Music

Be Part of The Band with The 1975

15th Jul 2022 — 1 Comment

Naked, vulnerable and self aware, the 1975 expose their inner psyche in new song “Part of the band”

The 1975

With frontman Matt Healey deep into his sobriety after receiving equine therapy in Barbados it appears he has more of an insight into himself and what it is to be a member of a band.The drugs, the success, the sacrifice. The lyrics nod to his embarrassment with his few relapses with heroin “So many cringes in the heroin binges, I was coming off the hinges”.

The relationship one has with others when the are at war with themselves is usually a toxic one. The lyrics “And I fell in love with a boy, it was kinda lame I was Rimbaud and he was Paul Verlaine” are interpretational. It both nods to Healey’s experience ‘kissing beautiful men’ and thus the slight fluidity in his sexuality but also to the turbulent relationships he has with the band and himself. There is an abundance of fierce and feral love in our lives.It is difficult to navigate certain scenarios when we dress them the way we want them to look and when we can’t dress them but can’t leave some may cope by turning to substance abuse.

Part of the band- The 1975 music video

The coercive relationship between doing what we love and doing what we need can leave us in agony. When we haven’t quite made it to where we want to be and we are forced to take the route in the opposite direction, its as though our limbs are torn from us and we are left to get on with it. We have to do the expected or be extraordinary, how do you become extraordinary if you have to do as you’re told?

The 1975

The single is both satirical and personal, exposing the politics in people’s lives. Who’s is to say what is wrong or what is right? Just because someone is telling you what to do does not mean it is what you should do. It is easy to be offended by individualism when we do not agree with it. If someone acts or looks defy what we have already worked to understand we defy their identity, their ideals. We have to self reflect, we have to be better, not to be “woke” or to avoid being cancelled, but because it is best for humanity when we work to understand one another.

The final line of “Part of the band” is cutting. It will resonate with those who have suffered an addiction whether this be to a substance or to a person. It reassures us that things take time, that there is a both a daily struggle and nightly joy when yet another moon has gone by and you have not sent a text or injected, smoked, snorted or drank. You have breathed clean air, you have reflected, you have screamed and you have sang and you will survive tomorrow. And in Healey’s words ” it’s just not cool to be a heroin addict, is it? [Young people] don’t look up to junkies. I don’t look up to junkies”.

If you or anyone you know needs help ending drug use please consult these websites or speak to a health professional. In an emergency call 999.

https://www.talktofrank.com

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/addiction-support/drug-addiction-getting-help/

Meet The Publics, a local Indie-Rock Band

12th Jul 2022 — 3 Comments

For those of you on the go, listen to the interview on my podcast here.

Rising Nottingham/Mansfield based indie-rock band The Publics, headed by Elliot Stephenson and Josh Porter, spoke to me about their new single, Art of War. The single is their first this year following on from a successful 2020 with 8.8k streams and 1.5k listeners over 39 countries and that’s just on Spotify.

Inspired by the ancient Chinese military  treatise, the art of war, The Publics’ new single of  a similar name, Art of War, explores “the internal conflict caused when one is made to feel guilty and accountable for the actions of others” hence the emotive lyrics“ What if I’m  the enemy?”

In my opinion ‘Art of war’ is one of The Publics most powerful tracks, the imagery it creates is not only passionate, but harrowing depicting the struggles that one can face whilst in a destructive yet rewarding position. It echoes the energy of some of the bands older tracks such as Was that kiss meant for me? and All bark no bite although each song is beautifully different in nature.

Elliot shared with me his thoughts on his own songs, he said: “Answer phone is a close favourite of mine as its more stripped back. It’s powerful and emotional, especially when the whole band is brought together for the final chorus.

It’s more personal as it was inspired by a close friend of mine. Out of the tracks we’ve released it ranks a close second to Art of War.”

Elliot and Josh credits to https://www.instagram.com/thepublicsofficial/

Elliot and Josh have known each other for 10 years which is why they work so well together. Originally working as a cover band, playing hits by the Arctic Monkeys and Declan McKenna they decided after some advice from a friend to start song writing, to work on their own stuff, releasing their debut single First impressions in 2019.

Elliot explained to me that their writing process was “unique.” He said, “Both of us write each other’s part, playing to each other’s strengths.” They describe their sound as “different but similar,” combining inspiration from familiar indie tracks in order to create their own new sound which is why they are such a hit; echoing the greats of the Beatles, Oasis and of course Arctic Monkeys but they also have their own voice with lyrics inspired by everyday life. Elliot shared with me that the chorus of Art of War came to him whilst on his shift at Tesco’s.

The impact of the corona virus pandemic on the music industry especially for smaller bands ,such as The Publics, who are trying to make a name for themselves was crushing as music studios were closed, people were unable to meet to share ideas or work on new sounds. Working on their latest single since last July, the band was eager to release the track but due to 2020 lockdown all process had to be halted.

Elliot inspired me when he said; ” That the time in lockdown would have given people the chance to, learn a new instrument, or put work into starting band, with the rising online sector music is more accessible.” Now, with venues set to reopen there are big plans in the works for these two, details of which will be released soon.

With studios open once again, and live performances planned it’s going to be an exciting year for The Publics and their fans.

Art of War is out now on all major streaming platforms. If you listen to one thing today make sure it’s that.

Meet Mitchell Crown, local DJ for Ironside records

12th Jul 2022 — Leave a comment

A University of Lincoln student has been signed as Resident DJ to Ironside records . After releasing his latest EP in March 2021, Mitchell Crown, who goes by the stage name subcortex_dnb , has had a successful start to his DJ career.

Mitchell Crown creds to instagram

As a Resident DJ to Iron side records when the clubs reopen and they host a set Mitchell will be DJing a set with them. Iron side is a drum and bass record label which promises ‘room shaking rollers and heavy-hitting jungle tracks’ and describes itself as a ‘Veteran of the underground DJ scene

Inspired by big names @alcemist.uk, @diagnostix_dnb and his friend in the industry Mitchell finally bought himself a pair of decks and now he has released two extended plays and 25 unique tracks gaining him 335 followers on Soundcloud. He describes his tracks as, “gritty,heavy roller/reece bass style alongisde more jungely drum patterns whcih are rapid and heavy with synthesised sound”

He said: “I usually stick with sub-heavy, gritty siunds but I am planning to experiment with jump up stabs .” This will echo his introductions that already use a lot of orchestral instruments. Listen for yourself here.

With Drum and bass becoming a global culture, emerging from underground raves and gaining popularity in the United Kingdom it makes sense that creators are jumping on the trend with SoundClound seeing 25 million users, an increase of three million from the previous year.

It reached popularty again over Lockdown with DJs live streaming their sets on social media which is why Mitchell said: “Now is the perfect time for any wanna be desk junkies to claim their trade and perfect their talent…

…The best advice I could offer to aspiring DJs is to make and mix music that you enjoy listening too.Create content that you enjoy, not just in the hope of pleasing others, butfor yourself. This will keep you motivated to continue”

Using this mentality he was able to get two of his tracks, Bromance bootleg and Coming Home bootleg onto the Hypeddit top 100 drum and bass charts which he describes as his: “Proudest moment”

After having big names such as Debunked records, Miss Bliss DJ and EJ kitto in the industry play his music he said he’s “excited to see where 2021″ takes him”