New striking strokes

16 February 2023

Photo: Théo Valenduc

Band: THE NOISE WHO RUNS
Who: The musical project of Ian Pickering, best known as a member and songwriter for
90s British trip-hop outfit Sneaker Pimps. Hailing from Hartlepool in the north-east of England, Pickering launched this project in 2019, three years after relocating to Lille, France. Today, The Noise Who Runs is a duo of Pickering with Brazilian-born French guitarist Felipe Goes.

New single: BEAUTIFUL PERHAPS
The lead track from the upcoming debut album
‘Preteretrospective’, out on 7 April.

Pickering: “People need to stop selling their truth, their subjective complaints and petty outrages. First and foremost, I was a journalist, therefore, I deal in facts and I think as a general overview of the state of society and of humanity. This is as honest as you’re gonna get. And it hits the nail squarely and firmly on the head. The truth isn’t pretty but it has to be accepted before anything I describe in the song can be addressed. That’s what’s beautiful – perhaps.”

TUTV: The melodic and psychedelic drive of The Jesus and The Mary Chain (midway their career) immediately came to mind when this jagged jam kicked off. Non-stop layers of guitar galvanism vitalise this swaggering roller while a motoric groove whirls with a magnetic velocity in the back and Pickering‘s vocals add a reflective mood. Fascinating.

Heaven needs water
To short out the nausea
And to dampen the token contempt
Heaven needs water
The party is over
Hung, drawn and quartered and
toxic with cul-de-sac intent

The narrative seeks redemption
But it’s a picture book version, censored to fiction as the demons pull us apart
The truth isn’t pretty but it is beautiful perhaps
The truth isn’t pretty but it is beautiful
Perhaps

THE NOISE WHO RUNS: Facebook – Instagram – Bandcamp