Raconteurs can present themselves in the most unusual places and this is something I’ve learned during my decade of Beyond The Title. Musicians can often be wonderfully complex and creative humans who are frequently impossible to categorise. Navigating through the frequently fickle world of music can be a daunting challenge for musicians who seek that elusive notion of longevity with many falling out of love with the thrill of performing. Throughout the past decade, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have been given a ringside seat to Britpop legends Dodgy’s return to the live stage and drummer Mathew Priest’s eloquence has become a staple of the podcast. In doing this, I have been able to get an insight into the unglamorous side of fame and the hard reality behind the unspoken hierarchy that live acts have to adhere to.
Luckily, Priest is blessed with a genial sense of foresight and a grounding which has kept his feet firmly on the ground. Instead of bemoaning the changing times in music, when it seemed the sun was setting on Dodgy’s nineties’s revolution, he immersed himself in another world entirely. A born communicator with a soaring passion for music, Math enrolled on a teacher training qualification and now teaches music in a special educational needs school. You can hear the passion that radiates from him whenever he waxes lyrical about his day job which combines two of his greatest loves. It has been proven that music can offer context to those with cognitive impairment and Math reinforces this principle on a daily basis. Whether it’s giving someone a tambourine to shake, tapping out a beat with their fist or simply listening to a song, human interaction with music is so important.
While maintaining a successful career in special education, it’s incredible to believe that Math could find the time to reunite with Dodgy. Despite no longer embarking on worldwide tours or a full live calendar, Dodgy still remain in demand for intimate gigs and festivals. Math’s grounded approach to life allows him the space to distance himself from some of the emotional aspects of management and having this retrospective outlook has allowed him not to make sense of the obvious mistakes that they made when they were young. The joy of still playing together is now the driving factor in what the band does and this suits everyone. Dodgy’s recent performance on the iconic TFI Friday cemented their status as nineties icons and it’s exciting to see where this journey shall take Mathew next.
Over the past few years, it has been great to get to know Matt socially and it’s a privilege to have experienced his sharp wit and irreverent sense of humour up close. His friendship and kindness are things that mean a lot to me and whenever I see him I know that there will be laughter. A celebration of Beyond The Title wouldn’t feel complete without his inclusion and essentially he’s within a handful of guests who I feel comfortable in being authentic with and I feel that whenever he’s on the podcast the show automatically takes a different vibe. Yet above all, it gives me so much pride to be able to call Mathew Priest a friend!
Beyond The Title