Armed Forces Day: June 29 2013

WHILE he was heading for a career as a pop star a matter of months after leaving school, many of Sam Beeton's friends were joining the Army.
It's one of the reasons that the 22-year-old from Carlton, who signed to major record label SonyBMG at the age of 16, is lining up on the main stage at Victoria Embankment on Saturday for Armed Forces Day.
"The majority of my friends from school are now in the Armed Forces," says Sam, who went to Carlton Le Willows School and appeared on national TV and radio, toured with James Morrison and Scouting For Girls, and modelled for Burberry while still in his teens.
"Phil Booth, who was the drummer in my very first band, is currently serving in the Navy and my next door neighbour returned recently from Iraq.
"So I know quite a few people who are connected to the Armed Forces. If friends and people close to you are in peril you naturally want to support them."
Sam will be playing a mix of old and new songs on Saturday.
"I'm currently working on a new album with producers Fraser T Smith and Livingstone Brown," he says.



For his set just after noon he'll be joined by Joe Strange.
"I'm supporting Armed Forces Day as I feel it's important to show respect to the individuals who are prepared to sacrifice so much for our country," says Joe, who grew up in Hucknall but now lives in Sherwood.
"It's not about the politics," he insists.
"You'll never see a politician on the front line would you?"
Joe's dad was in the RAF and served in Cyprus.
"I'm very proud of him," he says.
He and his band, who have been regulars at The Southbank and The Approach for the past six years will be playing original material from a forthcoming album due out in August.
"There are a lot of soldiers who come to see the band and they are great guys," says Joe.



ABBA tribute band Arrival UK will close the show with a set at 5.30pm.
"We have performed for our Armed Forces many times over the last 17 years throughout the UK and across Europe and it is with great pride that we find ourselves performing at AFD," says Mark Pemberton, who plays as Benny Andersson from the Swedish supergroup.
"The families of these brave Service personnel are the ones who live the day-to-day reality of having a member of their family so far away, always hoping they are safe."
He adds: "Sarah, who plays Agnetha, has three generations of Servicemen in her family; her great-grandfather was awarded the Military Medal for Gallantry during the First World War. Her grandfather was among the code-breakers at Bletchley Park during the Second World War, for which he received an MBE."
Also on the main stage are Erin Parker's Sounds Of The 1940s, the Band of HM Royal Portsmouth and Military Wives the Marham Bluebirds.
The Community Stage at Victoria Embankment will include performances from Carlton & District Royal British Legion, Nottingham Theatre Dance School, Nottinghamshire Army Cadet Force Band, Sinners Highway, The Establishment and Velvet Divine, among others.



"I don't feel that our troops and Armed Forces get the recognition and thanks they deserve for doing the job they're required to do," says Steve McGill, 34, an acoustic singer-songwriter from Arnold.
"I have friends in the military who, despite their darkest fears, particularly during Government cutbacks, remain incredibly proud to serve."
Steve, who is planning a new album in September, will be playing a mix of original songs and covers on the Community Stage.
He says: "This event is a way of saying thanks to them and their families."

Which Nottingham musicians to follow on Twitter

May 2012

May 29 2012 is Nottingham Trending Day on Twitter. Follow @NottinghamTrend to find out more about the campaign. Meanwhile, here are the Notts musicians with the biggest number of followers...

JayMcGuiness

@JayTheWanted

380,530 followers

Born in Newark, Jay studied at the Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama (MADD) in Carlton then auditioned for, among other things, a new British boy band. The Wanted are now one of Britain’s biggest alongside One Direction and JLS, with No. 1 singles and albums and sell-out tours.

Joel Peat

@LawsonJoel

25,855 followers

He is guitarist with Lawson, a new guitar band who supported The Wanted on their arena tour earlier this year. Joel grew up in Ravenshead and following his A levels moved to Guildford in Surrey to study at The Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM). But he quit after a year to try and make it with Lawson, the band he’d joined while at college. After three years of touring the UK gig circuit, Lawson were picked to open for The Wanted on their theatre tour. At the end of that they signed to Polydor. As well as another tour with The Wanted, Lawson have played shows with Avril Lavigne and recently returned from Los Angeles where they finished recording their debut album. That’s due for release late summer.

Dog Is Dead

@Dog_Is_Dead

6,185 followers

After signing to Atlantic Records last year, the Rushcliffe quintet have supported Bombay Bicycle Club, played major festivals such as Latitude, Bestival and Leeds and Reading, had airplay on and played sessions for Radio 1 and BBC 6Music, and appeared on the Channel 4 soap Skins. They’ve even played at Fashion Week in Milan for Burberry.

