The Apollo Audio Podcast

Martin and Billy are joined by Josh Dean, MP for Hertford and Stortford, for a conversation about music, local culture, grassroots venues and why spaces like Apollo Audio matter.Josh talks about growing up in Hertford, spending time around friends in bands, discovering Bob Dylan through his granddad, and his more recent love of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath.Local music, business rates, rehearsal spaces, recording studios, grassroots venues and the role that places like Apollo Audio play in giving artists somewhere to practise, perform, record and develop, plus Hertford’s wider music culture, including Rock at the Castle, Musical Mystery Tour, local pubs, young musicians, summer band camps and the importance of giving people a real place to make music rather than only consuming it online.Topics include: • Josh’s musical background • Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and protest music • Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath • Artists who reinvent themselves live • Hertford’s music scene • Grassroots venues and business rates • Why rehearsal and recording spaces matter • Young musicians and local opportunity • Apollo Audio as part of the community • Recommended album: Ozzy Osbourne, Blizzard of OzzFind Apollo Audio online: apollo-audio.co.uk

Martin and Billy are back for another episode of The Apollo Audio Podcast, AI, copyright, mixing, live performance, chart records and Loathe’s new album A Stranger To You.The conversation starts with recent discussion around support for grassroots music and the challenge of protecting artists from AI scraping, stem separation and the unauthorised reuse of creative work.AI tools may have their uses, but there is still a difference between using technology to support a creative process and using it to bypass the work completely.Martin and Billy also talk about mixing as an active, creative process: automation, fader moves, dynamics, transitions, and the small decisions that make a record feel alive rather than static.The album discussion focuses on Loathe’s A Stranger To You, a heavy, atmospheric and highly produced record that moves between ambience, industrial textures, extreme heaviness, melody and carefully controlled dynamics.Topics include:• AI, copyright and artist protection• Stem separation and backing tracks• The difference between tools and shortcuts• Why learning an instrument still matters• Mixing, automation and dynamic movement• UK album chart records• Oasis and What’s the Story Morning Glory?• Loathe and A Stranger To You• Arrangement, transitions and album flow• Why records still reward proper listeningVideo version available on YouTube and Spotify.Find Apollo Audio online:apollo-audio.co.uk

Martin and Billy are back for another filmed episode of The Apollo Audio Podcast, starting with the latest Apollo Audio studio gig featuring Conor Bond, Wire Bugs and High Society.That leads into a wider conversation about small venues, DIY shows and why intimate gigs still matter. Stadium shows can be huge events, but smaller rooms give artists something different: atmosphere, connection, audience response and a place to build properly.They also talk about System of a Down, Oasis, stand-up comedy in stadiums, the Rolling Stones, chart records in the streaming age, and why comparing modern streams with old physical single sales is not always straightforward.The album discussion focuses on Bring Me The Horizon’s Count Your Blessings | Repented, a re-recorded version of their debut album. Billy explains his connection to the band, while Martin tries to understand the value of revisiting an old record with more experience, better production and a much larger audience.Topics include: • Apollo Audio studio gigs • Why small venues still matter • Stadium shows vs intimate rooms • Building an audience before stepping up • The cost and risk of putting on live shows • Streaming-era chart records • Bring Me The Horizon and Count Your Blessings | Repented • Re-recording old albums • Heavy music, niche audiences and artist evolution • Why production quality can change how a record is heardVideo version available on YouTube and Spotify.Find Apollo Audio online: apollo-audio.co.uk

Martin and Billy are back on camera for another filmed episode of The Apollo Audio Podcast, talking studio upgrades, summer gigs, live shows, festival season and why performance still matters whether you are on stage or in the studio.The conversation starts with recent shows from Metallica, My Chemical Romance, Wolf Alice, System of a Down and others, leading into a wider discussion about what makes a live performance feel like an event. It is not always about pyrotechnics or massive staging. Even small bands can think about how they hold attention, perform their songs and create something memorable for an audience.The album discussion focuses on Angine de Poitrine’s Vol. II, a strange, heavy, rhythmic and surprisingly enjoyable record that sits somewhere between rock, groove, microtonal guitar, odd time signatures and full alien-performance art.Martin and Billy talk about why the band works, how weird music can still connect, and why artists no longer need everyone to understand what they are doing. In a world of fragmented audiences, the real aim is not universal appeal. It is finding the people who genuinely care.Topics include:• Filming the podcast• Studio upgrades and video setup• Metallica, Wolf Alice and My Chemical Romance• Stagecraft and live performance• Performing in the studio, not just singing into a microphone• Angine de Poitrine and Vol. II• Weird music, groove and microtonal guitar• Cult audiences and niche appeal• Why artists do not need everyone to get it• Finding the audience that actually caresVideo version available on YouTube and Spotify.Find Apollo Audio online:https://apollo-audio.co.uk

For the 100th released episode of The Apollo Audio Podcast, Martin and Billy do something slightly different. For the first time, the episode was filmed as well as recorded, with the video version available on YouTube and Spotify.The milestone also lands almost exactly five years after Martin began working with Apollo Audio, so this episode looks back at the studio, the podcast, and a selection of records made at Apollo over that period.Martin and Billy talk about how the studio has changed, why the control room now feels like a proper creative space, and how Apollo has become more than just rehearsal rooms and recording equipment. It is a place where bands meet, rehearse, record, perform, drink tea, try ideas, make videos, play shows, and slowly build a history together.The main discussion focuses on a playlist of tracks recorded, produced or engineered at Apollo Audio, including music from Common Orchids, High Dives, Catherine Hamilton, Brand New Day, Hickey, Chloé Ann, Puppet and the Dwarf, Dan Thomas, F01 and Wire Bugs.They also discuss the role of the producer, why a second set of ears matters, how different artists need different recording processes, and why making records is often about becoming part of a small creative gang for a while.Spotify Playlist ForThis EpisodeTopics include:• The 100th episode of The Apollo Audio Podcast• The first filmed podcast episode• Five years of Martin working with Apollo Audio• How the studio has developed over time• Building a creative community around a studio• Recording, production, rehearsal and live events• Why the producer can feel like an extra band member• Artists returning to the studio over multiple projects• Tracks recorded and produced at Apollo Audio• What makes a studio more than just a roomVideo version available on YouTube and Spotify.Find Apollo Audio online:https://apollo-audio.co.uk

Martin and Billy are back in the studio talking football disappointment, unreleased Deftones material, music leaks, chart data, country music, streaming algorithms and a reassessment of Olivia Rodrigo’s latest album.The main album discussion focuses on Bag O’ Bones and their new album Lift Off, recorded at Apollo Audio with production, engineering, mixing and mastering by Martin Lumsden.Martin and Billy talk through the recording process, from the band’s rehearsal preparation to the decision to track the album live in the room with minimal overdubs. They discuss why live recording only works when the band is ready, why small imperfections can add character, and how the physical limits of vinyl affected the final album sequence.They also reflect on the album as a true Apollo Audio project, with the band rehearsing at the studio, performing their first gig there, recording the album there, and bringing in artwork from another Apollo regular.Topics include: • Football disappointment and World Cup format • Deftones, leaked albums and unreleased music • Chart data and how music popularity used to be measured • Country music, algorithms and hidden mainstream audiences • Olivia Rodrigo revisited • Bag O’ Bones and Lift Off • Recording a band live in the studio • Why preparation matters before recording • Mistakes, character and performance feel • Vinyl sequencing and physical release decisions • Local scenes, real musicians and Apollo Audio as a creative hubFind Apollo Audio online: https://apollo-audio.co.uk