Working For A Nuclear Free City are comprised of brothers Phil (producer/ keyboards) and Jon Kay (drums), guitarist Gary McLure and bassist Ed Hulme, who take their unique name from a saying found on signs in their hometown of Manchester. The band “liked the name because of the irony and the related conspiracy theories of secret bunkers hidden around Manchester.”
On their stellar eponymous debut, these guys take more than just their name from the streets of Manchester, blending rock and dance elements from the some of Madchester’s and Big Beat’s best acts. Running through the album’s 14-tracks reveal the very best of Manchester, from the Dig Your Own Hole era Chemical Brothers dancefloor hit “Dead Fingers Talking” to the druggy Happy Mondays bassline of “Troubled Son,” to the grooves of The Stone Roses present throughout the album.
The group is extremely talented in capturing the dance rock sound and blending in the perfect amount of shoegaze textures, melodies, and atmospherics giving the album more of an epic and layered feel (think Ulrich Schnauss’ A Strangely Islolated Place). My favorite track from the record, “Over,” is “So” perfectly executed that it could have appeared on Lazer Guided Melodies and no one would have known the difference. It’s that good.
Keep your eyes peeled for U.S. dates as the band plans on playing SXSW this year. The guys are also set to release four new tracks as the Rocket EP in March on Melodic. Insound has vinyl and CD copies of this highly recommended album.