Billy Nomates writes original soundtrack for major new play, Mary and the Hyenas

“shaping up to be the most exciting British solo artist since PJ Harvey” – Uncut: 9/10 

“it feels like exactly the right place for Billy Nomates” – MOJO: 4*

“an excellent return […] an intoxicating collection” – Record Collector

Billy Nomates, the project of the Bristol-based songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Tor Maries, today, 17 January 2025, releases the soundtrack to the new play, Mary and the Hyenas, via Invada Records. The original soundtrack features eleven brand new songs, with all music written by Billy Nomates, and lyrics by Billy Nomates and the playwright, Maureen Lennon. This is the first new music since Maries’ critically acclaimed 2023 album, CACTI.

Listen to the Mary and the Hyenas soundtrack in full HERE.

Featuring an all female cast, the play, written by acclaimed Hull-based playwright Maureen Lennon (Guts! The Musical, Hull Truck Theatre and Baby, He Loves You, Middle Child Theatre) and directed by Esther Richardson (Noughts and Crosses and A Song for Ella Grey, Pilot Theatre and Expendable, Royal Court), explores the life of the iconic 18th century British writer, philosopher and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. The new production is set to debut at Hull Truck Theatre from 7th February until 1st March then transfers  to London’s Wilton Music Hall from 18th to 29th March.

Widely regarded as the mother of feminism, Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797) was a moral and political philosopher whose analysis of the condition of women in modern society retains much of its original radicalism. She worked as a schoolteacher, a governess and as a translator for a London publisher. Her first published book Thoughts on the Education of Daughters (1787) foreshadowed her later work on the place of women in society, titled A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), which as its core is a plea for equality in the education of men and women. The Vindication is widely regarded as the founding document of modern feminism. In 1797 she married the philosopher, William Godwin. She died days after the birth of their daughter, Mary Shelley.

Speaking about the new play, Tor Maries said: “I didn’t know about Mary Wollstonecraft. It seems history rarely embraces pioneering women. Her story is a compelling one. A true trailblazer, but a human being, ahead of her 1800s environment. I wanted to bring the music into the last few decades, a contemporary place, not wholly defined by now. An attitude and feeling that resonates across time and ages.”

Listen to the Mary and the Hyenas soundtrack HERE, and watch this space for more new music from Billy Nomates coming soon.

Mary and the Hyenas track list:

How’d You Grow A Girl
Utopian Dreams
We Are The Men
Vindication Of The Lives Of Women
Strong Woman
Run Wild
Little Patience
First Of A New Genus
Fuckboy
Falling For You
Find Your Tribe

Bristol based writer, performer and producer Tor Maries is the creator of Billy Nomates. She has performed across the UK and Europe, with notable appearances at Glastonbury and Later… with Jools Holland. Her 2023 album Cacti was released to widespread critical acclaim. Watch this space for news of more new Billy Nomates music to be released soon via Invada Records.

Pilot Theatre is one of the UK’s leading touring theatre companies. Their vision is to produce work that sparks passion and ignites debate across the globe through our performances and digital networks. They create pioneering contemporary work celebrating diversity in all its forms with relevance to young people and the issues they face in their lives.

Hull Truck Theatre is a pioneering theatre with a unique Northern voice, locally rooted, global in outlook, inspiring artists, audiences, and communities to reach their greatest potential. They produce and present inspiring theatre that reflects the diversity of a modern Britain and provide the resources, space, and support to grow people and ideas.

For more information on Mary and the Hyenas visit https://pilot-theatre.com/production/mary-and-the-hyenas/