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Uncategorised

Lyric Video: Liz Green & Natasha Hodgson

4 April 2017 Louis Barabbas, Uncategorised

“Every Tragedy Begins With A Happy Ending” is sung by Maeve and Peggidy, two of the main characters from Louis Barabbas‘ musical Jocasta. They are played by Liz Green and Kill The Beast‘s Natasha Hodgson.

The full soundtrack album is released on 5th May 2017.

For more information about the project visit www.louisbarabbas.com/jocasta

LYRICS

There’s an After after every Ever After
And if these events cause some offence
I won’t say what that represents
I can’t hear the jokes for all the laughter
Life’s a picnic
Life’s a treat
But just when this life seemed so sweet

You notice ants in the sugar bowl
The romance is getting cold
Your world’s viewed through a prism
Of endless euphemisms
All the stories have been told
The newfangles are getting old
Where will our lives spit us out
Can there really be any doubt
That
Every
Tragedy
Begins with a happy ending
Every tragedy begins the same
Every tragedy begins with a happy ending
But they don’t stay that way

Though our fate’s unknown
That don’t make it less certain
We’re paying interest on all
Those happy moments that we stole
So stay at home and gently twitch the curtain
We’ve got the perfect view to
Watch our shrinking futures

Follow the rules
Right down to the letter
You think your love will grow
But it’s already plateaued
And if your dreams come true
It means you should dream better
So dance like there’s no yesterday
Dance all of those dreams away
And say

Every
Tragedy
Begins with a happy ending
Every tragedy begins the same
Every tragedy begins with a happy ending
But they don’t stay that way

Coincidences and serendipity
Providence is all down to destiny
I’m convinced this will end up miserably now
Don’t scream
Don’t fuss
It’s ever been thus
Line crossed
Coin tossed
Game lost
Because
Every
Tragedy
Begins with a happy ending
Every tragedy begins the same
Every tragedy begins with a happy ending
But they don’t stay that way

Year In Review: 2015

31 December 2015 General, Uncategorised

Honeyfeet First Chop

image © Jody Hartley

2014 was a tough act to follow. All across our roster there was national airplay, international touring and a huge amount of creative activity. But we hit the ground running.
In 2015 we got serious. Our show on Fab Radio International moved to the 7pm Monday prime-time slot in January and our technical wing over at WR Audio began work on building an ambitious studio complex. Though always a quiet month for releases, this didn’t mean our artists were laying low – indeed, you might even have seen Felix Hagan smashing up a lute on Jack Whitehall’s ITV sitcom Cockroaches.

In February the much anticipated sophomore LP by Snowapple went on general release, receiving great responses from both critics and audiences alike; the group toured the album all over the UK and mainland Europe. Meanwhile in our home town of Manchester Becca Williams collaborated with Beth Orton as part of Band On The Wall’s Artistic Directors series and Honeyfeet appeared with Billy Bragg at Manchester Academy’s Music Beats Austerity event.

March saw WR Audio team up with Kris Extance and a huge array of Manchester independent artists to film and record live sessions under the name Sessions Of March – the first of multiple archiving sessions showcasing the region’s best underground talent. Naturally many of our roster and affiliates were involved, including Walk, Honeyfeet and Louis Barabbas.

The following month Louis Barabbas lifted the veil on a few numbers from his upcoming solo album with the release of an unplugged EP as well as announcing a new musical he was working on (hopefully to be staged in 2016).

In May Ivan Campo embarked on a tour of Spain whilst the rest of our roster got together for Creative Tourist’s Manchester After Hours event. Felix and Louis co-wrote a song to mark the publication anniversary of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway – the song was then recorded in front of a live audience at the Central Library and featured in the Telegraph’s recommended attractions of the night’s UK-wide event. Check out the result here.

That wasn’t the only Open Recording Session we did that Spring. The following month T. E. Yates and a six piece band laid down three new songs at the Eagle Inn (Salford), whetting people’s appetite for his debut LP. Further afield Louis and Felix embarked on Debt’s first House Concert tour, playing intimate shows all across the country (their tour diaries can be found here and here). June wasn’t all fun though: Alfie the dog, beloved mascot of the label from the beginning (and star of the Bedlam Six‘s Living In The Aftermath video) sadly passed away.

Over the Summer months festival season was the primary call to most of the roster, particularly the Bedlam Six who ended their hiatus to play events in Belgium, Germany and the UK. Back home Walk were the stars of a new Open Recording Session (once again at The Eagle Inn, this time also filed by Manchester documentarians Matter Of Sound for a program all about our pub studio events).

