Whether with Radiohead, or across projects like his ongoing work for Glastonbury, the linocut graphic novel Bad Island , JG Ballard book covers or large-scale installation, his work is frequently disquieting in the best possible way. The same goes for this t-shirt design; but then again, the climate emergency is pretty unnerving. MDE co-founder and former Savages drummer Fay Milton, soon to launch new solo music under the name Goddess, explained to NME what set R&L apart in the fight for sustainability. With regards to education, I went to art college in Birmingham and I gave up. I’m not sure that’s the best bit of advice, but I gave up because a job as a graphic designer came up and I wanted to learn from that and make money. There was never a hard and fast rule, or a grand plan. It was because I was into stuff. I felt that I was willing to learn and I figured that if I was into what I was doing, things would go somewhere and that’s what’s happened.” I’m no expert on this stuff, but obviously Fay and Nigel know an awful lot about it. But on a personal level, I’m a father and I have two daughters. Before having kids I was probably oblivious to a lot and I didn’t think about much that went on, drifting through life like a typical 20-something-year-old. But having my children made me view the world differently – as cheesy as that sounds. When they asked me to do the work on this, I thought, ‘Finally, I can work on something that contributes to something that matters.’ There ’ s the nostalgia trip, but there is a new breed of heavy bands that have really come into their own in the last few years.

While it might seem odd for a climate crisis organisation to be making anything physical at all, we’re assured that all the shirts are made through a process that’s “sustainable and circular,” using natural materials and renewable energy. People are also encouraged to send shirts that are “at the end of their life” to online retailer Teemill to be reincorporated into the manufacturing process and go round the cycle again. That’s what we lose if we continue on this current trajectory,” added Chapman. “We’re trying to be positive. There is time to turn it around.” If you are a record label or Artist manager you can encourage and support your artists to get involved with this important campaign I started doing illustration and art from a very young age and most artists will probably say that. When I left school I played guitar and I always wanted to be in a band. I think it’s a common theme among artists, they play an instrument as well. I was in lots of really shitty bands and I realised that being in a band was really hard. I always did artwork, for friend’s bands and stuff.

The fan response to artists who have already supported our message has been overwhelmingly positive. With national and international studies showing that the vast majority of the public support action on climate, and with the opportunity for governments to direct post-covid recovery funds into green jobs and infrastructure, there has never been a better or more effective time to speak out on climate… and the stakes couldn’t be higher. To use Greta Thunberg’s analogy, the house is on fire, and there isn’t time for whoever started the fire with their cigarette to quit smoking before saying the house is on fire – it’s on fire now, and we need to fix this. Let’s change our lifestyles, let’s fly less, let’s use less plastic – but ultimately what’s needed is a governmental response.”

Peter Saville reworks Joy Division’s iconic ‘Unknown Pleasures’ for new Music Declares Emergency t-shirt. Credit: MDE/Press Considering all this, it's no wonder the voice of the music community is once again growing louder on the issue. This time it feels different – more defiant. Enter Music Declares Emergency, a grassroots collective co-founded by Fay Milton from punk band Savages. They witnessed the work being done by activist group Extinction Rebellion in 2019 and decided it was time to create a space where their friends and colleagues in the music industry could unite in action on climate. Their striking motto stands also a warning: ‘No Music On A Dead Planet’. Their mission is clear, too. They urge governments and media to tell the truth about the scale and severity of the problem, call on governments to have net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and encourage people to recognise the injustices in society that’ve led to the climate and ecological emergency.

This campaign relies on artists from across the musical spectrum stepping up and using their voices. The music industry is very childish,” she added. “We run around thinking we’re special, we make a mess and someone else clears it up. We think that the rules don’t apply to us. In certain areas, that’s fun because it leads to creativity. When it comes to impact on the planet, it’s just not OK because the people you’re impacting are your audience.

I had a look at all the other designs they’d done previously and the No Music On A Dead Planet slogan was the kind of thing that dominated. So I did the first design based around the text. I asked myself, ‘What would be a metal way to the message across?’ The idea of a globe burning was the idea that came to mind. Then I thought, ‘Let’s make it a skull with the globe burning in the forehead because that way you’re marrying the human element with the idea of the world.’ Basically, it just needed to say, ‘If we don’t sort this shit out, we won’t be in a particularly good state.’Not even NFTs (non-fungible tokens) escape this debate. These pieces of one-of-a-kind digital content – everyone from Slipknot to Mike Shinoda to Poppy have got in on the act – also have a negative impact on the environment. The cryptocurrencies used to buy and sell them create planet-heating emissions – one piece of analysis, reported by The Verge, estimated the average NFT has a carbon footprint equivalent to a month’s worth of electricity usage for a standard person in the EU. Music can do a lot of things. According to Madonna, it makes the people come together ; for Missy Elliot it makes you lose control ; for Julie Andrews, it’s the very thing that makes the hills alive . ABBA? They’re just bloody grateful for it. And as Hot Chip’ synth botherer Joe Goddard would have it, music is the answer . But the question on everyone’s lips, possibly, is: can music and the music industry “drive forward public understanding of the climate emergency and pressure governments to take immediate action on climate and biodiversity loss?” READ MORE: Savages’ drummer and Music Declares Emergency co-founder Fay Milton on climate change: “Music needs to get real” We believe that greening the music industry is a necessary part of creating a fertile environment for artists to speak out and create their own work around climate. We work with our partner organisation, Julie’s Bicycle, to coordinate and activate change within our own industry. Most importantly, she urged all festival-goers staying for the full weekend to take their tents and camping equipment home with them.

Charity Music Declares Emergency blummin’ hopes so. The organisation was founded in July last year by music business executives and artists to forge a cohesive, industry wide response to the climate emergency—their declaration of a Climate and Ecological Emergency has over 3,500 signatures now. That document calls for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and pledges music industry action on environmental sustainability. Maisie Peters added that it was “important that people do as much as they can, but this is a global issue for which governments have to be responsible.” Music Declares Emergency describe themselves as “a group of artists, music industry professionals and organisations that stand together to declare a climate and ecological emergency and call for an immediate governmental response to protect all life on Earth.” They have to act responsibly and the more pressure we can put on them to do that, the better. We need a safer, fairer, greener world.” Ultimately, Milton said that her dream was for “the music industry as a whole to really take a moment to take on board the real world situation that we’re in”.Launched in July 2019, Music Declares Emergency is an independent charity with no party political or commercial affiliations. We believe in the power of music to promote the necessary cultural changes to create a greener, fairer, better future. The series launched with a design from letterpress megadude Anthony Burrill, and brought his bold letterforms to life beautifully in stark monochrome. His tees were followed by designs from Jamie Reid. We worked with them to help bring the festival into the No Music On A Dead Planet global campaign, which aims to bring all artists and fans together with a shared voice for climate action. “We’re also bringing our Fan Club For Climate campaign to Reading & Leeds this year, alongside Climate Live. It’s a community of music lovers who care about the future of the planet and want more people involved.” Speaking to NME about the organisation’s goals in 2019, Music Declares Emergency founder and Savages’ drummer Fay Milton said: “There’s such a short period of time to make the changes we need to make, and to make people wake up and realise that there isn’t time for everyone to change everything they do.