The chart results are in –

The chart results are in –

House Of Stories Letterbox Music News Process

As I type these words, the results are in. It’s 5.51pm and I’ve been ignoring the internet all day, knowing that at some point a number will be assigned to my new album. It may well have been published somewhere online already, or is about to be.

So I thought I’d write to you before I read that number. Because, as I wrote to my Correspondent’s Club members this morning:

We are not defined by things outside our control but by what we put into the world and how we carry ourselves. And I feel good about both of those things today.”

HUGEST thank you for your support and encouragement not only in this hectic week of album releasing, but since you first came across my work. It makes a huge difference knowing I have a friendly group of music fans to share my songs, words and videos with. You are appreciated.

Whatever numbers I read in a few minutes won’t change my belief in the album I shared with you last Friday, and the energy I have for continuing to create experiences around the songs on “House Of Stories”.

As I sang in “Emotional Tourist”: “I’m not finished”.

An album release is a new beginning, not just for those songs starting to find their homes in peoples’ lives and hearts, but for me to start the second hero’s journey of sharing them with people outside this lovely circle.

If you fancy helping me with that, I’ve created a webpage which gathers the album, videos and blog posts all in one handy place to easily share it with new people: http://penfriend.rocks/house-of-stories

Thank you!


Last time I put a record out (in 2023) it took so much out of me that I slumped into a long period where I didn’t write anything new. I’m not letting that happen this time. 

Earlier this week I started excavating my piano from being surrounded by boxes of junk, and this morning I got myself set up to receive musical messages again. It feels good.

“Keep the channel open”, said Martha Graham. Too right.

I’m excited to keep sharing my new album “House Of Stories” with you in fun and creative ways over the coming weeks and months, but alongside that I’m commencing experiments for solo album 7.

Channel open. Let’s go x


Drum roll please…

“House Of Stories” is:

#2 in the Independent Albums Chart
#2 in the Downloads Chart
#10 in the CD Albums Chart
#11 in the Vinyl Albums Chart
#11 in the Scottish Albums Chart
#74 in the Official Albums Chart

And…it’s the fourth highest charting new entry this week.

Wow.

THANK YOU. You did this!

Now: go and have a lovely weekend. You deserve it.

Love,
Laura xxx


NEXT

Thank you for visiting!

🎁 Tap to get your FREE 12-track album + 31-page PDF zine of stories, photographs and artwork here.

🏠 My new Penfriend album “House Of Stories” is available to order NOW on super limited vinyl, CDs and KiT hybrid digital albums, with accompanying tees, hoodies and books. Get five songs in your inbox immediately when you order before the release date of 18th April 2025.

❤️ Join The Correspondent’s Club on Patreon to receive quarterly bundles of art and members-only music plus extra perks + immediate access to my entire digital archive (digital and analogue memberships available)

🎸 Listen to my first Penfriend album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue here.

🎨 If you make things too – or want to know more about the creative process – I’m sharing thoughtful weekly essays here on my experiments in art, music and life on Substack (and I won’t be at all offended if you prefer to read my stuff there rather than on this absolutely gorgeous website).

💬 Chat with me on BlueskyTwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo



PS yes, my songs are available everywhere else you listen to music online.
Just search for Penfriend, She Makes War and Obey Robots.

You could even subscribe here to send a message to the algorithm overlords that Penfriend rocks!

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This is what your copy looks like :)

This is what your copy looks like :)

House Of Stories Letterbox Music News Process


No, your local record shop does NOT have copies of my new album!

The ONLY place you can get “House Of Stories” on vinyl, CDs and KiT is my shop: https://shop.penfriend.rocks/collections/penfriend-house-of-stories

I’ve had several messages this week from people who want to support their local independent record shop and buy “House Of Stories” there – a lovely idea! – but in this case please support your local independent artist and buy direct from me ❤️


WHY LAURA, WHYYYYY???

Between 2018 and 2024 I did have my records in shops, placed there through a distributor, but due to limited space it’s super competitive trying to get them to stock even 1 or 2 copies…plus they obviously have to charge quite a lot for stocking it and selling it to you.

Printing beautiful vinyl costs me £££££, so the whole thing just wasn’t working out – especially when you were hearing about the records direct from me in the first place!

