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OPERA NEWS: The Russian State Opera returns to the Victoria Theatre Halifax

By
LSF Staff Writers
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Madama Butterfly is the perfect tragic opera and no opera can match the tragedy and sorrow of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. This tale of the doomed love of an American naval lieutenant and his young Japanese bride inspired Puccini to write some of his most sublime and beautiful music.

If you’ve never tried opera before, you will love this full orchestra experience with fantastic colourful costumes, exquisite singing and the wonderful tunes that the audience will still be humming on their way home, making this a must-see opera production for everyone.

Tickets for Madama Butterfly are available from £26.75 from www.victoriatheatre.co.uk, or by calling the Box Office on 01422 351158

GIG NEWS: Pocklington Arts Centre (Near York) music events for 2022

By
LSF Staff Writers
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Music listings for Pocklington Arts Centre – please note that this list does not include currently sold-out events. For those checkout the PAC website

Website: https://www.pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk
Box office: 01759 301547
Email: info@pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk
Address: Pocklington Arts Centre Market Place, Pocklington, York. YO42 2AR

 

Busking-in-the-Bar: Lily Honey
Friday 28 January.
Free entry. Bar open from 7pm, music from 8pm.
Busking-in-the-Bar gives you the chance to experience fantastic free live music from some of the region’s best emerging artists within the comfort of PAC’s intimate & luxurious bar. Lily Honey is a Yorkshire based singer songwriter who also plays piano and guitar. She has performed at venues such as The Fulford Arms and at festivals including Latitude, PAC’s very own Platform Festival and York Food and Drink Festival. Since the August 2020 release of her debut single ‘Leaving All My Love’, Lily has acquired extensive air play including on BBC Introducing.

Herman’s Hermits
Sunday 20 February, 8pm
Tickets £27.00
Herman’s Hermits are one of the biggest selling bands of the 60’s, not just in the UK, but around the world. From their early beginnings in Manchester in 1964, the band have chalked up 23 Hit Singles, 10 Hit Albums, appeared in three major movies and to date they have sold in excess of 75 Million records worldwide. Hits include, There’s A Kind Of Hush, Silhouettes, Can’t You Hear My Heart Beat, Wonderful World, A Must To Avoid, & Mrs Brown You’ve Gotta Lovely Daughter. Enjoy an evening of nostalgia, song and laughter, plus all their Hits brought to life. Please note this event is now taking place on a rescheduled date, as listed, with all original tickets remaining valid.

Gary Stewart’s Graceland
Thursday 24 February, 8pm
Tickets £16.00
Led by the legendary Leeds-based troubadour Gary Stewart (Gary Stewart Band / Hope and Social) and backed his incredible 6-piece band, this spectacular group of musicians come together to recreate Paul Simon’s landmark Graceland album in all its glory. Expect to hear those magical songs, with their captivating stories, distinctive harmonies and South African rhythms brought to life in front of you with no detail spared; from the layers of guitars and percussion, right down to the legendary bass solos and maybe even some token dance moves – if you’re lucky! Let the singing, dancing and nostalgia take hold and pretend you’re basking under the hot summer sun in Zimbabwe.

Friday 25 February
Busking-in-the-Bar: Alice Simmons
Free entry. Bar open from 7pm, music from 8pm.
Busking-in-the-Bar gives you the chance to experience fantastic free live music from some of the region’s best emerging artists within the comfort of PAC’s intimate & luxurious bar. Being compared to London Grammar, Portishead and Florence and The Machine Alice Simmons has created a unique sound combining electric piano, heavy bass lines, delicate guitar and smoky vocals. Alice has played a number of big festivals including Latitude, Humber Street Sesh, and Beyond The Woods.

TOYAH
Thursday 3 March, 8pm
Tickets £25.00
A unique chance to experience Toyah up close and personal with a show that has a lively cinematic sound using Toyah’s vocals/ keyboards/ stand-up bass and storytelling. Featuring her beloved hit singles and classic songs, alongside stories from her colourful, forty-year career. Toyah will perform stunning arrangements of hits including It’s A Mystery, Thunder In The Mountains, I Want To Be Free and Good Morning Universe alongside modern day classics such as Sensational and Dance In The Hurricane. Toyah’s brand new album ‘Posh Pop’ will be released this autumn and she can currently be seen in her hugely popular Sunday Lunch videos which have amassed viewing figures of over 10million with her husband Robert Fripp.

