IT'S ABOUT HOW IT MAKES YOU FEEL 

Starlite & Campbell have an authentically British sound. 

Campbell spent many hours in search of the perfect guitar and tones for each song during the recording process. “I must admit I did get a bit obsessed” he laughed ”Sometimes I had this sound I was looking to use in a particular song and I spent days experimenting with a combination of different guitars, amps and cabinets until I found the right emotion, the right attitude and feel that the song needed!!”

Simon added “We also have an extremely rare MOOG E1 M guitar which sounds magnificent. It’s like wrestling with a dragon to play but the ethereal guitar tones and expressions are out of this world incredible!!”

STARLITE.ONE also represented a fresh chapter with Starlite & Campbell experimenting with new synthesiser soundscapes. 

Starlite had the Sequential Prophet-5, Moog Opus 3 and Waldorf STVC to learn and explore.

"Working with these incredible synthesisers was such a liberating experience!" enthused Suzy. "I was like a kid in a sweet shop. We both were!"

"Simon was making all these strange rhythmic patterns on the MOOG Matriarch, Minitaur and Sequential Tempest drum machine. It felt like I was in some sort of interstellar spaceship messing around with all the ship's controls. The key was to understand what, when and where to use them!! I have fallen in love with the Prophet-5: it's such a majestic instrument! Awe-inspiring!!"

WE MIX FOR VINYL 

Simon explained “I’ve produced all the music we have worked on together as I am looking for something different. I'm not a fan of highly compressed sounds as it flattens the dynamics of the music.

Starlite adds an extra pair of ‘fresh ears’ and together we are never short of ideas and always experimenting - the result is we sound like us, from the way we record drums, bass and guitar, to the style of our songwriting, music arrangements and vocal harmonies.

Mixing all the band’s music with vinyl in mind, it is then sensitively mastered, without overuse of compression, by the mighty Jon Astley from Close to the Edge who has worked with The Who, The Rolling Stones, Porcupine Tree, Debby Harry, Tori Amos. Paul McCartney and George Harrison.”

The lacquers for vinyl are cut by Miles Showell, a world leader in his field at Abbey Road in London. Miles has worked on recordings by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Queen, The Who and more. 

Suzy and Simon take every care in the whole production process which is evident by the calibre of the team they work with to produce the beautifully recorded music. 

PROGRAMME A

A1. Saving Me

A dramatic start to STARLITE.ONE courtesy of Starlite's Mike Lull custom T4 fuzz bass guitar which immediately sets the tension, complemented by detailed cymbal work from Danin and strident guitar line by Campbell.

The second chorus introduces a searing guitar line followed by the Tarantinoesque middle eight with dark, moody analogue synthesised strings.

The tension builds through to the final chorus before finally erupting into a powerful climax of double harmonies and emotion! 

About: Starlite & Campbell have been deeply affected by the repercussions organised religion on world events and people. Pope Benedict XVI refused to change the Catholic Church's dogma on contraception directly condemning to death hundreds of thousands of Africans during the AIDS epidemic. So many people have fought and died in wars as a result of the interpretation of scripture.

A2. The Voting Machine 

A pulsing MOOG Matriarch implies we are moving to a different place... It begins with the abrupt arrival of complex rhythmic patterns, created by Campbell's programmed Tempest drum machine which intertwines with Danin's intricate groove. 

Starlite's pure and gentle tonal vocal delivery belies the dark meaning in the underbelly of the song, punctuated with a melodic rap cycling through the many facets of the story. 

The arrival of the middle eight is declared by the triumphant calls of the MOOG Opus 3 analogue synthesiser.  

A triumph for who? 

About: The controversy surrounding voting machines worldwide 

A3. Blow Them All To Pieces    

Campbell was deeply affected by the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces and wrote this song in a single flow of thought.  

His dry vocal delivery of this highly topical lyric is accompanied by lashings of majestic Sequential Prophet-5 analogue synthesiser. 

The tension builds with Starlite's sensitive bass line holding hands with the emotional waves of synthesised chords.    

The B-Part is optimistic, with the hope that in conflicts everywhere, humanity and common sense will prevail.   

As the song finishes, the sound of a lone Fife tries to reason with the anger of the Xenon discharge tube - as a moth to the flame.

A4. This Time (Is Gonna Be The Last Time)

The song erupts with a forthright groove and strident upper register chords from Campbell's Fender Nocaster.

At once the vocals are deep and moody, declaring that you won't be hurt again.

The song is punctuated with an aggressive fuzz guitar and features the only guitar solo on the album from Campbell playing his Les Paul Special Double Cut with fuzz and octave pedal.

The finale builds steadily into a moshpit of repetitive emotion, building in tension until at it's peak, the release comes from the dramatic harmonic unison of guitar and bass. But it doesn't stop there -  broken chords take you further along the road into the distance, over the guitar motif present throughout the song. 

About: How difficult it is to find love in 2023

A5. Everything 

A heartbreaking love song performed by Starlite.

Naked, genuine and innocent.

Respectful and sensitive accompaniment is given by the Sequential Prophet - with the echoes of solemn, ancient, almost funeralesque chords.

About: True, honest, deep, love

PROGRAMME B