So far they’ve released two singles for the label, Hands Down and Two Devils. A third is due next month.

They play Rock City on Sunday as part of the Dot to Dot festival.

Liam Bailey

@liambailey

6,101 followers

The soul singer, who grew up in Beeston, released two singles on Amy Winehouse’s own label before signing to Polydor. He guested on the Chase & Status Top 5 hit Blind Faith and joined the duo on their UK and European tours. Despite finishing his album for Polydor it was never released. They parted company last year. Songs he’d recorded with Amy Winehouse were also lost when his laptop was stolen. Since then his single When Will They Learn? was played on Radio 1, as was Breathe by Delilah, which features Liam’s vocals.

He’ll be joining Natalie Duncan and other Notts musicians at Nottingham Contemporary on July 6.

THePETEBOX

@THePETEBOX

4,617 followers

THE award-winning beatboxer has played shows from as far afield as Mexico and Africa. He’s supported dance troupe Diversity on a sell-out tour and his videos have been seen by millions on YouTube. The Australian-born Sneinton resident recently released his debut album Future Loops.

Jake Bugg

@jakebugg

4.412 followers

He signed to Mercury Records last year and has since released three singles with an album due in October. Although he is a big fan of Donovan and Don McLean, the 18-year-old has been drifting across genres with his singles, from classic Bob Dylan (Trouble Town), tender country (Country Song) and raw garage rock (Lightning Bolt). He’s been playlisted on Radio 1, opened a show for Example at Rock City, toured Europe with Michael Kiwanuka and Country Song is currently being used to soundtrack the TV ad campaign for Greene King IPA. Last week he appeared on Later With Jools Holland alongside Jimmy Cliff and Paloma Faith.

He’ll be at Rock City on Sunday as part of the Dot to Dot festival.

Sam Beeton

@sam_beeton

2.926 followers

The 23-year-old from Carlton is an old hand at this pop music lark having been signed to major label SonyBMG at the age of just 17. He released one single, toured with Sandi Thom, James Morrison, Scouting For Girls and Paolo Nutini and even played a show with Katy Perry.

After a period of stagnation on the label, Sam set up Sweet Luigi Records, through which he has released an EP every month via a subscription service. Two of his songs, Under The Fence and The Storyteller, have been played on Radio 2 and he performed the latter on BBC 2’s The Review Show. He’s also an occasional Burberry model.

Ronika

@ohronikagirl

1057 followers

SHE has been dubbed “the Madonna of the Midlands” for her 80s-influenced dance pop, that has earned Lowdham’s Veronica Sampson attention from the Mirror, The Sunday Times, the NME and the Guardian, who described her as “destined for pop greatness”. Last month Radio 1 played her latest single Automatic. Chic’s Nile Rodgers tweeted that he thought the track was “dope”. She’s due to hit the chart soon guesting on the new single by dance producer Herve.

* follower numbers correct 4pm May 25 2012

Sam Beeton

May 2012

HE is Nottingham born and bred and yet some in his home city think Sam Beeton is a US export. "It's true," laughs the 23-year-old, who grew up in Carlton. "Lots of people think I'm American. They stop me in the street and say: 'My God! What are you doing here?'"

Why would they think that?

"Probably because of the What You Look For video. You can tell it was filmed in the US."

The video, shot in Los Angeles, was for his debut single for SonyBMG, released four years ago. It was played on national radio and the video screened on all the key TV shows.

But up until recently, it was all there was to see of Sam Beeton.

The single, described by The Guardian as "like You're Beautiful, only not nauseating," stalled outside the UK Top 40. The record label would never release another one of his songs.

He'd finished his debut album for them and promotional copies of No Definite Answer were sent out to reviewers. But it never made it into the shops. Sam was 18 at the time.

"I have ideas in my head of what a terrible time that was," he admits. "But I watched the video recently, for the first time in a year-and-a-half and I thought it was a perfectly good pop song."

He'd signed to the label a year earlier after being spotted by a local record producer playing at an open mike night at the Old Volunteer pub in Carlton. He recorded a few songs with Sam, which made their way to the ears of an A&R scout for SonyBMG, home to Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Mariah Carey and Beyonce.

Despite just one single release, he remained on the label for the next three years and toured with the likes of Sandi Thom, James Morrison, Scouting For Girls and Paolo Nutini. He also played a show with Katy Perry.

"It was in the gossip bit of the Daily Star about Katy Perry taking a shine to me," he chuckles.

While still with the label he racked up over 100 recordings. When none of them saw the light of day Sam broke free and set up his own label, Sweet Luigi. Through that he created the Record Club, a subscription service, where over 2,000 fans around the world receive a new EP every month.

He launched Record Club: Season Two earlier this month.

