Category Archives: Blog

Track by Track: underthepropaganda’s ‘AY!’

‘AY’ opens with ‘Don’t Stop With Me’, which addresses the challenge of moving forward and not getting trapped in memories of a past love. It reflects one the importance of progressing, even when it’s difficult, under a psychedelic and aesthetically languid sound. ‘No Longer Friends’ was inspired by the painful reality of losing friends as we age, the song captures the transition from a close relationship to becoming strangers again. The cheerful air of pop guitars masterfully contrasts with the rawness of the song’s narrative.

An anthem to individuality is single ‘OBEY’ which comes with a captivating video. The single questions traditional life and encourages challenging social norms, celebrating the courage to be different, under a calm but forward rhythm and immersive soundscapes. ‘This Morning’ deals with the daily struggle of facing routine when going through a period of sadness, highlighting how obligations can feel overwhelming, through a curious invitation to dance and embracing lament.

A cheerful and simple tribute to football and its chants is ‘¡OHOH!’ capturing the energy and passion of the sport! ‘Lento’ explored the band’s personal experiences with anxiety during the pandemic, describing how everything seems to move more slowly in those moments of crisis, following the line of lo-fi guitars and danceable yet melancholic rhythms.

On ‘Quiero Colarme’ the band talks about the difficulty of romantically connecting, reflecting the frustration of wanting love but being unable to fully experience it, a song that was created in collaboration with Salares. ‘Tanto Tiempo’ represents tenacity and perseverance, focusing on the importance of not giving up, despite repeated rejections and obstacles being in your way. The closing statement of the album comes in the form of ‘wait!’, reflecting on nostalgia and the memory of a past love, thematically linked to the opening song but from a more melancholic perspective. And with that, underthepropaganda comes full circle and have created a concept album standing out from the crowd by sounding honest, passionate, and timeless!

The music and lyrics on ‘AY!’ where created by underthepropaganda, with contributions from Sofía Pilar. The album was primarily produced by the band with Cristobal Cornejo, with the participation of Nicolás Vargas. ‘AY!’ was recorded in various studios and locations, with mixing by Cristobal Cornejo and mastering by Francisco Holzmann. With collaborations from various artists on instruments, choruses, and lead vocals. Album art was created by Javiera Leal and Matías Quintanilla, with promotional photographs by Maite Carrasco.

Behind the music: Benedict October on ‘Lovestruck’

Berlin-based, Dutch genre-bending alternative pop artist Benedict October is back showcasing another side of his musical abilities on his brand new single ‘Lovestruck’. On ’Lovestruck’ Benedict October paints such a vivid picture that it makes us feel like we are on the dancefloor his mother entered when his father first saw her, while he was sitting at the bar with his friends.

The single is taken from his upcoming album. ‘And then the ocean’ is Benedict October’s second LP, a stubborn and daring album different to grasp at first. He moved from Amsterdam to Berlin and has done his utmost to create a new and, above all, unique sound. And it’s worked. It is hard to pinpoint exactly who inspired ‘And then the ocean’, its subjects are more personal than ever, even more so then what Benedict initially had in mind. The death of his father has made a hefty impact on the artist as well as the album, resulting in bouts of big and theatrical sounds and songs. At their core, however, they remain small and vulnerable pop songs that are full of hooks and mesmerising choruses.

Aelius Alternative Music Festival

On Saturday the 6th of April multi-venue all-day music festival Aelius Alternative will make its debut across five stage in Newcastle city centre!

A limited batch of early bird tickets have now been released and are available from sofarsounds.com, half of these have sold out already. Once the early bird tickets have sold out, regular all-day tickets will be sold at £17. There will also be a limited batch of all-day + afterparty tickets available at £20, these allow entry to the entire festival, as well as the official Aelius Alternative afterparty at The Globe!

Aelius Alternative aims to highlight and support grassroots artists, venues, and businesses and does so by offering them a stage and a platform. Our line-up has now been announced and can be found here!

Behind the music: Subterranean Street Society on ‘Focus On The Melody’

On the 27th of October Dutch-Danish trio Subterranean Street Society released their new single ‘Focus On The Melody’, a song about the dying attention span of homo sapiens in the 21st century. The track is a raw garage rock track for fans of Amyl and the Sniffers and IDLES!

This rebellious garage rock track talks about the dying attention span of homo sapiens in the 21th century. After a ruthless rant on how the flickering screens are stealing the ability to concentrate, lead singer Louis gives up and instead invites the listener to sing along to a mindless hook. Essentially the song is posing one main question: “Why are we bombarding ourselves with flashing information whenever a dull moment enters our filled up calendars?”

Post-Brexit Touring

Last weekend I attended Manchester-based music conference Un-Convention for the fourth year in a row, and once again the conference did not disappoint. One topic that particularly got my attention was post-Brexit touring, on which there was a very informative panel with a very international selection of panellists. We listened to Gordon Masson, Pavla or Colours of Ostrava, Marie of Octopus, Dave of Musicians’ Union and artist Natalie McCool. Here are some of the notes I took.

