Any artist is welcome to send us a track via freshonthenet.co.uk anytime between Monday lunchtime and Thursday morning - and all our moderators, including Tom Robinson, will listen to every track. This is our full inbox from the week beginning Mon DATE GOES HERE: from midday on Friday you'll be able to hear our shortlist and pick your favourites on this week's Listening Post which will appear at freshonthenet.co.uk/batchxxx

If a track you submitted does not appear in this list, it’s probably because another of your tracks appeared in our Fresh Faves or on the BBC Music Introducing Mixtape during the last three months — we ask that artists featured on either wait three months before resubmitting to give others a chance. You will be able to resubmit the track in future.

ENTIRE INBOX: Batch 320

'No Cages' is my third album, and my first in seven years. 

It features the singles 'Simple Life' and 'Incomplete'.

It is my first collection of predominantly animal rights songs and covers topics such as intensive chicken farming, toxic masculinity, humane-washing / greenwashing, and the perception of vegans by a non-vegan world. The project also covers other themes such as loss and loneliness, how technology is disconnecting us from the real world, escaping from the human race, and the beauty of the ground beneath our feet.

It has been a labour of love, taking over two years to complete, delayed by various set-backs, most noticeably damage to my vocal chords. 

The album features over 40 contributors from across the world, including Vegan Queen V, Liz Mitchell (Terrorvision), Ian Haywood, Giles Bryant, and Chaos Collective (Blur). It was recorded at Half-ton Studios in Milton by Neil Rogers, mastered by Pete Maher (U2, Pixies), and features artwork by Tom Jones. 

No Cages

New Day

Heads Down

Out in Space (featuring Vegan Queen V)

The soundtrack from the audio version of issue 9 of Coming To Our Senses, a digital zine (the-haven.co/zine)

It's The Thought That Counts

Transgressions

King No-One - Transgressions

A remix of a classic from the movie Donnie Darko. I own no right to the lyrics in this track

Donnie Darko - Mad World (Choco bootleg remix)

The soundtrack from the audio version of issue 10 of Coming To Our Senses, a digital zine (the-haven.co/zine)

You Get What You Deserve

'101 Excuses' was recorded as part of the 'No Cages' album sessions but didn't quite fit on the album, so is being released separately. 

Watch the official music video here: https://youtu.be/nE-_SpI-KlE

Available to download and stream only from Bandcamp and Soundcloud:

https://gavinchappellbates.bandcamp.com/track/101-excuses

https://soundcloud.com/gavinchappell-bates

'101 Excuses' is literally 101 excuses not to be vegan, things I get fed up of hearing all the time, and my responses to them. A lot to squeeze into one song!

Credits

Gavin Chappell-Bates - vocals & guitars
Vocals - Matthew Sanctuary
Tim Gifford - bass
Charles Howell - drums
Ian Haywood - keys
Fallon Howe - trumpet
Liz Mitchell - saxophones
Itunu Gospel Choir - singers

Recorded & mixed by Neil Rogers at Half-ton Studios.
Additional recording by Gavin Chappell-Bates at The Drift

Mastered by Sam Marsh

Music video by Lee Waters

101 Excuses

I Lost Ma Way

Nature

Still In Bed (Radio Edit)

Lucy

1 Foreign Lands

Taken from 'Unfound' by Lucy Zirins
Available on Spotify and CD now.

Back To Sleep

Fresh On The Net is a music blog hosted by Tom Robinson and Team Freshnet, offering independent artists an open door and a level playing field for their music. Our inbox is open at http://freshonthenet.co.uk every Monday to Thursday morning - if you share a track with us there it will be heard by every member of our moderation team.

IMPORTANT: 
Only send ONE track, and make sure the dropbox says "OPEN".  Sorry, but tracks sent while the dropbox is closed - or shared drectly with this Soundcloud account - will not get heard.

In November 2018, Luke James Williams released his debut EP Drove. The first single, 'Rabbit Hole’, received airplay on BBC6 Music, Amazing Radio and BBC Introducing, whilst other cuts from the EP have been featured and played by Folk Radio UK and Hype Machine. Second single ‘Still In Bed’ received huge support from BBC6 Music DJ Tom Robinson, who chose it as his 6Music Recommends Track of 2019 so far in July. It was subsequently played across the station by Tom Ravenscroft, Lauren Laverne and Steve Lamacq. The song has also attracted a large listenership on Spotify with over 61,000 streams on the platform. Luke has received rave reviews for his engaging and emotive live performances and has supported artists such as Stu Larsen, Kirsty Merryn, Mark Chadwick (Levellers), The Little Unsaid and Megson. Luke is currently recording his debut full length album due for release in 2020. Drawing influences from the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Nick Drake and PJ Harvey, Williams paints pictures with words and sings them in his own distinctly British voice.

"The songwriting and the vocal delivery are just so raw, heartfelt and beautiful that I find it irresistible"
Tom Robinson, BBC6 Music

"A perfect slice of alt.folk pop"
Charlie Ashcroft, Amazing Radio

"Gave me a shiver down my back, just like the first time I heard Nick Drake and The Lake Poets. Luke James Williams is the Real Deal"
The Rocking Magpie

"Really beautiful melodies and instrumentations which bring you back to listen time and time again"
Angry Baby Blog

"Reminds me of Bon Iver, only with an English accent"
Louder Than War

Still In Bed (Radio Edit)

Luke James Williams

Related tracks