Manchester-based Artist Bay Bryan launches a crowdfunding campaign to record BAYARD, a kaleidoscopic genre-hopping pop/cabaret concept album set in the enchanted woods beyond The Meadow

Details at a glance…

  • Manchester-based and Colorado-born singer, songwriter and theatre artist Bay Bryan, has launched a 28-day Crowdfunding Campaign on Kickstarter to fund the recording of his sophomore concept album BAYARD.

  • The Campaign runs from November 13th - December 11th, seeking to raise  £10K (£11,200K incl. Kickstarter Fees) to get into the studio. £10K budget = studio costs, producers, musicians, mixing/mastering and album art creation.

Bay’s Story…

Bay Bryan photographed in front of Piccadilly Records with DJ Luke Una. Bay’s record ‘The Meadow’ on display. April 2023.

Bay’s last concept album The Meadow which became a bit of a hot-topic in Manchester, spurned on by shouts from DJs Luke Una and James Holroyd, which led to a sold out show at Deaf Institute, a spin on Mark Radcliffe’s BBC Radio 2 Folk show and multiple notable live performances including MIF 2023, Jazz Café in London, Bridgewater Hall, HOMOBLOC, Wild Wood Festival, and more…


Two years on from The Meadow’s release Bay is looking to get into the studio with a team of brilliant local musicians and producers to create a new concept album called BAYARD

A Miniature of the Four Sons of Aymon riding Bayard, taken from a 14th Century Manuscript. Source

What is BAYARD?

BAYARD is a kaleidoscopic concept-driven musical experience brought to life by a puckish raconteur called Bayard who dwells in a fairytale-like forest enchanted by the spirit of a medieval horse by the same name. We are introduced to this world by Bayard in the first track titled ‘Forest De Bayard.’

With our real-life world outside these woods growing evermore uncertain, it is within these enchanted trees that we may yet find respite, deeper meaning and hope.

With themes of freedom, nostalgia, and challenging convention, the lyrics & storytelling are rooted in modern day whilst set against a pseudo-folklore backdrop.

A Team of Independent Artists & Creatives

Bay’s recording team is

The plan is to record for a week at Giant Wafer Studios in Wales with a team of Manchester-based musicians and Manchester-based Matthew Campbell and Matt Brown of Ember Productions who will be producing, engineering and later mixing the record.

Production aim is a sound world somewhere between Labi Siffre’s Blue Lady and Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black while spanning multiple genres like folk, Americana, Jazz, R&B and rock.

Mixing will take place in Matt Brown’s studio in Manchester with Mastering by Zach Kornhauser in NYC, who mixed/mastered The Meadow.

A photo from Giant Wafer Studios provided by Ember Productions

Bay and band perform a BAYARD-in-progress show at The Yard in Cheetham Hill, April 2025 to test out BAYARD as it was then

From Studio To Stage…

As an artist who has long straddled the lands of music and theatre Bay creates work that is a unique blend of the two, often resulting in creations that are story-led, disarming and immersive.

A live show with Bay and his band is an experience in-between that of a gig and show— with crafted stories and theatrical moments that weave in & around the music to create a cabaret-like atmosphere that ties everything, and all that are souls in the room, together. 

In this world of AI, Bay believes that he and his band will be there to quench the growing thirst for connectivity and all things human. Which is a massive part of what the project as a whole is about.

A theme throughout BAYARD is challenging the status quo. This is reflected in the songwriting, the stories that accompany the songs, the theatrical moments like a live tarot reading mid-song, and the near-drag costuming that is still being developed.

YOU CAN SUPPORT BAY AND HIS TEAM OF INDEPENDENT ARTISTS TODAY BY GETTING THEM INTO THE STUDIO

  • Here’s the link to Bay’s 28-day crowdfunding campaign (Ending December 11th, 2025): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/baybryanmusic/bay-bryan-new-album-bayard/

  • If you love gig-theatre, gig-meets-cabaret, story-led songwriting, storytelling, multi-disciplinary performance artists, then what Bay is up to might be right up your street!

  • Bay's link tree (the link that has all): linktree

  • Bay's individual links:  website, youtube, instagram, facebook, spotify, bandcamp, apple music

    CTA: If this resonates, check out Bay’s campaign and the rewards on offer! Your pledge will be an active way to help a team independent artists to keep making work together —a project that does not replace any creative along the way with AI. From the music to the visuals, everything is crafted, intentional, and human.

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