Friday 18 May 2018
Saturday 30 December 2017
What have been some of your mistakes this year and what lessons have you learnt from them?
I’ve re-learnt something this year which actually comes from my experience with improv theatre; “your obvious might not be their obvious.” My experience booking gigs and running the crowdfunding campaign for my new album has been that you have to say what you want. If you’re asking someone for help, support or advice you actually have to ASK for it. Outlining the proposal and then failing to actually ask for support won’t get you anywhere. You can’t assume that people will pick up on the subtext, or that it will be obvious what you want or need. Your obvious might not be their obvious!
Maybe it’s a particularly British thing to not always say what we mean, we say things like “I don’t think I’ll be able to do that” when we mean “there is no chance at all that I will do that” or “things are a bit tough but I’ll manage” rather than “please help me immediately.”
I’ve re-learnt something this year which actually comes from my experience with improv theatre; “your obvious might not be their obvious.” My experience booking gigs and running the crowdfunding campaign for my new album has been that you have to say what you want. If you’re asking someone for help, support or advice you actually have to ASK for it. Outlining the proposal and then failing to actually ask for support won’t get you anywhere. You can’t assume that people will pick up on the subtext, or that it will be obvious what you want or need. Your obvious might not be their obvious!
Maybe it’s a particularly British thing to not always say what we mean, we say things like “I don’t think I’ll be able to do that” when we mean “there is no chance at all that I will do that” or “things are a bit tough but I’ll manage” rather than “please help me immediately.”
Tuesday 10 October 2017
Returning to comedy improv with The Improlectuals
I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be getting back into some comedy improv with my friends Nadi Kemp-Sayfi and Richard Baldwin.
We've formed a little group called The Improlectuals and our first show is on the 17th of November at Cherry Reds in John Bright Street, Birmingham city centre. Proceeds from the show will be going to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. There will be two more performers announced soon, both of whom I'm very excited to be working with. Please buy your tickets immediately.
My involvement with improv goes back to my uni days when I was in a comedy group which evolved from a final year performance. Our shows were a mix of scripted stuff, stand up and improv games. We took a show up to the Edinburgh Fringe, appeared on a shitty BBC 3 "talent contest" (semi finalists in fact which was something of a nightmare) and did three or four theatre shows of varying quality.
Later I was cast in a play called Tell Me About Your Ex, a verbatim piece which featured at at its conclusion some improvisation using stories submitted by the audience. Around this time I became involved with Foghorn Improv (later Foghorn Unscripted) as a musician and actor/improviser. Foghorn had a different approach and objectives to any of the groups I had worked with before. Their specialism was long-form improv and with them I took part in a great variety of improvised pieces including musicals, Sherlock Holmes and Charles Dickens themed stories, murder mysteries and an improvised cabaret show. The performances were always a rewarding challenge which developed my character and narrative improv skills. Occasionally I would also perform with Coventry based Wow Impro, another challenge entirely as this was a family friendly short form games night, meaning the safety net of getting cheap laughs with dirty language was removed (of course I would never demean my-fucking-self in such a pathetic way to get an easy laugh, but you know what I mean.)
Recently I've been retracing my steps with a lot of the things I'm passionate about, in the way I expect everybody does from time to time, but this is my blog and I'm having a moment so just indulge me. All the old episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway? are available on All 4 (and youtube without the ad breaks, truth be told) and I have found myself gorging on that of late. The show feels primordial to me as if it's part of my make up. I think my mom and older brother must have watched it as I was growing up. I feel the same about The Crystal Maze and the Austin/MG Metro; they basically are my childhood. I'm pretty sure, thinking back, that I had a go at getting some friends to do sketch comedy with me way back in secondary school. I would have described my ambitions as very much a mix of Not The Nine O'Clock News and Monty Python plus maybe a bit of Fast Show thrown in along with lashings of impro ala Whose Line. Consequently hardly any of my peers would have had any idea what I was talking about. How thrilling it was later to meet talented, enthusiastic people with a similar passion for this once rather maligned form.
Whilst talking about other people who love it, how brilliant is it that a little community of comedy improv performers and enthusiasts appears to be thriving in the midlands. As well as Foghorn Unscripted and Wow Impro there are a whole load of troupes including Box of Frogs, The Kneejerks, Jumprov and Fat Penguin Improv.
There's a dedicated Midlands Improv blog.
There's even Birmingham Improv Festival which runs from the 23rd to the 29th of October.
Don't get me started on the scene beyond the midlands, as I shall wet myself with excitement. I mean there's The Noise Next Door, Austentatious and Heather Urquhart to name but them.
Anyway come and see The Improlectuals on the 17th of November.
Ta!
We've formed a little group called The Improlectuals and our first show is on the 17th of November at Cherry Reds in John Bright Street, Birmingham city centre. Proceeds from the show will be going to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. There will be two more performers announced soon, both of whom I'm very excited to be working with. Please buy your tickets immediately.
