The Agency...

The Agency… is a musical collective based in Newcastle upon Tyne held together by the staple players of Steve Beyer (lead guitar), Steven K Driver (guitar and vocals) and Andy Ludbrook (bass).  Past contributors have included Fraser Smith (Little Man Tate/Shed Seven) and DJ/Producer Aaron McClelland (aka Fonzerelli).  They released their first album For the Brave and Troubled in 2012, which is now critically regarded as an uncovered gem.  The follow up Of Ghosts saw several tracks gaining airplay across the world, including the likes of ABC in Australia and the BBC in the UK. DJs recommending and playing the band have included Steve Lamacq, Paul Gough and Tom Robinson. The band also made a number of live, festival, radio and TV appearances with Of Ghosts and lead single She receiving critical acclaim and coverage across blogs, online magazines and paper presses.

It took a little longer, five years, to record the sprawling and ambitious new album In the Haunted Woods, which will be released on 23 October 2020 preceded by the single Defender (28 August 2020).  In the Haunted Woods represents the Agency…’s best material to date.  The dystopian electric soundscapes listeners are familiar with are painted even more vividly by the ensemble of players on this record.  Now Ben Anderson has joined the band on guitar/percussion, while Scott Wall plays keys on his third “The Agency…” album.  Cousin Dan and Carly McKeith add their voices throughout the record while Andy Turnbull (Monkey Junk Blues Club) weaves guitar across several tunes.  After Garry Cosgrove left for Berlin, the Agency… have had more drummers play on this record than appear on a Spinal Tap long player.  The result is a sonic kaleidoscope with instruments including Bouzouki, Mellotron and Sitar adding rich texture to tales of misanthropy and existential confusion.

Listeners describe the sound of the Agency… as rich and multi-layered with influences including Dylan, Pink Floyd, the Felice Brothers, Mark Lanegan, King Crimson, the National, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, William Shatner, the Velvet Underground and the Wizard of Oz. With literary and media influences as diverse as their electric soundscapes, there is a little bit of something for everyone that fortune sits at The Agency….’s table.