Wow. Beautiful new track from The Blackheart Orchestra, who dig deep and ask ‘how does it feel?’

Didn’t Dylan sneer the same phrase as he and The Band rocked out back in the Sixties with Like A Rolling Stone? Much less snarl and sneer here as Rick and Chrissy head down the road that holds much more philosophising and ultimately, a spine tinglingly touching conclusion.

Perhaps no too distant from some of the themes drawn upon for the Hotel Utopia album, Bloodlines takes inspiration from the things passed down through our lineage – not just physical traits but inter-generational trauma, mental illness, strengths and resilience. The song delves into the secrets our bodies and minds hold and asks the question is society’s current epidemic of depression generic or genetic.

Just when you thought it was safe to pocket your hankie while listening to The Blackheart Orchestra – the spell is cast immediately. Within a few seconds, a glistening tumble of percussive notes is accompanied by a lyric that flags up “December in your smile” and a “sadness in your bloodlines.” There’s no denying that some tender spots are hit as the duo once again employ their knack of being able to touch upon a rare emotion. It’s not hard either to imagine this in the hands of U2 or Coldplay with Bono or Chris Martin on the walkway, singing to engaging a stadium full of people.

A brief break in the ebb and flow sees a crescendo build as Rick’s rocking side emerges with a driving guitar part before the calm after the storm finale and a reminder “as you’re falling back to sleep, hold the secrets that you keep.”

Phew.

The Bloodlines tour crosses from September into October and if Bloodlines (the song) isn’t in the setlist, there may be trouble….

Sept 6 MONTROSE Playhouse
Sept 7 EDINBURGH Bannermans
Sept 13 BARNOLDSWICK Music and Arts
Sept 14 LEEDS Seven Arts
Sept 15 NEWCASTLE Little Buildings
Sept 20 LONDON Courtyard Theatre
Sept 21 WYCOMBE Arts Centre
Sept 27 OUNDLE Talbot Hotel
Sept 28 WINCHESTER Railway
Oct 5 SHEFFIELD Lantern Theatre
Oct 6 LEICESTER Musician
Oct 10 MANCHESTER Deaf Institute
Oct 13 BIRMINGHAM Kitchen Garden Cafe
Oct 18 GREAT YARMOUTH HRH Prog
Oct 19 OSWESTRY Hermon Chapel Arts
Oct 26 MIDDLESBROUGH Toft House
Oct 31 CARDIFF Norwegian Church Arts
Nov 1 READING Leckhampstead Church

The Blackheart Orchestra online: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp / Instagram 

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