Joshua Burnside signs to NETTWERK and shares double A-side single

Following his biggest year yet, the rapidly ascending and acclaimed Belfast-based folk singer-songwriter Joshua Burnside is pleased to announce he has joined  the legendary Nettwerk label roster and shares a stunning double A-side single, “Marching Round the Ladies / The Good Life” out now.

“Marching Round The Ladies” is an ode to the marching bands and traditional music of Joshua’s hometime and youth.

Burnside adds; “Marching Round the Ladies is my adaptation of an old Belfast street song for children. There would have been a dance to go along with it. I’ve changed the melody and added more verses, with nods to places that have been important to me over the years. The line about the Shankill and the Falls I added later, just as a bit of craic really. But the sentiment of those lyrics became the soul of the song, and has been really fun to sing. Especially in England.”

“The Good Life” sees Joshua explore the tongue-in-cheek nature of his new fatherhood. Pulling on nostalgic notes and imagery of listener and singer alike; falling asleep in the backseat as your dad plays his CDs in the front. Joshua’s hypnotic vocals and lullaby harmonies attempt to lull his new son to sleep as he laments his lack of freedom.

Joshua expands, “We’re told that if we get a good job, a house, a car and all the trappings of modern capitalist life, that we’ll be happy and safe. We build our lives about us, creating this complicated scaffolding to give us the illusion of stability. But when we’ve achieved many of these middle aged milestones only to feel more stressed, confused and anxious about the future, the relief brought on by a bottle of wine or a few pints in the evening can quickly become a crutch.”

Described as ambitious, foreboding and provocative, Burnside’s lush Irish Folk blended with tense electronica is representative of the new Folk revival that has captivated audiences and resulted in sold-out tour dates and a rapidly growing audience.  Acting as frontman, songwriter and producer his unconventional instrumentation comes together in a perfectly atmospheric yet introspective sound, fluctuating from crisp and clean to tense and droning, with intricate fingerpicking that brings to mind the works of artists like Ben Howard and Elliot Smith.