“For six years, The Room were one of the more maverick and overlooked groups in the
city…The band brought together a musical and verbal intelligence and an abstract energy that
never quite fitted in…The incisive lyricism of the music always always matched the concisely
articulate emotion of Dave Jackson’s words” ~ Melody Maker
“The Room may have sprung from the time of Josef K, The Fall and Magazine but they fit right
in with bands like Home Counties and The Cool Greenhouse. The mix of the tuneful with the
dissonant, the coolly delivered lyrics and the impeccable production” ~ Joyzine
“A whiff of the Liverpool of their formative years, a Bunnymen-infused, indie eclecticism, but
they sound nothing but of the here-and-now, a heady blend of left-field pop and a progressive
post-punk poise for the discerning, contemporary alt-pop picker” ~ Big Takeover Magazine
Liverpool post-punk pioneers The Room are back with ‘Nemesis’, the potent second single
from their latest album ‘The Telling’, presenting their trademark blend of progressive,
alternative pop and sultry post-punk. As with the lead track ‘The Teller’, the accompanying
video was produced by Mark Jordan. A magical sonic adventure for fans of 80s post-punk
and folk-horror aethetics alike.
Firm favourites of the late great John Peel, The Room formed in 1979 in the golden years
of northern English post-punk. In 2023, they re-formed after a lengthy hiatus, releasing their
critically acclaimed ‘Restless Fate’ album, their first release in 38 years. Their melodic
blend of progressive, alternative pop and sultry post-punk is as fresh and relevant now as
when they disbanded in 1985.
Formed by singer Dave Jackson and bassist Becky Stringer, they are joined by original
drummer Clive Thomas, along with guitarist Darren Brown, keyboardist Ethan Kyme, and
the haunting backing vocals of Helena Jacks.
Consisting of 11 songs, the album shares a continuous narrative through all the following
songs over a blend of post-punk music, like a sort of aural folk-horror feature film. Set in a
mythical 17th-century European forest, ‘The Telling’ follows a traveling storyteller, who
mesmerizes an isolated village with macabre tales of wonder, mystery and the
supernatural – of shapeshifters, wolves and ravens… of a love affair between Baba Yaga’s
adopted daughter and Grendel’s long-lived brother, and some witch-finders who come
under their hammer.
‘The Telling’ was inspired by frontman-songwriter Dave Jackson’s interest in folklore and
myths, and a visit to a cuckoo clock museum in the Black Forest, where he learned about
the traveling clock sellers and storytellers, who used to move between villages. Conveyed
through his spirited yet acerbic vocals, the album was conceived as an aural movie for an
as-yet unfinished screenplay, unfolding as individual self-contained songs like chapters in a
complete narrative, there are no lyrical choruses or repeated themes. The album comes
with a full lyric sheet, influenced by the layout of the Guttenberg Bible.
Recorded and mixed at Ark Studios in Liverpool and released via 9×9 Records, this
album was co-produced by Dave Jackson and Steve Powell (Michael Head & the Red
Elastic Band, Autour De Lucie, Echo & The Bunnymen).
“Situated in a 17th Century European forest, a traveller arrives at a remote village offering
to tell a story of “dark love and what came after” in return for a bed for the night. After some
resistance from the butcher and the baker, he begins a tale about a young man from a
similar village who falls for a strange woman in the forest, but discovers she can shape-shift
into a raven or a wolf,” says Dave Jackson.
‘Nemesis’ is from the midpoint of ‘The Telling’ story. Rusalka, the shape shifter, trapped in
her aquatic human form returns to wreak vengeance on the priest and those others who
murdered her lover. The village is haunted by evil dreams and deaths by drowning until
they sacrifice their priest to the river. The song features bassist Becky Stringer on clarinet
for the first time and her son Ethan on piano.
Dave Jackson explains, “Rusalka the shape-shifter, assumed dead after the Priest, the
jilted bride’s brothers and fellow villagers burnt her lake hut and hanged her lover, returns
for vengeance on her tormenters, now fixed in her aquatic human shape. This song takes
place at the end of side one of the vinyl album and begins a sequence where Rusalka and
her future lover begin to Hammer the Witchfinders, who plague Northern Europe at this
time.”
The Room recorded four John Peel sessions, appeared on The Whistle Test and worked
with Television’s Tom Verlaine and John Porter (Roxy Music, TheSmiths, Billy
Bragg) on their ‘In Evil Hour’ LP (1984). Recordings from Janice Long’s BBC Radio
One programme and Saturday Live were used for the 1985 release ‘Jackpot Jack’ EP.
The Room toured the UK and the USA, and performed with The Fall, The Birthday Party,
Bauhaus, Southern Death Cult, Violent Femmes, Tom Verlaine, John Foxx and The Red
Guitars. Following the band’s split, Becky and Dave went on to form Benny Profane,
Dust and Dead Cowboys. Dave has also recorded under his own name and as The Room
in the Wood (with Paul Cavanagh).
‘Nemesis’ is out digitally on February 19. ‘The Telling’ is out now, available on CD (jewel
case with 12-page booklet) or on black vinyl (with a 4-page lyric Insert). It is also available
on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and elsewhere.
