Azure Ray

(mysterious music) (sonar humming) ("Displaced") ♪ It's just a simple line ♪ ♪ But I can still hear it all of the time ♪ ♪ If I can just hold on tonight ♪ ♪ I'll know that nothing, nothing survives ♪ ♪ Nothing survives ♪ ♪ I think I'm turned around ♪ ♪ I'm looking up, not looking down ♪ ♪ And when I'm standing still ♪ ♪ Watching you run, watching you fall ♪ ♪ Fall into me ♪ ♪ Am I making something worthwhile out of this place ♪ ♪ Am I making something worthwhile out of this chase ♪ ♪ I am displaced ♪ ♪ I am displaced ♪ ♪ And shes my friend of all friends ♪ ♪ Shes still here when everyone's gone ♪ ♪ She doesn't have to say a thing ♪ ♪ We'll just keep laughing, all night long ♪ ♪ All night long ♪ ♪ Am I making something worthwhile out of this place ♪ ♪ Am I making something worthwhile out of this chase ♪ ♪ I am displaced ♪ ♪ I am displaced ♪ ♪ It's just a simple line ♪ ♪ I can still hear it all of the time ♪ ♪ If I can just hold on tonight ♪ ♪ I'll know that no one, no one survives ♪ ♪ No one survives ♪ (audience cheers) - Thank you.

- We know a lot of you, but some of you we don't know.

We're Azure Ray.

Thank you.

(crowd cheers) We don't live here right now, but we were both born here and we really love Birmingham and yeah it's been a while since we've been here.

So it's really great.

- We have been making music since we were 15 and we had some strange bands and then we had Little Red Rocket, which is kind of a rock pop band.

And then we lost someone that was very dear to us when we were 23.

And we started writing these songs to help us get through it.

And then it became Azure Ray.

And so this song is called "November," but it's, you know, these things keep coming up and they become relevant over and over again.

(guitar strumming) One, two, three, four.

("November") ♪ So I'm waiting for this test to end ♪ ♪ So these lighter days can soon begin ♪ ♪ I'll be alone but maybe more carefree ♪ ♪ Like a kite that floats so effortlessly ♪ ♪ I was afraid to be alone ♪ ♪ Now I'm scared that's how I'd like to be ♪ ♪ All the faces, none the same ♪ ♪ How can there be so many personalities ♪ ♪ So many lifeless empty hands ♪ ♪ So many hearts in great demand ♪ ♪ And now my sorrow seems to far away ♪ ♪ Until I'm taken by these bolts of pain ♪ ♪ But I turn them off and tuck them away ♪ ♪ Till these rainy days that make them stay ♪ ♪ And then I'll cry so hard to these sad songs ♪ ♪ And the words still ring, once here, now gone ♪ ♪ And they echo through my head everyday ♪ ♪ And I don't think they'll ever go away ♪ ♪ Just like thinking of your childhood home ♪ ♪ But we can't go back were on our own ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ But I'm about to give this one more shot ♪ ♪ And find it in myself ♪ ♪ I'll find it in myself ♪ ♪ So we're speeding towards that time of year ♪ ♪ To the day that marks your not here ♪ ♪ And I think I'll want to be alone ♪ ♪ So please understand if I don't answer the phone ♪ ♪ I'll just sit and stare at my deep blue walls ♪ ♪ Until I can see nothing at all ♪ ♪ Only particles, some fast, some slow ♪ ♪ All my eyes can see is all I know ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ But I'm about to give this one more shot ♪ ♪ And find it in myself ♪ ♪ I'll find it in myself ♪ ♪ Doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo ♪ ♪ Doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo ♪ ♪ Doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo ♪ - Well, when we first started playing, I was a ballet major and she was a theater major.

And then we formed the band when I was 15, she was 16.

We couldn't really get into, like our very first show, There was this club called the Projexx, two Xs.

It was on like 1st or 2nd, was it 1st?

- [Orenda] I don't remember where it was.

- Anyway.

- Don't know how we found out about it, but... - And we saw this band loading in for sound check and we just pulled over, we always had an acoustic in the car and would just like force people to listen to us.

And we begged them, we were like, "Please like, let us come up during your set and play a show, and they were just like, "What?"

You know?

And we were like, "Please, please."

And they finally said okay, so we were waiting outside and they like opened the stage door in the middle of their set and said, "These two girls wanna play," and that was our first time in a club.

But like, I mean, then we started going to the Nick.

once we turned 21 all the time.

Orenda was a regular.

- Well we were to go to the Nick when... - When we turned 21.

(Orenda laughing) Orenda used to close the place down at like 6:00 AM.

- Yeah, not when I was 21.

(both laughing) - But I don't know.

- Those were the old days.

- I mean, there was like, we saw Follow Fernel at Louis Louis.

We snuck out of the house out of my rear-room window for that one.

(crowd cheering) - This next song is from our new record that we wrote and recorded and released during the first pandemic lockdown.

So it's really uplifting material.

(crowd laughs) Just kidding.

This song's called "Swallowing Swords."

