Cornish Underground’s 15th Birthday
Happy 15th Birthday to Cornish Underground. 15 years of making a living from something I love and hopefully giving as much joy as I receive through making music. Self employment has so much meaning to me, allowing me to direct my business to where I think it should be at strategic times.
This year has been marked clearly by the new Cornish Underground recording studio build at the Redruth Wesley. Amongst my already crazy busy schedule of festivals, recordings and gigs, I’ve made time to create this wonderful space in the Wesley building, which is transitioning from Methodist ownership to a community asset. Using a room within a room layout, the control room is treated for optimal mixing and overdub use, it’s also a nice place to hang out! Alongside the control room, I have access to two amazing spaces, the main chapel room and another live room. Both have stunning acoustic environments lending themselves to some pretty exciting opportunities for their use. The live room is stunning for drums & other loud instruments, where the chapel will really come into its own for choirs, orchestras and brass bands. I have already invested in the Royer Labs SF-24 stereo ribbon mic, perfect for use in the chapel to capture the source and the acoustic environment. Just a pop fact about the Redruth Wesley: it is the 2nd biggest church in Cornwall, second to Truro Cathedral and also has the second biggest working pipe organ, again second to the Cathedral! As a venue, the Redruth Wesley can seat 750 audience members and when the floor pews are removed, the venue will house nearly 2,000 people. Beyond my use, the building is used for live concerts and events throughout the year, where I often operate the live sound. Moving up from my home studio to the Redruth Wesley will mean far better acoustics and sound treatment for the recordings. Plus, eliminating any unwanted noises from the street, or from me polluting my neighbour’s peace! The studio opened in September 2024 and will evolve as it moves forwards.
There are other exciting things happening around my home town in Redruth. The Ladder is making waves with its arty, theatrical and musical events, with Beats & Roots cafe also being onsite. The Butter Market is set to open very soon, with live events and new eateries. The Redruth Drapery are putting on splendid events and Home Ground making delicious pizzas and pastas, adding to a cultural revamp of Redruth itself. It is possible that very soon, I will not need to leave my home town for work at all!
This year has seen some great bands in the studio, including Funk Soul Other, Die Spangle, Kescorra, Fire & the Brain, Longtide, Rhinestone Rats, Yeastlords and others. The ambitious project by Funk Soul Other has been fun and is set to complete this year, having started in December 2024! Die Spangle have completed their EP, now pressed to vinyl and a new Xmas single ready for release this December. Then off the back of Die Spangle, along came the Yeastlords, who were the first band to record an album with me at the Redruth Wesley. Penzance punks themselves, I’ve somehow managed to capture the hearts & minds of the Penzance punk scene! The studio project, Fools Rock has got into the remix game and has a fresh new EP to release this year, exciting times. Another great signing by Cornish Underground is Rhys Wynne Jones, also known as the Night Church Pianist, who is taking the world by storm, making thousands of pounds for charities like Man Down & others. Rhys’ story is amazing and his life experiences come through strongly in his self penned songs which we are set to record at the Wesley very soon.
The live gigs and festivals have also been exciting this year, with all the usuals and more coming through. This year, we picked up the Lafrowda Festival, with an anarchic and keen audience, resilient to the St Just weather, it was very wet! Then in August, was the new to me Medicine Festival. Some 7,000 people in attendance, at times meditating all at once, being the biggest spiritual gathering anywhere on the planet at that time. Stunning to mix monitors for the array of world music & religious bands on the main stage and a little at front of house through the fantastic L’Acoustics Kara sound system, the best I’ve used! Both of these festivals will take a hiatus for 2025, but plans have already been made to join them again in 2026. Memorable gigs, such as Richard Trethewey’s album launch/s at Malpas & then the Plaza in Truro, with stunning acoustics in the latter, really helped my NEXO rig to purr and provide excellent sound. Famous artists like Kosheen & Finley Quaye were also under my belt this year. Gigging with the Oggymen was fun, at Poldhu Beach Cafe to a large audience, then a sold out show at the Minack Theatre, singing out those Cornish anthems, love those boys! Gigs with Hanterhir & Future Forest were a treat too, with ongoing thanks to my regular venues, the Old Bakery and occasionally the Cornish Bank and Mount Pleasant Eco Park.
It feels like things are really shifting gears here at Cornish Underground, with the Redruth Wesley studio coming into its own and the potential of all the new venues in my hometown. It also feels safe to have a large proportion of my income coming in through business ventures that I have autonomy over. In uncertain times, it helps to be in control of your business and its direction, enabling more financial security. I’m looking forward to making more music in the new studio, developing the area of business to do with the choirs, brass bands and orchestras, which is a real asset, given the acoustics in there. Also, all my fave bands and projects, plus regular venues and festivals. I urge you to come and visit me at the studio to see the venue and talk about what the space can do for you. These are times of real development for Redruth and surrounding areas and maybe for once I can say, there is hope for Redruth’s future. We’re on the UP!
Many thanks to those who’s been involved in Cornish Underground’s progression this year, people like Kerensa from Trevow Music Management, Neil McMahon who’s been an inspiration, Cath & Julian from the Old Bakery, Deb & Manny from the Redruth Wesley, my crew Rash, Flip, Harry, Kevin & CJ and to all you who enjoy music and support your local music scene. Without you, all these fun music things would not happen! So, a BIG THANK YOU to You! Lot’s of love and musical mayhem to you!
All the best,
Brendan McGreal (Cornish Underground)
6th Nov 2024
