46 years since emerging, Liverpool's The Room shares 'Nemesis' from post-punk folklore album 'The Telling'

February 20, 2025

Liverpool post-punk pioneers The Room are back with 'Nemesis', the potent second single from their latest album 'The Telling', presenting their trademark blend of progressive, alternative pop and sultry post-punk. As with the lead track 'The Teller', the accompanying video was produced by Mark Jordan. A magical sonic adventure for fans of 80s post-punk and folk-horror aesthetics alike.

Firm favourites of the late great John Peel, The Room formed in 1979 in the golden years of northern English post-punk. In 2023, they re-formed after a lengthy hiatus, releasing their critically acclaimed 'Restless Fate' album, their first release in 38 years. Their melodic blend of progressive, alternative pop and sultry post-punk is as fresh and relevant now as when they disbanded in 1985.

Formed by singer Dave Jackson and bassist Becky Stringer, they are joined by original drummer Clive Thomas, along with guitarist Darren Brown, keyboardist Ethan Kyme, and the haunting backing vocals of Helena Jacks.

'Nemesis' is from the midpoint of 'The Telling' story. Rusalka, the shape shifter, trapped in her aquatic human form returns to wreak vengeance on the priest and those others who murdered her lover. The village is haunted by evil dreams and deaths by drowning until they sacrifice their priest to the river. The song features bassist Becky Stringer on clarinet for the first time and her son Ethan on piano.

Consisting of 11 songs, the album shares a continuous narrative through all the following songs over a blend of post-punk music, like a sort of aural folk-horror feature film. Set in a mythical 17th-century European forest, 'The Telling' follows a traveling storyteller, who mesmerizes an isolated village with macabre tales of wonder, mystery and the supernatural - of shapeshifters, wolves and ravens... of a love affair between Baba Yaga's adopted daughter and Grendel's long-lived brother, and some witch-finders who come under their hammer.

'The Telling' was inspired by frontman-songwriter Dave Jackson’s interest in folklore and myths, and a visit to a cuckoo clock museum in the Black Forest, where he learned about the traveling clock sellers and storytellers, who used to move between villages. Conveyed through his spirited yet acerbic vocals, the album was conceived as an aural movie for an as-yet unfinished screenplay, unfolding as individual self-contained songs like chapters in a complete narrative, there are no lyrical choruses or repeated themes. The album comes with a full lyric sheet, influenced by the layout of the Guttenberg Bible.

Recorded and mixed at Ark Studios in Liverpool and released via 9x9 Records, this album was co-produced by Dave Jackson and Steve Powell (Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band, Autour De Lucie, Echo & The Bunnymen).

"Situated in a 17th Century European forest, a traveller arrives at a remote village offering to tell a story of "dark love and what came after" in return for a bed for the night. After some resistance from the butcher and the baker, he begins a tale about a young man from a similar village who falls for a strange woman in the forest, but discovers she can shape-shift into a raven or a wolf," says Dave Jackson.

"Rusalka the shape-shifter, assumed dead after the Priest, the jilted bride's brothers and fellow villagers burnt her lake hut and hanged her lover, returns for vengeance on her tormenters, now fixed in her aquatic human shape. This song takes place at the end of side one of the vinyl album and begins a sequence where Rusalka and her future lover begin to Hammer the Witchfinders, who plague Northern Europe at this time."

The Room recorded four John Peel sessions, appeared on The Whistle Test and worked with Television's Tom Verlaine and John Porter (Roxy Music, TheSmiths, Billy Bragg) on their 'In Evil Hour' LP (1984). Recordings from Janice Long's BBC Radio One programme and Saturday Live were used for the 1985 release 'Jackpot Jack' EP.

The Room toured the UK and the USA, and performed with The Fall, The Birthday Party, Bauhaus, Southern Death Cult, Violent Femmes, Tom Verlaine, John Foxx and The Red Guitars. Following the band's split, Becky and Dave went on to form Benny Profane, Dust and Dead Cowboys. Dave has also recorded under his own name and as The Room in the Wood (with Paul Cavanagh).

'Nemesis' is out digitally on February 19. 'The Telling' is out now, available on CD (jewel case with 12-page booklet) or on black vinyl (with a 4-page lyric Insert). It is also available on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and elsewhere.

CREDITS
All songs written by The Room
Dave Jackson - vocals
Becky Stringer - bass & clarinet
Darren Brown - guitars
Ethan Kyme - keyboards
Clive Thomas - drums
Helena Jacks - backing vocals
Cover design by Ian Clark
AI album images by Dave Jackson
Produced by Dave Jackson and Steve Powell
Recorded and mixed by Steve Powell at Ark Studios Liverpool
Mastered by Chris Daniels
Videos by Mark Jordan
Band photos by Richard Duffy-Howard
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR

Liverpool's THE ROOM takes on internet trolls in 'Crying Face', the latest taste of their 'Restless Fate' LP - first recordings in 38 years

May 5, 2023

"A band who have a genuine need to create art, they create literate, film-like songs aimed as much at the mind as the feet. They are not looking back to past glories at all, but looking forward to future ones. In Restless Fate, they have already found one" ~ Louder Than War

"The Room may have sprung from the time of Josef K, The Fall and Magazine but they fit right in with bands like Home Counties and The Cool Greenhouse. The mix of the tuneful with the dissonant, the coolly delivered lyrics and the impeccable production" ~ Joyzine

"There is still a whiff of the Liverpool of their formative years, a Bunnymen-infused, indie eclecticism, but they sound nothing but of the here-and-now, a heady blend of left-field pop and a progressive post-punk poise for the discerning, contemporary alt-pop picker" ~ Big Takeover Magazine

Liverpool indie rock / postpunk outfit The Room presents 'Crying Face', the third single from their 'Restless Fate' album, the first new recordings in 38 years from these John Peel favourites, whose origin dates back to 1979.

Formed by singer Dave Jackson and bassist Becky Stringer in the golden years of northern English postpunk, the band is now back, joined by their original drummer Clive Thomas (replacing Tom McCabe), along with guitarist Darren Brown and keyboardist Ethan Kyme.

"Crying Face concerns that pesky phenomenon - the social media troll. A drunken Travis Bickle of the inter-web, whose inability to socialise without getting in a temper tantrum has reduced him to scrolling through others’ accounts to leave inflammatory comments under assumed names. He might be glowering into his computer screen at something you’ve posted, right now, vein pulsing in a furrowed brow," says Dave Jackson.

Recorded and mixed at Ark Studios in Liverpool and released via 9x9 Records, this album was co-produced by Dave Jackson and Steve Powell (Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band, Autour De Lucie, Echo & The Bunnymen).

Earlier, the band introduced two singles - 'The Drift' and 'Sleepless', a song inspired by the modern-day phenomenon of internet addiction, social media and news junkies. Producer Mark Jordan, who created the videos for all three singles, says, "This new video is a tribute to Facebook trolls. Usually with an over exaggerated opinion of themselves. Whipping up the audience like the angry villagers with their burning torches and pitchforks when in reality the monster is their own reflection."

‘Restless Fate’ picks up where the band left off. At times shimmering, at times haunting, their melodic blend of progressive, alternative pop and sultry post-punk is just as relevant and captivating now as when they broke up in 1985. An exploration of man’s search for meaning and the dysfunction of the human condition, there is still a relentless optimism at the core of this record.

"It's great to revisit old stuff, but writing new songs as The Room is where the excitement really lies. New Dreams from an island cursed by Restless Fate," says Dave Jackson.

The Room recorded four John Peel sessions, appeared on The Whistle Test and worked with Television's Tom Verlaine and John Porter (Roxy Music, The Smiths, Billy Bragg) on their 'In Evil Hour' LP (1984). Recordings from Janice Long's BBC Radio One programme and Saturday Live were used for the 1985 release 'Jackpot Jack' EP. 2004 brought their 'No Dream (Best Of)' compilation, followed by 2005's 'Indoor Fireworks' LP, which was actually recorded in 1982.

Apart from touring the UK and the USA, The Room has also performed with The Fall, The Birthday Party, Bauhaus, Southern Death Cult, Violent Femmes, Tom Verlaine, John Foxx and The Red Guitars.

Following the band's split, Becky and Dave went on to form several other bands: Benny Profane, Dust and Dead Cowboys. Dave has also recorded under his own name and, most recently, he issued a string of releases as The Room in the Wood (with Paul Cavanagh).

