At the turn of the year, music promoter, Andy Sloman, asked The Lounge Society if they’d play a gig at The Golden Lion – a fundraiser for the homeless charity, Crisis. It was a no-brainer: They know Andy well. And The Lion. It was for an excellent cause. And they’ve been itching to start playing live again. So they said “yes”.
One slight curveball: Andy suggested they do it ‘unplugged’. Embracing the challenge, the band set about deconstructing their electro-fuelled jazz-rock into a more stripped-back, bare bones affair.
Catching up with the band a couple of months later, just moments before they’re due on stage to showcase the new arrangements for the first time, they were in rejuvenated mood.
Herbie: “We’ve spent months preparing for this show. It’s such a different set-up. It’s been a real change for us and an opportunity to experiment. It’s great for us to do something that’s genuinely for the music. We don’t have a new record out so we’re not doing it to get attention on that. We’ve been able to really focus on the music we want to play tonight.”
Cam: “It has given us a completely new way of working together and writing together. And now we can do this, always, from now on. It has taught us new skills. We do more singing now, all four of us.”
Hani: “Yeah, it’s indirectly been a very helpful tool. It’s like we went on a course and trained ourselves in this different approach to songwriting.”
Although their new sound is certainly more minimal than before and their new songs, in particular, make greater use of space and dynamics, they haven’t gone full-on Simon & Garfunkel folk mode just yet.
Cam: “When Andy suggested the unplugged thing, we scaled it back and then we kinda plugged it back in a bit more. We have acoustic piano, dampened drums. So it’s a hybrid. It’s sort of half and half.”
Archie: “We’re still going through amps and using DIs but there are less pieces on the drum kit, less pedals, which means we’re much more focused on the actual songs. To convey the real feeling in a song, using just acoustic instruments and the voice – that has been the real shift.”
Herbie: “We’re now thinking about how each song has its own personality. That’s new for us. It’s more than just ‘this is the band’. Each song has its own spirit.”
It was fascinating to watch the resulting performance unfold, with the band shoved towards the fringes of their comfort zone and sounding all the more magnificent for being there.
There is a vulnerability in scaling back songs in this way. A new kind of confidence is required to allow the music to breath properly and let the more delicate components do the work. The Lounge Society have learned a lot of tricks these past two months. They’ve also learned a load more songs, including several covers, two of which stand out tonight – Psycho Killer by Talking Heads and the boisterous set-closer, The Ballad of John and Yoko by The Beatles.
The whole process has clearly been an enlightening experience for the band. Somewhat through accident more than design, they have been working away diligently in the upstairs room at The Lion – where they practice twice a week, Andy on hand to help their sound set-up – creating what now looks like a bright new chapter in the band’s history. All this has come off the back of some frustrations with the industry they’re in, it has to be said. (More on that another time.) But, suffice to say, they have come full circle – in tact, stronger and most crucially, now armed with an arsenal of new sonic capabilities at their disposal.
At a broader perspective, the evening is a vivid demonstration of the magic that may emerge when a new agenda is set. With no product to flog or commercial entity to please – and, instead, with a charitable cause in mind – we witnessed a band willing to push boundaries – and push themselves – to create something genuinely fresh and re-invigorating.
Shelter Me – In Crisis charity album
As it happens, The Lounge Society are not the only ones in the region harnessing creative flair for the benefit of the homeless charity, Crisis, right now. Over in Leeds, the record label Paisley Dark are releasing an album called Shelter Me – In Crisis. It’s the third instalment in a series of albums raising money for Crisis, the first two of which generated over £7,000 in donations. The latest offering features contributions from Duncan Gray, Zillas on Acid, Al Mackenzie and A-Tweed and Tronik Youth.
It’s all been orchestrated by John Paynter at Paisley Dark, who says their “primary aim is to raise funds by leveraging the platform of electronic dance music”. John also has strong ties with The Golden Lion and was not surprised when told of The Lounge Society gig.
“I was delighted to hear about it. The Golden Lion is a place close to my heart. I have very strong connections with the place through Gig and Waka. It’s a venue strongly associated with Todmorden’s motto, ‘Kindness’, and they have done so much to help those in need. I sincerely hope our collective efforts, channeled through the powerful medium of music, can do some real good and create positive change.”
The new album Shelter Me – In Crisis is available on bandcamp and all major digital retailers from 20th April.
Listen to the album>
Buy the album>
Previous Shelter Me releases>
From Crisis.org
“Homelessness is devastating, dangerous and isolating. The average age of death for people experiencing homelessness is 46 for men and 42 for women. People sleeping on the street are almost 17 times more likely to have been victims of violence. More than one in three people sleeping rough have been deliberately hit or kicked or experienced some other form of violence whilst homeless. Homeless people are over nine times more likely to take their own life than the general population.”
Words & media: Stephen Desmond
Event organised by: Slomanmusic
