Martin Jackson’s Confyde project releases it’s latest single tomorrow
The Covid-19 crisis has hit many businesses and industries, but maybe none more so than the live music scene. And that has been the case for professional musician Martin Jackson who has seen his livelihood as a working musician wiped out for the time being. Many know Martin as a wedding singer, but he has performed on the Pepsi Max Stage at the prestigious Download Festival in 2013, along with support slots with Reef, Chuck Mosley, TesseracT, Nick Oliveri (of Queens of the Stone Age / Kyuss fame) and Toby Jepson. Most recently he completed a tour of Australasia as lead singer for the UK's number one System of a Down tribute band, where he worked with members of Dragonforce, Cradle of Filth, Breed 77 and The Sisters of Mercy.
But for every dark cloud there is a silver lining, and Martin has turned this difficult time into an opportunity to be creative again exploring new and different musical forms. It has also given him time to restart his Confyde project, which is a hard rock project but with a lot of eclectic genre deviations mixed in.
Don't Lie Awake, the single, is out on 12th July on most streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple/iTunes etc) but it has two bonus b-sides (The Railroad and an acoustic version of the single) only available on Bandcamp - making it something of an EP.
Don't Lie Awake is a barrage of heavy metal riffs, soaring melodies and unexpected twist and turns.
The circumstances of it’s creation during the Covid crisis are clearly in evidence and it is the sound of a musician exorcising his desperation with lines such as “Everything I’ve built’s come crashing down”. The pain and anguish, and the uncertainty come through and are expressed so beautifully “The smiles I used to bring to all, have turned around and closed their doors”. “There’s no cushion to break my fall…. Clinging on for words I need to hear”.
But the chorus is uplifting and shines through the gloom, bringing hope for the future “We’re here for you, it’ll be alright, don’t lie awake panicking through the night, just give it time……!”
Don't Lie Awake is an excellent track, embracing different moods and styles. The powerful riffs and chords create an excellent emotive backdrop for the powerful lyrics. Sections of the track very much remind me of earlier Power rock anthems. The vocals pull the track together so well – expressive and emotional in equal measure.
The version released through Bandcamp has two bonus B side tracks. First up we have an acoustic version of Don't Lie Awake….. and wow – what a surprise this is ! I really enjoyed the main heavy rock version but the acoustic version is well worth the time too. Replacing the heavy rock anthem feel of the original, this has a wonderful almost flamenco introduction, and a Spanish guitar style underpinning the lyrics throughout. Martin’s vocal skills fit beautifully to this format, especially later on with the additional depth in the chorus of a backing vocal track, different again with an almost choral feel in places, and indeed the track fades away to this wonderful vocal only performance. Simply beautiful.
We also have Railroad, which is different yet again…. Very different indeed ! Opening with a simple banjo and muted early 20’s/30’s style vocals I was half expecting something along the lines of Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq. before the track bursts into life. It settles into a wonderful acoustic vibe, but with a rousing chorus. Vocally the style is a little different on this one.
Right now, the world is a hard place for musicians, but it’s great to see Martin finding new inspiration and creativity during this difficult time. We hope that very soon, restrictions are lifted and our wonderful industry can get back out there with live shows, which is what we all want. In the meantime we have to make the most of it I guess, and boy, does Confyde do that. Powerful and emotional, and yet at times soft and gentle, this ‘EP’ offers it all. A strange mix of tracks, but somehow, for me anyway, they hang really well together. It’s a very enjoyable release and I look forward to seeing Martin live soon.
A highly recommended release from LiveWire with a score of 9.0
To find out more about Marin Jackson and his Confyde project here:
www.instagram.com/confydemusic