My involvement with improv goes back to my uni days when I was in a comedy group which evolved from a final year performance. Our shows were a mix of scripted stuff, stand up and improv games. We took a show up to the Edinburgh Fringe, appeared on a shitty BBC 3 "talent contest" (semi finalists in fact which was something of a nightmare) and did three or four theatre shows of varying quality.
Later I was cast in a play called Tell Me About Your Ex, a verbatim piece which featured at at its conclusion some improvisation using stories submitted by the audience. Around this time I became involved with Foghorn Improv (later Foghorn Unscripted) as a musician and actor/improviser. Foghorn had a different approach and objectives to any of the groups I had worked with before. Their specialism was long-form improv and with them I took part in a great variety of improvised pieces including musicals, Sherlock Holmes and Charles Dickens themed stories, murder mysteries and an improvised cabaret show. The performances were always a rewarding challenge which developed my character and narrative improv skills. Occasionally I would also perform with Coventry based Wow Impro, another challenge entirely as this was a family friendly short form games night, meaning the safety net of getting cheap laughs with dirty language was removed (of course I would never demean my-fucking-self in such a pathetic way to get an easy laugh, but you know what I mean.)
Recently I've been retracing my steps with a lot of the things I'm passionate about, in the way I expect everybody does from time to time, but this is my blog and I'm having a moment so just indulge me. All the old episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway? are available on All 4 (and youtube without the ad breaks, truth be told) and I have found myself gorging on that of late. The show feels primordial to me as if it's part of my make up. I think my mom and older brother must have watched it as I was growing up. I feel the same about The Crystal Maze and the Austin/MG Metro; they basically are my childhood. I'm pretty sure, thinking back, that I had a go at getting some friends to do sketch comedy with me way back in secondary school. I would have described my ambitions as very much a mix of Not The Nine O'Clock News and Monty Python plus maybe a bit of Fast Show thrown in along with lashings of impro ala Whose Line. Consequently hardly any of my peers would have had any idea what I was talking about. How thrilling it was later to meet talented, enthusiastic people with a similar passion for this once rather maligned form.
Whilst talking about other people who love it, how brilliant is it that a little community of comedy improv performers and enthusiasts appears to be thriving in the midlands. As well as Foghorn Unscripted and Wow Impro there are a whole load of troupes including Box of Frogs, The Kneejerks, Jumprov and Fat Penguin Improv.
There's a dedicated Midlands Improv blog.
There's even Birmingham Improv Festival which runs from the 23rd to the 29th of October.
Don't get me started on the scene beyond the midlands, as I shall wet myself with excitement. I mean there's The Noise Next Door, Austentatious and Heather Urquhart to name but them.
Anyway come and see The Improlectuals on the 17th of November.
Ta!
Monday 7 August 2017
New gig announcements
More to follow soon...
Friday 22nd September
King Charles Room, The Kings Head and Bell,
Abingdon
Saturday 7th October
Old Low Light, North Shields
Friday 27th October
House Concert, Idstein, Germany
Saturday 28th October
House Concert, Bad Homburg, Germany
Saturday 18th November
Anima Jazz Bar, Warrington
Thursday 3 August 2017
I've been in the studio this week working on a new track. It's been really exciting; I like the song a lot and the process has been really smooth. I'm working once again with my friend Matthew Pinfield.
So far I've played lots of guitar which has included using my trusty brown Strat and this beautiful Gretsch
I've also played a bit of piano
Friday 23 June 2017
The United Tour
I had the most amazing time on The United Tour, my join headline tour with Kyshona Armstrong. We performed in Camden, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Leicester, Maidenhead, Market Rasen, and Sedgefield.
How amazing to have people turn out to support us everywhere on what was my first proper headline tour and Kyshona's second visit to the UK. Here's some images from the tour
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| BBC WM for an interview with Paul Franks |
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| We then did an interview "down the line" to BBC Lincolnshire with Rob Underwood |
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| Our first gig was at MENCAP in Birmingham to help raise money for their hockey team's trip to Holland |
Green Note, Camden. Images by Tony Birch
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| On the way to Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham |
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| Image by Ian Lane |
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| Image by Ian Lane |
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| Kyshona drives in the UK! |
BBC Leicester (on a narrow boat!)
Election night curry!
The Musician, Leicester
Nordern Farm, Maidenhead
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| Image by Adam Jenkins |
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| Image by Adam Jenkins |
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| Image by Adam Jenkins |
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| Piercebridge church |
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| Piercebridge Roman Fort |
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| The amazing Manor House, Sedgefield was the scene of our final gig |
Monday 29 May 2017
My first album has received a couple of reviews recently
Tony Birch at Fatea
http://www.fatea-records.co.uk/magazine/reviews/RobertLane2/
Phil the Music Quill
https://philthequill.wordpress.com/2017/04/02/156-robert-lanes-debut-album-robert-lane/
Some of the songs on that album go back a fair way now, and it's interesting to read these reviews and think about the process and context of writing them. Tony at Fatea draws particular focus to Don't Know Love. This is a song that I remember being pretty proud of at the time, but it's fallen out of my regular set list, probably because it's pretty hard to perform!
