Scotland’s iconic 1980s music mavericks Fini Tribe are releasing “The Sheer Action of Fini Tribe: 1982-1987” via Shipwrecked Industries. Previewed by the razor-edged singles “I Want More” and “We’re Interested”, this colossal anthology includes their legendary John Peel session from 1985, the original 12” singles (including “Detestimony”) and the WaxTrax! singles, along with unreleased live tracks – all lovingly remastered and produced by the band’s members.
Fini Tribe was born into the cash-poor but culturally-wealthy environs of post-punk Edinburgh in the very early 80s – 1980 to be precise. A tiny three-piece with no drummer would soon swell into a muscular six-piece with inherited or cheaply-purchased instruments. Band members Chris Connelly, Simon McGlynn, Andy McGregor, Davie Miller, Philip Pinsky, and John Vick haunted the cold, damp warrens of the Niddry Street and Blair Street rehearsal rooms, just off the high street in Old Town Edinburgh.
“The Sheer Action of Fini Tribe” is the first retrospective that is curated and designed by the band’s members. It includes a wealth of archival photographs, an essay by original member Andy McGregor, who also designed the sleeve, and essays by longtime friend Shirley Manson (Garbage, Goodbye Mr. MacKenzie) and author Alastair McKay, an early champion of the band. This release also includes the first legendary John Peel Session, produced by Dale Griffin and originally broadcast in May 1985.
“This compilation was a long time in the making, a labour of love for the band, showcasing our most productive years as a six-piece. The compilation of tracks – from professional BBC recordings to live performance and rehearsal room demos – gives as broad a spectrum of the breadth of the band’s creativity during those five important years from 1982 to 1987,” says Chris Connelly.
Rehearsing and writing tirelessly between high school and part-time jobs, Fini Tribe played whenever they got the chance. CND benefits, support band for local mentors Visitors and Explode Your Heart, and endless rehearsals turning them into a well-oiled, if frantic, machine. Eventually gigging in London, Glasgow and Aberdeen, their sound grew as their sound became more unique. Influenced by Throbbing Gristle, Wire, Can, Captain Beefheart, and numerous angular funk bands championed by John Peel, they also drew from modern film, writing, and the art that was abundant in the festival city.
A debut self-released EP on their FINIFLEX label led to the John Peel Session. The band quickly morphed into a formidable experimental dance unit, cemented by the arrival of sampling. Their 1986 “Let The Tribe Grow” EP, with the anthemic, church-bell driven “Detestimony”, would become a lasting and iconic statement of intent. Fini Tribe heralded a new sound and new hypervisual approach, more akin to performance art than rock ‘n roll, with a one-off performance at Edinburgh’s prestigious Assembly Rooms: sculpture, film, ritual, new music, and suspended bin bags full of lurid poster paint sprayed a shocked audience. The gauntlet was thrown, covered in paint, and slapped like a wet fish.
In 1987, the band signed to WaxTrax! Records with a high-octane, percussion-driven cover of Can’s “I Want More”, introducing the band to the temptations of the American dance floor. One more single for WaxTrax!, a reworking of “Detestimony”, and a few more events – including a night at Glasgow’s Third Eye Centre that ended in flames – that was the end for this incarnation of Fini Tribe. The band would lose a few members, including Chris, who joined The Revolting Cocks and moved to Chicago.
The tracks found on “The Sheer Action of Fini Tribe: 1982-1987″ were recorded in Edinburgh at Wilf’s Planet, Pier House, Niddry Street Rehearsal Rooms, Pleasance Theatre, and Calton Studios, and in London at Southern Studios and at BBC Studios, Maida Vale.
As of October 10,”The Sheer Action of Fini Tribe” is out digitally everywhere, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp and as a three-CD digipak with 24-page booklet. October 24 brings the release of the vinyl LP in a gatefold sleeve with insert.
On October 10, Chris Connelly joins Fini Tribe for the album release celebration at the West Port Oracle in Edinburgh – an “in conversation” with Nicola Meighan (this non-ticketed event begins at 7.30pm).
“THE SHEER ACTION OF FINI TRIBE” CD SET
Disc 1 – SINGLES & COMPILATION TRACKS
Disc 2 – SESSIONS & DEMOS
Disc 3 – LIVE +
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