Maillist

 

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From piano led 60s styled melancholy to Funkadelicised soul stew distilled through the groups disparate influences to create a colourful, absorbing and mature collection of songs.

GALLON DRUNK, formed by James Johnston, Michael Delanian, and Joe Byfield,
first erupted onto the London gig circuit in the early `90s and wasted little time becoming one of the capitals most essential live propositions, with a succession of startling and abrasive singles, including the classic SOME FOOLS MESS, all reaching the top of the independent charts.

Throughout their entire career, every single GALLON DRUNK have released has achieved Single Of The Week in either the NME or MELODY MAKER. A trio of unique and pioneering
albums, YOU, THE NIGHT...AND THE MUSIC (1992), TONITE, THE SINGLES BAR(1992) and the Mercury Prize-nominated FROM THE HEART OF TOWN (1993) followed,
cementing GALLON DRUNKS burgeoning reputation as one of Britains truly
uncompromising bands. They premiered the second single off FROM THE HEART OF
TOWN, entitled YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED, on Jools Hollands Later and continued
to attract an international reputation during their blitzkrieg tours of Europe,
the States and Japan.

After exhaustive touring, promoting their highly successful HEART OF TOWN album
throughout 1993, JOHNSTON took time out to record the epochal DORA SUAREZ
album. Together with fellow band member TERRY EDWARDS, he created an
arresting soundscape to accompany the late, great crime writer DEREK RAYMOND
reading from his dark, moving novel I WAS DORA SUAREZ. In 1994, the
collaboration culminated in a ground-breaking, sell-out live performance pf
the work at the National Film Theatre on Londons South Bank.

In spring 1994, JOHNSTON was approached by NICK CAVE to play guitar for the
BAD SEEDS during their Lollapalooza tour. "Blixa Bargeld had commitments and
Nick asked me if Id like to step in." explains JOHNSTON. "After two
rehearsals, we were off on a 45-date tour of the States." Johnstons
continuing links with Cave have seen him contribute to several songs as both a
musician and writer (and appear on Top of the Pops with Kylie Minogue), but
his return from Lollapalooza in the autumn of 1994 heralded GALLON DRUNKS
decision to leave their record label, resulting in a contractually enforced
period of silence which nonetheless saw the band gig constantly, culminating
in an electrifying performance at the 1995 PHOENIX FESTIVAL (which was filmed
and broadcast by ITVs THE BEAT) and a triumphant first tour of Ireland.

1995 ended with the release of the TRAITORS GATE EP on their own GALLON DRUNK
RECORDS, the most visceral work they had yet committed to tape, bringing
songwriter JOHNSTONS perennial themes of love, betrayal, rage and repulsion
into sharper relief. The following spring, GALLON DRUNK commenced recording a
fourth album for their new label CITY SLANG, completed after finishing a
lengthy tour of Europe with Australian instrumental combo The Dirty Three.
Without tempering their incendiary approach towards creating music which first
forged their reputation as a unique and daring band, IN THE LONG STILL NIGHT
was their most accessible and fully realised album, a thrilling emotional
rollercoaster ride that employed numerous musical styles harnessed to the
bands trademark unstoppable groove. Backed every step of the way by the
singular talents of the band, a centre stage was created for songwriter
JOHNSTON to display his vocal and musical innovation and an increasing
lyrical directness.

Figuring highly in many music press end-of-year polls, IN THE LONG STILL NIGHT
led Qs David Roberts to suggest that "the bands collision of funk, punk and
skewiff jazz emerge as the perfect soundtrack for the committing of terrible
crimes of passion" while TIME OUTs Gary Mulholland declared that IN THE LONG
STILL NIGHT provided "clear evidence of a band reborn", while praising their
"mature, spacey, funky sound".
Following the albums release, the band delivered a no-holds barred
performance for a Mark Radcliffe Radio 1 session and with Rocket From The
Crypt at their London Forum show as well as live action in Cologne at the
Popkomm Festival where the set was filmed and broadcast by MTV. Their
sold-out show at Camden Dingwalls was considered by many to be the highlight
of the Camden Mix Festival (prompting MELODY MAKERs Robin Bresnick too pine
that: "its time to accept that theres more to Gallon Drunk than meets the
(swollen black) eye... Their white hot flaming volleys of sound still provide
the volatile focus but, more than ever, theyre interspersed with James
snarling melody") which paved the way for their ecstatically received tour
and subsequent European jaunt. The band then took a well earned break.
The end of last year saw a one-off solo single, HURRICANE by JAMES JOHNSTON
released under the moniker of JJ STONE. GALLON DRUNK return with a new line-up
and their first live UK shows for over a year to coincide with the release of
a new EP and album of brand new material.

The 4 track BLOOD IS RED EP released by FM records featured
the bands re-recording of JAMES JOHNSTONS last solo single`HURRICANE, the
track which led to the bands involvement in Nikos Triandafyllidis new feature
film BLACK MILK. The band both appear in the film and have composed the
soundtrack music. The new album borrows its title from the movie, BLACK MILK
and is released on 14th February 2000.
The band have also contributed music to Geraldine Swaynes new Imax film `East
End that will be screened in LA, London and Manchester.
"The soundtrack came about after the director heard the `Hurricane solo
single Id done," explains Johnston. "A lot of new Gallon Drunk songs we
were rehearsing at the time became worked into the film, along with new
material composed specifically for the picture both as songs and incidental
music, all of which I wanted represented on the album."
The movie Black Milk follows the misfortunes of Alekos, a young debauched
scriptwriter caught in a web of hazardous love affairs, dangerous
friendships and the machinations of the mass media.
Gallon Drunks work on the Black Milk soundtrack should come as no surprise
to those who have followed their eclectic career path, which has included
scoring the Dora Suarez album with the late crime writer Derek Raymond, TV
composition, writing music for Marisa Karneskys dance performance Jewess
Tattoos, recording `The Big Hurt with Nick Cave for Jez Butterworths
feature film Mojo and most recently, the soundtrack to Geraldine Swaynes
IMAX film East End.

With heartfelt, moving songs and instrumental pieces, Gallon Drunk have
produced a stunning soundtrack which both perfectly compliments the
hallucinatory movie and stands as a totally captivating and haunting work in
its own right. Black Milk, the album, atmospheric, suspenseful and
melancholic, is also infused with Gallon Drunks trademark raw powered
funk-rock punkadelia. "I particularly like the fat, driving sound of`Blood
Is Red and `Hurricane (both tracks are featured in key sequences in the
film), which were recorded at our studio in London - and the way they
juxtapose with the lusher and more plaintive tracks recorded in Greece,"
Johnston elaborates.
Black Milk finds Gallon Drunk at the height of their considerable powers.
"The opening track, `Theme, has a feel to it that Ive been trying to
achieve for ages," states the singer, "a poignant, mesmeric groove -
reminiscent of Morricone or Miles Davis. This being a soundtrack there was
no need to stick to any particular song structure and instead we could go
purely for mood and atmosphere. Some of the more full-on tracks, like`Can
You Feel It and `Blood Is Red, also have this sort of freedom of structure
- extending way out into jazz/punk/Stooge noise.

The emotional charge of this electrifying new material was in evidence
during their recent live shows, featuring the Drunks new recruit, bassist
Jeremy Cottingham. "Doing the film meant a break from live performance and
gave us an opportunity to reappraise our live sound and band line-up,"
reflects Johnston. "We needed to incorporate some of the sounds, loops and
effects from the record into the live set, without losing the basic primal
groove, really focusing the sound of the new band - you can hear it on
`Hurricane, which we re recorded live for that very reason."

RELEASES BY: Gallon Drunk


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