You'd think that being Poet Laureate would keep Simon Armitage busy enough, but evidently not - I'm finding it hard keeping up with his musical career with Patrick James Pearson and Richard Walters as the band LYR. When I heard they had a new album out in April, I headed over to their bandcamp page... only to discover I'd completely missed an earlier offering, An Unnatural History, which must have followed hot on the heels of the last record I bought from them, 2023's Ultraviolet Age.
I'm slowly embracing the charms of An Unnatural History, but I've been particularly taken by a three-part song structure (or whatever you want to call it) that's dotted throughout the collection. It's called Theodolite... and it involves Armitage wandering round a run-down town centre (which I'm convinced, because he's a local lad, and because I recognise some of the places he mentions) must be Huddersfield. Although there's an Eldon Street in Sheffield, and one in Barnsley too, so it could be anywhere round here.
Of course, there's more to it than that, because he's a poet, and so what sounds like is actually a commentary on modern urban life... but beyond that, I'll leave you to make up your own minds.
And yes, I had to google what a "Theodolite" was. And it made perfect sense when I did.
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