David Ford
Thursday 10 March, 8pm
Tickets £16.00
Award-winning songwriter David Ford returns to the road with an album of songs documenting the tumultuous year that was 2020. May You Live in Interesting Times is Ford’s sixth studio album and one that charts the rise of Covid alongside the decline of Trump. Recorded at home during the various stages of lockdown, the album captures the moment with Ford’s trademark blend of emotional eloquence and dark irony. After the imposed hiatus, this new incarnation of Ford’s innovative and ever-changing live show, described by The Times as, “One of Britain’s best”, promises to demonstrate just what happens when you shut a creative force in a room for two years.

Busking-in-the-Bar: Tim O’Connor
Friday 25 March, 8pm.
Free entry. Bar open from 7pm, music from 8pm.
Busking-in-the-Bar gives you the chance to experience fantastic free live music from some of the region’s best emerging artists within the comfort of PAC’s intimate & luxurious bar. Tim O’Connor is regarded as a troubadour for the 21st century with an eclectic musical melting pot of songs. His music is influenced by a myriad of musical styles woven into insightful, heartfelt contemporary yet age old sounding songs, drawing influence from The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Tom Waits, Jonny Cash, and traditional Irish music.

Edwina Hayes with special guest Rachel Croft
Friday 1 April, 8pm.
Tickets £13.00
Edwina’s beautifully written songs, charming stage presence and voice of an angel have won her a reputation as a true natural talent of gentle folk-Americana. Her cover of the Randy Newman song Feels Like Home was featured in the Cameron Diaz film My Sister’s Keeper and has since had over a hundred million plays on YouTube. Featured on prime time BBC 2 television, Rachel Croft is a Nottingham-born, York-made singer songwriter with a voice described as “truly exceptional” by BBC Introducing. With her rich lyricism and blend of cinematic rock, soul and indie styles, Rachel has gained an impressive international fanbase, packing out venues across Europe and gracing the main stages of festivals including Wickham, Lindisfarne and Costa Del Folk Portugal since 2017.

John Smith
Tuesday 5 April, 8pm
Tickets £15.00
Raised by the Devon seaside and making his bones in the bars and clubs of Liverpool, John has released five albums with over 40 million Spotify streams. He has played to audiences all over the world in living rooms, festival tents and sold-out concert halls. As a session musician, he has played guitar with artists as diverse as Joan Baez, David Gray, Joe Henry, Lianne La Havas, and Tom Jones. His latest album, The Fray, was released to critical acclaim in March 2021. Please note this event is now taking place on a rescheduled date, as listed, with all original tickets remaining valid.

The Young’uns
Saturday 23 April, 8pm
Tickets £19.00
The Young’uns’ live shows are renowned roller coaster rides. With heart-on-the-sleeve storytelling, beautiful lyrics, warm harmonies and relentless repartee, Sean Cooney, Michael Hughes and David Eagle (the award-winning stand-up comedian) write and sing folk songs for today. Born from empathy, crafted with care, fired by hope, and shared with joy, The Young’uns’ songs have been described as ‘a heartfelt secular hymnary for these troubled times and a rallying call for humanity’ (The Scotsman). They have led the band to three BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (including Best Album in 2018 for Strangers) and the creation of the acclaimed international theatre show The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff (based upon their 2019 album of the same name).

Sean Taylor
Thursday 28 April, 8pm
Tickets £12.00
Sean Taylor’s unique song-writing fuses blues, Americana, folk, roots, spoken word and social commentary. Over the last twenty years he has toured the world and released eleven albums. The Sean Taylor sound is a late-night cocktail of Tom Waits, with the voice of Van Morrison and a guitar style of John Martyn … His live shows feature world class song-writing with stories from the road. Promoting his new album ‘The Beat Goes On Sean Taylor is one of the most exciting and hard working names on the international roots and blues circuit.

Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita
Saturday 21 May, 7.30pm
Tickets £22.00
This sublime, critically acclaimed and multi award-winning collaboration between two adventurous virtuoso musicians – Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita – delivers a stunning exhibition of world-class musicianship. Following the success of their debut release Clychau Dibonback in 2013, their long-awaited second album SOAR launched in April 2018, followed by major UK tours in spring and autumn of 2018. Entrancing, mesmerising, intricate and ethereal, this is remarkable music and a thrilling live experience. Please note this event is now taking place on a rescheduled date, as listed, with all original tickets remaining valid.

The Felice Brothers
Thursday 23 June, 8pm
Tickets £20.00
The Felice Brothers’ distinct brand of song-writing and lawless sound has earned them comparisons to Neil Young, Bob Dylan and James Brown. Self-taught musicians Ian and James Felice began playing subway platforms and sidewalks in NYC, in 2006, and have gone on to release nine albums of original songs and to tour extensively throughout the world. Their album ‘Undress’ was released last year to critical acclaim and they will be performing songs from this and their extensive back catalogue accompanied by Will Lawrence (drums) and Jesske Hume (bass). Please note this event is now taking place on a rescheduled date, as listed, with all original tickets remaining valid.

Jesse Malin plus support
Wednesday 29 June, 8pm
Tickets £17.50
Jesse Malin made his name as a thoughtful and introspective singer/songwriter but also played raucous, over-the-top rock & roll with the band D Generation. Malin has recorded with Bruce Springsteen and Green Day, performed on The Tonight Show and Letterman, and shared stages with everyone from The Hold Steady to Bob Weir and The Gaslight Anthem. A prolific writer and relentless road warrior, he continues to circle the globe with his band and in 2019 released his seventh studio album, produced by American roots icon Lucinda Williams.

The Delines plus support
Wednesday 13 July, 8pm
Tickets £20.00
Country-soul outfit, The Delines come to PAC as part of a European tour in February 2022 with support from Jerry Joseph. The Delines sold out their last UK tour and will be returning with new material for this special date with the full line up. The band hails from Portland, Oregon where they have been working on new material over the past months before the lockdown, which is set to be finished shortly. Look forward to new songs and older classics from their previous albums. Please note this event is now taking place on a rescheduled date, as listed, with all original tickets remaining valid.

Bootleg Boss
Friday 29 July, 8pm
Tickets £20.00
Bootleg Boss are a UK based seven-piece band that perform the classic songs of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. Formed in 2012 this accomplished and exciting Live Band feature Kev Jamieson as the vocal-singing, guitar-playing, harmonica-blowing, band-leading, audience-engaging, dance-inducing, singalong-inspiring Boss. If you were born to run down backstreets, across badlands and to go dancing in the dark in a brilliant disguise, Bootleg Boss is the band you need to see.

Loudon Wainwright III
Wednesday 7 September, 7.30pm
Tickets £44.00
For the past 52 years, Loudon has carved out a distinguished career as one of our most original singer-songwriters, a six-string diarist with material that is by turns, tongue-in-cheek, tender, sarcastic, heart-wrenching and always deeply personal.
Along the way, he’s released over 20 albums, won a Grammy, acted in film and TV, and had his songs recorded by artists including Johnny Cash, Mose Allison, Bonnie Raitt, and his own son, Rufus Wainwright. In October of 2020 Loudon unveiled the album “I’d Rather Lead A Band” in which he is featured as a vocalist with Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks. Please note this show will now be Loudon, solo, and not feature Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche due to a scheduling conflict. This show is taking place on a rescheduled date, as listed, with all original tickets remaining valid.

GIG NEWS: Kaiser Chiefs headline Live After Racing at Doncaster Racecourse 3rd June 2022

By
LSF Staff Writers
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This special ‘Live After Racing’ show will invite audiences to enjoy an entire day of racing at one of the UK’s most prestigious arenas, with the added bonus of a full live set by the Yorkshire indie titans late into the evening.

Established as one of the best loved guitar bands to emerge this century, the Kaiser Chiefs will be heading to the races with a winning set-list of bona fide indie belters in their arsenal. Over the last 15 years the Kaisers have become a real household name, from their seven critically acclaimed and Top 10 charting albums selling multi-millions worldwide, to making memorable performances at some of the biggest events in recent history including Live 8 and the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony, and winning innumerable awards including ‘Best Live Act’ at both the Brit Awards and Q Awards.