"It still takes me two weeks out of every month to package, sign and post the CDs. The only difference this time is that we're paying a company to print the sleeves."

Doing it his way has worked. Two of his songs, Under The Fence and The Storyteller, were played on Radio 2. And he performed the latter on BBC 2's The Review Show.

"They're not supposed to clap," he says. "It's supposed to end with silence, so that was a bit surreal. But they clapped. Eventually."

It wasn't his first time on TV. Back when What You Look For was released, he appeared on ITV's This Morning, then presented by Eamonn Holmes and wife Ruth Langsford.

"It's good to see how, over time, those videos of my early TV appearances are slowly fading away in terms of views on YouTube. And the views for the new videos are growing."

The new videos are self-made for his Record Club but they include a few filmed for Burberry, the fashion label he's modelled for.

The first photo session, seen in the likes of GQ, was shot by Mario Testino, A-list photographer famed for his pics of Princess Di.

"The guy in charge at Burberry had see the What You Look For video and wanted me to get involved in this campaign. And I thought 'why not?'"

He adds: "The guy who runs Burberry is a member of the Record Club and mentioned me in Rolling Stone in the US, saying that my song My Doll inspired him to create the latest collection. Which is just madness.

"I get invited to a lot of Burberry events and I go when I can. It's a red carpet job with the press taking your photo... the whole thing. At one I was sat between Paul Weller and Kanye West. It's a strange experience."

On the back of the Burberry shoots, Sam has had offers from other labels like Ralph Lauren. One jeans company in New York asked him to do a photo shoot with a topless Jade Jagger.

"I thought, 'well, that's nice' but it doesn't really fit in with the music. I've been offered a few things recently but they've been straight modelling and nothing to do with music. I'm lucky enough to be able to turn them down."

Sam recently toured the UK opening for Charlie Simpson, best known for being the frontman of boy band Busted, then rock band Fightstar. He's someone keen to forget his past.

"Oh man, he really does," says Sam.

"Someone came up to him with a Busted album and asked him to sign it and he said 'no'. And it wasn't for a joke, he was a genuine Busted fan."

He adds: "When we played Exeter, Joss Stone turned up and she invited us to her bar, Mama Stone's. And we had a little dance with her. No, not a cuddling dance."

In recent weeks he's been writing with Judie Tzuke, the Seventies singer behind the hit single Stay With Me Till Dawn and the Top 10 album Sportscar.

"She was signed to Elton John's own label and she's got some really interesting stories. She lives in this huge house in Surrey, where she has a studio. Paul Carrack was there to record a Beatles covers album. And Peter Cox from Go West turned up. It was a bit weird."

How did that happen?

"She got in touch with my producer because her daughter had seen one of my videos and told her that we should work together."

With all these connections and the exposure on TV and radio, isn't there another major label deal on the table?

"There has been interest. I've been for meetings. There's one label in particular that keeps getting in touch."

So what's the problem?

"I don't want a repeat of what happened five years ago. I don't want to fall into that trap of signing and then they don't do what was promised."

There's another reason many may not realise that Sam Beeton is a Nottingham musician and that's because he's not part of the local scene.

But he's making friends with his headline show at the Glee Club tomorrow, where he'll be joined by two well-known Notts artists.

"I've seen Kagoule a few times," he says of the young guitar band. "And I saw Nina Smith play at Rock City when we did Concert For Life for the Julie Cotton Foundation. Although that was a few years ago. She'll be doing her set with beatboxer Mota Mouf, who I've seen quite a few times at the Plainsman in Mapperley."

He adds: "I'm looking forward to it. I've not played a headline show in Nottingham for years. And I am from Nottingham, you know..."

Sam Beeton & Friends: Nina Smith and Kagoule, The Glee Club, Nottingham, Saturday May 12 2012, 7pm, £6 on the door.

Concert For Life 2010

March 2010

ACCORDING to Mark Cotton it shouldn’t work.

But the Notts firefighter is now readying himself for the sixth Concert For Life at Rock City.

And why shouldn’t it work? Because it’s at the 1,750 capacity Rock City, more used to international bands than a collection of local talent -- most of who are tribute bands.

And it’s put together by non-professionals, like Mark and his co-organiser Ben Hicklin.

“Of course we put a lot of work in, we have a lot of help, a lot of support from companies but I still don’t know why it works so well every year,” admits Mark.

For a second year the funds from Concert For Life will go to Billy’s Appeal, named after Billy Greenall who was just three when he was diagnosed with Wilms’ tumour. He is now eight.

The initial target was £2m to provide a place in Nottingham where families could stay while their children were being treated for cancer. Billy’s House opened in Derby Road near the QMC last summer.