As Summer turned to Autumn attentions shifted back from the live to the recorded. Louis Barabbas’ first solo single You Did This To Me evidenced a surprising new direction while T.E. Yates chilled everyone to the bone with his new animated video for Evil Cat. Back on the live circuit, Richard Barry took a couple of weeks away from his new found parental responsibilities to tour UK houses (once again with Louis Barabbas).

The next tour was slightly more exotic – in October Snowapple headed over to Mexico, a last hurrah before a hiatus instigated by Una’s impending motherhood. Back home saw the release of Alabaster dePlume‘s long-awaited new LP Peach and a collection of stripped down Bedlam Six recordings by Louis Barabbas entitled Bedlam Solo.

November saw Felix Hagan & The Family go pop with the release of their ebullient new EP Kiss The Misfits, complete with two accompanying (and markedly different) music videos for the title track and crowd favourite Some Kind Of Hero. That month also saw the Bedlam Six dip its collective toe in the choppy waters of modern technology with their first live streamed concert. The event (which also featured Felix) was broadcast live from WR Audio’s studio to an online audience that included viewers in the USA, Australia, Central Africa, Germany, France, Spain and the UK. It was particularly memorable for the amount of times Ozzy the studio dog invaded the stage.

In December we had some wonderful non-musical news, Una Bergin from Snowapple gave birth to a baby boy (Debt’s third roster child!). The band also released a fantastic cover of Jolie Holland’s Old Fashioned Morphine which they gave away for free.

So what’s next?
The WR Audio studio is currently being expanded to include a live room the size of a semi-detached house.
Louis Barabbas is poised to release his new solo album Gentle Songs Of Ceaseless Horror.
The Bedlam Six are gearing up for a Spring tour of Europe and a new album, plus a collaboration record with poets from Salford’s prestigious Evidently spoken word night.
Honeyfeet are currently putting the final touches to their new album and it’s sounding amazing (obviously).
T. E. Yates has begun work on his first full length album Silver Coins And White Feathers, produced by Biff Roxby.
Richard Barry is about to start recording his next album (which he promises won’t take nearly as long as the last one).

And that’s just for starters…

So bring on 2016!

Photos from #BedlamStream

13 November 2015 Events, Felix Hagan & The Family, Louis Barabbas, The Bedlam Six, Uncategorised

Our first live stream went out to viewers in the USA, UK, mainland Europe and Australia, receiving ecstatic feedback on social media via the #BedlamStream hashtag. The show featured a solo Felix Hagan airing songs from his upcoming EP with The Family, followed by a full electric set of new material and reimagined classics by Louis Barabbas & The Bedlam Six.
Thanks to WR Audio, NoiseBoy and The Sessions Of March for grappling with the complex technical side of the operation. Also thanks to Ozzy the studio dog for setting twitter ablaze every time he trotted into view.
Here are few photos taken by regular Debt collaborators Andrew Ab, Steve Hall and Christine Keating to give you a taste of the event.

© Steve Hall 2015

© Steve Hall 2015

© Christine Keating 2015

© Christine Keating 2015

© Steve Hall 2015

© Steve Hall 2015

© Andrew Ab 2015

© Andrew Ab 2015

© Andrew Ab 2015

© Andrew Ab 2015

More photos can be viewed on Louis Barabbas’ website here.

New Record From John Fairhurst

11 October 2010 Uncategorised

John FairhurstInternationally acclaimed guitarist John Fairhurst is to release his much anticipated second record – enigmatically entitled “Band” – on Monday 18th October 2010 through Debt Records.

Laid down in a small German analogue studio with a group of international musicians assembled specially for the event, “Band” takes inspiration from the extensive touring John has done since his last album came out – a journey that took him to SXSW in Texas, the UK festival circuit (including Glastonbury), a three-month tour of Australia and the Far East as well as continual Europe-wide performances.

Fairhurst’s debut “Joys Of Spring” (released in 2007) was an instrumental album that daringly fused Indian classical guitar trends with the raggedy American blues licks of the early 20th century. Its limited run of 1000 copies sold out almost immediately and the critical response propelled its author onto a world tour that still continues today. Later the record even secured John endorsement from legendary US guitar manufacturers National and an apprenticeship with Sarod Maestro K. Sridhar.

Though the album featured contributions from The Leaf Label’s Nancy Elizabeth and Humble Soul’s Denis Jones, “Joys Of Spring” was for the most part a private undertaking recorded in a secluded shed in Fairhurst’s native Wigan. Its follow-up, however, could not be more different.

This latest release transports John Fairhurst’s singular blues fusion style (with newly acquired fearsome singing voice) boldly onto the dance floor. Indeed, whilst his first collection of songs exhibited an artistry that compelled audiences to sit forward in their seats and marvel, the dominant message of “Band” is undoubtedly “Get on your feet!”

John Fairhurst’s “BAND” is on general release from Monday 18th October 2010.

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