WWF and Music Declares Emergency have teamed up with some huge names from across the music industry to create a new British Isles music nature map. Check it out here.
Arriving this morning (April 22), the map highlights a host of areas across the British Isles that artists have described as some of their favourite sources of inspiration.
It comes as part of the WWF x MDE collaboration, which was made in celebration of Earth Hour in March. Various artists have already taken part in the annual WWF initiative by making playlists as part of the cause.
Including contributions from The Libertines, Elbow’s Guy Garvey, former NME Cover stars Hotwax, The Pogues and many more, the map includes nods to a mix of natural spaces, towns, cities and villages. It also ranges from Scotland’s Shetland Isles to Cornwall’s Malpas, and shows how the natural world plays a huge role in inspiring the creative process for the UK’s talent.
For Guy Garvey, it was watching Puffins, Gannets, and Storm Kestrels on the Shetland Isles that served as inspiration. “It was summer, and the memory of the endless day and those fabulous creatures connected me to the world in a really meaningful way,” he said. “To think that this life is going on all the time is a wonderful feeling. And I love birds. Which is why they are on every Elbow record in some way or another. ”
For HotWax’s Alfie Sayers, it was the beach at his Shoreham hometown that was highlighted. “I grew up surfing and free-diving and always take my waterproof MP3 player with me. Listening to music in the water combines the things I love and inspires my musicality,” he said.
Other choices include the “40 million-year-old” Gurdy Stone in East Sussex, highlighted by The Pogues’ Jem Finer, London’s Cable Street Studios chosen by The Libertines’ Gary Powell, and Easton in Bristol for Dry Cleaning’s Florence Shaw.
Check out the full map here, along with quotes from the artists about why their particular space was chosen.
“Music has a magical way of bringing us closer to nature. It stirs our emotions, brings back memories, and helps us feel connected to the world around us. It’s no surprise that some of the UK’s best musicians have found inspiration and calm in the beauty of our landscapes and changing seasons,” said Holly McKinlay, Director of Strategic Communications and Brand at WWF-UK.
Lewis Jamieson, CEO of Music Declares Emergency added: “The sounds of nature are the building blocks of our music and the natural world infuses the music of humans as both inspiration and echo. Through identifying how place plays a central role in their art, our contributing artists remind us of how much the natural world gives us and how important it is that we give as much back.”
You can find more ways to connect with nature on WWF’s Prescription for Nature hub, and check out the aforementioned nature-inspired playlists from some of the UK’s best-known artists here, or find Guy Garvey’s below.
As for Elbow, last month the band teamed up with the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester to help donate sound equipment to the city’s grassroots venues. News of the partnership comes nearly a year after the Britpop band took to the stage as the first performers at the venue last May.
