Hello folks!
Our July releases are available to pre-order now!
A brand new single from The Sensible Gray Cells on a choice of red or grey vinyl, and the debut single by young Australian band The Rellies!
Do check out the YouTube video links below.
Both set for release on July 24th!
Click on the pics below to reserve your copies!
The Sensible Gray Cells - So Long / What's the Point of Andrew? (Ltd 7")
CHECK OUT THE YOUTUBE VIDEO FOR 'WHAT'S THE POINT OF ANDREW?' HERE - https://youtu.be/l0uIESPthkM
7” Taster for forthcoming album!
Limited Edition on Gray or Red vinyl
Featuring members of The Damned & Johnny Moped!
The Sensible Gray Cells are...
Captain Sensible - electric and acoustic guitars, lead and backing vocals, and interesting noises
Paul Gray – bass and assorted string things.
Martin Parrott - drums
Who, what and why are The Sensible Gray Cells?
Captain:- Paul Gray and myself being garage psych afficianados would prefer to hear more of this kind of music and this is our contribution to the cause. If I said that some of the songs were 'Damned rejects' that shouldn't be seen as an indication of inferior songwriting.. more that they're not wearing the right shirt.
‘So Long’ is the new single due out on Damaged Goods records. What’s the song about?
Captain:- Ha ha.. it's a bit like the intro to '60s TV's The Prisoner where Patrick Mcgoohan storms down that corridor to rant and rave at his boss as he delivers his resignation request. Were not that formal in punk rock but if we were this is what it might sound like.
The B-side ‘What’s the Point of Andrew?’ is written by Paul Gray. How does his approach to song writing differ to yours?
Captain:- I've no idea how other people write their tunes.. everyone's different.. I know he always comes up with the goods though - and this one's a cracker. Talk about hit the nail on the head.. although it might have been nice to give the Duke of Pork a whack instead.
A Postcard From Britain came out in 2013. What have you been up to since then?
Captain:- I've never been a prolific writer.. being a lazy so and so I think it's best to wait for inspiration to call.. which explains the 7-year gap..( how many albums could the Beatles have crammed in that period!) but in the meantime PG rejoined the Danned and we've gigged about a bit, which is always fun - CAN WE HAVE GIGS BACK AGAIN PLEASE!!!
Martin - Recorded two albums with The Weird Things. An album and singles with Johnny Moped. Writing and recording with Maxine who's adding piano and BV's to the SGC album.. Also recording drums for the AKA the Syndicate... And plenty of gigs..
A Postcard From Britain was a snapshot of modern life. Does the new album cover similar themes or have you taken a new direction?
Captain:- It's sad that high streets around the world have been destroyed by online shopping but nobody's forcing people to do it.. but what can you do. These are very strange times were living though - I just count myself lucky to have been around to witness the 2nd half of the 20th century.. a fab time for music, culture, ideas.. and that without even mentioning Benny Hill and On The Buses. The new album coincides with all this virus malarky.. which, unpleasant as it is will undoubtedly be used by the powers that be to tighten the screws on us little people on behalf of their billionaire paymasters. Blah blah, etc. There's a bit of that hidden away in the album.
Where and when did you record the album?
Captain:- With Rich from King Kurt.. he's got a studio in sunny Reigate (with a nice pub across the road) where we got together to see what material was on the go.. the answer was quite a lot of unfinished songs.. so the band spent the next few months on and off knocking down the best stuff (and a fair few pints of Timothy Taylor's Landlord bitter) - and aiming at 10 - 12 tracks (ending up with 14). and there's a fair bit of variety in there too. But the overriding criterion for inclusion had to be a strong, memorable melody. The Sensible Gray Whistle Test if you like.
This is the first album with Moped drummer Marty, what’s it like working with him?
Captain:- During last year's tour me and Paul agreed that Marty made the Mopeds sound fabulous.. so he was the obvious choice when it came to asking someone to join the band. He also sings.. which is good.. in fact the only thing to his detriment is his choice (as a South Londoner) of football team.
Which is best – punk, prog, or psych-pop?
Captain:- Yes.. all of those, mixed together in a steaming pot of wackiness and delivered with a English accent as exemplified by Syd Barrett and Ray Davies. I'm sure theres lots of wonderful modern pop music being made.. but if the piped garbage they play in supermarkets is anything to go by it won't be joining classics like the Beach Boys and T Rex in my record collection. End of rant!
The Rellies - Isabella is Annoying (Ltd 7")
Debut 7” single by young Australian garage band!
CHECK OUT THE FANTASTIC YOUTUBE VIDEO FOR 'ISABELLA...' HERE - https://youtu.be/OISFKYaiHZI
The Rellies are brothers and songwriters Ryan (13yo) guitar and vocals and Riley (11yo) Bass and Vocals as well as Jarlath (11) on drums and Aiden (12) on guitar. All met in Sydney’s infamous suburb of Kings Cross. What were these young ones doing in such an area? Learning music of course – ha ha. The band has been playing together for around three years. Songwriters Ryan and Riley like to argue a lot at rehearsal but actually love nothing more than to grab their vintage guitars and play songs by their favourite band, The Beatles. Aiden & Jarlath seem happy to do whatever. The Rellies play a mix of indie, garage-punk and rock. Their greatest achievement is becoming part of the Damaged Goods family and playing live at Sydney venues like The Oxford Arts Factory and El Rocco where they brought the house down with their garage-punk versions of 'Helter Skelter' and a very fast 'Old Town Road' (Lil Nas X’s) as well as originals including 'Isabella is Annoying' and 'Brainwaves'.
Some word from brothers Ryan & Riley about their track 'Isabella is Annoying'...
Brothers Riley and Ryan sit down at home with a guitar thinking about lyrics, and tunes that will go with those lyrics. Once finished, on Saturday they bring the newly written song to the band where it is practiced. The band then converses about how good the song is and where it should go on the set list. This song is about Isabella, says Riley ‘A new girl came to our school. Eventually she starts bullying me and then I get her back in the form of a song.' The Beatles are our main influence to our song writing.