cavern

Live Review: Benjamin Francis Leftwich @ The Cavern

Benjamin Francis Leftwich’s music is not precisely what one thinks about when they hear the words “nightclub on a Saturday night”. The whole concept sounds contradictory. And yet the combination of the two that I got to see at Cavern on the 6th of April was surprising and charming, in the best possible way.

The opening act, Rosie Carney, was a delight of cello and guitar above which a velvety voice kept soaring. Her music sounded familiar. Carney played with a formula for soft indie guitar music I felt I had heard before, but never with this particular arrangement of strings, and never with such a special voice on top. A shy presence onstage, she reminded me of Florence Welch’s quiet voice – both Carney and Welch could be powerful and belt whenever they wanted to, but they don’t need to. “Awake Me” was definitely a highlight of her set, as was “Thousand”. Rosie Carney sounded unpretentious, gentle and humble, letting her long notes and her silences in between those say everything.

he managed to turn a normal concert setup into an intimate evening

And then, nearly an hour after the start of the first set, the lights went down to a dim blue glow and Peter Gabriel’s orchestral version of “Heroes” by David Bowie started playing through the speakers of Cavern Club. That’s when I knew I would like the show. The sound wrapped around the audience, already packed into the small space between the mixing desk at the back and the stage. I don’t know if that was a decision Cavern made, or if it was part of Leftwich’s set, but it definitely added emotion to the concert.

When he finally walked the steps to get onstage, Benjamin Francis Leftwich looked as if he was going to pick up his guitar and sing some songs in his own living room. Dressed in jeans and a hoodie, it was clear that he felt more comfortable without being glorified by his audience. And the best thing about his set was that he managed to turn a normal concert setup into an intimate evening that rather felt like we were collectively singing songs together, maybe after a summer afternoon garden party. “Butterfly Culture” is one of the best examples of this collectiveness that connected the whole audience: this mysterious group of people he sang about, the notes from this song about a girl, they seemed to reach the rows of people at the back of the room. The front rows started singing along, and if someone had lit up some sparklers, I would have not been surprised at all.

he worked incredibly well with an audience that appreciated the honesty in his songs

Leftwich was upfront and honest about him feeling nervous, but his sped-up talk about this water bottle he had received as a present from his mother felt both raw and endearing at the same time. Yet no one was expecting it when he turned off his mic and amplifiers and walked to the edge of the stage, singing us his music completely unplugged. The sound wasn’t the best, and I’m not sure if the people at the back could hear it too well, but it didn’t matter: the silence was all-encompassing. The peace he sings about in “Gratitude”, the last song before the encores, could be touched and felt, floating around a captivated audience.

His sound was minimal, even compared to his studio recordings, and that didn’t work as well for his new songs (even though the other musician on stage, who played keyboards, synths and all sorts of pads, did add a lot of dimension), which are significantly more atmospheric than his older stuff. Nonetheless, one could perceive a clear direction that Leftwich had decided to take his live show on, which worked incredibly well with an audience that appreciated the honesty in his songs. Endlessly grateful for the people he had encountered, the places he had seen and the things he had been able to do, Benjamin Leftwich’s voice was just the way it sounded in his recordings: timid but decisive, young but wise – And the connection he created amongst all of us was more than enough to make his live act worth it.

The night is young

It’s easy to sympathise with the freshers’ plight. Your first hours in Exeter might proceed with a certain lingering itch – having bid goodbye to your family, with all the requisite hugs and assurances of moral character, your neck-hairs bristle as one of your slack-jawed, doe-eyed new friends suggests a night out. You leap, but not too obviously. These are your university years; the fun better start now.

But this is Exeter, and you knew what that meant when you chose it. It ain’t exactly London. So the nightlife might not buzz as much as grunt, but it’s fair to want something more than a warm Aldi wine-box in a stranger’s house. Perhaps, to kick off on something faintly higher than a bum note, you could take my highly-subjective, burnt-out advice on the pleasures of mild Exonian bacchanalia.

Straight away, you’ll be pointed towards the big three. The vanilla is Unit 1. It’s faintly smooth for Exeter: booths, multiple bars, and drinks that are someone’s idea of cheap. What’s more, “Cheesy Tuesdays” (or “Cheesys”, for the cool kids) is iconic for every fresher. But the affair has a sheen – it’s not just the sticky walls, but the exhaustion of a samey night. There’s little breathing room, and a Unit 1 night has two modes: wondering if you might soon sit down, then sitting down and not falling asleep. All the while, mute smiles beam and the cycle repeats till close. But, as a student, can anything top an aimless, utterly functional evening?

it’s not just the sticky walls, but the exhaustion of a samey night.

