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Irish Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
In The Meadows featuring Iggy Pop, Slowdive and Lambrini Girls: When is it on, stage times, how to get there, weather and tickets info
In The Meadows, the one-day festival, will return to the stage at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin on Saturday, June 7th. From the people behind All Together Now and Forbidden Fruit , it is being held in the grounds of The Irish Museum of Modern Art. Iggy Pop is headlining the punk-heavy event, making his return to Dublin after 17 years. Slowdive, the Scratch, Gilla Band and Sprints are also playing across three stages. Punk artist Billy Nomates, poet Dr John Cooper Clarke will appear as well, along with Warmduscher and Lambrini Girls . Muireann Bradley from Donegal will bring some bluegrass to the mix. When and where is it on? In The Meadows takes place at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin 8 on Saturday, June 7th. Are tickets still available? Yes, tickets are still available from €89.55 on Ticketmaster . READ MORE What time should I arrive? Doors open at 2pm, the first artist goes on stage at 3.35pm and the last entry is at 9.30pm. There is no readmission if you leave the venue. Who is playing and when? East stage 4.55pm – 5.55pm: Muireann Bradley 6.10pm – 7.10pm: Sprints 7.40pm – 8.55pm: The Scratch 9.25pm – 10.45pm: Iggy Pop Muireann Bradley from Ballybofey, Co Donegal. Middle stage 4:45pm – 5.30pm: Really Good Time 5.45pm – 6.30pm: Trupa Trupa 7pm – 8pm: Meryl Streek 8.25pm – 9.25pm: Lambrini Girls Lambrini Girls: Lilly Macieira and Phoebe Lunny. Photograph: Derek Perlman West stage 3.35pm – 4.25pm: Dr John Cooper Clarke 4.30pm – 5.30pm: Billy Nomates 5.45pm – 6.45pm: Warmduscher 7pm – 8pm: Gilla Band 8.20pm – 9.20pm: Slowdive Rachel Goswell of Slowdive performs on stage at The National Stadium,Dublin. Photograph: Tom Honan/The Irish Times How do I get there and home? In The Meadows takes place on the grounds of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin 8, 15 minutes from Dublin city centre. Pedestrian access is via East Gate on Military Road, and there is no parking. Traffic restrictions will be in place on Military Road and Kilmainham Lane. The nearest car park is Park Rite at 7 Queen Street across the river Liffey in Dublin 7. Bike and scooter parking is available at the Royal Hospital. [ 'Who actually has the power? Is it Taylor Swift – or have men just found a way to profit off the idea of a powerful woman?' Opens in new window ] Kilmainham is a residential area and concertgoers are asked to be quiet when coming and going, and not to park illegally or in residential streets. There are a few options to get to the gig via public transport: By Luas: Take the red line from The Point towards Saggart or Tallaght – or the other way around – and exit at Heuston Station which is a five-minute walk to the east gate entrance via Military Road. By bus: Dublin Buses 123 and the S2 stop at St James's Hospital; buses 51D and 736 stop along Saint John's Road West; and the 4 bus stops at Heuston Station. The 26 goes to Wellington Quay; the 51 and 79 from Aston Quay; and the 90 Dart feeder bus runs from Connolly and Tara Street stations. See for more information or to plan your route. A range of Bus Éireann buses also stop on Saint John's Road West and at Heuston. See for details. By train: Heuston station is a five-minute walk to the venue, check out timetables at . What's the story with security? This is a strictly over-18s event. No large bags will be permitted, bags A4 size and smaller will be subject to security checks on entry, and attendees not carrying bags will be fast-tracked into the arena. Items not allowed in the venue include: umbrellas, liquids, glass or cans, alcohol, folding chairs, garden furniture, selfie sticks, megaphones, high-vis clothing and flares. Also, keep in mind that the Royal Hospital is a cashless venue. Can I take photos at the concert? Unauthorised professional photography or use of professional photography/recording equipment is prohibited and zoom lenses, audio visual or cinematic devices will not be permitted on site. What's the weather forecast? Met Éireann has forecast a showery afternoon and evening on Saturday. Temperatures will range from 8 degrees to 15 degrees Celsius. As umbrellas are not allowed in the venue and the event takes place on the grass at the Royal Hospital, pack a rain jacket and wear waterproof shoes. No harm to throw in some sun cream too, in case there's a break in the clouds.
