'Dog' with a lot of new tricks

MAN about town (let's face it, you couldn't miss him with that barnet!) and Morecambe music promoter, Ian Roberts, talks DJ-ing with John Peel, Wasted and experimental boy bands...
Dog with friend Chris and daughter Kim - D.J's at Labyrinth

Ian, also known as 'Dog' is the face behind Dog on a String, a company that promotes local music. He has recently set up the regular Labyrinth gigs at the Farmers Arms and was involved in promoting Morecambe's now ex-summer punk festival, Wasted.
Though he's a lover of all things punk, Ian's musical tastes include Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to name a few.
"I have loved music as long as I can remember – it's a way of life for me" he says.
"Punk is more an attitude than a musical genre, a religion you could say. The only difference is I don't go knocking on doors at a weekend when people are in bed or try to convert them by showing them a video of Jubilee or The Great Rock and Roll Swindle."
Ian has enjoyed a rather colourful life. His father, a councillor, did his best to support the Reading rock festival, while Ian himself was lucky enough to party with the stars and even DJ'd alongside the great John Peel.
He says: "I come from a land far, far away called Reading, which is of course the home of the famous Reading rock festival.
"I was lucky in the early years to be an access all areas guest due to my father's support of the then fledgling event.
"Anyway I partied with some really famous rockers and even did a spot of DJing with John Peel when I was about 13 in front of 50,000 people – I realised this rock and roll low life was for me."
Ian's love of punk music began after he watched the Sex Pistols on The Bill Grundy Show.
"I always felt there was a lot more out there in the world, than being a worker drone for the rest of your life – a pre-destined life of being told what to do, what to wear and how to behave in a society that I hadn't asked to be a part of," he says.
"Suddenly there were these fantastic looking people sticking two fingers up at the bryl-creamed, God-fearing types, who were kicking the TV screen in, watching them having the cheek to insult mid- evening stalwart, Bill Grundy."
Ian says he was lucky to have such a liberal-minded father, whose love for all forms of music rubbed off onto him.
"He has the biggest collection of recorded sound I have ever seen and would take me everywhere to go and see bands.
"In fact, although he is now retired he still goes to all the major rock festivals and drops into small pubs and venues to see punk bands." he continues.
Speaking about the Trimpell Club's new punk festival Nice'n'Sleazy, scheduled for summer 2006, Ian says "from acorns, mighty oaks might grow."
He continues: "The main problem for the festival is the amount of bed spaces in the area – people were finding it hard to book rooms even earlier in the year, and even camping was a problem.
"I think the Trimpell Club had 700 in last year. I remember reading an article by a council spokesman, who after losing the festival, sulkily said they had offered Wasted the use of an open air stage so they could sell more tickets.
"This from a council who stopped the use of Salt Ayre as a campsite and the 1,000 people, I believe, that used it. The reason they weren't selling tickets was there was nowhere for people to stay – 1,000 lost ticket sales at £70 is a massive loss of revenue."
A lot of the work Ian does couldn't have been completed without his dedicated team of staff, including his wife, Rosemary, 'The Prof', 'Sho' AKA Chris Winder ("an absolute genius with computers") and Jewli, Sho's wife, for "having the patience to put up with each new project and helping out on the door."
Ian has had a guitar since he was 12, though he says since then he "hasn't improved any."
"It just sits there, sullen and pouty and refuses to play." he continues. Myself and a mate briefly started an experimental electronic band for about 10 minutes in 1981 – working on the basis that anyone could do it.
"We never played live but a family we met in Cornwall had T-shirts made up with the name of our group, Toys For Boys, which was nice."
Somewhere amongst Ian's feats is an amusing tale about him attending a Levellers gig at Morecambe's The Dome.
He reminisces: "When the Levellers played I was backstage for the after gig shindig.
"After plowing through an unfeasible amount of lager, Mark Chadwick, the vocalist asks 'do I fancy a bit of a sing song?'
"Anyway, the two of us troop outside followed by band members carrying instruments, and start singing and playing.
"Not long after, one of the security comes out and says 'come on lads you'll have to pack up and be on your way.'
"I just couldn't believe what I was hearing, The Levellers – used to headlining huge festivals, being told to move on like one of those buskers with a dog on a blanket or a string, I wish I had a camera to record that event."
With his latest musical venture, Labyrinth, Ian wanted to promote a more retro feel to the night and the bands, championing traditional punk, rockabilly, glam and traditional goth music.
"Obviously, we will be putting on some of this new fangled stuff but we are looking to appeal to a more mature listener." Dog says.
His daughter, known as 'Lil Kimi' regularly DJs at the gigs. Ian says: "Kimi is a great DJ and her tastes in music are very eclectic for one so young."
Before 'Labyrinth' was born, Ian set up a similar series of gigs called Hydra at the Kings Arms in Morecambe. However, he has since moved to Lancaster for the new gigs, saying: "Nobody really wanted to come to Morecambe.
"We also wanted a change of direction in music and attitude so the easiest thing was to Kill Hydra off and start in a totally different location.
Venue
"Lancaster is better for live music, but we are still looking at events in Morecambe."
Ian also works closely with Cat Dobson and Will Swanson, the organisers of the regular Feedback gigs in Lancaster. It was Cat who suggested the Farmers Arms as the venue for Labyrinth.
He says: "I don't know what I'd do without Cat. There's no way anyone else would put on the kind of gigs she does. We usually fight like cat and dog about our tastes in music," (boom boom) Ian adds without intending the pun.
As for the future, Ian has high hopes for Labyrinth – as well as the possibility of starting his very own local festival.
He says: "With this being the last ever Wasted Festival, we are thinking of trying for funding and sponsorship off companies to look at doing our own festival next year. It won't be a pure punk festival, but a 'punk and roll festival' – we will start doing some feasibility studies soon to see if its worth it.".