Eight questions with Tom Lowman

(c) Gilbert Yates Photography

1. Who is Tom Lowman and how long have you been making music? (a short introduction)

I’m me! I’m 25, born and raised on the South Coast of England. I’m a fairly nerdy and intense person and I love playing music and meeting people! I started creating music in bands from the age of about 15, but I was singing from pretty much the moment I could speak. I’ve been making solo recordings for quite awhile now, I did my first EP at university aged about 20 so I guess it’s half a decade of solo songs and solo shows now! I’m always dabbling in band projects too and I have the beginnings of some new band stuff in the works as we speak...

2. You recently released a live video for ‘Mine Is A Selfish Dream’ - how has the response been so far?!

The response has been good! I’ve been away from the UK for a few months living and working in Uganda so putting out live videos has been a nice way of keeping in touch with people back home and keeping people updated about what I’m working on musically. I hadn’t done a song on electric guitar in a while and that seems to have gone down well, as have the horrendous guitar faces I pull when I’m playing it!

3. The track is taken from your upcoming ‘Live and Lost’ EP, out on Good Friday. What can you tell us about the EP, any interesting stories about the people who worked on it and how you came to meet one another?

Live & Lost came out of some sessions I recorded with my good friend Jonny Breakwell, who plays in a London band called Chalk. I knew I wanted to put out some live videos whilst I was away from England but listening back to them I was so pleased with the slightly rough and ready way the songs sounded live on the electric that I thought it would be fun to put those versions out as an EP as well! I don’t know how long it’ll be til I can do album number two so it’s a good way of familiarising folks with the new songs before I take them out on tour. the songs are connected thematically in as much as they are all retrospective takes on situations from which I decided to break out, rightly or wrongly! Hence the lost part...

4. You’re launching the EP with a tour kicking off in Southampton on the release day (14th April) - what can we expect from the shows?

The last few months I have been writing constantly, so I have about 15 new songs ready to take out on tour. I’m hoping to trial most of these new songs in the live environment, probably bringing the electric guitar along! I will play a few of my older ones too. As soon as I get back to England I will start rehearsing with some of my old band members again so I hope to get a few other instruments along to some of the gigs, and I am supporting or bringing along some great musicians I know from playing shows as well. Expect intimate gigs with a truckload of new material!

5. The tour finishes up with a hometown Winchester show alongside Harry Pane and Hazey Jane - an incredible line-up if we do say so ourselves… have you seen those guys live before?

I haven’t and I’m extremely excited to do so! Meeting new artists and sharing a stage with them is one of my favourite parts of touring- you get to make new friends and there aren’t many environments that bring people together better than a gig! I’m excited to have Harry and the HJ guys along because my friends come out in force when I play back down south and it’s always good fun to introduce them to some brand new acts. Plans for a fairly scandalous post gig house party are in the works as well...

6. Who is your audience and how do you connect with your fans? Any crazy, fun, exciting stories are very welcome.

My audience is a fairly consistent blend of long-suffering friends and the fans and supporters that you only make through playing shows, putting yourself out there and being friendly! I’ve been doing this long enough now that there are always a few familiar faces at gigs in my favourite cities, which is amazing to see. Whilst I recognise how important it is, I struggle with this new age social media stuff as a means of connecting with fans- endless questions, talking about yourself etc kind of gets me down to be honest. I much prefer a drink and a chat before and after the show, nothing beats face to face interaction! The best shows end up winding down in someone’s kitchen at 4 am, with bad cover songs and slightly off-kilter conversation!

7. What would your dream gig look like? Any particular venues you’re desperate to play or artists you’d love to play alongside?

I would love to support musical icons of mine like Damien Rice or Will Varley, the kind of intimate gigs they thrive on suit my style as well, and getting to meet them properly would be awesome! I love the small local venues I have grown up playing and I’m still dreaming of that massive sold out hometown show, full band, huge mess, stories galore. So I guess I’ll keep working for those!! I also love the living room type shows offered by the guys at Sofar, and I’m always gunning to put another run of Sofar shows together too!

