What’s happening in my life?!!
Wednesday 15th February. Rat’s monster riff is unmistakable – but I can’t understand how it’s coming out of the kitchen stereo. I walk back inside the house, my puppy Luna bouncing along behind me.
She’s always like this when we get home: keen to get out into the garden after a few hours without humans, but keener to let us know she loves us very much. This dog wags with her entire body.
“Tim!” I shout back at my husband, who has a strange look on his face. He doesn’t get to hear my “holy sh*t what’s happening?!!!” voice very often, so it takes him a minute to join me by the sink, staring incredulously at the words on the DAB radio.
BBC Radio 6 Music
Now playing: Porcupine by Obey Robots
Leaving the radio on for the dogs while we went out to watch “Spinal Tap” at the Bristol Slapstick Festival has paid off. Gideon Coe is playing “Porcupine”!!!
Thursday 23rd February. An exciting email. Steve Lamacq’s producer is writing to see if they can play “Super Connected” on his show tomorrow. Um, sure!!! I ask how on earth they came across the track, and she replies that Steve found it, she doesn’t know how.
I know how.
This shouldn’t be happening – and I don’t mean that in a surprised, self-deprecating, I can’t believe this is happening to me sort of way.
I DIDN’T SEND ANYONE THE SONGS TO PLAY ON THE RADIO.
This is happening because of YOU. People talk – and it appears there are still some very passionate music lovers working in the higher echelons of radio, interested in checking out the things people like you are talking about.
In the days after sharing the news of these radio plays, I hear from the two people responsible. People who decided to write into 6 Music and tell them about our songs. Fans of my work who just wanted to do something to help.
Scott and Andrew – THANK YOU. What a treat!
“One In A Thousand” by Obey Robots is out NOW, and it feels like great timing. This week, the hashtag #unsignedandcrap trended on Twitter, in backlash to Radio X DJ Chris Moyles’ ignorant words about independent artists.
Blah.
This entire album campaign has played out purely through these emails, videos on my YouTube channel and posts on social media. No pay-to-play, no pay-to-get-played. Just word of mouth from independently-minded music fans. That’s people power!
Over the 14 years I’ve been sharing my music online, I’ve been shown time and time again by loyal music lovers that there is space – and enthusiasm – for the things I make. Yet, every time I’m about to share a new album I can never quite believe it’s going to go well.
I would never release a single note of music I didn’t believe in, but we’re all experiencing hard times at the moment and we have to be realistic about what’s sustainable and what’s respectful.
Manufacturing physical products costs a lot of money, and no-one wants to live surrounded by boxes of their unsold vinyl, t-shirts and pick tins – but I don’t expect everyone to be able to buy things.
You’ll always be able to access the things I make in low or no-cost ways, but this whole cottage industry relies on there being enough people in a position to contribute.
So far it’s working…so thank you again!
Your support for this new record has been overwhelming, and I’m so grateful. Releasing new music in this fashion is complicated, and exhausting, but it’s been brilliant to be able to invite Rat along as a guest on my tiny record label this time around. The last time he released a new album it was on a major label – but he said this is just as exciting, and he’s really enjoyed being more hands-on with this project and getting to talk directly to you.
Over to Rat for his thoughts on sharing new music with you:
“How do I feel about the album coming out?
Surreal… a definition by the Cambridge dictionary – strange; not seeming real; like a dream: sums up how I’ve felt all week. The fear is real. it’s been nearly 30 years since I’ve released any new music and this is the first time I’ve ever released music that wasn’t with the Ned’s.There is also an overwhelming happiness that we’ve done it… we really have done this!!!
“Let’s make an album” is seeing the tip of Everest above the clouds… what lies beneath to get there is a colossal task in itself, a journey for which I will be forever grateful to Laura for.
Some folks have said they’ve never seen me this happy in a long time, and they are right in saying that.”
Thank you so much xxx
Get “One In A Thousand” here.