THE WHOLLY rejuvenated, fully on the groove A Certain Ratio have dropped another track from the forthcoming ACR:EPA, the first of a series of EPs following in the slipstream of last year’s superb ACR Loco – as if you needed reminding that they are wholly on fire again. (Doubting Thomases: by god, they so are).
The slap-bass, vocal funk of “Keep It Together”, premiered on 6 Music earlier today, and in keeping with its absolutely superfly grooves, now comes fully armed with a retro psych-funk video, partly filmed outside Stockport brought to you by Luke Logan and Joe Vickers. Come watch below.
ACR say: “We wanted it to be set in the 70s, so we invited ACR fans to dress up and become part of the video.
“Among the extras that turned up were Calder Valley’s finest, The Lounge Society, and Lee from Manchester’s Heavy Salad. They arrived as funkateers, punks, soul boys and girls, hippies, post punks and prog rockers – and everyone looked amazing.
“The video is about overdoing it on a night out and trying to keep it together.”
And just how wired is that bass, how cool is that vocal from Denise Johnson?
Alongside last month’s “Wonderland”, with its unmistakably ACR bass, a hypnotic Eastern feel, Denise both wholly within and gliding above a dreamlike jazz-funk groove, “Keep It Together” arose from a post-album mix jam session weekend last March at Oxygene in Salford; an informal couple of days to just kick back and have fun. Of course, with Denise’s abrupt passing later in the year, these were to be their last together.
With the pressure off, the tapes rolling but that honed musical chemistry crackling away, what resulted was joyous, free and absolutely funky.
“We’re so happy with the results and the outcome; hopefully this release gives an insight into how much fun and energy Denise would always bring to a session when we recorded together,” the band say.
Tickets are now on sale for ACR’s winter tour, with two festival appearances also preluding their full headline dates across the country. The dates are as follows – click through for tickets and more information on each show:
June 18th, Ragley Hall, Warwickshire, Big Foot festival;
September 3rd, London, Wide Awake festival, Brockwell;
November 3rd, 2021, Huddersfield, The Parish;
November 4th, Newcastle, St Dom’s Social Club;
November 5th, Manchester, Gorilla;
November 6th, Stoke-on-Trent, The Sugarmill;
November 7th, York, The Crescent;
November 9th, Birmingham, Hare & Hounds;
November 10th, Southampton, Engine Rooms;
November 11th, Brighton, CHALK (formerly The Haunt);
November 12th, Bristol, The Exchange;
November 13th London, EartH, Hackney;
November 15th, Preston, The Ferrett;
November 16th, Leeds, The Warehouse, and
November 17th, Glasgow, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut.
A Certain Ratio’s ACR:EPA will be released by Mute digitally and on limited Valentine’s red vinyl on May 7th, and is available to pre-order now.
