The britpop legends will record two special sets at the BBC Radio Theatre in London, with the shows being broadcast in full – along with interviews with the band – on Thursday May 29.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Pulp (@welovepulp)

‘6 Music Session: Pulp Live’ will be an intimate performance available to listen to on Nick Grimshaw’s 6 Music show (7-10am) on May 29, with ‘Radio 2 In Concert’ being performed in front of a small live audience and available that same evening on Jo Whiley’s Radio 2 show (7-9pm).

The announcement of these special concerts comes off the back of the band sharing details of their upcoming album ‘More’, which will be the Sheffield rockers first new album since 2001’s ‘We Love Life’.

Jarvis Cocker and co’s first album in 24 years will hit the shelves on Friday June 6, as they gave fans a sneak peak into their new sound with the release of the records first single, ‘Spike Island’, last week. The ‘festival-ready’ single is a synth-led indie pop tune that gives a nod to the iconic 1990 Stone Roses gig of the same name. This will be the first music the band will release since the tragic passing of their bassist Steve Mackey in 2023, with the record being dedicated to his memory.

Speaking of his excitement for the upcoming gigs, Pulp lead man Jarvis Cocker said: “We are really looking forward to this. From my time at 6 Music, I remember that the BBC Radio Theatre is a very intimate venue. As long as we can fit all our equipment in there it’s going to be great to play some songs for Radio 2 and 6 Music.”

This excitement is shared by Nick Grimshaw, who’s 6 Music show will broadcast one of the performances, with Grimshaw saying: “I’m so excited to hear more from their new album as part of their 6 Music session and to speak to the band about the process of writing and recording their first album in almost 24 years.”

Tickets will be available for the ‘Radio 2 In Concert’ show via a random draw. The performance will take place at the BBC Radio Theatre on May 7 and the ballot is available to sign up to now, running until Tuesday April 22. Head to www.bbc.co.uk/inconcert to apply now.

As well as the two special shows next month, Pulp will be touring all over UK and Europe this summer, including a homecoming gig at Sheffield’s Tramlines Festival in July.

They will also be heading on a UK arena tour throughout June with dates in Glasgow, Dublin, London, Birmingham and Manchester. Although availability is running low, you can still find any remaining tickets here.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

  A post shared by Pulp (@welovepulp)

The buzz continues to grow around the return of the ‘Common People’, with summer 2025 shaping up to be a very exciting time for fans of britpop.

In a comment on Murphy’s personal facebook, the 50-year-old said “Please don’t call me a terf [trans exclusionary radical feminist]. But puberty blockers ARE FUCKED, absolutely desolate, big Pharma laughing all the way to the bank. Little mixed up kids are vulnerable and need to be protected, that’s just true.”

After receiving backlash from fans, Murphy took to Twitter in response to the comments saying “I have been thrown into a very public discourse in an arena I’m uncomfortable in and deeply unsuitable for. I cannot apologise enough for being the reason for this eruption of damaging and potentially dangerous social-media fire and brimstone. To witness the ramifications of my actions and the divisions it has caused is heartbreaking.”

pic.twitter.com/CljLn95Ytd

— Róisín Murphy (@roisinmurphy) August 29, 2023

BBC Radio 6 Music had scheduled to play 5 hours of the former Moloko singer’s songs, interviews and concert highlights as part of the station’s Artist Collection series between midnight and 5am on Monday September 18th.

This programme has since been replaced with a show about Mercury prize-winning rapper Little Simz, with the BBC claiming this rescheduling decision was to align with poetry, rap and spoken word programming that’s due to air in the same week.

A BBC spokesperson denied allegations that Murphy’s scheduled programme was replaced due to the recent controversial comments in a conversation with The Independent, saying “The Artist Collections from our archive are regularly on rotation and frequently change to reflect station-wide initiatives as they get confirmed. 

Little Simz was scheduled to reflect 6 Music’s Way With Words programming, which celebrates poetry, rap and spoken word, and airs the following week, tying in with National Poetry Day.

