Music interview Captain of the Lost Waves

Captain of the Lost Waves is the brainchild of Shaun T Hunter, a singer-songwriter from Cleckheaton.
Captain of the Lost WavesCaptain of the Lost Waves
Captain of the Lost Waves

For the video for his new single, Another Planet, he teamed up with the Bafta Award-winning studio Fettle Animation. Half of its proceeds will go to the charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably).

And on July 22 he’s due to play at Underneath The Stars festival near Barnsley.

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You’ve been making music in various guises for more than a decade. How did you come up the concept for Captain of the Lost Waves?

Like all moments of true clarity and serendipity, one does not force or coerce a vision into manifestation, one just aligns with every moment, distilling a lifetime’s inspiration and experience into a new chapter neither premeditated or designed. Of course the Captain has been around forever, he’s just been waiting for me and my I to show up...

Is this essentially a solo project, or do you have several ‘ship mates’ on board too?

The performances are primarily solo, due to navigating a series of intimate and of unusually bespoke nature (from old fire stations to narrowboats and tree houses) though it is a joy to share one’s sonic sensibilities with an array of ‘musical brigands’ that range from accordion/double bass/ mandolin/piano, horns, strings and electronica too, the latter evidenced on the radio edit version of debut single Another Planet Nothing is out of bounds here. Free music expression indeed.

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There seems to be a strong theatrical element to your work. What did you learn from your experience of playing at the Edinburgh Fringe last year?

That one adopts the mantra ‘Enjoy what you can, endure what you must’, Edinburgh is a 24/7 experience. Like a creative, undulating roller coaster. When one isn’t engaged in the process of executing a show on a daily basis, there are a myriad other tasks... Busking, radio, flyering (witnessing the fatigued expressions on those who are flyer weary. Some carrying rucksacks full of flyers and reminding they they don’t need more!)

How did you come to collaborate with Fettle Animation on the striking animated video for your song Another Planet?

Through a love of each other’s work. An artistic respect was evident. I was honoured to have Bafta award winning animators create such a stunning piece of ‘animation film noir’.

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Half of the proceeds from the single will go towards the charity CALM. Is their work close to your heart?

Yes, indeed. The human condition is a complex one, no one size fits all. I’ve had friends who’ve lost children to suicide and I’ve lost friends to suicide myself. It is an act of immense courage and one that is steeped in a sense of isolation and desolation, often being the last step for many who feel they cannot go on. The biggest killer of males between 20-49 in the UK is a startling fact in itself.

You play at Kate Rusby’s Underneath The Stars festival soon. What can festival-goers look forward to from you?

Each show is a singular entity. A Captain show is always intuitive, always unpredictable and responds to each setting individually. It turns out that each show is as unique as each audience... All I can assure is that it will be full of hearty delivery, profundity, humour and smiles. (At least from oneself!)

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The Captain’s debut album, Hidden Gems – Chapter 1, is due out in the autumn. Does the record have a particular theme?

The Captain is a truly underground creative dweller, a musical mole if you like...he revels in the journey of many a maverick or visionary... Those whose stories were not heard, seen or ever acknowledged... The ‘hidden gems’ are all around us...throughout history and here and now. ‘Though one can only truly see if one truly chooses to look.’ A testimony to ‘hidden gems’ everywhere... How many have you unearthed?

For further details visit http://captainofthelostwaves.com/

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