The baroque anxieties of David Goggin
Plus Medway Barge Match sets sail, reviewing the café at Deangate Ridge, our weekly events guide, news in brief, and more
David Goggin has been a staple of the Medway music scene for many years as part of several fascinating bands. For his latest project, he’s taken on the moniker of Little Storping in the Swuff as an outlet for his gloomy but often absurd songs. Our music columnist Stephen Morris has been talking to him to find out more. Further down, you’ll find details of the Medway Barge Match, which takes place tomorrow and is an oddly overlooked part of the annual events calendar. We’ve also got a review of the café at Deangate Ridge, our weekly events guide, news in brief, and more.
Editor’s note: With the General Election in full swing, we’re trying hard not to become all politics all the time, something we’ve mostly managed to do with this Friday edition. Politics nerds can relax, though, as there’s plenty to come, with an interview with Labour’s candidate for Chatham & Aylesford coming up on Sunday and a roundup of the campaign so far coming on Tuesday.
We’ve also been working hard behind the scenes this week at Local Authority Towers to put together election debates for all three parliamentary constituencies in Medway. Hearing candidates debate ideas and answer questions is an important part of the election process, and we’re proud to do our part in making these happen in Medway. We’re currently finalising those details and will announce dates and locations early next week. As ever, our paid supporters hear the details of our events first, so please consider supporting our work if you’d like to be in the know first.
The baroque anxieties of David Goggin
by Stephen Morris
One weekend in late November 2023, baffled residents of the village of Eynesford twitched their curtains to reveal the sight of a smartly dressed man in his early 40s wading waist deep in the ford bisecting their idyllic rural community.
The man in question was David Goggin. A photograph of the event in question adorns the cover of his debut album, Baroque Anxieties, which was recently released under the splendid moniker of Little Storping in the Swuff.
Goggin is keen to put on record that he really did half-immerse himself in the freezing shallows of the River Darent. “Some people assumed that it’s AI or some kind of photo shenanigans,” he says. “It’s not. It’s real. Everything’s real. Complete method actor. There’s nothing fake about that.”
It’s a striking image that perfectly encapsulates the music found on the vinyl within: a mix of pensive gloom and utter absurdity. This is also reflected in his chosen alias – a reference to the setting of an episode of The Avengers – together with the fact that he will often perform songs with a paper bag on his head or hang out laundry in the middle of his set.
“I think it’s a difficult line,” Goggin says. “The balance between being a serious musician and wanting to have a bit of fun… I think the artwork is part of that. I’m not trying to be taken too seriously – but these are actually quite serious songs, so don’t completely dismiss them.”
David Goggin has form for juggling the serious and wanting to have a bit of fun; the anxiety with the absurd. It first came to light in the psychedelia-meets-Britpop kaleidoscope that was Brigadier Ambrose. Over the course of a clutch of singles, EPs and the utterly splendid album Fuzzo, the band explored – in comically infinite detail – the stresses and strains associated with everyday life.
After the demise of Brigadier Ambrose, Goggin began to stress test his exploration of the disparity between the serious and the absurd to near breaking point. The resulting project, VLKS, matched musings on urban foxes, hayfever and the disturbing sight and smell of a ‘bloated man who hasn’t washed for days’ with intensely ominous strings, which owed much more to Scott Walker and Serge Gainsbourg (references that remain pertinent with Little Storping…) than with chart-topping Blur tunes.
The origins of Little Storping in the Swuff lie in VLKS. Having released two Eps, VLKS V and VLKS X (there were no VLKS I-IV or VI-IX), the plan was to embark on a new VLKS release.
David Goggin had been inspired to write a song called ‘Oh God, What Now’ (which appears on Baroque Anxieties) following the acquisition of a piano a friend was giving away. And so, in 2018, he went into Jim Riley’s Ranscombe Studios with fellow VLKS-er Matt Boorman and session musicians to start work on the new whatever-it-would-be.
“There’s a couple of other things that were floating around at the time that came from that same piano,” Goggin explains. “And then, for whatever reason, it just stopped.”
“We ended up with four songs with strings and there were about seven or eight songs that were like backing tracks. The intention was always to go back and finish those backing tracks and we never did. And then covid happened, and another two years went by, and that was it. So that kind of put a stop to it.”
