Drowned in Sound

"My brothers are 20 and they're always like 'we are so cooked.' And I'm just like no we're not. There's hope but you just gotta believe, you gotta believe in something."

That quote accidentally captures Music Declares Emergency's strategic shift from awareness to action. After five years of "No Music On A Dead Planet" the Hope Over Fear campaign is building action hubs in grassroots venues - real physical spaces where fans, artists, and local communities organize around the climate crisis.

In this episode, PVA front-person and MDE Campaigns Manager Ella Harris explains how the campaign works, why music fandom is inherently empathetic practice that translates to organizing power, and how she balances making escapist art (PVA's intimate new album No More Like This) with building climate infrastructure.

The conversation tackles touring economics (trains cost £150, flights are just £30), why even festival headliners need day jobs, artists' fear of speaking out, and what £500 million in carbon offset funds could actually fix if redirected toward infrastructure.

This is about hope over fear. Real-life organizing over digital despair. Infrastructure over individual guilt.

This podcast is brought to you in partnership with Qobuz, the ethical music streaming platform. Visit drownedinsound.org/playlists to discover new music in Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial at qobuz.com/dis. 

Edited by: 

Josh Craggs at Dubble Audio

Chapters

00:00 – Introduction: No music on a dead planet

02:10 – Wearing multiple hats: PVA and Music Declares Emergency

05:00 – Music fandom as an empathetic practice

07:30 – From merch to movement

10:45 – Action hubs and the future of grassroots venues

15:30 – Touring economics, energy costs, and structural limits

19:00 – Artists, activism, and the fear of speaking out

24:30 – Nature, creativity, and why hope needs infrastructure

31:00 – What £500 million could fix in the music ecosystem

35:00 – AI, empathy, and what human music still does best

38:30 – Outro: Depth, not breadth

Continue the Conversation: 

Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

Subscribe:

Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

Links & Resources:

Music Declares Emergency - Learn more about the No Music On A Dead Planet movement, the Hope Over Fear campaign, and how artists, industry, and fans can get involved.

Music Venue Trust - Support and protect the UK’s grassroots venues

The Green Rider - Ideas for ‘green’ clauses for inclusion as part of your tech or hospitality riders.

Hope Over Fear Campaign - The campaign funding real-world action hubs in grassroots venues, focused on collective climate action and community organising.

No Music On A Dead Planet - The global artist-led movement connecting music, fandom, and climate justice.

About the host:

Sean Adams is the founder of Drowned in Sound, an independent music publication championing underground and independent artists since 2000. DiS explores how music fans discover their collective power through journalism, podcasts, and community organizing.

Related episodes:

- Tori Tsui: "How Music Fans Became Climate Activists" (Brian Eno, Billie Eilish, Fossil Fuel Treaty)

- Giles Bidder: "Why Festival Headliners Still Need Part-Time Jobs" (101 Part Time Jobs, touring economics)

- EarthSonic Live: Music, ecology, and collective action from Manchester Museum

About Ella Harris:

Ella Harris is the front-person and vocalist of London post-punk/electronic trio PVA, whose second album 'No More Like This' (produced by Kwake Bass) explores desire, devotion, and emotional indentation through trip-hop-influenced soundscapes. 

As Campaigns Manager for Music Declares Emergency, she leads the Hope Over Fear campaign, establishing action hubs in grassroots venues across the UK and Ireland. Previously, she founded Group Therapy Collective during lockdown, releasing two compilations featuring Yard Act, Mandy Indiana, and others to raise funds for Help Musicians, Black Minds Matter, and Music Venue Trust.

Guest links:

- PVA on Bandcamp: https://pvaareok.bandcamp.com

- PVA on Instagram: @pva_are_ok

- Ella Harris on Instagram: @lime.zoda

Many who otherwise couldn't afford a £40 show, let alone a £300 festival ticket, have accessed gigs because of a new initiative called The Ticket Bank.

In this episode, DiS founder Sean Adams meets Jack from Tickets for Good and The Ticket Bank to understand how they're redistributing access to live music. From seeing empty seats at the O2 to a partnership with Barnardo's, followed by offering tickets to NHS workers, teachers, and carers, Jack explains how the infrastructure works, who it serves, and why more artists and venues need to get involved.

The conversation covers touring economics, dynamic pricing myths, and the uncomfortable reality that an industry generating billions still prices out the people who need culture most. If you're singing about inequality, why would you only perform for those who can afford it?

It’s an inspiring chat about who builds community, how change happens, and who the next generation of artists might not be without projects like this.

This podcast is brought to you in partnership with Qobuz, the ethical music streaming platform. Visit drownedinsound.org/playlists to discover new music in Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial at qobuz.com/dis. 

This week's companion playlist features calm, ambient music from the community's picks of the best post-classical, drone, and ambient records. Two hours of peaceful listening to help you through the fog. 

Get Involved
For artists, promoters, managers, venues: Contact Jack directly to discuss partnerships Email: [email protected] 

For eligible audiences: Register via Tickets for Good or the Ticket Bank. New events added daily around 9am.