It is run by cancer charity CLIC Sargent, which has six others across the country.

“We’re raising money to keep the place running,” says Mark, who set up The Julie Cotton Foundation after losing his wife to cancer in 2001.

This year features Madness tribute Baggy Trousers (the only non-local act on), plus U2 tribute ZU2, The Nathan Wall Band who play Kings Of Leon/Killers songs, plus Mercury: A Tribute To Queen.

“Mercury are a pretty big tribute band who we haven’t used before,” says Mark.

“They seem to be popular with the public.”

Indeed. Just last year they played to 2,000 people at the unveiling of a memorial stone to Freddie Mercury in Feltham, West London, his former hometown.

“We’ve also got some stuff happening in the basement. Steve McGill will be introducing local talent on the acoustic stage and we’ll have hip-hop artists like Scor-Zay-Zee.

“We’re big fans of hip-hop aren’t we,” chips in Sam, wryly.

“On the way here today we were had 50 Cent on in the car.”

Nottingham rapper Scor-Zay-Zee starred alongside Paddy Considine in Shane Meadows’ low budget movie Le Donk and Scor-Zay-Zee.

Sam is the only signed musician on the bill. He’s still in the process of working on a debut album for Sony BMG. So far he’s had one single released, What You Look For, which reached a frustrating No. 41 in the UK chart.

The 21-year-old from Carlton, who has a wardrobe full of Burberry thanks to a spot of modelling for the brand, is also working on music for a film.

“I can’t disclose what the film is but it’s quite an exciting thing to be involved in.”

He has played every Concert For Life since the first in 2002.

“That was one of the first gigs I played,” he says.

“Mark is a close family friend, it is for a good cause but I do it because they have an excellent plate of biscuits backstage.”

He adds: “Everyone is there to have a laugh and we do every time.”

Says Mark: “It is a fun night for the bands and people who come down.”

The catering actually extends beyond a handful of chocolate digestives as family and friends who put on the gig will be sitting down to a three course meal before the doors open.

“It’s part of the support we get from local companies. The flyers we’ve had are done for free by Linney Print and we’ve had help from Crowne Plaza Hotel, Shirtysomething, Confetti studios and everybody at Rock City.

“The event is only made possible by their support and the people who turn up to the concert. I can't thank them enough.”

Gig

What: Concert For Life

With: Mercury, ZU2, Baggy Trousers, Sam Beeton, The Nathan Wall Band, Scor-Zay-Zee and others.

Where: Rock City, Talbot Street

When: Easter Sunday, April 4, 5pm until late

Tickets: £12/£14, from Rock City box office, Foremans Bar and The Old Volunteer in Carlton or call 0871 310 0000

