take place in early August - Festival on the Farm near Swindon, and Valleyfest on the edge of the Mendips.
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Our guest this week on Sheer Isolation has his finger on the pulse of Salisbury's music scene.
Thom Belk has been organising music nights in the city for over 15 years. He's currently in charge of the entertainment at Brown Street - a new venue on the site of The Chapel.
Thom tells us about their plans for extending Brown Street, and how Salisbury has recently lost it's biggest venues because of the pandemic. Fortunately the music scene is now on a road to recovery.
We also play a couple of tunes - Thom chooses a number of Salisbury's upcoming bands, so we've picked a track from Love Is Enough. Kieran's choice for the week is the latest release from Oxford's The People Versus, which has already attracted the interest of some national radio stations.
In our news section we share some positive news on Big Jeff's recovery - the famous gig-going Bristolian was sadly involved in a house fire earlier this year.
We also give a shout out for the Womad festival which takes place on the outskirts of Malmesbury over the last weekend of July.
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Our guest on this week's Sheer Isolation is Oliver Phipps from the Wharf Theatre in Devizes.
This historic building next to the Kennet & Avon Canal has been putting on stage shows for decades. It's recently undergone a major refurbishment and is opening it's doors to new audiences, offering more inclusive events and introducing youngsters to the world of theatre.
Oliver tells us about the recent renovation work, how their charity status allows more freedom to host unknown directors, and a look forward to what's happening later this year.
We also play a couple of tunes - Kieran plays a track by Annie Dressner - an American born artist who now lives in the UK and is playing in Wiltshire in the coming weeks.
Oliver's choice is the finale track from last year's pantomime at the Wharf, one of pop world's most internationally recognised artists.
Jon & Kieran also look ahead to some gig dates and festivals that are just around the corner, the ongoing debate over the future of Swindon's Oasis Centre, and how a new layout around the Glastonbury site helped to ease the usual village gridlock.
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We continue our chat with Telegraph and Kerrang! Journalist, Ian Winwood in this week's Sheer Isolation.
He's recently published a book which draws on his first-hand experiences to investigate why so many young superstars of the music industry crash out of fame and spiral into addiction.
In this episode, Ian gives us more of an insight into Bodies - A Life and Death In Music, and offers tips for budding young journalists who are hoping to follow in his footsteps as an internationally renowned writer.
We have a couple of tracks in the mix as well... A new release from Broken Fires - a band who were prolific giggers nearly twenty years ago. They've reformed, rebranded and are once again making their mark.
We also feature the Nova Twins who are on Ian's watchlist.
Kieran and Jon also talk about cancelled festivals, send positive vibes to Bristol's gig-going legend, Big Jeff, and we also look at events coming up in the next few weeks.
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Our guest on Sheer Isolation this week is an internationally renowned music journalist whose work is regularly featured in The Telegraph, Kerrang! And Alternative Press.
In this first of a two-part interview, Ian Winwood talks about his career path, gives us expert tips on review writing, and offers free advice for how budding journalists can protect themselves from libel!
His new book, Bodies - A Life and Death in Music, explores the grittier side of the music industry, based on his own experience from working alongside chart-topping celebrities for the past 20 years.
Ian picks a track from Australian punk group The Chats, who just happen to be playing in Gloucestershire in July.
Kieran's choice is the new release from local songwriter Luke De-Sciscio - the video was shot by our previous guest, Harry Steele.
In our news section we send big love to Bristol icon, Big Jeff, who's in hospital following a house fire. We also talk about a US lead singer who's come out as a furry, and we look through this year's line-ups for Gloucester's Barn On the Farm weekend and the Minety Festival in Wiltshire.
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We're talking to Harry Steele from Unthnkble on this week's Sheer Isolation - a Somerset based production company which specialises in creating music videos.
Harry tells us about a recent project he worked on at Mick Jagger's house, and how he's hoping to expand into even larger productions with bigger budgets in years to come.
He also tells us how his passion for video making has got him to this point in just a few years, and offers advice to other budding videographers in the South West on how to establish yourself on the scene.
Harry picks a song from The Voice finalist Cody Frost - he made the official video for this one. Meanwhile, Kieran chooses a tune from alt-indie band, I Feel Fine, who are in the West this month as part of their UK tour.
We also talk about renovation work ongoing at The Pump venue in Trowbridge, and how Love Saves The Day festival in Bristol is going plastic and glitter free this year.
