LET’S AWAY

The devil’s got all the good tunes. Ever since Elvis Presley enraged Middle America with a swivel of his hips, rock ‘n’ roll and religion have been sworn enemies. When John Lennon made a throwaway comment about The Beatles being bigger than Jesus, there were riots as albums burned in pyres up and down the Bible Belt. Thankfully, though, the relationship has long since mellowed. In recent years, there’s even been a movement towards playing live on holy ground, something that would have been unimaginable forty-odd years ago.

The latest band to bring the weight of the church to bear on their songs is the North East’s own Let’s Away. Recorded in Whitburn Parish Church in Sunderland, the video for recent track “Only In The Dark” is as beautiful as its surroundings. The perfect setting for Let’s Away‘s glacial melancholia, it’s an ideal backdrop for their subtle yet beguiling guitar-pop.

Giving the heartfelt post-Britpop indie of Athlete a truly modern twist, Let’s Away is a revelation. Introspective, brooding yet unquestionably beautiful, “Only In The Dark” is contemporary pop perfection; an intensely personal track that could one day find the crowd around the Pyramid Stage bellowing its refrain.

Words by Toby Rogers

Tipped by Joe Frankland