Luke Tyler – My First Day At I’m Not From London

Brand new I’m Not From London intern Luke Tyler tells us all about his first day with the hardworking promotions group – one that included a silent disco in the Market Square.

My induction into the world of I’m Not From London began with a silent disco in Nottingham’s Market Square. It was novel, peculiar and mystified the local shoppers – many of whom felt compelled to see what all the madness was about. It was unsurprising that it was met with great enjoyment from toddlers to pensioners, as increasing numbers flocked to be involved in the dance under March’s first smidge of sunlight. Dance duo Stiff Kittens served up a wealth of musical treats, from Fatboy Slim and Basement Jaxx, through to anthemic jump up tracks from Nirvana and House of Pain.

Coincidentally, a local dance troupe emerged with huge enthusiasm, all wearing matching t-shirts and fresh from a TV audition for So You Think You Can Dance. They quickly got involved. This was all whilst a double-decker red bus had parked next to us for a wedding; it was all going on. A world first was also perhaps achieved that afternoon. Out of nowhere, a mysterious character rounded up the dancers and orchestrated a Harlem Shuffle without the aid of the actual track itself, offering a whole new definition to a ‘silent disco’. We’ll have to see how that one pans out.

Next stop was the evening gig. I arrived at the venue only to find the police wouldn’t let us because someone was stabbed in outside the card shop, meaning the bands had to stand outside in the rain until the Police deemed the area safe. The victim got a tribute from the lead singer of Her Majesty’s Service though, who kindly dedicated their last song to “the bloke who got shanked earlier” in the street.

After a good soaking, I finally reached the warmth of The Chameleon’s cafe and its quirky secret room upstairs. I was soon to be clutching a video camera and standing on tables, quickly learning that a steady hand is something I don’t possess. Primo Empire kicked off, with a powerful, dark performance that was laced with electronica. Their tracks were often introduced by enigmatic ten- second snippets of vocal samples. I later discovered they had called the sampled vocal ‘Derek’.

Compère Aggressive Ben was one of the minority braving the St Paddy’s gear, sporting an impressive green morphsuit. I soon realised that ‘aggressive’ was antonymous to his style; the crowd delighted in his winsome ditties sung over a ukelele. He also offered a sparkling rendition of Peter Andre’s ‘Mysterious Girl’ – a guilty pleasure perhaps, but I sang along nonetheless.

By now, the room was swelling. The crowd were enjoying the show in a venue that somewhat resembled a Victorian bedroom. Alaskan Faction were next on. They were a local uni group that had all the hallmarks of the dance-able indie shuffle often seen in the NME tent. Ruckus offered driven, guitar-heavy rock, playing loud and memorable anthems. The heads in front of me were bouncing and guitarist Dean later had fantastic things to say about the strength of local bands at current.

Her Majesty’s Service were the final act, a name befitting of their bold, no-nonsense British grit. They put on a spectacle the crowd had been hoping for, with a massive presence and a lovely measure of distortion. Upon speaking to the bands, it was great to see the wonderful affinity each of them had for the Notts music scene and its future. All in all, a great first day with I’m not From London and one I’m sure not to forget anytime soon.

Below is a clip of Her Majesty’s Service performing Tell You Straight on the night. Check them out!

http://vimeo.com/64728592

https://www.facebook.com/HMSNotts

Subscribe to Luke Tyler’s music Blog here:

http://luketyler91.wordpress.com/