Talking to: LYR

Poetry intertwined with popular music is something the world needs more of. Luckily, current poet laureate Simon Armitage is doing just that with his leftfield ambient post-rock band LYR. Alongside Armitage, LYR are comprised of singer-songwriter Richard Walters and producer Patrick J Pearson. Following the release of their acclaimed debut album Call in the Crash Team LYR have recently released a new EP, Firm as a Rock We Stand, which is part of a wider multi-disciplinary project including a documentary film inspired by the story of Durham’s Category D villages.

In 1951, the local authorities decided that out of 357 towns and villages in County Durham, 121 which they’d deemed did not have an economically viable future should be starved of any further public funding. What followed was a decades-long battle that saw villages labelled as slums, some entire neighbourhoods wiped from the map, and bitter battles that still cast a shadow today. The result of a co-commission with the Durham Brass Festival and the Durham Miners’ Association, recorded with a full brass colliery band, LYR created the EP alongside award-winning brass composer Simon Dobson.

Simon Armitage, born in Marsden and now living in Yorkshire, has talked about what attracted him to wanting to tell the stories of the Category D villages so much:

“I hadn’t heard of it before but as soon as I was told the story I knew that was what I wanted to write about. It feels very live and very hot, it appeals to people’s sense of unfairness. I was born and grew up in a village, I still live in one now, so it spoke to me very strongly. I’m super conscious of my identity in relation to where I’m from. Not only does my writing reflect that, I think I make a lot of my decisions in life by looking over my shoulder and thinking about where I came from so the idea that that place would no longer exist – or has been deemed to be hopeless and without a future – I could imagine being upsetting and bewildering. It spoke to me.”

Ahead of LYR’s performance at Durham Brass Festival in July We caught up with singer Richard Walters to talk about the project and the EP further.

Who are LYR and how did you come to play together?

LYR is Simon Armitage - wordsman and poet; Richard Walters - singer and songwriter; Patrick Pearson - producer, and player of every instrument under the sun. We’ve been a band since 2016, coming together through a series of fortunate events.

How did you get involved in this new project for Durham Brass festival?

The festival commissioned a number of projects for the event, including new pieces by Field Music and Richard Hawley, and we were approached last summer to write something based around the Category D villages. It was such an easy ‘yes’, the idea of working with a full colliery band was irresistible and the subject matter was so rich and engaging.

What personally attracted you to the project?

It was new history to me personally, but it resonated deeply on an emotional level. I grew up in a small village in the south of England, and understand the importance of the tight-knit community, the passing down of stories and social roles within that. The thought of my personal history and geography being bulldozed away is an impossible notion - I found the displacement of these communities incredibly moving.

The project takes a particular time from the past and re-interprets it creatively, but what do you think people can take from its messages and apply to our current socio-political situation?

The turmoil we’re going through now in the UK makes this a very apt subject matter - the will of the people, the growing class divides, oppression and resistance. I think this project taps into so many issues that resonate in 2022.

Musically, has creating this EP been a different experience from making your previous music?

This was the first time we wrote together, in one room, and was a total revelation in that sense. We’re miles apart - me in Hampshire, Pat in Devon and Simon in Yorkshire - so, through necessity, we’ve often worked remotely and by correspondence, coming together at some point to pool ideas and firm songs up. This was five days together working from zero. It was exhilarating.

What was it like collaborating with Marsden Silver Prize Band? How would you say a brass band’s approach to making and performing music differs from that of an indie band?

The intensity and volume of a full brass band is incredible, the sound they make is so rich with emotion and nostalgia, personally I found it incredibly moving. Learning more about the structure and hierarchy of the brass band world has been fascinating too; we’ve been brilliantly guided through this by the composer Simon Dobson, who arranged the brass parts for the EP, and grew up in the brass community. The fact that these world-class bands are not professional really highlights how much of a passion it is for the players; they’re there for the social aspect, the joy of making music with friends. Marsden Sliver Prize Band were stunning, they worked all day to get the sound right for us, and I was blown away by their musicality and commitment.

Do you have a stand out track on the EP you are particularly proud of or have loved making?

For me, Alchemy really has my heart. It sums up the whole project for me, the magic and joy and sadness and beauty of it.

What difference do you hope the project can make? What do you hope people can take away from it?

The ultimate aim was to raise awareness of this little known period of UK history, to give these lost villages and displaced communities a voice, essentially. I hope we’ve achieved that.

What is next for LYR?

We’re just finishing a new album, which has been an absolute pleasure to make and we cannot wait to share it. We are playing lots of festivals this summer, including Durham Brass, and then we’ll hope to be touring the UK again toward the end of this year. The wonderful thing about LYR is we never stop creating and sharing, it’s a very deep seam.

Durham Brass Festival is 10-17 July. LYR play the festival alongside Richard Hawley, Ibibio Sound Machine, Field Music and more, and will perform Firm As A Rock We Stand in full at Durham Cathedral on 15th July.

Firm As A Rock We Stand is out now. Stream it here.

Find LYR on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Their website is here.