BBC Radio 6 Music announced on September 1st that Lamacq has decided to say goodbye to his 18 year long run on the Drivetime show in pursuit of a “well-deserved change to his broadcasting career”. 

Steve Lamacq has decided to make a well-deserved change to his broadcasting career

He will begin a new weekly show on 6 Music, Steve Lamacq’s Teatime Session, on Monday 8th January (4pm-7pm).

Steve will present his final daily weekday (4pm-7pm) show on Friday 20th October. pic.twitter.com/IfugRRFh50

— BBC Radio 6 Music (@BBC6Music) September 1, 2023

Lamacq’s last day as the Drivetime show host will be on Friday 20th October, and he will then take a short break from radio before returning in the new year with a brand new show. On Monday 8th January, Lamacq will begin hosting a weekly show on BBC Radio 6 Music titled “Steve Lamacq’s Teatime Session”.

The Drivetime show will be taken over by fellow BBC Radio presenter Huw Stephens, who will host the show from 4-7pm Tuesday-Friday, with Lamacq’s new show claiming Monday’s 4-7pm slot.

In a BBC press release, Lamacq said “It’s been terrific doing six shows a week, but what with all the prep work for the programmes and the ever-increasing volume of new music to listen to, there’s not been nearly enough time left over for my family. And to be honest, after nearly 40 years at the coalface of new music, I think I need a bit of breather.”

Steve Lamacq is married to psychologist Dr Jen Wills, and the couple have a young daughter. The break from broadcasting and less intense schedule of “Steve Lemacq’s Teatime Session” will allow Lamacq to spend some quality time with his family.

Alongside this, Lamacq also said “But of course, my heart still lives for discovering and nurturing new bands, so I’m really pleased that these changes mean I can stay at 6 Music, while allowing more time to go searching for emerging artists, who I’ll be channelling into the new Monday show. There’ll be live sessions, interviews, some amazing archive and fingers crossed, at some point, the future of rock and roll.”

Many people were shocked by the news of Lamacq’s departure, and took to social media to show their appreciation.

So sad to hear @steve_lamacq is leaving his @BBC6Music show full time.
What a legend and hugely influential person he’s been to so many of us especially @IdlewildtheBand. I’ll be forever grateful to him for all his support and also friendship. All the best for the future!

— Rod Jones (@RodJonesMusic) September 1, 2023

Legend is an often overly used word to describe someone.

But in this instance, it’s very much applicable!@steve_lamacq deserves honorary recognition for services to music!
We award him our Brudenell medal anyway! https://t.co/qw2kB0PjFv

— Nath Brudenell (@Nath_Brudenell) September 1, 2023

You can still hear Steve Lamacq on the BBC Radio 6 Music Drivetime show until Friday 20th October.

Annie Mac, former BBC Radio 1 DJ turned writer, has been confirmed to announce the winner of the prestigious accolade; the cultural figure is also on the judging panel and will take on the role of guest presenter. Fellow DJ Lauren Laverne has been bestowed the title of the primary host at the upcoming London-held ceremony; best known for her show Desert Island Discs, Laverne was announced as the show’s master of ceremonies earlier this Summer.

Two days to go until we find out the overall winner of the 2022 Album of the Year.

Watch the Awards Show for the 2022 Mercury Prize with @FreeNow_UK on Thursday 8th September at 9pm on BBC Four and iPlayer.#MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/FjN6xyK0zx

— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) September 6, 2022

Information concerning the ceremony’s performers were also revealed among the various announcements confirming details of the upcoming event. Set to perform at the star-studded awards show are eleven of the twelve shortlisted artists; Sam Fender, Wet Leg, Fergus McCreadie, Gwenno, Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler, Joy Crookes, Kojey Radical, Little Simz, Nova Twins, Yard Act and Self Esteem.

This year marks Harry Styles’ first entry in the acclaimed shortlist, the award-winning singer’s recent album Harry’s House has been included within the 12 shortlisted albums. Due to his extensive touring schedule across the pond, Styles will not be able to perform at the event. In Lieu of a physical presence, the singer has pre-recorded a very special performance that will celebrate his album and be aired during the ceremony.

