News60 % of Lovers now 40, survey claims…11, Jul 2005This weekend (Friday 8th July) saw The Lovers live at Junktion 7 (That's their spelling, by the way) supported by South Parade and Ernest. South Parade were good enough to send us a review of the gig from their website (where South Parade get the best review, funnily enough.) Tom turned 40 at Midnight and a good time was had by all. You can read the review at :
http://www.southparademusic.co.uk/gigs/gig19.html
There's a couple of the pictures from it below. Warning: If you see the man in the middle of the final picture DO NOT APPROACH. See you all at BOMFEST next Saturday. See Gig guide for details.
May the 4th be with you03, May 2005A few snippets for you...May is shaping up to be a bit busier than of late... The Lovers are interviewed in the latest edition of 'The Pseud Mag'...the Fall fanzine. You can obtain copies from the address below... http://www.geocities.com/pseudmag/home.html Speaking of all things Fall related, The gig at London Borderline sees support from the Hideous Replicas, a Fall tribute band majoring in the period when the Hanley brothers provided exclusive rhythm section. Will Steve & Paul be joining them onstage? You'll have to go along and have a look...
Latest Cummings & Goings28, Feb 2005Tom was interviewed by Manchester Online ahead of the Lovers triumphant date at The Academy 3 last Tuesday (22nd March). You can see the article on the ‘media’ page. If you didn’t get there, you missed a cracker. All is not lost though, as the gig was filmed for Channel M - if we get transmission details we’ll let you know. There are more gigs being added to the ‘live’ section all the time so make sure you keep checking. While you’re at it…put a message on the message board!
The wonderful (& Frightening) world of the Lovers20, Dec 2004Welcome to the new website. Very nice too. Thanks, Andrew! From now on reviews, inteviews etc will be posted on the 'Media' page and we'll try and keep this page clear for news etc. Got that? OK! Steve Hanley will be contributing to the upcoming BBC4 documentary on 'The Fall' - the following is from The Guardian The Fall: The Wonderful And Frightening World Of Mark E Smith 21st January 2005 9pm BBC FOUR BBC FOUR focuses on one of England's truly unique and under-rated bands - The Fall in this special documentary. One of the most enigmatic, idiosyncratic and chaotic garage bands of the last 30 years, The Fall are lead by the belligerent and poetic Mark E Smith and grew out of the fringe of the Manchester punk scene and to date have released in excess of three dozen albums, toured relentlessly, inspired two successful stage plays, recorded 24 Peel Sessions, performed with contemporary ballet dancer Michael Clarke along with various spoken word events. All this has happened under the guidance of Smith with various line-ups currently totalling over 40 different members. They have never conformed to fashion or musical trends and when asked why they were his favourite band, John Peel replied “They are always different, they are always the same.” This is the first time that Mark E Smith has agreed to the story being told on television and he along with many of the major players take us through this unique English rock 'n' roll story. Their rollercoaster story is told alongside footage of their most recent and sadly now last Peel Session recorded in August at the legendary BBC Maida Vale studios, there is also film of John playing out the session at Peel Acres a week later. Contributors include past and present band members including Marc Riley, Una Baines, Steve Hanley, Ben Pritchard and Eleni Smith plus thoughts from key fans/critics including Paul Morley, Tony Wilson, Stewart Lee, promoter Alan Wise, original Buzzcocks manager Richard Boon and Franz Ferdinand.
