The inspired lives of Hadda Be

It had to be you — Hadda Be; photographed by Luthiem Escalona.

Making some punky pop waves from the Brighton/southeast London sectors respectively, denizens of the DIY ethos Hadda Be (fka Foundlings) released the beloved full-length Another Life that arrived in the wake of a world returning from the brink of utter and absolute collapse. From various starts and stops on account of the pandemic, the band of Amber, Ben, Matthew, and Oliver bask in the beauty of live musical alchemy and chemistry that recalls the reasons why we are collectively drawn to the performance arts to begin with.

Hadda Be’s Another Life bristles and bursts with the luster of the lives that we knew and the hopeful optimism of the lives that we wish to embark upon. The quartet expertly explores the pangs of indifference on “Apathy”, the pensive games of chancers and charms on "Catch it on the Fall", to the spirited cool and catchy earnest expressions on the title track, the dalliances of deprivation on "Take it Away", kicking up the dust of angst and attitude on "Wait in the Dark", or taking the feels to parts uncharted in the "Unknown Places". The specter of entropy looms large behind the poppy guitar hooks on lamentations like "This Won't End Well", the shrugged melancholic resignation of "So it Goes", the power chord cornucopia on the refining "Fire", keeping the intricate interpersonal dialectical burning on the penultimate "Almost Over", that arrives full circle with the heavy moods of care, compassion and concern on the heartfelt beauty of "Nurse's Song". Another Life catalogs the experiences ripped from the dog-eared journals of real lives with hopes and horse-drawn wishes for something greater to come along, rather sooner than later. Join us after the jump for the band's own exclusive presentation of select fascinations:

Hadda Be’s Week in Pop

Bob Mortimer’s Train Guy

Already a national treasure in our eyes, Bob Mortimer’s most recent character, Train Guy, has been a constant companion since his inception, particularly through the two main lockdowns we had here in the UK. We’ve all overheard a Train Guy on our daily commute — it’s unavoidable if you live anywhere near London — and Bob has managed to capture the ridiculousness of those familiar, inane business conversations. Have a campachoochoo on us, Bob.

Grayson Perry’s Art Club

Press photo courtesy of Channel 4.

After the last year we’ve all had, it’s difficult not to interpret the task of listing our five favorite things as list the five things that have kept you sane through the pandemic. One of those things would surely be the TV program Grayson Perry’s Art Club. The show takes a different theme each week and has covered topics like family, the view from my window, animals and fantasy. It’s an inspiring program and really highlights the importance of creativity in people’s lives. Seeing ordinary people, as well as seemingly non-artistic celebrities, turn to art in difficult times is a powerful thing.

The Radio

We’re blessed with some excellent radio in the UK. Particularly whilst we’ve all had to stay indoors, having the radio on is the next best thing to real human interaction. You can’t beat the feeling of hearing a new song that resonates with you profoundly live on air — there’s a different level of excitement that swells up in you to hearing something new on a streaming platform playlist. BBC 6 Music tends to be our regular port of call, especially DJs like Steve Lamacq, Marc Riley, Gideon Coe and Lauren Laverne, but John Kennedy’s Radio X show is brilliant too, also a bit of Radio 4, if we’re feeling intellectual. 

Pounding the classic cobblestones and loitering about the brownstones with Hadda Be; photographed by Luthiem Escalona.

Tim’s Listening Parties

Press photo via Twitter.

Again, Tim Burgess’ Twitter Listening Parties have provided a sense of togetherness in a world where people have been separated from one another for so long. Sticking a record on and reading people’s reactions in real-time, often including the people who actually created the music, is a fascinating exercise, especially [with the release of] our debut album. Music is such a personal thing and people’s different interpretations of specific songs or albums prolong the relevance and importance of them. I think that’s something that makes music such an exciting art form. It would be a dream to have our album featured, Tim, if you’re reading this.

Songwriting

Perhaps an obvious choice, but songwriting is something that can be done anywhere, in the best or worst of times. Some of us have found it quite difficult to muster the required level of concentration with everything that’s been going recently, but when we manage to, it always provides whatever we need from it, whether that be connection, escape, a challenge or just simple fun. Now that we have an album out, it’s quite tempting to take one’s foot off the gas, but having much more free time than usual has been a Godsend for us in terms of writing new material. It’s always the starting (and in some cases the finishing) that’s the tough part.

Hadda Be’s Another Life is available now via Last Night From Glasgow.

Cover art for Hadda Be’s new album Another Life, courtesy of Jake Hollings.