You’ll hear much about Timepiece (or TP), as does everyone. Representing Exeter’s demographic of boisterous AU-aficionados, it’s a solid, middle-of-the-road choice for post-sports fun. Only, it’s also terribly trendy, so you’ll learn to pretend to love it. Its innards are a faintly Kafkaesque miscellany: “bottom-bottom”, the ground-floor bar, is skinflint party material; “bottom-top” is the club proper, its disconcerting clock slapping you with all-too-present time; while the cabin-like “top-top”, high above, feels exclusive – even if that means an over-friendly cramp. In all honesty, it’s a little too confusing: big, boozy, and over-crowded. Freshers will love it. Just don’t go on weekends.

Fever has a slickness that the others can’t quite match. There are two slick dancefloors, a slick roof-terrace, and multiple slick bars. It’s sort of like Unit 1, but…better. If it seems like my wisdom’s running short, that’s because there’s only so much to snark on. It’s less-established than the other two, certainly, but well-attended; perhaps the closest thing that Exeter has to a no-strings-attached, decent club. Almost a shame, really.

I prefer something smaller. Cavern is dim and cramped – but has heart. The whole experience is somehow homely to me, despite the profoundly limited room. Split between a bar and dancefloor, it’s easy to tap out for a while and crash on a sofa or table, before bouncing back to party. There’s even an elevated platform at the back, with which you can make an eejit of yourself to the room. I speak from experience. Nights alternate between varied setlists: ‘Salsaloco’ sits alongside ‘Dirty Club Classics’. The whole affair holds a vague sense of calm amidst the chaos. Here, it’s fine to – god forbid – chill out.

Move marks something of a counterpoint. Imagine, if you will, that the transient forces of chaos were to form a twisted mirror-Cavern. I don’t love it. Quickly, you’ll notice its resemblance to a Soviet architect’s wet-dream; you’ll sidle further in, a narcotic twang on the air; you’ll hit the dance floor, and see only shadows. Even in the strobe-light, the place seems dank, secretive, and sinister – one can’t help but move, if only to squirm. “Cavern, but evil” is hardly an informing judgement, but it’s the best I can come up with. I don’t know. I’m sure someone digs it. They probably also self-describe as “edgy”.

Even in the strobe-light, the place seems dank, secretive, and sinister – one can’t help but move, if only to squirm.

Still, a night in Exeter means more than dancing and drinking. It’s your experience of the whole bloody affair – the halogen glow of Mega Kebab, screaming Busted back home, the waft of rickety food-trucks. You might be disappointed in a club. Maybe no-one had the energy to dance like a prat.

What’s most important about Exeter nightlife is your overall pleasure, perhaps in spite of clubbing. My fondest memories flow through the evening – crawling from one place to the next, having conversations you can’t quite follow, or fainting on a sofa. The best venues don’t just cater for intravenous injection of “the sesh”.

And if that rings hollow, then hey – it’s Exeter, we take what we can get.

‘The band is the strongest it’s ever been’: An Interview with Sam Douglas of Mallory Knox

It could be any time – it could even surprise me! We’re in a position where we can do what we want now.

Mallory Knox has been at the forefront of British rock music for years, and now bassist and former backing vocalist Sam Douglas is stepping into the limelight after the departure of former lead vocalist Mikey Chapman. With the band starting a new chapter and about to tour for the first time as a four-piece, Music Editor Alex Wingrave caught up with Sam to discuss the band’s fresh start.

Obviously, it’s a big transition for you guys at the moment with you moving into the frontman role. How’s it felt seeing such a positive reaction from fans to that?

It was weird, the day of the announcement I’d forgotten that people didn’t know about it, because we’d known for so long, just under wraps. We’d known Mikey was leaving properly in September but we’d heard whispers about it since April. We did a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure when the announcement came we had songs to back up our reasoning for carrying on. When ‘Black Holes’ came out it was a weird moment. I used to obsess over what people would say but I’ve learnt to realise not everything you read on the Internet needs to define you. I couldn’t help but dip back in with ‘Black Holes’ and the reaction’s been really great. You had people ‘ah this isn’t right without Mikey’ and then a week later when the dust had settled saying ‘I was wrong, this is a banger’. It was always going to be a weird time but I can’t fault the support.

Speaking of ‘Black Holes’, your first single without Mikey, I think it’s got a darker, heavier feel to it. What inspired you to take that direction?

I actually wrote the chords and the bassline about a year ago. It wasn’t actually the song I wanted to release first, but management and the people around us pushed it, and I think it was the right decision. The energy and aggression is perfect and people have been comparing it to Pilot [their 2011 EP], and while I don’t really hear that, the fact that fans can link back to our old stuff is cool. The best is yet to come by a long way, but it was an energetic song to lead with and one I was passionate about lyrically, in terms of people on social media saying misinformed things – give people 280 characters and they’ll say what they want.

