Ross Stewart and Band - Sells Out Voodoo Daddy's Showroom

The Annual Robin Evans Interview – July 2023

It’s another warm July Saturday and Robin Evans is up and out in the city, double-checking his preparations for the Lord Mayor’s Show, with annotated script to hand.  The event requires a light touch on the microphone and the city elders have turned again to Evans to navigate the crowds through this ever-popular event.

Already with years of experience hosting and organising musical events and entertaining in his own right, Evans is aware that this is quite a responsibility for a man in his mid-twenties.

“It’s looks like I have the role of Norwich City Council compere.” Evans confessed.  “I really enjoyed hosting the Christmas lights switch-on last winter and then I was asked back to do The Lord Mayor's Show for a second time, which is a great honour.”

 

What the city got when Evans was given the job of being public address voice to the people was someone with an eye for detail, an understanding of live performance and the ability to read the room.

 

Evans is an engaging personality in every sense.  He is somebody who loves meeting people, is genuinely interested in their interests and gets modest satisfaction from bringing like-minded together.  For example, his Voodoo Daddy’s Showroom open mic nights have brought over 30 different acts to the stage.  Many stepping up under the lights for the first time. These performers then met other performers and have gone on from there.  We are yet to hear of any couple marrying after meeting at one of his open mics, but new bands and duos have shared ideas and made sweet music together following these shows.

The weather here in the east of England’s finest city certainly helps draw crowds and although there is always something going on, this weekend’s events are something special.  The Lord’s Mayor’s Show still creates excitement. Families were already lining one of the prime sections of the procession route along Castle Meadow well before the start of the afternoon’s proceedings. It is an event that attracts people from across the county.

 

The habit of engaging in conversations while queuing is something that may have been reignited by our release from lock-down restrictions.  There was a friendly conversational buzz playing as backing track in the city centre today.  Norwich is a great place for a chat and waiting for the Lord Mayor’s Show to roll by is another great excuse for having a natter. 

 

Crowds don’t phase Evans.  He had just returned from giving a summer-time Christmas show in Poland where, with his great friend George Bryce, the other half of the out of season Christmas Song specialists, Squat Lobster, the duo had led over a thousand people of Poznan in a singalong of Last Christmas.  That would have been something to be part of in Poland. Yes, I wish I had been there!

 

Squat Lobster’s unseasonable Christmas shows are hysterical.  I was lucky enough to catch their February show in Norwich.  I laughed until I cried, then laughed some more.  Robin and George are available to play at weddings, parties and summer festivals, but Squat Lobster do not do Christmas shows, at least not at Christmas!

 

I get a sense that the country, or at least Norwich, is moving on from the pandemic and its stultifying grip on us all.  After a supernova-like burst of creative energy post-pandemic, Norwich is brimming with artistic activity and there is no sign of this eruption cooling. 

 

I wonder if the housing crisis has contributed to this state of affairs?

 

“All the folks living together and playing together makes a network of people who can help each other realise projects. There’s a weird ‘Bacon Number’ thing where you can get from almost any Norwich band to another by linking who plays in who else’s band, or who used to play for who.

 

"And the housing crisis in London is certainly pushing young and skilled people outwards, with some of them coming Norwich-way, or returning to Norwich.”

 

This brings other problems too.  Performance and exhibition space is under pressure. Younger creatives are having to compete for space and are up against booking agents who maybe a bit cagey about risking giving valuable stage time to the unknown.

 

Lou at The Reindeer is a supporter of local musicians young and old. Her pub has turned into possibly the city’s favourite music pub, i.e. a pub with local live performers, particularly since the management of Walnut Tree Shades ambled up to The Brickmakers at Sprowston.

 

“The encouragement Lou gives to local music is tremendous,” Evans emphasises.  “It’s easy to find on Dereham Road and has an appreciative clientele.  The team treat the musicians well, which makes us want to play there more. Good musicians lead to a good audience most of the time, the Reindeer is doing it right. 

Evans brings me news of the temporary closure of the skeletal Halls at St Andrew’s in the city.

 

“It is going to take 18 months, but it’s being sound-proofed.  Currently sound there is limited to 100 decibels and even then, there have been so many persistent complaints, that the building has to be refurbished. 

"Norwich'll have a fantastic venue that takes 600 people.  It’s that mid-size venue that Norwich has been missing.  One that hasn’t got the sound quality issues and layout problems of some longer-established places.  It will provide a step on the path from a small stage like Voodoo Daddy’s Showroom, through Norwich Arts Centre, with about 350 capacity, to being on stage with a real crowd.”

There is an article on the topic from the Norwich Evening News here.

 

I can tell Evans is excited at the prospect. I also admire his sense of perspective.  He is able to think  things through over a relatively long time-frame.  He understands how projects form, can grow, how they change over time.

