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 It’s no secret that our own live music scene
in Wigan is flourishing. Yet, just down the road, live music fans in
neighbouring Bolton have their own reasons to be excited, thanks in no
small part to local boys Death 2 The DJ, who in the space of only six
months have established themselves as an important addition to the
Bolton music scene.
The LINC sat down with Death 2 The DJ men John Leather & Graham
Garwell to talk about how Glastonbury, Coldplay and the 1960s inspired
their mission to keep live music alive.
Death 2 The DJ is quite a bold statement. What exactly does it mean?
John: We get asked this quite a lot. Obviously it’s not the foundation
meaning, we don’t actually want to kill any DJs, it’s just about the
maintenance and evolution of live music, about keeping people interested
in live music. It stems from the Jazz music and other music of the 60s.
I mean, obviously I wasn’t born then, but there was this great period of
togetherness within live music.
Then in the late 1970s there was this club in Manchester called The
Twisted Wheel…
The same Twisted Wheel synonymous with Northern Soul?
John: Yeah that’s the one. I remember reading something about they’d
have a big headline band on in one room and DJ in a smaller room, and
when the DJ came on, everyone left the room [in which the band were
playing] and that sort of spelled the end of live music. I’d say in the
80s and pretty much to the end of the ‘90s, until, well I wouldn’t say
downloading music is the whole of it, but it needed something special to
happen to get people really back into music.
Graham: That’s basically it, it’s basically for our town though, isn’t
it?
John: It is, it’s started off in Bolton but we do plan to move it
around. We work with a lot of Wigan bands as well. Just this Saturday
we’ve had Moco on, who I’m sure you’ve heard of…Whilst we’re on the
subject they were fantastic, Moco were the best band we’ve had down.
We’ve had Art Brut down last month, but they outdid them.
Do you think they’ll ‘break the barrier’ so to speak and get to ‘the
next level?’
John: I bet that’s a question that gets asked a lot. I think that
everyone who comes into contact with Moco ends up loving the band, and I
can’t see why it’s not happened.
Why did you decide to go out and start putting on live gigs?
John: Well, there’s a few different reasons. The main one was, as I said
earlier, simply to maintain live music, but another reason is the
atmosphere of gigs. Sometimes at gigs there’s sometimes were scenes can
get cliquey or… we just want to put on all types of music where everyone
can enjoy any type of scene, all different types of bands, genres and
that.
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So what sort of bands do you tend to book?
John: Well, to start with, we had to go with the facilities that we had
available. I mean, we were stone-broke, so the only thing that we had
available was acoustic, in a small venue. So we did four showcase gigs,
and that was how we broke into it. The acoustic nights were successful
but we weren’t really doing anything different and we really wanted to
do something new. So we brought down the Young Offenders Institute in
October and that’s took it to a different level. They’re quite a
controversial band with a bit of a reputation.
Within Bolton, at the time we started off six months ago, it seemed to
be a predominantly metal based down with the Bolton Metal Alliance, the
Gash Collective. These are all quite well established.
Graham: It’s all mainly metal and punk. The Gash Collective put on these
free parties like once a month or so and they’re really good. They’ll
put on anything from metal to techno.
So doing what you do, which seems to be less metal orientated, do you
get on with the other promoters in Bolton?
John: I think we have quite a good working relationship with the other
organisations like The Bolton Music Collective. They’re funded by the
council projects so they’ve got limits on what they can do, like they
can’t put on any commercial advertising or anything like that, so
they’re limited by what acts and styles they can put on. And again,
they’re more based around metal and punk.
There is one other indie promoter in Bolton who puts on gigs at the same
place as us, a guy called Yarky.
So do you guys all get on?
John: Well, yeah. I mean, I wouldn’t say that we’re all part of the same
faction, but we’ve been given some good advice and things.
Do you think that there are any benefits to fans of local music scenes
if promoters do co-exist?
Graham: I think that if you brought all the interest into one it would
make it a better place, but it doesn’t work like that.
John: It is quite a common problem with people who are into music that
some people at the moment, it seems like there’s a sort of transitional
period, not with the promoters but with the bands where everyone is
trying to promote their own individual style, based on the information
that we’ve received on websites and messageboards. But that’s one of the
things we’re trying to do, break the boundaries.
Are you familiar with any other local scenes, such as the one in Wigan?
John: A bit yeah. We’ve not had much to do with the Wigan Music
Collective, but we’ve spoken to Dylan [Lupine Promotions] and he’s been
really helpful.
Graham: We went down to Club Nirvana last Friday, and spoke to him. He’s
given us some good advice and he’s helped us out a bit.
John: I’d say the work that Lupine has done in Wigan is second-to-none.
The bands that they’ve brought down have just really impressed me.
They’re willing to take a chance to bring in some bands.
Is Lupine’s success something that you yourselves aspire to reach to?