You’re re-releasing Signals, your debut album, on vinyl for World Record Day – what motivated bringing that out, five years on? Also, what’s your favourite song off that album?

We questioned the timing, considering we’re trying to push ourselves without our old lead singer, but people had been asking for it and really wanted it. We always like doing something to get involved in World Record Day. In terms of a favourite song, I do love ‘Lighthouse’ as it took us to the next level, but it’s been played to death at this point. I’d say ‘Creeper’; I originally wanted that to open the record but we went for ‘Beggars’ as a more energetic start. I don’t think we pushed ‘Creeper’ half as much as we should have, it’s a great song.

With the upcoming tour, you’ll be playing a lot of your old material but with yourself on lead vocals for the first time. Has that changed the vibe of the songs a lot, and what’s been your favourite song to step up and take charge on?

Its changed our songs a lot, we’ve had to muck about with key changes and stuff. For example, ‘Shout at the Moon’ now sounds a lot sadder, and my voice obviously changes the songs. The thing is, I’ve heard most of the songs like this anyway, as I used to write everything before Mikey would come and put his voice on them, so it wasn’t a big shock for me. But people have listened to our songs with Mikey as the voice to sing along to for years, so I’m not expecting people to take to the new sound instantly. I think it sounds great, we wouldn’t be doing it otherwise. There are some songs like ‘Lucky Me’ that are impossible to do that just don’t work within my range, but we’re trying our best to play what fans want to hear. I don’t want to give too much away, but we’re playing songs we haven’t played in 3 or 4 years, so there are a few surprises in there – we’re really hoping to play ‘Mother’, which we’ve never played live before, and that’s been my favourite to step up on.

Are you looking forward to playing more intimate venues on this tour?

It’s something we were thinking about a few years ago, after playing all these big rooms and doing American and European tours. It makes sense to do this run with the new state of the band now so it was killing two birds with one stone, and I can’t wait to get back into it.

You’ve been refreshingly open about not being completely happy with Wired [their previous album]. What are you doing differently this time to make sure your new material doesn’t have that feeling again?

I’m using that experience to not allow myself to settle. With Wired I was just lazy and I didn’t try their best, I’ll hold my hands up and say that. I did try but I know I could have done more, and this time, I’ve got no idea what’s in store for Mallory. We don’t know what the future holds so I’m treating this as if it were our last record and putting everything into it, I’m not cutting corners. With our previous albums, the songs that you hear were pretty much all we’d written, but this time we’re writing so much that when it comes to a new album we’ll have 30-40 songs to narrow down. We’re writing five days a week and if songs don’t fit in with what we’re trying to do, even if they’re incredible, we’ll put them aside. The focus and the drive in the band is the strongest it’s ever been.

If you could tour with any band who you haven’t been able to yet, who would it be?

Ooh, that’s a tough one. I would normally say blink-182, but I’m bored of saying that for every answer, everyone knows I love them. I’d probably say the Foo Fighters, it’d be nice to hang out with them every day, doing Wembley Stadium, that’d be insane.

Who’s your favourite up and coming band?

Another honest answer for you – I don’t listen to much music, which is terrible! It’s rare that music impresses me anymore, but I do champion Judas, who we’re taking out on this tour. John, their singer, messaged me to thank me for taking them out, and he said no band had ever taken them out. I was blown away and confused, as when I saw them at Reading and Leeds last year they were so good.

What’s next for Mallory Knox, and when can we expect new music?

It could be any time – it could even surprise me! We’re in a position where we can do what we want now. We were aiming to release something before the tour, as we recorded three more songs when we did ‘Black Holes’, but the second single needs to be right. We’ve already written four or five more since then, and from the demos, we’re now thinking one of them could be the next single. We’re hoping to release music consistently all year and the album might not even come out until 2019. It’s an exciting and refreshing way to be thinking about our band.

Black Holes is out now on A Wolf At Your Door Records. Mallory Knox’s UK tour begins April 16th, including Exeter Cavern on April 18th.

An Emotional Journey – Interview with Robert Garbett

Playing the Exeposé Showcase at Cavern for sure, I’ve always really wanted to play there since I was a teenager

Music Editor Alex Wingrave to local musician and Exeposé Showcase alumnus Robert Garbett about his influences, writing in the studio and the songs which make him get up and dance.

You’ve got quite a few songs written, what made you choose ‘For The Best’ as the first song to record and release?

First of all, it’s the longest song I have so I wanted to get it recorded properly. It’s also the hardest song for me to play, so it shows off my skill on the guitar a bit more than just strumming some chords. Its got an emotional journey that runs through the song and shows people what my music is all about as a beginning and shows a progression as I start to release more music. I tend to write quite sad songs and this one is a real example of that.

