I know the feed is going to be a touch dominated by Blackpool rockers Boston Manor, but what can I say, I'm having a brilliant time writing about their music. Plus, with the release of their new record Sundiver, they announced they were going to do a one day pop up store to celebrate the drop - and you know I had to be there. Boasting limited edition versions of the new album, along with exclusive merchandise and a chance to meet the band for a chat, it felt like a truly once in a lifetime experience to speak to some of my favourite artists about a record that is, in my opinion, one of the best releases from this band. I thought, after going myself, I'd talk about my experience heading down to this event myself, how I found it, and just generally yap about this band. Enjoy!
The Hackney Gallery is about a 10 minute walk from the Hackney Central train station, tucked on a street corner close to a small park in front of a church. Although it was by no means massive, it was nonetheless bursting with personality - and as far as I know is being rented out every few weeks by new artists displaying their own work. When I arrived, a little earlier than the midday opening times, I instantly saw the Boston Manor iconography in the windows. The now iconic balaclava logo, and the strapline 'I guess we're here now' in huge white vinyl lettering. The band had made sure every part of the walls, floors and shelves were heaving with photography, merchandise, and even a fun little photo booth-esque wall on one side. It felt extremely laid back, with the left side devoted to a coffee company suppling punters with their caffeine fix. In terms of layout and vibe, they really hit the nail on the head, with a central rack holding all the new merch designs for people to see before they went and purchased one for themselves. Of course, the new record was on repeat, through a hefty set of speakers in the left corner - and I won't complain about hearing the record whenever I can (I'm listening to it as I'm writing this now in fact). Next to those speakers was the holy grail of guitar pedals, the signature 'bad machine'. Placed in its own glass pedestal, it stood tempting me throughout the entire day...and although I didn't take it home, I'm still thinking about it to this day.
I was one of about five people who lined up by the front door before it actually opened up. Being by myself, and generally socially inept, I stayed out of the friendly conversation cropping up between people, and watched through the windows as they set up. Soon enough they opened the doors, and in we all went. I quietly beelined to the vinyl, which had a limited edition alternative cover slip, and were hand numbered out of 100. There were both blue and yellow variants, and I went with the yellow, picking up number 22. I know I was one of five, and I could have found a single digit one, but I didn't mind. I picked up that one, so it was mine. Here's a picture of the variant, it looks even cooler in person, trust me.
As I looked up, I found myself looking at Ash Wilson, one of the two guitarists, who instantly struck up a conversation with me. I was pretty starstruck initially, and blabbered my way through the initial conversation, fighting off an anxious fat tongue as I spoke to one of my musical hero's. Eventually, I remembered that Ash, like the rest of his bandmates, were all just people, and all lovely people at that. Ash was kind enough to sign my record first, finding a pen after my stammered request, and even bought it to Dan Cunniff, introducing me to his bandmate. Having gained my confidence, I chatted to Dan freely, asking him about what gear he was running on the new record - I had to, the bass tone was too damn chunky not to ask about. We stood and spoke gear, pedals, cabs and heads for about ten minutes straight. After that, I went and spoke with Henry Cox, and we similarly had a brilliant conversation about the new record and everything that might be coming up next for Boston Manor. He also saw my 'Welcome to the Neighbourhood' shirt and commended me, both because he hadn't seen one in a while, and that it looked well worn. (It has been, trust me). He said in terms of writing, he thinks they'll take a bit of a break, because they've got some serious touring to do now, but was open to seeing whatever happened next after this journey was over. We also briefly spoke about his journey in graphic design, with him telling me that he's taken it on full time alongside the band, and he somehow recognised me from our brief interaction at the Edinburgh Fringe three years ago. After our chat ended, I turned to see Mike Cunniff speaking to Ash briefly. I waited for their conversation to end, and asked Mike if he'd sign my record for me. As he readied his pen, I asked him about his gear too, and what ensued was one of the most joyful nerding out moments of my life. We stood for about ten minutes, just chatting guitar and setups, pedals and song writing. I felt so genuinely honoured to be let into the inner workings of Mike's journey and processes, even getting a few recommendations of pedals I should be adding to my board. Like all the other members of Boston Manor, he genuinely wanted to chat to me, see where I was at, what I loved about music and production - we even geeked out about the innate feelings between digital and analogue sounds. After we spoke and he signed my record, I went and chatted to Jordan Pugh about his stellar drum performance on 'Sundiver' before he was pulled outside for a photo opportunity. I chatted to a fellow fan indoors for a bit, before heading outside to ask for a picture with the band all together. Their photographer very kindly took some for me, and as I went to leave, every member of the band came over to say goodbye, shake my hand, and wish me a great rest of my day. They even offered for me to come back and hang out, grab a coffee with them later on if I was at a loose end, and I thanked them for their kindness.
So, how do I sum up my visit to the Hackney Gallery? It would be cliché to claim it was one of the best days of my life, but it really was, as dumb as it sounds. You hear from a lot of people that you should never meet your heroes, that the way that you perceive these larger than life individuals will by no means live up to the hype and grandeur of their onstage personas. What I will say however, is that if your hero's are Boston Manor, your faith is extremely well placed. Every member of the band was approachable, chatty, personable, and had a deep passion for their craft and this new album. You can tell they put their everything into 'Sundiver' not only from how it sounds, but also how they take every compliment, every conversation surround it. They're clearly proud of this album, and want to celebrate it with those willing to spend the time - and I feel genuinely blessed and privileged to have spoken to them all. I walked away from my trip with not only a fully signed copy of one of my favourite records of all time, but also brimming with new tips and tricks, new ideas and, most importantly, the knowledge that Boston Manor is on top of their game. Not only when it comes to their music, but also in general. Solid album, even more solid people, and all that added up to an amazing overall experience.
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