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lathe-cut 7"
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Moloko+
lathe-cut 7" - Friends of the Fish 14

sold out

Moloko+ come from Hull - or came from Hull - they are no more. They were a cracking indie band in the early 90s who wrote and played jangly 60s songs with skill, passion and a smile; like so many bands, they never got the break they needed

I only discovered them through a recent Record Collector LP of 'lost indie bands' compiled by Ian Shirley; by coincidence, the band got in touch with me and within a day or two we'd agreed on a lathe-cut 7" from their archives to end 2016. I rarely - if ever - delve into the 90s for anything FdM-related, so it was an unexpected pleasure to find how much i enjoyed this band

There'll only be 50 copies for sale - and it will be luck of the draw amongst Fruits de Mer club members; and there'll be two versions of the cover design cos we liked them both and couldn't decide between them

Incidentally, Moloko+ morphed into The Gold Needles, who have already appeared on a couple of FdM specials and are very much alive and kicking

Simon Dowson from Moloko+ tells the band’s story in four parts...

Part 1..MOLOKO + formed from the fusion of 2 Hull bands..SIMON DOWSON and PAUL PETERSON from punky/Powerpop band U.S. MEGACHICKS and SEAN REVELL and CHRIS GOUGH from 60s throwback band THE DEMPSEYS..the 2 bands moved in similar circles and joining together made perfect sense. .the idea was simple, snappy songs, jangly guitars and shimmering harmonies ..from this starting point in 1990 the set came together very quickly and they stamped their mark on the live scene with gigs at the legendary Hull venue THE ADELPHI CLUB and at the ultra-hip SUGAR SHACK club night at THE WELLY CLUB..usually with BEAUTIFUL SOUTH and FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS members offering their appreciation!..indeed Roland Gifts sister acted as the bands Hull promoter..

Part 2..Getting in the studio was imperative and the band recorded 2 demos..the first featured BITE THE HAND and I WONDER. .the second featured CAN'T WAIT TIL SUNDAY and NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT. .the producer was the genius that was GARY BURROUGHS who had worked with talents as diverse as Roy Wood and Simon Townshend..Gary was a legend and is sadly missed. .Also Dave Frost and Ian Lovelock of CLOCK MANAGEMENT were now looking after the band so now came the commercial onslaught. .both demos received acclaim and CAN'T WAIT TIL SUNDAY came in the top ten out of 3000 entries in the 1991 YAMAHA BAND EXPLOSION song competition and a promo video was shot 'down south ' that is somewhere in the vaults on VCR!..CAN'T WAIT TIL SUNDAY was inspired by an off the cuff remark and soon formed into a jangly dreamy summer anthem.

Part 3..The band hit London and Brighton in 91..played some gigs and busked in Covent Garden. .A/R people saw the band but no immediate deal appeared. .the southern trip turned into the plot of a movie that should have been made! ..However MOLOKO + did star in a documentary about THE HULL SCENE in 1991 which may well surface in the future. .Like most guys in their early 20s the band became restless and splintered after less than 2 years..it was meant to be short and sweet, like the songs!..some of the band went into the fairly lucrative (for a 23 year old) world of 60s cover versions as a contract with the former manager of HEATWAVE was offered. .performing BOOGIE NIGHTS wasn't required. .

Part 4..Zooming forward to 2014 some MOLOKO + demos eventually fall into the hands of Ian Shirley at RECORD COLLECTOR MAGAZINE and after a couple of years the SMALL TOWN SCENERY vinyl compilation album appeared in February 2016 featuring the song BITE THE HAND. .as a result MOLOKO + appear again as a business entity even though its virtually impossible to actually play as a band as the members are in 3 separate continents!..Still looking to get the remaining songs released it was by good fate that Keith Jones at FRUITS DE MER RECORDS heard and loved mp3s of CAN'T WAIT TIL SUNDAY and NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT. .they are due to be released as a 7 inch vinyl single in December 2016. .a long overdue Christmas present! ..as for future MOLOKO + activities? ..who knows! ..

Have a listen....

    other Fruits de Mer releases you might be interested in....

  • Sendelica

  • The Honey Pot

  • Us and Them

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