Tickets for Good: https://ticketsforgood.co.uk

Ticket Bank: https://theticketbank.org

For everyone else:

Share this episode with musicians, venues, and local promoters

Tag artists in the comments and ask if they've heard of the Ticket Bank

Send to your MP or local council about arts access

If you know someone who might qualify, subtly share the links

Continue the Conversation
Join the Drowned in Sound community to discuss this episode http://community.drownedinsound.com 

Subscribe to the Drowned in Sound newsletter for weekly essays, interviews, and insights exploring music, culture, and collective power. http://drownedinsound.org 

Links & Resources

Tickets for Good: https://ticketsforgood.co.uk 

Ticket Bank: https://theticketbank.org 

Music Venue Trust: https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction: Why access to live music matters

01:20 - Empty seats at the O2: The origins of Tickets for Good

05:10 - Cost-of-living tickets and breaking industry stigma

07:00 - From Tickets for Good to the Ticket Bank

12:00 - How eligibility and verification work

16:00 - Touring economics and the dynamic pricing myth

18:15 - How artists, promoters, and managers can help

22:15 - Mental health, social prescribing, and cultural value

24:45 - What £500 million could fix

27:15 - Grassroots venues and inspiring the next generation

31:00 - How to register, donate tickets, or get involved

33:30 - Outro: Your mission

Picking up where Part 1 left off, DiS returns to its conversation with Giles Bidder. Not to talk about how musicians survive, but about how stories travel, how listeners connect and what it really takes to build a music podcast in 2026.

In this second instalment, Sean Adams turns the lens on the medium itself (yes, we’ve gone meta). Drawing on nearly 600 episodes of 101 Part Time Jobs, Giles reflects on the craft of interviewing, the ethics of editing, and why the best conversations often need space to breathe. This is less about hustle and more about care: how to hold people well, how to listen properly, and how to build trust over time.

The conversation ranges from standout episodes and “slow-burn” storytelling to what it feels like to make work that actually helps people navigate their lives. Giles speaks openly about bad bosses, fear-based workplaces, and the quiet anger that fuels his show (as well as the small, human moments that make it worthwhile).

A love for radio runs through this episode: Giles describes producing Shaun Keaveny’s Community Garden Radio as a lesson in warmth, humour, and emotional intelligence on air. From there, the pair broaden out into why podcasts have become such a powerful space for connection, especially for people stuck in boring jobs, long commutes, or lonely routines.

Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

Chapters
00:00 - Intro
01:30 - Standout episodes and “slow-burn” editing
03:20 - When to cut vs when to let a story breathe
05:10 - What makes a “good” episode in hindsight
07:00 - Work gaffs, embarrassment, and shared vulnerability
12:00 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces
14:00 - Why people are quietly quitting
18:00 - Why podcasts work on boring journeys
21:00 - Community Garden Radio and the art of warmth
22:30 - What great broadcasting feels like
24:00 - Power, responsibility, and attention
25:30 - Why trust matters more than reach
27:00 - Outro

Continue the Conversation: 

Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

Subscribe:

Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

From scout-hut gigs to the economics of touring, DiS sits down with Giles Bidder - host of 101 Part Time Jobs for an unsentimental look at how creative lives are actually sustained today.

In this first instalment, Sean Adams talks to one of the UK’s most quietly compelling broadcasters about the hidden labour behind music culture. Over nearly 600 episodes, Bidder has built one of the most humane music podcasts around, asking artists, writers, and comedians not about their success but about the jobs they’ve done to survive.

Giles explains how 101 Part Time Jobs emerged as both portfolio and refuge: a way to make sense of a patchwork career, rediscover belonging, and document how people navigate a system that rarely works in their favour. Along the way, the conversation takes in touring economics, merch, sync, class, and why even bands who play the Roundhouse still need “normal jobs.

What emerges is a stark but generous thesis: music is socially priceless and economically precarious. Until that gap closes, culture will continue to run on grit, goodwill, and vast amounts of invisible labour.

Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro 

01:26 - Sitting in the “other chair”: Giles as guest, not host

04:05 - Ska/punk origins, micro-prejudices, and how scenes teach you

07:45 - Why 101 Part Time Jobs began: Universal Credit, lockdown, stability

08:55 - Human curation and introducing unknown artists

11:25 - The myth of “making it”: Roundhouse bands with day jobs

13:55 - Why meaningful art can still leave artists broke

16:10 - Music is priceless but paid in grains of pennies

18:20 - Gilla Band, Lambrini Girls, and invisible cultural impact

19:25 - Class, rent, and the radical idea of simply covering your life

20:15 - Why customer-facing jobs matter (merch, coffee shops, respect)

23:55 - Hard work, timing, and opportunity

25:20 - Standout episodes and the “slow-burn” edit

29:10 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces

31:55 - Power, responsibility, and attention in podcasting

44:07 - The importance of having your own project and taking the time

46:55 - Outro

Continue the Conversation: 

Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

Subscribe:

Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

Links & Resources:

101 Part Time Jobs (Giles Bidder) 

Community Garden Radio (Shaun Keaveny) 

Music Venue Trust - protecting grassroots venues 

Gilla Band 

Lambrini Girls 

Soho Radio

Reading Festival

From scout-hut gigs to the economics of touring, DiS sits down with Giles Bidder - host of 101 Part Time Jobs for an unsentimental look at how creative lives are actually sustained today.

