Liz

Liz is from Glasgow originally and left in the late 50s. Her boyfriend/future husband was a Catholic and she was a Protestant. This meant that life there together wasn't viable so, to escape sectarian tension and potential persecution, they moved south to Gloucester and were married.

In Gloucester Liz and her husband settled as best they could. She is proud that she managed to find work as a married woman. Back then the majority of married women stayed at home. Later on it would prove to be a valuable decision for Liz to secure employment despite being married.

Eventually they got a mortgage bought a house and then as 3 children came along they moved to a bigger house. Then disaster struck. Her beloved husband suffered a major stroke in his 40s. She recalls that when he returned from hospital he was a different person.

His stroke left him permanently disabled. He returned to work but after a short time it was clear that he wasn't capable of working anymore. She was his carer for him for 35 years. As the only person in the family with an income, she re-trained so that she could get a better paid job, maintain the mortgage and keep the home and bring up their 3 children. For the final 7 years of her husband's life he moved to a residential care home. At this time they were both in their 70th decade.

Liz is a small woman standing under 5 feet tall. Behind her tiny frame is a steely resolve and a kindness that I don't believe many can match. Despite enduring such hardship she still has a twinkle in her eye and my chats with her inspired me. Our song seeks to tell her story and celebrate her extraordinarily determined and gracious spirit in the face of tragedy and hardship.

In 2018 I booked Boo Hewerdine to play a show in Gloucester. Yvonne Lyon, a last minute support act was recommended and booked. Shane and I were blown away by her incredible singing. Boo and Yvonne stayed at Shane's house that night and we chatted with them both before bed and had breakfast the next morning together before heading into Gloucester city centre to show them the cathedral before they headed off. Luke Jerram's Museum of the Moon was installed at the time and we all enjoyed exploring the space that day.

Following that show Shane and I asked Yvonne if she would sing on "Brambles" one of the songs we were working on at the time. Yvonne lives in Greenock in Scotland sowe arranged a songwriting trip and included a meet up in a hotel in Glasgow where we recorded her singing.

Shane and I had a great adventure in Scotland. We were inspired by the city and got a real feel for the history and culture there. Whilst there we attended a show where Boo Hewerdine and Gustaf Ljunggren performed. We had successfully collaborated with Gustaf on some recordings via email (he plays viola on "Brambles") and the other 4 songs that make up the Brambles EP (where he plays clarinets, tenor acoustic guitar and lap steel to amazing effect) so we met him in person in Glasgow and were also able to thank Boo in person for being the initial connection between us all. Without us knowing, all these events laid some of the groundwork for the production choices for Liz's song.

Yvonne sings the lead vocal on Liz's song. As soon as I shared the recording of mine and Liz's chat with Shane and he responded with poetry and lyrics we both knew that there was only one choice of singer for the song. Yvonne is the perfect fit. Not only does she have a Scottish accent, but she has deep experience of writing and performing songs that deal empathically on the theme of individual grief in her album "Held".

The choices we made with arrangements and production were influenced by Scottish bands of the 80s and 90s. Deacon Blue was mentioned more than once and I'm a fan of The Blue Nile. These were useful and inspiring references for the musicians in our studio band to be aware of as we recorded. There's something about the music produced by those artists. The gritty contrast of the landscape and atmosphere of urban Glasgow with the beauty of the big skies, mountains and lochs in the surrounding countryside is evoked whenever I listen to that music. We never imagine that we can authentically recreate that vibe, but it was our wish to acknowledge it as we made this song.