Public Service Broadcasting (band)

History

Willgoose made his public debut at The Selkirk pub in Tooting, London, England in August 2009. Shortly afterwards he issued "EP One" in 2010. Teaming up with Wrigglesworth on drums, the band played its first festival in September 2010, Aestival in Suffolk, and work began on a second EP, "The War Room", which was released in May 2012.

Since then, the band has released five albums, Inform-Educate-Entertain (2013); The Race for Space (2015); Every Valley (2017); Bright Magic (2021); and The Last Flight (2024). The Race for Space was supported by two shows at the National Space Centre in Leicester celebrating the album's launch. The album charted just outside the top 10 in 11th place in the UK in its release week and reaching Number 1 in the UK Independent Charts for that week. A remix album was released in June 2016.

A follow-up EP was released at the tail end of 2015 entitled Sputnik/Korolev which was backed up by a UK tour that ended at the O2 Academy Brixton. The O2 Academy show was recorded for a live album that was released in 2016.

On 10 March 2017, the band released a new single titled "Progress", featuring vocals from Tracyanne Campbell from Camera Obscura alongside photo shoots showing the band as a three-piece with new member JF Abraham featured in the promotional photos. Their third studio album, entitled Every Valley, about the coal mining industry's rise and fall in the Welsh Valleys between the 1950s and 1980s, was released on 7 July 2017. As with The Race for Space, the band had two album launch concerts, this time in Ebbw Vale, where the LP was recorded.

In May 2018, PSB appeared on BBC 6 Music's contribution to the BBC's Biggest Weekend event at the Titanic Quarter in Belfast. As part of this the band debuted a series of four new pieces, based on the story of the . These tracks were released as the EP White Star Liner on 26 October 2018.

They performed a "specially commissioned new arrangement" of The Race for Space on 25 July 2019 in a late-night Prom, joined by London Contemporary Voices and the Multi-Story Orchestra, the performance being shown on BBC television the following night.

On 2 June 2021, PSB debuted the first single (titled People, Let’s Dance) from their fourth studio album Bright Magic. In October of that year with a UK tour in support.

On 30 August 2022, PSB played a specially commissioned, album-length piece for Prom 58 called This New Noise, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in London. It was commissioned to celebrate 100 years of the BBC. The band subsequently announced that there would be a record release on 8 September 2023.

The band announced their fifth album, titled The Last Flight, about Amelia Earhart's last flight on which she and her navigator disappeared. Four singles were released prior to the album's release on 4 October 2024. The band followed the release with a tour through Europe.

Music style and live performances

The band mostly plays instrumental music, with J. Willgoose Esq. having said that "singing is never going to work. I'm not going to be happy with it, I'm not going to be comfortable playing it to other people." They take samples from old public information films, archive footage and propaganda material. While writing The War Room the band were given exclusive access to the British Film Institute's archives.

Members

• J. Willgoose Esq. – guitar, banjo, bass guitar, other stringed instruments, samplings, keyboards, synthesizers, occasional vocals (2009–present)
• Wrigglesworth – drums, piano, electronic musical instruments, saxophone (2010–present)
• J F Abraham – flugelhorn, bass guitar, drums, assorted other instruments including a vibraslap, keyboards, synthesizers, arrangements (2016–present; session contributions 2014–2015)

Non-musical members

• Mr B – visuals and set design for live performances.

Instruments and equipment

Discography

Studio albums

Remix albums

Live albums

EPs

Singles

• "ROYGBIV" – 5 March 2012 which won the BBC Radio 6 Music Rebel Playlist.
• "Spitfire" – 26 March 2012 which won the BBC Radio 6 Music Rebel Playlist. The song sampled dialogue and sound from the 1942 film "The First of the Few", and the video incorporated footage from the same film.
• "London Can Take It" – 13 August 2012
• "Everest" – 12 November 2012 only for digital downloading. The song is based around The Conquest of Everest, a 1953 film charting Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's first successful ascent of the mountain.
• "Signal 30"
• "Night Mail"
• "Elfstedentocht" (Record Store Day single; 11 November 2013)
• "Gagarin" – 1 December 2014 (first single of the album "The Race for Space")
• "Go!" – 23 February 2015
• "Sputnik/Korolev" – 20 November 2015 (No. 4 UK Physical)
• "Progress" – 10 March 2017 (first single of the band's third album)
• "They Gave Me a Lamp"
• "People Will Always Need Coal"
• "White Star Liner"
• "People, Let's Dance" (featuring Eera)
• "Blue Heaven"
• "Lichtspiel III: Symphonie Diagonale"
• "Der Rhythmus der Maschinen"
• "Broadcasting House" (live)
• "Electra"
• "The South Atlantic" - 2 August 2024
• "The Fun of It"
• "Towards the Dawn"

Online releases

• "Three Things" – 4 January 2023
• "Shy Guy" - 3 February 2023
• "Progress v3_2" - 2 March 2023
• "Go! v0_2" - 6 April 2023
• "First Transmissions - 05 The Big Time" - 4 May 2023
• "Protect and Survive" - 6 June 2023
• "Broadcasting House v0_2" - 4 July 2023
• "Leviathan [Demo]" - 2 August 2023
• "Bildnis v0_3" - 4 September 2023 (note the original title of this track was "Bildnis der Tanzerin" but changed to "Gib Mir Das Licht" later)
• "A Cello Sings in Daventry v0_1" - 2 October 2023
• "Proms Idea 3 6-8" - 2 October 2023
• "Blue Heaven v0_2" - 7 November 2023
• "Blue Heaven v0_3" - 7 November 2023
• "EV Track 7 demo v0_4" - 4 December 2023
• "08 What Of The Future_(In Touch With The Infinite) v0_1" - 3 January 2024
• "Plan 9" - 5 February 2024 (available for streaming only)
• "Walk in Space v0_2" - 6 June 2024
• "Electra demos" - 9 July 2024
• "The South Atlantic demo" - 1 August 2024
• "Woman in Space v0_1" - 7 January 2025
• "The Dream v0_3" - 4 February 2025
• "A Different Kind Of Love v0_2" - 3 March 2025
• "jazzpsb" - 15 March 2025
• "Ich und die Stadt" - 2 April 2025
• "Spitfire (Live at Margate Dreamland)" - 4 April 2025
• "Monsoons v0_3" - 11 May 2025
• "Introduction (Let Yourself Go)" - 4 June 2025
• "Mixergames" - 1 July 2025
• "Women v0_4" - 7 August 2025
• "Spitfire v0_1" - 9 September 2025{{cite web |website=Patreon
• "E.V.A. v1_1" - 6 October 2025

