20.07.12 MusicWeek 11
ON THE RADAR BEN MONTAGUE
DOES THE NAME, FACE AND VOICE ring a bell? Two years ago Ben Montague’s debut single Haunted was all over the radio waves, he was relentlessly gigging and he sang live at Children in Need with JLS and KT Tunstall - yet he had no record or publishing deal and no budget to release his music. People were asking for his
album so he recorded an EP in his friend’s house “standing on a plank of wood so the floor didn’t squeak and using a mattress and duvet as soundproofing”. This was all whilst he worked in a club and taught ten- nis and guitar to pay the rent. A few years later, he now has a
label deal in the bag, can record in ‘proper’ studios and has seen a song he’s written commissioned as the Singapore Idol winner’s single. Montague admitted to Music
Week of his new-found success: “It took me a long time to get a deal but I’ve been really lucky that for some reason people have always believed in me.” On getting his record contract,
he said: “We had a few discussions with a few labels and it wasn’t really happening. I’d written this album [Tales Of Flying & Falling] and really wanted to get going. Nusic came together on a joint venture with EMI Label Services. It’s got an indie vibe.”
HE SAID / SHE SAID “
Montague describes his sound
as “traditional singer-songwriter but with a pop influence”. He’s support- ed Stereophonics, The Wanted on tour, is currently on a schools tour and has had major support from Radio 2, so his mixed audience consists of “predominantly females – mums and daughters”. He revealed about his album: “I
worked with Dave Eringa who pro- duced Manics stuff… it’s like a pop- rock fusion. I was really lucky to have written with some great peo- ple like Jim Duguid who did Paolo Nutini’s record, James Walsh from Starsailor and Jamie Hartman from Ben’s Brother.”
“I love band’s like Kings Of
Leon, Snow Patrol and Coldplay so I really tried to get that but fuse it with a singer-songwriter element.” Montague is striving for a top 10 album and would also like to
TAKE A BOW TEAM LINKIN PARK It’s a national disgrace
that LOCOG has no apparent strategy [to] appropriately recognise the art form. All those involved in this fiasco should be embarrassed and ashamed.
Writing on the MusicTank blog, PPL’s Keith Harris slams the standard £50 per act, per hour fee for musicians playing at the London Olympics
” MUST-SEE MUSIC TICKETING CHARTS
HITWISE Primary Ticketing Chart
POS PREV EVENT 1 20 JUSTIN BIEBER 2 14 T IN THE PARK 3 1 NICKI MINAJ 4 6 V FESTIVAL 5 10 JESSIE J 6 2 STONE ROSES 7 16 WIRELESS FESTIVAL 8 7 MADNESS 9 4 SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA 10 NEW LIONEL RICHIE 11 8 ED SHEERAN 12 11 ONE DIRECTION 13 NEW SECRET GARDEN PARTY 14 9 BEN HOWARD 15 3 T4 ON THE BEACH 16 NEW MADONNA 17 NEW LADY ANTEBELLUM 18 NEW COLDPLAY 19 NEW OLLY MURS 20 NEW PAUL SIMON
VIAGOGO Secondary Ticketing Chart
POS EVENT 1 MADONNA 2 JUSTIN BIEBER 3 ONE DIRECTION 4 ED SHEERAN 5 SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA 6 BLINK 182 7 NICKI MINAJ 8 QUEEN 9 LADY GAGA 10 MUSE 11 JESSIE J 12 LIONEL RICHIE 13 BLUR 14 STEREOPHONICS 15 ROBERT PLANT 16 MADNESS 17 BEACH BOYS 18 BEN HOWARD 19 THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM 20 MORRISSEY
TIXDAQ Primary Ticketing Chart
POS PREV EVENT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1
3 2
4 5 6 9
ONE DIRECTION
NEW JUSTIN BIEBER OLLY MURS LADY GAGA
11 NICKI MINAJ ED SHEERAN MADNESS JESSIE J
EMELI SANDE
10 NEW TOM JONES 11 8
MUSE LIONEL RICHIE
12 13 V FESTIVAL 13 10 NOEL GALLAGHER 14 7
15 16 CHERYL COLE 16 14 STONE ROSES 17 15 MADONNA 18 17 GEORGE MICHAEL 19 18 NICKELBACK 20 20 COLDPLAY
Live entertainment intelligence
Label: Warner Bros
General manager: Jeremy Marsh
A&R: Rob Cavallo THE LOWDOWN
Album: Living Things Highest chart position: No.1
HALL&NOTES
Manager: Jordan Berliant, The Collective
Marketing: Katherine Parrott
Regional press:
James Heward, Pomona
National press: Anton Brookes, Bad Moon
Online press: Caroline Beashel, Inside/Out
National radio: Jane Arthy
TV: Stacy Blackman
THE BEST LIVE VENUES IN THE UK
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ESSENTIAL INFO
RELEASES July 8 single: Love Like Stars Aug 26 single: Another Hard Fall Autumn 2012 album: Tales Of Flying And Falling LABEL Nusic Sounds/EMI MANAGEMENT Matthew Page, Riot Management LIVE • Just completed a UK tour which ended with a Station Sessions gig at St Pancras • Another UK tour is planned for October.
work with one of his songwriting heroes: “People have said some of my songs have a bit of modern day Take That to them – I’m a huge Gary Barlow fan. My dream is to work with him.”
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