Abbie McCarthy - Superstar DJ

BBC Introducing in Kent DJ Abbie McCarthy unveils a jumping music scene and the recognition of a dream

Glancing through classic LPs and modern wax, Abbie McCarthy is in her element.

“Ah, I loved this one,” she says, picking up Dizzee Rascal’s acclaimed debut album Boy in da Corner (2003), before handing over cash to Vinyl Store Jr in Canterbury.

British rap or grime might not be the first genre you’d associate with McCarthy – indie would be first – but pigeonholing a favourite musical category is not on her agenda.
The face and presenter of BBC Introducing in Kent, McCarthy has to have her finger on the pulse of the melodic movements of a very diverse county.
“It’s a huge county that lots of people, even in London, have no knowledge of,” she explains. “We have seaside, countryside and built-up areas as well. I think Kent is forgotten about sometimes.”

But as one of the leading voices in breaking new music from the county, McCarthy believes that Kent is entering a rich vein of form.

Rewind to March and Team ‘cene met with McCarthy at the Mick Jagger Centre in Dartford as it played host to BBC Introducing Kent’s ninth birthday bash.
Four of the county’s best up-and-coming artists took to the stage in an intimate gig that was videoed, photographed and broadcast to those beyond the county’s borders.

Upbeat Tenterden singer-songwriter Matt Wills returned from a tour with Bastille to play the show, while new darlings of the indie scene The Bay Rays headlined a gig that could arguably be considered beneath them now thanks to continuing airplay on Radio 1 and 6 Music.

But McCarthy’s continued support of the artists by spinning-up their records on her Saturday night show (BBC Radio Kent) has garnered loyalty in return. Her enthusiasm is infectious.

“The Bay Rays opened the birthday show last year and this year they headlined it. That shows the progression and the ridiculous year they’ve had,” she says.
“They’ve done a Maida Vale session, headlined the Introducing Stage at Glastonbury and lots of people are aware and excited about them.

“I love the fact that they aren’t afraid to talk about politics and things that are happening around them. They are brilliant live, and very well dressed!"

Back to the present and McCarthy picks up Take Control, the latest album from west Kent punk duo Slaves.

They are probably my favourite-ever Kent band,” she notes, “just because of everything they have done for the county in recent years.
“People are feeling quite inspired at the moment. There are a few bands that have done really well in recent years and have almost paved the way for others – like Slaves.

“We first started playing them on the show five years ago, since then they’ve had two top 10 albums, they’ve been Mercury Music Prize-nominated, they have played major festivals and are known as one of the most exciting UK bands, especially live, they always deliver.

“People hear Slaves are from Kent and they realise that they can reach those heights. And that inspires local people to go and catch their own dreams.”

It helps that the Slaves duo frequently talk-up the county in interviews and on stage.

It’s not easy to tear McCarthy away from the records in front of her, but when we do, there is a “dream come true” story in the offing.

“I have always wanted to work in radio,” she says. “When I was a child I used to make radio shows for my parents on a cassette player. I would do all the links (the bits in-between the songs) and I would sing all the songs, so I was very self-sufficient!”

From Dartford Grammar School for Girls to university, where McCarthy studied theatre and performance, led to involvement in student radio.

“I really enjoyed it and went to various talks about how to work in radio where I met a brilliant lady from Radio 1 and managed to get my first bit of work experience there.

“When I left uni, I was lucky enough to win a radio award for ‘Best Newcomer’, which was judged by people in the industry.”

But, as we know children, the harder you work the luckier you are.

And having bagged some presenting training with the BBC academy and a month’s work experience at 6 Music, McCarthy set about making a name for herself as someone the organisation couldn’t be without.

“I just worked really hard during the month. I knew it was ‘the’ opportunity,” she says.

Taken on as a freelancer initially, the Greenhithe girl started in production, helping with notes or with finding music for live shows, while continuing to present on the side.

Having been touted for the position, the presenter filled in for the then BBC Introducing in Kent DJ before landing the role permanently herself almost four years ago.

