11/21/2007

Blow Monkeys To Reform.


After 18 years The Blow Monkeys return. Once again into the fray - all four original members. Dr Robert, songwriter/singer/guitarist, Neville Henry on saxophone, Mick Anker (he of the bowler hat and sideburns) on bass and Tony Kiley on drums.

A word from Robert: "The timing just felt right. Everybody in the band has carried on making music over the years but there's a chemistry when we play together. It was essential to everyone that we made something new - no nostalgia trip. Of course we will play the old songs too - we are really proud of what we achieved and those songs are still relevant, but we also have something new to say.

"In a way we are going back to the beginning...to a time when it was just the four of us playing in a room. We never really documented our sound. The nearest we came was our first album Limping For A Generation. We want to get back to that raw, experimental but melodic sound."

Fronted by Dr. Robert, The Blow Monkeys formed in 1981. In 1984, they released their interesting debut album which was characterized by a dark mood, and a mix of pop rock and new wave.

Their first hit would not come until 1986, with Waist High favorite "Digging Your Scene," from their second album Animal Magic.

The band released She Was Only A Grocer's Daughter in January of 1987, which contained "It Doesn't Have To Be This Way," and in 1989 a greatest hits compilation went to #5 in the UK.

The band called it quits in late 1990 shortly after the release of their fifth and last album, Springtime for the World.

Material: myspace.com/theblowmonkeys & wikipedia.org