New, reviews and to-dos08, Dec 2004Still adding to the list of reviews for A.A.T.E. - the latest is from The B.B.C. Classic Rock/Pop site. The Lovers have also played some marvellous Gigs recently... From Manchester Online: Abba, Ken Dodd and Chris Martin - enter the world of The Lovers Tom Hingley was an Inspiral Carpet, Steve and Paul Hanley were in The Fall, Jason Brown was in This Gigantic World and Kelly Wood's been living music since she was little. Now they've come together in The Lovers and Chris Long caught up with them. The Lovers on… …why they're doing it all over again: Jason: "I ask myself that question every day (laughs)." Paul: "It's like an itch you've got to scratch. Otherwise you'd come out in hives." Jason: "It's a mid-life crisis really…" Paul: "Yeah, it's either that or get a Porsche (laughs)." Jason: "There was a review we had that talked about Steve, saying that the way Steve plays is that he plays as if he really needs to do it. And that's kind of it. For some reason we have a need to put ourselves through hell and back and stay out of the safety of routine." …having the freedom to do what they want Paul: "Once you realise you're not going to be the next big thing, all you're left with is being in a band because you like being in a band. I'm not saying there's not a hunger there, but we don't have to pander to a certain audience that'll guarantee success in the future." Jason: "I think artistically there's a certain thing of it, because from my own selfish perspective, it gave me the opportunity to buy a Marshall, get the Les Paul out and play those big power chords that I didn't play as much in my last band, and suddenly I can pretend to be in the Under-Buzzcocks-tones." Tom: "We're not saying we wouldn't like to sell records or not be successful but I think most bands do spend 60 per cent of their time trying to get deals, and the sad reflection of it is that it's a thankless task. Apart from anything else, the music industry doesn't exist in the present, it exists in the future, so if you're trying to follow a prevalent trend that's around now, you're actually copying people that were in the studio 18 months ago." …the title of the album Tom: "If you stand in any major city on a Saturday night, you'll see 80s discos with people stood outside them dressed like people out of Abba, and what I'm saying is that the constant rehashing of old things is extremely dull. It's better to have new old things rather than old old things, so basically, we're not trying to emulate any other band and we have no respect for anyone or anything else that's gone before." …the issues tackled on the album Tom: "I think it is defensible to have a go at things, because most music is about getting off your head, or it's about wanting to have the right pair of fashionable trainers, or it's about trying to sound like Chris Martin, and all that is quite depressing." Paul: "It's a first album, it's fairly broad strokes musically and opinion wise, and it's important to make a statement with your first album. I know they're all fairly obvious targets, but we've attempted to do a first album that sets our stall out." …Tattyfalarious Tom: "The Tattyfalarious thing is connected with Ken Dodd and being quite funny, but there is something frightening about something that's supposed to be related to comedy being used out of context. It's about people making jokes about things that aren't funny." Jason: "Because it's very aggressive, so it's paradoxically juxtapositioning art…" Paul: "…and tickling sticks (laughs)." ...the future for the Lovers Paul: "As far as I'm concerned, I'd like to carry on doing what we're doing but at a level, not particularly larger, but just a bit more really, a bit more time. But at the moment, we're doing what we're doing and I don't think any of us think we're going to be millionaires and have a guitar shaped swimming pool for the time being." Tom: "Jason would actually like a swimming pool shaped guitar." Jason: "I'm having one commissioned as we speak!" Tom: "But I think that initially we just want to sell 1000 records, and it'd be nice in a year's time to be recording another album and having someone investing in it, and maybe be supporting Damon Gough or some other excellent performer like that."
More RAVE REVIEWS FOR A.A.T.E:
Manchestermusic.co.uk: By JA
