I met Aaron Duff at the Exchange 1856, where the previous weekend, he and his band, Hector Gannet, had filled out the 500-capacity music venue two nights in a row. The gigs were a free gift to the people of North Shields to celebrate the launch of the town’s 800th anniversary celebrations. “Was that just last weekend?” Aaron asks, still in a daze about the whole thing. “The buzz was amazing. I can’t believe how many people turned up. We haven’t even released anything for two years!” This attitude is typical of the unassuming North Shields lad, who seems in awe of any appreciation directed towards the band. He was genuinely taken aback when I said I had attended some of his first gigs. However, it shouldn’t be surprising that Hector Gannet have built up such a loyal following, having earned their place at the heart of the community by playing an inherent role in the town’s cultural scene over the past few years.
Aaron’s first band, The Middens, took their name from the notorious black rocks at the Mouth of the Tyne, upon which many ships were wrecked. They recorded a cover of ‘Red, Red Robin’ to support North Shields FC on their journey to win the FA Vase at Wembley in 2015. They cut their teeth at local venues when they were still at school: “We used to play at the Maggie Bank even though we were too young to be in there.” At this point our photographer, Megan, pipes up: ”I used to play there, too! Did I give one of your band members a dog?” After enquiring about the breed, Aaron confirms that yes, Jack still owns the dog and is still in his band today. This is just typical of Shields, where you can usually find a connection to anyone you meet. We also talked about seeing Sam and Liam Fender at the Magnesia Bank, and reminisced about how it was a great pub and live music venue.
There is a deep sense of nostalgia among Shields folk for past haunts that are now long gone. After all, there used to be hundreds of pubs in the town to cater for all the thirsty fishermen. Aaron reckons his grandad had frequented most of them, and he loved listening to his tales. His fascination with local history was fuelled when he discovered footage from the North East Film Archive about the fishing industry featuring his grandparents. The vision of his grandad all those years ago, full of life and releasing the cod from the nets, caused Aaron to experience an epiphany that inspired him to write a musical score for the film. “When I came across the footage and wrote the soundtrack, I knew I had to get a band together.” Thus Hector Gannet was born, named after the fishing trawler that sank during a heroic rescue mission with Aaron’s grandad on board. Thankfully he was one of the lucky few to survive. It was fitting that the band’s emotive debut performance of the 45-minute piece accompanying the film at the Old Low Light as part of the ‘Moving North: Coastal’ project on 24th September 2017 coincided with the unveiling of the Fiddler’s Green memorial on the Fish Quay, dedicated to fishermen lost at sea. The occasion brought the people of Shields out in force, expressing their reverence for the past as well as joy at being alive in the present through a whole day and night of music, poetry and song.
After a floating lineup fluctuating between solo and group performances, Hector Gannet eventually evolved into what they are today: Aaron as the main songwriter and frontman on guitar and vocals, Jack Coe on drums, Martin Wann on guitar, Joe Coady on bass, and their producer Alex Blamire on keys and percussion. The original soundtrack Aaron composed
has evolved too, and they were able to share a new interpretation of it last year at the Glasshouse in Gateshead: “We acted as a support act for ourselves before the main gig, which was a bit strange and extra work to set up. But it was the perfect venue for sharing the historic footage.” Though he draws much inspiration from history, Aaron is cautious about dwelling too much on the past: “Looking so far back all the time can turn a place into a ghost town. We need to focus on how the past can influence the present and the future, to inspire people to keep going. Everything has to move on.” He is positive about recent changes in North Shields: “It’s promising that new things are opening. It starts from people just doing it. People actually choose to move to Shields now!” Admittedly it is not the same town that his grandparents knew, with shops on every street corner providing everything you would need. However, there is plenty going on in the area of arts and music thanks to a multitude of new venues including the Salt Market, the Three Tanners and the Engine Room, which is owned by Aaron’s dad. Here you can find the old sign for W.M. Wight’s shop, which was a fixture on the Fish Quay for 90 years. The family rescued the sign from scrap, giving it a new lease of life as a prominent feature in the bar to symbolise the convergence between old and new.
For many people, the COVID-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst for new beginnings. Hector Gannet released their first album, ‘Big Harcar’, in 2020. Theirs was the last gig I attended before the lockdown and the first one after it was lifted. Aaron admitted the pandemic’s negative effect on ticket sales when people were finally allowed to venture out again. However at their first post-lockdown show in North Shields, also at the Exchange, it appeared that the whole town had turned up to catch up on many missed months of live music. Also running the Wheel House cafe on the Fish Quay with his partner, Aaron has had to deal with not only lockdown restrictions but also road closures, parking problems and the cost of living crisis. The Engine Room pub next door was recently featured on Radio 6 music to highlight how independent grassroots music venues can struggle to keep going in the current climate. Despite the setbacks, both establishments are still in business and continue to provide Aaron with a constant connection to an array of Shields characters: “Most people I talk to down there know members of my family from the fishing community. There are so many stories untold. I don’t consciously put them into my music, but they come out in a more subtle way. I just sit down and see what happens, it’s hard to explain. I often slip into some sort of subconscious state and all these things take over. It’s bizarre when things come out and I can’t understand where they came from. Sometimes I can work backwards and work out what it meant, but not always. Things can stick in your head and drift out two years later.”
