Axel Loughrey – The Road Trip
When I was approached by Dudley from All Sorted Records to cover the showcase at Leeds Fringe Festival, I should of known it was never going to be a quiet night! Due to circumstances that unfolded during the week, I was left requiring transportation. My request for a private jet was politely refused, however Axel kindly stepped into the breach and offered me a ride in his car. So there I was, up and ready to hit the road at 10am on a Sunday when a rather worse-for-wear looking Axel arrived sporting trademark shades that also happened to cover up a black eye from a dispute the night before.
Having found the last remaining available space to place my bag amongst the guitars and amps, we were ready to set off on the 150 mile trip. I have always found musicians to be the least organised people I know, so it was no surprise that it took several phone calls to arrange a place to hook up with his band on the way. Finally deciding upon a supermarket car park, several more calls ensued until Ian and Kit actually found us. By now it was 11am and having covered only 20 miles, I wondered if we would actually get to the venue! We snaked up in convoy, briefly stopping off to refuel our bodies and vehicles. Amazingly, having made up the lost time, we hit the outskirts of Leeds roughly on time before spending an hour lost in the chaotic one-way system.
So the venue…hmmmm, I have seen better and to be honest not many worse, though the vibe downstairs was great with a mean blues trio playing in the airy, spacious room. It was a shame the same could not be said for the tiny upstairs room. Having been told that it held 150, Dudley discovered that in fact it had a 60 capacity. By the time the various acts had loaded in, it seemed to me that we would be lucky to actually find a place to stand. Throw in the fact that the place had a unique metal ceiling and was sweltering at about 40c onstage. Personally, I would of turned tail and reloaded the car, but such is the life of an up-and-coming musician. These sort of nights and trials & tribulations shape and mould people into established artists and inspire songs.
Having loaded in and chilled with a couple of drinks, we trekked back to the hotel to check-in. I kind of wondered why these guys put themselves through this sort of ordeal, week-in, week-out, often trying to hold down a 9-5 just to survive. Chatting with Axel as we checked out promos both good and bad, it soon became clear to me that his passion for his music overrides all the nagging doubts and financial strains. If you dig beneath the outward façade and confident swagger of Axel the performer, you find Axel the man desperately trying to find a way forward in an industry full of sharks. Yet still prepared to spend both time and money to deliver a storming 40-minute slot in a sweatbox on a Sunday evening.
The whole two day experience was pretty insightful and humbling to me, the guy who spends lots of time in the green rooms of venues and swans around the guest areas of festivals. Never has it been more apparent to me just how hard all these folks work to try to carve out a small niche in the industry. Sure we all had a great night out in Leeds, partying hard and long into the night, but the camaraderie between the artists is a special bond that comes from those long road trips. It’s all another reminder as we step into the season of the mostly talentless dirge of wannabes thrust into our living rooms via Simon Cowell’s cash cow the X-Factor, that there is real music out there. Real artists slaving away, playing these ever-diminishing venues for the love of music. As the guys loaded the amps from the hotel, I was still wondering to myself if I could have that level of dedication and belief.
My plea to you would be to support these artists, get along to the gigs, buy the CDs, and remember to switch off your TV this Saturday night and go check a gig out!
Axel has an EP out now and an album due towards the end of the year, you can check out the roster of the fantastic All Sorted Records from the link below.
Many Thanks to the following for a great weekend: Axel, Ian & Kit, Hemmingway, Alvin Purple, Lee Vann, Richard Petch, and last but not least, Dudley and Cat from All Sorted.
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Nice piece Mark. Interesting angle.