Rick from Epic

We sat with Rick, The Live Music Manager, to find out more about his career in the music industry.

When you were A&R man at Polydor, one of your key tasks would have been to find new talent, what acts are you most proud of… Skunk Anansie, maybe ;)?

I am obviously proud (but not surprised) by Skunk’s success although I’m just as proud of signing Compulsion to One Little Indian. Signing Skunk Anansie probably is the reason that Polydor offered me the job. The fun was in the chasing and being involved with bands at a very very early stage such as Stereophonics and Muse so although I never ended up signing them it doesn’t stop me from being proud of them. I could see the talent they had before they became mainstream It was amazing for a raw punk living in a squat in Old Kent Road, then to be whisked business class to LA. Surreal.

You were also an interviewer for Channel Fly at one stage, which interviews stick your mind and why?

Great question, I interviewed so many. Off the top of my head I’d say Pixies because I got the chance to interview one of my favourite musicians in Black Francis. We ended up talking about my dog and his cats which was fun. The other interview that springs to mind is one I did with Queens Of The Stone Age. I embarrassed Josh Homme buy asking him if he knew he was writing a masterpiece when penning The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret. He said I made him blush. Most uncomfortable interview was that lanky singer from Blur!

When you came to Norfolk it was very much a case of returning to your roots, what was the music scene like when you left Norfolk?

I left Norfolk in 1984. The bands I remember from those early eighties were groups like The Farmers Boys, The Higsons, The Disrupters and Serious Drinking. I don’t remember much else! Norwich was so vibrant. We had a really healthy punk contingent in Norwich.

What acts are you proud to have brought to Norwich?

The first band I ever brought to Norwich was Daisy Chainsaw in 1991. By this time they were being played constantly on Radio One so were becoming quite well known. They stayed at my parents’ house in Wicklewood and my Dad’s work mates wouldn’t believe him when he told them. They couldn’t make the connection between him and a band that were all over the radio at the time! I think he was secretly proud of me. Much more recently though I’ve had the pleasure of hosting some great artists, some of them I’ve hosted multiple times now such as Newton Faulkner and The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club but I’m particularly proud of bringing in Teleman, Gaz Coombes and Rews

You have been heavily involved in promoting new talent in the region, and the various talent contests that have brought new acts to the fore. Has Norwich got the right support and infrastructure to nurture new talent, do you think?

We certainly have plenty of venues for a city this size. The help that local artists get from Access To Music is immeasurable. We are really lucky to have a college like that here. We also have some great characters who champion new talent all the time. People such as promoter Annie Catwoman, photographer Richard Shashamane, Ian Johnson of Access To Music and BBC Norfolk’s Gary Standley. Add Outline and Future Radio and we’ve got some fantastic infrastructure in Norwich.

How would you describe Epic to someone not aware of what goes on there?

An exciting hub of creative activity and an education centre for film, tv and music. It’s not just music we focus on. We host a lot of sporty events such as WAW, WWE and ITV’s World Of Sport (WOS) wrestling plus roller skating, mixed marshall arts & boxing. Danny Boyle has booked the studio for a week for one of his film projects.

The venue has a history of being the Anglia TV studios for so many years, and some of the filming heritage and even equipment still remains – what does that give you that no other venue does?

We’re lucky as we have so much lighting equipment here. The LED Walls really add something too. It can have a real ‘Wow Factor’ to it. Even I’m continuously blown away sometimes and I’m here all the time! The sound here is really good too as the main auditorium is a Sound Studio

What gigs have you got in the next 6 months you would say are not to be missed?

The Visitors are here on 16th June, Lets Eat Grandma on 5th July. The Manfreds also in July . (I just want to sing Do Wah Diddy Diddy out loud!)

Ginger Wildheart 16th September. Teleman. September 30th. I’m so glad I have them coming back to Norwich. I adore them. I’m also excited about bring Craig Charles’s Funk & Soul Club to Epic after hosting him several times before but just not here in Magdalen Street. Tom Robinson is here in October as is Hollie Cook and Gentleman’s Dub Club. Daniel Wakefield from The Undatables is here 21st November.We also host a fair amount of nostalgia acts too.