Protect And Survive - Ghost Hall (2018)

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For my fourth and final album of 2018, I wanted to build a concept for a Ghost Hall album based on the 1976 Public Information film ‘Protect and Survive’ which detailed what to do in the event of a nuclear strike. On watching the video, a lot of the advice seemed incredibly outdated and even flat out bad - for example lying down in a ditch if outside during a nuclear attack. With this in mind, I chopped up samples from the film which seemed like they would fit together and began putting synths and beats behind the messages.

For the music videos to the album, I shot some footage at the abandoned Lydd Rail Station in Kent as well as pulling clips from various archive sources which fit with the concept, and of course parts of the Protect and Survive public information film itself. The album deals with the themes of putting your trust in government advice, preparation for nuclear disaster, and the ‘Inner Refuge’ shelter as a representation of hiding away from emotions.

The album cover features a dolls house made by my mother, which I remember playing with as a child. Inside I set up some period miniature furniture and produced informational posters based on the sound bites from the Protect and Survive film, designed by Jonathan Wentworth. The album’s title on the front cover is in the style of a 70s Burger King advertisement which I saw and immediately wanted to emulate.