Concert For Life

March 2009



SHOULD Sam Beeton's star rise to the heights his record label SonyBMG expect, the 20-year-old Carlton singer-songwriter will still find time for the annual bash at Rock City for the Julie Cotton Foundation.
AUDIO: Listen to the full studio interview with Mark Cotton & Sam Beeton
"It really is a charity close to my heart," says Sam, who will headline the next gig for the charity on Easter Sunday, April 12.
"After that first Rock City gig, which was my first big public appearance, I've been there ever since," he says of the debut concert in 2002, when he was just 14.
"I had an acoustic guitar and sang and thankfully everyone was quiet."
"He did exceptionally well," adds Mark Cotton, a firefighter from Carlton who set up the foundation after losing his wife to cancer in 2001.
"Everyone listened. You know, this is in a busy Rock City. But he had a big voice."
"I did a Nina Simone song and a Bob Dylan song," says Sam.
"It'll be a little different this year because I'll be bringing my band along and I'll be doing my new songs."
Sam's debut single late last year, What You Look For, stalled at No. 41 in the UK chart and since then he's been re-recording his debut album with James Morrison's producer Fraser T. Smith, who co-wrote the No. 2 single Broken Strings.
"It's been going really well," says Sam.
"The thing is, we keep coming up with songs that are better than what we had before."
He adds: "It'll be good to play live again. The last gigs I did were in December supporting Scouting For Girls."
That included a date at the Trent FM Arena. Prior to that he played a tour of UK forests with James Morrison.
Sam got involved with the Julie Cotton Foundation gigs because the Beetons and the Cottons have been friends for years, he says.
Last year's gig attracted 1,500 people and raised £12,000 for Leukaemia Research's work at Nottingham City Hospital
Mark says: "The public, the local community, local businesses all got behind it and we're hoping to better that this year because obviously the more tickets sold, the more money is raised."
Each year they choose a particular project to raise funds for. Last year's Concert for Liam was named after Liam Doherty, the eight-year-old from Arnold who had lost his battle against cancer.
This year the money will go to Billy's Appeal, a £2m project to refurbish a house for families of children with cancer who are being treated at the E38 Ward at the Queen's Medical Centre.
Billy Greenall, who was on the ward with Liam, is one of those children.
"Billy is doing very well," says Mark.
"He's been in remission for a couple of years. Billy's parents set up this fund because they wanted something that would be useful to families like theirs."
The fund is part of CLIC Sargent's Home From Home scheme, a children's cancer charity project that provides accommodation for parents of children being treated for cancer.
Billy's House, which will be the eighth of its kind in the UK, is due to be officially opened in June.
"It's a big detached house opposite the Queen's Medical Centre," says Mark.
"It will accommodate six families while their children are having chemotherapy and radiotherapy. So it's a good local project. All of the ticket money will go that fund."
As well as Sam Beeton there are a variety of bands on the bill that will start late afternoon and run in to the night.
They include covers bands Blaze Of Glory (Bon Jovi), Basketcase (Green Day), The Phonics (Stereophonics), Modfathers (Paul Weller) and Baggy Trousers (Madness).
Nottingham's 13th Hour, who won The Confetti Battle of the Bands will also appear alongside The Joe Strange Band, original punks Resistance 77, plus Pistola Kicks, Silent Film Project and Against Spoken Words.
"It was important to have covers bands playing because we will have a lot of people going along who perhaps don't really go and see live music normally. And the songs will be familiar to them.
"There will be a few more musicians playing a few acoustics songs, coming on in between the bands as well."
He adds: "It's a unique night. George Akins, who owns Rock City, has said that it breaks the rules because it works really well when it shouldn't.
"It can be an emotional night because it's very personal to a lot of people. And those putting it on are putting a lot of heart and soul in to it.
"Rock City have been great. They don't take anything off us. They have offered help with the organising and they do have their own bar staff and we do ask for security but we like to do our own thing."
They have a lot of professionals on board, giving their services for free. Such as sound engineer Neil Allen, who is currently working with Girls Aloud. And the Eastwood-based outside broadcast company Arqiva, who have filmed everything from The Antiques Roadshow to Sky Sports. They'll be filming the show for a DVD to sell in order to raise further funds for Billy's Appeal.
Sam says: "If you are going to go to one gig this year make it this one."

Concert For Life, Rock City, Sunday April 12, tickets are £10 in advance from Rock City (call 0871 310 0000), The Old Volunteer pub in Carlton and Foreman's Bar in Forman Street.

Sam Beeton's Burberry Boost

January 2009


(Sam Beeton, right)


The face of Nottingham's greatest pop hope in years will be splashed across fashion and lifestyle magazines over the coming months as part of a new Burberry campaign. SIMON WILSON caught up with Sam Beeton to find out what freebies he walked away with and to be told "Katy Perry fancies me"...
WHEN your first single on a major record label fails to hit the Top 40, pushing back the release of your debut album, it can be a worry that – as so often happens in the music industry – you're finished before you've even started.
Fortunately, SonyBMG believe in Carlton 20-year-old Sam Beeton.
So do we.
The release of his album No Definite Answer, which was originally intended to hit shelves last autumn, will now be re-recorded and repackaged. A likely release date is late spring or early summer. Over the past few weeks he's been recording new songs for it.
"They've got a kind of Smiths-y feel to them. And I've hit the nail on the head with this producer, Fraser T Smith. I got to know him through James Morrison and he's into the same stuff as me."
Smith co-wrote Morrison's No. 2 single Broken Strings.
Sam's album will feature five or six song changes from its first pressing, copies of which were sent to the media but never released.
"We're going to change the look of the album as well. It's not exactly what I am. The marketing people tried to direct it at a certain audience."
A younger audience, you mean?
"Definitely. I can't blame them. We've had a crack at that but that's not me. I sound like a little boy and I was when I recorded it. To look at me now and hear me now I've changed unbelievably."
And best of all when you're a success I can stick my copy of the album on eBay.
"(Laughs) Yes, that's best of all."
Before then we'll be seeing Sam on the pages of magazines like GQ for the new Burberry campaign, shot by Mario Testino, A-list photographer famed for his pics of Princess Di.
"I just had an email from the record company that the bloke in charge of Burberry had been a fan of the track (What You Look For) or had seen the video and wanted me to get involved in this campaign. I thought 'why not?'"
And you might meet some fit models.
"(Laughs) Yeah, you know, it opened up a few possibilities."
The idea behind the campaign is Englishness and youth and talent. Others also making their modelling debut were George Craig from indie band One Night Only and actor Alex Pettyfer. They are pictured with models Lily Donaldson, Eden Clark, Alexina Graham, Richard Wyndham and Emily Hope.
There are two images that feature Sam, one of which is in a greenhouse and he's wearing, well, it's a flasher mac isn't it?
"(Laughs) I can assure you I was fully clothed underneath that."
The coat will set you back about £2,000 if you want to re-create the look.
"It's for the well-to-do flasher."
The shoot was at Petersham Nurseries just outside London.
"It was a very posh," says Sam. "The sort of place that Alex James out of Blur would go to for his dinner.
"You know, really tweedy."
And it was done last November.
"I was sworn to secrecy. I wasn't allowed to talk about it. They take it very seriously."
So what freebies did he get?
"I got a nice present at Christmas in a big Burberry box. I got a very nice scarf thing arrangement. And a few jackets. Very nice."
Not the sort of stuff you'd normally wear?
"I'm more of a River Island man."
Previous celebrities to appear in Burberry's bi-annual campaigns include Kate Moss and Agyness Deyn, as well as actor Sam Riley, after he was spotted in the movie Control which was filmed in Nottingham.
He adds: "I did a gig with Katy Perry last year and it's in the gossip bit of the Daily Star about Katy Perry taking a shine to me."
So since then you've been on MySpace sending her messages.
"Yeah, all day," he adds laughing.
Has he got girlfriend yet?
"No. It's not for lack of trying."

