Part One: Messages in Bottles
By speaking to Saints from different generations it is clear that they have always searched for messages from the outside world. That message has often been in the form of music.
“That was a big thing...to be able to recieve a signal from overseas”
Hearing voices from across the sea.
Being so far from mainland, getting messages to the island has not always been easy. The island only began receiving live TV from 1995. People watched VHS tapes, but getting them was still a challenge: My father remembers people traveling to the island by ship carrying many weeks worth of taped news programs.
This relates to music as well. Vincent and Tony both described a culture of handmade and DIY radios, capable of picking up broadcasts from elsewhere, often Africa. What they describe is more than a technical achievement. These radios offered access to real-time voices, music, and messages from beyond the island. Radio would go on to become one of the most significant modes of transmission for music on the island.
Whilst radio existed, fixed media also plays a big part in listening habits.
Prior to real-time radio, people also had access to gramophones and records, likely imported from the UK. These brought music onto the island in a more fixed form. Throughout the years, this was replaced with the most up-to-date technology - Tapes, CDs, digital media, streaming, and now algorithmic playlists. The media that existed on the island circulated, the only means of accessing new records was via ship, and this shaped much of musical taste. Vincent also mentions that the love of country music was imported by Saints working on the nearby Ascension Island’s American army base. This again shows Saints enthusiasm for styles from abroad.
Saints love the radio.
The radio has occupied a particular place in everyday Saint Helena life since it first started. Stewie and Tony both enjoy the descriptive, real-time feeling of the radio, maybe due to an increased feeling of personal connection with the broadcaster. Perhaps much of the appeal lies in what Luke describes: radio removes the burden of choice. Instead, listeners are taken on a small journey of discovery, guided by the tastes of somebody else.
Some saints use the internet like a radio.
You might expect the internet, where almost any song is instantly available, to completely replace this way of listening. Yet both Zac and Vincent describe using platforms like SoundCloud, Facebook, and YouTube in surprisingly similar ways to radio—allowing algorithms, recommendations, and chance discoveries to guide them toward new music.
Saints adopt these messages into their own music making.
What is heard on the radio becomes performance repertoire. Stewie recalls listening to the Top 30 on a Wednesday afternoon to pick out new repertoire for his band - The Young Turks.
There certainly is a culture of originality on the island as well; a great many songs have been written by Saint Helenians, usually in the styles that are most prevalent at the time. Previously, they were country-style songs. Recently, it may be more varied - Zac’s electronic music (WTF Studios below), or the rock-inflected “Stay with me” by Paul Crowie, for example.
It isn’t just repertoire, but also performance practices that are adopted from the outside.
Saints also look to visiting performers for new musical styles, repertoire, and techniques. Tony mentions a friend of his learning how to slap and pop the bass from a visiting French “professional” band. Speaking personally, I have played with visiting fiddlers, pipers, and didgeridooists. I think universally, musicians seek opportunities to connect with other musicians from different cultures, to see what can be adopted. On Saint Helena, where “visitors” are a constant, this is especially true.
Stewie mentioned learning different drumming styles when he was based in the Falkland Islands. As well as the performance styles he learned rehearsal styles, lessons that he would eventually bring home to the island.
Talking back.
Since 2013, local radio stations have been “talking back” to the outside world via internet streaming. This predates even the Equiano cable. Now, the outside world can listen to Saint Helenian programming in real time. This is not the first two-way broadcasting, as there are a number of ham radio operators on the island who have operated for decades, and telegraph/phone lines were available pre-2000s. The radio, however, somehow takes that communication one step further by carrying music as well as just words.
It is also worth noting that since 2024, Saint FM has been airing with a completely remote operational team based in the UK, with a number of remote presenters. Via the internet, Saints now share the once insular radio interactions with people from the outside world.
Uploads
Zac and Mark both use the internet to upload their original music for the world to hear. Zac uploads to Soundcloud which is accessible for all, while Mark uses a wide range of online channels. Zac also shares his music locally from phone to phone with the Shareit app.
I have also been uploading videos of Saint Helenian performances to Youtube since 2024, in an effort to share the music of this island with the world. This website, of course, is perfect example of how connectivity is increasing access.
Links to both artists pages can be found below.
End of Section One: Messages in Bottles
