M&G At 5 - Top Ten Most Viewed
At Moths and Giraffes, we’re celebrating five years since we published our first article in January 2020! The seeds of this website began with a concert journal in May 2011 and by 2016 I was beginning to enjoy many smaller gigs by independent artists in and around London. 2019 was significant as the indie artists I was seeing converged and I immersed myself in a scene I still enjoy to this day.
I’ve since interviewed members of that scene and it was one in particular that at The Hideaway jazz club in Streatham said, ‘You should start a website, you’re doing all the writing anyway!’
That was November 2019. I spent Christmas of that year figuring out how you actually construct a website and how it might look. By January 2020 I was approaching New York indie songwriter Kate Davis after her gig at The Islington, wondering if she would maybe answer some questions via email. This became Moths and Giraffes Article #1, published on a website that wouldn’t have a logo for six months or any dedicated social media for a year.
Since then, we’ve gone on to publish over 230 articles, most with exclusive interviews and all with in-depth reviews. We’ve spoken to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, reviewed gigs at Hyde Park and the London Palladium, chatted to legends and legends in the making. We’ve interviewed artists from four continents, helped put on fantastic charity livestreams, and made some amazing friends along the way.
In this new series for 2025, we’ll look back at some of the music we’ve written about over the last five years and the brilliant artists we’ve gotten to talk to. So what better way to start than to present your Top 10 Most Viewed – the articles that have been clicked on more than the rest. It’s apt that #10 is from our birth year!
Sara Niemietz. Image Credit: Jeff Xander.
10
Sara Niemietz comes full circle with ‘twentytwenty’
Published: 13th November 2020
In our first year, with no media connections or any idea how to establish them, we set off simply with a wish list of the artists we wanted to talk to. These included the aforementioned Kate Davis, Hannah Lou Clark, Lydmor, Emma Blackery, Catherine Ireton and our first artist in the Top 10 – Sara Niemietz.
Sara is best known for her work with Scott Bradlee and the Postmodern Jukebox. With rearranged covers of songs by Taylor Swift, Wham!, Journey, Justin Bieber, OutKast and many more, Niemietz has racked up millions of views with the collective, and gigs all around the world.
But for us, it was her original solo material we were interested in, and towards the end of 2020, we got to interview Sara about her latest live album ‘twentytwenty’. Having seen her in London for an intimate gig the previous year, we were best placed to convey how fantastic Sara is in front of an audience. Of the record and the experience of seeing her live, we had this to say; ‘Her charm and commitment to the audience is what makes her such a special musician.’
For our Q&A, we dove into the where, how and why Sara Niemietz chose her next record to be a live one, recorded just prior to lockdown. We also asked about the musicians featured on the record, performing with Postmodern Jukebox and other moments in front of audiences…
Moths and Giraffes: You've hopped on plenty of stages ever since you were a child, and occasionally with some big names too! What's been the most memorable moment like that?
Sara Niemietz: Wow! Goodness, it’s hard to pick one. I guess I would have to say the Grand Ole Opry with BJ Thomas. Another beautiful turn of events in this story.
BJ was instrumental (pun intended) in my music career. My parents took me to his concert when I was four and he saw this random kid singing the words to all his songs. He invited said “random kid" up onstage and that was it! I was hooked on a feeling. This was what I wanted to do. While attending another concert several months later, I was very sad to learn this was not “how it works” - I didn’t get to jump up onto all stages.
BJ and I reconnected over a decade later, and he invited me to sing on his record and join him onstage at the Opry. It was magical. He is a truly generous person, kind spirit, and of course - a wonderful musician!
Since releasing her ‘twentytwenty’ live album and DVD, Sara put out a brand-new record of originals entitled ‘Superman’ co-written with Linda Taylor. In 2025, Niemietz has been back on tour with Postmodern Jukebox, with a trip to Australia and New Zealand. The band is currently in the UK after a stop at London’s Royal Albert Hall!
Follow Sara Niemietz on Instagram @sarapalooza and on Facebook @SaraNiemietzMusic.
Arc Of Life. From left to right - Dave Kerzner, Jay Schellen, Jimmy Haun, Jon Davison and Billy Sherwood. Image Credit: Erik Nielsen.