Those also in the running to win the Mercury Prize include eleven more albums; Fergus McCreadie for Forest Floor, Gwenno for Tresor, Jessie Buckley and Bernard Butler’s For All Our Days That Tear the Heart, Skin by Joy Crookes, Kojey Radical’s Reason To Smile, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz, Supernova by Nova Twins, Sam Fender’s Seventeen Going Under, Prioritise Pleasure by Self Esteem, Wet Leg for Wet Leg and The Overload by Yard Act.

The Shortlist for the 2022 Mercury Prize with @FreeNow_UK has been revealed! @fergusmccreadie@gwennosaunders@Harry_Styles@buckleyxbutler@JoyCrookes@KojeyRadical@LittleSimz@NovaTwinsMusic@SamFenderMusic@SELFESTEEM___ @wetlegband@YardActBand#MercuryPrize pic.twitter.com/VbIV8nubON

— Mercury Prize (@MercuryPrize) July 26, 2022

Along with Mac, the judging panel also consists of jazz pianist Jamie Cullum, singer-songwriter Anna Calvi and musician Loyle Carner as well as many others. The panel of esteemed professionals is chaired by Jeff Smith, the Head of Music, 6 Music and Radio 2 has given the following statement, “Getting down to 12 albums this year was not easy, simply because there were so many remarkable ones to choose from. That serves as proof that British and Irish music thrives during unsettled periods in history, with the albums chosen covering everything from imaginative pop to pioneering rap to Cornish language folk-rock. We feel that these 12 amazing albums each have something to say artistically and socially, all in their own unique, enriching ways. Now comes the really hard part… choosing only one overall winner.”

Right up until the end of the ceremony, the award show’s digital partner Amazon Music will be supplying programming and specially curated playlists to music fans. The Mercury Prize with FREE NOW Awards Show’s long-time broadcast partner BBC Music will also keep music fans in the loop with up-to-date coverage of the ceremony across the channels BBC TV and BBC Radio 6 Music, as well as content and coverage being made available via social media and online.

sunn O))) BBC 6Live announcement!! @pitchfork https://t.co/qXNc7BuOP6@avonhausswolff @IdeologicOrgan @BBC6Music

— Southern Lord (@TwatterLord) November 3, 2021

The session consists of three tracks and was recorded in Studio 4 at BBC’s Maida Vale following a 2019 UK tour, which concluded with a sold-out show at Roundhouse in London. The songs in the session are derived from the band’s eighth and ninth studio albums, Life Metal and Pyroclasts, both released in 2019 and produced by the legendary Steve Albini, known for his work with Nirvana and The Jesus Lizard.

The core members of the group, Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson are accompanied by a whole host of musicians on this session, according to a recent press release. This includes the likes of long-time Sunn O))) collaborator and keyboardist Tos Nieuwenhuizen, trombonist Stephen Moore, bassist Tim Midyett and prolific Swedish composer and singer-songwriter Anna von Hausswolf, who has worked alongside bands such as Swans and Wolves In The Throne Room. Many of the other personnel mentioned, including Midyett and Moore, performed on the studio recordings of the band’s last two albums.

The dense and ominous sound of Sunn O))) is unmistakeable, and the group have truly established themselves as giants of experimental metal over the years, having released nine full-length albums since 2000. These last two albums, Pyroclasts and Life Metal, maintain the same feedback-heavy, fuzz-laden sound that Sunn O))) have always been known for, but there is a heavy emphasis on improvisation and free-form rhythm within these pieces, prioritising texture and pure experimentation above all else. The group’s musical catalogue, including these last two albums, is available on all streaming services, and physical media can be found here.

Yesterday, on the 3^rd of November, Southern Lord Recordings shared a five-minute-long teaser for the upcoming live session, featuring an excerpt of the song “Troubled Air”. This can be viewed here. The band also has an official European merch store, which features some vinyl variants that are completely EU exclusive.

For other information regarding Sunn O))), a catalogue of the band’s live recordings can be found on Bandcamp. You can visit the band’s website here. 

Shown below is the track list for the forthcoming session.

1). “Pyroclasts F”
2). “Pyroclasts C#”
3). “Troubled Air”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Independent Venue Week (@ivw_uk)

The news was announced via the annual launch, held on 27th October 2021 at the 229 Club, hosted by BBC 6 Music presenter Steve Lamacq. The renowned DJ also spoke with two guests regarding how the landscape within the Live music sector has changed during COVID. Lamacq discussed such issues with Tim Perry from the Brixton venue The Windmill and Cath Hurley from Future Yard in Birkenhead.

The BBC presenter also discussed the future of live-streaming with Wayne Yardley of Rippla, who began to live-stream performances before lockdown. Lamacq also spoke with Charlotte Penny from Arts Council England, the pair discussed how the grassroots community were supported throughout the pandemic. The programme also featured a live performance by London based group Moa Moa.

Wet Leg gave the following statement concerning their involvement with the annual event. “We grew up in a place where we had no music venues at all and after living in Bristol and London, it’s been incredible to experience what it’s like to be a part of a scene; to feel that sense of community that you can pin point geographically to a place, to a venue, I think is quite important and quite special particularly for emerging bands and artists, It’s a bit of a delicate ecosystem – Music makers and lovers are supported by the venues and in turn the venues are supported by bands/artists and their fans passing through. The way I see it is this – No Independent venues = No music scene. No community. And to me, I feel that that’s something worth continuing to preserve and nurture. That’s why we’re super stoked and very, very proud to be ambassadors for this year’s Independent Venue Week.”

The annual celebration of independent live music and live music venues is set to return next year for its ninth year. The event aims to champion grassroots venues and communities within the UK. The seven-day observation of the live music sector will take place between Monday 31st January and Sunday 6th February 2022. The event is celebrated across the nation and provides support to uphold the infrastructures found within live music.

During the last 18 months, the industry has faced tremendously difficult times and such support has proven valuable. So far, 121 venues located across the nation have signed up with 89% of those participating being outside of London. More news is set to be announced on 29th October and will include three additional ambassadors for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Keeping within the event’s grassroots focus, the event’s new ambassadors are also up and coming. Formed in the Isle of Wright, the musical duo consists of Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers. Despite the band’s new career, the duo has gained much traction within the industry and have sired popularity within Spotify. The band’s debut single “Chaise Longue” was released in June 2021, the second single “Wet Dream” was released in September 2021. With their unique future pop sound, the band have received both critical and commercial success with both releases.

As well as chairing next year’s Independent Venue Week, the band are set to hit the road next month with English post-punk band Shame. Fans will also be able to catch Wet Leg live next year when the duo embark on a nine-date tour across the UK.

Wet Leg UK tour

16/04/2022 – Newcastle University Student Union – Newcastle Upon Tyne
17/04 – The Mash House – Edinburgh
19/04 – Brudenell Social Club – Leeds
20/04 – Manchester Gorilla – Manchester
21/04 – Trinity – Bristol
23/04 – O2 Institute3 Birmingham – Birmingham
24/04 – Norwich Arts Centre – Norwich
26/04 – KOKO – London
27/04 – Wedgewood Rooms – Portsmouth

Click here for more information concerning Independent Venue Week.

The 21-year-old singer won double accolades including the UK Independent Breakthrough award in association with YouTube and Best Independent Album in association with Spotify for Collapsed in Sunbeams, her debut release. The “Black Dog” singer also won at last year’s ceremony; Parks took away the One to Watch award during the 2020 event. The artist is no stranger to accolades and acclaim, during this year’s Brit Awards Park won the Best New Artist award. in 2020 she also won the BBC Introducing Artist of the Year and was shortlisted for the Hottest Record of the Year for “Black Dog”.

