Words by Ursa Gregson
Karl Johnson is the founder and head honcho of Hard of Hearing Magazine, booker and promoter for Hard of Hearing gigs across the capital (even hosting a stage during this year's Great Escape Festival in Brighton), Boogaloo Radio host and manager of dance wonderband Fake Turins. If it appears he has a lot on his plate you wouldn't know it - you'll find him rocked up at gigs and events all over the city, wry smile turned up to full, relaxed as you like, enjoying the ride. If you can understand him through his thick Norwich accent you'll be privy to high comedy and tall tales and instant interest in whatever project you're working on. But make no mistake, Karl has become an ever-busy staple of the underground music scene in London and beyond and has given many groups, writers, promoters, engineers and the rest their first or more enduring tastes of the industry. We put on a Norij accent to ask him the things you always wished you could ask him.
1) Can there ever be ethical consumption under capitalism even under a hypothetical socialist structure?
Hello! Yes i think so, in terms of art and music, certainly within the bubbles of the grassroots music scene/ industry, the labels, promoters and those involved in growing projects set the pace for ethical processes, forward thinking practices and human interactions - the wider industry can feel like an arcade crane grab machine at times, an artist can pump a load of coins into a machine only to watch the mechanics fail them. It’s important to be in control of your own destiny I feel, to create a sustainable structure around yourself that works for you.
2) When did your odyssey begin in London - what were your first shady dealings in the music industry here?
I moved to London about 7 years ago and started Hard Of Hearing, I didn’t know anyone obsessively into new music like I was, eventually you see the same faces at gigs and meet people. Interviewing bands was a really great way to get into the grassroots music scene, bands have so much knowledge and people took me under their wing - London can feel overwhelming and huge when you’re new to it, once you get a grasp of the promoters and venues you’ve got an insight into what’s happening. Our first HOH gigs were at Blondies in Lower Clapton, a 50 cap independent punk venue, they took a chance on a new promoter and we slowly filled the room every Tuesday. The rest is now history.
3) What has been the biggest struggle and the biggest reward of managing an up-and-coming band in the last few years?
The reward is watching a band move from selling out small rooms to bigger ones, playing festivals out of their home city, management i feel is more art than science, more human than mechanical, finding a route and plan that fits the band specifically is key i feel. Remembering that the power is always with the band and understanding how you can help - and potentially hinder them - is what can make for a really rewarding experience. The biggest struggle is trying to attend midweek gigs when they play in another city/ country. I suppose you want to share with them every little success they have, there’s no better feeling than when an ambitious plan long in the making comes off.
Hard Of Hearing's latest event at The Great Escape
4) Your shows and magazine features have gained much traction recently, and HOH events and write-ups have become a calling-card of any London band's new releases. Are you resting on your laurels now, or do you have plans for devious expansion?
Thank you, that’s down to the incredible writers that we have on-board. The gigs are the lifeblood of the project really, getting bands from out of town involved and meeting the artists you’ve been writing about is so important for the community side of HOH. We’ve got two big announcements coming quite soon for London events, the stage in Brighton over The Great Escape weekend was incredible and a long time in the planning, super happy to have that under our belts. In terms of plans for the online magazine, it's got to be a physical magazine too right? It's an inclusive project in the way that we're always looking for new voices, if the project speaks to you do get in touch.
5) Please describe what, in your view, would be the perfect after-party for a HOH show.
The perfect afterparty would be jumping on a boat down the Thames, a floating lock-in with frozen margaritas and an arcade crane grab machine with space raiders (free to use and in full working order). Maybe a giant jenga competition too, get our good friend DJ Peggy on the decks, what more could you want - smiles all around.
6) Tell us more about your radio show and what particular spice of life you bring to proceedings.
The radio show acts as the deep dive interview side of the project, two hours of new releases and an interview with an artist we’re loving at that moment. The relationship you can build over those two hours is incredible, you hear stories and sides of the band that you’ll never read in a written and edited magazine interview. No agenda, no strict plan, we hand-pick all of the music and the guests - it can be quite nerve wracking as it’s live, but the experience has always been a positive one.
7) Please invent, describe and name a cocktail that completely encapsulates everything & everyone you've ever been and ever will be.
The Lifeblood Lottery Ingredients: sweat, tequila, anxiety, beer, passion, lime, love, ice and chilli. Though this spicy, citrusy and lager-laced cocktail may seem bare, and in fact taste awful, the extra natural ingredients are all part of the process and really make the end product of drinking it worthwhile.
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