The Daydream Club

The Daydream Club

Adam & Paula
Background information
Origin Leicestershire Via Redcar United Kingdom
Genres Folk rock, Alt-country, Indie folk
Years active 2010–present
Website The Daydream Club
Members Adam Pickering
Paula Walker

The Daydream Club are an English indie folk duo formed in 2010 by Adam Pickering and Paula Walker. In the last few years, the duo have enjoyed significant support from the BBC (TV and Radio), Rolling Stone, Acoustic Magazine, Burberry,[1] and the Hype Machine's most influential music blogs.[2] Adam, a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer, was formerly a session musician, whilst Paula was a professional dancer. The Consequence of Sound journalist, Tony Hardy, opined that "Together, they appear to have found their true milieu in The Daydream Club".[3]
The real life couple have, to date, self-released all of their own work. Never settled with just one version of a song, Adam and Paula like to experiment with alternatives and re-imagine each track they release.[4] Tracks from their double EP ‘Found’ and ‘Found (Remixed)’ amassed a staggering one million Spotify streams in just two weeks.[5]

History

The pair first met in January 2005 on a site-specific arts project in a derelict tobacco factory in Liverpool.[6] The project was in conjunction with the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) where they both studied. Throughout their studies and after graduating they continued to collaborate on various projects and pursued careers in their respective fields.

Adam Pickering, a multi-instrumentalist (keys, drums, guitar, bass, percussion, melodica) and veteran of the band circuit, has supported the likes of Sam Sparro, The Wombats, Sneaky Sound System, Tinchy Stryder, DJ Yoda and Felix B from Basement Jaxx.[6]

Paula Walker began her career as a professional dancer touring internationally with hit percussion show 'Noise Ensemble', headlining Henley Festival and working with Luc Petit (Director of Cirque Du Soleil).[6] After enjoying a successful career in dance, Paula then moved into music and joined Adam Pickering to form The Daydream Club.

Releases

'Overgrown' (Album - 2010)
The premise behind 'Overgrown' was to strip everything back to the bare bones of a song, aiming to highlight the arrangement that remains. It was this idea that led to the intimate acoustic affair which is The Daydream Club's début release.[7]

After a video of the duo performing was shown to Burberry's Chief Creative Officer, they received an email inviting them to perform on Burberry's acoustic music series, which showcases and supports new British music talent. The track 'In The Arms of Another Day' was subsequently used in promotional material for the brand who have continued to support and work with the band in releases since.

'The Record Shop' (Single - 2011)
Released on April 16 as a special, limited edition vinyl for Record Store Day 2011. It features previously unreleased, cinematic instrumental B-Side 'The Musician' and the specially designed vinyl sleeve features photographs of 40 independent UK record shops.[8]

'On The Move' (Single - 2012)
"Best work yet. Mesmerising" Tom Robinson, BBC Radio 6 Music
On The Move (Part II) hints at the developing musical direction for the duo, with a fuller, more expansive sound.[9] In reference to their music video, Right Chord Music commented that "if ever a video perfectly encapsulated a band, this is surely it."[9] The single is backed by the original, rhythmically driven album version of the track, which showcases the percussive guitar skills of Adam Pickering.

'Neon Love Song' (Single - 2012)
Neon Love Song is the third single from the self-released duo. While The Daydream Club’s debut album ‘Overgrown’ deliberately aimed to strip away production layers to focus on song-writing and acoustic instrumentation, this reworked version of the album favourite was a sign of things to come, with a fuller sound. [10]