9
Arc Of Life Has A Way…
Published: 19th February 2021
Of the five years Moths and Giraffes has been a website, 2021 has the greatest showing in our Top Ten Most Viewed. And with bands like Arc Of Life, it’s easy to see why. American progressive quintet Arc Of Life are one of the many offshoot bands from what is undeniably the progressive rock band – Yes. Formed of current Yes members Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood and Jay Schellen together with Jimmy Haun and Dave Kerzner, the band put out their first album in early 2021.
The eponymous album, recorded in the years leading up to the pandemic, is a true exploration of the genre, with back-to-back epics and equally more radio-friendly tracks. Of the album’s closing track, ‘The End Game’, we were enamoured but obviously affected by the time we were living in:
“…what a wonderful way to finish off Arc Of Life’s debut album, even though the haunting use of the line ‘waiting for the end game’ follows me around like we aren’t on the brink of some kind of societal collap- sorry I blacked out, what was I writing?”
For this piece, we got to talk to Arc Of Life and Yes lead vocalist Jon Davison about the project. It seems obvious now that tracks like ‘Talking With Siri’ were in fact inspired directly by the AI consultant and not some other obscure answer we thought we were going to get. We also got to ask some Yes-related questions, but the genesis of this project is an answer from Jon that stood out the most:
Moths and Giraffes: 'Arc Of Life' is the self-titled album from your new band, how did the five of you approach the songwriting across these ten tracks?
Jon Davison: From the moment YES started touring again with Billy in 2015, he and I were already enthusiastically talking amongst ourselves about creating new music. We continued with our plan as Billy prepared musical outlines for about 5 or 6 of the songs. We began tracking vocals in the Spring of 2017, in Topanga Canyon. I had a groovy little pad there. YES then hit the road that Summer and Billy had more music for which we used every little bit of free time backstage to track vocals. At that point the members of YES weren’t ready to consider a new album, so we decided to form our own band. We knew Jay was the ideal drummer and he infused much of his passion into the material. By the time we had a full album’s worth of material, Jimmy was wonderfully involved supplying guitars with all his finesse and tasteful skill. But who would play keys? Billy eventually suggested the perfect mate, and soon Dave was adding his creativity and positive energy to our now completed band.
Davison also alluded to more material that was developed alongside this album, to be saved for a future project. Arc Of Life released their second album ‘Don’t Look Down’ in 2022, with Davison, Sherwood and Schellen continuing to tour with Yes – most recently on a trip to Japan in 2024.
Follow Arc Of Life on Facebook and Instagram @arcofliferockband.
Snaggletooth. From left to right: Sparkles*, Connie Glynn and Adele Cooper.
8
The Definition of Snaggletooth
Published: 28th May 2021
The trio of Snaggletooth are an extension of the Connie Glynn interverse. Originally a blogger on Tumblr, Connie invented her Noodlerella persona which became a YouTube channel in 2013. Known for her love of Disney, Anime, cartoons, the colour pink and cosplay, Connie became an author in 2017 with the release of ‘Undercover Princess’, the beginning of a five-part series called ‘The Rosewood Chronicles’.
By the time the pandemic arrived, Connie Glynn had become disillusioned with her Noodlerella brand and sought alternative artistic endeavours. Snaggletooth formed with both Connie and Adele Cooper as vocalists, with producer Sparkles* (Thomas Clarke of Area 11) building the tracks. In 2021, they released their debut self-titled EP featuring the lead single ‘boohoo baby’, which we called ‘the obvious showcase of what the trio can do.’
The band’s music is a heavy mixture of guitars, synths and sampling reminiscent of nu-metal. We got to speak to the members of Snaggletooth for what is possibly the only interview the band ever did, and our first that was used as a Wikipedia citation!
Moths and Giraffes: The EP is a writing collaboration between all three of you. What was the writing process like?
Sparkles*: It begins with one of us saying “let’s do a song like this” and trying to describe it using words which never works, but eventually I kinda think I know what’s being described and produce a little mood board demo thing and usually it’s nothing like what was described but whatever, then one of us sings some gibberish vocals over the top and we go from there.
Later in 2021, the band released two standalone singles, ‘TRINITY’ and ‘Fangs’. Prior to the release of the latter, Snaggletooth played their first show at London’s Camden Assembly on October 14th. In early 2023, the band put out a six-track follow-up to their debut EP called ‘FANTASY X LOVE’. Though only a month later, Snaggletooth ceased posting on social media, and the videos relating to the band were removed from YouTube. Their music is still on streaming platforms, but for how long?