Scotsman
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Album reviews: The Kooks Louise Connell My Glass World
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Kooks: Never/Know (Virgin) ★★★ Billy Nomates: Metalhorse (Invada Records) ★★★★ Louise Connell: Clients of Suddenness (Last Night From Glasgow) ★★★ My Glass World: Stranded Assets (Luxury Noise Records) ★★★★ Like many bands who rode in on the coattails of Britpop, the appeal of Brighton outfit The Kooks has proved durable. Twenty years and seven albums in, two founding members remain – frontman Luke Pritchard and guitarist Hugh Harris – and it's time for something of a musical reset. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Never/Know won't win any prizes for originality but it does bowl along with a freshness and ease which belies the band's vintage. Opening track Never Know is a sparkling shop window to the album, breezing along with toytown keyboards and summery guitars. The Kooks | Contributed Sunny Baby, a song for Pritchard's children, keeps the touch light (if a tad less engaging) but the indie gospel balm and twinkling synth embellishments of All Over the World has its charms and they keep the indie stodge at bay on the Belle & Sebastian-like retro pop trip of If They Could Only. Compass Will Fracture is a straightforward indie pop joint at heart but comes layered in psychedelic, gothic and classic rock influences while they succeed in styling it out through the beseeching reggae rock of Tough at the Top. In a further nod to their quiet confidence, they amp up the balmy yacht rock elements of Wings cover Arrow Through Me before ending in relaxed mode on Talk About It, a laidback song of encouragement which, like the rest of the album, gets the job done nicely. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Billy Nomates | Jack Dallas Chapman Bristol-based musician Tor Maries, aka Billy Nomates, bounces back in style from the barrage of unjustified and unjustifiable abuse which followed her 2023 Glastonbury performance. Apparently one woman singing and triggering her own samples doesn't cut it for some. Maries moves on with a lick of sophistication to her third album, leaving behind her lo-fi punky roots for slicker singer-songwriting fare, recording for the first time in a studio with a rhythm section. Metalhorse is themed around the rollercoaster of life, deploying funfair imagery from the horses on the merry-go-round to the sideshow games of chance as metaphors for spiralling life events (in her case, the death of her father and her own MS diagnosis) and the precarity of life in the music business. 'When did all the circus get so expensive' she asks on Override, while she dices with the disorientating effects of the hall of mirrors and wall of death on The Test. Along the way, she shows off the country character in her voice on the likes of Strange Gift and swaggers through the dramatic bluesy pop of Life's Unfair. Former Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell intones the title of Dark Horse Friend and the whole enterprise revs up a gear with the motivational workout of Plans and the propulsive drumming of Gas, featuring fluent vocals which are strident and silky as required. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Louise Connell | Contributed Previously recording as Reverieme, Airdrie singer/songwriter Louise Connell releases her new album ahead of her July support slot with labelmate Peter Capaldi. Clients of Suddenness was recorded with Big Country's Mark Brzezicki and bassist Lewis Gordon (Deacon Blue/Codeine Velvet Club) and glides from the elegant electro pop ambience of The Machine to the streamlined pop rock of All the Smartest People. Awakenings exudes a mild Celtrock influence and there is a wisp of Celtic mysticism to Connell's ethereal vocals on Build a Home, playing off the soothing tones of her duet partner, Hipsway's Graeme Skinner. My Glass World is a long-running vehicle for the songs of Jamie Telford, originally from Langholm. Latest album Stranded Assets is garlanded with the saxophone and woodwind skills of Dexys and Edwyn Collins associate Sean Read, creating an eminently listenable soundtrack of baroque pop, 80s soul and jazz funk, burnished guitar textures and chiming percussion which recalls classic The The in mood and execution. CLASSICAL Nicola Benedetti: Beethoven's Violin Concerto (Decca) ★★★★ In a matter seconds you know this Beethoven Violin Concerto will be different. Featuring soloist Nicola Benedetti, the Aurora Orchestra and conductor Nicholas Collon, it's those four opening timpani strokes - militaristically rigid, dry as a bone - that prepare the ears for a performance that is curiously lean, neatly determined, yet at the same time captures both the visionary and the unpredictable in Beethoven. The latter is intensified by a first movement cadenza - jointly penned by Benedetti and pianist Petr Limonov based on the composer's piano version and featuring a dialogue with the timpani - that journeys into far-flung reaches, stretching the harmonic logic to extremes yet somehow getting back to base. The central Larghetto prolongs the opening movement's lucidity, but with a levitating veil of mystery. Then a sparkling Finale, spirited and impish. If some of the concerto's pungency is perhaps diminished by this novel approach, there's also plenty to gain. Ken Walton FOLK Dan Sealey: Beware of Darkness (Own Label) ★★★★
