19 February 2024
Newsdesk
Hot on the heels of opening single ‘Start Again’, which garnered praise across the BBC from Jo Whiley, Mark Radcliffe and Chris Hawkins, folk musician and protest singer Grace Petrie is back with new track ‘The House Always Wins’, out now on The Robot Needs home Collective.
A blistering critique of the corruption at the heart of British politics, ‘The House Always Wins’ is a relentless folk-rock banger driven by a pounding beat, catchy acoustic riffs and soaring strings that provide the perfect backdrop for Grace’s impassioned vocal and razor-sharp lyrics.
“Crash the economy, mismanage public health danger and commit huge harm to civil services and you will be rewarded with reality TV spots and celebrity treatment for lifel,” explains Grace on the song’s inspirations. “This is the clear message from the post-government rehabilitations of Johnson, Hancock and countless others. The idea came as a metaphorical rigged casino, where we all think we’re playing the same odds, but ultimately, the house always wins.”
In the 14 years since Grace first wrote a protest song things in the UK have gone from bad to worse. A decade and half of Tory rule has left a country devasted by austerity, and riven apart by division and culture wars, stocked up to hide the governments failings. All of this has led Grace Petrie to understand that anger is not just an understandable reaction to the world we live in, but a necessary one if anything is ever to change. ‘Build Something Better’ is the result of this realisation: eleven tracks brimming with barely contained rage, but also tinged with optimism that through compassion and solidarity we can make a better world. Produced by punk-folk troubadour, Frank Turner it is Grace’s biggest sounding record to date.
“As veteran master of empathic music, Frank Turner was the first and last choice to produce. His pitch perfect instincts have taken my howls of rage and turned them into what I hoped it would be: a soundtrack for hope.” Grace says on the collaboration.
Grace will be bringing these new songs, along with a raft of fan favourites, to stages up and down the UK through February and March, and with more than a few festival announcements to come, 2024 is set to be a big year for one of the country’s best songwriting talents.
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Tour Dates
21st Feb – Oh yeah Centre – Belfast
22nd Feb – Whelans – Dublin
24th Feb – Academy 2 – Manchester
28th Feb – Brewery Arts – Kendal
29th Feb – Summerhall – Edinburgh
1st Mar – Glasshouse – Gateshead
6th Mar – Glee Club – Birmingham
7th Mar – Brudenell Social Club – Leeds
8th Mar – Rescue Rooms – Nottingham
9th Mar – Philharmonic Music Room – Liverpool
13th Mar – The Bullingdon – Oxford
14th Mar – Islington Assembly Hall – London
15th Mar – Concorde 2 – Brighton
16th Mar – Norwich Arts Centre – Norwich
20th Mar – The Junction – Cambridge
21st Mar – Wedgewood Rooms – Portsmouth
22nd Mar – Phoenix – Exeter
23rd Mar – Trinity Centre – Bristol
