Written by: Mike Dimitriou
In late November of 2018, the British rock outfit The Room In The Wood put out their third release of the year. The Mars EP followed June’s S/T LP and April’s Magical Thinking EP, and all three came out via A Turntable Friend Records.
After a huge gap since their post-punk band The Room split back in 1985, Paul Cavanagh and Dave Jackson reunited and last year they wrote some 30 songs together. The songs were catchy alternative rock blended with some new wave spices and bluesy strains without ignoring their post-punk roots.
Obviously, they are happy working together again and that’s why they became so productive but look who they are–apart from The Room, Paul Cavanagh has performed as a solo instrumentalist as Cabin in the Woods and as one of Mike Badger’s Shady Trio. He worked with The Room drummer Alan Wills at Deltasonic Records as well as with The Coral and The Zutons. Cavanagh has also recorded four John Peel sessions and released albums with Top, It’s Immaterial and Moongoose, as well as critically acclaimed singles with Gloss. He also played guitar for Chinese Religion, The Balcony, and Ludus.
Meanwhile, Dave Jackson has been writing and recording since his teens–with The Room, 051, Benny Profane, Dust, Dead Cowboys, as Dave Jackson & The Cathedral Mountaineers, and also with former Shack guitarist John Head. He has recorded and released 10 albums with these various incarnations, notched up seven John Peel sessions with The Room and Benny Profane, and has also appeared on the Whistle Test, Janice Long and Saturday Live. He’s also toured the UK, Europe, and the USA extensively with The Fall, The Violent Femmes, Aztec Camera, The Lemonheads, and The Wedding Present.
The two musicians teamed up with drummer Colin George Lamont (Mark Lanegan, Dave Gahan), and went to Steve Powell’s Liverpool-based Ark Studio to record their stuff. The first single “Mars (Won’t Save Us)” is an utterly cool and groovy tune that’s flecked with original British humor.
The song is a blast.
Enjoy!
Keep Up With The Room In The Wood
