The Blow Monkeys

40 years down the line and they record something as brilliant as this!
"Journey To You" is the brand new album from The Blow Monkeys. Featuring the extraordinary single "Time Storm" and packed full of future classics such as "Dust At Her Feet" and "Each & Every One", it showcases their distinctive brand of 'Simian Soul' laced with a new strident 'Bacharach and David' sensibility underpinned by funky irresistible groove and outrageous string arrangements.

Written and produced by main man Dr Robert, it features Neville Henry and Mick Anker on sax and bass respectively, and ex Galliano stickman Crispin Taylor on very funky drums. "These songs were written in a kind of frenzy during the initial weeks of the first lockdown" says Robert. "When it was still a bit of a novelty. An enforced place of peace. Something new happened for me. My voice changed and the music that was coming was very 'up' very positive. I just went with it".

What followed was weeks of remote recording as Robert chipped away in his remote home studio in southern Andalucía. Strings courtesy of Welsh wizard Nigel Hopkins and brass sections and percussion came down the phone line as Robert assembled to parts to make the whole.

"We needed to make something special for our 40th year together. Something that distilled what we are about. It's still a mystery. The whole process is magic. Music just appears sometimes. In the end it's about communicating love. I hope we succeeded "
The Blow Monkeys were formed in 1981.
Initially delivering a post-punk slant the band quickly moved into a more soulful sound, reflected in their seductive live performances, which brought them worldwide chart success. Hits such as "Digging Your Scene" and "It Doesn't Have To Be This Way" saw them conquer the charts, and their cover of Lesley Gore's "You Don't Own Me" found its way onto the soundtrack to Dirty Dancing. After several albums, the band called it a day in 1990, with frontman Dr.Robert pursuing a solo career (10 solo albums!) that included, amongst others, collaborations with Paul Weller and Beth Orton and PP Arnold. Dr.Robert had previously tasted solo success with the dance track "Wait", which featured Chicago House diva Kym Mazelle. In 2007 The Blow Monkeys reunited their original line-up of vocalist/guitarist Dr. Robert (Robert Howard), saxophonist Neville Henry, bassist Mick Anker and drummer Tony Kiley, now replaced by Crispin Taylor. The last 10 years have seen the reinvigorated quartet release 6 albums and play hundreds of live shows reconnecting with old fans and a new audience alike.