aaamusic | On 18, Mar 2011

You might not know it yet but you already know The Violet May’s lead singer Chris McClure. He was the iconic dishevelled figure on the front cover of the massive selling debut Arctic Monkeys album, “Whatever You Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” and the brother of John McClure of Reverend & The Makers. Now fronting his own band The Violet May, he looks set to be icon in his own right.

The Violet May started 2010 being hotly tipped as one of The Guardian’s “15 Tips For 2010” while Alan McGee sang their praises in the press before their debut single “Bright Or Better” followed in May.

Despite the single being limited to only 500 strictly limited edition 7” vinyl copies, the Sheffield 5-piece found themselves winning widespread support from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6Music, XFM, NME, Clash Magazine and Artrocker.

The band were then invited into the studio for Steve Lamacq’s BBC 6Music show as his “New Favourite Band”, headlined London’s KOKO for Club NME and even reached as far as the US, where “Bright Or Better” was picked up for rotation on L.A.’s biggest station K-Roq by the infamous “Mayor Of Sunset Strip” DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, and also the instore playlist at Top Shop New York.

Former Jesus & Mary Chain member Douglas Hart heard the track and got in touch offering to make the band’s debut video for free, (Douglas also directed videos for My Bloody Valentine, The Libertines, The Stone Roses and The Horrors) and invites quickly followed to play stages at Leeds Festival, Secret Garden Party, Standon Calling and a headline residency at London’s Death Disco before the band embarked on a sold out mini-tour of Italy and opened the Energy Sessions Festival for Band Of Skulls and Boxer Rebellion in October.

The Violet May’s frenetically wild live shows throughout the country have been the basis of the band’s growing and fervent fanbase of supporters, led by enigmatic frontman Chris McClure’s onstage antics. The music meanwhile has always done the talking, an urgent, high-octane statement of intent, marrying Queens of The Stone Age-esque guitars with the wry lyrical delivery of McClure.

We have a freebie for you titled ‘What You Say’, an effortless swaggering rock n roll beast of a track – a taster of what’s in store from this hotly tipped act.
What You Say by TheVioletMay