("Swallowing Swords") ♪ How do you say goodbye ♪ ♪ And when will you know there's more ♪ ♪ What can you tell me now ♪ ♪ Can you show me where it hurts ♪ ♪ When did you leave home ♪ ♪ Where are you going ♪ ♪ Will you know it when you see it ♪ ♪ How does it end ♪ ♪ Your destruction ♪ ♪ Is coming into being ♪ ♪ What do you keep repeating ♪ ♪ How does it begin again ♪ ♪ How do you say hello ♪ ♪ When you know there's no more ♪ ♪ What do you dream about ♪ ♪ When you're not swallowing swords ♪ ♪ When did you leave home ♪ ♪ Where are you going ♪ ♪ Will you know it when you see it ♪ ♪ How does it end ♪ ♪ Your destruction ♪ ♪ Is coming into being ♪ ♪ What do you keep repeating ♪ ♪ How does it begin again ♪ ♪ Again ♪ ♪ Will you know it when you see it ♪ ♪ Will you know it when you see it ♪ ♪ Will you know it when you see it ♪ ♪ Will you know it when you see it ♪ ♪ Will you know it when you see it ♪ ♪ Will you know it when you see it ♪ (crowd applauding) Thank you.

Thank you.

("The Drinks We Drank Last Night") ♪ Riding on these waves ♪ ♪ Holding on to what you say ♪ ♪ Everything will be okay ♪ ♪ It will work out one way ♪ ♪ But I've drifted way too far ♪ ♪ My arms, my legs, have grown too tired ♪ ♪ And could you be inspired ♪ ♪ 'Cause I'm just tired ♪ ♪ And on a swing you push me hard ♪ ♪ So I'll come back to where you are ♪ ♪ And you know I'm never far ♪ ♪ No decisions, nothing hard ♪ ♪ And I knew that it would rain tonight ♪ ♪ I'll take the bus or the next flight ♪ ♪ I won't give up on what feels right ♪ ♪ If you see these tears filling my eyes ♪ ♪ It's just the wind that makes me cry ♪ ♪ If you could feel this pain inside ♪ ♪ It's from the drinks we drank last night ♪ ♪ It's from the drinks we drank last night ♪ ♪ And the shadow of our past ♪ ♪ Projects on clouds of dust and gas ♪ ♪ Wounds where my eyes will rest ♪ ♪ The silhouette of loneliness ♪ ♪ If you see these tears filling my eyes ♪ ♪ Well it's just the wind that makes me cry ♪ ♪ If you could feel this pain inside ♪ ♪ It's from the drinks we drank last night ♪ ♪ It's from the drinks we drank last night ♪ - Well, I feel like Orenda and I, it usually, when we decide to put out a record, I mean there's a few things involved, but one is just when we're in the same place at the same time.

So she moved to the desert right before in California near Joshua Tree and I'm living in Los Angeles.

So that was the first time we lived in the same like vicinity for what?

6, 7, 8, maybe 10 years?

I mean maybe?

Yeah.

And also writing songs is our therapy.

It's how we've always processed things that we're going through.

And so when COVID hit, you know, it just seemed like we were full of emotion and turmoil and then we were near each other, even though we really didn't see each other much but we would test take, you know, COVID tests and like wait a week and then go see each other but you wanna take it from there?

- Yeah, so, you know, like a lot of bands that recorded during that time during the strict lockdown we had to figure out how, how are we gonna do this?

'Cause normally we go into a studio and spend a month there basically.

And so we knew that we couldn't do that.

And so a friend of Maria's, Brandon... - Walters.

- Walters.

(laughs) she enlisted him to produce.

And he's an amazing producer.

And we met with him one time - Just to get to know each other, not even to make music.

- Yeah, just like to have drinks.

- 'Cause she'd never met him.

- Yeah, and then we made it all remotely.

And so we would just send him our guitar tracks and our vocals essentially.

And he filled in the rest and he has an amazing sonic palette and just did an amazing job.

- And we did tell him, the only thing we said was we really wanted to draw from our first album, you know because this might be the last Azure Ray record.

And we wanted just to like really use that, our own first record as an influence for the soundscapes and the loops and just, you know, so we did kind of go back to that and listen to it and just make it kind of cohesive.

♪ Fill these spaces up with days ♪ ♪ In my room, you can go or you can stay ♪ ♪ I can't sleep ♪ ♪ I can't speak to you ♪ ♪ I can't sleep ♪ ♪ Now these years locked in my drawer ♪ ♪ I'll open to see ♪ ♪ Just to be sure ♪ ♪ I can't sleep ♪ ♪ I can't speak to you ♪ ♪ I can't sleep ♪ ♪ And so I'm reaching out for the one ♪ ♪ And so I've learned the meaning of the sun ♪ ♪ And all this like a message comes ♪ ♪ To shift my point of view ♪ ♪ I'm watching through my own light ♪ ♪ As it tints the shade of you ♪ ♪ Hold my wine, hold it in ♪ ♪ Nobody's lost ♪ ♪ But nobody wins ♪ ♪ I can't sleep ♪ ♪ I can't speak to you ♪ ♪ I can't sleep ♪ ♪ And so I'm reaching out for the one ♪ ♪ And so I've learned the meaning of the sun ♪ ♪ And all this like a message comes ♪ ♪ To shift my point of view ♪ ♪ I'm watching through my own light ♪ ♪ As it tints the shade of you ♪ ♪ I can't sleep ♪ ♪ I can't speak to you ♪ ♪ I can't sleep ♪ ♪ I can't speak to you ♪ ♪ I can't sleep ♪ ♪ I can't speak to you ♪ ♪ I can't sleep ♪ (crowd cheers) - Thank you so much.

- Thank you.

- [Interviewer] Johnathan Purvis reminded me earlier, I'd completely forgotten this that your Dad wrote the Milo's theme?

- Yeah!

- [Interviewer] Which I am completely amazed by.

My sister... - I'm singing on it!

- [Interviewer] Are you?

♪ Everybody goes to Milo's ♪ - Yeah, I was just one little voice amongst some much stronger voices but I was in there.