If it’s just me and your granny on bongos it’s The Fall”, said Mark E Smith about his status as his band’s only ever-present member – one of rock’s greatest-ever quotes.
The Mancunian act went through more than 60 members in their 30-year existence, but remarkably, art-rock troupe How To Swim aren’t far off in terms of personnel changes. And like Smith’s crew, they have one perpetual frontman, Gregor Barclay, albeit one ruling with a less draconian rod of iron.
Forming in 2000 the Glasgow act have already topped 40 members over the years – though to be fair, Barclay has often augmented his merry band by employing brass and strings to bring his multi-layered musical visions to life. (A recent t-shirt lists 30 musicians, although some social media huffing and harumphing has already ensued by shorter-lived members who had somehow been omitted, doubtless for reasons of space on all but the XXXL garment).
The grand total also may or may not include members of the 30-strong choir featured on early single ‘Bones’, which was ‘Demo of the Week’ on Channel 4 Teletext’s Planetsound – which older readers will recognise as quite an accolade (though younger readers may shrug).
That would be the HtS’s finest moment until they were signed by Electric Honey – the innovative label run by Glasgow’s Stow College students which had already unearthed the likes of Belle and Sebastian, Biffy Clyro and Snow Patrol.
The band’s debut release was a set of three EPs, the beginnings of a back-catalogue totalling over 10 albums or EPs over the years, and befitting an act with something of an “arty” tag, they clearly like a project or concept – travelling to Zadar in Croatia to record the town’s famous sea organ for their 2014 ‘Niagarama‘.
Following a “partial hiatus” the now-sextet headed for Barcelona for a run of shows as well a 24-hour recording session which spawned material for another three EPs, with contributions from local musicians plus ex-pat Sean Callaghan, the band’s first lead guitarist and early user of the band’s revolving door.
Those 17 tracks now form an album, ‘Bars ‘n’ Loners’, out now and the first of (at least) three releases due this year*.
The hardest part for Wilson may be rallying the troops for a launch show. Although, that might be the least of the band’s worries with the potential for a dangerously over-capacity venue if all their ex-members show up.
Or even just the ones not still in a huff.
‘Bars ‘n’ Loners’ is out now, but since its release, ‘Through Glass, the second single from forthcoming album, ‘Greek Active’, has been released – see the video above.
This article originally appeared in the Sunderland Echo.
Also chief newshound at Jockrock
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