Connie Glynn completed her Rosewood Chronicles series in 2022 with its final instalment ‘Princess Ever After’ and has since begun a new book series with the release of ‘The Cursed Melodies’ in 2025. Last year, Glynn returned to posting YouTube vlogs, but what of Snaggletooth? With no explanation on the band’s status, will they be making more music any time soon? The continued popularity of this piece remains a source of the band’s lore.
Follow Snaggletooth on Instagram @snaggletoothband.
Bonnie Kemplay.
7
Bonnie Kemplay: Bursting Out Of The Bedroom
Published: 1st January 2021
We’ve been fans of Orla Gartland since 2015, so when Orla recommends an artist, we take note! During the pandemic, Scottish bedroom artist Bonnie Kemplay created a cover of Gartland’s track ‘Pretending’ for a competition. With around 400 entries, Kemplay’s made the Top 5. We loved her use of sampling household objects to create the percussive backing and were inspired to delve into her music some more.
At the time we interviewed Bonnie, she had only three singles out, entitled ‘Maybe’, ‘Waiting For You’ and ‘Blushing’. With the latter striking a chord with many, we said, ‘The production here is Kemplay’s best so far, if this was from an album, Blushing would be the lead single.’ We asked Bonnie about her Orla Gartland cover, her time at The Royal Northern College of Music and the inspiration behind ‘Blushing’.
Moths and Giraffes: Your new single 'Blushing' kicks your music up a notch, what inspired the lyrical content on this one?
Bonnie Kemplay: The lyrics for ‘Blushing’ came at a time where an important relationship in my life was coming to an end. When I started writing I was in a state of frustration and felt reluctant to deal with my current situation, hence the repetition of ‘I don’t want to’ in verse one. Once I had written the chorus chords, I felt like the lyrical content needed to match the sort of uplifting vibe. I went for a reflective approach. It’s a bit of a cliche but I think it’s definitely harder to reflect on the good memories of someone over the bad ones. I hadn’t really faced my previous feelings of adoration and fondness of this person, so that’s the route I went down for the chorus. There’s a weird metaphor in the second verse about teeth. I broke my front tooth when I was nine and since then my anxiety often manifests in teeth dreams. I don’t often have these dreams, maybe once a month, but there was one week where I had them like seven nights in a row. It felt like a sign.
‘Blushing’ continues to be a big draw in Bonnie’s growing catalogue. At the end of our Q&A, Bonnie stated one of her goals was to record a six-track EP, which she achieved in 2022 with ‘running out of things to say, running out of things to do’. A re-recorded version of ‘Blushing’ features as part of the tracklist.
Bonnie’s presence on stage has been growing too. Since 2021, she has enjoyed playing Radio 1’s Live Lounge, supporting Bleachers and Adele in 2022, and going on UK tours with The 1975 in ‘23 and The Japanese House in ‘24. Though she’s currently taking some time away, we’re certain we’ll see Bonnie Kemplay gracing the stage again soon!
Follow Bonnie Kemplay on Instagram and Facebook @bonniekemplay.
Grey Daze. Top left to right: Mace Beyers, Cristin Davis. Bottom left to right: Chester Bennington and Sean Dowdell. Image Courtesy of Sean Dowdell.
6
Through Stormy Weather - The Story of Grey Daze
Published: 5th May 2023
Before Chester Bennington fronted and conquered the world with Linkin Park, he wrote and recorded two albums in the 1990’s with Phoenix, Arizona band Grey Daze. It was our pleasure to tell the story of this band from its early roots to attempted reunions in the noughties. One such reunion in 2017 led to the band booking a show that never happened following the passing of Chester.
This reunion included the notion of re-recording some of their 90’s material, and with the discovery of the session tapes for their first album ‘Wake Me’, allowed the band to continue this project. Featuring new arrangements, special guests and the blessings of family and friends, Grey Daze released two new albums in the 2020’s – ‘Amends’ and ‘The Phoenix’. ‘Saturation (Strange Love)’ is the opening track on the latter, which we described as a ‘thundering, devastatingly huge sound.’
Helping us to tell this story was Grey Daze drummer and co-writer Sean Dowdell. We asked him about the discovery of the session tapes, the involvement of Chester’s children on the re-recordings, and re-working the arrangements from the 1990’s.
Moths and Giraffes: A great effort was made to make 'Amends' and 'The Phoenix' modern sounding records, did it sometimes feel difficult to reimagine these tracks when the old arrangements felt familiar?
Sean Dowdell: Each track was different and some came easier than others. The journey to redo the music was difficult at times but in all honesty it was worth it. Sometimes working through things that are difficult can be therapeutic and was definitely that way for all of us.
Our telling of the Grey Daze story begins in 1993 and concludes thirty years later in 2023. But it concludes at the beginning of a new chapter – with the arrival of vocalist Cris Hodges. The band recruited Cris to play their first live performance since the late 90’s at U-Fest in Phoenix. The success of this show led to more gigs in the United States, and in 2024, the band toured Europe and the UK for the very first time on their #ForYouChester tour. Bassist Mace Beyers played his final show with Grey Daze on this tour and the band reconfigured itself once more that summer.
In 2025, the new five-piece released brand-new music after 28 years with the singles ‘Fake Little Lies’ and ‘Still Screaming’. After more American shows, Grey Daze returned for a second European tour in the Spring.
Follow Grey Daze on Instagram and TikTok @greydazeofficial, and on Facebook @realgreydaze.
Steve Hackett. Image Credit: Chris Simmons.
5
One November Night: Steve Hackett at Hammersmith Apollo
Published: 12th October 2020
It’s no surprise that one of our pieces on a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee should make the Top 10, and this was our very first. Guitarist and songwriter Steve Hackett is best known for his work with the shapeshifting British band Genesis. Towards the end of 2019 we caught his performance of the band’s 1973 album ‘Selling England By The Pound’ at the Hammersmith Apollo in London and were thrilled to discover it was being released as a live set less than a year later. So we were in a good position to interview Steve about it!
In the show, Steve and his band also played selections from his current solo album ‘At The Edge Of Light’ and celebrated forty years of his second album ‘Spectral Mornings’. Our extensive review drew on our personal experiences (such as meeting Hackett before the show), merged with hearing the live album’s stellar mix and camera angles so non-invasive we didn’t even know they were there!
Our Q&A was one of many examples where we took a punt and it paid off – Steve Hackett wasn’t doing interviews at the time as he was busy finishing up his next album in the recording studio. We asked Steve about special guests on the night, a typical day on the tour and working with Paul Carrack on the Selling England era outtake ‘Déjà Vu’. Of course we asked some Genesis questions too…
Moths and Giraffes: If you could choose one song to define your career with Genesis, what would it be?
Steve Hackett: I particularly love Dancing with the Moonlit Knight. For me, it was a fantastic song, with so many different elements, ranging from the beauty of Scottish Plainsong to a full on explosion of sound.
We concluded our review of the show by saying, ‘One day, we might be able to do it all again.’ Written right in the depths of the pandemic, it would be another nine months before we’d be in a venue to see another live performance.
In the meantime, we interviewed Steve Hackett a second time in January 2021 with a more in-depth conversation over the phone. This was for his 26th solo album ‘Under A Mediterranean Sky’, an entirely acoustic and instrumental affair inspired by his travels around the region. The fascinating conversation on his classical inspirations and dedication to playing is a timeless read:
‘Lots of what I do is influenced from the past, so I probably make less concessions to the modern world when I’m recording this type of album. I think I’m trying to bridge the gap between progressive stuff and classical stuff.’
With tours postponed during the pandemic, Hackett finally got to play his Seconds Out tour of the UK towards the end of 2021, where we reviewed his last of three concerts at the London Palladium. The tour featured a showing of the last album he played with Genesis, the live record ‘Seconds Out’. We described seeing ‘The Carpet Crawlers’ from ‘The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway’ as ‘something of a religious experience.’
We saw more material live from ‘The Lamb’ on Hackett’s 2024 tour entitled ‘Genesis Greats: Lamb Highlights and Solo’ at the Royal Albert Hall. The show also featured material from his latest album ‘The Circus And The Nightwhale’, a real return to his progressive roots. The tour is continuing around Europe and is set to visit Japan, Italy and North America throughout 2025.
Follow Steve Hackett on Facebook and Instagram @stevehackettofficial.
Ak.ela.
