The Blow Monkeys release their 10th studio album “The Wild River” on Monk’s Road Records. “The Wild River” was recorded in Spain and produced by mainman Robert Howard. The 10 new tracks deliver a funky soulful extravaganza with added sugar from the sweet soul strings of Ben Trigg and the inimitable iconic saxophone of Neville Henry. Also joining the band for the first time on record is ex Galliano sticksman Crispin “The Pump” Taylor. Add Dr Robert’s spiky guitar and distinctive vocals and Mick Anker’s snaking bass lines and there you have it. A simian soul stew with biting but poetic lyrics designed to make your feet move and your mind wonder… Frontman Robert explains: “The title song was inspired, if that’s the right word, by that shameful poster Nigel Farage stood in front of during the EU referendum . The one he copied from the Nazis. Thousands of desperate people crossing borders fleeing persecution and hunger. A river of people just like you and me. Just like our ancestors. And here he was using them to spread his hate filled and divisive bile. It shook me. It’s not the country I recognized. Things were changing and we needed to fight back. We are all immigrants. None of us is pure. Humanity has traversed the globe for all ages and we need to spread the positive message loud and clear. No fear, no bigotry and no blame.” “So we do it the only way we know how. Just like Curtis Mayfield told us to all those years ago. With love and sweet soul music. Soul music is our default. We’ve been all sorts of places as a band but we’ve come back home”. The opening track “Crying For The Moon” will be the first single taken from the album and released on August 25th. ‘Crying for the Moon’ was recorded completely live with only the strings added later and oozes the influence great garage soul records by mavericks such as Darondo and Shuggie Otis. The Blow Monkeys will be touring in October starting with the 100 Club, London, on Saturday the 7th - more dates to be announced shortly. The Blow Monkeys were formed in 1981. Initially delivering a post-punk slant the band quickly moved into a more soulful sound, reflected in their seductive live performances, which brought them worldwide chart success. Hits such as “Digging Your Scene” and “It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way” saw them conquer the charts, and their cover of Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me” found its way onto the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing. After several albums, the band called it a day in 1990, with frontman Dr.Robert pursuing a solo career that included, amongst others, collaborations with Paul Weller and Beth Orton. Dr.Robert had previously tasted solo success with the dance track “Wait", which featured Chicago House diva Kym Mazelle. In 2007 The Blow Monkeys reunited their original line-up of vocalist/guitarist Dr. Robert (Robert Howard), saxophonist Neville Henry, bassist, Mick Anker and drummer Tony Kiley. The last 10 years have seen the reinvigorated quartet release 4 albums and play hundreds of live shows reconnecting with old fans and a new audience alike.
