The March Violets review – 2014
2014 saw The March Violets tour the UK, Europe AND the West Coast of the USA with the ‘Into The Sun’ tour. The first time the Violets played the USA since the 1980s. And what a return it was. Read on…
We started off in York.
5.4.2014 - A Little Purple Do, The Fulford Arms, York.
Convivial and intimate. We decided to do a thing where we rehearsed, maybe a new Song, definitely a full set, then screened the Dan E Falicki film 'An Anti American' that Tom did the score for. With Free Popcorn!
We will be providing general chitchat, and some other stuff. Unholy Racket will have an exhibition of his prints. There'll be a raffle for something good, some Psydwr, Si's Caipirinha Cocktails, probably some gourmet food available from the chefs. A bit of a disco afterwards. Who knows what may turn up.
Then we headed to the Netherlands…
10.4.2014 - Poppodium Nieuwe NOR, Heerlen, Netherlands as part of the Graukunst festival.
And then Germany, where we headlined Resurrection.
12.4.2014 - Resurrection, Kaiserslautern Germany. With special guest support Vidi Aquam (Italy), Arts of Erebus (DE/FR) Plus After party "Dance Dead Rhythms" (Gothic - Post Punk - Batcave - Death Rock - Wave: DJ Iconoclast - Resurrection - DJ Wahni - Gotham Sounds)
And in April we headed to the USA, where we were honoured to headline Convergence XX in Chicago!
26.4.2014 - Convergence XX Chicago - Bottom Lounge
http://www.altgothic.com/c20chi/
Then in June we returned to the USA for ‘Into The Sun’ – a purple-tinted wander down the West Coast…
June 21 Sat - Seattle – El Corazon
June 22 Sun - Portland - The Hive @ Star Theater
June 25 Wed - San Francisco - Death Guild @ DNA Lounge
June 27 Friday – Las Vegas - Scarlet @ LVCS with DJs Morpheus Blak & Style.
June 28 - Saturday - San Diego, The Soda Bar plus Guests - Black Tango & Prayers
June 29 - Sunday - Los Angeles - Part Time Punks @ The Echo plus Support - Vaniish & Deathday
Plus we got a great album review from Mick Mercer!
THE MARCH VIOLETS - MADE GLORIOUS - Cavorting Curmudgeons Go Nuclear!
MADE GLORIOUS
You don’t need me to tell you that the return of The March Violets has been fabulous, or if you do I will do it discreetly, respectfully, for here we have a band who have aged subtly without losing their irascible nature and musical daring. Si apparently went through three producers before running out of space to bury anymore and finally did the job himself. Simon Denbigh and Rosie Garland handle the vocals, Tom Ashton the guitar and Jo Violet everything else, there was a nice illustrated lyric booklet sent with the 2CD copy I bought (to get the bonus remix disc) and all is well with the world.
‘Made Glorious’ kicks brightly as it bubbles with vocal chirpiness and fluid guitar making for a cute opener, then they slither sleekly during ‘Billion3’, both creepily ironic and cinematically atmospheric. ‘A Room With No View’ is blissfully moody and blessedly bleak. ‘You want love and fear – in a single room, in a single pill, in a single bed, at a single stroke.’ The tangle tingles. ‘Of Roses’ is lighter, for all the dark story unfolding, with a wisp of Bowie involved somehow. Then we cut abruptly to the fidgeting of ‘Tokyo Flow’ which is impressively devious, muted and invitingly slo-mo. ‘Ramming Speed’ is almost nautical Steampunk. (Sailpunk!) ‘Little Punk Thing’ is like a scaly form of glam, strangely bouncy and whimsically deadpan in tone. A palpable hit!
‘Dandelion King’ hauls out some acoustic as the song soars with a robust rhythm and nagging guitar, with the lyrics on this and following songs almost suggesting there’s a novel in them, like a modern Gormenghast, or maybe that’s just my mind on the blink? ‘2024’ finds the whispering rabble revolting and ‘London's Drowning’ ricochets with ribald good humour as the imagery comes out of modern history. ‘We Are All Gods III’ weaves a merry sprawl with naughty vocals, haughty violin and a fuller rumbustious nature for the questioning weirdness and chunkier sound.
‘Road Of Bones’ is off on its bass-driven opening with a hot vocal flush developing, quietly majestic.‘Discoboy Must Die’ plods heroically with juicy twinges as our halfwit hero prepares to meets his maker, ‘Dress 4 U’ has hot turbulence aplenty, ‘Bottle Of Poison’ teems and teeters with life and husky horrors, while ‘My Demons’ flounces off raw and rousing, the culmination of a life lived in livid style.
The extra CD is mostly remixes, with one being a touch different. ‘Dandelion King’ by Mark GT (that's Mark Thwaite) is a calm calamity, ‘Liam Hits Seven’ by these very March Violets is an extended happy birthday done as a result of a pledge. It’s also rather good, not cobbled together bollocks. Then on they go - ‘We Are All Gods’ (Skin Job), ‘Black Heart’ (Latexxx Teens feat. Rosie), ‘Road Of Bones’ (Kitty Lectro), ‘We Are All Gods’ (Frank Heiss) and a lovely ‘London's Drowning’ by old Batfish Boy Dangerously Close. ‘Billion3’ (Kitty Lectro), ‘Discoboy Must Die’ (DBF), ‘Road Of Bones’ (Scant Regard), ‘We Are All Gods’ (Eskil Covenant) and ‘Little Punk Thing’ (Monica Richards). As they’ve been given great songs to play with it’s not like they can really fuck them up.
It’s a long, comprehensively absorbing collection and delivers more the more you listen, the sign of a modern classic. You won’t find much better.
https://www.facebook.com/notes/mick-mercer/the-march-violets-made-glorious-cavorting-curmudgeons-go-nuclear/10152121007834039