Parks had this to say concerning her multiple wins at the 2021 AIM Independent Music Award event. The singer describes her gratitude to her fans and expresses joy for her music’s importance during these recent uncertain times. “I want to say a big big thank you to my fans, to my team, I’m grateful to be growing every day as an independent artist and this period has been so difficult, so chaotic and so confusing, so to be able to bring people light in this time of need has been really special.”

Parks was not the only artist to win two awards at this year’s ceremony, ENNY also won more than one award. The multitalented English artist took home the Best Independent Track award in association with Facebook for her 2020 single “Peng Black Girls” and the One to Watch prize in association with BBC Music Introducing. The 26-year-old singer has also spoken about her double win. “Very very very unexpected, especially how early on everything has started happening, so I’m just really filled with a lot of gratitude. Wanna big up my team and everyone that’s been a part of this journey so far. Thank you!”

Other winners from this year’s event include Jayda G who won International Breakthrough in association with Deezer, Fontaines D.C. who won Best (Difficult) Second Album in association with BBC Radio 6 music for their album A Hero’s Death. The Best Independent Remix in association with Soundcloud was awarded to the Eikka Remix of the Ela Minus track “megapunk“, the Best Independent Video in association with Vevo was prized to Wesley Joseph for 2021 track “Thrilla”, the UK indie label Forever Living Originals won the Best Independent Label award in association with Integral, another UK label Strut Records also won at this year’s event, they won the Best Small Label award in association with Believe. The quintet Working Men’s Club won the Best Creative Packaging award for their release Working Men’s Club, the PPL Award for most played new independent artist was bestowed to singer and producer Lauv, multi-talented artist Ben Böhmer took home the Best Live (Streamed) Act in association with On Air.

The award ceremonies do not just celebrate new talent but also honour influential artists, British producer and rapper Tricky scored the prestigious Pioneer Award in association with Fuga, legendary dub producer Adrian Sherwood was awarded the Innovator Award in association with Amazon Music and the Outstanding Contribution to Music in association with Merlin was taken home by Joan Armatrading CBE, Armatrading is a triple Grammy award nominee and highly acclaimed artist with a career spanning over 50 years. The Indie Champion award in association with MCPS was given to industry favourites Love Record Stores and Bandcamp and lastly, the Diversity Champion prize was given to Paulette Long OBE, an iconic figure within the music industry known for her work within musical education.

Arlo Parks will be returning to an awards stage next month for the Mercury Prize ceremony, Parks is nominated for her debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams. The singer will be performing at this year’s event alongside the ceremony’s other nominees, Parks will perform one of the shortlisted album’s tracks within the ceremony which will be broadcasted on various BBC channels.

The Glastonbury themed spectacular entitled ‘The Glastonbury Experience 2021’ will take place from Friday 25th June until Sunday 27th June 2021 and will be available across all of the network’s channels. Including the BBC television channels, iPlayer, BBC’s radio stations and BBC Sounds. Due to the unfortunate news that the Festival has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions for the second year, BBC has taken it upon themselves to devote an entire weekend to Glastonbury. The network plans to make available a variety of special content from highlights from past years to airing special performances.

Included within BBC’s celebration of all things Glastonbury are 50 sets from the archive which will be available on BBC iPlayer as well as 30 sets which are available on BBC Sounds available from Monday 21st June 2021. The sets recorded within the ‘Live At Worthy Farm’ online event will also be included, the performances which aired online on Saturday 22nd May 2021 gifted viewers at home sets from Coldplay, HAIM, Idles, George Ezra, Jorja Smith, Wolf Alice, Michael Kiwanuka, The Smile, Honey Dijon featuring Rosin Murphy, Kano and former Blur member Damon Albarn. As well as more recent sets, viewers will also be able to watch classic performances from the festival’s archive across the weekend, available to watch on BBC Two and Four. The classic sets will include a never before aired performance from multi-instrumentalist Fela Kuti from 1984. Also available from the festival’s cannon are sets from Radiohead in 1997 and the princess of pop Kylie from 2019.