Just as he was keen to assert the authenticity of wading in the freezing waters of Eynsford, David Goggin is equally eager to state – quite categorically – that Baroque Anxieties is not a lockdown record. “That’s not authorised,” he says, with a glint in his eye.
Nevertheless, it’s clear that the time spent stuck at home provided the songwriter with an opportunity to reflect and reassess his priorities. “I think I’m much less bothered about what people think now. And I think that’s enabled me to become less perfectionist than I used to be.”
“I think one of the reasons why Brigadier Ambrose were not very prolific and why VLKS were not very prolific was because of this. Brigadier Ambrose had about fifty or sixty songs - but they weren’t quite right. And because they weren’t quite right, they just stopped. I think, in hindsight, I really wish I hadn’t been like that – and I’d done a bit more and just released more stuff.”
Whether or not Goggin is happy with the description of Baroque Anxieties as a lockdown album, it’s clear that this first Little Storping… outing would not be what it is without the pandemic.
“[The album] is eleven songs about anxiety. Some of the songs are about looking back on myself when I was much more uptight about things. ‘Prickly David’ [the second song from the album] is that really. There’s an element of: ‘Why can’t you just have a bit more fun?’, ‘Why are you bothered?’”
“There have definitely been barbecues that I have been to where I have been moody as hell. And I would have been awkward about meeting new people. Which I think everyone understands and experiences. But I just think the Dave now isn’t like that.”
The knowing-ness, the self-awareness – is at its most apparent on ‘Take Me More Seriously’ in which an exaggeratedly pompous version of the old Dave is seen to be conspicuously listening to Radio 3 and ensuring everyone knows about his secret gig. “It’s just that kind of trying to make out that you’re much more important than you are and not allowing yourself to just be yourself,” he explains.
Part of this concern over appearances was drawn out of Goggin’s return to Medway after some years away. “I guess ‘Chokeslammed ‘is a little bit about me returning here,” he says.
“It took a long time to get okay with moving back to Rochester because there’s an element of – if you’ve managed to leave Medway, then that’s amazing. If you come back, then something’s gone wrong. But I think that’s true of everyone’s hometown.”
“It was almost that kind of: ‘What are people going to think about this?’ I overthought it. I over-analysed it. Went completely over the top about it all. And it’s another thing that I don’t care about anymore.”
Where the joke on the VLKS releases came from the sombre intensity of the music versus the banality of the lyrics, there is a greater subtlety at work in Little Storping in the Swuff. The lyrics have evolved from concerns about which kind of detergent to buy from the corner shop into something much deeper. Instead, we find ourselves exploring the inner workings of a mind pre-occupied with its own discomfort in the world.
Rather than laughing at the triviality of Ambrose and VLKS era Dave’s observations, we’re now invited to sit alongside someone working through their unease, recognising something of ourselves in his plight.
It all makes for a beautifully poignant, honest and refreshing record.
Baroque Anxieties by Little Storping in the Swuff is out now on Spinout Nuggets. David Goggin will be performing at The Slaughtered Lamb in London on 16 July and at the Medway Little Theatre on 20 July. He will also be playing a live session with Marc Riley from 9pm on BBC 6 Music on 31 July.
In brief
⚓ Medway Council’s planning committee approved the application for the redevelopment of the south side of Chatham Docks last night. Despite opposition from the Conservatives and Cllr Pearce of the Independent Group, the Labour members of the committee voted to approve it, meaning it was waved through on an 8-7 vote. The Basin3 development may still face further opposition with the possibility of a government call-in and likely legal challenges. You can watch the debate, with interjections from the particularly lively audience, on YouTube.
🗣️ The three leaders of Medway Council’s political groups have given their thoughts on the first year of the Labour administration. Unsurprisingly, Leader Vince Maple thinks it’s gone alright, Conservative George Perfect isn’t impressed, while George Crozer of the Independent Group is fairly positive.
🍺 Greene King is set to close The Flying Saucer in Hempstead next week after suddenly deciding to return the pub to the site's freeholder. Rumours are also abounding about the imminent demise of the Manor Farm in Rainham.
Medway Barge Match sets sail
Of all the events that take place in Medway each year, the Medway Barge Match is possibly one of the more overlooked. If you do want to see some exciting river action this weekend, though, the 2024 edition will be taking place tomorrow (Sat 1 Jun).