After the success of their first appearance on Burberry Acoustic, Christopher Bailey contacted the band requesting their participation in an upcoming ad campaign.[11] In 2012, they were chosen as the new faces for the Spring/Summer eyewear launch alongside a cast of other British musicians including Life In Film, Marika Hackman and One Night Only. In an interview with Right Chord Music,[12] the duo describe the development of the track, "[Burberry] wanted the whole project to have a more luxurious, cinematic feel to it compared to Burberry Acoustic. We took the opportunity to properly sit down, score out a string arrangement and drum parts and develop our sound to the more epic territories that we had been planning to take it to." All the tracks were recorded exclusively for Burberry with stunning accompanying music videos filmed on set in London. This track secured the band features with Rolling Stone magazine, Vogue, Grazia and a number of other fashion and music editorials. This re-worked single version was mixed and mastered by Sam Bell (REM, Snow Patrol, Robbie Williams & Foals) and features an epic strings section including Elbow’s violinist and Lana Del Rey’s Cellist.[10]

'Just' (Single - 2013)
Released on Valentine's Day, February 14, the track 'Just' won the duo the London FolkFest Songwriting Award For New Creativity.[13]

'Found' (EP - 2013)
The rootsy folk-pop lead single 'Found' featured on Burberry Acoustic.[14] Found is the product of a hugely successful fan funding campaign[15] that saw fans pledge money for songwriting lessons, bespoke cover versions and even a personalised song from the band. As part of the campaign, Adam & Paula thanked each and every backer with a personalised thank you dedication picture. Some of these pictures make up the artwork for the EP.

'Found (Remixed)' (EP - 2013)
This EP is the result of The Daydream Club remixing their own work on the Found EP. According to the band, Found (Remixed) involves them "stretching their musical legs and flipping the original songs on their heads."[16]

'Saltwater' (Single - 2015)
The Daydream Club’s Adam Pickering surprised his musical soulmate Paula Walker by asking her to marry him during the video shoot for the single.[17] Adam explains "I’d been thinking ahead to the future and while filming the video for Saltwater I realised that I would probably never have a more perfect opportunity to do it. Paula and I had our first official date at Formby Beach in Liverpool. It’s an absolutely beautiful place, so I suggested it to Paula as a shoot location (secretly thinking that it’s the ideal place to pop the question). I had the perfect musical backdrop, meaningful setting and even sparklers… After initial confusion from Paula, (she thought it was a strange scene that I hadn’t told her about), she eventually realised it was a genuine moment and thankfully said yes. [Saltwater is] about finding your soul-mate, the person you fit so perfectly with that you move together through life as one fluid entity, 'You are salt and I the water, and now we are the ocean, we move in fluid motion.'”[18] The Saltwater single is also backed with a self-produced remix.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Burberry_query=burberry+the+daydream+club". YouTube.
  2. ↑ "Reviews: The Daydream Club". Hype Machine. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  3. ↑ Hardy, Tony. "Album Reviews: The Daydream Club - Overgrown". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  4. ↑ "Found (Remixed) press release". The Daydream Club Bandcamp. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  5. ↑ Knight, Mark. "How Did An Unsigned Band Achieve One Million Plays in Two Weeks?". Right Chord Music. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 Peplow, Gemma. "The Two of Us: The Daydream Club Interview". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  7. ↑ "Overgrown Press Release". Bandcamp. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  8. ↑ "The Record Shop Press Release". Bandcamp. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  9. 1 2 Knight, Mark. "On The Move (Part II) The New Single From The Daydream Club". Right Chord Music. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Neon Love Song Press Release". Bandcamp. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  11. ↑ Knight, Mark. "The Daydream Club Announce Involvement in New Burberry Campaign". Right Chord Music. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  12. ↑ Knight, Mark. "RCM Interview: The Daydream Club". Right Chord Music. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "The WINNERS of the award for New Creativity". The Bedford. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "'Found' by The Daydream Club - Burberry Acoustic". YouTube. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  15. ↑ Scoppie, Alex. "The Daydream Club". The Monograph. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "The Daydream Club Found (Remixed) Press Release". Bandcamp. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  17. ↑ "The Daydream Club - Saltwater (Official Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  18. ↑ Knight, Mark. "Will You Marry Me?". Right Chord Music. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  19. ↑ "The Daydream Club 'Saltwater' Press Release". Bandcamp. Retrieved 4 August 2015.

External links

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