Nicer Tuesdays: A look back at our music themed evening of talks

Last night we returned to Mother London for the first Nicer Tuesdays of 2014. Not only were we delighted to welcome four very different speakers who work in and around the music industry, we were also proud to unveil Park Communications – who print both our Annual and our magazine – as the event’s new sponsors.

Luke Taylor of directorial duo Us kicked off the evening, giving us step-by-step insights into two music videos he and partner Chris Barrett had worked on; Wiley’s Numbers In Action and Benga’s I Will Never Change. Luke explained how their visual sensibilities are rooted in their graphic design backgrounds, the idea for the Benga spot for example came from the shape of the SoundCloud wave. He also admitted that “In a lot of cases, the better the song the less money there is,” a theme that cropped up a few times last night.

Mica Levi, aka Micachu, was next up, talking us through how and why she made 10 (10!) videos for her 2012 album Never. She said the feat really came about because the band couldn’t agree on a “stand-out song from the album” and how each video was inspired by the house she used to share with friends. Again budget was an issue, so to make one of the band members appear to be flying: “We just made her lie on a stool and blew a hairdryer at her.”

After the break photographer Dan Wilton started with a confession: his first ambition was to be the next David Bellamy. Thankfully for him (and us) he picked up a camera instead, and he gave us a hilarious insight into touring with The Bots, two teenage brothers he schlepped across Europe with. It took in a pig museum and a tie-dye obsession, via Dan bullying the brothers’ mum by hiding her stuffed toy. “I like to instigate little things,” he said. “It seems candid but it has a structure to it.”

Rounding off the evening was designer and art director Ben Drury. He explained that he hates the music business, because “although I love the music, I hate the business part of it.” The creatively fulfilling jobs, Ben said, are those with very small fees. “The reality is designing for the music industry, it all happens in the margins.”

A massive thanks to Park Communications, Mother London, all our speakers and everyone who came along. Nicer Tuesdays will return at the end of February and videos of last night’s talks will be released in due course.

Park Communications

Founded in 1991, Park Communications is considered by many to be London’s preeminent printer. With a roster of both corporate and cultural clients, Park is a one-stop-shop to translate, artwork, print and bind literature of many different kinds, from the finest coffee table books and catalogues, through FTSE annual reports, to niche market magazines and brochures. Working closely with clients to develop bespoke creative solutions, Park’s reputation is built on the highest quality, reliability and flexibility.

They have brought their professionalism to both our Printed Pages magazine and the It’s Nice That Annual 2013, and we look forward to working with them in 2014 and beyond. To contact Park, email Alison at a.branch@parkcom.co.uk or via the website www.parkcom.co.uk.