“An Encyclopaedic knowledge of crap bands”

November 2010 sitting down in front of the microphone had not been an easy decision for me.  I was unsure that I would be any good, and that lack of confidence, meant that the first time sitting there, shaking with nerves, that it would not be the polished product that I was hoping for.

I have always been known amongst family and friends as the person who listened to obscure bands, and was a fan of John Peel. One friend said to be that I have ‘an encyclopaedic knowledge of crap bands’.  If I am honest I stopped listening to John Peel in the 1990s and so was slightly out of touch with that type of music.

As I have always been a user of notebooks and the first notebook for the show, had a list of possible titles for this new show.  As my first broadcast ever was covering Ms Merized, I thought that it was going to be the one and only time that I would be live on the radio.  A few technical problems meant that the running order for the show didn’t exactly help with the nerves, but, as the show went on, I felt that I was able to take control and be satisfied enough to want to do this again.

I was offered a slot in the schedule and allowed the show to take over my life, happily,  as I was revisiting old bands and songs that I had loved in my past.  I knew that I wanted to share that passion, letting the listeners know that I was equally as enthusiastic about the music as John Peel, my radio hero had been. It was an exciting time to realise how much I wanted to do the ‘Strange Boutique’.

Doing a radio show is empowering, it makes you feel a member of a large family, even if at times you don’t get to see all of them.  You feel that you are an important cog in the engine of community broadcasting. You are first and foremost proving interesting subject matter for your listeners.  I knew that I would attract those that would be familiar with the bands and singers of not only the current alternative music scene but those who pined for the past.  Punk, New Wave and the challenging sounds that followed have always been the ones that I have been interested in so I knew that I was not alone.

I have grown confident because I spend time re-visiting old shows to see about improvements and that has been a very useful tool.  Also I have established links with bands that I have been playing to make them aware of the show and also for their fans to know that their favourite bands, musicians, and singers are being played on the radio.  For me this has become an important factor of the show, I want people to know that I will play music that doesn’t generally get played on the radio.  What has proved to be really exciting is that some of the bands from the early 80s that I played on the show have reformed and are now playing live gigs.  This includes The Monochrome Set whose first album my show is named after.  They will be playing Brighton in a few weeks’ time and I will be able to interview them for the show.

I haven’t had many guests on my show because I felt that it wasn’t really structured for that.  This in some ways this has been a mistake and I realise that not everyone I would like as a guest can come to the station at 7pm on a Thursday. So I have taken the decision that I will go to them when they come to town.  I have bought a broadcast standard audio recorder to add another dimension to the show.

Just at the moment when I thought that I was going to be struggling to put a show together each week after nearly 18 months, the show took on a new and exciting life.  Musicians are asking me if I would like to interview them, bands are sending me their music to play on the show and I am networking at gigs.  It has never been a more interesting period of my life, musically. I owe it all to Brighton and Hove Community Radio for believing in me and giving me an opportunity to do something positive and successful with my life.

Yet at the core of all this progression for myself, I want to share in this positive outlook and help to support the station as much as it has helped me. Being a presenter for BHCR doesn’t just mean doing a show and finding that to be enough, it means being part of the broadcasting family.  Support for the rest of those equally as passionate about their shows is important, as well as making sure that the station remains sustainable and helps those who also feel empowered by the focus of broadcasting to the community.