The race first took place in 1880 and is still going strong today, with the same boats that would have been 140 years ago.
The start and finish line is located off Gillingham Pier, near the Medway Queen, and will see barges set off at 10am on a 29 mile course out into the Thames Estuary and back again.
In Medway, the best places to watch the spectacle are The Strand or the Waterfront Bar at Gillingham Marina, which will be open all day and serve food and drink with spectacular views overlooking the water.
If you’d like to get a little closer to the action, Tiller & Wheel are offering the chance to follow the race from a vessel that will be sailing the river behind the competitors. Alternatively, if you want to take part in the match itself, you can book aboard the Cambria sailing barge, where you’ll be in the heart of the action, and allowed to take part in the operation of the vessel if you wish.
You can find out more about the Medway Barge Match and book any of the experiences via the Tiller & Wheel website.
Out to Lunch: Deangate café in Hoo
In which Steven Keevil assesses the lunch options available in our towns. This week, he’s been down to the café at Deangate Ridge Indoor Bowls Club in Hoo…
Deangate Ridge has been in the news in recent times. The site of a former golf course became a battleground against development and led to the council administration consulting on turning the area into a country park because the grounds and nature are genuinely that nice there. Once you get over the uncertainty of whether the road you have turned down is the right one, you will find that rare Medway thing: a more than adequate car park. The café is situated within the Deangate Ridge Indoor Bowls Club and is a simple but friendly affair with large tables, slightly stiff chairs, and a selection of books available to peruse while you eat.
The menu is short and sweet, with most items some variation of pork, egg, and carbohydrate. I went for a classic ham, egg, and chips. The staff were happy to swap my grilled tomatoes for an extra egg, cheerfully letting us know the eggs were from a local farm. The food prices were extraordinarily reasonable, though offset by the relatively expensive drinks. The food arrived promptly, and while it was simple, it was delicious. The local eggs had a flavourful, rich orange yolk. The ham was generously portioned, and the chips were a tasty treat when dipped into the yolks.
From the heart of the Medway towns, you can be at Deangate café in 15 minutes. It is well worth the trip for good food and the opportunity to walk it off in the countryside. Maybe it’s even worth taking up indoor bowls.
Events this week
🔦 A rare opportunity to access the Shorts Tunnels is available tomorrow (Sat 1 Jun) as Hidden History Tours conducts one of their periodic explorations of the wartime manufacturing tunnels underneath Rochester. Tickets £28.
🪕 Legendary singer-songwriter Helen McCookerybook plays at the Rams Micropub 12 Degrees tomorrow night (Sat 1 Jun). Formerly of The Chefs and Helen and the Horns, McCookerybook has been gigging since 1997 and will be supported in Rochester by local folk artist Rachel Lowrie. Tickets £7.50.
🎸 Excellent Rainham music night The Platform 3 Club is back tomorrow night (Sat 1 Jun). The lineup this time features The Galileo 7, Sunshine Pony Club, Stuart Turner and The Pastel Waves. Tickets £8.
🐉 A new exhibition at Rochester Cathedral celebrates 900 years of the Textus Roffensis with a giant dragon. Local artist Wendy Daws has designed the Draco Roffensis, which will be on display above the Nave of the Cathedral from tomorrow (Sat 1 Jun) until 21 September. Free.
More Authority
Coming up this weekend, our Sunday interview is with Tris Osborne, the newly minted Labour candidate for Chatham and Aylesford. It’s a wide-ranging discussion covering why he is running for parliament again, whether Labour hates motorists, and just how many social media accounts he’ll be operating during the campaign. To receive that, and all of our extra editions for paid supporters, hit the big orange button below.
Footnotes
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Music that soundtracked the creation of this edition: Baroque Anxieties by Little Storping in the Swuff and Sports by Modern Baseball.
 | A guest post by
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Saw Little Storping at The Oast last week ( when most of Medway were at the Roundhouse for some reason) and can highly recommend ! Support local music folks we have so much talent on our doorstep
Hi Steven and Ed
Remind your readers to see the Hazelnut Press on Tour in the Namur Room at the Dockyard. This room is off the main cafe, before the paid ticket area.
We've made dockyard inspired prints as well as other work. Profits from teatowels sold will support the Local Authority! Apparently there are other events shows and attractions at Chatham Historic Dockyard but you'll have to pay to enjoy them.