Miss It – single cover by Annie Holden, a brilliant homage to Bruce Springsteen
Few things have happened recently that made me think. Firstly, I`ve discovered Car Boot Sale – London based five piece that easily could be UK`s best new rock act since Bloc Party. And equally groundbreaking. Secondly, a music journalist (that shall remain nameless) wrote a piece with a veiled thesis that Black musicians can’t play rock. They can do funk, boogie, dance, rap but never rock and roll. Thirdly, I`ve seen a post on Twitter where two girls girls of colour had to leave a concert in Manchester as they felt not being welcomed in an all-white, almost exclusively male crowd.
For a moment I alternated between anger and shock until it dawned on me that willingly or not, I am also a part of the problem because rock has become a one dimensional space and anyone different coming in is immediately seen as a threat.
Three things have contributed to the sad state of affairs: coverage of limited number of artists, lack of awareness and monopolisation of concerts. Let me tackle each of these elements as part of this review.
If you read Indieterria on a regular basis and see the reviewed material, we may have given you a wrong impression that guitar music nowadays is like a porridge and if any diversity or equality happens, it is only limited to metal. And we are not the only ones if you look at other music blogs and even mainstream magazines! I want to change that. In recent weeks we already started to feature more artists of colour and more will follow. Therefore, I was so happy when the single “Miss It” landed in our inbox. A rock band fronted by a Black rapper is exactly what we need to disprove the notion that rock and roll belongs only to white, mostly lads bands. Such absurd convictions should be fought at every turn.
I often say that I fall in love with artists at least once a week. And you will madly fall for Car Boot Sale. They are phenomenal in every sense: their music has so much soul you could fill a stadium with it, they work so well together that it feels like magic and they have a charismatic frontman with a voice to die for.
Car Boot Sale by Annie Holden
There are not many press articles about the Car Boot Sale and I had to dig a bit but around 2020 they existed as a duo consisting of singer/guitarist Jim Terrill and drummer Ciaran Forth. In that line up they released the single “Fortune Teller” and received support from BBC Radio 1 Huw Stephens. Coming from the Land of Song himself, Huw quickly realized what a gem he discovered and put Car Boot Sale on his showcase at The Social in London. From there, the band grew acquiring Tim Hewitt on bass, Alex Rosier on guitar and Jacques Fugee on vocals. If you are bad with names, then write this one down for he is a future superstar and you heard it here first. Jacques may not seem like a likely candidate to become a leader of a psychedelic rock ensemble but he does fit the bill. He is an extraordinarily talented rapper (listen to his solo stuff here) but it is rock music that shows his voice range. Jacques goes from gospel-like intonation to a glam rock roar with attitude.
The other members of the band are not resting on their laurels either. “Miss It” is a firecracker that combines psychedelic rock and Britpop – being both ambitious and radio friendly. Ask any musician, if you don’t believe me, as writing a song that can look effortless and could appeal to a wider public is actually a hard thing to accomplish. It can take ages for a band to have a signature sound – Car Boot Sale manage it on their fourth single.
I will tell you something. I`m grateful that we have bands like Car Boot Sale – they bring diversity and sense of community to the circuit. They also reflect reality. You won’t find it written in plain print in any major music magazine but rock music is in the middle of revolution. In recent years more and more artists on the widely defined rock scene come from minorities, ethnic groups and even outside of “western world”. They have one thing in common – they kick ass. Metal has always been more leftfield than other rocky genres with people like Max and Igor Cavalera (Latino), Chuck Billy (Native American) or Corey Glover (African – American) being widely recognized as leading figures in the field. But with the arrivals of a new generation of artists, we are living in exciting times. With the likes of Pan American Native Front (metal), Black Ends (alternative rock), Trigger Discipline (goth/electro), War Violet (folk), The Linda Lindas (punk) or Yet To Bloom (pop /punk rock) – the guitar music is more diverse than ever. Those who go to festivals, should have noticed a change as international acts headlining world`s biggest stages include Bloodywood (India), Alien Weaponry (New Zealand/Maoi), Shepherd Reign (Polynesian), The Hu (Mongolia) or Mdou Moctar (Niger). Those acts became trend setters and won millions of fans across continents.
