Track Of The Day: People Club – ‘Lay Down Your Weapons’

A powerful combination of emotive vocals and commanding beats, Berlin-based indie soul group People Club have shared their latest single ‘Lay Down Your Weapons’. It’s a charged offering that tackles the issues people of colour continue to struggle with in the face of police brutality, demanding peace through vehement protest.

“”Lay Down Your Weapons’ is about issues that weigh heavy on our hearts,” the band explain. “It was originally written in 2017 about issues of police brutality and the police militarisation that black and brown folks have disproportionately faced, and unfortunately we are still fighting these issues today. We are so proud of all the people on the front lines fighting for justice, for institutional reform/dissolution, for legislation, and for the safety and liberty that our BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities have long since deserved. We were asking…but now we’re demanding. We deserve justice, we deserve freedom, we deserve that our lives are valued. Black lives matter and defund the mother fucking police.”

Formed of Sarah Martin (lead vocals), Ray Sonder (bass, backing vocals), Saxon Gable (guitar, backing vocals), Pete Costello (keyboards, backing vocals) & Drew Deal (drums), People Club formed in 2018 after they each moved to Berlin in late 2017 from their respective countries (Australia, USA, UK, New Zealand). Together, they create moving, bold sounds designed to dismantle the un-nerving behaviours they witness in their own societies and the wider world.

Listen to ‘Lay Down Your Weapons’ below and follow the band on bandcamp, Spotify, and Facebook for more updates.

 

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Track Of The Day: Aphty Khéa – ‘Alerta’

An unflinching, powerful stand against the police brutality in her homeland of Greece, Aphty Khéa has shared her new single ‘Alerta’. Accompanied by a self-edited visual piece, the track blends frantic vocal samples recorded in anti-fascist protests and relentless beats to raise the alarm and shout back against the state’s abuse of power.

Currently based in Kreuzberg in Berlin, Aphty Khéa is a half Greek, half British artist who combines sonic and visual elements to create her stimulating, exciting electronic music. On ‘Alerta’ she uses traditional tsifteteli (τσιφτετέλι) rhythms, which are a part of the broader rebetiko (ρεμπέτικο) Greek music subculture, known for its anti-authoritarian history. Her mixing of the old and the new is what makes the single and accompanying video so poignant.

All the Bandcamp proceeds from the track will be donated to the Legal Aid Team, a solidarity initiative of pro-bono activist lawyers based in Athens who take on the court cases of detained protesters and victims of police repression. Watch the video for ‘Alerta’ below.

**Trigger Warning: Images of Police brutality and violence**

Follow Aphty Khéa on Facebook & Spotify for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut