The SuperSwell Podcast

How does someone transition from managing hotels and holiday-makers to overseeing major entertainment venues across Europe? Well, quite easily, if you happen to be our high achieving guest, Marie Lindqvist.

Join us as we sit down with Marie, the Senior Vice President of Operations for ASM Global in Europe, to uncover her unique career path. From her early days in the tourism industry to her pivotal role in the post-pandemic resurgence of live events, Marie shares the invaluable lessons she's learned along the way.

Marie’s career is a fascinating journey through different cultures and industries. She opens up about her time at TUI, where she sharpened her leadership skills, and the dynamic shift to AEG, managing the iconic Globe in Stockholm. Discover how Marie balances a demanding career with personal life and the importance of family support. Her story is a powerful testament to the impact of strong leadership and the importance of building a diverse, inclusive team.

Get a behind-the-scenes look into the future of live entertainment, as Marie discusses ASM Global's ambitious redevelopment projects across Europe. Hear about the strategic planning that took place during the pandemic and the strengthened industry networks that emerged from it.

Marie's leadership philosophy underscores the importance of trust, communication, and being a role model, especially for women in leadership positions. Don’t miss her insights on organizing major events and the joy of shaping the future of live entertainment.

We recorded this conversation at the Södra Teatern in Stockholm on 7th August, 2024.

More about our guest:

Stockholm Live
ASM Global

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Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by one of the UK's most highly respected booking agents, Rob Challice, Senior Vice-President of the Wasserman Music Group.

Rob has over 40 years of experience in the live music industry as an agent, promoter and festival organiser. Starting in the early 1980s, Rob co-founded a series of music companies one after the other - from FAB to Concert Clinic to CODA - and evolved from gigging, wide-eyed, around the country with anarcho-punk outfits, to overseeing sold out world tours for a roster of artists that includes Beirut, Billy Bragg, Bon Iver, Charlotte Cardin, Christopher, Cory Wong, HAEVN, Kings of Convenience, Novo Amor, Sturgill Simpson, Toro Y Moi and Warpaint.

Our conversation with Rob is like a who's who of the live music industry and takes us on his inspirational and remarkable journey from creating fanzines and promoting shows in London's gritty 80s scene to booking legendary bands like Nirvana and going on to help operate mammoth global enterprises.

We talk about the hiring and firing, the network building, the need for innovation, the challenges and concerns of a post-pandemic world, and the inevitable need for consolidation and change in order to stay alive and competitive.

The episode also highlights the critical role of grassroots music venues in the UK, the efforts to sustain them, and how the pandemic has shifted the dynamics of the music ecosystem.

There's also time to remember colleagues who have sadly been lost - but not forgotten - and the growing need to reflect on his own legacy.

We recorded this episode during the Tallinn Music Week conference on Friday 5th April, 2024.

Thank you for listening. Here is the episode.
We made it just.....for......you!

Links:
Wasserman Music: https://www.teamwass.com/
Paradigm acquires CODA: https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/paradigm-acquires-50-stake-in-coda-music-agency-5877120/#!
The Subhumans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subhumans_(British_band)
Warchild RideLondon: https://www.warchild.org.uk/get-involved/fundraise/find-an-event/ride-london


The SuperSwell intro/outro music: "Music Machine" - TV OFF

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Join us as we listen to Bertis Downs, the legal mastermind behind R.E.M., and take a rare peek behind the curtains of rock 'n' roll history.

Imagine being at the heart of R.E.M.'s rise from Athens' indie scene to the zenith of global stardom. Bertis reveals the nuts and bolts of their journey and - in his immensely  humble way - his own crucial supporting role, offering personal insights into the band's ethos that resonated with fans worldwide, including our host, Alex Maiolo—a Southern kid whose life was forever altered by their music.

