MUSIC

interesting rabbit hole to follow.”

One of the many ways in which RPG represents a real step forward in Dent’s work is in the collaborations with Faye McCalman and John Pope (unofficially the Me Lost Three) and it’s obvious that working with a pair of accomplished and simpatico musicians has opened up a whole world of possibilities for her songs. Dent is typically diffident about how the collaboration works. “There are some songs where I’d be like, ‘could you just sound like a car alarm?’ or – on In Gardens – ‘could you both sound like flowers that are growing, independently of the main song, kind of ignore what I’m doing – you’re just doing it, you’re just growing? You’re flowers in a garden and you’re just growing’ and they can do that because they’re just really great! It would to be nice to work with them again. I’ve got an album’s worth of demos but they’re all in weird tunings, so whether I can have any real instruments on them I don’t know!”

The album was produced by Sam Grant at Blank – “every single musician on the album who hadn’t recorded with Sam before was like, ‘I need Sam to record me forever, for the rest of my life!’” and is being released by the excellent Upset The Rhythm! label, which came about through her work with Scottish weird-pop outfit Buffet Lunch. “UTR were just really enthusiastic immediately and it just seemed to work really well – we seemed to have a lot of priorities and approaches in common.“

It’s almost become a running gag with Dent that her music is ‘folk-adjacent’, but while in many ways RPG sees her move further away from the music that first inspired her, it does also include a 13th Century a capella song. So how does she relate to folk now? “I think there’s something about the melodies that I find really appealing, that draws me in still. And that way of storytelling is my natural go to, I guess. I play around with it obviously but it draws me back, and even the way I sing – the drawing out of consonants and stuff – it all just comes out like that, I just can’t help that in some ways. I do really love, mainly, the approach, and the idea that it’s supposed to be for everyone, people making stuff with what they have at hand. The music that I’m drawn to is music that’s about people wanting to communicate something of their story or experience, whether it be joyful or sad. That’s what music is to me!”

Another key influence from her youth is growing up in Chesterfield. “I think one of the things about it– and why I’m also drawn to Newcastle – is that it’s near cities, but it’s also really close to the Peak District. I think being really drawn to landscapes, and place being a really important thing, kind of comes from growing up like that. And Chesterfield is where I started making folk music and decided to do art. I guess everything is really informed by that.”

Dent is incredibly enthusiastic about her adopted city and the current rude health of the music scene. “I think it’s really exciting at the moment, we’ve got some really great venues which makes a massive difference, venues that are equally invested in bringing in really interesting artists from outside as well as having local artists, because then they mix and meet, the local artists can get gigs in other cities… I had friends visiting to play a gig here recently and I just remember feeling so proud, they were like, ‘this is so brilliant’ and I was like ‘IT IS!’. It’s a lovely feeling, I do feel really proud of the Newcastle scene.” She’s quick to praise its supportiveness, the sense of everyone being invested in each other’s success. “And not just Newcastle but the whole North East... it’s like anyone is proud of anything from the region. Everyone’s just so chuffed that someone from up here is getting something.”

As well as promoting RPG, the next few months seem as busy and creative as ever – theatre and sound art commissions, her other bands (Buffet Lunch, but also Worm Saliva and Bitchfinder General – “we’re novelty punk with tin whistle solos. I do a lot of screaming and shouting and things”) and probably a dozen other things besides. But while Dent is off creating like a demon, you need to spend some time with RPG – it’s a very special thing indeed.

Me Lost Me releases RPG via Upset The Rhythm on 7th July, there’s a launch party at The Lubber Fiend, Newcastle on Saturday 15th July with Bulbils and Clementine March. www.melostme.com