Tony Birch at Fatea
http://www.fatea-records.co.uk/magazine/reviews/RobertLane2/
Phil the Music Quill
https://philthequill.wordpress.com/2017/04/02/156-robert-lanes-debut-album-robert-lane/
Some of the songs on that album go back a fair way now, and it's interesting to read these reviews and think about the process and context of writing them. Tony at Fatea draws particular focus to Don't Know Love. This is a song that I remember being pretty proud of at the time, but it's fallen out of my regular set list, probably because it's pretty hard to perform!
Friday 7 April 2017
recent radio and media appearances
Many thanks to Neil King for playing my track Day To Day on
his Along The Tracks show recently. You can listen again via mix cloud
https://www.mixcloud.com/AlongTheTracks/along-the-tracks-show-248/
Robb Powell is playing one of my tracks and a song from
Kyshona on his show on NNBC FM 106.9 Northampton tonight (Friday 7th of
April.). Those outside of Northampton can listen via the Tune In mobile app and
online via the website at www.nnbc.co.uk
Show starts at 7pm. Thanks Robb!
The United Tour has received coverage from Building Our OwnNashville and Sam Liddicott's musicmusingsandsuch
Phil the musical quill recently reviewed my first album
The United Tour with Kyshona Armstrong
Have I mentioned how thrilled and excited I am to be going on a joint headline tour with the fantastic Kyshona Armstrong, who flies over from Nashville especially to do these shows!?
I'm so pleased this is happening. The tickets are on sale now and moving fast so make sure you get yours now. Here's proof of how great Kyshona is
6th June Green Note Camden
7th June Kitchen Garden Cafe Birmingham
11th June The Musician Leicester
13th June The Stables 2 Milton Keynes
15th June Norden Farm Centre for the Arts Maidenhead
16th June Festival Hall Market Rasen (triple header with
Jonathan Byrd)
17th June The Manor House Sedgefield
I'm so pleased this is happening. The tickets are on sale now and moving fast so make sure you get yours now. Here's proof of how great Kyshona is
Wednesday 8 February 2017
The Band
Heard a great interview with Robbie Robertson, love his philosophy about music and how musicianship can be about leaving space. I’ve always felt that way but struggled to articulate it. I’ve got a deeply ingrained but slightly unexplainable love for the music of The Band and the feel of the music they created.
The Band's music is another example of the idea of genre being a load of tishy tosh. It bothers and surprises me that people remain so hung up on what counts as folk/blues/rock/pop/rock and roll or whatever. It’s all a big cake and always has been, why so precious? Like so many “traditional” things when you look at them these set rules are not as old as anybody thinks anyway.
This post is of course something of a disclaimer to be used as a defence when people say my music doesn’t fit the “rules” of some genre or style. I like like lots of music and we are all informed by what we’ve listened to. There’s plenty of people sticking within the set parameters of genres and making fantastic music, and more power to them. I’m probably a jack of a few trades and far from a master of any but I think I’d get bored throwing my musical eggs into one basket.
Monday 26 September 2016
Coverage of Cresecent Mondays present Robert Lane
I'm really looking forward to this gig http://www.crescent-theatre.co.uk/theatre-event/?EventID=77330
featuring my friends Ashland
It's great to see the gig getting some coverage online;
http://livebrum.co.uk/the-crescent-theatre/2016/10/10/robert-lane
https://www.list.co.uk/event/644163-robert-lane/
http://birmingham.carpediem.cd/events/1036592-crescent-mondays-presents-robert-lane-at-the-crescent/
https://www.facebook.com/events/329441154062889/permalink/338930773113927/
featuring my friends Ashland
It's great to see the gig getting some coverage online;
http://livebrum.co.uk/the-crescent-theatre/2016/10/10/robert-lane
https://www.list.co.uk/event/644163-robert-lane/
http://birmingham.carpediem.cd/events/1036592-crescent-mondays-presents-robert-lane-at-the-crescent/
https://www.facebook.com/events/329441154062889/permalink/338930773113927/
Wednesday 14 September 2016
Nashville in the Round
I've had a brilliant time on tour supporting "Nashville in the Round" a songwriters circle featuring Jenn Bostic, Sarah Darling and Kyshona Armstrong. The tour has taken in venues around the UK in places including London, Norwich, Birmingham, Southport and Maidenhead. The shows have been sold out, the crowds fantastic and Kyshona, Sarah and Jenn not only fantastic musicians and songwriters but very lovely people too.
Here's some images (of varying quality) from the tour.
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| Tiny (but comfortable) motel room |
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| Stage set at The Atkinson, Southport |
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| Sarah, Jenn and Kyshona at The Hive, Shrewsbury |
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| Image by Andy at Photocillin Photography |
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| Sarah, Jenn and Kyshona at a very full and sweaty Bicycle Shop, Norwich |
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| Me and Kyshona |
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| Image by Andy at Photocillin Photography |
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| Me and Kyshona |
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| Me and Jenn |
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| Me and Sarah |
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| Image by Andy at Photocillin Photography |
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| Image by Andy at Photocillin Photography |
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