I’ve surprised myself today in that this is a first appearance from De Rosa on T(n)VV although they were featured a fair few times on the old blog. I’m being lazy today and relying heavily on info published elsewhere.
They are from Lanarkshire and previously released two albums, Mend (2006) and Prevention (2009) on Chemikal Underground .
Weem, their third LP, came out in January 2016 on Rock Action Records.
They formed as far back as 2001 as the brainchild of singer/songwriter/guitarist Martin John Henry. Initally a three-piece involving brothers Neil Woodside (drums) and James Woodside (bass), they signed in 2004 to a small locally based indie label called Gargleblast Records, which released their debut single the double-A side of Camera/All Saints Day. They attracted a fair bit of radio support, locally and nationally, and soon expanded into a four-piece with the addition of Chris Connick on guitar and as that line-up went into the studio to record said debut LP; it was initially going to be on Garbageblast but ended up being licensed to Chem who released in June 2006 with one magazine reviwer moved to describe it as :-
The kind of parochial majesty you might encounter if The Pixies reworked The Go-Betweens’ “Before Hollywood” for a documentary about the social history of Lanarkshire.
The release of their second album led to a high-profile support of Doves on their UK tour dates in April 2009 but just afterwards, in June 2009, they announced their break-up with Martin John Henry later releasing a solo album, entitled The Other Half of Everything, on Gargleblast before the year was out.
He continued his solo career while also working with other musicians, most notably Malcolm Middleton in the performances with his Human Don’t Be Angry project. In 2012, De Rosa reformed for some live shows but it took until November 2015 before any new material was released in the shape of the single Spectres and then the new LP in early 2016.
I saw De Rosa a number of times back in the 2006-2009 period, often in the company of Mike from Manic Pop Thrills who has long been a champion of the band, not just via his blog but as a promoter of live shows. (It’s one of his photos that I’ve pinched for today’s post…. I know he won’t mind!!)
They’re a hugely entertaining live act so much so that I’ve felt the records haven’t quite captured the talents they show on stage. If they do somehow find themselves playing near you at some point in the future, I highly recommend that you go along.
Here’s a really good track from Mend:-
mp3 : De Rosa – All Saints Day
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 