The Very Things return

From out of nowhere, The Very Things have re-emerged.

The band that started as an offshoot of the Cravats were firm John Peel faves a few decades ago and disappeared as mysteriously as they arrived, but there is new activity spotting on the horizon…

The Very Things GXL – Mr. Arc-Eye (under a cellophane sky) (album)
Release date: 26th July 2024, on vinyl and all major digital platforms.

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Mr Arc-Eye (under a cellophane sky) by The Very Things GXL is the first release of new songs from The Very Things’ marque for over 35 years.The album has been developed over the past 10 years by principal ‘The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes’ and ‘Motortown’ writer, RR Dallaway.

It features: original 80s teen drumming phenomenon ‘Disney Time’, Steven Burrows (guitar, bass), Tony Sherrard (bass) and Dallaway (vocals, guitar, keyboards and found sounds).

It contains: ghosts, radiation, an electrician, rivers of sand, a toga, Samantha Stephens, an antique suit, space walks and a scrap iron man.

Album themes include: illusion and truth, belief and reality.

Facts

1. The Mr. Arc-Eye photographs were shot in a disused, ghost-filled 70s swimming pool, haunted by Jason King.

2. The track Mr. Arc-Eye features a very rare, blue sparkle Pamphonic Orbit 4 electric guitar.

3. Caused by a broken arm and illness, there is a gap of three years between clips in the ‘Driver’ video.

4. WARNING: Found sounds in ‘I Said Yeah’ by The Very Things GXL may cause the hypothalamus to trigger a release of adrenaline into the bloodstream, causing the arrector pilimuscles to contract. DO NOT OPERATE HEAVY MACHINERY OR VEHICLES WHILST LISTENING TO THIS RECORDING.

More

It is all new, but the DNA is familiar. It’s been made using the same idiosyncratic processes as earlier TVT recordings; multiple cassette recorders, lucid dreaming, chance occurrences and found sounds have all been employed, coupled here with new (but distinctly TVT) soundscapes. A combination of vintage analogue equipment and digital technology has been used to create a rich sonic texture.

‘We’ve been working on this third chapter for a while. The tracks were initially recorded with our home studio, set up in the same room where ‘The Bushes Scream’ and ‘Motortown’ songs were written and arranged, and in a live room. Some vocals and other elements were recorded on location in cellars, kitchens, outdoors, wherever resulted in the right sound and atmosphere. I’ve adopted the same approach to writing the songs as for the earlier albums; some were pre-fabricated with demos, some were jammed and then worked on away from the studio, some used the studio as a creative tool. What does it sound like? I think it has elements of both ‘Bushes Scream’ and ‘Motortown’, but doesn’t sound like either. We’ve pushed it on somewhere else.’  Rob Dallaway.

A bit of history

• Founded by RR Dallaway and The Shend (also founder members of The Cravats) in 1983.

• 2024 is the 40th anniversary of TVT’s ‘The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes’ album.

• BBC Radio 1’s John Peel favourites.

• Indie chart regulars.

• Radio 1 playlisted (This is Motortown, Let’s Go Out).

• Cult black and white video for Channel 4’s ‘The Tube’.

The Bushes Scream While My Daddy Prunes, indie hit of 1984, is still a frequently played favourite, with its themes of neurosis and control. The video, a much loved homage to 50s sci-fi films (reputedly the most expensive film made for Tyne Tees TV’s ‘The Tube’ on Channel 4) still clocks up thousands of views online. “That’s The Very Things showing how to make a really crushing LP for less than many bands spend putting up their noses in a week.” John Peel, BBC Radio 1.

Motortown, the second album released in 1987, included indie hits ‘This Is Motortown’ and ‘Let’s Go Out’. ‘In a blaze of supercharged funk rhythms and twanging guitars arrives the sound ofMotortown, UK… The Very Things have forged an essential slice of indie funk’. Music Week.

RR Dallaway was co-founder of The Cravats, the DcL (DadaCravat Laboratories) and The Very Things. This album marks his first return to lead vocals since The Cravats and DcL Locomotive.

The Very Things return

The Very Things return