Summoning the glam rock'n'roll 70s spirit of Bowie, Mott and the Stones, 'Whiplashed' includes a guest contribution from The Pretty Things' Jon Povey, while a cover of 'Ziggy Stardust' on th b-side features Bowie's longtime pianist Mike Garson.
Speaking about the single, Sykes says, "Its early ‘70s vibe captures the time that I was born into and the sounds that formed the bones of my musicality. This is essentially my ‘Get It On’ or ‘Rebel Rebel’. I wanted it to sound like a great little timeless Rock and Roll number that you feel you already know somehow. I want to remind people how great pop can be and to show people the standard that I aspire to. For me great pop and rock and roll should be instant, you have no intellectual choice you are either in or out. The sound of it, how it hits you, you know you instinctively love it so it’s not a choice. That’s what I’m about."
Hailing from the Suffolk market town of Bury St Edmunds, Sykes was until recently a member of noted Colchester band So-Called Humans, but has been a visible figure on the local scene for many years, coming to the attention of Suffolk pop icon, John Peel, who played Ed's tracks on his radio show.
Citing among his influences the likes of Bowie, Bolan, Hawkwind, Wire, Gary Numan, King Tubby and The Jesus & Mary Chain, most recently Sykes was recruited to produce the latest album by former Pretty Things and Pink Fairies drummer Twink, who says, “Ed Sykes has proven to me what an incredible talent he is. He guided me towards the light of the late ‘60s while producing my album Think Pink III. I hope Ed’s new single is a smash. He deserves it.”
'Whiplashed' is out through the brilliantly-named Maniac Squat Records on 8 June.
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