This episode is a treasure trove of memories, from the complexities of touring to the magical moments that define a band's career. Bertis takes us on a tour of his own, from a history-loving student to the man who helped navigate R.E.M. through the thrills and spills of the music industry before pioneering their own path for others to follow . We dissect how R.E.M.'s strategic decisions inspired a generation of artists like Radiohead, The National, and Coldplay to forge ahead with their own ambitious plans towards worldwide success.

Central to the lasting impact of R.E.M.'s journey is the importance of preserving artistic integrity and band unity. We delve into the critical choices that safeguarded the band's legacy and their eventual amicable split that stands as a testament to their friendship and creative spirit. It's more than just a conversation—it's an exploration of the indelible mark R.E.M. has left on music and culture, and a chance to listen to the heartbeat of one of the most iconic bands of all time.

This conversation was recorded on stage at the Tallinn Music Week conference in Tallinn, Estonia on Friday 5th April, 2024.

The original audio recording has been edited and modified for an enhanced podcast experience.

This podcast is published with the approval and kind cooperation of Bertis Downs and Alex Maiolo and in association with Tallinn Music Week.

Thank you for listening. Enjoy the episode.
We made this just.....for......you.

Links:

All things R.E.M.: https://remhq.com

Bertis Downs Homepage: https://bertisdowns.com
Causes & Campaigns: https://bertisdowns.com/affiliations

R.E.M. by MTV (clip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=099QC_mzfbU

Athens, Georgia Inside/Out documentary (clip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJCoik8NsZ4&t=11s

Alex Maiolo Homepage: http://alexmaiolo.com
Alex's 40th Anniversary of "Murmur" article for Louder Than War: https://louderthanwar.com/r-e-m-s-generation-defining-murmur-at-40

Tallinn Music Week: https://tmw.ee


The SuperSwell intro/outro music: "Music Machine" - TV OFF

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This is the seventh edition of The Delicates' Lounge - a podcast for all us music event tourists who love to be where the action is and occasionally like to grumble about having to queue for our passes or a beer or to get into a venue. You know, all things that we missed for so long during the pandemic (remember that?).

Now and again we’ll get together with a handful of delicate delegates at one of the many events we love to go to.

This time we're joined by PR legend & author Jane Savidge; journalist & musician Alex Maiolo; Tamsin Embleton of the Music Industry Therapists Collective (MITC); booking agent Rob McGee from One Fiinix Live; Jess Partridge of the European Music Managers Alliance (EMMA) & the European Music Exporters Exchange (EMEE); and founder of Tallinn Music Week itself Helen Sildna to find out how they are managing themselves, their projects, and the events they are now attending.

We talked about our experiences at this year's Tallinn Music Week as well as all the projects we are working on.

We recorded this conversation during Tallinn Music Week in Tallinn, Estonia on Friday 5th & Saturday 6th April, 2024.

A huge thank you to the very helpful Tallinn Music Week conference & media teams - especially Indrek Migur & Ingrid Kohtla - for bringing us to their event, and to the management and staff of the Nordic Hotel Forum for providing us with the lovely space to set up our little studio.

For further information about some of the things & people mentioned in this episode:

Jane
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jane_savidge
"This Is Hardcore": https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pulps-This-Hardcore-Jane-Savidge/dp/B0C5W1MXVC
"Here They Come With Their Make-Up On": https://www.roughtrade.com/en-gb/artist/jane-savidge

Alex
Home: http://alexmaiolo.com
"Themes For Great Cities" - TMW Opening Gala performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjr6EEdPNzA

Tamsin
Music Industry Therapists Collective (MITC): https://musicindustrytherapists.com
"Touring And Mental Health - The Music Industry Manual": https://www.touringmanual.com
MITC on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/weareMITC
MITC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearemitc

Rob
One Fiinix Live: https://onefiinix.com

Jess
EMMA: https://emma.community/events
EMEE: https://www.europeanmusic.eu
EMEE/SEWEM: https://www.europeanmusic.eu/sewem

Helen
Tallinn Music Week: https://tmw.ee
Station Narva: https://stationnarva.ee
Shiftworks: https://shiftworks.ee

The Delicates' Lounge Podcast is a SuperSwell production.

