The return of THE FARM, the rise of Corbyn, the inspiration of Kraftwerk, the ghost of Thatcher.
FOLLOWING the recent success of ‘Feel The Love,’ Liverpool’s THE FARM return with new single, ‘Let The Music (Take Control.)’
A vibrant mix of electronic sounds partly inspired by Kraftwerk and brought to life with some trademark, dynamic guitar riffs, the song was inspired by a chance meeting and live performance by legendary guitarist, composer and producer, Nile Rodgers.
“You can listen to ‘Let The Music (Take Control)’ as a feel good song, but I got the idea after all these meaningless vacuous slogans that political parties have subjected us to, meaningless phrases like ‘take back control,’ and I thought it should be ‘let the music take control,’ as music is international and, way more than politicians, can inspire, unite, and change attitudes,” said lyricist and singer, Peter Hooton.
“Some people didn’t realise the message behind ‘All Together Now,’ but I don’t think it matters really, you can enjoy music on different levels. Some people will look for hidden meanings, but some just want to escape from the realities of the modern world.”
And following a recent return to live performances, perhaps it was inevitable new releases would follow.
“We’ve been working on new song ideas for a few years, and I suppose it was down to the fact we started playing more and more festivals and put a few of the new songs in the set. They went down a storm and people were asking how they could listen to them, so putting them on streaming platforms seemed to be the best way of doing it quickly.
“And the new songs have been a pleasure to work on as there have been no deadlines as such. There’s no pressure on us and I think that’s been helpful and allowed us to develop the songs naturally.”
Never shy to voice their political allegiances, an admirable trait evident in many Liverpool-based musicians, with the release of today’s single, have the band consciously set out to make a statement, a comment, on 2024 England?
“Yes, it was certainly in the back of our minds, and we feel we’ve still got something to say. People can only write about their experiences, so I don’t blame new groups as Thatcher created a post-industrial service economy and promoted individualism – remember she said there was no such thing as society.
“I think there will be political groups out there but the whole music industry has changed with streaming. Nobody knows what’s around the corner but I’m confident the younger generation will be politicised, but unfortunately the status quo is constantly promoted as the only way forward. Nobody predicted the rise of Corbyn and whatever you think of him you can’t deny he engaged and energised youth people which terrified the hierarchy of the political machine. They quickly regained control via smear campaigns and outright distortions, but it proved society is on a knife edge. Anyway, ‘fuck the political elite,’ let the music take control.”
At their height the band were often maligned and widely misunderstood by a London-centric music press ever keen for a quick, yet inaccurate feature. Hopefully with the passing of time, the truth will finally become known.
“It’s a difficult one, but when we were having lots of front covers in the early 1990s, we were talking about politics and most journalists just wanted to talk about hedonism and drugs. We were portrayed as ‘scallies’ but it wasn’t the reality. We weren’t blameless for this because of some of our antics but it was a complete distortion of the truth.
“It was anti working-class prejudice at the end of the day. I had a degree in politics and a Post Graduate certificate in Education in History, but that was conveniently ignored. I don’t think you can really change judgemental people, but members of the group have become film producers, film directors, lecturers and have published books.”
Meanwhile, ‘Let The Music (Take Control)’ composer and lead guitarist Keith Mullen added, “The new music has been a pleasure to make, we’re drawing upon past influences and music we listen to now. So here we are, all these years later, experimenting, doing it for fun and because we can, making social commentary because that’s who we are.
“Music has a power that can connect with people in a positive and uplifting way, we’re really fortunate to still be doing this, we never underestimate how lucky we are to still be making music that some people may like.”
Alongside continued live appearances, individual members of The Farm have kept busy with successful alternative careers. These include, directing television documentaries and an acclaimed feature film (starring Bill Nighy), composing dance anthems, film scores, TV scriptwriting and lecturing at Paul McCartney’s prestigious Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
Catch THE FARM live:
Feb 27: Manchester, Music Feeds Live (Featuring Joe Duddell and his Orchestra)
April 13: Newcastle City Hall, Interzone Festival
April 20: Rotherham, Magna Science Adventure (With The Enemy)
May 25: Ware, Stone Valley South
June 1: Manchester, Irlam Festival
June 22: Newark, Stone Valley Midlands
July 6: Hertfordshire, Chilfest
July 13: Askern Music Festival
August 10: Priory Live Music Festival
Connect with THE FARM online: The Farm | Instagram, Facebook | Linktree
