Hacienda Records / Essential Music are pleased to announce the long awaited full physical and online release of the debut Freebass album, “It’s A Beautiful Life” on Monday 20th September.
The collaborative project between the triumvirate of celebrated Mancunian bassists Peter “Hooky” Hook (Joy Division / New Order), Gary “Mani” Mounfield (The Stone Roses / Primal Scream), Andy “Rourkie” Rourke (The Smiths) and lead singer Gary Briggs, the Freebass album finally arrives some five years after first being mooted by its bass guitar hero members.
Taking time to audition a succession of guest vocalists before appointing the highly talented Gary Briggs (Haven / Strays) as Freebass’ Freebass front man, Gary is considered by many the finest Manchester lead singer of the last decade.
With a debut tranche of UK live dates in early June 2010 across major cities, Freebass played well received, eclectic sets of entirely new material to sold out, appreciative audiences, and passed up the the crowd pleasing opportunity of visits to their extensive back catalogues. As Mani and Hooky aimiably traded bass licks and trademark lo slung bass-lines and exchanged an old pals routine of jokey insults, special praise was reserved for Gary’s presence as a lead singer as he confidently held his own centre stage.
The studio album, which brings together the seminal bassists of the seminal Mancunian groups of the last 30 years, originally developed from free-form sessions between Hooky, Mani and Rourkie which provided the open minded, expansive sound of Freebass. Deftly arch guitar work and wonderfully cascading bass lines permeate the album which serves to slyly re-interprets members’ styles and influences in inventive engaging cocktail of Northern Soul, dub, Krautrock and more, paying homage to the past but not trading off it.
Adapts the illustrious members styles and decades of experience into an innovative and dramatic album “It’s A Beautiful Life” varies its mood throughout, throwing in lighter, delicate, more melodic numbers, “It’s Not Too Late”, “The Only One’s Alone” and “Secrets And Lies” offset against some anthemically brooding, darker-edged tracks, including “Plan B”, “Kill Switch Pt 101” and “Lady Violence” with rock-ier indie tracks such “She Said” and “The God Machine” rounding off the original album.