New model army

The New Model Army (borrowed from the military organization led by Oliver Cromwell ) formed in Bradford, Yorkshire, in 1980 under the leadership of the singing guitarist Slade The Equalizer (aka Justin Sullivan). Co-author of the idea can be considered his girlfriend, writer and poetess Joolz Denby , who also began her career on the punk scene. The third was joined by bass player Stuart Morrow, and the first regular drummer was Robert Heaton (born July 6, 1961 in Knutsford, Cheshire , died November 4, 2004 ), who soon began active collaboration with Sullivan in the copyright field. Jules, who became the manager of the group, took part in the design of the covers and recorded backing vocals in the studio. For the first two years, the band toured continuously around Yorkshire , gradually gaining credibility, not least among music critics.

The debut single, Bittersweet, secured NMA in 1983 with a contract with Abstract, which immediately released the super-politicized single Great Expectations , which became an indie hit and centerpiece on the debut album Vengeance ( 1984 ). Things like the anti-church Christian Militia ^[4] anti-war Spirit of the Falklands and the title track (about “guilty feelings” inspired by the working class) made the press talk about Sullivan - as a new, highly educated punkpoet, about Morrow - as about a virtuoso bass player. ^[5] After success in the indie charts of the single The Price (not included in the album), EMI became interested in the group. In early 1985, the group debuted in the official Top 20 with No Rest , the first of 12 singles to visit.

The success of No Rest's second album was overshadowed by the departure of Stuart Morrow. Before finding him a permanent replacement (in the person of 17-year-old Jason Harris), Sullivan and Heaton released mostly acoustic Better Than Them EP, followed by the single Brave New World . Harris made his debut in the third album, The Ghost of Cain, recorded by producer Glyn Jones : here the group has openly declared its involvement in the folk movement. Among the musicians who took part in the recording was Mark Feltham ( harmonica ).

The single 51st State (which mocked the British servility towards the USA) ^[6] became a European hit, the dance remix of Poison Street was a success in Britain, the track The Hunt , (the first in the album) was later performed by Sepultura . The group reached a commercial peak with White Coats (later included in the New Model Army EP (1987). In the same year, guitarist Ricky Warwick briefly joined the group; soon, however, he left to form The Almighty .

Recorded by producer Tom Dowd with the participation of violinist Ed Allen-Johnson, Thunder and Consolation (1989) is considered their best album, but only in an environment far from punk and "metal" . One after another, singles appeared on the charts - Green and Gray (who also received rave reviews in the press), Stupid Questions and Vagabonds . The band followed the tour with guitarist Chris McLaughlin, but soon lost bassist Harris, who was replaced by Peter Nelson, ex- Brotherhood of Lizards , who debuted in Impurity (1990), along with another newcomer, guitarist Adrian Portas ( Adrian Portas ).

After the release of a double live album, Raw Melody Men NMA switched from EMI to Epic , releasing here one album The Love of Hopeless Causes (1993) with the single Here Comes the War , but in general the 90s, despite the abundance of re-releases and compilations, spent in almost complete inaction. Sullivan and Jules at this time performed in the performance quartet of Red Sky Coven , offering viewers a collage of music, poetry, literary and comedy sketches.

In 1998, Sullivan, Nelson, and Heaton reformed the New Model Army by inviting keyboardists Dave Blomberg and Dean White to release Strange Brotherhood , an album that first featured wind and string instruments.

In 2003, Sullivan released a solo album Navigating By The Stars , in addition to the main participants, Michael Dean (drums), Danny Thompson (double bass), Martin Feltham (harmonica) participated in the recording.

Great success in Europe was organized by The Arts Council / Yorkshire Museums & Galleries touring art exhibition by Jules Denby under the characteristic name "One Family, One Tribe - The art & Artifacts Of New Model Army".

The sad news of Heaton's death in 2004 did not stop the band: it continued to tour and released studio albums Carnival (2005) and High (2007).

Studio Albums

• Vengeance - The Independent Story (1984)
• No Rest For the Wicked (1985)
• The Ghost Of Cain (1986)
• Thunder & Consolation (1989)
• Impurity (1990)
• The Love Of Hopeless Causes (1993)
• Strange Brotherhood (1998)
• Eight (2000)
• Carnival (2005)
• High (2007)
• Today is a Good Day (2009)
• Between Dog and Wolf (2013)
• Between Wine and Blood (2014)
• Winter (2016)
• From Here (2019)

Live Albums

• Raw Melody Men (1991)
• BBC Radio One Live in Concert (1994)
• All of This - The "Live" Rarities (1999)
• ... & Nobody Else (1999)
• Fuck Texas, Sing for Us (2008)

Collections

• Radio Sessions '83 -'84 (1988)
• History - The Singles 85-91 (1992)
• B-Sides and Abandoned Tracks (1994)
• Small Town England (1997)
• New Model Army 3 x CD (2000)
• Lost Songs (2002)
• Great Expectations - The Singles Collection (2003)
• The Collection (2004)

Tribute Album

• Toasting Cain (2005)

• Official website
• The official New Model Army Myspace page
• Discography