B.B.C. Classic Rock/Pop site. If you've been in a working band for twenty years, what do you do if you leave? Stop playing music? Work in a call centre? Tom Hingley was part of the "Madchester" boom of the early eighties, as lead singer of Clint Boon's Inspiral Carpets. Steve Hanley played bass for the legendary Fall from 1980 to 1999. Joined by Steve's brother Paul on drums (also ex-Fall), Jason Brown on guitar and Kelly Wood on keyboards, The Lovers sound excited to be making music again. But their enthusiasm isn't enough on its own to make this a good album. Steve's signature muscular, rubbery bass is instantly recognisable, but they don't sound much like The Fall. Instead The Lovers serve up classic garage punk; cheesy, edgy organ and over-amped guitar dominate. Hingley's lyrics and singing cover the good, the bad and the bizarre: "I'm gonna live my life as a tiny horse" he yells at one point. He lashes out in all directions, with some shrewd observations on Courtney Love on "Hole" and attacks prescription drugs on "Online Pharmacy". There's plenty of energy and some good moments like the over the top wah-wah pedal on "Tattyfalarious". They keep it short and sweet, with 12 tracks clocking in at under thirty-five minutes. And they tackle the problem of being long in the tooth directly on "I Feel Old". But sometimes they sound like they are so excited to be playing again that they forgot to write enough good songs. It's only on the second half of this album that they calm down and start to get good with "Boy Band". If you loved Inspiral Carpets or even The Stranglers you'll like this. They're probably great live, but for now The Lovers are promising rather than outstanding. Reviewer: Nick Reynolds Like This? Try These:
The mighty Record Collector:
Inspirals' vocalist Tom Hingley still knows how to rock. And it's official. The Lovers' debut LP-- featuring long-standing Fall member Steve Hanley and his brother Paul, also sometime with Smith's lot -- is a fizzing, scrawny-bash of an LP. With songwriting skill and musicianship to burn, The Lovers prove that attitude and anger aren't confined to snotty yelps just outta short trousers. AATE draws its scenes confidently through a series of lyrical barbs at personal targets -- Online Pharmacy dealing with Hingley's experiences of being bullied at school -- and in a larger political sphere (Tattyfilarous). Plent of angst here too; Boyband, the perennial dig at Fame Academy, Pop Idol et al, and I Feel Old shivers with discomfort at beig -- ahem -- an experienced performer. Ironic, then, that if The Lovers were 25 years younger, they'd probably be all over MTV. Daft old world, innit? Joe Shooman
The legendary Mick Middles: Abba are the Enemy'. So proclaims the title of the infectious album from The Lovers, the subterranean supergroup featuring Inspiral Carpets frontman Tom Hingley alongside Steve and Paul Hanley from the classic line up of The Fall, Jason Brown from This Gigantic World and the music soaked Kelly Wood. (Only one aspect slightly disturbs me here. Although I mention this in a somewhat tentative manner…I….well…does it have to be Abba who are regarded as the enemy? Couldn't it have been entitled 'The Partridge Family are the Enemy' or, even more potent I suggest, 'Little Jimmy Osmond is the Enemy'. I am sure that would hit a more exposed nerve. Abba, on the other hand, created wave upon wave of beautifully crafted pop that was created by huge and original songwriting talent. I realise, being Swedish and fifty percent hairy they were, let's say, not exactly prime examples of sartorial elegance. But then I didn't care about that when, at 15, I lay on my bed gazing at Agnetha . Well, a poster of her anyway…but, perhaps we should tread no further along this dark path. Back to The Lovers.). Despite their disparate membership, The Lovers are no hyped and firing Velvet Revolver style second-chance act. They sit in the freedom that arrives once the flash of celebrity has receded and playing in a band is reason enough to exist. In this organic state, The Lover's have discovered an uncompromising freshness that oozes from every track on this album as well as flavouring their frenetic interview technique…or deliberate lack of. If that causes you to adopt a 'cynics squint' - a facial technique that I have perfected and reserve to times spent perusing articles about The Libertines - then fear not. The experience gained by working in the similarly unholy areas of chart pop, with the Inspirals, and as Britain's top underground band, with The Fall, is certainly put to good use here. More intriguingly, this has produced a band dynamic that has raises the intensity a rare level that, again, continues throughout the album. I received a call from Hingley, last week and it was good to note his level of genuine enthusiasm has remained undiminished, despite nearing 20 years in the business. I first encountered Tom, one of the most endearing and intelligent music personalities I have ever met, back in the mid-eighties, when he was pushing his former band, 'Too Much Texas'. Having always regarded TMT as one of the great secrets of Manchester's general music legacy, I was delighted when Tom told me that their music would be resurrected via a compilation album release next year and, in true Inspiral style, an accompanying website. The truly intriguing aspect of 'Abba are the Enemy' is that, despite punching into their forties, this is a rock band drenched in ferocious and inspiring attitude. Great to see Hingley's lyrical muse using that quality backbeat to explore a diverse range of subjects, from school bullying to the dark potency of bad taste jokes.
