I went to 2 significant album launches recently.
On Thursday I saw Post Coal Prom Queen performing their album 'Music for First Contact'.
Then on Friday I saw Cloth performing songs from their second album 'Secret Measure'
Both excellent albums from very different bands.
I saw Post Coal Prom Queen a few times in their previous incarnation as L-Space.
Back then they were an electro pop trio with a little bit of social commentary to them.
Their last release 'Feed the Engines' in 2020 sound tracked a part of my lockdown.
As one of the trio decided to leave the remaining members Gordon and Lilly did the only obvious thing that you can do when one of your band leaves.
They changed their name and wrote an opera.
Music for First Contact is based around the idea that we're living on Mars and have intercepted a signal from an alien race.
Which brings about the dilemma, should we respond or should we ignore them?
This theme is the basis for the whole performance.
The big screen in the room would broadcast messages urging us to "Vote Yes" to contact the alien civilization.
Then the next would urge caution saying things like "One thousand years ago someone changed the Irn Bru recipe and the Earth is still suffering from it to this day. Change isn't good. Vote no"
Each was introduced with "This is Propaganda".
Around the room there were posters with pro or con messages on each.
They looked like posters for other shows until you looked closer. Giving a subliminal messaging thing.
The band were all dressed in white. Like Droogs from a Clockwork Orange and like the people in the Propaganda videos.
The band were made up of Calum from Yoko Pwno, Laura from Kinnaris Quintet, Baichuan Hui on keyboards and piano and soprano Stephanie Lamprea.
So in that make up there's a bit of Jazz and a bit of Folk. Some classical and some avant garde.
I really hope that they will be able to perform this album with this line up in bigger venues.
They deserve a bigger audience as this was absolutely incredible to witness.
You can find their album here.
And you really should because they've made something quite special.
The second of my album launches was Cloth.
I saw Cloth in December playing a short support set to New Dad. With twins Rachel and Paul Swinton on guitars plus a drummer. There was a different drummer last time.
This band has had more attention. As I write this there are billboards and posters pasted to walls all around the city advertising their album.
Is this the difference that working with a slightly better known label brings you?
I felt this show wasn't a proper gig. More like a showcase.
And that's OK.
There were a few old songs and some that they've never played before as well as the bulk of the new album.
Cloth are a very understated sort of band.
The vocals are delivered almost hushed, the chords they play seem like they've had notes deleted. Remove any more and things wouldn't work. Add stuff and they'd just sound like everyone else.
In mono the sound wasn't the greatest. Too much bass booming from the subwoofers.
But as with many things I've seen there recently it depends where in the room you are.
If you are between the speakers it's fine. If you're stuck to one side it's not.
The sound at the previous gig was fine so I know it's not the band.
To me these are the two most interesting album releases of 2023 so far.
Check Secret Measure out here.
Ever since I joined Substack I had a clear idea of what I wanted my newsletter mailing list thing to become. This was before Substack evolved into a fully fledged platform or medium of its own.
I want to approach this as if I was shooting features for a magazine.
That also means giving it a name. As it's easier to tell people that you're working for a named publication rather than just your own name.
So much of social media is the same.
Every post talks about the same things in the same way.
It seems like you are actively punished by algorithms for doing something different.
With fashion, music and culture it's a similar story.
Do people really like this stuff or are they told what to like?
And that's why I always wanted to call it Conform.
It's a short and snappy word and a call to action.
And because that's really the message behind so much media.
So I'm going to do my best not to.