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This is the sixth edition of The Delicates' Lounge - a podcast for all us music event tourists who love to be where the action is and occasionally like to grumble about having to queue for our passes or a beer or to get into a venue. You know, all things that we missed for so long during the pandemic.

Now and again we’ll get together with a couple of delicate delegates at one of the many events we love to go to.

This time, I was very happy to speak to friends from the festival family who over the years I’ve seen more than I’ve seen my own family at times.

I’m joined by Andy Jones from Focus Wales; Jeff Beaulieu  of Hopeful Tragedy Records; Healthy Touring & The Back Lounge's Suzi Green; Lotje Horvers from Backstage Pass; Manuel Schottmüller of Emerged Agency; So Alive Music Conference's Ruth Koleva; Peter Briggs of VIP-Booking.Com; and Robert Stolt from the Future of Festivals event to find out how they are managing themselves, their projects, and the events they are now attending.

We talked about our experiences at this year's Eurosonic Conference & Festival as well as all the projects we are working on.

We recorded this conversation during Eurosonic in Groningen on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th January, 2024.

A huge thank you to the very helpful Frank Janssen, Eveline van der Slijde, & Robert Meijerink of the Eurosonic team for letting us use a quietist corner of the De Oosterpoort to record these conversations.

For further information about some of the things & people mentioned in this episode:

Andy
Focus Wales: https://focuswales.com/
Welcome To Wrexham (trailer): https://youtu.be/R6v28e3MmhA

Jeff
Hopeful Tragedy Records: https://hopefultragedyrecords.com/
Le Maison De Tanger Hotel: https://lamaisondetanger.com/

Suzi
Healthy Touring: https://healthy-touring.com/
The Back Lounge: https://healthy-touring.com/the-back-lounge/

Lotje
Ghostlight Productions: https://lotte-horvers.squarespace.com/
Backstage Pass: https://www.backstage-pass.nl/en/

Manuel
Emerged Agency: https://emerged-agency.com/

Ruth
So Alive Music Conference: https://www.soalivemusicconference.com/
Ruth Koleva: https://ruthkoleva.com/

Peter
VIP-Booking.Com: https://vip-booking.com/

Robert
Future Of Festivals: https://www.futureoffestivals.com/en/home-en/

For more info and news about our podcasts and events please sign up to our mailing list here

Contact us directly with feedback, questions, ideas, and requests at [email protected]

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This is the fifth edition of The Delicates' Lounge - a podcast for all us music event tourists who love to be where the action is and occasionally like to grumble about having to queue for our passes or a beer or to get into a venue. You know, all things that we missed for so long during the pandemic.

Now and again we’ll get together with a couple of delicate delegates at one of the many events we love to go to.

This time, I was very happy to speak to friends from the festival family who over the years I’ve seen more than I’ve seen my own family at times.

I’m joined by Steffi Von Kannemann from Better Things agency, Joe Sparrow of Music Ally, Tamizdat's Matthew Covey, Andrea DaSilva from Keychange USA, and Adam Lewis of the Planetary Group to find out how they are managing themselves, their projects, and the events they are now attending.

We talked about our experiences at this year's Reeperbahn Festival as well as all the projects we are working on.

We recorded this conversation during Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg on Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd September, 2022.

A huge thank you to Lena Ingwerson of Music Cities Network for letting us use her office at the Karostar Musikhaus to record these conversations.

For further information about some of the things & people mentioned in this episode:

Reeperbahn Festival: https://www.reeperbahnfestival.com/en
Keychange USA: https://www.keychangeus.com
Better Things: https://better-things.berlin
Music Ally: https://musically.com/music-ally-podcast/
Planetary Group: https://www.planetarygroup.com
Tamizdat: http://www.tamizdat.org

For more info and news about our podcasts and events please sign up to our mailing list here

Contact us directly with feedback, questions, ideas, and requests at [email protected]

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Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by Press & PR legend, Jane Savidge.