There are a few changes to keep in mind when traveling between the UK and the European Union. First and most important, every musician traveling between the two will need a valid passport. Working musicians will from now on also need a Creative Worker visa, also called a working permit. When bringing instruments, you will need ATA carnets for them, which is something you won’t need for portable instruments you can bring on the plane with you. ATA carnets need to be stamped at the airport, since the process might take a while, it’s advised to travel a day ahead of your first gig abroad.

When bringing and selling merchandise, you will need to pay VAT on every sale, if you are a VAT-registered professional, you will be able to reclaim the VAT, if not, my advice would be to leave your merchandise at home.

A certificate of sponsorship can be gotten through promoters or venues that have booked you and your act, and will help you getting a visa. You can find more information on this certificate here.

You can find some more resources and help from Viva La Visa and the Musician’s Union, as well as find more information on funding pots from Help Musicians.

World Mental Health Day

On the 10th of October we celebrate World Mental Health Day, I have never been very active in celebrating or sharing these special occasions but with the ever-present imposter syndrome and the world being in shambles, I think that I will take this day to share a few of my favourite songs. These songs have been written about mental health, or have improved mine.

Behind the music: Becca James on ‘Trust The Season’

‘Trust the Season’ is a three-track collection released by alt-pop songstress Becca James. The music reflects the early part of James’ development when she was based in Newcastle and embodies totally the sentiment of its title, to trust and honour every stage of development and season. The work is the prelude to James’ most accomplished work, a trauma healing EP/LP project, ‘God in Chains’ due for release in 2024.

“‘Trust the Season’ is a collection of songs from my early journey in creating music. I went through many mental, emotional and physical roadblocks to having a music career through chronic illness and difficulties in my personal life. These songs are not intended to be an EP, but rather a timeline of this creation process in the chaos and they reflect early experimentation in my sound. I didn’t have the confidence to call myself a writer then, and there was so much grief and pressure in my personal life, but I held onto trying. Just having a go. 

And the title of the collection is all about trusting that process of development. I am a very different person from who I was when I was making those songs. They are not me in the present, as I feel I have developed so much since they were created, but I have to honour and love my younger self as uncomfortable as looking back makes me feel. There’s time to develop, create and harvest. I truly didn’t know the depths of what life had to offer back then, but the message applies at any time of life: Trust the Season.”

Behind the music: Benedict October on ‘Insomnia’

On ‘Insomnia’, Benedict October shines like he has not yet shone before. Grand and powerful compositions make the song, give it colour, and bring his personal story to life. ‘Insomnia’ is a beautifully composed new release foregoing his upcoming album ‘And Then The Ocean’.

Benedict October expands on the subject and inspiration behind ‘Insomnia’: “‘Insomnia’ talks about my private life and the relationship I had with my father when I was growing up. It tells a story about how we lived together when I was just a kid and he was going to work. With this song I thank him for all he has ever done for me. And with this song I will honour him until the day I die. Listening to it gives me joy, strength, it makes me smile and cry at the same time. Especially the end. “We waltz through the days / Under blue Southern skies / As I dance on your feet / Lifting my chin up to your eyes / You say that you love me… you will always take care of me / Saying you never will leave me or this world behind.“ These lyrics bring me back to the town where I was born. To the time when I was a kid and he came home from work for lunch to give us a big hug. I can see myself dancing with him in our orange/ brown 80’s kitchen, with a small FM radio in the window.”

Highlight on… Co-working spaces

Our world has changed, not just the earth we rest on, but the businesses we work at, and the spaces we work in as well. More and more businesses have changed their way of working, and adapted to this changing world. More roles are now partly, or even fully, remote. With that comes more freedom, but also a challenge. When working remote, a simple and instant solution is to work from home, but with house mates, partners, and kids around, that isn’t always an ideal situation.

Enter; co-working spaces! For those of us that can’t hack working from home co-working spaces are popping up like mushrooms in September. Find a few of our favourites, their pros and cons below!

Cobalt Studios

Pros
Cobalt Studios offers quiet spaces, sound proof booths and a beautifully built co-working space in the Ouseburn, close to your favourite pub and yoga studio.

Cons
Prices for Cobalt’s co-working space are high and exclude those on a lower budget, with prices per day starting at £11.50 when choosing the Resident Plan.

The John Marley Centre

Pros
In this old college building there are many spaces with free WiFi and plugs to work remotely, for only £20 per month! Including a café, small kitchen, and free parking.

Cons
For those of us that don’t drive, it’s a short bus trip from Newcastle’s city centre to the west end to get to the John Marley Centre.

Floe: Coworking Spaces

Pros
Floe offers flexible coworking in a very central area with meeting rooms, breakout spaces, telephone booths and a kitchen with the option to purchase day passes.

Cons
In case you are driving, good luck finding a parking space, and Floe day passes start from £20 excluding VAT. To access the building, you have to use your phone as your key.