What’s the inspiration behind the song?

I wrote the lyrics in about 20 minutes on a bus. It was a reflection on a few months that were awful for me and I wanted to vent. On the bus I had a huge flash of inspiration and then got on the guitar as soon as I got home, it took about 2 hours and it hasn’t really changed since. It only got more polished and became a journey when I went into the studio. It was the first time I’d been in a studio, I’m quite work orientated and working with Luke Targett was fantastic, he listened to songs I was inspired by and we took elements to add into my songs and make them sound better than I ever thought. It was quite trial and error, but I knew I wanted piano and an emotional journey and it was great to work with someone who was able to put my musical vision into practice.

As an Exeter musician who gigs regularly, what’s been your favourite live experience?

Playing the Exeposé Showcase at Cavern for sure, I’ve always really wanted to play there since I was a teenager. I was in a lot of metal bands when I was younger, but we never really managed to find our feet. When I’m on stage I’m kind of in my own little world and I zone out, if I open my eyes anybody who grabs my attention really distracts me, but it was amazing when I opened my eyes after the first song and saw the room had filled up and people were listening. It was a really fantastic experience.

Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

I’ve been told I write a little bit like Alter Bridge, I’m actually quite into my metal, and as I release more music hopefully people will be able to see my roots and the metal almost intertwining into the acoustic. Alter Bridge’s song ‘Watch Over You’ live from Amsterdam was a real inspiration for my particular style of writing, Myles Kennedy is an amazing musician.

What’s a big dream of yours as a musician that keeps you motivated?

I’m quite happy to do music alongside my day job at the moment. Of course, an ultimate goal would be to be able to live off music and for more people to listen to my songs, but I’ve been writing for a long time so it’s just great for people to hear my music and understand and relate to it. I’ve had a couple of friends quote ‘For The Best’ and cry because of it and obviously, I don’t want people to cry but it was amazing to see my music affect people. When people put down their phones it’s like putting down your world so when people do that to listen to me at an open mic night that’s also an amazing feeling.

What song never fails to make you cry?

‘Roses for the Dead’ by Funeral for a Friend always gets to me in a certain part, and it’s a really great song but now I tend to avoid it because I relate to it too much!

What song never fails to make you dance?

Enter Shikari always make me dance, Rou (Reynolds) is an amazing lyricist and composer and their song ‘Rabble Rouser’ always gets me up and dancing. Really heavy songs get me headbanging too, stuff like Lamb of God, and on the softer side songs like Ed Sheeran’s music around his first album +. Listening to that helped me start songwriting again after I’d stopped for a while.

What’s next for you – more music, an EP/album, gigs?

I’m releasing ‘For the Best’ properly on May 6th, on Spotify, iTunes, and other streaming sites. My website also launched recently, where you can see all my upcoming live dates and subscribe to my mailing list. I’m talking to a couple festival organisers as well so we’ll see if that pans out! I hope to get a music video out in the future, possibly in early 2019, so there’s lots of exciting stuff coming up.

Live Review: Thank You Scientist @ Exeter Cavern

Thank You Scientist is a band that is impossible to pin down. On the one hand they kind of sound like an orchestra on meth, yet on the other they incorporate some beautiful guitar driven melodies into their music. In speaking to songwriter-in-chief and the driving force of the band, guitarist Tom Monda, he summed it up perfectly when he told me he ‘didn’t try to fit in or do anything other than what he liked’. This is clearly evident in his live music, as the band effortlessly blends elements of Jazz and metal in a kind of organized chaos.

However, in the buildup to the main act, we got a taste of Exeter University’s own Noise Complex! They are a pop-rock 5 piece and blended classic guitar-driven chord progressions with piano nicely. The charismatic frontman James Barruol did well to get the crowd involved, and my personal favourite was the second song, called Upside Down, a slower number with a distinguishable intro riff that carried the song. A solid opening band, #bleedgreen.

this unlikely line up was funky, energetic and like nothing I’ve ever heard

The second band, with the rogue-ish name Cybernetic Witch Cult, were heavy and distortion-driven. In keeping with the night’s theme of uncategorizable musicianship, a quick google search labelled them Stoner Doom Rock. Nonetheless, I highly enjoyed their set, as their Mastodon-esque sound and guitar drop tuning sounded awesome through Cavern’s smoke and laser set. Singing about various things from Druids to outer space, it was interesting and claustrophobic (but in a good way).

