I'm not some money-grabbing, hotshot promoter trying to cash-in on the belated popularity of a much missed, sadly departed DJ, but someone who loves music but doesn't have the talent to join a band!
The term "Indie" doesn't really mean anything anymore, but John Peel stood for something real - he cut through all the bullshit, it doesn't matter who a band are signed to, or what genre they are pigeon-holed under, or what the NME hacks have to say about them, or what they look like or where they come from - great music is great music. And whilst we love bands like The Smiths, The Cure, Joy Division and so on, we shouldn't be ashamed to listen to a bit of Sheena Easton on the sly ;-)
My life, like many has been genuinely enriched by his mere existance, and so who better to dedicate a not-for-profit music night to?
The launch night was free entry - I'm paying the venue hire, printing and the bands out of my own pocket, and I'll also subsidise any losses made on the second night, (and no, I haven't won the lottery, nor am I rich, and as a Scotsman giving money way goes against the grain ;-) so please come along in February and spread the word to help make the night one to remember, and keep the night going if it's something you believe in too.
Having listened to some of the fantastic unsigned bands in Liverpool, there's no doubt in my mind that Liverpool really is the capital of culture - there's no need for a logo or a designated year, it's a fact. But it should be much more than a few fireworks and The Wombats (good though they are) singing about moving to New York, and Ringo (good as he was) making his excuses for leaving. The real culture is all around us, it just needs a platform.
JK (no, not him from Jamiroquai)
Wednesday 20th February 2008
@ Roadkill bar
32 Hope St
Liverpool L1
Entry: £2.50 / £2 with Flyer (16+)
Infectious Indie
Opening:
Newspaper Lovers
2nd:
The Mono LPs
3rd:
The Dead SHores
Headline:
The Container Drivers
"Keep Your Ears Peeled" is a live night that started out in Camden, London in 2006 as a tribute to the great man. Not just to revisit and celebrate the great records from the past that never got enough airplay at the time, but to give a platform to today's live bands that we hope he would have liked.
Our booking policy is simple - firstly, we don't book ropey support acts even if they are cheap! We only book bands that we think have something special, and are capable of headlining. Just because a band is on 1st, shouldn't mean that they aren't great!
It's a non-profit making night, like JP we do it for love of the music, not for money, so the entry fee reflects the actual costs of running the night (indeed I've subsidised the night on many occasions).
Above all - it's all abouth The Music
