The Aftermath return to Ireland after a successful UK tour which saw then feature on BBC’s Tom Robinson and Radcliff and Maconie shows for the final release of debut album Friendlier Up Here.
The new download single Northern Lingerie, which will be available from May 1, has been remixed by Ger McDonnell in Nick Seymour from Crowded House’s Exchequer Studio in Dublin and remastered by uber-masterer John Davis (Kaiser Chiefs, The Ting Tings, Bloc Party, The Smiths ) at Metropolis Studios in London.
A full Irish tour is planned with details below.
Friendlier up Here has just seen its Scandinavian release by Naz Promotions and has gained some stunning reviews including 5/6 in Norway’s Firdaposten and BA Magazines.
A band who are rarely off the road, The Aftermath’s never-ending tour this year has seen them play practically every single Irish festival and perform to full houses everywhere from The Olympia and Ambassador Theatres in Dublin to The Marquee in Drumlish, from The Savoy in Cork to The Stables in Mullingar, and from far-flung enclaves such as The Irish Centre Leeds to Club Bang Bang in Berlin. 2008 saw them end the year on a high note with a nationwide tour with one of the biggest UK acts of the past couple of years, The Pigeon Detectives, as well as a Dublin show with the legendary band The Stunning and an appearance on The Last Broadcast with Dave Fanning on Network 2.
Work has already started on The Aftermath’s sophomore album with former Cranberries man Noel Hogan shaping demos, and the band are set to record it proper in late March with an autumn release date pencilled in. But they won’t be able to bid farewell to their debut just yet as distribution deals have been inked to release it in Scandinavia, Greece, Italy and the UK. So, there won't be any let up in The Aftermath's workload for a while!
With the album both a critical and commercial success, and with a couple of singles keeping them in the charts over the past 12 months, The Aftermath end this year as one of the best-selling independent Irish acts.
The debut album was primed with a couple of earlier releases, including the hit single ‘One is Fun’, a catchy Bowie-inspired disco song, which debuted at No 11 on the Irish charts on release, All I Want Is For You To Be Happy which, despite its long title, was another Top 20 success for the group and Are You Not Wanting Me Yet? a cracking glam rock tale of unrequited love.
With themes that bound from love through death, sex and call centres, bad Hollywood remakes and Delia Smith cookery books, “Friendlier Up Here” is an album borne of marathon Woody Allen movie sessions and daydreaming to a soundtrack of Bowie, Beatles, Roxy Music, The Smiths and Serge Gainsbourg.
The self-financed album was recorded in France with Karl and Dave Odlum who, as well as being responsible for the sound of The Frames, Gemma Hayes, Kíla and more, also guided The Swell Season to Oscar glory earlier in the year. Production duties were performed by Phil Vinyl, the man behind Placebo, Elastica and Pulp, and the album was mixed by Ger McDonald of Travis and U2 fame, with legendary producer Mike Hedges and Irish Jack Lyons, an old associate of The Who's, also helping out. Musicians such as The Waterboys Steve Wickham, Damien Rice cellist Vyvienne Long, and Pale man Shane Wearan augmented the band on the disc, as did Paul Weller keyboardist Helen Turner, who continues to play live with the band.