With top 10 hits like ‘I Predict A Riot’, ‘Ruby’, ‘Oh My God’, ‘Never Miss A Beat’, and ‘Everyday I Love You Less & Less’ all cementing the band’s penchant for penning contemporary pop classics like few of their peers, the many highlights to be found on their acclaimed #3 charting 2019 album ‘Duck’, illustrate a band that have no intention of slowing down soon.

With a reputation as one of the best live acts in the biz, if there’s one safe bet to place all day, put it on a hit-packed set from the Kaisers…

Kaiser Chiefs – ‘Live After Racing’ @ Doncaster Racecourse –
Friday 3rd June 2022
Note rescheduled from 26th June 2021

Tickets available from: https://www.doncaster-racecourse.co.uk/whats-on/kaiser-chiefs-live-after-racing

Tickets are priced at:
£35 Advance STBF
£25 Children under 18’s (Under 5’s free admission)

 

SINGLE REVIEW: Matilda Shakes – ‘Shakedown’

By
Frank
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Matilda Shakes do, I guess indie rock with a heavy heavy dose of sounds from way back then. It’s rock with a hefty dose of good times, a sound that’ll make you shake your thang.

‘Shakedown’ strikes me – and I may be wrong, so strike me down with the nearest heavy thing if I am – as nothing more or less than a piece of classic British 70s’ RnB influenced rock. We are talking screaming guitar, a vocal that moves at the speed of light, a beat that is insistent and undying. And words that talk of ‘shaking to the rhythm and grooving to the blues’ on what sounds like the most perfect night out ever.

The playing on this thing is so fucking on. Guitar that is so tasty you’ll be going back to it time and again, just for that sound that goes straight to your soul. That descending guitar riff that is so 70s it hurts. The long drawn out guitar one note intro that goes into the groove, a groove that’ll have you going mental on the dancefloor. And the breakdown, oh that breakdown, guitar that is oh so sweet, an angelic choir of backing vocals, building to a climax, and then we’re back to that crazy beat.

Matilda Shakes are doing their own thing, making music that they so clearly love doing. Music that is done so well. ‘Shakedown’ is your soundtrack to a crazy night, a night when you dance until you drop and drink until you’re dizzy. A night when the music is just so good. People, go shake your thing with Matilda Shakes.

‘Shakedown’ is out on 28th January. Pre-save: https://kycker.ffm.to/shakedown

SINGLE REVIEW: Maria Helena ‘Balkan Night’

By
Frank
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I’m coming to Maria Helena late; ‘Balkan Night’ is the fourth release from their – I’ll come back to that – album ‘Planes’, To get back to that ‘their’; Maria Helena is a duo, a project by, Leeds based Maria Helena Żukowska (though born in Wrocław, Poland) and Wojtek Beszłej, also from Wrocław.

‘‘Balkan Night’ evokes the feel of travelling without a destination in the Balkans. ‘I think all of us have once felt that crazy, irresistible need to get into a car, or on a train, and just go’, explains Maria, ‘‘Balkan Night’ was born out of trips across the Balkans, backpacking without a fixed destination, and out of fleeting encounters along the way. In the song, we try to capture the Southern wind, and scents of coffee and jasmine.’

This is a lot to capture in a song but the song does that wonderfully. Words that tell a story, music that just feel like travelling, subtle and clever musical touches that evoke the Balkans. And while the track may in some ways fit into that indie-pop/indie-rock niche, there is more. It feels both retro – kind of 80s – and not of the UK. This may be obvious, both Maria and Wojtek come from Poland, but there’s something about this that says ‘hey the people making this music know what the song is about and where it’s based’.

The playing on the track is absolutely fabulous; there is great guitar. Maria’s vocals are compelling.

That’s the complicated take on the song musically. The simple take is that this is a song with a tune that’s as earwormy as hell, a lyric that demands a singalong and you can dance to. And it comes with a sophistication to the sound that marks this out as perfectly crafted pop

In the time I’ve had this song, I have grown to love and adore it. This is positively wonderful.

