August 2026 Newsletter
- The Premises Studios
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
WE REMEMBER THIS….
Premises CEO Viv Broughton recalls the days when times were a bit harder:
“In the early days, soon after I took over, money was extremely tight so we decided to top up by hiring the place out for occasional all night parties. These became so popular that most Saturday nights we would lock our precious gear into one studio and turn the rest of the gaff over to whoever was willing to cough up a grand in cash.
Most times all was well but there were a few scares.
One night I turned up early to find the promoter had decorated the entire place with lit candles together with highly flammable bubble wrap stapled to the (then) very low ceilings. This was pre-smoking ban days and the thought of 300 ravers, off their collective nut, lighting up with their heads almost touching the acres of low hanging bubble wrap, triggered an involuntary bowel movement or two.
Things got messy, but we needed the dosh.”
After an hour of frantic bubble wrap clearance, with the odd break to allow for some stress busting bubble popping, the ravers raved on, sans low density polyethylene, sans candles, and were able to dance the night away without morphing into a singular, melting conflagration of Snap, Crackle and Popping cinders.
(Please note, this practice has long been discontinued!)
WE ALSO REMEMBER THIS….
As part of our anniversary year, we are going through our own back pages and remembering some of the stand out sessions we’ve had in Recording Studio A. We also have some quite fruity tales about some of the bands during, let’s just say their tired and emotional years, but are not at liberty to discuss them. Unless you bribe us.
But check out the wonderful Rachel Chinouriri, who gave us no trouble whatsoever, seen here in a Selector Radio session.
And if you need to record and film something like this yourself, contact: recordings@premisesstudios.com
FIVE MINUTES WITH... CLIVE LANGER: Producer, songwriter, Deaf Schooler
We were excited to hear the jaunty, witty and singalong tunes of Clive Langer’s effervescent collective Deaf School drifting out of studio three.
Deaf School started in 1975 and were, by their own description, “defiantly below-average musicians” and perhaps ahead of their time.
They split up, and got together again and are now doing some anniversary dates.
Clive was a very busy chap in the interim, producing hits for the likes of Madness, Morrissey, Elvis Costello, Dexy’s Midnight Runners and David Bowie, amongst others.
Clive, what was your initial recruitment process in 1975?
“Anyone who wanted to join did so. It was people we thought were interesting and could show up for rehearsals. We had quite a few members who seemed to have something to offer but would not show up for rehearsals, and actually some could not sing that well, so we gently pushed them out..
We were after a sound that was cheerful, witty and fun, but not novelty.
We didn’t want to do the Bonzo Dog Do Dah band sort of thing, and were going more for a Kinks or Hot Licks feel, and that was down mostly to Enrico, who wrote most of the lyrics.”
And how did you become the go-to producer after the band split up?
“I had wanted to be in a smaller band like The Clash because it was quite a circus we carried around. Madness, who weren’t call Madness at the time, came to see us and asked us to produce a demo so I did, and the production just took off after that.
Once you’ve done one hit record, the people come to you, like Dexys,Teardrop Explodes, and it really took off so it was quite an easy choice. I never wanted to be a front man anyway. It was interesting working with Madness and Dexys at the same time because they had very different styles. So there was Come On Eileen and Our House, but the two bands worked in very different ways, so Dexys had everything worked out beforehand, and my main job was to make sure the record got made because Kevin had some self doubt.
With Madness, there was no planning and there were a lot of strong characters.
They don’t always want your opinion.
When I think about how production went back then, it’s completely out of date now, we were just using our ears and recording on tape.”
But now you’re back as Deaf School for your 50th anniversary does it sort of feel like going back to your roots?
“It is still fun and nice to get together. We’re playing the Liverpool Philharmonic and it’s funny to think that we will be playing to more people there than we ever did back in the day. The main thing is that it is still fun, though it’s getting physically harder.
First day of rehearsals I was feeling a bit achy and a bit frustrated with my playing, but it’s coming back. Not drinking helps!”
NIKKI YEOH’S PIANO RECORDING WEEK
HACKNEY COMMUNITY ORCHESTRA
Who woulda thunk it, that we could have a night of music from all around the world just over the road at the Bridge Academy, at the Hackney Community Orchestra Summer Concert?
With an orchestra of 72 people, including a 10 strong violin section and a 13 strong flute section. Under the musical direction of conductor Chris Harrison and the hospitable hosting (and bass clarinet playing) of Charlie Rice, we were treated to music (and the stories behind it) from all around the world, and yet still significant to Hackney.
There were tunes from the Ukraine, Serbia, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Turkey, Soweto and, er ELO, which some might say is a country in itself. In most respects there was a theme of rebellion, celebration, and resistance.
We left with a lightness in our step and a sense of borough pride in the truly diverse and multicultural musical influences that define The Hackney Community Orchestra and indeed, Hackney itself.
WHO’S BEEN IN?
We have it on semi good authority that the bands in to rehearse in July were not just coming for the hang and the air con but to work hard and play hard.
These included: Faith in Strangers, Saya Gray, The Apocalypsos, Sarah Gillepsie, Fat Coyote, The Love and Afrobeats Orchestra, Moses Boyd, London Voice Academy, Pytshens Kamilo, Lurine Cato, Savannah Ministry, Revelation Avenue, Midtown Funk, Luminara, Pascal Bideau, Alewya, Octahawk, James Ford, Arthur Hill, The Herons, Clara Serra-Lopez, Matt Felix, Lust Ritual, Aidan May, PP Arnold, Miranda Hall, Celebration Church, Scritti Politti, Melissa Enrico, Shaindel, Nieve Ella, Deaf School, Olly Alexander, Asher Dresner, Duke Street Big Band, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Sharlene Hector, David McAlmont, Evrima, Anna Calvi, Yard Sale, Janet Devlin, Tanita Tikaram, Ettienne, Music For Youth, Wunderhorse, Meade Conway, Gang of Youths, Lee Simeon, Calvin, Asher One Two, Dov Sikowitz, Katie Rice, Springfield Quartet, Lily Moore, Going to Granny’s, Solya, Joe Burgess, Do It With Soul, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Meek, Singing Bowie, Chloe Qisha and plenty of others!
AND FINALLY...
