Page 8 - ION Indie Magazine MarchApril 2019

So, my friend rang a mate of his who made the 160-mile round trip to pick us up, take us to the gig,
then drive us home again…and I had to sort the motor out later in the week. The driver got paid a
king's ransom (well, he got bunged a few quid) and the whole evening ended up transforming into
an ever-increasing money pit over the ensuing days. But, it was worth every penny and we'd do the
same again as the gig itself was outstanding! I can honestly say that it ranked with the best I've been
to…and I've attended a lot of gigs in my time. All three musicians -- Rebecca Downes, Steve Birkett,
and a guest guitarist -- were in perfect sync whether they were singing, playing, or engaging in a bit
of repartee with the audience…who I've got to say were respectfully silent throughout but burst into
rapturous applause at the conclusion of each song.

Later, after a couple of encores, Rebecca did the old “meet and greet” routine. However, Rebecca
isn't the sort of person who goes through the motions of standing next to a pile of CDs and tee-shirts,
offering a limp-wristed handshake with one hand while trying to empty your wallet with the other.
While her manager manned the merch stand, Rebecca and guitarist Steve were genuinely happy to
meet the audience and take the time to have a chat, have their photos taken with them, and sign
merch for everybody who stayed after the performance -- until the last person was gone. This act
has class written all over it.

I met up with Rebecca to delve into her background and get the lowdown on the current state of play
in the making of her upcoming album.

Mal Whichelow: When did you start singing in public?

Rebecca Downes: I was about 13. I'd been asked to audition for a band at school, so our first public
gig was at school and I sang ‘Wonderful Tonight’ and ‘Run To You,’ the Bryan Adams song. Then
soon after that, we did a gig in a pub supporting a really, really heavy band. We went down well, and
I was shocked. Haha!

MW: At what point did you think, ‘I can make a career out of singing.’?

RD: Well, as soon as I went for the audition with the band, I just thought, ‘This is it. This is what I
wanna do.’

MW: What, at 13?

RD: Yeah, easy. This is what I wanna do, this is what I've been looking for.

MW: But did you really think, ‘I can make a living at this’ or was it just a bit of a dream?

RD: Well yeah, a dream, but it's kind of like you feel, ‘If I keep going, if I keep going, it may happen.”
And it's not all about being extra famous. It's about making a living out of it.

MW: That's quite a sensible attitude for a 13-year-old.

RD: Yeah, you always want to play Wembley and all those sorts of places. But at the time it wasn't
that X Factor generation. It was like, ‘What do we want to do? We want to write some songs and
play down at this local venue.’ I think it's a different outlook today. People just seek the fame. But for
us, it was about actually playing the music. I think it's shifted nowadays a lot. But when we first
started, it was, “Ah, man…let's get that gig down the road.’ That's really cool, y'know?

MW: That's what it is with these talent shows on the TV. People see it as a short-cut to fame.