Songs of Protest
She opened for Pink at the Party for Animals Worldwide (PAW) launch and is raising hell with her new song Monkey in a Cage. Alexia Weeks talks to Maria Daines
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Photo: Bill Pearson
Even if blues and country rock aren't your cup of tea, there's something highly infectious about Maria Daines and her music. Weaving her passion for animal rights into her lyrics, she isn't afraid to kick up a storm and get her fans thinking outside the box.
In August, she opened for the rebellious superstar Pink at the Cardiff International Arena for the launch of a new initiative by The Monkey Sanctuary's Katie Hobbs. The venue was packed with animal lovers I'm sure, but the PAW team delivered them an evening a little out of the ordinary.
Screens displaying images of abused animals, stalls manned by the likes of Animals Asia and the PDSA and most importantly their idols telling them why we should give a damn about animals. Maria, her guitarist/producer Paul Killington and their musicians played songs that told a tale of animals without a future and how we can help them.
Catching up with Maria later, she told me about her new song Monkey in a Cage which is dedicated to primates like Felix and the activists who campaigned tirelessly to free him. Felix was a seven year old macaque monkey kept prisoner inside the lab at Oxford University, but he was recently killed after having the top of his skull sliced off and electrodes forced into his brain. Throughout his time at Oxford Uni he underwent pitiful tests, and his replacements will now go through the same thing.
The Cambridge based singer's goal is to see Monkey in a Cage reach as many people as possible by hitting the UK charts, so the general public can listen to beautiful music while learning the truth about primate vivisection. It has been advocated by groups such as Animal Aid, Uncaged, SPEAK and PETA, and is available for download from the Against Primate Experiments (APE) website www.againstprimateexperiments.com.
Maria, a vegetarian, claims it hasn't been plain sailing fulfilling this dream. "It has been difficult in the UK, which surprises us. We were hoping an animal rights song would break down the barrier between the general public and this issue, we may release Monkey in a Cage in America in the near future."
She speaks about bridging the gap and helping others who don't yet have the knowledge about animal testing to do something about it, and we both agree that the PAW events will help. To make a real difference, sometimes you have to reach out to people in their own language, in this case the language of music notes and great vocals.
Monkey in a Cage is still available for download at www.indiestore.com/miacdownload and costs 79p, with all proceeds going to the Welsh primate sanctuary Cefn-yr-Erw.