As the smoke clears, and the full extent of the wreckage left by the UK’s exit from the EU fully comes into view, a new Leeds collective Living Body deliver a timely yet sober meditation upon hope through the darkness of defeat.
“Dedicated to optimism and hope for the future,” Living Body’s first single is a radically altered cover of Empress’s ‘Don’t Give Up On Me.’” Ushered in on a sea of shimmering cymbals and horns ‘Don’t Give Up On Me’ is wonderfully pulsing, widescreen tune punctured by skittering percussive crescendos that clasp onto hope and fight on, are joined by the poignant vocals of Katie Harkin (Harkin, Sky Larkin, Wild Beasts et al), its oscillating cinematic reverb-drenched sound masterminded by Jeff T. Smith (formerly Juffage) and Tom Evans (Vessels).
“Rising from the ashes of their acclaimed “Sonic Cauldron” concert at Left Bank Leeds in 2013, the group is now augmented by new and additional live members Alice Rowan (Mayshe-Mayshe) & Sarah Statham (Esper Scout). Expanding on the need for music to bring joy into the lives of others, and Smith’s fascination with the contortion of the pop song into a uniquely imaginative and immediate form, Living Body aims to exist in a world of skin and information overload in 2016.”
Soon, they will embark on our first UK tour in spite of this tumultuous state of affairs:
July 23: Sheffield – Tramlines Festival
July 24: London – Old Blue Last (FREE entry)
July 25: Brighton – Green Door Store (FREE entry)
July 26: Derby – the Hairy Dog
July 27: York – City Screen Basement
July 28: Glasgow – Broadcast
July 29: Newcastle – Cluny 2
July 30: Sunderland – Pop Recs Ltd.
July 31: Leeds – Brudenell Social Club (FREE entry)
August 1: Manchester – Fallow Cafe
They say: “In celebration of a forthcoming tour and the possibility that all hope may not be lost, we are now offering the single as a free download from our Bandcamp page. We hope this may bring joy into the lives of others, and offer a break from the relentless mouths of politicians.
Stay tuned for news on a full-length LP, which will be coming later in the year on Landland and Kingfisher Bluez in the USA and Canada, and Barely Regal Records in the United Kingdom and Europe. After all, if we are to continue to exist, giving up must not be an option.”
http://livingbodylife.bandcamp.com/
http://livingbodylife.com/
