Tune In

Radio presenters are busy people. If you don't believe me, try arranging some interviews with them. Far from their open, attentive and forthcoming radio personae, they're elusive and difficult to tie down. My first interviewee, Denzil from Sheffield Live's Indie Hour, gives an idea of why this is: at the time of our interview he's presenting two radio shows a week (due to a stint covering BBC Radio Sheffield's Raw Talent), whilst holding down a 'proper' job, as well as fronting a band (The Repomen) and running a record label (Phantom Power). It strikes me from this that it must take a fair amount of dedication to make it as a radio DJ.

'I think it's a lot harder than people realise and people make out,' Denzil agrees. 'You can name on two hands the number of DJs who are very successful, make a good living, and play exactly what they want. Same with bands. You've got to be very good, you've got to be in the right place in the right time, and you've got to be prepared to put the hours in and be skint. Very much the same as being in a band.'

So how much time goes into making each show?

'For Raw Talent, it's a 2 hour show, you need to come in an hour or two before hand to get it all ready and get all the jingles positioned, and I reckon it probably takes preparation time of about 5 hours on top, so it's a full days work to produce a show. The big thing is, I try to play 100% local stuff, and that means you have to listen to everything, from folk singers from Barnsley to heavy metal bands from Mexborough.'

And do you respond to the bands to let them know that they're going to be played?

'Yeah. I guess because I've been on the other side of the fence, I always try to be to bands what I want DJs to be to me when I send stuff in. I'll always reply to and say, well sometimes I'll say, "That's rubbish, you sound like a second rate Arctic Monkeys tribute act, I'm sorry." I said that to a band recently. And they actually came back to me and said, "Yeah, you're right actually. That was a really old demo." My next reply would've been, if that's an old demo that doesn't paint you in the best light then don't send it in to a radio station. That's airplay suicide.'

Another radio DJ who's seen things from the other side of the fence is XFM Manchester's Clint Boon. The former Inspiral Carpet hosts the Music:Response new music show and the Boon Army request show on the station. His experience also seems to have shaped the way he deals with bands sending in music to be played on the show.

'It's hard because I'm bombarded with CDs, emails and myspace messages from bands on a daily basis. It's exhausting getting through stuff but I do my best. It's probably the most important part of what I do. I know the fine line between a great band knocking it on the head cos they're sick of struggling, or getting that one little leg up that helps them through to the next stage of their career. I never forget the importance of the first radio plays the Inspirals got. People like Tony The Greek, Phil Korbel, Pete Mitchell and most of all John Peel stuck their necks out for us and said, "Listen to this... this is quality!" Their support literally changed the course of my life.'

Does he have any advice for bands sending music in to be played?

'Keep at it... like them little dogs that keep trying to shag your leg even when you boot 'em away. There's a great saying which I think probably originated in these parts, "Throw enough shit at the wall, some of it will stick."'

Denzil, on the other hand, has a more detailed list of suggestions.

'Don't write a four page life history. Keep it to one side, and keep it to the facts. Make sure that you put the track names on the CD. Don't swear on songs, as either the DJ will have to make the effort to snip out the swear words or it won't get played. Don't submit fifty-nine tracks, submit a maximum of three tracks with your preference as to what you think is the most radio friendly song. Choose a few stations that you think are most likely to play you and try to build up some sort of personal relationship with the DJ.'

Returning to Clint, I ask him whether he's one of the handful of DJs that Denzil identified as playing exactly the music they want. His answer is a qualified one, but still displays his excitement about what he describes as his 'dream job'.

'You need to understand the format of the show and the remit of the station. XFM mainly celebrates new alternative guitar based music. So as such, you won't get to hear much hip-hop, soul or 50's rock'n'roll. The Music: Response show is XFM's main show in terms of introducing new music to the station's listeners. As such, it's the first show to play artists like Jack Penate, The Ting Tings and Pendulum. That's why the show is the style it is, it has a life of its own and a particular purpose even before I stamp my mark on it.'

'What I've done is to totally embrace what the show's about and celebrate the amazing new music which is being sent to me on a daily basis. So, some of what I play is there because XFM have suggested I include it, some is there because I've discovered it and am literally buzzing my tits off about it and some is there because, even though I might not totally dig it, I acknowledge that a lot of kids will love it and learn from it.'

