The late FOLK DEVILS frontman IAN LOWERY has his 1989 album with THE IAN LOWERY GROUP reissued for its 30th Anniversary this week.
The album saw a line-up change for Lowery's post-Folk Devils project KING BLANK for what was effectively the outfit's second album, and consequently a name-change too, hence the punning title King Blank To... The Ian Lowery Group.
Originally released through Beggars Banquet subsidiary Situation Two, King Blank To... gets a digitally-remastered download-only release through Beggars Arkive this Friday 2 August.
Lowery's musical career had begun with highly-rated Sunderland punks THE WALL, whose debut single for Small Wonder, 'New Way', is a card-carrying second-wave classic. The singer quit to form pioneering punk-funkers SKI PATROL in 1980, releasing several singles before moving on to greater acclaim with Folk Devils.
Following Folk Devils' demise in '87, Lowery took up the name King Blank for his solo and collaborative projects, rather than as a solid band. After their debut album, original Devils guitarist Kris Jozajtis and drummer Kevin Rooney departed, with bassist Hugh Garrety, drummer Alan Burgess, former The Wall guitarist Joe Hammond and future BUSH guitarist Nigel Pulsford recording the follow-up.
Trailed by the incendiary single/video 'Need' - a Sounds magazine Single Of The Week - the album was released to considerable acclaim, with Lowery and Pulsford undertaking a promotional tour of the US, before the mercurial singer moved on the fresh pastures, tragically passing away in 2001.
This new 30th Anniversary edition of King Blank To... sees the original 12 tracks augmented by two b-sides, a pair of previously unreleased live tracks and the spoken word 'Ian Lowery Speaks', previously released on a promo flexi for US college radio.
