The Black Cab Sessions

Oh, lovely, lazy, luxurious London. A city firmly rooting itself in music. I could sit here all day listing how influential this royal city is. Elvis Costello, The Who, Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, The Police, The Rolling Stones... And those are just some of the DATED names. Basement Jaxx, Bloc Party, Kate Nash... I could go on. The point is, this modern metropolis that is littered with eras gone by has put more than its fair share of artists on the map. How do you show music listeners everywhere that London has still got life flowing through its winding streets with the breaklights of cars that flow like blood through the country's capital? How do you show the city already renowned for Abbey Road still has some life in it? How do you make a statement saying, "Hey world, check out London!"?

These chaps seem to have found away. By "these chaps," of course, I'm talking about the folks who run the Black Cab Sessions. These London natives have a non-profit hobby of videomaking. But not just any videomaking - their job is to film bands! But there's a twist (things are only interesting if there's a twist, eh?).

Here's the gist. Get a camera crew in London. Check. Now, find a great indie band. A bit more difficult, but we've got another check off the list. Now hail one of the classic black cabs off the London streets. Give them the heads up on why a band and camera crew, along with all their equipment and instruments, are invading said cab. Then, put all the ingredients together, and make some music! Check!

It's as easy, and certainly as unique, as that. The idea is to film some unique performances by exquisitely talented musicians while driving around London in the back of a taxi cab; there is one take filmed on camera, and all flaws, mistakes, and improvisations are fair game.

"We always hail the taxi straight off the street, which means the cabbies know nothing about the sessions until about five minutes before we start," the Black Cab Sessions informs readers whilst featuring London based band Fanfarlo. "Once we've pulled them over, we talk them through the slightly weird premise and explain how it'll all work. And right then, just as we've done that bit, there is always the moment. It's the moment when the cabbie pauses, ever so briefly, just for a beat, before giving us the verdict. Does he think we're complete jokers? Sometimes."

Keep in mind, I did mention this is a hobby. Black Cab Sessions is entirely non-profit; this is what "these chaps" do for their spare time! How much better do you get than a free and exclusive performance from some of your favourite bands? And these are their favourite bands, in fact, as the Black Cab Sessions are willing to deny those bands they would rather not be caught filming.

I know, I know, you're thinking, "So these are THEIR favourite bands? Probably a lot of boring local bands, right?" Well there's certainly a lot of local talent, but they're far from boring. The Futureheads, Hot Club de Paris, The Kooks, The Ravonettes, Lightspeed Champion... Are your ears perked yet? Cause those were only the bands out of the United Kingdom.

Black Cab Sessions really got international press when they featured a wonderful performance by Death Cab for Cutie. Then let's not forget the debut of Cold War Kids' latest song, "Dreams Old Men Dream" in the backseat of the taxi cruising down the London streets by night. And sometime after paying cab fairs with Man Man, Lykke Li, My Morning Jacket, The Cool Kids, Spoon, Okkervil River, Bon Iver, and The New Pornographers, they've racked up over 50 exclusive performances (and counting), and have documented quite a bit of the city landscape.

"On the whole, the London cab driver is a fine breed indeed. By and large they are game, up for it and just terrific sports." And there you have it! I've been following Black Cab Sessions religiously for a few months now, but they've been going steady and strong with frequent updates for the past year. You can check them out at the Black Cab Sessions [dot] Com.