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Drew McConnell on stage at Proud |
Drew: Bono, Blair and me
INTERVIEW
Drew McConnell
Akayzia Parker
IT’S hard to tell if Drew McConnell’s a man of conviction.
On the one hand he’s an integral part of Babyshambles, a calamity act with part-time frontman Pete Doherty who spends arguably as much time in court as onstage.
On the other hand he’s a strong supporter of Love Music, Hate Racism, has teamed up with politically outspoken John McClure of Reverend and the Makers to form Mongrel and played Proud last Thursday for their Peace One Day pre-party.
So when I asked Drew if he was political, his response was perplexing:
“It depends what band I’m playing with,” he said. “I have got opinions about stuff. I do a lot of work with Love Music Hate Racism.”
It’s not compulsory for a musician to be political but considering the company he keeps, it’s an intriguing standpoint.
Drew recently holidayed with Bono and Tony Blair on the former Prime Minister’s yacht moored off Guernsey.
But instead of any world diplomatic insights, Drew’s memories of the ageing figures jamming are maybe a little more telling: “It was so embarrassing when they got drunk and started playing. It’s like two embarrassing uncles. It’s like Bono, Tony, please stop.”
Drew shared the bill at Proud with Sting’s daughter’s band I Blame Coco and urban folk singer Akayzia Parker, who organised the event to raise funds for world peace.
When Jo Lean and the Jing Jang Jong pulled out of the Camden Crawl at the last minute last year, Drew said: “I did a surprise gig that was so surprise I didn’t know I was doing it until half an hour before. I just happened to be on Parkway with a guitar. I find the Crawl a bit full-on. It’s a bit of a stressful experience because everywhere’s so rammed and there’s all those different places. I get claustrophobic quite easily.”
He made a bold prediction about who may play the newest addition to the venue line-up: “If you can get Supergrass doing the Dublin Castle maybe they’ll have U2 doing the Roundhouse.”
Akayzia Parker used to mix with the heavies – 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliott. But now she’s turned her back on the bling and the glamour to
focus on something more important to her – urban folk music.
Akayzia, who lived in Camden until she was seven, said: “When I was in the States recording with 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes I realised that wasn’t who I was and preferred to do something much more real to me, more personal in my life. At the moment I’m recording an album with my band and doing some gigs. I’m not sure what the name will be yet – it’s a work in progress.”
The Peace One Day event, she said: “It’s about world peace, about facilitating ceasefires across the world and how we get along together. We’re trying to raise money so people can buy vaccinations for third world countries.”
REVIEW - PEACE ONE DAY
PROUD, Camden
I Blame Coco
Drew McConnell
Akayzia
IT CAN’T be easy trying to forge a credible career in music when your father’s Sting.
So it’s understandable that Coco Sumner’s people are wary of the hype.
But they have nothing to worry about – at just 18 years of age, Coco and her band commanded a packed out Proud last Thursday.
The comparisons are unavoidable, the young Coco really does sound like her father and she’s not strayed too far from the influences of early Police.
Her songs are heavily laden with swinging ska beats, and she’s even picked up her father’s strange pronunciations.
But these sounds coming from a beautiful teenage tomboy are remarkable.
Even when her band deserted her on the second encore, Coco braved it out, proving that even solo, she’s a formidable player.
Akayzia Parker used to work with Bustah Rhymes and Missy Elliott until she rediscovered her urban folk roots.
Now she’s put her diva’s voice to a more gentle cause, and the result is a gentle crystal clear vocal against some more soft chords. Her set was pleasant selection of soulful folk but slightly spoiled by one or two more forgettable tunes.
Away from the madness of Babyshambles, Drew McConnell cut a more gentle figure. His set was short and sweet with charming songs that take you away from the drug riddled images of his other band.
His adaptation of Manu Chau’s Je ne t’aime Plus was unrecognisable yet compelling and I’m still singing it now. |
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