Manchester wordsmith Antony Szmierek releases new single ‘Rafters’ via new label home, Mushroom Music/Virgin Music Group. The song seamlessly blends propulsive beats with Szmierek’s signature reflective lyricism and flow. The song’s vivid storytelling evokes scenes reminiscent of Trainspotting, blending visceral intensity with infectious melodies. Speaking about the song, Szmierek comments:
“We follow a single piece of confetti that falls over a gig and the stories that take place beneath it. People falling in love, thrown pints, flashes of weddings and birthday celebrations. So much can happen in the time it takes a little paper square to hit the ground”.
What started as poetry performances on small stages led to skilfully crafted melodies to accompany his words. Szmierek wrote words before songs; novels at first, of which he’s published two, but he realised what people wanted to take from them was smaller quotes, or soundbites. Gradually, his writing became shorter and shorter, boiling down into short stories. With his art, Szmierek joins a host of contemporaries whose skill for crafting melodies and lyrics translate beautifully into both songs and written works. What Szmierek does so well with his artistry is document incredibly specific details from his life, and others. It’s about making music that tells stories and makes him feel good. Having spent time working as a teacher throughout his twenties, he’s learned the value of communities, people and empathy “all of these things I value as part of my personality now, I learned while teaching.”
Antony Szmierek Live Dates
July
26 – Truck Festival, Oxfordshire
27 – Latitude Festival, Suffolk
28 – Tramlines Festival, Sheffield
August
3 – Bootleg Social, Blackpool
4 – Kendal Calling, Kendal
8 – Way Out West, Sweden
10 – Boardmasters Festival, Newquay
24 – Greenbelt Festival, Kettering
31 – Into The Great Wide Open, Netherlands
September
28 – Gathering Sounds Festival, Newcastle
October
5 – Neighbourhood Festival, Manchester
19 – SWN Festival, Cardiff
For more information on Antony Szmierek please check his instagram and X (twitter).
