aaamusic | On 27, Sep 2010

Having survived major label turbulence, a fractious inter-band romance and the lead singer becoming an internationally-published novelist, Mancunian trioPerformance – frontman Joe Stretch, guitarist Laura Marsden and Joe Cross (synths/bass/production) – return with ‘Red Brick Heart’, their brilliant second album.

With ‘Red Brick Heart’ Performance capture the mastery and misery of great British pop: on the surface, the music surges with glittering optimism; beneath that veneer, however, there lurks something deeper and troubled. It’s an irresistible combination, with Laura Marsden and Joe Cross bringing the musical joy to Stretch’s dark, quotable lyrics. This conflict is the essence of the band’s charm. ‘We actually make optimistic music,’ says Joe Cross. ‘But I guess there’s no real happiness without melancholy.’

The album was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Wiltshire with producer Cliff Jones (Zero 7, Young Heart Attack, The Golden Virgins), with additional recording at Joe Cross’s ( Hurts, The Sound Of Arrows) Rusholme Gardens Studio, The Works in Stockport and Miloco in London.

Performance – Red Brick Heart (album sampler) by WorkItMedia

If you want to catch Performance live they will be touring with Hurts in October, dates below;
5^th October: UK, Manchester Ritz
7^th October: UK, Birmingham, The Library @ The HMV Institute
8^th October: UK, Bristol, Trinity Church
9^th October: UK, London, Shepherd’s Bush Empire