SINGLE REVIEW: Rival Gods – ‘Everytime I Die’

By
Frank
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And now for something loud; Rival Gods do fucking loud heavy music. Call it Heavy Rock, call it Metal, doesn’t matter; this is all about the riff, the pounding drums, those impassioned vocals.

If you’ll forgive me one brief self-indulgence moment, I just need to tell you that mere seconds in and I was back in the days of my youth. The days when I went to see bands who were so loud I couldn’t hear for days after a gig, when my hands bled from pounding the stage.

But the thing is that while it takes me back, it also brings me to now. In that heavy sound there are hints of The Foo Fighters. it’s rawer, it’s more raucous, it’s way way heavier but that pounding riffing feel that’s relentless has that feel.

Everything about this is just right. The guitars are grinding out a riff so heavy it shakes the house, the drums do enough – that pounding beat with just the right amount of flourish, the bass just does that holding it all together thing a bass should do, and the lead guitar is fucking fab but we are not talking self-indulgent solos here.

If you are a fan of loud riffing guitars then this is for you. Rival Gods rock, they rock hard and heavy. Enough talking, time to crank it loud, way loud, loud enough to wake the street and listen.

The info

Formed in early 2020, a pre-Covid 2020, plans were in motion for a massive endeavour. But, alas

BOOM!!!! LOCKDOWN

Then a glimmer of hope, lockdown ended, rehearsals restarted and life seemed good again.

BOOM!!!! LOCKDOWN 2.0.

July 2021, Gods emerged and joined forces once again. New babies had arrived in the time they’d been apart, no prizes for guessing what Gods do in their down time (Fifa mostly, as it turns out). Now this five hearted, 10 legged, bearded (for the most part) rock goliath was hungry, hungry for the smell of the stage.

Time to dust off, tune up, buy Simon more sticks and crank it up way past 11.

WE ARE READY
WE ARE COMING
WE ARE RIVAL GODS!!!!!!

The band are:

Danny Porter – Vocals
Andy Ball – Lead Guitar
Jordan Wright – Rhythm Guitar
Dan Sugden – Bass
Simon Gray – Drums

The band play Wakefield soon

Rival Gods + Guests – BLUEROX, WARDI, LORDS OF POWER
Venue23, Wakefield, WF1 1ED
Fri 11th February 2022
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/v23-tickets/rvl-gods-guests/e-gkalag

 

SINGLE REVIEW: Harrison Rimmer – ‘The End’

By
Frank
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This is the first thing I have ever heard by Harrison Rimmer – I know, that’s kind of bad. I know the name, LSF has shared loads of gig listings. But too much music so little time.

He says that this is heavier than his usual stuff, but the song writing shines through. There’s great words and a great tune and – or should that be but – it rocks, it rocks hard, heavy and loud. The playing is pure class, the vocals are a joy. I love a great rock vocal and this is one. It’s emotional, yes, but not so much that you don’t hear the words.

Broadly speaking it’s alternative rock but there’s something else there; something that’s elusive and not your usual alt-rock sound. I’ve struggled, honestly I have, but the closest I can to is a hint of Rainbow. There’s something in the guitar, something in the vocal structure. I may be entirely wrong but it’s just that it has a sound that isn’t entirely your usual alt-rock.

What we have here is a simply stunning slab of alternative rock, heavy alternative rock with a tune to die for. Great words and emotion. Go to it

The info

Harrison Rimmer is a singer songwriter hailing from Fleetwood and grown in York. His influences range from Bruce Springsteen and Nirvana, to Marvin Gaye and Frank Turner.

‘The End’ is the second single from his first album ‘Larkholme’ set for release on the 22nd April 2022.

 

SINGLE REVIEW: Priest of Beards – ‘The Boor’

By
Frank
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This is weird one; firstly I know nothing much of Priest of Beards beyond the fact that he’s

‘a local Leeds lad who’s been in various bands over the years and decided to go it alone. Too many egos to deal with – my own’s enough! I’ve been compared to Lemon Jelly, LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip. It’s just me though innit? I write, produce and do it all. I’ve so far released a single, an EP and an album.’

Mysterious enough for you?

