Idle Noise
Cov’s Idle Noise are back with a new song entitled “Ghosts”, and it’s a cracker.
Nice and punchy, powerful vocals with a distorted guitar backing, I can just imagine it being sung at a big festival (remember them), wildly anthemic and shivers down the spine stuff.
The band take influence from a range of artists including The Strokes, Circa Waves and The Enemy. Since forming, every track the band have released has been aired on BBC Introducing radio, with their 2019 singles ‘Rapture’ and ‘Everybody Gets Famous’ also being frequently featured on pre-match and half-time playlists at League One and Championship Football clubs Coventry City and Luton Town.
The last few years have seen the band support the likes of The Charlatans and The Wombats with two consecutive main stage slots at Coventry’s Godiva Festival, as well as a range of other shows and artists across the UK.
More recently, Idle Noise supported Coventry’s own Tom Clarke (formerly of The Enemy) at a sold out hometown show in December 2019, followed by the band’s own sold out headline show at Manchester’s iconic Deaf Institute in January 2020.
The release date for the single is May 29. For more information of this extraordinary local band go to https://www.facebook.com/idlenoise/
A lockdown anthem for The Coventry Music Museum
The Coventry Music Museum like all museums is closed right now, and ready to open again once the time is right.
In the meantime, museum volunteer Gary Jackson had a great lockdown idea. He took the words of a poem that had been dedicated to the museum by visitor Andy Henson and turned it into an anthem for the award-winning museum.
The song features some of the highlights of this chart-topping place including The Ghost Town Car and the Wall of Hits and name-checks some of the city’s famous musicians like The Enemy, Hazel O’Connor, King and of course The Specials.
When Gary sent me this song I was just blown away, it was so memorable, and it hit just the right spot and sums up the museum perfectly. Now we want to take it to the next level and we are asking our local musical stars to do another version, doing their bits at home in lockdown.
We are currently raising funds to keep the museum going through these heavy times, so we thought what a great thing to give to our supporters who have been amazing. Music and instrumentation and vocals by Gary Jackson, Words by Andy Henson, Video by Nigel Meffen Video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8KFwEBexR4&feature=youtu.be
Mercia FM 40 years on
It was at 2 minutes to 7 on the morning of Friday May 23 1980 when Mercia Sound first launched.
Now, 40 years on, something very special will soon hit the airwaves of Coventry and Warwickshire once again.
Coventry and Warwickshire’s community radio station Radio Plus, who now occupies Mercia Sound’s old studios in Hertford Place, is hosting a very special evening of shows including the recounted memories of Mercia Sound by ex-news staff and presenters. This special evening begins at 6 pm and runs through ’til 12 midnight next Saturday May 23.
Radio Plus 101.5 FM Online at: https://dev.radioplus.org.uk
Mercia facts
1. First voice on air was an opening announcement by programme director Ian Rufus, followed by breakfast presenter Gordon Astley and a news bulletin read by Mike Henfield.
3. The first song played was ‘This is It’ by Dan Hartman
4. The famous yellow Gold Rush phone is now on display at the Coventry Music Museum
5. Household names that have emerged from the radio station include JD, Bob Brolly, Annie Othen and Stuart Linnell
