Last week, an ex BBC Radio 1 DJ and the star of Radio X, Chris Moyles caused another controversy calling all unsigned acts “crap”. His words received well deserved condemnation from every corner of the music business, but they uncovered a sad truth – something that everybody knows of and nobody is wishing to talk about: the persistent lack of new artists on the airwaves of national radio stations. Don’t get me wrong, there are new artists being played, but they are few and all are signed to major labels or have massive industry backings. If you have only 10-15 new artists being played and the rest is “classic” content (60, 70, 80 and 90’s, in some cases early 00’s) then we have very biased and limited representation of the available music. Programs such as Spotify and their use of algorithms further limits our choices. In the end – it’s down to money and connections, maybe a bit of luck. And if you don’t have any – then you are on the losing side.
Official bio: ALT BLK ERA are alternative music sister duo, Nyrobi and Chaya Beckett-Messam, who break the rules by reaching outside of traditional expectations. Their genre-bending music is filled with heavy basslines, electric guitars and tongue-twisting rap, where their softer tracks compile of dark strings, haunting harmonies and a chilling, circus-type vibe. Difficult to define, ALT BLK ERA’s eclectic sound will both delight and unnerve you.
Rockstar: Lunar single cover photography by Fabrice Gagos
You may ask why my review of the newest single from ALT BLK ERA starts on such a sombre note – but my anger is justified. One of the newest and probably the best rock bands in this country at this moment, have been played only a couple of times on BBC (Alyx Holcombe played them on Monday as part of her BBC Introducing show on Radio 1) and only once on Radio X thanks to the courtesy of John Kennedy. For a band that has been going for more than 2 years now, who released a string of genre bending innovative singes, it’s very little airplay. So early in their career, ALT BLK ERA is already selling out shows, getting reave reviews for their performances and they should be a constant feature on the indie and rock shows, yet you simply do not hear them on the radio. If you haven’t heard their name before, you will not learn of their existence from mainstream media at all. You can only know them through a word of mouth, a recommendation from a friend of just finding them on the Internet by yourself.
This sorry state of things is irritating me beyond belief. We are led to believe that there is too much music out there and not enough place for everyone. We are told that artists must be super active on socials, constantly engaging with audiences on TikTok delivering new content. I smell something, to quote one of my favourite movies of all time and it’s bullshit. All of those excuses are exactly that – excuses to normalize gatekeeping, major label grab on the radio placements and corporate greed. And if you are a woman, an artist of colour or a disabled artist – your chances of being played are even smaller.
So, what is the point of this angry tirade you may ask? First of all, I want to speak up loudly against the impossible odds that young emerging artists are facing. I want to point out that it’s not the artists’ fault that they are failing to break through. They are actually being failed, not failing themselves. I want to ask radio stations, especially the national ones to finally open up their airwaves to new artists. Play them at least a couple of times a day. Don’t spin the same tunes on repeat. Make weekly playlists longer – for example instead of 20 artists, make it 40. Do not cut hours for new music programs, make them available every day. Don’t merge or close local radio stations. Do not push new music programs to ungodly hours like 1 am. Help young artists to reach new audiences. They are the future of rock!
Picture by Fabroce Gagos
Having said this, I can now fully concentrate on “Rockstar: Lunar” version. ALT BLK ERA are true mavericks – their bio does not lie. Each single they release comes in two distinctive versions: SOLAR (usually fast, heavy and wild) and LUNAR – quieter, somewhat melancholic and ballad-like. It’s almost like each song has two “faces” – bold, unstoppable, lively and the other being reserved, sombre and thoughtful. Two different variations on a common theme, The Day and The Night. The original version of “Rockstar”, now known as “Rockstar: Solar”, was on released on 20th of May and I call it their breakthrough single – it made a massive impression on Tom Robinson of BBC 6 Music who called them “Daring, adventurous, wildly original”. Two more singles followed: “Mosh Girl Summer” on 3rd of June and then “Off With Their Heads” on December 16th that fully established the band as a force to be reckoned with. We reviewed it in January giving it the highest grades.
