I heard about this one mid August, but it’s taken me until now to finally do something.
The subject of the post (and the song) is of a footballer well remembered and sadly missed.
I’ve already written something about him, no need for me to add any more. I’ll leave it to the featured band to explain this entry.
Who?
Elephants and Castles
Three friends who met near the Elephant, who eventually became a band.
What?
Their debut single is about Justin Fashanu, the first black £1 million player. The very same player who did this for Norwich City:
– Snippets from various articles/interviews with the band:
The band’s lead singer and guitarist Robin Spencer met Justin at a football school during the holidays.
…”I was a kid and he was the main guest,” Spencer told the Eastern Daily Press. “I remember him being a striking presence and he played for my favourite team at the time – Nottingham Forest. I had his poster on my wall and followed his career.
“When I found out about his suicide, it was a shocking moment for me, and then as I got into music and writing, I decided it was a story I wanted to tell.”Daily Telegraph
The song, as featured above isn’t a melancholy one. It’s actually uplifting. An indie-style song which is very melodic.
…”We like having serious messages and stories in our songs that mean something to us and to juxtapose them with upbeat tunes with really nice melodies and harmonies,” says Spencer.
“Lots of great bands have done that in the past and I think it helps put the message across.”
East End Review
As well as the video, they have a Soundcloud page which has a few different versions of the song.
Acoustic version:
Demo version:
» A review of the single from Freshbeats365:
With its constant guitar hook and stabby bass line, it’s a song that begs you to get moving and enjoy it. The masked morbidity aside, it’s a beautiful debut from Elephants And Castles. It’s a track that captures the sound we get from indie-dance bands that are at their peak. It’s like a blend between Two Door Cinema Club and Little Comets: indie-rock at its purest, most contemporary and attractive.
– You can read a longer interview at Eastern Daily Press
– You can buy/download the single via iTunes
– You can find them on Twitter @elephantsandc