When Thank You Scientist took to the stage, I had no idea what to expect, and needless to say I was blown away. To paint you a picture, the 7-piece involves a drummer, bassist, guitarist, singer, violinist, saxophonist and trumpet player. I know right? What on earth. Yet this unlikely line up was funky, energetic and like nothing I’ve ever heard. As they opened with ‘Feed the Horses’ from their first album Maps of Non-Existent Places, I realised that technically this band was off the charts. The style bounces back and forth from one time signature to another, with complex structures eventually fading into an orchestral piece. The singer crooned over the top, until this calm section erupted back into a guitar driven rock piece. Up next was ‘Caverns’, in which my personal highlight, aside from the melodic chorus, was the dance moves of enthusiastic lead singer Salvatore Marrano. His robot moves were perfectly in time with the music, as he seemed to conduct the crowd’s movement, and ended with a dab mid song. This is symptomatic of the entire band, who play with so much energy and enjoyment, it really is a joy to see.

Our writer with a member of Thank You Scientist, whose facial expression sums up the vibe of this band.

Overall, each song is so varied, but flows seamlessly from one section to the next, going from melodic slow rhythms to faster paced sections and back again. Also, the instruments compliment each other perfectly. This was especially evident in Caverns (my personal favourite), but also during the verse and bridge of crowd-favourite My Famed Disappearing Act. This was incredible, especially as I’d never seen a headbanging violinist before, so that was a treat. What was also cool was that Salvatore ignored the 10:30pm cut-off to deliver this last song to his fans, and then invited us all to come chat with them afterwards. Lovely people, and I can’t recommend their music enough.

This was my first time to cavern, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s a small and intimate venue, with a friendly atmosphere inviting anything from your classic headbanging Jack Sparrow lookalikes to guys rocking the middle class dad look. It really gives you the opportunity to see a band up close and personal, and Thank You Scientist are certainly something special.

Live Review: Tigercub @ Exeter Cavern

The Cavern is the ideal location for a Tigercub gig in Exeter. The dark and gloomy atmosphere goes hand in hand with their sound, which fits somewhere in between the loud-quiet dynamics of Nirvana and the swagger of Queens of the Stone Age. Tigercub are a three-piece from Brighton, and earlier this year toured with fellow Brighton band Royal Blood. Tonight they headline, however; this is the second night of their 10 date UK tour in support of new EP, Evolve or Die, and their first time in Exeter since playing the Bike Shed early in 2016.

The evening’s first act is My-Hi, a hard-hitting alt-rock outfit, who also hail from Brighton. What they lose in originality they more than make up for in energy; their set concludes with the guitarist (whose hair fell out of a tight bun over the course of the show) diving into the crowd to play the final solo before tumbling over the barrier back onto the stage.

Next up were punk sibling two-piece Cassels. It was an utter joy to see a support act with such a high degree of originality. They stormed through a set full of in your face riffs and constantly shifting time signatures accompanied by thoughtful and witty lyrics. It becomes clear quickly that both brothers are masters of their instruments, and it makes watching them hypnotic. As the set progresses they become more comfortable talking to the audience, introducing songs about their “their shitty hometown” and “what priests shouldn’t be getting up to”. The beginning of this month saw the release of their debut album Epithet, which succeeds fully in translating the energy of their live show to record. Cassels are truly one to watch for the future.

A tough act to follow if ever there was one, and Tigercub get quickly to work. They arrive onstage to the thunderous drums which mark the start of ‘Omen’. The Cavern isn’t sold out this evening, but the crowd remain enthusiastic and energetic throughout, although it takes the explosive bass line in the middle of ‘Burning Effigies’ to really get things going. A mosh pit of six, featuring members of My-Hi, forms in front of the stage and it barely lets up until the band have left the stage.

The dark and gloomy atmosphere goes hand in hand with their sound

Tigercub are currently on tour in support of their new EP, Evolve or Die, which was released in September. The band have confessed to it being their “most divisive” musical offering yet, due to the experimentation found throughout. Tonight’s crowd seem decidedly undivided on the matter, however, and each new song is as well received as the last. Early in the set are two offerings from this EP, the first of which is ‘It’s Only Love’. The song sees singer/guitarist Jamie Hall reaching for his keyboard to play the delicate opening chords before the song erupts into Screamadelica-era Primal Scream. The next is ‘Into The Ashes’, which contains some of the prettiest melodies the band have ever written, and it garners the largest reaction of any of the new songs, again highlighting the fan’s appreciation of the change in pace the new music offers. The EP isn’t a complete departure from their noise-rock tendencies though, and later in the set the chaotic and politically charged ‘The Divided States of Us’ is unleashed.

The EP marks the first new music released since debut album Abstract Figures in the Dark, which was released last year. It’s a dark and deliberate yet thrilling album, and much of it receives an airing. This included the heaviest track of the evening, ‘Migraine’, a relentless whirlwind of distorted guitars coupled with the piercing screams of Hall. Pre-album fan favourite ‘Destroy’ keeps the momentum going, with the repetitive opening riff acting as a reminder that often simplicity is just as effective as complexity. An evening of intense and energetic performances at the Cavern comes to a close with the glittering synths and shout-along chorus of ‘Control’. Earlier in their set, Hall had said that he was shocked that so many people had turned up. If they keep playing the way they did tonight, they won’t be playing to crowds of this size for much longer.

