We need Sex and Doinks, according to Paul Conneally and Emily Ralph. They assured me of this as they held space at Eastside Projects in Digbeth, Birmingham in 2022. Paul Conneally, it turned out, is the CEO of New Reality Records, a radical independent record label and publisher based in Loughborough. Where? Emily is one of the label’s intelligent and playful creators. When I asked them what a Doink was, I was assured that I only needed to believe in Doinks, the Doink was its own reason. They were gathered with a flock of other abstract artists. The English novelist, art historian and activist, Stuart Home, also published by NRR, was doing handstands with a blow-up male doll while reading excerpts from his novel, Art School Orgy. Paul introduced people to the book by saying he had never read it but knew the world needed Stuart. All of this happened while Paul, himself an artist known as Little Onion, composed Haikus with Gavin Wade, a producer and curator of world-class public art and director of the gallery. Audacity has always been my drug of choice. I instantly connected. When Paul asked me what I did, I didn’t tell him that much. I was transitioning from one creative season to another. I said I had a show on Brum Radio and had been wading into other art forms, leading an arts collective called Anchor Gallery in Birmingham, since returning there in 2015. I had done this to find out who really made the city special. Those creatives who were unlikely to feature in the glossy city council pamphlets. I did find them, and I was sated. I’ll write about that another time. At the time of meeting NRR, this project had evaporated due to the lockdown and the radio show was going the same way. I mostly wanted to release a pamphlet of my writing, but the fullness of the idea hadn’t materialised. I wasn’t performing as a singer because I deeply dislike singing as a solo act. I work better with a band, but I didn’t have one then. After meeting the NRR family I went for a walkabout for a year and continued to follow them on Instagram and Bandcamp. I like the word flock for the artists Paul Conneally takes on. There is a subliminal loyalty between him and them. He selectively nurtures the liberated and experimental ideas of whoever he likes and considers to have a risk-taking soul with a good vibes energy. The artists support him and each other in return. When I had a breakthrough and decided to release the songs from Venture of Belief, I sent Paul a message and asked if he would be interested in doing this through NRR. I was keen to be involved in their Rock and Roll and Literary Circus, an event developed by another member of the NNR team, Philip Coulson. Paul knew I wasn’t going to be an easy signing. I change direction a lot. I am not new to independent art and also always new, and am rarely nostalgic. I don’t care if people have never heard of my previous incarnations, but he said yes, let’s do it, that's what Doinks are all about. If you want to know more about why S.x and Doinks are important to Emily Ralph and Paul Conneally, you can follow their story at the links below. I just think it’s S.xy for a Record Label to release thought-provoking art that uplifts and inspires. Don’t you?
Feature photo, Emily Ralph

Love it! New Reality Records is such a safe space for originality. Emily's films are amazing too, have you watched Lust yet? I'll leave the link here, as it's my favorite film by her so far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nw__PlmRzI&t=5s
Sending Love!
Venus
Doink!