Scouting For Girls

November 2008

THEY have been on the road pretty much for the past 18 months flogging their debut album time and again in to the upper reaches of the chart.
And it's worked -- still sitting in the top twenty 14 months since its release.
And it's produced the hits She's So Lovely, Elvis Ain't Dead, Heartbeat and the reissued debut EP It's Not About You. But the latest single, I Wish I Was James Bond, only scraped in to the chart at No. 40.
Suggesting it's time for some material.
"We're hoping to get in to the studio early next year," says bassist Greg Churchouse.
"The album is well on the way. It's just when we get some time off from touring."
The relentless tour has seen them play the Rescue Rooms, then Rock City, with The Feeling at Clumber Park and now they're back again, at the Trent FM Arena this weekend.
"It's going to be a lot bigger and better visually this time round," he says.
Any dancing bears?
"Unfortunately not. The only dancers will be the three fools on stage."
Are you firing any cub scouts out of a canon?
"(Laughs) Why couldn't you have been around for the production meetings?"
Their association with Baden Powell's lot has extended beyond simply basing their name from the 1908 handbook Scouting for Boys.
As well as their fanclub of Wolf Cubs, last month SFG played to 40,000 girl guides at their annual Big Gig at the NEC in Birmingham.
"I tell you, my ears afterwards... the frequency that 14 year old's scream at is deafening," he complains.
Churchouse was never a scout, as a youth opting for the more thrilling air cadets.
"You'd get to fly planes, you'd get to go gliding."
He didn't want to join the RAF?
"I did think about applying but I have a phenomenally bad eyesight. The chief medical officer of the RAF said I was medically unfit for any military service. If there's any conscription I'm bringing that letter out."
While singer/songwriter/pianist Roy Stride was working at the Harrow's Carphone Warehouse at the beginning of last year, school mate Churchouse was earning his pre-fame crust at a nearby Thresher off-licence.
"For nine years," he groans.
"I had my fair share of robberies. A couple of times I took a bit of a smack but I'd say I was really lucky. I never had a knife or a gun pulled on me. I did chase someone out the shop once. He had taken a case of beer but luckily there was a police car right outside so the coppers carried on chasing him for me. I was quite glad I didn't catch up with him."
Since the band has taken off, the trio have played to more than a million people. And it's given them a chance to meet a hero or two.
"Tony Hadley".
Tony Hadley? A music hero?
"Don't let Pete hear you say that. He idolises Tony Hadley so much that the first time we met him he couldn't bring himself to say hello. He was so nervous.
"At V festival this year we did a set for Virgin Radio and he came on stage and did Suspicious Minds with us. It was a very moving moment."
Why?
"80s music is quite special to all of us. There are Spandau Ballet tracks that can bring a tear to the eye."
But it was during the 90s that he and Stride decided they wanted to be in a band.
"We were in the same year at school and discovered Britpop together."
Their first gig was Suede.
"It was the Dog Man Star tour, their second album, just after Bernard Butler had left. And it was wicked. We weren't sure what to expect and then the band came on and we all rushed as far forward as we could.
"We had tickets to see Blur but we were playing in a school music thing that night. Though we saw The Stone Roses at Wembley Arena. I've still got the T-shirt I bought outside for £4."
He also cites the likes of The Kinks and Madness as key influences.
"They write great pop tunes, which is what we endeavour to do."
So, who wants to be James Bond?
"A couple of years ago we discovered Pete wandering around our local nightclub using the chat up line that he was just about to be cast as the new James Bond," laughs Churchouse.
"To no avail I might add. He came away single every time."

