Bristol’s original politically-motivated, expressionist miserablists The Pop Group are back. I loathe to employ the word “seminal” in any news story — you could probably insert about a hundred overused descriptors here — but the term fits the story perfectly in this case. After all, The Pop Group do have their own chapter in Simon Reynolds’s post-punk bible Rip it Up and Start Again. Respect is due!
Of course, respect should be bestowed for a much more basic reason: The Pop Group offer a unique blend of abstract erratic funk ‘n’ chaos, shouting texts of devastation, exploitation, starvation, and many other “’-ations.” When they started, it was all pure slit-your-wrists extreme stuff done in the coolest way possible and unlike anything that had come before it. It still is, and it all returns October 28 with the Freaks R Us release of the band’s latest record, Honeymoon on Mars, which you can pre-order now.
Honeymoon on Mars was produced by Dennis Bovell (dub legend who worked on the band’s debut Y album) and Hank Shocklee of The Bomb Squad (of Public Enemy-producing fame, among others). Already out is lead single “Zipperface,” which can be heard here. What is not issued yet, until now, is the “Reducer Dub” remix of said single by the Tri Angle Records producer Hanz, a.k.a. Brandon Juhans. Tiny Mix Tapes has the pleasure of premiering that remix right here, right now. Grab it here and/or stream below:
Not content to simply put in flex-time behind the control desk in the studio, producer “Blackbeard” Bovell will be commanding the sound for the Group’s upcoming UK/European tour, which begins November 14 in Ramsgate. Prior to that, Mark Stewart and co. will be part of a special night of collaborative sets celebrating Rough Trade’s 40th anniversary. And the October 22 date has quite a lineup indeed: Aside from the much-adored John Grant (with Wrangler and Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder) and the somewhat like-minded early-1980s politico-contemporaries Scritti Politti (with Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor), The Pop Group will take the stage with current Detroit post-punkers Protomartr for what will be a orgiastic one-time-only musical ménage à deux.
We are all prostitutes… for more from The Pop Group.
Honeymoon on Mars tracklist:
01. Instant Halo
02. City Of Eyes
03. Michael 13
04. War Inc.
05. Pure Ones
06. Little Town
07. Days Like These
08. Zipperface
09. Heaven?
10. Burn Your Flag
Upcoming live dates:
10.22.16 - London, UK - Barbican Hall *
11.14.16 - Ramsgate, UK - Ramsgate Music Hall
11.15.16 - Brighton, UK - Komedia
11.17.16 - Cardiff, UK - The Globe
11.18.16 - Leeds, UK - Wardrobe
11.19.16 - Manchester, UK - Deaf Institute
11.20.16 - Newcastle, UK - Think Tank
11.22.16 - Cambridge, UK - Portland Arms
11.24.16 - London, UK - The 100 Club
11.26.16 - Boulogne-Billancourt, France — Festival BBMix
11.27.16 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso Nord
11.29.16 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Jazzhouse
12.01.16 - Berlin, Germany - Volksbuhne
* John Grant + Wrangler (feat. Stephen Mallinder [Cabaret Voltaire]), Scritti Politti + Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), The Pop Group + Protomartr
More about: Hanz, The Pop Group
