Medway must have one of the largest populations of bands and musicians in the country. While this claim can’t be proved with any degree of certainty, a list of just some acts currently performing in the area provides a convincing argument.
From the heavy metal noise of Sapphire Burning and the hard rock sounds of Dirty Vibes to the gritty, grainy blues of Stuart Turner and the Flat Earth Society; from the Britpop of Ben Jones and Lupen Crook’s macabre songwriting, right through to the new folk sounds of Wheels and Los Salvadores, there is something from Medway for everyone.
This list is all the more impressive when you consider just how many music acts aren’t featured. Last year the arts collective Medway Eyes proved the sheer quality and quantity of home grown musical talent with the digital release of a second double compilation album, ME2.
Perhaps unusually, many of the bands and artists from the area often sing about Medway itself. While many contemporary acts are busy aping transatlantic accents and singing about bland generalities, many Medway musicians go against the flow, keeping it local – often with pinpoint accuracy.
And rather than scaring away listeners from elsewhere, the tactic does the opposite. Brigadier Ambrose got their Medway themed album, Fuzzo long listed for the last Mercury Award. It came complete with song titles like “Chatham Hill” and “The Battle of Ordnance Street”. Elsewhere singer-songwriter Didi Bergman has a song about Rochester’s Crow Lane and resting by Darland Bank in Gillingham. Meanwhile Chatham High Street gets a mention by another singer-songwriter AntMonkey in “Revenge on the Medway Towns”.
Deep seated love
As AntMonkey’s song title suggests, not all songs about the towns are entirely complimentary. The Shagmonroes, to take one example, use their song “High Street” to satirise binge drinking in Gillingham. Such complaints represent something of the love/hate relationship which only an inhabitant of a place can truly voice.
But it is the deep seated love for the area which drives many of Medway musicians to express their occasional disappointments. Brigadier Ambrose put it best in their song “Moon and River”: “Medway you’re home but I’m still confused by you”.
The very existence of a tight network of musicians and artists across the towns suggests a certain amount of civic pride which may not be immediately obvious. Kevin Barraclough from Medway’s grunge band Dogtown is definitely a fan of the area – and the music it inspires. That’s why he set up the regular Electric Circus gigs which take place around the towns, profiling local acts.
“I was arguing with my brother the other day,” Barraclough says. “He was asking what was so good about Medway. But there’s so much beauty in the place.”
He says this on the foot of the steps of the Command House, Chatham, as the sun descends over the river and Rochester’s castle and cathedral. It’s views like this that could explain a lot of the musical inspiration in the area.
Photograph (c) Richard Reader