The Irish Sun
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
My dad supported me from day one… I'd like to honour his spirit by keeping going, says Billy Nomates on third album
THE idea for Billy Nomates' third album Metalhorse came after a 'personal and tumultuous' time in her life. Firstly, 6 Making her new album has been an emotional rollercoaster for Tor Maries, who performs under the name Billy Nomates Credit: Supplied 6 The death of her father Peter helped Maries shape her new album Metalhorse, which is out on May 16 Credit: Supplied Then, just as she was about to start recording, her beloved dad Peter died from Parkinson's, a year after diagnosis. Both problems fed into Metalhorse — a concept album of sorts about a dilapidated old funfair. Maries explains: 'The concept came from feeling like I was in quite the fairground of life. 'It came from riffing on an idea that a chapter of my life, the industry I work in and politically, it felt like an absolute circus and I don't mean a good one. READ MORE MUSIC NEWS 'I felt like this fairground wasn't thriving and quite difficult to get on. Sometimes when you're on a ride and see the bolts are coming off you wonder if it's safe? I resonated with it and tapped into it.' But the big influence was the death of Peter Maries, who was hugely supportive of his daughter's work, last summer. 'It's not an option to wallow in self-pity' He died just before she travelled to Paco Loco Studio in Seville, Spain, to begin recording Metalhorse. 'He was the best dad I could have possibly hoped for,' she says proudly. 'He taught music but he was a quiet artist in himself. He found very beautiful things in life and in all the things he did. Most read in Music 'My dad supported me from day one and saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. And so to be here with what is my best work, it must be dedicated to him. 'I'd started the record before he died and he knew it was called Metalhorse — he'd heard demos so my soul was good with it. And it's very much dedicated to him and his memory.' Multiple Sclerosis explained Chatting to Maries in a video call from her kitchen she says she is thankful to have inherited a love of music from her dad and his advice is a constant. 'It's a gift he has given me,' she says smiling. 'And it's nice because it never goes away and it never turns down. Now he's gone, if anything, the volume of him is so loud — he's so present. He was the best dad I could have possibly hoped for. He taught music but he was a quiet artist in himself. He found very beautiful things in life and in all the things he did. 'I'd like to honour his spirit by keeping going. It's not an option to wallow in self-pity — it's time to do things. It's time to honour the life that he has given me.' Maries, whose dad was a massive punk fan, was inspired to start making music after seeing Sleaford Mods perform. She got the name Billy Nomates from a jibe after no one turned up to one of her early gigs. The singer was recently diagnosed with She says: 'I've been diagnosed with the relapse remitting type, and I'm on a course of treatment that works really well. So, I have a lot of hope.' The fantastic album closer Moon Explodes is a song written just after Maries had been diagnosed with MS. She says: 'It came off the back of a completely relentless year, and I was just thinking, this is just it. 'But getting the diagnosis made sense in a lot of ways. A couple of years ago, I started performing barefoot and people thought it was me trying to be all hippy and cool, but it was because I was losing my balance in shoes. 'I'd also noticed the dexterity in my hands occasionally would come and go when I was playing. I was relieved to be diagnosed, because, you know when something is up. 'Fifteen years ago, you'd be worried about becoming disabled but there's been a lot of advances in where MS medication is going and that gives me hope. 'Loved the idea of her being so fearless' 'Recently I was reading about the twin sisters Laviai and Lina Nielsen who won medals at the Paris Olympics with MS and I thought it meant the Paralympics but it was the actual Olympics. 'The only pressure of getting the diagnosis is that I need to stay super fit which I wasn't planning to do before my diagnosis.' Maries' positivity can be heard throughout the album Metalhorse. 