In an era where lots of bands are reuniting and putting out new records even though no one really asked them to, there's now one band many of us always did want to come back. Heavenly are here with their first new music in 29 years! How about that?
Following the tragic death of Matthew Fletcher in 1996, the band split with the surviving members going on to other projects (Tender Trap, Marine Research, The Catenary Wires, Swansea Sound, and so on). A reformed Heavenly toured last year and sold out shows on both sides of the Atlantic. Now they are back with "Portland Town", a bit of jangle-pop as smart as it is breezy. The band -- Amelia Fletcher (guitar, vocals), Cathy Rogers (guitar, vocals), Rob Pursey (bass), Peter Momtchiloff (guitar), and Ian Button (drums) -- pair up that A-side with a run at "Someone Who Cares" by The Only Ones on the flip. Both tracks are as perfectly realized as the best Heavenly sides were back in the Nineties. And in case you needed a reminder of the charms of that first iteration of the group, 1996's Operation Heavenly is being reissued by Skep Wax this summer. It features an ace cover of "Art School" by The Jam, so there's yet another reason to pre-order.
Lest you think that all the attention of Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey is being devoted to their most legendary band, it's worth a listen to Swansea Sound, the current outfit featuring Amelia and Rob, drummer Ian Button, guitarist Bob Collins, and Hue Williams, late of The Pooh Sticks. The group's new one is called "Oasis v Blur" and it's a funny and energetic run at Britpop, a genre (of sorts) which seems as hopelessly eternal as always.
"Portland Town" / "Someone Who Cares" by Heavenly and the expanded reissue of 1996's Operation Heavenly by Heavenly are on Skep Wax. Same goes for the Swansea Sound single.
[Photo: Skep Wax / Heavenly]