Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast

Ooh arr! It’s time for the final Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast episode of the year and what a great guest we have to finish on! It’s the accordion-wielding, cider-drinking, West Country legend that is Tommy Banner from the Wurzels! Originally from Scotland, Tommy moved to a caravan in Somerset in the 60s to become a full time member. Now 81, he’s spent a lot of 2020 stuck at home and not where he would like to be – on stage! He shares his fantastic isolation selections and tells Chris about his youth, discovering rock & roll, moving to Somerset, his rowdy caravan party days, getting a UK number 1, travelling around central London in a tractor and also overcoming cancer. Tommy Banner – the Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast salutes you and your fellow Wurzels. And to all our listeners – a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. Here’s to more live shows on the boat in 2021!

What a guest we have for episode 18 folks – the mighty Beardyman! From the get go, the ultra-talented musician and comedian gets to work remixing Chris’s voice and there’s absolutely nothing Chris can do about it. Once he’s finished, Beardyman reveals how beatboxing got him in trouble from an early age, where he was when hearing drum & bass first blew his mind and why My Neighbour Totoro prevented him from several breakdowns during the first lockdown.The pair also discuss veganism, the joys of Brian Blessed, separating the art from the naughty artists, his talented brother Jay and why you should never remix Donald Trump. Strap in tight everyone – this one’s a wild one!

The wonderful singer/songwriter Arlo Parks is our guest for episode 17 of the podcast and she brings with her a delightful selection of isolation discs. She talks to Chris about her 2020 which has been full of highlights despite the world coming to a standstill, including releasing a number of top tunes, creating her own BBC Radio 4 documentary and being one of the few acts to actually perform at Glastonbury this summer. Plus - dealing with lockdowns, making her debut album and meeting Bristol legend Big Jeff!

The Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast is back! Whilst the clubs & pubs are still shut, Chris & Simon are here to guide you through this second lockdown and beyond. And great news everyone - the mighty DJ Yoda is the special guest for our grand return! The turntablist and producer reveals his isolation discs and shares his thoughts on Twitch shows, drive-in shows, what real DJing is, how he creates his albums, his love for DJ Spinbad and playing the IT Crowd theme tune in a club. Plus, Chris tests Yoda's cereal knowledge with a quickfire quiz. What's not to love?! Get rating and subscribing! Enjoy all!

Very special guest on the podcast this week – the singer, songwriter and troubadour Mr. Frank Turner! In between his many live stream performances raising tens of thousands of pounds for music venues as well as promoting his new split EP with american punk band NOFX, Frank kindly found time to speak with Chris Arnold on a blistering hot summer’s day. Amongst revealing his isolation tracks, Frank shared his thoughts on the current situation with regards to the pandemic, the state of the music industry and the concerning situation that live shows are in. The pair also discuss the joys of punk rock, the brilliance of Vic & Bob and of course the good ship Thekla gets a mention as well. Enjoy all!

All aboard episode 14 of the Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast! Joining Chris Arnold this week is Mr Bruce, known to many as the vocalist, lyricist and supreme mover in The Correspondents. Nowadays Mr Bruce is focusing on a new project alongside producer Angus Kemp, but he took time out of lockdown to chat to Chris about his days as a drum & bass obsessed teenager, how the Correspondents exploded on to the festival scene, more recently getting involved with Extinction Rebellion and why he ended up painting a portrait of Jimmy Carr via video chat. And if that wasn’t enough this episode finishes with a world exclusive 5 minute minimix from Mr Bruce’s new project. It’s certainly a packed episode!

Episode 13 of the Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast sees Chris joined by Aaron Starkie – lead singer, pianist and founding member of The Slow Readers Club! Recorded back in peak lockdown when we couldn’t even leave the house for more than one hour, as well as selecting some top isolation tracks Aaron goes through the band’s journey from humble beginnings in the north west of England to eventually very impressively selling out the 3500 capacity Manchester Apollo. Plus – befriending the band James, getting trashed on tour in China, releasing an album in the middle of a global pandemic, having a city mayor amongst your fans and very nearly almost covering Come On Eileen.

It’s time for episode 12 of the Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast and a warm welcome to BC Camplight! Born and raised in New Jersey, USA but currently residing in Manchester, UK, BC Camplight (real name Brian Christinzio) is a talented multi-instrumentalist with a backstory full of ups and downs. Having just released his latest album ‘Shortly After Takeoff’ in the midst of a global pandemic, Brian talks to host Chris Arnold about his tumultuous career in the US, his sudden move to the north west of England, how a painful foot injury eventually lead to Theresa May deporting him back to US and his Dad’s ingenuity enabled him to return, but only if he went via Italy. Sound interesting?! Well it is!

