The Loveless – Meet The Loveless

If we’re going to meet The Loveless then it seems a formal introduction is required, the band are fronted by none other than Marc Almond, who should need no introduction, but for the benefit of younger readers, aside from his many solo releases he is best known for fronting Soft Cell and Marc & The Mambas back in the day. He is backed with the creditable line up which includes long term wingman Neal X, whose past endeavours include Sigue Sigue Sputnik, The Montecristos and another 80’s household name in Adam Ant, as well as another collaborator from more recent times in James Beaumont who has backed up Marc Almond on solo releases as well as with Soft Cell. The engine room of The Loveless is Mat Hector and Ben Ellis, who are borrowed from none other than Iggy Pop‘s touring band, completing an impressive collection of credits by anyone’s standards. The Loveless‘ debut album, although not their actual debut as this collects a good few tracks from the band’s previous releases, is a love letter to their influences, skimming through the music that influenced an embryonic punk scene, as well as a few original numbers to keep things bang up to date.

The opening track, Wild In The Streets, is an original number, this is no exercise in electronica as this is full blooded punk rock and roll that demonstrates a side of Marc Almond that the uninitiated would not be expecting. After this the time machine gets into gear with Putty In Your Hands that was originally released by The Shirelles back in ’62, it has been often covered but the most relevant for our readers would be the superb cover by The Detroit Cobras, and this version is in the same vein and every bit it’s equal, and that is no minor compliment as Marc Almond matches the soulful delivery by the much missed Rachel Nagy. This is followed by the Bo Diddley classic Pills, that was notably covered by the New York Dolls, that sees Marc duetting with former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock on a full tilt version that keeps the spirit of the original and the ‘Dolls version intact. Next up is Take A Heart, that was originally released by The Sorrows back in ’66, that has it’s bluesy garage tones turned up to 11 by The Loveless.

The Kinks‘ I’m Not Like Everybody Else is a timeless classic that probably lurks somewhere in your collection, if not the original then The Cholocalate Watch Band and The Only Ones‘ Peter Perrett have both recorded excellent versions. This song truly suits Marc Almond‘s vocals, the menace and vulnerability are present, and dare I say this is quite possibly my favourite cover of this song. The link back to that heady era continues with the deep, dark and soulful Dark Side that was originally recorded by 60’s garage rockers The Shadows Of Night. The next track Nothing At All has all the hallmarks of the previous blusey garage rockers, but this is an original penned by Neal X and Marc Almond. As it took a few searches to realise this, it shows just how much their music is informed by this era regardless of their punk and new wave origins.

Hot Hard And Ready is a new wavey slab of old school rock, with lyrics that definitely come from the 1970s, that was originally recorded by the LA queer sleaze merchants Smokey, not to be confused with the insipid UK band Smokie. This is followed by a faithful horn fuelled version of Alice Cooper‘s Under My Wheels and The Loveless‘ take on You’re Gonna Miss Me, one of my favourites from the original 60’s bands that was written by Roky Erikson and originally recorded with The Spades, and then more famously with The 13th Floor Elevators. Covers of your all time favourites often end up being a disappointment, this is an exception to that rule as they stay true to the original but add their own dimension to it. The Strangeloves 60’s stomping garage rock classic Night Time get’s updated with Marc Almond clearly enjoying the “bomp bomp” beat that his most famous hit single had.

Max Frost & The Troopers‘ The Shape Of Things To Come gets a faithful outing and it must be said that Marc Almond‘s vocals are again perfectly suited to this track. This is another one that has been covered relentlessly by garage and punk bands over the years but this version more than holds its own. The final cut on Meet The Loveless brings a change of tone with the funky horn fuelled take on Freddie Scott‘s I’ll Be Gone bringing Meet The Loveless to a close. On the surface of it this is a mostly a covers album, but there’s a clear joy in the recording of the songs that influenced two of the 80’s more recognisable figures, whose origins began in the primeval swamp that was punk rock in the 70’s. You should Meet The Loveless if you have any love for punk’s origins or 60’s garage rock, as this is an album that provides a fresh look at some of the music that paved the way for what was to follow, and hopefully introduces it to a new generation.

Meet The Loveless, is set for release on January 19th and is available for pre-order via Cadiz Music.