6 The singer was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis during the creation of her new album Credit: Supplied 6 Working with her hero Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers was a special moment for Maries, who talks of her late dad's love for the band Credit: Redferns Brilliant first single The Test is about 'working against the odds' and has been a huge radio hit. She says: 'The song is loosely based on Yvonne Stagg, a female Wall Of Death rider who I was reading about. 'She had a tumultuous life, falling in and out of love and was an alcoholic but she became very good at the 'I was thinking about her life in the 1960s when women didn't do things like motorbike stunts — there's the sound of a motorbike in the song — and I loved the idea of her being so fearless, but it was also a test of life.' Gorgeous ballad Strange Gift is another special song that brings hope. Maries says: 'I wrote that song when I was in Spain. I had a guitar and started strumming one night. Strange Gift was important to put on the album because I like how it made me feel. It's about what's left when people are gone "It was very much inspired by dad's passing and Metalhorse is about things crumbling and not being as they were. 'Strange Gift was important to put on the album because I like how it made me feel. It's about what's left when people are gone. 'I call it a 'strange gift' because you don't want it, you really want the person to still be there. 'But what you are left with is a profound understanding of life that wasn't afforded to you before. You can only get that on this side of something awful.' Another standout on Metalhorse is Life's Unfair, which introduces the second side of the album. New single Plans is, says Maries: 'Enjoying life because it is over too fast.' She adds: 'I like the idea that life is a ride and you're going to get off it at some point. Even though the world is awful, there's still those two minutes to get on a Waltzer and have fun being flung around. 'So, we must all fall in love, develop friendships and go wild as these things disappear from our lives quickly. It's important to grab a hold of those moments and go 'F**k it' — I'm going to enjoy myself.' A special moment making Metalhorse came when she got to work with hero Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers, who her dad had been a huge fan of — he was buried in a Stranglers T-shirt. Maries explains: 'I was in the studio and I told my producer James Trevascus that I was going to sing Dark Horse Friend in the style of Hugh Cornwell because I really love his voice and he's the voice of my childhood. 'Then someone said. 'Oh he's here tomorrow!' 'By the next day I'd written lyrics for him. 'He was absolutely lovely and it was so nice for him to sing on that track. We went for dinner afterwards so I think the stars were aligned for that track.' Metalhorse is the first album Maries has made as a 'band' working with drummer Liam Chapman and bassist Mandy Clarke. She says: 'I'm still very much a solo artist. But I worked with a band on this record. I still write and demo everything — I'm not ready to let go of that part yet and I still need to be in the driving seat for many things. 'But it was a great experience to share and to invite people in because whenever I'm creating something, there is very much a police line around me saying 'Do not cross'. 'I'm inevitably changed forever' 'But I allowed a few people to come in and I learned loads as a writer.' With the album released next week, Maries is looking forward to getting out and touring later in the year. 'I can't wait,' she says excitedly. 'It's been a long time coming. The album was written this time last year, so we've been waiting for this moment to get it out and get on the road. "We're going to be up and down the UK and Scotland and we've got European dates as well. I'm also performing on When you're first starting out, it's very important to be successful and to reach milestones but that's not what I'm about 'It's an honour to be able to play Later . . . as it's something I've watched throughout my teens and twenties and where I've discovered some of my favourite new artists. 'The last couple of years I've experienced life in a completely new way. Everything I've been through means I'm inevitably changed forever. 6 Metalhorse is the first album Maries has made as a 'band' working with drummer Liam Chapman and bassist Mandy Clarke Credit: Supplied 'I don't sweat the small stuff as much and I'm very clear about what I want to do as an artist. 'I want to write songs and make interesting work, and anything else is by the by. 'When you're first starting out, it's very important to be successful and to reach milestones but that's not what I'm about. 'Now I want to survive enough to keep making interesting work. And that's what Metalhorse is.' 6 Billy Nomates' new album Metalhorse is out on 16 May with a UK tour to follow in September and October Credit: Supplied BILLY NOMATES Metalhorse ★★★★★ Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club.