Notes

Notes

References

References

1. "Public Service Broadcasting".
2. "Public Service Broadcasting Songs, Albums, Rev...".
3. Lester, Paul. (12 December 2012). "New band of the week: Public Service Broadcasting". The Guardian.
4. (15 February 2015). "'Pretentious? We're just sticking a beat underneath satellite noises'".
5. Cooper, Kevin. "INTERVIEW: John Willgoose {{!}} Welcome to UK Music Reviews".
6. Sherwin, Adam. (25 June 2015). "Pink Floyd, Kate Bush, Public Service Broadcasting all nominated for Progressive Music Awards 2015". The Independent.
7. (4 September 2015). "Singer Steven Wilson crowned prog rock king".
8. (2013-05-18). "Public Service Broadcasting".
9. (2016-06-17). "Album Review: Public Service Broadcasting - The Race For Space / Remixes".
10. (2016-12-02). "Album Review: Public Service Broadcasting - Live at Brixton".
11. "Public Service Broadcasting on Every Valley: The Skinny".
12. Trimming, Leo. (2018-11-04). "Public Service Broadcasting – White Star Liner [EP]".
13. (26 July 2019). "BBC Proms 2019: Public Service Broadcasting". [[BBC Proms]].
14. (2 June 2021). "Public Service Broadcasting return with new album ''Bright Magic''". [[Louder (magazine).
15. Brown, Helen. (2021-10-19). "PSB: 'Our country has shut itself off in a very stupid, nationalistic way'".
16. Hall, Michael James. (11 October 2021). "Public Service Broadcasting / BBC Symphony Orchestra / Jules Buckley: ''This New Noise''".
17. Ewing, Jerry. (29 June 2023). "Public Service Broadcasting to release celebrated BBC Proms show". [[Louder (magazine).
18. Ewing, Jerry. (2024-07-09). "New Public Service Broadcasting album ''The Last Flight'' tells the story of Amelia Earhart's last doomed flight". [[Louder (magazine).
19. Sheffield, Hazel. (6 February 2014). "Public Service Broadcasting keep calm and carry on". [[The Guardian]].
20. "Public Service Broadcasting + guests".
21. "(en) J. Willgoose Esq.".
22. "Fidelity Guitars".
23. "Public Service Broadcasting's J Willgoose on his new lockdown record and making generative music".
24. Musicpublished, Computer. (2021-10-06). "Public Service Broadcasting: "I don't think we've had so much fun in the studio as the day we were just smashing stuff up"".
25. "Public Service Broadcasting > UK Charts". [[Official Charts Company]].
26. "Discography Public Service Broadcasting".
27. "Discography Public Service Broadcasting".
28. "Certified Awards Search". [[British Phonographic Industry]].
29. "ROYGBIV".
30. "Public Service Broadcasting win the BBC 6 Music Rebel Playlist!".
31. "Public Service Broadcasting – Spitfire".
32. "Spitfire".
33. (20 May 2012). "Public Service Broadcasting – Spitfire video".
34. "Chris Hawkins: J.Willgoose interviewed about the making of the single Spitfire".
35. "Public Service Broadcasting win Rebel Playlist at 6 followed by an addition to the main daytime playlist!".
36. (8 April 2012). "Public Service Broadcasting 'London Can Take It' video".
37. "London Can Take It".
38. PSBHQ. (2 September 2012). "Public Service Broadcasting – Everest".
39. "Single Announcement & Another Tour Poster".
40. "Night Mail".
41. "Elfstedentocht Parts 1 & 2".
42. (11 November 2013). "Elfstedentocht (Pt. 1 & 2) – Public Service Broadcasting".
43. "Official Physical Singles Chart Top 100".
44. (9 March 2017). "Public Service Broadcasting announce their return with 'Progress'".
45. "The first ever PSB demo track".
46. ["Early Demos, Continued...]"](https://www.patreon.com/posts/early-demos-78179196).
47. "Progress.. demos and other stuff".
48. "This month's demo - an early version of Go!".
49. "May's Demo".
50. "June's Demo".
51. "July's Demo Track".
52. "August's Demo Track".
53. "September's demo / August's test pressing draw".
54. "December's demo".
55. "January's demo, and an internal debate".
56. "February's demo - the pre-PSB years".
57. "June's Demo".
58. "July's demo - Electra".
59. "August's demo - Listener beware!".
60. "January's Demo - (Valentina) Woman in Space".
61. "February's Demo - The Dream (I Was Always Dreaming)".
62. "March's Demo - A Different Kind Of Love".
63. "A jazzy Friday 'treat'".
64. "April's demo".
65. "Spitfire (Live at Margate Dreamland)".
66. "May's Demo".
67. "June's Demo".
68. "July's Demo".
69. "August's Demo".
70. "October's Demo - E.V.A. (and tales of recording)".