Cult underground favourites Gladboy return with ‘Doin’ Art Badly’, a statement for shoddy acts of creation which provides a first glimpse at their debut album.
On ‘Doin’ Art Badly’, their first single in over a year, Leeds-based garage-rockers Gladboy shrug off the pressures of perfectionism and urge you to join them in approaching art completely wrong. An ode to outsider art, the track is about forgetting what you’re told and forging your own chains; whether that’s in music, art, sport, or even your day job.0
“The track also paraphrases a guy I met at my old job who really inspired me,” Orton explains, “I worked at an art gallery in Leeds and we had an artist from Detroit called Michael E Smith do an exhibition. One day, we came into work and all the lights were off, and all our stuff had been moved. We all thought it was weird. But it turned out it was Michael getting in the zone. We asked him why and his response was what kickstarted this song. ‘Art is trouble’.”
Channeling The Modern Lovers’ proto-punk classic ‘Roadrunner’, Gladboy deliver this message amidst a jumble of driving guitars, distorted vocals, and the occasional bout of screeching feedback. And somehow, despite all their rallying cries for bad art, they create something far from it in the process. “When you’re doing art this badly, it’s all about feeling!” exclaims Orton as the song falls into Kinks-esque guitar twangs and carefree chaos. Maybe that’s the key.
Not long after the single release, Gladboy will host their own Christmas Staff Party at Leeds DIY hub Wharf Chambers on 13th December, joined by prog punk jesters Draags and avant-pop megastars Martin Manning. Slap your ass on the company photocopier, present your crisps in a nice bowl, and enjoy a night of music, art, live visuals, and bad decisions at the best venue in the city. Tickets available here.