Scouting For Girls play the Trent FM Arena on Sunday November 16 with The Days and Nottingham's Sam Beeton

Sam Beeton

September 2008


AS SAM Beeton opens the door to his parents' semi-detached in Carlton his dad is looming in the background.
Dad is often with Sam wherever he is these days, be it on a tour with James Morrison or meeting Kanye West, Jarvis Cocker and Dave Grohl backstage at the V festival.
"I wouldn't miss a thing," says the 57-year-old retired BT engineer. "There's no greater buzz than standing watching him at the V festival. It brings tears to the eyes."
He leads us into the lounge, where the family pooch Chico barks, pants and then wheezes at the new arrivals. There are cards atop the fireplace. Sam turned 20 last week.
One shows a naked family sat in a garden inscribed with the words "join us". It is from the CEO of Sam's record label SonyBMG, who signed the singer-songwriter early last year. "It's not really, it's actually from his manager," laughs John. "You can tell by the writing, but the CEO did send you a bottle of champagne, didn't he?" he says to Sam, who has just returned from the kitchen with a brew for his guests.
Not too big a pop star to shirk kitchen duties then? "He's not too bad," says mum Karen, 49, a trademark paralegal for a city centre company.
"And he's a bit untidy, but he is a typical lad."
Among the hundreds of CDs on the shelves are a Dylan box set, and albums by The Eagles and The Beatles.
"It's just a fraction," says John. "All the vinyl is upstairs."
As a kid, Sam would plunder the collection. "My dad's heavily into really melodic stuff. The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Kinks. And a lot of blues. My mum's side of it was more folky. She was in to the Levellers and Nick Drake. My brother (Paul, a 31-year-old retail manager) was into Jeff Buckley.
"So it was a real mix."
At last summer's V festival, he'd hang around to watch the older bands like Squeeze and Echo & The Bunnymen. "I've never really followed the pop music of my day."
It shows on his debut album No Definite Answer, a mix of folk and country rock that nods to The Beatles, Dylan, Tom Petty, Paul Simon and Squeeze.
After the debut single, What You Look For, stalled at No. 41 in last Sunday's chart, the record company decided to put back the album, due out this week, until January. The label wants to build his profile a little more before it hits the shelves.
A second single will be released in December.
"The label are really positive," says Sam.
"They're looking at it being a slow-building sort of record."
Though it's already been leaked on to the internet...
"You get some mates saying 'Yeah, the album's brilliant' and you just know they've downloaded it illegally. Thanks... but you've totally ripped me off," he laughs.
The single has been played on Radio 1 and 2 and led to appearances on ITV's This Morning and a few on Channel 4.
Sam now has 8,000 plus "friends" on MySpace and fan sites on Facebook and Bebo. Family friends are also keen to keep up with his latest movements, says John.
"Since the single's been out it's been 'Is Sam at home? What's he doing this week? I saw the video on the television' – and all the while I'm trying to get a drink at the bar.
"But all of them are really chuffed that something's been happening for Nottingham because there have been some cracking musicians in this city."
There have been a few phone calls from giggling girls asking for him; one bravely turned up at the house, but Sam was elsewhere.
"I've been in to town with him and he does get recognised but they tend to just stare," says Karen. "A lot more of that is happening," says Sam but adds: "It's good that there's some awareness."
He knows that teenage girls are a big part of his fan-base but is keen that he's not seen as just a pop pin-up.
"I think about that a lot. I'm young and I'm bound to get that – but it's just up to me to be as good a songwriter as I can, then people can grow up with me."
When he played the Splendour festival in Wollaton Park in July he drew a gaggle of teenage girls...
"Yes I was pretty pleased with the reaction. There were a lot of young girls at the front –which you can't complain about."
We head down the road to The Old Volunteer pub where Sam was spotted by record producer Chris Bucknall, who invited him to record a few songs at his Mapperley studio. He then passed them to his London A&R contacts which, eventually, landed him the SonyBMG deal.
"I still get up at the open mic nights," says Sam.
"It's to test out new songs. There's no introduction for me and a lot of people don't know who I am so you can tell how good you are or whether the songs are working or not. It's a cool way of staying on top of it."
There's no plaque on the walls: 'Sam Beeton was discovered here'.
"Not yet," he laughs.
It was landlady Lorraine Craig who knew the family and encouraged him to give them a tune during a Sunday afternoon jam session.
So you're responsible for all of this?
"Noooo, he'd have made it anyway," she laughs.
"He's played here a lot either on his own, or with his dad or in the Drains."
That was Sam's teenage band and not his dad's punk band of the same name, a fixture on the local circuit during the late seventies.
"We thought we were like Eddie & The Hot Rods and The Stranglers," says John. "We always thought we were too good for punk."
He adds: "I've always kept my hand in. We formed a band called Congo's Secret Chimps doing mostly Kinks covers for The Julie Cotton Foundation. And Sam played drums. We did the Concert For Liam at Rock City earlier this year."
Next week Sam plays a gig at the Bodega Social Club then returns in November supporting Scouting For Girls at the Arena.
In between there are more promotional stints for press, TV and radio.
And dad will be there for them all.
"Tell him about that driver we had at the V Festival," says John as we load into the car for the journey back.
"He was a professor or something," says Sam.
"Tattoos all over his face and piercings in the bridge of his nose.
" And he's driving to V shouting out the window at other drivers. Like a maniac.
"And his downtime reading matter was The History of Torture!"
And they both laugh.
And they both laugh like, erm, drains.
You get the idea there'll be plenty more stories for them to share in the coming months.

