DesertFest

Blanket

Blanket's first full length release was the post-rock flavored ‘How To Let Go’ in 2018, recorded at The Ranch Production House in Southampton with producer Lewis Johns.

The band toured UK and Europe in support of this album including a thirteen date UK headline tour with Pijn opening. Blanket also toured the UK opening for Zeal & Ardor, Polyphia, Cellar Darling, Tides Of Man, and a run of dates in Belgium and Germany with Noir Reva. Festival appearances at ArcTanGent, DesertFest, Bluedot and Supersonic amongst others followed.

blanket also performed as part of some less conventional events including a performance for a PROG Magazine exclusive livestream at Rio Cinema in Dalston, and a live show under the artist Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon during its residence at Preston’s Harris Museum. During this time Blanket also produced two short movies ‘Fragments of a Dream’ which was a companion piece to ‘How To Let Go’ using the band’s music against a backdrop of their hometown of Blackpool, a once thriving seaside town now a shadow of its former self. The band hosted a unique sold out premiere event for the movie at a local library, including an acoustic performance of some of the music, a bespoke cocktail bar and Q&A with the band about the movie.

A second short movie ‘First Light’ was produced by the band a year later in conjunction with a instrumental cinematic reworking of ‘How To Let Go’ which was featured on Apple Music’s ‘New In Rock’. This second movie focused on the people of Blackpool and how they define the concept of ‘letting go’, and also looking at how the town has reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the cinematic reworking, blanket followed the release of their first album with the digital EP ‘Transfixion’ featuring a cover of ‘Knife Party’ by Deftones which went on to amass 650k streams on Spotify, and was featured on Daniel P. Carter’s Radio One Rock Show and Revolver Magazine. The EP also contained acoustic versions of album tracks from ‘How To Let Go’ and an acoustic cover of ‘No Surprises’ by Radiohead. The band also released a rework of the previously instrumental track ‘Beacons’ featuring guest vocals from Isa Holliday of Slow Crush. For Halloween 2018 the band also produced their own reworking of John Carpenter’s iconic ‘Halloween Theme’.

During this time Blanket had a full page feature in Kerrang Magazine for their ‘New Blood’ section, and was the Featured Artist of the Week on Kerrang Radio appearing on Alex Baker’s ‘Fresh Blood’ show and ‘New Noise’ section of the magazine. The band were also featured on a full page in PROG Magazine in their ‘Limelight’ section, leading to a nomination for a PROG Magazine award in 2018. The band was also featured in the ‘On The Up’ section of Total Guitar. Lead single ‘Worlds Collide’ was featured on major Spotify playlists including ‘New Music Friday’ and ‘The Official Premier League Playlist’. The single was also played on Radio One as part of Daniel P. Carter’s Radio One Rock Show.

Blanket’s second full length ‘Modern Escapism’ was released in 2021, moving away from post- rock bringing influence from shoegaze and post-metal. The album was once again recorded with Lewis Johns at The Ranch Production House in Southampton.

In support of this album the band toured Europe, visiting Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland opening for shoegaze contemporaries Slow Crush, as well as headlining successful album release shows in London and Manchester, opening for Palm Reader on their UK dates, and festival appearances at ArcTanGent, 2000Trees, Portals Festival and Castlefest. Blankets were also invited to play at Knotfest’s virtual Pulse of the Maggots Festival. A full album livestream was also shot in The Old Electric theater in Blackpool.

Desertfest London 2024