TINY MONROE Volcanoes 1996

Britpop

Much thanks to Sposob Rocks for this!


Discogs

Artist Biography by AllMusic

Widely hailed in the UK music press long before they had ever released a single, this London, England pop/glam troupe are led by striking vocalist and songwriter NJ (b. Glasgow, Scotland, of Indian heritage). Having originally assembled in their local Camden pub, each member a veteran of several previous bands, the glowing impressions were first earned on support tours headlined by first the Cranes then Curve. The band is completed by Richard Davies (guitar), Dan Neumann (drums), Steven Walker (guitar) and Garry Becker (bass). Their spunky debut single, the guitar-led ‘VHF 855V’, was finally released at the end of February 1994 on Lush manager Howard Gough’s new Laurel Records label. Its title and theme were inspired by NJ’s Ford Escort car in particular, and life on the dole in the nation’s capital in general. Certainly operations were on a shoestring; their manager admitted to having spent the journey returning from the band’s ‘In The City’ showcase in the train’s toilet to avoid paying the fare. NJ also appeared in a BBC Television short film, The Traveller, in which she played a ‘sexless alien’, after being spotted by the producer while playing with Tiny Monroe. Her other artistic outlet is painting. Once the media hype had settled, the band concentrated on recording their debut album, which was a credible mix of hook-laden pop (‘Snake In The Grass’) often thickened up with some gutsy guitar (‘Battle Bones). Shades of both Debbie Harry (Blondie) and Annabella Lu Win (Bow Wow Wow) creep into their sound without detracting from the overall enthusiastic freshness of their work.

Tracklist

1	She
2	Cream Bun
3	Love Of The Bottle
4	Open Invitation
5	Snake In The Grass
6	Vhf 855V
7	Brittle Bones
8	Secret Place
9	Skin Bleach
10	Women In Love
11	Bubble