Panes, who plays mandolin and guitar, is accompanied by Georgie Harris (Viola), Joanne Sy (Cello), Sean Hatton (Drums) and Deborah Panes (Vocals).
Panes is a British songwriter with a guitar to his chest and a heart swelling with hopes and dreams. A common on-paper pitch, perhaps, and one sold a thousand times before. But Dorset-born Panes has something special to offer those willing to wait a while for their favourite songs to settle into place.
Panes’ debut album, ‘Little Giant’, isn’t a collection operating at the vanguard of a cutting-edge, ultimately transient scene worthy of clicks for the next few months. It’s not an album that sets out to trick its audience in any way – what you hear is succinct, honest songwriting, from a place of deep personal expression, resonating with universal truths and values. It’s an embracing set, a welcoming one, which represents everything that its maker has worked towards since first picking up a guitar and exploring his innermost thoughts and feelings through song. No follower of fashion, Panes walks to his own beat.
It’s a strange admission for any artist, but nevertheless: “I’ve never really listened to much music,” says Panes. “Influences from other artists, they’re not really that important. I find that my music comes to me from situations I find myself in – those situations can come to me as songs. In terms of first picking up an instrument, my granny was a classical pianist – we’d go to her house, hear her play, and run around in circles. And my mum used to be in a travelling theatre company, so I was encouraged towards culture, towards the arts. But I always thought: if I want to listen to music, I’ll just write it.”
Don’t mistake confidence for arrogance – such statements come from a sincere place, as Panes’ upbringing in Wimborne, once home to novelist Thomas Hardy, proved more inspirational to his writing than any sessions in the company of a parent’s record collection. The natural beauty of Dorset’s open spaces – and those of the Lake District, a place he loves to visit – have become woven into the fabric of his craft. The peace, the silent solitude: it’s here that Panes feels more alive with ideas than he does in the hubbub of his adopted home of London. There’s a pastoral warmth to ‘Little Giant’ that couldn’t have manifested had its roots been laid within urban limits.
The comfort of home, of a tight and supportive family, punctuates proceedings throughout Panes’ debut LP – which is perhaps inevitable, as the collection was recorded there. Beside producer Rupert Coulson – a man with numerous soundtrack credits, as well as experience of working on records by Portishead, Robbie Williams and Oasis – Panes and his band captured the classic 12-string guitar sounds, rippling percussion and sweeping strings that decorate ‘Little Giant’ in, says the singer, “the music room, down at our house – just a small, wooden-floored room. I thought, why not keep the recording close to where I write the songs?”
He continues: “I’m a really big fan of the idea that you don’t need all the stuff you find in a big studio – it’s about how you use the things you do have. Rupert had a lot of imagination, and got a good grasp of the room and harnessed it. I love working in places that have an atmosphere, and I think it’s good to have that extra, background noise on a record. I’m sure there’s an ambulance on the album, actually.”
He was, briefly, the face of a Burberry campaign, something he describes as “random”. “I was on tour,” he says, “and I got a phone call asking me to do it. I just grabbed the opportunity that was in front of me. I went in a musician, and came out a musician. It’s a short episode in my life, but one that’s had some quite big repercussions.” Indeed, a Google search pulls up many attractively composed black-and-white photographs of Panes sporting fine threads – but it’s music that surges strongest in his veins, above all other passions.
And now that you’ve separated your senses from social media for a while, closed your chattering inbox, just what does ‘Little Giant’ offer above more garden variety singer-songwriter recordings? A little patience provides the answers: this is material that truly connects on an emotional level, its gentle rhythms and compelling cadences topped by vocals that can’t be faked, that come characterised by a complete lack of artifice and affectation. His is a deep voice, one that sounds aged beyond its years, perhaps. And yet, it’s telling of timeless stories, endless ache and forever love. It asks that we all find the right way to see the world around us.
One number that specifically addresses the need for optimism is the single ‘Tiger Striped Sky’. Says Panes: “It’s about the idea where we can look at any situation ahead of us in two ways: either it’s challenging, and off-putting, or you can say that you love a challenge. It’s about the idea that you chose your context, and if you put yourself into a negative context, you’re going to come out with stripes on you.”
The title track is about addressing one’s own shortcomings in order to better themselves. “It’s accepting that you have to realise your own vulnerabilities in order to become stronger,” says Panes. “That’s why there’s the line, ‘Have the heart of a giant / But know you’re a man.’ You have to take things step by step. It’s also got that message of hope, as well.”