John: Looking at Dylan and Lupine, they’re the sort of people who do
create a scene. The fact that they brought down Arctic Monkeys,
Babyshambles…They’re definitely moving in a circle that we’d like to
move into. We are limited at the moment by factors such as money, but
there’s always a chance.
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So what’s the Mission Objective of Death 2 The DJ?
Graham: We want to give Bolton a place like maybe the Roadhouse in
Manchester or Barfly in Liverpool where bands will come into town and
play without having to go all the way to Manchester.
John: On top of that, we want to provide that unique atmosphere of
togetherness where people can enjoy themselves, or maybe even feel
inspired by the music to go out and do their own thing.
And what kind of things inspired you to ‘do your own thing’?
John: One of the turning points, one of the main things that influenced
the philosophy behind Death 2 The DJ was Glastonbury Festival in 2005.
It was an eye-opening experience. I often get inspired by going to gigs;
you get to see how other people work, how they’ve taken it to the next
level. It would be great if everyone could take stock of each other’s
promotions, and I think on the whole, the people we work with do tend to
do that.
How does the very first Death 2 The DJ gig compare to the last one you
did?
John: There are so many differences.
Graham: The first one we did was back in July, and we had three mates
playing and one guy who we didn’t know.
John: We were very new to the scene in Bolton then as well, so we didn’t
really know that much about the Bolton bands, so we just brought in a
few friends.
Graham: We’re lucky in that we’ve got some talented friends really or
else this thing might never have got going!
John: It was our first night, and we couldn’t afford to pay anyone, but
that was actually one of my favourite nights, everyone seemed to get
behind it, the crowd atmosphere was just brilliant. The place shut at
2pm, but there were still people carrying on and wanting to party at
that time.
Was it always your intention to come this far, or have things escalated
of their own accord?
John: I think it was always our intention to move on to the next level.
We always wanted to bring the big bands to Bolton just so that, like we
said, people don’t have to go to Manchester. I mean, we’re probably
never going to be able to bring bands like Oasis and Coldplay to Bolton,
but we want to give bands a chance.
Graham: We might have the next Oasis or Coldplay playing in Bolton
before they get big, and that’s a big aim for us.
John: We’re always trying to scout out acts before fame breaks. We do
get offered acts sometimes that we’d like to bring, but it’s not always
possible.
Have you suffered many setbacks so far?
Graham: I think we’ve been pretty lucky so far.
John: Yeah, so far we’ve been extremely lucky. The only really
difficulty we’ve had has been finding suitable venues because sometimes
with venues it doesn’t always work out. We want to try and create a
certain atmosphere, but it’s not always possible. We’re quite happy at
Number 15 though, that’s the best venue we’ve got at the minute.
Some decent acts have played there, The Deadbeats, Ben Harper, Tom
Hingley from Inspiral Carpets, Art Brut, and we’ve got a few more coming
down in the coming months.
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What sorts of crowds do you normally get down to your gigs, what sort of
people do you attract?
John: With there being a large metal scene in Bolton, we do seem to
attract a lot of metal fans, but it is predominantly indie. Bolton does
have an indie scene, based around a place called Club Indigo, which
plays a lot of indie tunes, but I think the people who go there are
unaware that things are going on gig-wise, so I suppose now it’s making
sure that these people are aware that there’s gigs going on.
What are you doing to make sure that those people know what you’re doing
and what you’re about?
John: Well, we’re making sure that we get the name out as much as
possible. Through obvious ways, such as fly-posting, telling people what
we’re about through the media, posting on the internet and things.
Graham: People are starting to become aware now since the Art Brut gig,
I think that’s the biggest advertisement we’ve had.
How did the Art Brut gig go?
John: It was excellent, the venue holds 350, and at one point, the
bouncers told us that we were only going to be able to have a few more
people in. It was very tight in there and everyone was really happy.
One of the great things I take from that night is that we put on a young
band to start the night called ASBO. So we had this group of
16-year-olds sharing a stage with Art Brut who’ve played Glastonbury,
and have a big press hype about them, and they absolutely shone. There
were about 150 people in there at the time, and they were just
brilliant. It was amazing to see. They felt like they were in the
melting pot.
Graham: We went down to see them during their last rehearsal before the
gig and they were so nervous it was unbelievable. Even on the night,
they came up to us afterwards and thanked us for making them feel at
home and taking some of the pressure off them.
John: Our fold were on as well that night, and we asked them, who are
probably in the top 3 top bands in Bolton in the minute, to go over and
have a chat with ASBO, help calm their nerves and that, and after that
everyone seemed a little bit more chilled out.
Do you think new bands may see you guys in that sort of way? As in they
need the experience and can turn to you for some help in getting
somewhere?
John: I think bands might see in that way. We tend not to tier our gigs,
but find the right gig for the right band.
Graham: We generally put a good up ‘n’ coming band from Bolton on with
the establish acts, but they normally won’t ask us for their first
couple of gigs, they’ll go to the Collective for that.