 

He has been involved with the Grand Northern Ukulele Festival since about 2016, working closely with the driving force of that Huddersfield-located spectacular, Mary Agnes Krell, its founder and Director.

2023 was that festival’s last year in its current format.  After a decade based at the Lawrence Batley Theatre, it was agreed that it was best to finish on a high, then work on where they can use their skills to expand rework the project. Evans seeks challenge, but pushing water uphill, isn’t one of them.

 

“I think we had done all we could, having survived the pandemic and celebrated the popularity of the ukulele in all its forms over a decade. It is time to move on.”

 

There are plans afoot to shift the ukulele festival concept to a more dynamic form. The affordability, size, ease and fun of playing a ukulele has made it a popular school instrument.  There are ukulele social groups for people of all ages around the country too.  I remember hearing a pensioners' session playing together one afternoon at The Waverley pub, on the western front of Bognor Regis.  I was on the beach at the time and could hear their happy thrumming over the sound of waves breaking on shingle. It was disarmingly loud. 

 

With an upgraded Butlins holiday resort on the seafront there, Evans may be paying West Sussex a visit before too long, but before that he has plenty of ideas in mind for Norwich, Music City.

 

It seems that Norwich is ensuring that this singer-songwriter-compere-comedian-impresario from Surrey is going to be here for a while yet, connecting people, stirring up ideas and pulling strings to make things happen.

 

One of the people Robin admires for their work locally is Kitty Perrin.  Kitty’s wonderful work giving airtime to new musicians through her BBC Norfolk’s Introducing is sadly being consigned to history by the BBC’s cost-cutting and de-regionalisation rationalisation strategy.

 

The process by which BBC Local radio is being watered down to become an amorphous blancmange of meaningless regional blandness has caused a lot of heart-ache and cuts a valuable connection between local music and the airwaves.  The BBC was doing something on a local basis and so many musicians, from all genres, have been heartened by having the national broadcaster reaching out and providing the chance to be discovered.  

 

How effective will the BBC be as a regional, rather than truly local broadcaster is to be seen. For local musical artists the challenge to be heard at some level will simply be increased. Sadly, the BBC seems to be moving in the opposite direction to the Arts Council.  The Arts Council of England very quickly understood that the arts world would become far healthier if inclusion was encouraged, rather than promoting elitism.

 

The benefits to the well-being of people participating in artistic activities are widely known and the Arts Council acted fast to ensure that community-based arts were supported, even if only through Zoom during the pandemic.  Thankfully the Arts Council have continued to fund projects with a community focus, it is a shame that the BBC does not appear to be working toward a similar end.

Since 2016 Evans has held the current Guinness Book of Records holder (since 2016) of the longest ukulele marathon set. He enjoys working alone with his music, but it seems we will soon hear him as part of a band.The Norwich Arts Centre know that they can rely on Evans to turn up, tune in and deliver an excellent opening set for touring bands.  There is something about the guy that enables him to fill the stage and draw an audience from the bar (is that a good thing for business?).  With his heel drum and steel guitar Evans produces a richness of sound not far from being a one man band. In fact, with his sense of humour, do not bet against him trying that out one day on Gentleman's Walk at his favourite busking spot outside Lloyds Bank. However, it would also be fascinating to hear what he could produce with a band of like-minded musicians.His favourite local band is Bag of Cans. The organised chaos of this troupe have just released their debut vinyl album and he is a huge advocate of their live show too. "It is just so much fun!" he laughs. "You need to see them while you can."I do not take that as a reference to my age, just a prompt to get them while they're hot, before life gets in the way and other things get in the way of their current joyous progress.  Which is what sums up our conversation.  Robin Evans just likes making things happen. He loves bringing people together to help them on their artistic way, or just to spread the word.He is working with Ellie Ford-Knubley, @EleanorsGhost on a new, spooky project, as well as a sea shanty group.He has recently learnt about the long-dead Norfolk folk singer of local working songs, Harry Cox and how his pre-First World War songs are held by the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust This has led Evans to explore sea shanties, which are working songs that have been best preserved as live entertainment by many singing crew around the world, including the Sheringham Shantymen. Evans tells me that The House of The Rising Song originates from Lowestoft, where there was a pub of that name. The original lyric more boldly states the precise nature of the business operating there by the dockside.I really could have listened all day, but Robin had to get to the City Hall and prepare to compere.All I can add is, keep an eye out for Robin Evans. Find him on Instagram @robinevansesq and don't be put off by the deep and moody demeanour portrayed therein, he's probably just having a think about what to do next. He's got a lot on.~Chris PerryNorwichFirst Posted July 2023. Amended 09 August 2023