MUSIC

Puzzling times

at The Black Prince

Salvation Jayne

After teasing fans with four singles, Salvation Jayne (March 12) have just issued their debut album and now they are on the road in support of A Mouthful of Magnificent Spite.

They say their music-making brings together ‘white-hot, hook-laden explosive fuzzy riffs, glossy dream pop undertones and captivating atmospherics,’ and it’s seen them rack up a decent fan base – including esteemed knobtwiddler Sylvia Massy who produced a session by them.

She knows a good thing when she hears it too, with other credits under her belt for the likes of Tool and Prince.

The big bill also features The Wax Lyrical Sound, Worth A Shot and Hounds Hall.

October Drift (March 24) bring their popinflected sounds to the fore, with a performance promising to be electrifying and charismatic, and they’ve had enough practice to make perfect; they’ve previously toured with Editors, and have hit up festivals including Glasto, Reading & Leeds and The Great Escape.

Support comes from Rolling Thunder and Parking On Pavements.

Original Quo hard-hitter John Coghlan (March 26), will deliver the hits from the Quo era when he kept things in check – from 1962 to 1981.

When John originally joined Rossi and Parfitt at play they hadn’t even taken the name Status Quo – back at the start of the ‘60’s they were called The Spectres.

Coghlan stayed put behind the drum stool for almost two decades, bowing out three years before their first farewell tour.

Expect to hear vintage numbers like (April) Spring, A Year and Summer and Wednesdays. Don’t dilly-dally either, because after a career spanning six decades John has announced that this current run of shows will be his last.

Expect classic Quo from original drummer John Coghlan (above), while Rosalie Cunningham (left) will hopefully solve the puzzle and October Drift (below) fall in to town towards the end of the month

Tuppenny Bunters and Alunah have bagged the support for Rosalie Cunningham’s date (March 29).

We last caught Rosalie and her cohorts in a pre-pandemic psych-haze of riffs, hot pants and flares. Nowadays it’s all lateral-flows and spatial awareness, ain’t it?

The Queen of Psychedelic Prog Rock is making her return to record collections with the new album Two Piece Puzzle which came out on Friday.

Fairport Convention fiddler Ric Sanders features throughout the release, which adds layers of saccharine pop, smooth lounge jazz and fuzzy heavy metal to her already revered psychedelic roots.

Rosalie was joined in the creativity by her partner Rosco Wilson.

“I do not work efficiently without a deadline and can tinker indefinitely!” Rosalie admits, “Rosco was a good foil for me in that sense – co-producing and persuading me enough was enough. The album was a Two Piece Puzzle in that sense; the title stems from the themes of duality running throughout the lyrics.”

‘If Kate Bush had a baby with The Beatles it would have been Rosalie Cunningham,’ reckons Classic Rock magazine.

Frankly, that little bit of spiel can’t be improved upon, so we’ll sign off there. Head to FB @sbdpromotions for ticket info.

VFT issues ‘glassy’ cover version

Venus Fly Trap will feature on the upcoming compilation Glass: Remade/Remodelled which celebrates 40 years of the Glass Records label.

Venus Fly Trap (frontman Alex Novak and guitar/programmer Andy Denton) decided to cover a Religious Overdose song that was originally released as a 7” single back in 1980.

Mind you, Alex knew Control Addicts only too well – he was also the singer with Religious Overdose.

What was it like revisiting it after so long?

“It was interesting to tackle a song I had been involved with in the past,” he told us, “If we ever do any covers we try to do something different with it.”

The track was released as a digital download through Glass Miniature last week, as a taster for the aforementioned CD.

“It seems I have come full circle as far as releasing material on the label,” Alex said, “We have done various releases on Glass, including the VFT album Icon, a compilation of all the bands I have been involved in called Mercurial, and other reissues on CD and download.

“The label has a strong connection with this region, releasing material by the likes of Pat Fish/Jazz Butcher, David J from Bauhaus and Spacemen 3 among others.”

Glass Modern, the new imprint of Glass Records, has a wide selection of reissues on the way.

“There is a lot of material coming out on the revitalised label, including their first No.1 vinyl single from Sonic Youth/The Pastels. It’s only taken 40 years...”

Fancy an earful of stompy, dark electronic noise? Listen up: glassminiature.bandcamp. com/album/control-addicts-2

Mange Le Funk has just issued Celestial Soul by The African Sunset Project (ASP).

“The 1980s had, and still has, a massive influence on our sound as producers,” said Maurice Bird, aka TASP and part Mange Le Funk owner.

“The ASP venture back in time with this gem of a track – back to a time of leg warmers, Miami Vice, Kerplunk, Space Dust and the Roland TR808 and TR909 sound.

“Celestial Soul pays homage to the sound of the 80s with a true and authentic style.”

Check in for more on FB: @mlfproductions

You might remember us sharing our thoughts on the debut Sleepy Beaucat EP, Riddles and Rhymes towards the end of last year.

We declared it ‘a chewy alt-rock amalgam with breakouts of noise abandon that sets them up for success in 2022.’

On Saturday, March 5, you can tip your ears to their live show – the Northampton-based trio will be live at The Lab.

Venus Fly Trap

Sleepy times at The Lab

What’s on the setlist? The Undertones

When frontman Feargal Sharkey quit the Derry quintet way back in 1983, the rest of the members of The Undertones decided to call time on the band, and stayed quiet for 16 years.

But on the eve of the new millennium, they reconvened with new singer Paul McLoone and got back to the business of making music and making people smile, and they’ve been at it for more than two decades since.

In 2018 the band celebrated the 40 year anniversary of the release of Teenage Kicks, the song that ensured their place in music history.

The band will play their rescheduled Roadmender date in March. Get along nice and early to enjoy support from Hugh Cornwall and his band, and a set that will comprise some tasty solo songs alongside those classic Stranglers hits, and there were more than a few of those.

We asked The Undertones bassist Mickey Bradley to tell us about three songs that will definitely air during their Roadmender set.

“If they’re not, the bass player will go on strike,” Mickey promised. Jimmy Jimmy Our first proper Top Twenty hit. And the title that used to be shouted at us as we walked the streets of Derry while waiting for a tour to start. Always a pleasure to play, too. We don’t play the fade that’s on the record, though. Too weird.

My Perfect Cousin A bona fide top ten hit. And written by Damian and me. Also, and I can say this dispassionately, it’s an amusing song. Didn’t no less a poet than Simon Armitage, The Laureate, quote a line from it in a Times Q&A recently? He did, in answer to the question ‘A lyric you wish you’d written?’

Teenage Kicks A record which is much more famous than the band that made it. And rightly so. Inspired by The Ramones and The Crystals and a record which changed our lives. And if it’s good enough for Toyah to sing in her kitchen, it’s good enough for us to sing in The Roadmenders.

> The Undertones play Northampton Roadmender on March 11. Book tickets at theroadmender.com