Following on the same theme of classics, BBC Two will also air a 60-minute documentary entitled ‘Live At Worthy Farm: Backstage’, and will be presented by suitable figure, Jo Whiley. The Queen of indie music and Glastonbury will show how the special event was created thus charting the festival’s success and will also show how the festival became a musical Mecca for any music fan. The documentary will be followed by a hand-picked collection of performances by artists involved in the festival’s special event as well as hand-picked performances from ‘Life At Worthy Farm’.

Whiley has spoken with the BBC concerning the event, the music icon reminisced on her favourite memories from past festivals and invited fans to celebrate Glastonbury with her. The famous DJ said “Whilst we can’t be together in the fields of Pilton just yet, I can’t wait to go back in time and share a selection of my favourite Glastonbury memories and performances with you all. I have incredibly fond memories of the 90s at Glastonbury, so join me on Friday 25 June to re-live some of the very best moments from that unforgettable decade. I had a fantastic time at Live At Worthy Farm in May, so I’m also really looking forward to showing viewers exactly what went on behind the scenes.”

Other features from ‘The Glastonbury Experience 2021’ include a pop-up channel, that will be available across the weekend on BBC iPlayer. Included on the steam are documentaries, more sets from the vault and further exclusive content. The content will see multiple DJ’s present programmes concerning different periods of Glastonbury, the 1990s will be discussed on Friday, Saturday will cover the 21st century and finally, Sunday will be dedicated to festival Legends. The programmes will be presented by Jo Whiley from BBC Radio 2, Clara Amfro from Radio 1 and finally Lauren Laverne from 6 Music. Also included in the special event is a weekend full of programmes, all of which will follow the Glastonbury theme. These will include more classic sets along with more highlights from the recent ‘Live At Worthy Farm’ event, all will be available through Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2 and 6 music.

Radio presenter Clara Amfro also spoke with the BBC and shared her personal connection with Glastonbury.

“As a nation of music lovers, Glastonbury is truly a part of our DNA. Whether it’s two or twenty performances, we all have a collection of them seared into our memory from many a previous weekend on this Somerset farm! Sharing some of my personal faves is a real treat and a testament to the hard work from the Eavis family and these brilliant artists.”

Even though it seems that the Summer festival experience will be out of reach for the UK this year, the BBC has seemingly taken it upon themselves to bring Summer’s most popular festival to our homes.

For a full line-up of the special content click here.

Exciting news…

Cillian Murphy is making a welcome return to 6 Music and BBC Sounds.

For a new 12-part series called Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition.

It launches on Monday 19th Oct (12am-2am). pic.twitter.com/gEvU2HcISE

— BBC Radio 6 Music (@BBC6Music) October 12, 2020

Speaking about his new programme in a press release, Cillian said: “Over the last few months, radio in general, and 6 Music specifically, has kept me going, so it’s lovely to be able to give something back in the form of these shows.” This has been a common comment levelled at radio during the months of isolation and lockdown. Murphy’s timeslot, from midnight to 2am, seems especially to establish and welcome companionship for those who don’t or can’t sleep during those hours.

Samantha Moy, the Head of BBC Radio 6 Music, declared that “we consider Cillian part of our family, so it’s a joy to have him back home on 6 Music. His passion for music is inescapable, his story telling sublime and I know he will make Sunday nights very special for 6 Music listeners.” Indeed, for Murphy, this is a return to familiar ground; he has been presenting on 6 Music since 2013. One of his earliest radio appearances was ‘The Sound Of Cinema’, where he played some of his favourite musical moments in cinema, including Ennio Morricone, Alexandre Desplat and The War on Drugs. He presented a one-off, memorable Christmas special in 2018, tracking some of his favourite songs of the year. Following these appearances, he stood in for Guy Garvey with ‘Cillian Murphy’s Music Mixtape’ in 2019, which you might have caught again this year as it was rebroadcast during the early weeks of lockdown.