As a 100% independent artist with no job or funding outside of direct-to-fan record sales and my subscription club, I do everything I can to create beautiful music and merch collections to give the best experience of my work possible, while also paying for everything to be made in the first place. Without pre-orders for “House Of Stories”, there would have been no vinyl, no CDs, no anything else.

Last year I made the decision to quit my physical distribution deal and go back to only selling my music direct. Hello there!


WHY NOW???

All physical sales made by 7.30pm today count towards the Official UK Albums Chart result tomorrow, and all digital purchases made until 23:59 also count BUT ONLY IF YOU DOWNLOAD YOUR DOWNLOADS.

Thank you so much for supporting “House Of Stories”.

Next…would you consider forwarding this to a friend?

Love and huge thanks,
Laura xxx


NEXT

Thank you for visiting!

🎁 Tap to get your FREE 12-track album + 31-page PDF zine of stories, photographs and artwork here.

🏠 My new Penfriend album “House Of Stories” is available to order NOW on super limited vinyl, CDs and KiT hybrid digital albums, with accompanying tees, hoodies and books. Get five songs in your inbox immediately when you order before the release date of 18th April 2025.

❤️ Join The Correspondent’s Club on Patreon to receive quarterly bundles of art and members-only music plus extra perks + immediate access to my entire digital archive (digital and analogue memberships available)

🎸 Listen to my first Penfriend album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue here.

🎨 If you make things too – or want to know more about the creative process – I’m sharing thoughtful weekly essays here on my experiments in art, music and life on Substack (and I won’t be at all offended if you prefer to read my stuff there rather than on this absolutely gorgeous website).

💬 Chat with me on BlueskyTwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo



PS yes, my songs are available everywhere else you listen to music online.
Just search for Penfriend, She Makes War and Obey Robots.

You could even subscribe here to send a message to the algorithm overlords that Penfriend rocks!

Better still ⤵️

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#28 in the Official UK Midweek Albums Chart!

#28 in the Official UK Midweek Albums Chart!

House Of Stories Letterbox Music News


WHOAH. “My new album is “House Of Stories” is #28 in the Official UK Midweek Albums Chart.

And my name is mentioned casually alongside Taylor Swift, Doechii and Hawkwind in this news piece…

Thank you, amazing music fans!!!!!

This is my fourth midweek chart placement, and each time I marvel at how these albums I write and produce myself and release from my house via email and social media posts have sat amongst some of the biggest names in pop.


I mean…hi Elton and Brandi Carlile! I LOVE YOUR MUSIC. You met through a letter? That’s very fun. You’re PENFRIENDS too!

It’s even more amazing when you look at the numbers – if today’s chart was based on album sales (not streams), “House Of Stories” would be #4 today. NUMBER FOUR.

Oh hi Taylor Swift, greetings again Sir Elton, and hello Hawkwind! 37 studio albums….RESPECT.

It would bring me great joy to see my name in the pop charts at the end of this week, but what’s way more important is to acknowledge and appreciate the outpouring of love and support for this new collection of songs.

THANK YOU. None of this happens without YOU.

Music isn’t a competition. “House Of Stories” is my best album yet, and I’m so proud to share it with you.

If you don’t have your copy yet, it’s a great day to grab yours from my shop! Choose from four beautiful vinyl colours, CDs and KiT box sets. I’ve even made 3- and 5-CD bundles in case you’d like to give the gift of Penfriend to your friends 🙂

➡️ https://shop.penfriend.rocks/collections/penfriend-house-of-stories

LOW STOCK WARNING

* 75 signed vinyl left! https://shop.penfriend.rocks/products/house-of-stories-stripey-tights-vinyl-download-1

* 11 signed CDs left! https://shop.penfriend.rocks/products/house-of-stories-signed-cd-download-1

* 37 hardback books left! https://shop.penfriend.rocks/products/hard-back-photo-and-lyrics-book

Thanks so much for being here, you’re quite clearly my Top of the Pops.

Love,
Laura xxx


NEXT

Thank you for visiting!

🎁 Tap to get your FREE 12-track album + 31-page PDF zine of stories, photographs and artwork here.

🏠 My new Penfriend album “House Of Stories” is available to order NOW on super limited vinyl, CDs and KiT hybrid digital albums, with accompanying tees, hoodies and books. Get five songs in your inbox immediately when you order before the release date of 18th April 2025.