Building up their confidence before they come and see you guys?
Graham: Yeah, they probably don’t wanna make a fool of themselves in
front of maybe a band who they listen to.
John: At the same time though, we do welcome interest from any bands, if
somebody does want to play their first gig [with us]. One of the bands
we’ve got on at our next gig, Merchandise, they’re an established
Manchester band but they’ve never actually played a live gig in Bolton
which is their home town, so we’ve managed to pull that together. We’ve
got We Yes You No on that night as well, and it’s their first UK tour,
but the first band we’ll have on that night Aloner, they are a local
band and their fairly new.
Some of it has been influenced by the work that’s gone on in Wigan, I
wouldn’t say all of it, but they lead a good model and I think a lot of
people in the North West take use that model of the tiering of bands.
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Speaking of Wigan. We mentioned earlier that Bolton is predominantly a
metal town, whilst the scene in Wigan is mainly indie-based...
Graham: It does seem that way now yeah, but I went to Wigan College, and
from then I remember that Wigan seemed mainly be a metal scene. It does
seem to have changed round a bit now.
Any ideas why?
Graham: It’s probably just popularity. It comes in waves doesn’t it?
Like, genres become more popular and then less popular again.
John: But it must be down to some of the work that’s been done to
promote the gigs. I remember being in college in ‘99-2000 and going to
Wigan Pier. That was mainly punk and metal based at the time. The bands
I remember hearing where like Rage Against The Machine, Marilyn Manson,
Nirvana and Green Day and stuff.
There was a bit of indie, and some techno/dance type stuff as well if I
remember rightly?
Graham: Yeah, it always started off with Techno and stuff when we used
to go. And you got your free beer vouchers..
And your VIP passes...
Graham: Good days them, good days.
So, what’s been the highlight so far?
John: Oh, there’s been a few so far, when Eddie Argos [Art Brut
frontman] sang “Hurricane” by Bob Dylan with us in the dressing room,
that was fun!
Graham: We got him to sing “Amarillo” as well. He claimed he didn’t know
it, which just turned out to be a blatant lie!
Have you brought any bands in from out of town that you’ve not got on
with?
Graham: Not really, I’d say we’re pretty fair. We might even be a bit
soft at times.
Graham: Yeah, I think people at first regarded us as soft touches
because we were new to the game, but I wouldn’t say we are any more,
we’re fair. But with the bands, I think we’ve been lucky so far not to
get any bands who’ve been difficult.
Do you think you’ve learned much since you’ve started?
Graham: I think we’ve learned a great deal since we started off. I
didn’t know any of this stuff about advertising, or bands, or promoting
an event. I didn’t even know the basics of soundchecks, because I’m not
a musician myself.
Graham: Yeah, we’ve both got a great love of music, but on technical
ability…it’s a bit pathetic really.
So would it be something you might think about, to bring in somebody who
knows what they’re doing in that aspect?
John: Yeah, we’ve got a sound engineer now who concentrates fully on
that. We’ve also got another guy who concentrates on the graphics and he
does a fantastic job of the posters.
Alright then, the big one. If you could book any bill, regardless of
money, who would play?
Graham: Coldplay
John: Coldplay would headline. Does it include bands that are still
going or…
Any band of any time...
Graham: Alright then, Nirvana.
John: I wouldn’t mind seeing Jimi Hendrix opening the bill. But Coldplay
have just dominated over the last 12 months and it’d be brilliant to
have them on. We saw them at Glastonbury and that really inspired Death
2 The DJ.
Do you both have similar tastes in music?
Graham: I think we cross over. I like the more heavier side, and he
likes the more ‘hippy’ side.
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Fancy naming some bands?
Graham: Nirvana, NOFX, ‘Libertines, Pennywise, The Strokes.
John: ‘White Stripes, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Arctic
Monkeys, The Libertines we like, Oasis, Foo Fighters, Subways. At the
minute though I’m listening to a lot of local bands, like Our Fold.
Is that something you’re doing just through your work with Death 2 The
DJ, looking for bands?
John: Well, yeah. We’re always looking for bands.
What would be the ultimate achievement for you guys?
John: With that question, I think the goal posts will always change
whenever we reach that achievement. Like we could say we wanna make a
million and then get the hell out of there, or we could say that we want
to bring Coldplay, but I don’t think it’d be that simple.
Graham: Personally, I’d love to have a stage at Glastonbury and I think
that’d be big enough.
So if the goal posts are always going to shift, what’s the next goal
post you’re shooting for?
John: In 2006, it’s to establish ourselves in Bolton, bringing in a wide
range of acts. To establish ourselves as an all-round scene other than…
Graham: We want big up ‘n’ coming bands and maybe stick in a few big
names as well, take a risk and hope it pays off.
For more on Death 2 The DJ, check out
www.death2thedj.co.uk or
www.myspace.com/death2thedj
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