West Norfolk band play on the streets as 'form of protest' against government
A Norfolk punk band couple have decided to entertain people on the streets after being unable to play inside venues during the pandemic.
The Glitchers comprise of Sophie, 23 and from Lynn, and her fiancée Jake, 27, who taught her to play the drums in three months.
They have been performing outside in cities and towns including Sheffield, Norwich, Ipswich, Peterborough and Manchester as a form of protest against the shut down of the arts.
Jake, originally from Dereham, said: “We need to look at ways to reopen parts of society because we are going down the road of devastation at the moment.
“It’s all so wishy-washy and there seems to be no pattern in what the government are doing. The arts sector is so large and brings so much into the economy so they can’t shun us all.”
The couple have been effectively busking and have received donations from people of all ages who have enjoyed the music from a safe distance.
Jake said: “It’s always fun to see grandparents with grandchildren dancing to our hardcore punk.
“And it’s really, really nice to see people being so enthusiastic. The amount of people who come up to Sophie playing the drums and say ‘I can do that’; those moments are enough for us and it is encouraging to see.
“If we have made their day then that is only a good thing as we all need a bit of a smile.”
The band hope to return to Lynn next year, perhaps at The Walks as a hometown gig.
He has been interested in music from a young age and Glitchers was inspired by rock bands such as Rage Against the Machine, Every Time I Die and Enter Shikari.
Jake added: “There is nowhere for bands that normally play in pubs to play so we have been going outside and it has been really smooth.
“The police sometimes walk past but they are not bothered as there are only two of us and people stand well away, at least five to 10 metres.”
They recorded a demo at home during lockdown called ‘Relovelution’. Visit https://linktr.ee/Glitchersband and https://www.facebook.com/glitchersband/ for more information and for an online donations bucket.
