Interview: Strings Co-Founder Claydon Connor Discusses All Things Isle Of Wight Music

Strings Bar and Venue has become a pivotal setting for the Isle of Wight's music scene since it first opened its doors in 2017.

The Newport creative hub is a place where artists such as Wet Leg, Lauran Hibberd and Beth Brookfield have honed their craft in recent years.

Isle of Wight Radio spoke with Strings co-founder Claydon Connor about how it all got started and what the future could hold for the local industry.
 

Hi Claydon, what was the motivation behind you and (co-founder) Ian Davison opening a music venue?

Ian used to run Strings Guitar Shop in Ryde, so we’d known each other for years through me spending money in there!

We both had a passion for music and doing something special for the Isle of Wight.

We'd both been involved with the local music scene for several years and collectively we realised there wasn’t a dedicated live venue on the Isle of Wight for musicians, so we decided to do something about that.
 

What was the ethos behind Strings when it first opened?

There didn’t seem to be as many young bands coming through as in the past, so we wanted to open a space for them to get started.

It very quickly snowballed because of our passion for music and the size of the venue.

We started getting some big names and touring artists to perform and it evolved from there.
 

You provide regular showcases for Platform One (Music College in Newport) students — have any stood out from the current crop?

I'm not sure about this year's new students as they've only just started, but last year there were some great acts around.

Beth Brookfield, for example, very quickly became a potential star.

We first saw her at our open mic nights when she was 16 and I remember thinking ‘wow!’

A year later she was writing her own songs, then another year later she was on the main stage at the IW Festival.

There are several other good acts coming through as well, but Beth's one who comes to mind.

How has P1 changed since you were a student there?

There’s a lot more students than there used to be and the industry itself is a lot broader.

Platform One has tried to express to students there are more options for a career than just playing, so they’ve got a broader spectrum of courses available.

It’s evolved in tandem with the industry.

Lauran Hibberd played her first Isle of Wight set in four years at Strings recently — how much of a coup was that?

She actually played Strings when she was starting out, but hadn’t quite found what she wanted to do musically.

Now she’s found her niche and become a superb live performer.

I’ve known Lauran for years, I used to give her guitar lessons and we wrote some songs together.

It’s lovely to see her making such serious strides. To have her come back and play at our venue is really nice.

Wet Leg had a lot of their early rehearsals at Strings, didn't they?

Wet Leg were one of the first post-lockdown acts we had at Strings — that was the first time a lot of people had seen that incarnation of the band and the first time they played Chaise Longue!

It’s great to see bands play on the Strings stage and then a couple of weeks later see them on TV performing at an event like Glastonbury Festival.

Rhian and Hester (Wet Leg) had done some rehearsals on our stage that summer and exploded really quickly after their first single went global.

What other events does Strings have coming up in 2022?

All sorts — we try to put something on for everybody.

We’ve got The Blockheads, Sandi Thom, Jill Andrews, Ben Ottewell from Gomez and a lot of other acts to come.

My main emphasis at the moment is to put Strings onto the touring map.

As for your own background as a musician — are there plans to drop another album any time soon?

I get asked this a lot, and my answer changes every time!

It’s something I would love to do again — I think at some point I need to find time to do that, but when I do I want it to be the best it can be.

I still really enjoy playing and sometimes I’ll listen to the songs I've released and find myself yearning to record something new.

What advice would you have for anyone on the Isle of Wight wanting to break into the music industry?

Hard work is key — it won't work if you're half-hearted about things and you'll soon lose interest due to a lack of progress.

A lot of people say there’s no career in music, but you’ve got to make one for yourself because nobody’s going to do it for you.

Bands will come and go so enjoy the ride and don't hold anything back — give it a go and put everything into it, those are the main things.