Jane is one of the UK's most influential media personalities, co-founder of Savage & Best PR, and instigator of the famous and infamous Britpop scene.

I talked with Jane about the brilliant book she wrote about her time at the epicentre of Britpop and some of the exploits and adventures that were undertaken to get acts like Suede and Elastica on the front pages of the NME and Melody Maker.

We talked about her involvement with Brit artists, especially Damien Hirst, and branching out into projects such as Dave Stewart's art & business extravaganza, Hospital, and London super club, Home.

We also had to mention her involvement in helping make Tony Blair hip enough to be voted in as Prime Minister in 1997, where the Labour leader used Britpop figures such as Noel Gallagher and Alan MacGee as a way to be part of the Cool Britannia moniker.

Jane is really a fascinating, funny, and engaging guest and it's a thrill to have had the chance to talk to her for the SuperSwell.

"Lunch With The Wild Frontiers" is a brilliant book that you really need to read. Buy a copy from the link below. And prepare yourself for the exciting follow-up that is due out in Spring 2022.

We recorded this episode on Tuesday 7th September, 2021.

Thank you for listening. Here is the episode.
We made it just.....for......you!

Links:
Jane Savidge PR: https://www.phillsavidge.com
Jane on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Savidge
Jane on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jane_savidge/

Buy "Lunch With The Wild Frontiers":
http://jawbonepress.com/lunch-with-the-wild-frontiers/
https://www.amazon.com/Lunch-Wild-Frontiers-History-Chapters/dp/1911036491

Pre-order Jane's upcoming book, "Here They Come With Their Make Up On: Suede, Coming Up...And More Adventures Beyond The Wild Frontiers" (released April 2022)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Here-They-Come-Their-Make-Up/dp/1911036890
https://www.waterstones.com/book/here-they-come-with-their-make-up-on/jane-savidge/9781911036890

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This is the fourth edition of The Delicates' Lounge - a podcast for all us music event tourists who love to be where the action is and occasionally like to grumble about having to queue for our passes or a beer or to get into a venue. You know, all things that we missed for so long during the pandemic.

Now and again we’ll get together with a few delicate delegates at one of the many events we love to go to.

I was joined during Tallinn Music Week by Dan Koplowitz from Friendly Fire Licensing and Sandra Perens from Tier Music Publishing to find out how they are managing themselves, their projects, and the events they are now attending. I also talked with Ragnar Berthling from Musikcentrum Öst & Keychange and Lena Ingwersen from Music Cities Network to find out more about their work and to summarise a panel we shared at TMW called "Equality As A Business Advantage". Well worth a listen.

Once again, this episode was recorded live, face to face and it felt wonderful to be in a room talking with people once more.

We recorded these conversations during Tallinn Music Week in Estonia on Saturday 2nd October, 2021. A BIG thank you to Toomas Olljum for letting us use his conference room at the Made In Baltics office in Telliskivi!

For further information about some of the things mentioned in this episode:

Tallinn Music Week: https://tmw.ee

Friendly Fire Licensing: https://www.friendlyfirelicensing.com
Tier Music Publishing: https://www.tiermusic.com/publishing
Keychange: https://www.keychange.eu
Music Cities Network: https://www.musiccitiesnetwork.com
European Music Business Taskforce: https://www.musiccitiesnetwork.com/projects-details/european-music-business-task-force
Musikcentrum Öst: https://www.musikcentrumost.se/en/
Heather Gibson @ National Arts Centre, Canada: https://nac-cna.ca/en/bio/heather-gibson
Global Network For Female-Identifying Music Producers:  https://nac-cna.ca/en/international-producers-program
Clara Bodin @ Telia: https://tmw.ee/speakers/clara-bodin
Diversity @ Telia: https://www.teliacompany.com/en/sustainability/diversity/

Made In Baltics: https://www.madeinbaltics.eu
Telliskivi Creative City: https://telliskivi.cc/en/

