OUT & ABOUT music
In a parallel universe, musical duo Jack Land Noble and Robert Cooper, AKA The Coalfield Symphony, would be getting ready for a busy festive period performing on stages near and far.
However, it’s been a long and quiet year for the music and theatre industry, with Covid having cancelled live gigs throughout 2020. But as they say, the show must go on. Instead of donning pantomime costumes or tinkering Christmas carols on the piano, the Barnsley pair are set to launch their debut album, Virtue and Villainy, having used lockdown to their
‘‘Virtue and Villainy is a compilation of 11 tracks, all written, arranged, recorded and produced virtually from home.’’
advantage to create a turning point in their careers.
The Coalfield Symphony was formed in 2018 as a collaboration between two freelance creatives: acclaimed theatre impresario and singer-songwriter Jack and seasoned musical director, producer and arranger Robert. With their schedules unexpectedly cleared for a large chunk of the year, Jack and Robert decided to make the best of a bad situation. Rather than mourning the loss of work, they used their new-found spare time and freedom productively to finally make the album they always dreamed of. “We’ve only ever released singles
or EPs before as there has never been the time to commit to a task as grand as an album. But it filled a void the pandemic brought and
quickly became a lifeline through those tough and uncertain times,” Robert says.
Born out of a frustration of modern music and the style over substance culture the industry has become, they wanted to make music they both enjoy listening to.
Virtue and Villainy is a compilation of 11 tracks, all written, arranged, recorded and produced virtually from home. In the beginning, prospective demos were sent back and forth via email, with Jack penning the songs and Robert turning them into fully- fledged arrangements.
As lockdown restrictions lifted in the summer, they were then able to meet up and record their tracklist at Studio 5B, Robert’s new state- of-the-art home recording studio. Once happy with the vocals and
‘‘The location is the Boatman’s Rest at Worsbrough Dale, an oldie worldie pub that I’ve been going to for years now but it encapsulates Barnsley’s heritage perfectly.’’
instrumentals, it was time for the mixing. Finally, after six months of long days and longer nights, the end is in sight. Since Friday 6th November, a new track has been released every fortnight in the lead up to a full album launch on Friday 12th February.
to our ears
The Coalfield Symphony: Virtue & Villainy
34
aroundtownmagazine.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
