The Daydream Club is an English multi-genre music duo formed in 2010 by husband and wife Adam and Paula Pickering. They say their one goal is to make music they're proud of.[1] Their manager claims they have built a strong, loyal fan base without traditional forms of financing, promotion or backing.[2] To date all material has been self-released through their own label, Poco Poco Records. They have featured on BBC, Burberry, Acoustic Magazine, Rolling Stone, Level Films, Channel 4, the Hype Machine's most influential music blogs,[3] and Spotify, with over 100 million streams.
The Daydream Club | |
|---|---|
 Adam & Paula (2010) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Leicestershire Via Redcar United Kingdom |
| Genres | Folk rock, Alt-country, Indie folk, Neo-Classical, Contemporary Classical, Ambient, Electronica |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Poco Poco Records |
| Members | Adam Pickering Paula Pickering (née Walker) |
| Website | The Daydream Club |
History
editAdam Pickering began as a session musician, whilst Paula was a professional dancer. The pair first met in January 2005 on a site-specific arts project in a derelict tobacco factory in Liverpool.[4] The project was in conjunction with the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) where they both studied. Throughout their studies and after graduating they continued to collaborate on various projects and pursued careers in their respective fields. The Consequence of Sound journalist, Tony Hardy, said that "Together, they appear to have found their true milieu in The Daydream Club", which they formed in 2010.[5]
Pickering, a multi-instrumentalist (keys, drums, guitar, bass, percussion, melodica), singer, songwriter and producer, has supported acts such as Sam Sparro, The Wombats, Sneaky Sound System, Tinchy Stryder, DJ Yoda and Felix B from Basement Jaxx.[4]
Walker began her career as a dancer and toured internationally with the percussion show 'Noise Ensemble', headlining Henley Festival and working with Luc Petit (former Director of Cirque Du Soleil).[4]
Releases
editAlbums
edit| Date | Title | Description | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Overgrown | The band's first release. The track 'In The Arms of Another Day' was featured on Burberry Acoustic.[6][7] | [8] |
| 2016 | Piano Project | The 10 track improvised 'Piano Project' album was written, recorded and filmed by the duo in the space of 3 hours. The band's most successful release to date with lead single "Improv No. 10 – One Last Thought" gaining over 16 million streams on Spotify within the first year of release. | [9][10] |
| 2016 | L U X | Deluxe double album including 11 original indie-folk songs and 10 electronic remixes of the same songs. | [11] |
| April 2017 | Ambient Project // Sound Asleep | The Daydream Club's third self-released album features classical and electronic sound as well as reversed vocals | [12] |
| 2018 | With You In Mind | Live recordings from online concerts hosted throughout 2017. The Daydream Club invited audience members to be a part of the creative process by submitting thoughts, feelings and memories for the duo to use as inspiration for piano improvisations. Tracks include: "For the Lost Ones", "Off the Coast In Maine", "A Comet Among Stars", "My Anchor, My Home" and "I Miss Your Wonderful Face" | [13] |
| 2020 | Piano Project // Duets | The sixth album release by The Daydream Club marks the 10th anniversary since their debut album, Overgrown. It explores the interplay between two pianists. Released in the time of the Coronavirus, Covid-19 pandemic. Recorded, produced, mixed & mastered by A. J. Pickering. | [14] |
Singles
edit| Date | Title | B-side | Description | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 April 2011 | "The Record Shop" | "The Musician" (instrumental) | Limited edition vinyl single for Record Store Day 2011. The vinyl sleeve featured photographs of 40 independent UK record shops. | [15] |
| 2012 | "On the Move" | Remix | The music video, directed and filmed by the band, was captured in one take and is all in reverse.[clarification needed] | |
| 2012 | "Neon Love Song" | Christopher Bailey contacted the band requesting their participation in an upcoming ad campaign, and they were chosen as the new faces for the Spring/Summer eyewear launch alongside other British musicians including Life in Film, Marika Hackman and One Night Only. All tracks were recorded exclusively for Burberry with accompanying music videos filmed on set in London. The track secured the band features with Rolling Stone magazine, Vogue, Grazia and a number of other fashion and music editorials. The re-worked single version was mixed and mastered by Sam Bell. |
[16] | |
| 14 February 2013 | "Just" | Won the London FolkFest Songwriting Award For New Creativity | [17] | |
| 2013 | "Found" | The indie-folk single "Found" featured on Burberry Acoustic.he EP is the product of a fan funding campaign whereby fans pledge money for songwriting lessons, bespoke cover versions and personalised songs from the band. As part of the campaign, every backer received a personalised thank you dedication picture. Some of these pictures make up the artwork for an EP, consisting of a remix produced by the band. | [18][19] | |
| 2015 | "Saltwater" | Remix | The music video includes a surprise marriage proposal from Adam Pickering to Paula Walker | [20][21][22] |
| 2016 | "Improv No. 10 – One Last Thought" | Gained over 16 million streams on Spotify within the first year of release. | [10] | |
