Rock 'N' Rant
Rock 'N' Rant is a non-profit organisation located in the Medway Towns to promote independent British musicians and comedians who may otherwise find it hard to secure gigs. At this time, the organisation has been running for two years and has promoted many acts both local and not-so-local.
Contents
Founding
Rock 'N' Rant was founded in August 2004 by Brad Harmer, Ronnie Warner and Graham Burr to help promote local bands and comedians in the Medway club-circuit. Harmer and Burr, friends since Grammar School, were both competent stand-up comedians who felt stifled by the local scene while Warner was a multi-talented musician. The initial seeds were sown as they worked together in a company called Xchanging, processing insurance policies. This historic discussion led to a plan for a single gig, named "Rock n' Rant" and punctuated in the style of Guns N' Roses.
The first gig was performed on Friday, 6 August 2004 in the basement of The Command House in Chatham. Brad Harmer headlined the gig, with support from Heavy metal band Ionika and comedy-rock band The One Ronnie... and Some Other Bloke. The P.A. System was borrowed from Brad's cousin and the venue agreed not to charge for the hire, making their money instead on sales at the bar. On the night, the singer for Ionika failed to arrive and the band performed a series of instrumental songs after renaming themselves Antionika.
Following the success of this gig, it was decided to continue putting on Rock 'N' Rant nights.
Evolution of Rock 'N' Rant
A series of important events soon followed, the first of which was a tour named 'Stamping Ground' which consisted of three gigs in Maidstone, Canterbury and finally Chatham. While this showed a lack of support for the Maidstone gig, it was discovered that Canterbury was a ripe market for the organisation. Like Chatham, it was a student town with a wealth of comedians and bands already waiting to be scouted.
The second event was the expansion of the staff roster. Paul Selman, already a Rock 'N' Rant performer and well known in the local music scene, joined the staff as Publication and Musical Director. Ian Harmer, Brad's father and lender, took the place of Graham Burr as company treasurer when his predecessor opted to leave the company due to the stress of the position. Anthony Hart-Jones, an established webmaster, was brought in and gave the Rock 'N' Rant website its current look. He was brought onto the staff roster for his experience in New Media and internet technologies. Dave Gibson was recruited as a security consultant and also served as a doorman, taking money and verifying ID when there were no door staff provided by the venue.
Possibly the most important change was announced at the first anniversary gig, on Saturday 6 August 2005. While gigs had previously been advertised by an announcement at the end of the previous show, it was decided that Rock 'N' Rant was to become a monthly fixture. On the first Saturday of every Month, excepting January, Rock 'N' Rant would perform at the Command House in Chatham. Canterbury shows were scheduled for the third Saturday of every month, though this quickly dropped off to every other month for fear that Rock 'N' Rant would take over the lives of those involved.
Staff
Rock 'N' Rant is currently organised and run by five core staff members: Brad Harmer, Ronnie Warner, Paul Selman, Ian Harmer and Anthony Hart-Jones.
Pseudo-Staff
Rock 'N' Rant ensured that the booing from the inevitably disappointed crowds would be balanced by sycophantic laughter. This was achieved by bringing their own crowd to every gig, who had nothing better to do than to pretend that the jokes they had heard a hundred times before were funny, and feel that they were part of something.
Controversial Material
Burn Chatham to the Ground
Rock 'N' Rant gained a certain degree of recognition for the slogan, "Burn Chatham to the Ground". This originated from a set by "The Natural Born Ranter" Brad Harmer in which he promoted the idea of the destruction of Chatham by fire.
The phrase has dropped from his set in recent performances but sales of t-shirts bearing the slogan have kept local awareness from dying down. Indeed, these t-shirts were discussed on BBC Radio 4 by Joe Pasquale as being a terribly negative sentiment. Rock 'N' Rant have now released a second t-shirt design featuring the slogan "Sex, Drugs & Rock 'N' Rant" in hopes that the negative press may be reduced.
Drunken Performance
At a gig named Disassembled, a performer named Mick Feury was booked to perform two slots under comedy personae. During the first of these acts, it was noted that he was rather unsteady on his feet and interacted with the audience in a manner considered a little too enthusiastic. Brad, who was acting as stage-manager, asked him to stop drinking but the comedian simply walked out from backstage and spent the next half-hour at the bar. As a result, his second slot was even more disappointing than the first but it was considered that he was not acting in a manner physically or professionally dangerous enough to remove him from the stage.
As the night continued, it was noted that the comedian was back at the bar almost constantly. It is unknown whether he was refused service or whether he simply ran out of money but Feury approached a number of women and was asked by Dave Gibson to stop harassing other patrons. He was taken back-stage again to prevent further embarrassment and collapsed in a drunken stupor. Since this time, the policies on drinking and performing under the influence of any substance have been tightened.
Gigs
Rock 'N' Rant
6 August 2004
The original gig had no name, simply marketed as 'The Ultimate Music and Comedy Night' and was headlined by 'The Natural Born Ranter, Brad Harmer'.
Anus Horribulis
5 August 2005
The 'Birthday' gig, this gig featured the staff of Rock 'N' Rant performing as a supergroup named 'Children of the One Ronnie'.
The 2005 Rock 'N' Rant Awards
3 December 2005
This gig featured the presentation of the Rock 'N' Rant Awards for 2005. A polling form was available on the Rock 'N' Rant website and distributed at previous gigs that allowed fans of Rock 'N' Rant to vote for their favourite performers from the previous year. The performers with the most votes were awarded a certificate and a keyring, although the real prize for the winners was the gratification of being voted in. Rock 'N' Rant intend to put on a similar evening at the end of each year. The Rock 'N' Rant awards have become known as the 'Ranties'.
Performers
- Istvan and Brian
- Brad Harmer
- IgneouStone
- Nathan Woods
- Opus Bridge
- Ten Foot Nun
- Ten O'Clock Angels
- Touching Cloth
