Peter Getty

THE REVOLUTION WILL BE STREAMED is the explosive new single from Peter Getty. Once again, it features Matt Starr on drums and in the producer’s chair, alongside Joe Collins on electric guitar.

We caught up with Peter to get the story behind the track, the remote recording process, and a glimpse at what’s next.

Q: Tell us about the new track.

PG: It’s a protest song. Simple as that. It's a protest against ICE in the US, and against the so-called ‘Patriots’ here in the UK who exist solely to attack people of colour. I find it incredibly telling that both groups are so proud of their convictions, yet they cover their faces.

The mainstream media across the world is so right-leaning that they constantly amplify this bullshit. But they forget that everyone has a camera in their pocket now. Their lies are being exposed by a new generation that refuses to be spoon-fed propaganda. They believe their eyes, not the media lies. Hence: The Revolution Will Be Streamed.

Q: Aren’t you worried about being cancelled? Or at least cutting your potential audience in half?

PG: First of all, if someone is racist, homophobic, anti-trans, pro-genocide, or just a generally hateful person, I don’t want them anywhere near my shows or listening to my work. Make no mistake: if these people get their way with immigrants and people of colour, they won’t stop there. It will be LGBTQ+ communities, disabled people, the poor, and women’s rights next.

Secondly, this whole ‘cancelled’ thing is such bullshit. Freedom of speech exists, but freedom from consequences doesn’t. You don’t get to use hateful rhetoric—like calling LGBTQ+ people ‘groomers’ or claiming every Muslim is a ‘Trojan horse’—and then expect people not to exercise their right to stop buying your music or voting for your candidates.

Q: So you don’t believe ‘cancel culture’ is real?

PG: Considering most of the mainstream media is right-leaning, the only people actually being ‘cancelled’ are the ones saying Free Palestine. Shit, we have people calling Miss Rachel a terrorist sympathiser and an antisemite just for saying children shouldn’t be slaughtered. Cancel culture is just a corporate bullshit narrative designed to stir up the easily influenced.

Q: So you aren’t worried at all?

PG: I simply don’t care. My records are for sale; my morals ain't.

Q: Let’s talk about how the song came about musically. How did the recording process work?

PG: When I originally started writing it, the vibe was very different. It was closer to ‘Love and Happiness’ by John Mellencamp, or ‘Down in the Hole’ by Steve Earle. I was hearing this rhythmic beat and weird, moody guitars, but I couldn’t get it to go anywhere.

After recording my last single, ‘Our Town,’ Matt Starr asked what we were tracking next. I honestly had no idea. Then one day, I went into my studio and cut a bare-bones demo, focusing strictly on the lyrics. I sent it to my friend Joe Collins, who added some beautiful guitar work. When I passed that demo along to Matt, he immediately said, “This is what we’re doing next!”

Q: So Matt basically took the reins?

PG: Yeah, and that’s one of my absolute favourite parts about working with Matt. I don’t have to micro-manage or second-guess everything. I trust him, and Joe, implicitly.

Q: How close is that original demo to the finished track?

PG: The demo is way more laid back—pretty reminiscent of The Wallflowers, actually. It had organ and a completely different groove. Matt made a great point, though. He said, “The Wallflowers are already a thing. Let’s make this YOUR thing.”

Q: That’s solid advice.

PG: Oh, Matt is the absolute best when it comes to that. We have a great dynamic. He knows I’m not precious about my ego, so he can say exactly what he’s thinking. I never get pissed off because I know he just wants to push me to be the best version of myself.

Q: The finished track has a massive, open vibe, but it’s still incredibly in your face.

PG: That is entirely down to Matt and Joe. What was so cool about this project was that once I wrote the track and tracked my acoustic guitars and vocals, I could completely step back.

When Matt sent over his drum tracks and Joe sent his guitars, I went back in to lay down the bass. It was a surreal experience hearing a song I wrote, but experiencing it as if I was listening to it for the very first time.

Q: That must have been an incredible feeling.

PG: I remember waking up to a message from Matt saying, “You’ve got mail!” I literally ran to my studio to pull up the files. Hearing that drum and guitar intro for the first time... I would never have thought of arranging it that way, but it was absolutely perfect.

Q: So is it essentially a three-piece band on the record?

PG: Pretty much. I handled the acoustic guitars—a six-string Takamine and a 12-string Takamine—plus the bass and lead vocals. Matt kicked ass on drums as always, but our secret weapon this time around was Joe. His guitar playing completely elevated the track. I loved what he did on the demo, but Matt smartly pushed Joe to really open up and bring an aggression that hasn't been present on my previous tracks.

Q: And the three of you were never even in the same room?

PG: Nope! That’s the beauty of modern technology. We could work virtually in real-time, even though we were scattered across different cities and countries. To me, it proves why AI is such a lazy cop-out. The three of us made a kick-ass record, spoke daily, and used technology to collaborate on real music, rather than just typing a prompt into a machine.

Q: What are your hopes for the single?

PG: I hope people listen to it and really connect with it. Maybe it inspires someone. I recently played it live during an in-store promo show at HMV in Glasgow. Even stripped back as a solo acoustic performance, it sounded great and folks really seemed to dig it, which felt amazing.

Q: What’s next on the horizon?

PG: More live shows and heavy promotion for this track. Then, straight into the next single.

Q: Will you be collaborating with Matt and Joe again?

PG: As far as I’m concerned, I want to work with those guys for as long as humanly possible. Obviously, for full-band live shows, the commute is a bit too far for Matt—but you never know! Either way, I value his input, his skill, and his friendship too much to stop here. Joe is a fantastic writer too; we’ve actually been bouncing around some of his instrumental tracks that I’ve been writing lyrics for. There is a lot of music coming up. Stay tuned!

'THE REVOLUTION WILL BE STREAMED' will be available worldwide on all streaming platforms October 30th