City Life: Grumpy Mancs lamenting the parlous state of popular culture over stuttering garage punk is hardly the most promising of conceits, but with Mark E Smith currently off on an extended sulk it falls to Tom Hingley. The former Inspiral Carpets frontman has even recruited the Fall rhythm section to rudder his querulous supergroup. It's better than imagined too, with swirling Farfisa organ motifs lending these spiky, beligerent anthems a raw psychedelic charm. His stream of invective and rejection of modern mores may cast him as an embittered old cynic, but his knack for muscular pop proves him to be young at heart. (DL) Rating: 7 Standout track: 'Yeah' Influenced by: The Undertones, The Fall Related artists: The Finn Brothers, Inspiral Carpets
'Front' Magazine: Just when you thought the final nail had been banged in Madchester's coffin, ex Inspiral Carpet's front man,Tom Hingley exhumes its baggy-trousered corpse with his new band, The Lovers, who dish up a nostalgic mix of old-school indie guitars and Hammond organs.It reminds you of a time when discos had sticky floors and a pint of lager cost less than your bus fare home.. IF YOU LIKE 1989 and tie-dye T shirts, you''ll be shoe-gazing all evening to this. three stars
Designer Magazine: When not belting out the hits with The Inspiral Carpets to sold out crowds around provincial towns, Tom Hingley has performed with his own band The Lovers and in his own right as a solo artiste. His latest release, under the moniker Tom Hingley And The Lovers, is the intriguingly titled "Abba Are The Enemy". In Tom's band are two members of The Fall (Paul Hanley - Drums, Steve Hanley - bass) as well as Kelly Wood on keyboards and organ. "Online Pharmacy" has that Inspiral's organ sound with Wood behind the synths. The bass is very prominent in the mix with loud rock guitars. Hingley seems angrier than ever spitting out the lyrics. Fans of the Inspirals will be surprised at the impact this song makes. "Tallyfalarious" has slightly more dramatic keyboard undercurrent, but the bombastic atmosphere remains. The vengeful lyrics come thick and fast without a moments hesitation, especially with the no hold barred opener "You've no idea how much I hate you". Simple good time rock'n'roll can be found on "Boyband" which reminds me very much of The Stooges. Lyrically it exposes the music industry of exploiting youngsters at the expense of making a profit. A good point, very well made. Coming back to the theme of inadequate nature of male physicality (as expressed in Radiohead's "Creep") is "The Perfect Body". Using the song as a confessional tool Hingley pours his heart out on this slow and mesmerising ballad. His voice, tender and wounded almost trembles as he comes to realise that love can indeed by paradoxical. As the final song on the album this gives us plenty of food for thought. "Abba Are The Enemy" adds another string to his bow as Tom displays his love of rock on an album full of life and vitality with a ballad that rivals The Streets "Dry Your Eyes Out" for sheer emotional impact, not to mention a superb array of musicians. Nicholas Paul Godkin
Freeflow.uk: Forget any preconceptions you may have that this album is a post Inspirals knees up bound for one final trip round the block, far from it. Abba Are The Enemy delivers a collection of punk-pop firecrackers that roundly sticks two fingers up at anything foolish enough to get in its way.
SCOOTERING magazine: Of course Abba are not the enemy, I mean who could have anything against that loveable Scandinavian Quartet? It does however get you thinking, thinking as to what's out there in the world that is bringing us down. Well former Inspiral Carpets' frontman Tom, and his band of Lovers (featuring ex-members of The Fall) have found a few. If you're a fan of the Carpets or good-old keyboard led, stonking garage tunes (that's 60s garage not the modern rubbish), then you're probably going to like this. As indeed will anyone with a passion for live music I feel, which leads me nicely to track 7, Boyband, a subject which I'd wager most on the scooter scene are pretty vocally negative about. The album starts however with a short instrumental, Temperamental Jimmy, which leads us nicely into Online Pharmacy, a song about both being bullied as a kid and the supposed modern cures for everything in the way of unprescribed drugs freely available for purchase on the internet. There's also a bonus CD-ROM of the Online Pharmacy video on this CD by the way. Something that anyone with an email account no doubt gets spammed with offers about daily. Also on this CD are Yeah (in which reality TV shows get a justified slating) and 3145 from The Lovers' limited edition 7" single released earlier this year, making 12 tracks in all, that also take time to bash American imperialism, as well as being truthful, as in I Feel Old. There's a lot to like about this album in both the lyrics and the music, and it's a crying shame that with all of Simon Cowell's crap out there that a true voice of music probably won't get the chance to put the record straight to the mainstream. Then again, they probably wouldn't understand it anyway. Still, if we all buy a copy on the same Monday morning there's a chance that it may dent the charts and force some of the rubbish out there to think again. Andy
