My eleventh songwriting collaborator in the Creative Scotland supported CONSEQUENCES project is Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow). I’ve had the great privilege of working alongside Louis for songwriting workshops for young people recently for Vox Liminis and previously for Music Plus, too. I’m a big fan of his songwriting, and have really enjoyed the festival sets I’ve heard from Admiral Fallow, so it’s lovely to finally have the chance to collaborate with him!
“Whisper pink, feel the ground
Far away from blissful ignorance
Far away from blissful…”
Louis Abbott is a very busy man! In amongst his fantastic work with Admiral Fallow (who incidentally released a new EP, Electric Eyes, in May 2022), Louis is the Creative Lead at Vox Liminis, an inspirational arts and community organisation working within criminal justice – sparking fresh conversations and insights so that our responses to crime, harm and conflict might (re)build connections, trust and belonging rather than further divisions.
Established in 2013, Vox Liminis run creative projects in prison and in the wider community with people who have committed crimes, people who have been victims of crime, those who have family experience of crime and justice processes and others who work in this area. I was lucky to work with Louis recently on the AMPLIFY songwriting project with young people in Edinburgh, in collaboration with Edinburgh International Festival and Goodtrees Neighbourhood Centre. And Vox have just announced Paper Planes – a new monthly release showcasing songs written across their projects. I’m delighted that in addition to all this, he managed to squeeze in a collaboration with me for this project…
It’s the first time I’ve ever collaborated over WhatsApp! But it really worked 🙂. Louis was a great communicator, and a positive and thoughtful collaborator. We considered missing something, or someone, or home, and what that feels like, whether that’s because of the nature of someone’s work, or circumstances like the pandemic…and the song grew from there.
A huge thank you to the talented creative team who helped bring the song to life in this recording – to Louis himself, who, despite his extremely busy schedule, contributed acoustic guitar playing to the recording, and to Mattie Foulds (drums, production), Kevin McGuire (bass) and Mikey Owers (vocals, electric guitar, brass). I hope you enjoy the song!
lyrics
Deadlines loom across the town
People packed in airless rooms
Something crashes, heads stay down
Far away, a poppy blooms
Far away, a poppy...
Headlights swarming in the sound
Windows glitter in the distance
Whisper pink, feel the ground
Far away from blissful ignorance
Far away from blissful...
Aching to be home, to be held
Aching to be home, to be held
I’ll keep to my myself
And find a quiet corner to drown it out
An unforgiving floor
Beside the scarf left behind
And yesterday’s headlines
Can’t reach you, wish you were near
Aching to be home, to be held
Can’t reach you, wish you were near
Aching to be home, to be held
credits
from CONSEQUENCES,
released February 3, 2023
Written by Louis Abbott & Kim Edgar
Kim Edgar: vocals, piano
Louis Abbott: guitar
Mattie Foulds: drums/percussion
Kevin McGuire: bass guitar
Mikey Owers: vocals, brass, guitar
“Heart stopping…our very own Tori Amos” (Sunday
Herald)
“An inspired empathy” * * * * * (Fringe Review)
Fuelled by a passion for social justice, folklore, and feminism, Kim Edgar crafts keenly observed details of people’s lives into powerful, understated songs that reach out and touch listeners....more
Ah my dear chap - what a joy this is. How fortunate we all are to have your music. Gods speed for the new album, and don’t forget us in deepest Gloucestershire when next you head out ❤️ Robert Haymon-Collins