His collection is usually pretty varied, but there is a strong 1960s influence that always seems to run through his choices.  Across all of these radio appearances, he has maintained the same calm vibe with his gentle voice and his chilled taste, all of which points to this new series being perfect for Murphy’s radio persona.

View this post on Instagram

Exciting news… Cillian Murphy is making a welcome return to 6 Music and BBC Sounds for a new 12-part series called Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition. Cillian says: “Over the last few months, radio in general, and 6 Music specifically, has kept me going, so it’s lovely to be able to give something back in the form of these shows.” Hear his nocturnal playlists, made for after midnight from Oct 19th for 12 weeks. You’ll be able to subscribe to the show and download them for 30 days after broadcast with BBC Sounds.

A post shared by BBC Radio 6 Music (@bbc6music) on Oct 12, 2020 at 2:26am PDT

Cillian Murphy is best known and well loved for his role as Tommy Shelby on critically acclaimed tv show Peaky Blinders – in fact some newer fans of the show might be surprised to learn that Murphy is not originally from Birmingham at all, but from County Cork, Ireland. Before his acting career, Murphy was the guitarist for a number of bands, with his brother Páidi, who was still in secondary school at the time. Their music career was poised to take off, but they never signed the contract offered by Acid Jazz Records. During his first term as a law student at University College Cork, Murphy had set his sights on acting, and the rest is history.

In advance of the premiere of ‘Limited Edition’ next Monday, you can catch Murphy on Steve Lamacq’s show on 6 Music, this Thursday, 4-7pm.

Our new leftfield pop odyssey ‘Child Of The Flatlands’ is available now in all the usual online places. It’s been a while since we released new music… we hope you enjoy it! https://t.co/uZF67QV2dY pic.twitter.com/UVXbyAMmai

— Maximo Park (@maximopark) September 14, 2020

‘Child Of The Flatlands’ comes with a video that can’t be described as anything short of technicolour. Even before watching the video, the single bears reminiscence to eighties synth pop bands; you can sort of hear that it takes inspiration from concrete structures. In the video, directed by Greg Hodgson, this whiff of inspiration seems to erupt before your eyes and you hardly know where to look as the sound suddenly becomes completely visual.

Yet concrete is pitched against the natural world, as lead singer Paul Smith croons: “nature always wins, makes itself known.” Certainly, ‘Child Of The Flatlands’ seems to have the energy of a fight bubbling under the surface.

Generally, ‘Child Of The Flatlands’ deals in abstracts and broad themes. It does not strike you as a song speaking directly about the last six months – but this line feels prophetic: “the libraries are closing down now / where will the children go when they feel all alone?”  Its energy is changing all the time; it opens with urgency but at times it is slow and intimate. Smith calls it “episodic”.

Smith continues to present the complexities of their new single. He says: “Child Of The Flatlands is an affectionate look at both the psychic and physical edgelands of the town where I grew up, punctuated by snapshots of modern Britain as viewed from a distant hillside.

“It’s about the inevitability of nature (in all senses of the word) over the order we try to impose on it. The quiet, melancholy choruses lament the loss of community spaces for marginalised people, and the overall pace is meant to evoke a long walk, collaging found sound, strings and insistent piano to create a mildly psychedelic pop odyssey.

“We commissioned Greg Hodgson to reflect the distorted blur of youth through his VHS lens, and to create a dreamlike vision of Teesside that reflects the episodic nature of the music. Hopefully viewers will recognise something of their own youth, playing in places where nature encroaches upon the urban landscape.”

Certainly, the combination of lurid technicolour and the synth pop inspiration is somehow nostalgic. At the same time, ‘Child Of The Flatlands’ is unmistakably Maximo Park, although slower, serious, and even more poetic.

A couple of weeks ago, Maximo Park took their turn at headlining the Virgin Money Unity Arena, the UK’s first socially distanced arena. It was opened by Sam Fender earlier this year, and its upcoming performances include Chase & Status, Kaiser Chiefs and last week’s worthy contender for the battle of the charts, Declan McKenna. You can find out more here.