From the rubble: Exeter rebuilds

In the wake of the destructive fire at the Royal Clarence Hotel, and several other recent fires in the city, Exeposé have spoken to the business owners whose lives have been disrupted.

The community has pulled together to ensure businesses reopen for the overall benefit of the city centre. There has been an abundance of praise for the efficiency of the emergency services, alongside aid from the council and support from local businesses during times of crisis.

Firstly, the electrical shop Richer Sounds (adjacent to Exeter hall of residence James Owen Court) was severely damaged during August and was forced to close for three weeks.

Seven days before Freshers’ Week, popular music venue Cavern was forced to close down due to extensive fire damage, with owners estimating it will reopen in February 2017, if all goes to plan.

On 8 October, Exe Coffee Roasters experienced a temporary closure of one week after a fire outbreak from a pizza oven in the building’s basement.

The most recent and most destructive has been the absolute ruination of the Royal Clarence Hotel, affecting surrounding businesses in the Cathedral Yard and beyond.

Since the destruction of the Royal Clarence Hotel, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue services have said they were “overwhelmed” by messages of support, thanking residents and business owners for their support. The Fire and Rescue service acknowledged the inconvenience caused by road closures – particularly for the businesses which have been closed – and said that the public have been very patient and helpful during this time of crisis, noting that all these procedures are put in place to protect public safety.

The firefighting crews, working around the clock to bring the fi re under control, said they were overwhelmed by messages of support, offers of assistance, and free food and drink.

Mark Healey, Chair of the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue authority, said: “The support of the public has been amazing. I visited the scene with the chief fire officer and we spoke with a number of local business owners to say thank you for their support to our crews.

“In difficult times, communities come together and the events of the last few days has seen this happen on a large scale. Despite the loss of a number of buildings, it could have been so much worse. I’m just so pleased no one has been injured.”

Mark Healey, Chair of the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue authority

At the height of the incident, 150 firefighters were at the scene to prevent the fire spreading to other historic buildings. Emergency services reported that the firefighters were exhausted from battling the fire, which started at 5am.

In a press release, Exeter City Council informed Exeposé that the “recovery phase”, following the emergency response phase, has begun; Cathedral Yard has now been re-opened. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue have formally handed the Royal Clarence Hotel back to their owners and contractors.

Andrew Brownsword, owner of the Royal Clarence, has said he is incredibly pleased with the emergency services’ response, and the support from the local community amidst the tragedy…

In a statement, Brownsword said: “I would like to thank the city of Exeter and the many, many people who have helped us since the events of Friday. We are so grateful for the incredible efforts of the emergency services, especially the fire service who attended in huge numbers to assist in the effort to save The Royal Clarence and surrounding buildings.

“We’d also like to extend our thanks especially to the Council and to The Mercure Southgate Hotel, who offered every assistance to help both our staff and guests including refuge and temporary office space.”

Strategic demolition of sections of the hotel will now take place once comprehensive risk assessments have been carried out by contactors, to avoid further damage and ensure public safety. A spokesperson for Exeter City Council said: “This is a much loved and extremely valuable historical building.

“We have been working at a pace to get the city centre back up and running as much as we can. We now need to give the contractors, hired by the Royal Clarence Hotel owners, enough time to take every precaution considering the next steps for the building.

“It is an extremely complex operation but we are confident that everything will be done to salvage what can be protected. Safety remains the primary focus.”

Exeter City Council has been working with over 200 businesses along with a host of partners since Friday’s fire, to get them open again.

The Council promises that the cordon around the fire has shrunk at every stage possible, and will be constantly monitored should safety allow for a reduction. Such a disastrous event has prompted the Cavern owners to reflect on the community support they encountered when they experienced a similar event in early September.

On the night of 7 September, Cavern caught fire due to an accidental electrical fault starting in the basement, which took firefighters several hours to tackle. Crews – requested from further afield, as far as Crediton – continued to fight the fire until 2:08am.

There were fortunately no injuries caused by the fire as the venue was not open that evening.

David, co-owner of Cavern, told Exeposé that he “arrived at the Cavern at the same time as the emergency services, when smoke was already pouring out of the street-level ventilation.”

The electrical fault, where the fire began, was in complete darkness in an underground cellar which David recollected was “a fireman’s worst nightmare”.

David said “I started to sketch out a plan of the building, but luckily one of the firefighters was a regular at the Friday night event ‘Magic Hatstand’ and knew where everything was! He helped them put out the blaze in a relatively short time, otherwise the whole building would have turned into an inferno.”