BBC ONLINE:
Anyone who's met Tom Hingley will tell you he is a man who isn't scared to offer his opinion on anything. Anyone who hasn't just needs to listen to this, his first outing with new band The Lovers, to find out just how much he has to say. There is fire in his belly and that of the fellow Lovers, two of which (Paul and Steve Hanley) are used to dealing with such vitriol as former members of The Fall. Indeed, it's Mark E Smith that stands as muse to this debut, as a scattergun assault on popular culture spits acid across manufactured pop, the internet, reality TV and a myriad of other targets. The result is a passionate collection of punk-pop that punches hard and delivers much. This is not the sound of a band wanting a number one or any sort of chart recognition. It is the sound of a band that has been there before, tasted the industry and tired of it, that has decided that the best course is their own course, and it is all the better for it. True enough, the music is an amalgamation of the sounds of the Inspirals and the Fall (keyboardist Kelly Wood does a fine job on swirling sound of the Farfisa), but it doesn't lag in those influences. Yeah spikes and tantrums around, I Feel Old spews punk and fire, Online Pharmacy spins and twists on the melody line, and Boyband is a lesson in pop subversion. True to its punk heart, Abba Are The Enemy is gone after 35 minutes, leaving behind it a trail of solid destruction and a pair of ears that feel kicked, abused, sermonised and roaringly entertained. Sadly, it doesn't come with its own darkened room to lie down. You'll just have to find your own. Manchester Evening News THE Lovers are, indeed, the antithesis of Abba. But, come to think of it, Inspiral Carpets' front manTom Hingley's band don't look much like lovers either.
Cambridge News: top album WHEN groundbreaking musicians from the fading past try and return with a new musical venture it often turns out embarrassingly dated or else attempts to clone the latest style and completely misses the point.But former Inspiral Carpets singer Tom Hingley and Steve Hanley, bassist with The Fall, have fashioned a genuinely interesting album which deserves attention from more than just their usual 90s indie fanbase. The distorted, crunching guitars and swirling, dirty rock n' roll on offer here could easily be passed off as the latest teen garage sensation and anyone who sympathises with the album's title will not be disappointed.
Manilla Magazine:
You know from the opening bars of Temperamental Jimmy that this album is about the music…how many bands open with an instrumental? This is substance over image. Track two sees Tom Hingley'sdistinctive vocal style open up on Online Pharmacy, anyone plagued by Internet spam will get the message. Hingley's vocals show a slight hint of anger. This is to ease you gently into the stand out track on the album, Yeah…a pure angst ridden, but glorious melody, from chugging guitars to break neck guitar and keyboards, Hingley launches into his tirade against all the TV pap that dominates our screen.Hole is more laid back and, dare I say, sing along…the bands past influence are certainly in evidence.Tattyfalarious is a supreme track, opening with a North African Bedouin feel before the thumping bass drum kicks in. This is The Lovers at their best, the music is perfect and cannot fail to stir some sort of emotion and Tom Hingley offers his unique, raw and passionate style, with a slight hint of Mancunian drawl. Boyband is the anthem to all of us with deep held frustrations towards the likes of today's boybands that serves us a diet of bland shite, but The Lovers express themselves so much better…"Who's a clever boy then? You should be a boyband". A fantastic 2 and a half minutes of expression again
Album finished - festival dates added today16, Jun 2004Expect the album to be available on 1.9.2004 & look out for new shows added today. The Lovers are also playing with Buzzcocks and The Undertones at festivals over the summer. The website will be getting an overhaul over the next few weeks with a new easy to use message board so keep your eyes peeled Cheers, Tom
Punktastic Review18, May 2004Tom Hingley is the lead singer with Inspiral Carpets, a band that had over sixteen top forty hits. Now he’s got himself a new band, featuring a couple of members of the Fall. The name of that band is The Lovers and this is their first release, a double-sided vinyl single.
more gigs!!04, May 2004The Lovers play the Cauliflower in Ilford on thursday the 13th May support form Ruby Blue and Easel Springs for details call 02084780627 The Lovers play a hometown gig at the Roadhouse in Manchester on Thursday 20th May call 01618321111 for tickets. We will be playing a festival with the Undertones this summer but when and where? find out soon
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