4
The Hypnotizing Ak.ela
Published: 27th January 2021
Our piece on the music of Portland, Oregon songwriter Ak.ela is a truly viral moment where Moths and Giraffes is concerned. Before the demise of Twitter, we considered that a fantastic place to share our articles, hype the work of independent musicians and build community. Of course that is no longer the case, but upon publishing this piece in January 2021, the algorithm did its thing and tipped into a sharing frenzy, launching it almost immediately into our Top 10 overnight.
Ak.ela is the name taken by passionate music fan Angeline Moore. Having performed in choirs in her childhood years, she was inspired by Norwegian artist Aurora (who she later met outside a gig) to bring her own music to fruition. In our piece, we wrote about her demos ‘Yours’ and ‘Age of the Goldman’ while focussing on her single and music video ‘Hypnotize’.
Ak.ela’s voice and the track’s electronic production fits together like a glove, which we felt could’ve gone in a multitude of ways in different remixes. We found her voice mesmerising, ‘The vocal production really suits Ak.ela’s voice, at times twisting away in reverb, other times up in your face, like it’s fading in and out.’
Ak.ela’s charm is especially apparent in her Q&A, we asked about the origin of her artist name, her demo tracks and details of the very latest song she’d written up to that point. Of course, we had to ask about ‘Hypnotize’.
Moths and Giraffes: You released the music video to your single 'Hypnotize' last year, how did the writing process begin for that track? What was the inspiration?
Ak.ela: It actually happened fairly quickly. My bandmates back then were making tracks and we thought it would be fun to do it together. They only had a snippet done and I started writing lyrics to it. After awhile, it reminded me of my World of Warcraft character I had when I was a preteen and during the battlegrounds, there was an attack I could use on my opponent that was called fear where I could put them in a hypnosis to run the opposite direction of where they were trying to be so it kind of was built around that idea, haha.
Alcohol and general excess is difficult to separate from a career in music. In December we spoke to Salt Lake City artist Josaleigh Pollett about ours and his journey of sobriety and the struggles in maintaining it while working in music. So it’s with solidarity and encouragement to hear the latest update from Ak.ela is her embarking on the same journey. While undergoing long-term rehabilitation, she is continuing to play live, having joined Oregon band Hard Neutral as their vocalist with music self-described as ‘mathy dark prog.’
Follow Ak.ela on Instagram @ak.elamusic. Follow Hard Neutral @hardneutral.
Angie McMahon.
3
‘The Movement of Waves and Tides…’ - Angie McMahon
Published 24th January 2024
A year of great personal change meant we weren’t writing a lot in 2024, and virtually nothing in the year’s second half. So it’s a great joy to see this deep dive on Angie McMahon’s second album ‘Light, Dark, Light Again’ in the Top 5, which has climbed even as we’ve been writing this!
Having been a fan of Angie since seeing her perform in a tiny library in 2018, we got to interview her for the first time in 2020 following the release of her EP ‘Piano Salt’. Also an artist who wasn’t doing interviews at the time, our final question in a short but thorough Q&A asked about when new songs were coming:
‘I've just been taking lots of time to ramble into my iPhone and make lots of weird demos, there's almost no full songs yet, I'm in a really drawn out writing and creating stage. So I'm not sure when they'll be finished, but I'm just hoping it comes together soon into a second album. We're not allowed to rehearse or record together in Melbourne at the moment, we're having to stay very isolated, so it's going to be a while before we can do any playing. Just writing a lot in my room!’
The thirteen-track album finally arrived in Autumn 2023 and over a three-day listening period, we fell in love with it. It felt like an old friend that had always been there. A collection of songs that weren’t about being in the throes of depression, or the sunny happily-ever-after bit. But the bit in between where you’ve identified the problem and are working towards getting better. There are good days, and really awful days.
It’s a narrative seldom seen in art, and it resonated at a time when I was going through it, which made for incredibly raw, authentic writing. Tears were shed in the review’s concluding paragraphs as I felt I’d given everything I had. The piece began during an alcoholic bender and was published at just 10 days sober. This Top 10 article arrives to you at 480 days sober. So it means a lot that people have continued to connect with this piece in a meaningful way.
