First gig played at a school concert in Spring of 1997 to the delight of Physics teacher Mr Granger who, being taken back to his love of Krautrock in the 70s, recommended the band get themselves a ‘crazy Japanese frontman’…..
First proper gig played winter 1998, Rugely Red Rose, to the confusion/anger of the hardcore metal fans attending. This year also sees epic45s first ‘release’, a 3 track CDR made to order (estimated number of copies in existence, 10)……
Shorebound was released on 7″ vinyl in mid 1999 and got the attention of radio 1 DJs John Peel and Steve Lamacq, Peel actually finishing his show with the seven and a half minute track ‘The Overwelming Feeling’. 2000 saw the release of the second ep ‘A is an Alphabet’ and the French split 10″ featuring live favourite ‘When the Cold Weather Comes’. A is an Alphabets first track, composed entirely by Rob Glover, was played by John Peel also.
In 2001, the split 7″ with 100 pets was released featuring another live favourite ‘..and Still They Stand, the Churches of England’, which again, Peel played on his show. Also this year epic45 released a (mini) album called ‘Secrets, Signs and Threats, to be given away free on the bands website.
The first album proper ‘Reckless Engineers’ was released in 2002 on Canadian label Where Are My Records and was recorded entirely in our home village of Wheaton Aston in Staffordshire (with the exception of ‘Shorebound’). Recording onto 4 track and crap computers, the duo recorded pretty much every instrument themselves with a little help from the mysterious Joseph Pilato Quartet. Epic45 had done a handful of gigs by this time, based round a three piece consisting of Holton, Glover and school friend Mark Oldfield (whose drums where grafted onto a few of the Reckless Engineers tracks) which all seemed to go pretty well.
During 2002/early 2003, the trio, now joined by Marks childhood friend Oli Grocott, set about recording the follow up to the debut. Against the Pull of Autumn, as it would be called, was an attempt to capture some more live sounding tracks. The first track ‘I’m getting too Young for this’, featuring extra guitar from on/off member Matt Kelly, was probably the most successful of the 12 tracks to do this.
In early 2003, Mark Oldfield and Oli Grocott, embarked on a long trip to Australia, leaving the epic45 live band without a drummer. In spite of this, the band, helped by Mike Rowley of The Arm on drums, played a few shows across the country with Canadian band Below the Sea. During the rest of 2003, Ben and Rob continued recording and in early 2004, the very limited CDR album ‘Slides’ was released on the label Make Mine Music, a syndicate label founded by Scott from the now defunct band Portal. The summer of 2004 saw the return of school-friend and occasional contributor Matt Kelly from university. It also saw the seemingly permanent departure of long term drummer Mark Oldfield and synth player Oli Grocott. However, fresh from uni, Matt brought a a renewed sense of energy to epic45 and, as a drummerless trio, epic45 headed to Denmark to play a gig. Here, Rob and Ben also played a gig as part of July Skies with Antony Harding, a good friend and long term collaborator. On returning from Denmark, the trio began work on what was to become the ‘England Fallen Over’ ep, perhaps epic45s most confident and ‘poppy’ collection of tracks to date.
2005 saw the release of england Fallen Over on Make Mine Music to great critical acclaim. This year the band also played a couple of gigs with the band Hood, releasing a limited (about 30 copies) ep called ‘Long Walks’ to coincide. Also this year Ben, Rob, Antony from July Skies and Dan from Ruraline visited the labyrinthine tunnels and corridors of the Drakelow nuclear bunker, where the inspiration behind the ‘Drakelow’ ep would emerge.
Drakelow, recorded by just Ben Holton and Rob Glover was released in early 2006 on MMM. In direct contrast to the brash pop sound of EFO, Drakelow concentrated on dark, reverberating soundscapes and desolate, warped synth eulogies to the decaying, mildewed tunnels of the underground complex. Again the ep was met with an enthusiastic response from fans and critics alike. 2006 saw the departure of Matt Kelly as he moved to Edinburgh with his girlfriend, and the re-release of Slides on a proper CD backed up with the rare Long Walks ep. Also throughout the year Ben and Rob began work on the follow up to Slides.
May Your Heart be the Map came out in Spring/Summer of 2007 and saw the band concentrating on the more acoustic side of their sound, evoking lost childhood summers and a longing for a past that may or may not have existed.
In All the Empty Houses, the bands latest 'mini' album, released late Autumn 2009, dealt with issues such as loss, change and decay. However, the sound remained a beguiling mixture of melancholy and the eventual uplift of hope. This release saw a collaboration with Simon Scott (Slowdive, Televise, Seavault) on drums.
Ghosts on Tape
Epic45 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When things fell apart, we grew closer together
Your hand in mine, a moment in time
Now we're just ghosts on tape
Birds don't fly, they just stop themselves from falling
Birds don't fly, they just stop themselves from falling
Birds don't fly, they just stop themselves from falling
Birds don't fly, they just stop themselves from falling
Birds don't fly, they just stop themselves from falling
They just stop themselves from falling
In Epic45's song "Ghosts on Tape," the lyrics express the idea of a memory or a moment from the past that is frozen in time, captured and preserved. The first verse talks about someone who has left but is forever remembered, and how despite things falling apart, they grew closer together. The line "Your hand in mine, a moment in time," reinforces the notion of capturing a specific moment in time. The chorus of the song uses a metaphor of birds to express another idea of stopping or holding onto something that is otherwise transient. The lines "Birds don't fly, they just stop themselves from falling" suggest that birds do not fly by flapping their wings, but rather by keeping themselves from falling, which again speaks to the idea of holding onto something fleeting.
The repetition of the lines "Birds don't fly, they just stop themselves from falling" emphasizes the importance of capturing and preserving moments in time. It is almost as if the song is telling us to hold on to the past and appreciate the fleeting nature of life. The idea of being "ghosts on tape" further emphasizes this notion of capturing something that is no longer there, something that is intangible.
Overall, "Ghosts on Tape" is a deeply reflective and introspective song that speaks to the idea of capturing moments and memories, and holding onto them forever.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll always remember you, you're in my heart forever
The memory of you is deeply ingrained in my heart and mind and will remain with me always.
When things fell apart, we grew closer together
Despite facing difficult times, our bond only strengthened, bringing us closer than ever.
Your hand in mine, a moment in time
There was a magical moment when our hands were intertwined, and time seemed to stand still.
Now we're just ghosts on tape
But now it seems like those memories exist only as a distant echo, like ghosts captured on an old, worn-out tape.
Birds don't fly, they just stop themselves from falling
This line is repeated several times, offering a striking metaphor for the idea that sometimes we don't pursue our dreams or move forward; instead, we simply try to prevent ourselves from falling apart or failing.
Contributed by Jonathan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David Skinner
i first heard one of there songs on a free cd and now im hooked on this band truely amazing !!!!!!!
andromeda rising
This is one of those songs which is perfect in every way. "Your hand in mine, a moment in time" that part of the song has such a Pink Floyd vibe to it!
J. Cell Beats
I like how a lot of these sorts of bands, when they make a video, they tell a story, they don't just have random shots of the band and then a random scene of beauty.
M.E.L.
Such an amazing vibe in this one ♥️
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Этот трек для меня войдет в вечность!!!! ШЕДЕВР!!!
Марина Кобилянська
да, он гениален в деталях, продуманый, и клип вот прям под него... люблю!!!
Justin O'Gorman
Great video, full of beautiful pictures and great ideas. Love the music too.
IdieinBh
Every song in this album is perfect.
Abir Hasan Joy
I so love this song :')
dubwoofer
great track. these are the walks that have saved us.