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Nicki Davy: 'Get Better' by Frank Turner
68 Plays9 months ago
Nicki Davy is a Yorkshire actor, musician, writer and theatre-maker. She has been lucky enough to tread the boards at some brilliant venues, including Sheffield Crucible, Lyric Hammersmith, Nottingham Theatre Royal and Leeds Playhouse, and has toured to numerous other studios, libraries and schools up and down the country.
Most recently, she performed in her debut play as a writer - 'Eva' - which played to sold-out audiences at Leeds Playhouse.
In other news, she is mum to 2 pretty awesome kids, who are always shouting at her to 'TURN THE MUSIC DOWN!' when she is singing and dancing to her survival songs in the kitchen.
Help us a grow a community of survival song listeners by joining us on over on Substack:
https://survivalsongs.substack.com/
Get Better' by Frank Turner can be found on our community playlist on Spotify along with our listener’s Survival Songs. Check it out and add your own!
This episode contains small portions of ’Get Better' by Frank Turner. Survival Songs claims no copyright of this work. This is included as a form of music review and criticism and as a way to celebrate, promote and encourage the listener to seek out the artists work.
Find out more about ARTIST here:
https://open.spotify.com/artist/27M9shmwhIjRo7WntpT9Rp?si=iFI8_xP1SjSmGIG4kl5eXg
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Survival Songs' podcast
00:00:01
Speaker
I'm Lydia. I'm Ed. We're friends with a playlist for everything. And it turns out we both have one called Survival Songs. And it got us thinking, what are other people's Survival Songs? So we thought we'd find out.
Purpose of the podcast
00:00:16
Speaker
Welcome to Survival Songs. A podcast where each episode our guest tells us about a song that gets them through the best and worst of times. Sensitive topics might be discussed, so make sure you look after yourself. We'd love for you to support and celebrate the artists by streaming, downloading and buying their brilliant music. And go give our guests a follow on social media. Help us grow the community of Survival Song listeners by joining us over on Substack and add to our public playlist on Spotify. Links are in the show notes. We hope you enjoy the show.
Introducing guest Nikki Davie
00:00:49
Speaker
Welcome to Survival Songs. My name's Ed.
00:00:53
Speaker
This week, I'm delighted to be joined by Nikki Davie. Nikki is a writer and performer. Her most recent show, Ava, was a true story about a member of her family, a young Jewish woman fleeing from the Nazis in 1930s Germany and moving to the UK, only to be faced with the same hostilities. The show played a sellout run at Leeds Playhouse, and I had the pleasure of being the sound designer and composer.
Nikki's survival song: 'Get Better' by Frank Turner
00:01:19
Speaker
We're going to talk to Nicky in a minute, but first we're going to hear a part of her survival song. This is Get Better by Frank Turner.
00:01:48
Speaker
So that was Get Better by Frank Turner, the survival song of Nicky Davey, who's here now. Hi, Nicky. Hello. Thank you for joining us. Not at all, thanks for having me. That's all right. So when did you first hear this song? When did it arrive in your life? um My brother bought me Frank Turner's first album and as a Christmas present about maybe 13 or 14 years ago. ah And I became slightly obsessed with him. And this album, actually, that this song came off, I wasn't that impressed with it. But this particular song jumped out at me um ah because I was going through a particularly hard time myself at that time. ah And i remember I remember sort of floating through the other songs on the album going, yeah,
00:02:35
Speaker
All right. Yeah. And then this one came in with this kind of pounding rhythm and it felt like, it felt like a war cry almost and, um, and kind of woke something up in me and I was like, yeah, come on then. There was that, that feeling from it, um, that sort of changed my headspace from, um, uh, sort of melancholy, if you like into, all right, then come on, let's do this. Um, and
Meaning of survival through music
00:03:04
Speaker
I think. yeah As we've talked about, a I have quite a lot of survival songs and and some of the ones on your other episodes actually are ones where I was like, yep, that's one of mine. ye that's one of mine and But that it's nice for me to look at a song or choose a song that is
00:03:24
Speaker
um not melancholy, not something that's cathartic, if you like, in that sense of sitting with it, um but but has that driving energy behind it. and That was definitely what I needed when I came across it. Then it's appeared on most of my playlists since then. What does survival mean to you? Like so because but you said, you're talking about melancholy songs and you know some of the songs that are more cathartic, So in this, I suppose, in in this context, what does survival mean? oh Yeah, it can mean so many different things, can't it? I mean, sometimes survival is literally pulling the blanket over your head and and curling up on the sofa and self-care. And then in this context, for me, it's come on now, get up, um crack on. And I'm always wary of of that becoming a like, you know, in in the sphere of talking about mental health or survival in that sense anyway.
00:04:22
Speaker
of pushing through something that you shouldn't be pushing through. There is absolutely a time for nourishing and nurturing. um But when I was choosing a song, and this one stood out to me as one that made me think of survival in terms of moving forwards instead of staying incubated. um and both are absolutely necessary for survival, I would say. Yeah. and and it's ah Because it's not it isn't a nurturing song.