The Sun
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
My dad supported me from day one… I'd like to honour his spirit by keeping going, says Billy Nomates on third album
THE idea for Billy Nomates' third album Metalhorse came after a 'personal and tumultuous' time in her life. Firstly, Billy Nomates — stage name of Leicester-born, Bristol-based songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Tor Maries — was beginning to tire of the music industry circus. 6 6 Then, just as she was about to start recording, her beloved dad Peter died from Parkinson's, a year after diagnosis. Both problems fed into Metalhorse — a concept album of sorts about a dilapidated old funfair. Maries explains: 'The concept came from feeling like I was in quite the fairground of life. 'It came from riffing on an idea that a chapter of my life, the industry I work in and politically, it felt like an absolute circus and I don't mean a good one. 'I felt like this fairground wasn't thriving and quite difficult to get on. Sometimes when you're on a ride and see the bolts are coming off you wonder if it's safe? I resonated with it and tapped into it.' But the big influence was the death of Peter Maries, who was hugely supportive of his daughter's work, last summer. 'It's not an option to wallow in self-pity' He died just before she travelled to Paco Loco Studio in Seville, Spain, to begin recording Metalhorse. 'He was the best dad I could have possibly hoped for,' she says proudly. 'He taught music but he was a quiet artist in himself. He found very beautiful things in life and in all the things he did. 'My dad supported me from day one and saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. And so to be here with what is my best work, it must be dedicated to him. 'I'd started the record before he died and he knew it was called Metalhorse — he'd heard demos so my soul was good with it. And it's very much dedicated to him and his memory.' Chatting to Maries in a video call from her kitchen she says she is thankful to have inherited a love of music from her dad and his advice is a constant. 'It's a gift he has given me,' she says smiling. 'And it's nice because it never goes away and it never turns down. Now he's gone, if anything, the volume of him is so loud — he's so present. He was the best dad I could have possibly hoped for. He taught music but he was a quiet artist in himself. He found very beautiful things in life and in all the things he did. 'I'd like to honour his spirit by keeping going. It's not an option to wallow in self-pity — it's time to do things. It's time to honour the life that he has given me.' Maries, whose dad was a massive punk fan, was inspired to start making music after seeing Sleaford Mods perform. She got the name Billy Nomates from a jibe after no one turned up to one of her early gigs. The singer was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She says: 'I've been diagnosed with the relapse remitting type, and I'm on a course of treatment that works really well. So, I have a lot of hope.' The fantastic album closer Moon Explodes is a song written just after Maries had been diagnosed with MS. She says: 'It came off the back of a completely relentless year, and I was just thinking, this is just it. 'But getting the diagnosis made sense in a lot of ways. A couple of years ago, I started performing barefoot and people thought it was me trying to be all hippy and cool, but it was because I was losing my balance in shoes. 'I'd also noticed the dexterity in my hands occasionally would come and go when I was playing. I was relieved to be diagnosed, because, you know when something is up. 'Fifteen years ago, you'd be worried about becoming disabled but there's been a lot of advances in where MS medication is going and that gives me hope. 'Loved the idea of her being so fearless' 'Recently I was reading about the twin sisters Laviai and Lina Nielsen who won medals at the Paris Olympics with MS and I thought it meant the Paralympics but it was the actual Olympics. 'The only pressure of getting the diagnosis is that I need to stay super fit which I wasn't planning to do before my diagnosis.' Maries' positivity can be heard throughout the album Metalhorse. 6 6 Brilliant first single The Test is about 'working against the odds' and has been a huge radio hit. She says: 'The song is loosely based on Yvonne Stagg, a female Wall Of Death rider who I was reading about. 'She had a tumultuous life, falling in and out of love and was an alcoholic but she became very good at the Wall Of Death. 