| 2016 | "A Christmas Music Box" | As featured in the film 'Harrods and Burberry Present A Very British Fairy Tale' 2016.[23] The project had three elements: a film, a Harrods window display and an interactive social media app with a personalised melody and video unique to users initials [clarification needed] | [24] | |
| 2018 | "For the Lost Ones" | The Daydream Club hosted a series of live-streamed performances in 2017, inviting audience members worldwide to submit their own thoughts, feelings and memories, which they turned into live spontaneous piano improvisations. (see Albums, With You in Mind) "Piano Project // For the Lost Ones" was the product of a request by a fan the day after a London terror attack in 2017, the dedication "in memory of anyone affected by the recent terror attacks anywhere in the world". | [25] | |
| 2018 | "Off the Coast In Maine" | The second single from With You in Mind. | [26] | |
| 2018 | "A Comet Among Stars" | The third single from With You in Mind. | [27] | |
| 2018 | "My Anchor, My Home" | The fourth single from With You in Mind. | [28] | |
| 2018 | "I Miss Your Wonderful Face" | The fifth and last single from With You in Mind. | [29] | |
| 2019 | "Always On My Mind" | The first of The Daydream Club's new approach to releasing music, opting to write and record multiple albums simultaneously, releasing singles as they are finished rather than waiting for an entire album of work. The band said "This approach will make creation more fun for us and releases more frequent and diverse for fans." Recorded, produced, mixed & mastered by A. J. Pickering. | [30] | |
| 2019 | "Wolf Winter" | Duet for two pianos. Recorded, produced, mixed & mastered by A. J. Pickering | ||
| 2020 | "Heavy Hearted" | The second single from the duo's Piano Project, which focused solely on piano duets. Recorded, produced, mixed & mastered by A. J. Pickering | [31] |
References
edit- ^ "About The Daydream Club". Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "Fans Not Fame. A New Way to Promote Independent Music". Music Think Tank. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
- ^ "Reviews: The Daydream Club". Hype Machine. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ a b c Peplow, Gemma. "The Two of Us: The Daydream Club Interview". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ Hardy, Tony (15 October 2010). "Album Reviews: The Daydream Club – Overgrown". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ "In The Arms of Another Day by The Daydream Club – Burberry Acoustic". YouTube. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
- ^ "Making a living from Spotify: A talk with the Daydream Club". Music Producers Forum.
- ^ "Overgrown Press Release". Bandcamp. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'Piano Project' (Music Videos)". YouTube. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ a b "Great Central Interview with The Daydream Club". Great Central. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'Lux' Press Release". The Daydream Club Official Website. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
- ^ "The Daydream Club Ambient Project // Sound Asleep Review". Right Chord Music. 15 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'Piano Project // With You In Mind' Press Release". The Daydream Club Official Website. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'Piano Project // Duets' Press Release". The Daydream Club Official Website. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ "The Record Shop Press Release". Bandcamp. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ Knight, Mark (4 April 2012). "The Daydream Club Announce Involvement in New Burberry Campaign". Right Chord Music. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ "The WINNERS of the award for New Creativity". The Bedford. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ Scoppie, Alex. "The Daydream Club". The Monograph. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ "The Daydream Club Found (Remixed) Press Release". Bandcamp. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ "The Daydream Club – Saltwater (Official Music Video)". YouTube. 18 February 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ Knight, Mark (17 February 2015). "Will You Marry Me?". Right Chord Music. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'Saltwater' Press Release". Bandcamp. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
- ^ "Evening Standard Exclusive: First Look At Harrods Fairy Tale Christmas Advert and Windows in Collaboration with Burberry". London Evening Standard. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'A Christmas Music Box' Press Release". The Daydream Club Official Website. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'Piano Project // For the Lost ones' Press Release". The Daydream Club Official Website. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'Piano Project // Off the Coast In Maine' Press Release". The Daydream Club Official Website. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'Piano Project // A Comet Among Stars' Press Release". The Daydream Club Official Website. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'Piano Project // My Anchor, My Home' Press Release". The Daydream Club Official Website. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'Piano Project // I Miss Your Wonderful Face' Press Release". The Daydream Club Official Website. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'Always On My Mind' Press Release". The Daydream Club Official Website. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ "The Daydream Club 'Heavy Hearted' Press Release". The Daydream Club Official Website. Retrieved 10 February 2020.