The 'Restless Fate' album is out now, available digitally across fine music platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon. It can also be obtained on CD and as a vinyl record via Liverpool-based 9x9 Records.

CREDITS
Written by Dave Jackson, Darren Brown, Becky Stringer, Ethan Kyme
Recorded at Ark Studios, Liverpool
Recorded and mixed by Steve Powell
Produced by Steve Powell and The Room
Dave Jackson - vocals
Becky Stringer -bass
Darren Brown - guitar
Ethan Kyme - keyboards
Tom McCabe - drums
Released on Liverpool's 9x9 Records
'The Drift' video created by Mark Jordan

Liverpool'S THE ROOM presents 'Sleepless', a tale of internet addiction from 'Restless Fate' LP, their first recordings in 38 years

March 21, 2023

"A band who have a genuine need to create art, they create literate, film-like songs aimed as much at the mind as the feet. They are not looking back to past glories at all, but looking forward to future ones. In Restless Fate, they have already found one" ~ Louder Than War

Liverpool's The Room presents 'Sleepless', a song inspired by the modern-day phenomenon of internet addiction, social media and news junkies. Following lead track 'The Drift', this is the latest offering from their 'Restless Fate' LP, the band's first new recordings in 38 years. Producer Mark Jordan has also created accompanying videos for both singles.

Originally formed by singer Dave Jackson and bassist Becky Stringer in 1979, they are once again joined by the band's original drummer Clive Thomas, as well as guitarist Darren Brown, keyboardist Ethan Kyme and drummer Tom McCabe.

Recorded and mixed at Ark Studios in Liverpool and released on 9x9 Records, this album was co-produced by Dave Jackson and Steve Powell (Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band, Autour De Lucie, Echo & The Bunnymen).

‘Restless Fate’ picks up where the band left off. At times shimmering, at times haunting, their melodic blend of progressive, alternative pop and sultry post-punk is just as relevant and captivating now as when they broke up in 1985. An exploration of man’s search for meaning and the dysfunction of the human condition, there is still a relentless optimism at the core of this record.

The Room recorded four John Peel sessions, appeared on The Whistle Test and worked with Television's Tom Verlaine and John Porter (Roxy Music, The Smiths, Billy Bragg) on their 'In Evil Hour' LP (1984). Recordings from Janice Long's BBC Radio One programme and Saturday Live were used for the 1985 release 'Jackpot Jack' EP. 2004 brought their 'No Dream (Best Of)' compilation, followed by 2005's 'Indoor Fireworks' LP, which was actually recorded in 1982.

Having toured the UK and the USA, The Room has also performed with The Fall, The Birthday Party, Bauhaus, Southern Death Cult, Violent Femmes, Tom Verlaine, John Foxx and The Red Guitars.

Following the band's split, Becky and Dave went on to form several other bands: Benny Profane, Dust and Dead Cowboys. Dave has also recorded under his own name and, most recently, he issued a string of releases as The Room in the Wood (with Paul Cavanagh).

"It's great to revisit old stuff, but writing new songs as The Room is where the excitement really lies. New Dreams from an island cursed by Restless Fate," says Dave Jackson.

"'Sleepless' is about addiction to media that keeps us on our phones and obsessed by trivia. 'Red Admiral' is a reflection on childhood with an implied murder mystery hidden in the picture. 'Kingdom' is an atheists hymn. 'Crying Face' is about a Facebook troll I know. 'Bull in the Doorway' is about the paintings of Francis Bacon. 'Mirror World' is an oblique response to a misinformation in the media. 'Cursed Islands' is about an island off the coast of Napoli and also the redundant World Islands in Dubai. 'Time Comes' was another response to lockdown. 'The Reeds' is about a bereaved swan on Prince's Park Lake."

The 'Restless Fate' album is out now, available digitally across fine music platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon. It can also be obtained on CD and as a vinyl record via Liverpool-based 9x9 Records.

CREDITS
Written by Dave Jackson, Darren Brown, Becky Stringer, Ethan Kyme
Recorded at Ark Studios, Liverpool
Recorded and mixed by Steve Powell
Produced by Steve Powell and The Room
Dave Jackson - vocals
Becky Stringer -bass
Darren Brown - guitar
Ethan Kyme - keyboards
Tom McCabe - drums
Released on Liverpool's 9x9 Records
'The Drift' video created by Mark Jordan