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Ash, Feeder & Ivyrise Men Create New UK Supergroup
On November 1st The Red The White and The Blue present ‘Crisis!’ and ‘Flying With You’, the first two tracks and corresponding issues from their comic series ‘The Balloonist’.
The Red The White and The Blue are Paul Cronin on guitars, Ed Loades on vocals, joined by Rick McMurray from Ash on drums and Taka Hirose from Feeder on bass.
‘The Balloonist’ is a story told over ten songs and ten accompanying comic books, which will be released in print, traditional music formats, plus motion comic videos. The music is a killer blend of Britpop, anthemic indie, 80s drivetime greats and classic rock, and was produced by Ed Buller (Suede, White Lies, Pulp).
The Red The White and The Blue is the brainchild of Paul Cronin, an ex-member of pop-rockers Ivyrise.
“I’ve had this idea in my head for a long time and wanted to make it come alive as vividly as possible, combining the music and visuals to tell one story.”
As for working with Rick and Taka, Paul is a lifelong Feeder and Ash devotee who even used to run an Ash fan site in his teens.
“I still can’t quite believe I got to record an album with Rick and Taka; I’m just a massive fan”.
With singer Ed animating the videos, and guitarist Paul coding the website, app and interactive comic, the band are keeping a tight rein on all the creative parts of the project. They are also including a number of surprises and innovative ideas – tying the story to real life places in real time. Plus, they’re planning guest appearances and hidden content that further the immersive multimedia experience.
Video & Interactive Comic: link