'I was thinking about her life in the 1960s when women didn't do things like motorbike stunts — there's the sound of a motorbike in the song — and I loved the idea of her being so fearless, but it was also a test of life.' Gorgeous ballad Strange Gift is another special song that brings hope. Maries says: 'I wrote that song when I was in Spain. I had a guitar and started strumming one night. Strange Gift was important to put on the album because I like how it made me feel. It's about what's left when people are gone "It was very much inspired by dad's passing and Metalhorse is about things crumbling and not being as they were. 'Strange Gift was important to put on the album because I like how it made me feel. It's about what's left when people are gone. 'I call it a 'strange gift' because you don't want it, you really want the person to still be there. 'But what you are left with is a profound understanding of life that wasn't afforded to you before. You can only get that on this side of something awful.' Another standout on Metalhorse is Life's Unfair, which introduces the second side of the album. New single Plans is, says Maries: 'Enjoying life because it is over too fast.' She adds: 'I like the idea that life is a ride and you're going to get off it at some point. Even though the world is awful, there's still those two minutes to get on a Waltzer and have fun being flung around. 'So, we must all fall in love, develop friendships and go wild as these things disappear from our lives quickly. It's important to grab a hold of those moments and go 'F**k it' — I'm going to enjoy myself.' A special moment making Metalhorse came when she got to work with hero Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers, who her dad had been a huge fan of — he was buried in a Stranglers T-shirt. Maries explains: 'I was in the studio and I told my producer James Trevascus that I was going to sing Dark Horse Friend in the style of Hugh Cornwell because I really love his voice and he's the voice of my childhood. 'Then someone said. 'Oh he's here tomorrow!' 'By the next day I'd written lyrics for him. 'He was absolutely lovely and it was so nice for him to sing on that track. We went for dinner afterwards so I think the stars were aligned for that track.' Metalhorse is the first album Maries has made as a 'band' working with drummer Liam Chapman and bassist Mandy Clarke. She says: 'I'm still very much a solo artist. But I worked with a band on this record. I still write and demo everything — I'm not ready to let go of that part yet and I still need to be in the driving seat for many things. 'But it was a great experience to share and to invite people in because whenever I'm creating something, there is very much a police line around me saying 'Do not cross'. 'I'm inevitably changed forever' 'But I allowed a few people to come in and I learned loads as a writer.' With the album released next week, Maries is looking forward to getting out and touring later in the year. 'I can't wait,' she says excitedly. 'It's been a long time coming. The album was written this time last year, so we've been waiting for this moment to get it out and get on the road. "We're going to be up and down the UK and Scotland and we've got European dates as well. I'm also performing on Later . . . With Jools Holland on May 25, which is cool. When you're first starting out, it's very important to be successful and to reach milestones but that's not what I'm about 'It's an honour to be able to play Later . . . as it's something I've watched throughout my teens and twenties and where I've discovered some of my favourite new artists. 'The last couple of years I've experienced life in a completely new way. Everything I've been through means I'm inevitably changed forever. 6 'I don't sweat the small stuff as much and I'm very clear about what I want to do as an artist. 'I want to write songs and make interesting work, and anything else is by the by. 'When you're first starting out, it's very important to be successful and to reach milestones but that's not what I'm about. 'Now I want to survive enough to keep making interesting work. And that's what Metalhorse is.' 6
Scottish Sun
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
My dad supported me from day one… I'd like to honour his spirit by keeping going, says Billy Nomates on third album
