Naarm/Melbourne’s gothic noir Bleak Squad consists of living legends Mick Turner (Dirty Three, Mess Esque), Mick Harvey (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey, The Birthday Party), Adalita (Magic Dirt) and Marty Brown (Art of Fighting) and they are back for more delicious musical misadventures with their new single ‘Strange Love’, title track to their forthcoming album. This comes as they prepare for their first ever shows, with the added frisson of supportinh Ed Kuepper and Jim White in a newly announced Sydney show.
Their debut single ‘Lost My Head’ (see my review here) served notice of the immeasurable quality of this dark ensemble, and the new track confirms the sonic delights these legends are concocting together. A slow burning spark features Adalita’s haunting ethereal vocals, filled with a swaggering attitude and a thousand yard stare, boosted by a celestial soaring chorus that raises the hairs on the back of your neck.
A rambling fuzzy guitar interrupts proceedings: raw and urgent that acts as a contrapuntal force to the sweet vocals and the jangling guitars.
This is a majestic track, accompanied by an immersive video directed by Adam Harding featuring the enigmatic presence of the band performing in dark on a stage framed by a red velvet backdrop, with a clear tip of the fedora to David Lynch:
‘Strange Love’, the single, is out now.
Featuring Mick Turner (Dirty Three, Mess Esque), Mick Harvey (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey, The Birthday Party), Adalita (Magic Dirt) and Marty Brown (Art of Fighting), the quartet unite for the first time on Bleak Squad’s debut LP, Strange Love, due 22 August 22 on Poison City Records.
Bleak Squad’s album ‘Strange Love’ is available to preorder now from the following links:
Poison City https://poisoncityestore.com/
Bandcamp https://bleaksquad.bandcamp.com/
and Rough Trade (UK-EU) https://www.roughtrade.com/product/strange-love
The album will precede big Bleak Squad shows at City Recital Hall in Sydney on Saturday, 11 October and the Recital Hall in Melbourne on Thursday, 16 October.
Announced today, Bleak Squad will be joined in Sydney by the revered pair of Ed Kuepper and Jim White for what is undoubtedly one of the great double bills of the year.
Prior to the album’s release, Bleak Squad will play its first ever shows on Friday August 1 at Queenscliff Town Hall and Saturday August 2 at Meeniyan Town Hall. Meeniyan is sold out and Queenscliff is not far off.
Friday, 1 August: Queenscliff Town Hall (warm-up show – on sale now)
Saturday, 2 August: Meeniyan Town Hall (warm up show – sold out)
Saturday, 11 October: City Recital Hall, Sydney (with Special Guest Ed Kuepper & Jim White / on sale July 24)
Thursday, 16 October: Recital Hall, Melbourne (on sale now)
Tickets available from BLEAK SQUAD | Feel Presents
Feature Photograph: Felix Oliver
