https://johndrevelator.bandcamp.com/track/cheers-drive
Hello strangers! we’ve been sort of neglecting our website recently what with tonne of festivals, recording and gigging over the last 18 months – sorry. As you are no doubt aware, that all ground to a shuddering halt on March 23rd, one week after our final gig in The Brit bar Weston Super Mare and the night John was supposed to be returning to The Ropemakers in Bridport.
That didn’t mean that we were idle though, far from it. We have at least a full album’s worth of material written & demoed in lockdown & , perhaps more crucially, the tech & where withall to record it properly – including the construction of a dedicated new studio in the heart of Glastonbury!
We have managed to get one brand spanking new tune recorded, engineered, mastered and released in time for the Summer holidays. Whilst it’s a departure from our previous style, and not a new musical direction, it signals that our band is now spreading it’s wings, mixing and embracing new styles and doing a pretty damn fine job of it, though we say so ourselves!
For those not already aware, “Cheers Drive!” is how we in the West Country thank our bus drivers when alighting at the stop and was chosen as a way of expressing our gratitude to the brave campaigners and activists who brought about the end of the Bristol Colour bar in 1963. Find out all about it here
https://memaps.club/bbb/making-history/
But, also to all the anti racist activists who have strived to make our society better in the face of awful discrimination and overt racism. Some of these are celebrated in the beautiful murals of the #sevensaintsofStPauls created by the stupendously talented Michele Curtis
The recent #blacklivesmatter movement and #windrushscandal as well as daily reports of vile racism on our streets show that still, 60 years on, some racist attitudes haven’t gone anywhere and may even be on the rise and that we should never let our guard down.
Anyways, off the soapbox for moment, we are pleased and proud to present “Cheers Drive!” written by John and played by John, Ann, Simon, G & Tom, artwork @anniesartthings, mixed and engineered by Tom Chiplen & mastered by Iain Aird. Out now on all the digital platforms and streaming services, including Bandcamp we are proper proud of it & we hope you like it too. Don’t forget to download, like, stream and share it if you do & please let us know what you reckon to our new baby!
There’s plenty more where that came from!