Jonny & The Baptists

https://jonnyandthebaptists.bandcamp.com

Jonny & The BaptistsNominated for five major awards (they’ve never won any), Jonny & the Baptists – real names JonnyDonahoe & Paddy Gervers – have rapidly become one of the UK's hottest live musical comedy acts. They've featured on 'The Now Show' (BBC Radio 4), 'The Infinite Monkey Cage' (BBC R4), 'The Gadget Show' (Channel 5) and 'Sketchorama' (BBC R4). They once topped the iTunes Comedy Chartwith single ‘Farage’.Dance Like It Never Happened, released 17 December 20211. Dance Like It Never Happened2. The Detective Agency3. Cocaine Gran4. We Don't Know Nothin' 'Bout Denial5. Never Too Late6. Not Disappointed (Just Angry)7. The Curse (feat. Michael Kamara)8. Digging A Hole (i)9. DudeGang10. Doubt11. The World Is Terrible Now (feat. Michael Kamara)12. Eden13. Southern Rail14. Little Green Miracles15. Monkey Funeral16. Digging A Hole (ii)A Message from Rob Sell (Producer):Making Dance Like It Never Happened has been one of the most challenging pieces of work the three of us have undertaken. As the pandemic took hold and our industry ground to a reluctant halt, Jonny and Paddy took it upon themselves to fulfil their obligation to the various venues they were yet to tour in 2020 and quickly turned themselves into fully-fledged live streamers, broadcasting their stage shows from different London locations with a skeleton crew and improvised equipment. It was an impressive achievement, and I think where this project was born. It is to the enduring credit of their generous supporters that this record was so wonderfully funded and has been made to the standard it has; allowing us to spend months rather than what would previously have been weeks attempting to create something unique. During the process, Jonny and his family relocated from London to Glasgow, whilst Paddy navigated the whims of an abusive slum-landlord, who refused to release him from an unconscionable, fraudulent contract. The seismic change they have both seen in their personal and professional lives in the last 18 months is significant. To have created what they have, swimming against the tide and pulling themselves through difficult periods with a combination of optimism and raw determination, has been humbling to experience. I am immensely proud of what we have achieved with this record and I hope it is as fun and joyous to listen to as it has been to make. I must also acknowledge the incredible musicians that appear on the album. Each of them faced with their own unique challenges during the pandemic, the generosity and professionalism shown has been nothing short of jaw-dropping. We three thank them all.A Message from Jonny & Paddy:How do you make a comedy album about grief? About first losing a friend, then losing your whole world as you fall into a pit of despair and depression? How do you make that funny?Perhaps the wiser question is: “why would you want to make comedy about those things?”. Well, making comedy and music together is what we do. And those were the things that were happening. And they were pretty all-consuming, so making it about something else would have been even harder.This is our second full studio album working with Rob Sell, but the first one proper, where we started with nothing and made a piece of work altogether. We don't know why or how he puts up with us. All we know for certain is he is the kindest, most talented and genuine person we have ever met and we'd be lost without him. He is our brother forever. So - thanks Rob. Another win for Ron.Jonny: This isn’t like a normal comedy record. There are no laughs at all in the first track. I am still worried about that, but Paddy and Rob seem convinced it’s OK. Then later “The Curse” really gets into the meat and bones of some very big things, just in a terrifically silly way. In 2020 I was so sick with covid I really thought I was dying; Paddy really did get magnificently screwed by a real-life devil with a contract. Michael Kamara’s performance as Lucifer is so intoxicatingly beautiful that I sometimes forget he probably represents the severe depression Paddy and I have both suffered over the last few years. When Paddy shoots him down in that song, I always think it represents our friendship kicking down the mental health stuff that has troubled us both for so long.Paddy: Making this album has been the most internally juxtaposing undertaking of my life. It has been the reason I want to get up in the morning, and why I can’t sleep at night. There have been times when I’ve never felt more depressed, broken and isolated, and times when I’ve never felt more supported, loved and celebrated. Every day has been a triumph and a disaster and I would not change a single moment. I have no idea what I would do without Jonny & Rob, and I think this album is simultaneously the most rogue departure and undeniably Baptists thing we have ever done. It has caused me so much pain and taken genuinely everything the three of us have to get here, and for that I am so utterly proud and wholeheartedly in love with what we have made, together.Jonny: The “Support Network Choir” that takes us home at the end of the album really are just that: some of the many people who have kept us going. Listening to them singing our stupid words makes me cry every time I hear it.Paddy: I really, really hope you enjoy this album. May it bring you as much sadness, delight, chaos and peace as it has brought me. Raise a glass.The three of us would like to thank…Everyone in The Support Network Choir, not just for singing but for their wonderful friendship and love, and enormous props and adoration to all the extraordinary and giving musicians who appear on this record. To our brilliant agent Cath Gagon for being astonishing in every way, and also everyone at Avalon who has supported us during and since the pandemic, especially Conor Fitzhenry, Julien Matthews, Georgia Lloyd-Roberts, Kat Weaver, Emily Mahon, Florrie Sheehan (and to Qasim, Beth and Carl who are also in the choir). With extra special thanks to Rachel Lepley, Bene Lombe and Josie Long for their love, support and also tolerance during this project. And yet more thanks to Will Young and Janet Dignan whose generosity we will never be able to repay; to the Gervers and Duff families; Allisa and Micha, James Utechin, TeamSunDayFunDay, Tori Gagliano, Henry Bell, Conor O’Toole, Rachel Ní Chuinn and Scout the Dog.A very special thank you to:Simon & Christina Hildrew, Josh Knight, Emily Caseley, Steve O'Connell, CP & The Two Peeps, Robert 'Weaselspoon' Wells, Alan & Keren Stiles, Danny Cain, Kaff Harding, Kate Onyett, Rhi Graham, Kendra Johnson, Danny Amey, Hannah Sawyer, Nina, Laurie Havelock, Harald van Dijk, Rosie Woolgar & Alex Fuller, David and Carole Chapple, Annelies van Dijk, Alex J Nine, Gwilym R Stone, Adam Burniston, Jeremy Taylor, Emma & Rhys, Rebecca Spice, Andy Rutland, Susan Olney, Pete Kirwan and Susan Anderson, Kate Maslin, Paul "Didymus" Holmes & Lauren "Lozzy" Taylor, Emma Spreadbury, Hattie Ajderian, Nicola Hardy, Louis Ayme Vernon, Matthew Smyth, Kit "Oatcakes" Nairne, Richard Ash, Emily Bailey, Kathryn Cartwright, Alex Cartwright, Chris Heath, Katherine Heath, John Greening, Artie Blair, Louis Blair, Heather Scott, Steve Smallwood, Jamie Bedford, Sarah Edwards, Andrew Wood, Janet Dignan, Michael Alcock, Tim Knight, Dinah Northfield, Rob Rimmer, Jonathan Dunn, Angela Stone, BoonDog Theatre, Greg Sheldon, Barry Shapiro, Heather Newton, Janvier Palmer, Laura Grimshaw, Simon Reap, Samuel Kinns, Austin Yuill, Jean Doumanian, and all the 312 backers on Kickstarter who pledged £11,379 to help bring this project to life.This album is dedicated to the memories of Bill Young, Kathryn Cartwright, Maureen Gervers and Ruby.

Category: People & Society

Country: United Kingdom (GB)

Currency : GBP

Platform: Bandcamp

Technologies used: Fastly CDN