❤️ Join The Correspondent’s Club on Patreon to receive quarterly bundles of art and members-only music plus extra perks + immediate access to my entire digital archive (digital and analogue memberships available)

🎸 Listen to my first Penfriend album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue here.

🎨 If you make things too – or want to know more about the creative process – I’m sharing thoughtful weekly essays here on my experiments in art, music and life on Substack (and I won’t be at all offended if you prefer to read my stuff there rather than on this absolutely gorgeous website).

💬 Chat with me on BlueskyTwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo



PS yes, my songs are available everywhere else you listen to music online.
Just search for Penfriend, She Makes War and Obey Robots.

You could even subscribe here to send a message to the algorithm overlords that Penfriend rocks!

Better still ⤵️

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“In The Light Sometimes” – Penfriend

“In The Light Sometimes” – Penfriend

House Of Stories Letterbox Music News Releases Singles


🎸 🏠 Your copy of my new album “House Of Stories” is waiting for you here, now shipping worldwide: https://shop.penfriend.rocks/collections/penfriend-house-of-stories

The album is available on super limited edition vinyl colours, signed CD and KiT hybrid digital format, with tees, hoodies and hardback books to accompany the music
https://shop.penfriend.rocks/collections/penfriend-house-of-stories


VIDEO CREDITS
Directed, shot and edited by Laura Kidd in The Launchpad, Nottingham.

SONG CREDITS
Written, produced, performed, and recorded by Laura Kidd in The Launchpad, Nottingham.
Mixed by Chris Sheldon. Mastered by Katie Tavini.

HUGEST THANKS to The Correspondent’s Club. I can’t do this without you xxx

TYPEWRITER CREDITS
My beloved collection *currently* consists of:

Brother Deluxe 750TR (my first – a gift from my Grandad in the mid ’80s)
Olympia SM9 Olivetti Lettera 32
Adler Tippa S
Hermes Media 3 (French AZERTY version!)
Olympia SM3 (custom rose gold finish)


LYRICS

Cradling grudges I’ll grip til the end
Biting my tongue cos forever will mend
Keeping the peace with inscrutable men
Never again

In the light sometimes I fall to pieces
In the light sometimes
In the light sometimes

Grinding up gravel to spit at the sun
Simple affection can never return
Swallow my secrets
Protecting my home
Building my own

In the light sometimes I fall to pieces
In the dark sometimes I can’t believe it
You think I forgive you but I never mean it
In the light sometimes
In the light sometimes

In the light sometimes I fall to pieces
In the dark sometimes I can’t believe it
You think I forgive you but I never mean it
In the light sometimes
In the light sometimes


NEXT

Thank you for visiting!

🎁 Tap to get your FREE 12-track album + 31-page PDF zine of stories, photographs and artwork here.

🏠 My new Penfriend album “House Of Stories” is available to order NOW on super limited vinyl, CDs and KiT hybrid digital albums, with accompanying tees, hoodies and books. Get five songs in your inbox immediately when you order before the release date of 18th April 2025.

❤️ Join The Correspondent’s Club on Patreon to receive quarterly bundles of art and members-only music plus extra perks + immediate access to my entire digital archive (digital and analogue memberships available)

🎸 Listen to my first Penfriend album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue here.

🎨 If you make things too – or want to know more about the creative process – I’m sharing thoughtful weekly essays here on my experiments in art, music and life on Substack (and I won’t be at all offended if you prefer to read my stuff there rather than on this absolutely gorgeous website).

💬 Chat with me on BlueskyTwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo



PS yes, my songs are available everywhere else you listen to music online.
Just search for Penfriend, She Makes War and Obey Robots.

You could even subscribe here to send a message to the algorithm overlords that Penfriend rocks!

Better still ⤵️

Share this:
Warning: my legs and feet are visible in this video!

Warning: my legs and feet are visible in this video!

Creativity House Of Stories Letterbox Music News Process

Thoughts about stepping back – literally…

During the pandemic I remember reading an article about how one of the ways living in close proximity was changing peoples’ relationships was the lack of literal perspective. Standing close to loved ones all the time, rarely getting a chance to step back and see them as a whole person. It has an effect.

I’ve been pondering this while making and sharing music videos for my new album this year. I make my own videos: setting up lights, tripod and everything else I need to shoot, doing my best to make my weird and wonderful ideas come to life on screen, then editing them afterwards.