Themes For Great Cities: Tallinn: https://youtu.be/gjr6EEdPNzA
(Live performance from the official Opening of Tallinn Music Week 2021.
Featuring Alex Maiolo, Jonas Bjerre, Jonas Kaarnamets, Erki Pärnoja)

Death By Audio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_By_Audio

Dan’s Ferry Ride: https://brokeassstuart.com/2016/04

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This is the third edition of The Delicates' Lounge - a podcast for all us music event tourists who love to be where the action is and occasionally like to grumble about having to queue for our passes or a beer or to get into a venue. You know, all things that we missed for so long during the pandemic.

Now and again we’ll get together with a couple of delicate delegates at one of the many events we love to go to.

This time, I was very happy to speak to two friends from the festival family who over the years I’ve seen more than I’ve seen my own family at times.

I’m joined by Francine Gorman from the Ja Ja Ja and Keychange platforms and Rasmus Damsholt from ATC Management to find out how they are managing themselves, their projects, and the events they are now attending.

The main point about this episode is that, for the first time, IT WAS RECORDED LIVE, FACE TO FACE, ALL IN THE SAME ROOM instead of over Zoom. It was a complete joy to see my friends' faces across the table and hear their beautiful voices in my headphones!

We talked about our experiences of SPOT Festival in Aarhus, and Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg as well as all the projects we are working on, the artists we are in to, and how Denmark has done away with Covid-19.

We recorded this conversation during Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg on Friday 24th September, 2021.

For further information about some of the things mentioned in this episode:

ATC Management: https://www.atcmanagement.com
Ja Ja Ja: https://jajajamusic.com
Keychange: https://www.keychange.eu

SPOT Festival: https://spotfestival.dk/en/
Reeperbahn Festival: https://www.reeperbahnfestival.com/en

For more info and news about our podcasts and events please sign up to our mailing list here

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Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by one of his favourite film & documentary makers, Jonny Owen.

Jonny is well-known as a musician, actor, writer, producer, radio talk show host, and an award-winning film maker.

He splits his time between Nottingham, London, and - his hometown - Merthyr Tydfil in the valleys of south Wales.

We spoke about Jonny's upbringing in the hard, working-class community of Merthyr, how his obsession with music helped shape his view of the world, and how he made the move into writing and telling stories about what he loved most - music and football.

We took the liberty of choosing our own personal highlights from Jonny's career so far and asked him how films such as "Svengali", "I Believe In Miracles", "Don't Take Me Home' and "The Three kings" came to be. As always, Jonny had some fascinating insight to offer that kept us captivated throughout the conversation.

There was still time to talk about his relationship with some of the amazing actors who he has worked with, including his fiancée - actress and national treasure, Vicky McLure -  as well as his daughter, Katie Owen who is forging her own successful career as a festival DJ and TV & radio presenter.

We recorded this episode on Wednesday 4th August, 2021.

Thank you for listening. Here is the episode.
We made it just.....for......you!

Links:
Jonny Owen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonny_Owen
Katie Owen: https://www.facebook.com/KatieODJ
Dylan John Thomas: https://www.facebook.com/DylanJohnThomas17
Brian Clough vs Don Revie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTiIdbDBmZc

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Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by one of his absolute musical and music business heroes, Simon Raymonde.

Simon found fame as bass player with the Cocteau Twins, one of the most innovative and inspirational bands of the 80's & 90's.  After the split of the band, Simon was left "holding the baby" in the form of the Bella Union label that was originally set up by the band as a way to manage their new material. Material that sadly never came.

Simon set about building the record label into one of the leading and most respected  independent brands in the business, releasing an endless stream of immaculate and beautiful albums and winning several Label of the Year awards along the way.

We spoke to Simon about his life as a musician, his own new material, his time with the Cocteau Twins and all the difficulties and joys that brought, as well as his decade-long transition from bass god to label boss.

