LYR’s ‘The Ultraviolet Age’ with Hockney-inspired track…

LYR’s ‘The Ultraviolet Age’ with Hockney-inspired track…

Providing an era-defining document of an intense period of human existence and offering wryly celebratory pen pictures of shared experience and moments of curios found along the way, Simon Armitage, Richard Walters and Patrick J Pearson’s LYR release their second album, The Ultraviolet Age today. Finally revealing all ten-tracks of the striding, complex and genre-fluid follow up to their 2020 debut album, Call In The Crash Team, LYR draw attention to Hockney Red on release day, a prime, sample-rich example of their borderless experimentation with the human voice, lyrical formulae and curated electronics.

LYR’s coherence as a band with live experience and a deeper, collective commitment to seeking out exquisite sound, while probing what the possibilities might be for a band that combines the spoken, the sung, the played and the programmed, provides key points of difference between the collective’s charming debut and pristine follow-up. With moments of serendipity as welcome as moments of purpose, Hockney Red’s vibrant celebration of vivid colour and naive teen experimentation was inspired by a momentary encounter with the work of the renowned British artist referenced in the song’s title.

Spooling out from a simple, open question – to respond to one of David Hockney’s shades of red – the track becomes an equally poignant and subtly-humorous celebration of the devilish hue and stolen moments alone with a mother’s open make-up box.

Armitage says: “A few years ago we were invited to choose from a range of colours selected by David Hockney and use the shade as the inspiration for a song. The song had to be no more than a minute long. We picked a lush red. I wrote from the point of view of an adolescent boy sneaking into his mother’s bedroom to experiment with her nail polish – come on, guys, we’ve all done it!

“We made the track, handed it in, and that was the last we heard of it. The song sat in a computer file for several months until Pat put it through the magic LYR mixing machine. “I’m Not Really A Waitress” is a nail lacquer colour by OPI.I thought it would make a daring title for the album but was rightly voted down.”

The issue of humanity’s essential pause for the pandemic to pass, and what has come next, provided LYR with ample inspiration in creating The Ultraviolet Age, from the populist politics decried in the pen picture of megalomaniacal leadership in Presidentially Yours to the equally heartbreaking and life-affirming, from-beyond-the-hospital-doors Covid hymn, The Song Thrush and The Mountain Ash. Forced back to normal following trauma, loss or just intense boredom, dependent on any one person’s pandemic experience, the title of the album reflects on a new era of overexposure as the world lurches from stasis to one major event after the next, a world where aggressive commerce reigns, climate change bares its teeth and digitisation consumes all.

Having explored the initial potential of LYR remotely, sharing the ideas and contributions eventually collated as Call In The Crash Team, the band’s time on the road and resultant friendships found the trio recording in a convivial, creative atmosphere, in-person at Pearson’s South Devon studio. Effectively ‘instrumentalising’ Armitage’s spoken word delivery, cutting his contributions with the Walters’ affecting, sung verses, Pearson’s production introduced both cut-and-paste modernity, as heard on opener, Paradise Lost and the glitchy Fishing Flies, while protecting the more traditional songcraft evident on tracks like the low-lit folk of Seasons Out Of Phase and the drifting piano lullaby of Heart For Sale.

Following the release of The Ultraviolet Age, LYR look ahead to performing those songs over a nine-date UK Tour later this year, taking in major city venues including those in Edinburgh, Bristol and London, plus unmissable, more intimate shows in Sunderland, Margate and Stowmarket. All of the band’s confirmed UK Tour dates are as follows:

Sat 23 Sep – Leeds, Howard Assembly Room
Sun 24 Sep – Manchester, The Deaf Institute
Tue 26 Sep – Edinburgh, The Mash House
Wed 27 Sep – Sunderland, Pop Recs
Fri 29 Sep – Margate, Where Else?
Sat, 30 Sep – Stowmarket, John Peel Centre
Sun 1 Oct – Bristol, Redgrave Theatre
Wed 4 Oct – London, Hoxton Hall
Thu 5 Oct – Coventry, Warwick Arts Centre
Tickets are on sale now via links on the band’s website at www.lyrband.com

LYR revealed themselves for the first time in 2020 as they announced the release of the debut album, while the initiation of their artistic partnership occurred in 2009 when Walters approached Armitage’s publisher to explore collaborative possibilities. After the poet’s words were set to music on Walters’ 2011 solo song Redwoods, the latter approached Pearson with the prospect of creating a genre-splicing ‘supergroup’ as a three-piece. The pair sent a Dictaphone to Armitage which, after some time, was returned with widowed words looking for a permanent home and the nucleus of LYR’s Call In The Crash Team was formed over distance.

Having announced the establishment of the EMI North label in January, The Ultraviolet Age becomes the first album to emerge from EMI’s venture into a permanent operation outside London. Setting up base in Leeds, the album is released as part of EMI North’s partnership with the city’s Clue Records label.

Rugged Hank

Red launches NEW EVO PRO Waterproof Changing Robe, with now industry leading 15k waterproofing and 8k breathability

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Education Technology Day must be extended to prisons

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Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

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