Find out what inspired Billy Nomates to create a concept album about a dilapidated old funfair BILLY IDOL My dad supported me from day one… I'd like to honour his spirit by keeping going, says Billy Nomates on third album Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE idea for Billy Nomates' third album Metalhorse came after a 'personal and tumultuous' time in her life. Firstly, Billy Nomates — stage name of Leicester-born, Bristol-based songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Tor Maries — was beginning to tire of the music industry circus. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Making her new album has been an emotional rollercoaster for Tor Maries, who performs under the name Billy Nomates Credit: Supplied 6 The death of her father Peter helped Maries shape her new album Metalhorse, which is out on May 16 Credit: Supplied Then, just as she was about to start recording, her beloved dad Peter died from Parkinson's, a year after diagnosis. Both problems fed into Metalhorse — a concept album of sorts about a dilapidated old funfair. Maries explains: 'The concept came from feeling like I was in quite the fairground of life. 'It came from riffing on an idea that a chapter of my life, the industry I work in and politically, it felt like an absolute circus and I don't mean a good one. 'I felt like this fairground wasn't thriving and quite difficult to get on. Sometimes when you're on a ride and see the bolts are coming off you wonder if it's safe? I resonated with it and tapped into it.' But the big influence was the death of Peter Maries, who was hugely supportive of his daughter's work, last summer. 'It's not an option to wallow in self-pity' He died just before she travelled to Paco Loco Studio in Seville, Spain, to begin recording Metalhorse. 'He was the best dad I could have possibly hoped for,' she says proudly. 'He taught music but he was a quiet artist in himself. He found very beautiful things in life and in all the things he did. 'My dad supported me from day one and saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. And so to be here with what is my best work, it must be dedicated to him. 'I'd started the record before he died and he knew it was called Metalhorse — he'd heard demos so my soul was good with it. And it's very much dedicated to him and his memory.' Multiple Sclerosis explained Chatting to Maries in a video call from her kitchen she says she is thankful to have inherited a love of music from her dad and his advice is a constant. 'It's a gift he has given me,' she says smiling. 'And it's nice because it never goes away and it never turns down. Now he's gone, if anything, the volume of him is so loud — he's so present. He was the best dad I could have possibly hoped for. He taught music but he was a quiet artist in himself. He found very beautiful things in life and in all the things he did. 'I'd like to honour his spirit by keeping going. It's not an option to wallow in self-pity — it's time to do things. It's time to honour the life that he has given me.' Maries, whose dad was a massive punk fan, was inspired to start making music after seeing Sleaford Mods perform. She got the name Billy Nomates from a jibe after no one turned up to one of her early gigs. The singer was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She says: 'I've been diagnosed with the relapse remitting type, and I'm on a course of treatment that works really well. So, I have a lot of hope.' The fantastic album closer Moon Explodes is a song written just after Maries had been diagnosed with MS. She says: 'It came off the back of a completely relentless year, and I was just thinking, this is just it. 'But getting the diagnosis made sense in a lot of ways. A couple of years ago, I started performing barefoot and people thought it was me trying to be all hippy and cool, but it was because I was losing my balance in shoes. 'I'd also noticed the dexterity in my hands occasionally would come and go when I was playing. I was relieved to be diagnosed, because, you know when something is up. 'Fifteen years ago, you'd be worried about becoming disabled but there's been a lot of advances in where MS medication is going and that gives me hope. 'Loved the idea of her being so fearless' 'Recently I was reading about the twin sisters Laviai and Lina Nielsen who won medals at the Paris Olympics with MS and I thought it meant the Paralympics but it was the actual Olympics. 'The only pressure of getting the diagnosis is that I need to stay super fit which I wasn't planning to do before my diagnosis.' Maries' positivity can be heard throughout the album Metalhorse. 6 The singer was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis during the creation of her new album Credit: Supplied 6 Working with her hero Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers was a special moment for Maries, who talks of her late dad's love for the band Credit: Redferns Brilliant first single The Test is about 'working against the odds' and has been a huge radio hit. She says: 'The song is loosely based on Yvonne Stagg, a female Wall Of Death rider who I was reading about. 