Communal power of music
00:04:54
Speaker
When it came out, I was like, holy hell, this is like a ah it's a battle cry. you know it's like and it's It's really defiant and on the nose, right? Yeah, totally. Yeah. And that's what I love about it and is, like I say, it's that driving that driving beat, the kind of driving drums and
00:05:11
Speaker
It's pretty relentless and the the punk energy behind it. I love that, that kind of rebellious, and as I say, this this like, come on then, let's have you. you know i'm I'm digging a ditch, those opening lyrics. It's got me a shovel and I'm digging a ditch and I'm staying right here. and
00:05:34
Speaker
So it's not it's not a song for every day because then I'd just be really angry all the time. No one wants that, quite frankly. yeah um but it is um It's a song, but yeah, like you say that, that war cry energy, it's a song that that gets me up and gets me going and and gets me out the door, if you like, when when I'm struggling to get out
Role of arts in community support
00:06:02
Speaker
the door. I realise the horror that I create when I say you have to pick one song because it's it's terrible and I understand that this format is frankly awful for people. um but because i I'm the same, I have those kind of nurturing songs.
00:06:16
Speaker
ah My wife Andrea always knows when I'm like feeling better because the song I put on is stressed out by a a tribe called Quest. And it's like it's it's like, it's the song she knows that I've like worked through it. And it's like, okay, I'm i'm good now. It's like, I'm okay. You know, like, yeah. And I think you you need those stages, right? Survivalist stages sometimes. Yeah, totally. I think, yeah, and as I say, you know, having been through ah some various mental health difficulties myself, then yeah, I'm very aware of that.
00:06:47
Speaker
need to to to look after yourself. and Then also, there is a need to move forwards. and I think that the really in this song, the part that speaks to me, if you like, every time is this. and ah She drew a line across the middle of my broken heart and said, come on now, let's fix this mess.
00:07:14
Speaker
it's It's forward-facing. it's it's through. You've gone through it, you're out the other side, now what? um And we're not dead yet as well. Again, there's a sort of feeling of defiance there of we're not dead yet and getting to shout that. I've seen Frank turn alive a couple of times and And yeah, that feeling of like an entire room going, yeah, ah it's just, it's just nothing, nothing like it. Yeah. Cause I suppose that's another thing is that, you know, these is an existing different wise and live, that kind of communal feeling of, of people kind of having that defiance against, yeah I suppose against that stuff that pushes, pushes you and like, which is individual and
00:07:56
Speaker
uh and yeah very sort of like personal but at that point that fight against the the kind of darkness that's that's universal right that's kind of collective absolutely yeah absolutely and i think that's one of the things that i love i mean it's one of the reasons why i'm an actor as well is is the um The idea of sharing something, a kind of communal experience and and looking at the human condition. And part of the human condition is is rebellion and anger and rage and pushing back against something. And part of it is sadness and and ah melancholy and all of those other things as well. but But yeah, those moments, it's a moment of release for me.
00:08:38
Speaker
being around another group of people um or any group of people. and And as you say, feeling something together, ah there's something incredibly cathartic in that. um Yeah, and I think ah like I said in particular, this kind of punk energy, this this slightly fight the power kind of energy as well, you know rage against the machine, all of that stuff as well. There's something in that of an element of survival of, ah how do I ah survive in this world? yeah and Rather than taking myself out of the world, how do I survive in this world? Yeah, absolutely. I think what's really interesting talking about mental health ah is, and I think there's a point when, because there's the point when you're like,
00:09:27
Speaker
you just feel completely wrapped up in yourself. I always say the weird thing about mental health is like, it's the most, you feel completely worthless, but actually your ego is going so crazy. You've kind of put yourself at the center of everything because you're trying to control everything, but you can't. um and there's there's a that wonderful point in when in in kind of when you're, if you can get to that point of when when you realize that actually those things that you thought were weird and odd or horrible, that which you thought only you felt, there's a realization, oh, this is this isn't weird, this isn't you know odd, actually, this is really common. And again, that kind of communal and that, that and and then then when you feel part of that,
00:10:10
Speaker
again that community in music and and you know andc creative arts theatre and so all that all those wonderful things that kind of bring us together, they feel like they're a communal force against that stuff that that's telling you that you're you're not good enough, right? Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. and Someone used the phrase with me once, and you need to find your tribe. um And ah that really stood out to me. I mean, at that particular time, I was transitioning into becoming an actor anyway. So I was like, oh, acting people are my tribe. And then I was like, oh, no, these people might be my, oh, no, these people.
00:10:47
Speaker
And actually for me now there's a much bigger feeling of just collectively belonging to a tribe of humanity. yeah um And that's the kind of work that I want to make. That's the kind of way that I want to live in the world of how so we how do we all make it through life? How do we all support each other to make it through life? and And the arts for me, music for me, theater for me is is a fantastic way of doing that.
Conclusion and call to action
00:11:16
Speaker
um I think there is something about artists as well and musicians that they're particularly tapped into that kind of stuff. So, you know, there is there is something really beautiful about getting in a room full of artists because everyone's coming in with this like, oh, I'm bringing this and I'm bringing this. No way. i And you get to spark off each other. But as you say, yeah, this idea of of ego, and I mean, no one wants no one wants a big ego in a room, for instance. you know Can we all put our egos aside and
00:11:46
Speaker
and recognize what is common between us in terms of being human. and That's what I'm interested in. And that's what music does for me a lot of the time. Yeah. A lot of commonality. Yeah. That's lovely. Thanks so much, Nikki. That's bloody lovely. and And hopefully see you soon. Take care. Thank you.
00:12:16
Speaker
We really hope you enjoyed the episode. If you want to support the podcast further you can choose to upgrade your subscription on Substack, but most of all we'd just love it if you told your friends about what we're up to. Thanks for listening.