Whew, but that’s enough of that. Angie McMahon is also passionate about the environment and the climate. Much of this album was written on indigenous land in Melbourne where Angie is from - Australia is still a massive producer of fossil fuel and possibly inspired her track ‘Mother Nature’. We in turn were inspired by the track, ‘In her words, Angie McMahon is able to make you see the obvious without preaching, patronising or belittling her audience.’ In our Q&A we talked extensively about the making of ‘Light, Dark, Light Again,’ of course we talked about the climate too.
Moths and Giraffes: The climate anxiety conveyed in 'Mother Nature' is real. What in your opinion is the single biggest issue in the climate crisis?
Angie McMahon: I mean we know it’s corporations, capitalist greed, etc, right - and I guess I think that the people running the big companies and burning the world to the ground are so disconnected from life. Like, why aren’t they acknowledging the ultimate paradox, that the money and power driving the drills into the ground is only possible as long as they’re able to breathe clean air and drink clean water? I guess people become so powerful that they think they’re invincible, and will ignore the fire until it’s at their feet. Which then makes me think, we’re all lacking compassion for ourselves. I think the root of fear and greed and desperation for power is this fundamental belief we all develop that we’re not enough, and we need more - and if you run a big company, or gain political power, and you’re not unlearning your self loathing, then instead you’re burning the world down.
2024 saw Angie selling out shows everywhere, including multiple dates in London. We got to see McMahon and her band performing at EartH Hall – experiencing these songs live felt like closure. She also played a couple of new songs that would appear on her companion EP ‘Light Sides’, released in September of that year. In 2025, Angie returns to the UK and Europe for another round of dates in August.
Follow Angie McMahon on Instagram @angiemcmahon, on Facebook @angiemcmahonmusic and on TikTok @angie_mcmahon.
Clari FT (and Brian).
2
‘I want you to know me through my songs.’ - Mary In The Junkyard
Published: 22nd November 2021
This piece is an example of catching an artist at a turning point in their career. When we began the process of fielding songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Clara FT (now known as Clari) for an interview, she was going solely by that name and released her debut EP ‘thus spake the cake’ in the summer of 2021. As our conversations progressed, in November 2021 she told us her artist name had changed to Mary In The Junkyard. This is why our piece is listed by that name, though Clara was still a solo artist. With all the excitement building for the now three-piece mary in the junkyard, this article continues to get hits daily, but more on that later.
What this piece does do is help trace Clari’s early musical roots, influences and talks about the humble beginnings of that first EP. Tired of all the cables and mic stands and trying to grab a quiet moment in her house to record, Clari left her bedroom for the woods, setting up her laptop and a lone microphone to record four gorgeously intimate tracks.
Scarcely 12 minutes long, ‘the river’ closes the EP, a clip of which we heard a year before from producer Charlie Deakin Davies and couldn’t get out of our heads. We called the EP, ‘Four moments that could well be short stories, with lyricism that inspires repeated listens, and imagery that evokes your own creativity.’ There are no overdubs on ‘thus spake the cake’, no guitar doubles, no vocal reverb – each song is a complete take, and it all adds to the charm. You really feel like you’re in the woods, listening to the birds, the sway of the trees, and this songwriter finding a quiet moment to record her music.
Clari spoke of her songs in our Q&A, the way she progressed from cello to double bass, bass guitar and finally to guitar. She talks about Brian, the papier-mâché figure seen in the artwork for ‘thus spake the cake’ and used in mary photoshoots since. We asked about Second Thoughts, the band she was playing bass for at the time, and also her classical influences.
Moths and Giraffes: You're a big fan of symphony composers, was there a moment you remember being floored by a particular piece of music for the first time?
Clari FT: I remember playing in orchestras from a young age and having this feeling like my chest was exploding, like being totally engulfed by this giant but extremely intricate noise. And to be a part of that huge organism of sound is the best feeling. The first time I felt that was probably playing Tchaikovsky's romeo+juliet symphony when i was twelve ish. or going to see Shostakovich's 5th symphony, which totally transported me to 1930s Russia and the fear he must've felt when he wrote it. I love the intensity and drama of symphonies, they are written to contain those moments of shock and beauty simultaneously.
We were later invited by the Trans Creative Collective to write about their first event in February 2022, one that ended with an open mic that saw Clari jump up and play a couple of unreleased songs. The following month for Trans Day Of Visibility, mary in the junkyard played their first billed gig in an embryonic form with Charlie Deakin Davies on bass and Maxie Cheer behind the drums. The trio played three songs that remain unreleased.