Historically speaking, rock in the United Kingdom was never white-only either. Ever heard of Ken “Snakehips” Johnson – Black and queer band leader and hugely influential persona in his time? Even if you didn’t, local history of music has a long list of figures that you must have heard about, such as Freddie Mercury (Queen), Poly Styrene (X Ray Spex), Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy), Sonya Aurora (Echobelly), Tjinder Singh (Cornershop), Miki Berenyi (Lush/Piroshka) or Zeke Manyika (Orange Juice/Paul Weller band) to prove that guitar music is a medium that transcends across class, race and gender. And again, today`s guitar scene is exceeding what has been happening in the past. Just a couple of names: Rage Doll, Uninvited, Lyra, Winachi, Big Joanie, Bob Vylan, Nova Twins, Alt Blk Era, Fitzroy Holt, Izzy T, Joy Eternum, Not Soup…
I`m running out of breath, not the artists you should know!!
As I mentioned at the very beginning. Many writers, us at Vanadian included, concentrate on reviewing what is being sent to us and you end up with a coverage covering one particular social group. And then you get people asking: where are artists of colour in music, well maybe besides Kele Okereke? You begin to wonder. If artists of colour and diverse bands are here, then how come people don’t know about them? Many bands or groups just don’t manage to get through to us – music writers. Lack of coverage translates into lack of awareness. But it also separates us from what is happening on the ground.
I am not surprised one tiny bit that people can leave a music venue simply because they are feeling out of place. In my current backyard, Manchester, I stopped going to gigs. Local music scene has been overrun with far righters, Brexiters and somebody was seen wearing a tee with a nazi symbol. I`m in my 40s but sometimes I was the youngest person in the room at concerts. Kids just gave up on rock music and went elsewhere. Which young person wants to mosh in the same room as their UKIP voting gramps. I jest a little but you see the problem.
Car Boot Sale photographed by Brian Bett
Now have a look at the image from Car Boot Sale concert taken by Brian Bett. The way Jacque Fugee overlooks a crowded room full of people, young and old, diverse and united in having fun. You won’t find it in Manchester, but there are concerts like this in this country and it makes me hopeful for the future. Over the last few years, I became jaded and tired of the hostile environment in the music sector. I gave up and thought that this is how things were. Quite a sad statement for an Anglophile, isn’t it? And here comes Car Boot Sale not only with their passionate and awesome music, but they also show that there is indeed life and fun in rock music concerts, where people from all walks of life attend and they feel at home. This is how any rock concert can become if they are inclusive and welcoming spaces to all fans of music.
Car Boot Sale so far have released the following singles: “headhouse”, “Odoyewu” and “Can We Talk?” – all from 2022 accompanied by incredible matching single covers. “Miss It” was out on June 16th 2023. The song was produced by Grammy award winner Hugo Nicolson (Beck, Radiohead). I truly can’t wait for the full EP and hopefully seeing the band live.
What a musical discovery!
You can follow Car Boot Sale on socials:
https://www.facebook.com/carbootsaletheband
https://www.instagram.com/carbootsaletheband
https://twitter.com/Carbootsaleband
https://soundcloud.com/carbootsale
https://www.youtube.com/@carbootsale6977
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2hHAEpcLh1gGU2pYJRuhI7
Additional reading:
https://www.fredperry.com/subculture/articles/car-boot-sale
https://fromsophiawithlove.com/2020/02/08/car-boot-sale-unveil-new-track-fortune-teller/
https://soyoungmagazine.com/londons-car-boot-sale-share-debut-single-headhouse/
Malicia Dabrowicz
Indieterria 