Lou Reed and the British Seaside.
A Perfect Day in a normal person's way. No sangria, no blazing row (as his soon-to-be wife reveals actually happened that day), and all a bit too chilly. Romance, yes - but more Weston-super-Mare than Waikiki, more Hastings than Hollywood: chip shops not chiffon, seagulls not surfboards, and sunburned shoulders not Sunset Strip. But being together is what matters. And singing Lou's songs is a great way to do it. So here's the duet:
Favourite Day
Oh yes it was her favourite day He bought her a la-la-latte Then she browsed the seafront stalls And she bought nothing at all The sea was brown, not blue, But it was love she knew When they both sang along with Lou She got sweaty, holding hands Ice cream melting on her chin She spent too long in the sun With not enough sun cream on Sand in her Pringles too But it was love she knew When they both sang along with Lou Far too noisy in the club Far too crowded in the pub Way too cold to stay outside Walked her home and went inside But that’s when they both knew That it’s a perfect day, it’s true, When you both sing along with Lou
European Sun played their first live gig via Facebook earlier this week and, after only several minutes of staring at the screen wondering if the technology was working, they played five warm and whimsical songs: My Friend Robin, Favourite Day, You're Never Too Old To Be Young, The Future's Female (with some new 2020 lyrics and an apology), and She'll Fly Away, all bar one of which will appear, in more electric arrangements and often with drums, on their debut LP in September.
Enjoy it here:
https://www.facebook.com/TheCatenaryWires/videos/742272073217779/
A triple debut! European Sun will be making their online debut, performing a short sample of songs from the imminent debut album, all being well, in a debut double bill with The Catenary Wires. How much fun might that be! Please log in to https://www.facebook.com/TheCatenaryWires/live/ at the allotted time and date, and enjoy a short, live and probably somewhat shambolic set in mini-lieu of the real gigs we had planned for this time of year, literally alongside (yet socially distanced) The Catenary Wires, who will also perform.
There will be no algorithms involved. Some of my best friends are people I've never met. Isn't that what music is for? Isn't that why we read books, watch films and look at pictures? You feel confused and someone paints a picture that kind of explains it. You feel sad and someone writes a poem that makes you feel less alone. You feel love and someone writes a song that says it better than you can even think it. And those people feel like friends. And because they have had time to think about and craft what they say, and because in real life it's not always so easy to talk about some things, they can even be better friends than most of the people you know in person. You feel you know them, even though you've never met. You feel you're like them. You think they'd like you. That's what this song is about. My Friend, Robin. Sometimes I wish Robin Hood was my friend Then right and wrong would be simple again We’d rob the rich and give it to the poor I’d be more healthy from just living outdoors I’d say to him, ‘Robin I find it so very Hard being a man, let alone being merry…’ Sometimes I wish young Prince Hamlet would call And say, ‘Steve, y’know the readiness is all. Your mind’s a prison and the jailer is you Be kind to yourself, and you might just get through.’ I’d say, ‘You’re telling me, your Dad was a king Mine left school at fourteen, it’s a whole different thing…’ I’d like to hang out in the cafés at night Just hoping Vincent Van Gogh will drop by I’d buy him a beer and say, ‘You’re weren’t wrong Being so true to yourself for so long.’ He’d say to me, ‘Steve, but I feel so all alone.’ So we’d swap numbers and I’d call him on the phone. I wish I hung out more with people like Sylvia And Emmeline Pankhurst - people who’d fill ya With hope for the future, and treat you the way You hope that everyone is treated some day. We’d discuss the future of the feminist agenda: Toxic masculinity, non-binary, transgender Then one dark night, when I’ve got really old I’ve had enough of doing all that I’m told I’ll go to the crossroads and wait there in the rain For Robert Johnson to come by again. He’ll say, ‘Hey, Steve, won’t you come on in my kitchen?’ And I won’t say a thing, I’ll just sit there and listen… “If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” So said the great William Morris, and the debut album from European Sun that has arrived into the warehouse we think fits the bill. Pressed on beautiful white vinyl, inside a gorgeous sleeve that marries Warhol and Saville to sumptuous effect, the album brings you 12 songs about birds, belonging and Brexit, growing up, growing old and going to the seaside, looking back, looking forward and looking bewildered, dreaming, driving and despairing, and many more moments of frivolous profundity, all packaged inside conveniently-sized pop songs for your enjoyment and consumption. Digital extras supplement the deal and the whole thing is guaranteed to bring a smile and a sense of balance to a world with too much anxiety and uncertainty. Find it now: https://wiaiwya.bandcamp.com/album/european-sun Tracklisting: - Side One - A Song For Sisters My Friend Robin Never Too Old To Be Young The Robin So Small Now I'm Ready To Be A Princess - Side Two - She'll Fly Away Favourite Day Bohemian Blasphemy You Belong Somewhere Small Steps Sleep Cottage - Extra tracks (digital only) - The Future’s Female My Station Hugs Twitter: @european_sun Instagram: europeansunband Facebook: facebook.com/europeansunband For more information, contact: John Jervis [email protected] @wiaiwya 07932 874 914 |
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September 2020
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