One of the more prolific and interesting creators to emerge from the 1980s post-punk scene is Harry Stafford. A Manchester native perhaps best known for spearheading the band Inca Babies (which is still going strong, by the way), he is back with his latest record – a collaboration with American guitarist Marco Butcher. Titled‘We Are The Perilous Men’, this album is being released via Stafford’s own imprint Black Lagoon Records. Fans of Jon Spencer, Nick Cave, Shriekback and The Gun Club should take note of this impressive record.
In the lead-up to the album, the duo released the diabolical and swampy post-punk single‘The Rules of the House’ and the lead track ‘Walk Among The Spectres’, which explores our own fragile mortality, with a video filmed in the expansive Southern Cemetery in Didsbury South Manchester, dating back to 1700 and used throughout the Victorian era. Now a public park, people are invited to wander among the tombstones… to literally Walk among the Spectres.
Following the resounding triumph of their ‘Bone Architecture’ album in 2021, the duo present the second chapter of this exploration, upholding their lockdown-inspired tradition of sending ideas back and forth between North Carolina and Manchester. Creating this album unconsciously – perhaps even telepathically – their musical connection has ignited this album with an infectious energy and spirit.
“When we decided to release the album back in January, we had to decide on ten tracks (now eleven) out of a possible twenty. We agonised long and hard, but it was actually quite a satisfying endeavour because we were unaware just how many great tracks we had and that, if we kept this up, there must surely be another album in a couple of years, but that we’ll probably have to choose ten out of a possible forty tracks by then,” says Harry Stafford.
“This was also a moment we both realised that we had had such a great time working together on these tracks, which had now effortlessly merged into the great album, so we spent at least an hour feeling very pleased with ourselves.”
Based in North Carolina, Brazil-raised trash blues guitarist Marco Butcher (Jam Messengers, Jesus and the Groupies) provides a solid backbeat, jumping with a frenetic rhythm. This foundation ranges from a mess of blues to a stumbling electro beat with Dwayne Eddie funeral guitar. His forays into dance and Hip hop see him mess with the rhythmic DNA, often inspiring the creation of a new dance shuffle at will.
“I really like the fact we left behind all those rock music school rules and jumped into this new world of freedom and ideas that could take us anywhere, as long as we are both having a good time with it. So I guess I would say that the experimental part of it is my favorite thing. I try to not overthink music as much as possible. For me, being able to play it and having fun with it is the pay check already!” says Marco Butcher.
Come Friday, ‘We Are The Perilous Men’ is available from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music andBandcamp. This album will be available on black vinyl, as well as digitally.
CREDITS
Harry Stafford – vocals, piano, organ, wah wah guitar, jazz flute, synth
Marco Butcher – drums, percussion, guitars, sequencers, bass, keyboards
Tex Napalm – Drones and loops
Produced and Mastered by Marco Butcher at Boombox Studio
Catalogue no. BLRLP0057
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Video for ‘Rules of the House’ directed by Harry Stafford Cinematography by Marco Butcher and Jonny Stafford
Video for ‘Walk Among The Spectres’ directed by Harry Stafford
Cinematography by J.P. Conway
Artist photos by Harry Stafford and Allie Butcher
Enter the virtual world of Harry Stafford
Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud | YouTube | Vimeo | Spotify | Apple Music | Booking contact
Enter the virtual world of Marco Butcher
Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Spotify | Apple Music
