The hotly-tipped Tyneside musician and producer, Jango Flash, has today confirmed the release of his epic award-winning video, Perseid 45.
Clocking in at just over the 3-minute mark, this pumping, psyche-infused dance club behemoth marks an electric breakthrough year for the fast-rising alternative indie star.
Having cut his cloth writing and producing music with his long-time friend and former bandmate Sam Fender, the fellow North Shields native is set to continue the rapid rise in notoriety North East guitar bands are experiencing right now.
Directed and produced by UK filmmakers Sel MacLean and Matthew Willson (Yakamoz), the Perseid 45 video has just bagged the ‘Music Video’ Filmmaker of the Year Award by one of the UK’s leading film and TV festival operators, Cinemagic.
The award-winning piece reflects Jango’s widescreen, dreamscape eccentricities and will be available for public view across his social media channels on Friday 20th November.
Jango Flash has spent the past two years moulding his own “kamikaze pop” sound with the help of his band, which includes members of indie rock mainstays Little Comets, A Festival, A Parade, The Dawdler and Symphonic Pictures.
During 2020 they have played live on Radio 1, been tipped an annual “hot one” accolade by Radio X, spotlighted on KINK fm in Holland to play Best Kept Secret Festival 2021, praised highly by Radio 6, playlisted by Amazing Radio for The Unsigned Guide and championed by their local BBC Introducing station (courtesy of BBC Newcastle’s Nick Roberts) as one of their top artists.
Speaking ahead of the forthcoming release, Jango Flash (real name Jack Golightly), said: “Withthis music video, Yakamoz have illustrated Perseid 45 in a special way that audio alone couldn’t. So ultimately, I hope with this release that people can watch me be a goofball, have a laugh, but hopefully feel the story behind the track a little bit more.
“Lyrically, this is an apologetic love song told through existential eyes. I had been hanging around a conspiracy theorist around the time of my relationship struggles, and he talked a lot about space and close encounters with extraterrestrials, so this wide eyed theme ended up creeping into the lyrics by proxy.
“Whenever I listen to this song, it takes me back to a time where I was hesitant to release my music… looking back now, I’m pleased I have.”
Derry Girls TV star Saoirse-Monica Jackson, who is Cinemagic’s recent patron, said: “As a proud patron of Cinemagic and their ethos to inspire the next generation of creatives, I am delighted to extend my congratulations to Matthew and his video Perseid 45. Competitions like the Young Filmmaker help to showcase young talent and Cinemagic works fervently to create opportunities like this to give young people a voice.”
Chris Shaw, Cinemagic Festival Programmer, continues: “We wish to extend our warm congratulations to Matthew, Sel and the whole team behind the video as well as the band members and management. The competition this year received a record amount of entries and the standard was exceptionally high, so it is testament to the quality and innovation of the film that it stood out and made an impact on Cinemagic. We wish all involved continued success and hope the award will inspire and motivate future career success.”
Jango Flash is the nickname and alias of North Shields latest musical product, Jack Angus Golightly, who spent time throughout his teens drumming with punk and indie bands across the region, including the much-revered psych rock collective, Them Things.
Having stepped away from the drums to pursue a career in songwriting and producing, the 24-year-old launched Jango Flash in March of 2018. And after the tragic death of his late older brother Ryan McGee, his passing served as a major motivating force for his music.
Golightly adds: “I know that a huge part of my drive and hunger for progress comes from losing my brother. After being faced with that, I lost any fear I once had about being out of my comfort zone as a frontman.”
“I remember my brother giving me a message in a bottle on my birthday in 2018, one year before he passed away. He told me to “open this in a year’s time”, so come April 2019 I expected to open up an entire biblical scrawl, but as I unfolded this fortune cookie size note, it just read – “Write a top 5 song in the next 3 years.”
“I swore to myself I would do everything in my power to make him proud.”
With the astronomical rise of Sam Fender in recent years, North Shields has earned its place on the map for rising musical talent.
Fender and Golightly have strong ties, both to their hometown and each other. Growing up only a street apart, the two young musicians were friends from a young age and still to this day make time to support each other. However, Jango Flash’s music is set to establish the artist on a shimmering, expansive island all of his own creation.
Golightly said of his relationship with Fender: “I was the new kid on the block, and I remember him walking around the corner to welcome me onto his street wielding a blue lightsaber with his army of disciples.
“It turned out that both of our dads knew each other from back in their school days and ended up writing music together. Our families are very close, so me and him became fast friends and naturally began playing music together.”
“We still critique each other’s musicbecause we dig each other’s writing and believe in one another.”
With a debut album already underway, a new podcast and a string of releases scheduled over the coming months, Jango Flash is set to break strong into the UK’s live circuit in 2021.
The Perseid 45 video will be released this Friday 20th November at 10 am and the track is available via all good digital stockists.
