From Lockdown to Livestream
Darlings, we live in troubled times. Aside from all the other more mundane (but no less shit) things the human race has had to deal with in the past few years, we now have a global pandemic on top of that. I don't need to go into the story, it's everywhere, all of the time. The bottom line is this though: life, as we know it, is cancelled. Staying at home is the new normal, despite being the norm for some of us for quite some time. Everything that goes with that is a given too. Restaurants are closed, libraries, museums, galleries, travel is restricted, even going outside is somewhat prohibited. The entertainment industry is at a standstill. As well as a couple of gigs I was going to play at, I've also had seven gigs cancelled that I was going to see. Even a trip to the Saatchi gallery to see the Tutankhamun exhibition is off the cards. Oh Holy Osiris.
So what happens when artists are confined to their homes? Aside from watching Netflix and eating their feelings (is anyone watching Tiger King right now? I must speak to somebody about this programme), artists are left to their own devices - and create. Combine a creative mind with the steady building boredom of self-isolation and you get what Nina Nesbitt has been releasing on instagram recently. The videos started with Nina demonstrating where her production skills are at right now. Unfortunately her writing trip to Sweden for her next album was cancelled, which forms the basis for this one.
The real fun begins with the next one though, captioned 'what a load of absolute shite lol'. Utilising sampling to the maximum, you get a beat made from a boiling kettle, Nesbitt eating popcorn, tapping a bag of crisps, ripping toilet roll (in this economy?), and a creative scale made from sampling a burp, you get absolute gold. Even her vocal harmony at the end declaring the ditty 'shite' is...great.
The next video is actually genuinely good. It features lyrics sent to Nina by author Matt Haig, and more sampling amongst some synth. It could actually be the start of something cool. It wasn't long before the boredom gave way to more humour though. Nesbitt remade part of her single Loyal To Me, from her last album The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change. Samples here include traditional finger snapping along with foot stomping, wallet shutting, bourbon tapping, and even deodorant spraying. Pink Floyd once tried to create an album called Household Objects from - you guessed it - only household objects. Where their experiment failed, Nina's has a genuine chance to succeed with the ease of modern technology. Perhaps I'm taking all of this way too seriously. I almost thought the final video was a serious one until the lyrics gave way to a menagerie of canines barking in oddly musical tones. Oh well, better luck next time.
Live streaming has become the new normal in self-isolation. Singer/songwriter Greta Isaac recently hosted a loose Q&A on instagram. Some questions focused on more important subjects like 'if you were a hob on a stove, which one would you be and why?' That was asked by Miriam, Greta's sister. I think the answer was the back left. I asked which Chinese takeaway option Isaac would be. Her answer was immediate and without hesitation - dumplings. And why not?
Occasionally a serious question would creep in. Somebody asked what Greta's favourite music of her own released work was. She replied with two songs from her Creatures of Habit era. One was 'Intro', a piece used to open her headline performances of that period, and the other was the a cappella version of her track entitled 'You'. You features Greta's sisters Miriam and Elan and a handmade beat holding the song together. The harmonies are gorgeous and is highly recommended listening from me. Finally I asked if her song 'Gone', a piece that was played live various times in 2017 and 2018 would be released. Apparently that is coming soon. I should definitely write a dedicated article to Greta Isaac at some point, there is a lot to say.
Whilst Greta didn't play any music (she said her acoustic guitar was at the studio), Norwegian Singer/Songwriter Aurora would play some music, but first she live streamed from her bedroom. Here was a guided tour punctuated with gifts given to her by fans in what looked like the most relaxing space imaginable. There were shelves of books, vintage clothes, a white digital piano, a four poster bed. You know, the essentials. In a follow-up stream, Aurora played an unreleased song that had been requested by a fan. All My Demons Greeting Me As A Friend is the title of her first album, which...didn't feature the title track? Subsequently this remains unreleased, and a treat to hear being performed in 2020, four years after the release of the album.
Danish legend Lydmor would join the live streaming game too. Not before building her own home studio space and uploading her progress to instagram. This included making sound proofing panels and upcycling wooden fencing left out by her neighbours to absorb those deep bassy corners. Where performing is concerned, Lydmor was hosted by Corona Koncerter on streaming platform Twitch. The more sophisticated approach meant that viewers could donate to either Lydmor or Corona Koncerter via Paypal or mobile phone. Everyone has had gigs or tours cancelled. Some artists have even pushed back new releases to give them a fighting chance once the world has gone back to relative normality. With guitars hanging on the wall behind her, Lydmor sat at a grand piano, switching between that and a synthesizer placed on top of it. This was a perfect showcase of Lydmor's material, both old and new. Songs from her album 'I Told You I'd Tell Them Our Story' featured, as well as material written in 2020 that is so far unreleased. But I loved it, and I look forward to that seeing the light of day. The latest Lydmor single, LSD Heart, released in September 2019 is a far-cry from the soul wrenching music played on this live stream, but it serves as a curious compass that can be used to point where Lydmor's music could go in the future.
