Pop Fever is coming to Henley Festival as part of the RISE programme and the audience really won’t know what’s hit them.
Charlie Frogson is the man behind the sound of Black Gloss Wardrobe, the project name blending genres to create his own sound called ‘Pop Fever’ that he describes as a crossover of alt (alternative rock), funk, disco and ska.
When I spoke to him, he was excited at having been selected to appear at the riverside venue, though never having been to the town before he described it as having ‘that boat thing’.
Henley Festival’s RISE programme provides a unique platform for aspiring professionals in music who perform on the dedicated RISE stage. Audi has been the proud Official Car Partner to Henley Festival since 2019 and a long-standing champion of the RISE programme. This year, the brand is going a step further with Audi Presents RISE Music, which will give participants visibility, financial support, mentoring, professional advice and networking, and exposure to a fantastic, receptive audience. RISE actively works with local and national colleges, as well as performing arts academies, to find talented individuals and groups, whatever their story, who will benefit from the opportunities provided.
As the first ever festival he has performed at, he is thrilled that Henley Festival audiences are opening up to all genres of music.
For Charlie, music was not a childhood love. He first picked a guitar up aged 20 and is pretty much self-taught, having lessons via zoom during Covid times which he quickly ditched in favour of studying artists on YouTube.
As well as the guitar he also plays keyboard, base and a little saxophone as well as singing. His musical inspirations include David Bowie, Talking Heads and the Beatles. He said: “There have been lots of different influences on my music as everything is so accessible these days. My inspiration comes from a fusion of lots of different sounds.”
His writing process is simple: “I write in dribs and drabs. If it comes that is great but if I have a block I go away and start another project before coming back to it. The process is literally stubbornness combined with sheer ignorance, but I get there in the end.”
He has been doing a lot of recording lately but recently performed at the world-famous Troubadour, the London venue that was founded in 1954 and has seen the likes of Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Jimi Hendrix perform there as well as more recently Ed Sheeran and Adele – so he was in good company.
While recording is not his favourite part of the industry, he said he likes the creative process of writing and loves performing. “I used to get anxious, and my head would fizz up but through it becoming a habit I have managed to get it under control. But I love the interaction you get with a live audience and the immediate response you get from them. That connection – the two-way thing – really gets the adrenalin going.”
At the time of forming, Charlie had no social media so creating an Instagram account, he needed a name. “It was really random – I was in my bedroom and saw my wardrobe which used to be black gloss, and I thought that’ll do until I can think of something better. I wrote a song called Black Gloss Wardrobe and the name just stuck.”
Charlie, 26, is originally from Sheffield and has lived in London for four years. When he’s not performing or writing one way he likes to unwind is through cooking. Inspired by travel his favourite dishes are those from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. “There are lots of places I would like to visit to inspire both my music and my dishes.”
And when he is in Henley he is hoping to catch some of the other acts performing on the Floating Stage at the festival.
Charlie Frogson and Black Gloss Wardrobe will be on the RISE stage on Saturday 11th July at 10.45pm. Henley Festival’s line-up from 8th to 12th July include Boy George & Culture Club, Sugababes, Lulu, and Alex James’ Britpop Classical. For tickets, visit www.henley-festival.co.uk
