What have you been up to on lockdown?

2020 the year we all stopped going out

2020 started so well didn't it? Can you remember that far back, when we could walk to the shop, meet friends for a drink and ... see live music?

Back then through the fog of time, endless Netflix shows, box sets and Joe Exotic memes, we had several bands on the label completing albums and planning gigs. Kill Committee and The Mirror Pictures had both been working hard at the local Whitehouse Studio, and there were plans for label gigs at venues across the country. Those will still happen, but with a bit of a delay.

Despite the restrictions, The Ady Baker Sound has managed to record and release some new material - available on their 4 track EP ‘Modern Day Ruined’. Ady says from across the wires “It’s a DIY affair and Apart from one live track, all songs have been written, recorded, mixed and mastered during the lockdown period at home in a lounge, kitchen, on a boat & in the shed.'

Get it here:
Spotify
Apple Music

New bands and new sounds
Many of the local bands have found an outlet for pent up creative tensions in online collaborations, and one of these has resulted in the birth of a new act signed to the label. Herons came about from a late night disagreement about electronic music, a remix of a Kill Committee song and the time a world changing pandemic gave to sit at a laptop and form songs from sounds. From there, members of The Ady Baker Sound and Kill Committee sent audio files to beats and samples mastermind John Wills and Herons was set free to fly (albeit within the limits of responsible social distancing). Across the miles and leafy counties of south England, music was made, and it was good.


It does appear that people are starting to realise how much music means to them (did you list your top ten albums on instagram and Facebook? of course you did), and It's been good that people have had time to stop, collaborate, and listen (thanks Vanilla Ice), during this weird time, and here we'd like to share a few of those creative outpourings from the artists we like.

The Cloud Service

This is Sean Hewson (Head Drop, Monster Movie, This.), and Danny James ( Kill Committee ). They describe it as music done via walkie-talkie during lockdown. Shoegaze, dreamy reverb drenched vocals and layered guitars and some driving beats with a touch of Loopesque fuzz.

listen on bandcamp here

Last Place
Charlie (Cody Noon, Head Drop) and Sean (must have time on his hands) Hewson have created Last Place - drone, atmospheric soundscapes and dramatic BBC sci-fi synth with melancholic vocals that perfectly reflect these end of days.

listen on bandcamp here

Here Are The Young Men
H.A.T.Y.M had an idea, he was going to get all his friends together to create a song. He sent out a message 'give me your email address and I shall send instructions'. It's no surprise that many did, sent over their parts, and under the watchful eye of H.A.T.Y.M. 'Do the lockdown' was cobbled together into a bouncing anthem for us to dance around to in our homes.

You can read a review of the results, and listen here.

Richard Lucas
Rich is well known around these parts, having been in more bands than we can mention, and helping many more along the way, bit of a pointy shoe'd legend. He's been very busy making a series of lockdown covers, and this is one we are particularly enjoying.
A cover of Love and Rockets 'Haunted when the minutes drag'

Watch and listen here

Battle Habits
Another little slice of homemade musical goodness here from Battle Habits, that's Michael Matthews from This. Three and a half minutes (well done on the perfect song length) of relentless 80s post punk guitar and drums with a bit of disjointed spoken word thrown in for good measure. Slightly reminiscent of some of the less spooky graveyard Bauhaus output.

Listen here

Let us know how you've been keeping busy during lockdown, and send in your own contribution and we'll add it here.

stay safe, wash your hands etc etc etc

MBR