“It feels like everything is going really well at the moment here, there are lots of bands coming through. So my job is really good,” she adds. “In the week, I work in production, so I work across Radio 1, 1Xtra and 6 Music. So I assistant produce a lot of shows there which is always really good fun.

“And when I am lucky enough, I step up to cover shows on Radio 1.”

McCarthy filled in for renowned DJ Huw Stephens on Radio 1 in March, playing to some 1.4 million listeners – though she didn’t know that at the time.

“It was brilliant, it was a dream come true (see I told you). I got to pick a session guest and got to pick the records, so it was amazing.

“The first time I sat in for Huw (Stephens), I was super nervous and I asked not to know how many people were listening in case it put me off. But they told me after the show that it was around 1.4million people. That is a lot more people than my local show.
“It is nerve-wracking but exciting at the same time because it is such a big platform. And the Radio 1 audience is lovely. They all text in and interact with the shows, so you feel like you have a little community supporting you as well.”

INFLUENCE

So this is the bit that Kent artists will really want to read. Ready? Okay.
We all know the power and reach of the BBC, but just how much can the Introducing teams out in the provinces do for aspiring musicians? Well, lots as it turns out.
“I think there is a massive crossover between Introducing and the BBC,” says McCarthy.
“If you are a band from Canterbury, for example, producing music in your bedroom or garage, you can upload your work to Introducing in Kent, and when we really like something we have the ability at the click of a button to forward it onto lots of the major shows, like Huw Stephens or Tom Robinson at 6 Music. “They might play it nationally to a much bigger audience.”
But it doesn’t stop at radio shows.

“This time of year is really exciting, because we are starting to put people forward for festivals,” explains McCarthy. “If we love a band, we can say to the rest of the BBC that we think they are good enough to play at Reading andLeeds, or Radio 1’s Big Weekend, or even Glastonbury.
“And we have had a fantastic run of Kent acts being selected for these major festivals because we are so blessed in this county.
“That’s the great thing about BBC Introducing, we can support someone at a local level, but we can also give them so much more exposure and tap into the power of the rest of the BBC.”
There is no doubt that the Kent scene is flourishing, and across all genres of music. And listening to McCarthy’s show will highlight both a thriving musical movement as well as her own in-depth knowledge of it.

Biddenden’s SHELLS (Sarah Sheldrake) stunned the crowd at the ninth birthday bash with her popular track ‘Jailbird’ as she celebrated the release of her debut EP Shapes and airtime on BBC Radio 1 playlist as the BBC Introducing Track of the Week.
“I love SHELLS, too. She is awesome. She has the most beautiful voice and loveable personality. She is so talented and writes, produces and records all her songs. She has got that real mainstream appeal.

"Get Inuit are killing it, too,” adds McCarthy. “Jamie, the front man, is great, he’s so entertaining and tells loads of hilarious stories on stage.

“The great thing about Kent is that it’s not all rock music. There is a wicked producer from Tunbridge Wells called Jacob Plant and he goes out and DJs all round Ibiza and is friends with Calvin Harris–he’s caught the attention of people in the dance world.
“There’s a brilliant dance label in Maidstone called Toolroom Records and that launched the brilliant dance scene that’s down there.
“I feel likethe next few years are going to be big for Kent musicians.”
There are, of course, things that the county can do to aid this production line of talent to succeed.
“There needs to be more venues and more promoters in Kent so there are more platforms and opportunities for acts to seize,” she says.
“There are lots of towns that don’t have anywhere for live music. And some places that do exist are sometimes forgotten about.

“Like the Tunbridge Wells Forum. If you made the effort to go down there, you might see the next big thing in this tiny intimate space.

“Just look at who they have booked previously like Adele, Slaves, Keane, Everything Everything, (plus Oasis, Royal Blood, The Libertines, The Vaccines, Green Day, Muse, Coldplay... the list goes on).
“You just have to be a bit supportive, take a chance and support your scene.”