written by Kel
“Cos when there’s nowt to do, that’s when the mould will bloom.”
Nose pink, hood up, my fingers gripping its sides to keep it there, I battle against the bellicose weather in the direction of home. Crossing the finishing line of my front door I flick the kettle on and change into dry clothes before rummaging out my pens and notebooks. I sink into the sofa with a steaming cup of builder’s and begin to write. The rain beats a steady pulse on the roof and I am grateful to be inside, and I am inspired.
I grew up in a tiny northern market town and have lived in Manchester for most of my adult years. It may seem trivial but rain has featured, er, heavily in my life. I finally got a chance to do some travelling a few years ago and after spending some months bumming around in sunny places I returned home to Manchester and was immediately greeted by a downpour. It felt like a ticker tape parade welcoming me home. Make us a brew, mate.
As I reacquainted myself with Manchester like a tourist in my own city, I was acutely aware of the creativity bulging out of its seams. I wrote the notes to the lyrics which eventually became the song ‘When The Cloud Explodes’, a paean to rainy days in grey towns and cities and the vibrant art that shines out through the gaps in our curtains. I think these two things are intrinsically linked.
The single comes out on Feb 22nd. Digitally you can find it in all the usual places. It’s also being released by labour-of-love bedroom label Punk Fox on bright orange 7” vinyl. The cover art is a black and white photo of a defiant androgynous child in a ginnel, taken by the late Manchester based photographer Shirley Baker. Check out some more of her beautiful captures of life in Manchester in the 50s and 60s here.
We chose orange for the vinyl (which you can pre-order now) as a contrast to the black and white, and a symbol of the brightness of the creative people here in Manchester. Or as our drummer, Jim puts it,
‘Orange: it’s Clockwork, GM Buses, and Mick Hucknall’s hair’.
Northern production whizz kids Sugar House approached us to record the song with them in St Helens. We think they really captured the energy and the scuzz. It’s intense and fuzz heavy with a hint of post-punk and a load of Manc attitude.
It’s already been played by Steve Lamacq and Gideon Coe on BBC 6 Music, and playlisted on Amazing Radio, how lovely is that?
We hope you like it.
———————–
born in a humdrum town under a charcoal cloud
lords of the puke stained streets
spores growing in bad meat
stink wrinkles up your nose and you’re pulling your curtains closed
when the cloud explodes
it’s raining in our city again, we’re staying in
singing smoking thinking
cos when there’s nowt to do that’s when the mould will bloom
that’s when the ink will flow
and that’s why our gardens grow
when the cloud explodes
it’s raining in our city again, we’re staying in
drinking painting creating
right at the heart of things
sick from the stench of bins
right at the heart of things
sick from the stench
when the cloud explodes
it’s raining in our city again, we’re staying in
dreaming dancing growing
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The Empty Page 