'She had a tumultuous life, falling in and out of love and was an alcoholic but she became very good at the Wall Of Death. 'I was thinking about her life in the 1960s when women didn't do things like motorbike stunts — there's the sound of a motorbike in the song — and I loved the idea of her being so fearless, but it was also a test of life.' Gorgeous ballad Strange Gift is another special song that brings hope. Maries says: 'I wrote that song when I was in Spain. I had a guitar and started strumming one night. Strange Gift was important to put on the album because I like how it made me feel. It's about what's left when people are gone "It was very much inspired by dad's passing and Metalhorse is about things crumbling and not being as they were. 'Strange Gift was important to put on the album because I like how it made me feel. It's about what's left when people are gone. 'I call it a 'strange gift' because you don't want it, you really want the person to still be there. 'But what you are left with is a profound understanding of life that wasn't afforded to you before. You can only get that on this side of something awful.' Another standout on Metalhorse is Life's Unfair, which introduces the second side of the album. New single Plans is, says Maries: 'Enjoying life because it is over too fast.' She adds: 'I like the idea that life is a ride and you're going to get off it at some point. Even though the world is awful, there's still those two minutes to get on a Waltzer and have fun being flung around. 'So, we must all fall in love, develop friendships and go wild as these things disappear from our lives quickly. It's important to grab a hold of those moments and go 'F**k it' — I'm going to enjoy myself.' A special moment making Metalhorse came when she got to work with hero Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers, who her dad had been a huge fan of — he was buried in a Stranglers T-shirt. Maries explains: 'I was in the studio and I told my producer James Trevascus that I was going to sing Dark Horse Friend in the style of Hugh Cornwell because I really love his voice and he's the voice of my childhood. 'Then someone said. 'Oh he's here tomorrow!' 'By the next day I'd written lyrics for him. 'He was absolutely lovely and it was so nice for him to sing on that track. We went for dinner afterwards so I think the stars were aligned for that track.' Metalhorse is the first album Maries has made as a 'band' working with drummer Liam Chapman and bassist Mandy Clarke. She says: 'I'm still very much a solo artist. But I worked with a band on this record. I still write and demo everything — I'm not ready to let go of that part yet and I still need to be in the driving seat for many things. 'But it was a great experience to share and to invite people in because whenever I'm creating something, there is very much a police line around me saying 'Do not cross'. 'I'm inevitably changed forever' 'But I allowed a few people to come in and I learned loads as a writer.' With the album released next week, Maries is looking forward to getting out and touring later in the year. 'I can't wait,' she says excitedly. 'It's been a long time coming. The album was written this time last year, so we've been waiting for this moment to get it out and get on the road. "We're going to be up and down the UK and Scotland and we've got European dates as well. I'm also performing on Later . . . With Jools Holland on May 25, which is cool. When you're first starting out, it's very important to be successful and to reach milestones but that's not what I'm about 'It's an honour to be able to play Later . . . as it's something I've watched throughout my teens and twenties and where I've discovered some of my favourite new artists. 'The last couple of years I've experienced life in a completely new way. Everything I've been through means I'm inevitably changed forever. 6 Metalhorse is the first album Maries has made as a 'band' working with drummer Liam Chapman and bassist Mandy Clarke Credit: Supplied 'I don't sweat the small stuff as much and I'm very clear about what I want to do as an artist. 'I want to write songs and make interesting work, and anything else is by the by. 'When you're first starting out, it's very important to be successful and to reach milestones but that's not what I'm about. 'Now I want to survive enough to keep making interesting work. And that's what Metalhorse is.' 6 Billy Nomates' new album Metalhorse is out on 16 May with a UK tour to follow in September and October Credit: Supplied BILLY NOMATES Metalhorse ★★★★★
