9. UnderworldBeaucoup Fish
I obviously knew Underworld, but it wasn’t until I watched their set at Glastonbury in 2016 on the television that I really heard them properly. I was just like, ‘Wow,’ and I went out the next day and bought maybe two or three of their albums. I’ve just been hooked ever since, really. I love their driving beats, but what I really love with Underworld is the sense of optimism that’s in their music and I don’t really have that to the same extent in any of my other favourite music that I love. I do genuinely feel better when I listen to Underworld. I think musically this record is very joyful on the whole.
The banner on the cover of my new album is a celebration banner of sorts. A celebration of those carefree times and the idea of magic. I suppose I’m literally waving the flag to say, ‘This stuff’s important and great and let’s remember it.’ Can we recapture it? Can you find the adult version of that in your life, whatever that is for you?’ There is a glowing light as well. The glowing orange light on the cover is the light that was outside my bedroom window as a child and it does represent a lot of things to me, magic and hope and dreams about the future. There’s definitely a parallel with that particular feeling with Underworld, because I think there’s a real childlike quality to what Karl Hyde is singing about, but he also sings about being an adult really well too. I genuinely do feel better, like, ‘Maybe things will be okay.’ And there’s a line in one of his songs where he goes, ‘It’s not all shit,’ and you have to go, ‘Yes, it’s not all shit sometimes.’ Remember that. It’s good!
They would be top of my list for a live gig that I would like to see next, really, because I need a bit of that right now. I was too young for the rave scene, but I kind of do romanticise that era a bit. I feel that’s what I need now. I just feel like I need to be connected with the earth and just feel alive again. So, I’d love to be in a field, dancing to Underworld sometime soon.
