Interview – Kimberley Winter – Under the Tree

With this years Waterfront Festival fast approaching we decided to ask Kimberley Winter a few questions about outside stage which her promotion Under the Tree are running.

Hi Kim, how are things going?

Good thanks!

You’re busy preparing for the Waterfront Festival, how are things coming along with that?

Really good. This is the time when things get a bit mental but I think we’re pretty much ready to go!

The outside stage will once again be run by Under the Tree, how exciting is it to be presenting that stage?

This year is the most excited I’ve been about presenting the stage. Last year was the biggest we’d handled in teams of production and tech so I was mainly stressed and watching the clock to make sure I met curfew times! This year we’ve worked with a lot of the acts before so it’s less daunting.

What can people expect from the Under the Tree stage on the day?

A lot of country and blues! We’ve tried to keep things pretty happy and relaxed in the day time but we’re building up to a massive country barn dance at the end of the night so get your cowboy boots on for The Most Ugly Child & 94 Gunships!

Obviously there are only so many acts that can perform during the day, how difficult is it narrowing down the selection because there is such a huge choice in Nottingham? 

This year seemed like harder work, but I only have 15 slots and 5 of those are designated for bands so there has to be a cut-off point. We spend a fair amount of time listening to everyone’s music on repeat, going through Soundcloud, constantly moving people in and out of line-up sheets etc. I’d say it takes a good two months to work out if I’ve made the right choices or not!

Under the Tree focuses, mainly, on acoustic talent. Nottingham seems to be blessed with a huge selection of highly talented acoustic performers, do you ever get surprised by the depth of talent out there, and the fact that more and more keep on appearing on the scene?

I’d say 70% of the gigs I’m involved in are acoustic so it’s nice when someone turns up on the scene and blows everyone away. It’s not surprising though. I’ve always felt as though the acoustic / singer songwriter scene in Nottingham was undervalued and overshadowed by bands so it’s amazing that there’s been an almost complete about turn in the last two years or so.

With such a huge amount of acoustic talent how important do you think it is for any new performers to offer something that makes them stand out from the crowd?

I think it’s important to be really bloody good and if you’re not, you need to be prepared to work your arse off to make yourself better. Don’t expect an acoustic guitar and a nice song to be enough these days. Trust me, hard work and the right attitude is noticed and it makes people want to work with you. And please don’t sing me a song about any more bloody boats. I’ve had enough of boats; it’s like everyone’s turned into a bunch of sailors!

As well as the Under the Tree stage there are, of course, two other stages packed with music throughout the day, are there any acts in particular you’re looking forward to seeing, if you get chance that is?

I’m hoping to catch at least a little bit of Captain Dangerous because they’re one of my favourite bands and they’re having an orchestra with them for their set. In an ideal world I’m going to catch at least some of Royston Duxford and Band Of Jackals as well because I love their music. Oh and April Towers because they’re worth all the hype.

Under the Tree started off, if I recall, as a monthly event at The Bodega a couple of years back, since then it’s grown to the point that you’re putting on regular shows at various venues and getting involved in festivals such as Waterfront. You must be really proud of the way things have grown and are you constantly looking at ways to keep branching out and moving forward?

My mum is probably more proud than I am because she thinks it’s much cooler than it is; I just feel incredibly lucky that I get to work with some awesome musicians and venues that are passionate about promoting local music. I love The Bodega because they took a chance, didn’t stifle us when things started to get really big and left the door open to go back which I’d love to do in some capacity in the future. I mean, I have a team now and I didn’t think that’d ever happen back in the beginning but now there’s gigs, video sessions, the blog and management (I manage Ryan Thomas) so having an awesome team certainly makes things easier. There’s some big stuff on the horizon but if I had to get a real job tomorrow then I’ve had a good couple of years!

You’re also part of the Wire & Wool record label, can you tell us a bit about what’s going on with them?

We’re currently looking at a couple of new signings to join The Most Ugly Child and Ryan Thomas but nothings signed and sealed so to speak. It’s a small label but is full of really passionate music fans which is awesome. The main focus at the minute is to launch The Most Ugly Child’s EP and continue to work on building as much coverage for both acts for the rest of the year.

With so much stuff going on how do you find time to kick back and relax and what do you like to do when you do get a break?

This is the main reason Under The Tree isn’t at The Bodega right now and gigs are bigger but less frequent. I needed to find some more ‘down time’ and was burning myself out at the end of last year with a day job, management, too many gigs, a record label and trying to have a normal life. Pat made me realise that sometimes it’s okay to just say no and stay home to watch Masterchef. If I’m out then chances are it’s at Jam Cafe, The Bodega or Rescue Rooms with a load of other music people drinking whiskey. We also have ‘family dinner’ which is our little music lot getting together, drinking whiskey and playing bad party games. Anwyn Williams can’t bowl, Stevie-Leigh nearly had a fight with our next door neighbour and Frazer Lowrie almost killed me a roast chicken.

Both Under the Tree and Wire & Wool come under the ever growing I’m Not From London umbrella, how important have those guys been to you in terms of support and advice?

I wanted to work in historical archives before I met Will Robinson so I’m Not From London pretty much changed my career. Those guys are amazing and have always been really supportive but have always left the Under The Tree ball in my court so to speak; I’ve been there for four years now and it’s where I’ve learnt everything I know. When I’m having a strop in the office because I’m losing my patience, Will rolls his eyes, Miles reminds me to try and be professional and Pat is subjected to my irrational ranting. I think Pat gets the raw end of the deal…

Once Waterfront is out of the way what’s up next for Under the Tree?

Splendour & Y Not Festival with Ryan which rounds off the summer before heading back to the studio. Hockley Hustle and then we’ll be back at The Contemporary and The Malt Cross before the end of the year for a couple of nice events.

Finally, anything else you’d like to say to the readers of NottinghamLIVE?

“The only truth is music.”

Interview by Darren Patterson