Singles collection of great lost band released 24th January via Slumberland Records
East Village are one of the great lost and what could have been bands from Great Britain. Formed as Episode Four, in the mid-1980s in sleepy Princes Risborough, by brothers Martin and Paul Kelly playing distinctive garage music. Later joined by Johnny Wood (guitar/vocals) in 1984 and Spencer Smith (drums) in 1985.
In 1987, they renamed themselves as East Village relocated to London recording two EPs for Jeff Barrett's Sub Aqua label. That label collapsed, and they floated around borrowing money to make an album eventually landing with Jeff Barrett who was forming the new Heavenly Recordings label. The band played shows with Manic Street Preachers and Saint Etienne in 1991, releasing a single before playing a sold out show in New Cross and abruptly splitting up on stage.
The band have gone on to become a cult amongst indie fans and prices of original pressings of recordings have skyrocketed in recent years.
Slumberland Records have compiled the recordings into a compilation we have here and it is released on vinyl and will be highly sought by alternative music fans intrigued by the history of the genre.
One of the best songs on the compilation is 'Violin' and it encompasses all that is good about the band - jangly guitars, yearning lyrics and tight composition - a sound of their own which is indebted to the late 1960s mod era of the Kinks and yet has the ear for the tune of The Byrds, as well as the extensive catalogue of Paul Weller.
The influence of this guitar music can be heard in 1990s bands - Ocean Colour Scene and Cast for example and up to the date with The Coral with that wash of summery guitar; even the opening riff of Violin sounds like an opening to a song by Olden Yolk's 'Cotton and Cane'
Slumberland released another compilation late last year by another forgotten band, the American band The Springfields - an album also indebted to the 60s Laurel Canyon music writing; yet these two albums will go hand in hand together at a listening party. Other key songs on the album are 'Cubans in the Bluefields' and 'Kathleen'.
While the reasons for the split of East Village are never fully known, and the band refuse requests for reformations constantly, at least finally they have granted permission for their legacy to not remain lost forever to the ether and instead can now be freely found upon request.
Hotrod Hotel is available on all formats from 24th January from Slumberland Records
My thanks to One Beat PR for the review opportunity