8. What does the rest of 2017 hold for you?

2017 is an interesting year for me! I’ll move back to the UK, hit the ground running with an Easter time tour, then try and get some of these new songs recorded! I’ve got a band project up and running and will work on that too, and then hopefully I’ll be able to take the band and solo stuff out on tour again later in the year. With any luck I will squeeze a few festivals in too, both as a performer and a punter!

Tom Lowman heads out on tour from 14th April to support the release of his new Live And Lost EP. Dates on the poster below! Tickets will be available through Tom's Tigmus profile!

Tig Digs: Little Brother Eli 'Oceans'

Tigmus alumni and Oxford based band Little Brother Eli, have just released a superb new music video for the track Oceans, taken from their debut record Cold Tales which was released last Summer. They're a hard working and talented bunch of guys who we worked with on a really successful headline show upstairs at Oxford's O2 Academy back in October - certainly a band to keep an eye on, get watching the video below and keep an ear out for new music!

The next couple of Little Brother Eli gigs are 17th March in London, at Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen and at the Reading festival Are You Listening? on 22nd April, get down and support them!

Eight questions with Brudini

1. Who is Brudini? (a short introduction)

I am Brudini! A half-Norwegian, half-Thai, modern day nomad. Brudini is the artist name I took when I started writing songs again after a decade long musical hiatus spent in Paris, Tokyo, finally settling in London. I was drawn into a Soho scene of poets, writers and artists, and it resparked my own imagination and desire to create. While I had always played music in different formats in my youth, I was now in my early 30ies, and the songs that came out of me felt darker and stronger. Even my voice had grown darker! I would write and record my material at home at night, and gradually try it out at poetry nights and open mic nights. And things just slowly evolved from there.

2. The info on your Facebook page tells me that your music is ‘a soulful, vagabond journey through darkness and light, darkly evoking existentialist and beat traditions’ which definitely came across in your performance for us in Oxford recently, where you took us all on an atmospheric musical journey. Where does the inspiration for this style of music come from?

I think my music traces a variety of origins, from classical music to songwriter, jazz and krautrock, to more avant-garde stuff, but also poetry and literature. And then I fuse it with my own persona and try to project it all out on a big sonic canvas. It’s a bit eclectic and I always found it hard to fit within a genre. But I like the idea of creating a narrative, shaped by the words, music, and the performance itself.

3. Your debut single ‘The Nightcrawler’ is due for release on 3rd March and has already received support from the likes of BBC Radio 6, Radio X, Amazing Radio and Soho Radio. Could you explain the track to anybody who is new to your music, and feel free to share any interesting stories about producers or session players you worked with on the track!

‘The Nightcrawler’ is a tale of a vagabond’s gritty and raw journey into inevitable darkness - yet in a passing moment overcome by a sudden feeling of warmth and nostalgia. Quite existensialist stuff, and I’ve really tried to build the soundscape to underline the sensory impressions of this worn-out, desillusioned character marching on into the night. I recorded it in a small studio in North-East London with the help of Knut Jonas Sellevold. The studio was awfully cold, and when it rained on the roof it would leak in and we had to stop recording. It probably helped us get in the mood! The drums are by the incredible Siemy Di, and it was mixed and mastered by Jeremy Lucas in New York using only analogue gear, including a tape-reel that once belonged to John Lennon. So a bit of traces of legends in the fabric..

4. The artwork for the track is pretty striking too, what’s the story behind it?

The artwork is by a very talented artist called Tom Maryniak. They are wood cuts - carved in wood with chisel in hand, then soaked in ink and pressed against paper. For me I think it brings full circle the associations to books and poetry - it’s the way book covers were made in the past. And Tom’s work is so moody, beautiful and expressive. And occasionally quite racy as well! You should check out his Grecian porn wallpaper, should you ever wish to make your bathroom a bit more potent. I’ll say no more.