The Cavern initially thought that the damage was so severe that they might never re-open. The owners reflected: “We’d just completed our programme for Freshers’ Week, so it would have been the busiest time of year for us – the worst time to have this happen.”

Satisfied with the emergency services response time, David also added that he was gratified by the level of local support. The first person to phone David was George Sloane, owner of Timepiece, who had experienced a similar situation when The Hole in the Wall caught fire. George told Dave: “Anything you need from us – anything – it’s yours.”

Furthermore, the Phoenix and the Lemmy have given venue space to Cavern, hosting their shows during the refurbishment process. Cavern has plans to reopen in February 2017, in time for its 26th birthday.

Reflecting on the fire at the Royal Clarence Hotel, David said “The Cavern is basically run by a group of friends, so the disruption caused by the fire has affected us on a personal as well as fi nancial level.

“What has happened in the Cathedral Yard is our situation times a thousand, so our hearts go out to all the people who’ve been affected. It will have a devastating affect on the businesses in that area.”

David, owner of the Cavern

Owner of Exe Coffee Roasters, Steve Pearson, informed Exeposé that support he received after his shop was damaged by fire was primarily through local family and friends, not from the council.

Steve has said that the quick turn around for reopening happened solely from his own hard work, and friends and family contribution. He said: “Before the council could react and help us, we had done it all ourselves.

“I would like to thank friends and family who collectively contributed 240 hours of their time and with lots of cleaning and repainting, the shop was only closed for 1 week.”

Steve Pearson, Owner of Exe Coffee Roasters

Furthermore, he was disappointed at Exeter Express & Echo’s exaggerated depiction of the fire, which implied that the shop was practically beyond repair. Steve added: “They exaggerated the situation to sell the papers”.

However, the local roaster Crankhouse did offer to roast their coffee during closure, so that there would be no disruption to the supply and demand at Devon Coffee.

Since the fires, Cavern owners are currently hard at work for the venue’s reopening; Exe Coffee is bustling with business, and the Cathedral Yard will be restored slowly but surely.

Fire closes the Cavern for several weeks

A fire at Exeter’s Cavern on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning will close the popular venue on Queen Street for “several weeks”.

The fire started at around 10.20pm and firefighters from Crediton, Exeter and Topsham continued to tackle the blaze until around 2 am on Wednesday morning. Emergency services were first alerted when smoke was seen emerging from the venue and fire alarms at Toni and Guy hair salon were set off.

Queen Street and Gandy Street were cordoned off while crews tackled the fire.

Devon and Somerset Fire believe the fire was accidental and that it started inside the basement in the kitchen of the club. It seems the damage was largely confined to this area.

Luckily, the venue was empty at the time so there were no casualties.

The Express and Echo, who first reported the fire, have some photos of the crew preparing to tackle the fire.

Co-owner Dave Goodchild stated that it looked like the venue would be closed for “several weeks”, without being able to fully inspect the damage.
It is also worth noting that this is not the only recent fire in Exeter.

Flock Rock: An Interview with Eagulls

How is the tour going? What was it like playing in the Fiddler’s Club in Bristol?

Fiddler’s Club was really good. We tried to play a bunch of shows where we were playing independent venues that aren’t really used as often as they should be and Fiddler’s was one on the list that we wanted to tick off. It went really well. It was a good gig.

Would you consider coming back to the Cavern in Exeter?

Yeah I think so, maybe. I enjoyed that venue as well. That was a good night.

You’re playing quite a few gigs across the pond on your tour (e.g. Rough Trade NYC 9th May). Do you find any difference between the atmosphere at a gig in the US compared with the ones you play in the UK?

I wouldn’t say that there’s a different atmosphere. I think most of our shows just seem to flow in quite the same way no matter what country we’re in really. We as a band don’t treat any country or any stage any differently.

In what ways do you think Ullages is different compared to your debut album Eagulls?

We had a lot more time to think about what we wanted to put out there this time so we wanted to display more texture and more thought. We played the first album over and over again and the more we played it the less we felt it was showing our capabilities so we wanted to push ourselves with this album and see what we could force out of ourselves and come up with to try and progress.

You recorded Ullages in a converted church. Was there any particular reason for that? Acoustics maybe?

Eagulls - Ullages LP — Eagulls – Ullages cover art

Yeah, well the acoustics in the room really helped out because we were able to put different microphones on either side of the large room so we could get natural hall-like reverbs. We know the people who own it and they found this church and just decided to build a studio in it. It does reflect on some of my lyrics about religion – that’s always been something I’ve delved into with lyrics.

Do you have a specific song-writing process?

