Bangers n’ Mash (Ups) is a compilation album of local artists covering other local artists, with all proceeds going to She Sells Sanctuary; a non-profit raising money for domestic violence charities in NI. The idea for the album came from the women who make up local punk band Problem Patterns, who organised the 18 artists to put it all together. The Jumble Magazine spoke to Problem Patterns about this project.
What inspired you to come up with this idea?
Okay, so the idea is sort of a two part thing. Ciara had always loved the idea of local bands covering other local bands and had always wondered why it had never been done before (in our lifetime at least). So, I guess that idea had always been on the back burner. However, the charity compilation came from a bit of a sadder place. Ciara heard a story of a death happening because of domestic violence local to her and just felt so horrified and helpless. What could be done for that poor human being? That’s when we decided to marry the two ideas and raise money for domestic violence charities using our resources. It has become even more apparent how important this is with recent allegations of abuse coming to light within the music scene. We all have to do better and we need to have these conversations, people need to feel safe in music.
How long did it take for Bangers n’ Mash (Ups) to come together?
It was fast paced. The idea came at the end of May. So, the bands had just about a month to submit and we did some PR in the background but it was pulled together fairly quickly. We decided together which bands we wanted to get involved and the response was insane. We expected just a few replies, it was incredibly heartwarming to see so many folks get onboard. We never imagined it to become so big to be honest. We are overwhelmed in the best way.
Which cover on the album do you think is the most unlike its original version?
Honestly, every single band has put their stamp on the songs. It genuinely sounds like everyone wrote the song they’re covering. Without a doubt, Charles Hurts doing This Ship Argo is the biggest transformation. They took a sad, multi layered synth masterpiece and made it an upbeat, swing tune. However, some honourable mentions go to Junk Drawer, Mob Wife, This Ship Argo, and Fears for making their covers almost unrecognisable as well.
By getting artists to cover their creative peers you are also creating a bond and understanding of each other’s music within the local music scene, do you think this sense of togetherness will have an effect on the music scene once everything is back up and running after lock down?
I hope so! That was kind of the idea, we knew we were asking a huge favour from artists to create & record their own covers for free, but everyone was a complete legend and offered so much help. We wanted to maybe try and build a community feel, especially during lock down. We know and love each band involved but we quickly realised that not everyone is familiar with each other. We purposely picked a mix of genres and older/newer bands in hopes of spreading a bit of love between bands who maybe otherwise don’t know each other. Encouraging everyone to ask each other for tabs and lyrics. We had a little listening party on YouTube and the love was overwhelming. We genuinely all kept saying how much we all missed each others shows and music. Therefore, I sort of hope that continues post lock down. I hope we have created a bit of an openness for folks to chat who maybe didn’t before!
Where can readers find Bangers n’ Mash (Ups)?
For now, this album is a Bandcamp only situation! We wanted it to remain on a platform for donations , as it’s such a good cause. It is available for an absolute steal of £5 and all proceeds go to She Sells Sanctuary. Check it out here.
Bangers n’ Mash (Ups) features music by Joel Harkin, Alanah Frances, Mob Wife, Problem Patterns, Beauty Sleep, Junk Drawer, Fears, Big Daisy, Ferals, Charles Hurts, This Ship Argo, Alumna, Hand Models, Happy Out, Gender Chores, Susie Blue, Sasha Samara & Strange New Places.
Interview by Sam Dineen
The Jumble 