It was back in 2021 when I last gave a mention to The Catenary Wires, during which I admitted it had taken me a long time to actually pick up on their very existence while professing a great deal of love for what was then their new album, Birling Gap.
For those of you needing a gentle reminder or quick refresher course, the band formed in 2014, initially as a duo of Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey (ex-Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research and Tender Trap). By 2019, The Catenary Wires had expanded and now included Ian Button (ex-Thrashing Doves/Death In Vegas) on drums and Fay Hallam (ex-Makin’ Time) on keyboards.
Birling Gap was the band’s third album, and it proved to be one of the best things I came across in the year of its release, offering up a gentle musical experience, almost pastoral or chamber pop in places with hints of XTC, The Divine Comedy, Pulp, Luke Haines, the Go-Betweens, 60s west coast pop, 70s English folk and the gentler side of The Kinks dotted throughout its ten tracks.
It has taken four years for the next album to be released, mainly thanks to Amanda and Rob keeping very busy with their other band, Swansea Sound, along with what has been a very popular and successful comeback for Heavenly. Determined not to miss out, I’ve long been signed up to the mailing list, and a few months back, I received this:-
Brian Bilston and The Catenary Wires release ‘Sounds Made By Humans’, a new album of song-poems : Release date: 9 May 2025
Thankfully, the press release told me a bit more about Brian Bilston, as he wasn’t a name with which I had any familiarity. He is a poet, one with a huge on-line presence (more than half a million followers) who has written a number of best-selling volumes, some of which were aimed specifically at the children. It turned out that Brian had been spotted wearing a Heavenly t-shirt at one of his shows, after which Amelia and Rob got in touch. They soon discovered they were something of kindred spirits, and the friendship developed to the extent that an idea was hatched to work together.
The outcome is Sounds Made By Humans, for which Rob took thirteen of Brian’s poems and created melodies and arrangements, to be played by The Catenary Wires. Sometimes the words of the poems are sung by Amelia or Rob. Sometimes they are spoken by Brian. Sometimes both these things happen at once. It really is, as the PR blurb claims, a pop album where the poetry and the music are equal partners: sounds made by humans in perfect artistic alignment.
The end result is not some bloke standing in front of a mic reading some rhyming couplets while musicians noodle away in the background. Instead, it is a magnificent collection of songs, with the tunes representing the very best that indie-pop has to offer, with verses and choruses emerging from Brian’s delightful, insightful, witty and, on occasion, incredibly moving words.
Two of the songs already have accompanying promo videos:-
There’s not a duff track across the collection, and with titles such as To Do List, 31 Rules For Midlife Rebellion, As I Grow Old I Will March Not Shuffle and Thou Shalt Not Commit Adulting, you can perhaps begin to see why I’ve come to regard it as the perfect manifesto for my advancing years.
Other highlights include She’d Dance, a bittersweet number just two minutes in length about old age and memories, and Compilation Cassette, whose words will surely strike a chord with every single one of us as we all have – and you can’t deny it – pulled together C60s or C90s in an effort to impress someone to whom we find ourselves attracted, while closing track Customers Who Bought This Record Also Bought… is a genuinely laugh out loud number – a sort of more gentle form of anger and bemusement (and cultural references) of the type you find in Half Man Half Biscuit songs.
Trust me on this one. Sounds Made By Humans is a fabulous work of art. It can be bought at many fine independent record stores as well as being available via this bandcamp link.
JC
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
I’m fortunate enough to be selling merchandise at quite of the few (soon to be announced) live dates that will be happening in November.
Believe me, JC is absolutely spot on with his review of this record, it is absolutely wonderful. The vinyl version is a lovely bright green colour and the lyric sheet will have you studying, chortling and nodding sagely at the wise words that Brian Bilston has written.
Visit the Skep Wax Bandcamp page and at the very least, have a listen to the album before you inevitably purchase it!
Darren 157
A friend of mine shares a lot of Brian Bilston’s poems via Farcebook and he is indeed a very, very clever writer. Must listen in on this to hear how it bonds with music.
CD ordered, thanks for the review
Of the songs I’ve heard – I’ve enjoyed. The review makes me think – make time to listen to the LP all the way through.
Flimflamfan
First heard 31 Rules on the excellent Mickey Bradley Record Show on BBC Sounds on a Friday night and thought it was brilliant. The LP is equally so and highly likely to be my Record of the Year.
Just been paid, will be checking this one out – thanks for the heads up!