The mills are alive with the sound of music (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bradford band releases album reflecting industrial heritage of their district

9:29am Friday 18th March 2011 in News By Emma Clayton

A Bradford band has released a concept album reflecting the district’s industrial past.

Called This Way To Power, it features songs about 19th century mill-workers with sounds of industrial machinery in the background.

The band, called The Housekeeping Society, will be launching the album at Lister Mills, Manningham, tomorrow.

Sarah Jones, for the band, said: “To research the album, they visited various mills in the region, including Salts Mill. In one mill they recorded sounds of industrial machinery – including water wheels and spinning machines – then turned them into loops that add grit to their acoustic, organically-created song structures.”

The band – vocalist and pianist Ric Neale, vocalist and bassist Spencer Bayles and percussionist Ivan Mack – describe their music as progressive-folk-pop. They came up with the industrial-inspired concept as a tribute to their Yorkshire roots. “It occurred to them that they’d all moved away from the places they were raised in, primarily for university – something previous generations may not have had the opportunities to pursue,” said Sarah.

“An added layer of interest in Yorkshire’s industrial roots got them thinking about how people lived and loved in a time of immense change and industrial revolution.”

• Read the full story in Friday's T&A