A band which has provided a lifeline during lockdown for fans craving live music is releasing a new album about optimism.

Dorchester-based blues roots rock group the Andy Grant band will release Dig the Darkness on March 5.

An appropriate album for a pandemic, its music was inspired by a desire to heal, move forward and find light in the darkness.

It takes listeners on a journey through electric blues and dusty Americana to eastern trance and ‘widescreen road movie’ epic.

Dig the Darkness is songwriter Andy Grant's first recording with a full electric band.

He said: “The album is about the ability to transcend our limitations. Even in the seemingly darkest most desperate situation – it is how we handle these times that define us. There can be opportunity even in desperation to learn, expand and move forward and find the light in the darkness.”

Featuring infectious melodies, incendiary guitar playing, bluesy vocals and a dash of slide guitar coupled with Simon Rushbrook's muscular basslines and drummer Jack Revy's impeccable grooves, Dig The Darkness serves up a rootsy collection of funky electric blues, rocking riffs, and killer rhythms.

The band say they've found their light in the current global pandemic by hosting weekly online gigs.

Andy said: “There is no substitute for a real gig, but live streaming is a new performance platform - a new art form. It’s in its infancy but it’s going to develop because I think people want to be able to tune into original live music from their homes - people who can’t go out, people with children – people who can’t get to live gigs can watch these things. It brings a new audience of people who wouldn’t be able to get to see live music.”

He added that musicians are creating online communities to interact with their fans and for fans to be able to interact with each other. The Dig The Darkness album launch party takes place on Saturday, March 6 from 8pm on the Andy Grant Band Facebook page.

The album is available from www.andygrant.net and all major online retailers.