Street People

Out on all digital platforms.

Peter Sutcliffe, “The Yorkshire Ripper” might seem an unlikely subject of this blog, but here’s why.

There’s a song on the upcoming EP by The Blue Yellows which started from the imagined point of view of the victim of a real-life historic unsolved murder and also delves into themes surrounding the extreme, murderous subjugation of women that used to prevail in the times when women who were too loud or too clever or too scandalous in some other way were burned as “witches”. The song then found a strengthened focus following a BBC documentary about Sutcliffe’s crimes from a new perspective; that of his victim’s families and surviving victims. It brought into stark focus how the extreme sexism that was widespread in the 70s & 80s in the police force, the press and the public at large led to further murders, and further subjugation of women in general. 

The victims were portrayed as “unworthy” in various ways, as “dirty prostitutes” (often with little or no evidence that this was the case, or any investigation that if it might’ve been for one or two, how this may have actually resulted from the dire poverty that women in particular were often subject to, or the factors in society which lead to women being more likely to be in poverty). Some newspapers and police officers even took the view that Sutcliffe was “doing God’s work” in “ridding the streets” of these unworthy women we’d seemingly be all be better to forget, or better off without. Members of the public asked about the crimes at the time often said the same sort of thing. 

As these murders continued, it was women, not men who were told to “keep off the streets” in the female-only lockdowns of the time. If you are female and go out, surely you “have it coming to you”? The view being that it is up to women to protect themselves from male violence by changing THEIR behaviour and lives. There seemed to be no such suggestion for men to stay indoors, even though the murderer was known to be a man. 

Notions that continue to this day.

Another “Live” lockdown show.

This was originally filmed for a filmed-at-home multiple-artist charity fundraiser concert to encourage donations to the now desperately in-need Middlewich Food Bank. 

That never seemed to happen but here it is anyway. Feel free, of course, to donate to this important organisation which as I say, is desperately trying to help yet more people in the economic fallout of the pandemic.

The Way of The Bob

 

Last night and slightly into the early hours of this morning I was back in Ftumch Towers with Rob.

Apart from a from a fun catch up following a 10 month Covid-induced hiatus, Rob showed me his newly comfy, tidy and technically upgraded studio. I wasn’t expecting anything more but he played me a new composition and we came up with melody lines for it and co-wrote some lyrics. It looks like we’ve got nearly a whole album’s worth of material now.

We’re back!

BYs EP - Latest Progess

Although all the tracking from the main band members is done, we were we delighted that the talented youngster Alba Muñoz-Burgess laid down some great backing vocals. There’s a particular part of one track which seems to require female vocal tones higher in the mix than in other areas (for reasons we might be able to make clearer at a later point), so both Em and Alba are more prominent here.

Alba who is just 12 years old, is the daughter of our friend and producer José who is also in the mix somewhere on gang backing vocals and a few percussion parts here and there.

Without giving away too much, see/hear below for a 1st teaser: