Sometimes, when there are massive new Steps singles and iconic rap beefs happening, it's easy to forget that the world is a car fire. Things are, as we know, Capital "B" Bad on the whole of planet Earth, but here in the UK our particular situation centres around the intangible concept known colloquially as Brexit. Decipherable to nobody but guaranteed to affect the lives of everyone on this wet, grey little island, Brexit is currently being negotiated over our heads, probably with very little consideration of how it'll affect the most marginalised in our communities.Enter, electronic musician Matthew Herbert. For two albums now, he's been trying his hand at big band music, and he's just announced a third as an official Brexit protest. The as-yet-untitled project is described as "a two-year collaborative project right across Europe celebrating artistic and musical collaboration and communities across national borders".The project will begin with the Brexit Sound Swap, which will seek to create a sound library with up to three-second clips that anyone can use for free when the UK triggers Article 50, and it'll end in 2019 when we officially leave the EU. The time in between will see concerts, recording sessions and creative exchanges across European countries to show Brexiters just how much can be achieved when you aren't actually scared of foreigners. Admirable.I'm also hoping that other musicians follow Herbert's example: I want to see a European exchange where we swap Adele with a Polish counterpart and make her into a national darling. Stormzy rapping in French. Little Mix doing a song in Spanish. Viva Europe, before it's too late.Follow Lauren on Twitter.(Image via PR)
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