Interview: Roger Caney

What is it you love about gigs?
“Because going to see live music is always different - even the bands I love can be different every time I go and see them. I’m just constantly amazed at the depth of talent here in Nottingham; the list of bands that I like at the moment is just endless. I probably go to around three or four gigs a week, depending on what’s on - they sometimes clash with arty things that I like going to too. I must start keeping a log”.

The Old Vic
“I’ve been in Nottingham since 1973, but only really started gigging in the eighties. I was sharing a flat with some folk and they said they were off to a gig in the basement at the Old Vic. There were a couple of punky bands from somewhere up North who had been brought down by Paul Kilbride who had recently moved here. It’s now Eschucha”

Sam Fay’s
“Paul later started a listings mag called Overall and started promoting gigs at a venue located in some old engine sheds off London Road by the Canal (later to be Hooters). Here, apart from all the visiting talent, local DJs such as Walt (Sweet Potato) and Nail (now of Bent) had nights, and I saw some of the early gigs by local bands such as Wholesome Fish, and promotions by Anton Lockwood.”

The Yorker
“One night when my son Morgan was staying over, a band was rehearsing downstairs. I went down to complain about the noise keeping him awake, and ended up in the band. They were called The Decline. We played gigs in Nottingham, with my favourite being upstairs in The Yorker on the day Laurence Olivier died in July of ’89 - I did vocals for Sympathy for the Devil with a slow first verse in an Olivier stylee. The tatty cassette recording of this gig makes my tenor sound not bad. It’s now the Rose of England”

Junktion 7
“About ten years ago I was working on Alfreton Road, about five minutes walk from J7, so I would often pop in for a quick drink after work, end up watching a gig, and stumble home after midnight. This was the days when Adrian, his missus and her sister Tammy were running the place, and we had loads of locals on. This was where I saw the great Notts ska-punk revival start with people like Weeble. Also, there was this attractive redhaired
woman who was a good sound engineer and did a bi-weekly CD DJ set in the downstairs bar, indulging her obsession with sixties pop/soul. This was Roni, who I ran into a couple of years later at The Rescue Rooms gig – and later discovered that she was now known as Ronika and about to be big...”

Bunkers Hill
“One night I ran into a bizarre little band called Master, who told me about a band a couple of them had recently started up at Trent and the gig they had lined up at Bunkers Hill. They became The Hellset Orchestra, one of the first and best prog-goth-rock revival bands, started by Michael Weatherburn with some guys from his rock band Maelkar. Michael, of course, is now back being a rock-god with Ulysses Storm”

Moog
“The first incarnation of Moog had the highest quota of electronic acts of all types that I’ve seen in Nottingham - some worldwide, and also local acts and DJs, my favourite being Ill Tim who is now one of the Molten Gods. A favourite band for me - possible bias alert - was Laboratoire, which had a core of my son Morgan, with two other laptoppers; Leigh Toro (Molten Gods/ Flotel) and Kamal Joury (Geiom)”

On being known as ‘That Bloke Who Goes To Gigs’
“It feels a bit odd. I don’t want to become even more of a freak, but people seem to want to party, so let’s party. I’ll only stop going to gigs when they tear my last glowstick from my cold, dead hand. Or when I start granddad dancing”