A recurring theme within many of Keston Cobblers Club’s upbeat songs is the importance of positivity, despite whatever challenges might occur. “I find that silliness and humour help me to find hope in dark times” says singer Julia. And that’s exactly what ‘Jupiter’ – the new single from Keston Cobblers Club, was written to do. It reflects on the challenges we often face alone and how fleeting moments of fun, joy and discovery can shift our perspective and change the sentiment from loneliness to a sense of camaraderie.
During a period of long isolation, Jules attended a ‘digital’ astronomy class alone, scanning the night sky along with hundreds of others from their separate windows and gardens. To find out that they could also see Jupiter in the sky that night; that they were all looking at the same planet and were experiencing the same astronomical event synchronously was a life affirming moment. At that point, she felt a connection to her friends and family that helped close the physical gap that was separating them.
With its catchy choral synths (and accompanying dance moves – see video here) ‘Jupiter’ is a light-hearted celebration of the idea that as humans, we are never truly alone. Julia says, “When I can see Jupiter, you can see Jupiter, even if it’s not in person – that brings great comfort to me, when I am separated from my favourite people, and we hope it will for you too”.
A fusion of ideas, ‘Jupiter’s’ instrumentation is a classic Cobblers mix of traditional folk (Accordion, Banjo, Guitar) and a more contemporary style of synths and fast paced full drum kit. The track purposely leans towards ideas of loneliness, sci-fi and space travel whilst continuing the theme of the album; with every track a different remedy to the alchemist’s pursuit of reconnecting with his childhood. Matthew says ‘We wanted to create an anthology of tracks that would tie together the folk-lore of the alchemist of Keston. Each track conveys a different message from his childhood, a self help guide that he can follow when he’s older’.
‘Jupiter’ is the third single from the band’s upcoming new studio album, ‘Alchemy’ following the release of last year’s surprise track ‘Find My Way’ (released when the Cobblers were touring the UK with Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbot) and ‘Mrs Dixon’ in January. Fans will be able to hear all three tracks along with a whole load of other new songs live, when the quartet kick off their brand-new UK tour this April starting in Nottingham on the 21st April. There’s also another European tour in the works, and a busy summer of festivals.
The new album ‘Alchemy’ out April 22nd, sees the band returning to their roots with the theme of the album based on an old folklore from their home town. The Anthem of the Alchemist tells the story of an Alchemist who dedicates his life to turning basic metals into gold, only to discover when older that the treasures he sought were always within him. He finds an old message in a bottle buried beneath Keston Ponds and Caesar’s Well that he forgot he had written as a child. It reads ‘You will find it right beside you. Forget the gold it’ll only blind you’.
Over the last 10 years, Keston Cobblers Club have been steadily building a name for themselves. Their 2015 album ‘Wildfire’ won them huge praise everywhere from BBC Legends such as Steve Lamacq, Dermot O’Leary, Edith Bowman and Bob Harris, MOJO Magazine, The Guardian, TheIndependent and The Financial Times to Songlines, fRoots and Clash as well as a Maida Vale session for BBC Radio 6. Their last two albums, ‘Almost Home’ and ‘Siren,’ further increased their following, with great industry praise from such as Zoe Ball and Lauren Laverne, supported by multiple European headline tours and crescendoing with a 10-year anniversary
Keston Cobblers Club is formed of brother-sister duo Matthew and Julia Lowe with school friends Tom Sweet and Harry Stasinopoulos (plus Daniel Slade on Tuba).
