Last Friday I was invited to my friend Janique James’ EP launch for her new EP The Press Conference For My First Grey Hair, now available to purchase on Bandcamp. I got the chance to promote my book and sold a couple books, yay! The gig was at a venue called RMBL in Digbeth. There are a lot of nightclubs and music venues there so if you’re going to Birmingham and you like music, you might want to check out clubs and venues in that area. Opening for her was the Bashford Trio – a jazz group led by Jim Bashford, Pork Chop – an acoustic guitarist who has a great sense of humour, and Janique’s band Not Soup – a progressive rock/fusion band (I’ve seen them before and you can find my writeup of their gig at the Night Owl here). A really eclectic lineup with something for everyone. I like having a bit of variety in gigs. As you can expect with jazz and prog rock, the songs are really long with a lot of movements and so while the set list may seem short as far as number of songs, it’s the same length of time and it feels like you’re listening to as many songs as any other gig. One thing I love about jazz and prog rock is the musicianship and seeing people show off their technical skills. Below are some pictures I took at the gig with some pictures my husband took of me:
I interviewed Janique at the concert, talking about her music and inspirations and so without further ado, here’s the interview:
Angie: How would you describe your solo music to a new listener?
Janique: Gosh, that’s a question! Intricate guitar riffs, strange lyrics like a stream of consciousness, I wouldn’t really be able to say anything else, alternative kind of indie jazz, a bit. It’s a bit of everything, I’d say it’s acoustic, but it’s not actually acoustic, I play with my electric guitar and just sing.
Angie: How did you get started playing music?
Janique: I was in primary school, I would have been about 8. I started off on clarinet and recorder and then when I got to the end of primary school, like year 6, I started to play guitar and I just couldn’t put it down. I played bass for a while and sung, but it’s always just been guitar and vocals for me. I can’t get rid of it.
Angie: How did you get into the music of the 60s, 70s, and 80s and vintage fashion?
Janique: Ahh I think I was about 13, I’d got a new group of friends who are my own age and they all were listening to like indie and rock from about the 80s and late 70s and it kind of just spiralled from then really. I heard The Smiths once and I haven’t looked back (laughs).
And then it kind of progressed into older music and older clothes and I got into vintage clothes at the same time. At the time vintage clothes were so cheap, like really really cheap. You could get like, 70s skirts for about £8. Whereas just now, you’re looking at about £40. So yeah and I’ve always loved clothes as well. I’ve always been obsessed with clothes. One of my oldest memories of clothes and dressing up was I was in nursery and every single day I’d go over to the dressing up box and I’d put on the same dress every day (laughs). I just loved it.
Angie: Who are your biggest musical influences?
Janique: I think by default, it’s gotta be Morrissey, like Morrissey and The Smiths. Because I was listening to them when I was about 13-14 and that’s made a permanent imprint on me and my musical style, especially my lyrics. It’s like subconscious because obviously we’re not out here rating Morrissey anymore. His music and what he’s done for music culture, you can’t take that away from him, but we’re not going to stand around rating him off. Who else am I inspired by? I’m inspired by Pere Ubu, Laura Mvula who’s also from Birmingham, and who else? I’ll probably think of more people next week, or you might ask me the same question next week and the answer will be different.
Angie: Who are your biggest style influences?
Janique: My nan. Definitely my nan. I can’t think about anybody in pop culture, I’ll see old pictures of people and be like, oh yeah I like that style, but it would definitely be my nan. I remember being 9 years old and watching her get ready for church every Sunday and she’d have on her underskirt and her hat and her matching outfit and everything and I’d be like that’s fabulous, that’s exactly what I want. I want to wear an underskirt, and now I do and my pantygirdle (laughs).
Angie: What was writing and recording the EP like?
Janique: It was really really chilled. I kind of, I wouldn’t normally record an EP or record songs like this, but I did have a couple of glasses of wine beforehand because we did a good few takes and I was like I can’t do this and I had a couple of glasses of wine and I was like, maybe I can do it. So I managed to do it. I did have to go back to Aylesbury and re-record some of the songs without the wine, but that was fine. I think it was just a case of breaking the ice really. I stayed there for a few days and just worked on the songs.
Angie: When did you write the songs?
Janique: I wrote the songs within the last couple of years. There’s one I entitled “Company Branded Phlegm”, I wrote that at the beginning of the year and it was inspired and encouraged by Mark Stewart from the Pop Group. I was in a terrible job and it was really badly affecting my physical and mental health and I just needed something to do just to stay moderately sane and he kind of just reassured me in just saying you’re only going to be doing this for a little while, just use this energy, use what you’re feeling from this job to create something that you can be proud of, you’re not wasting your time. Good has come out of a really crap thing.
Angie: Are you doing music full time now?
Janique: I wish. Maybe I’m doing it part time. I’ve got like a 9-5 that I do three days a week and then I’m just sleeping and writing and kind of living the whole musical lifestyle.
Angie: How do you balance all of that?
Janique: That’s a good question. I’m trying to ask myself that too. Luckily because I only do three days a week, I’ve got time to relax and unwind from work because I work within youth homelessness, just on reception but it still can be quite heavy. So I do need the time to unwind. I think that’s the key, giving yourself the chance, if you can and if you’ve got the resources to do so, just to rest and also do what you love, do your art, but I think it’s also important to have a rest from both of those things.
Angie: Where did the title The Press Conference For My First Grey Hair come from?
Janique: I had it written down in my notebook for years and then I came up with a riff and I was thinking, I’m sure I’ve got some lyrics for this somewhere and that just stuck out to me kind of. It reminded me of how I made a big deal about having my first grey hair (laughs). Which I didn’t mind, I was kind of like, look at me I got my first grey hair.
Angie: Very distinguished.
Janique: But I think it’s kind of a microcosm of getting older as well and kind of poking fun at it.
Angie: You recently got your dream guitar, is that right?
Janique: Yeah, I did! I actually I’ve got two of my dream guitars, I got a 1969 Teisco semi-hollow guitar and that’s just absolutely beautiful, I was meant to get it for my 30th, but I got it maybe a few months before I turned 28. So I have to get myself another guitar for my birthday.
Angie: What do you think it will be?
Janique: I want another Telecaster. I want a 70s remake of a Telecaster where the body, the paintwork is glittery and it’s got the binding around it. It’s gonna be beautiful
Angie: How did Not Soup get started?
Janique: Well, I was looking for a band and my guitarist was also looking for a band so I put up a post online and we kind of got back in touch because I’ve known him since I was about 14, but we’ve both had different friendship groups and we lost touch, but that’s how we got together and he was looking for a drummer and looking for a bassist and it just came together like that. Me and the guitarist Sam have been jamming over the pandemic for a little bit, but he didn’t have the other instruments for the band, the other musicians. So we just jammed a bit and waited for him to find musicians because I was failing terribly finding musicians. I’ve been trying to find my own band for the past maybe six years or so but that didn’t happen, but I think everything’s worked out how it should work out.
Angie: That’s how it always works out. How would you describe Not Soup’s music to a new listener?
Janique: Ooh, it’s a little bit of everything, long songs, awkward time signatures, a lot of changes. You might think that we’ve played four songs, but actually we’re just halfway through one of our songs. It’s a little bit prog, a bit jazz, a bit mathy, there’s like elements and hints of soul, punk, and funk, but it’s just a little dash of it.
Angie: What are your favourite songs to perform live?
Janique: My favourite Not Soup songs to play live are “Antifreeze” and “Fridge of Biscuits” and maybe “Public Nuisance” just because I like to be animated on stage and the lyrics are quite, you can do hand movements and gestures and hold faces. You can get really animated so that’s why those are my favourites.
Angie: What influenced your stage presence?
Janique: I don’t know. I just like to have a little fun with it. I suppose it’s a bit theatrical. But yeah I’m not sure who influences me. I’ve been going to gigs since I was about 12-13 and I’ve found that I’ll enjoy the performance more when the musicians are quite animated, but just naturally animated. And I think that’s what I do. I try and perform the way I want to see someone else perform (laughs).
Angie: What is the music scene in Birmingham like?
Janique: It’s an interesting one. To be fair, I hardly really go out to any gigs unless they’re my own, half that time if it’s not my own or my partner’s gigs, they’re clashing with other gigs I’d like to go to. But the music scene in Birmingham is on the up because we’re always playing. All the other bands that I play with are always playing. Even if it’s different genres, which is quite interesting with Not Soup, because we play all the genres, we can play anywhere and with any other band so it’s good to see what the music scene is like for other segments of genres.
Angie: Who do you wish you could share the stage with?
Janique: I’d love to share the stage with Sleaford Mods. I’d love to share the stage with Alien Chicks and who else? Pere Ubu, did I say Pere Ubu? Maybe Goat Girl as well.
Angie: What are your plans for the rest of the year, musically?
Janique: Play more gigs outside of Birmingham and the West Midlands and record and write as much as I can, as much as we can as well and just make lots of connections. I want to put on an event focusing on minorities in rock and alternative music, but we’ll see how well my Press Conference For My First Grey Hair goes.
Angie: That sounds like a really interesting event.
Janique: At the moment I’m putting together a list of black and people of colour and female, nonbinary, etc bands and musicians within the alternative scene. Just so that I’ve got lots of people to call on because I’ve broached this idea to people and they’ve been interested and I’ve got a list long enough to have people on all day.
Angie: Like a festival.
Janique: Yeah, but it’s a money thing. I can’t have people on for free. That doesn’t sit with my spirit well. So we’ll see, maybe, it’ll take me saving up a lot of money and putting it on because it will be worth it. If I lose out on money, it doesn’t really matter. It’s the whole get in, try and start a community, getting other people to connect with other musicians within the scene and within their demographic.
Angie: Any words for your fans?
Janique: Thank you! Thank you for tolerating me and my music (laughs).
You can follow Janique on Facebook, Instagram, and Bandcamp.
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