Felix Lindsell-Hales: Dare to dream

As part of Artists Project Earth’s ongoing release of Earth Songs, a series celebrating diverse musicians who harness the power of music for climate action and social justice, we’re excited to spotlight another talented winner of the eco-anthem music competition: Felix Lindsell-Hales.

Frontman of the band Year of the Dog, Felix grew up immersed in the Wye Valley in South Wales, an experience that continues to shape both his life and his art. His song Wild in Your Eyes, praised for its evocative lyrics, asks us if we can “dare to dream, dare to believe” in a world that, rather than dying, is alive and thriving.

“Wild in Your Eyes” is now available on all streaming platforms! Listen, share, and support by purchasing. All royalties will be split between Artists Project Earth and the artists themselves to continue supporting them beyond the competition.

INTERVIEW

Herbert Girardet: We’re delighted that you’re one of the winners of the APE ecoanthem competition with your song ‘Wild in your eyes’. Tell us something about your life, please. You grew up in the Wye Valley in South Wales. Was that a pleasant experience - did you leave your mark in your mind?

Felix Lindsell-Hales: Growing up in the Wye Valley in the village of Tintern had a big impact on me. It's such a beautiful place - the forests all along the River Wye, the hills, the fields, the colours. There is so much wildlife all around, and it has been very inspiring in all aspects of my life since then.

HG: Could you call yourself an artist inspired by nature?

FLH: Yes, caring about nature came from playing outside in the garden and the forest. Walking out as a child every day is an essential part of who I am today. I love encounters with wild nature, and when I come back there from Cardiff, it's always great. It used to amaze me how much wildlife there was all around us, like the birds we used to feed in the winter. But sadly, it’s now growing sparser.

Where are all the butterflies I used to see? What about the salmon in the river? Their disappearance is a real concern. 

HG: Can you say more about the river?

FLH: My friends and I used to love swimming in the River Wye. And canoeing was great fun as well, seeing herons and kingfishers, and even seals swimming up the river. But now we probably shouldn't go swimming there anymore, because of the chicken manure, the sewage and all the pollutants. What a shame.

HG: What made you want to write an echo anthem?

FLH: Nature is part of most songs that I write.  I think we need to use music to campaign for the environment. Music is something that everybody can get behind. I've got a band called Year of the Dog and in our songs, nature is always present, one way or another.

Again, growing up in the Valley is just a part of who I am as a musician. And one of my goals in life is trying to see as much of the living world as humanly possible and make that part of my music.

HG: Yours was one of the last of the 120 entries to the competition that we received. What does it mean to you to have won this competition, together with a couple of other bands?

FLH: It was a very lovely surprise, and I wasn't expecting it at all. The lyrics came to me in my head cycling home from work in Cardiff, and then I knocked it together on the day the competition closed, because I thought I may as well submit it, even as a rather basic demo.

HG: We had a jury of 6 people, and they went for your song very strongly. I would say that it's the most ‘singable’ of all the songs that we've given the prizes to.

FLH: I am so pleased about that. For it to be an anthem was the main thing on my mind.

I was trying to move people, and also to bring people together so that they could all sing it, and that was my main goal, really.

HG: What was the experience like recording at the famous Rockfield Studios in Monmouth?

FLH: It was amazing, obviously because of the history of the place. After all, Queen, Coldplay, Oasis and Hawkwind all recorded famous albums there. At Rockfield, they’ve kept so much of the iconic recording gear there, so you get a strong sense of everybody who was right back there before us, which is a little bit intimidating.

Rockfield is also located in the Wye Valley in Monmouthshire, and so that was lovely. After all these years, they haven't lost any of their pioneering spirit at all. Tim, the recording engineer, is brilliant. I've recently been recording there again for the album we are putting together. Yes, our band Year of the Dog are working at Rockfield with Tim again, and it is a great pleasure.

HG: Do you have anything else to say about the competition? What kind of experience is it to be part of this process that we've all been engaging in at APE?

FLH: It’s very exciting. The world needs exactly this kind of thing: people coming together to try and generate positive change, especially now. It is great to encourage artists to come up with songs that have a deeper meaning, rather than simply trying to get into making money.

Music is the language of the world around which people come together.

We want to be part of a movement to encourage people to do ‘the right thing’. Music can help people make things happen. I‘m looking forward to continuing to work with APE in the future