Richard Hawley: ‘Britain is no longer a civilised society’

Guitarist says new album 'Standing At The Sky's Edge' is a metaphor for the state of British politics

Richard Hawley says his new album ‘Standing At The Sky’s Edge’ is a metaphor for the state of modern Britain.

Speaking about the album title, he tells NME: “Sky’s Edge is a place in Sheffield…But I used it as a metaphor more than anything, for being on the edge and how we have to decide what side of the line we’re on. The government are using the recession to force through politics that will put us back 125 years of history.”

The album, which was released yesterday (May 7), is the Sheffield guitarist’s seventh studio album and the follow up to 2009’s ‘Truelove’s Gutter’. Hawley says that the album is darker than it’s predecessor:

The government are really limiting us by closing libraries and reducing NHS funding. Kids are coming out of university £50,000 in debt and still end up flipping burgers. This is no longer a civilised society, the dignity of our sick and elderly is being taken away

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He continued: “This has impacted on the sound and made me realise what’s important. We had to fight for those things and I just don’t want to see them taken back away. It’s pissed me off and it think it’s pissed every fucker off to be honest.”

Hawley will play London’s O2 Academy Brixton on October 3, which will be his largest UK headline show.

He will also headline the brand new No Direction Home Festival this June. 

The event, which is the sister festival of End Of The Road Festival, will take place from June 8-10 at Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire. Andrew Bird, The Low Anthem, Dirty Three, Gruff Rhys and Slow Club are among the other artists booked to perform at the festival. Hawley also recently collaborated with Arctic Monkeys on their new B-side ‘You And I’, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click to watch the video for the track.

To check the availability of Richard Hawley tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/TICKETS now, or call 0871 230 1094.

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