Legendary indie group 'The Psychedelic Breakfast' announce huge Newcastle comeback show
Having previously resisted the calls to reform, one of the North East's most loved and respected bands in the last 20 years, The Psychedelic Breakfast, have today announced a shock comeback show.
Set to take place at Anarchy Brew Co in Newcastle on Saturday 16th October 2021, the Tyneside outfit - famed for their unique epic psych driven rock n roll and dance floor filling hits such as 'Uncontrollable Soul' and 'Hangin' Outta Windows' - will appear on stage together for the first time in 15 years.
Featuring the original line-up of Nick Grimes (Lead Vocals & Guitar), David Welsh (Guitar), Ollie Scott (Bass) and David Green (Drums), the band will take their fans back in time for an evening of early noughties psych in the city where it all began.
With a keen eye on the future though and opening new doors, The 'Breakfast' have also today revealed that they will release a new single, a three-minute upbeat BRMC inspired stomper going by the name of Sacré Bleu!'. In the words of the band's charismatic leader, the new single is based on Indian Raag Janasammohini, but bent into a full throttle psych-rock’n’roll tune, “eluding to the importance of immediacy and presence; everything you have right now, is all you’ll ever need.”
Speaking ahead of today's comeback announcement, Nick Grimes – is now based in London but will head North in October for the eagerly anticipated show - said: “I came across all our old material a year or two ago and couldn't shake the idea of having it remastered and getting it out there. When the Breakfast formed even websites were in their infancy, particularly for musicians, never mind social media, so we weren't able to self-promote the way artists can nowadays.
“When I told the lads they were as buzzing as me, because this was stuff we hadn't listened to in like fifteen years. Anyway, I did it and the feedback was just mega. With shouts of ‘Reunion!’ coming from all quarters, we thought, who are we to fly in the face of overwhelming public opinion, haha. No, we all said it at the time, like it was meant to be, right?”
Since leaving the band, Nick went on to obtain a Master of Music degree at Newcastle University specialising in Indian classical music, jazz and free improvisation, before relocating to London with Ollie and their band ‘The Din’, touring extensively across Europe, performing at major festivals, including Glastonbury, Isle of Wight, Boomtown Fair, Secret Garden Party and the Camden Crawl. As a freelance session guitarist he supported and played alongside artists such as The Kooks, Frank Turner, Babyshambles, Biffy Clyro, The Beautiful South and Dodgy. Nick’s currently a member of Jolly Damper, an electro-visual-pop act based in Catalunya, Spain and collaborating with Leeds-based DnB artist Dekoi and fusion ensemble Musique de Crevasse.
In the run up to the band's first rehearsal for well over a decade, the excitement just grew, according to the band.
Re-learning these tunes was like witnessing someone finding their instrument for the first time. Nick continued. “The general consensus was that this first rehearsal (which was astonishingly, in our old studio overlooking the Tyne) is going to sound horrific, but we played every tune from start to finish the first time round. It was as though we'd been there every day, doing it the way we always did, for all those years, way back to 1999 when we formed as children. We lived together, broke bread together, partied hard together and rehearsed all day every day for nearly nine years.”
The Psychedelic Breakfast was a lifestyle, a family, a scene that shot a never-ending swirl of music and debauchery across every wall insight everywhere it went. And it never ended, did it? It's happening again right now.
David 'Greenie' Green adds: “The reformation came very naturally. It's where it all started. We lived together in a huge flat in Heaton and we lived for the band. We spent every day with each other over those years. It felt like The Psychedelic Breakfast and our label/management, Too Far North, was the epicentre of the North East indie music scene at the time. Listening back through all the EPs, albums and singles we released recently was pretty mind blowing. It will be a real trip down memory lane for anyone who is going to gigs in the early to mid-2000s.”
After leaving the band, Greenie and Welshy went on to play for ‘Detroit Social Club’, releasing one album on Polydor records. They toured worldwide between 2008-2011, which included support slots with the likes of ‘Primal Scream’, ‘Oasis’, ‘Jet’ and many others. The band also featured future members of ‘Catfish and The Bottlemen’.
Greenie also went on to tour worldwide and release albums with ‘Little Comets’ and ‘VANT’. Greenie relocated to London in 2011 and became a session drummer, working with the likes of Andy Taylor from ‘Duran Duran’, UK X Factor, ‘Alice Cooper’ guitarist Tommy Henriksen and ‘Thin Lizzy’/’Black Star Riders’ Ricky Warwick amongst others. In 2016 he won the Rhythm Magazine ‘Best New Drummer in The World’ award which was made up of 114,000 voters
Taking place at one of the region's coolest venues, Anarchy Brew Co in Newcastle, the October event will also feature soon to be announced special supporting guests, a specially crafted Psychedelic Breakfast beer, brewed by Anarchy, newly crafted merchandise and a guest DJ performance from North East music icon Bondy.
The show is being promoted by the band’s old management/record label, too far north, who haven’t put on a gig since The Breakfast split up, but back in the day put on over 1000 shows at venues throughout the North East, showcasing up and coming acts including the first Futureheads tour and early Maximo Park gigs.
For more information and to buy tickets, priced at £10, head to: https://tinyurl.com/bawanr6u