This will be the first release from a forthcoming album. It's partly about the current political climate we live in but also delves a little bit into my time at school. I tried to create a character that is dissolution with his social predicament that ends up succubming to right wing propaganda. It's not as bleak as it sounds! 
The chorus focuses on an imagined political figure that uses propaganda to change the minds of millions within the U.K. It takes part around 2016. I wonder who I might be singing about? You can't break the heart of the nation essentially means you can fool some of the people most of the time but not ALL the people ALL of the time. I have used the question in the last phrase of the song; can ya? Because lets face it they did. The right sort of broke the heart of the nation but the nation hasn't realised it yet!

Heart of the Nation

Why?

I'm not sure what happened here. I think it was my life long obsession with Weezer and Three men and a little lady. Its normal to then write a song aimed at sonically and romantically pleasing myself...or i think it is. 
Anyway it's about a guy that gets the green light to sleep with somebody else but he ends up sleeping with a guy simply because his favourite film is also Three men and a little lady. It's not autobiographical but who knows, maybe one day. I'd probably sleep with Tom Selleck...back in the day! Fiona Shaw who play Ms Lomax in the film is outstanding. Its a role that has followed me my entire life. Her delivery is like no other comedic performance ever. I think a lot of this song comes from that performance. The outrageous comedic splendour in her delivery. I should have called it Ms Lomax. Maybe one day. I could write a concept album based entirely on this film.  
I adore Weezer. I've gone full Weezer on this one. Much like my previous track, Heart of the Nation, I've chosen heavy crunching guitars and sonic almost orchestral feedback to double down on that lazy heartbreak feel. There is a gloc in there as well because of Born to Run. The Boss should be in every song. I went with a behind the beat drum feel because, why not, all the best drummers do. I think the songs tilts more towards Teenage Fanclub towards the end with the guitar work. I loved playing the guitars on this. I wanted to harness a more Dinosaur Jnr vibe when it came to the guitars but it didn't work so I just stepped back a touch and went Teenage Fanclub with me in the mix. Peter the producer from Plug Studios in Norwich really pushed my vocals. I came up with some shouting ideas which he just nodded his approval to and we did it on one take. The lead vocal was hard to reach because of the key but also juts to find a style. You can't sing about rom-coms and sex without risking the chance of sounding like James Blunt. Really tricky. I just thought about Wreckless Eric and how he would have sung it. I actually really like them. I've had to find a different style because my voice is very sweet sometimes, very schoolboy. Sometimes you really need to become somebody else.
The verse lyrics of 'Foggy days and no hills' is about living in Norfolk. It has its charms but mainly it's rather dull. You really really have to focus on what drives you creatively otherwise you can be swallowed by the emptiness of this place. There is beauty but I'm not a painter I need rock n roll. There's also the line 'Union Jacks won't come down.' That's a reference to the nationalism around here. It's not everywhere but you'll see the union jack and wonder what those people are thinking. We know what that flag stands for these days and sadly its nationalism and not in a good way. It's in a sort of send the foreigner home kind of way, which drags you down. Writing songs like this helps though. Screw em.

Enjoy and I hope it rocks part of your world.

Why?

Boy In The Bubble - Paul Simon (Three Dollar Bill Live Cover)

This is a recording we did in the practice room in January 2011. Sorry for some bad editing but we had changed it a bit since this recording and  tried to reflect that as best as I could.

Dead Dad Gang (Demo)

Dad's Dance Best and Light Pollution recorded in September last year in Reading.

02 Light Pollution

Simple really! I want you around i wrote in about 30 seconds, picked up the guitar and out came the riff. It's mainly about possessing the crippling ability to function in the past more than the future. It's pop by the truck load and fun, a sort of British take on Vampire Weekend with Wreckless Eric in there as well. 

01 I want you Around

Once again recorded with Mike Hill in a few hours one night. It's the most demo of demo's, but i think it goes some way to capture some 'energy'!!!!

Kickin' out the Radio 'demo 2010

Recorded and Produced  by Tim Benson and Dads Dance Best. Written by William Porteous. 

Written At the very latter stages of an old band Young Adult Faction this took a damn long time to rear it's indie anthem head and we're glad it did. See if you can spot the beautiful BV's of Luke Williams! 
This was written partly for somebody who didn't deserve one moment of a song about them but  here it is! 

Wasted on audio

Tangled In The Wire

Stuart Smith is a drummer and private teacher based in Fleet Hampshire.

Boy In The Bubble - Paul Simon (Three Dollar Bill Live Cover)

ultrastu

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Bernadette Quinn Boyle

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