I do a radio show on a Friday night. Have done for a while now. It used to be on my own station Solid Front Radio. It’s now on Barrelhouse Radio. I shall explain.
For those of you who are unaware of my radio history, here’s a quick* “previously” like they do on the telly.
Way way back in the early 2000s i got my first pc through a deal at work (tesco). When it came, we sorted out our dial up connection (ask your parents kids) and off i went. Obviously the first thing i did was look up everything i possibly could that had any connection to scooters, which is where i stumbled across Scooter-Forums dot com.
Scooter-Forums was run by Andy Mellet Brown, otherwise known as Spider, who i soon discovered did a radio show via the Forums. I started to listen to his Sunday night shows, and became fascinated with the fact that he could actually do a radio show FROM HIS HOUSE! I know that it was only 20 years ago and in this day and age folks will be “dur”, but hey. One Sunday i mentioned in the attached shoutbox that it must cost a fortune to do, and Spider said not really. I was intrigued. A few emails later and i was ready to go with my own 30 minute show.
When i did my first show, it was with a pc and a set of headphones with a boom mic. Thirty minutes turned into an hour, which then turned into two, and then, when Spider decided it was time to move onto something else, it was me who he gave first refusal of taking the reigns. Of course i said yes. I ran it as Scooter-Forums Radio for a few years, and then when the forums started to wain a bit, and we moved to Mixlr as our broadcast tool, i changed the name to Solid Front Radio.
At one point we had 15 djs on SFR, but times change, people have families and real world commitments, and it ended up myself and Drunk Punk plodding along until i decided to have a 12 month break.
I returned and we carried on though, myself doing various live stuff out and about and teaming up with The Captain as The Rock n Roll Lounge, and then about five years ago i was told that there was an independent radio station being set up that was going to use the studio in Barnsley college. Of course, the chance to work in a real studio was something i wasn’t going to let pass me by, so i got in touch with Lee Barber, the station manager, let him know about me and he said yes straight away.
So began It’s A Mod Mod World on The Vibe. Every Tuesday for two hours between 6pm and 8pm i played my favourite Modernist music. And i loved it. Sadly the pandemic came along and we weren’t allowed into the college and those shows ground to a halt. What i didn’t know though, was Lee did a show on Redroad FM and had told their bosses about me. Turns out that i could pre-record a show for them to broadcast. This worked for me (apart from the recording, sooner do it live) so i set about doung shows for them. It actually ended up being TWO Rock n Roll Lounge shows a week, Thursday and Sundays at 8pm, whilst still doing my Friday night Here Comes The Weekend show live on SFR 8pm to 12am.
I did 147 shows for Redroad FM, but something else had come along, and it meant something had to give. Sadly it was Redroad. I had been approched by Barrelhouse Radio. Could i do them a show? Either recorded or live. I decided live, and every other Sunday from 10am. I had to keep The Enemy sweet, too many shows would have rocked our marriage.
Upstairs at Sime’s began, broadcast live from my home studio, which by now had grown massively, and was by any standards quite professional. It also dawned on me, that there was more scope for a larger audience for my Friday night shows via the Barrelhouse platform, so i spoke with Jake and Lee (the gaffers) and they said yes (and also made me a musical director for the station, gulp) . I had also worked out a way to simulcast the show via SFR so my long time listeners could still tune in how they always did. And that’s how Friday Night Live was born. But it grew. I have always enjoyed taking requests from listeners, it gives a show life, an interaction with an audience, it can make the show go off on some pretty odd tangents.
Last year Spider had returned to the airwaves and started a local community station in his home town of Heckington, so i offered to do a monthly show for him, and being someone who knows a good thing when he sees it, he agreed. Didn’t last long as work commitments got in my way, but the handful of Scene Not Herd shows went down well.
And so we find ourselves here today.
Currently, i do the Total Request Friday Night Live show on Barrelhouse Radio from 8pm, where i take requests all night. These have proved to be the most enjoyable shows i think i have ever done. The fact that i can fill four hours with listeners requests amazes me. We now have a dedicated bunch if listeners around the world, some of whom gather in the “Live Lounge” on twitter (get in touch @barnsleysime and ask, i will add you) where they drop their requests, and we make each Friday something special.
Sunday’s live shows are on a hold at the moment, i am broadcasting shows from my own archive on alternate weeks from 10am instead. And so there we are, that’s what ia occurring with my radio life. Still not getting paid for it, but still loving it.
At this point i must say a HUGE thank you to every single person that has helped me along the way, i really appreciate it and it has meant i have done things i dreamt of as a kid but never thought i’d ever get to do.
Should you wish to listen tonight, then it is so easy to do. there are various options to choose from, just click here: https://linktr.ee/barnsleysime
and if YOU want to request anything, then get in touch DURING the show via DMs on most social media, email simebhr@gmail.com or text 07842655396 (a big standard mobile number)
Sime
*that wasn’t quick. sorry
THE TOTAL PERSPECTIVE VORTEX 