from the 12” single, Flicknife Records, 1984The modern history of music is littered with groups who fall into the category of “should have been huge”, and these guys make a very good case for that idea; representing a solid, strength-through-pain theme (as opposed to the relish-in-pain ethos more commonly found amidst gothic rockers from that era), this song never fails to get stuck in my head. This segues into life with a fantastically grand intro, melancholic and whispy guitar riff looped, remarkably tribal drumming, stretched out to maximize the building tension until it revs up and takes off, feeling very much like hitting the highway from an on-ramp. These guys only played around London for a couple of years, never scoring a major label deal, but garnering a healthy cult-following which carries on to this day. Andy Nkanza’s vocal stylings remind me of a tame Brian Ferry or David Bowie, but he delivers the message well, “…out on the edge there, oh, we can fly…”
