“TOW LINES” will be Rory McLeod’s 13th album and comprises 11 new songs including 6 that were specifically written for ‘The Grit of Life’ – a musical theatre show based on a travelling canal boat theatre that toured the UK in 2021.

Some of Rory’s songs on “TOW LINES” were inspired by his lockdown experiences and also reflect his cultural, social and political reflections.

‘You don’t know her like I do’ is a Love Song “about me stubbornly liking and loving someone, whom others are trying to demonise and discourage me from loving”. The song can also be understood as an allegory.

‘Didn’t he ramble’ is a song for late departed friends (including singer Brendan Croker) lost in the past couple of years.

‘Clap the Capitalists’: Rory is known for his firebrand cultural and social commentary and his ‘angry love songs’. He was challenged to write a song by some friends when he was passionately ranting about the state of the nation. As Rory explained, “The song was written after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said ‘We should clap for the capitalists’. It is unashamedly partisan and full of scathing satire and sarcasm”.

‘Everybody’s fault but mine’: Made during lockdown, this is a topical re-working of Blind Willy Johnson’s song, ‘It’s nobody’s fault but mine’.

‘Older than Elvis’ is an affectionate, tragic-comic song narrative about an Elvis Tribute act who realises, tragically, that on his next birthday, he is going to become older than Elvis.

ALBUM INFORMATION: “TOW LINES” by RORY MCLEOD

Released: 10 May 2024
Catalogue Number: TALK007 (Talkative Music)