Press Release
Thank you all so much for your support.
At the time of typing, Viola Beach are number 1 in the iTunes download chart and 10 in the UK official chart.
We have a realistic chance of a top 10 position. Lets give the band and Craig the legacy they deserve.
The 20th anniversary collectors’ edition of the modern classic Come Find Yourself will be released on the Edsel label through Demon Music Group on the 19th of February 2016. Available as a 3CD expanded edition and collectors’ Deluxe Edition box set, the release features a plethora of rarities, live recordings, alternate mixes, and much more from the vaults of this landmark record. Bringing a unique collection together from this seminal era for the very first time.
Fun Lovin’ Criminals burst onto the music scene in 1996, gate-crashing the euphoric Britpop party they brought along some unexpectedly unique swag and the generational classic album Come Find Yourself, which gave us the cackling refrain “stick ‘em up punk, it's the Fun Lovin’ Criminal” and the Pulp Fiction–sampling ‘Scooby Snacks’. When Come Find Yourself hit the shelves it was an immediate smash in the UK, where it remained in the album charts for more than 100 weeks, becoming a multi-platinum selling record.
The album featured 3 UK Top 30 hits: “The Fun Lovin Criminal”, “King Of New York” and “Scooby Snacks” all became defining songs of their career and mainstays of their live set but it’s a record where you remember each and every track within the first few notes. It transports you back to the time; and yet is timeless and ready for a new audience of fans to fall in love with it all over again.
Fun Lovin’ Criminals’ infectious blend of cinematic hip-hop, rock ‘n’ roll, blues-jazz , latin-soul set them apart from the Britpop scene. Their sound was not tied to a particular artist or era, combining their eclectic influences and backgrounds into a musical mix that sounded like no one but Fun Lovin’ Criminals. They remain the worlds’ finest and only purveyors of this sound. The UK’s best-loved “cousins from New York”, whip-smart story-tellers in smarter Saville Row suits who, through comically tall tales of living large in the neon metropolis via music, drugs, crime and existential ennui, brought a nearly perfect album to kick-start their career; a record that still resonates and charms two decades on.
World Tour - UK Dates as follows:
Thursday 11 LIVE: Oxford O2 Academy
Friday 12 LIVE: Worthing Pavilion Theatre
Saturday 13 LIVE: Norwich UEA LCR Norwich
Thursday 18 LIVE: Cardiff Y Plas (formally Solus)
Friday 19 LIVE: Exeter Great Hall
Saturday 20 LIVE: London 02 Forum Kentish Town
Thursday 25 LIVE: Birmingham The Institute
Friday 26 LIVE: Manchester Cathedral
Saturday 27 LIVE: Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this modern classic, Huey Morgan, Brian ‘Fast’ Leiser and Frank Benbini have opened the archives to share with their fans and will be playing the record from start to finish for the very first time on their world tour throughout 2016.
Among the additional material on the release will be a collection of the band's BBC sessions from the Come Find Yourself era, including sessions recorded at the famous Astoria venue in London. There are also a number of alternate versions of the songs from the original album, including instrumentals. The collectors’ edition will come with a bonus alternate LP vinyl picture disc and a BBC Sessions 10” vinyl EP. A DVD completes the package rounding up a unique collection of footage from the time; including the original 1996 EPK shot in NY, a few TV performances from TOTP to Jools Holland’s Hootenanny, the original music videos including both versions of the ‘Scooby Snacks’ promo video, alongside a recent interview with Huey and Fast, giving a intimate and in depth perspective on this defining period.
Speaking about the new edition, Fun Lovin’ Criminals singer Huey Morgan said, “It’s a very unique record for the times, and remains so today - it’s not dated. It burned a path for crossing genres that we now take for granted. Looking back, it was a good start for a career in music that was uncompromising. You can tell listening to it, it was exactly the way we wanted it to be. There's still a lot of love out there for ‘Come Find Yourself’".
Come Find Yourself will be reissued on the 19th February 2016.
Preorder now available via Demon Music, first 500 orders include exclusive signed print.
G-Eazy stopped by The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore to film a hilarious skit called "Gardening Made Eazy with G-Eazy". Watch as he attempts to provide the best tips to callers looking for more than just gardening advice. Check it out and share if you dig it:
Following the tragic passing of Viola Beach and their manager Craig Tarry, a campaign is being driven by friends and family to propel the Warrington band’s debut single up the charts.
The band's independent, self-released single, “Swings and Waterslides” is being pushed with the intent of sharing the band’s music with a wider audience of future fans. The hope is that in spite of Saturday’s tragedy, the music the band worked so hard to create can still reach and be enjoyed by as many people as possible.
The campaign was spearheaded by friends and family on social media, where tributes have been pouring in from all over the world.
The track is currently sitting at number 4 in the UK iTunes charts.
Some footage recorded of the band at a recent concert at London venue Koko:
