New brass band drama and album from creator of Love, Spit and Valve Oil

The creator of last year’s critically-acclaimed Love, Spit and Valve Oil series on BBC Radio 4, Martin Green, has released a new audio drama, Keli, which is available for streaming. It comes with an accompanying album, Split the Air, which comes as a download.

The main character, Keli, lives in a small, broken, post-industrial town, the kind of place many people have given up on. The production, which stars James Cosmo (of Braveheart, Trainspotting and Game of Thrones fame), tells the fictional story of a talented but troubled tenor horn player and the power of music, communities, and post-industrial realities.

Blending together theatre and music, Keli has an immersive score performed by some of the UK’s top brass musicians.

Split the Air will be performed live at Celtic Connections 2024 – with music from Whitburn Band and tenor horn star Sheona Wade, as well as interviews and the chance to meet Keli for the first time in person.

The album features a bespoke band including principal players from Black Dyke, Grimethorpe, Fairey and Brighouse & Rastrick bands, as well as featuring Sheona Wade as the ‘voice’ of Keli on tenor horn.

This body of work commemorates 40 years since the miners’ strike – demonstrating the resilience and creativity of post-industrial communities across the UK – and incorporates the voices of former miners pardoned by the Scottish Government for their participation in the strike.

Keli is available to listen to, stream and download on Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify.

Split the Air is available to listen to, stream and download on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Soundcloud and Spotify. It is also available for pre-order.  

The live performance of the album will take place at Tramway, 25 Albert Drive, Glasgow G41 2PE on 3 February 2024, starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are available here.

* Cover photo of Martin Green credited to Sandy Butler