The Filthy Tongues are, in some ways, direct descendants of Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, the mid 80s/early 90s band with whom Shirley Manson, later to find fame and fortune with Garbage, launched her career.
I say ‘some ways’ in as much that the three gentlemen picture above – Fin Wilson, Martin Metcalfe and Derek Kelly, who make up The Filthy Tongues – were also together in Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, but it’s only ‘some ways’ as their music is quite different from that of their old band. It also has to be mentioned that they used to be Isa & the Filthy Tongues, back between 2005 and 2014, when their vocalist was the American-born Stacey Chavis with two albums Addiction (2006) and Dark Passenger (2014) to their name. This extract from a review of one their singles gives as good a description of their sound as any:-
“A fine little single, dirty, scuzzy in just the right way with Isa’s vocals having a dark intense PJ Harvey quality to them that compliments Metcalfe’s intense wall of fuzz guitars very nicely. It’s a cracking, intensely immediate single that deserves to be subverting daytime radio playlists everywhere”
Chavis left the band and the music industry after the second album, and Metcalfe took on the role of lead vocalist. All that happened was the PJ Harvey quality of the vocals were replaced by something akin to Birthday Party-era Nick Cave or perhaps Lux Interior of The Cramps, with subsequent albums Jacob’s Ladder (2016), Back To Hell (2018) and In These Dark Places (2022) all receiving rave reviews.
I’m happy to admit that I didn’t explore that dark corners in which The Filthy Tongues operated, thinking that the word ‘gothic’ was used far too often for them to be of any interest or significance. But that changed when In These Dark Places came my way, courtesy of its release being partly-funded by Last Night From Glasgow and my level of membership qualifying me for a free copy. I gave it a listen and quite enjoyed it, but not enough to go out and purchase any of the back catalogue – and being someone who doesn’t use streaming services, I couldn’t simply press a few buttons and give things a listen.
But in 2023, LNFG again came to the rescue thanks to the release of Black Valentine, a compilation which brought together ten of their ‘best’ tracks from the three albums along with two new songs, thus enabling Villain Towers to be exposed to said dark, dingy and occasionally scary corners. Turns out, kind of like a Ghost Train in any fairground, there’s a great deal to enjoy from start to end, with a few WTF? bits along the way, and makes for the perfect way to get better acquainted with the band.
mp3 : The Filthy Tongues – Come On Home
From the 2018 album Back To Hell.
Can I end with a suggestion? Head to this Bandcamp page, where you can have a listen to the songs on Black Valentine, and if you like what you’re hearing, you can buy a CD or purchase a digital download. Even better, head over to this page on LNFG and get a hold of the vinyl. You won’t be disappointed.
The idea for the vinyl was a good one, but it has sold out. Discogs or maybe a friendly indie record shop may prove to be your friend.
JC
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 