With a cool laconic delivery and some good old fashioned thundering guitars, Liverpool’s The Room in the Wood have delivered a ripe and satisfying single in the form of ‘Fun of the Fair’: a pleasant whiff of nostalgia with an assured poise and a slightly threatening demeanor.
You’ll appreciate the vocals – a delicious recipe with ingredients from the vocal chords of Nick Cave, Tindersticks, Bambala and other dark-timbred exponents of goth-tinged glam rock, served on a platter of rock’nroll insouciance. It’s a black leather jacketed rumble that satisfies immensely.
David Jackson says of the single:
My youth, growing up in Liverpool in 70s. The music was always Tamla, Glam Rock etc blaring loud. An era where gangs of smoothies, troggs and grebos roamed the parks you had to bribe over 18s to get you alcohol from off licences. Big party seven pint cans of beer that you had to open with a screwdriver and a brick when you realised no one had brought an opener. Being chased by gangs of boot boys and the mysterious magic of being out in the night when you’re young, doing stuff you’re not supposed to.
The accompanying video references the nostalgia of the fun fair with slightly ominous undertones – a threatening presence interspersed with a child-like delight. I mean, like clowns, there is something deeply terrifying about the Punch and Judy Show:
This is immersive and cathartic stuff of the highest pedigree. ‘Fun of the Fair’ comes from The Room in the Wood’s forthcoming album ‘We’re the Martians, Now’ due out on 10 April 2020. The Room in The Wood are Paul Cavanagh and Dave Jackson (of 80s post-punkers The Room and 90s band and John Peel faves Benny Profane).
‘Fun of the Fair“ will be available across music stores and streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, as well as Bandcamp, on March 6. On April 10, the full album ‘We’re The Martians, Now’ will be released on coloured vinyl and CD, and also digitally. It can already be pre-ordered via Bandcamp.