In this first instalment, Sean Adams talks to one of the UK’s most quietly compelling broadcasters about the hidden labour behind music culture. Over nearly 600 episodes, Bidder has built one of the most humane music podcasts around, asking artists, writers, and comedians not about their success but about the jobs they’ve done to survive.

Giles explains how 101 Part Time Jobs emerged as both portfolio and refuge: a way to make sense of a patchwork career, rediscover belonging, and document how people navigate a system that rarely works in their favour. Along the way, the conversation takes in touring economics, merch, sync, class, and why even bands who play the Roundhouse still need “normal jobs.”

What emerges is a stark but generous thesis: music is socially priceless and economically precarious. Until that gap closes, culture will continue to run on grit, goodwill, and vast amounts of invisible labour.

Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro 

01:26 - Sitting in the “other chair”: Giles as guest, not host

04:05 - Ska/punk origins, micro-prejudices, and how scenes teach you

07:45 - Why 101 Part Time Jobs began: Universal Credit, lockdown, stability

08:55 - Human curation and introducing unknown artists

11:25 - The myth of “making it”: Roundhouse bands with day jobs

13:55 - Why meaningful art can still leave artists broke

16:10 - Music is priceless but paid in grains of pennies

18:20 - Gilla Band, Lambrini Girls, and invisible cultural impact

19:25 - Class, rent, and the radical idea of simply covering your life

20:15 - Why customer-facing jobs matter (merch, coffee shops, respect)

23:55 - Hard work, timing, and opportunity

25:20 - Standout episodes and the “slow-burn” edit

29:10 - Bad bosses, anger, and fear-based workplaces

31:55 - Power, responsibility, and attention in podcasting

Continue the Conversation: 

Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

Subscribe:

Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

Links & Resources

101 Part Time Jobs (Giles Bidder) 

Community Garden Radio (Shaun Keaveny) 

Music Venue Trust - protecting grassroots venues 

Gilla Band 

Lambrini Girls 

Soho Radio

Reading Festival

Fresh from touring stadiums with Depeche Mode, DiS meets electronic music pioneer to discuss her past, the present, and the future of music.

This is part of Drowned in Sound’s 25th anniversary series in which Sean Adams continues the anniversary series by sits down with some of our favourite acts of the past quarter century. Kelly Lee Owens is very much one of those artists, who has featured in DiS year end lists and awards and playlists since releasing her debut EP.

The episode starts on the education that comes from working in record shops and becomes a wide-ranging conversation about how music communities form, fracture, and sometimes regenerate. Moving across North Wales to London basements, from pressing white labels by hand to playing for 75,000 people with Depeche Mode, Kelly Lee Owens traces a path through all corners of music: the shops, venues, teachers, collectives, community centres, and accidental mentors that shaped her, her music, and her career.

Sean and Kelly chat about their working class roots, the discipline of DJing as storytelling, and the economics of grassroots music. Kelly Lee Owens reflects on why she now deliberately plays shows in places artists rarely go, why she sees music as a form of healing as much as entertainment and why community matters more than scale.

If there’s a thread running through it all…it’s this: music isn’t a product or a pipeline. It’s a relationship. And like any relationship, it needs time, space, and care to survive.

Visit https://drownedinsound.org/playlists/ to discover new music in rich Hi-Res lossless quality and start your 30-day free trial of Qobuz at https://qobuz.com/dis.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction

02:00 - Record shops as education and community

05:05 - Obsession, discovery, and how taste is formed

10:00 - The early 2010s shift: risk, hedonism, and electronic culture

13:05 - DIY culture, SoundCloud, and pressing your own records

15:00 - Human curation vs automation and playlists

22:10 - Playing huge rooms: Depeche Mode, confidence, and scale

26:05 - Returning to small places: community shows and access

29:00 - Grassroots collapse, class, and structural inequality

32:10 - What £500 million could fix in music culture

42:05 - Music as healing, frequency, and emotional space

48:25 - The future: rebuilding value, community, and care

50:15 - Outro

Continue the Conversation: 

Head to the Drowned in Sound community to chat about the topics in this episode.

Subscribe:

Get weekly essays, interviews, and insights from the Drowned in Sound newsletter - exploring music, culture, and resistance.

Links & Resources:

Music Venue Trust — protecting grassroots venues
https://www.musicvenuetrust.com

David Byrne — How Music Works
https://davidbyrne.com/books/how-music-works

Fabric London — venue history and cultural importance
https://www.fabriclondon.com

Piccadilly Records (Manchester)
https://www.piccadillyrecords.com

Pure Groove Records (London)
https://puregroove.co.uk

Kelly Lee Owens
https://kellyleeowens.com

Stop Making Sense — Talking Heads
https://www.talkingheadsofficial.com

Cocteau Twins
https://cocteautwins.com

The Knife — Silent Shout
https://theknife.net

Warehouse Project (Manchester)
https://www.thewarehouseproject.com

Neuadd Ogwen / Bethesda community venue
https://neuaddogwen.com