Fishy business- the story so far (from surprise hits to censored gold!)
- domgarnett
- May 12
- 3 min read
What a disruptive, exciting, terrifying story the year has been so far. In the midst of a chaotic world and all sorts of upheavals, I have attempted to launch Part Man Part Fish and keep the creative fire burning. The results have been... mixed? Fishy?
Fish feast or famine?
First of all, the good bits have been huge fun. The single "Rubbish" has been the highlight, with a whopping 15K+ views and listens, with 8K on YouTube alone. How on earth did that happen? The song also got played, along with some others on the excellent Vixen FM independent music show "The Fox's Den" with Bill Horncastle.
And yet my other videos and releases have been rather underloved by comparison. Have I been too honest about spicy language or explicit content? To go from such a big first release to videos barely into the hundreds- and sometimes as low as >50 views is mental- but also tells you about the vagaries of online content and bots! Ironically, platforms like YouTube and FB fully allow crazy conspiracy theories and nutty content, but will red flag a satirical song. Weird.
I am especially gutted for my song "Sexy People, Trendy Sh**" - which is an assault on the world of fashion and consumerism. It has cool original artwork from Horace Lyle and Alex Garnett, and some of the most audaciously silly rhymes I've ever put down, but clearly it's been heavily censored or penalised. Judge its merits for yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSIwoAvumvo
Live shows and Exeter Open Mic Nights
It's easy to agonise over the world of views and listens and online platforms, but the main point of my music is expression and sharing ideas. And in so many ways, that is best done live and in person. And on that note, I've had great times at Exeter's Ship Inn Open Mic. With a great audience, it has been the perfect testing ground for songs, while Taking the Mic at Exeter Phoenix has also been fun:
What a huge buzz to get audience feedback crackling away! Across all my live shows so far, the best part has been the response. Two typical reactions stand out- the laughs, which are always welcome for what is by nature comedic music, and also people who simply give that "WTF?!!" expression! I live for this! Whether jaws drop because of the surreal lyrics or pure surprise, it's priceless. Even if my music isn't to everyone's taste it's nice to stand out!
Sometimes, you get a genuine mismatch with the venue, such as at the Honiton Beehive Arts Centre, where I felt like the bloke who'd bought a parrot to a dog show. But I still got lots of laughs and great responses -including from an ageing punk who loved the protest angle and the fact my songs are against big tech lunacy. Weirdly, I was also invited back, not to play my punk material, but to play the Bee Hive's piano after doing some blues and jazz during packing up time- and I'll be there on Sept 30th. I have a separate duo doing some stuff with singer Kimon Theodosis- such as this version of "St James Infirmary Blues":
Next stops for me will be at a special tribute to Veronica Gosling (May 16 at Studio 36) and Exeter Respect Festival (2:20 pm on June 6th, Stephen Lawrence Stage).
For everyone who has supported me so far, I'd like to say a huge thankyou. Do come and say hello next time you get the chance!
Comments