Indie Voices Podcast

Chris Groom (Indie Voices)

Indie Voices is a podcast where independent musicians and songwriters share their stories, creative journeys, and insights into the music industry. As a keyboard player and songwriter myself, I understand the challenges and rewards of creating music independently. Indie Voices offers honest and engaging conversations that connect listeners to the heart of independent music, making it a great resource for emerging artists, music fans, and anyone curious about the creative process. indievoicespodcast.substack.com

  1. Mar 20

    Carl Jackson (Middle Management)

    I never really know what to say when describing an artists music. Most of the time I feel like I’m just making it up. So when I say Middle Management are a post punk, socially conscious, funky, guitar driven, synth layered slice of Teesside’s musical best, take it with a pinch of salt and just come up with your own blurb. I can’t remember how I first stumbled across their music, but it was their song “Influencer Influenza” which made me love them. Then I saw them perform live in November 2024 and they blew me away.Carl and I have been trying to arrange this chat for around 18 months. In that time we’ve had various text based conversations. One of the recurring themes is a love of a good cheese board. Something very close, and probably by now, within my heart. Hence the one time new feature - Desert Island Magic Cheese Board. For a relatively new band, Middle Management have hit the ground running. Something Carl puts down to the supportive nature of the Teesside music scene. I think this links back to the relationships the band developed through their previous projects.In this episode, Carl talks about his musical background, upcoming gigs and releases, his love of the Teesside music scene, and as always much more.Middle Management, release their next single - The Comedian and the Boxer in the near future. Upcoming gigs: Stockton Calling Festival, ARC 2 - 4th April 2026.Rift Festival - 1st - 3rd May 2026 - Dormans Club, Middlesbrough. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indievoicespodcast.substack.com

    54 min
  2. 07/10/2025

    Ghost Notes and The Weight Of Time

    There’s a church called St Mary’s in Lastingham. When you step inside, it feels like its 1,371-year history has soaked into the stone and timber. Time hasn’t just passed through the place, it lives there, in every brick, beam and pew. I feel the same about some acoustic instruments. My old piano, a 1950s upright, always felt like it held echoes of everything it had ever played. Old songs, long-forgotten lessons, they still seemed to vibrate inside it. I’ve always been drawn to the way certain places and objects hold on to the ghosts of what’s come and gone. Thirty-three years ago, Vienna by Ultravox was re-recorded at Berwick Street Studios in London. It’s one of my favourite songs. Whenever I hear it, I’m transported, not to a clear memory, but to a feeling of my mam. So when I read that La Nouvelle Musique had recorded their new album there, I wanted to know if they felt it too, that sense of history, solemnity, reverence. Whether it somehow soaked into the recording process. Whether the place left its mark on the music. Their new album is breathtaking in its poetry and scope. From wintery finger-picked guitars and haunting vocals, to cinema-esque pieces with horns, timpani and strings, it has something for everyone. In this episode, we talk about the husband and wife duos songwriting process, navigating creative disagreement, hopes for the future of independent music and as always much more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit indievoicespodcast.substack.com

    34 min

About

Indie Voices is a podcast where independent musicians and songwriters share their stories, creative journeys, and insights into the music industry. As a keyboard player and songwriter myself, I understand the challenges and rewards of creating music independently. Indie Voices offers honest and engaging conversations that connect listeners to the heart of independent music, making it a great resource for emerging artists, music fans, and anyone curious about the creative process. indievoicespodcast.substack.com