POP PUNK AND A PODCAST IN PITTSBURGH
This magazine is all about championing local creativity and creative content. And sometimes that local creativity can go international.
Nick Brownlee-Sayers, who lives in North Shields, and his friend Chris Doughty have been friends since childhood and big music fans. They were in a band together, toured a little and even released an album.
But they ended up going their separate ways when Chris moved to London. In 2015, he started The Wasting Time Podcast which focussed on the London punk rock scene.
Nick and Chris had always kept in touch and in 2019, Nick jumped aboard with a remit to help widen the reach of the podcast.
In March 2020, Covid hit and brought the world to a standstill. Bands could not tour anymore and there were no gigs or festivals for music fans to attend.
But this didn’t stop Nick and Chris; instead they saw it as an opportunity to reach out to bands by asking them to appear on their podcast. Bands were keen to do this as it meant keeping their profile high.
They had some success attracting high profile guests for interviews such as Dave Baksh from Sum 41 and Frank Turner. At the same time, they managed to build up connections in the music industry at a management and press level.
As the pandemic petered out and live music started to become a thing again, Nick and Chris used their connections to apply for press access for festivals and were successful in securing one for Slam Dunk Festival. in Leeds
‘That was an interesting experience,’ says Nick.’The weather was horrific and bands were struggling to get on site and one band cancelled whilst they were in the queue to get in.’ It meant some plans were scuppered but at the same was a great learning experience for them – they used the opportunity to do more ‘off-the cuff’ content that was not part of their initial plans and which, ultimately, gave them ideas for future festivals.
The experience was to come in handy. Not long before, they had invited Rishi Bahl onto their show to talk about his band, Eternal Boy and the festival he curates in Pittsburgh called Four Chord Music Festival. Out of the blue Rishi suggested that Nick and Chris should travel to the USA and be part of the action. He wanted to invest in an independent podcast to cover the festival and create dedicated content throughout the weekend. The Wasting Time Podcast would be the sole media partner – this was more than just attending as press, it meant they would be the face of the festival l. ‘It was all a bit surreal,’ admits Nick. Weekly planning meetings followed and before long they were on their way to America, flights and hotels paid for by the festival.
So on 19 June 2024, Nick and Chris flew out to Pittsburgh, excited and full of ideas. It was by far the most professional set up they had experienced up to this point – they were provided with an interview tent and audio equipment as well as a videographer who followed them around as they shot footage interviewing bands and festival-goers. It was not long before their content was attracting thousands of views.
Nick is quick to point out that, despite their venture being what is essentially a hobby, he and Chris approach what they do professionally because they want to be taken seriously.
‘We started preparing weeks ahead and we were still making notes whilst we were waiting for our plane at Heathrow.’ he says. They both regard their trip as a big success and the fact that they have already been invited back next year is testament to that. It is quite a feat when you consider how unlikely it is that the festival organisers and festival goers in Pittsburgh would have heard of North Shields.
Despite this, Nick points out that there are a lot of similarities between the two places.
‘The festival was held in a place called Carrie Furnace, a former blast furnace that once produced 1000 tonnes of iron everyday. Pittsburgh has got that industrial history but it’s now trying to re-invent itself. And it is a really, really friendly place, just like North Shields.’
Nick and Chris have always been willing to evolve and realise that rather than being just a podcast they can expand into a media channel showcasing their favourite music genre and create engaging content, both visual and audio. They have both learned a lot from their trans-Atlantic experience and will use it to good effect as they go forward. By the time you read this Chris will have attended the 2000 Trees Festival in Gloucestershire where had already secured an interview with a headlining band called The Gaslight Anthem. They have also secured press access for the Leeds Festival at the end of August where pop punk legends Blink-182 are headlining on the Saturday. They are also excited to see, and hopefully interview, other bands like Neck Deep, Bleachers and Militarie Gun (who coincidentally played Four Chord festival).
Pop punk has been around for decades but emerged into the mainstream in the 1990s and 2000s with bands like Green Day, Blink-182 and Sum 41 blazing the trail – however, the Wasting Time Podcast does not just look back with nostalgia; it strikes a balance between the old and new and Nick hopes to be able to feature North East based pop-punk bands to add to the mix.
The future looks bright for The Wasting Time Podcast – their dedication and enthusiasm, coupled with a commitment to being as professional as possible is beginning to pay off.
You can listen to, watch and engage with Nick and Chris’ content here;
