Gisteren had ik de eer om bij de album release show van de 'Belgische Suzie Stapleton' aanwezig te zijn in Trix. Een zekere Ilayda Cicek beschikt over een gelijkaardige diepe, donkere stem die tevens rauw en krachtig kan uitpakken en de muziek heeft ook een diepe duisternis die refereert naar vroege wave en gothic rock met een zweem americana. Angel Speak is natuurlijk geen nieuw nummer, maar kreeg nu deze prachtige beelden erbij. Het is één van de meest ingetogen nummers op het album We Are The Plague dat vorig jaar verscheen en nog steeds tot één van mijn favorieten behoort.
Luister ook naar: We Are The Plague Blood On The Windscreen September
lees
Angel Speak is perhaps my favourite track on the album - or at least the most personal. It’s one of those rare songs that came out fully formed, channelled direct from a deep place within. It is a farewell to somebody I lost several years ago who was very close to me.
The day I wrote it, I pressed record on my phone almost as soon as the idea struck. I kept repeating the chords and words began to pour out. I hadn’t set out to write about anything in particular, but the song that emerged was as if I had been transported back in time to the centre of that grief. The pain, denial, bargaining, acceptance and hope - it’s all there. At around four and a half minutes into the recording I started to cry - I still have it on my phone. We carry hidden worlds inside of us. I have wanted to put this film clip together for some time. I had an overall vision for the style of the clip and filmed it through the changing seasons over the past year and a half in and around Brighton. A year when great beauty has shone from small things often taken for granted and passed by in the rush of life.
There are some bees starring in the clip which were a wonderful accident. I had recently discovered hollyhocks - a flower straight from a fairy picture book which have become a firm favourite. I knew they were numerous around the border of Queen’s Park and stopped to film them one afternoon. As I was filming them the bees started to fly into shot and soon became the focus. When I got home and enlarged the footage I was so delighted with what I found. In case you missed it, I had a chat recently with Marc Shea for his Performance Anxiety podcast. It’s one of the most in depth interviews I’ve done to date with lots of stories about my musical journey - some I’ve not shared before. The podcast is available on Apple and Spotify. Next month I play my first shows since the before times supporting Humanist in the UK. London has sold out but there’s still tix for Manchester and Brighton. I’m playing solo and these will be my only shows this year. Details below.
And keep your eyes peeled next week I’m going to be unveiling a limited edition merch item which comes with unreleased recordings and some other tasty extras.
Take good care, see you out there, Sx
