'It’s Hard To Push Back The Fear': Jay Watson Steps Into The Light As GUM

Steve Bell, Journalist

Steve Bell

Many, many moons ago Steve Bell was unassumingly writing a small fanzine for the inner-city Brisbane record store where he worked when on one otherwise normal day he was poached into the cutthroat world of street press, embarking on an eye-opening journey interviewing bands and banging on about music for the street press publication Time Off. It's an association that's now existed for well over 20 years - including a decade full-time as the print editor for Time Off/The Music - and one which still provides him with immense enjoyment and satisfaction, even though in recent times it's nestled alongside other music-related vocations such as co-owning a record store and indie label, radio broadcasting and navigating the podcast world.

Reviews / Live
Live Review: Mullum Music Festival
"All that remains is to mark off next year’s dates in the calendar so we can start counting down the days ‘til we do it all again."
Reviews / Album
Album Review: Various Smudge - The Manilow Tribute Album
"The result showcases both the strength of the album and the high regard this great band is still held in by their peers."
Reviews / Live
Live Review: Ron Sexsmith
"This must be what it’s like when a Canadian watches Paul Kelly."
Features / Music
Clutch's Neil Fallon Is Finally Drawing Inspiration From His Own Experiences
"I've always shied away from looking at my life... then realised that I had a wealth of these untapped things."
Features / Music
Terrible Truths Had To Deal With A Lot Of Grief During The Making Of Their Album
"I've never really grieved like that before so it was a pretty big shock, and it was pretty difficult to do anything."
Reviews / Arts
Les Miserables
"No musical has a better batch of songs with which to bring these conceits to life. An absolute must-see."
Features / Music
Martin Phillips Has Looked Death In The Eye And Returned With A New Focus And Energy
"I deliberately didn't want to write a 'woe is me, here's my sad tale of depression and drugs' type of record."
Reviews / Album
Album Review: Beat Happening - Look Around
"Rough, raw and incredibly influential."
Reviews / Album
Album Review: Beach Slang - The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us
"Earnest but excellent."
Features / Music
Putting Objects In The Strings Of A Piano Is Actually Highbrow Art
"All noise can be music: there are rhythms and noises and we're very influenced by nature, by birds and trees."
Features / Music
Devil You Know
Howard Jones Is Sorry About His Behaviour Towards Killswitch Engage, Misses Those Guys
"I kinda punched some of my best friends in my face, and it sucks."
Reviews / Album
Album Review: Eyes Ninety - Eyes Ninety
"The rough-as-guts production serves the band's aesthetic perfectly and there's no artifice here."