To celebrate the Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast reaching double figures this week, we're releasing a very special bonus episode! Recorded back in December 2019, Chris spent some time in Coventry chatting with Horace Panter, the bass player in the legendary two tone act The Specials. Formed in the mid-70s, The Specials played an exciting new genre of music that fused together the energy of punk and the grooves of reggae. In this interview, Horace recounts the early days of the band, the exhausting tours and eventual breakup as well as his subsequent years playing with other groups, working as an art teacher, the exciting reformation of The Specials in the mid-noughties and the release of their sublime 2019 album Encore.

It's a big milestone this week for the Isolation Discs Podcast as we reach double figures! And what better way to celebrate episode 10 than by welcoming the legend that is Mr. Scruff to share his lockdown tracks. The Mancunian DJ & producer renowned for his extensive live sets takes time out from homeschooling his 9 year old to chat with Chris about his early days practising on cheap turntables, the detective work that goes into discovering new music, how reducing club capacities could be a good thing, the hot topic that is mobile phones in venues and the joy of becoming part of a festival’s furniture. It’s a longer episode than usual this week as the chat was just too good to cut short – enjoy!

For episode 9 we welcome the wonderfully talented Hollie Cook to the Isolation Discs Podcast! Alongside sharing her excellently varied tracks with host Chris Arnold, Hollie recounts elements of her interesting backstory and career thus far; including growing up with a Sex Pistol as a parent, starting her musical career in the legendary punk act The Slits, working with Prince Fatty to develop her own sound and how she ended teaming up with the Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra!

We’re going international for episode 8 of the Isolation Discs Podcast – Chris Arnold’s guest on the show this week is Jake, from indie/rock act Cassia, who is speaking to him via a recording studio in Berlin! The pair discuss the differences between UK & Germany lockdown life, how Cassia came to create their unique sound, clear up some misleading rumours about the band and of course have a listen to Jake’s top selected isolation tracks.

For episode 7 of the Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast, Chris chats with vocalist & guitarist Josh from ‘tropical punk’ band The Skints. Speaking from his new pad in lockdown London, Josh shares his selected tracks and has an honest conversation about the current coronavirus situation, alongside telling the story of how The Skints started off as a North London ska band and ended up releasing four multi-genre full length albums, touring all over the planet supporting their heroes and performing on some of the biggest festival stages around.

Episode 6 of the Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast sees the mighty Danny Nedelko from Heavy Lungs step up to the plate and select the tracks that are keeping him going during lockdown. A very strong contender for the funniest guest Chris Arnold has interviewed so far, Danny tells tales of growing up in the Ukraine, his friendship with IDLES, how Heavy Lungs got their name and the frustrations of making electronic music as well as disclosing his love of gangsta rap, sweet riffs and Nine Inch Nails.

The brilliant Shosh from 24hr Garage Girls joins Chris Arnold this week for episode 5 of the Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast! DJ, producer, promoter and tour de force Shosh has a fascinating backstory which she kindly shares with us while picking some absolute banging isolation tunes. We hear about her life in bands before discovering electronic music, an emotional journey out to eastern Europe as well as how washing dirty ravers at Boomtown Fair resulted in 24hr Garage Girls, the concept group which regularly sells out clubs all over the country. Warning: this episode features air horns!

Join us for the fourth episode of the Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast! Our special guest selecting his tracks this week is the folk singer Beans on Toast! Chris & Beans have a good old natter from their isolation stations and discuss these strange days, life after lockdown, music festivals, putting together an album, and how gangsta rap once took over the life of, in Beans’s words, a skinny white virgin from Essex.

It's time for episode 3 of the Thekla Isolation Discs Podcast! Speaking to Chris this week is the bass player and founding member of a band who have been dominating the rock scene these last few years - it's Dev from IDLES! As well as going through Dev's selected tracks, the pair cover a range of topics including the IDLES early years, awards ceremonies, dealing with poor mental health whilst on tour, music videos, DJ sets and Dev's naughty cat.

Welcome to episode two of Thekla's Isolation Discs Podcast! This week Chris is joined by the Bristol-based singer songwriter known for her rootsy blues sound which weaves together country, rock, soul and americana - Elles Bailey. As well as playing Elles's selected isolation discs; the pair discuss her upbringing on a farm, her various trips to Nashville and how live streaming is keeping the music scene alive during lockdown. We'd also like to dedicate this episode to John Prine, who has sadly passed away since this episode was recorded. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.

Welcome to the very first episode of Thekla's Isolation Discs Podcast. To get things started, host Chris Arnold is joined by the award-winning Bristol lyricist, MC and label owner Gardna! Tune in as Gardna shares some of his favourite tunes, lets us know what he's up to during the lockdown and discusses some of his career defining moments, from supporting Akala as a teenager to playing in front of tens of thousands of people at Boomtown Fair in 2019. Check it out!