Red & Black ‘Half & Half’ vinyl LP

The sixth Warrington-Runcorn album continues to explore New Towns and the demise of the post-war consensus. This time Gordon Chapman-Fox’s gaze falls on our public services that have been starved of cash or privatised since 1980.

“It seems ridiculous in hindsight for a developed country to have packed up and sold off vital infrastructure such as power, water or the rail network” says Gordon. “40 years down the line, and all of these vital industries are barely functional. Their prime function now is to drain cash from our pockets and into the bulging wallets of shareholders.”

Gordon’s anger continues to power his desire to make Warrington-Runcorn a statement for the here and now, rather than an exercise in rose-tinted nostalgia.

The People Matter, as side two’s sole track will attest.

“This album very much came from my live shows” says Gordon. “A lot of these tracks were designed to be performed live, and you will have heard quite a few of them if you’ve seen me live in the last year.”

There is a certain rawness to some of the tracks, not to mention an almost upbeat danceable quality. This is no less atmospheric than previous albums, but it has become fused with an urge to get you to move your feet.