These songs are, says Panes, “personal, and vulnerable – but expansive, too. Because I don’t want it to just be about me. Here’s a bit of me, to help you understand a bit of you. I think positivity and hope are things worth giving to people, and I think that the album does transmit a lot of hope.”
Glory Days
Roo Panes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But every thought of you is floating on the breeze,
Every thought of you is floating on the breeze.
Left to find Kingdoms but leaving a kingdom behind,
oh every thought of you is always on my mind,
Every thought of you is always on my mind.
Oh, your memory stronger than a thousand ships of war to call me home,
cos those glory days are done!
But I won't break, even when the earth around me shakes -
When the things that built us up have brought us down,
Sometimes you have to leave the things you love for love!
Your siren's sigh, your whisper always louder than your cry,
but your memory lives long beyond goodbye,
But now I know that I have to leave and can't come back for you.
Remember the winters, light hearts and the lonely trees
They're the memories I'll always keep with me,
They're the memories I always keep with me.
The wide world between us, still see you with each young sun,
But now I have to tell myself those days are done,
Now I have to tell myself those days are done!
Oh, your memory stronger than a thousand ships of war to call me home,
and though it's glory I'm chasing it's from glory I run,
cos those glory days are done!
But I won't break, even when the earth around me shakes -
When the things that built us up have brought us down,
Sometimes you have to leave the things you love for love!
Your siren's sigh, your whisper always louder than your cry,
but your memory lives long beyond goodbye,
But now I know that I have to leave and can't come back for you.
The lyrics of Roo Panes’ “Glory Days” speak of the bittersweet feeling of leaving behind a loved one to pursue one’s dreams. The song’s narrator is a sailor, “king of the ocean, riding the seven seas,” who can’t shake off the memory of his beloved, “left to find Kingdoms but leaving a kingdom behind.” Despite his ambition and thirst for glory, he realizes that “those glory days are done” and that he must let go of the past.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the powerful hold that memories have over us, “your memory stronger than a thousand ships of war to call me home.” At the same time, it highlights the need to move forward, even when the “things that built us up have brought us down” and we have to “leave the things you love for love.”
The lyrics are filled with rich imagery, from the “siren’s sigh” of the singer’s beloved to the “light hearts and lonely trees” he remembers from his past. Overall, “Glory Days” is a poignant, heartfelt ballad that beautifully captures the complex emotions of letting go of the past while still honoring it.
Line by Line Meaning
King of the ocean, riding the seven seas,
I may be powerful and successful, but my mind is still consumed with thoughts of you.
But every thought of you is floating on the breeze,
I can't escape memories of you, they are ever present even in my success.
Left to find Kingdoms but leaving a kingdom behind,
I ventured out to find more, but I had to leave behind something valuable.
oh every thought of you is always on my mind,
My mind cannot let go of thoughts of you, they are my constant companions.
Oh, your memory stronger than a thousand ships of war to call me home,
The memories of you are powerful, they have a strong pull on my heart and mind.
and though it's glory I'm chasing it's from glory I run,
I may be seeking success and glory, but I am actually running away from it as it reminds me of what I left behind.
cos those glory days are done!
I can't go back to the past and relive the glory days, they are over.
But I won't break, even when the earth around me shakes -
Despite the difficulties I face, I won't give up or lose hope.
When the things that built us up have brought us down,
The things that brought us up can also be the things that bring us down.
Sometimes you have to leave the things you love for love!
Love sometimes requires us to make difficult choices and leave behind things we cherish.
Your siren's sigh, your whisper always louder than your cry,
The sound of your voice always echoes in my mind, even more so than your tears or cries.
but your memory lives long beyond goodbye,
Your memory lingers on, even after we have parted ways.
But now I know that I have to leave and can't come back for you.
I have come to the realization that I can't go back to you, even though I may want to.
Remember the winters, light hearts and the lonely trees
I hold fond memories of the past, of happy times and even the less happy times.
They're the memories I'll always keep with me,
Those memories will always be with me, shaping my present and future.
The wide world between us, still see you with each young sun,
Despite the distance between us, I still imagine you under each new sun.
But now I have to tell myself those days are done,
I have to accept that those days are over, and find a way to move forward.
Contributed by Austin M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sandra Dunkel
on Know Me Well
Beautiful song.... beautiful voice :-)