2020 Contenders: LYR

Is it just me who sees a band photo like the one above and now immediately thinks "you're not stood far enough apart?" What has the world come to?

You may recognise the gentleman on the right as our current Poet Laureate, and native to these parts. Simon Armitage. Oh god, you're probably screaming, Rol's going to bang on about how Simon Armitage comes from the same village as his dad again, and how he now lives less than a couple of miles down the road from him again, and how he's spent the last 20-odd years secretly stalking him without ever actually meeting him. Again.

Some friends of Louise's were out walking on the canal the other day, and who did they bump into? Lovely man. Had a nice chat, they did.

Grr.

(If that doesn't get your goat as much as mine, consider this: Another friend of Louise's, who lives in Brighton, regularly bumps into Nick Cave. They're on a smile and a howyadoing acquaintance now.)

And don't even start me on Guy Garvey on 6Music. Every week, it's "here's my best mate Simon Armitage..."

My life in a nutshell. Standing outside the party and wondering why I didn't get the invitation.

Anyway, I have written many times before about my admiration of Mr. Armitage, both as a poet and a part-time pop star. I saw his last band, The Scaremongers, live at Hebden Bridge Trades Club, you know, many years ago. So I suppose I have at least been in the same room as him once. Before the restraining order.

His latest musical offering is LYR, alongside musician Richard Walters and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Pearson. I'm guessing the name is something to do with lyrics. Armitage's mournful northern tones are given haunting and evocative backing that's quite some distance from the indie shambles of the Scaremongers... but lovely nevertheless.

You may have heard their recent lockdown song, with Florence Pugh.

Or the Joy Division-influenced 33 1/3.

But you're most likely to have heard the lead single from their album Call In The Crash Team, Never Good With Horses, which received a smattering of airplay.

This, though... this is my favourite thing from them so far. A live isolation recording of that single, shorn of fancy production, but still achingly beautiful...