We are a very collaborative band. I write all the lyrics and then it’s usually Goldy [guitarist Mark Goldsworthy] who will come up with the first riff, then we all sort of sit together with it and bash each others’ heads off the wall till we come up with something good.

“we wanted to push ourselves with this album and see what we could force out of ourselves”

How did your band name come about? Does it have anything to do with The Eagles or A Flock of Seagulls?

It doesn’t have anything to do with those. It’s a long story… but it’s a nonsensical word.

Eagulls, recording in old church — Eagulls, recording in a converted church

Your new album is influenced by The Cure and The Smiths and you’ve been described as a “Post-punk” band. How would you describe your sound?

I’d say we’re a contemporary rock band. We are influenced by post-punk bands but also anything past post-punk or anything before it. There’s a lot of influence that comes from all over really. There’s even influence influence from hip hop on this album but nobody would ever pick up on that.

In 2014 when you were on The Letterman Show, Bill Murray kissed bassist Tom’s bicep. If you could be kissed by any celebrity, who would it be… and what body part?

Wow… I don’t know if I can answer that. As a safe answer I’d get Prince to kiss me on the lips.

Finally, if you could collaborate with any artist (alive or dead) who would it be?

Alive, it would definitely be Brian Ferry and dead, David Bowie.

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Campus Bands presents Battle of the Bands, The Grand Final

14 bands started out in January as young, hopeful musicians battling it out for only one thing: eternal bragging rights as Exeter’s finest student band (oh, and a £500 cash prize). As the numbers slowly whittled down week by week through audience vote and the judge’s pick, the competition got fiercer until just four finalists remained. Tension was in the air in Cavern on Saturday night. Who would emerge victorious?

First to grace the stage was Lucius and Milo, a four-piece band of humble Classicists who admit they didn’t expect to reach the final stage of the competition. They opened the night with a mix of acoustic intricacy and guitar heavy crowd pleasers to warm up the audience of friends and fans alike. Playing “their own brand of modern alt-rock” Lucius and Milo performed some original songs that show real potential, displaying a wealth of vocal talent and an impressive guitar solo in ‘Streets of London’, along with crowd favourites ‘Muse’, ‘Harvest’ and ‘Alinon’. Their set ended with a cover of Bon Iver’s ‘Holocene’, which although enjoyable perhaps the harmonies were a strained and proved too much towards the end. Overall a solid performance from Lucius and Milo, kicking off the night with a bang.

This band are not to be forgotten about anytime soon

After a short interlude of drink refills, the next band of the evening were the energetic Trystero, who promised a loud, statement-making performance. In previous gigs, front man Jack Kerrigan had treated us to some wacky dance moves, jolting all over the stage, but there was none of this at the final. More dancing needed. Pretty, summery guitar melodies floated through verses and strong, sharp chords ripped through the choruses with ease, the band’s influences from the Midwestern Emo genre clearly shining through. At times, the vocals became a little more shouting than singing, yet the pedal used to layer the vocals to close each song worked brilliantly, and made Trystero really stand out. This band are not to be forgotten about anytime soon.

CHEBS, the third band of the evening battling with blood, sweat and tears to win, came to Cavern with their entire fan base. There were cardboard signs, chants and hand drawn t-shirts, proving CHEBS’ ever-extending popularity. In the previous heats the funk and soul band had relied on covers to push them through, and the final was no different, playing to the audience with multiple Stevie Wonder covers and a genius mash-up of ‘Clint Eastwood’ and ‘No Diggity’, which naturally had the crowd under the CHEBS spell. They ended their set however with a ‘medley’ of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Kendrick Lamar, which felt more like three songs played in quick succession to get as many covers in as they could, rather than a good ear merging the songs technically. Talent and confidence exudes from each of the three singers, and the entirety of the band, but for a competition where originality and creativity is key, perhaps they should have played more originals to win the judges’ vote.

National Acrobats turned their final slot on stage into a worthy headline act

The last band to battle it out was the well-established National Acrobats. With their classic indie sound and catchy original songs we all already know and love such as ‘Jericho’, ‘Figures’ and ‘Tell Me’, National Acrobats were set out from the first heat to do well in the competition as their success from last year put them in good stead. The main vocals from Tom and backing from Adam worked especially well together in ‘I Can’t Dance’, and they should think about bringing more harmonies into the songs to add another dynamic. At times, another guitar was definitely needed when the synth melodies were played as it made the band sound a little thin, but National Acrobats were on top form, and turned their final slot on stage into a worthy headline act.

As with every round of the competition, Dave Garcia announced the winners after a purposefully long nail-biting pause – hell for the anxious bands – and National Acrobats deservedly took the crown.

Find out more about all four bands here.

Congratulations to National Acrobats

A video posted by Exeposé Music (@exeposemusic) on Jan 29, 2016 at 4:52am PST