Along the way we hear the startling revelation that Simon has been functioning relatively happily with a benign brain tumour for the last 20 years and that he is now - against his usual beliefs about musicians writing memoirs - preparing to write a book about how he has coped with this condition while continuing to run his label and work as a producer and artist himself.

This is just a wonderful, captivating conversation with one of the industry's loveliest people who has brought so much pleasure to music fans everywhere.

We recorded this episode on Tuesday 6th July, 2021.

Thank you for listening. Here is the episode.
We made it just.....for......you!

Links:
https://bellaunion.com
https://cocteautwins.com
https://bellaunion.com/artists/lost-horizons

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Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by one of the world's most respected Music Supervisors, LA-based head  of SuperMusicVision, Thomas Golubić.

Thomas is a 3-time Emmy and 2-time Grammy nominated supervisor. His work is considered cutting edge and ground-breaking. He is perhaps best known for his musical direction on shows such as "Breaking Bad", "Better Call Saul", "Six Feet Under", and "The Walking Dead". 

We managed to catch Thomas at the start of one of his typically busy days and managed to spend almost an hour listening to him tell us about some of the trials and tribulations of being a supervisor, as well as some of the sweet successes he has enjoyed working on several astonishing hit shows.

We find out what makes him tick, what he finds most frustrating, and if he has a little dance he does whenever he finds a perfect musical fit for a particular scene.

Links:
www.supermusicvision.com

We recorded this episode on Tuesday 22nd June, 2021.

Thank you for listening. Here is the episode. 
We made it just.....for......you!

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Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by New York-based President and CEO of New Music USA, Vanessa Reed.

Vanessa's organization nurtures the creation, performance and the appreciation of new music in the United States. Before that she had a decade of astonishing success as boss of PRS Foundation in London, where she created initiatives, such as the “Momentum Music Fund”, “Women Make Music”, and the internationally acclaimed “Keychange” project - a pioneering, cross-border campaign to provide gender balance and equality in the music business.

Vanessa's contribution as a passionate advocate and industry leader has been widely recognized and she has received a vast array of awards and accolades as well as invitations to serve as a board member or ambassador to several leading cultural institutions.

Luckily, I managed to catch Vanessa between meetings, and we had a very pleasant chat about the weather, about lockdown in New York, about the work she's doing for new artists, about the legacy of “Keychange”, and about her latest film and music recommendations. 

Links:
New Music USA : https://www.newmusicusa.org
PRS Foundation: https://prsfoundation.com
Keychange: https://www.keychange.eu

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic: https://www.liverpoolphil.com
Yoko Ono Lennon Centre: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/yoko/campaign-ambassadors/vanessa-reed

Tamar-kali: https://www.tamar-kali.com
Angelica Negrón: https://www.angelicanegron.com
Shelley Washington: https://www.shelleywashington.com
Tyshawn Sorey: https://www.tyshawnsorey.com
Angel Bat Dawid: https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/live

We Talk: Live Music (episode 1 with Jon Ollier & Natasha Gregory: https://www.spreaker.com/user/vip-booking/wetalk-episode-1

We recorded this episode on Monday 8th February, 2021.

Thank you for listening. Here is the episode. 
We made it just.....for......you!

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Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by Berlin-based Festival Booker Extraordinaire, Julia Gudzent.

Julia is a truly excellent booker who programs loads of national and international festivals including Melt, Lollapalooza Berlin, SuperBloom, Body & Soul, Untold, and Neversea festivals.

We talked about how Julia has been facing up to lockdown and using the downtime from festival booking to launch a new agency for cultural change called Misc.Berlin which looks to enhance productivity in the work place through diversification and empowerment.

We also talked about the difficulties of dealing with the months of Covid-19 lockdown and the importance of seeking professional help to keep our mental health in working order. We find out how Julia's problem-solving skills, including having to find 99 Red Balloons for Kylie at a festival in the middle of nowhere, help with her work for Misc. We also hear how Paul's attempt to reinvent himself by changing his name quickly fizzled out and how he had to persuade Julia to book a then unknown but promising act called Christine & The Queens for one of her festivals.