5. Who is your audience and how do you connect with your fans? Any crazy, fun, exciting stories are very welcome.

To be honest, I’m still trying to figure out who my audience really is! I hope my music can appeal to anyone who is curious, yet at the same time I do not really fit into the hipster scene which dominates a lot of indie music today. I had a guy come up to me after a show once saying it sounded so genuine and so different from anything else out there. I think that’s the biggest compliment I could ever get. But I’ve been booed by a bunch of guys drinking beer at the local pub too. Different strokes for different folks I guess, hehe.

6. You’ve got a London show lined up with us the day after the single release to celebrate - what should we expect from the show?

Expect a lot of energy! I’ll have an explosive jazz drummer with me, Derin Bayhan, and Casper Hoedemakers on double bass. And I’ll rotate between piano, synths, quiet guitars and very loud guitars. The George Tavern is one of my favorite venues with it’s ceaky wooden floors and burning candles, so soulful. We’ll turn it into a proper voodoo church! And I’ll have some special guests, come and you’ll see...

7. What would your dream gig look like? Are there any artists you’d love to play alongside, locally and further afield?

My dream gig would be in an old, Moulin Rouge-like theatre, with dancers and tribal drums, an orchestra, cocktails abundantly flowing and trapeze artists flying overhead! I love mixing poetry with music, and have worked with a wonderful Californian writer by the name of Chip Martin in the past which I hope to repeat. A collaboration with Soho poet Jeremy Reed could be quite spaced out.. Further afield.. Jean-Claude Vannier? Or a duet with PJ Harvey.

8. What does the rest of 2017 hold for you?

I just became a father, so it probably does not hold a lot of sleep! But musicwise I have a lot of stuff coming, and plenty gigs.. I am looking to release my debut album in the fall. It’s a concept album called ‘From Darkness, Light’. That will be a big milestone for me.

Brudini plays a single launch show at The George Tavern on 4th March - tickets here, supports TBA!

Eight questions with Catgod

(c) Ian Wallman

1. Who are Catgod, and what does the change of name represent for the band? (a short introduction)

Catgod are a groove collective based in Oxford who combine trip-hop, jazz n’ soul with too many lead vocalists ;) It signifies us moving away from our previously more flamenco inspired sound(as Roberto y Amigos) and towards influences from more souly types like Otis Redding and darker types like Portishead and Massive Attack.

2. How long have you been making music together, and what have the highlights been so far?

Well we started writing for our album around a year ago now. We’ve been working on our live set together for around 4 months. Being played on BBC Radio 6 Music twice in one week was pretty exciting but it doesn’t top the look George and Henry give me when something goes wrong when we’re playing live…

3. Your debut record ‘Ready When You Are’ was launched just over a month ago with a really successful show at ODHHC, how does it feel to have the record out for people to listen to? Feel free to big up everybody who worked on the record and any interesting stories behind how you started playing together!

Personally I felt pretty relieved to get it out there. I think after you’ve released something you’ve been working on for a while, you feel like you a ready to move onto new things and realise it was taking away some of your energy. Think everyone felt kinda proud? Ggguys? Peeps who worked on the album were a mixture of friends from school and mates from other bands. I’ve been trying to steal George Purnell from his other band Homeplanetearth for years now…

4. As the gig in December was such a hit, for any artists reading this who might be looking to organise a show with Tigmus, or have one booked in already, do you have any tips for successfully self-promoting a gig?

It all starts with getting the people who you know to come along. If you make sure 50% of the people you’ve met and connected with are there on the night it’s a great way to get the ball rolling.

5. Who is your audience and how do you connect with your fans?

We connect via fresh dog and cat videos posted straight to our instagram site… https://www.instagram.com/catgodmusic - also signing up to our mailing list is a great way to hear about secret gigs and crazy cat inspired parties.

