NEW WAVE LEGENDS FROM THE YACHTS RETURN!


After 30 years in the music business - and with a credit list longer than both your arms - Henry Priestman is finally releasing his debut solo album!  The Chronicles of Modern Life is the sound of a man who's seen the music world explode from punk (he supported the Sex Pistols in 1977) through to pop (three million albums with The Christians; a top five single for Mark Owen) through to the digital age (soundtracks for James Bond/Xbox; sessions with Sarah Cracknell and Ricky Maymi of Brian Jonestown Massacre) and still has something worth singing about.

Henry Priestman's "got form," his "previous" including The Yachts (described in Gene Sculatti's The Catalog of Cool as "the Cole Porter of Punk"!), Bette Bright (alongside Glen Matlock and Suggs), It's Immaterial, The Christians (writing all songs on their 1987 triple-platinum debut), sharing a mic and a number one single with Paul McCartney.  To say nothing of a roll call of sessions for fellow North West luminaries including Lightening Seeds, Johnny Marr, Ian McCulloch, Pete Wylie, Ian McNabb and Echo  The Bunnymen, plus vocals on Jools Holland/Tom Jones' 2004 CD.

Don't You Love Me No More? is the lead track and is a song that anyone whose ever slaved their hearts out for the corporate machine, only to be given a big fat kick in the teeth, will find is their new anthem.  Elsewhere you'll hear a beautifully ragged Nashville-influenced backing to more biting wit and wisdom on all manner of subjects close to our hearts like Grey's the New Blonde, Old and - tackling the changing face of 'the biz' - Did I Fight in The Punk Wars For This? and The Sacred Scrolls of Pop.  But is this music for grumpy old men? "No!" Henry disagrees, "I'm just trying to write scruffy pop songs of pith, wit and poignancy. With the emphasis on scruffy," (referring to the fact that he played almost everything on the album himself).

In the run up to this very long-awaited debut solo album, Henry recently played his debut solo gigs: in May he supported 10cc at London's 02 Arena and in July supported Jools Holland at the 10,000-seater Liverpool Echo Arena!  Chronicles is also a homecoming to Stiff Records who released Henry's first ever single - and his first ever composition - Suffice to Say by aforementioned indie pioneers Yachts more than 30 years ago.  October 1977 to be precise!  But don't let it make you feel old.

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