Links:
Agency For Cultural Change:
Misc.Berlin: https://www.miscberlin.com

Mental Health Specialist (in German):
Mental Health In Music: https://www.mim-verband.de
Anne Löhr: https://www.anneloehr.de

Festivals:
Lollapalooza Berlin: https://www.lollapaloozade.com
Melt!: https://meltfestival.de/en/
Super Bloom: https://superbloom.de
Body & Soul: http://bodyandsoul.ie
Untold: https://untold.com
Neversea: https://www.neversea.com

We recorded this episode on Wednesday 13th January, 2021.

Thank you for listening. Here is the episode. 
We made it just.....for......you!

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This is the very first edition of The Delicates' Lounge.  A podcast for all us music event tourists who love to be where the action is and occasionally like to grumble about having to queue for our passes or a beer or to get into a venue. You know, all things that we would do anything to be able to do right now.

Once a month we’ll get together with a couple of delicate delegates and pretend we’re meeting up at one of the many events we love to go to.

This month, I’m very happy to speak to two friends from the festival family who over the years I’ve seen more than I’ve seen my own family at times. But, of course, that’s not been the case recently.

I’m joined by Hannes Tschürtz from Ink Music in Vienna and Guna Zučika from Every Little Thing in Riga to find out how they are managing themselves, their staff, and their business as well as taking a deep look at this year's edition of Eurosonic and discussing the cancelation of Glastonbury festival.

We are joined by Anne Löhr, a mental health specialist who worked the Mental Health Help Desk on the Eurosonic platform to find out how we can better cope during lockdown, and Paul Brindley from Music Ally told us all about this year's edition of NY:LON Connect which takes place online at the end of January.

We recorded this conversation on Friday 22nd January 2021.

For further information about some of the things mentioned in this episode:

Hannes Tschürtz, Ink Music: https://inkmusic.at
Guna Zučika, Every Little Thing: https://www.facebook.com/everylittlethingLV

Eurosonic: https://esns.nl
NY:LON Connect: https://nylonconnect.com

MiM - Mental Health in Music: https://www.mim-verband.de (German only)
Anne Löhr: https://www.anneloehr.de

Listeners to this podcast can receive a 50% discount on registration to NY:LON Connect 2021 here

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Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by Liverpool-based playwright, author, and journalist, Ian Salmon.

We talked about Ian's remarkable personal story when, at the age of 50 years old, he was made redundant from his management job at HMV after 27 years of working for the company. With little to lose, he decided to follow his dream to try to become a full-time writer and within weeks he was already being commissioned to write match reports for his beloved Liverpool FC and contributing to the award-winning fan media platform, The Anfield Wrap.

Before long, Ian was having his plays successfully produced in theatres all over Liverpool. We spend time talking about his most significant work, including the poignant play 'Those Two Weeks' which is built around the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy, and his hit musical play 'Girls Don't Play Guitars', a true story about little-known Merseybeat group, The Liverbirds - the UK's first all-female rock & roll band.

Ian ends a fascinating episode by telling us what his current favourites are - albums, boxsets and books. For more information on some of the topics of this episode check these links:

Ian's work:
Blog: https://bestofmumbling.blogspot.com/2020/12/

Plays: https://www.goodnewsliverpool.co.uk/2018/06/11/review-venus-rising-hope-street-theatre/

http://www.liverpoolsoundandvision.co.uk/2018/03/03/those-two-weeks-theatre-review-unity-theatre-liverpool/

https://www.goodnewsliverpool.co.uk/2018/09/08/review-the-comeback-special-at-hope-street-theatre-liverpool/

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/whats-on/theatre-news/review-girls-dont-play-guitars-17066787

The Anfield Wrap: https://www.theanfieldwrap.com

Ian's recommendations:
Hightown Pirates: https://music.apple.com/gb/album/all-of-the-above/1503207682

Professor Yaffle: https://music.apple.com/gb/album/moments-of-clarity/1533946384

Reid Anderson: https://soundcloud.com/reid-anderson

More about The Liverbirds:
New York Times Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1QqLCpXMIw

Thank you for listening. Here is the episode. 
We made it just.....for......you!