That’s what I do when I make music, too. “House Of Stories” is thoughtful, personal and completely me (and I can’t wait for you to hear it!) https://shop.penfriend.rocks/collections/penfriend-house-of-stories


It’s well-discussed that working with constraints makes you more creative. 3 minutes to tell a story in sound and song. Small budgets, basic equipment, small spaces. Using only what you already have.

But it can be hard to get the feet and legs in. It can be hard to show the full person.

“Emotional Tourist” was shot in my front room, in front of a variety of backdrops. I set the camera up behind my armchair to get a decent shot, but didn’t want to show the mess on both sides, plus my backdrop didn’t go down to the ground. No feet shots possible. Dagnabbit.


I tried to change this for “Space, Man”, hiring a studio in town so I could put the camera a bit further back. But the backdrop wasn’t wide enough again, so you didn’t get to see the white socks I wore to match my inflatable space rocket. I tried. 🚀


While filming for “The Life Of The Party”, there was a weird issue with the stage lighting. I couldn’t figure out why it was giving me a totally blue, blown-out face if the camera was set back too far.

If I was calmly filming someone else I might have been able to work it out; dressed in a party frock grasping a ukulele, I did what I always do…my best.


For “In The Light Sometimes” I decided to show the whole picture.

Last summer I spent 54 days in my attic home studio, The Launchpad, recording my new album “House Of Stories”. I decided to show the whole space; the constraints I turned into creativity.

It was only after I hung my new action camera off the attic latch for the top-down shot that I realised my feet would be on video for once. And, though my slipper game is STRONG, I decided to be dead posh for once and change into some nice shoes for the occasion.

This song makes me cry. I hope you enjoy the video.


“House Of Stories” is now shipping worldwide!

You can get your copy on vinyl, CD or KiT box set direct from me, with hardback story and lyric books, hoodies and tees also available.

Digital downloads are available from the “Downloads” tab in my shop too.

This album is not on streaming, and is not available from any record shops or online retailers.

This is 100% independently made and released music, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting what I do.

Love,
Laura xxx

PS watch the non-feety-leggy music videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjSzokSHVfQ2rSPH0Lq47f9UQXfudtWBp


NEXT

Thank you for visiting!

🎁 Tap to get your FREE 12-track album + 31-page PDF zine of stories, photographs and artwork here.

🏠 My new Penfriend album “House Of Stories” is available to order NOW on super limited vinyl, CDs and KiT hybrid digital albums, with accompanying tees, hoodies and books. Get five songs in your inbox immediately when you order before the release date of 18th April 2025.

❤️ Join The Correspondent’s Club on Patreon to receive quarterly bundles of art and members-only music plus extra perks + immediate access to my entire digital archive (digital and analogue memberships available)

🎸 Listen to my first Penfriend album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue here.

🎨 If you make things too – or want to know more about the creative process – I’m sharing thoughtful weekly essays here on my experiments in art, music and life on Substack (and I won’t be at all offended if you prefer to read my stuff there rather than on this absolutely gorgeous website).

💬 Chat with me on BlueskyTwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo



PS yes, my songs are available everywhere else you listen to music online.
Just search for Penfriend, She Makes War and Obey Robots.

You could even subscribe here to send a message to the algorithm overlords that Penfriend rocks!

Better still ⤵️

Share this:

Space Mice for Tam

Basement Stories

“Especially at Christmas I remember my best school friend Tammy, who left this earth in 2022, too soon at just 56.

I met Tammy at age 11, so we enjoyed 45 years of friendship, totally understanding each other and knowing how each other would think.

Tam’s parents took her out of boarding school at 11 and let her loose in the local comprehensive school I attended. We soon hooked up due to a mutual love of music, fashion, art, design and photography. Tam was my partner in crime through all the stuff we got up to at school. We even went off to college together at the age of 17, attending the same arts course at Leeds Poly, lodging in digs together for the most wonderful, happy two years ever.

The next 30 years saw many ups and downs as life ticked along for us both in different parts of the country, but our friendship stood the test of time. Tam was a true one-off: creative, fun and thoughtful. She could be a bit of a rascal but was generous to the last, even during tough financial times.


She enjoyed nothing better than showering those dear to her with beautiful, thoughtful gifts during the festive season. It was always plain to see that she got as much pleasure in sourcing the gifts and wrapping them in such a sophisticated manner that you were reluctant to spoil the package by opening it. It all gave her such joy.