'I can put my hand on my heart though and say that most of what I play, I'm proud to be associated with.'

I wonder whether 'XFM have suggested I include it' means that Clint has to in part adhere to a centralised playlist. He's unashamed to admit that he does, and supports their importance in modern radio.

'There isn't a successful music radio station in the world that doesn't use a playlist. It's like a car without petrol. Whether you like it or not, the man in the street craves repetition and familiarity. This is why radio stations use playlists. The listener knows roughly what he'll get when he tunes in. The secret is to keep the core great (the playlist) but keep the bits around it great too.'

'I'm lucky with XFM that I actually get a lot of input into what goes on the playlist. Recent releases by relatively unknown 'unsigned' bands from Manchester like El Condorez, The Tides and Rambo & Leroy have got onto the playlist because I get 'em in through the backdoor.'

'I could never do a radio show where I'm told what to play.'

Whilst many people who tune in to local radio to find out about their local music scene will be familiar with the work of Clint and Denzil, perhaps fewer will know about Katy Noone. However, as the producer of the original BBC Raw Talent show (based in Hull and presented by Alan Raw) she has had a massive impact on how independent music is covered on British radio. I ask her how she first got involved.

'I presented and produced news programmes originally, worked in telly for a while (on Gardeners' World!), then I came back to radio to produce Raw Talent from the start back in 2002. Our bosses at Radio Humberside were really keen to reflect the local music scene and wanted a radio show to do that. We're now well established and part of the BBC Introducing "family" of shows across BBC local radio and the network (including Huw Stephens' show on Radio 1). But I'm proud to say Raw Talent was the very first programme on BBC local radio, in this era anyway, with a playlist made up of new, local, unsigned music.'

That playlist isn't centrally prescribed though?

'No, that would never work for a show like ours. Our programme is all about local music being produced in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The playlist is Alan's domain. As the presenter it's really important that the playlist reflects what he's listened to and liked that week. But I do stick my nose in a lot and if I hear something that really impresses me, I make sure it gets on. For both of us, the playlist rarely reflects personal taste. It's all about listening to something and assessing whether it should get an airing. There are tracks that I'd never listen to at home out of choice, but they're brilliant and will still get on the show.' And how does she, as a producer, keep in touch with new music?

'The Raw Talent postbag every week is a constant source of amusement to the rest of the staff at the BBC in Hull - it's huge and I need help to get it up the stairs. We listen to absolutely everything. I'm also in touch with other producers across the BBC to get their recommendations - Linda Serck who produces and presents the Raw Talent equivalent at BBC Berkshire for example. She's always emailing to say "Katy, listen to this...." It's brilliant to be so in touch with what's happening at grassroots level across the country'

To wrap things up, I ask each of my interviewees, with their unique access to their local scenes, which are their favourite local acts of the moment. While Clint's list includes The Jessie Rose Trip, Nomad Jones, The Happy Soul, The Vortex and The Bottomfeeders, Katy is more coy with her response.

'I can't name one band but I always like bands who are doing something a bit different, not following the crowd, and bands who've got musical references in their set that go back further than three years.'

It's the positivity of Denzil's answer, however, that perhaps best sums up the current outlook of local radio shows which support local music.

'I've always rated Screaming Mimi, I'm puzzled why they're a local band not a national band. I think Matt Howden who plays the violin in Sieben is stunning. I remember the days when there was a whole load of awful local bands, and if there was one good local band they would really stand out. Now the bar's really been raised, and there's loads of bands I really like, but because the standards so high it's difficult to pick out favourites.'

Interview by Tom Schrieber
Illustration by Jim Connolly

The Indie Hour can be heard on Sheffield Live 93.2FM, Tuesdays 9-11pm and online at www.sheffieldlive.com

Raw Talent Introducing goes out on BBC Radio Humberside 95.9FM and on BBC Radio Leeds DAB on Sunday nights 8-10pm. Also online at www.bbc.co.uk/rawtalent

Clint Boon now presents 97.7 XFM Manchester Drive Time, Monday-Friday 4-7pm

BBC Radio Sheffield's Raw Talent is now presented by Iain Hodgson, Thursdays 7-9pm