This release is the first in 12 releases over the next year. And then we come to the track, the second of the things that make it weird. Now, I want you to bear with me here. What he does is sample global traditional and folk music, and mix it, make it electro. If you’re reaching for folktronica, stop right there. It isn’t. It’s more… hmmm, acid-y, like you can dance to it.

‘The Boor’ mixes Bhangra, warped folk dance music, a beat that’ll have you throwing shapes to the point of exhaustion, off-kilter electro sounds. And the thing is, it’s joyful, it’s compelling, it’s intense and mesmerising. And yes, it’s crazy, crazy good.

You might find yourself thinking ‘hmm, not sure. Interesting’ but give it a moment, time for your head to get round it. And then, if you’re anything like me, it will suddenly all make sense.

The next 11 months are going to be a journey, people. ‘The Boor’ is our starting point.

SINGLE REVIEW: The Beer Snobs – ‘I’m A Terrible Liar’

By
Frank
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0

Recently my interest has been piqued by seeing a whole load of gig adverts from The Beer Snobs, but I just never got round to seeking out anything by the band to find out what they do. The next thing that happened was that Tom Priestley – performance poet and multi-instrumentalist, who just happens to be the drummer and harmonica player in The Beer Snobs – asked me to review an album he’d done. So I thought I’d better review their last release. Such is the life of a music reviewer; connections and coincidences coming at you from all angles.

I had basically not any sort of idea what the band might sound like but dear reader – and this is a spoiler – the band are very much my sort of thing.

What we are talking about here is a song with a rather wonderfully earwormy tune that’s kind of timeless. Hints of sixties pop, indie’s in there somewhere, a dash of the artfulness and archness of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, an edge of a punk thing – especially in the vocals; it’s a heady mix to be sure.

And musically this is a band who know their stuff. There is just that wonderful simplicity to this; it’s sparse, somewhat DIY, but with these wonderful little touches that are just glorious. And I’ll pause here to make a special mention of the bass; oh boy we are talking bass as a lead instrument, it’s a yummy thing.

And this is before you even consider the words. Now the words are a wonderful thing; rye, a touch of humour and wonderfully uncomplicated – if you get what I mean.

But, and crucially, it brings a smile, a grin to your face, and a joy to your heart. You just can’t help but be happy and don’t we all need music that does that? Cheer yourself up, get yourself a dose of The Beer Snobs.

And while you’re at it check out their other releases.

The info

The Beer Snobs are:

Tom Priestley on Drums and Harmonica
Michael Dailey on Guitar and Vocals
David Sowden on Bass and Backing Vocals

SINGLE REVIEW: Luna Pines -’ little dreams’

By
Frank
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0

I adore Luna Pines, they make music that is so compelling I find myself completely spellbound by it. I have yet to be disappointed by a release, and thankfully ‘little dreams’ isn’t at all a disappointment.; it’s beautiful.

The other thing I love about their songs is that they are about something; an emotion, a situation. Not knowing this doesn’t take away from the song but knowing it adds that extra something, it helps you to understand the feel and sound. There are two strands to this song, Lotte explains ‘little dreams’ is a song about my father, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s a few years ago and he is now very sick. We’ve always had a complicated relationship and this song is basically about me wishing I could change that, and his illness. He’s always been the best guitarist I’ve ever known, and recently his illness has meant he can no longer play. It’s kind of about lost dreams — I know he always wanted to be a touring musician but he never got there. The line ‘don’t get stuck, like the edge of my little dreams’ is basically him telling me not to follow that path, and make sure I can become as successful with music as he wasn’t’.

There is a feel to the track that fits and reflects this. It’s hard to put into words completely but there is certainly sadness, anxiety, unease and a yearning need. Some of this is conveyed by the contrast between the sumptuous electronica and the edgy beats. Another part comes from the emotional vocals that come with something of a child-like quality.

So it works on an emotional level but does it work purely on a musical level. Well of course it does. The slightly hazy and dreamy electronic sounds are mesmirising, meticulously crafted and beautiful. The vocal somehow manages to both be part of that rich sound but at the same time stand out and enchant you.

But add in that emotional level and you have a song which reaches into your soul as well as your ears. Beautiful, simply beautiful.

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