The latter years of Tam’s life were dogged with health issues and some mental demons, both of which prevented her from leaving the house. This didn’t stop her surfing the net to keep finding the best gifts and wrapping paper you could imagine.

Every year she would buy me a few new trimmings for my tree, often handmade from other craft folk. She was always keen to support other makers and small businesses, as she was a fiercely independent woman. I treasure these exquisite little things, and now Tam is no longer in this world they mean even more to me as I carefully unwrap them from the tissue paper every year and bring Tam’s spirit into the house.

I’m not a religious person, so Christmas is generally little more than eating different food. I do however feel a spirituality around the Winter Solstice; the thinning of the veil, seeing into other worlds and remembering those I’ve lost. They’re out there in otherworldly places, and yet still all around me. Every year I celebrate and embrace the return of the light and all the hope and optimism that the New Year may bring.

I suppose the most treasured festive decorations are the two space mice, the last ones Tam bought me before she died. It’s quite spooky: she was very into sci-fi, and I do like to think of her flying high up in the universe as a space mouse.

I only discovered Penfriend in the last two or three years, so Laura’s music was not something I’d managed to share with Tam. She would’ve loved it I’m sure. She would have thought the artwork was awesome, and the spirit of knuckling down and creating the whole package yourself was something my pal would have been so impressed with.”

Sally Roydhouse


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Niamh’s Pink Ukulele

Basement Stories

“In the early days of your incarnation as Penfriend, when COVID was still “a thing”, I used my time to have the dullest midlife crisis ever.

I painted small Subbuteo teams. I baked cakes. And, apparently, I ordered a “build your own ukelele” kit online. A drunken late night purchase from somewhere in China.

It arrived with no instructions at all.

Eventually, with nothing else to do, I decided that it would be a nice lockdown project for me and my then three-year old daughter. We used our daily allocated outside time to sit in the downstairs car park and we sanded, and glued, and painted the rickety bits of wood.

It was decided early on (by my daughter) that the ukulele would be pink. So we made it bright pink. And over the course of a few weeks it came together, and we had our own, imperfectly formed uke. We spent 400% more than the original purchase price to complete it, adding new strings, new tuning heads and more paint than was required.

The ukulele barely stays in tune. Even now, neither of us can play it with anything approaching competence. But it’s a nice reminder of a grim time for everyone. We made it together.

Every so often, Niamh will go and get it from her room and bash away at it. Part-covered in stickers from bands of various vintages – including Penfriend, obviously – it won’t ever provide perfect sound.

But it is ours, which more than makes up for the imperfections.”

Paul and Niamh McGreal


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Odd Wooden Column

Basement Stories

“Simply put, it’s something I made in school. But to me it comes bundled with a whole host of emotions and reflections on my personality, for better or worse.

The main thing that tickles me about this odd wooden column is it wasn’t supposed to be that. At all.

In woodwork class we were tasked with making an object with the lathe. The “super fast” and “super dangerous-looking” huge mechanical lathe, I might add. I’ll never forget nervously holding on to a chisel and slowly guiding it towards a rapidly spinning piece of wood, visions of losing limbs imprinted on my eyelids.

What was I trying to make? Well, in a move very indicative of my life at school, by shrinking back from my peers and living within my own head I had vastly overestimated what was possible.

I had a habit of rather ignoring the task set in class, instead doing something that interested me more, usually overreaching and failing in the process. I had morphed “use the lathe to carve a candle holder” within my brain to “I’m going to make a sphere”.

A…sphere.

I was reading the Red Dwarf book “Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers” at the time, and felt the burning desire to make a planet with a sign poking out saying “Slow Down”. If you look closely you can still see the remnants of a broken stick poking out of the top.

Turns out making a perfectly smooth sphere using a lathe and chisel was somewhat beyond the ability of a 14- year-old not very inclined to follow instructions. Looking back I’m quite astonished we were allowed unsupervised use of this machine…

On first attempt the chisel was wrenched from my hand by the lathe and went clattering about the room. On my second and third attempts I simply held on for dear life, and the end result is the weirdly flanged thing you can see.

The fact I still possess this object at all is pretty remarkable. My Dad was in the RAF which meant frequent moves from house to house. I attended five schools in total and never found any way of coping with a whole new bunch of people each time.

