Thursday 16 June 2011
Jay Davies: Brighton's Former Agent J Gives Us The Brief On His Second Coming
It's all too rare to come across an artist that sparks something within you that ignites a lasting love for what they create. It's even rarer for said artist to come into your orbit, disappear completely, only to return and reignite their place within your universe. But that's what's happened with Jay Davies (who some Brightonians may remember as Agent J). So, with his new album, As Above (But Not Below), released this week .. we give a most deserved platform to Jay Davies ..
"In 2002 a song, which I had written and recorded got picked up by Mark Radcliffe, who at that time was doing the afternoon show on Radio 1. I'd never had so much belief in anything in my life, so I wasn't at all surprised when the producer of his show called me up and told me that Big Blue Sky, by Agent J, was gonna be played that Friday...!
​Call it the arrogance of youth if you will, but I really thought things were going up. And UP. AND UP. It actually transpired that Radio 1 airplay was as up as things would go for Agent J.
​I had a great live band, and had recorded with a great record producer, by the name of Al Scott. I had a batch of recordings that I thought were the absolute best I could do, at that point. But after several meets with assorted record companies, my relationship with the record producer and band just fizzled out. The belief wasn't there anymore. Team Agent J was no more.
​​
​But I still believed. And if you know what I mean, you'll know that this belief borders on the maniacal; a kind of devout non-rational belief that 'something' is gonna happen.
Something did happen in 2006. Weirdly, Big Blue Sky somehow found it's way to BBC Radio 2, and Mark Radcliffe played the song again on his Radio 2 evening show.
​Next, it was Dermot O'Leary's turn to champion the song, and he played it many times on his Saturday afternoon show.
​It was popular enough to warrant Jay Davies becoming a guest on his show. (Agent J songs were written under the name of J Davies - don't ask me why!). The artist known as Jay Davies was the first (and last) unsigned act to get that slot so I'm told, so take that as you will.
​​​​
​Getting interviewed by a mainstream DJ, who ends your live session with: "You're gonna get signed to a really big record company", made me feel pretty positive for a little while.
But other than playing a gig at a champagne bar in Fulham, and getting a weird call from the editor of a fashion magazine nothing happened. Again.
The years passed and I got a little older, losing touch with a lot of people from that period. I got married, started a family, and decided to move away from Brighton, citing too many ghosts as my inner reason. (truth be told, I missed it too much to admit, but I had a new gang, much closer to home..!)
Moving to Devon in 2007 was very, very strange. The culture, landscape and atmosphere felt completely different. This was not a place where the ever-optimistic Big Blue Sky (Volume 2) would be written.
But as time went on, different concerns started to filter through to my writing and because I don't write with an agenda, it was interesting.
I recorded a few Garageband demos in 2008, which bagged me a live slot on BBC Devon, and it really felt like I was involved with something new. Something that I wasn't directing anymore.
In 2010, I did a course at the University of Plymouth, and decided to teach myself how to use their amazing studio kit; Apple Macs, Logic Audio, that kinda thing.
The result was my first proper solo album, for which I wrote, produced and played everything. I called it the Shadow Man album and sent out the 11 track CD last summer.
The feedback took ages to come, but what came back was really inspiring. Some reviewers had even referenced Big Blue Sky from way back. 247 Magazine labelled the album as "11 reasons why Jason Cleverley should be a household name." Ironic, because Jason Cleverley was about to go underground again.
As Above (But Not Below) is the Jay Davies album that follows on from Big Blue Sky.
If then was a celebration of endless possibilities, now is taking stock of the obstacles that are often in our way. It turns out the class divide was only temporarily hidden from view, and New Labour re-brands were a colossal marketing sham.
There are so many truths now, but the only one worth knowing is that the big boys are most definitely not on our side. More than ever, it's time to do it by ourselves, and we should do as much as possible. It's time to get creative again.
I've created a new album by myself, because I wanted to. But I couldn't have done it without all having all the experiences I've had along the way. I hope the hope has been well spent."
Jay Davies' new album, 'As Above (But Not Below)' is available on iTunes & Spotify and can be heard by Clicking Here.
by: Jay Davies
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