Sam Beeton is at The Bodega Social Club in Pelham Street on Wednesday, 7pm-10pm. Tickets are £6. Call 0115 822 1314.

Sam Beeton

September 2008
SAM Beeton could be the biggest homegrown music star that the city has produced in nearly two decades. The 20-year-old from Carlton is signed to one of the world’s biggest record labels, has been played on national radio and appeared on ITV and Channel 4. Many music critics have predicted he’ll follow in the footsteps of James Morrison, Paolo Nutini and James Blunt.
But his mum won’t boast.
“I never told my friends at work,” said Karen, 49, a trademark paralegal.
“I’ve tried to keep it low key but of course I’m proud of what he’s achieved.”
Sam, who still lives at the family home, recently released his debut single What You Look For via SonyBMG, who he signed to 18 months ago.
Since then he has toured with Sandi Thom, James Morrison and Paolo Nutini and appeared at festivals with the Foo Fighters and Kanye West. Next month he’ll be supporting Scouting For Girls on a UK arena tour, including a date at the Trent FM Arena.
“It brings tears to the eyes when you see your son on stage at the V Festival playing to thousands of people,” admitted dad John, 57, a retired BT engineer and former member of punk band The Drains, regulars on the Nottingham circuit.
“We never pushed him to play music, he just picked up the guitar when he was tiny and it went from there.”
John played gigs with Sam at the local pub, The Old Volunteer, where he was spotted by a music industry scout.
"He came in to watch a band on a Sunday afternoon when he was about 13," said landlady Lorraine Craig.
"I'd known him since he was five because he went to school my son Jack. And I said 'are you going to get up and give us a song then?' And he did. You could tell he was going to make it because he was such a natural."
Mum also plays guitar, violin, recorder and even bagpipes, while brother Paul, 31, a retail manager plays guitar.
"“My dad’s heavily in to really melodic stuff," said Sam.
"The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Kinks. And a lot of blues. My mum’s side of it was more folky. She was in to the Levellers, Nick Drake. My brother was in to Jeff Buckley. So it was a real mix of stuff that I had access to when I was growing up.”
“We are a musical family,” said Karen.
“One of the bedrooms is full of equipment and there’s always been a lot noise in the house. I dread to think what the neighbours think.”
She added: “Sam is pretty good, he’s not too untidy but he is typical lad and when he’s playing music at two in the morning I do have to tell him to turn it down.”
With another single due in December and the album to follow in January, there’s every hope Sam can be the city’s biggest pop export since KWS topped the chart in 1992 with Pleasse Don’t Go.
“There hasn’t really been any really big successes from the city,” said Karen.
“Paper Lace was the last one I remember in the seventies. So Sam making it will be good for city. And everyone has been very supportive.”
Karen admitted she is on the internet searching for comments about her youngest son.
“Most of the time it’s positive but sometimes I do get really annoyed when reviewers get personal. Fair enough if you don’t like his music but don’t attack him as a person when you don’t know him. Sam just says ‘oh mum, leave it, that’s going to happen’”.
Said Sam: "We did have one girl come to the door asking for me which was a bit strange."
“And there have been a few giggling girls phoning up asking if he lives here," laughed Karen.
"But he’s hardly ever home these days.”
She added: “He is being recognised in the street but people tend to just stare which is a bit unnerving. But he seems to be taking it all in his stride. He’s so laid back he’ll fall over one of these days. The only time he gets nervous is when we have family round and we ask him to play a song for them.”