This is what I do, besides drinking, smoking, gambling, women and all of the other vices…
Music
I’m bang into music, music of all different genres, so what I mainly do these days is arrange and promote gigs in Newcastle. I also do my best to promote certain local artists in an attempt to generate more exposure for the better ones. The reason I only promote certain bands is because the North East music scene is full of pretentious twats who think they’re gods simply because they can play instruments. The Indie scene in Newcastle has been riddled with many examples of tubes like that for years now. That is why when I arrange my events I have acts of different genres involved and we get a much more diverse crowd. People who come to my events to see one particular act get to see artists from other genres and meet people from different social circles, not the sort of thing that happens at your average Indie night. A lot of the artists I work with are actually personal friends of mine, but more importantly, they share the same mind-set as me in that they believe music is supposed to be about fun and having a good time. Nobody really wants to go out on a Friday or Saturday night and listen to teenagers with good jobs and girlfriends, living at home with their parents and having everything on a plate for them, whining about the stresses and strains of life. We don’t fukkin care if your mam served you brussel sprouts on your Sunday dinner last week. Most people have bigger problems to deal with.
My goal is to make live music in Newcastle a good night out, rather than the shambolic state it has been for years. I will consider acts of any genre to play at my events so long as they are individuals and not sheep following whatever trend they have a taste for. I don’t believe any act should be limited to opportunities because they don’t fit in with a certain scene. By mixing genres together, the aim is to bring the best from every genre together to create a party style atmosphere and a scene that is not limited to the same crowd of idiots who think they’re the mutt’s nuts. Try to image a city-sized house party, that’s the ultimate goal!
My last live music event was my first experiment with mixing very contrasting genres and the mix was well received by those who attended. I had Hip Hop, DubStep, an Alternative acoustic set and Alternative Rock music all played on the same night and we had a good night. The diverse crowd mingled well and some people left well impressed with some of the acts that they seen that night. Photo Dave of David Johnston Photography videoed some each act performing and you can see those videos on this link;
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL41516C6F0C7B6130&feature=plcp
My next live event is at The Telegraph on Orchard Street behind Central Station in Newcastle. That’s on Saturday 3rd March and I’ve got four acts of pure quality for that gig. There’s Funky Ska music in the form of Ginger Snap & The Style Pile, Newcastle’s freshest Indie band Emergency Door Release, Alternative Rock from The Shake Appeal and the unclassifiable Honey Chrome, whose music is a wonderfully bizarre mix of almost any genre that you can possibly imagine. If that hasn’t already got you twitching then the price will. Entry is only £3 on the door, BOOM!
Details of this gig can be found on my blog or Facebook on the links below;
Art
Everything for me started off with art. In 2009 I began work on the first Horrorshow drawing, which was when my artistic career started to take off. That first drawing spawned a whole series of Horrorshow Artwork images, which have proved relatively popular with art enthusiasts from all over the world and I have even rejected offers of £300 for certain Horrorshow drawings. Check out Horrorshow Artwork on Facebook (and like the page) or Deviant Art on the next links;
My first commissioned artwork was in 2010 and that was swiftly followed by the EP cover design I created for the now extinct band, Casino. ‘The Late, Great Planet Earth’ drawing that I did for Casino generated a bit of publicity for them, which in turn led to them asking me to manage them and that’s how I got involved in music, but that’s another story. I have received a few commissions and also sold some of my own work since then. I have designed logos, posters and drawn portraits for commission since then.
I create all of the promotional artwork for my live music events and also did all of the band artwork for Downtown Lester Brown, the band I formed in 2011 and left just before Christmas. The Downtown Lester Brown artwork included their logo, the ‘Love & Other Diseases’ EP cover and individual track artwork for each track on the EP.
Most of my artwork is abstract pen drawings, although I am not learning Adobe Photoshop, which makes design work a lot easier. I also like to experiment with other media, oil pastels being one of my favourites. I am soon to start working on the final drawing of the Horrorshow Artwork series. Beyond that I am going to experiment with some collage work, continue to design all of the artwork for my events and hopefully take on some more commissioned work.
What Can I Do For You…?
If you’re in a band and you’re looking for gigs, well I run them. So the obvious thing to do is get in touch. Send me your name, bands name and brief description, and contact emails and telephone numbers. I will also need a link to somewhere I can listen to your music or you can attach a couple of mp3 files to the email. You can email me on – horrorshowartwork@live.co.uk
Be aware though that I do not just book any random act to play at my events, I want bands with something about them and not generic cut-outs. I need to hear examples of your music and if possible even see videos. So if you send me a link to an internet profile that requires me to like your page before I can hear your music then you are wasting your time and more importantly, mine. How am I supposed to know I like it if I’ve never heard it?
Also bear in mind that I am now booking line-ups for as far ahead as May, although I am looking to start organising events more frequently and further afield than just Newcastle. I have had interest from a lot of artists too, so I apologise in advance if I’m unable to reply to emails immediately but I will get around to them as soon as possible.
Other options that I can offer artists are promotion and/or management. If your band struggles to find gigs because you’re too busy playing music in between working and coming up with new material then you need someone to find gigs for you. Through the network that I have I can help to find gigs and find out about a lot of support slots that are available, festival places etc.
I can also organise and promote events for bands and provide supporting artists. Or if you have your own gigs booked and need some supporting acts for those, I can also help with that. Again, simply email me to discuss what it is that you want and what exactly I can offer. horrorshowartwork@live.co.uk
On the art front, I have plenty of original artwork for sale that I am willing to consider offers for. Examples of my artwork can be found on my Horrorshow Artwork Facebook page or my Deviant Art profile on these links;
I also consider commissioned work. I am available for EP/album artwork, logo design or poster artwork and design but will also consider almost anything. I specialise in drawing and tend to lean towards an abstract style but I’m willing to try my hand at pretty much anything. If you want to commission me for artwork or what to make enquiries about any of the work I have for sale then email me – horrorshowartwork@live.co.uk
So What Next…?
You’ll fukkin see soon enough!
If you use any of the social networks below click on their names and then you can find my profiles and you’re free to stalk me online. If I see you perched outside my house though, you’ll soon find out how much being hit with a crowbar really hurts!
music related sites
art related sites
Horrorshow Artwork Facebook page
WHAT MALLAZ IS SAYING! 