PHOTO CREDIT // HOLLY WHITAKER
PRAISE FOR BRIGHT GREEN FIELD
“Nothing short of immaculate …” GIGWISE / 10*
“A debut for the ages …” THE LINE OF BEST FIT / 10*
“An uncompromising debut that fulfils every ounce of the band’s potential …” NME / 5*
“In a time of crippling uncertainty, their ambitious record is, in itself, an absolute tonic …” MOJO / 10*
“Narrator locks into a hyper-groove, melding glistening melodies with agitated noise, with the rest of Bright Green Field swinging between wild abandon and thoughtful restraint …” UNCUT / 9*
Striking the balance between chaos and cohesion, BRIGHT GREEN FIELD, the debut album from SQUID, throws caution to the wind with its feral experimentation and breakneck urgency. But, above all, it delivers on the promise of their legendary live performances; their dynamic, wild and unfettered creativity which has cemented SQUID as British music’s revolutionaries.
While their previous smattering of EPs and singles delved playfully into the mania of the mundane and were wildly celebrated – their seminal Town Centre EP was described by Pitchfork as “a declaration of limitlessness” – BRIGHT GREEN FIELD is a clean slate. A collection of previously unheard tracks that underline just how limitless SQUID really are; always propelled, in the words of guitarist Anton Pearson, “by the urgency of something new”.
Recorded in the basement studio of producer Dan Carey (Black Midi, Fontaines DC, Kate Tempest) in the midst of a heatwave, the album is also a testament to collaboration. Drawing on the otherworldly Martha Skye Murphy on the funk-driven forerunner Narrator that unravels into frenetic anarchy, the band unearth new and surprising dimensions. The release of was accompanied by their mind-bending, first ever video, directed by Felix Green.
BRIGHT GREEN FIELD features field recordings of ringing church bells, tooting bees, microphones swinging from the ceiling orbiting a room of guitar amps, a distorted choir of 30 voices, as well as a horn and string ensemble featuring the likes of Emma-Jean Thackray and Lewis Evans from Black Country, New Road.
The record draws not only on a barrel of sonic influences – feverish post-punk to cosmic-jazz – but also a library’s worth of literary influences. Every aspect of this record has been precision-engineered to feed into SQUID’s carefully considered concepts. After reading Douglas Coupland’s belief that we’re living in the Extreme Present, and Mark Fisher and Merlin Coverley’s writings on Hauntology and the slow cancellation of the future, the group turned to crafting a dystopian and futurist landscape reflective of the one we live in.
BRIGHT GREEN FIELD is an album of towering scope and ambition, it is deeply considered, paced and intricately constructed. With all band members playing such a vital and equal role, the album is very much the product of five heads operating as one.
Following the recent announcements of the band’s socially distanced Fieldworks tour this Spring, the rescheduled 2020 dates in July, the album tour in the autumn, and their first ever headline tour of the USA in November, SQUID have now also been confirmed to perform on Later with Jools Holland on FRIDAY 21 MAY at 10pm on BBC Two.
Formed in Brighton SQUID is the brainchild of:
- LOUIS BORLASE (guitar and vocals)
- OLLIE JUDGE (drums and lead vocals)
- ARTHUR LEADBETTER (keyboards, strings and percussion)
- LAURIE NANKIVELL (bass and brass)
- ANTON PEARSON (guitars and vocals)
FIELDWORKS TOUR
MAY 2021
Wed 19 FALMOUTH Cornish Bank
Thu 20 TOTNES St Mary’s
Sat 22 BRISTOL Cube *
Wed 26 CHIPPENHAM Old Road Tavern *
Fri 28 HULL Adelphi *
JUNE 2021
Tue 01 SHEFFIELD Leadmill
Thu 03 MANCHESTER Stoller Hall *
Sat 05 LONDON Silver Building *
Mon 07 NORWICH Halls
Wed 09 BEXHILL ON SEA De La Warr Pavilion
Sat 12 MARGATE Cliftonville Hall
* Two shows back to back
RESCHEDULED 2020 TOUR
JULY 2021
Mon 12 BRIGHTON Chalk
Tue 13 SOUTHAMPTON Joiners
Wed 14 OXFORD Bullingdon
Thu 15 LONDON Scala
Sat 17 MANCHESTER White Hotel
Sun 18 HEBDEN BRIDGE Trades Club
Mon 19 EDINBURGH Summerhall
Tue 20 YORK Crescent
Mon 26 BIRMINGHAM Castle & Falcon
Tue 27 BEDFORD Esquires
Wed 28 NORWICH Arts Centre
BRIGHT GREEN FIELD HEADLINE TOUR
SEPTEMBER 2021
Tue 07 BRIGHTON Concorde 2
Thu 09 BRISTOL Marble Factory
Fri 10 MANCHESTER Albert Hall
Thu 23 LONDON Printworks
Fri 24 BIRMINGHAM Crossing
Sat 25 NOTTINGHAM Rock City
Mon 27 NEWCASTLE NUSU
Tue 28 GLASGOW SWG3
Wed 29 BELFAST Empire
Thu 30 DUBLIN Button Factory
OCTOBER 2021
Sun 03 CARDIFF Tramshed
Mon 04 SOUTHAMPTON The 1865
Tue 05 EXETER Phoenix
BRIGHT GREEN FIELD track listing:
- Resolution Square
- G.S.K
- Narrator feat. Martha Skye Murphy
- Boy Racers
- Paddling
- Documentary Filmmaker
- 2010
- The Flyover
- Peel St
- Global Groove
- Pamphlets
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