All in all I had a miserable time at school, and don’t hold on to much from those grey years. Yet something about this wooden wotsit keeps me clinging on to it.

When I look at it now I think about how something meaningful can be crafted if you at least try. I think that everything has to start from something. My ignorance of what was possible led to the creation of something tangible. When I look to my utmost proudest achievements now I can trace them back to pushing myself to try.

My desire to express myself through writing meant that, long after I left university, I reached out to a student-based website that published unpaid work to help you build a portfolio. It was time-consuming, but emboldened me enough to be cheeky and approach Ginger Wildheart’s manager for an interview. And I got it!

This experience later got me paid work writing for online blogs, which ultimately led to publication in a print magazine: something that makes me dizzy with pride whenever I think about it.

My odd wooden column reminds me that unhappy schooling helped shape the person I am now, the person who has achieved the things I take pride in. It reminds me that first tries are invariably scrappy, but are better than not trying at all. It reminds me that overreaching can bring more enduring results than playing safe.

This item has never sat in a box. Even with frequent house moves it has never gotten packed away and forgotten. I always keep it within view as a reminder of all these things: if you hold on tightly and press ahead, the shape that needs to be carved will bloom forth within your hands.”

Michael Record


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Steven the Palomino Tabby

Basement Stories

“My cat, Steven, is a large (but not fat) 10 year old Palomino tabby.

In August 2021 my 17 year old cat, Paddy, died suddenly. He was the last of six cats my late wife Suzy and I had lived with, who came to us as rescues over the years between 1997 and 2008 – the year of Suzy’s passing.

I was devastated. For months I did not know if I wanted to live with another cat.

In November 2021 my friend Bettina Solas noticed a local Facebook post about a cat who needed a new home. His human, Julie, was in hospital and headed to extended rehab, possibly never returning home. Sadly that turned out to be the case.

Friends of Julie’s had been caring for Steven at her flat but he was lonesome; he’d been living there by himself for nearly two months, and they realised they had to plan for his possible rehoming.

Bettina, a good friend of me and my cats for several years, contacted me. She knew I wasn’t ready, but she also knew it was probably time. I tentatively agreed, and arranged to meet Steven. We got along nicely after a couple of visits; he was in decent health but needed a bit of love and care.

Julie’s future was still uncertain, so I proposed that I foster him until everyone knew whether she was coming home. Her friend, Pam, gratefully agreed, and I brought him home on 12th November. He had a nervous first five days, then something actually rather spooky happened.

There was a pillow on my couch that Paddy had habitually called his own, and while Steven gradually began to sit on the couch beside me, he resolutely refused to approach this pillow.

One afternoon he was sleeping next to me, when he suddenly awoke – alert as if he’d heard some sound I had not. He turned to look at a large photo of Paddy that hangs on my wall. He stared at it for a moment, got up and stepped over and onto Paddy’s pillow.

Steven looked at the photo again, and at me, then settled down and went back to sleep. It was genuinely unnerving.

Ever since that day he has acted completely at home here, and we have been close trusting friends and family for the past three years.”

Robert Marcum


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Professor Oliver Moriarty or Pusskin for short

Basement Stories

“All of your music reminds me of my wife.

I always watch the support acts at gigs. You never know when you will discover something awesome. I first heard your aamusic when you were on tour with Ginger Wildheart in 2018. My mind was blown and I became an instant fan. I plundered the merch stand for CDs and listened to them constantly.

Sarah very quickly noticed that I wasn’t listening to progressive death metal for a change, and she immediately fell in love with your music too. She knew all the lyrics and would sing along to all your tunes. We got married that year.

In 2019 we made it along to one of the last She Makes War gigs in Totton, and we chatted with you briefly afterwards. Sarah went all fangirl and soppy and it was super cute.

Then lockdown happened. But Penfriend happened too. Whenever there was an online gig we would make it a proper date night. We are fans of pretty different artists and bands, but we both totally connected with your music.

Two years ago, the world lost Sarah. “Paper Thin” played for her when we said goodbye.

There is no doubt your music is a major part of the soundtrack of our time together. And I feel the connection with Sarah especially deeply when I listen to your music.

We never managed to have children, and the cats are our babies. Hence Oliver the giant orange Pusskin.

I hope our story resonates with you enough to make it into the artwork. It would mean so much to us and I am sat here with tears in my eyes imagining her face if you said yes to this.”

Matt Gregory


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