| The March Violets | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Leeds, England |
| Genres | Gothic rock |
| Years active | 1981–1987, 2007, 2010- |
| Labels | Merciful Release, Rebirth, London Records |
| Associated acts | The Batfish Boys |
| Members | |
| Simon Denbigh Rosie Garland Tom Ashton Joanna Moy |
|
| Past members | |
| Laurence Elliot Cleo Murray Andy Tolson |
|
The March Violets are an English goth rock band formed in the 1980s in the city of Leeds, incorporating singers of both sexes, drum machine rhythms and echo-laden electric guitar, much in the style of scene mates and fellow Leeds residents The Sisters of Mercy. Seven March Violets singles reached the UK Indie Chart; the Natural History LP also was an indie hit (#3, 1984).[1]
Contents |
The original band members met while at Leeds University in 1981. Tom Ashton and Laurence "Loz" Elliot played lead and bass guitar, while vocals were handled by both Simon "Detroit" Denbigh and Rosie Garland. Percussion was provided by a drum machine, a feature that a number of bands in the burgeoning Leeds scene had in common. Fellow student Andrew Eldritch, lead singer of The Sisters of Mercy, released the band's debut 7" on his Merciful Release label in 1982. The "Religious As Hell" EP consisted of four tracks that reflected strong punk and garage rock influences in the guitar work, along with contrasting vocals from the two singers. Denbigh's vocal style varied from conversational to harsh yelling, whereas Garland's voice was high-pitched and almost operatic. The band garnered positive reviews for this first release, which was soon followed in 1983 by a second single for Merciful Release. "Grooving in Green" featured a more confident-sounding production, aided by louder drum machine beats, and it received greater positive reaction from the UK national music press.
At this point, the band appeared to fall out of favour with Eldritch, and they established their own Rebirth record label to handle future releases. The "Crow Baby" single shortly followed, and repeated the pattern of good reviews and a good showing in the UK independent record chart. The title track of the next single, "Snake Dance", was arguably the band's creative high point. Additional female vocals were provided by Cleo Murray, and for the two final independent releases, "Walk Into the Sun" and "Deep", Garland was no longer a part of the band. The March Violets shifted towards a more pop-oriented sound, and Denbigh was pushed out of the band (he went on to form The Batfish Boys).
An increasingly commercial-sounding March Violets began to receive negative reviews from the music press. The accusations of selling out worsened as the band signed to major label London Records, at which time they added drummer Andy Tolson to the lineup. The subsequent "Turn to the Sky" single was released through London Records, although still bearing the Rebirth imprint. Reviews were disparaging, and despite being featured on the soundtrack to the film Some Kind of Wonderful, the band failed to find a new audience and broke up in 1987.
Following the split, Tom Ashton performed with Hard Rain and long-running goth band Clan of Xymox, while Cleo Murray briefly fronted The Lovecraft in the early 1990s.
Rosie Garland went on to become an acclaimed poet and cabaret performer, performing under the name Rosie Lugosi. She then became the victim of a stalker, with the court case featured as a lead article in the Manchester Evening News.
In October 2007, The March Violets announced they would play a one-off reunion gig with original members Simon Denbigh, Rosie Garland and Tom Ashton (with Mat Thorpe standing in on bass) on 8th December 2007 in Leeds. Although the show was a resounding success, plans for further shows were put on hold during Rosie Garland's successful fight against throat cancer.
Once Garland was fully recovered, The March Violets restarted their live reformation with a secret warm-up show at Whitby in October 2010. On the 13th November 2010, The March Violets played their first London show in 25 years, at the O2 Islington Academy with their new bassist Joanna Moy (previously of the Screaming Banshee Aircrew). They plan to release a new album.
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 1984 | Natural History |
| 1985 | Electric Shades |
| 1993 | Botanic Verses[2] |