The Seaburn Batlads

Mark is back, four years after his last release, The Caterpillar Club, his new project, New Town Ghosts, sees the continuation of the novel with a soundtrack concept. This time the book is accompanied with 10 songs, featuring lyrics that represent the narrative journey of the book. Over 40 musicians contributed to the project which was recorded live over a period of three years. Live horns, strings, a choir and a four-part harmony structure sees the summer of 1976 jump back to life through the eyes of young boys who desperately want to get a skateboard but end up falling deep into the bowels of the earth. The second single from the project is called The Seaburn Batlads and the track features a Geordie hammer attack rap and the Voxpop Male choir. The narrative follows the experiences of 10-year-old boys who escape their privates being stung with nettles with a swift punch in the neck of The Seaburn Batlads leader, Lenny, who plays a trumpet to bring up ghosts from the cracks in the ground. Lenny has quite the solo on this track (played by Rory Simmons)The songs are designed to feel like the music that played on portable radios in garages and gardens during a summer that was once regarded as the hottest on record. Reservoirs run dry and swarms of ladybirds gather round the cracks in the ground. Will they get out alive? Think Kes meets Stand By Me. Get ready for and exciting ride!