Big Baby – Shine On (digital single)

Big Baby was born in lockdown with a smile on its face and the determination to create cheering andoriginal music at a time of global depression. Big Baby knew from the start that these were strange timesand that new rules would have to apply.Therewere no festivals. And Big Baby loves festivals. So it setout to write new festival songs for the summer. Grand, melodic guitar pop that would have arms andbanners raised aloft. If there had been a Glastonbury in 2020, Big Baby’s first single Shine On would havebeen a perfect festival anthem.

Big Baby acquired its name, it seems, because it was born with a love of old jokes. Like the one about thechild who announces ‘”when I grow up I’m going to be a musician’, to which the mother replies ‘you canonly do one or the other’”. Other questions on this bold and intriguingly enigmatic child areeasier to askthan to answer. This is certainly not a band in a conventional sense, though it does includefive keyindividuals scattered around the world. More could easily be added, for the idea is that anyone can beinvited to join, and there will be none of the pressures that exist with conventional bands because “we’retrying to foresee the way bands are going to be in the future”. An utopian vision?All the best babies areborn optimists.

As for the parentage, this is atrickier one. It’s known that babies respond well to music heard before theyare born, and Big Baby has gloriously unexpected eclectic musical taste. Asked about favourite albums,Big Baby will tell you that it’s a fan of individual songs rather than individual artists, but if pressed, willadmit to a love of everything from Stereolab and Daft Punk through to Yacht Rock, the sense of liberationthat came with Acid House, and even Boz Scaggs “but just one song”. It won’t say which one.

Big Baby likes bright colours and has plans for a virtual festival that’s “open and happy and bright andgorgeous, to cheer people up”.And when live music does eventually return, Big Baby plans to be therewith a “a big production”. A huge party with lots of people.” As a warm-up, it rather fancies the idea ofplaying on arooftop in Saville Row, London, like the Beatles. Those listening on the street below couldn’tsee the faces, but they could hear some great music.

And whoever they are, Big Baby are certainly great musicians and have written some great songs.All mayeventually be revealed, but for the moment it’s those songs that matter.