The work of Amber Films in the 1980s has obviously also had an influence on Aaron, with his song ‘In Fading Light’ named after their drama set in the declining North Shields fishing industry. The company worked closely with the local community to produce the film, actually buying a boat and using local fishermen to train the actors. They also bought a pub, The New Clarendon, to firmly root themselves in the community over years of filming. In a similar way, Hector Gannet are hoping to involve the people of North Shields in a new production of their own. They are offering North Tyneside residents the opportunity to participate in an exciting project in conjunction with local organisation, Crew Gal Academy. Anyone interested in music video production and recording music is welcome to apply for the chance to contribute to the creative process as part of an upcoming release by the band, including a song written especially to commemorate the 800th anniversary. “I was inspired by what we would be trying to celebrate – past, present and future; how the past pushes the future forward. It’s really about being part of a people, a community,” Aaron elaborates.
The songwriter admits that he had been thinking about the 800 years long before any official mention of it. The year 1225 is actually referenced in one of Hector Gannet’s first songs, ‘Until My Bonnie Can Be Revived’. A fan favourite, it is only available as a bonus track on the vinyl version of their first album. Perhaps they could revive the Bonnie song for the anniversary? Aaron isn’t ruling anything out. Going with the flow seems to have worked for the band, allowing them to put on such a diverse selection of live performances, from acoustic sets at intimate venues such as The Wheel House, The Engine Room and Old Low Light to all-out rock shows in larger auditoria including their sell-out show at Whitley Bay Playhouse: “It amazes me how the songs evolve and take on a life of their own after they’ve been recorded. At the Playhouse we changed some of the songs and played them totally differently,” Aaron explains. Last year for the Durham Brass Festival, he adapted his music to be performed with a brass section. Asked if there was anyone else musical in his family, Aaron answers: “Not really, just my mum and my grandad who played in the brass bands.” You can’t get more Northern than that.
Aaron is aware that Hector Gannet’s songs are so specific to the region, sung in his authentic accent and referencing local landmarks. He is unsure how they could translate further afield: “Our music is hard to define. People find it difficult to categorise.” The music has been described by some as folk-influenced indie rock, and they have even been credited as having created a new genre of modernist folk. Aaron’s influences lie in the folk rock of the 1960s and 70s, most famously Lindisfarne and Alan Hull, but the first music he heard was a compilation by the Rolling Stones in his dad’s car: “I was blown away.” He is also a fan of The Clash and Joe Strummer, and his appreciation for rock comes across in impassioned and electric full-band performances of epic songs such as ‘All Hail All Glory’ and ‘The Haven of Saint Aidan’s’. Aaron also cites Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave as having had an impact on him, and he is equally capable of drawing in audiences with more tender, stripped-back renditions of contemplative compositions including ‘The Wailing Wall’ and ‘Last of the Buffalo’. Aaron’s poetic lyrics span universal themes such as death and rebirth, history and humanity. The band’s critically acclaimed second album, ‘The Land Belongs to Us’, reveals a deep love of nature and concerns about the environment, and they have lent their support to conservation initiatives including the Tyne Kittiwake project.
These common concepts conveyed through distinctive yet timeless melodies should surely give Hector Gannet’s music a broad appeal: “I try not to be precious about songs. People can keep coming back to them and interpret them how they wish. Someone asked if ‘The Launch’ is about someone dying. It was meant to be a birth, but I like to hear other points of view. I don’t want to literally paint what I’m trying to say.” He has even heard of the ethereal song ‘Into the Deep’ being played at funerals, evidence of his music starting to become part of the fabric of people’s lives. Aaron is coy when discussing the spiritual nature of some of his songs: “I believe in something but I don’t know what it is. The unknown, I suppose.”
The band do sometimes share their music with other parts of the world, having played around the country with artists including Sea Power, Richard Thompson, Lanterns on the Lake, Kathryn Joseph, Kathryn Williams and Pete Doherty. They have also played tours in America, although Aaron doesn’t like to travel much: “I’d rather stay at home.” They have also played many outdoor festivals including Coast Fest, A Stone’s Throw and Pilgrimage to the Islands on Lindisfarne, another place that looms large in their music. One of their most memorable live performances has to have been supporting fellow Shields lad Sam Fender at St James’ Park: “He could have asked anyone, and he asked us!” Sam also invited Geordie musician ‘Ernie’ to support him, demonstrating his continued championing of local artists. Aaron credits Sam with shining a light on Shields and elevating the town’s reputation for music and culture. Among other local musicians that Aaron holds in high esteem is the prolific Bugman: “He’s underrated – nobody else writes like him.” He is also a fan of the unique storyteller Nev Clay, who has only just released his second album in over years. Then there’s new Northumbrian band, The Early Purple: “I saw them at the Glasshouse in Hall 2, an example of how a band can transform a venue. There was cabaret seating and the atmosphere was lush.”
Having made such a contribution to the resurgence of the arts and music in North Shields themselves, it is only natural that Hector Gannet should be at the centre of the proceedings for its 800th anniversary. At the official NS800 launch at the Exchange ahead of the band’s first evening gig, a video was shown that previewed the year’s coming events. With the intersection between past, present and future as its theme, Aaron was pleased at how the council’s choice of his song ‘Water Lilies’ seemed to fit so well on the soundtrack, the lyrics gently floating out across the audience: ‘As the moment becomes a memory, a new day may paint pictures in your garden…’
Another highlight of this 800th year will be when Hector Gannet support Elbow at Tynemouth Priory for the Mouth of the Tyne Festival. Sam Fender played here just before his meteoric rise to worldwide fame. The atmosphere was electric among his fans, who sensed that this would be the last time he would be able to play for them in such a small venue on his home turf. The exposure to a wider fanbase probably won’t mean as much to Hector Gannet as the actual location of the gig itself, set on a headland containing over 2000 years of history. It seems that fate has brought Hector Gannet exactly where they are meant to be at this particular point in time, becoming part of the heritage of North Shields themselves. Whatever happens in the future, Aaron is certain of one thing: “I could never live anywhere but Shields. Not even in Cullercoats!”
