FEATURE
MUSIC
LANTERNS ON THE LAKE BOB ALLAN, BASSIST IN NEWCASTLE’S EPIC INDIE ROCK BAND LANTERNS ON THE LAKE, TALKS ABOUT THEIR FOURTH STUDIO ALBUM RELEASE, WHICH WAS NOMINATED FOR A MERCURY PRIZE THIS YEAR Spook The Herd was a long time in the making, after a break between touring our last album and taking our time to write and record this one, it was a few years of blood, sweat and tears before it was finally released in February, and then... the whole world stopped. The tours and festivals were cancelled and we feared that the album we had worked so hard on might be forgotten, but then the most incredible plot twist happened and the record was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. It really did feel like a dream come true and it was quite a mind-blowing experience, the judges’ decisions are based solely on the quality of the music on the albums so to have Spook The Herd recognised in this way was an immensely proud feeling. The shortlisting allowed us to record a live performance for the award show on BBC4 and has led to so many more people finding our music. The band has been going for around ten years and hopefully it shows that perseverance and belief in what you’re doing can pay off.
How do you find hope beyond a year that has been ripped apart by a global pandemic, exacerbated inequalities and seen artists work stop overnight? It’s a difficult process but I think it’s an important one, and something that Hazel has crystallised in the lyrics of Spook The Herd; on the surface the record is about polarized politics, the impending climate crisis and personal loss, but at the heart of the album it’s about hope, trying to help each other and not letting fear overcome you. We’re hopeful that there’s some light at the end of the tunnel; that we can tackle these challenges together; that live music and culture will be valued even more as the life changing forces that they are; and that socially distanced and livestreamed shows will eventually become the ‘old normal’, so we can all have live music back in our lives and stand shoulder to shoulder in full venues once more. www.lanternsonthelake.com
WAX HEART SODALITY: TWIST HELIX: MOUSES/BENEFITS SWINE TAX Cheated a bit here but we’re picking Teesside’s Mouses and Benefits. We feel that these bands share the same level of discontentment with society at the moment as we do. However, unlike us, they are more overt with their frustrations and it is incredibly satisfying to see and hear. Whether it be the raw soundscapes and razor sharp observations of Benefits or the empathetic ethos and fuzzed up energy of Mouses, it is music (and performance) that is a reaction to the dystopian times we find ourselves living in and to us, that is what good art is all about. www.soundcloud.com/waxheartsodality / www.mousestheband.com / www. benefitstheband.bandcamp.com
Garage rockers Swine Tax encapsulate so much of what we love about the North East’s DIY scene. As visceral and emotive live as they are on record, the power trio have built a reputation for rough, uncut alt. rock gems that pair a barbed lyrical wit with a ferocious sonic immediacy and urgency. We’ve followed the band keenly since their excellent 2018 debut BRITTLE and are heartened that their unrelenting work rate shows no signs of letting up, this years RELAX single proving a particular favourite of ours. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the band in 2021. www.twisthelix.com / www.swinetax. bandcamp.com
AJIMAL: ME LOST ME
There are lots of North East artists both past and present I’d like to write about, but I first heard Me Lost Me when we both played alongside O’Messy Life at the Lit & Phil last year. I hadn’t heard Jayne’s music before and didn’t know what to expect, but her songwriting and the power of her voice really struck me. She released an album this year, The Good Noise, which combines beautiful folk balladry with dark electronica, a combination that I love. www.ajimal.co.uk / www.melostme. bandcamp.com
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