With the UK General Election just finished, Beldon Haigh released another banger of a satirical political anthem. The song, which is a lovely tapestry of pop, rock, punk and narrative story telling immediately engages with the catchy hook “all I hear is blah, blah, blah”. Whilst the song contains theme’s which speak to a general disillusionment with politics and politicians of all persuasions, the band are keen to encourage people to get out and vote. We talk to Justin, frontman of Beldon Haigh, about the important release…
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your latest satirical anthem, ‘Elected,’ back when you wrote the song decades ago? Could you imagine it still perfectly reflects the current political climate?
Sadly, yes, and I think if you look back in history, humans have a habit of using low aspiration politics of division, blame, distraction and of course fear – to influence others. If anything we have just gotten more sophisticated at this, we have learned very little in the last 100 years.
The single blends pop, rock, and punk genres so seamlessly. How did you approach the musical composition to convey your message effectively?
This is partly the song writing but a lot comes down to down to the musical genius of everyone in the band. We always start songs with the bare composition, the actual song, melody, hooks, riffs, lyrics and then build from there. A lot of the energy in the recordings comes from how at home we all are recording together and taking musical risks. We have a wonderful group of people working on this music.
Could you elaborate on the decision to incorporate ’80s pop hallmarks into the song’s contemporary rendition? How do you feel it enhances the song’s impact?
It’s never a conscious decision, it’s an organic thing, ideas just happen, some of them stick and are used, some are discarded. You need to break a few eggs to make an omelette, you need to hatch a few ideas and be ready to throw some away, in order to make an interesting sounding song.
The music video for ‘Elected’ features masks of political figures like Trump, Putin, and Kim Jong-un. What was the creative process behind integrating these figures into your videos and brand?
We have been making videos and performing live in these masks for many years now. The three characters are emblematic of many of the worlds ills and their toxicity is a big part of the satire. The masks are fascinating, they were made by mask making genius Landon Meier – they are truly incredible things to look at live, but they also help us to draw attention serious points in the songs and in the music. To consider the relevance, think of how all of these political figures use lies, fear, threats, intimidation and misinformation to influence the world to dance to their tune.
With the UK General Election approaching, how do you hope ‘Elected’ will resonate with listeners and influence their perspective on political engagement?
Firstly I do hope people get out and vote. Our democratic process might not be perfect, but it was hard won and, in a world where two thirds of countries are not democracies, I think we are still very fortunate in the UK. Secondly, look into the issues, don’t take the words or the soundbites of politicians at face value – they are a canny, and often a sneaky bunch who will use various political tricks to win your vote – try to look beyond all that.
How do you balance social commentary with artistic expression in your music, and what do you hope audiences take away from your work?
I write a lot of lyrics before I settle on the final versions of things. I try not to be too wordy, which is not always easy. I try to make the songs tuneful and simple and if the words are cluttering that up, I try and simplify it. It’s a constant work of refining.
What role do you think music plays in addressing societal issues and sparking conversations?
A really big role, but it is hard to get radio stations to participate because they are so risk averse and afraid of offending people. For example we had various radio stations telling us that Elected could not be played because it broke the purdah rules. This simply is not the case, the purdah rules are all about providing information in a balanced way – for example giving each political party an equal amount of airtime to make their point. Elected is about a fictional party, a fictional politician – so purdah does not apply. Nonetheless we were given this reason for not playing it multiple times. So , if our radio stations are so afraid of breaking a rule that they wrongly sanction a song like this – then where does that leave us?
Could you share some insights into your live performances? How do you engage with your audience during your shows?
At this years fringe you will be experiencing The Moon On AStick Party who will tell you how their policies will give you everything that you want. So … it is a bit of comedy, a lot of music, plenty of big choruses to sing along and dance to and some free Moon On A Stick Money. As well as the masks and the stories and the general absurdity of it all.
Listen to Elected on SPOTIFY | APPLE MUSIC
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