Florence Pugh releases debut single ‘Lockdown’ - how to listen
She’s joined by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage
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Florence Pugh has released her debut single, a remotely recorded collaboration with poet laureate Simon Armitage.
Over eerie electronic melodies, the two take turns reading sections from his newest poem “Lockdown”.
Written in response to the coronavirus restrictions, “Lockdown” moves from the outbreak of bubonic plague in Eyam, Derbyshire in the 17th century – when a bale of cloth sent from London inadvertently brought fleas carrying the plague – to the poem Meghadūta by the Sanskrit poet Kālidāsa, which follows the legend in which an exile sends words of reassurance to his wife in the Himalayas via a passing cloud.
“The air,” begins Pugh, “hypnotically see-through, rare, the journey a ponderous one at times, long and slow but necessarily so.”
Armitage then takes over the reading. “And I couldn’t escape the waking dream,” he says. “of infected fleas/ in the warp and weft of soggy cloth/ by the tailor’s hearth
“In ye olde Eyam. Then couldn’t un-see the Boundary Stone, that cock-eyed dice with its six dark holes.”
Then they join in together: “Thimbles brimming with vinegar wine purging the plagued coins.”
The rest of the poem is read out over a building guitar melody.
The accompanying video, which will be released at 5am on Thursday 14 May at this link, shows members of the public holding up lines from “Lockdown” from where they are currently quarantined.
Discussing the process of recording the song, Armitage said: “We’ve worked flat out from three points of the compass – the song has been accomplished via the wonders of technology, the internet being no respecter of quarantine rules.
“The musical tones of the track echo the atmosphere of the lyrics, claustrophobia rising to a hopeful euphoria, the magical landscape at the end of the poem transformed into a vibrant and pulsing soundscape.
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“We also knew that we wanted a female voice in the mix and were thrilled when Florence Pugh agreed to contribute. Florence brings intelligence and intensity to everything she performs in – we can’t thank her enough.”
Proceeds from the release will go to Refuge, a UK-based charity providing specialist support for women and children experiencing domestic abuse.
You can listen and download "Lockdown" here.
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