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Taking upcycling to a whole new level... we're joined on this week's Sheer Isolation by a chap who makes new guitars out of old pianos!
Dom Allen from Scavenger Music reclaims materials from deceased uprights that are traded in at the music shop All Instruments in Westbury to save the whole piano going to landfill.
He uses the salvaged timber to produce hand-crafted, Fender style electric guitars.
He's made more than a dozen instruments in his workshop so far, with plenty of interest from musicians who are looking for a unique, ethically sourced instrument.
Dom tells us how he progressed from making parts of instruments to producing fully operational guitars, and how he only ever uses pianos that are beyond repair for his recycling project.
We also play a couple of tracks - Dom chooses a track from one of his own groups; Sock. Kieran picks a new tune from Oxford's The People Versus who should be appearing at a festival near you very soon.
In our News section, we talk about a big investment to refurbish the Gloucester Guildhall and why several international bands have been forced to pull out of UK festivals this summer.
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Our guest this week spends his time touring the south of England and Wales - hosting more than 80 events every year.
Ian Fiddes runs the Vinyl Daze Record Fairs, where dealers gather to sell vinyl of every style and age to the public.
With some events attracting 20+ dealers, shoppers can find classics, rare pieces and the latest releases all under one roof.
As well as running events as far south as Cornwall and as far west as Tenby, Ian also regularly checks in to Cirencester, Wells and Dursley.
He tells us how he got into the world of record fairs, how some of his rarest finds have ended up in Australia, and why Kieran's genre of choice, 90s indie rock, is like gold-dust to collectors.
We also feature a couple of tunes - the first is from a songwriter who's well-known in his home country of Ireland, Jack Lukeman. He'll be performing in Trowbridge next week at a far more intimate gig than he's used to playing back home.
Ian chooses a track off the latest album from Bristol's Idles.
We also run through some of the festivals and gigs coming up this month, including the headliners of this year's Lechlade Festival.
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Our guest on this week's Sheer Isolation sets out to prove that print media isn't dead, by producing her own community publication.
Kat Jones created Pseudonym Magazine after moving to Wiltshire from London, and realizing there was a gap in the market to promote the region's underground arts scene.
Her team of volunteers are now working on the ninth edition which will feature articles on Wiltshire's villages, band reviews, poetry and community news. It can be ordered online or bought from several venues in mid-Wiltshire.
Our music choices this week are the latest track from Hannah White, who is currently on a UK tour and recently played at Kieran's venue. Kat chooses a track from the next big band to escape the Isle of Wight (after Wet Leg), the Plastic Mermaids.
We also chat about a Bath venue that's had a big refit, and a band who've been seen filming their next music video in Trowbridge Town Hall.
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On this week's Sheer Isolation we talk to Phil Moakes from Visual Radio Arts in Devizes.
VRA is an independent studio where local musicians and bands can record live sessions of original tracks with both professional quality sound and high definition, multi-camera video.
Phil tells us how the session recordings began in the early days of Frome FM, and has since moved on, along with the technology, to become the established and respected centre we know today.
Since 2016, Phil has recorded hundreds of sessions - all of which are free to view online.
On the music front, Phil talks us through a showreel of some of the acts who have performed at Visual Radio Arts over the years. Meanwhile Kieran picks a track from Dean McMullen who is the guitarist in Exeter's Muncie Girls, who's about to release a solo album and will be touring it later this year.
In our news section, Kieran talks of the closure of one of London's most iconic live music venues.
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Lee Laverack has taken to stages throughout the world, in front of packed venues and stadia for more than a decade, and yet he's never had a chart hit.
That's because he's the guy who sets up instruments, mops up spilt beers mid-performance and says those most famous words in the world of rock; "Check One Two".
Lee joins us on Sheer Isolation this week to tell us about his typical working day, such as sightseeing at the Great Wall of China before heading to a venue to set up the band.
He's worked with Trail of Dead, Sam Fender, Maximo Park and Level 42 to name a few.
Lee also repairs guitars and makes custom components from his Leeds-based workshop.
Our music choices this week are worlds apart; a new release from previous guest, chap-hop artist Professor Elemental, and Lee's choice is a grimy punk track from Yorkshire's Avalanche Party.
Coincidentally, both acts are playing in our region in the next couple of months - although not on the same bill!
Also, Kieran shows off his stash of new CDs and vinyl, including the hot-tipped new album from Wet Leg.
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