Harson Robkus are Adam Harkus (me) and Dave Robson, a songwriting duo from North Shields, England, formed in 2011 and about to make a long-awaited comeback. Here’s our story so far…
Dave and I have played together in bands since around 1992, but it wasn’t until 2011 that we formed the songwriting partnership of Harson Robkus (an anagram of Harkus and Robson, split 50/50, see what we did there?). I’d been songwriting for years before, but to have someone else bounce ideas off, as well as bring their own ideas to the party, seemed to make the whole process of creating music both easier and more fun. To have a second opinion on-hand, as much as I hate to say it, I think also improved the quality of the end-product. Quality control if you will…
… Plus, it’s always good to have an accomplished bass player and multi-instrumentalist on hand!
Back in Time
Way back in January 2011 our first track: Back in Time was released, with a melancholic wish of being able to meet up with loved ones of our past, in my case my Granddad. Musically, this is a ‘tinderbox’ style delicate acoustic number focussing on layered vocal harmonies with sparse instrumentation consisting mostly of 2 intertwining acoustic guitars.
The World’s Yours to Take
The clue is perhaps in the title, but our second tune ended up being a soundtrack of sorts to the Al Pacino all-time classic film Scarface. With all the Miami Vice-style 80s cheese and chugging guitar you would have hoped for.
… In other words something completely different to Back in Time.
The World’s Yours to Take started life as one of my own songs, which at the time had to usual strummy acoustic style backing and fairly ambiguous lyrics. It just didn’t pop, but this is a great example of where having that second pair of ears helps to get the most out of the initial spark. The theme and lyrics were changed and with it a more appropriate and much catchier groove and the rest, as they say, is history.
Seagull
We decided to approach our next song with a completely blank canvas, just to see what sort of inspiration would strike. The Seagull of the title is really a metaphor for the way our local coastline has changed over the years, much for the worse. Through the course of the song, we’re flying over through the seagull’s eyes unaffected by man’s progress, but sorry to see the way things have turned out….. I think!
Musically, this has a Kid’s of Degrassi Street feel along with some jazzy octaves that fit like a glove and remind you of holidays abroad. I’m particularly proud of the guitar solo in this one, in which I’ve attempted to ape the soaring call of a Seagull in full flight. Seagull also features a dropped D tuning to further spice things up.
The Shields Shanty
This one certainly proved to be the source of most of the Harson Robkus related arguments! Dave had the song just about ready to go, a traditional sea shanty to our native North Shields, but initially, I was reluctant to go along with the Geordie accent in a Harson Robkus song.
What I was missing, of course, is that The Shields Shanty is probably our strongest song with regard to a clear and punchy theme. It’s to the point and devoid of any fat. A single acoustic, a single bass drum, and a simple tale of our hometown that many can identify with. The Shields Shanty is also our most well-known song and has been used by various other local parties to provide a musical backdrop for their work.
The Shields Shanty also got it’s own video! This was put together by Dave and features some fantastic North Shields imagery from the archives.
All of Harson Robkus’ tracks (bar the Shields Shanty) can be found on Soundcloud.
We also did a ‘live @ The Allotment Shed‘ session.
The return of Harson Robkus.
So what does the next chapter hold? Well, after can you believe 10 years, Harson Robkus will once again be writing and producing music in 2021! We’re currently putting the wheels in motion to set up songwriting sessions (once COVID restrictions allow of course), and we are absolutely brimming with ideas and enthusiasm. For now, I’ll keep the details under our hat because, well, we don’t want to spoil the surprise for you.
So. watch this space and expect further updates very soon!
Yours, Harson Robkus.