6. What would your dream gig look like? Are there any artists you’d love to play alongside, locally and further afield?

The dream would be to play atop the Sphinx to a small group of people who wanted to be that high too.

7. We’re looking forward to your support slot for us at the Holly Redford Jones EP launch in Feb - what kind of set can we expect at the show, and how will you be preparing for the evening? Any unique pre-show rituals?

We’ve been working on our group vocal chord warm ups… 1, 1 2 1, 1 2 3 2 1, 1 2 3 4 3 2 1… Know that one? You can expect hot chords, good bass and two drum kits…

8. What does the rest of 2017 hold for you?

We hope to be releasing some new music soon. Really excited to share it with everyone!

Catgod support Holly Redford Jones at her EP launch at Oxford's Fusion Arts on 18th Feb, alongside Calÿpso  - tickets here!

Eight questions with Ruby Confue

1. First up, happy new year! What was your best Christmas present this year… or the worst?

A beautiful gift, brand spanking new GHD's hair styler- saying goodbye to bad hair days! (Haha)

2. Who is Ruby Confue? (a short introduction)

I am an Urban Jazz singer, writer and performance artist currently writing my debut album and devising a live show to tour the U.K and Europe.

3. How long have you been making music, and what have the highlights been so far?

Originally from a more theatre, stage performance background I first collaborated with Lighterthief on the Ruby Confue music project in February '15! (where does the time go?) The highlights have been, creating the music video for my debut single Baby 126, the styling, locations etc, performing at the Bedford in Balham last year. They have fantastic sound engineer in this venue- playing with Vanessa Jamie, she is fantastic and performing at a number of festivals last summer, particularly Fieldview! Epic summer!

4. This is the point where I usually ask about a recent release... do you have an EP or album in the pipeline?! When can we hear it?

My current EP is available at rubyconfue.com and my forthcoming album is in development.

5. We're looking forward to your headline slot at The Blue Man in Brighton... have you caught the supports, Jojo Macari and Hazey Jane, before?

I am so excited to play Brighton again, we will be returning for the third time! The Blue Man is a beautiful venue, works great with acoustic, jazz sets. I played with Jojo back in November. Comedic blend of accents, story telling and slick guitar riffs. Hazey Jane are new to me but I always Google the acts i'm playing with to get a sense of their vibe before a show.

6. Who is your audience and how do you connect with your fans? Any crazy, fun, exciting stories are very welcome.

Luckily for me my audience are diverse. I have fans as young as 2 and as old as 80 and all that's in between. I keep them in the loop and connect via social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat... I am going to be doing a lot more interactive Facebook live videos this year so we'll see how that goes. I have an awesome fan story... fan of the year. I played a gig in my hometown back in October and bought a snazzy jumpsuit to wear- being the starving artist I am I left the label in the item as I couldn't afford it so was going to wear it for the gig then return it (naughty I know) However fan Marie to the rescue spotted the label and told me i'd left it in. I'm not one to be embarrassed so I explained my cunning plan! Marie wasn't having any of it and insisted that I had to keep the garment so essentially tipping me the £40 to keep the jumpsuit. Marie paid for it!!! What a legend, a babe. I've worn it several times since. Thank you Marie from Swindon!!!

7. What would your dream gig look like? Are there any artists you’d love to play alongside or cities you haven’t visited yet?

When we started this project I wanted a visual theme, themes help when you're creating. The theme I came up with is the Psychedelic Urban Circus. My dream gig would be a combination of these themes a wild, colourful, circus with an urban heart. Think big top stripy festival tent with graffiti artists, circus performers, break dancers, fire eaters, clowns you name it! A colour explosion of self expressing wonder!

8. What does 2017 hold for you?

2017 is the year when the album takes shape, we build on our fanbase and aim to create perform, share, and create some more! Lots of festivals we are applying for Secret Garden Party, Boomtown (hopefully Glastonbury) to name a few and some beautifully visual ideas for new music videos on the agenda also. 2017, lets be 'avin ya!