More about the SuperSwell

The SuperSwell

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Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by special guest Mark Davyd, boss of the Music Venue Trust, and usually based between London and Barcelona.

We talked about how Mark and his dedicated team are managing to keep motivated and focused while helping support over 900 grassroots UK venues during this overwhelming Covid-19 crisis.

We look at the challenges faced by independent venues that are under the constant threat of closure and the battles and banter Mark has with government ministers, cultural funding bodies,  local councils and Brexit twitter trolls on a regular basis.

The work that Mark and his team are doing is truly remarkable, creating and implementing  highly detailed plans of action, wearing their burning hearts on their collective sleeves as they forge ahead under the no-nonsense rallying cry "People who say it cannot be done should get out of the way of people doing it!

As well as talking of the pressure and responsibility he feels, Mark also tells us the story of how the iconic Pollstar cover photo of him crowd surfing was created as well as whether he would accept a knighthood (or similar award) from the Queen or not.

For more information about the campaign being run by the Music Venue Trust and to find out how to help towards the cause to Save Our Venues follow the links:

http://musicvenuetrust.com/
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/save-our-venues-red-list

Thank you for listening. Here is the episode. 
We made it just.....for......you!

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Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by an old friend, Allan McGowan, who is based in Brighton, England.

It is said that when the Music Business drove into town, Allan was the one driving the bus. A legendary figure on the music biz event circuit, he is a man of many talents. He's worked successfully as a concert promoter, booker, artist manager, event producer, commercial artist, journalist, and conference curator and moderator.

We talked about Allan's journey through the business, his ups and downs along the way, and how he envisages the post-Brexit, post Covid event world to be. We also find out what he will be having for dinner once the conversation is over.
​
Thank you for listening. Here is the episode. 
We made it just.....for......you!

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Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by a dear friend, Helen Sildna, who is based in Tallinn, Estonia.

We talked about how Helen manages her team and events in a covid-infected world, going in-depth about her ideas on leadership and how more knowledge and a new mindset is needed in order to come out of the current crisis in a positive way. We also discuss why it is important for creative events to have a societal impact for a more meaningful cultural experience.

Along the way we find out if Helen is planning to be Estonia's Minister of Culture, why she thinks Lou Reed is an even more impatient person than she is, and which people she would invite to her dream dinner party.
​
Thank you for listening. Here is the episode. 
We made it just.....for......you!

More about the SuperSwell

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Your host, Paul Cheetham, is joined by two of our friends based over in the USA; Adam Lewis in Los Angeles and Alex Maiolo in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

We talked about the impact of Covid-19 on our lives and work, about how we miss the Music Business network we belong to, about the importance of this week's US election and how this ties in with the idea of the American Dream.
We also questioned why American Sports are just so goddamn awful!

Along the way we found out what Adam likes to eat on the Reeperbahn, why Alex is increasingly immersed in Detroit Techno, and why we should all be fans of cricket!
​
Thank you for listening. Here is the episode.
We made it just.....for......you!

References in this episode:

Chapel Hill / Schoolkids Records / Planetary Group / Hansa Studios / SXSW / Crunchy Frog
/ Reeperbahn Festival / Roskilde Festival / Tallinn Music Week / Breakout West / ECMA / Big Sound / Eurosonic / Covid-19 Test, Leipzig / 2020 Presidential Election / Karl Popper / Koch Brothers / Ronald Wright / Bernie Sanders / Jeremy Corbyn / Red Mirage/Blue Shift / The American Dream / American Sports / Cricket / Michael Beinhorn / Prince - Sign o' The Times / Low Cut Connie / Drexciya

More about the SuperSwell

The SuperSwell

The SuperSwell Newsletter

Contact: [email protected]