Clari later left Second Thoughts, taking drummer David Addison with her to properly cement the line-up for mary in the junkyard with bassist and violist Saya Barbaglia. The trio hammered the local scene in London and released their debut EP ‘this old house’ in May 2024. They finished the year by putting out the double a-side ‘this is my california / bear walk’.
In 2025, mary in the junkyard completed a tour of England and Scotland and visited the US for the first time, playing gigs in Los Angeles and New York in March. This month the band are set to tour with Wet Leg in the UK, a tour which progresses to North America in September and October.
Follow mary in the junkyard on Instagram @maryinthejunkyrd.
Al Jardine. Image Courtesy of Mary Ann Jardine.
1
Al Jardine - Looking Down The Coast
Published: 1st February 2021
If you speak to me for longer than a minute, you’ll find out I’m a huge Beach Boys fan. So I’m over the moon to see this is our Number 1 Most Viewed Article!
In 2020 we’d taken a punt to ask Brian Wilson collaborator Van Dyke Parks some questions, and it had paid off! But what about an actual Beach Boy? Could we be bold enough to interview one of the boys themselves? The result of taking another punt and finding out I could send vocalist and guitarist Al Jardine some questions was a huge prospect and one I didn’t take lightly.
Al Jardine is a founding member of the band, a school friend of Brian Wilson who introduced Al to the rest of members as they were establishing the group in their teenage years. When Wilson retired from the touring group, Al, with a similar range to Brian’s, came to sing more of his lead vocals. In his own merit, Al Jardine is most famous for singing lead on ‘Help Me, Rhonda’ in 1965, but was always part of the harmony line-up, and grew in confidence, singing and writing more as the band progressed.
This career retrospective outlines the work of Al Jardine within The Beach Boys, another Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. We discuss his songwriting, his share of lead vocals and his own influence within the group. One thing that remains consistent is his vocal skill and tone, which stole the show when The Beach Boys reunited in 2012.
Jardine finally got to showcase more of his songwriting on his solo album ‘A Postcard From California’, arriving in 2010 after many years of toil. The record featured a multitude of special guests from Neil Young, David Crosby and Stephen Stills to Steve Miller, Glen Campbell and The Beach Boys themselves. Al spoke enthusiastically about the record…
Moths and Giraffes: Is there a song written by you that you'd like to play live that you haven't played for a while?
Al Jardine: “Looking Down The Coast” from my solo album A Postcard from California—I played it at the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur in 2010 and would love to play it again with the full band. What an incredible group of musicians!
We felt ‘Looking Down The Coast’ was the perfect title for this retrospective, and his team felt we did a good enough job to place it side-by-side with a Rolling Stone article on his website. With past quotes helping to support some of the storytelling, it’s a piece we’re very proud to say still gets regular viewings.
And maybe that’s because Al Jardine is still out there, playing shows with his band in his eighties. The Beach Boys regularly put out box sets of vault material, with a documentary film and accompanying book in 2024 – all of which Al was involved with. I think I will always love this music, and I’m glad other people think I’ve written about it well enough to read.
And that’s our Top 10! Thank you to the artists for giving their time to talk to us, a tiny independent music website whose sole writer already has a job. Thank you to all the PR agents and managers who chased and chased and chased on my behalf.
A huge thank you especially to my parents, who have patiently listened to me talk so much about this website and its subjects, whether they’ve been a stadium-filler or bedroom producer. They know so many of the names and have heard so much of the music.
And thank YOU for reading, if it’s been today, five years ago, or somewhere in between. Thank you for sharing Moths and Giraffes with your friends, and for loving the music we’ve loved to write about. Maybe we’ll do this again in another five years?
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Follow and interact with Moths and Giraffes on Instagram and Facebook @mothsandgiraffes, and on Twitter @mothsgiraffes. Follow us where the Sky is Blue, @mothsandgiraffes.bsky.social.
We have a Spotify Playlist! Featuring almost every artist we've written about on Moths and Giraffes, find some new music here.
For submissions, or if you’d just like to send us your thoughts, don’t hesitate to contact us via our social media accounts, our contact page, or via email at mothsandgiraffes@outlook.com. We receive a lot of emails though, so please bear with us!
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Do you like what you heard here? Then check out the music we’ve written about this year!