Now for something completely different. Members of Linkin Park even took to the live streaming game, but instead of playing music, they watched themselves playing music...from 2001! It's unclear whether or not this live stream would've happened regardless of the global pandemic, but it's in anticipation of the 20th anniversary of Hybrid Theory, Linkin Park's debut album. Members Joe Hahn, Mike Shinoda and Dave "Phoenix" Farrell watched the performance from each of their homes whilst discussing what they saw. The performance in question was shot in a club, filmed from the back of the audience on a single camera. The trio discussed what touring was like for their first album, including gruelling details from Farrell about not being able to wash his clothes and wearing the soaking wares multiple times. There was barely enough room to swing a cat on the stage, let alone fit a band of six guys, and still the four at the front (Brad Delson, Shinoda, Chester Bennington and Farrell) threw themselves around to the music. According to Mike Shinoda, the band didn't have enough space to have two guitars early on. Shinoda mistakenly thought this show fell into this period until his 2001 self walked out with a guitar in addition to guitarist Brad Delson's. With their expanding stages, Shinoda would go on to play drums, acoustic guitar and piano on stage in the years following. The set was actually great despite there being enough hair-gel present to sink a tour-bus. There were special guests, old favourites (this was before 'In The End' was released as a single) and even a couple of deep, deep cuts in the form of 'And One' and 'High Voltage'. The guys concluded their live stream by wishing the other members of the band well. I'm sure this won't be the last we'll see of them in 2020.
So what about the future? When a country is at war, it always leads to innovation. People have likened the spread of Covid-19 to being at war. Alice Grey has taken live streaming to the next level by creating an instagram account called Lockdown Sounds. Using the power of Instagram TV, Grey has called up her fellow artists to send in videos of them performing in order to host a virtual open mic. Open mic nights are wonderful for discovering new talent, and all of the artists featuring in the two-part session are new to me. They are Jaelee Small, Automan_, Grace Jane, Zac Hurst, Sereen., and Chloe Gaish.
Each video begins with an introduction from Alice and the hashtag #lockdownsounds. Grey had seen Jaelee Small live before. Small played a song called Tictoc, recently released by her, singing and playing bass with piano accompaniment. Jaelee's expressive voice leads the piece with complete ease and passion. I'd love to see her play with a full band!
Automan_ are a duo who performed a song called Talking All Around Me acoustically in a bedroom. Fred played ukulele and sang whilst Huw sang back-up and played acoustic guitar. The feel of the track was more gentle, the ukulele perfectly complimenting the acoustic guitar. I love when a track sounds complete in this format, it just needed nothing else. The lads gave the viewers a cheers at the end with a couple of beers. Happy lockdown everyone!
Alice had also seen Grace Jane live. It's great when an artist comes recommended from the host. The Woods is an original by Jane. It was performed I think in a garden. At first I thought it was a balcony. Grace is the first performer to appear alone, singing and playing acoustic guitar. The aptly titled song is punctuated with the sounds of the wind and birds singing, and Grace's voice is beautiful.
Grey had seen Zac Hurst performing a cover set in a bar before, but for his Lockdown Session, he performed an original entitled 1984. Performing alone, singing and playing electric guitar, it was the most upbeat song so far. I love the gentle delay on his guitar in a clean tone with a spot of pedal vocal harmonising going on! His performance direct to the camera gave the feeling he was playing just for you, like something out of 1984.
Sereen. is a singer/songwriter from Naples. Nutshell is a cover originally by Alice In Chains and this video is taken from a genuine live performance in front of an actual audience, so must've been way before the lockdown! Sereen. is accompanied by another couple of musicians on acoustic guitar and percussion. Her voice is deep and soulful and I would love to hear her sing an original, as she totally made this her own.
Chloe Gaish is another one that Alice has seen perform. Hailing from Essex, Chloe sings Both Sides Now, a cover of a Joni Mitchell song. The production on her video is great, shot in black and white and with audio recording equipment too. Accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, Gaish's voice is a mix of timid intimacy and assertive, but controlled power. A great introduction for the open mic!
Whether it be your favourite artist, a singer/songwriter singing songs they wrote in their bedroom, or an arena filling spectacular, you can almost guarantee they're going to give live streaming a go, if they haven't already. Lockdown Sounds is definitely one to watch. I mean they all are really. Do I want a new Greta Isaac single? Yes. Do I want more sampling ridiculousness from Nina Nesbitt? Yes. Do I want Aurora and Lydmor to perform more unreleased songs? Of course. Even with a global pandemic having most of us on the run, music still finds a way. And how cool is that? Stay safe out there everyone. We can get through this!
