LYR

LYR are Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, Alton based singer-songwriter Richard Walters, and multi-instrumentalist/producer Patrick James Pearson. Formed in 2018, LYR are now a firmly established part of the contemporary music scene, with regular radio airplay across the networks, two critically acclaimed albums, Call In The Crash Team and The Ultraviolet Age, and over three million streams to their name. They have appeared at many major festivals over the past three years including Green Man, Latitude, and Blue Dot and completed UK tours and sell-out events at venues such as the Howard Assembly Rooms in Leeds and Hoxton Hall in London.

Having released their debut album through Decca label Mercury KX, as well as releasing music through the traditional channels the LYR ethos is very much about pursuing other creative ventures and bespoke projects. In 2020 they released the song Lockdown featuring actress Florence Pugh, to raise money for the charity Refuge, in support of abused women. Commissioned by Durham Brass Festival to compose work around the theme of County Durham's struggling pit villages, in July of 2022 LYR delivered a passionate and culturally significant sold out performance in Durham Cathedral, backed by Easington Colliery Band. The band recently announced Blossomise, a major collaboration with The National Trust celebrating all things blossom. LYR specialise in collaborations with filmmakers, choirs, orchestras, and many different kinds of artists with a view to making a distinctive brand of art, but one that always has memorable songs, melodies and words as its foundation stones.