ON Monday environmentalists across the world will celebrate Earth Day in a bid to highlight climate change.

Closer to home a new band with strong ecological beliefs has chosen the date to launch their new green-themed album.

Theory Of Form comprises Huddersfield’s Gareth Clegg and Halifax singer songwriter Jean-Robin Farthing.

The duo met 19 years ago as teenagers and began their music careers doing covers of Deep Purple and Nirvana.

They later broke away and formed a band called Shifter, eventually becoming alt-rockers Spoonfish.

They enjoyed moderate success playing up and down the country and working with Van Morrison producer Mick Glossop on their EP.

Gareth and Jean-Robin have now linked up again and this time have decided to insert a strong element of their passion for sustaining the environment into their music.

And while the band’s message is evident in their tunes it doesn’t stop there – their CDs pass the green test also.

The case for their debut album Finding Space is produced using only recycled cardboard and environmentally friendly inks.

There will be no plastic jewel case, no cellophane and they have also decided to not print an album booklet and are aiming to work only with local CD companies to reduce their carbon footprint.

Singer and guitarist, Jean-Robin, explained: “Ecology and the environment is an issue that’s very close to both of our hearts.

“It really started with the writing of the song Legacy and it went from there.”

Gareth added: “Legacy is a song about how we’re ruining the world we live in and what we’re going to leave to the generations after us.

“Jean-Robin’s always been a prolific songwriter even when we’ve not been working.

“When we got back together I heard what he’d been putting together.

“We started rehearsing and then recording on our iPad and listening back to it and we thought that sounds pretty good.

“Instead of taking the normal route, we thought we’ve done that before, so we thought let’s look at recording some of this as we actually had enough material to put an album out.

“A year later and we’re ready for our launch on Monday, which is Earth Day, which we chose because of our real desire to be as ecologically sound as we can be.

“I’m very much into promoting trying to limit the amount of rubbish we create.

“One of the big things I’m into is trying to limit the amount of excess packaging – the amount of plastic that’s wrapped round things that just gets thrown away and looking at alternatives to that so we can live in a sustainable world.

“Sooner or later we’re going to run out of space and places we can hide all this stuff and it’s going to wreck the world we live in.”

Songwriter, Jean-Robin, confessed he had wanted to avoid preaching to the listeners too much but had become more committed to the eco-movement over the years.

“Not every song on the album is about the environment,” he said.

“As a songwriter I didn’t really want to get on my soapbox but as I’ve got older I’ve decided that I have to talk about the things I believe in and passionate about.

“The album explores lots of things; love, friendship but there’s an element about environmentalism in the songwriting as well.

“The environmental thing stems from our wish to be as ecological as we can in everything we do.

“By doing that perhaps other people will see that and perhaps it will inspire them and give them their own motivation.”

Gareth said: “Music has been used throughout time to spread messages and there’s always been protest songs about war and economic strife.

“It’s just getting to the right audience and the right people who want to take it on board and do something about it.”

Gareth and Jean-Robin reluctantly categorise their music as contemporary folk but say it’s so much more.

Gareth said: “As soon as you say folk, people are like ‘That’s old fellas in Arran sweaters singing about their farm dog running off’.

“Ours is much more a modern take, it’s a singer songwriter area that we’re in.”

Jean-Robin said: “Although it’s acoustic it can be a bit more rocky than what you’d be used to.

“There are things from our past that come in to it - that harder edge.”

Unusually Theory of Form have never played a gig.

But the fellas said now the hard slog of independently recording an album was over they would be putting their all into getting out onto the scene.

Gareth added: “We’ve done it the wrong way round.

“Our recording snowballed into doing an album and it’s taken us a year.

“But once Monday’s gone all our efforts will be on gigging in local venues and as far afield as we can.”

And for those who don’t believe in environmentalism as strongly as the duo, they vow that won’t be ramming it down people’s throats at their gigs.

Jean-Robin said: “As much as it’s something we strongly believe in, it’s about the music.

“The message is there within the songs, the message is there in terms of the way we conduct ourselves and the things we support, but when we perform it’s really about the music.”

Web: www.theoryofform.com