“Rockstar: Lunar” showcases the diversity and originality of ALT BLK ERA that makes them unique on the indie scene. I can’t think of another band that can release an ultra-fast, adrenaline infused metal track as “Off With Their Heads” (John Kennedy warned listeners that the song “would be loud” before premiering it!) and then return with a delicate, soulful song that is clearly inspired by R’n’B, soul and electro-pop a la Billie Eilish. You will find no guitars here, but tender piano, electrifying slow beat and perfect vocal harmonies. I can swear that at the beginning of the song, we can either hear the falling rain or maybe the cracking of a vinal record. Everything is calm, sorrowful and quiet – neatly mixed and produced.
Nyrobi and Chaya both have fantastic voices. The girls are like chameleons – they can shout, scream, growl and reach the whistle register on one song and then showcase their classical vocal training on another. They are very versatile vocalists – they could sing everything from soul to jazz to black metal with ease, very few artists their age can do that. Please do not forget that we are talking about ladies that are incredibly young, they are both under the age of 20!
The song deals with themes of relationship breakdown, toxicity and physical abuse. Their impact on one’s self worth and mental health can be immerse and I’m very glad to hear the girls are able to openly discuss even the most difficult topics through their music. And this is such an empowering tune too – it shows the person experiencing the abuse gathering her strength and walking away. With her head held high and actively looking for assistance (through therapy and support). There is sadness in it, and hurt but also hope for a better relationship and resolution not to be involved with the same toxic type of person (the titular rockstar).
We gave the last ALT BLK ERA song (Off With Their Heads) a rating of 5 baseball bats. We give the same amount full moons to “Rockstar: Lunar”.
Coming back to what I said at the beginning of this article: I’m baffled that so little attention is given to artists that are real rock and roll stars. Forget Gallaghers and Ian Browns of the world – it’s ALT BLK ERA that should be out there headlining massive festivals and play sold out stadiums. I have no idea why magazines do not write about them, why the band is not hailed as the next big thing in the British popular music. People do like their music. The duo has 40k followers on Instagram, nearly 13k monthly listeners on Spotify and almost 200k streams on the platform. That’s a lot for a very young band. I hope the major labels’ A&R’s are reading indie blogs cause this is a band that will explode with the force of 4 supernovas very shortly and if you do not sign them now, you will be kicking yourselves that you let such opportunity pass.
And I know what you will say – artist can be independent. That’s true, but ALT BLK Era is a band that should be on a major. They should be on world tour with Foo Fighters or Evanescence or Billie Eilish. Or somebody of that calibre. NOVA TWINS and Bob Vylan are doing very well for themselves but ALT BLK ERA could do even better. They just need support, and financial backing. Everything else is in place.
Today, Glastonbury Festival revealed their first acts and except for Lizzo and Nova Twins, all acts are white, middle-aged and predominately male. Even The Guardian published an article regarding the widespread condemnation for their choices. I think it’s a high time I sent an email to Billy Bragg and suggested a new all-female duo for his stage at Leftfield at Glastonbury. Who’s with me?
You can follow Alt Blk Era on socials:
https://www.altblkera.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ALTBLKERA
https://www.instagram.com/altblkera/
https://twitter.com/ALTBLKERA
https://altblkera.bandcamp.com/
https://www.tiktok.com/@altblkera
https://www.youtube.com/c/ALTBLKERAhttps://soundcloud.com/altblkera
https://open.spotify.com/artist/4FNR2qdCVKGAep4alfg
ALT BLK ERA on tour:
March 18th – Basel, Switezerland (Tickets at: www.hirscheneck.ch/konzert/events/alt-blk-era-glitchbaby-x-kiyyan.html)
March 31st – Bodega, Nottingham (Tickets at: https://www.alttickets.com/alt-blk-era-tickets/nottingham-the-bodega/2023-03-31-19-00)
April 5th – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham (Tickets at: https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Birmingham/Hare-And-Hounds/ALT-BLK-ERA-with-Special-Guests/36285523/?sktag=15097)
May 25-28: Bearded Theory festival, Derbyshire (Tickets still available at: https://www.alttickets.com/bearded-theory-tickets)
Rita Dabrowicz
Indieterria 