Yesterday evening on BBC Radio 2’s ‘The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe’, the focus turned to Climate Change as the UN Climate Change Conference continues in Glasgow and war and peace for Armistice Day. One of the show’s highlights was the premiere of the Oysterband’s new single “The Time is Now” from their forthcoming album “Read the Sky”, out in February 2022.
As touched on by Mark Radcliffe, their love of nature has long been a source of inspiration for the Oysterband (e.g. John Jones and his Reluctant Ramblers, see our Artist of the Month interview in 2015). Although I was expecting a powerful message from the band…”The Time is Now” went way beyond my expectations; lyrically and musically, they excelled.
To say their new single made quite an entrance on the Folk Show is an understatement. The urgency of their message is apparent from the off with robust, strident arrangements marking the march of time as they paint an apocalyptic vision, one that is both terrifying and real: bays empty of fish, forest fires, Alaskan villages being pulled into the ocean…”the future slides away”. The message is loud and clear as John sings, “It’s here and now, that’s all I’ve got to say,” and later “we know too much to look the other way”. If we ever needed an anthem to fight for change, then this is it.
The Oysterband are back, and they are sounding better than ever.
Written by Ian Telfer, he describes how the song evolved “I started writing this set of words years ago, and Alan (Prosser) sorted out music for it not long after, so we knew it was a goer as a song. But having nailed the upbeat bridges and the chorus, I found the world kept changing in dramatic and alarming ways and the more I read and heard, the more I wanted to rewrite the verses to reflect events. Eventually the guys said, “Look, you’ve got to stop somewhere!” So this is what I had earlier this year. But if I was writing further now, during COP26, I’d make it angrier, for sure!”
The song is one of ten new songs recorded for ‘Read The Sky’ the band’s first studio album since ‘Diamonds on the Water’ which was released in 2014. – The album is due for release in March 2022 and will be supported by a full UK tour during April and May. Confirmed dates will be announced shortly.
The Climate Change Conference closes on Friday 12 November, but the work to address the problem has to start now.
