Brighton-based non-for-profit record label We Are Not Saints has pulled together eight musicians from Brighton, all in recovery from some form of addiction, for the new album Liberation Through the Looking Glass, which is the label’s first vinyl release – limited to just 200 copies – available to purchase from January 22.
Liberation Through the Looking Glass, a genre-spanning collection of pop, indie, soul and singer/songwriter originals, features LGBTQ+ talent such as Annie Murray and represents the equality, diversity, and the ethos of inclusivity that We Are Not Saints is built on. There is a 50/50 split of male and female, but also individuals from the LGBTQ+ community, the BAME community, and artists from different economic backgrounds to create as diverse a collection as possible. The album features artists Callum Johnstone, whose track Love At A Distance features the label’s trans assistant Jax Burley playing bass, Full Spectrum, Deiphos Jay, Annie Murray, Jim Trickster, Helena B, 40 Wildsages and Man Like Malcolm.
Annie Murray from Brighton, who recorded the track You for the album, started her career in the West End and has performed at some of the most prestigious venues across the country, including the Clapham Grand, Shepherds Bush Empire, Water Rats and The 100 Club as well as playing alongside Jools Holland musicians in open air UK tours, before she descended into addiction.
Annie said, “Lockdown has been a time to work harder than ever before on myself so I didn’t think I’d have time to be musically creative – I worried I wouldn’t be able to write the songs in time for the album. One day, when both my work and personal life just seemed too hectic to handle, I felt compelled to sit down and write – and out came these songs, one after the other. It brought a sense of calm to my hectic, whirlwind of a lockdown life. One thing that spurred me on to write, was for my father, who had suffered a stroke during lockdown. My music meant the world to him and so I felt it was so important to do this with him in mind.”
We Are Not Saints was established in 2018 by Chris De Banks, who had struggled with addiction for years. Chris said: “With the prevalence of alcohol and drugs in contemporary music culture, it’s often difficult, if not impossible, for artists to have the same opportunities as other musicians without putting their recovery at risk. We Are Not Saints was designed to create a platform for musicians to enable them to write, record, distribute, and perform their music in a safe, supported way that puts their recovery at the heart of what they do.
“We hope it represents a fair cross-section of the UK recovery community and that the individual songs express identifiable experiences for the listener whether they are in recovery or not. The record represents hope and emotion and it’s something We are Not Saints are hugely proud of.”
Profits from the sale of Liberation Through the Looking Glass will be reinvested back into We Are Not Saints to allow them to expand their scope and reach more people seeking recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction and to provide new opportunities to enhance individual recovery through creativity.
There are 25 recorded tracks on the album which can be purchased exclusively through the We Are Not Saints website on January 22. The digital release will be on the same date on Spotify.
You must be logged in to post a comment.