The March Violets - Oct 23
I’ve been looking forward to this one for a long time. I missed out on The March Violets first time around – my early forages into all things alternative as a 16 year old started just as the band went poppy and shortly afterwards split. In their wake, the band left an impressive collection of singles compiled first in the ‘Natural History’ album and then in 1993’s excellent ‘Botanic Verses’ album. The latter has remained a firm favourite in my collection ever since with dancefloor classic ‘Snakedance’ being in my top 10 goth songs of all time.

Since the world reopened, the Facebar and promoters Club Velocity have been showcasing an ever impressive lineup of punk, goth and psychobilly bands both new and old. In recent times we have seen the likes of Guana Batz, Johnny Moped, Ghostdance and Los Fastidios gracing the venue’s stages. Adding the March Violets to this list certainly increases the reasons for those of a certain vintage to venture back into the town’s best live venue.

By the time I got to the venue, there was already a sizeable crowd building in the venue’s main room. With a suitably goth infused soundtrack coming from the speakers, it was looking a good night was on its way.

Opening the night are local favourites The Go Go Cult with their gothabilly infused set. It’s their last appearance for the year before they go back into the studio to record new material, so it was a final chance to win over new fans and reward the returning ones. Opening with the slow build up of ‘You Get Under My Skin’ with its Morricone styled spaghetti western guitars, the band are sounding good after a rewarding 18 months of supporting the likes of the Primitives, Guana Batz and goth titans, The Mission. The Go Go Cult - Oct 23
‘Town Called Sorrow’ and ‘Bring Out Your Dead’ remain firm favourites and are a good representation of the band, all rockabilly shuffles with dark foreboding lyrics. New song ‘I’m Going Down to Hell’ continues the tradition of the band with the rhythm section having a fun workout. Finishing on a high with the all hell let loose of ‘It’s a Car Crash’, there is a lot of appreciation from the crowd. I looking forward to seeing what the band produce next. The Go Go Cult - Oct 23
Hailing from the Northern goth heartlands of Leeds, the original lineup of The March Violets consisted of singers Rosie Garland and Simon Denbigh, guitarist Tom Ashton, bass player Loz Elliot and their faithful drum machine. Sharing a record label with The Sisters of Mercy would lead to unjustified comparisons, but the dual male/female vocal interactions on top of epic swirling guitars and pulsating basslines would always make the band a far more interesting proposition than Eldritch’s more monotone vocal stylings. The March Violets - Oct 23
Tonight, the reformed band sees original members Rosie and Tom joined by William Faith (Faith and the Muse) on bass duties. Sadly, Simon D is no longer able to perform and so William also takes on his vocals. The band look immaculate – Rosie in wearing a resplendent white shirt, black tie, waistcoat and long tail jacket, looking like a mischievous imp beckoning you into her devious world. The slender William Faith towers over Rosie and looks cool as fuck with his slicked back white hair, whilst Tom retains that rock god guitarist look of old. The March Violets - Oct 23 The familiar drum machine beats kick in, the muscular bass lines bounce around and the guitar swirls as Rosie and William have fun with the vocal interplay of early single ‘Crow Baby’. Rosie’s voice remains as enchanting as it was 35 years ago whilst William is a good substitute for Simon D. Reminding us that the band have released new material since they reformed, we are treated to the title track from their 2013 debut studio album ‘Made Glorious’. It’s less abrasive than the earlier material, but sounds good all the same with its charming chorus. The March Violets - Oct 23

It's back to the old material with ‘Radiant Boys’, the song that introduced the band to a legion of fans back in 1982. Introduced as the closest song the band have a to a love song, the wonderous ‘1 2 I Love You’ follows. Throughout the set Rosie prowls the stage, her arms pulling poses out of the air and enticing the audience.

‘Crocodile Teeth’ is a new song which ramps up the swirling guitars whilst William augments Rosie’s melodic singing with guttural roars. Old favourite ‘Grooving in Green’ follows but the request to turn the stage lights to green falls on deaf ears, although that means nothing to the those in the crowd who are dancing as only old goths can do, choreographed arm gestures and careful pacing backwards and forwards. ‘Dress 4 U’ is another from the debut album and fits in with the tone of the night, especially as it’s been a while since I’ve been to a gig where people have truly dressed up. The March Violets - Oct 23

Newer songs ‘Mortality’ and ‘Heading for the Fire’ follow before we are told it is the end of the set. Epic goth single ‘Walk into the Sun’ follows and the crowd is a mass of shimmering bodies as they dance to the band’s signature tune. There’s no real back stage area at the Facebar so it’s more a case of walking to the side of the stage, have a quick chat and come back on. So as soon as they go off, the band are back on the stage performing the thrillingly urgent ‘Strangehead’, a song that was never officially recorded bar as session for John Peel.

The familiar guitar riff from ‘Snakedance’ starts and the band finish the set with one of the greatest singles of the period. My camera has been put away and I’m swaying away with happy memories of dancing to this on many a Saturday night at the legendary Spiders nightclub in Hull.  And then it is over – following a collective bow to the audience, the band leave the stage job completed. The March Violets - Oct 23 I wish I had seen the band in their heyday, but this was still beyond good. The band could have just played material from the first two years of their career, but instead played an almost 50:50 set of old and new material, and they still won with ease. If the band are playing near you, I thoroughly recommend that you go and see them. The March Violets - Oct 23