Kicking & Screaming

What makes this E.P. particularly special is being the first Blue Alatar release featuing vocals. I wanted to make an impact and really let people know what we’re about. We’re not the only ones angry at the state of the world. I think we’ve created something that will really resonate with people.

Influences for this E.P. include Levellers, New Model Army, Black Sabbath, and Blur.

Kicking & Screaming

A ‘love letter’ to boomers – I don’t think the older generations realise how responsible they are for the state of the world.

Look You In The Eyes

Is about standing up to bullies – particularly those divisive folks currently in control of our country.

No Thanks To You

A message of hope – overcoming toxic situations and living life on your own terms.

Meet the band

Liam Taylor

Hello, yes, it’s me. As well as writing and producing these 3 songs, I play electric guitars and bass guitar throughout. On Kicking & Screaming I play bouzouki and acoustic guitar; on Look You In The Eyes I play mandolin. Everything else is sequenced by me: keys, synths, etc.

Si Pettit

Si Pettit features as our vocalist. He also plays some baritone and 8-string guitars. I’ve worked with Si a bunch of times, on all different kinds of projects but it was a particular treat to steal his moody voice for these songs – adding a real soulful, gothy vibe.

Harri Beasley

Harri Beasley joins us for, honestly, some of the best drumming I’ve heard in a long time. Harri is one of the busiest and hardest-working musicians in Cambridge. I’ve been a big fan of his for some time so it’s a real treat to work with him on all 3 tracks of this E.P.

Ellie Winter

Ellie Winter joins us to play hammered dulcimer on the track No Thanks To You. I met Ellie through Tape Runs Out, an “exploratory indie” band from my home town, Cambridge. Originally I was using a Yangqin plugin but I felt like an acoustic instrument would lend the track a greater degree of humanity. Several transpositions later, Ellie Joined me in February to record No Thanks To You and another track which may or may not be on the horizon.

Pitz Quattrone

Pitz Quattrone contributes didgeridoo / yidaki to the title track, Kicking & Screaming. I followed Pitz on the suggestion of our mutual friend Roman Armstrong and was immediately drawn to his personality and musicianship. There wasn’t a lot of “folky” stuff in Kicking & Screaming initially so I was looking for a way to add texture without adding any more melodies or riffs (it’s already dense in that way), so didgeridoo / yidaki was an obvious choice. Sounds excellent, you’ll love it.

Kicking & Screaming