Ruby Confue headlines at Brighton's The Blue Man for us on 29th Jan - tickets are pay what you want on the door, reserve a spot here! Support comes from Jojo Macari and Hazey Jane.

Eight questions with Rews

1. First up, happy new year to you both! We’re intrigued - what were your best Christmas presents this year… or the worst?

Best- Collette went to Madrid for a few days, that was a great present, quality time and sight seeing! Shauna got a skull desk tidy and got to spend time with her mum, sisters and 6 screaming (and lovely) nieces and nephews!

2. Who are REWS? (a short introduction)

REWS are a high energy female rock duo. We aim to make people dance and throw away the shackles of every day mundane life!

3. How long have you been making music together, and what have the highlights been so far?

We've been a band for just over a year and a half now. Highlights so far have to be playing Glastonbury last year, getting some major support from the likes of Huw Stephens, and building an awesome team who we love, and lastly, developing our sound!

4. You’re touring the UK in Feb/March, including a date for us in Oxford at Fusion Arts. Do you need sightseeing tips for the city?

We've both been to visit Oxford before but it's always lovely to get some other peoples ideas of where to go! We both love food and having fun so if there's any ridiculous places to visit that involve both...we're there!!

5. How are you preparing for the tour as it draws closer?

Well, we are refining some of our new songs in order to feature them in our live set. We're also starting our year in regards to fitness after the Christmas food mountain, haha!! It's important to have a healthy body and mind ahead of something as gruelling as a tour. (Writing this whilst drinking cocktails and eating a mound of nachos and burgers haha!!)

6. Who is your audience and how do you connect with your fans? Any crazy, fun, exciting stories are very welcome.

Our fans are anyone who engages with our music and finds a connection. We encourage them to shake their bums and dance like no-ones watching!!We connect with our fans by showing our true colours on stage so people find they can approach us at gigs. A lot of our connection is through social media, we love a tweet or a shout out! Crazy stories...there's been a few, more suitably shared over a pint haha!

7. What would your dream gig look like? Are there any artists you’d love to play alongside or cities you haven’t visited yet as a band? Looks like you’re taking in a lot of places on the upcoming tour!

There are looooads of gigs we would love to play, especially International festivals like Coachella, Eurosonic and Benacassim to name a few. We would love to support Nothing but thieves, lower than Atlantis, Korn or Bring me the Horizon! We would love to visit Japan and Australia!

8. What does 2017 hold for you?

Same thing we do every year Tigmus.... try to take over the wooooorrrllld!! Haha that aside... our first album release, more farts in a tent during festival season, build On our awesome team, and keep having fun!!!

REWS play Oxford's Fusion Arts on 11th February, support to be announced. Tickets with no booking fees here!

Tig Digs: Catgod 'Ready When You Are'

Happy new year from Tigmus, folks! One of our last gigs of 2016 was a superb record launch for Catgod (the recently renamed Roberto y Amigos, fronted by Neverlnd bassist Robin) at Oxford's Deaf and Hard of Hearing Centre, with support from Theo (tunes on Soundcloud) and one of our local faves, Sylva Kay. 

(c) Megan Seekings

Filling the room up with family, friends and fans, Catgod debuted their brilliant new record Ready When You Are, with the performance featuring guest vocalists Morgan Dawe, Esme Garlake and Cat Marriott. The new record makes for some sweet listening to kick off the new year, our favourites include Home in Your Heart and title track Ready When You Are! 

There are more photos from the night by one of our favourite local photographers Cristina Camilla Px here on Facebook! If you like what you're hearing and missed the album launch - you're in luck as Catgod are performing at an Independent Venue Week show at The Cellar in Oxford on 28th Jan alongside Hudson Scott, who I once saw supporting Foals, and local band Coldredlight, tickets here for what should be a great night!