#practise space

The Backstage Rage (or Behind the woods, under the tracks, and into the yard)

Steve is one of my best friends. He’s constructed this practise space on the inside of a container in a work yard not far from where I am currently living. Driving up a steep yet small hill on the edge of a local town finds you going under a railway bridge, and then through a woods, until you get to a large metal gate where beyond lies a steep short slope heading to a work yard. In winter on cold nights you’ve got to choose your path up said slope carefully or the ice can send you back to the bottom in a second. 

There is really no solid music scene where I am from. That’s probably not a fair thing to say but it constantly dies and reappears. Punk/metal scenes come and go and all that’s left in between are cover bands and pub rock shows. That being said, a good friend of mine is a promoter who manages to still put on and run incredible shows. I nicknamed him ‘the godfather’ because of his constant abilities to stay on top. He’s used everything from basements to venues to pubs. This room though where Steve practises is as old school as it gets. Steve doesn’t really have a digital presence in the world so booking the room is done over the phone; whereby your name is marked on a calendar on the wall. If you’re trustworthy and have the cash you can upgrade to be a key holder. I believe the key holder charge is around £40 a month. The organic vibe of this practise space sparks the documentary filmmaker in me; asking to examine how it exists in its surrounding infrastructure. The room itself has a vibe I’m into and there was a point where I was meeting Steve on a Monday night to hold our weekly ‘film club’ where we would watch 80s comedy films, drink a beer or 2 and eat some pretzels. When I’m off the radar these are the kinds of things I like to do. No secret that Cornwall is my spiritual church. I’ve been hauled up here for just over 12 months now keeping off the radar of much of life apart from filmmaking. I’ve used the time and the quiet to sort out some stuff in my life and come to the conclusion that I want to spend my entire life being as creative as possible. It has helped me overcome many things and for that I’ve developed a deep respect for it.

This ‘creative angle’ and ‘deep respect’ is very much what the guys in these pictures do in a musical form. They have zero cares for how many people listen to their music; they’re just here to make music together, put out their own releases and master a skill that gives them great pleasure. There is a ‘pocket of reality’ here. These pockets of reality are all over the place around us, we just have to look for them. When you delve in under the surface quite often you find a micro climate of industrious behaviours all directed towards creativity. 

Expect more ‘micro climates of creativity’ from me as I seek out friends, relatives and loved ones who dedicate part of their time to discovering what they love. Taking photos is a pastime which fills me with a joy and a greater understanding regarding my filmmaking. I don’t know why but in doing this I find a happiness unparalleled. Much in the same way that I can look at something in the street and see a film or a music video in it (filling me with a feeling of purpose). I am one of the luckiest humans alive to have such powers, and I’m happy to be using them in my daily life, telling the tales of things like this practise space (just for the fun of it). 

We all need money in some form, but not as much as the freedom to explore ourselves and understand the things that give us the grit and determination to stick at something.